In the mid-80s DJs Albert Grintuch and his partner Serge Duprat took over the Bastille nightclub, Le Balajo. Once a week our crowd of rockers filled the large dancehall.I worked the door with Jacques Negrit as security. The barmen and waitresses were the same surly staff as the other nights of the week featuring accordion bands to a rough working class clientele. None was more vraiment Le Balajo than Daniel, the bullish barman, who was a Pigalle wrestler on his off-nights.
Daniel’s disagreeability was a matter of Gallic pride.
More than occasionally Jacques and I would hear a disturbance at the bar, but before we could attend to the fracas, Daniel would grab the offender by the scuff of the neck and throw him into the street.
As Albert recently explained his technique, “Quand ca chauffait Daniel le catcheur ne prenait pas la peine d ouvrir les portes vitree de l’entree pour balancer les clients un peut trop debordant, resultat, on remplacait continuelement les lourdes.”
In English simply put Daniel chucked out the client without opening the glass doors, which required their replacement with thicker glass doors until they had it right.
Those were the days.
Guess which one in the photo was Daniel.