GREATEST DIVE BAR ON THE PLANET
RIP O'Neil Broyard, its late original proprietor, and our good friend.
Venue information: 3067 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans LA
Saturn Bar
O'Neil Broyard,
its late original proprietor, made the Saturn Bar a St. Claude Avenue
landmark as much for its eccentricities as for its cold beer and cheap
liquor. For more than 40 years, his singular taste and hoarders' zeal
filled the corner tavern with quirky odds and ends, including
leopard-print velour booths, neon signs from bygone businesses and a
vast collection of strange art, such as the dark and compelling
paintings of bar regular Michael Frolich, full of red skies, spidery
trees and leering demons.
After Broyard's death in 2005, his nephew Eric and Eric's then-teenage daughter Bailee excavated the bar's junk pile, keeping the odd charm (the art still hangs, a mural of the planet Saturn still graces the ceiling, the springs in the leopard banquettes are still broken and a friendly cat still strolls between glasses and bottles on the bar), but freeing up the back room for live music.
Most weekend nights (and some weekdays) Bailee Broyard books an eclectic roster of local and touring acts, from the sea-shanty singing Valparaiso Mens' Chorus to blues, garage, punk and metal. It also is the new home of the wildly popular all-45-RPM vinyl Mod Dance Party DJ night, which keeps the dancefloor twisting and shimmying 'til sunrise one Saturday a month.
Tip: Pick up one of the bar’s iconic calendars as a souvenir.
After Broyard's death in 2005, his nephew Eric and Eric's then-teenage daughter Bailee excavated the bar's junk pile, keeping the odd charm (the art still hangs, a mural of the planet Saturn still graces the ceiling, the springs in the leopard banquettes are still broken and a friendly cat still strolls between glasses and bottles on the bar), but freeing up the back room for live music.
Most weekend nights (and some weekdays) Bailee Broyard books an eclectic roster of local and touring acts, from the sea-shanty singing Valparaiso Mens' Chorus to blues, garage, punk and metal. It also is the new home of the wildly popular all-45-RPM vinyl Mod Dance Party DJ night, which keeps the dancefloor twisting and shimmying 'til sunrise one Saturday a month.
Tip: Pick up one of the bar’s iconic calendars as a souvenir.
Venue information: 3067 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans LA
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