I HAVE THE INFO

First Time / Last Time for CBGBs

Lots of chatter about the NYtimes piece about the much discussed closing of CBGBs.

The First time I went to CBs for a show was fall of 1991. I paid $5 to see Polvo, Luna(squared), Sebadoh, and SuperChunk. It was loud. At least 30 of my classmates from Columbia were there. And all anyone knew was that Luna was the new band from that guy from Galaxy 500.

And there were these folks who looked like death. Pale skin. sunken eyes. They looked like they had like they had not been outside the club since the Patty Smith/Blondie/Television era. Except maybe to fix. or to score, and then come back in and fix in the bathroom. Call it the tail end of the Dinkins era.

Flash forward: The last time I went there, I didn’t even go to the main club. I went to the gallery. It was late 2001 maybe. 1026 had a group show. I wandered around until I found JH, who I used to work with as a painter(1 color) at Penn. There was a band playing in the basement, it was the band that came after Bent Leg Fatima but before Need New Body, but with the same Drummer. JH’s advice was “watch this drummer” and then walked off.

Which was good advice. Although that guy looks and acts like Animal from the Muppets behind the kit, dude is fantastic. I hear he’s in Man Man now.

Anyway, I like Patti Smith’s quote about CB’s being just a place, and this can happen anywhere. Like at Johnny Brenda’s…next weekend.