Bye Bye CBGB
This weekend marks the closing of CBGB. I now live a couple of minutes walking distance from the club, but by far my most memorable experience there came years before I moved to New York City. It was 1975 and I was just beginning my life as a writer. I heard Patti Smith read her poetry at the YMHA in Philadelphia (I'd gone because I'd read an article in the Voice about her music) and I wanted to write about her for the Drummer, the "underground" paper I was just getting involved with. Her manager invited me to come to New York. I interviewed her in the Cafe Reggio, and she was a sweetheart, patiently tolerating my clearly not-yet-professional technique. She was with her boyfriend--a guy who called himself Tom Verlaine. That night I saw her play CBGB. Television opened, and that guy Tom Verlaine was quite a singer and guitar player. That was my only exposure to the club in the glory years, but obviously an unforgettable one. So long, CBGBs. See you in...Vegas?
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