GOOD LUCK MACBETH THEATRE COMPANY
  • Home
    • Tickets
    • GLM Theatre Blog
    • GLM Academy
  • Now Playing...
  • Calendar of Events
  • About Us
    • Help Support Us!
    • Rent Us!
    • Awards and Accolades
  • New Works Initiative

welcome to the theatre blog for GLM!

 all the lovely bits that influence our shows and
inspire us to create. 
learn about the art, music,
photography, film, and history
that make up our performances.
 

"Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" inspiration: CBGB & OMFUG and the sad decline of the Bowery music scene

3/3/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
  Even if you never saw a show at CBGB, or ventured to the Bowery neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, if you had anything to do with music, rock, punk or fashion you knew about CBGB.  The home of underground rock for thirty years and the crown jewel of the Bowery's colorfully dangerous neighborhood, CBGB was so influential to the rock scene it became THE place to play. As classical musicians opine "You haven't made it until you've played Carnegie hall," downtown punks would sigh, "You haven't made it until you've played CBGB."
Picture
Picture
From the fantastic book, "CBGB and OMFUG: Thirty Years from the Home of Underground Rock": The first photo is of the Ramones posing on the sidewalk, thumbs hooked inside the front pockets of their skinny jeans. It's punk-rock documented in all its glory in this fabulous chronicle of the happenings at CBGB & OMFUG, the dingy, legendary music hangout in Manhattan's East Village. In his introduction, Kristal, CBGB's founder and owner, explains that the place was "originally meant to be a country and blues club," but "is famous for being the birthplace of a new era of punk." Opened in 1973, the club's early years saw AC/DC, Blondie, Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, Television, the Talking Heads and, of course, the Ramones, of whom there are plenty of pics. The '80s brought Sonic Youth, the Smashing Pumpkins, Hole, Live and Pearl Jam. And with the 90s came Courtney Love, Liz Phair and the Goo Goo Dolls. (The chronological history ends with the Libertines in 2003.)
   Everyone, or rather everyone worth knowing played there.  The crowds were equal parts belligerently drunk and devoted, and the energy was fast and filthy.  Is there any place in New York more at home in Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" than CBGB? 
  In a depressingly ironic twist, just as Bogosian laments that Rock and Roll is dying when he writes his show, it is now completely dead because CBGB has closed.   What becomes of this infamous and influential landmark, you ask? Oh, its been turned into a f***ing Jon Varvatos store.

Picture
Picture
  Thank god Joey Ramone passed away before this occurred.  If there is any example of New York becoming an absurdely expensive city for the very wealthy, an unimaginative, uninteresting shadow of its former self, Bowery St. being filled with high-end shops for rich, old, pseudo-punks is the only example that needs to be given. 
purchase tickets to Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Christopher Daniels is the current Managing Director of GLM Theatre and a bright shining light upon the stage.

    Heather Eaton is a board member of GLM and everyone's Auntie.

    Archives

    All pre-September 2015 blog posts can be found here.

    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    RSS Feed

We live at 124 W. Taylor Street in the heart of Reno, Nevada.

775-322-3716
Chris@goodluckmacbeth.org
Good Luck Macbeth is a registered 501(c)3 not-for profit company.

What Our Patrons Say...

"We like it here" - The Three Witches from Macbeth

"They have yet to perform Macbeth, but aside from that this is my favorite place." - Macbeth
  • Home
    • Tickets
    • GLM Theatre Blog
    • GLM Academy
  • Now Playing...
  • Calendar of Events
  • About Us
    • Help Support Us!
    • Rent Us!
    • Awards and Accolades
  • New Works Initiative