In May, I wrote a post on the casting for the upcoming movie about legendary rock club CBGB's. We received a wonderful and insightful comment from Luther Beckett, who states he was assistant manager of the club in the late 80's.
Iman Lababedi and I both 'did time' at CB's in different times. Iman was there when it was truly happening in the 70's, I entered right on its decline when it was considered the Punk Rock Mecca but had lost its punk. I gotta admit I was a fixture on the Sunday Matinee's and dangit I wish there were still clubs that did that! Seems Luther entered right after me to watch its last gasps. Like watching a Grande Dame fall from grace it wasn't pretty. I hope to make contact with Mr Beckett to get more stories from the trenches. Until then, see his comment below.
"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"