CBGB Almost 2 Years Later

As you all know, the legendary New York City rock club has been closed for almost 2 years now. I was just as sad as anyone when I heard the news that it was real. Granted a lot of nothing bands played there in its last days, but it was also a place where bands I love such as Television, Misfits, Ramones (obviously), Blondie, The Dictators, among countless others cut their teeth. Plus a lot of my good friends who are in bands had played there and loved being on that shit stage.

As you know I love the music scene, tend to hate on massive pop culture and am a well… a snob when it comes to those things. I am also a fan of the Morrison Hotel store down in SOHO (for those of you not in New York http://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/). In what used to be CBGallery, there is currently a great exhibit that is for sale from the photographer Bob Gruen. He has stuff ranging from John and Yoko to the punk years (Sex Pistols, Clash) to the glam years (Lou Reed, New York Dolls, Iggy). It was a great exhibition.

While hanging there, the guy running the gallery told us to check out the John Varvatos store (formerly known as CBGB). I was a bit skeptical, he told me he was too and to just bite the bullet and check it out. So I did. For those of you who don’t know, John Varvatos is a total audiophile and supposedly has a world class vinyl collection.

I am not scared to admit… John kudos my man. The store looks great. He did his best to keep the… um… charm of CBGB and of course clean it up (the urine smell is gone!). They even framed the original walls in a few places so you can see what it used to look like in there. The registers are located on the same bar where a bartender actually once handed me a Bud Light missing half its neck and up. He also decorated the walls with vinyl and promo posters for bands that would have or did play CBGB.

Good job Mr. Varvatos… its not quite what it used to be but I was pleasantly surprised. That isn't to say that I wouldn't rather CBGB be landmarked. If it were up to me it would still be CBGB and it would still be pumping out a killer PA with local and national acts playing shows nightly. At this point that just isn't reality. Nothing is sacred in the world of gentrification and frankly I understand that. All I am trying to say, is that if its not going to be a rock club, I am glad it has fallen into the hands of someone who understands what used to be there. Imagine it turned into a Duane Reade or a Starbucks! Yikes!