First we lost the Che Café. Now another alternative music venue on campus is staring down the barrel of UC San Diego’s gun.
Porter’s Pub is a small restaurant, bar and all-ages venue that regularly hosts live bands, many of which are fairly well-known touring bands. It’s a favorite haunt for alternative-minded students. In my undergrad days, I spent many nights watching live bands play Porter’s Pub and afternoons studying at a table with some fries and a pint. They’re probably responsible for the freshman 15 I never dropped.
According to a report in the Reader, the University Centers Advisory Board has decided not to renew Porter’s Pub’s lease for numerous reasons. Here is their reasons, taken from a statement released by UCAB.
“Porter’s Pub was initially brought onto campus to meet a desire which students expressed in retail surveys for an on campus pub, serving both food and alcoholic drinks. In order to satisfy the pub concept, the ratio of food to alcohol sales is key: it is especially important that food sales outpace alcohol sales. This has not been the case at Porter’s for a significant amount of time. Additionally, the restaurant generally sells the least amount of food, out of all of the restaurants in University Centers.”
Many people are calling B.S., however, and feel it’s just another step toward corporatizing the university.
I spoke to a few UCSD alumni about the closure, some of whom have donated to the school in the past. As a result of this new closure on campus and that of the Che Cafe, they’ve decided to stop donating.
“All the places that made UCSD great during my time there will be gone,” one alum, who declined to share his name on the record, told me. “So I don’t want to give them my money, and I plan on telling them that when I get yet another call asking for alumni donations.”
You’re reading the Culture Report, Voice of San Diego’s weekly collection of the region’s cultural news.
Suessian Art and More Visual Art News
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Fresh Sounds, Step-Downs and More Music and Performance News
• The La Jolla Playhouse got itself a new associate artistic director. (Playbill)
• San Diego Opera’s longtime conductor is stepping down from her post. No word on whether she waved her hands wildly upon announcing her exit. (U-T)
• The Fresh Sound music series is all about dat percussion. (U-T)
Endowments, Mods and More Culture Crumbs
• The National Endowment for the Arts decided that only nine San Diego cultural institutions would receive grants. That’s pretty bogus. Still, a congrats to those deserving recipients, including Pacific Arts Movement, La Jolla Music Society, San Diego Dance Theater and San Diego Museum Council. (U-T)
• San Diego’s crown jewel gets a new look. (U-T)
• When a Poway woman was disappointed with the number of chapter books available for children, she took matters into her own hands. (U-T)
• The horrifying and tragic murder of two San Diego boys more than 20 years ago inspired one of the victim’s mothers to write a book, teaching children how to avoid dangerous situations. (U-T)
• The mod scene in Tijuana is alive and well-dressed! I wrote about the awesome TJ subculture for VICE UK. Writer’s note: Some changes were made to the piece that I felt rehash and glorify Tijuana’s bloody cartel war, but all in all the message is on point.
• The San Diego Film Critics Society chose its fave flicks of 2014. Topping their list is the Jake Gyllenhaal thriller “Nightcrawler,” which is as creepy as it sounds. The group had this to say about the movie: “It’s a movie that’s steeped in L.A.’s history and its present, a singular idea in a town that no longer wants them, brilliantly smart and intense, a terrifying look the tender underbelly of America, from which we cannot look away.”
• Barrio Logan’s new sign got a grand unveiling and it looks fantastic. (NBC 7)