Call me a snob call me what you will but this whole CBGB revival thing is making me ill. Someone should have just saved the damn club instead of allowing it to become a poshy designer shop. Instead we will now be barraged with tributes and swag. A film? This is the most horrifying bit of it all. How can actors portray these legends and why on Earth would we want to see it? I suppose these are fine actors who have been announced for the upcoming movie but personally I don't know how anyone can fill Joey Ramones shoes.
Alan Rickman will portray Hilly Krystal and thats all well and good cuz he was the name behind the venue but the rest?
Joel David Moore (Avatar): Joey Ramone
Julian Acosta (Thin Red Line): Johnny Ramone
Stana Katic (Castle): Genya Ryan (CBGB performer)
Malin Akerman: Deborah Harry of Blondie
Rupert Grint: Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys
Estelle Harris (George's mom on Seinfeld): Bertha Kristal, Hilly's mom
How the hell can the dude for Avatar be Joey and what gives him the gaul to accept that challenge? I guess it can be considered historic value but really I don't expect much but a shot at profit. I predict it to tank harder than Water World and I worry that the portrayal of this legendary stop will be forever skewed and romanticized.
Filming begins in GEORGIA on June 25. Yes Georgia, adding to the ridiculousness of this entire project
Hey Luther thank you so much for the comment! I suppose its anything for a buck- and since people today are obsessed with the past, why not milk it for a last hurrah!
I have sent you an email to the address you provided– keep in touch
If not received please contact me at helenb@rocknycliveandrecorded.com, I have a quesiton for ya
Hi Helen,
I was the assistant manager at CBGB for a few years in the late 1980s. You pretty much nailed it.
The movie I would like to see are of the times I worked there, when the club wasn’t doing so well. It was like living in a hangover from the 1970s. There were some great musical moments, but more often than not CBGB was just a mill for low-talent acts.
What stood out to me most from my era of CBGB was that I could see how the music industry was getting cheesier. There weren’t any A&R people who knew what a good act was and they were doing the signing. Then there was all of the delusional musicians. Just barking up the wrong tree but putting themselves on the line. There were the few greats and they didn’t stand a chance. I have stories and real characters that stand out from that place.
Hilly is an important person in my life. I sat across a desk from him for years. I learned a lot about music and have some great memories. The thing that stands out to me from all of it is how people forgot about how wonderful decline is. CBGB was built on a few years of success in the mid-1970s and was on a long fade until it closed in 2006. All the human frailty that barely held that place together is an inspiring story. The stories of the crew and Hilly’s family are priceless. The down and out leftover musicians from the 70s are examples of how deep human despair can be.
I was at the CBGB festival this past summer. It had no feel of the old days whatsoever. Louise gave me a pass and I saw some of the old bands play which was a nice novelty. I saw some of the same acts at the closing six years ago and they seemed formidable then. Maybe it was just my mood. Maybe they really made one last good stab at feeling their earlier glory. In any case, without the CLUB, a CBGB festival seems pretty preposterous.
I spent two years in Hungary recently as an exchange student. So here I am a middle-aged former NYer and fading musician. And all the young kids know something about CBGB. I always tried to set the record straight.
Cheers,
Luther