I just can't imagine Fat Mike being a part of something called "Thistle Hill". I would have expected something more like "The drunken fucking belch hole" or something.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

You do realize he's a millionaire who plays 36 holes of golf on most days and is in very many ways, "a rich guy."

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TheMike (March 12, 2010)

Doesn't change the fact that his band's second most recent full length had a song that went "I'm swimming in a sea of pee, I'm climbing a mountain of poo".

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

I understand that. I also understand he knows he can shit out whatever and people will buy it. Thus, he makes money to invest in places called "thistle hill.:"

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TheMike (March 12, 2010)

Indeed, but it doesn't make any of this seem less out of character from the Fat Mike we think we know.

No one buys real albums anymore, so you can't blame him for doing something.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

Dude still sells a lot of albums for an indie punk band and sells a lot of tickets. Dude is way richer than any "punx" give him credit for.

Hahaha I went there once! My friends took us to the neighborhood to go to some garbage bar down the street and a few of us ditched out. They were playing Megadeth when I went in which was cool, but there was nobody there. I can't remember the name of the place but I remember it was very clean and the music was very loud.

the only bar that matters in Chicago is at Kumas Corner

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chicagopunker (March 11, 2010)

Kumas is awesome, except for the part where you have to wait two hours for a burger, although it's the most delicious burger you will ever have.

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red_eye_inc (March 11, 2010)

Kuma's is stupid, get a life

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redscare (March 11, 2010)

Man, you hate on everything!

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soGnar (March 11, 2010)

my favorite part about kumas is the 2 hour wait, and the bros who throw the football to each other on their way to get food. Superdawg, all day.

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88fingerstonytherevenge (March 12, 2010)

right? And I dont even eat meat (their veggie patty is fucking SOLID).

I was just commenting on the awesome bar there, which you would be spending your time at while you wait for your seat.

3 Floyds and 3 whiskeys on tap? Fuck anyone who is too cool for Kumas

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returnofdebs (March 12, 2010)

don't forget red eye also knows rise against and they are douche bags. he is chicago, man.

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jawbreakersuckssucks (March 12, 2010)

I would add Cobra Lounge to that list.

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These_parks_are_lakes (March 12, 2010)

cobra is great. The free shows and tiny high-lifes win me over

no punx, just food. the closest you'll probably get to the two mixing is the rock n roll cafe which features some pretty cool Ramones gear.

That's what I saw on first glance as well.

Ooops.

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kevgren (March 11, 2010)

Are you seeing double at the Tri...

Nevermind.

See the track "Bleeding Heart Disease"

it's also strange that this is in New York at all - SF or LA would make more sense. no?

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chicagopunker (March 11, 2010)

Strange yeah...why the hell would anyone want to put a trendy upscale restaurant in a yuppy neighborhood, fucking idiots...

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the_other_scott (March 11, 2010)

more like why the hell would a guy that's made a living singing songs about dicks and farts open a restaurant in the least likely yuppy neighborhood in a city 3,000 miles away from where he lives.

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Misanthropee (March 11, 2010)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money

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istapledmyfoot (March 11, 2010)

hahahaha

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the_other_scott (March 11, 2010)

right, because there's no money in San Francisco.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

Because Mike IS a rich yuppie? I'm sure he's not very hands on and this is more of an investment for him.

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the_other_scott (March 12, 2010)

again. not the point. so many other neighborhoods would've made sense in new york - and even more so in san francisco.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

He's probably just an investor. I'm assuming someone he knew hit him up and asked for money. Are you expecting he'd be serving food or something in the place? And it makes PERFECT sense in NYC. It's one of the hottest neighborhoods in NYC and will continue to climb.

Maybe... this might sound strange ... but maybe the guy isn't becoming a restaurateur on principle but to make money.

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the_other_scott (March 12, 2010)

yeah - but he could make plenty of money either 1. where he lives or 2. in one of four or five other neighorhoods in new york that would make more sense.

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rebeccaa (March 12, 2010)

because some people (read: me) want SOMETHING to be happy about for living in park slope.

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the_other_scott (March 12, 2010)

how about that giant park?

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rebeccaa (March 12, 2010)

the giant park is not very fun in the depths of winter :(

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MonsterLobster (March 12, 2010)

The guy is one of several owners, meaning he probably is just investing the money and this is someone else's specific food fantasy.

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rebeccaa (March 12, 2010)

the giant park is not very fun in the depths of winter :(

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rebeccaa (March 12, 2010)

oopsie

So the guy opens a restaurant. Give him a break. It's food, and everyone loves food. At least he didn't turn one of his albums into a broadway musical!

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ZachLeg (March 12, 2010)

Maybe they should. Liberal Animation would be the perfect storyline for a broadway musical

Yeah I went there in Fest last year, thought it was sweet. But what the hell do I know about taco restaurants, I'm from Wales...

If it's run by Warren, it's awesome.

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ZachLeg (March 12, 2010)

It's the epitome of service with a goofy-two-thumbs-up smile

NYC is the culinary capital of the fucking hemisphere. If you want the best chance of recouping big on a restaurant investment and you can afford to open and stay open sustainably there, it's where you go.

You people are reacting like Fat Mike is some anti-capitalist twentysomething. The dude is out to make money. None of this should be at all mysterious.

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Dante3000 (rich) (March 11, 2010)

Just about every part of those first two sentences are open to debate.

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the_other_scott (March 12, 2010)

i hate to be one of those people - but yeah, New York City is the capital of the culinary world. sure - there are other places that do other types of food better, but overall it is. That being said - he could've done this in SF and been just as successful. i

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

New York, if you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere... every hear that expression?? It's true. That's why pro-athletes want to play in NY, celebs open establishments there, chefs open restaurants there. It's all perception, and if you succeed in NYC, you've won.

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the_other_scott (March 12, 2010)

that expression's from a liza minelli song. pro athletes want to play in ny because it's a huge market which means they can get bigger endorsement deals and more tv time. not to prove themselves.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

First off, it's not a Liza Minelli song. She did a version of it, yeah. Check out Frank Sinatra some times. And what you said about athletes is EXACTLY my point. That's THE PLACE TO BE. It's pretty much the focal point of the western world in sports, food, fashion, etc. Being a superstar in NYC is a whole other level than being one somewhere else. Same goes with opening a restaurant. Opening a critically acclaimed, high brow, successful restaurant in NYC is a WHOLE DIFFERENT ANIMAL than opening one in SF or LA or Boston or Chicago. Paris is probably the only real competitor in the western hemisphere.

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the_other_scott (March 13, 2010)

First off - she sang it before Sinatra ever did. Second off, I live in new york so spare me the lesson. my point here - and if you read above i said what you said about it being the culinary capital of the world is that unless you are really trying to do something for a bunch of obnoxious foodies and critics, OR you live in new york, it seems weird to open a restaurant here.

LA and SF also have huge, huge restaurant "scenes" and plenty of people with money to spend on food that they don't need.

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Misanthropee (March 14, 2010)

Holy shit dude, you're lurking hard on this article.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

You are 3billion percent correct.

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jawbreakersuckssucks (March 12, 2010)

Somebody's smart. Why are the rest of you complaining about where he decides to open a restaurant? Obviously, he has a reason for it that few of you can understand. Maybe he's friends with the chef, who is from NYC.

"That chef and all those business parters are stupid...they should move to SF to be closer to Fat Mike."

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

You are also very correct.

i am wondering if he is even adamantly vegan. sure he wrote a few songs about it, but i could swear i saw them all eating meat on backstage passport. not sure though. he's fat.

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ZachLeg (March 11, 2010)

I've always thought he was a vegetarian, not a vegan. And I'm pretty sure Warren was a vegan and Boca Fiesta serves meat. Maybe he didn't want to alienate any particular group, so he offers both non-vegan and vegan meals. I think it would hurt his income if he only served to a select group

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the_other_scott (March 11, 2010)

in new york it wouldn't, gainsville it might. there are enough vegetarians and vegans in nyc that there are plenty of really successful restaurants for them.

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veganboyjosh (March 11, 2010)

i don't get this.

i'm not being a reactionary vegan here, either. hear me out.

how does a restaurant that's vegan alienate someone who doesn't eat meat?

if i got to a restaurant that doesn't serve bagels, should i feel alienated, since i enjoy a good bagel for breakfast? what if i go somewhere and they don't serve pasta with marinara sauce? i eat that all the time, too.

how is an establishment NOT serving something alienating to someone who eats whatever that is?

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barleypat (March 11, 2010)

Because, honestly, if you enjoy meat, going to a vegan/vegetarian resturant pretty much blows. It's not that there aren't some decent foods there for us carnivores, just not much I would want to pay money for. If a friend cooked it for dinner at their house, that would be different, but if you have to pay resturant prices for something that you don't really care for, that's a whole different story. Not trying to be a jerk, that's just my perspective.

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DylanXVX (March 12, 2010)

I don't know where you live, but every major city (in the US at least) has vegan places that would definitely change your
mind.. My dad is a 6' 4",300 lb carnivore and loves the places I've taken him to.

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barleypat (March 13, 2010)

He's lying to make you feel good.

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the_other_scott (March 11, 2010)

i'm not sure why you responded to me with this, because i agree with you. i eat meat, but i usually can find something that i dig at vegetarian restaurants - as long as it isn't a meat substitute. stick to good ol fashioned vegetables and if it's good, it's good.

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ZachLeg (March 11, 2010)

Would you eat at a restaurant that strictly served only meat products?

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

I would actually guess a veggie taco place in a town like Gainesville would do VERY well. College town, lots of artists... would do fine.

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Dante3000 (rich) (March 11, 2010)

The only time I bothered to check Warren wasn't a vegan. That was like 5 years ago, however.

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ZachLeg (March 11, 2010)

I think I know what it was. I read an article about how he is a "freegan". I got it mixed up. But he might be a vegan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeganism.

Wow it actually mentions him in the wiki article

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kevgren (March 12, 2010)

I really, really hate portmanteaus. I'm gonna go blog angrily about them and then get back to some chillaxing.

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ZachLeg (March 12, 2010)

I hate them too. To blow off my steam, I'm gonna watch a rockumentary about a sexcapade of humongous Spanglish band while practicing my netiquette.

it's called an investment.

your "lotsa questions" are totally irrelevant because they're based on total bullshit. he was never an adamant vegan, you made that up.

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smelltheglove (March 12, 2010)

Ouch guy, no need for the hostility. If it's the exact wording that bothers you, then I apologize. But I'm not just pulling things out of thin air.

I honestly don't know the exact status of Fat Mike's vegetarianism. I doubt he's a hardline maniac who'll knock the burger out of my hand, but I've read too many interviews to count where he has expressed problems with killing animals and eating meat. That's before even acknowledging the lyrics about animal rights. So that's what I'm basing everything on. If you wanna say I'm misinformed, then fine. But I don't see how I "made that up".

He's not vegan. He's a hypocrite. I am from Quebec and I saw him eat a chicken leg and poutine in an interview on M+.

Terrible song.

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jacknife737 (March 11, 2010)

This.

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NefariousFIG (March 11, 2010)

is incorrect.

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kevgren (March 12, 2010)

You spelled "correct" wrong.

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aintyourbusiness (March 12, 2010)

You spelled "wrong" the correct way.

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TheMike (March 12, 2010)

This thread is awesome.

awesome that chris saw fat mike becoming what he is now so many years ago.

called it!

he is not on twitter, you are a fool

That's what I first thought too, why Brooklyn, he has no connection there at all, why not somewhere in the Bay area? This just seems like a bored rich guy to me. But hey, it's his money, he can do as he pleases I suppose.

As a Brooklyner I have to disagree with your point about gentrification here... If Fat Mike were opening a restaurant in Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy or Bushwick I would agree that he's adding fuel to the gentrification engine. But Park Slope is already so built up and gentrified that another restaurant won't be changing much of anything there, and Fat Mike's name will carry a lot less weight with the older, wealthier crowd in Park Slope. I also disagree with the simplification that young professionals moving into the hood is "destroying poor, working class neighborhoods," although I will acknowledge that the demographic changes in Brooklyn have complicated effects on all the populations living there.

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lookingforcorpses (March 12, 2010)

You are also correct.

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publichousing (March 12, 2010)
I dont know much about Brooklyn or New York so I guess my comment on the particular neighborhood was based on the comments I was reading here. I shouldnt be so quick to assume something based off of a few opinions by some people posting on punknews.
But I respectfully disagree with you about gentrification (though your opinion seems pretty fair and neutral) and it's effects on the "hood". It could be I am personally bitter and thinking with my anger rather than logic but rising rent prices, property value and an overall rise in the 'standard' of living has pushed me and my mum out of the neighborhood I grew up in. It doesn't seem fair that those who live in a community their whole lives should just leave because a few 'urbanites' want to live where people like me once did and then renovate their homes or display, through other common aspects of gentrification, some sort o

show rest of commentI dont know much about Brooklyn or New York so I guess my comment on the particular neighborhood was based on the comments I was reading here. I shouldnt be so quick to assume something based off of a few opinions by some people posting on punknews.
But I respectfully disagree with you about gentrification (though your opinion seems pretty fair and neutral) and it's effects on the "hood". It could be I am personally bitter and thinking with my anger rather than logic but rising rent prices, property value and an overall rise in the 'standard' of living has pushed me and my mum out of the neighborhood I grew up in. It doesn't seem fair that those who live in a community their whole lives should just leave because a few 'urbanites' want to live where people like me once did and then renovate their homes or display, through other common aspects of gentrification, some sort of open invitation to others like them.
There would be nothing wrong with making a neighbourhood the best it can be when everyone can live up to the standards it develops to, but you cant cut corners in this 'cause it cant be done in a good way & without no harm done unless everyone is able to keep up with the changes.

no, sadly the money comes with exploiting it

Looks like you have made absolutely no ethical judgments about the food you eat and probably have never been to Brooklyn, let alone Park Slope. The area doesn't need another meat joint. That's not elitism, it's pure fact. And if you're a musician or lyricist writing songs about animal rights, fucking live up to what you're saying instead of copping out for a quick buck. Nofx was one of my favorite bands, this news is disappointing.

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mayorofparty (March 13, 2010)
I had intended to speak my piece and leave it there but I gotta respond. "Looks like you have made absolutely no ethical judgments about the food you eat and probably have never been to Brooklyn, let alone Park Slope." This stinks like exactly the kind of elitist bull shit I was talking about. I never mentioned what my diet consists of so for you to assume that I have never considered the ethical ramifications of what I eat simply because I don't include my lifestyle choices in my username to show the internet how cool I am, shows the way you look down on the world. I addition I'm in brooklyn all the time lets hang out soon. I just think the way people are so quick to raise irrelevant questions or make an issue of trivial details is stupid. New York has a surplus of everything its not as though there are barricades keeping people out of different neighborhoods it is in fa

show rest of commentI had intended to speak my piece and leave it there but I gotta respond. "Looks like you have made absolutely no ethical judgments about the food you eat and probably have never been to Brooklyn, let alone Park Slope." This stinks like exactly the kind of elitist bull shit I was talking about. I never mentioned what my diet consists of so for you to assume that I have never considered the ethical ramifications of what I eat simply because I don't include my lifestyle choices in my username to show the internet how cool I am, shows the way you look down on the world. I addition I'm in brooklyn all the time lets hang out soon. I just think the way people are so quick to raise irrelevant questions or make an issue of trivial details is stupid. New York has a surplus of everything its not as though there are barricades keeping people out of different neighborhoods it is in fact very easy to get around. I once walked 29 at blocks to get a falafel from a specific stand. Sometimes life is more complex than opening a vegan restaurant, in the perfect location thats crying out for one... whats the rent like in your kitchen? He's working as a partner with several other people and the menu will feature vegetarian food. He's not Karl Buechner for fucks sake, hes not about to firestorm everyone and impose his beliefs upon them. It'd be so great too if he could give all the food away for free to and on the basis of who ever is hungriest gets to eat first. take a hard look at yourself you're an elitist or at very least in immature idealist, grow up.

Agreed, it makes no sense to be a vegitarian or vegan for ethical reasons and invest in a resteraunt that serves animal products. Why dosen't he invest in a slaughterhouse or butcher shop while he's at it?