Posted on 10/09/2006 1:58:33 PM PDT by LurkedLongEnough
CBGB owner Hilly Kristal sits at his club during an interview Sept. 26, 2006, in New York. After Oct. 15, the legendary club that has hosted acts such as Patti Smith, the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Blondie will close its doors for good, ending a 33-year run as punk rocks seminal music venue. CBGB owner Hilly Kristal sits at his club during an interview Sept. 26, 2006, in New York. After Oct. 15, the legendary club that has hosted acts such as Patti Smith, the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Blondie will close its doors for good, ending a 33-year run as punk rocks seminal music venue.
NEW YORK --Legs McNeil remembers the night back in 1975 when he walked into the dingy storefront club perched in the even dingier Bowery neighborhood. The band onstage, four guys in leather jackets and torn jeans, was the Ramones. McNeil sat at a nearby table, watching their set with Lou Reed.
"Every night was memorable, except I don't remember 'em," said a laughing McNeil, co-author of the punk rock history "Please Kill Me."
After Sunday, memories are all that will remain when the cramped club with its capacity of barely 300 people goes out of business after 33 years. Although its boom years are long gone, CBGB's remained a Manhattan music scene fixture: part museum, part barroom, home to more than a few rock and roll ghosts.
The club didn't exit without a fight. An assortment of high-profile backers, including E Street Band guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, battled to keep the legendary club open. But in the end, it was a simple landlord-tenant dispute -- and owner Hilly Kristal saw the handwriting on the club's dank walls.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Bye Bye to a great club and a piece of history.
"Ping!" - or for purists, "beat on the brat with a baseball bat!"
What does "OMFG" stand for ???
Something a little odd about being nostalgic for the good old days of punk rock.
Sort of like Jean-Kerri, remembering the golden days of his youth, when he threw his medals over the fence. Or maybe he didn't throw the medals, but the ribbons. Or maybe . . . Well, anyway, those were the good old days!
CGEB? I thought he got banned?
"Ping!" - or for purists, "beat on the brat with a baseball bat!"
LOL!
"the Talking Heads"
The full name is CBGB & OMFUG which stands for "Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers
"This ain't no Mud Club
or CBGB,
this ain't no foolin' around"
Cue Adrian Belew.
I think the OM stand for "Other Music" but I can't remember the rest of it.
Saw the Ramones there many times, RAMONES RULE!
Thank you for that,been wondering that for 20 years
I guess folks will no longer experience the world's second nastiest club bathrooms (after the old Empire club in Philly). You needed waders to go and take a leak. Lord knows what the ladies had to resort to
Heheheh.
Mega-ping!
A famous venue but the reality certainly outweighed the myths.
In the end, any moron with a stick, a trash can lid and a catchy name could play CBGB - they churned through 3-4 bands from the hinterland a night for the sole purpose of perpetuating the name as some sort of hipster mecca. Garage bands from the Midwest would vanpool to 53rd Street and play for nothing in order to get the CBGB name stamped on their resume (not that anyone cared anymore).
The extremely unhygenic toilets eventually provided the aroma and decor for the entire club and if being afraid to touch any surface - including the floor - is your thing then CBGB was the place.
No doubt it will re-open in Vegas and sucker more bands and kids in as it sells 'rebellion.'
Once again NY City 's history gets wiped out to make yet anothe rset f overpriced condos. NY City is now on the way to becoming an island of condos and dwain Reed drugstores. CBGBs isn't the only club closing . The music scene is all but dead in town. Sad for sure.
Where was the Empire Club?
Roosevelt Boulevard in NE Philly.
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