Happy Birthday Barfly! Celebrating 20 years of writing this column

“Hey, Charlie,” I said.

“Hey, Jeff,” answered Charlie.

It’s what started many of our nights together. Charlie was a regular. And he was more regular than some, but not as much as others.

The truth in the bar business is that regulars can be somewhat irregular, not in their behavior but in their attendance.

Over the years, I’ve seen some people once a year, others once a week, some every other year, some every month and some only on the holidays. To me, they are all regulars. There are even some regulars who come in every single day!

When you think of your favorite restaurant, how many times do you actually go there? This is not meant as a judgment or a condemnation but as an investigation. I bet it’s less often than you think, which might be why the complaint “I come here all the time” often falls on deaf ears.

Charlie came in every week for years. And we were all better off for it.

A drink was ordered, and a drink was made, which is what mixology is at its most fundamental. Then the conversation started, and that’s where the bartending kicks in.

“Have you read that column by that bartender in the Datebook magazine?” he asked.

It was 2006, and I had just started writing this column. Back then, Barfly was on page 45 of the new insert of the Marin IJ Sunday “Weekender” edition. Our competition was a rival paper’s weekend edition called “Datebook.”

Charlie’s news bummed me out. Less than a month in, and someone else was already copying what I was doing. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And in the newspaper business there’s an awful lot of flattery. I stayed bummed until Charlie relayed the story that the bartender/columnist in question had told. It was my story — unequivocally.

“What’s the name of the bartender who wrote that story?” I asked Charlie to see if he could make the connection.

“Jeff something or another,” he said.

“Jeff something or another,” I said.

“Wait a minute,” he said. “Is that you?”

That was 20 years ago this month. What started out as a weekend lark has now turned into a two-decade run: nearly 1,000 Barfly stories have been published, along with another 200 Barfly Wednesday columns (added about six years ago). All combined, they represent over 1 million words on my experience with bartending, or the equivalent of about 15 250-page books, not including the two — soon to be three — that I have actually published. Barfly has won the California News Publishers Association’s “best column” in California twice, and more than 90 national newspapers have picked my stories up over the years, including references, quotes or links, including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. An award-winning short film was made out of one of my stories, and I have produced a series of sold-out live performances throughout Marin County, including several at the Sweetwater and one, last year, at the Marin Center’s Showcase Theater, one of the largest auditoriums in Marin. Books, calendars, podcasts and card decks followed. It has been quite a ride.

But it all started with people like Charlie, and it still happens every day. And while my anonymity has lessened somewhat over the years, there are still plenty of people who only know me as the bartender down the street. And that’s exactly the way I like it.

From a practical standpoint, there are plenty of other people involved in Barfly, and I would like to take some of this space to thank them. My original editor — and the guy who named Barfly — Brent Ainsworth, my longtime editor Vicki Larson and my current one, Colleen Bidwill, thank you all for doing what you do. I would also like to thank Rob Devincenzi, the president and publisher of the IJ, who has always been extremely supportive.

Over the years, I have received literally thousands of emails — and quite a few actual letters, too — from readers. The vast majority are overwhelmingly positive, but occasionally I get one that isn’t. But as they say, all publicity is good publicity.

In the last week, as I was writing this column, I received two.

One complained that she was getting tired of reading about problem customers, which I found quite funny. If you’re getting tired of reading something, there’s always a simple solution.

The second was from a longtime Marin County columnist, a man I admire as much for his wisdom as I do for the length and breadth of his career. It simply said: “You are a terrific writer, but better yet, you are a master storyteller. I’m envious.” And that literally made my day.

Leaving me with these thoughts:

• It’s not about the destination; it’s always about the journey. And the journey continues.

• I can’t wait for Barfly to turn 21. Imagine what I can cover when legally allowed to drink!

• Charlie still reads Barfly, albeit online in another state, but I still hear from him every once in a while.

• Retire? Why on earth would I ever want to do that?

• Thank you to all the people out there who make Barfly possible; I literally couldn’t do it without you!