Monday, March 21, 2005
CBGB - not bcbg (bon chic bon genre) anymore...?
CBGB's, the cradle of punk music for many, is facing possible eviction now...
Oh my GOD - when is it gonna stop...?!?
Shades of that other club... whatwasitcalled again? An old TV studio turned into a club... was it? *LOL*
Starting to get my point...? ;)
Quite frankly, these clubs can all go and be turned into condos for all I care - why the hell hold any one of them as quasi-sacred ground simply because the Sex Pistols once walked here... or the Ramones (whom I love) once spat here... or Blondie (whom I adore) once did it with her boyfriend in her dressing room here...?!?
Clubbing gets boring real quick anyway - and getting drunk at home is less hazardous to your health too (plus it hits the wallet a little less harder! Small consolation, I know...).
You want to have fancy drinks in dirty glasses? Learn how to do your own - and dirty up your own glasses!
You absolutely need to be in that 'atmosphere'...? Dim the lights and crank up the volume of your musicbox in the comfort of your own home (neighbours might hate your guts for it - but hey, they likely already hate your guts for no good reason at all! So - give them one! Justified in their hatred of you, they'll feel much better... *LOL*).
Ahh - the cruising... well, it leads to bruising anyway, so... skip that! *LOL*
Or, at least, diminish the frequency of that - for we all know that moderate use -of anything; including your flirting prowess- is better all-around... more enjoyable, best for your health and certainly it becomes more special once you will indeed indulge yourself once again...!
Now for something completely different...
''Spwingtime'' has ''spwung'' - and the overabundance of special holidays is simply amazing around this time of the year... This year is the first time I am blogging in March, so I must make room to give a nod to them all here...
March 16th was St Urho's Day; 17th - St Patrick's Day; 19th - St Joseph's Day; the 19th was ALSO... Poultry Day; 20th was the Spring Equinox (I prefer ''Vernal Equinox'' myself...!); the 20th - we were ALSO back steeped in Christianity with Palm Sunday; and yet... the 20th was also... Alien Abduction Day (got abducted - anyone?); today, the 21st, is the Persian New Year's Day, Norouz... or Nauroze, variant of Nawroz - Happy Nauroze! March 21st is also Anti-Racism Day (so, we may allow ourselves to celebrate the persian new year with Iran - even though Dubya wants to rumble with them next...!); the 24th will be a Jewish holiday - Purim; while the 25th will be the Hindu festive day Holi (love that name) on top of the good old (though very sad) Christian Good Friday; the 27th is Easter (and I don't give a flying... egg about the Easter Bunny, ok? *LOL*); and it doesn't slow down much in April either, the month of mischievous laziness it appears (what, with Tell a Lie Day on the 4th and especially No Housework Day on the 7th and Golfers Day on the 10th...!!! Not to mention April Fool's Day, evidently...).
All in all, workers should ask for a whole two weeks off here...
I am sure that is one of the biggest hurdles impeding a deal in the NHL lamentable negociations... *LOL*
Oh my GOD - when is it gonna stop...?!?
Shades of that other club... whatwasitcalled again? An old TV studio turned into a club... was it? *LOL*
Starting to get my point...? ;)
Quite frankly, these clubs can all go and be turned into condos for all I care - why the hell hold any one of them as quasi-sacred ground simply because the Sex Pistols once walked here... or the Ramones (whom I love) once spat here... or Blondie (whom I adore) once did it with her boyfriend in her dressing room here...?!?
Clubbing gets boring real quick anyway - and getting drunk at home is less hazardous to your health too (plus it hits the wallet a little less harder! Small consolation, I know...).
You want to have fancy drinks in dirty glasses? Learn how to do your own - and dirty up your own glasses!
You absolutely need to be in that 'atmosphere'...? Dim the lights and crank up the volume of your musicbox in the comfort of your own home (neighbours might hate your guts for it - but hey, they likely already hate your guts for no good reason at all! So - give them one! Justified in their hatred of you, they'll feel much better... *LOL*).
Ahh - the cruising... well, it leads to bruising anyway, so... skip that! *LOL*
Or, at least, diminish the frequency of that - for we all know that moderate use -of anything; including your flirting prowess- is better all-around... more enjoyable, best for your health and certainly it becomes more special once you will indeed indulge yourself once again...!
Now for something completely different...
''Spwingtime'' has ''spwung'' - and the overabundance of special holidays is simply amazing around this time of the year... This year is the first time I am blogging in March, so I must make room to give a nod to them all here...
March 16th was St Urho's Day; 17th - St Patrick's Day; 19th - St Joseph's Day; the 19th was ALSO... Poultry Day; 20th was the Spring Equinox (I prefer ''Vernal Equinox'' myself...!); the 20th - we were ALSO back steeped in Christianity with Palm Sunday; and yet... the 20th was also... Alien Abduction Day (got abducted - anyone?); today, the 21st, is the Persian New Year's Day, Norouz... or Nauroze, variant of Nawroz - Happy Nauroze! March 21st is also Anti-Racism Day (so, we may allow ourselves to celebrate the persian new year with Iran - even though Dubya wants to rumble with them next...!); the 24th will be a Jewish holiday - Purim; while the 25th will be the Hindu festive day Holi (love that name) on top of the good old (though very sad) Christian Good Friday; the 27th is Easter (and I don't give a flying... egg about the Easter Bunny, ok? *LOL*); and it doesn't slow down much in April either, the month of mischievous laziness it appears (what, with Tell a Lie Day on the 4th and especially No Housework Day on the 7th and Golfers Day on the 10th...!!! Not to mention April Fool's Day, evidently...).
All in all, workers should ask for a whole two weeks off here...
I am sure that is one of the biggest hurdles impeding a deal in the NHL lamentable negociations... *LOL*
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CBGB's, cradle of punk music, facing possible eviction; 'What can we do?'
20/03/2005 2:04:00 PM
---------------
NEW YORK (AP) - Hours earlier, Hilly Kristal joined rock's royalty inside a Waldorf-Astoria ballroom for the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions.
By the morning, though, Kristal sips a cup of coffee and pops an antacid as he considers the future of his own piece of rock history: CBGB's, the venerable birthplace of punk. After 32 years in business, the world-renowned club on the Bowery is in danger of losing its lease.
"Even at this Hall of Fame thing, people were coming up and asking, 'What can we do? What can we do?' " Kristal recalls, sitting at his cramped desk just inside the club's front door. "It's very discouraging after all these years."
Kristal says the club owes $91,000 US in back rent - through a bookkeeping mix-up. (His landlord concurs, but still wants the money.) Come August, when its lease expires, he expects the current $19,000 monthly rent to at least double, although Kristal's landlord says there will be no new lease unless the old mess is gone.
"Show me you can meet your current obligations, and then we'll talk about new ones," says Muzzy Rosenblatt, executive director of the Bowery Residents' Committee. "His destiny is in his own hands."
Rosenblatt's group holds a 45-year lease on the building, where the agency houses 250 homeless people above the club. CBGB's is their lone commercial tenant; their rent feud dates back five years, when the committee went to court to collect more than $300,000 in back rent from the club.
The agency currently is in court trying to evict CBGB's, citing the current unpaid rent and Kristal's alleged failure to repair code violations in the legendary club. Kristal is battling on both fronts.
"I'm energized," says the grey-bearded owner. "I'm going to fight."
For fans of the dank storefront bar, its demise would mean the demolition of the Empire Punk Building.
"I consider it a historic place," says Tommy Ramone, drummer in one of the club's most enduring bands. "It would be like losing a landmark of sorts, you know?"
CBGB's, with its familiar white awning, holds a special place in the city's music history. It was here that the Ramones, the Talking Heads and Blondie created the punk scene for small crowds that paid a $1 cover charge.
"CBGB's allowed bands - original bands, no less - the freedom to go and play and do whatever they pleased," recalls Tommy Ramone. "It was a good fit."
Rosenblatt is aware of the club's legacy. He and his future wife shared their first kiss inside the club, although he's quick to add that nostalgia won't keep its doors open.
"I will not subsidize CBGB's at the expense of the homeless," Rosenblatt said. "I can't allow my own sentimentality to impede our ability to serve homeless people."
For Rosenblatt, that's one of the major problems in his agency's dispute with Kristal. He estimates the committee has spent $50,000 in legal fees and expenses to collect back rent from the club and to force Kristal to bring his space up to code, taking money away from the homeless.
Kristal suggested that greed was at the root of his problems with the landlord. A new tenant could afford a much steeper rent, and the building housing the club is now worth many millions of dollars, he said.
Back in the early '90s, when the neighbourhood was still dicey, Kristal considered buying the building - but he couldn't raise the needed $4 million. The majority of money generated by the club now comes from T-shirt sales, he said.
Kristal was considering several options, including turning the space into a museum during the day. The club is already a repository of rock 'n' roll memorabilia, its walls covered in posters, flyers and stickers for hundreds of bands.
Several wealthy benefactors have also stepped up with offers to rescue the club, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. "It's an icon of the New York music scene," the dot-com billionaire said by e-mail, confirming his interest.
Kristal doesn't know if that will help.
"You raise $50,000, $100,000 - big deal," he said. "This is going to be $20,000 a month more, at least. It doesn't make sense."
------------------------
Why am I not surprised Mark Cuban wants to throw money into this here...? Hey, Mark - lend me 100,000$US - and I'll put it to SUCH GOOD USE that you won't believe it man... really... I'm telling ya... I've got the knack to make moolah fructify baby... oh yeah... so... I dare ya! SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
Anybody who knows Mark, relay the message - okay?
Yeah - RIGHT... they hang with Mark Cuban, they read the luminous blog... and they were abducted by aliens on Alien Abduction Day... yep... *LOL*
20/03/2005 2:04:00 PM
---------------
NEW YORK (AP) - Hours earlier, Hilly Kristal joined rock's royalty inside a Waldorf-Astoria ballroom for the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions.
By the morning, though, Kristal sips a cup of coffee and pops an antacid as he considers the future of his own piece of rock history: CBGB's, the venerable birthplace of punk. After 32 years in business, the world-renowned club on the Bowery is in danger of losing its lease.
"Even at this Hall of Fame thing, people were coming up and asking, 'What can we do? What can we do?' " Kristal recalls, sitting at his cramped desk just inside the club's front door. "It's very discouraging after all these years."
Kristal says the club owes $91,000 US in back rent - through a bookkeeping mix-up. (His landlord concurs, but still wants the money.) Come August, when its lease expires, he expects the current $19,000 monthly rent to at least double, although Kristal's landlord says there will be no new lease unless the old mess is gone.
"Show me you can meet your current obligations, and then we'll talk about new ones," says Muzzy Rosenblatt, executive director of the Bowery Residents' Committee. "His destiny is in his own hands."
Rosenblatt's group holds a 45-year lease on the building, where the agency houses 250 homeless people above the club. CBGB's is their lone commercial tenant; their rent feud dates back five years, when the committee went to court to collect more than $300,000 in back rent from the club.
The agency currently is in court trying to evict CBGB's, citing the current unpaid rent and Kristal's alleged failure to repair code violations in the legendary club. Kristal is battling on both fronts.
"I'm energized," says the grey-bearded owner. "I'm going to fight."
For fans of the dank storefront bar, its demise would mean the demolition of the Empire Punk Building.
"I consider it a historic place," says Tommy Ramone, drummer in one of the club's most enduring bands. "It would be like losing a landmark of sorts, you know?"
CBGB's, with its familiar white awning, holds a special place in the city's music history. It was here that the Ramones, the Talking Heads and Blondie created the punk scene for small crowds that paid a $1 cover charge.
"CBGB's allowed bands - original bands, no less - the freedom to go and play and do whatever they pleased," recalls Tommy Ramone. "It was a good fit."
Rosenblatt is aware of the club's legacy. He and his future wife shared their first kiss inside the club, although he's quick to add that nostalgia won't keep its doors open.
"I will not subsidize CBGB's at the expense of the homeless," Rosenblatt said. "I can't allow my own sentimentality to impede our ability to serve homeless people."
For Rosenblatt, that's one of the major problems in his agency's dispute with Kristal. He estimates the committee has spent $50,000 in legal fees and expenses to collect back rent from the club and to force Kristal to bring his space up to code, taking money away from the homeless.
Kristal suggested that greed was at the root of his problems with the landlord. A new tenant could afford a much steeper rent, and the building housing the club is now worth many millions of dollars, he said.
Back in the early '90s, when the neighbourhood was still dicey, Kristal considered buying the building - but he couldn't raise the needed $4 million. The majority of money generated by the club now comes from T-shirt sales, he said.
Kristal was considering several options, including turning the space into a museum during the day. The club is already a repository of rock 'n' roll memorabilia, its walls covered in posters, flyers and stickers for hundreds of bands.
Several wealthy benefactors have also stepped up with offers to rescue the club, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. "It's an icon of the New York music scene," the dot-com billionaire said by e-mail, confirming his interest.
Kristal doesn't know if that will help.
"You raise $50,000, $100,000 - big deal," he said. "This is going to be $20,000 a month more, at least. It doesn't make sense."
------------------------
Why am I not surprised Mark Cuban wants to throw money into this here...? Hey, Mark - lend me 100,000$US - and I'll put it to SUCH GOOD USE that you won't believe it man... really... I'm telling ya... I've got the knack to make moolah fructify baby... oh yeah... so... I dare ya! SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
Anybody who knows Mark, relay the message - okay?
Yeah - RIGHT... they hang with Mark Cuban, they read the luminous blog... and they were abducted by aliens on Alien Abduction Day... yep... *LOL*
A comment e-mailed to the author of this blog - so soooon...!!! Wow...
Paul wrote:
"So, CBGB's is the venerable birthplace of punk. If, after 32 years in business, the world-renowned club on the Bowery does wind up losing its lease, well, CHRIST was 33 when He was nailed at the Cross! A greater loss for all of us in boweries everywhere around the globe."
And stand a minute of silence this Friday, man - everyone - 3pm sharp... in memory of that!
:)
Paul wrote:
"So, CBGB's is the venerable birthplace of punk. If, after 32 years in business, the world-renowned club on the Bowery does wind up losing its lease, well, CHRIST was 33 when He was nailed at the Cross! A greater loss for all of us in boweries everywhere around the globe."
And stand a minute of silence this Friday, man - everyone - 3pm sharp... in memory of that!
:)
Hmm... nice of you to stop by and tell those fascinating anecdotes!
Be sure to drop by again - anytime ;)
Be sure to drop by again - anytime ;)
Oops - I missed one!
April Fool's Day is also... Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun Day (no fools these workers!).
A fine example to our work force AND our youth, truly...
*lol*
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April Fool's Day is also... Don't Go to Work Unless It's Fun Day (no fools these workers!).
A fine example to our work force AND our youth, truly...
*lol*
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