Posted on 03/26/2005 10:41:59 AM PST by lainie
Virtually every punk and punk/pop band on the charts today owes a debt to the owner, 73-year-old Hilly Kristal, who opened the club in December 1973 to book the country, folk and bluegrass bands he wanted to hear. That mission changed fairly quickly when three guys named Richard Lloyd, Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell had their manager book their band, Television, a Sunday night gig.
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Its landlord, the Bowery Residents' Committee, which runs the homeless shelter adjacent to the club, wants more than $91,000 in back rent owed to them by Kristal. If they don't get it, both CBGB and the much nicer-looking CB's Lounge next door will be evicted, ending 33 years of rock `n' roll history.
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At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, where Kristal was an invited guest, just about every rock star, movie star and record executive in the room could afford to dig the club out of its current predicament. But beyond delaying Kristal's transition into retirement, what would be the point? The trails have been blazed, the legend solidified, the books written, and now the place is a shell of its former self.
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Chances are that in a few years, the only place a hardcore rock fan will be able to see the familiar storefront will be as part of an exhibit at the Rock Hall or on the hot-selling T-shirts that earn Kristal about $2 million a year in sales. Perhaps that is how it should be, because those visitors will probably get as much of a sense of CBGB's former mystique as I did standing in the middle of the club looking like a tourist.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Was there many,many times, back in the day. Did the guy really think it wasn't going to be a dump?
Bar had the worst floor I've ever experienced. All sorts of little steps, and unexpected differing levels. Luckily, it was usually too crowded to fall down!
There was a horrifyingly run down joint near the local college where I went to high school -- sounds like the same kind of scene.
I've only been to NYC once, for a weekend in 1994. I had planned to see CBGB but they were running some kind of death-rap monstrosity so I didn't bother. I kinda wish I had gone there, just to see it. There's no way I could have put up with it for a whole show.
"There's no way I could have put up with it for a whole show."
That's how I always felt about "The Bottom Line" which is also gone after their landlord NYU "foreclosed" for lack of rent payment. The place was so closely packed, it was like a sardine can with entertainment.
It's really too bad it's gone, though. I only saw a few shows there, but it was a real landmark. It's hard to understand how they couldn't make money, they stuffed so many people in and charged such high prices!
There are no longer any bands deserving of a gig at CBGB's.
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