Summary

CBGB's is little more than a bar, a stage and two bathrooms. Since the club opened in 1973, very little has changed about the physical space, with one exception: the graffiti. The club has never tried to stop its patrons from adding to the mosaics of ink and pencil that literally cover every square inch of the club's 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 private collection of the club's founder and owner Hilly Kristal, as well as contemporary images. Musicians who have graced the club's stage will also offer recollections 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 the music, there would be no club; the same as without the club there would be no music. 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.