Raskin's Rhetoric
Utah
The Year of the Mitchell
Thoughts on why Donovan Mitchell is a special player and why the Utah Jazz are moving on in the playoffs. Continue reading
It Takes a Politician
As of today, we’re 21 days out from the 2016 presidential election. Three weeks and we’ll find out if Secretary Clinton wins big or if business mogul Trump take the Oval Office. I’m understand because Trump is slightly divisive there could be some real implications for control of both the House of Representatives and the … Continue reading
White Girl Drunk
If asked what my favorite part of bartending is, I would answer quickly and with the utmost certainty. It isn’t the pile of cash tips in my bucket to be counted at the end of the night or the quickly sipped beer I put away while counting my earnings. It isn’t the thrill of pouring … Continue reading
The First Three Times
Before moving to Salt Lake City in 1998, I had been to Utah three times. The first visit was a ski trip in 8th grade. Garside Junior High was hosting a ski trip and I decided to risk life and limb on the slopes of Brianhead. Growing up in Las Vegas led for limited winter … Continue reading
Letter To A New Bartender
Welcome aboard! Congratulations on your new position. I’m sure that the interview process was tough and thorough but your resume and interviewing abilities made the difference in getting the job. Earning a bartending job in Utah is tough. There are not nearly enough positions for every talented candidate. With most people earning a job by … Continue reading
Go Free Park Yourself
I remember a simpler time in Salt Lake. A time when a fella would have to buy a temporary membership at a bar to get a drink, took in a game at the Delta Center and purchase every household object under the sun at Fred Meyer. A time before City Creek, TRAX, decent pizza and … Continue reading
Governor of the Island of Misfit Toys
My name is Ben Raskin and I am the governor of the Island of Misfit Toys. That’s what I am calling Keys On Main’s VIP section—an island of misfit toys. I work East #1 at the club and my primary responsibility is to take care of the VIP section. That’s are large roped off section … Continue reading
The Blue T-Shirt
It started with a T-shirt—a stupid $12 T-shirt. Football brings out the worst in people and I didn’t help matters last Saturday wearing a BYU t-shirt to the bar. The staff was allowed to wear U of U gear for the last Holy War match between the local rivals. I, thinking I was going to … Continue reading
Searching For Craig
He was a disheveled mess the first time he walked into the backyard. Hair blown wild over an open khaki shirt with rugged Carhartt pants and beaten shoes, carrying a six-pack of Heineken Light and a bottle of tequila, he waved disinterested and awkwardly at the crowd of people. I was warned by our host, … Continue reading
The Gluttonous Pyramid
They come in all shapes and sizes, from around the country and the globe. There are youngsters just out of high school to senior citizens trying to enjoy the twilight of their lives. Destination? Utah. Their business? Multi-level marketing. Pyramid schemes and somehow they always make it to my club. In the plus/negative list of … Continue reading
Podcasts
- Fish with Dynamite November 21, 2013
- The Thin Air October 12, 2013
- The Blue T-Shirt October 1, 2013
- Resuscitating the pubcast September 26, 2013
