Legendary club CBGB is coming back as an airport restaurant because everything is awful
If you thought that Punk officially died when Virgin Money released Sex Pistols-branded credit cards, you'd be wrong. Instead this is what put a plastic bag over Punk's head, gathering it tightly around Punk's neck and holding it there until Punk's safety-pinned leather jacket finally stopped rising and falling with Punk's chest.
CBGB, the iconic New York rock club where bands like the Ramones and Blondie, Television and the Talking Heads played some of their first formative shows, is coming back...as a restaurant in the Newark Liberty International Airport. That's right, the four letters that were once synonymous with legendary punk and new wave bands will now be associated with $9 deviled eggs SERVED IN NEW JERSEY. Hey, ho, let's go to the United Airlines terminal!
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The original CBGB (which stood for "Country, Bluegrass and Blues") was opened by the equally original Hilly Kristal in 1973. But instead of living up to the lettering on its white awning, the club quickly became the place for New York's fledgling punk, new wave and hardcore scene (and it also housed one of the most terrifying bathrooms in the city). CBGB officially closed on October 15, 2006, after a protracted rent dispute. Patti Smith was the last artist booked there, walking off the low graffiti-covered stage just before the doors were locked for the final time.
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But now it's back, as an airport restaurant, one that Gothamist reports will serve "American fare in a fun environment recalling the legendary music venue" (and that low hum you hear is the late Hilly Kristal wildly oscillating in his grave). A restaurant is an interesting choice as a tribute to the club, since the only entree CBGB was ever known for was 'Hilly's Chili,' an offering that was alternately garnished with cigarette ashes or the chef's own bodily fluids. Weirdly, that doesn't seem to be on the menu with the Kobe Chili Dogs ($8) or the Caprese Salad ($14).
The restaurant, known as CBGB LAB, could be open as early as the end of the year. It will be located in Terminal C. Go ahead and pay for your Disco Fries with your Sex Pistols Mastercard, because everything is already terrible.