by Balthazar Monsoon

As some of you remember, I've been on a quest for a decent bar/club in the Inland Empire. In March, my friend took me to The Hook Up, located in Pomona, in a not-so nice area, for some St. Patrick's Day drinking. You'd think this would affect the place. It does. Years ago, this was known as Mary's, and for some reason, I remember aluminun siding. It's changed though.

Although the name implies something dirty, maybe even raunchy, the bar isn't. You can enter either from the front or the back, where you'll always see an abundance of lesbians, some playing pool, some singing along to "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson blaring off the jukebox. A sign over the bar announces who you bartender is, and everytime I've gone this past month, it's been Junior, who now recognizes me and knows that I'll be drinking Tom Collins and to open a tab for me. I'm usually with friends, so we'll look for a table so we can smoke and talk, and occasionally request songs off the jukebox.

This jukebox is pretty queer. It's filled with dance compilations that feature such artists as CeCe Peniston, The Real McCoy, Crystal Waters, and other gay flavours of the month. Other artists in the jukebox include gay icons such as: Jimmy Somerville, Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John, ABBA, Cher, Donna Summer, Pet Shop Boys, and of course Madonna. There are also a few mariachi cds in this jukebox, along with The Judds, No Doubt and Gwen Stefani, the soundtrack to the film Chicago, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Just the other night, my friend and I were putting dollar after dollar in the jukebox because no one else wanted to hear any decent music, which was great. I was able to create some rather queer selections that the bar seemed to enjoy.

I don't think it's strange that I've been to The Hook Up pretty much every week for a month. I really like the atmosphere, even though it's a dive bar. I get strong drinks, I can smoke inside the bar, there's no cover charge, and best of all, there isn't a DJ who'll rub his pecs whenever "Naughty Girl" plays.

You can find The Hook-Up at 1047 E. Second Street in Pomona. If you think you stumbled into the bad part of town, you've found it.