Last Call For Barracks Bar

*The Barracks Bar has spent over three decades serving as a place where gay men, especially those who are into leather could be themselves in the Coachella Valley area.

This past August it shut down, leaving locals in search of a new leather bar to call home and to reflect on the legacy it left behind.*

To many, the Coachella Valley area is known for its extreme heat in the summer, music festivals and casinos. However, to those who favor sporting a jockstrap, harness, or chaps, the Coachella Valley––especially cities like Palm Springs and Cathedral City––is known for creating environments that allow everyone to be free. Sadly, that environment has shifted as it has lost one of its iconic leather bars. On August 4th, 2024, the Barrack Bar in Cathedral City, CA held its last Sunday Beer Bust, closing their doors for good after being a staple for the leather community for 31 years.

“The Barrack Bar was the meeting place. Everyone came from all over just to visit this bar,” said James Dunagan, a longtime resident of Palm Spring. Disappointment and sadness set in as he adjusted himself in his seat. He explained that before moving to the area, the Barracks was one of the places he looked forward to visiting. He winked at me then said, “The Barracks Bar started and ended vacations for me and my friends who came from all over. And Sunday Beer Bust, there was always a guarantee to run into people you had not seen in years.”

Sunday Beer Bust was the Barracks’ most popular event. I learned it was never a good idea to leave Palm Springs on a Sunday afternoon…unless the plan was to beat traffic. However, playing devil’s advocate here, leaving on Sunday could have been successful if I didn’t end up in Cathedral City at the Barracks Bar. I would always tell myself as I walked in, “I’m going to say hello and stay for an hour.”

SMASH CUT TO: it’s night fall, I’m still at the Barracks. My cheeks hurt from laughing, I’ve reconnected with friends from all over the world, made out with strangers, and now I’ve made dinner plans with new friends.

“I’ve done it again,” I would say to myself, as I realized it was too late to get on the road. Luckily, I always had a place to crash so it wasn’t a big deal. It was a cycle that kept occurring until I learned to plan for staying an extra day for Beer Bust––it was better to return to Los Angeles on Mondays instead of Sundays. However it’s something I sadly would not have to worry about anymore.

The news of the Barracks closing came as a shock to myself and many. “I started going through the stages of grief. I was in shock,” Rene Hebert, the Barracks Bar Resident Boot Black said with sadness in his eyes. He stated that rumors started swirling around a few weeks prior but had assumed it was just that—rumors. Rene took a deep breath then said, “A bar like the Barracks just can’t be closing.” Unfortunately, it was true. He, myself, and many others found out via a heartbreaking social post from the owner of the Barracks Bar, marking the end of an era.

“It wasn’t even called the Barracks Bar when I first visited it,” said its owner, Scott Murchison. He couldn’t help but laugh, which meant the history lesson he was about to give was going to be a good one. Though Scott stepped foot in the Barracks for the first time in the Summer of 1997, it originally debuted in 1992 under the name Wolf’s. It immediately became a safe place for gay men, especially men who were into leather. A few years later, the owners would change the name of the bar to The Wolf’s Den.

Yet all Murchison knew is that a lot of porn had been shot there. He came to the Barracks while visiting Palm Spring from Los Angeles. “Dickwadd (a porn production company) was hosting a party there. Wet n Hot,” he said with a mischievous grin. Since 1991, Wet n Hot has been the biggest event for men who like their hankies yellow and their showers golden. Murchinson had been coming to Wolf’s Den for about 20 years prior to buying it. Around 2005, the name changed again from Wolf’s Den to Barracks Bar, its final name until the day it closed.

Barracks shaped the lives of so many people in the desert. It created a sense of belonging for scores of men who visited over the years. To the people who lived there, the Barracks was much more than a leather bar—it was a staple! “It was sometimes hard to wrap my head around at times,” Rene said. “A bar like this was in the town that I call home.” Rene set back in his chair with a smile as he broke down his relationship with the Barracks. Before moving to Palm Springs in 2017 with his bootblack talents, he’d been visiting the Barracks and was already in love with it.

He grinned like a little kid when I asked him how he became the Barrack’s famous bootblack. “It honestly fell into my lap,” he said. “I took a chance and asked Dave, the owner at that time, if I could bootblack sometime and he said sure. And the rest was history.” Rene said from then on he could be found bootblacking most Sundays.

James, who went from a visitor to a resident, also found himself forming a special relationship with the Barracks. He became a regular gogo DILF at the Barracks. I asked him why he liked it so much. He smiled then said, “From the box, I got to see how everyone was connecting.” James continued to say, “That elevated my sense of joy while dancing. I’m not a big drinker or drug user so watching everyone’s joy was the dopamine I needed.” James also explained that being over 50 and being allowed to dance as a gogo dancer was simply another way the Barracks created community. It made everyone feel a part-of.
“It was a place where we could go and be authentic. It was where everyone and everything could be embraced.” James said. “We were there because our people were there.”

Rene had a similar response. I asked him what he would remember most about the Barracks and tears started to roll, he paused to collect himself and then said, “I will remember how that place made me feel.” He explained the Barracks was a place where he always felt welcomed.

I asked Scott how he felt about everyone’s comments about feeling a part-of. He choked up tremendously. “Looking out through the crowd on Sunday afternoons, I would go wow,” he tearfully responded. “I did it.” Being a former minister, building a community for people to live their truth was the goal for him. It’s the main reason why he owned so many bars in the desert. Before the Barracks, he purchased a bar in Palm Springs and turned that bar into a leather bar. The Eagle 501 is located right in the heart of Palm Springs.

“There’s not a place here that can replace the Barracks. I’m not sure what we, the locals, are going to do,” James expressed. The Barracks closing its doors is a major blow not only to the Coachella Valley gay community but to every gay guy and/or leatherman. It’s not just happening in Southern California, it’s happening all over the states. Many other leather bars are slowly closing and forcing many in the leather community to find new places.

‘Where do we go from here?’, was the question I posed to Scott.

“I have seen a difference in the bar scene. Bars are closing, Scruff and Grindr are out now. It’s almost like we’ve gone back in the closet,” Scott said. “And it’s something to be aware of as we adapt.”

Scott told me that his solution is to continue to provide a safe space for leathermen to be themselves. He explained that he feels like it’s up to him and people of his generation to lead the way for others. “With people dying from AIDS, my generation lost out on mentors. So my generation had to figure it out and it’s up to us to lead the way for people behind us.”
In hopes to preserve the Barracks legacy, Scott is relocating the bar to Phoenix, AZ. He admits it will not be the same but it’s worth a try.

As we wrapped, he sighed and said, “But Sundays in the Desert won’t be the same.”
Despite leather bars closing, Murchison believes this isn’t something to be sad about, but believes we should all learn to adapt. “But still continue to leave on Monday, Rob! Our community will survive this and evolve!”