Its a crappy time in NYC

madweasel · 10-27-2006, 08:47 AM

Pardon me while I indulge in some regional whining for a moment:

So we lost CBGB's this month. That sucked. Faaaaaar to many happy memories of that place.

We lost Albion (formerly Batcave) on Saturday night...it moved to Friday night and lost some of its space. This was one of two weekly goth/industrial nights in the region for Saturdays with the other being in Newark. The rest are bi-weekly or monthly...and if Friday's don't pick up this party will close out too.

And topping this off, one of the few bars that really appealed to our quirky subset and offered up a nice weeknight on Mondays, the Kourova Milk Bar (yes, from Clockwork Orange, whole place was patterned off it) shut down yesterday.

All the really fun places with regular events are closing shop and the music spots aren't doing much better.

I am indeed mopey about these events.

okay. done now.

Delicate_Torture · 10-27-2006, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madweasel

Its a crappy time in NYC.

Well... you DO live in Jersey.

madweasel · 10-27-2006, 09:07 AM

Its techincally a suburb of Manhattan but with the rent slashed in half.

Delicate_Torture · 10-27-2006, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madweasel

Its techincally a suburb of Manhattan but with the rent slashed in half.

Yes.. and the class slashed in half as well.

Heh. My gf is from NY as well. I'm very aware of the whole 'hassle the crap out of 'Joisey'' joke.

madweasel · 10-27-2006, 09:21 AM

Oh its not so bad being Bridge and Tunnel folk, having grown up and lived in NY. Besides, we kill the weak and eat them in NJ.

Delicate_Torture · 10-27-2006, 09:33 AM

I'm sure that the weak taste lovely when garnished with a nice cancerous grease pidgeon.

madweasel · 10-27-2006, 09:52 AM

Cancerous grease pigdeons are more of an hors d'vores, the fried-rat-on-a-stick is really where you get into proper garnishes.

Delkaetre · 10-27-2006, 10:52 AM

Poor thing! It's awful when you lose local highlights (or maybe lowlights?), and the fact that it's CBGB's and the Batcave make things many times worse... my sympathies, and slight envies that you at least had the chance to visit them.

Neurosis · 10-27-2006, 12:33 PM

I live in NYC myself, the Bronx borough.

I was too young to enter CBGB's but I would occasionally pass by the area, since the writing workshop I'm in was near there. I love that area of Manhattan, there is such a stillness without all that hussle in midtown. I will truly miss it.

Other places in NYC that has been loved, but shut down: Both stores, Funhouse and Religious Sex. Funhouse shut down in April, and Religious Sex, a while ago. I'll miss Funhouse, since they had the most affordable finger armours. 8th St. Lab is selling Funhouse clothing. I once had a dream that Trash & Vaudeville shut down, and my sister also had those dreams.

There are rumors circulating that the city is raising rent prices of St. Mark's Place, and other stores in 8th St., to rid of them and build their high-rise apartment buildings. They do not care a shit about us. They want us "freaks" out of here, and move somewhere else. Trash and Vaudeville spends more than $2,300 a month in rent just to keep themselves alive.

It's a struggle, and maybe the nice guys will not finish last.

--Neurosis

Delicate_Torture · 10-27-2006, 12:52 PM

I'm going to be in NY for a month from December 1st, and was actually planning to go to CBGB's until I'd heard the bad news.

BATANGEL · 10-27-2006, 04:59 PM

Sucks that CBGB's has gone, wanted to visit when i was in NYC but i had my entire life in a rucksack on my back with no where to stay so it wasn't gonna happen...........however if you google earth Lancashire a place called Bury, thats where i grew up, so your SOOOOOOOOO lucky to be in NYC and have that experiance, Bury not a bad place just you average industrial moor town with a small town mentality. At least you can wear the t shirts rather than the people who wear the t shirts and dont even know where the place is.. sorry was

madweasel · 10-29-2006, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delicate_Torture

I'm going to be in NY for a month from December 1st, and was actually planning to go to CBGB's until I'd heard the bad news.

Well let us know when you are making landfall, I'll keep my ears posted for the local goings on for you.

Rumor has it that CBGB's will be ressurected in Las Vegas of all places...a lot of us are kind of hoping the wall gets removed and given to the rock and roll hall of fame. If you've never been there is this wall of graffiti, written, posted, and in many cases carved, that has been there for the last 30 years or so. Look hard enough and you'll find scrawls and stickers/flyers from bands you didn't think you would remember. Its like a rossetta stone of bands before they made it.

Delkaetre · 11-02-2006, 01:51 AM

Well... at least you can be reassured that this is a world-wide phenomenon, not just happening to you.
Couple years ago, my home city lost the Arcade. It had everything we needed except a pub, and the pub was just across the road anyway. Music shops, second hand books, new-age stores, clothes, the best cafe in the sodding city... they got burnt out by the guy who owned the place for the insurance money, and so he could sell the land on to developers who'd put in big shiny popular shops.
So far, no one has dared buy the place. The punks and goths, freaks, geeks and deviants of our city remember the place, and remember what happened. No business will survive there without our blessing- we're kind of bitter, you see. The Arcade was almost all we had. We've got so few places left we can go in the daytime.

Don't Look Behind You · 11-02-2006, 04:08 AM

Since this is for whinning, I think I whine a bit: Here in Vienna there have never even BEEN any nice places for the likes of us to go. There is only "Rock Pub" where they play extremely loud music in a room about the size of my kitchen and where spooky kids (I like this expression!) jump around half naked and, well, yeah. Pity my sad existance for having to got here!
Music stores? Also none. Or none that sell music. There is only an "antiquariat" market on saturdays where they sell interesting things and where a led zeppelin cd might be found among the dusty shoes and strange hats.

My longing for a cool hang out where one can talk and just....well, talk would already be an improvement to the current situation. So yeah, the ability to combine listening to music and talking is something the viennese goths need to work on.

And I'll just wait a bit...In any case, I've found a nice jazz café and house parties are becoming a popular phenomenon.

And being the pessimist that I am, it is impossible for a place that I imagine as a perfect hang out can exist, since money making is an inevitable part of existance and the ten-twenty people that would appreciate the place would lovingly make it bankrupt and the would be the end of it anyway.

So my short existance as goth has proved to me that being goth involves the sad fact of having no where to go and live out one's identity in whole.

madweasel · 11-02-2006, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don't Look Behind You

So my short existance as goth has proved to me that being goth involves the sad fact of having no where to go and live out one's identity in whole.

This can certainly be the case, but one solution is to practise the 'plague of locusts with cash' tactic. More or less just have an open Salon if you will, or a Munch to steal a phrase from the BDSM community, where everyone just shows up someplace and enjoys each others company. So long as the guests are for the most part well behaved and spend some money most smaller diners, cafes, and drinking establishments don't mind and welcome the business. The really smart ones will go "New market!" and carve out a small niche for you and yours.

Of course herding people is like herding cats but it can get you that space you want at least to socialize.

Don't Look Behind You · 11-02-2006, 08:24 AM

oi! that sounds like a great deal of work to me.

Delicate_Torture · 11-02-2006, 09:14 AM

The Sydney goth scene has been doing this for years now. We not only have nights at specific clubs where we have our DJ's playing, but we have outings organised at various cafes and places. It's a great idea, if people are well behaved.

And I'll be in NY from Dec 1st to Jan 1st. I'll be spending most of my time in Brooklyn, but will be spending a week in Conneticut as well. Do you know of anything worth checking out?

Delkaetre · 11-02-2006, 05:53 PM

The internet is a great thing. it aids with meetings and seeking each other out. It's how I got to meet the Leeds lot- and a lovelier bunch of goths you'll never find.