A Look Back:

If their group were to have a flag, it’d probably be a white one, or blue one, or whatever color the material happened to be that they bought.

If it were to have a symbol, it’d probably be a splatter of paint, or an ink stain from a pen, if they would ever actually got around to designing it. But more likely then not they wouldn’t have a flag, or a symbol. You see, that’s a bit too exciting for them.

In 1980, a group of 15 to 25 Newport residents — the total is unclear because no one bothered to count everyone — banded together under the common cause of dullness.

They called themselves the Dull Men’s Club of Newport Beach, and though women were allowed, it didn’t seem to matter much.

As described in old L.A. Times articles, this group — about three-quarters of them millionaires — were the anti-establishment, or at least, the anti-anything that requires effort, time, energy or is considered popular.

“The typical member thinks ‘menage a trois’ is a French pastry and ‘Gucci’ is something you say when you tickle a baby under the chin. None of them owns a hot tub, wears gold chains or goes hang-gliding for recreation. They have marriages, not relationships, drink beer, not Perrier, and wouldn’t think of taking sensitivity training or roller disco lessons,” according to a 1980 Daily Pilot article.

Their meetings were low-key, if you could call them meetings. Just a group of people having coffee at the same shop on Newport Boulevard. Some napped, some dozed off, many yawned.

“You should have been here five minutes ago,” Stephen Freeman was quoted as telling a latecomer to one of their meetings. “We had a good dead silence.”

The media considered them a push back to the disco era of the 1970s. The club was called a safe haven from self-fulfillment and the emulation of the Jet Set. It didn’t seem to matter what people considered them; they didn’t care. They just sat around, enjoying time and life at their own, dull pace.

There were moments of excitement though, according to old newspaper clippings. A September 1980 article described this scene at one of their morning meetings:

“Karolyn Smull opened her eyes and said: ‘Maybe we should straighten up the table a little, all these cups and ashtrays look sort of messy.’

“A startled Cort Fox woke up and almost shouted: ‘No! Next thing you know, we’ll be showing up in ties.’”

The Dull Men’s Club of Newport Beach was a no-frills affair. The club was a copycat of the original in San Francisco, but the local club allowed women. Their reasoning was explained in their single bylaw:

“Any woman meeting the requirements as set forth in the by-law ain’t gonna steam up matters nohow. Moreover, our dull male membership being so lethargically unaware, would hardly ever consider extramarital relationships.”

It’s believed the group eventually disbanded, as coverage of their lack-of-events dwindled over the years. Or maybe, like what happened with the group in San Francisco, they just started doing things.