By – Jackie Lo

CBGB has always been a Holy Grail for me. A place I wished I had gotten to go to, to see a show at, to be a fly on the wall, and I’m so grateful that I know so many people that got to experience it and even a few that were lucky enough to play there. There are those irreplaceable places that we hold in our heart, that create community, spark a movement, become part of our DNA and of our history, and I’m so glad I’ve gotten to experience our local versions in Bottletree, Cave9, and Syndicate Lounge to name a few that are no longer with us. I understand the need to remember what made it special, to document the stories, and because of that I was so excited to read This Ain’t No Disco: The Story of CBGB by the late Roman Kozak.

This book originally came out in 1988 and has been out of print for decades until Trouser Press Books republished it October 15th, 2024, eighteen years to the date that CBGB closed its doors. This book was written while the club was still open and is full of great quotes from Hilly Kristal (founder), Joey and Dee Dee Ramone, Clem Burke and Christ Stein (Blondie), David Byrne, Richard Hell, and so many more. In fact, there are so many people that were important to the story that they give you a list at the beginning of the book and who they were and what bands they were in. This updated version has a new forward by Chris Frantz (Talking Heads), 12 pages of glossy photographs by Ebet Roberts, and reports of the club’s closing in 2006 in addition to the original pressing.

Some of the highlights of the book for me were hearing how my favorite artists got started in the 70s including Patti Smith, The Ramones, Blondie, Television, and Talking Heads, to name a few, and what the Bowery was like back then.  It sets the stage to stabbings outside in the street and Hell’s Angels, to what it was like inside CBGB with people falling through the stage, dog shit on the floor everywhere, leather jackets, and an amazing sound system. You feel like you’re seeing these acts for the first time and watching them grow over the next few years until the record companies start to get wind of what’s happening. One of my favorite parts of the book was when a record executive pulls up to CBGB in a limousine wearing a blue leisure suit and doesn’t want to touch anything inside. The acts at CBGB took pride that the record companies took notice and were coming to them instead of the other way around. Punk isn’t just a sound, it’s a way of life, and CBGB was the epicenter. CBGB wasn’t just a club, it made compilation records, a record store and the Record Canteen next door, the CBGB Theatre, TV CBGB, a musical situation comedy centered around the club that had two episodes, all things I didn’t even know existed until I read this book. They tried it all and I loved learning of the format of booking bands there as well. Cassette demos that were good enough were invited to audition on Monday nights and then if they made the cut they got a week day show.  Then they worked up to a weekend or a multi day, and in special cases, multi week bookings.

In September of this year, I was in New York and hunted down the original location of CBGB. It’s now a John Varvatos store and as I walked in and looked around my partner pointed out where the stage used to be and the bar and the ticket booth by the front door because he’d seen a show there. Black paint and stickers still adorned the walls with plexi in some areas to keep the history safe. I got a photo out front because you’re supposed to, looked up at the street sign that read “Joey Ramone Place” and smiled, and walked across the street to see the beautiful Bad Brains mural. This book filled in all the blanks I didn’t know needed to be filled, opened my eyes to what a random weeknight felt like hanging out with my friends in the Bowery and playing music because we loved it. It’s a journal with amazing photographs and first hand accounts by the people that made it what it was. From the punk movement in the 70s to the hardcore movement of the 80s, through fights with the landlord, and the ultimate demise in 2006, this book tells it all. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today.