A KEEN SENSE OF FLAIR – Justin Keane Interviewed

Updated: July 1, 2006

Quickly making a name for himself on the FBA Pro Tour… Mr. Justin Keane. Currently in 3rd place on the Pro tour and showing no signs of slowing down, Justin took a gamble and moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii to follow his dreams of Flair. He took some time from his busy schedule to sit down with us and discuss his past, present and future…

Age? 27.

Where are you from? Most people in the Flair world don’t know this but i’m originally from South San Francisco and resided in Hawaii for about seven or eight years. That’s where I started Flairing….

How Long have you’ve been Bartending? I’ve been bartending for six years.

And Flair Bartending? Been doing Flair for a little over five years now, but seriously for about three.

Where do you work? I’m currently working at Club Rio inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.
What got you into Flair Bartending? Like anyone else, when I got behind the bar for the first time I started to throw things around once in a while but what really sparked my interest was when I saw the show “Competition” when they featured Legends 3.

How did you start out learning to Flair? I watched moves from competition videos over and over basically mimicking the moves.

Do you still practice Flair now? NO, but I still think about it.

Why did you move out to Las Vegas and what was it like when you first moved out there, How did you find a job, a place to live, etc…? I was thinking about it for a while… but after a trip out to Las Vegas for my first Legends competition I knew I wanted to be out here with the best. The following month I did King of the Ring and talked to Duane Villoria about how hard it would be to get a job out here. Shortly after I got back to Hawaii from the competition he called me and told me about an audition at the Rio, the rest is history. Three weeks after that call I was on a plane moving to Vegas! Luckily, I received a call from Josh Nemerow offering me an air mattress to sleep on until I got on my feet. I hated that thing!!! I had to blow it up every night because it didn’t hold air in well…but I was out here pursuing my dream so I didn’t care. Without the help of these guys I wouldn’t be here. THANKS GUYS!!!

Any advice to Flair Bartenders wanting to move to Las Vegas for the Flair scene, Anything they should know before they get there? I would say to make sure it’s really what you want to do because there are a lot of sacrifices to be made. The Flair scene is great and I definitely think people get better when they’re around so much, if you’re willing to make some sacrifices and dedicate yourself to what you do then I’d say go for it!! Just know that they aren’t handing out jobs to Flair bartenders when they get off the plane. I didn’t work for about a month when I got here, and I know someone who got a job through sheer determination and perseverance.

Describe to us your style of Flair? This is a tough one… I don’t necessarily know if I have a style of my own but I try to blend styles that I like together.

What makes you stand out from other Flair Bartenders? This is also a tough question… I’m thankful every day that I get to be out here getting paid to do a job that I love, and I will never hesitate to help an up and comer.

What do you hope to get out of Flair? I love traveling and meeting new people so I hope to continue making new friends around the world and experience as much as I can before I move on from Flair.

What is your favorite Flair Bartending competition and why? I have three favorites for different reasons: I love King of the Ring because of the “go for it” attitude everyone comes with, the best in the world throwing the best stuff! Also it’s a very competitor friendly competition… nice practice area with everything you need to compete. You name it they’ve got it. I also love Legends because it was the competition that sparked the flame within me and I think it gives Flair bartenders more respect from all bartenders. I’ve talked to bartenders that didn’t like Flair at all but admitted that they probably couldn’t pass the pour test or the speed round. Last but not least, Blue Blazer is in my top three. I like the fact that it showcases mixology and Flair which I think also creates more respect among non Flair bartenders.

Who do you look up to in this Sport? To tell you the truth I look up to some of the newest guys. You know who you are, keep it up! STAR POWER!! LOL… Some of my personal favorites to watch are: (in no particular order) Dyer, both Delpech’s, Gerami, Alley, Rene Garcia, Sebastien, Vache and Mig.

What are your thoughts on the FBA Pro Tour, (likes and dislikes) and why are you entering it? I think that the pro tour is a great way to mainstream the sport of Flair bartending. I like the fact that there are many events to participate in throughout the year. One of the things I dislike is that there is usually the same judges at most of the events. I think that this creates a disadvantage to someone who competes in front of them often. Some of your stuff loses the WOW factor it might have if only seen once or twice a year. The flip side to that is that it pushes me to come up with new stuff so I can try to impress the judges from one event to another. I also think that adding events in the middle of the year isn’t the best thing… but what are you gonna do? I think there should be an announcement at the beginning of the year as to what events will be on the tour. New events should be added the next year.

You are currently sitting pretty high on the FBA Pro Tour leader board, Do you think you will finish the end of the year with the same standing and what could effect this? My goal for this year is to be in the top five of the Pro Tour. Hopefully I will remain in third over the next few events… I think if I do well at Nations and Quest, I can finish where I am at now. I’ve never been to Quest, so that one concerns me most. If I don’t do too well at Nations, I think I might sneak up to Pinnacle to grab some extra points if I need them.

What are your plans now? After Nations I’m going to Hawaii to relax for about a week and hopefully have a non-Flair trip… although I’m sure I’ll hit the park with Cache and the guys while I’m there.
What are some common myths about the profession of Flair Bartending? I think the general public thinks that we all love the movie Cocktail, we’ve never heard of those two brothers from Argentina, that we’re all jugglers and that we can remember how many bottles we broke learning Flair… just another day working at a Flairbar

How often do you practice? During comps, about two or three hours a day. Non-comp time depends on the weather. Luckily we have a practice room at the Rio, so it’s nice to have the option to go in a little early before my shift to practice.

What is your advice to some of the new people wanting start competing, any helpful hints? The more you compete, the more comfortable you feel on stage in front of a crowd. So if you want to get into it, go out there and “Pop That Cherry!!”

Tell us about your first Flair Competition and your experiences there, What were you feeling, Did everything go as planned? I thought I was so ready… as you know the first one is a blur, so I don’t really remember how I was feeling at the time. But I ended up winning! After that, I was hooked. At that same comp I met Cache and we started practicing together. That’s when I learned the Helicopter and how to juggle. Thanks dude!

Describe to us what your ultimate Flair competition would consist of? King of the Ring on an island in the Caribbean and have everyone show up!!!

What are your thoughts on King of the Ring and any predictions? I just saw the finals last night and it was mind blowing!! But as far as predictions… it turned out pretty much the way I expected.

Tell us about your relationship with your friends and family and how Flair bartending has affected that (Does it put a strain on relationships and family time)? As far as friendships go I’ve made some of my best and closest friends through Flair. As for the relationship end, it can be very strenuous at times especially when it comes time to get in the garage and get serious about a comp. This year the traveling has put a strain on things because i’ve been out of town a lot.

Where do you see the future of Flair Bartending? In my mind I see it getting way bigger than any of us can think. Hopefully Flair will be recognized more in years to come and on television more often. Also watch out for those non bartender types… I had an 18 year old kid installing my cable today, no joke, this kid saw a Flair bottle on the table and asked me “do you Flair?” I told him yes and found out that after he saw legends on the food network he bought some Flair bottles and tins. Imagine how good he’ll be if he sticks with it….

What obstacles do you see our sport of Flair Bartending encountering in the near future and in your opinion, how can we over come them? I think the biggest obstacle will be greed. I think we all need to remember why we started doing this and not let money ruin this sport… I’m not saying I do it strictly for fun but I try to remind myself that that’s why I started.

If you had the opportunity to convince a skeptical Bar manager to hire a Flair Bartender, How would you go about it? I would try to get him to see a bartender who is clean, efficient and can Flair and still ring high. I think Adam Kotarski would be a great example.

What is your favorite drink? Capriosca… but normally Skyy and soda or chilled crown.

I just wanted to thank a few people, first, Flairbar.com for considering me for this interview, Cache for helping me in the beginning, Duane and Josh, you know why… Graham Kimura from Extreme Flair Wear for continued support, Area 51!! last but not least Mr.Toby Ellis for teaching me everything I know… (about pour test) LOL!! I told you I’d mention your name.