New topic
Printable| Author | Message |
CBGB's last gasp...? Via the AP...
Last-Ditch Rally to Save CBGB's Planned
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer The lease at CBGB's, the Bowery's venerable punk club, expires at midnight Wednesday. With the clock running down on the musical landmark, there's only one thing certain about its future: supporters of the club won't surrender without a fight. A Washington Square Park rally, hosted by Little Steven Van Zandt, aims to put public pressure on CBGB's landlord, the Bowery Residents' Committee, to sign a new deal. But the two sides haven't spoken in weeks, and no last-minute talks were scheduled before or after the rally. Blondie and other bands will perform in the park, along with politicians and other CBGB supporters. An increasingly frustrated Van Zandt blasted BRC executive Muzzy Rosenblatt for the inability to reach a new agreement. The E Street Band guitarist, "Sopranos" star and radio show host entered the negotiations about six weeks ago. "This is starting to get ugly now," said Van Zandt. "We're trying to take the high road. But it's quite obvious now that Muzzy's not rational, not reasonable. If he has the same compassion for the homeless as he does for the city of New York, I've got to be concerned." Rosenblatt declined to comment specifically on what would happen once the lease runs out. "I'll do what is in the best interest of the BRC and the people it serves to make sure the property is used responsible," he said. Rosenblatt's group — an agency that aids the homeless — holds a 45-year lease on the building and houses 250 homeless people above the club. CBGB's is their lone commercial tenant; their rent feud dates back five years, when the committee went to court to collect more than $300,000 in back rent from the club. The current rent is $19,000 a month, although that figure was expected to at least double under any new lease. The club's landlord-tenant woes were reminiscent of the fight over The Bottom Line, the vintage Greenwich Village club that closed in December 2003. CBGB's won a legal decision earlier this month when a Manhattan civil court judge ruled that the club couldn't be evicted for a bookkeeping mistake that left owner Hilly Kristal about $100,000 behind in his rent. It was Kristal who started the club in December 1973, creating a space that eventually spawned bands the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads. The club eventually gained an international reputation as the birthplace of punk. On Tuesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city would try to help CBGB's relocate if a new lease agreement doesn't happen. The mayor held up a black T-shirt with a simple message: "SAVE CBGB." "CBGB's is a great New York institution," the mayor said. "It's more than, you know, another club. ... If they owner of the building they are in cannot be convinced to come to an agreement with them, then we'll help them do something else." | |
- E-mail - orgNote -  Report post to moderator |
Bloomberg's not such a bad guy. For some reason I don't see Giuliani offering assiatance if this happened while he was mayor. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
nope. can't hear it. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
last gasp? wasn't that around 1980? seems like it's been running on fumes and iconic status since then. "I don't need your forgiveness, cos I've been saved by Jesus, so fuck you." | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Tessa said: last gasp? wasn't that around 1980? seems like it's been running on fumes and iconic status since then.
last gasp as an establishment. not last gasp at being relevant to new music. but you knew that.  | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Anxiety said: Tessa said: last gasp? wasn't that around 1980? seems like it's been running on fumes and iconic status since then.
last gasp as an establishment. not last gasp at being relevant to new music. but you knew that. i suppose i did  "I don't need your forgiveness, cos I've been saved by Jesus, so fuck you." | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
This is a stretch, but coudn't it be considered a landmark? | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
|
origmnd said: This is a stretch, but coudn't it be considered a landmark?
All of these things were tried when The El Mocambo (the club where the Stones recorded Love You Live) was shut-down here. In the end, money talks and everything else walks. If CBGB's goes on, it will be in another location. |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Landlord Won't Renew Lease for CBGB Club
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer As several hundred enthusiastic supporters rallied to keep CBGB's open, the landlord of the venerable punk club announced Wednesday that the lease on the 32-year-old landmark will not be renewed. The Bowery Residents' Committee, landlord of the building on the Bowery, "believes it is in the best interest of our clients — the homeless and neediest New Yorkers — to sever this relationship," BRC executive director Muzzy Rosenblatt said. The existing lease was to expire at midnight Wednesday. The statement from Rosenblatt called for CBGB's to "vacate the premises both voluntarily and expeditiously" — a scenario that appeared unlikely, given the promises of Little Steven Van Zandt and others to wage a battle to the end on behalf of the bar that launched punk rock. "We're not going without a fight," said Van Zandt, who was joined at the rally by "Sopranos" co-stars Tony Sirico and Joe Pantoliano. "If the eviction proceedings start tomorrow, which I hope it doesn't, we'll fight it in the courts." The rally was aimed at putting public pressure on Rosenblatt. But while Gavin Rossdale was leading his new band, Institute, through a rollicking version of "Machinehead," the decision on booting the club had already been made. Even the hardy CBGB supporters at the rally, where Public Enemy and Blondie were also scheduled to perform, seemed resigned to the club's demise. "It doesn't look hopeful," said Lucky Pierre, 26, a New York University student. "But we'll keep the fires burning until the last minute." An increasingly frustrated Van Zandt blasted Rosenblatt for the inability to reach a new agreement. The E Street Band guitarist, "Sopranos" star and radio show host entered the negotiations about six weeks ago. The club's owner, Hilly Kristal, also was not backing down. "We intend to stay," he declared. "This is not a eulogy. There's no reason why we shouldn't come to an understanding." It was Kristal who started the club in December 1973, creating a space that eventually spawned such acts as the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads. The club eventually gained an international reputation as the birthplace of punk. Some of the club's supporters at the rally echoed '70s fashion statements, sporting green hair, safety pin earrings and black Ramones T-shirts. Among them was 45-year-old Rochelle Goldman, who was wearing a "Save CBGB" T-shirt complemented by assorted CBGB's wristbands dangling from both arms. "People say it's a museum, but I'm still going there," she declared. "I'm an old punk." Rosenblatt's group — an agency that aids the homeless — holds a 45-year lease on the building and houses 250 homeless people above the club. CBGB is its lone commercial tenant; their rent feud dates back five years, when the committee went to court to collect more than $300,000 in back rent from the club. The current rent is $19,000 a month, although that figure was expected to at least double under any new lease. The club's landlord-tenant woes were reminiscent of the fight over The Bottom Line, the vintage Greenwich Village club that closed in December 2003. CBGB won a legal decision earlier this month when a Manhattan civil court judge ruled that the club couldn't be evicted for a bookkeeping mistake that left Kristal about $100,000 behind in his rent. Not even the intervention of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who offered to mediate the dispute, could resolve the problem. Bloomberg said he hoped to find CBGB's a new location in the city. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
don't they make enough money with all the t-shits they sell?
another Starbucks. [Edited 8/31/05 18:57pm] | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
lilgish said: don't they make enough money with all the t-shits they sell?
another Starbucks. [Edited 8/31/05 18:57pm] yeah, cuz ya know, there's a CBGBs on every corner.  | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Anxiety said: lilgish said: don't they make enough money with all the t-shits they sell?
another Starbucks. yeah, cuz ya know, there's a CBGBs on every corner. another Starbucks. is what that space will become [Edited 8/31/05 20:00pm] | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
lilgish said:[quote] Anxiety said: another Starbucks. is what that space will become
[Edited 8/31/05 20:00pm] | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Landlord Won't Renew Lease for CBGB Club
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer As several hundred enthusiastic supporters rallied to keep CBGB's open, the landlord of the venerable punk club announced Wednesday that the lease on the 32-year-old landmark will not be renewed. The Bowery Residents' Committee, landlord of the building on the Bowery, "believes it is in the best interest of our clients — the homeless and neediest New Yorkers — to sever this relationship," BRC executive director Muzzy Rosenblatt said. The existing lease was to expire at midnight Wednesday. The statement from Rosenblatt called for CBGB's to "vacate the premises both voluntarily and expeditiously" — a scenario that appeared unlikely, given the promises of Little Steven Van Zandt and others to wage a battle to the end on behalf of the bar that launched punk rock. "We're not going without a fight," said Van Zandt, who was joined at the rally by "Sopranos" co-stars Tony Sirico and Joe Pantoliano. "If the eviction proceedings start tomorrow, which I hope it doesn't, we'll fight it in the courts." The rally was aimed at putting public pressure on Rosenblatt. But while Gavin Rossdale was leading his new band, Institute, through a rollicking version of "Machinehead," the decision on booting the club had already been made. Even the hardy CBGB supporters at the rally, where Public Enemy and Blondie were also scheduled to perform, seemed resigned to the club's demise. "It doesn't look hopeful," said Lucky Pierre, 26, a New York University student. "But we'll keep the fires burning until the last minute." An increasingly frustrated Van Zandt blasted Rosenblatt for the inability to reach a new agreement. The E Street Band guitarist, "Sopranos" star and radio show host entered the negotiations about six weeks ago. The club's owner, Hilly Kristal, also was not backing down. "We intend to stay," he declared. "This is not a eulogy. There's no reason why we shouldn't come to an understanding." It was Kristal who started the club in December 1973, creating a space that eventually spawned such acts as the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads. The club eventually gained an international reputation as the birthplace of punk. Some of the club's supporters at the rally echoed '70s fashion statements, sporting green hair, safety pin earrings and black Ramones T-shirts. Among them was 45-year-old Rochelle Goldman, who was wearing a "Save CBGB" T-shirt complemented by assorted CBGB's wristbands dangling from both arms. "People say it's a museum, but I'm still going there," she declared. "I'm an old punk." Rosenblatt's group — an agency that aids the homeless — holds a 45-year lease on the building and houses 250 homeless people above the club. CBGB is its lone commercial tenant; their rent feud dates back five years, when the committee went to court to collect more than $300,000 in back rent from the club. The current rent is $19,000 a month, although that figure was expected to at least double under any new lease. The club's landlord-tenant woes were reminiscent of the fight over The Bottom Line, the vintage Greenwich Village club that closed in December 2003. CBGB won a legal decision earlier this month when a Manhattan civil court judge ruled that the club couldn't be evicted for a bookkeeping mistake that left Kristal about $100,000 behind in his rent. Not even the intervention of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who offered to mediate the dispute, could resolve the problem. Bloomberg said he hoped to find CBGB's a new location in the city.  | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
and now owner says he's moving it to VEGAS....true end of an era | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
origmnd said: and now owner says he's moving it to VEGAS....true end of an era
well, the mayor wants to give it a new location in nyc, so we'll see what happens. personally, i think there should be a nice little CBGB museum downtown, maybe in one of the storefronts around the corner from the bowery. beyond that, the owner should be given free reign to do whatever the hell he wants to do with his club. he didn't intend to open a punk club in the first place - he wanted to book country and bluegrass musicians. CB's had its zeitgeist, but now its passed. yes, there should be something in that area acknowledging the legends that came out of CBGB...but really, i gotta wonder if it isn't maybe time to move on. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Anxiety said: origmnd said: and now owner says he's moving it to VEGAS....true end of an era
well, the mayor wants to give it a new location in nyc, so we'll see what happens. personally, i think there should be a nice little CBGB museum downtown, maybe in one of the storefronts around the corner from the bowery. beyond that, the owner should be given free reign to do whatever the hell he wants to do with his club. he didn't intend to open a punk club in the first place - he wanted to book country and bluegrass musicians. CB's had its zeitgeist, but now its passed. yes, there should be something in that area acknowledging the legends that came out of CBGB...but really, i gotta wonder if it isn't maybe time to move on. You should read the AMG review of the new Ramones box set. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I would love to see a small museum come out of this. Let the rain come down...17 days.... | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
GangstaFam said: Anxiety said: well, the mayor wants to give it a new location in nyc, so we'll see what happens. personally, i think there should be a nice little CBGB museum downtown, maybe in one of the storefronts around the corner from the bowery. beyond that, the owner should be given free reign to do whatever the hell he wants to do with his club. he didn't intend to open a punk club in the first place - he wanted to book country and bluegrass musicians. CB's had its zeitgeist, but now its passed. yes, there should be something in that area acknowledging the legends that came out of CBGB...but really, i gotta wonder if it isn't maybe time to move on. You should read the AMG review of the new Ramones box set. why do you say that? | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Anxiety said: GangstaFam said: You should read the AMG review of the new Ramones box set. why do you say that? It's just so sad and nostalgic, that it might make you feel differently about the club closing. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
It's easy to look at Rhino's 2005 box set Weird Tales of the Ramones and wonder whether it's necessary. After all, there are albums for Ramones fans of all stripes: a single disc of hits for the casual fan, a double-disc set for those who love the Ramones but don't want all the albums, then, of course, the original records — all of the prime Sire albums from the '70s and early '80s were recently reissued in expanded editions by Rhino — for all true rockers. These should satisfy every different audience the band has, so why bother with a box set? The answer to the question is that Weird Tales of the Ramones isn't really a CD box set, even though it contains three career-spanning CDs compiled by the late Johnny Ramone — it's a collectable, an object of art, one that's closer to being a book augmented by three CDs and a DVD than a conventional CD box set. More precisely, it's a 54-page comic book hidden inside a hardcover book that's designed like an oversized comic. It will not fit neatly next to the other box sets in your collection, which is appropriate, since Weird Tales of the Ramones is not like other box sets. Although the three discs do a good job of tracing the band's career, hitting nearly all of the high points along with more lows than necessary — there is a palpable, unavoidable dip in quality that arrives midway through the second disc that no amount polishing or selective editing can save — the music is nearly beside the point: the discs function as the soundtrack to the myth the entire set sells. And make no mistake, this is all about myths and comic book heroes, what fans wanted the Ramones to be — what the band seemed to be, on their first four albums — rather than what they actually were. It's the antidote to the blunt, honest, wholly depressing feature-length documentary End of the Century, which made no secret of the bandmembers' disdain for each other and their business-like approach to being in a band. Such animosity and discord are gleefully ignored by the 25 comic artists whose interpretations of the Ramones are the heart and soul of this set. John Holstrom, a co-founder of Punk magazine who provided illustrations to Rocket to Russia and Road to Ruin, appropriately gets the keynote story and dispenses with a cartoon version of the basic history — which is then augmented by Jordan Crane's brief run-through of the band's lineup changes — but that's it as far as hard facts go. After that, it's all rock & roll fantasy: tales of the Ramones riding around the world as a gang, having outlandish adventures; stories of meeting a Ramone, usually Joey, in the flesh; wondrous re-creations of classic comic art, the flashiest being a 3-D homage to EC horror comics by Steve Vance and John Vankin, but that's topped by Wayno's sublime "Sea-Markys" send-up of Sea Monkeys. There are illustrated anecdotes, one too many allegories of how the band saved rock & roll, pictures of the band drawn as Dr. Seuss characters, encounters with Betty & Veronica and Homer Simpson, while Mad's Sergio Aragones draws a typical chaotic scene of a Ramones concert. There's such a wide range that Johnny Ryan's cheerfully moronic, violent, and vulgar comic strips sit comfortably next to Steven Weissman's story of Liz Fox, a 15 year old who is the outcast at her high school and finds not just solace in the Ramones, but how the group suggests that there is a bigger, better, smarter world out there. These two stories coexist comfortably because the Ramones represented both extremes simultaneously — sure, they celebrated bad taste and danced with danger, but their music was smartly stupid, knowing, and knowledgeable about pop music. In their heyday — and, truth be told, also in the years just after their heyday, when they trudged through the '80s as a working band, turning out muddled records yet still retaining their '70s mystique — being a Ramones fan meant that you were an outsider, something different from the norm. Once that era passed, it was no longer a given that being a Ramones fan meant that you were part of a subculture. As they launched their farewell tour in the mid-'90s, they were playing for an audience that embraced them for what they represented — namely, an idealized version of the glory days of punk — not who they were or the music they made. They were playing to an audience that either were too young or too square to get them at the time, and in the decade between that breakup and this box set, the situation has metamorphosed into full-blown farce, as the Ramones not only sold more T-shirts and were better-known than they were during their prime, but "Blitzkrieg Bop" had been used as a soundtrack to a Diet Pepsi ad without any acknowledgement of the dark, ironic undercurrents in the song. What's brilliant about Weird Tales of the Ramones is that it ignores all of this and prints the myth, which remains as inspirational and timeless as their best music. As wonderful as this is, there is a melancholy undercurrent to this whole set. The trajectory of the band's music itself is a little sad. What was once so bracing and fresh starts to slowly stagnate only a few years after their 1976 debut. While these three discs do a decent job of camouflaging the group's decline — not only did Johnny Ramone do an excellent job of cherry-picking the best moments from uneven records, great bands like the Ramones are always listenable and rarely truly bad — their songwriting turned flat somewhere after 1985, and their productions were getting too hard, glossy, and polished well before that, all of which makes the last half of this set a little hard to get through in one sitting. The DVD is uneven, starting out strong with a few excellent clips like the classic "Merry Christmas Baby (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" and the time-lapse photography "I Wanna Be Sedated," but devolving into too many performance clips. By the end of the 18 videos, it's clear that the comic book artists visually capture the spirit of the Ramones better than the video directors. And this comic book is truly something special: lovingly produced, funny, and oddly moving, it captures both the essence of the band and what their legions of fans saw in the group. Once the book has been read, a revelation hits you like a ton of bricks: everything that Weird Tales of the Ramones celebrates is gone. It's been 30 years since the group's debut. Three quarters of the original lineup of the Ramones are dead. CBGB's was struggling to survive the very month this box was released. Many of the visual references in the comic book are anywhere from 30 to 50 years old. Kids don't read comics any more, adults do. (It could even be convincingly argued that kids aren't into rock & roll anymore, either.) The culture that produced the Ramones is gone, and the culture they spawned has changed too, drifting away from the riotous amalgam of high and low culture that was punk and turning into something slick, soulless, crass, and small. Sure, Weird Tales of the Ramones disregards what punk became and celebrates the band at its peak and it's undeniably fun in that, but it's hard to shake the feeling that this is a tombstone, a memorial to the midpoint of the rock & roll era, when everything old was new again and when the music had inherent kinetic excitement and limitless potential. This may not make it a necessary purchase for most rock & roll fans — chances are they already have the music, and there are no real musical rarities here — but people who had their lives changed by rock & roll or love it unconditionally will find the whole of this set both life-affirming and startlingly poignant. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i saw the ramones box set when i was in nyc, browsing around at the 14th st. virgin megastore...it's very cool looking, and i may break down and get it, but i'm having a hard time justifying the purchase after buying a copy of the rhino "hey ho! let's go!" box, which i got to replace my tried and true cassette copy of "ramonesmania". and i'm not even mentioning the many ramones anthologies i HAVEN'T gotten over the years. this latest one looks pretty special, though... 
as for the club, well, it's like this - in my opinion, it "closed" years ago, in terms of being relevent. those artists who are connected to the club as having been spawned by it have moved on...they may still be in favor of CBGB and they may even be among the voices fighting to keep it open...but there hasn't been a vital, potent, exciting "scene" around CB's since those glory days, really. it might be kind of like keeping the factory open after warhol's death...in fact, look at interview magazine today. i do think the history of CBGB should be commemmorated. absolutely. there should be a museum or someplace for people to visit when they want to go on a pilgramage to joey ramone place...but to say that the closing of CBGBs is killing anything important going on in music right now is a bit of an overstatement, i think. maybe it's more important to pay attention to the other, more anonymous clubs in the city and suss out what amazing unknown acts are getting ready to take the world by storm next. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
how about if all these rich people that want it kept open put their money where their mouth is and buy the building? "I don't need your forgiveness, cos I've been saved by Jesus, so fuck you." | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I did what I could to try and save the club and saw one of the benefit shows. I don't really think there's anything more to do. But I really hope they keep CBGB's. I've been wanting to play there for a while, and if they shut it down, that would be a lost opportunity for me.  NEW WAVE FOREVER: SLAVE TO THE WAVE FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
CBGB's Hunkers Down for Fight
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer CBGB's owner Hilly Kristal, sitting at his usual perch Thursday inside the Bowery's renowned nightclub, offered twin observations: He's got no lease, and no intention of quietly surrendering his club. "It's a fight, a hard fight, and we're going to keep fighting," said the bearded 72-year-old patriarch of the club where the Ramones and Talking Heads found a home. "We think we have a chance of coming out on top." Kristal spoke just a few hours after the club's lease with the Bowery Residents' Committee expired at midnight Wednesday. Muzzy Rosenblatt, executive director of the nonprofit homeless services agency, decided against renewing the club's lease after a contentious five-year battle over the monthly $19,000 rent. The group houses 250 homeless people above the club. CBGB is its lone commercial tenant. Rosenblatt, who did not return a call for comment Thursday, had earlier issued a statement urging Kristal to "vacate the premises both voluntarily and expeditiously." But Kristal promised a court battle to keep the club running; shows already are scheduled for the rest of this month. "I feel it's very important that we stay in this fight," said Kristal. "A lot of people want this place open." Mark Alonso, the lawyer who represented the Bottom Line in an ultimately losing battle to save the famed Greenwich Village club in a landlord-tenant dispute, said Kristal's legal fight would only delay the inevitable. "There are lawyers in New York who can buy you nine months," Alonso said. "But you can't win without a lease. There is no winning, just stalling." Kristal founded the club in December 1973, creating a space that gained an international reputation as the birthplace of punk. A compromise, at this point, is about as likely as a Ramones reunion. The two sides haven't spoken in months, and efforts by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office to mediate the situation were unsuccessful. Word that the lease had run out on the punk mecca came during a star-studded "CBGB's Forever" rally Wednesday. Blondie, Public Enemy and Gavin Rossdale performed, while Little Steven Van Zandt — CBGB's biggest booster — hosted the event. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I don't see how you could move CBGB's to a new location. Part of the whole experience are the walls in that place (loaded with stickers and other graffiti from many years), not to mention that toilet shrine in the mens bathroom. What fun would it be to celebrate the history of that place when it's not even in the same location? You can't even say "I'm standing on the stage where Debbie Harry, and Joey Ramone stood". | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Tom said: I don't see how you could move CBGB's to a new location. Part of the whole experience are the walls in that place (loaded with stickers and other graffiti from many years), not to mention that toilet shrine in the mens bathroom. What fun would it be to celebrate the history of that place when it's not even in the same location? You can't even say "I'm standing on the stage where Debbie Harry, and Joey Ramone stood".
they could move the actual stage? they could move the actual walls into a new space? i dunno. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Tessa said: how about if all these rich people that want it kept open put their money where their mouth is and buy the building?
The building isn't for sale. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
sextonseven said: Tessa said: how about if all these rich people that want it kept open put their money where their mouth is and buy the building?
The building isn't for sale. every building is for sale. "I don't need your forgiveness, cos I've been saved by Jesus, so fuck you." | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Tessa said: sextonseven said: The building isn't for sale. every building is for sale. Not this one. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |