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Belly Up

July 26, 2012

The Down Under ‘Experience’

Longtime Down Under waitress Tina Vogel chats with guests Abdel Vazquez and Glen Collignon — just three of the interesting characters you’ll find at this Clive favorite.

By Amber Williams

“The people.” That’s the answer every staff member at Down Under gives when asked why they like working there. The Iowa State Fair, the airport, the Gay Pride parade — these are prime places for people watching. But at Down Under, the people offer so much more than something interesting to watch.

It’s amazing the things you’ll learn from a conversation with a stranger: a retired Army captain and his school teacher wife; a gay Cuban refugee and his blonde boyfriend of nine years; a man they call “Lando the Experience” due to his mad karaoke skills; a loyal blue collar patron waitresses call Craigers who makes up his own songs on a four-string guitar he found outside the bar after a party bus passed through; a recent Des Moines’ sexiest nominee some jokingly call “Thor” (as in, T-Hor) who’s been a saucy cocktail waitress and friend to the bar for six years; and a psychic who hangs out one night a month giving clairvoyant readings for $5 a pop.

“We have a big variety of people here. It’s a good place to meet people and make new friends,” said bartender Brandy Mourlan. “It’s never the same in here every night. I love my regulars. They’re fun and like to joke around a lot.”

“And we’re good tippers,” adds Joe Curry, the retired Army captain. “We’re good for revenue because we’re here every day. She (the bartender) knows I like my beer ice cold, so before I get here, she’s got it on ice. And my wife likes red beer, so her tomato juice is on ice, too.”

Much like everyone else you ask, Joe and Sandy Curry come to Down Under over the neighboring bars for the chill atmosphere — for the “good food, good bands, love the bartenders, good music on the jukebox and a nice place to smoke out on the patio,” Curry said.

“This is my only day off in two months, and we’re spending it here ’cause it’s a cool bar, the bartenders are awesome and everyone’s friendly — no one ever fights,” echoed Abdel Vazquez, the Cuban refugee who works as a regional make-up artist.

“We seldom get the same day off, so when we do, we end up in a place like this, where it’s kind of quiet and where the people are nice and friendly,” added Vazquez’s longtime boyfriend Glen Collignon.

But, it’s not always quiet, according to T-hor (waitress Tina Vogel). During football season, the 15 TVs keep herds of fans on their feet, and karaoke Wednesdays separate “the good singers from the good drinkers,” Vogel said… which brings us to Lando the Experience (Marlin Fischer).

Lando taps away at his laptop (which is marked by a National Rifle Association sticker) at a table by the wall, triple-fisting Coronas, Powerade and Five-hour Energy shots. His story involves sex with former Playboy Playmate of the Year, Angela Dorian, a career modeling for magazines such as GQ, Glamour and Esquire and dabblings in acting on shows like “Dynasty.”

There’s more, but you have to go to Down Under and hear the stories yourself. CV