Alas, I only have two, almost forgettable memories of the now legendary X-Ray Cafe.
In high school my friend Don and I tried to get into a show at Key Largo (31 NW 1st – now The Ohm, Whiskey Bar). We got carded, however. Dejected, we wandered in a southerly direction, towards the part of town more hospitable to suburban kids like us. On our way we stumbled upon the X-Ray. No need for fake ID, the X-Ray was an all ages club. We spent a couple hours enjoying some really crappy music (sorry, I don’t recall what band(s) played).
At a later date I returned to see my friend Ryan’s early 90s Portland band, Hog Wild (or was it Hawg Wylde?) perform.
But now us geezers can refresh our feeble memories, and whippersnappers and transplants can have their minds blown: The Life and Death of the X-Ray Cafe, the second volume of the Oregon History Comics series, is available (thanks to The Dill Pickle Club, writer Sarah Mirk, and artist John Isaacson).
The X-Ray was run by Benjamin Arthur Ellis and Tres Shannon (now of Voodoo Doughnuts fame). For the Portland history buffs I also recommend the movie Ellis made about the trials and tribulations of the X-Ray Cafe: X-Ray Visions (available at the library, and on Vimeo!).
Comic vignette from from The Life and Death of the X-Ray Cafe – illustration by John Isaacson, written by Sarah Mirk.
More 30-something Portlander’s Flashbacks:
Wow. X-Ray. Sam’s and the QP, too. I’m old.
i was twelve years old snuck out with some older friends rode a bus from hillsboro.around ninety one seems not long ago but it was my first real show saw plaid esparagus(still looking for there demo tape i had years ago???)best damn time of my life will never forget it.
I have that Plaid Esparagus demo Seth
The lead singer is my brother. I have all the songs from the original album Plaque in MP3 format. If you need it, email me at scidan2000@yahoo.com. They obviously are not together anymore, but my brother is in a new band now called P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. and they play in Portland often (they still live there). I can’t believe that I still have the tape but I’m glad I do. It was great, great music.
For their new band, they put out CD’s and records, yes records.
Oh, if you email me, I do filter my email. Put Plaid Esparagus in the subject line so I know to not delete it. Also, the band PROBLEMS really put on a good show, good music, very entertaining. I think they play at Dante’s in downtown frequently.