2013 Arts in the City

William S. Burroughs

William S. Burroughs was one of the most influential members of the Beat Generation, and one of the most significant American authors of the 20th Century. He captured, shocked, disgusted, and amazed readers with a talented knack for honestly and artfuly expressing the horrors of addiction while expertly subverting many of the repressive and hypocritical tenants of American Society. A dark and complex individual, with a very controversial life, Burroughs’ unique voice helped shape advances in American culture and literature. I have included a reading by Burroughs of an excerpt from his novel, Naked Lunch. 

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Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) was a poet who helped found the Beat Poetry movement in the 1950s. He was a teacher and cofound of a poetics school. His best known poem, Howl, was put on trail for obscenity. Ginsberg often talked about taboo topics, and Howl included multiple instances of both heterosexual and homosexual intercourse. At the event that was later described as the birth of Beat Poetry, Howl was the first piece to be debutted. Other beat poets include Jack Kerouac, Lucien Carr, and William S. Burroughs (along with others.)

Ginsberg is best known (and loved) through anecdotes of his personality and his poetry:

At a reading in Los Angeles a heckler harassed Ginsberg throughout his reading (of Howl) and was quieted only when Allen promised to give him the chance to express his opinions after the reading. However he continued to disrupt the reading after Allen had turned it over to Gregory Corso. At one point, Gregory proposed a verbal duel with the heckler, the winner being the one with the best “images, metaphors (and) magic.” The heckler was more interested in engaging Corso in a fistfight. He taunted the poets, calling them cowards, insisting they explain what they were trying to prove onstage.

“Nakedness,” Ginsberg replied. When the heckler demanded further explanation, Allen left the stage and approached him. He accused the man of wanting to do something brave in front of the audience and then challenged him to take off all his clothes. As he walked towards the drunk, Allen stripped off all of his clothing, hurling his pants and shirt at the now retreating heckler. “Stand naked before the people,” Allen said. “The poet always stands naked before the world.” Defeated the man backed into another room.

The famous first line of Howl:

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,”

Allen Gisnberg reads America

America by Allen Ginsberg

Adriana Cushnie

Arts of New York                                                                

Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter  who is known for her self-portraits. She suffered lifelong health problems. The majorities were the result of a traffic accident that she survived during her teenage years. On September 17, 1925, Kahlo was riding a bus that collided with a trolley car. From this accident she suffered several injuries, including a broken spinal column, a broken collar bone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. During the incident an iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus. After the accident she had thirty or more operations. The injuries that she suffered from this incident prevented Kahlo from having a child because of the medical complications and permanent damage. Her recovery from the accident left her isolated and immobile for many months. During this time she painted a lot. Many of her paintings are self-portraits, “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”

            Diego Rivera was also a Mexican artist. Diego Rivera’s work played a big part in the Mexican Mural Movement. He painted many murals, some in Mexico City and New York City. The Museum of Modern Art had an exhibition in the past of his work. Frida Kahlo looked up Diego as a teacher and an accomplished artist. As she was young and trying to develop her own style. Frida was overwhelmed when he saw talent in her work. This was how their relationship started.

In August 1929 the couple got married. There were happy times, but their marriage was not one that was filled with love and joy. Both parties committed numerous acts of adultery and this ultimately led to their divorce and then remarriage.

Hotel Chelsea

Hotel Chelsea or the Chelsea was one of the first apartment cooperatives in New York City and later become the hotel it is historically noted for today. It is not the architecture or history of creating the Chelsea that makes the hotel so famous. Rather, it is the events and people within the building that makes the hotel so historic and forever a landmark of New York City. It is noted for the numerous writers, designers, musicians, actors and actresses, and artists who have lived there and enriched its walls and history.

Located at 222 West 23rd Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea, Manhattan, the brick building has seen much bankruptcy and a multitude of managers and owners. However, this hasn’t stopped the hotel from becoming a hotspot for inspiration, photoshoots, a safe haven for the survivors of the Titanic, the birth of timeless writing pieces, and a home for many visual artists.

To name a few artists: Arthur C. Clarke wrote “2001: A Space Odyssey” during his stay at the Chelsea. Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso found the Chelsea the place where philosophy and art could be exchanged. Author of The Lost Weekend, Charles R. Jackson committed suicide in his hotel room in 1968 and while staying at the Chelsea writer Dylan Thomas died of pneumonia. Musicians such as Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Sid Vicious, Little Annie and Madonna have lived in the Chelsea as well. Madonna, Taylor Momsen’s Pretty Reckless and many other musicians have conducted photoshoots in the Chelsea’s historic and high-ceiling rooms while other bands such as La Roux have shot music videos at the Chelsea. Even the walls of the Chelsea are decorated and reflect the artists that have walked its long corridors. Artists such as Larry Rivers, Frida Kahlo, Ho Cheng, and others have their art hung on the walls. The Chelsea is also famously associated with Warhols superstars, a group of personalities created and promoted by Andy Warhol that would gain Warhol publicity and in return get a few minutes of fame through Warhol’s films and artwork. His film, Chelsea Girls, was based at Hotel Chelsea and many of the Chelsea residents got their 15 minutes of fame through Warhol’s film and artwork. Hotel Chelsea, though not open to any new permanent residents, remains one of the anchors to New York City’s past and current diverse and rich culture—the culture that makes it one of the greatest and artistically driven cities out there in the world.

Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollack is really well know for his abstract expressionism paintings which look as if paint had been haphazardly splattered all over the canvas. The style at which he is known for is called drip painting and has been an example for the fact that art is baffling. His art style has been recreated by many other artists and as parody in television shows and movies where people accidently create a work of complex art. Pollack’s paintings have been remembered for being absolutely bizarre, but in the works the paintings seem to have it’s own order.

Pollack felt that a canvas on an easel separated him from the painting and preferred leaving the canvas on the floor so he could access the painting from all angles. This can be shown in most pictures of him – Pollack would be standing over his painting on the floor with his hand full of paint, sometimes stepping on the canvas and getting up close with the painting. He believed that each painting had its own life and he never knew what he was starting with. There would be a point of acquaintance with the piece as he started and then once he got into the painting, he would only deem them a mess when he would feel disconnected with his paintings. This is saying that his paintings were an expression of himself. With that said, he will always be remembered because his paintings will always be remembered – as long as they are adorned upon the walls of art museums. Jackson Pollock is an icon of American abstract art because of his unique style of drip painting and unforgettable pieces.

Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali was born in Spain in 1904. He studied painting at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he began to receive recognition for his work. In 1928, three of his pieces were shown at the Carnegie International Exhibit in Pittsburgh, and Dali was catapulted into international fame. The following year, Dali met Gala Eluard in Paris, and despite her marriage to poet Paul Eluard, “became Dali’s lover, muse, business manager, and chief inspiration.”(1) Dali soon became a leader in the surrealist movement, but when WWII broke out in 1939, Dali and Gala moved to New York City (as a married couple). This move marked an important shift in her work, as he moved into his “traditional period”. After Gala died in 1982, “Dali’s health began to fail”(1), and he died soon after in 1989.
Dali was an incredibly influencial painter and foremost leader of the surrealist movement. He transitioned fluidly between painting styles and displayed his ever-changing inspirations and maturation. Dali was one of the first painters to paint images that he claimed were “images of his dreams and subconscious”(2), a revolutionary mode of thinking and painting that took the art of the 20th century to a whole new level.

Persistence of Memory 1931

Midnight Cowboy

The plot of Midnight Cowboy revolves around a naive Texan (Joe Buck) moved to New York, and his struggles in the big city. After many instances of failing to notice how others cheat him, Joe meets a reliable friend by the name of Ratso Rizzo, who helps him to work through the challenges of New York despite growing health problems. Over time, the two come to rely on one another for support and advice through their respective ordeals.
There are no sources that directly indicate what has caused Midnight Cowboy to reach it’s iconic status, other than having generally strong production values. In fact, it remains the only X-rated film to ever receive an Oscar award. In addition to this, however, it is not difficult to see how audiences would praise it so highly that it became the classic it is today. Midnight Cowboy is a universal tale about struggles that most people face, albeit to a less dramatized extent, on a day to day basis. Not only is it an easy story to relate to, but it is one that will virtually never age, as cities are becoming bigger and harsher as time goes on, making Midnight Cowboy as timeless as the skyscrapers that line the city.

Man Walking on the Moon

The event of the first man on the moon was a result of the space race between the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US). After World War II both the Americans and Russians gained access to German rocket technology. Using German specialists, both sides developed rockets and satellites at a rapid pace. In 1955 the US and USSR both announced plans to launch satellites. The dual announcement marked the beginning of the space race.

The first satellite to be launched into space was the Russian Sputnik 1 in 1957. The Americans responded with the Explorer 1 in 1958. Once again the Russians beat the Americans when in April 12, 1961 the USSR launched Yuri Gagarin into orbit around the Earth. In response, in May 5, 1961 the US launched Alan Shepard into space. The space race continued on with US and USSR launches in quick succession of each other. The next ambitious goal of the space race was to land a human on the surface of the moon. On July 1969 the crew of Apollo 11 became the first humans to walk on the surface of the moon. The walk on the moon was completely televised and Neil Armstrong said the signature quote, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” that many remember today.

The Summer of Love

           In San Francisco, summer of 1967, roughly 100,000 people congregated on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, denoting what would be the central political and social transformation of the Hippie Revolution. San Francisco was the undisputed heart of the social movement, as it became a melting pot of politics, music, drugs, and creativity. The hippie riot was also characterized by the complete lack of social and sexual inhibitions. As concepts like gender equality, communal living, and free love were continuously brought into public awareness, people began questioning everything about themselves and their environment.

            The effects of the many social changes proposed during the Summer of Love are seen in the 1970’s and are felt in modern society. The hippies behind the revolution, also known as flower people, were an extensive group, many of which had suspicions about the government and opposed the Vietnam War. Some held concerns over art, including music, painting, and poetry, while others were more focused on religious movements. Only a handful cared for politics. What all of them had in common was their enthusiasm for incorporating fresh ideas and insights into both public and private life.

Pratt Institute

Pratt Institute

“I know we can do better than that”.
These words were said by a man who had been denied the opportunity to attend college, despite that he personally supported the working class of his time to obtain an education. In my opinion, and this it what makes the Pratt Institute an iconic place, Charles Pratt was the most humanistic philanthropist ever known. He was also one of the richest men in the history of Brooklyn. He endowed and founded the Pratt Institute in 1886. One of the things that made this man and his institution incredibly special was that it was one of the first colleges in the country open to all people regardless of color, class, and gender. Although he didn’t acquire such a high quality education himself, he was able to foresee how valuable such investment would be.
The first few educational programs offered by the Institute included engineering, architecture and fine arts. Pratt believed in the betterment of society through education and he always acted for the greater good of all, which makes him a unique individual. His generosity, his good intentions and hard-working nature made it possible for him and his Institute to become highly prestigious. Today, Pratt Institute offers undergraduate as well as Master’s degree programs in a variety of fields, but it’s most famous for the architecture, interior design and industrial design programs. Nowadays Princeton Review recognizes it as “one of the best colleges in the northeast, making it among the top 25% of all four-year colleges and universities in the United States.”

The Vietnam War

Just Kids: The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, also known as The Second Indochina War, lasted from November 1st 1955 to the fall of Saigon on April 30th 1975. The Communist regime, the Vietnam People’s Army of North Vietnam used traditional war tactics when battling the French and American backed South Vietnamese forces. The Viet Cong, a lightly armed South Vietnamese communist common front directed by the North, fought a vicious guerilla war against the anti-communist forces of the South.
The United States felt it quite necessary to support the French effort against North Vietnam, seeing this war as part of the larger containment effort directed against the spread of communism. The U.S. presidents of the Cold War era felt that if they failed to take action in Vietnam, it would inevitably lead to “critical psychological, political and economic consequences” for U.S. interests in the region. Moreover, “in the absence of effective and timely counteraction”, the “loss” of any single country in Southeast Asia would have “probably lead to relatively swift submission to or an alignment with communism by the remaining countries of this group.” This idea became known as the domino theory. The government of North Vietnam on the other hand, along with the Viet Cong, saw South Vietnam as a “puppet state” and sought to reunify Vietnam under a single government.
Throughout the early 1960’s, the U.S. heavily bombed Laos and Cambodia in an effort to eradicate the Viet Cong. U.S. involvement further increased in 1968, after the Tet Offensive. Eventually, due to the extreme and ubiquitous unpopularity of U.S. involvement, the process known as Vietnamization began and U.S. troops were gradually withdrawn. U.S. involvement finally ceased in 1975. A year later, Vietnam was reunited. The staggering death tolls of this war clearly explain why it was so unpopular to the American public, as 58,220 U.S. service members were killed in the conflict. This war left an indelible blemish on the presidency of Lyndon Johnson who refused to run for a second term in office. It is also regarded by many as the only war ever lost by the U.S.

Woodstock Festival 1969

The first Woodstock Festival took place from April 15-18, 1969. It did not, in fact, take place in Woodstock. It took place in the town of Bethel. Woodstock was where the festival was supposed to be, but a permit to have the festival there was unattainable. The permit was secured in Bethel for $75,000. The name was Woodstock catchy and it stuck, even though the festival was not in that location. The Woodstock Festival took place after the Martin Luther King assassination and the summer of love and in the midst of the equality movement and the Vietnam War. Young people were rebelling with their sit ins at colleges and the like. This was the time of hippies and peace lovers and rock music.

Woodstock was one of the largest rock festivals at the time. The talents featured at the festival include Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and many other famous names. The turn out to the festival was huge, over 400,000 people showed up. One of the most remarkable things about the festival was that it was surprisingly peaceful for its size. There weren’t really any significant fights or breakouts. Woodstock changed popular music and pop culture forever simply by being a rock and peace concert, allowing people to live and be together in a peaceful way. It also changed the music industry by making rock music the more popular music and increasing the popularity for more artist collaboration festivals.

Here is a link to a video of Janis Joplin to give you a feel for the festival:

The Manson Murders

9 AUGUST 1969: Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of director Roman Polanski, writer Wojciech Frykowski, coffee heiress Abagail Folger, celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, and 18-year-old Steven Parent are brutally murdered at the Polanski residence. Parent, a friend of Tate’s gardener and the first murder, is shot for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sebring is shot defending Tate. Frykowski and Folger, both heavily wounded, manage to escape the house; Frykowski is clubbed to death, and Folger is stabbed 28 times on the front lawn. Tate herself pleads for mercy, especially for the sake of her baby, but is stabbed in the stomach after being told that “[she is] going to die and [she had] better get used to it.” The word PIG is then smeared on the front door in Tate’s blood.

The subsequent day, Leno LaBianca, supermarket executive, and Rosemary LaBianca, his wife, are murdered in their home.

After investigation, it came to light that the murders on 9 August were committed by Charles Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian, and those on 10 August were by the hands of Watson, Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten – all of whom were members of Manson’s Family. Charles Manson, charismatic career criminal, Armageddon fanatic, and sociopath, attracted a crowd of about a hundred people – mostly young, impressionable women who rebelled against their families – with a penchant for unorthodox living and hallucinogens to his cult of personality. He was deeply convinced, by end of times cults and ‘hidden’ messages in the Beatles’ White Album, that there was a race war on the horizon and his Family would be there to pick up the pieces; as such, he reasoned that they should be the ones to instigate it. He convinced these young people to commit these horrible, brutal murders of ‘beautiful white people’ in an attempt to start a war that would span the globe.

Manson himself never wielded a weapon. He merely talked his followers into the murders. He was initially given the death sentence (but was later convicted to life in prison, as the Supreme Court of California invalidated all death sentences before 1972) for first-degree murder on 25 January 1971.

(Due to the violent nature of the murders, I refrained from posting photos of them. However, here is a Beach Boys song that was written by Charles Manson – lyrics were then edited by Dennis Wilson, which led to death threats from Manson. Original lyrics can be found here, under the title “Cease to Exist.”)

Jimi Hendrix: Guitar Hero

James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix is an American musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. Although only active between 1963 and 1970, Hendrix established a name for himself as one of the most influential electric guitarists in history. His technical guitar work was best portrayed in his most famous project, appropriately named The Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, with hits such as “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze” and “Voodoo Child”. Hendrix completely revolutionized all of rock star culture, innovating new techniques, gear, signal processing, rhythm playing, soloing, stage antics, chord voicings, charisma, fashion, and composition. By 1969, Hendrix was the world’s highest paid rock musician, and was given the headlining position at the legendary Woodstock Festival. After four incredible years in the mainstream, Hendrix was found dead in his apartment due to barbiturate-induced asphyxia on his own vomit. Nevertheless, his legacy is unforgettable, and his impact on both guitar-playing and the mainstream media has yet to be diminished.

Joan Baez: Life of A Woman, Musician, and Rebel

Joan Baez, born on January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York, is a popular American folk singer whose music has permeated the folk scene for generations. Her music is known mostly for its emphasis on anti-war and anti-establishment messages. She is also a strong advocate for the fairness of human rights and sings about violations of these rights in many countries. This concern for human rights could be explained by her own ancestry – her mother and father were both foreigners, and as such, racial prejudice was common to Joan in her early life. Joan had a knack for music since she was little, excelling at guitar and singing more than even her academic studies.
Joan Baez was, at times, seen as a very controversial, and even un-American woman figure in the 1960s. With the Vietnam War around the corner, and the draft already taking place, Baez sang spoke out and sang tunes about resisting the draft, and even refusing to pay taxes aimed at aiding the war efforts. Baez always influenced the young generation, her affect and attitude always aimed at improving America through its children, and hopefully achieving a more peaceful world. She traveled the world and played numerous concerts, combining both her musical talents and political awareness to change the lives of millions.

CHECK OUT THIS SONG, “There But For Fortune,” by Joan Baez

And this one, “The Night They Drove Dixie Down”(Originally by The Band)

Assassination of Robert Kennedy

The assassination of Robert Kennedy was a momentous event in the history of our country. 5 years after the death of our beloved President JFK, Senator Robert Kennedy was also murdered. Robert Kennedy was a Senator from our very own New York and was elected to the Senate after retiring as the Attorney General of the United States. Right before his death, Robert Kennedy had won the democratic presidential primary and was now a contender for the presidency just like his brother John Frank Kennedy.

Prior to Robert Kennedy’s death, Secret Service protection was not mandated to protect Senators and even presidential candidates. Robert Kennedy’s death set the precedent for all major political figures to be protected by the professional security team that is the Secret Service. Although many conspiracy theories arise over the true killer of Robert Kennedy, Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian/Jordanian immigrant is serving a life sentence for being convicted in the murder of Robert Kennedy.

A brief summary of the event as well as consequences of his death are retold in the documentary below. Important parts to note are from 0:00 to 0:31 and 1:05 – 1:33.

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde

Arthur Penne’s “Bonnie and Clyde” is the film that really lets loose violence in Hollywood. It came out in 1967, and is now considered an all time classic. This story is about a bank robbing couple name Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. They terrorize the southwest with their daring and violent crime sprees. This story is actually based on a true event, of two notorious bank robbers (Bonnie and Clyde) who terrorized the southern United States and who have been know to kill at least nine police officers and committed some civilian murders.

            Bonnie is bored with her life and really wants adventure. Her wish comes true when she meets the smooth Clyde Barrow. Clyde is fed up with the ongoing Depression and was recently freed from jail. He hoped to remove his troubles in the Depression by robbing banks. Bonnie and Clyde fall in love and go on a crime spree that spans from Oklahoma to Texas. They don’t really want to do any real harm; they just want to have some fun and get away from it all. Pretty soon things get nasty and brutal, and the watchers end up dreading the possibility of the demise of the quite charming and extremely devious Bonnie and Clyde.

Here is a small clip from the movie, enjoy!

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

     Ariel was published after Sylvia Plath committed suicide through the efforts of her ex-husband, Ted Hughes.  Plath’s manuscript for Ariel and Other Poems was set on the coffee table just before she killed herself, as if it were her last proclamation to the world.  Hughes altered this original manuscript, adding fifteen poems and discarding twelve of the poems Plath originally intended to be in the book.  Many of Plath’s followers, especially the feminist literary critics, despised Hughes and accused him of rearranging the poems to protect his own reputation.  However, some now believe that Hughes reconstructed Ariel for the better.

Plath was an iconic poet because she was such a different writer.  She discussed painful topics including shock treatment, suicide, and dysfunctional relationships with this control.  She paints surreal pictures, one after the other, to portray the larger image of suffering, an ultimately unsettling experience for readers.  Also, she was able to write poems about self-loathing, elemental female anger and sexual voracity in 1963! In the early 1960s, many publishers did not want to publish Plath’s poems because of their content, but Hughes’ rearranging helped Ariel become as well-known as it is today.

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The Altamont Stones Concert and Murder

The Altamont Stones Concert was a free concert hosted on Altamont Speedway, California, on December 6^th, 1969. Several bands were scheduled to perform, such as Ike and Tina Turner, The Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, with The Rolling Stones closing up the show. In response to complaints that their tickets prices were too high, The Rolling Stones were motivated to throw a free concert for their fans at the end of their tour. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Gang were hired as “security” for the event, and were paid in $500 worth of beer to keep fans away from the low-platform stage. As the day went on, however, the huge crowd of fans and the Hells Angels became rowdy and intoxicated, and many people at the concert were high on drugs. The lead singer from Jefferson Airplane was punched at during his set list, and after hearing this news, the Grateful Dead backed out from playing the show. When the Rolling Stones finally took the stage at the end of the day, the lead singer, Mick Jagger, had to keep reprimanding the crowd to calm down. During the song “Under My Thumb,” an 18 year old fan named Meredith Hunter tried to make it onto the stage along with many other fans. A member of Hells Angels punched Meredith and pushed him back into the crowd. Meredith grew so angry that he pulled out a revolver. Alan Passaro, a member of the Hells Angels, knocked Meredith’s gun out of his hands and stabbed him twice, killing him. This was all caught on video footage of the concert, and The Rolling Stones, not noticing what had happened, continued with their set list. Passaro was put on trial for murder in 1971 but was acquitted under self-defense.

The Altamont Stones Concert had major significance as an icon during the late 60s and early 70s. “It symbolized the death of the hippie ideal that people could come together through peace and love through music (http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-altamont/).” There are many songs and articles written about this event, as it was “such a complex metaphor for the way an era ended (Robert Christgau, http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-altamont/).” In comparison to Woodstock, an event that took place only a few months earlier and was filled with love and unity, the Altamont Stones Concert was the death of that stage of harmony through music.

Coney Island

Just a few blocks away from my house lay a boardwalk, a boardwalk famous for multiple aspects, but most famous for its hot dogs. This boardwalk is “Coney Island.” Coney Island has many different attractions including a beach, an amusement park, an aquarium, an ice rink, circus shows, summer fireworks and plenty of other things. Coney Island was discovered in the 1600s by Henry Hudson and by the 1800s people came to Coney Island to spend their vacations by hotels and bathhouses.

By the early 1900s, Coney Island became home to many amusement parks attracting many tourists and visitors. By then, Coney Island became an icon of fun. All advertisements of Coney Island depicted people having a great time either by the park or lying by the beach. Coney Island was considered the “playground of the world” where all that was fun occurred there. Between the games and the rides, Coney Island was the epitome of enjoying time.

CBGB-OMFUG

CBGB was a music club that was located at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in Manhattan.  The full name of the club was CBGB & OMFUG, which stands for Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers.  Known by many as purely CB’s now, the club opened in December 1973 and became famous as the birthplace of the American punk rock movement.  CBGB’s was the hotspot for bands that were on tour in New York City.  During the 70’s and 80’s when the penchant for that type of music was rising, CBGB housed many musical groups to perform American punk music. Acts such as the Ramones, Misfits, the Patti Smith Group, Mink DeVille, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Fleshtones, The Cramps, Blondie, The Shirts, and Talking Heads played at the CBGB club.

Thirty-three years later on October 15, 2006 CBGB hosted its final concert, before it was forced to close due to rent payment issues.  Patti Smith, “the godmother of punk,” was the final act in one of New York’s most iconic music venues.  CBGB is iconic because it founded, in a way, the musical genre of American punk rock.  Patti Smith became a prominent element of the New York City punk rock movement partly because of the CBGB venue.