As posted at http://reelreviews.alternativereel.com/includes/music_videos/display_review.php?id=00059
Think the "Rawhide" scene from The Blues Brothers but even more outrageous. Toby performs behind chicken wire in a Los Angeles dive bar full of strange and rowdy characters (along with some hot looking women, of course!). You got sexy bar girls and Harley bikers, Wall Street yuppies and bar fighters, cowboys and truckers, losers and boozers, veterans and athletes, bouncers... and a transvestite? Staged fights, plenty of drinking, Confederate flags and good times prevail in this extremely entertaining, laid-back video.
The first single from Keith's Shock 'N Y'all album, "I Love This Bar" skyrocketed up the charts. Apparently, the video was filmed at a real honky tonk - The Cowboy Palace Saloon in Chatsworth, California. When I first heard this song, I thought it was great, right up there with the laid-back classics penned by Hank Williams Jr. in his prime. However, the song sounded VERY familiar. I KNEW I had heard a variation of it before. I forgot all about it until a couple of months later when I was listening to a CD I bought some 10 years ago from Michael McCloud, a legendary singer and boozer who has performed at some of the best bars down in Key West, Florida. The song in question, "Tourist Town Bar," off of McCloud's CD Gretastits (named after, I believe, McCloud's ex-wife, who has a nice set of cans) depicts the losers that populate a dive bar during a typical day in the Keys. So I did a google search of "Tourist Town Bar" and, what do you know, I found a post on a Toby Keith message board that also made comparisons between "I Love This Bar" and "Tourist Town Bar." Check it out at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1009225/posts. Bottom Line: There seemed to be some stunning coincidences between the two drinking songs. For instance, take a look at the opening lyrics of both songs, noting the similar structure and word usage:
"We got winners We got losers Chain smokers and boozers We got yuppies We got bikers We got thirsty hitchhikers And the girls next door Dress up like movie stars Mmm . . . I love this bar." -"I Love This Bar" "You get bimbos and bozos and bikers and boozers, daytime drunks and three-time losers, You get the roomful of rednecks And fancy dressed fellas, Busloads of blue hairs And dirtbags and sailors." -"Tourist Town Bar"
Now check out the similarities in structure between these two passages:
"We got short skirts | We got high techs | Blue collar boys and rednecks | We got lovers, lots of lookers | I've even seen dancin' girls and hookers | And we like to drink our beer from a Mason jar... mmm... I love this bar... Yes, I do . . ." -"I Love This Bar"
"Now we get girls that like girls and we get guys that like guys | And we get European folks in their silly vacation disguises | Got those fancy dressed yuppies all just looking to get robbed... You know Jesus Christ I really do love this damn job." -"Tourist Town Bar"
In addition, can you think of any other country songs that refer to "yuppies" in bars besides "I Love This Bar" and "Tourist Town Bar"? Check it out:
"We got yuppies..." -"I Love This Bar"
"... got those fancy dressed yuppies all just looking to get robbed..." -"Tourist Town Bar"
I then performed google and yahoo searches using the words "boozer", "losers", "bikers" and "yuppies". The ONLY song lyrics that showed up were from "I Love This Bar." Since there are no song lyrics for "Tourist Town Bar" available on the Internet, NO other song lyrics on the Internet contain all of these four words! In fact, the only song lyrics I can find that contain all of these words are "I Love This Bar" and "Tourist Town Bar." A hell of a coincidence, ain't it?
Still not convinced? Visit http://www.kwest.net/~entertainers/mmccloud and listen to "Tourist Town Bar." You be the final judge . . .
From my extensive research above, I have one suggestion for Michael McCloud: Get a lawyer ASAP! Maybe Toby will cut you a nice fat check! I also recommend other country singers to check out McCloud's song archive, which is full of such classics as "The Conch Republic Song" (The Key West's Official Anthem!), "The Hurricane Blows," "Billy's Bayou Barroom & Backyard BBQ," "Today is the Day" (a tribute to the late, great treasure hunter Mel Fisher) and "Just Came Down for the Weekend" (which I believe Jimmy Buffett may have already bought the rights to). I first caught McCloud's act back in the mid-80s. I believe he was performing at Sloppy Joe's at the time. I later heard that he had a falling out with Sloppy Joe's management, who didn't appreciate him selling his tapes and shirts. Michael later started referring to Sloppy's as a "T-shirt shop that sells beer" or something to that effect. Then he moved to Bull & Whistle, another great dive, where he could sell all of his merchandise without any hassle. Over the past few years, he's been performing at another classic Key West bar, Schooner Wharf. So, if you're ever down in Key West, visit the Schooner Wharf Bar where McCloud holds court Thursday through Sunday from noon to five. Prepare to get drunk and have a great time. You can be assured that McCloud will get totally shitfaced along with you . . .
UPDATE: In a December 6, 2006, article called "Bar Brawl! Key West Singer Sues Over Country Hit," the Miami Herald reports that Michael McCloud has indeed filed a lawsuit against Toby Keith for copyright infringement. McCloud claims he wrote "Tourist Town Bar" in the men's room of Sloppy Joe's back in 1988 after a tour bus pulled up to the bar and a bunch of "geriatrics with walkers came in with their drink tickets."
And an interesting post:
We had never heard of Toby Keith until receiving an email from a fan who said that she had seen TK perform this song live. She claims Mr. Keith told the audience that he recorded the song at Jimmy Buffet's Key West Studio - which happens to be only a few yards down the harbor walk from where Michael performs everyday at Schooner Wharf Bar.