The Life of a Bartender

Ask kids what they want to do when they grow up and it's not very likely that bartending will be on the top of their list. Not that this is the only career that youngsters don't usually include in their catalog of choices. However, it is one of those jobs that doesn't require a college education to learn, offers a lot of flexibility and can reward the right persona handsomely. Consider a couple of guys from the Valley. San Fernando Valley, that is.

A suburb of Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley is made up of over 25 unique cities including Sherman Oaks, a well-appointed, classy neighborhood that has been home to many famous faces over the years including the Jacksons - as in Michael. And in the midst of this fine city sits the well-known watering hole called Stanley's.

Considered a Valley institution, Stanley's offers great food - try their famous Chinese Chicken Salad - a relaxing atmosphere and a full bar. It also offers two guys behind that bar that have been serving customers here for nearly twenty years.

Kirk Driscoll, 56, and Steve DeWinter, 44, are veteran bartenders extraordinaire and they have managed to survive a lot during their long history working together at Stanley's; a career neither had ever intended.

Steve, a musician and songwriter, and Kirk, a gifted photographer, had each envisioned something different in their lives. "When I first started bartending, it was something I did to supplement my life. Whereas now, I'm a bartender, that's what I do," says Steve.

Kirk agrees. "I started bartending because I liked partying at that time. I was at an age where that's what we did. I surfed and I drank and I got high and I f....d. So, when I finally found myself in a job where I got to do all those things and get paid for it, well, what a great job." And all the while these two bartenders have had some amazing experiences; experiences neither one would trade away.

Consider one night just before closing when Kirk and several customers were held at gunpoint as three armed robbers took their money and valuables. "They were threatening everybody, saying, "Who's going to be the hero? Are you going to be the hero?" Every time they said that, they would point the gun either at me or somebody else sitting at the bar. The people at the bar are suddenly four feet tall - they're crouching down - with just their heads over the bar like "Kilroy was here." So, I'm on my own."

Then there was the deep admiration and friendship that Steve developed for the late Chick Hearn. "The first day, Chick and Marge came in they sat down at the bar. I grew up in L.A., so I thought, That's crazy. That's Chick Hearn. I was staring at his world championship ring from one of the years past. I hadn't even asked, "Can I get you a drink?" I was staring at the ring, and he looks at me and goes, "Do you want to try it on?" He pulls it off and hands me this big old ring. I was like, "Wow! That's so cool." I started talking to him. Then, I got drinks for him and his wife. They stayed a while, then, he and Marge left. That was it. I figured that was the one time I was going to meet Chick Hearn. Very cool. I remember this girl sitting at the bar who said, "Wow! Vin Scully. That is so cool."

A week later, Chick and Marge come in again. I tell them the story about what that girl said and they loved it. Chick was laughing so hard. He was the nicest guy. He always introduced Marge to anybody who came up to them. Always talked to people."

While bartending may not have been at the top of their list of career choices, Kirk and Steve are happy for what they do now. And working together for so many years has provided them more than just a job; they have a deep respect for one another and a friendship that has "survived drunks, cheaters, porno stars and armed robbers."

Special thanks to Robert Crane and Leslie Bertram-Crane for their interview material currently being assembled for a yet-to-be released book tentatively titled Burn the Ice: Recollections and Notes From Two Veteran Bartenders, How the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid of Bartending Survived Drunks, Cheaters, Porno Stars and Armed Robbers.