Cbgb Decades of Graffiti

Summary: CBGB's, the music club that helped define New York City's "punk" scene by introducing the world to such bands as the Talking Heads and Ramones, is little more than a bar, a stage and two bathrooms. Since opening in 1973, very little has changed about the physical space, with one exception: the graffiti. The club has never stopped its patrons from adding to the mosaics of ink and pencil that literally cover every squa...re inch of the walls. As grimy and layered with ink as they are, the walls contain the history of the club, from the musicians to the fans. CBGB: Decades of Graffiti documents this phenomenon with photographs from the club's founder and owner Hilly Kristal, as well as contemporary images and recollections from musicians about the graffiti. The verve of the lettering, the passionate, drunken silliness of the words and messages echo the power and innovation of the countless hours of music that have screamed off the stage. Ephemeral and fleeting as those emotions, are they are things people want to possess, and this book will provide the opportunity to do so. While CBGB's reputation is rooted in the music, the music spawned a scene that people now associate with the club as a physical space. Without this book, there would be no record of these graphic treatments of the punk aesthetic, especially since the club will soon no longer exist. [read more]