Satyricon was a nightclub in the Old Town neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States that operated from 1984 to 2010. It was the longest-running punk venue in the western United States, It is also the place where musicians Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love are said to have first met.

Located in a building that had served as a horse stable in the early 1900s, the club's owner, George Touhouliotis, founded Satyricon after acquiring a tavern that had operated in the building. Touhouliotis reshaped the tavern into a nightclub, and named it after the 1969 Federico Fellini film of the same name. Satyricon became a prominent music venue in the city, and hosted various local and touring punk and alternative rock bands throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

In May 2003, the club abruptly closed, after which it was acquired by new owners and reopened as an all-ages venue in 2006. It officially closed in November 2010, and the building in which it was located was demolished in July 2011. The club was the subject of a 2013 documentary titled Satyricon: Madness and Glory.

History

Background

The Satyricon, located at 125 N.W. Sixth Avenue, was formerly Marlena's Tavern, "a dark, narrow barroom on a seedy stretch." The block was characterized as Portland's skid row, "a real shithole of a neighborhood" with "open drug dealing, fights, knives, [and] guns." Local historian SP Clarke opined that "A mere attempt to walk the sidewalks ... required a helmet and full body armor."

Early years and heyday

1980s

and attracted a wide array of musical groups, as the club's booking agent made "no stylistic or hierarchical" distinction among the musical acts. Local punk bands the Wipers and Poison Idea became notable regular acts at the club, as well as various underground musicians. According to public documents regarding the business's liquor control license, Satyricon opened at 8 p.m. each night, and offered "live music and dancing" from 10 p.m. until around 2:30 a.m. Additionally, the club hosted open mic nights, poetry readings, and performance art exhibitions.

On September 20, 1985, Satyricon began offering food, which included a souvlaki take-out window called Eat or Die.

thumb|right|upright=1|[[Courtney Love and other patrons attending an event at Satyricon 1989]]

In the mid-1980s, the club was frequented by local residents such as poet Walt Curtis through The Miracle Workers' frontman Gerry Mohr. The club is also notable for being the place where Love first crossed paths with her future husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. In a 2010 interview, she claimed she met Cobain there in 1988 at a Dharma Bums concert where she was reading spoken word poetry, although other accounts state that the two met in January 1989 or 1990 when Nirvana was playing at the club, and that they playfully wrestled in front of a jukebox that night.

Commenting on the various stories and lore surrounding the club, journalist Zach Dundas wrote: "The written record of the club's existencewhich can amount to no more than 1 percent of the Whole Truthis a florid tale of excess, controversy, creative chaos. And, yes, artistic greatness." Beginning in the early 1990s, Satyricon became a frequent host to grunge bands, including Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Mudhoney, among others. Other events, besides notable concerts, include a number of incidents involving notable people (including Courtney Love passing out) and a police riot in 1990. Mild renovations were undertaken, though a review of the club upon its reopening noted: "The club looks the same ... eerily so. Same bar stools, same black paint. At the same time, it looks unfinished, like someone decided to remodel, ripped up a few boards and then totally slacked off."

In October 2010, Ben Munat, the Satyricon's booking agent, organized thirteen "Farewell Satyricon Shows" for that month. Bands included Big Daddy Meat Straw, the Dandy Warhols (with original drummer Eric Hedford, playing songs from first two albums with some original guitars), Pond, Poison Idea, and Napalm Beach, after which many pieces of furniture, memorabilia, and parts of the building were "unceremoniously given away to anyone interested." In 2017, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, frontman of the Dandy Warhols, reported that he had found the marquee, which he had installed at The Old Portland, a wine bar he opened in 2016.

The club was used as a filming location for Gus Van Sant's 1985 film, Mala Noche.

See also

  • Music of Oregon

Notes

References

Works cited

  • List of concerts at Satyricon via Setlist.fm