At this absurdly late stage of the proceedings, it seems a bit ridiculous -- and clichéd -- to be waxing nostalgic for CBGB. Though not quite gone a decade, it's been a damn long time, and the Bowery is a very different place indeed.
That said, the disappearance of the storied punk club seems like the tipping point in the transformation of this city from a hotbed of opportunity and reinvention to a bespoke retreat for the monied elite. Ironically enough, it's prudent to remember that CB's didn't shutter because of gentrication, but rather because of a messy dispute over allegedly unpaid rent with its upstairs neighbor/landlord, Muzzy Rosenblatt. I'm sure John Varvatos is scrupulously never in arrears.
Anyway, my friends from Bowery Boogie put up the following image on their Facebook page yesterday, appended with the legend: "Where is CBGB?"
I responded in kind with an image I found on the wilds of Tumblr, that being this...click on it to enlarge...
I sadly have no idea of the true provenance of this image, much less the name of the photographer, but from the looks of it, this was snapped at some point in the early 90's. On the left hand side, just adjacent the white facade of the Amato Opera House, you can see the fabled CBGB Pizza Boutique. I'm not sure how long that was in existence (see also the CBGB Record Canteen that later turned into 313 on the right side). I do remember hanging out at the CBGB Pizza place quite a few times. It was there that I first met and interviewed the mighty Cop Shoot Cop for a weekly freebie paper called New York Perspectives. Seems like a lifetime ago.
Anyway, that's all gone now. Hope you're happy, Muzzy.
More of this stuff....
Back to the CBGB Record Canteen
Last Words about 315 Bowery (heh, hardly)
CBGB R.I.P.
CBGB in 'Staying Alive'
ADDENDUM: The New York Hardcore Chronices 1979-2015 shared this amazing photo of D.C. hardcore stalwarts VOID playing CBGB. No year or photographer was specified, but they called it a "great famous photo that needs to be shared." Agreed. Note future Cro-Mag Harley Flanagan (shirtless with dragon tattoo) amidst the throng...
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