April 17th, 2008 at 2:02 PM

CBGB Fans Want Varvatos Sedated

246107,300,300,p,nTonight there is going to be a protest outside the new John Varvatos store on Bowery, which, not coincidently, used to be CBGB. According to Rebecca Moore, the protest’s organizer, not only does John Varvatos represent the gentrification that plagues the Lower East Side, but has co-opted the artistic community to sell high-priced luxury goods; she’s angry that John Varvatos is using the space as a marketing tool. Am I the only one who finds this hilariously ironic?

Sure, CBGB was important—essential even—in the development of American punk rock and new wave, but since 1990, it had been fueled solely by false nostalgia and reduced to the sum of its merch. It became a dive for tourists to see horrible teenaged punk bands and buy a t-shirt so their friends back home can know how “rock’n’roll” they are. I mean, before he died, Hilly Kristal was planning to rebuild the club, urinals and all, in Las Vegas! That has to be one of the least punk rock things ever.

If anything, John Varvatos is carrying on Kristal’s legacy and the precedent he set down with CBGB. Only, Varvatos is classing things up a bit. Tonight the store will host a sold out show featuring a reunited D Generation, and all the proceeds are going to VH1’s Save The Music Fund. It sucks, I guess, that East Village crust punks have one less place to hangout (those stairs outside of Search & Destroy on St. Marks are going to be a lot more crowded this summer), but anyone who laments the transformation of CBGB into a retail space should take a minute to recall what the club was really like. I’m sure there’s still a store or five on Bleecker that sell CBGB t-shirts anyway.

By Guest Blogger

Filed under Rant

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Comments

6

  1. April 17th, 2008 at 2:45 PM { # }

    Darren Ressler said:

    Is this a joke? With all that’s going wrong in the city (and the world, for that matter) it’s absolutely bizarre that someone would muster up the energy to organize a protest because of the opening of a store in a “gentrified” neighborhood. CB’s sucked for a decade, and while lots of great bands came out of there in the early years, Hilly still stiffed his nonprofit landlord out of $300,000 in back rent. Moore should protest in front of the CB’s store on St. Marks Place because they’re selling overpriced merch to people from the Midwest.

  2. April 17th, 2008 at 2:45 PM { # }

    rebecca said:

    We are doing what we can to bring issues related to culture and community being forced out of nyc. This was an action with http://www.takeittothebridge.com but I attend events related to the loss of affordable housing, and also animal rights. Have been doing this work for years. What brought me out to this demo was the connection that charging 1600 dollars for a used jacket has with issues of poverty in this city, and in the world. Things are getting quite backwards and convoluted, it seems to me, when people who pride themselves as being fans of such rebellious music and the messages that music contains, are not horrified to see such clothing prices now coming to one of the last neighborhoods in Mnhattan harboring a concentration of homeless shelters and SRO’s… I know there are a lot of people who see this connection, not just those who have made some noise on this particular issue…
    How can one say they are stopping banks, when banks only want to open where luxury retailers are? Hilly was definitely not perfect – but he drew a line in the sand about how much rent he felt was reasonable to pay after 35 years in business. I don’t blame him for saying “I might as well go to Vegas.”

    I will keep going out. I care more about those who get up from their computers and go out in the streets to declare the emperors got no clothes on, every chance they can get. Sorry you think what we were doing has no merits.

  3. April 17th, 2008 at 2:45 PM { # }

    mary said:

    It’s not only meritless, it’s ridiculous. I’ve lived in the EV for 25 years, and am very sad about what has happened to NYC. But I for one am completely grateful that someone who appreciates rock music took over the CB’s space. It’s not stopping another bank, but at least it isn’t one. I went to the benefit last night, saw some amazing people perform, was happy to see the same crappy CB’s air ducts covered in stickers, and thought the protesters looked absolutely ridiculous. Instead of harassing someone who actually has some integrity, how about standing in front of the frat boy hookah bars that are sucking the life out of the neighborhood? Sheesh.

  4. April 17th, 2008 at 2:45 PM { # }

    Jens Carstensen said:

    I second Mary. Considering the fate of Max’s Kansas City (downstairs a deli, upstairs empty) and the original Fillmore East (a bank), i’m at least grateful that Varvatos had the decency – and the good business sense – to maintain a sense of history, and honor and integrate CB’s past into his store. Anyone protesting outside of his establishment would be of much more use in Coney Island right now. But, like, that’s all far away and junk.

  5. April 17th, 2008 at 2:45 PM { # }

    Maldo said:

    The Varvatos protestors have never said they want to bring back CBGB. That claim is an invention of people who comment before they think. Actually, the protestors are pointing out that the Lower East Side is rapidly becoming a wildly unaffordable yuppie playground filled with stores that sell $800 pants. Most people just shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, it’s inevitable.” The Varvatos protestors have the courage to try to do something about it. Much respect.

  6. April 17th, 2008 at 2:45 PM { # }

    rebecca M. said:

    Mary and Jens – we have been making noise about the frat boy and increasingly upscale and tourist-type bars taking over… do you read the Villager, the neighborhood newspaper? You will see many articles on the work I have done if you search their site… we have thrown town halls for the LES that hundreds of people came out to, on these issues (in that particular issue, it is the SLA’s devastating effect on the neighborhood by ignoring its own rules and laws in poorer neighborhoods.) Spent years educating myself on this stuff, taking part in efforts to save everything from here to coney – - doing community work, so please don’t criticize the efforts of someone who’s work you do not know. And I see it actually is all clearly connected.

    Those frat boys (the more upscale ones) coming down here on saturday nights are the very ones who will invest in a $2500 jacket at Varvatos ($1600 USED jackets, too) in order to complete their costume party hang on the Lower East Side.

    I am surprised you can’t see how the varvatos store is part and parcel to this – - and while the cb’s space was “saved” from becoming a bank, you’ll note that – thanks to Varvatos breaking ground as the FIRST luxury retailer on the Bowery – - a chase bank opened next door. Yes, he is part of history. He is the first, and we protesters felt that historic occasion was worth observing.

    Excuse me, but what “integrity” are we talking about when a persons business plan is to sell $1600 used jackets? And you are saying I am the one with weird priorities? Hmmm. At least a Starbucks is a Starbucks, and a Chase bank is a Chase bank, though. What gets us hopping mad is major corporate entities (Varvatos is connected to Louis-Vuitton) associating themselves with the icons of anti-establishment to do something very pro-establishment, pro-elitist.

    For crying out loud, even a used – USED – cheap trick t-shirt sells for $250 there. The walls saved? WOw! I am so grateful!!! (not.) I want more than just museum-clothing stores for my friends kids when they grow up – I want active music spaces where they can make the future’s legendary music just like previous generations had in NYC.

    CB’s will live on no matter what in history – but we were not actually there specifically about cb’s. we are a musicians advocacy group. We were there because the community lost something that was accessible to the public, to the neighborhood – -another music space – - and got something (clothes and sporadic showcase concerts) that are going to be only available to the select few.

    Mr. Varvatos did not open a music space. He claims he doesn’t need to profit off that store -but then why not open a full-time music space if that is true? It is all a part of the smokescreen that helps him line-up people to cheer him on,
    while the city fills up more and more with stores that sell luxury goods and runs out small entities. Unlike you, I do not feel at all “grateful” that someone like Varvatos opened his luxury store here. I just feel he is the usual corporate entity in a cooler outfit with a good record collection; a cunning businessman. I have not met one person in the neighborhood that can afford his clothes. I am very worried and cautious about a world now where thriftstore clothes go up in price like this – what are the poor supposed to wear? Oh, I forgot – the “uncool stuff.” It is absurd.

    Well, no matter what, the wealthy who take over the Bowery will have their share of glowing blue banks to look out on – - i wish them well in the happy disneyland bowery for rich people environment they are creating

March 18th, 2010 at 5:19 PM