The Other Side: Historic Gay Piano Bar to Close This Weekend

By Gabrielle Canon Fri., Jun. 22 2012 at 7:59 AM

Jane Cantillon

The Other Side

The Other Side, L.A.'s last gay piano bar, will shutter ~~on Sunday~~ after over 40 years in business. It has gone by several names and owners, but was long thought of as a place where folks could get a cheap drink while a lively songster tickled the ivories and took requests. Regulars and well-wishers are expected to gather at the Silver Lake establishment en masse ~~tomorrow~~ on its final night Sunday to perform karaoke and send it off.

Tucked behind the Flying Leap Café (a conjoined sister establishment also set to close) The Other Side is easy to miss, around a corner and up a ramp. The place is small and dimly lit, with old fixtures and aging patrons. Somehow, the local hipsters didn't cotton to it enough to keep it going.

Paul Hargis, the owner for the past 15 years, says declining business was less of a factor in the bar's closing than his desire to retire. "As the solo owner with another full-time job out of state, I was not able to keep up with the challenges of ... owning a bar and restaurant in this city from a distance," he says, adding that he's spent the past three years trying to find a buyer who would maintain the concept, to no avail. Thus, both The Flying Leap and The Other Side will cede to a new gastropub called Hyperion Public, which will open later this summer.

"I worry about the people who have been coming for the past 30 or 40 years," says one regular interviewed outside the pub, adding that the local club scene isn't welcoming to those looking for a low-key place to meet interesting people.

"It is so shocking, especially for the older men who really don't know where they are going to go yet, " says Jane Cantillon, director of an upcoming documentary about the establishment called The Other Side, a Queer History, the trailer for which is above.

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The Other Side at the Flying Leap Cafe

2538 Hyperion Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Category: Music

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Piano Bar, Silver Lake, The Other Side

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Joe

I was there closing night and the vibe was amazing. Great entertainment in the form of Tommy Dobson on piano, with many guest performers joining him to sing a song or two. I was there 4 hours and still didn't want to leave. So sad.

Radicaljacket1953

Our life style and way of life is becoming extinct. Worry what the future brings for the next generation and to follow. Sad. And it is a world wide problem.

damian lunetta

So sad. This was a fun place to relax and be around other gay people without having to listen to loud dance music and not be able to hear the other person talk. Total downer this is closing.

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Brent Armendinger

Heartbreaking. This is my favorite bar in LA, especially because it is a truly intergenerational queer space. I can blend in alright at the hipster bars but I come here to be connected with my community.

Tony Vargas

This is an awesome bar. The atmosphere is always congenial and relaxed. The drinks are perfectly made every time and relatively inexpensive. My friends and usually used this bar as a launching pad on the rare occasion that we ventured out of Pasadena. I'm very sad to see it go.