POISON SCOOTER

CBGB OMF'nG

Sadness. That's what I feel when I think about the fact that CBGB's as an iconic landmark of punk music is now closed to the public. The Bowery will never be the same. Patti Smith played the stage for one last time the other night and with that, CB's goes the way of the dinosaur. As someone who played there more than once, I can honestly say there is no place like it on earth. No place disgusts, yet electrifys you simulatenously; the smell of stale beer, the sticker coated walls and the rank fragrance of the men's room toilet filling up the downstairs hall meet the charm and history of the famous, albeit tiny stage.

When performing on the CB stage it is impossible not to imagine Debbie Harry or David Byrne strutting across the same steps you are taking. When you grab the mike, it's all too easy to find yourself in a complete Joey Ramone lean as you swoon to the crowd gathered to hear the next big thing. Why CBGB's became an institution is clear, the venue was instrumental in the 70's of the NYC music scene, but how it managed to live on for so many years in such disrepair is not so much a lesson in history, but a tale of reverence. One doesn't have to look far to find a band who has played the notorious club, everyone either played there or dreamed of playing there. Playing the club made you feel like you made it, even when you have to dig for toll fare between the car seat and the car door on the way back down the Jersey turnpike at 4 AM on a Wednesday. And it's kind of sad to think kids toiling away on guitars in a garage somewhere 10 years for now will have no idea of it's existence nor the magnitude of its importance.

posted by Scooter @ 4:31 PM