Mister Mumu Let Go, and Saucebox Smash and Bash on NYE

It's an end of era, and was one weird-ass end of a year, at top Asian boite Saucebox. First up, after 12 years as Saucebox's--and one of PDX's--best DJs, Mister Mumu, Tony Gradischnig (pictured above) has been let go without, as he said, "even a cheap gold watch." As for the reasoning behind his dismissal at the restaurant that started the whole dj/dining thing in Portland, rumor is that there's a plan for Saucebox to go in a new musical direction. All the message on his answering service says is, “Mister Mumu has now left the building.” Big bear hugs to a spinner that kept many folks dancing into the wee hours of the morning.

Speaking of “wee hours,” it was quite a smashing New Year’s Eve at Saucebox. And not the good kind.

According to Saucebox's Joe Rogers that evening one of their patrons had an “expensive tantrum” by breaking out not one but two of Saucebox’s front windows. Here is what Rogers had to say about it. “It was a crazy night in general. I was talking with the hotel valets that night who use the garage in our building and the stories of mayhem in the hotels were unbelievable. It seemed to me that people were celebrating with more fervor than ever before. I think everyone was so happy 2009 was over they lost their minds and good sense.”
According to Rogers the first window was broken at midnight. “Bruce (Saucebox proprietor and Rogers partner Bruce Carey) and I were there and Bruce spent the countdown with the window-breaking reveler getting his information. After getting his license, credit card, etc.he was let go. He came back later and broke another window, a bigger one! That was about 1:30 am.”

He was not caught after the second window break but was witnessed doing it by staff. After the second window was broken Rogers called the police.

“He was not arrested although could have been,” said Rogers. “(He) was in his early 20's and if his judgment wasn't impaired that night we would have taken it further. It was New Year's Eve and I guess he was lucky he got stupid at Saucebox.”

So why did he smash the windows in the first place?

Rogers said the guy was smashed himself, got cut off and got caught up in the emotion of the evening.

“He was fighting with his girlfriend and needed to break some windows to get it all out,” said Rogers. “Safe to say, he has anger or excitement issues. In the end, he came in to apologize and we worked out the compensation. It was a very expensive tantrum.”