Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2011
Courtesy of Bar Brock
A Texas longhorn skull hanging on the door piqued our interest further, and a tentative crack of the door sealed the deal as Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be” drifted upward.
We ambled down into the cozy B1-level space, past a poster wryly mocking the “Parental Advisory” sticker affixed to all “explicit” rock recordings since 1985. It warned us of a “Possibility of Excessive Alcohol Consumption, Lewd and Indecent Acts, Explicit Language, Extreme Noise Pollution.”
Instead, as we entered the clean, soothingly lit space, we received a friendly welcome from the bartender-owner, who insisted with a shrug that we call him, “Shuji. Just Shuji.” As we settled at the bar for a drink, the Zeppelin fest continued with the live version of “Over the Hills and Far Away” from The Song Remains the Same.
The bilingual menu offered an ample variety of drinks in the ¥450-¥800 range: the usual liquors (gin, vodka, etc), chuhai, shochu, awamori, red wine, and bottled beer. Also on offer were the regular cast of bourbons including Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Marker’s Mark, and I.W. Harper, as well as Glenlivet and Bowmore single malts.
As the roar of Madison Square Garden fans circa 1973 gave way to the opening studio-recorded strings of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” a glance above the bar revealed a large monitor showing a full-screen iTunes display of the current song’s album art, artist, and song name—perhaps not that necessary for a Led Zeppelin fan, but handy later when more unfamiliar tracks began to play.
A glance around revealed more skulls and a rock and roll aesthetic that gave us a good clue of what else the voluminous music collection had in store. Classic album covers decorated one wall (Donald Fagan, Rolling Stones, T-Rex, Neil Young, Queen) and a carefully crafted photo-collage shrine to various rock icons graced the far wall of the toilet, featuring mostly concert snaps of stars like David Bowie, Jagger and Richards, Jeff Beck, Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa. Across the room, a triumphant yellow-and-white-leather-clad 15” Freddie Mercury action figure guarded the bottle-keep shelf.
Strewn about was a bit of cult movie kitsch. An action figure trio of Chucky, E.T., and Hellraiser’s Pinhead stood watch like gargoyles at the far end of the bar. On the wall behind the small corner stage was a hand-painted (by the owner) recreation of the iconic A Clockwork Orange poster.
As rock bars in Japan go, there are a few different types. There is the “Patrons’ Choice” bar, where printed music menus are offered on arrival and customers are encouraged to pick all of the music (sort of a communal, bartender-queued live jukebox). There is the “Semi-Request” bar, where you might occasionally dare to ask if they have any Mott the Hoople, but please don’t request a particular song, thank you very much. Finally, there is the “Bartender’s Choice” bar where you shouldn’t even think of requesting something unless you’ve been a regular for about 25 years.
The laid-back Bar Brock fits somewhere between the first and second type. There’s no music menu offered, but requests are welcome. Favorite bands, albums, or songs discussed with the bartender and the local musician regulars tend to make their way into the music queue quickly. Case in point: after everyone considered the suggestion that AC/DC’s epic If You Want Blood You’ve Got It was the band’s greatest live album, we soon sampled every bit of it, from the opening roar of “Riff Raff” to the raucous finale of “Rocker.” All at a volume level loud enough to enjoy the music, but not so loud that conversation was impossible.
Shuji-san’s voluminous knowledge of his favorite genres, particularly heavy metal, is humbling and his passion truly infectious. This is a bar carefully created by a rock lover, for rock lovers.
