Richard Lipfield August 26, 1941 – November 30, 2019
About to walk into the Trident on a Saturday evening to begin my shift… place is full…one shift ending , another beginning…..customers everywhere… rock and roll…. beautiful women…. one hour wait …sensory overload …I NEED TO FOCUS !!!!!! signing waitresses out in the cloak room..making sure everyone has shown up for their shift……adjust the music level to match the intensity of the room as it undulates…unread the log and check in with the floor manager… say hello to PIERRE….(scarey if he is not smiling )..can’t let him see my fear ………no room for mistakes….. any drunks roaming the room ?…coke heads…heroine ?…hells angels ??,…..anyone harassing the girls…. where is Ron Mxcannon.. hope he is not here to add craziness to the situation….here comes FRANK AND DIANE…need to welcome them… I know frank will notice the one thing in the room that is out of place,and he will definitely tell me about it !…. PRESSURE but that is what it takes to makes the TRIDENT what it is..one of the most exciting, fun, dynamic restaurants in the world… everyone of us is proud to be part of the event ….working harder than we have ever worked in our lives !!!smiling..buzzed..stoned…most of us keeping our balance..someone usually losing it…..I’m manager, counselor, friend and mentor…..is that a plain clothes policeman in the corner ?….the local police get us…they know!! but they, like the girls appreciate the smiles they get.. they give us space…..the room is calming down.. need to put softer music on to calm the tribe… I get to eat now….o.k.
Here we go… a full night of spontaneous interactions as the clientele enter our room.. in whatever condition they are in.. and with whatever attitude the choose….keep it flowing.. watch every detail as we interact and present our magic food… time to go into the office and put on the fan and smoke a joint….there that’s better.. now I fell more harmonious with the event.. oh oh..BOBBY wants me to 86 a drunk from the bar..stay neutral, be firm…DONE….need a lift.. alittle coke will help.. there now I AM ON TOP OF IT AGAIN…only a few hours to go… time for my first drink…TEQUILA SUNRISE…..relaxed but staying alert…..can never let it down.. things can happen fast… oh no… did that lady just throw the ashtray at her date ??? calm them down or walk them out…..room is starting to empty out…good…..start sending some of the staff home…the clean up crew is beginning to show up for their all night shift… here comes MILTON AND PATRICK..close the doors.. put the money away…..now the big lights come on and they destroy the illusion .. food everywhere, dirty tables, dirty floors, kitchen needs to be deconstructed and cleaned… by morning the guys have brought it back to perfection for the next shift… and here we go again…
I DID THIS FOR TEN YEARS WITH THE HELP OF THE MOST DYNAMIC, CREATIVE PEOPLE ON THE PLANET !!!!! LOVE TO YOU ALL….. RICHARD
You described it all so perfectly. I was just the”old lady”of one of the employees, Fred Bradfield. Busboy and later Monday night cleaning
1971-72 … We knew Lozoff and John Abrams on Johnson St. in Sausalito.
Our housemates, Austin (Pud) Broadwater and Danny Showalter worked there too. We were there the night the robber came into the office window from the
outside catwalk at closing time. Oh, the memories.
I had the opportunity to meet with Richard a couple of year for the Cuervo Tequila ad shoot at the Trident. I thanked him for not firing me the time Pink Floyd came in and I hung out with them for a couple of hours when I should have been working. He laughed and said it was all cool. Rest in peace Richard, and thanks for all the great times and memories!
In 1973 Richard Lipfield, on a Monday in late June, he hired this sorry ass starving musician (yours truly) as a dishwasher. It was a turning point in my life. Richard told me if I kicked ass workin’ for him, he would work with me so I could follow my artistic path..which I did and which he did. Serious but fair one of the best “bosses” I ever worked for. I had been working for him for about 6 months when he got word that I was pretty good w/ a pool cue (just how this info leaked is a mystery to this day) so one day at the end of my busboy shift he says to me “we’re gonna go shoot some “straight” pool…..now. He beat me by 2 points at which point he stated totally straight faced with those intense blue eyes burnin’ right through me “you’ll never do that to me again….” but as he turned I caught that slight smile of acknowledgment .All the best to you Richard Lipfield on your new adventure…wherever and whatever that may be!!
Hi Richard,
Loved the t shirts from the Trident. Wish I still had mine. My sister took me there in 1971. I was seventeen. She got me high, weed, right before we went in. It was like no place I’ve ever been. Do you know who did the the design on the t shirts? Really enjoyed reading everyone’s stories. Thanks.
John