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| ==Murals== | ==Murals== | ||
| Every square inch of the building--which was three stories high and a block deep--was covered with ] and ]. The tradition of murals began in the 60s, and many of the "original" murals were painted by ]s, such as a large mural of the Beatles ]. As times changed, so did the murals--the 80s murals were more ]. But old murals were considered sacred by house by-laws, and so the artistic expressions of several decades adorned Barrington, making its walls a living history of late 20th century ] in the US. One mural from the 70s was of ]. A prominent mural from the 80s, painted in a neo-psychedelic style and with Japanese ] characteristics, made reference to 50s icon ]. | Every square inch of the building--which was three stories high and a block deep--was covered with ] and ]. The tradition of murals began in the 60s, and many of the "original" murals were painted by ]s, such as a large mural of the Beatles ]. As times changed, so did the murals--the 80s murals were more ]. But old murals were considered sacred by house by-laws, and so the artistic expressions of several decades adorned Barrington, making its walls a living history of late 20th century ] in the US. One mural from the 70s was of ]. A prominent mural from the 80s, painted in a neo-psychedelic style and with Japanese ] characteristics, made reference to 50s icon ]. | ||
| Stationed just inside the front entrance of the building, it said, "Welcome to Barrington, kids! Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times." |
Stationed just inside the front entrance of the building, it said, "Welcome to Barrington, kids! Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times." Graffiti was a tradition which began in the 80s, and consisted of everything from large multi-color spraypaint tag designs to merely scrawled words, such as "only seven more shopping days till armageddon" and "everyone is alienated but me." Debate arose over whether graffiti could be or should be "muralized," which meant that it could not be painted over. Anyone who wanted to nominate a ] for mural-status could bring the matter to a general house vote. A lot of graffiti was muralized. | ||
| ==New Member Disorientation== | ==New Member Disorientation== | ||
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Revision as of 09:44, 20 December 2006
Barrington Hall was a student housing cooperative in the University Students' Cooperative Association (USCA) system in Berkeley, California from 1935 to 1989. The building was opened to house 200 men in 1935, two years after the founding of the USCA. The building was leased to the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1948; the Navy returned the building significantly upgraded. Barrington Hall, along with all the USCA residences, was always open to all students regardless of race, religion or nationality. In 1967, Barrington Hall became co-ed.
In the 80s, the co-op was the focus of numerous accusations regarding drugs and noise. In 1989, after three previous attempts to close the hall, all defeated within the USCA by campaigns organized by Barringtonians and former Barringtonians, it was closed by a USCA referendum intended to stem the growing liability associated with Barrington's wild atmosphere. The closure was fought by the residents during the referendum campaign, in court and in the building by student squatters. The squat climaxed in a night-long riot-- which began as a poetry reading--involving Berkeley cops, off-duty police officers (hired by the USCA), and the residents.
Throughout its history, Barrington Hall had a reputation for supporting social and political activism. In 1960, "Cal undergrads, particularly residents of the Barrington Hall co-op on Dwight Way, were part of the crowd of demonstrators protesting against the San Francisco meeting of the House Committee on Un-American Activities." In the 1970s and 1980s, it was also the headquarters of the anti-apartheid movement, and offered sanctuary and meals to the homeless.
Musical history
Before legal arbitration with the neighbors in 1984, Barrington was the launching pad/petri dish of Bay Area Punk, and bands played every weekend.
The song "Frizzle Fry" by the band Primus as well as the theme of their album, "Tales From the Punchbowl," was inspired by a party, called a "Wine Dinner," held at Barrington at which punch laced with LSD was served. The pop group Camper Van Beethoven played at one such "Wine Dinner" in 1988-89, under the name Vampire Can Mating Oven. Black Flag, Flipper, X, and The Dead Kennedys played at Barrington in the 80s, along with hundreds of other punk rock bands. The song "Barrington Hall" by Les Claypool, released in 2002, is all about Barrington, and includes the lyrics "Just when I had thought I'd seen it ah ah all, I stumbled 'round the corner into Barrington Hall. Does anyone here remember Barrington Hall? They care not for wrong or right, they electrocute the night, the people that live in Barrington Hall..."
The legal arbitration restricted Barrington to three parties a semester with "amplified music," and so bands could only perform at Wine Dinners after that.
Musicians in Barrington house band Idiot Flesh went on to perform with Charming Hostess, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Faun Fables.
In the 70's, the Lemmings were the Barrington house band. A large mural of one of their album covers--depicting cars driving off a cliff--adorned the lounge on the ground floor.
Murals
Every square inch of the building--which was three stories high and a block deep--was covered with murals and graffiti. The tradition of murals began in the 60s, and many of the "original" murals were painted by hippies, such as a large mural of the Beatles Yellow Submarine. As times changed, so did the murals--the 80s murals were more punk rock. But old murals were considered sacred by house by-laws, and so the artistic expressions of several decades adorned Barrington, making its walls a living history of late 20th century counterculture in the US. One mural from the 70s was of Sacco and Vanzetti. A prominent mural from the 80s, painted in a neo-psychedelic style and with Japanese anime characteristics, made reference to 50s icon Disneyland. Stationed just inside the front entrance of the building, it said, "Welcome to Barrington, kids! Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times." Graffiti was a tradition which began in the 80s, and consisted of everything from large multi-color spraypaint tag designs to merely scrawled words, such as "only seven more shopping days till armageddon" and "everyone is alienated but me." Debate arose over whether graffiti could be or should be "muralized," which meant that it could not be painted over. Anyone who wanted to nominate a graffito for mural-status could bring the matter to a general house vote. A lot of graffiti was muralized.
New Member Disorientation
At the beginning of every semester in the 1980's, a new member orientation, called the "New Member Disorientation" was held for incoming students. Two films were shown, and nitrous oxide was procured for a big party. One of the films was a super 8mm film called "Leo and Phred," which depicted Leo and Phred engaging in sex acts and doing heroin to the tune of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC. The other film was a claymation film which featured "Onngh Yanngh." Onngh Yanngh was the legendary folk hero of Barrington. His motto--adopted from a famous quotation of Lao Tzu's--was "those who tell don't know, and those who know don't tell." The film was made circa 1980, and humorously tells the "story" of Onngh Yanngh. Later, when the neighbors tried to persuade the city to prosecute Barrington under the RICO Act for drug sales in the building, one of their claims was that Barrington's Onngh-Yanngh/Lao Tzu motto was actually akin to the mafia code of omerta.
Notable Barrington Residents
- Famous mathematician Andreas Floer, inventor of Floer homology.
- Poet Joshua Clover, author of Madonna anno Domini, The Totality for Kids, and a critical monograph on The Matrix for the British Film Institute. Published three times in Best American Poetry.
- Journalist and documentary filmmaker Micah Garen, author of the Iraq war memoir American Hostage.
- Jewlia Eisenberg, co-founder of eclectic band Charming Hostess.
- Classical composer Belinda Reynolds
- Film and television director Michael Lehmann
Classic Barrington graffiti
- "You're persona non grata in my hippy van, bitch."
- "Better living through chemistry."
- "You can't fistfuck with nuclear arms."
- "Only seven more shopping days 'til Armageddon."
- "Everybody is alienated but me."
- "Is the nightmare real or did someone paint the window black?"
- "Squat or rot."
Footnotes
References
- Thompson, Chris. "Tale of Two Animal Houses" East Bay Express. Published 5/4/2005. Retrieved at EastBayExpress.com on 12.11.05
- American Arbitration Association Report on the Arbitration Matter of Ellsmere Apartments Claimants and Barrington Hall Respondents, Barrington Hall miscellany, 308W.U592.bar, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
- `A Long Strange Trip, East Bay Express, December 15, 1989
- Barrington Hall Constitution and By-laws, Barrington Hall miscellany, 308W.U592.bar, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
External links
- Onngh Yanngh movie http://www.onedigitallife.com/?p=33
- Brief History of the USCA, founder and owner of Barrington Hall
- The Green Book, a collection of USCA history
- USCA picture gallery “Co-opers through the years”
- Colorful website with many pictures from the eighties