Hilly’s alive to the
sound of music
Jewish Telegraph, March 2002
WHEN music club owner Hilly Kristal staged his first punk concert, it was such a shambles that he vowed never to do it again.
‘‘Television played in front of 30 people,’’ Hilly recalls. ‘‘It wasn’t very good and I said never again.’’
But a week later, April 7, 1974, Television took to the stage again at the CBGB Club — supported by a new group called The Ramones.
Hilly, 70, said: ‘‘The Ramones were worse than Television. There was 20 minutes of music and 30 minutes of yelling at each other.’’
Founder
The club originally opened in New York’s Bowery district in 1969 as rock and roll hang-out called Hilly’s. But in 1973, Kristal renamed it the Country Blue Grass and Blues Club. His policy was to book unsigned bands.
Among the groups to make their debuts at CBGB were Blondie, Patti Smith and Talking Heads.
To acknowledge the role that Hilly played in the American punk scene, a tribute album is being released in April featuring many of the bands who owe their success to the club founder.
CBGB & The History Of American Punk (OCHO) traces the genre’s roots back to the mid-60’s from its late 70’s high tide via its rebirth on the stage of CBGB. The 18-track album includes classics like Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers’ Roadrunner, I’m Waiting For The Man by Velvet Underground and Nico, Television’s Marquee Moon, Rip Her To Shreds by Blondie and The Ramone’s Judy is a Punk.
‘‘No-one called it punk at the time. It was known as street rock,’’ Hilly said. ‘‘There was no place for bands to play. The 70’s were in recession, people didn’t have money and places were closed. Anyone could play a my club on condition they performed original material. Most of the other clubs just wanted group’s to play cover versions.’’
Hilly was born on a farm in central Jersey. After studying music, he became involved in the industry and even sang on a few records.
Freedom
He set up jazz concerts and, in 1966, organised the Central Park Music Festival.
Hilly’s background is Russian. His father joined the British Army and fought in Palestine and Egypt. He stayed in the area as part of the Haganah, Jewish freedom fighters, before returning to America.
He met his wife, who was from Philadelphia, in Greenwich Village, where he ‘‘played chess and argued’’.
The couple moved to Heightstown, which Hilly describes as the ‘‘centre of the Ku Klux Klan’’.
Hilly said: ‘‘We were a secular family. My father was active in what he felt he could make happen. He felt strongly about Israel.
‘‘We knew some antisemitic people but there were lots of other wonderful people. It was okay growing up in a non-Jewish area.’’
Of the groups that started at CBGB’s, Hilly became close to The Ramones — especially lead singer Joey Ramone, who died last year.
‘‘They played 20 songs in 17 minutes,’’ he recalled. ‘‘That had never been done before. They were good catchy songs. Joey was a good writer, a wonderful guy.
‘‘I knew Joey was sick for a while. He was here in December 2000 for the launch of a fan club and website. Some of the bands he liked played.
‘‘Then he got pneumonia in January 2001 and went to hospital. We thought he was getting better.’’
Hilly added: ‘‘Aside from being Joey Ramone, he helped a lot of people. He was a mensch. He had a soft spoken way. It hurt a lot when he died.’’
CBGB became an unofficial shrine to Ramone after his death. Fans placed flowers and candles outside the club and held vigils there.
‘‘We were sent so many emails,’’ Hilly said. ‘‘He had a real reputation. I didn’t know Joey was Jewish at first, but I was glad when I found out — although I never look at what people are. Music is very mixed. Nobody ever thought of who was Jewish, gay etc. People never questioned anything. There is something spiritual in music.’’
In Britain, the punk scene was associated with racism, but Hilly said if any group ever showed racist tendencies on the stage of his club, he’d take them off.
CBGB was a mainly trouble-free zone. In fact, the main rabble-rouser was an unlikely figure.
Hilly explains how the club was across the road from a Jewish defence organisation.
‘‘One guy from there would come into the club to make all his phone calls. He and a guy from another Jewish defence organisation were at odds. He’d be on the phone yelling at him; he was paranoid and thought they were attacking him.
‘‘He was a peaceful man but got arrested.’’
Despite the hundreds of bands who have graced the CBGB Club, Hilly regrets never having Nirvana.
‘‘I would have loved to have seen them in the club,’’ he said. ‘‘Mick Jagger was also meant to play once but didn’t and David Bowie has stopped by many times.’’
