Troubling news from Britain. One in five nightclubs in the UK have not been able to reopen owing to a shortage of bouncers. For anyone unfamiliar with this terminology, bouncers are the big blokes at club doors whose main role is to chuck out undesirables. And if you still don't get the message, they are usually dressed in black. However, they are officially known as "door supervisors" which certainly looks better on a CV than "bouncer".
The UK shortage is primarily a result of Covid-19. With clubs, pubs and bars closed for more than a year the bouncers had to look for alternative employment. It seems that those who found work are sticking to their new jobs rather than returning to the less-appealing world of "bouncing".
Not that there is anything inherently wrong in being a bouncer. In recent years they have worked hard to shake off the stereotype of being bit of a thug who is only too happy when some drunken idiot foolishly tries to take them on.
Bouncers at the more respectable establishments are encouraged to communicate with potential troublemakers before any violence breaks out. "The best bouncers don't 'bounce' anybody, they talk to people," explained one London club owner.
This trend of being less aggressive is partially a result of a growing number of lawsuits, particularly in the US, against those who took their "bouncing" duties a bit too literally. Customers don't like being punched on the nose.
But it would be a mistake to assume bouncers have gone soft. They are still big lads who can handle themselves. I don't recommend testing them out.
The female touch
One of the most famous bouncers was a woman. A popular Baltimore waterfront club in the 1930s was the Oasis which the owner claimed to offer "the worst show and the best time in the world". That sounds like a few Bangkok establishments. He hired a formidable female bouncer from the Pennsylvania coal mines, called Mickey Steele. She was 180cm tall and an acrobat and could definitely deal with any misbehaving customers.
It was said that when she chucked people out she would first ask politely where they lived, then threw them down the street in the direction of their home. She was succeeded by someone called "Machine-gun Butch" who sounds like someone to steer well clear of.
Don't mess with Mum
The employment of women as bouncers has increased over the years, particularly in Australia where 20% of the door people are female. According to an Aussie club owner the women can handle tricky situations "with a smile, chat and a friendly, but firm demeanour". In Britain, female bouncers are known to be more effective than their male counterparts at calming down inebriated women.
Britain's first female bouncer was Delia El-Hosayny who was known to patrons as "Mum" and did the job for 30 years during which time she was shot and stabbed. She also delivered a baby in a nightclub toilet.
Looking back on her career, which began in the 1980s at a small Derby pub, the recently retired bouncer admitted: "I do miss the camaraderie … but I don't miss the arguments, the fights and the stupid things people do when they've had too much to drink."
Sounding off
I admit to having been given the thumbs down by a bouncer outside a club in Beijing in 2006. I was with a small group of younger Thai journalists and at the entrance we were greeted by a tough-looking Chinese bouncer. He took one look at me and said in good English to my Thai colleagues "are you sure he wants to go in" pointing at me. Then he smiled at me and shaking his head said politely, "I'm sorry, but I think it will be too loud for you."
Although I appreciated his politeness it was still a bit humiliating. Here I was, brought up on the sounds of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, being told the music was too loud for me. Of course, what he was really saying was that I was too old for his establishment.
He was probably right and he had a point about the noise. At a neighbouring club where I was allowed in, after two hours of pounding rap and hip-hop, my head was ringing and I was quite happy to make an exit.
Keeping the peace
Numerous celebrities have been bouncers in their early days. Actor Van Diesel was a bouncer for nine years in New York and got into hundreds of fights. He once commented "Bouncing is like being a cop, but without the badge and the law".
There are a few surprising names that pop up. Topping the list must be the current Pope Francis who was a bouncer in Buenos Aires bars before adopting a more spiritual occupation. Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau was also a bouncer in the resort of Whistler, British Columbia. Although he wasn't muscular, he had considerable diplomatic skills and prevented many a punch-up.
Denim deliverance
An Australian friend tells me that a bouncer denied him entrance to a club in Oz because he was wearing jeans and the establishment had a strict "no jeans" policy.
As a longshot he replied to the doorman, "they're not jeans, they're dress denim". To his surprise the bouncer said "well, okay then" and let him in.
