Diamond Dave's Big Day at The Diamond

If the giant Michael Landon head floating on the wall of Greenpoint bar The Diamond doesn’t tip you off that the place knows how to balance the subtle art of kitsch with a serious love of well-crafted beer, then owner Dave Pollack’s recent dual-tribute to the German festival Oktoberfest, and the birthday of rocker David Lee Roth should be all the proof you need.
On what may have been one of the last remaining warm Saturdays of the year, a crowd of locals gathered to drink from the two wooden kegs of imported German beer, and feast on authentic sausages in the backyard of The Diamond, while Pollack djed Roth’s greatest hits—both solo, and during his tenure as lead singer of Van Halen. The most popular attraction of the day however, was the dartboard boasting a picture of Roth’s Van Halen replacement/rival, Sammy Hagar.

As Park Slope resident, and admitted “worshiper at the throne of Diamond Dave” (Roth’s nickname), Michael Crowder cocked his arm back, and took aim at the mug of the “Radical Rock n’ Roller” plastered to the board, he smiled and said “I traveled far and wide to toss this dart”. Taking aim, Crowder hit Hagar square in the forehead, then smiled. “The G train was not going to stop me from that”, he said in reference to the weekend train troubles.
The afternoon crowd seemed eager to partake in the celebration, and chat ranged from the New York Giants winning ways, to Adam Roth (no relation to David Lee Roth) making mention of the fact that “I lived in Germany for two years when I got priced out of Brooklyn, and I don’t know how kindly they would take to this.” When asked by one his friends at his table if he was at all offended, Roth smiled, sipped his beer and shook his head no. Following up with “I’d pretty much do anything to pay tribute to the greatest frontman of all-time.”
Where was the owner of the bar through all this? Trying to get to Pollack for questioning would have been something of a small feat. As he was incognito wearing a blonde wig, headphones over his ears, spending most of the day cuing up the best of David Lee Roth from his own personal collection. His fan-boy persona shined as he fingered through rare picture disc’s and early Van Halen records alike, and not surprisingly, the crowd seemed to know just about every word to each song that came over the loudspeakers. Making this seem more like a convention than a weekend celebration.
When one local screamed over “Runnin’ With the Devil” the question on most minds in attendance was, “Dave, is this going to become a yearly holiday?” Pollack, not even looking up, threw his arm to the sky, and pointed the devil horns up as either a reaction to the music, or the only real way to say “yes” on the beautiful autumn day.