I haven’t been around there much in the last ten years, but I understand things look different. The first walk I took down there in 1980 took me past the Bowery flophouses that the Bowery was long known for. When punk rock moved in it was frontier land; where else can a scene start, but in a place no one else wants. Ask Sue Miller in Chicago, who booked clubs at locations that would be hard to imagine now as anything less than the high rent gentrified frat houses that they turned into. At one time the West End, Cubby Bear, and Lounge Ax all had the kind of vibe that made CBGBs a home, not a house. But neighborhoods change. Wicker Park? Ouch. So the new CBGBs is coming to Vegas. Just promise that when you use the bathroom, take aim a few inches beyond the urinal for old time’s sake.
CBGBs Smell You Later
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I haven’t been around there much in the last ten years, but I understand things look different. The first walk I took down there in 1980 took me past the Bowery flophouses that the Bowery was long known for. When punk rock moved in it was frontier land; where else can a scene start, but in a place no one else wants. Ask Sue Miller in Chicago, who booked clubs at locations that would be hard to imagine now as anything less than the high rent gentrified frat houses that they turned into. At one time the West End, Cubby Bear, and Lounge Ax all had the kind of vibe that made CBGBs a home, not a house. But neighborhoods change. Wicker Park? Ouch. So the new CBGBs is coming to Vegas. Just promise that when you use the bathroom, take aim a few inches beyond the urinal for old time’s sake.
CB’s was like a giant badly drawn prison tattoo and the piss smell was inescapable. Still, never had a bad gig there, whether on my own, or with Ivan Julian. Hilly was always kind. I’d feel bad about it going, but with every recent visit I’ve had to NYC, I always felt depressed in the end. What I loved about that city split way before any towers fell, just like Chicago’s yuppie transformation left me in the cold, as well. It just hits harder when I’m in Manhattan, because I can’t seem to get the old picture out of my head.
Maybe Hilly’s a genius, realizing that the only New York left can only exist in fantasy, so why not move it to the fantasy capitol of the world!
What do you say Rick? Let’s go to the Vegas CB’s and catch the Ramones tribute band! Then we can cop a couple seals of skag from around the corner, (B12) and cook it up in the Gregory Corso suite at the Chelsea Hotel, Vegas!