Jacob Berendes has convinced us to post a Worcester coffee review once a week. Let’s see how long this lasts.
This discussion is about Acoustic Java, 932a Main Street near Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts. 508.756.9446.
Bruce at Acoustic Java
Here’s an audio clip (mp3) of us discussing youth soccer and Motörhead, to give you a feel of how the transcription differs from what was said. (Other audio formats.)
Pie and Coffee: How’s it going, Bruce?
Bruce: Pretty good.
What’s your impression of Acoustic Java?
Very nice. Very relaxing. I’ve always heard about that place, in advertisements, but never really actually got there till today.
I’ve been there a few times. I don’t know if it’s targeted towards me. It’s right by Clark, and probably targeted towards Clark students looking for a place near campus to hang out.
Yeah, that’s my impression, too.
How was the coffee?
It’s pretty good. And the bagel was definitely good, too. I had “Organic Java.” It’s a co-op kind of coffee. I mean I think if you went to the co-op here in Worcester or Brainerd, you could probably get the same kind of coffee. The same kind of organic kind of thing. Probably won’t be the “Java,” but “Organic something.”
How about the atmosphere of the place?
Kind of mellow, laid-back.
One of the women working behind the counter today, I’ve never seen her before, but she must be one of the cutest women in the city of Worcester.
[Bruce is silent.]
Maybe because she gave me some coffee.
Maybe.
I don’t like that the espresso comes in a paper cup.
The only problem with having espresso in a paper cup, it’s like going to the dentist and having them take the toothpaste out of a cup, and it gets all wet and soggy, and eventually you don’t have any espresso, because it’s all over the table and your lap.
But even if the cup is waterproof, it feels like there’s some aesthetic element missing.
It doesn’t taste like real espresso. It tastes like you’re drinking paper.
Would you suggest that other people go to this place?
If they want, they can check it out, but once they get there they’re probably not going to want to go back, because it’s more like a college environment.
Java Hut has a lot of that, too.
Yeah.
But Java Hut, somehow . . .
It’s a little more opened up to the public, not just college kids. And I’d say the same thing for the Bean Counter. The Bean Counter’s more opened to a variety of people.
Although the last time I was in Acoustic Java, it was kinda crowded, and most of the crowd was uniformed police. It felt odd.
So what do you think about Motörhead sponsoring a youth soccer team?
I think it’s very cool.
Do you think there’s a natural connection between metal and youth soccer?
Yeah, because a lot of those teams, if they have a hard time winning, they’ll be able to win more because they listen to Motörhead songs.
How will that help them?
Because, I’m sure that the team they’re sponsoring are all Motörhead fans.
They’re all under ten years old! You think there’s a lot of little kids who listen to Motörhead?
Yeah, probably, I would think so.
I can see the Wiggles sponsoring a team. Motörhead I’m not so sure.
Because it gets that juice out of you! Because Motörhead gives you a sensation of being able to set yourself free. And loving and playing the sport, and wanting to listen to some Motörhead. Because Motörhead and football’s kinda like one big open sport.
It says that their theme songs is gonna be “Ace of Spades.” It has that line, “The pleasure is to play/Makes no difference what you say.” Which I think is about gambling addiction, but it’s kinda also about good sportsmanship.
Well right, I think so too, that’s why I think both things go together, that’s why I say it’s like, Motörhead and that team really go together, cause it doesn’t matter what you say. It’s always a good thing.
I like this photo of all the little kids doing the metal hand sign.
Yeah, me too.
I remember when the Supreme Metal Council was condemning people for inappropriately using the metal hand sign, but I think this is actually an appropriate use of the metal hand sign.
Now I got a question for you, sir. How do you feel about the Snow Ghost sponsoring a holiday house?
What’s a holiday house?
It’s where orphans can spend the holiday season.
That’s cooler than sponsoring a soccer team.
I just want to welcome the orphans, and the families who are poor and think nobody cares about them. Open my house for that. Dress it up with some of the traditions of the old holiday things. It’s gonna be kind of a Grinch kind of thing, but he didn’t steal the holiday.
It’s gonna be like the Grinch Who Didn’t Steal Christmas.
Right.
Did you ever visit a holiday house?
Once, in a small village in England.
What was it like?
It was very beautiful. This is why I watch “Narnia” so much, because it reminds me so much of that. It reminds me, like I’m there. I’d like to build a house, and get that kind of feel to it, too.
Is every holiday house a place for orphans, or usually not?
They usually don’t have orphans there.
So a holiday house is a house especially decked out for the holiday, for people to come see it. But they wouldn’t stay there.
Right.
People might say I’m a dreamer, but in all reality, I think that life is a wonderful thing. I think people really haven’t opened their eyes enough to experience that. They see every negative thing ten miles down the way. But what they believe doesn’t set them free–what life’s supposed to be about.
And it shouldn’t just be on a holiday, everybody should live their life like that all the time. And some people are able to do it, and some people don’t want to do it.
I mean, it’s like being in a circle. You can be in a very small circle, and remain in that circle for the rest of your life, and then wonder why you’re being closed up all the time. But once you broaden that circle bigger, you have so much more room to breathe. Instead of always being around that small little circle.