The X-Ray Cafe (3 of 3)

There was no sense of forced togetherness. No one was watching out of the corner of his or her eye to see whether you smiled or sulked. No one asked anything of you, except perhaps a moderate effort toward the physical safety of others. It was possible to walk through the door on an empty, late afternoon and curl up asleep against the far wall. Someone would greet you as you entered and then go back to sweeping the floors or fixing the sound system or painting the ceiling.

Before Portland had Reading Frenzy, the X-Ray served as a common distribution point for event flyers and the early output of the small-press and zine community. Its do-it-yourself attitude was a catalyst that trained sound technicians, inspired future business owners, and introduced organizers and activists to one another. Relationships both romantic and practical were initiated and still flourish.

It was also generally understood that simply by virtue of its presence and popularity, the X-Ray provided de facto services and protection for a number of homeless, at-risk youths. And at a time when national needle-exchange programs were struggling to prove their worth, the X-Ray stepped forward and became the first satellite exchange in Portland.

The X-Ray lasted until August of 1994, when Ben and Tres retired it voluntarily in the face of an uncertain future filled with certain debts. In the end, fundraisers and round-the-clock marathon shows weren't enough to balance mounting bills and exhaustion. After one last legendary, exultant, and emotional night, the X-Ray closed. The space was handed over to a small handful of regulars who transformed it into an outlet for second-hand clothing, punk rock records, and cheap food.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• X-Ray
• Cafe
• Punk
• Rock
• Anarchy
• Dada
• Club
• Riot
• Situationist
• Portland
• Oregon

[Joeneelyiphone]

And then came the "o"...

[AutisticPersona]

Man, I would LOVE to rebuild something like this.

[dualhdx]

qe pedazo de puta mierda es esto?

[evil706]

Oh, I never paid I have and old x-ray tattoo.

[ernesttruely]

mom-i'm at the x-ray...

[kellyo1234]

WOW this was just beautiful. I miss those days!

[inksac]

This is just beautiful. Thanks so much, sisterdiggins. You're always awesome.

If I get rich, I'll be a silent partner in a nightclub, just so we can do this kinda shit again, without fearing the landlord selling the place, always the biggest threat to an actually cool club. Of course, the other big threat is non-cool people finding out about the place.

[sisterdiggins]

I was there so many days and nights.

This was the REAL Portland ,and it's gone.

It's a sad reality

But we lived there.

Thank gawd for the X Ray!

[pleasureavalanche]

I really, really, really want to find some footage/music/anything by Frog Sandwich! Does anyone on here know how to contact the members? They're my new favorite band!

[VERNIXX]

I was there during the "riot". The cops acted out first. I remember saying to a friend at the time, "The Heat is gonna fuck up these kids." And they did later...

The Hokey Pokey really did diffuse it in front of the club and did move it along the street.

God, that place was so amazing.

TRES for mayor!