• Latest

CBGB *1/2

November 25, 2013
Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, Good Samaritan Haven, & People’s Health & Wellness Clinic Collaborate to Offer Free COVID Surveillance Tests to Homeless Central Vermonters

Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, Good Samaritan Haven, & People’s Health & Wellness Clinic Collaborate to Offer Free COVID Surveillance Tests to Homeless Central Vermonters

April 13, 2021

GOP Petition Opposes Service Tax

April 13, 2021
Ahhh…The Aroma! 802 Coffee Comes to Barre

Ahhh…The Aroma! 802 Coffee Comes to Barre

April 13, 2021

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

April 13, 2021
Just Some Thoughts

Hoeing Out, and other Signs of Spring

April 13, 2021

VT Organizations Partner to Present “The People’s Law School”

April 6, 2021

NRRA “Recycling with Results” Virtual Conference

April 6, 2021

PoemCity 2021

April 6, 2021

Sound of Metal

April 6, 2021
Mayor’s Report – September 2019

Mayor’s Report – March 2021

April 6, 2021

Coronavirus Legislation Benefits both Restaurants and Business Owners with 2-Year 100% Tax Deductible Dining Expenses

March 30, 2021

IRS and Vermont Extend April 15 Income Tax Deadline to May 17

March 30, 2021
  • Home
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
Thursday, April 15, 2021
The World Online
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News & Features
    • Local News
    • Letters & opinions
    • George Shuman
    • Max’s View
    • Local Sports & Outdoors
    • Births
    • Weddings & Engagements
  • Calendar
    • Art Exhibits
    • Calendar of Events
    • Ongoing Events
  • Obituaries
  • Submit
    • Submit Calendar Listing
    • Submit An Article To The World
    • Submit Letter To The Editor
    • Submit Sports News/Photo
    • Submit Birth Announcement
    • Submit Engagement Announcement
    • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Advertising
    • World Rates and Ad Sizes
    • World Distribution Map
    • World Deadlines
    • Audit and Reader Surveys
    • Advertising Inquiry
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ads
    • View Current Classifieds
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The World Online
No Result
View All Result

CBGB *1/2

vt-world by vt-world
November 25, 2013
in Max's View
0

The year was 1976. The country celebrated its bicentennial. I was born. And rock music on top-40 radio was awful.

 

Peter Frampton, Chicago, Wings, Elton John, Aerosmith. These artists were simply not very interesting.

 

In fact, I’m not sure they should even be called artists. Artist implies that they were driven by a muse to create fine art. Listening to those bands, they sound more like they were driven by record company executives to make enough money to buy large piles of powdered drugs.

 

The music industry had become safe and bland. It needed a wake-up call. It came from CBGB.

 

Twice divorced/twice bankrupt New York weirdo Hilly Kristal (played by Alan Rickman) had a dream: he wanted to bring Country, Blue Grass, and Blues music (CBGB) to the rundown Manhattan neighborhood called the Bowery.

 

He totally failed. What he did, however, was set the stage for a music revolution. Television, an original little art-rock band, began performing at CBGB in 1974. The attention that Television got quickly turned CBGB from a hillbilly dive bar into the coolest alternative rock club in town.

 

There was no place for The Talking Heads or The Ramones on mainstream radio. But there was a place for them on the stage of CBGB. And having all of these exciting bands in one place inspired kids to form bands of their own. And the bands continued to inspire each other to be brave and uncompromising and strange.

 

Writer/director Randall Miller is genuinely passionate about the cultural impact of CBGB. However, he probably should have made a documentary film. CBGB is lousy drama.

 

Alan Rickman is stuck playing a character with no personality and no arc.

 

If the story was about how Hilly Kristal was a musical visionary who masterminded the American punk movement, that would be a good movie.

 

If the story was about how Hilly Kristal was a blundering idiot who had no idea that his bar was hosting some of the greatest young bands of the late 70s, that would be a good movie. He did – after all – have Blondie, Patti Smith, and The Police playing for him but he decided to invest all of his money in a mediocre Cleveland band called The Dead Boys. That’s a tragically hilarious true story, but the film doesn’t make much of it.

 

The Ramones were amazing. The Talking Heads were amazing. CBGB was amazing. “CBGB” stinks. If you want to learn more about the American punk rock movement, I recommend the book “Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk” instead.

 

 

Previous Post

Creating a successful afterschool routine for kids

Next Post

Reiss's Pieces

Next Post

Reiss's Pieces

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This Week’s Ads

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
The World
403 US Route 302
Barre, VT 05641
Phone: (802) 479-2582

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

No Result
View All Result
  • Art Exhibits
  • Audit and Reader Surveys
  • Births
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Daily Horoscope
  • Fall Dining Guide
  • Food & Recipe
  • Home
  • Obituaries
  • Ongoing Events
  • Pay Your Bill Here
  • Senior Living Edition
  • Showtimes
  • Submit Birth Announcement
  • Submit Calendar Listing
  • Submit Engagement Announcement
  • Submit Listing to our Local Directory
  • Submit Sports News/Photo
  • Submit Wedding Announcement
  • Testimonials
  • The World Coupons
  • Weather Forecast
  • World Deadlines
  • World Distribution Map
  • World Rate Card
  • World Rates and Ad Sizes
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Vermont Lottery
  • Advertising Information
  • The World Staff
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Submit Letter To The Editor
  • Local Directory
  • Poll Results
  • Local Deals
  • Classifieds
  • Submit An Article To The World
  • Events
  • The World – This Week’s Online Digital Edition
  • The World Auto & Sports

Copyright © 2019 The World Online. All Rights Reserved. Powered by CoolerAds.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In