From: robert@askinc.ask.COM (Robert McMullen)
Subject: Re: Farm in SF
Organization: ASK Computer Systems, Inc.
Distribution: world 
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 00:57:14 GMT

In article <C0JMDu.IzA@icon.rose.hp.com>, Kirk Bresniker writes:
 >Tony Zugates (tonyz@hpwrce.mayfield.hp.com) wrote:
 >: What the heck ever happened to the Farm?
 >
 >: It sure was a grungy place...loved it.
 >
 >: Anybody know the events surrounding its demise?
 >
 >: Thanks
 >
 >I remember when it closed. I was picked up on the local news because it was
 >the only working farm in SF and was often the only contact that alot of 
 >city kids had with the process of food production beyond going to a 7-11.
 >What I heard was that the lease came up, the rent went up, the Farm couldn't 
 >make the rent anymore. Real bummer to, because it was one of the really
 >great places to see a show and the home of some of the greatest stage
 >divers ever. 

(For those of you not familiar, The Farm was a commune-type place where kids
lived and raised their own veggies/small livestock.  It was located just
west of Highway 101 at the Army-Potrero split in San Francisco.  The shows
were actually held in the farm's combo barn/farmhouse.  It wasn't open 
very long, and closed around late '87/early '88).

I friend of mine worked/lived there while it was still open--since I did
the only hardcore show on KFJC at the time, I dealt directly with the
Farm, Mab, etc. for arranging ticket giveaways.  They always gave us free
tickets, even when the rent was a question.  If they ever lost our guest
list, it was their policy to just let people in.  Amazing.

BTW, the reason it closed is that, yes, the rent went up.  So they got
together and made an offer to meet that rent.  It got raised even higher.
It was like the pigs and the landlords didn't want them there.  Period.
Which sucked.  If a slumlord does that to a building of <<name your
favorite special interest minority group here>>, the slumlord gets
fucked over, not the tenants...  On top of the rent, there were problems
with:  1. Insurance;  2. Tons of litter in the adjacent park before/after
every show (it's where the underaged drank before going in);  3. Fights
outside toward the end of the Farm's life--my friends and I (not trouble-
makers) were accosted by groups of local toughs a couple times, and had
to fight our way to our cars;  4.  The inevitable, drugs inside.  Pot wasn't
the problem--it was people fixing way in the back by the bleachers.  Or in
the dressing rooms (if Mike Ness or Rikk Agnew were in town... ;-)    ).

The Farm was by far the coolest place around in its time.  It was, like,
hard to describe.  I guess "sanctuary" sez it best.  Skins (Nazis and non-, 
like me), punks, metalheads, normals...the biggest mosaic of clique
types this side of a Grateful Dead show.  And those were just the people
who lived there.  And the place didn't only feature punk--there were ska
shows, reggae, rock, etc.

There was this great feeling that you could do what you wanted, period.
Kind of a controlled anarchy.  You could stage-dive.  You could mosh.  
You could hang from the rafters and jump.  You could drink all the dollar
beers you wanted.  You could sit on the stage.  You could go outside and
piss on the wall.  But if you even came close to hurting someone else,
you'd be out on the street on your ass as quick as you can blink.

The sad thing for the SF scene is that when the Farm left, so did the
punk scene for the most part.  The Mab stopped having punk shows, the
On Broadway changed into some kind of opera night club, the Stone had 
mostly cheez metal.  Some will say that Gilman St. (in Berserkely), a
post-Farm addition, keeps the spirit alive.  But I disagree, as there
are actually too many controlling "rules" there, plus lots of us live
nowhere near Berkeley.

Assorted memories from there include:

Social Distortion/D.I./others (1987)--SD's first show here since a debacle
    at the Varsity in Palo Alto a couple years previous.  This was before
    Prison Bound.  The show was ALL old stuff, including every song SD
    ever put on a compilation.

Adolescents reunion (1987)--for the most part, this was the first time
    the Adolescents had actually reunited the crew from the first album.

Bad Brains/DRI (1987)--Violent night, holy night.  One asshole, who supposedly
    was in The Fuckups (Mike Fuckup) hit my friend Mike with a bottle
    in the pit, so the whole night the pit was asshole Nazi skins versus
    asshole standard issue skins (us).  Good velocity music for a night
    like that, no?

Discharge/DRI/Possessed (1986)--Bwaaaaaahhhhhhhhahahahahaha!  Discharge's 
    return to U.S. soil was one of the most trumped-up things of the time (at
    least in punk circles).  They came back a cheeze metal band, in 
    spandex and leather with hairspray hair.  They left the stage to cries
    of "DRI!  DRI!  DRI!" after two pint-sized skins, about 12 years old
    each, threw a (full) garbage can at the singer.  Hearing "State Violence/
    State Control" in a poser, screechy voice was too much.

DOA (1985 or 86, I don't remember)--Just thinking of Joey Shithead with
    a toilet seat around his neck while singing Rudolph makes me laugh still.
    This show was either New Year's or Christmas Eve...

Anybody else have any memories of the place?

============================>Robert McMullen<============================

    The opinions expressed in this message in no way reflect those of   
   ASK Computer Systems, Inc.  Flames welcome, but highly uncalled for! 

=========================>robert@askinc.ask.com<=========================