Won't You Take Me to Funky Town

As I promised each Monday for the next few months I will tell you all about every job I have held in the Hospitality Industry. For ease of understanding I will skip the other 50 jobs or so I tried whether it was in sales , being self - employed as in home based businesses. Some businesses I had were a Card Vending Machine owner , holding home candle parties , network marketing , selling Educational Plans for kids , selling big trailers , magazines , selling telephone booths , advertising , well let's stop there my mind is getting dizzy.

My very first job while I was taking a bartending course back in 1979 and before I got into the profession full time was at the Hilton Dorval Airport Hotel by the airport ( what was your first hint ) just outside of Montreal.

I was working full time at Roussel Pharmaceuticals where I was a shipper - receiver and drove a truck to deliver stuff all around within an hour's drive.

While taking the bartending course at McGill University I wanted to check the business out and see what it was like. Always a good idea if you are taking any course , check it out.

So I went to a few hotels nearby and the Hilton was interested in me to do some banquet bartending on Saturdays. That was fine with me so I accepted. Except I found out that instead of doing banquets they wanted me to be bar boy in the Jupiter Discotheque. I am telling you the pay was pretty good as each Saturday I would get plus my hourly wage about $80 which in those days for me was pretty good.

I remember the heat on the dance floor and the bartender saying I need more beer and I would shuffle away through the throngs of dancers to make my way to get some more , then slither my way again through the dance floor to deliver them. I picked up glasses , restocked , cleaned , and got more beer or liquor as required.

If anyone out there was around in the disco days there was always one song which would be played by the DJ and it was like it was a signal to party. It was that time when everyone would hit the dance floor probably around 10:30 and it played again around midnight.

You see last call in Montreal is 2:30AM so I didn't get out of there till 3 Sunday morning. So it was a good eye opener. Usually the shift was about 10 hours.

That was my first job......

By the way that song that everyone used to hit the dance floor with was FUNKY TOWN.

Won't you take me to Funky Town , Take me to Funky Town. It went like that.

Heard of it?