At Age 69, Veteran Barkeep Wisecracks His Place Into Local Legend: Happy birthday to Derven Rodgers, Crown & Anchor Pub’s bar star – Food
[ad_1]
Now: Derven Rodgers behind the bar in the Crown & Anchor Pub (Photo by John Anderson)
During his interview in one of the nautical themed stands in the Crown & Anchor Pub, the experienced bartender Derven Rodgers is approached by a newly named customer. A young man with a business-looking shoulder bag promising newcomers to be back soon. “I see you when I look at you, bye!” exclaims Rodgers in one of his delightful one-liners.
“He only moved here nine months ago and we have a lot of people like that,” says the bartender. “I want them to feel safe and at home, like a warm hug. We have good food and good people. We don’t have bar fights and we don’t have liquor. If you drink beer until you are you ready to go against someone fight, you have to go pee. “
Despite 34 years, the trifecta of the north campus of terrace, jugs and good burgers retains an intimate influence on visitors who know their way around. On a busy weekend in July, Spoon bandleader Britt Daniel joined UT members and lingering neighborhood tenants (like me). “I thought I was the only one coming to Crown & Anchor,” he said.
You’ll spot local curmudgeon Rodgers behind the bar in his homemade merchandise, like a hat that says “The Derven Zone”. The soft-hearted lover of slasher films and rock’n’roll turns 69 this week. The Crown will be celebrating all Friday, August 13th – what bar manager Michelle Moore says it will be “basically … just another day of ‘The Derven Show’ on steroids. He’s holding court and having a few beers Customers.”
Austin Chronicle: Is Derven a Family Name?
Derven Rodgers: Hell no, my parents made it up. I was the firstborn, and then 10 years later I had two younger brothers … Richard and Steven.
AC: How long have you been here?
DR: I was here before the crown even existed. I played at the Beach Cabaret in the eighties. There used to be a stage here and the big boys and the dicks played. my best friend [Steve Anderson] sang in a band called Scratch Acid. I know all punk bands, but I never got it. You study all this music and then it’s only four chords left. What the hell?
Then: Rodgers’ McMurry College yearbook photo, 1975 (Image via McMurry University Library)
One way or another – I’ve been here since the Krone debuted. I kept bringing a colleague here and we always got a burger. One weekend they say, “Hey, do you want to work this weekend?” I never found the back door. We don’t even have a back door!
AC: What’s your role?
DR: I was in the kitchen for a long time. After that, I got up to the front and have been with the team ever since. I am the face of the place. I work five shifts a week and I wouldn’t do anything else. Everyone thinks I am the owner. I’ll live my life out here. It’s debauchery at best, but I enjoyed it.
AC: Who does the crown belong to?
DR: 1987, [Billy and Susan Forrester] opened the crown with Craig Steede and Richard Benning, who unfortunately died of cancer [in 2005]. We have his picture up there behind the bar. [The owners] have around 30 bars in different states. [The Forresters] opened Dog and Duck and Waterloo Brewing, and now they own Billy’s on Burnet. My wife works there.
AC: What are you drinking?
DR: [Real Ale Brewing Company’s] Fast American pale ale. That’s a five ounce glass. I have a responsibility.
AC: where are you from?
DR: Abilene, Texas where men are men and sheep are very nervous. I went to McMurray University there and studied music. I am not a really religious person. They called me “the Gentiles”. “Well, here comes Hellfire and Brimstone.” I had long hair back then and school made me cut it. I don’t think you can do this legally! I left right after graduation.
AC: First job in Austin?
DR: I had already chosen a job – suit, coat, tie, and I felt miserable. I stopped at the Thundercloud on the 32nd and saw [two guys] tossing a piece of Bologna back and forth like a frisbee. I thought, “They’re having fun and making a living.” I was on Thundercloud for about 10 years. [Co-founder John Meddaugh] would open three or four Thunderclouds and train all staff. It was an amazing experience and I got to play in bands.
AC: What kind of music?
DR: rock, heavy metal. I’ve studied guitar all my life, but nobody wanted a lead guitarist when I moved here, so I had to play bass. Back then there were more bars to play – the Austin Outhouse, the Back Room. I was in a band, Marshall Dylan, that opened for Pantera. We felt like we were on top of the world. We really were at the anus of the world, parrot! So I just made the bar my stage. I’ve got enough rock and roll. I’m going to be a bar star.
AC: Has the clientele changed over the years?
DR: Not really. It is wonderful. I meet someone at 19 who is still growing and developing. Twenty years later they get married and come back with their young children and take pictures where their first date was. A lot happens and it means the world to me. Many of these children have never left their small town, and one can feel quite alone in a group of 50,000 people in college. You just bring them here and feed them.
AC: How did the crown survive COVID-19?
DR: No, we jumped through all the hoops in the world so people could have something to eat and drink. We followed all the protocols, distributed the tables, and only made to-go orders for a while. People kept calling to make sure we were okay. We are an institution. We are still here [neighbors Posse East and Clowndog Bikes] are still here and we are here to stay.
AC: Do you still play?
DR: We have a studio in our house. My wife [Tricia Daniel] is an excellent drummer. She lived in London for years and you could see her on MTV [with the band] Shark taboo. Today she is a travel photographer. The best place we have been to lately has been Turkey, before this cluster. [Pointing at bar speakers] Did I tell you I like AC / DC?
Crown & Anchor Pub, 2911 San Jacinto, 512 / 322-9168. Crownandanchorpub.com.
[ad_2]
