PARROT TALK

Here’s what Fox thought a bunch of Key West “characters” would look like.

Being the repository of Key West Cultural History that it is, The
Green Parrot Bar began airing episodes of Key West, The TV
series, the snake-bittten 1993 hour-long television comedy-drama
filmed right here in our Island City and aired on Fox between January
and June 1993.

The screenings began last night at 8 PM and will
continue every Tuesday until either all episodes have been viewed or
Parrot patrons have had enough.

Local reaction to the show at the time was overwhelmingly negative –
and rightly so, but we believe that the passing years have been kind
to the short-lived series and have instilled the thirteen episodes
with some kind of kitsch and so deserve another look.
And although it certainly wont be 4 shots of tequila for a dollar, in
order to make the viewing more palatable and add to the the nostalgic
mood the Parrot will be rolling back prices on selected items during
the viewing to 1993 levels, as best we remember.

While we agree that living in Key West wasn’t exactly as portrayed in
this series, it sure is fun to take a look at your neighborhood and
see what your friends looked like back in the day.

A great vehicle for a little time travel back to the early 90’s, the
show used a lot of local people as extras, including local TV
celebrity Tom Luna, bagpiper Dennis Riley,trick pilot Fred Cabanas,
Capt. Finbar of The Wolf, former mayor and barkeep Capt. Tony, and
Roofman from The Half Shell among others. See how many you can spot.

An effort is being made to bring some of those extras who may still
be around down to The Parrot or the Tuesday night viewings, that is if they have
not either moved on to bigger and better things or have wound up in
the witness protection program.

Rounding out each weekly showing on our big screen will a be a music
video concert , with weekly selections to be culled from the extensive
video libraries of Patrick and Kenny. Expect the concerts to be not
unlike selections on the Parrot jukebox: an eclectic mix of retro and
contemporary music, some bordering on the obscure, with an emphasis on
blues and/or New Orleans funk with possible side trips to T Rex or
The Red Elvises. Think Govt. Mule meets George Porter Jr.
The Green Parrot Bar is your Southernmost Center for Boob Tube
Culture of All Kinds, at the corner of Southard and Whitehead
Streets.
For more information, call 294-133.