CBGB's to CLOSE?

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An unnamed source sez:

"I'm not one to spread rumors but have you heard that NYU has bought CBGB's, apparently the venue, CBGBs and CBs Gallery, are both shutting down?"

CBGB's itself is neither confirming nor denying the rumor, only
saying that "They weren't going anywhere yet." But they had been approached by the school in the past so "yet" to me implies that something may be in the works and it may be a matter of time.

What say you?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:15 (twenty years ago) link

O MY F UCKING GOD

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:18 (twenty years ago) link

I kinda hope it does shut down. There's way too much nostalgia for it now. Punk Icon, oxymoron.

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:19 (twenty years ago) link

It's been a long time since I've given a crap about any of the bands playing the main club. But the downstairs lounge has been booking really good free-jazz/improv shows on Sundays for a few years straight now.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:25 (twenty years ago) link

I heard the same rumor. I don't think it's a rumor. Folks say 5 years. It's sad for a bunch of reasons, but practically speaking, the place has one of the best sound systems in the city.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:36 (twenty years ago) link

I believe that NYU has owned the land that the building is on for at least a couple of years, and its initial sale also prompted rumors of CBGB closing at the time (2001?).

They've owned other properties for much longer and haven't necessarily driven out the businesses located there (although there was that recent flap about the Bottom Line, but then they owed $180,000 in back rent). Unfortunately, with some of the other businesses opening up on that stretch of the Bowery I could definitely see NYU giving the club the boot in favor of someone who'll pay them more rent, but probably not right away.

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:41 (twenty years ago) link

God, so many memories...getting drunk with Lester and Patti and talking about the new Dictators record...Blondie on stage getting us all to dance...good times.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:50 (twenty years ago) link

WONT ANYONE THINK ABOUT THE TSHIRT SALES AT URBAN OUTFITTERS????

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:56 (twenty years ago) link

Will anyone miss the bathroom?

― scott m (mcd), Friday, 21 November 2003 19:57 (twenty years ago) link

What are the stipulations involved with declaring certain spots historical landmarks? I mean, didn't they re-christen the strip of Bleeker between Lafayette and Bowery "Joey Ramone Place" after he died or something? You'd think the same reverance for cultural significance could be extended to protect CBGB's (let alone the Bottom Line a few blocks away, also on the chopping block).

All this said, I can't remember the last time there was actually a band playing at CB's that I gave a rolling rat fuck about.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 21 November 2003 20:34 (twenty years ago) link

No one may miss the bathroom, but a lot of folks had sure missed the toilet the last time I was in there.

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Friday, 21 November 2003 21:58 (twenty years ago) link

I was wondering about the landmark issue too. Hmm.

In terms of being a music venue, it really has very little to offer these days unless you happen to be into shitty punk bands. It's pretty easy to get booked there if you're a new band, though, so it'd be a major blow to garage bands all over the northeast US and beyond. That would suck for them, though I can't say I really care too much.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Friday, 21 November 2003 22:13 (twenty years ago) link

What are the stipulations involved with declaring certain spots historical landmarks?

I think that if a building is declared a landmark the building itself cannot be altered. But that can't be used to make the owner use the building for the purpose that was historic. (In DC we recently had a similar case; a youth center/venue was sold to a charter school and there was no legal way to prevent the owners from changing the building's use.)

― j.lu (j.lu), Saturday, 22 November 2003 05:19 (twenty years ago) link

can't they close NYU instead?

― geeta (geeta), Saturday, 22 November 2003 05:23 (twenty years ago) link

Hahaha.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 22 November 2003 05:57 (twenty years ago) link

one year passes...

from a Times' story today:

CBGB, as The Village Voice reported this week, is facing a lease renewal in August, and its landlord has nearly doubled the rent, to about $40,000 a month, said Lisa Kristal, a lawyer and the daughter of Hilly Kristal, who opened the club in 1973.

― john'n'chicago, Friday, 18 February 2005 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link

they'll close by august, most likely.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:12 (nineteen years ago) link

This is grossly upsetting. I can't even talk about it.

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:20 (nineteen years ago) link

40000 a MONTH!!!!!??!?!?! new york is fucking crazy!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:52 (nineteen years ago) link

orig. rent was $50/month (1973) .. I saw Polvo there. Kind of hard to imagine without the cigarette smoke.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 18 February 2005 17:56 (nineteen years ago) link

It'll be much cleaner when it becomes The Applebee's CBGB cafe. They could hang punk memorabilia on the walls - like Pink's torn sweatshirt or something.

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 18 February 2005 18:04 (nineteen years ago) link

Can't they just buy it already?

― billstevejim, Friday, 18 February 2005 23:03 (nineteen years ago) link

Little late for that.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 18 February 2005 23:06 (nineteen years ago) link

here's douglas's voice story, which both the times and post quoted:

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0507,soti,61075,22.html

― chuck, Friday, 18 February 2005 23:12 (nineteen years ago) link

Damn. If I end up having up ve a class there, I'll skip it in protest :)

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Saturday, 19 February 2005 07:43 (nineteen years ago) link

Woops, looks like I was wrong about the rent. Can't remember where I heard the $50 figure. Douglas says it was $600.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 19 February 2005 21:52 (nineteen years ago) link

you can shit on a puertorican whore.

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Saturday, 19 February 2005 22:55 (nineteen years ago) link

Um, okay.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 19 February 2005 23:05 (nineteen years ago) link

who cares about CBGB's?

seriously.

― Ian John50n (orion), Saturday, 19 February 2005 23:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Who cares about Ian John5on?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 21 February 2005 00:06 (nineteen years ago) link

I do

― Fat Anarchy on Airtube (ex machina), Monday, 21 February 2005 00:19 (nineteen years ago) link

awww.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 21 February 2005 00:21 (nineteen years ago) link

You people are worse than old hippies.

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 21 February 2005 00:25 (nineteen years ago) link

http://freespace.virgin.net/tony.brown1/moodies/prog5.jpg

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Monday, 21 February 2005 00:27 (nineteen years ago) link

"...re-christen the strip of Bleeker between Lafayette and Bowery "Joey Ramone Place""

2nd st. between bowery and 2nd ave.

my stReet! (not block tho)

― noizem duke (noize duke), Monday, 21 February 2005 00:31 (nineteen years ago) link

Haha, I was waiting for Alex to reply to I4n's asshat post.

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 21 February 2005 16:09 (nineteen years ago) link

I got the $600 figure from Hilly.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 21 February 2005 17:40 (nineteen years ago) link

FUCK A BUILDING

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 21 February 2005 17:47 (nineteen years ago) link

"OMFUG"
???????????

― eman (eman), Monday, 21 February 2005 18:09 (nineteen years ago) link

OMGFAB

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 21 February 2005 18:10 (nineteen years ago) link

They shoulda never stopped selling pizza IMFOD.

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 21 February 2005 18:15 (nineteen years ago) link

"Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers," I believe.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 21 February 2005 18:52 (nineteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

More bad news.

― Je4nne ƒury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 7 March 2005 18:55 (nineteen years ago) link

TYPO IN LAST SENTENCE OF FIRST GRAF

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 7 March 2005 19:02 (nineteen years ago) link

Fuck this city!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 March 2005 19:21 (nineteen years ago) link

fuck typos!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 7 March 2005 19:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Alex NOT in NYC!!

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 7 March 2005 22:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Here's today's AP article about the whole mess.

I know that the two words that I always think of when I think of CBGB's is "Pearl Jam".

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 7 March 2005 23:49 (nineteen years ago) link

buddy shoulda kept decent promoters around for the last decade.

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 7 March 2005 23:53 (nineteen years ago) link

I say screw it. Its heydey is long, long gone. Nowadays, if a band is playing at CB's it's a good reason to avoid them.

― shookout (shookout), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 01:24 (nineteen years ago) link

Skipping 27 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Well, better the Foo Fighters than, say, Simple Plan or Good Charlotte.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 16:59 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm not judging, I'm just reporting.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 17:04 (eighteen years ago) link

I just heard "Old World" on Steve Jones' radio show, which apparently features that lost fourth Talking Head's member.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 19:25 (eighteen years ago) link

WT OMFUG?!?

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:18 (eighteen years ago) link

Heads'

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:18 (eighteen years ago) link

Heads

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:18 (eighteen years ago) link

Search: John Leguizamo trying to pronounce CBGB's in Summer Of Sam.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 18:27 (eighteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...

the first i've heard of this:

cbgb's saved

http://us.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/11/cbgb.eviction.ap/index.html

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Thursday, 11 August 2005 16:59 (eighteen years ago) link

rather, i should have put a "?" after "cbgb's saved"

their lease may still expire without renewal

― katie, a princess (katie, a princess), Thursday, 11 August 2005 17:05 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Oh well, a chance to see Blondie for free today:

http://www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com/cbgb/index.html

Alas if it doesn't pour, I'll be on my way to the Mets game.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 15:07 (eighteen years ago) link

I accosted Lee Renaldo on the subway once, and he was completely cool and chatty.

-- Alex in NYC (vassife...) (webmail), July 12th, 2005 12:48 PM. (vassifer)

really? i walked past lee renaldo (standing with a bunch of people) on the subway and they all stopped talking and gave me filthy looks. WTF!

― sunny successor (he hates my guts, we had a fight) (katharine), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 15:25 (eighteen years ago) link

Too bad Blondie are the only worthy band on the bill (Institute with Gavin "Bush" Rossdale? What the fuck???)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link

"bush"

― sunny successor (he hates my guts, we had a fight) (katharine), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 15:30 (eighteen years ago) link

idiotic & self-serving anti-CBGB diatribe here http://wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/08172005.

I started to switch stations when this came on, and wound up listening in horrified pleasure as the exasperated host subtly hands the blowhard's ass back to him.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 15:31 (eighteen years ago) link

When you think of all the great clubs that have come and gone, why does CB's need saving? Bring on the wrecking ball, times change, CB's has sucked for a long time now.

Hey, is being all gooey about CB's some kind of rockism?

― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 15:39 (eighteen years ago) link

oh please, derogatis is suprisingly right in that wnyc piece.

― dan. (dan.), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 16:22 (eighteen years ago) link

I knew it was only a matter of time before the "R" word was invoked.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 16:38 (eighteen years ago) link

well think about all the amazing places that have come and gone: Minton's, the Savoy, the Baby Grand, the Dom/Balloon Farm, the Fillmore West,...what's so amazing about CB's that it deserves all this sentimental hand-wringing?

― shookout (shookout), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 16:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Fair point.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 17:18 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.gothamist.com/attachments/Jen%20Chung/2005_08_mayorcbgb.jpg

― subgenius (subgenius), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 19:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Mayor Bloomberg making a big play for the aging-rocker-trapped-in-teenagerdom vote.

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 19:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Well then, he's come to the right thread.

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 20:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Saving CBGBs is up there with not smoking and Jets football.

― dan. (dan.), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 20:13 (eighteen years ago) link

Institute with Gavin "Bush" Rossdale? What the fuck???

hahaha, i caught this. they played "machinehead", for fuck's sake

― joseph (joseph), Wednesday, 31 August 2005 23:27 (eighteen years ago) link

What's so terrible about a bit of cultural sentimentality? I've always thought it was totally cool that NYC dedicated streets to Charlie Parker and Joey Ramone. And the whole thing about "CBGB has sucked for years" is silly because the whole raison d'etre of the place is the LCD booking policy. Take it from somebody who bought Live At CBGB in the late 70s, for every TV and Talking Heads there were dozens of bands like Manster/Laughing Dogs/The Shirts (though I remember liking Stuart's Hammer). One funny point in that radio show I linked above came when the host (Carl Hancock Rux) pointed out that amid Jim DeR's anti-nostalgia rant lurked an unconscious nostalgia for his own musical past at CBGBs "I Was There When The Replacements blahblahblah..."

I fondly recall seeing an unknown Sonic Youth peel crud off the walls with tiny amps in late 1981 and attending a hardcore matinee there a year later where the kids slammed in a demented square dance to the Meat Puppets. But my favorite CBGB memory is seeing my old friend Ricky's Florida-based band Deloris Telescope (who?) play their best-ever set on borrowed equipment to a dozen unsuspecting patrons in 1991. That's what the place was all about IMHO.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Thursday, 1 September 2005 09:56 (eighteen years ago) link

Saw the rally yesterday. Billy Nile was alright. The Charms fuckin' stank. Institute are just Bush with a different name (i.e. they're crap). The Sic Fucks were just sort've sad and lame, regardless of their historical prominence. Had to split for a while, so I missed the Bouncing Souls (with HR from the Bad Brains at one point) and the Chesterfield Kings (no big loss, I'm imagining). Caught Blondie, who seemed a bit lifeless (and no Jimmy Destri -- it's now just Deb, Stein, Clem and some guys who look like they came from an Aerosmith tribute band). Public Enemy were fucking great....and isn't it ironic that at a benefit for a club that plays almost exclusively guitar-based rock that a hip hop band (albeit an old one) would prove to be the most dynamic performers?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 1 September 2005 15:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Was there a show at CBGB tonight? Or is the place closed?

― Pete Scholtes, Friday, 2 September 2005 05:12 (eighteen years ago) link

Still open:

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/09/cbgb_open_till.asp

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 8 September 2005 14:06 (eighteen years ago) link

one year passes...

Not particularly good, but...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO4zfNga1_E

― Confounded (Confounded), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 19:33 (seventeen years ago) link

Rock Forever

NEW York lost CBGB, but we're gaining a new rock Mecca. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is teaming up with club owner Mike Diamond, who started Snitch, Pangaea and Vela, to open a rock venue in Chelsea on Halloween called Retox. Cypress Hill is scheduled to play opening night, and Ian is slated to perform with the band Five for Fighting some time in November.

― ken noizewater (Pareene), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 19:40 (seventeen years ago) link

a rock venue ....... Cypress Hill is scheduled to play opening night

keeping the flame alive

― dmr (Renard), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 19:42 (seventeen years ago) link

two years pass...

virtual:

http://www.bravadousa.com/cbgb/pano/pano.html

― Dr Morbius, Friday, 17 April 2009 13:07 (fourteen years ago) link

six years pass...

The famous New York City punk outpost CBGB & OMFUG, where Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads and many others cut their teeth and sullied its notoriously disgusting bathroom, closed in 2006. But now it will get a second life, nearly a decade later as ... an airport restaurant.

The club, which will be rechristened the CBGB L.A.B. (Lounge and Bar) will serve "American fare in a fun environment recalling the legendary music venue," Gothamist reports. The first location will open in New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport at a yet-to-be-revealed date and it will be helmed by chef Harold Moore, who runs the comparatively upscale New York City eatery Commerce.

CBGB L.A.B. will serve everything from $9.00 Disco Fries to a $42.00 Prime Rib, according to a menu posted online by East Orange, New Jersey radio station WFMU. It even features Harold's World Famous Chili on the menu, a nod to club owner Hilly Kristal's chili concoctions. Other items the L.A.B. will offer include crispy chicken paillard, seared togarashi tuna and matzo ball soup; diners can order birthday cake for dessert.

― hunangarage, Tuesday, 22 December 2015 05:16 (eight years ago) link

...

― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 22 December 2015 05:32 (eight years ago) link

god is it too much to ask for chocolate lava cake for dessert?

― COOMBES (mattresslessness), Tuesday, 22 December 2015 05:39 (eight years ago) link

btw that CBGBs movie from a couple years ago is on Netflix and wow what an amazing, fun bunch of camp trash. too much fun. it's so clueless. ron weasley as a cheetah chrome is too dorky.

― Amira, Queen of Creativity (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 22 December 2015 14:57 (eight years ago) link

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWxaXy3WUAEQTZw.png:large

― tylerw, Tuesday, 22 December 2015 15:05 (eight years ago) link

timeless beauty

speaking of, in CBGBs the movie, Patti Smith is playing supposedly when she's getting "discovered" and she does some spoken word then goes into...."Because the Night" lol

god i want to watch this movie again

― Amira, Queen of Creativity (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 22 December 2015 15:10 (eight years ago) link

Can't believe they're commercializing CBGBs

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Tuesday, 22 December 2015 20:41 (eight years ago) link

punk is dead

― tylerw, Tuesday, 22 December 2015 20:48 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

Wonder how waitstaff at restaurant in Nwk Airport reacts if yr order is "Please kill me."

where the awnings went?

http://gothamist.com/2016/01/28/cbgb_awning_mystery.php

― we can be heroes just for about 3.6 seconds (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 28 January 2016 21:24 (eight years ago) link

The movie's on Netflix now.

― Mike Dixn, Friday, 29 January 2016 02:06 (eight years ago) link

one year passes...

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/arts/music/thurston-moore-sonic-youth-cbgb.html

― calstars, Wednesday, 3 May 2017 20:33 (six years ago) link

one year passes...

Homage to CBGB (🙄) today at the just-opened East Village Target on 14th Street pic.twitter.com/8Nu72BGkUS
— evgrieve (@evgrieve) July 21, 2018

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Saturday, 21 July 2018 20:12 (five years ago) link

Haha that’s awesome

― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Saturday, 21 July 2018 23:56 (five years ago) link

Not that far from the orig, air?

― Mark G, Sunday, 22 July 2018 09:32 (five years ago) link

Oh well -- https://pitchfork.com/news/after-loud-backlash-target-apologizes-for-cbgb-marketing-stunt/

― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Wednesday, 25 July 2018 21:11 (five years ago) link

lol get over it dudes it was a shitty venue big deal

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Wednesday, 25 July 2018 21:17 (five years ago) link

I think since CBGBs itself is selling like $349.95 Swarovski jewelry with their logo on it and like has a restaurant at the Newark Airport, everyone should kind of give up being upset when a big brand has some fun with their legacy

― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, 25 July 2018 21:20 (five years ago) link

agreed

― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Wednesday, 25 July 2018 21:24 (five years ago) link

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