gogol a go go
Throwing us for a loop, Gogol puts boho on an anorexic budget with its newest bar, located at O.G.I.’s burned-down Bibi. When your night of clubbing at Probka is foiled, soak up the cheap suds and ambient good will of Maroseika’s Gogol Bar.
PHOTO GEORGY IVANOV/TEXT SONYA RINKUS feedback
SCENE: First, a narrative: I woke up early on first day of April, with the intention of finding something new and inspirational in the city to break the winter doldrums. But it was not the “Mr. Bluebird On Your Shoulder” spring day I had envisioned — more like Stephen King’s “The Tommy-knockers” where everyone has turned crazy and evil from radiation and their teeth start falling out. The sky was a malevolent gray, people gave the appearance barely-contained hysteria and I chose a front row seat on the metro for an old-fashioned pre-noon ethnic hate crime. Where is all this leading? Right to Gogol Bar, a pocket of good will to redeem my faith in humanity. First and foremost, they’ve bravely chucked that nasty social institution “feis kontrol,” welcoming pretty much anyone off the street. Management didn’t steal my pen for taking notes as they are wont to do everywhere from Zona to Detsky Mir, the bartender humored my broken Russian, the coat check guy let my friend find her jacket when she lost her ticket – in the end, it’s the simple gestures like these that add up to a pleasurable nightlife experience. The crowd they’d amassed was young, friendly student-types who didn’t care what they looked like dancing. All in all, it was just nice people having fun, not stepping on anyone’s toes – warm and fuzzy Moscow not scary bitch goddess Moscow. LAYOUT: The former resident of this off-Maroseika address, the O.G.I.’s Bibi, perished by fire, a suspiciously frequent fate for clubs in this city. The fire took with it the bright orange-and-turquoise color scheme, replaced by “puke blue” by its new tenant, also the son of a franchise. Small, dark and dank, it embodies the scrappy, kooky spirit of our man Nikolai better than the other Gogols, where he’s just an, erm, fashionable brand name. Gogol on Stoleshnikov has this bird welded from junk car parts at the entrance, a well-crafted if weird piece that doesn’t seem out of place amongst the pedestrian street’s haute couture boutiques. In indicative contrast, the centerpiece sculpture at Gogol Bar at the base of the stairs is a birdcage precariously stacked on a drainpipe with an eggbeater hanging off it. What the? They’ve subverted the pretentious didn’t-try-too-hard, falling-apart-at-the-seams aesthetic practiced by spiritual brothers FAQ Cafe and Apshu by actually not trying and actually falling part at the seams. Cutout lanterns like we made in kindergarten adorn cheap wood tables and spray paint is the main decorative flourish. My companion thought they’d hit up the IKEA for boho bars, but I said no, this is pure Do It Yourself handiwork GROOVE: Perhaps the cheesiest music known to man, like a dance version of “No Woman No Cry” mixed in with lame ‘60s hits, but everyone was too drunk to notice the difference or too good-natured to care if they did. Why “The Twist?” That’s not nerd chic – that’s what moms play at seven-year-olds’ birthday parties. The DJ briefly redeemed himself with ironic hipster anthem “My Humps,” but then plunged right back into crap Black Eyed Peas territory, “Where Is The Love?” COSTS: Like the other Gogols, Apshu and French restaurant Jean-Jacques, all run by the same management, prices are cheap, cheap, cheap. Actually, it’s even cheaper than that. In the event that you are turned away from Propaganda — and that’s happening more and more often these days, boo-hoo, and guards won’t even be fazed by threats of burial by drunken English-language weekly editors – there’s an alternative to pointlessly expensive Bourbon Street or life-sucking vacuum Viking; just scoot around the corner to Gogol Bar where nol pyat beer starts at 50 rubles, vodka shots at 40 and wine at 80. BATHROOMS: Puke blue and unremarkable, but a fertile meeting ground. Made several new friends while hedging about whether to use Gogol Bar’s facilities or those at Probka, which lead to us staying another two hours and giving the place a longer, more favorable look. Coincidence, maybe, but I like to think that its part of the ambient good karma of Gogol Bar. As Haley Joel Osment said, “Pay it forward,” yo. HOURS: Open noon until 6 a.m. everyday. |
