NY Punk Venue CBGB Faces Closure Over Unpaid Rent

[karyn]

from yahoo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's legendary rock club CBGB, which helped launch everybody from Blondie to the Ramones, faces closure if it does not resolve a dispute over unpaid rent with the homeless charity that owns the building.

Club owner Hilly Kristal said the dispute dated from 2001, when the landlord presented a $300,000 bill for unpaid rent.

Though most of that has now been repaid, the club was handed another bill earlier this year for $76,000 which CBGB has not paid. The club's lease comes to an end in August and talks on renewal are stalled.

"The real thing is they don't want me back," Kristal said, adding that there had been a series of disagreements over renovations and building certificates in recent years.

CBGB, which stands for "country, bluegrass and blues" even though it is most famous for punk music, rents its downtown space from the Bowery Residents' Committee -- a non-profit organization that runs a homeless shelter above the premises.

"I am not going to subsidize CBGB at the expense of homeless people," Muzzy Rosenblatt, executive director for the organization, was quoted as saying in The New York Times.

MTV's Web site quoted him as saying CBGB had not met its obligations on safety.

The Committee wants to double the rent and negotiations over a new lease have ground to a halt amid legal wrangling that will result in a court hearing later this month.

Kristal, who founded the club in 1973, converting what had been a Hell's Angels hangout into one of the most famous venues for live music in the city, said he would fight closure of what he called a New York City institution.

"We've established something here. ... This is a kind of symbol of helping young musicians and new artists," he said, recalling early gigs by the likes of Pearl Jam.

"I think we do a nice thing for a lot of people; maybe it's not quite as wonderful as helping the homeless but it has its benefits," Kristal said.

Rosenblatt could be immediately reached for comment.

[killerkat]

i don't see it happening,i think people could put in for it to stay open,think "CBGB fund"..........haha........

[ForrestBlack]

i don't see it happening,i think people could put in for it to stay open,think "CBGB fund"..........haha........

Yeah, because the scene is soooo suportive these days...

[Amelia G]

Does anyone know what the circumstances were? Did the homeless shelter cease honoring a previous deal or what? It seems kind of odd to suddenly get a bill that size.

[killerkat]

Yeah, because the scene is soooo suportive these days...

haha,yea good point,but i'm sure some rich ass "rockstar" would save it just to be "cool"........

[Morning Glory]

hey fuck homeless people. it's way more punk rock to play shows that sing about how much their life sucks than it is to actually help people in that same situation, I mean if I couldn't go to a punk show and show off my new rebellous haircut and new clothes i'd be way worse off than those people who'se house got taken when thier company decided it would get more money by firing half it's employees and the people with serious mental problems that are out on the streets because the mayor decided it's not worth it to spend the state's money to keep them in a care facility and it's way more important to be fashionable and be popular in the scene than it is for people to eat and have a place to live.

[ForrestBlack]

hey fuck homeless people. it's way more punk rock to play shows that sing about how much their life sucks than it is to actually help people in that same situation, I mean if I couldn't go to a punk show and show off my new rebellous haircut and new clothes i'd be way worse off than those people who'se house got taken when thier company decided it would get more money by firing half it's employees and the people with serious mental problems that are out on the streets because the mayor decided it's not worth it to spend the state's money to keep them in a care facility and it's way more important to be fashionable and be popular in the scene than it is for people to eat and have a place to live.

I'd have to see what exactly the financial arrangements were, it smells like someone went back on their word to me. A lot of the homeless squatters and such should be given opportunities to fix their situation, and I think that having a great music venue attached is way better than just filing them into some big institutional nightmare. Maybe some of them would learn to play or learn to do sound or lighting or whatever in a familiar environment. I'm not saying the venue shouldn't pay rent, but the whole thing sounds fishy.

[Morning Glory]

they allready have a place like that, it's called C Squat

[Amelia G]

A lot of people have gone from homeless to gainfully employed through the catalyst of CBGBs over the years.

[Evilbink]

haha,yea good point,but i'm sure some rich ass "rockstar" would save it just to be "cool"........

No shit... seems they are always trying to save some owl or some other crap. Throw some bucks towards a national institute like CBGB's and save a part of history. Hell, i think i learned more there than i did in school, and they are always trying to save schools.

[ForrestBlack]

Because the Owl will show more appreciation...

[Evilbink]

Because the Owl will show more appreciation...

Sad but true..