CBGB founder Hilly Kristal dies

Sad news Gary, I've always had alot of respect for him, and the rabble that stumbled out of that place into the big-time.

Cheers to ya Hilly!

Rob
 
My band played there in '78 & '79. We were never paid, neither were most of the bands that played there. And his owing $300,000.00 to the landlords contributed to the club's demise.
But it was a great scene and an opportunity for some kind of fame for many (not for the Coney Island Whitefish though). A lot of fantastic music came out of that club. I even saw Spinal Tap play there.
I have a couple of pictures of us playing there posted on my myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/guykurshenoff
 
Captain Leafheart said:
My band played there in '78 & '79. We were never paid, neither were most of the bands that played there. And his owing $300,000.00 to the landlords contributed to the club's demise.
But it was a great scene and an opportunity for some kind of fame for many (not for the Coney Island Whitefish though). A lot of fantastic music came out of that club. I even saw Spinal Tap play there.
I have a couple of pictures of us playing there posted on my myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/guykurshenoff
Click to expand...

Hey Capt.!

The Chairman of the Committee I clerked for at the State Capitol in CT this past year was born and raised in Oradell. His name is Art Feltman and he's now a State Rep. from Hartford. He's waging a primary against the incumbent Mayor this year.

Spinal Tap must have been a heck of a good time! :D
 
Reuters:
Marky Ramone of the Ramones said in a statement, "Hilly was an integral part of the punk scene from 1974 until his death."

"He was always supportive of the genre," he said. "In an era when disco was the mainstream, Hilly took a chance and gambled. The gamble paid off for both him and for us. We are all grateful to him and will miss him."

Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, who first played CBGB in the late 1980s, said agents from recording companies often came to the club. "So many bands would have never have made records unless they came to CBGB," he said.

Kristal was born in Manhattan but his father moved the family to Hightstown, New Jersey, soon after. He became a concert violinist by the age of 9. In the late 1950s, Kristal sang in the men's chorus at Radio City Music Hall.
Click to expand...

From Iggy Pop to Patti Smith, from the Talking Heads to Blondie, from The Police to Elvis Costello, and of course the legendary Ramones - CBGB's is an undeniable fixture in the landscape of modern music, and Hilly fought hard to keep the doors open as long as he could. He's a legend all to himself.

R.I.P. Hilly - The Ramones now have a place to play in the afterlife....
 
My friends band played there while we were at college at Monmouth in 96. They had two buses that come to pick up all up at the school and we all set out for NYC. As we drove we all tried to fly under the radar with the booze and other misc items that most thought would get us kicked off the bus. Instead the driver gets on the mic and says, "I don't care what you do as long as you don't break anything." The bus erupted into a frenzy like no other. I would probably still be behind bars if that bus ever got pulled over. We hit the club and they played great. Jack Tripper was their name and my buddy Erik was the drummer. After a great night we hit the buses for more mayhem and the ride home. I landed such a hottie that night and the entire experience was probably one of the best nights in my life. At Erik's wedding this summer we all stood around and for a minute as talked about that night more than ten years ago. All my friends from college were there. I even ran into the girl from that evening. Her with her husband and me with my wife. We locked eyes for a minute and then both smirked and walked away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top