My wedding was probably one of the biggest nights we’ve ever had. We absolutely annihilated the place. Jerome opened up, well really, closed off the place for us to have the after-party at St. Jerome’s. Poor Ben was there to keep an eye on us. Jerome said we could have the place, and do whatever we liked, but we don’t have any bar staff. So my wife and I worked the bar at our wedding after-party, me still in my suit and she in her after-party dress. And Jerome was the DJ. I think I blew up the stereo by pouring a jug of water over it. So it turned into a dance party to nothing for a while.
There used to be a coffee machine on the bar. That ended up getting knocked over because Jonesy was dancing on it, till he fell off and landed square on his ribs on one of the tables. The coffee beans went everywhere, so we decided to have coffee bean fights. The whole floor was covered in coffee beans, and the whole place turned black with coffee as we danced them into the concrete floor. Everyone was dancing on the tables. It was one of the wildest nights I’ve ever had. Everyone just went crazy. It was unplanned. There were people there that don’t even normally party that much and even they were getting in on it. We trashed the place. I don’t think there was much left standing. It was daylight when we walked out of there, and the poor cleaner guy was just standing there.
I’m since divorced, but I’m happy telling the story. The marriage only lasted 16 months. But it was all worth it for that night we had, especially the after-party. It was one of those nights that stick in your mind, when you were with your best friends and everyone goes to that next level. It was like a group of kids that have been left in the house for the first time ever.
Shit Town was a funny place. The place used to leak. Jerome would buy the ponchos for when it rained so you could still drink with all your plastic on. He didn’t sell them he just gave them out. Buying a heap of ponchos was easier than fixing the roof. He used to get everything for free — everything off Jonesy. That was the thing about at St. Jerome’s; the fact that he had such a big turnover at such a small expense. And the way that he used space that really wasn’t his, like out the back.
He’s good at getting people to do things for nothing, but at the same time they were happy that he gave them the canvas to express themselves as musicians or artists. That was why it worked so well, because he would tell them, ‘guys, do whatever you want. Run the night, just go mental.’
Before he opened, it was really dodgy. It was a bad lane for heroin, dealers, hookers, and all sorts of stuff. Then he actually turned it into something decent, and they kicked him out.
