joined forces with the UC systemwide anti-apartheid student movement , the Che was the nexus of that effort on campus , with kitchen discussions that spilled over into off-hours organizing . Che workers were active in forming the Coalition for a Free South Africa , and when student activists decided to occupy and rename the Humanities Library after Winnie Mandela , the Che Café provided food and other support for the occupiers .
The culinary and political action of these years was rounded out by the cultural expression that bloomed at the Che , with poetry readings and art exhibits inside its walls , and a striking amount of color appearing on its exterior . The Che Café ’ s murals 8 may be the most conspicuous display of its radical identity , but they are also a testament to its collective nature , showing how individual contributions make up a larger whole . While renowned artists like Victor Ochoa and Mario Torero often led production of many of the murals , they are always a group effort , and go where the group takes them . “ It ’ s all about freedom and expression ,” says Torero , explaining the vibrant colors one student used on the latest portraits to adorn the Che . “ It ’ s about letting the wall direct us more than us trying to control it . There is tremendous meaning in that .”
The Che was the flagship for not only artistic expression , but personal expression as well . In the ’ 80s , one of the most radical things one could do was be openly gay — just being yourself was a statement . But the Che was the first to hold nonsexist dances 9 put on by the Lesbian and Gay Organization , or LAGO , a precursor to the current campus LGBT student resources . This kind of openness and forward-thinking was simply part of the Che ’ s DNA . As de facto Che Café historian Arnie Schoenberg ’ 89 puts it , “ The same sense of protection that Robert Thorburn and Paul McKim put into the design of the Coffee Hut — an enclosed courtyard nestled into the existing eucalyptus grove — made it an ideal safe space for the nonsexist dances .”
FOR ALL THE FREEDOM to be found in the woods , the university kept expanding and the Che seemed to be more and more isolated — literally and figuratively on the fringe of campus . That likely contributed to the next phase of the space : a music-driven nightlife venue .
In the mid-to-late ’ 80s a contingent of Che patrons saw the chance to stake out the Café as a venue for edgy , esoteric , and often straight-up punk rock of the times . Muir student Matthew Rothenberg ’ 85 formed the campus Musicians ’ Club to access university PA equipment and rehearsal space for his newly formed band , Noise 292 , which soon made the Che home . “ Back when we were doing this , it wasn ’ t so clear that we were friendly ,” Rothenberg remembers . “ The co-op folks were , frankly , a little appalled by us . I think the idea that a hippie , vegetarian coffee house would play host to crazy people banging on 40-gallon oil drums and overdriving their guitars was a pretty weird concept .” 10
As years went by , the Che ’ s focus became more on booking bands 11 than cooking food . This is perhaps how the Che truly got its edge . 12 Financial woes that became administrative skirmishes escalated considerably in the ’ 90s , with members of the collective developing a notoriously stubborn reputation .
Matthew Xavier ’ 84 , a Revelle graduate who managed the Student Center from 1993 to 2002 , recalls working with the Che as incredibly challenging . “ The hardest thing was gaining trust with them , because they inherently distrusted any administrator ,” he says . “ However , there were instances when the folks at the Che crossed boundaries , and in those cases the university had to do something .”
Those instances would run the gamut of grievances from both sides 13 — angry parents of teenage patrons , changed locks , missed rent payments , insurance lapses , general dilapidation — things that are generally par for the punk rock course , but don ’ t tend to fly institutionally . A recurring theme was administration citing sky-high repair costs to get up to code , whereupon the collective would use a DIY ethos to do it at a fraction of the cost . It was an overall era of cat-and-mouse , regular bouts of we-said / they-said that typically resolved themselves amicably .
Until it almost didn ’ t .
42 TRITON | SPRING 2019