Grocery man offers ‘apology coffee’ to famous Brit rockers

Emin Mert Kırarslan – ISTANBUL

A Turkish grocery man, who chased the members of the world-famous rock band Arctic Monkeys away for throwing empty beer bottles in front of his shop, has made a coffee and apology talk offer to the British musicians.

“I don’t like rock music, but I will offer them coffee, so they come, and we meet,” said Aydın Gül, who became a hot topic on social media for a footage showing him yelling at the Arctic Monkeys’ members.

The British rock band, which was formed in 2002, took the stage in Istanbul on Aug. 10.

Late after the concert, the members of the band went to Asmalımescit, a street known for nightlife venues in the Beyoğlu district. In the early hours of Aug. 11, the U.K. musicians gathered in front of Gül’s shop and started chatting while he was preparing to close.

Footage, which showed Gül yelling at the band members to leave as they left empty beer bottles around, helped the grocery man gain fame on social media, with some criticizing him and some applauding him.

“There was a crowd in front of the shop. They started dropping empty bottles elsewhere,” he said and went to say: “First I warned them not to as the bottles damage the shop’s shutter.”

As the band members continued drinking, Gül “lost control” and took the action that made him famous first nationwide, then worldwide.

“I was suffocated [due to work]. Then I got pissed. I threw all the bottles in the wastebin. I had an explosion of anger,” he said.

Though, he admits his “mistake,” saying that “it was wrong to yell at them.”

The grocery man, now, offered coffee to the band members for a meeting.

“I will rush to help if they ask me to, as long as they act human,” he added.