The History of the Questing Beast

Latest Update: August 23, 2008

In the early 1960s, there was a “folk circuit” anchored by Cambridge, Massachusetts and Berkeley, California.  Folksingers could play the Club 47 in Cambridge, go down to Greenwich Village, and work there way across the country, possibly hitchhiking, and sleeping on the couches and floors of other folkniks.  The history of this circuit is best covered in the book Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Eric von Schmidt and Jim Rooney, UMass Press 1979). 

The Cabale Creamery (2504 San Pablo at Dwight in Berkeley), founded by Rolf Cahn, Debbie Green, Howard Zeem and Chandler A. Laughlin III, was a crucial stop on this circuit.  By 1965, the club was partially owned by Carroll Peery, manager of the Chambers Brothers, who subsequently moved to Cambridge themselves.  Bay Area bluegrass musician Sandy Rothman has written a brief but excellent memoir of the Cabale as part of a project on the great Clarence White and Jorma Kaukonen recorded his album "Cabale Creamery" here in 1964.

When the Cabale finally folded, probably sometime in the late summer of 1965, the 2504 San Pablo premises briefly became The Good Buddy then Caverns West before being taken over, by Terry Sullivan and Tony Sage, and re-opened as the Questing Beast on November 19.

Unfortunately, by May 1966 The Beast had been slain with its downfall well documented in the May 6 (Vol 2, Number 18) and May 13 (Vol 2, Number 19) issues of the Barb.

The Questing Beast was primarily a folk coffeehouse and hosted similar acts to the Jabberwock on Telegraph Avenue with a fair amount of flamenco, bluegrass and classical guitar playing thrown in. By all accounts it never managed to turn a profit.

The end was bought about following problems with the local police department and Board of Health who had visited in mid April 1966 and demanded a number of costly improvements to be made. It also transpires that the joint managers of The Questing Beast, Terry Sullivan and Tony Sage, borrowed a patron’s car on Saturday April 30 in order to go for cider and donuts and were pulled over by Patrolman George Williamson, allegedly because of a defective rear light.

A subsequent routine ID check was conducted and the vehicle searched. A small amount of marijuana was found and the two arrested. Friends struggled to find the bail money and their fiancées apparently considered “turning tricks” to raise the funds. By May 2, the day of the arraignment, Sullivan’s bail was in place. However, immediately before the court session, Inspector Darrell Hickman of the Detective Division told Sullivan “I’m revoking your entertainment license” – despite that neither Sullivan nor Sage had been tried or convicted. Sage was taken after arraignment to the maximum security Greystone facility at Santa Rita. Sage recounted to the Barb stories of the scant conditions and food at Graystone in an article published on May 13.

A hastily arranged three day benefit was arranged with Solomon (Feldthouse – later of eclectic LA band Kaleidoscope) with the Holiday Dancers, Country Joe and The Fish, John Paul, Dave Cohen, Dan Paik and The Gospel Tonics (who had originally been scheduled) appearing.

By the time the Berkeley Barb was published on May 6, it was clear that without their cabaret license it would be impossible for The Questing Beast to have any paid performers, scheduled performances, admission or cover charge, and no advertising of live entertainment could be placed. Notwithstanding this, Country Joe and the Fish went on to perform as scheduled that evening. Although the staff at the Beast had told the Barb that emphatically and unanimously that “The Questing Beast will not close”, the Country Joe and the Fish show that Friday proved to be the last music performed there.

Sunday and Monday saw The Questing Beast host Jerry Abrams’ Berkeley Cinematheque (something they had done each Sunday since March 20) and the doors closed for the final time on May 9, 1966.

2504 San Pablo later became home to Tito’s, Babylon and then the Longbranch Saloon. Today the building houses a business called “Good Vibrations” (more Duracell than the Beach Boys).

The Questing Beast as it was on October 7, 2005 - "Good Vibrations"