The Prague Post Online: Tempo: Around Town

September 8th, 2008

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Around Town

Saturday the 13th

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 21st, 2007 issue

Birthday parties never get old.

The only things that change, as we get older, are expectations. Kids bring gift-wrapped toys and hope for games (and cake) in return. By your early 20s, the big day has become an excuse to down shots and slaughter brain cells. Years later, events turn into celebrations of life.

But Jáma is at an awkward age. March 17 marked the pub’s 13th birthday, and guests brought mostly wads of folding money and a significant thirst.

What more than 100 received in return was a chance to down a few Regent beers at 1994 prices — 20 Kč (94 U.S. cents) a pop — and live “music.” Once beloved by many an expat, Regent tastes sharp, sweet and even a might grassy — no match for the smashmouth bitterness of Pilsner Urquell or the pleasantly trite catchall character of Gambrinus. “I didn’t want to destroy people’s memory of Regent,” said owner Max Munson, who debated long and hard whether to buy a keg or two for the party. “But, then again, beer has no memory.”

I think he meant to say “Beer drinkers have no memory.”

Two bands performed until 10:30 p.m. — technically 30 minutes after “curfew” for an establishment lodged in the ground floor of a residential block. But a little pleading by Munson gained extra time. The second was Replay, a tight, professional cover band. The first, RPG — short for Rocket Propelled Goat — a ragtag collection of Jáma regulars, was playing its second-ever gig with garage band-quality renditions of Foo Fighters, um … hell, we couldn’t tell which song the group was actually playing, except until a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to the pub broke out. But at least the band had the guts to stand up before a sotted crowd of familiar faces and belt out a set.

The star of the evening was Munson, rather than his teenage creation, which he decked out on this occasion in green and white streamers and balloons for St. Patrick’s Day. Technically, the only ones celebrating Ireland’s contribution to worldwide Bacchanalia were a group of stag partiers allowed into the festivities against Munson’s better judgment. Several times I heard management warn the boys about noise and language (several English-speaking kids were running around or sketching Crayola masterpieces).

The “Jáma’s Rockin’ Anniversary Menu” was collision between two themes: Monster Horror Chiller Theater and Rock music. The list included “delicious baked hands of Jimmy the drummer, lathered in a honey-pepper sauce and served on vinyl” (i.e. chicken wings) and “deep-fried shred of leather pants in a crunchy and aromatic coat” (also known as breaded chicken steak).

Staff members donned outlandish costumes resembling ’80s hair-metal stars. On second glance: bandannas, studded bracelets, thick belts, temporary tattoos — hmm, maybe they were swashbucklers of yore. A couple came in the guise of cut-rate prostitutes, judging by the ensemble.

“It’s kind of a rock ’n’ roll–pirate–St. Patrick’s theme,” Munson explained in jest.

The real draw of Jáma has always been the camaraderie of its regulars. And, as always, people were shaking hands, table hopping, greeting newcomers with happy shouts. Likely they would spend part of Saturday pinned against the bar, anyway.

Nobody wants to spend a birthday with strangers.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com

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