Monday, September 12, 2011

Chains (Gay Bar)

I don't think I ever went to Chains and can't remember where it was located. Post your stories and what you know...
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Posted by Chris H at 5:58 PM
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22 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 14, 2011 at 7:25 AM

    Chains ran from 1991 to 1995 and was located at 6228 Michigan Ave., in thw 1st block east of Livernois. They were a direct competitor of the R & R which was only about 1/2 a mile west on Michigan. They had a small back room which was dimly lit and led to the only bathroom. There was also an old phone booth in thst hallway that didn't have any of the guts inside, but it did have a working door with glass in it. All the walls were painted black. There was also an enclosed patio in the back, with a pool table if I remember correctly, and a long narrow strip that ran down the right side of the patio where you could get nasty. Great sleazy leather type bar that the owner lost due to drugs from what I understand.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 1:46 AM

    actually the bar was owned by phyllis JAKES mother after jake passed away the bar closed !!

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  3. AnonymousApril 19, 2012 at 2:54 AM

    hains had a very small dance floor, about 10'x10', and it didn't get much use. All the action happened in the area behind the dance floor, and spilled over into the men's room. The enclosed patio was, in actuality a old 2-car garage, with a small, never used bar and no lights. One could always go behind the bar to do whatever,and have some dark privacy, too.

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  4. AnonymousApril 19, 2012 at 2:57 AM

    Whatever happened to Richard, Jake's partner in Chains? After Jake died, Chains folded soon after, but well before Ruby and Billy reopened the R&R at its new location.

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    1. AnonymousAugust 19, 2024 at 8:25 PM

      Last I knew Richard and teddy became a couple and live in Livonia somewhere

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  5. AnonymousDecember 11, 2012 at 9:47 PM

    My friend Ron took me there and it was very unique decor with chains and a sling hanging from the ceiling around a small dance floor, the crowd was diverse and very friendly then I had to take a piss so i walked around a partician and had to walk past a nude man on all fours being pissed on by several men standing over him.

    One guy reached out and said this is where you piss needless to say I was not in my element and returned to the small group that had joined us by the pinball machine, but still had a great time there, you know it's very rare to find a place where gay men can go and just be themselves no matter what you're into without some queens looking down on you to find fault that's a big problem in our community so i say........whatever gets you through the night .......Baby!

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  6. AnonymousJuly 11, 2013 at 10:59 PM

    I remember this bar well. Jake (who's mom owned the bar) had a boyfriend named Nick. He was built like a brick shit house with biceps that could make you melt. Nick bartended in the official "Master" hat and leather gear. Anyone ever know what happened to him after the passing of Jake?

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2013 at 3:59 PM

    Chains was an excellently sleazy place... not as stand-and-model as the Eagle and not as druggy as the R&R was (is?). You could usually find some big auto worker there ready for some relief! Many hours I wasted in that small anteroom outside the bathroom watching all the action, and participating sometimes...

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  8. AnonymousOctober 7, 2013 at 1:22 AM

    Chains was directly next door to the Shell gas station on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Livernois. The place drew a good crowd on Friday and Saturday nights. Like the neighboring R&R, the back room was usually packed in the final 45 minutes before 2:00 a.m., with everyone looking for a quick, last minute, encounter before they threw everyone out at 2:15. The building was torn down some years ago. My understanding was the basement foundation was failing, and the building was in danger of collapsing. This was years after the bar had closed.

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2014 at 5:25 AM

    "Jake" was my father actually. It's interesting to read these accounts I must say!

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  10. AnonymousMay 18, 2014 at 1:46 PM

    Hi men, this is Richard. Just a quick history of my bar, CHAINS. Jackie ("Jake") and I opened it July 3, 1991. We were packed opening night, so of course the air conditioning broke. That was when "Shirtless men pay only 50 cents for a mug of draft" first started.

    CHAINS held two Mr. Leather Detroit contests. The winners, Scott (1993) & Damien (1994), each competed at I.M.L. (International Mr. Leather, held in Chicago) in their respective years. Very good-looking men!

    Jackie's mother, Rosita, worked in our Leather Shop (RAWHIDE)/coat check. Jackie's boyfriend was Neil, and yes, he was a great bartender.

    Jackie and I were the sole owners of CHAINS, no matter what you may hear. I credit Jackie as the inspiration and driving force behind CHAINS. After his death, I closed CHAINS in 1997. I sold the property to a developer, who built a strip mall on the land.

    I want to say THANK YOU to all our loyal customers who made CHAINS famous--and infamous! We had the most handsome, REAL men at CHAINS. It's great that so many men fondly remember the good times (and good memories) they had there. --Richard

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    1. AnonymousDecember 27, 2017 at 7:10 PM

      Is there any info on Neil. Haven't seen or heard from him since Jackie's passing.

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    2. Dino041165July 8, 2021 at 9:26 PM

      Hi Richard its Dino. Its been so long.I hope you remember me. I loved that place and loved Jake and Neil like family.

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    3. AnonymousMay 26, 2023 at 11:54 PM

      Hi Richard, this is Scott, thanks for the compliment. Representing Chains un IML 93 was an honor. You, Jackie, Rosita (loved her) and Nick were always so supportive and nice. In fact it was 30 years ago tonight that IML 93 started. My how time flies

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    4. AnonymousNovember 24, 2023 at 10:16 AM

      Hello Richard. This is Jim, your impromptu building maintenance manager. I built your coat check/store area in the back of the bar, installed the security lighting in the parking lot, and kept the plumbing working in the bar and the apartment upstairs. Those were some great days hanging out at Chains!

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  11. JamesNovember 19, 2014 at 8:07 PM

    Oh, my, Chains! What an outlet. I refer to this as my "54" What a great deal of fun and right off I-94. Been there a good handful of times. The very back room was a narrow bathroom with a red or a green light bulb. Lined 11 up in the back corner once. There was a chalkboard in the bathroom hallway and lit by dim black-lights. Chains and black and white speedway flags were in the main part. I know I was there in '97 and maybe in '96. They had a small store with the hanky codes on small cards, they also sold leather products, and other party favors. Nice times!

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  12. AnonymousJuly 13, 2015 at 8:22 PM

    Richard, that you for the nice compliment. You, Jackie, Neil, and Rosita made every weekend wonderful. I have such fond memories of Chains, and I miss it like Hell.
    Scott, Mr. Leather Detroit 93-94
    Palm Springs, CA

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  13. AnonymousJuly 13, 2015 at 8:23 PM

    whoops, meant Thank You!

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  14. AnonymousAugust 6, 2015 at 4:13 PM

    Chains was my introduction to leather bars. My husband (partner back then) and I were in our early twenties, and the first time we walked up to the bar, Neil said "Well, what the fuck do you want?" It didn't take long before we were regulars and our favorite beers were waiting as soon as we came in. I watched Damien win his title in 94 (it was eleven years later that I won mine at the Eagle) and bought my first small pieces of leather from the shop in the back. Good times.

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    1. AnonymousMay 26, 2023 at 11:55 PM

      the good old days. Damien was the second Mr. Leather Detroit. I was the first. Hello, Brother...Scott

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  15. russkJune 20, 2018 at 2:47 PM

    I remember Chains very well. Always enjoyed having a cold beer there and meeting guys. Had some fun times there and especially had some fun in that old phone booth. I just drove by that old site yesterday and it brought back some good memories I had at Chains and in some the old Detroit bars back in the '80s & '90s.

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  16. UnknownApril 30, 2020 at 12:44 AM

    A fun, gay Leather bar, that more than most epitomized the 60s/70s unsuccessfull ""we're gay, so we'll define our own sex rules no matter what: we're non-minogamous, do it with who ever, where ever, wherever, bare-back raw, WE ARE MEN!" scene that continued long after it was clear this was killing us; I cant count on 2 hands & 2 feet the # of good friends, good people, whom I knew who bought into this culture self-serving crap, it was so easy n fun to do! But it came with paying the ultimate price ... RIP n sure fo miss you!

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