An appeal to all those thousands of
Friends of The Scotia Bar.
A meeting in the Scotia Bar
October 9th. 7:30.
I have been a regular visitor to the Scotia Bar, over
more years than I would ever admit, and I have always been amazed at
the shear variety, breadth and depth of the people you meet there.
All the world is there, you are as likely to meet a physicist as a
writer or a singer, and actor or a plumber, a busker. The person
standing beside you is just as likely to be a bus driver, an actor or
a doctor of literature. Apart from the magic nights of music, poetry,
banter, warm company and laughter, it was a place to go that you knew
you would be welcome and receive friendly service, and if you wanted
to sit and have a long look into your glass, so be it, you would get
the peace to do so. It is an institution, a beacon in the city, a
true open Glasgow Club.
However it seems that Greene King who run the pub
haven't grasped the fact that the Scotia is not just a building where
you buy booze, it is an archive of history, it is a hub, it is a
cultural broth-pot, it is everything Glasgow can be proud of, but as
such it needs to be supported financially to maintain its rich
character and realise its full potential to the company.
Friends of the Scotia
''Cosiest pub in Glasgow. Cheekiest face in
Scotland. Biggest
welcome in the world. Glasgowfolk club
and writers' retreat. Real ales and Real
people served... Gluttons
and garglers' especially welcome.''
Mission Statement:
To uphold
and enhance the aims and traditions of
The Scotia. Arguably the most famous pub in Glasgow, The
Scotia Bar has a long
and illustrious history of
music,
writing and political discussion. Known
more commonly among
musicians as an old
favourite haunt for Billy Connolly, Gerry
Rafferty
and Hamish Imlach, it is a place where aspiring musicians
hope to attain a much sought after music
sIot. And if they don't,
then they come along anyway
and strike up a grand session with a mouth
organ and the pub
guitar.
The
writers club meets once a month, a poet
laureate and a short story
competition is held once
a year, perhaps to unearth the next James
Kelman,
William Mcllvanney or Liz Lochead, who are all Scotia
people.
Home
also to the historians, the anarchists and the
ghost hunters, who
maintain that not all the spirits
are on the gantry, The Scotia is
the pub where your
dad had his first beer; where you relax with a
cold
pint of the latest ale on your way home from work; where you
know you'll meet an old friend or an
amicable stranger to share a
malt o' the month
with.
A few
weeks ago, Greene King, the company who run The Scotia, cut the
entertainment budget. We
want to convince them to increase it and
invest in
the pub that has stood the test of time and has as
many
stories to it as layers of varnish.
Anyone with an interest in preserving and
upholding this famous pub
is invited to a meeting in the Scotia Bar on October 9th. @7:30 to
discuss this.
