Let’s face it every town had their ‘scene’ and you were either loyal or a poser and that was that. Trenton NJ’s scene was the infamous City Gardens and it hosted every single cool punk and metal band of the 80’s, that’s not even exaggerating. As if it were a requirement in order to be ‘cool’ to play there.
New York’s scene was tough to infiltrate. Loyalist and idiots ruled each street corner and each park bench. I should know, I was one. But Trenton was a bit more open, a bit more forgiving and the asshole to regular joe ratio was much smaller. More welcoming than Boston, less violent than NY the City Gardens was worth the trip if the night was right.
“No Slam Dancing…” is an oral history of one of the most important clubs to ever exist. For far too long City Gardens has gone without being recognized as such and now it’s time for the people who lived it and made it what it was to tell the story in their own words. Whether you went there or just loved the bands who played there, there is a story inside for everyone who has ever attended a live gig. Just ask Chuck Dukowski, talking about Randy Now: “…He was a friendly man. He offered Black Flag a show on our first tour out there. We played with some holdover metal band where the singer had a martini on a special little table on stage. It was kinda funny…” It was July 8th, 1981. We don’t know who band that was either Chuck, but we wish we were there.
Warms my heart (and makes me feel incredibly old!) just looking at the site. The most punk rock thing about this- the book was funded by a Kickstarter campaign. Your dollars. Click here
