Bartender, Heal Thyself

[faustus]

One of the roles of barman (or barmaid, but my local is rarely staffed by a woman) is to be father confessor, listener and confidente. They are supposed to stand there, head cocked to one side, polishing a glass, occasionally dispensing nuggets of meaty wisdom.

Of course, the glass polishing is unhygienic, but it's a prop.

So how come I'm up to my seventh barman who wants to tell me his worries? I'm father confessor to the barmen. I'm not necessarily objecting, and I'm rather flattered. I do remember being in a similar position in the early nineties, but that was for mates. Not that these people aren't mates. But still. It's an odd reversal.

Psychoanalysts are meant to be in analysis themselves, which is a little bit meta. (As in, how do you deliver cardboard boxes? In a cardboard box. So how...) Do they talk to more experienced shrinks? In which case there's a limit point. On is it a large circle, and would that work?

Somewhere Tom Lehrer comments about the counsellor who made his living giving helpful advice to people who were happier than he was.

Ho hum.

Comments

[bookzombie.livejournal.com]

Makes me think of the original Hitch-Hikers radio series:

Arthur Dent: Why does everyone want to tell me their life stories?
Big Old Bird: My dear old thing, you have such a sympathetic face.
Arthur: Is that why you've done what you've done all over it? (etc)

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

Well, second phase of the original series... I always thought that it was a shame so much of this got lost in the book version of Restaurant.

[oursin.livejournal.com]

This is a longstanding philosophical condundrum, viz:
Say, who takes care of the caretaker's daughter
While the caretaker's busy taking care?

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

It's one of them infinite egress things.

Sorry, infinite regrets.

No, dammit, need the mot juice.

It's one of them infinite repress things.

Infinite redress.

Still not quite right.

(Why did there used to be just the one Monopolies and Mergers Commission? What would happen to people who work in job centres when we get full employment? How those car carriers get deliverd to the factory?)

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Let us consider Mr Quaker on the Quaker Oats packet, who holds up (or used to hold up) a packet of Quaker oats with a picture of Mr Quaker holding up a packet of Quaker Oats, on which there is a picture of Mr Quaker holding up a packet of Quaker Oats, and so on ad infinitum....

*Runs screaming*

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

I'd rather not. I came across this sort of thing on a Blue Peter annual in the early-1970s, with a picture of - now then - Peter, John, Val and Lesley holding up a cover of Peter, John, Val and Lesley holding up.... I didn't hold with it then.

A (not so) Swift ditty:

So nat'ralists observe, a flea
Hath smaller fleas that on him prey,
And these have smaller fleas that bite 'em,
And so proceed ad infinitum.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

We can fairly categorically say that I won't be laying the bricklayer's daughter.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Who ministers to the minister?

The minister's wife.

And who ministers to her...?

What can I say. You must just have that kind of face.

[drasecretcampus.livejournal.com]

Qui custodes des custards, as someone once might have said. (Or was it "Who ate all the pies?"?)

I suppose I have to say that it means they trust me not to blab, and even if they ignore my advice they at least feel I can give some. On the other hand, several of them have told me I'm not a customer, which is odd since I keep on giving them money, but on the other hand I did pour four pints of Guinness last night, and only one of them was for me.