What you are about to read is story about friends. I don't remember dates as well as I used to and the time line maybe a little screwed up. Really what this is a store about my friends, my buddies told kind a in the same way you tell stories about your pals to your girl when you're too drunk to notice that your she doesn't care and is planning just how to get rid of you. Slipknot is, always was and always will be a gang of friends and drinking buddies.

Recently I received the following e-mails from Jake Ludington the former owner of Safari from December of 1997 to January of 1999. I felt that in all fairness I should post them here:

Hi Dave,

 

Obviously, you are entitled to whatever opinions you may have about me. I would appreciate it if you would correct a few of the facts regarding the history of the Safari.

 

2307 University Ave was the location of 2 of the most important music venues in Des Moines, Iowa. Safari Nite Club and Hairy Mary's were not only this first venues to really open up to the idea of doing all ages shows on a regular bases but they were the home of the local music, a tour stop for countless national acts, a club house to those that hung out there and the room in which Slipknot cut it's teeth and got signed.

OK, for those that have bothered to read the other histories, I've put in here you know a little of the back ground. I guess what I'm trying to do is document as much of the last few years before it's lost. So here's my version of the history of a building that has been the home for the Des Moines Music scene since 1996, Safari Nite Club & Hairy Mary's. If you have things to add or if I got a date wrong, or better yet if you have photos e-mail me.

Joey Hollywood had been the sound man at the Old Hairy Mary's and foundry and had been floating around the Des Moines music scene for a better part of 10 years. I think at the time he was or would soon be the road sound man for House of Large Sizes. Joey is a big guy with a Benny Hill sense of humor. He was the first and the last person to ever talk me in to eating Pork Rhines and Tabassco. We had got to know each other during the last year or so of the old Mary's and 8 months the Foundry had been open. Joey was a staple of the Des Moines scene and when able still is.

A lot of things happened in the summer of 96, like Slipknot began to cut it's teeth, My band The Have Nots began to play out, Fastball & other national bands played the bar but the events that seemed to set the stage for change that summer are: For the first time in years a club did all ages shows, The first Axiom Promotions show, a benefit brought the music scene together for the first time in years and the 107.5 the DOT's Battle of the Bands.

Axiom Promotions kind of just happened. I was sitting there planning the 96 Halloween party of the Studio and decide that since there would be alcohol at the party it would have to be 21 & over. I didn't like the idea of excluding my clients that were under 21 but for legal reasons it had to be. So, we began planning an alternative all ages party at the Safari. Also, my band the Have Nots had been itching to do an all ages show. So, we began to pick bands to play with. To say that it was pretty slim pickings would be an under statement.

Shawn Crahan of slipknot had been talking about starting a club for some time. To be honest I just kind of blew it off as talk but in mid January of 97, he stopped by the studio with Paul and told me he was buying Safari. I knew he had been talking to Tony off and on for a while about taking over the club but nothing had came of it until then. I think just about everyone was, "Shawn why are you buying that dump." but Shawn had a vision in his mind. I think he took over running the club around the same time and began cleaning the place up and painting.

The first thing that bugged me about Jake was he didn't want to continue with any of the employees that made Safari what it was. I think it's natural for a new owner to want to fire everyone and bring in their own people but as an outsider of the Des Moines scene this was a mistake. It was like he cut the heart out of the club and it would be a period of decline. The first thing he did was to paint over the graffiti and remove the stickers of the bands that had played there over the past few years. Removed in a word the history of the club.

January 26,1999 after the Flys show, I stopped in for a drink and the then Bartend/manager Brian pored us all a shot and toasted to the last night Safari would be open. I freaked and quickly asked what he was talking about. He told me that Jake had failed to pay the Dram shop insurance (insurance required to carry a liquor licence in Iowa). I told Paul to call Shawn(Shawn's family still owned the building and Jake was in default on the contract to buy the business). Shawn told Paul to get everyone's keys and pull the cash.