Saint John — Last night it was announced that New Brunswick’s Port City, known for its charming character, amiable leadership and impressive fireworks displays, would be losing its Yuk Yuk’s location.
“I never understood the point of it,” said local barfly Maury Phinney. “I mean, we went, you know…support local, and all that, but it was a really poorly managed place.
“I’d just be there, trying to enjoy my beer with friends, and then some asshole would just start talking to us for no reason,” he continued. “It’d be like, who gave this guy a microphone? You know? I’m here trying to talk about the latest episode of The Walking Dead, and here he is spouting off about his mother-in-law or some shit.”
Phinney explained that, at first, he and his friends would just try and talk over the rude monologist, but, like the rest of the bar’s dwindling clientele, they soon decided it wasn’t worth the effort.
“Eventually, we just stopped going,” he said. “Now we usually hit up Eighty Three Bar instead. They got these sweet chairs there shaped like arcade games. You can lean on them, place your drink on them — they’re great!”
It wasn’t just the audience that didn’t take to the atmosphere at the club.
“Did a gig there once,” said Halifax comedian Ellie Hamson, rolling her eyes. “It was like doing a striptease for a goldfish.”
After being informed that Yuk Yuk’s was, in fact, intended to be a comedy bar, Phinney just shook his head.
“Yeah, see, that’s the kind of stuff that I don’t understand,” he said. “What’s so funny about talking? It’s like that website, the, uh, the what’s it, the one with all the articles about how much Saint John sucks or whatever…That’s not funny.”