Post #149911 by donhonyc on Tue, Mar 29, 2005 10:49 AM

Here's the scoop as I know it on the CB's problem:

The building where CBGB is located is owned by a organization benefiting the homeless called Bowery Resident's Comittee. Above CBGB (once the Palace Hotel, a Bowery flop-house) is a shelter run by the BRC accomodating approximately 250 homeless people. CBGB owner Hilly Kristal has been in debt from back rent to BRC and has been faithfully paying the sum off. There is still around $76,000 to go and BRC is putting the squeeze on Hilly. On top of that his lease ends in August, and as is the usual story with Manhattan real estate, the renewal rent price will be twice as much (paying $20,000 a month rent now compared to the new cost of $40,000 a month) making it even more financially difficult for CBGB to survive. It's not being spelled-out per se, but at the end of the day BRC could care less about Hilly, CBGB, and the history of punk rock. They want a tenant like Starbucks or Bed, Bath, and Beyond in there. The Bowery all of the sudden has become white-hot real estate and BRC wants a piece. No surprise-they're trying to price him out. In the past five years or so I don't think I have seen so much demolition and dismanteling of the New York City landscape. I came here to get away from the suburbs. Now New York is turning INTO the suburbs. While developers continue to build high-priced residences, many businesses around here have 'For Rent' signs posted on them. I haven't seen anything like this, and quite frankly I don't get it. Who the hell is paying these high rents to live here?

The good news for CBs is that Hilly (who's original rent was $600 a month back in '73 when he opened the place) is fighting this, and hopefully it will save the club. The bad news in my opinion is that although there is alot of drum beating on the side of CBGB there may not be much that can be done. Recently another legendary NY club, The Bottom Line, was evicted by their landlord...New York University for the same reason, unpaid back rent. Many thought that some rock celebs that had forged their careers from playing there like Bruce Springsteen, would come along and save the club. No such luck. After 30 some years the Bottom Line was no more. I rode my bike by there one day and couldn't beleive that the trademark blue awning in front of the club was gone forever. The same maybe happening for CB's. And while it would certainly be sad to see the club go, myself and alot of my friends who have lived in NYC almost 20 years now agree that the club is not the hot-bed of underground music that it once was. Outside of just going to CBs to have a beer and soak up the environment, and hope that the band playing kicks your ass (which rarely happens these days), there is almost no reason to go there. The cover on the weekends is expensive, and the drink prices are on par with the biggest rip-off bars in town. It's just the way things are now. I've said this before here on TC and I'll say it again. The underground music scene that all of us Gen-Xers grew up with is all but extinct. I don't care how many bands out there call themselves Punk or whatever, the passion and outcast vibe that fueled that music is something the youth of today have no idea how to harness. Our crowd from Gen-X sucessfully picked the torch up from the Punks and Hippies and did something people called 'Grunge'. The youth of today haven't picked up the torch and they're not looking too. They're way too involved in Play Stations, Paris Hilton, bling-bling and all that other ridiculous nonsense. Now more than ever music, rock music, whatever, is 'entertainment'. To borrow a phrase from 'Almost Famous' it's an 'industry of cool' . It's not the 'philosophy'', 'religion',or 'way of life' that we once knew. I hope that CBs stays around for a good long time. What they need to do is give people, the generations that are still willing to go out and see live music, a reason to go there and have their money well spent. This was the problem with the Bottom Line. They were booking the most boring shit and catering to an audience of mostly Baby-boomers that would hardly turn out to see live shows. Clubs in New York can survive. The Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom are good examples. Both are owned by the same group of people and they are successful because they book the right stuff. Most nights are sold out. I don't know the ins and outs of bookings, but if the booking people at CBGB can figure out how to draw the right bands and get people to pay admission, maybe their problems will be over. I hope so.

Meanwhile check out
http://cbgb.com/save_cbgb.htm

And speaking of the exceptions in a world of shitty music, please check out a band from here in Gotham called Morningwood

http://www.morningwoodrocks.com/

One of the few new bands that has the passion to kick your ass the way it's supposed to be. Don't believe me? Look at their photos and listen to the audio, and if they come to your town. Check em out.

Long live rock.

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2005-03-29 20:45 ]