70s Party People

By Bob Reed

OK, so in 1970, there were not so many places to hang out. 

Pedro's on the Carretera, had an American guitar player/singer and was popular but the drinks were a little expensive. All the tourist girls loved him but he had a girl friend who wisely sat all night, listened to him play and made sure he got home OK.

There was Bar El Toro, where you might sit during the day, but not at night. Some bars on the street behind (to the West of San Miguel) like the Tortuga, which might warrant a walk through once in awhile. There were a few discos, Tiffany's, Eldorado and the next door VIP club, Pipers. But the disco era had not really kicked in yet.

There was The Beer Keller, down stairs off of San Miguel, dark and dank. The Galloping Major in Plaza Andalucia and maybe the Duke of Wellington, which really didn't take off until Manolo who used to manage Tina's bought it.

There were several clubs that existed under San Miguel, but they were generally rip-off places that catered to "Taxi-girls" and their clients - easy to rack up a 5,000 Pts bill there in an hour!

Then there was Tina's! 

Early 1970, I was still living in the Huespuedes San Antonio, but now doing Ok teaching swimming at Playamar. I ran into two fellows who wanted to prowl for girls at Las Barcas, a George Chaconas---who had recently done two tours in Viet Nam as a US Marine officer, and Tom Bothe, also an American recently honorably discharged US Navy cook (they called him "Copper Kettle") from Rota. These two guys had a 3 bedroom apartment at Apartamentos Miramar in Plaza Andalucia and needed a roommate. The apartment cost $150 a month total, so $50 each-, water and electric included. A Madam Pilar managed the apartments then. They were therefore allowed to be at the pool and I moved in.

They hung out at Tina's, so I followed along. At the time Tina was the owner, and she had a boyfriend, Kevin, who ran the bar. Both were from England. Tina's deal was that she sang along with records that she would play. At first, Tina's was not overly popular, but, the real draw came because of Kevin's idea.

Many bars in Torremolinos would "salt" the bar by finding some good looking English, or Swedish girls on vacation and give them free drinks to come every night and sit there as if they were available. At first, the fellows walking by would come in to buy a drink and talk to these girls, but would soon realize that they were "plants". Kevin's idea was to give George and Tom "1 free drink" tickets with which they would walk the beach. They didn't hand them out to just anybody, but if they saw a group of good looking women, especially newcomers - identifiable as new arrivals by their white skin - they would sit and talk to them for awhile, zeroing in on the best looking---and ask if they went out at night?

They would normally reply, "No we are so new here. Is there a good place you could recommend?" Out came the "free drink" coupons. "Will you be there?" The best looking would ask. So both of these guys would work the beach and invite 2, maybe 4 groups of girls. Come 10 PM at night, Tina's would be packed with 12-18 available girls. Guys lined up on the sidewalk outside for 25 yards waiting to get in. The crowds spilled out into the street.

In return for this, we all drank for free in Tina's. I couldn't "work the beach" cause I was teaching swimming all day, but I was included because Tina and Kevin knew I talked to a lot of people at the pool. Wild times!

I once knew this guy in Ttown named Marcus Miller... 
He was a white sailor from Alabama stationed in Rota; I don't know what he did for the navy. I also don't remember how I ever met him, but anyway we became "friends". Marcus was an unusual individual, bigger than life. He was a bar fighter, and while not much smaller than I, fortunately was convinced that I could kick his ass. click here to read