Residents of New York long ago became accustomed to Bill Murray showing up and doing things randomly. From his penchant for crashing Williamsburg house parties to basically every other thing he does in public, collected for posterity and preserved like some tome of ancient anthropological study, Murray’s comings and goings have passed from the stuff of legend into the stuff of every other week. So the only surprising part of this story is the fact we’re receiving advance word of it: According to Eater, Bill Murray will be working behind the bar this weekend in Brooklyn, serving drinks to those willing to offer money in exchange for the liquid, because that is how a bar works.
Lest you think he’s now available for your next catered event, it’s important to note he’s doing it out of pure nepotism: His son, Homer Murray, owns the place. 21 Greenpoint, an upscale restaurant, is opening this weekend, and Homer roped his famous dad into pouring libations for the weekend. It’s a smart PR move, considering a restaurant opening in New York is as frequent an occurrence as a restaurant closing in New York—which is to say pretty much hourly. “We want people to come and have fun,’’ Homey said, going against America’s popular perception of Murray as a Grinch-like monster who nobody likes. “People can walk in; just be nice. What my dad lacks in experience, he makes up for in tequila.’’
Turns out, Homer may have spoken too soon. Thanks to his “walk in” comment, the news has spread quickly, and the restaurant was forced to issue a follow-up notice that 21 Greenpoint’s opening weekend would be a guest-listed affair. Perhaps if you get in line early enough, however, you can still make the cut for a drink concocted by the same hands that have poured so many drinks at so many parties before, only this time, it’ll cost you upwards of $15 for an experience probably akin to watching What About Bob? while pouring yourself shots of Bulleit Rye on the couch.