Bar Pal Comes To Bach's DefenseNovember 18, 2010
PETERBOROUGH, Ont. A close friend of rocker Sebastian Bach has come to the defence of the former frontman for Skid Row, disputing much of what?s been said about Sunday night?s events.
Bach, 42, was charged early Monday with assault, mischief and possession of marijuana after a glass at Riley?s Olde Towne Pub was broken and the owner, Jim Kakouros, was bitten on the hand.
Judd Smoke was with Bach Sunday night and said many of the allegations against Bach -- including statements that Bach demanded star treatment and heckled and cursed at staff -- aren?t true.
?That didn?t happen,? Smoke said.
Bach had been in town for a few days, wrapping up a few details related to his late father?s estate, Smoke said. Bach, whose real last name is Bierk, grew up in Peterborough.
Bach, he said, had recently come off a world tour with Guns N' Roses, wanted to keep things low-key and just wanted to go out for dinner.
?He?s not looking to be a rock star.?
There were seven people in their group that night, he said.
They ordered a few drinks and Smoke said there seemed to be something a bit odd with the server.
He said he found out later that staff was warned that Bach would be trouble as soon as Bach walked into the restaurant.
The group ordered food, drinks and one of the girls asked the pub?s singer, Josh Gontier, if she could sing, he said.
Bach, Smoke said, never once offered to sing or expressed a desire to sing.
It was the last thing he wanted to do, Smoke said.
The girl asked to sing again, Smoke said, and was told she couldn?t.
Smoke said its possible Bach took offence to that, or something that was said to the girl.
?He did throw ice cubes at him,? he said, referring to Gontier.
But Bach never said, ?don?t you know who I am,? or said the bar would be honoured to hear him sing, Smoke said.
?I don?t know where that comes from,? he said.
They were asked to leave and the group agreed to go.
But they wanted to finish their drinks first, he said.
Bach picked up his wine glass and was going to finish the drink as he walked to the door, Smoke said.
?He had no intention of taking it with him.?
As Bach walked to the door, Kakouros began yelling, Smoke said, and Bach threw the glass on the ground.
What followed can be seen on the security footage obtained by the celebrity news website TMZ.
Bach was grabbed and pushed away from the door after the glass was broken.
Kakouros can be seen holding Bach near the door as Bach?s friends approach.
Smoke claims Kakouros was the aggressor, grabbing and wrestling with Bach before Bach laid a hand on him.
What the tape doesn?t show, he said, is Bach?s friends approaching and trying to pull Kakouros off Bach. He alleges that Kakouros was swearing at them.
?We were all trying to get him off Sebastian,? he said.
During the ensuing struggle, Bach?s face was covered by Kakouros?s hands. Smoke said its likely Kakouros?s face was scratched because Bach was trying to remove his hands from his face.
Smoke said he offered to pay for the glass but Kakouras refused, telling them Bach wasn?t going anywhere until police arrived.
One of Bach?s friends managed to grab Bach?s hands, Smoke said, and was holding them down so he didn?t hit Kakouros.
It was then that Bach bit Kakouros on the hand, he said.
Police arrived a minute or two later, and Smoke said the video also doesn?t show police walking into the bar and asking everyone to step outside.
The video picks up again outside the bar and shows Bach being put in handcuffs.
Smoke said he heard that Kakouros received $6,000 for the footage. This has not been confirmed and TMZ wouldn?t reveal how it got the video.
Smoke went to the Water St. police station and said police told them Bach couldn?t be released because he lived in the United States, not because of his crime or because he was behaving badly.
He said Bach was polite and co-operated with police.
The next day the story was everywhere, he said, and completely blown out of proportion.
?He (Kakouros) totally pumped it up,? Smoke said.
Online groups have taken the story and run with it, he said, and are calling Bach names he doesn?t deserve.
?They?re thinking he acted like that and he didn?t,? Smoke said.
Bach is to appear in court again Nov. 23.
Bach Visits Toronto Courthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tik9yJli-Xw
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