i'm not sure how i felt about cbgb. but there's no denying that without the club and it's owner/founder hilly kristal many seminal punk/new wave/great bands wouldn't have had a place to cut their teeth, make mistakes and get a first - possibly dreadful - show. i've heard some - like the lovely jeff from stomp and stammer - berate the club for it's open door policy on all bands, giving most everyone a chance to get on that stage and show their stuff. obviously this made for a lot of crap, but i think it was a great thing, to think of it as your duty to give all those struggling bands a chance when they're just starting out. sure they might be shit now. but where else could they figure out their limits and get some audience feedback ... and probably their beer bottles too.
and with all the ny clubs closing to make way for ridiculous real estate prices, it's definitely worth taking a moment to remember the lovely hilly kristal and cbgb.
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