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The 12Darks Wiki Everything you ever wanted to know about 12Darks and the McSorley's Back Room Friday Night scene. It's history, The Horsemen, Tommy Nolan, Gerry The Night Watchman, Cheese, Crackers, Onions, Tim Jones... EVERYTHING!

12Darks is a group of 5 friends and their invited guests who congregate in the Back Room of McSorley's Ale House every Friday between Midnight-1am. The name 12Darks came from phrase "12 Darks, Tommy", the weekly drink order given to long-time waiter Tommy Nolan. (McSorley's has 2 kinds of beer, dark and light.) The 5 regulars are known as The Horsemen, who go by the nicknames Kdawg, Spreadsheet Sam, Soul Horseman #1, Jamal and Bobby Boy. They've been meeting at McSorley's on a regular basis since 2001 and know each other through various Fire Island, Grateful Dead and Lower East Side circles. Every week, a color spreadsheet is expertly prepared by Spreadsheet Sam to document the attendees. The website http://12darks.com, was started in 2004 and features animated and sometimes clever weekly banner invitations, as well as a Guest List and Message Board.

Here is a timeline of how this all started. (This is a work in progress which will be updated regularly.)

2/17/1854 McSorley's Opens

3/31/1958 Spreadsheet Sam is born.

7/28/1960 Kdawg is born.

9/16/1960 Jamal X is born.

A long time ago - Bobby Boy is born.

9/1968 Kdawg meets Andy Eras in 3rd Grade, P.S. 205 in Bayside, Queens. Andy's brother is Ira and they have 2 cousins, Alan and Larry Eras, who come in for family visits from the Lower East Side.

7/7/1972 Soul Horseman #1 is born.

1974 Jamal comes to McSorley's for the 1st time.

1977 Kdawg comes to McSorley's for for the 1st time with Jeff B.(?).

11/4/1977 Jamal's 1st Grateful Dead show, Binghamton, NY.

11/1979 Kdawg comes to McSorley's with freshman dormmates from Broome Hall.

4/8/1979 Kdawg's 1st Grateful Dead show, Binghamton, NY.

6/15/1983 During 4th Dead Show in Saratoga, Kdawg becomes a "Deadhead", vowing to see the band whenever they are in town or accessible. He will see the group 166 more times over the next 12 years, until 6/22/95 Albany ("I Fought The Law" last Dead song heard.. yeah, I know.. lame..)

?/?/19?? Jamal's 1st post-Dead show McSorley's appearance.

?/1987? Kdawg goes to Ira Eras' bachelor party, where he talks to cousins Larry and Alan, about their shared appreciation of Grateful Dead music. Kdawg and Larry make plans to form Grateful Dead cover band with Robin Zachary and Tom Leighton.

?/1989 At one of the jam sessions, Larry Eras brings along friend Monte Kahme from Lower East Side and Jamal, Monte's friend from Camp Leah. Kdawg, Jamal and Monte immediately hit it off, going out for post-jam session drinks at Zig Zag cafe, 23rd Street and 7th Avenue. Kdawg and Jamal trade business cards and decide to look for each other at the upcoming Grateful Dead Shows.

?/?? Kdawg's first Jamal Sighting at Grateful Dead show. Jamal gives out setlists of the Grateful Dead shows. The setilists eventually turn into elaborate mulitpage 4/color pages including pie charts, chock full of useful Grateful Dead information, These setlists were the forerunner and inspiration for the current McSorley's Spreadsheets.

5/23/1990 Sara Siegel born.

SUMMER 1992 Kdawg does 1st share in Fire Island, with friend Kenny Diamond (aka K-Man, a friend of Larry Secunda's, Kdawg's friend from Binghamton). The house is run by Lois Baskin and Karen Uzel and is on E-Street in Seaview (the one with the chair hanging in living room). Notable housemates include Wylie Stecklow. Also introduced to Kdawg that summer, is Gregg Mond, K-Man's friend from Brooklyn. You can download "The Whitefish Times", Ken's hilarious newsletter from that summer at http://coffeecupdesign.com/92WhitefishTimes.pdf

SUMMER/1993 Kdawg does share in Corneille, Fire Island with Greg Mond in Dana Ross and Bonnie Greenberg's house ("House of Fun" on Surf View). His housemates include Dave Bloom, Sue Berger, Mindy Erlichman, Sharon Feuer and Dave "DJ" Jacovsky. You can download the "Knewsletter o' Knowledge", Ken's hilarious newsletter from that summer, at http://coffeecupdesign.com/93Knewsletter.pdf

SUMMER/1994 Kdawg does share in Seaview, Fire Island with Dave Barnett in Garret Rubin and Julie Grayson's house ("Seaclusion"). Jamal is also doing a share in Ocean Bay Park, Fire Island and brings friend Jan Siegel over, who he knows through Monte. Also that summer, Perry Starer (from the "Perry Parties") introduces Kdawg to Deborah Lewin from "Tax Shelter", a sharehouse down the block. You can download the "Surf View News", Ken's hilarious newsletter from that summer, at http://coffeecupdesign.com/94SurfviewNews.pdf

SUMMER/1995 Kdawg and Jamal run house in Seaview, Fire Island ("Seaclusion"). Housemates include Jan, Greg, Dave, Sue, Dana, Bonnie, plus Alan Eras, Shari Lichtman, Lynn Rothschild, Larry Berger, Dale Wagner, Lisa Gold, Stu Goldstein, Wylie Stecklow, Rosalie Shields, Stacey Thaler, Gail Kelly and Gail Dumbroff. What a house! "Tax Shelter" becomes our sister house. You can download "Nutty", Ken's hilarious newsletter from that summer, at http://coffeecupdesign.com/95Nutty.pdf

SUMMER/1996 Kdawg and Jamal run house in Seaview, Fire Island ("Seaclusion"). Along with regulars Jan, Greg, Dave, Alan, Mindy, Sue, Dana, Bonnie, Dale, Larry, Lynn, Shari, Stacey and Rosalie, new housemates include Monte Kahme (finally), Sheri Sayles, Max Solondz, Suzanne Lerner, Rochelle Spodak, Dale Oberst and Nick Cifelli. You can download "Lynn's Guest Register", Ken's hilarious newsletter from that summer, at http://coffeecupdesign.com/96GuestRegister.pdf

SUMMER/1997 Kdawg and Jamal run house in Seaview, Fire Island ("Seaclusion"). Along with regulars Jan, Gregg, Dave, Sue, Monte, Dale (Wagner), Lynn and Max, new housemates include Susan aka Frannie From Firenze, Pat Dalia, Marlene Stein, MIchelle Ross, Susan Chagrin, Phyllis Calistro, Dan Lynch, Barbara Petrauskas, Anna Teitelbaum, Abbe Ruttenberg, Jen Leibler, Rachel Radin, Lisa Miller, Cindy Schafrin, Julie Zoppo. Kdawg meets Diane Goldin from "Tax Shelter". You can download the "Seaview Guide", Ken's hilarious newsletter from that summer, at http://coffeecupdesign.com/97SeaviewGuide.pdf

SUMMER/1998 Kdawg and Jamal run house in Ocean Beach, Fire Island ("The Little House"). Along with regulars Jan, Pat, Gregg, Dave, Alan, Sue, Monte, Dan, Phyliss, Marlene and Michelle, new housemates include Diane Goldin, Larry Eras, Deb Singer and Robin Willensky.

SUMMER/1999 Kdawg and Diane Goldin run house in Ocean Beach, Fire Island ("The Johannsen House"). Along with regulars Jamal (now a full share), Jan, Dave, Deb...., new housemates include Ronni Funk, Willie Kohane, Ed, help me out here...

11/8/1999 Jonathan Funk born.

SUMMER/2000 Jamal runs house in Ocean Beach, Fire Island. Kdawg takes share.

2/23/01 1ST OFFICIAL BACK ROOM GATHERING (since it has been fairly steady ever after. Jamal, who was at this event? You went to Burp Castle right before...)

?/?/01 First appearance of Kdawg, Jamal, Soul Horseman #1 and Frannie From Firenze

?/?/01 First appearance of Kdawg, Jamal, Soul Horseman #1, Frannie From Firenze and Spreadsheet Sam

SUMMER/2001 Jamal runs house in Ocean Beach, Fire Island. Kdawg takes share. New housemates include... Jamal, if you're reading this, can you send me a list of who was in the house that year.. thanks, pal..

5/2002 Spreadsheet Sam takes over spreadsheets.

SUMMER/2002 Jamal runs house in Ocean Beach, Fire Island. Kdawg takes share. New housemates include... hey pal, sorry to be a bother, but can you email me the house list from that summer.. totally appreciate it.. how great are those Phish shows gonnna be at the Garden this December?..

1/10/03 Tim Jones only known McSorley's appearance.. the night when the heavens and stars were in complete alignment and the universe was in a total state of "alrightness"..

6/6/2003 Annie Siegel born.

SUMMER/2003 Jamal runs house in Ocean Beach, Fire Island. Kdawg takes share. New housemates include... Gil should be in the Hall of Fame.. please pal, send me the list of this one too..

?/?/?? First appearance of Kdawg, Jamal, Soul Horseman #1, Spreadsheet Sam and Bobby Boy.

?/?/?? Bobby Boy knighted as Horseman.

2/13/2004 Official Website 12Darks.com is launched http://www.12darks.com

?/?/2005 100th Guest joins us in the Back Room.

?/?/2005 Final Night in Paschal's backyard.

11/17/2005 Toronto MetroNews Article http://coffeecupdesign.com/mcsorleystoronto.jpg

3/16/2006 YouTube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn_rFFiJUKA

5/21/2006 New York Times Article http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/nyregion/thecity/21mcso.html?_r=2

11/30/2007 Facebook Page launched http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2257781658&ref=ts