Com ing in F ebruary in Clinton St. been doing karate exercises in the dressing room and was athletic from the first downbeat of “ She’s a Carnival.” Dave stood in one place, his face obscured by the curtain of hair hanging down. At the end of every song there was a near riot of applause. The music was so good people were just grinning. It was one of the. most unified and absorbing performances I’ve ever seen from a three-piece. . . total magic. Even so, we are all wildly pumped about what’s to come. Tonight we play Hamburg on the same stage the Beatles once played—it ’s been moved to a new club but it ’s the same boards. In two nights: Berlin. The changes emanating from Berlin are the focus of the whole world’s attention right now. Everyone in Germany is talking about it. People from East Germany are streaming into West Berlin to visit. Right now Berlin is a joyful maelstrom. It’s not about the reunification of Germany, but rather about people getting to see each other again after so many years. The whole city is beating like a heart—and we’re headed into the thick of it for two shows. Maybe it ’s similar to playing in San Francisco in June of 1967. Our advance man in Berlin, who was in fact one of the people dancing on the wall that first day, was in East Berlin yesterday and today handing out handbills and putting up posters for Saturday’s Napalm show. This would have landed him in jail for certain a few weeks ago. It doesn’t matter that the West German mark is worth ten times as much as the East German mark. The club where we’re appearing has announced that they’ll accept East German money on a one-to-one exchange basis (a common gesture these last few weeks), and we are looking forward to rocking these people from both sides of the once Iron, now Kleenex-thin, Curtain. We’ll be going back for another show on the 30th of November. Maybe we’ll be able to dance around on the Wall, take a piece of it home, or shoot some amazing video footage. Meanwhile life is centered for us around our blue space capsule. As we zip up and down the autobahns and side roads, it is our only constant. While the world turns around and monumental change takes place, we listen to Dave’s favorite Fuzztones tape over and over, talk about our girlfriends back home and how much we look forward to the next phone call, play cards, watch the world go by. It’s one world, that’s Chris’s dominant theme these days. The borders are coming down. There is the tangible feeling that we are touring through Europe right on the crest of a monumental high. If the Yugoslavian border crossing should happen to be particularly unpleasant—what of it. When we got to the club, we were treated like visiting VIPs. Each country we go to is a new angle on our European experience, and we’re sure to rock with 100% commitment in London and Holland. This is indeed a triumphant adventure. Writer/musician Jan Celt lives in Portland where he runs his Flying Heart label. A frequent visitor to Central Europe, this is his first story in Clinton St. A LOW-SELF-ESTEEM PRIMER John Callahan ORGANIC CULTURE By David Milholland (An Excerpt) n almost missionary zeal permeates the organic world, which was long a movement before it became an industry. “We help the movement get going everywhere,” says Yvonne Frost, Oregon Tilth’s Certification Director, which developed the first statewide certifying program in the late ’70s. She sends Tilth’s procedures and forms, more than a decade in the making, and copies of the Oregon statute free of charge to anyone interested. “Why should they have to put up with the killer five to six years it takes to get a program on its feet. Our conviction is to make some change on the planet." Frost recognizes that high prices and supply problems have kept the industry small and concentrated. The NRDC-60 Minutes Alar crisis “produced a situation we really can’t address. There are not enough growers yet. Many products are not available organically. This has put a cattle prod on our behind. I can see expansion in the industry at every level from now on. That’s healthy.” Organic acreage has doubled, even tripled, in state after state, with mid-sized firms who’ve long been organic on the leading edge. Organic Farms of Beltsville, Maryland, will soon offer tropical products from the whole Caribbean basin. Following closely behind, with capital that dwarfs even the largest current players, are firms including Dole, Castle and Cook, and Gerber, which is considering investment in organic production facilities in Texas. Lon Johnson, owner of Trout Lake Farm in Trout Lake, Wash, sees “a bit of conceptual tension inherent in the organic movement. Early on we were doing it for philosphical, not financial reasons. Our ambition was to change the cultural practices.” Johnson is adding to his extensive organic herb production and collaborating with 17-year-old Washington organic producer Cascadian Farm in crop development throughout the state and region. Potatoes, onions, carrots and apples are being raised organically, with high yields and quality expected. “Right now our crops are right up there with commercial. A major distinction must be made between requirements for organic as opposed to commercial,” Johnson says. “Organic production does require more management. Our management is right there.” ©1989 David Milholland and much, much m o re . . . 'THINK Subscribe! ntroducing, for a limited time only, the 11th Commandment: Thou Shalt Subscribe! The action is simple, and guaranteed to produce joy, not guilt. When was a commandment so up your alley? Simply send off your $12 (per subscription) to: P.O. Box 3588, Portland, OR 97208. There are cheaper subscriptions, to the Dishwasher’s Digest say, but few produce as many cheap thrills as a 1-year, 6-issue, straight-shot of Clinton St. Makes a great present too. We’ll be happy to mail a card promptly to all the people on your gift list. Just get their names spelled right and their zips zipped. This year we’re offering just one premium. For every two subscriptions you buy, we’ll send you or your designee one limited-edition Callahan poster / Think I Was An Alcoholic—$15 retail value—postpaid. That’s right, for every $24 you send our way, you and your friends/lovers/relatives will be reeling in excitement for months to come. We also accept Visa or Mastercard. Please include your number and expiration date. Phone orders received during regular business hours Don’t drink and drive, obey the 11th Commandment, and you'll celebrate Happy Holidays! Clinton St., Box 3588, Portland, OR 97208 (503) 222-6039. Offer available through 1/31/90 only. \Clinton St. Dec. ’89-Jan. ’90 39
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