Music, Community, and Pride: Rick Barry at Georgies Bar

In this episode of Greetings From the Garden State, Mike Ham visits Georgies Bar in Asbury Park, NJ, to chat with musician and community advocate Rick Barry. Known as the “gay Cheers” of Asbury Park, Georgies is a staple of inclusivity, music, and history, recently celebrating its 25th anniversary. Rick shares stories about the bar’s origins, its importance to the LGBTQ+ community, and his role in preserving its legacy.

Rick also opens up about his music journey, how iconic venues like The Saint shaped his career, and the creative projects he’s spearheading to uplift Asbury Park’s music scene. From original music nights at Georgies to the return of Asbury Underground, this episode is packed with insights into the power of music and community.

Key Topics

• The History of Georgies Bar: Opened in 1999 by George, Rick’s wife’s uncle, as a welcoming space for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Georgies Mission: Maintaining a safe haven for everyone, especially young people finding their community.
• Rick’s Music Journey: From early inspirations like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to his lifelong dedication to songwriting and performance.
• Creative Contributions: Rick’s involvement in initiatives like Asbury Underground and Monday night music showcases at Georgies.
• Balancing Life and Art: How Rick juggles a full-time job, a side hustle, and his passion for music.

Highlights

• Georgies and Pride: The bar’s collaboration with breweries like Wildair for special Pride beers, reflecting its vibrant and supportive ethos.
• The Saint’s Legacy: How this historic Asbury Park venue influenced Rick’s personal and professional life, even after its closure.
• Original Music Mondays: A platform for LGBTQ+ musicians to perform and connect, curated by Sean Start.
• Asbury Underground Revival: A grassroots art and music crawl that Rick is bringing back as part of North to Shore 2024.
• Rick’s Music Projects: A new solo album and a collaborative project, Church and State, slated for release in 2025.

Connect with Rick Barry

• Website: RickBarryMusic.com
• Streaming: Find Rick’s music on Spotify, Bandcamp, and all major platforms.
• Georgies Bar: GeorgiesBarAP.com
• Asbury Underground: Follow on socials for updates about the June 2024 event.

Why Listen?

If you’re passionate about music, community-building, and authentic Jersey stories, this episode is a must-listen. From the enduring legacy of Georgies to Rick’s reflections on creativity and collaboration, this conversation captures the heart and soul of Asbury Park.

Music: "Ride" by Jackson Pines
jacksonpines.com

Thank you to our sponsors:
New Jersey Lottery: njlottery.com

Meghan Carroll Realtor: MCSellsbytheSea.com

Albert & Whitney CPAs:  awcpasllc.com

Mayo Performing Arts Center: mayoarts.org/events-calendar

Contact the show: mike@greetingsfromthegardenstate.com

Transcript

Mike Ham [0:24 - 0:34]: All right, what's up, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of Greetings for the Garden State, powered by the New Jersey Lottery. I'm Mike Hamm. We're back in Asbury Park, New Jersey, today with Rick Barret. We're at Georgie's Bar. Rick, welcome to the show. 

Rick Barry [0:34 - 0:35]: Thanks for having me. 

Mike Ham [0:35 - 0:54]: Absolutely. Thank you for inviting me into the bar. You know, like, Georgie's is a place that I've heard a lot about. Like, Tom at Mutiny Barbecue is a friend, a former guest of the show. He's like, every time he sees us that we're down here, he's like, you guys, like, I'll buy you a beer. Come to George's. Come to George's. Come to Georgie's. And finally we made it here. And it's awesome. 

Rick Barry [0:54 - 1:07]: You know, Tom's the best man. He's here. He's a big supporter of the bar. You know, we love him here. Yeah, it's a great spot. It really is. So welcome. 

Mike Ham [1:07 - 1:23]: Absolutely. Yeah. Well, thank you again. Okay, so I think maybe it might be good. Let's just do, like, a little history of Georgie's. I think we'll start there and then we'll kind of get into, like, how you got involved with it, and then we'll get more into, like, your background and all that kind of stuff. We'll kind of take it from there. 

Rick Barry [1:23 - 1:42]: Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Well, Georgie's. We just celebrated the 25th anniversary. My wife's uncle George opened it in 1999. It's Georgie's. It's not possessive. It's Georgie's plural. 

Mike Ham [1:42 - 1:44]: It was open more than one Georgie's. 

Rick Barry [1:45 - 2:32]: More than one George. It was open in tribute to his partner who had died a year or two prior. And they basically. In the 90s, the story is that they really didn't have many places where two men could just go and be themselves and just have a beer. They weren't like, nightclub guys. He was a retired schoolteacher. He was a very private, quiet person. And so he wanted to make that place a place where everybody could feel welcome. So that's 99. He bought the place and they've been keeping it going ever since. 

Mike Ham [2:32 - 2:46]: Yeah, it's funny, like, we were just talking off mic before about how, like, collecting the beer labels thing and the love lager that wildair did. And that was like a commemorative something. Right. Or just like a collab one that. 

Rick Barry [2:46 - 2:51]: Was for a collaboration with wildair. Just for pride. First. 

Mike Ham [2:51 - 2:52]: Okay, got it. Yeah. 

Rick Barry [2:53 - 3:17]: First Pride that we were involved. Yeah. And, you know, it's that's kind of like I come from now the world. There's so many breweries and like, friends, like dentists, musician friends are doing, you know, collabs to promote albums and stuff with beer companies. And I just thought, you know, we should do something for pride. Have a special beer, you know. 

Mike Ham [3:17 - 3:34]: Yeah, well, that was the thing because, like, when we left the brewery that day and I was holding the fort back, when we walk into the truck to leave, someone saw it and was like, oh, yeah, like, that place is awesome. Like, that's like a really important. You know, they like made a comment like that and I was like, oh, wow. Like, we should go to Georgie's. Like, that's cool. 

Rick Barry [3:34 - 3:35]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [3:35 - 3:54]: You know, now here we are. But. And that's funny that you mentioned Dentist too, because, like, that's how we got connected. So we'll shout out Emily Borneman from Dentist, who introduced us. And she told me, and we're gonna get off track here, but that's kind of how these episodes go, that you're the best musician in Asbury Park. I doubt she said it. 

Rick Barry [3:54 - 3:58]: Best musician multiple times. Well, that's very nice of her. 

Mike Ham [3:58 - 4:03]: Listen, you know, I don't know, I'm just taking our word for it. 

Rick Barry [4:03 - 4:06]: She's. Emily's always been a great supporter. We were in a band together. 

Mike Ham [4:06 - 4:07]: Okay. 

Rick Barry [4:07 - 4:08]: No wine for kittens. 

Mike Ham [4:09 - 4:12]: Yeah, I remember her talking about that. I didn't realize that you were in that one. 

Rick Barry [4:12 - 4:18]: Yeah, that was. That's actually Emily and Justin met in that band. 

Mike Ham [4:18 - 4:19]: Okay. 

Rick Barry [4:19 - 4:52]: Technically, I introduced them because I said Justin was my bass player and the only way to keep him happy playing bass in the Rick Barry Band or Rick Barry and the New Rick Barry's featuring Rick Barry. The only way was to have a side project with him. And I said, I'll tell you what, I'm only gonna do it if I'm not the main singer. I said, you gotta go out and you need to find a hot chick with tattoos to front the band and preferably one that can sing songs. 

Mike Ham [4:52 - 4:53]: Yeah, right. Yeah. 

Rick Barry [4:53 - 4:55]: And you found Emily. 

Mike Ham [4:55 - 4:57]: Yeah. And the rest is history. 

Rick Barry [4:57 - 5:09]: Yeah, yeah. So I actually, just recently, I was best man at their wedding and I found the part of the speech that I wrote where I took credit for their entire relationship, like now their entire life. 

Mike Ham [5:09 - 5:14]: So when, at what point do you get involved here at Georgie's? 

Rick Barry [5:15 - 5:59]: Going on two years. And essentially Uncle George, two years ago was wanted to retire, step away from the day to day running of it. And, you know, I know people in the community who this place was important To. And we just kind of said, like, all right, we gotta step. I mean, I was coming around, I was, like, doing some painting and doing some maintenance work just to help out. And what would happen is I would meet a regular, would come up and introduce themselves, and they would say, you know, if this place wasn't here 20 years ago, I would have killed myself. 

Mike Ham [5:59 - 6:00]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [6:00 - 6:44]: And I heard so much of that. And at the same time that this was about two months after the Saint had closed. And for me and a lot of my friends when I was 18 years old, starting the music, that was kind of. I know it's a completely different scenario, but it just reminded me of, like, that was a place where we had needed a place to go and express ourselves. And it just felt similar in that way. It struck a nerve. And just knowing how important it was to the community and the regulars, we just kind of said, like, all right, we gotta help do our part and pitch in to, you know, keep this place around. 

Mike Ham [6:44 - 6:52]: Yeah, let's go into, like, your music background. So music your whole life. Like, when did you start getting into music? 

Rick Barry [6:54 - 7:03]: Probably, you know, I guess I remember, like, pretending to be Bruce Springsteen when I was, like, probably 10. 

Mike Ham [7:03 - 7:04]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [7:04 - 8:03]: Right. And then, of course, when I was like, 12 and actually learning to play guitar, I shunned everything. Bruce Springsteen. And it was all screaming trees and mud honey and Pearl Jam, Nirvana. And then I heard Bob Dylan for the first time at my uncle's barbecue. He had bought the Greatest Hits, Volume one that day, and he put it on, and I heard, you know, like a Rolling Stone for the first time that I can remember. And I was like, what the fuck is this? And I borrowed the cd. I still have that copy. I never gave it back to him. My parents got me an acoustic guitar for Christmas that year. I started writing songs then. Mostly just ripping off Dylan's songs, but as we all do. 

Mike Ham [8:03 - 8:07]: Yeah, yeah. And continue to do like an artist, as they say. Yeah, yeah. 

Rick Barry [8:07 - 8:08]: It's a great book. 

Mike Ham [8:08 - 8:09]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [8:10 - 8:28]: But, yeah, I essentially, you know, for me, I think it kind of started as a way of self expression. Sure. But I think a large part of it was. It was just trying to get girls when I was 14 years old. 

Mike Ham [8:28 - 8:33]: Naturally, we all try our different ways. Mine was sports. I wasn't good enough, you know. 

Rick Barry [8:33 - 8:36]: So, yeah, it's the same now podcasting. 

Mike Ham [8:36 - 8:39]: I mean, I'm engaged now, but it just, you know, they're coming in. 

Rick Barry [8:39 - 8:41]: Oh, yeah, I can imagine. 

Mike Ham [8:41 - 8:42]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [8:43 - 8:55]: But, yeah, I mean, that's essentially. It started like that and it just. At Some point became like a compulsion. 

Mike Ham [8:55 - 8:58]: Yeah. And did you grow up around here? 

Rick Barry [8:58 - 8:59]: Yeah, Point Pleasant. 

Mike Ham [8:59 - 9:03]: Okay. So not too far. So, I mean, like there was. I mean, I feel like just across. 

Rick Barry [9:03 - 9:04]: The Mason Dixon line. 

Mike Ham [9:04 - 9:13]: Sure, yeah. But I feel like, you know, even at that time, like, there's still like a lot of music happening in this area around that time, Right? 

Rick Barry [9:13 - 9:25]: Yeah. I mean, there were a couple, like the generation before me. There were a couple bands. Brown and Seven Minds were kind of big, but I was old enough to get into the clubs. 

Mike Ham [9:25 - 9:26]: Yeah. Yeah. 

Rick Barry [9:26 - 9:41]: There was a coffee shop, Point Pleasant After Hours Cafe, where me and my friends hung out of my friends at Point Pleasant. I was really more or less I was the only musician who played, like, original songwriter. 

Mike Ham [9:41 - 9:42]: Yeah, yeah. 

Rick Barry [9:44 - 10:25]: And so I'd play there like every couple weeks. And, you know, we like, you know, packed a place and friends and they were all very supportive. And When I turned 18, I started coming up to Asbury. There was a guy, John Figueroa, owned a CD store, Rockaway Beach CDs in Point Pleasant. And when I was a kid, I'd ride my bike down there and I would just bother this fucking guy every day. I'd just go and talk about music. I would never buy anything because I didn't have any money. And I just remember he thought I was the most. I could. Most annoying, like, dip on the planet. 

Mike Ham [10:25 - 10:26]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [10:27 - 10:44]: And one day he said, like, oh, you play guitar. Like, make me a tape of your. You playing guitar. And I gave him a tape. And it was of all originals. And back then I. If I made a tape, I literally recorded into the tape. And that was the only copy of that. 

Mike Ham [10:44 - 10:44]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [10:45 - 11:19]: And I came back the next day and he's like, you wrote those songs? And I was like, yeah. And he was like, I'm going to manage you. You're going to be. You're going to be huge. You're gonna be big. And so at some point I got a band together. We played the High School Battle of Bands. Right after I was asked to leave high school or left, I came back and did the Battle of Bands. Then Johnny Rockaway had given my CD to Scott Stamper from the Saint. 

Mike Ham [11:19 - 11:20]: Oh, wow. 

Rick Barry [11:20 - 11:37]: He called me up and took Pete Manus and over to Kyle and them at the Pony. And I've played a lot in the early 2000s and still it was like the little coffee shop. All those people, they just started driving their asses to Asbury to see me. 

Mike Ham [11:37 - 11:43]: Yeah. That's awesome. And you mentioned too, like, how important, like, the Saint was for you. At that point in your life too, right? 

Rick Barry [11:43 - 13:07]: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was. You know, I don't know. I mean, even since. I mean, in the decades since up until it closed, like, my. Everything in my life is because of the Saint. The same in some ways. Like, it was the centerpiece of all meeting my wife, my friends, like, all the people, you know, I have friends from high school and stuff like that too, I keep in touch with. But all the people who are day to day, a part of my life are somehow attached to that music community in that place and time, you know, And I was just talking about this the other day. I was in the building that was the same a few months back before the person who took it over. I went in and they were actually literally scraping a Rick Barry sticker off the wall when I walked in. I was like, fuck. I watched them rip the stage up. Pretty sure it was asbestos under there. And. But I went in at one point before there and it was dark and it was lonely and all the stuff was right where it was left. It was like it was a zombie apocalypse. And I realized, like, I thought I'd be, like, so sad, like, saying goodbye to this space, but it was like the Saint wasn't a place, it was a people. 

Mike Ham [13:07 - 13:07]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [13:07 - 13:08]: And a time. 

Mike Ham [13:08 - 13:09]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [13:11 - 13:30]: You know, some of those people are gone, some of them for good, and other, you know, other ones have moved on and, you know. But yeah, it really was, like I said, a centerpiece. 

Mike Ham [13:30 - 14:23]: Yeah. And I think, like, it's interesting that you say that too, because, like, you know, as we kicked off the episode, talking about, like, the community here at Georgie's and then, like, that community and, you know, like, places are important, but it's like, the people around them that really make them special. And I do really, I mean, like, knowing as many people now, like, I'm not from down here, but now I know a lot of people from here. And some are, like, been here, lived here for forever. Like, Tom, like, you like, other people like that, they kind of have like a. Like, a hand in, like, what has made Asbury park and like, the whole community itself, like, super special. And obviously, like, there's a lot of other things that are happening that are kind of like, taking it into, like, its next phase of life, you know, but still, having places like this is important to remember kind of like where those things came from and give those communities a place to interact and have fun and be together. 

Rick Barry [14:23 - 14:46]: And that's the thing is I think of a place like this, and to me, it's you could look at these pictures behind us of 25 years of memories. Like most of this I wasn't even here for, but I look at it and I think about people who are just turning 21. 

Mike Ham [14:46 - 14:46]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [14:46 - 15:46]: And they don't, you know, somebody. We were here for the block party and the anniversary party and my wife's. Another member of my wife's family was here and he said that, you know, a younger woman came up and started asking questions like, oh, is this place cool? Is this safe? Like he could tell like someone who was, from his words, that had never been here and was kind of feeling it out, like someone who was introducing themselves to the community. And that's what I always think about is where, you know, I think about the saint. I think, where do people, where does the 18 year old Rick Barry in 2024 go to play music and express themselves? And it's, you know, very different, but the same thing here. Like this place is here for people young. It's more about the young people. It's not about preserving the past. 

Mike Ham [15:46 - 15:47]: Yeah, totally. 

Rick Barry [15:47 - 16:01]: From my vision, it's not about preserving the past. It's about keeping the lights on, the doors open and having a home for young people who need it, who aren't necessarily part of a community yet. 

Mike Ham [16:02 - 16:26]: Yeah, totally. And I think that's, like we said before, super important and like you said, where would 18 year old Rick Barry going now? You know, I think that having something like this to that point. So we are, this is going to come out in a couple weeks, but we are recording this on a Monday and I think that that's cool because on Mondays you started doing something special for like that community and kind of like tying the two things together essentially. Right? 

Rick Barry [16:26 - 17:38]: Yeah. I mean, I thought we, you know, we're ill attended on Mondays anyway. We have a stage, we have a PA and, and it's here for the community. Sean start running books it. I originally I didn't want to be the booking guy for it. I don't want to be the gatekeeper for the LGBTQ music community. I just said my friend Avery Mandeville, little hag, gave me Sean's contact and said this is the guy to do this. And he's been fantastic. He puts together great lineups and it's been amazing so far. It's great to see coming here on a Monday. And it is a little music scene. People hanging out, supporting, singing each other's songs, calling out original song titles to each other and all that stuff that I experienced 20 years ago. 

Mike Ham [17:38 - 17:38]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [17:40 - 17:40]: So. 

Mike Ham [17:43 - 17:52]: Sure. Yeah. And I think that's great. And it's like you said, gives. Gives that. You know, like you said before, like the Saint being, like, not a place, like a movement. 

Rick Barry [17:52 - 17:53]: People. 

Mike Ham [17:53 - 18:18]: People. Yeah, exactly. But people still need a place sometimes. So it's good that you have a place and you can give that place to those. To those people. Okay. I want to go back to your music because we haven't talked about it. Like, we talked about it minimally. We'll kind of get back more back into it. What other stuff have you done since, you know, like those kind of early show days at the same. That's a lot, I'm sure. 

Rick Barry [18:18 - 18:19]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [18:20 - 18:27]: It's a very broad question, but it's like, you know, things that you're like, hang your hat on. Be like, this was really cool that I did this. 

Rick Barry [18:31 - 19:39]: You know, there's been a lot of awesome moments. I've shared the stage with a lot of amazing songwriters. It's weird. I've been doing this podcast now. I've been cleaning out my basement, and I found just a giant box of unmarked CDs and DVDs, right. And I put them in. And it's a live recording from the Stone Pony or the Sane or whatever. I'm listening to him trying to figure out who was playing in the band that day, who was opening the show, what year was it, what date was it. And I just kind of cataloging so I could throw the fucking CDs out and take up space, but I also want to save them onto a hard drive or something. And I've been stumbling across all these things that. That I did that, you know, or that we did. Whatever collective I was working with at the time. I'm always like, oh, man, I forgot. I thought I dreamt that. 

Mike Ham [19:39 - 19:39]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [19:39 - 20:01]: Like, we did play Radio Free Europe at, you know, 1:00 in the morning and whatever. And so part of that is, you know, so I would say for 10 years, I did the Holiday Hangover, which I started when I was 18 years old. I think Scott would only give me. The only night he would give me to headline was New Year's Day, because no one wanted it. 

Mike Ham [20:02 - 20:02]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [20:02 - 20:25]: And we made it a thing. People came out. And so it was an annual tradition, and my friends would all get involved and I'd showcase other local acts. And I totally. I remember I stopped doing it. I remembered how miserable I was, being hungover as fuck and having to put on a show and then perform. 

Mike Ham [20:25 - 20:29]: I was gonna say, like, January 1st is like, I'm not doing Anything. 

Rick Barry [20:29 - 20:31]: Yeah, yeah. And I didn't. 

Mike Ham [20:31 - 20:32]: I'll be in the basement on the floor. 

Rick Barry [20:33 - 20:52]: You know, I definitely didn't. Never felt like it. Every year I would go, why the do I do this? And so at some point, it got it round, went around, and it was on a Monday again, and I was like, all right, I'm not going to do it Monday, so maybe I'll do it every five years or whatever. I think I did it one more time. And I only remember this because I found the CD of it. 

Mike Ham [20:52 - 20:53]: Yeah, yeah. 

Rick Barry [20:53 - 22:12]: And I was like, oh, we did one in, you know, 2015 or whatever. Those were cool. And just because listening back to it again, it's not like some big accolade. But hearing, you know, the chatter in the crowd of people, some of whom are dead, you know, some of whom I haven't spoken to in years, and that were part of that scene that, you know, we were so close, like, you know, that stuff means more to me than anything else, probably. I did this series called the Night in Progress, where one Wednesday a month at the Saint, I would write and perform a whole new set, all the material, and I would make. I'd pick three other artists to do it, and I'd make them write a half hour's worth of material, all brand new, and play it. And I've seen some of those songs, you know, turn into, like, go from that rough version to being on a record. My friend Ally Moss always helped me with that. There was also, you know, there's Ian Axel, the band Great Big World, they had that song say Something. 

Mike Ham [22:12 - 22:12]: Okay. 

Rick Barry [22:13 - 23:24]: They played that at night in Progress, and then it's a huge hit song. And I'm like, they played that song. It was at. We did it at a church in here in town or something. And so that's always been cool. And I've kept that up. During the pandemic, I did a lot by email, like, making everyone was quarantined, making my songwriter friends write songs. Let's say, go write me a children's song, children's country song, about how, you know, whatever, how the sun works. And, I mean, that's looking back and listening to all this stuff and kind of being nostalgic about it. The times that I've been able to inspire my contemporaries to. To create something great that I get to sit back and listen to and enjoy as a music fan, that's really the thing that I'm most proud of when I look back and do it. 

Mike Ham [23:24 - 24:19]: Yeah. Because I think, like, I mean, that's sometimes not an easy thing because it's like, you know, you gotta, like you're doing your own stuff, but then also being able to make it bigger than yourself, you know, like whether it's the stuff that you're doing here. The Mayo Performing Arts center is the heart of arts and Entertainment in Morristown, New Jersey. Mpact presents over 200 events annually and is home to an innovative children's arts education program. To see MPAC's upcoming schedule of world class concerts, stand up comedy, family shows and more, head to mayoarts.org or just click the link in our show notes. Looking to buy, sell or rent in Monmouth or Ocean counties, Megan Carroll of Re Max Elite brings local expertise and personalized service. Megan will make your real estate process smooth and stress free bringing southern hospitality to the Jersey shore. Call Megan today at 732-508-7402 or visit her website at mcsellsbythesea.com we also talk about Asbury Underground too, and like what that is and kind of like what that's all about. 

Rick Barry [24:20 - 24:22]: Yeah, I know, you just gave like. 

Mike Ham [24:22 - 24:24]: A really long answer and I gave you like a really fast question. 

Rick Barry [24:24 - 24:59]: No, no, no, it's good, it's good. Asbury Underground. Along those lines, Pat Scavino, who owns Art629. Many years ago, no one was coming to Cookman Avenue. All the businesses were struggling. He did an art and music crawl. I think it was a handful of art galleries. He asked friends to play. I was one of the artists and we went out to Johnny Mac's afterwards. And I was like, you need to make this like a thing. 

Mike Ham [24:59 - 24:59]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [24:59 - 25:33]: And brought it back like the next year in October, right when all the bennies go home and the town was struggling, we would have an afternoon where we would just pack, put original music in every storefront, everything up and down Cookman. And yeah, it lasted until the pandemic. And then we just brought it back this past June. Part of north to Shore sponsored at this time. So it was just great because we were able to actually like work with a budget and. 

Mike Ham [25:33 - 25:33]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [25:33 - 26:48]: And try to, you know, I mean, it's not much. We have so many artists that it's like when you got here's 20 bucks, 70 artists, it's like, here's a check for $50 and 20% off brusso music. Yeah. And a cup of coffee and a five dollar Georgie's gift card for 21. So it was great to bring that back. And that's another thing. It's like so getting Christine Fiola and I Curate it. We book all the artists. She used to do Happy Mondays, original Happy Mondays and had Dark City entertainment. And yeah, we just put even. Our objective is that every set should be intimate. If we have an artist who's playing their third show, hey, it's. It's quality control. We are kind of the gatekeepers of that. No, it is, it's. But it's not about how many people you can bring out. It's not about ticket sales. It's about quality. So are you good if there's five people in the room when you play? There won't be. There's. It's. Usually every room is packed. But are you gonna make them feel something? 

Mike Ham [26:48 - 26:48]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [26:48 - 26:59]: And so we pick artists that do that. And sometimes. And even if we have bigger artists, like Nicole. Nicole Atkins, we have her and she's playing a tiny art gal. 

Mike Ham [26:59 - 27:00]: Yeah. Right. 

Rick Barry [27:00 - 27:24]: And then the night before that, she was playing with Stevie Nicks at an amphitheater. Not bad. So that's the kind of idea is that these are these rare situations where you're gonna see an artist who would sell out the Stone Pony in a sandwich shop on Cookman Avenue. Unmiked. Right. And we love it. We're stoked. It's back. 

Mike Ham [27:26 - 27:33]: Yeah. Did you tell me when we first talked and we started putting this all together that you have a full time job? 

Rick Barry [27:33 - 27:33]: Yeah. 

Mike Ham [27:33 - 27:49]: Like, how do you find the time to do all of these? Because, like, as someone who also does a lot of things, you know, like podcasts, radio station, our marketing business, like all this other stuff, I'm like, I don't have enough time in the day sometimes. But like, here you are, like, doing all these different things. It's. It's really cool. 

Rick Barry [27:49 - 27:53]: It's a to do list, man. I got a fucking to do list every morning. 

Mike Ham [27:54 - 27:57]: It's the satisfaction of like checking shit off the to do list. Yeah. 

Rick Barry [27:57 - 28:04]: And it drives my wife absolutely fucking bananas because I. Because I'll sit and curate my to do list for like an hour. 

Mike Ham [28:04 - 28:08]: Yeah. On the to do list is to make the next day's to do list or whatever. 

Rick Barry [28:08 - 28:35]: That's the last thing on the to do list. But it's always like, like everything in order and whatever. And that's the only way I get shit done. I spent a lot of my life, you know, some. A friend of mine once said recently, he said something about how I'm a talented songwriter or whatever. I said, I'm just not an ambitious musician. Yeah. I said, I'm just not a very ambitious one. 

Mike Ham [28:35 - 28:36]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [28:36 - 29:27]: Which, unfortunately, or fortunately. But I spent a lot of my life just doing the bare minimum, whatever it took day to day to get through the day, make music and all that stuff. But I think you pay for it at some point. So with Georgie's, you know, I mean Asbury Underground is a huge undertaking. It takes, it takes months and it's routing all these, you know, different crawls so that artists aren't stepping on each other's toes and full time day job. And I have a second job too. I also do some. A little light forensic accounting. 

Mike Ham [29:28 - 29:32]: Oh naturally. As one does, you know, so. 

Rick Barry [29:34 - 30:11]: But that helps because that affords, you know, to be able to really volunteer my time here and stuff like that. So it's worth it. And it's just, it's just time management. And I think like I was saying, I fucked off for a big portion of my twenties and. And I just, you know, spent the past decade making up for it. Yeah. By just trying to. It's like I'm atoning for my, you know, slothfully sins. Sure. 

Mike Ham [30:11 - 30:39]: Yeah. But I think it's interesting and I was gonna ask this but I feel like I already kind of have the answer. I was like asked by like I didn't know about the second job but like with a full time job and now like kind of being involved here and like all this stuff, like do you have the time to like make your own music and like all this kind of stuff and like the answer is yes. But it also seems like there's like, like you said, like a higher calling almost where it's kind of like inspiring others, kind of building community, you know, things and all that kind of stuff. 

Rick Barry [30:39 - 31:02]: Yeah, I mean I the like I said, the writing is kind of compulsive at this point. I write every day. I write part of a song every day. I was, I actually started the week we started working here. I took up learning the violin. 

Mike Ham [31:02 - 31:02]: Okay. 

Rick Barry [31:02 - 31:39]: Which was a real fucking pain in the ass. And as you can imagine, I got pretty busy. Pretty shitty violin player. But. And I was watercoloring. I was learning watercolors at the same time. And I actually haven't painted shit since we took this place up. But you do run out of time in the day. And I think like I was saying before, I spent a lot of time when I was young prioritizing myself and my needs. And that's usually the last thing on the to do list at this point. 

Mike Ham [31:39 - 31:39]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [31:39 - 31:41]: To make. To make up for it. So. 

Mike Ham [31:41 - 31:41]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [31:43 - 31:57]: But you know, that being said, it's making time for writing Is like. It's like a meal you have to have, you know, three meals a day. 

Mike Ham [31:57 - 31:58]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [31:58 - 32:06]: Right. And I have to sit down and write something. Even if it's 15 minutes, even if something's stupid that I throw in the. Throw in the trash, just like do it. 

Mike Ham [32:06 - 32:11]: Like the process of doing it, like getting it out, you know, like holding in a sneeze. Yeah. 

Rick Barry [32:11 - 32:34]: And then I have chunk times. Like there's a lot of. You know. Shannon, my wife, works at the Stone Pony, so nights when she's bartending, I say, okay, I'm just staying home tonight. I'm gonna just work on music and just keeping at it. I have a side project too. 

Mike Ham [32:35 - 32:36]: Of course you do. 

Rick Barry [32:36 - 32:53]: We actually. We played the brewery during Asbury Underground and called Church and State is the name right now. I don't know. There is a hardcore band, I think, out of New Hampshire that has that name. So I'm also writing songs for that all the time as well. 

Mike Ham [32:53 - 32:56]: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

Rick Barry [32:56 - 33:17]: I mean, that's. It is a big part of it. I finished the songs for an album and was supposed to start scratch tracking them two years ago, and I'm just now getting to it because a lot of stuff has got in the way and now I have enough material for the next five fucking records. 

Mike Ham [33:17 - 33:18]: Sure. 

Rick Barry [33:19 - 33:31]: And I just send it all out there to friends and go, all right, tell me which ones of these are shit that I can delete and which ones I should keep. But yeah, doesn't stop. 

Mike Ham [33:31 - 33:34]: Yeah. So we're getting close to the end of this episode. 

Rick Barry [33:34 - 33:36]: Thank God you were doing great. 

Mike Ham [33:36 - 33:40]: Honestly. Some. Some zingers in there, some jokes, good stories, all that kind of stuff, I. 

Rick Barry [33:40 - 33:42]: Think practicing all week. 

Mike Ham [33:42 - 33:42]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [33:42 - 33:47]: Really, you know, just in the mirror, just trying. I don't know how to have a casual conversation. 

Mike Ham [33:47 - 33:52]: Sure. And that's like literally what this show is. It's just like we're like literally sitting at the bar, like, how do you. 

Rick Barry [33:52 - 33:54]: How do I talk to another human being? 

Mike Ham [33:54 - 33:54]: Right. 

Rick Barry [33:54 - 33:56]: It's easy to talk about myself. 

Mike Ham [33:56 - 33:56]: Yeah. 

Rick Barry [33:56 - 33:58]: I'm. I'm pretty good at talking about myself. 

Mike Ham [33:58 - 34:21]: And, you know, I'm. I'm asking you what to self. You know, so. Okay, so with like, this is gonna be like a really maybe kind of like out there question, but, like, are there things kind of like coming down the pike, whether it's like your music or stuff that's happening here at Georgie's or whatever that, like, you're excited about that people should be aware of? 

Rick Barry [34:22 - 34:55]: Yeah. Yeah. Well, first off, Monday nights at Georgie's original Music every Monday, more or less. I hope people come out and check it out. Had some awesome artists and they definitely deserve to be heard. Asbury Underground is coming back in June. Part of north to Shore. I don't know if I'm supposed to announce that yet, but sure, whatever. I do what I want. 

Mike Ham [34:57 - 35:02]: Nobody listens to this show anyway, so it's cool. Yeah, we've only been doing it for three years and, you know. 

Rick Barry [35:05 - 35:15]: Yeah, you know, I'm working on a record. I'll have a Rick Barry record out in 2025 and my side project, just working on a record as well. 

Mike Ham [35:15 - 35:16]: So. 

Rick Barry [35:19 - 35:25]: That'S. That's. I want to say that's it, but it feels like a lot now that I'm thinking about it. Sure. 

Mike Ham [35:25 - 35:27]: I didn't mean to, like, put that on you, like. 

Rick Barry [35:27 - 35:28]: Oh, shit. 

Mike Ham [35:28 - 35:46]: Like, these are all the things you have to do in, you know, the next month, basically. No, but that's great. And I wanted to make sure that, you know, we kind of, like, retouched on some of those things too, to, like, remind people and whatever. If they're listening to this and they want to learn more about you, they want to learn more about Georgie's. Where would you send them to do that? 

Rick Barry [35:48 - 37:14]: I think it's georgiesbarap.com or look for Georgie's Bar on Facebook, Instagram, all that stuff. We've got a great, great team here. Joe, the manager, Kiki and everybody there, you know, they keep up on that stuff and they make it easy for. For me and Shannon, for sure. Yeah. So hit them up on socials. I'm taking a break from socials post election because I was tired of Trump rubbing it in my face, so. But I'll be back on socials after. I just want to enjoy Christmas. I know that I come. That's a place of privilege for me to be able to say. I'm gonna take some time off for me, but after the holidays, I'll be back on socials where I'll be reachable. You know, Rick barrymusic.com my band, Rick Barry Bandcamp. I'm on Spotify, Amazon, no Wine for Kittens. Also available on streaming. And yeah, asburyunderground.com for Asbury Underground. Same thing on all the socials we'll be announcing, you know, follow them on Facebook and Twitter and Insta, because we'll be, you know, as soon as we have the lines, we'll start leaking and announcing the artists. Cool stuff. 

Mike Ham [37:15 - 37:22]: Awesome. Well, this has been great. Thank you for doing this with us and inviting me down and, you know, hanging out with us for a little bit. 

Rick Barry [37:22 - 37:22]: Thanks for coming. 

Mike Ham [37:23 - 37:23]: Yeah, absolutely. 

Rick Barry [37:23 - 37:24]: Thanks for having me. 

Mike Ham [37:24 - 37:58]: Yeah, for sure. No, this has been great. And we'll make sure that we put all those links and stuff in the show notes so people, like miss one, they could just go click it. Wallace Book greetings from the gardenstate.com in there as well. So you can get all of our episodes. I believe this is the last episode of the year. Like this will be the last one we post for 2024 and ended on a great one. So I appreciate that. Rick Barry, we were here at Georgie's Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I'm Mike Hamm. This has been the Greetings for the Garden podcast powered by the New Jersey Lottery. Thank you for listening and we'll catch you next time. Do you wanna ride? 

Rick Barry [38:00 - 38:00]: Do.