New York/CBGB

CBGB, The Bowery and Bleecker Street, 2005 (4x5 film)

Last night I walked by CBGB, the final night of the club that helped launch punk rock and bands like Television (a favorite of mine), Talking Heads, the Ramones, and poet/performer Patti Smith. Just last year the Bottom Line, another legendary music club on E4th Street, closed its doors. Fortunately, there are still clubs and cafés on the Lower East Side and over in Brooklyn, but one wonders how long Manhattan will continue to function as an incubator for new art made on a shoestring by those living at the margins of society. It will, of course, remain the focus of those who have already arrived with its many theaters, concert halls, and museums.

I have my own story about coming to Manhattan to go to art school, finding an apartment in the East Village for $50 a month, and discovering the various underground scenes that sustained those of us pursuing art and music. Much was possible because of the cheapness of living spaces. Even the wild west frontier of vacant lots, abandoned buildings, and the real danger of crime offered inspiration or motive for a lot of creativity. I guess I am a bit more sanguine about these things than some of my friends who see the changes as evidence of the decline of western civilization.The Lower East Side is still an amazingly vibrant place, though cleaner, more expensive, less wide open. I count myself lucky to be here, just two blocks from the now-closed CBGB.