BURD's Blog (11)

"Oh Kevin, honey this is Bill. His band is playing next door at the Bluebird tonight!"



My Mom greeted me as I walked into the restaurant one Tuesday night. It was my night off from Rockit's and I was planning on popping over to the Bluebird. First, I wanted to see how business was. Even when I was off work, I was never really off work. It was the early/mid Nineties by this time and the business was… Continue

Robbie Mullet. I hadn't thought about him for sometime. I was staring at the autographed drum cymbal, turning it over in my hands. It was still shiny, just a little tarnished around the edges, the writing in black, bold marker looked just like it was written yesterday; "To Jhonny, Luv your Zaaa-I broke me Cymbal cravin' it!! Luv ya! Robbie." Then; "P.S. Luv ya Babe!!!" Below that almost as an after thought he scrawled the name of his band,… Continue

"So anyway, the other day I rang up Satan and said,

"Beezlebub Baby! How's the Hellfire? What's the good hate potentate?"

And he goes, "Tesco it is your solemn duty to recruit the Youth of America for my Legions of Darkness. For your efforts you will be seated at my right hand, the Goat of Mendes at my left. You been a bad boy Tesco?"

"Damn straight sugar daddy Lucifer! I be riding Hot… Continue

The first time it happened I felt like a voyeur, an uninvited guest.



It was so intimate and amorous.



The couples danced, close and slow.



Living in that moment, only for one another.



"Unchained Melody" played on the jukebox, romantic, intoxicating. The lights were dimmed and the dancers, four of them, tuned us out completely. They held each other. Oblivious to their audience.



It was one of those calm,… Continue

My years cooking at Leslie's taught me something; sometimes working in food service sucks. The work can be frantic as hell. The breaks are erratic, if you even get one. The pay is lousy. The hours are shit, and the customers are sometimes jerks. When you get the right co-workers however, it can be a lot of fun. If you were to ask me what the best part about owning a business is, I'd say that you get to pick who you work… Continue

There's a special group of people who gave me the wherewithal, the diligence and the inspiration to stay sober. They make up a small segment of our society. Some might consider them an aggravation, but to me they were a godsend. They gave me clarity and perspective when I really needed it most, and I'd like to thank them now.



I'm talking about The Drunk Obnoxious Assholes.



Thank You. Really. From the bottom of my heart.



Gracias to… Continue

I never considered myself enthralled.



Held in bondage.



Enslaved.



Subjugated.



Truth can sting sometimes.



The worm started to turn after the Gulf War began. I had never thought my drug use and drinking was that big of a problem, that is, until I actually had to manage some real responsibility. Running a business and staying high, staying high and running a business. It was fast becoming… Continue

Never get into business with someone you're not sure about.



I always had a sneaking suspicion that Frank was a fraud. In the couple of weeks after Johnny Rockit's opened, evidence began accumulating. Incontrovertible evidence. Mountains of it. I mean, I had always taken Frank's stories with a grain of salt, but my confidence in them containing even a grain of truth was starting to unravel. It was very disconcerting. Frank had… Continue

The first piece of advice I'd give to anyone who wants to start a business is this: "Have a plan."



I'm sure they say that in business school, I've never taken a class, but I can't imagine that they don't. In fact it should be on page 1 of Basic Business:

"Have a plan. If you do not have a plan, you will fail summarily and with little solace to your anus." (Have a plan or kiss your ass goodbye!) It's… Continue

I was drunk. There I said it. That's it. That's all. There is really nothing more to it. A simple explanation. No-no-no, I know what you're thinking:



"That's just an excuse Burd."



"You know what my friend John Matthew always said about excuses." I'd retort politely.



"Tell me."



"Excuses are like Assholes...everyone's got one...and they all STINK!"



So no, it's just an explanation. It… Continue

I'm gonna attempt to write about Rockit's pizza. It was my baby from 1990-1996. It was interesting, fun, stressfull, aggravating, joyous, silly, scary, and idiotic. I had many employees in those 6 years and many customers-if you were one, and I leave you out of the telling-then speak up.



I'm gonna talk about everything...and I mean everything. I'll leave out some stuff just for the sake of saving some people embarrassment-shame… Continue