Legacy Recordings

Saturday morning I officially joined the ranks of embittered old Gen X folks.  I read an article in the New York Times about the new John Varvatos store (on the site of the late CBGBs) launch party and have that same feeling in my gut that I get when I see tabloid fixtures in the news or eat too many Doritos.

 I should state upfront: CBGBs shouldn’t be a shrine. I spent my formative years there, and saw a lot of cool bands, and lots of shitty ones.  Now it’s gone, and that sucks because it was a cultural landmark, but at least it isn’t a Wachovia or a Duane Reed. Hilly couldn’t pay the rent but his landlord wasn’t Leona Helmsley, it was a coalition for the homeless.  Given how the neighborhood has been handed over, like the rest of Manhattan, to the seemingly endless ranks of the very rich, a Varvatos store makes perfect sense.  And in terms of their branding, he must have thought he had died and gone to heaven when his realtor told him about this opportunity.  I am not conflicted about the store (if CBGBs couldn’t be protected, someone needed to rent the space), like I am not conflicted about $80 vintage rock tshirts or Rachel Zoe.  Not for me, but if you’re short of a few ideas and you’ve got the money, honey…

But this is what bugs me:  TOM MORELLO WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU DOING THERE!!!???   Sure, Slash, old guys from Blondie – why not?  It was probably a great party and I wouldn’t have said no (I’m sure my invite just got lost in the mail) but as the vanguard of the revolution, the voice of the downtrodden, kickin’ it onstage with the rich and famous to celebrate the opening of an expensive menswear store which represents the further gentrification of the city and raises the question “so where have all those homeless guys gone?”  Ugh.  And I don’t buy the charity angle – it was a fundraiser to keep music in schools.  All for it, but maybe what we need are some fundraisers to keep small venues open so that the future musicians actually have somewhere to play.