CBGB's closes. Punk is dead. You are old.

Didn't The Police play there too in the early going?

 

Enya has sold more records than Frank Sinatra (26 million to 25.5)????!!!!

 

They did. I seem to remember a bootleg of their performance making the rounds for some time.

 

I was surprised to see AC/DC ahead of the Rolling Stones. Of course, even starving children in the Third World have a cassette of "Back In Black" lying around somewhere.

 

So I took a little trip to the city this afternoon to see what was happening on the lower East side, Bowery at Bleeker.
By 5 o'clock there were about 100 people milling about, spilling into the street, 4 TV vans -- two at the corner of Bowery and 1st to the South, 2 at the corner of Bowery and 2nd to the North -- were in place. A few dozen more people were at "CB's 313 Gallery," the combination bar and souvenir shop next door, buying CBGB gear and/or drinking beer (I opted for the beer).

Nobody was allowed in CBGB yet -- and the sign on the door said Ticket Holders Only --and the veteran doorman handled people with great humor. He did, however, let in a few people who knew Hilly Kristal because Hilly was sitting inside, signing autographs for friends.

A Gray Line NYC Sightseeing Tour bus pulled up, 5 older (as in older than me!) women who probably have no idea who The Ramones are, got off the bus and wanted to go in and take pictures and get souvenirs. The doorman directed them to the Gallery next door were they opted for the T-shirts while I was drinking beer!

People were out there shooting video, taking pictures of their firends with the tattered CBGB OMFUG awning in the background.
I had the feeling that a big party was going to start soon, but siince I don't have a ticket for the sold out Patti Smith show tonight, there was no sense hanging around any longer.

The end of a historic era.

 

One-time self-destructive Canadian punk god Nazi Dog, lead singer of the immortal Viletones, reminisces about CBGB's among other stuff in today's Toronto Star.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1160825229297&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630

The Viletones' "Screaming Fist" - alledgedly recorded by Guns N Roses for the Spaghetti Incident - is one of the great lost punk records ever.

 

They're streaming the last show live now at www.cbgb.com. Too bad I don't like Patti Smith...