CBGB's closing

[sharkrh]

The legendary downtown club that ushered in American punk rock is in danger of being priced out of its longtime haunt.

CBGB is facing the prospect of shutting down when its lease expires in August-and its annual rent could reach nearly half a million dollars.

For more than 30 years, CBGB has anchored the Bowery with its eclectic mix of live bands.

When owner Hilly Kristal opened the club in 1972, rent was a mere $600 a month for the space under a Bowery flophouse.

music-news.com

[TruTilDeath]

although this area of NYC has become the latest "trendy" place to be seen and rents are becoming ridiculous, CBGBs has been known to say they need to close down due to rent every few years or so, this is nothing new. Plus i think i read somewhere that someone already donated like a shitload of money to keep it open.
This is a truly unique landmark and i would not like to see it close, however CBs is not what it used to be and i think it is time to close the doors. Several years of my youth were spent there seeing hardcore matinees every sunday. You name the punk/hardcore band and i have probably seen them play at CBs.

Back in the 80's the common saying around the Bowery was:
Avenue A = Adventurous
Avenue B = Bold
Avenue C = Crazy
Avenue D = Dead
Now the Bowery is nothing but a trendy place to "be seen" where Ugg boots, Von Dutch hats and vintage metal t-shirts have taken over for rolled up jeans, construction gloves, doc martens and mohawks.

[wolfpits]

excuse my ignorance, but i have always wondered what the acronym "omfug" stood for on all the cbgb shirts.

[Wedge0chez]

CBs will always be a legendary club but I hate that kids by the shirt at Hot Topic even though they've never been even been to the club. That's one part of the new school I can't support.

[ScottMoore]

Originally posted by Wedge0chez:
CBs will always be a legendary club but I hate that kids by the shirt at Hot Topic even though they've never been even been to the club. That's one part of the new school I can't support.

<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">Seriously, I went to NY and CBGB's after I graduated college and, of course, I had to buy shirts for me and a couple friends. I had no F***ing idea that I could just go to Hot Topic and pick one up with the rest of the "Punker than thou" kids. I hardly even wear the shirt now because of that. I'm sorry, it's obviously different for a band like Social D but a lot of these "new school" kids are lame and spoiled when it comes to music. I dunno, maybe I'm just gettin' old...

[hour_of_darkness]

Originally posted by wolfpits:
excuse my ignorance, but i have always wondered what the acronym "omfug" stood for on all the cbgb shirts.

<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">From Hilly Kristal's "History of CBGB's": "The question most often asked of me is, "What does CBGB stand for?"
I reply, "It stands for the kind of music I intended to have, but not the
kind that we became famous for: COUNTRY BLUEGRASS BLUES."
The next question is always, "but what does OMFUG stand for?" and I say
"That's more of what we do, It means OTHER MUSIC FOR UPLIFTING
GORMANDIZERS." And what is a gormandizer? It's a voracious eater of,
in this case, MUSIC.


I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been asked those questions.
Alot of people believe that OMFUG stands for something dirty, but the truth is, I felt CBGB sounded so pat that I wanted something to go with it that sounded a little uncouth, or crude."

<font color="#FFFF00" size="1">[ March 27, 2005 04:12 PM: Message edited by: hour_of_darkness ]</font>

[BadLuckLuke]

Thats really sad. Chery Bar, my favorite club/bar in Melbourne just got closed down too so i'm feeling the pain of everybody to whom cBGBs means so much....no dobt most of you in the US have seen Social D (or anywone else for that matter) play @ CBGB and places like that will always have a special place in peoples hearts. Hopefully an arrangement can be made and the great vene can stay open.

[Al Bundy]

Originally posted by Wedge0chez:
CBs will always be a legendary club but I hate that kids by the shirt at Hot Topic even though they've never been even been to the club. That's one part of the new school I can't support.

<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">that's a very snobbish attitude.

[B2R]

to be able to download any music in seconds is incredible

when I was a teenager alot of bands were kind of mystical in a way as you couldnt find out anything about them other than in fanzines or the like, and getting the music was damn hard too

cbgb's shirts have been avail from rock shops and many other places across the country for decades they have never been an exclusive item IMO

bad luck luke if you bring up australia one more time on this board I am going to fly to australia beat the shit out of spit on australian soil then hop right back on a plane

[Steadfastpunk]

Originally posted by B2R:
to be able to download any music in seconds is incredible

bad luck luke if you bring up australia one more time on this board I am going to fly to australia beat the shit out of spit on australian soil then hop right back on a plane

<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">LOL...why every country hates the US.