New York Bathroom Attendants

(Or, Do You Want Mouth Wash With That?)

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Image: Bathroom attendant and his well stocked service center

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Reading through my travel journal the other day, I noticed an entry about a profession that I thought had died out and disappeared along with hole-in-the-floor toilets – at least those that may have once been found in New York City. That profession (if it can rightly be called that), is the Bathroom Attendant.

Let’s be clear about what we are discussing here. Bathroom attendants (as opposed to workers who clean bathrooms periodically through the day), are employed to stay inside restrooms throughout their shift where at a minimum they dispense towels (paper or cloth), liquid soap, and a spray of perfume, hairspray or hair gel. The more elaborately stocked service centre’s might also provide perfume/cologne, mouthwash, chewing gum, cigarettes, deodorant, prophylactics, aspirin and much more besides.

I am well aware that bathroom attendants still exist in some European countries and elsewhere (Turkey, Morocco, Egypt…), but I certainly didn’t expect to stumble upon them in New York, where I first encountered bathroom attendants while visiting the Apollo Theater in Harlem – or should that be while visiting the men’s restroom at the Apollo Theater. I ran into another one at B.B. Kings Bar & Grill, while attending an Iris DeMent gig there.

In my journal I wrote: Like the Apollo Theater, B.B. Kings Bar & Grill staff their bathrooms with a person whose job it is to hand you paper towels and hand cleansers after you use their restroom facilities. Of course, once they have seen to your needs, you must tip them a dollar or two to show your appreciation.

I also asked myself rhetorically: How far back does this archaic ‘service’ go? And is it still needed in the 21st century?

How far back this position goes, seems to be lost in time. However, a quick online search reveals that the bathroom attendant as a modern institution is still alive and well – even in America – which presumably means the service is still needed today. Attendants are generally found in large music venues and other well attended locations such as up-market restaurants, casinos, night clubs and bars, sports stadiums, theaters and such like.

I found a couple of job descriptions online for potential attendants seeking a career in this area. One reads: Restroom Attendant (Cleaning): Makes sure that the restrooms are clean and neat and stocked with towels and toilet paper. Includes the following duties: wipes down sinks, cleans mirrors, mops floors, and cleans toilets. Will need to work with chemical cleaning agents.

Another site added: Some washroom attendants … keep good order by preventing drug-taking and fights.

Initially, my reaction on encountering the attendants was one of surprise and discomfort. I don’t know of any Australian venue or location that employs bathroom attendants in its restrooms, and I was unsure of the ‘rules of engagement’ on seeing the two gentlemen at the Apollo Theater and B.B. Kings.

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Image: A cheerful bathroom attendant with his tools of trade

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Unlike the cheerful fellow seen above, the elderly African-American attendant at the Apollo Theatre looked completely and utterly uninterested in his work, and basically sat, slouched in his chair accepting tips. The Hispanic gentleman at B.B. Kings was much younger, and was at least making an effort to assist his ‘clients’. I noticed that the female restroom at B.B. Kings had a female attendant (also Hispanic), and can only assume the female restrooms at the Apollo are staffed as well.

I mention ethnicity deliberately, since my research (brief as it has been) indicates that this is a job that rarely attracts white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants – to coin an old phrase. Despite the suits and ties on display in the two photographs above (found after an internet search), this is hardly a job for the upwardly mobile.

Bathroom attendants will almost certainly be on minimum wage, if that, since some of my research even suggested they may live entirely off tips!

An article in the New York Times of October 8, 2004 (which referred to attendants as “valets”, presented a tale of exploitation, and numerous violations of American federal and state laws. To quote the article: The restroom valets who stand hour after hour in New York's restaurant bathrooms come from varied backgrounds. Many come from Africa and Central America, but many are also native-born Americans. In booming restaurants, they can make more than $100 in tips on a good day, but on slow days they often earn less than $10.

A ‘miss lynnster’ corroborates this in a comment she attached to a blog post on the topic: When I worked in the LA House of Blues in 1994 or so, some of my favorite fellow employees in the club were actually the bathroom attendants. They … used to tell me that they only worked on tips, which I still have a hard time believing... but I don't know. I don't know that I'd stand there in a bathroom all night just for tips.

To add insult to injury, attendants have to supply their own stock (perfume/cologne, mouthwash, chewing gum, cigarettes, etc). Presumably they are able to mark items up to turn a small additional profit on this stock, but it hardly constitutes a road to riches.

Reading through the comments posted on numerous web blogs dealing with this topic, many readers find the presence of attendants irritating and think them unnecessary. A couple of typical responses: …I don't think bathrooms need attendants. I think most people are fully capable of operating the various functional areas of a public bathroom without the help of a third-party dude.

And: It really irritates me when establishments have bathroom attendants - they're completely unnecessary, and when I'm already paying rather a lot of money to eat and drink, it seems in poor taste that I would be expected to contribute more.

On the other hand, many readers pointed out good reasons for having attendants in restrooms: the added sense of security; cleaner, more hygienic restrooms; cubicles stocked with toilet paper and hand towels, etc. As one person wrote: I used to think that it was ridiculous to have them there … but go to a restroom at a busy club without one and wade through the piss and paper towels and you'll realize why they're there.

Another writes: These people need to eat too. Give em a break. How would you like to stand in a pisser all day and have to hand out towels to people in that setting. Many of these people are not going to be corporate executives any day soon. Don't be cheap.

I’ll leave the final comment to ‘Tom’, who wrote: I'm disabled and make my living as a self-employed bathroom attendant. I take great pride in my work by the way. Besides keeping each stall and such spotless, I…offer things like combs, small colognes, condoms and other small items for a modest price. …I only expect a tip since its my only source of pay. Its honest work I'm not on welfare or taking handouts, I provide a service and try to do it well. Then people look down on my profession, what am I doing wrong?

In the end, I remember tipping the Apollo Theater attendant a dollar, but to my shame (having learned a lot more about attendants/valets while researching this entry), I gave nothing to the attendant at B.B. Kings Bar & Grill. An oversight I will make up for if I ever visit the restroom there on a future New York trip.

Still, it appears those creative Japanese may have a solution to this whole issue. They are developing robotic hi-tech toilet attendants that are designed to clean up lavatories in highway rest areas. Apparently these cleaners (seen in the image below) will also be programmed to have simple conversations.

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Image: Ladybug, a Japanese robot bathroom attendant

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The Ladybug bathroom attendant uses a combination of voice recognition software, speech synthesizer programs and of course microphones in its antennae to engage in conversation with restroom users. Aside from offering conversation, Ladybug is equipped with water storage units, scrub brushes and other tools needed for keeping the restroom in tip top shape. You can have a clean bathroom and great conversation for a mere $30,000 U.S. when this robot hits Japanese markets.

More bizarre Japanese bathrooms facilities here…

Apollo Theatre Amateur Night Winners

I've just checked the Apollo Thearter's YouTube channel and I am now able to embed the winning performances from Wednesday, July 14, 2010 right here on my blog. So beginning with the Child Star of Tomorrow winner, Veronica Oreliana, you can now see for yourself 90 second clips of each performance.

Ladies and Gentleman, please put your hands together for Veronica Oreliana, Child Star of Tomorrow...

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The overall winner of the main heat was the eleven member dance group, Dance Dimensions...

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Jocelyn Jenkins was second with her passionate performance...

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And last - but not least - was 21 year old Cat Stratakis...

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By the way, both these two female singers conform to my theory (see previous entry) that songs about "You", rather than "Me" songs, are real audience winners.

Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre

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Harlem’s Apollo Theater has been running Amateur Night events for over 75 years. In fact, Wednesday nights at the Apollo have become a New York institution, and have seen some of contemporary music’s greatest performers compete and win the event.

The Amateur Night at the Apollo winners circle reads like a Who’s Who of the best African-American talent you could hope for. It includes Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ben E. King, Jackie Wilson, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Ink Spots and many others. Ella Fitzgerald, one of the first Amateur Night winners was just 15 when she stepped onto the Apollo Theater stage.

As I entered the great gilded theater, a pre-show “jam fest” with DJ Jess was in full swing. Apollo audiences come ready to party, and as the audience slowly filled the theater, no-one worked harder than DJ Jess to get the party started! The comedian Capone is Master of Ceremonies and host of the evening. He explained the ‘rules’ of the evening and spelt out what was expected of the audience, while keeping the mood light, upbeat, and things running smoothly.

The excellent house band was headed by the evening’s musical director, Ray Chew along with three fellow musicians, called his Crew – hence their stage name, Ray Chew and his Crew. While some of the contestants performed to prerecorded backing tracks, Ray and his Crew were kept busy throughout the night playing live for most of the acts.

The last member of the on-stage team was C.P. Lacey, who, as the Apollo's Executioner, had the task of clearing the ‘bad’ talent off the stage. CP bills himself as a comedian and celebrity impersonator, and opened up the second half of the evening with a very good impression of James Brown. Apparently he also does an impersonation of Tina Turner. Now that would be something to see!

Having watched a few Amateur Night contestants via YouTube, I must say I was a little apprehensive about attending this event. Let me explain why. As a singer-songwriter and occasional performer myself, I know just how hard it is to walk onto a stage and perform before an audience. A whole multitude of doubts and insecurities must be overcome before you can brave the stage lights and sing and play competently for anything up to a couple of hours. And remember, I’m talking about performing before an audience who – for the most part – are on your side even before they walk in the door. As a rule, these audiences do not come primed to boo you off the stage if you are not quite up to scratch, or fall short of their expectations!

The night kicks of with the “Child Star of Tomorrow” segment. Reserved for children between the ages 5 and 15, our host, Capone was quite clear about the rules governing this section of the event. No booing was allowed, but as much cheering and support as the audience was willing to give was encouraged.

Of the three acts who took part in the ‘Child Star’ segment on the night I attended (July 14, 2010), the clear winner was 12 year old Veronica Oreliana. Following a note perfect performance filled with passion and emotion belying her young age, the audience exploded into a thunder of well deserved applause and roaring cheers. Actually, Veronica had us eating out of her hand from the very beginning, and throughout her song we cheered and clapped with raucous abandon. It was a testament to Veronica’s performance that she wasn’t distracted by the audience and was able to complete her song without faltering.

Short clips of the winning performances are can be seen on this blog via my next entry...

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And just because I can embed it here, take a look at Veronica singing an unaccompanied version of the song, Beautiful...

I’m sure Veronica has the potential to turn into a great entertainer if that is what she chooses to pursue as she gets older and continues to mature.

Every week, during the break between the Child Star of Tomorrow segment, and the main event, audiences are treated to a big screen tribute to a former star of the Apollo. On this night the homage was for the Hispanic percussionist, Tito Puente.

Tito Puente was a Latin Jazz and Mambo musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey" (the King) of the timbales and "The King of Latin Music". He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz compositions that helped keep his career going for 50 years. He and his music appear in many films such as The Mambo Kings and Fernando Trueba's Calle 54. He guest starred on several television shows including The Cosby Show and The Simpsons. [Source: Wikipedia]

And now to the main event. At the completion of the 2010 Amateur Night season, the overall winner takes home a cash prize of $10,000 – the first time the Theater has offered such a substantial cash reward. So a lot is at stake for each of the performers appearing throughout the year in the lead up to the finals.

Just for the record, here is a list of all the contestants who appeared on July 14: Haron Miller, Donnic Shade, Briana Jackson, Jocelyn Jenkins, Dance Dimensions, Junious Sampson, Kid Dot, Avery Segers, Cat Stratakis, Full Effect, Jaime Sommers and Veronica Oreliana.

I’m not going to give a blow by blow account of every act that appeared during the night, but I will offer my overall impressions and observations.

Firstly, Amateur Night audiences can be brutal, and contestants literally have seconds to get the audience onside. Hit a bum note, or come across as a poser or ‘pretender’, and the crowd will put you in your place immediately. Some performers were able to persist through the booing to win back some audience approval at least long enough to complete their song.

Secondly, choosing songs with ‘me’ lyrics go down much worse than songs with ‘you’ lyrics, and any song which includes the line “I love you” tends to get a very good response, if only because it allows the performer to point to the audience as they sing those lines. It makes it much harder for an audience to boo you if you are telling them how much you love them!

Thirdly, given a competent performance, overwhelming numbers will win over solo performers every time. This was demonstrated clearly when the eleven member dance group, Dance Demensions won the July 14 Amateur Night contest. Assuming each member of the group was represented in the audience by 20 people (immediate family, extended family and friends, etc), then it is clear they already had a sizeable section of the audience on their side before they even took to the stage.

I’m not suggesting they did not deserve to win. Their routine was energetic throughout, and every dancer gave 110 per cent. I’m just pointing out the math involved. Effectively, the two runners up, Cat Stratakis and Jocelyn Jenkins were each outnumbered 11-1, and winning against those sorts of odds is always going to be very difficult. Come to think of it, since the two women were competing against each other as well, that then makes the odds of winning, 12-1.

WINNING BY POPULAR ACCLAIM

Winners are chosen by the audience by popular acclaim. That is, at the end of the night (and at the end of the Child Star of Tomorrow segment), all performers are brought back onto the stage and the audience chooses the winner by making as much noise as possible for their preferred act. Again, the no booing rule applies during this process, although not everyone abides by it. Like I said, it's a brutal process, but then the music industry can be even more brutal on its stars and wannabes, so they might as well get used to it.

THE TREE OF HOPE

I can’t leave this review without mentioning The Tree of Hope. The legend and tradition of this tree stump apparently began outside the famous Harlem Lafayette Theatre which used to be located between 131st and 132nd Streets on Seventh Avenue.

The Lafayette was then Harlem's top show biz venue featuring African-American talent. The Lafayette soon became the scene for aspiring actors, dancers and performers to mix, gather and exchange information and gossip. The Tree of Hope stood between the Lafayette Theatre and Connie's Inn and black performers believed the tree to be the purveyor of good luck to those who stood beneath its branches. The tree came to symbolize the promise that Harlem held for millions of aspiring African-Americans. [Source: Apollo Theater website]

The tree was eventually cut down when Seventh Avenue was widened to accommodate the growing transport needs of New York City. However, a large section of the trunk was saved, and this now stands on the Apollo stage, and sure enough every performer made sure they touched the ‘tree’ before beginning their song or dance routine, in the hope they might share in the good fortune of so many past performers.

To conclude, Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre was great fun and a real blast. Getting the chance to see some real ‘stars of tomorrow’ just added to the occasion. Although Amateur Night has become a tourist attraction in its own right, for the performers and their families, the competition – with its $10,000 cash prize – is no game. Their participation in the event is a very serious affair.

The Apollo has three levels of seating: Orchestra ($27.00); Mezzanine ($22.00); and Balcony ($17.00). You can book in person at the Apollo Theater Box Office on 125th Street, or by calling Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000.

You can see a comprehensive list of performers and previous Amateur Night winners here…