CBGB’s book

A great club deserves a good book. And Shane Handler wrote it.

It can be argued that CBGB's is the most important club in rock ‘n’ roll history. As one of the last places in Manhattan in the mid 1970s that allowed you to play original rock, owner Hilly Kristal encouraged spontaneity and creativity in his club that stood for country, bluegrass and blues. CBGB's gave bands like Television, Dead Boys, Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith and Blondie a place to hang out, rehearse and form a musical identity, which in turn was a launching pad for a new era of music – punk rock and new-wave. Standing dank, dark and dirty as the polar opposite to the swank Studio 54 in the late 70’s NYC, CBGB’s came alive when the lights went down.

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