Battle to Save CBGB's

Published on August 2, 2005 By Gideon MacLeish In Current Events

Well, it seems, the punk era is definitely nearing an end. According to Yahoo! News, singer/songwriter Steven Van Zandt is involved in efforts to save the birthplace of punk as the lease of the club runs out and the property owners are leaning against renewing the lease for the club, which is housed in a building that is also used to shelter homeless individuals. Van Zandt said that a proposal was offered to pay more rent for the club and to use the club to raise money for the cause, but that no response had been received.

Pardon me if I opine for a little bit (come on now, you couldn't think I'd just copy/paste an article like THIS without comment, could you?) but it seems to me that CBGB's could potentially be the perfect partner for a homeless shelter, as the club represents the scene of so many who used their music as a forum to express their outrage against the establishment and the status quo. What better outreach for the punk rock music scene than to use the club synonymous with their brand of music to help with homelessness in one of America's largest pockets of homelessness? And what better public relations tool for a shelter working to house the homeless than an entire industry of music?

But, I am sure the landlord is thinking only of the short term, and not of the longterm. And that is sad, for such a potentially perfect partnership.

Comments

bakerstreet

on Aug 02, 2005

All good things must end. When something becomes "established", it eventually ends up defying the anti-establishment ideals. I think the 'punk' way of looking at it would be very unsentimentally. You can almost hear Johnny Rotton say "Fek it, tear it down."

If they do use it to raise revenue to keep it alive, it would probably end up being one of those 'rock and roll' cafes. The 'unsavory', counter-culture vibe is blown when it becomes a sentimental cultural icon, isn't it?

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 02, 2005

Yeah, to that end I guess I have to agree. But, Blink-182 and Green Day pretty much sealed punk's fate as nouveau pop, so if it's gonna become that, we might as well milk it for all we can get from it.

thatoneguyinslc

on Aug 02, 2005

It all comes down to $$$. The management of CBGB's and their sister club "The Bowery" have been fighting with the owners of the building for a couple of years now. The main issue appears to be a big chunk of back rent, somewhere in the area of over $10G.

I've been there a couple of times, and i can tell you it's a hellhole. It's dirty, smells like urine (i actually watched a guy take a leak on the side of the stage during a performance), and is most likely a fire hazard. But it is the cornerstone of the NYC New wave/punk scene. It is the place where bands such as Blondie, the New York Dolls, and (my personal fave) The Ramones all got their start. It is also a major tourist destination in the Village. I just can't picture a trip to NYC without stopping there for a beer.

I'm sure they will throw up a Starbucks or something like that if it does go down.

I prefer the hellhole personally!...I hope Steven can keep it going.

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 02, 2005

I've been there a couple of times, and i can tell you it's a hellhole.

Well, it IS a punk club, to be fair. Wouldn't want CBGB's to LOOK like a Starbucks, now, would we? (lol)

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