TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Bobwundaye (嘸問題), a popular Taipei bar, will close for good on Saturday (Oct. 28).
Begun as a dive bar serving cheap drinks to mostly foreigners, it later became known as a haven for musicians attending open mic events and weekend gigs. A planned demolition of the building and subsequent urban renewal means the last call for music and drinks.
“It’s a juke joint or a jive joint, I don’t know which,” said Tony Taylor, a former ICRT DJ and pianist who regularly sits in on jam sessions.
A narrow bar meant patrons often watched the music shoulder-to-shoulder. (Taiwan News, Sean Scanlan photo)
Established in December 2003, Bobwundaye enjoyed a two-decade run. “Both this Bobwundaye and the previous one had a closing time, which was basically when the last customer left,” said Muddy Basin Rambler leader Dave Chen.
On a recent Saturday (Oct. 14), a large crowd packed into Bobwundaye for the last show at the venue by the Muddy Basin Ramblers. Before the show's 9:30 p.m. start, many patrons drank at tables with checkerboard tiling and others leaned on a bar topped by a single slab of wood.
“I’m happy with the name Bobwundaye, or as many people refer to it, Bob’s,” said part owner Conor Prunty. He said local journalist Cat Thomas came up with the name as her Taiwanese friend often repeated the Taiwanese word, which means “no problem” in English.
Long-term expat, Lanny Waugh, often enjoyed the privilege of kicking off open mic events. (Taiwan News, Sean Scanlan photo)
Prunty said he doesn’t have any idea about what is going to happen after the bar closes. The only thing certain is that the government will tear down this row of buildings before year-end.
“We’ve been forced out. That’s just what it is,” he said.
Prunty said Bobwundaye manager Katrina Ku hopes to get a vacation in before the wrecking ball tears down the building. It was her decision to shut the bar one to two months before the official eviction.
Few blame her, as Bobwundaye was open seven days a week for much of its 20 years. That includes many long nights, with patrons occasionally leaving when the sun was rising for the day.
The bar was born out of a group of four friends who simply wanted a bar of their own.
“A group of friends chipped in the money to start Bobwundaye in the beginning. We basically wanted to give DV8’s bartender, Cathy Chiou, a new place to work. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and we never expected to get our money back or turn a profit,” said another part-owner, Paul Cox.
The original Bobwundaye was located in a courtyard off Anchu Street, catering to a crowd that occasionally came in to dine on reheated meat pies. Despite the cozy vibe, the bar was not a hit with neighbors unaccustomed to hearing English late at night.
Muddy Basin Ramblers frequently rehearsed in Bobwundaye during off hours. (Taiwan News, Sean Scanlan photo)
“One neighbor would come in and drink in the daytime and early in the evening, but then he would go upstairs to his apartment and call the police complaining of loud noises coming from the bar,” said Dave Chen.
Complaints forced the bar to seek out a new location. A new space on bustling Heping East Road, near constant traffic, and an elevated MRT track would drown out the noise from inside and outside the bar.
The new location also had enough room for a kitchen complete with a deep fryer and a small stage area for musicians to perform. “I think Conor (Prunty) was inspired by a similar pub in Bangkok that had a popular open mic night. When they moved to the new location, music was definitely an emphasis,” said Chen.
Since publicly announcing its intention to close, there has been an outpouring of support for the bar. Extra bar tenders, including a few from the past, have been hired to handle the influx of business.
Many will remember Bobwundaye as a bar that lived up to its name.
