The legendary club that played a central role in careers of countless punk and new wave acts — Blondie, The Ramones, Patti Smith — may close. The culprit: rent hikes throughout the surrounding Bowery 'hood. I smoked many an unfiltered cigarette at CBGBs when I was a teen. We used to always try to exhale through our nose piercings. Good times. Link to blurb on aversion.com which references a Village Voice article I can't find. Here's a related story in the NYT (site reg required): Link.
CBGB, as The Village Voice reported this week, is facing a lease renewal in August, and its landlord has nearly doubled the rent, to about $40,000 a month, said Lisa Kristal, a lawyer and the daughter of Hilly Kristal, who opened the club in 1973.
(Thanks, Dusty)
Update: Andrew Raff sez:
Here's the Village Voice article you mentioned not being able to find: Link. It also discusses the other clubs in the East Village and LES closing, or threatened to close: Luna Lounge (at the end of Feb.), Fez (mid-March), and Tonic (currently having a fund-raising drive to keep its current location.)
