Some people want to see the Louvre, I want to see the Tube

"There's something happening here; what it is, ain't exactly clear." The lines from the old Buffalo Springfield tune come to me because lately it seems that things from The Simpsons TV show seem to pop up everywhere I look, and of course, that means Simpsons stuff pops up in this blog, because all the blog is, is a reflection of my thoughts at any given moment. 

And even if you don't know or watch the Simpsons show, you probably have heard of people making phony phone calls to a bar, asking for some fictitious funny named-person. Bart was always calling Moe's Tavern on the show, asking for "Oliver Klozoff" or "Hugh Jass." This, of course, is high-tier humor to those whose senses of humor run along fifth-grade levels. 

We love it!

Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons, came up with the idea after hearing the tapes made by Jim Davidson and John Elmo to The Tube bar in Jersey City (the subway trains running under the Hudson River to New York City ran under the bar.) The Tube was owned by a punchy former prize fighter named Louis “Red” Deutsch.

Red was a tough guy, see, and he ran the place like a tough guy would: no stools at the bar, standing room only for those guzzling spirits. If you were drinking beer, you did so over by the wall. These things were forbidden: women, reading, and eating.

Sounds nice, huh?

Moammar Morris
 "Moe" Szyslak

And Red, while not being exactly quick on the uptake, did not have much of a sense of humor, so when Davidson and Elmo prank-called asking if Phil Mypockets or Al Coholic were around, Red would hold the phone and bellow, "I'm looking for Amanda Hugankiss," and the bar patrons would roar, and Red would break bad and threaten the caller with unspeakable tortures if he didn't stop his stunts.  

All that fun ended in 1980 when Red sold the bar and retired to Florida. New owner Joe Barone kept the place going under the new name "Journal Square Pub" - it's in the Journal Square Transportation Center. Barone sold out in 2019 and the new folks honor the old name, keeping "Tube Bar" as the second name for a place that's still good for a drink and a good time, as long as you don't ask for "Lou Kout" or "Sal Lami."