It’s difficult believing CBGBs closed almost a year ago (mark 10/16 on your calendars). Yesterday, as you’ve likely heard, the man who founded it in 1973 died at 75, after battling lung cancer. Can’t help but wonder if the Hilly Kristal’s passing didn’t also have something to do with losing his life’s work.
We all likely know some version of the story about how when he started renting 315 Bowery in 1969 it was a bar he called “Hilly’s On The Bowery,” but four years later he transformed into a nightlife destination called CBGB & OMFUG, where he was looking to show the stuff that made up it’s name: Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers. As much as we love that other music, we likely wouldn’t be eulogizing Kristal if he’d stuck to his original plan: After hosting a Television gig in ’74 (followed by Television, Patti Smith, and the Ramones), the momentum carried things toward the space we all got to know and, occasionally, love.
So, what’s in store for the building that used to house CBs now that Kristal’s gone? Via Gothamist:
It’s been gutted and “walls plastered with yellowing flyers and holes in the floor where the bar and stage once stood” are all that remain. Apparently the air inside still reeks of its rock n’ roll past (mold, stale beer, cigarettes). In spite of that, the space will rent for around $200 per square foot — a far cry from what it rented for 34 years ago. So far there have been inquiries from art galleries, retail shops and high end companies, but no takers yet. As for the former tenant, there were talks of reopening the venue in another (lower rent) city, but will Kristal’s death mean that CBGB is officially gone, too?
Since Kristal’s death, folks CBGBs broke have issued statements. Debbie Harry, for instance, said, “I am very sorry that Hilly is gone. He was a big help to Blondie and to the New York music scene for many years. His club CBGB’s has become a part of New York lore and Rock n? Roll history.” And a more effusive Patti Smith told
Rolling Stone
I?ve played a lot of places and it was the only place I?ve ever played that felt like our place. He had put the community on the map. It doesn?t matter where I?ve been in the world, people have CBGBs T-shirts. It?s not just some marketing thing. CBGBs wasn?t just about Hilly or the people who played there or New York City, it represented freedom for young people. To me the name CBGBs could be a slang term at this point meaning freedom. Hilly offered us unconditional freedom.
It wasn’t just Blondie and Smith and the Talking Heads and all those other folks previously mentioned that were affected by the space: How about your neighbor’s kid brother’s crappy band that got to play one Hardcore Matinee and feel kinda cool about it.
Many of us weren’t old enough to attend punk shows in ’73 (or even ’83!), but we do have our favorite CBGBs moments. A private memorial service for Kristal has reportedly been planned with a public memorial to be held at a later date. But hey, why not get started on the public one now? Share.
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I think Palace from Alton, Il got to play there.
we got to play there back in 1986…
thank you hilly for giving these 16 yr. olds a chance to rock & live our RnR dream…
2 of my old bandmates are gone also, but your club CBGB’s will continue to thrive in every artist that isnt afraid to get up on stage & make alot of noise & push music to new bounds.
RIP HILLY/CBGB OMFUG FOREVER
Attended many a hardcore matinee there in the late 80s (American Standard, Murphy’s Law, Underdog) and paid my $5 (or whatever it was) to the old man at the door (unbeknownst to me who this man was). Sure it was past the club’s heyday, but when you were there, you felt like you were in the middle of something huge. Thanks Hilly.
got a chance to play there in the late 90′s and i STILL feel cool. my mom refused to use the bathroom. the next night in philly the soundman laughed at me cause i had on my crisp new CBGB tshirt.
I got to play there in the late 90s. too. It clearly wasn’t what it used to be, and it didn’t quite mean what it used to mean, and we didn’t necessarily have a gigantic draw, but it still had a better sound system than pretty much every other club at the time, and, I mean, fuck – I was playing at CBGBs. You can’t NOT feel just a little bit cool if you’ve ever been on that stage.
The first show I ever saw at CBGB was Vanilla Ice as a hardcore band… priceless! Hands down the funniest concert ever. He had the entire place giving him the finger and yelling “fuck you” during one song. I saw many a show there after that but that one I will ALWAYS remember. RIP Hilly.
Man……I never got to go to CBGB’s when I was in NYC. It sucks….I read about the whole history on their website. I would have loved to have seen Babes in Toyland play there. I have their cd “painkillers” and part of the album is them playing live at CBGB’s.
I played one of the first shows of of 2000 that CB’s had, right after Y2K was a flop. Granted that the club wasn’t in it’s heyday, the feeling of standing on the same stage that the Talking Heads, Ramones, Lou Reed, and all the rest stood on was amazing. It was like playing in a shrine to what made rock great. They were cool to us Bostonians with no draw in NYC, and we have a great video they made for us. RIP Hilly. You did it right.