Episode 57: Punk and New Wave at New York's CBGB

PLAY LIST

1. Marquee Moon by Television (1977)

2. Let’s Dance by The Ramones (1976)

3. Dancing Barefoot by The Patti Smith Group (1979)

4. Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads (1977)

5. One Way or Another by Blondie (1978)

If you didn’t mind dodging liquor bottles and stepping over a body in the doorway, you could have witnessed history at CBGB, located in one of the roughest neighborhoods in New York City. Hilly Krystal was willing to give just about any band a chance as long as they were original. The result is his club serving as the cradle of the punk and new wave movements, becoming a launchpad for groundbreaking artists like Blondie, Patti Smith, and the Talking Heads. The club's raw, unpretentious atmosphere fostered creative freedom, allowing these acts to experiment with sound and style outside mainstream constraints. Blondie's blend of punk energy and pop sensibility, Patti Smith's poetic intensity, and the Talking Heads' art-rock innovation all found their footing at CBGB, shaping the course of 1970s music and influencing countless artists thereafter. Today, CBGB is remembered not just as a venue but as a cultural milestone that redefined the boundaries of popular music.

SOURCES

B, Benji. n.d. “Debbie Harry and Chris Stein.” Red Bull Music Academy. https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/blondie-lecture.

Brown, Christine. 1977. “The Notorious CBGB: Birthplace of U.S. Punk.” Miami Herald, September 25, 1977.

Buskin, Richard. n.d. “Classic Tracks: Blondie 'Hanging On The Telephone.'” Sound On Sound. Accessed October 25, 2025. https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-blondie-hanging-telephone.

Carr, Roy. "Blondie Cometh". New Musical Express (1976). Blondie. Rock's Backpages. Accessed October 11, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/blondie-cometh.

Cartwright, Garth. 2007. “Hilly Kristal | Music.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/sep/01/guardianobituaries.obituaries.

“CBGB: The scuzzy 1970s New York club that ushered in a new age of rock.” 2024. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240202-cbgb-the-scuzzy-1970s-new-york-club-that-ushered-in-a-new-age-of-rock.

Cromelin, Richard. "Blondie: At Last, The Sound Of 1970!". Sounds (1977). Blondie. Rock's Backpages. Accessed October 11, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/blondie-at-last-the-sound-of-1970.

Donovan, Thom. 2024. “Humans Crossing Paths with the Divine: The Meaning Behind “Dancing Barefoot” by Patti Smith.” American Songwriter. https://americansongwriter.com/humans-crossing-paths-with-the-divine-the-meaning-behind-dancing-barefoot-by-patti-smith/.

Earls, John. 2022. “Blondie Interview: Innovation is Probably our Greatest Strength.” Classic Pop Mag. https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/blondie-interview/.

Gross, Terry, and David Byrne. 2023. “For David Byrne, Talking Heads was about making emotional sense — not literal sense.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/11/01/1209679558/david-byrne-talking-heads-stop-making-sense.

MiddleAged Rampage. n.d. “Blondie 1975 A Girl Should Know Better.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOnnKBxhiYk&t=16s.

Murray, Charles Shaar. "Hilly Kristal (CBGBs)". New Musical Express (1978). Rock's Backpages. Accessed October 11, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/hilly-kristal-cbgbs.

Patterson, Rob. 1978. “Talking Heads Dump Punk Image.” The Bay City Times (Bay City), December 10, 1978.

Paytress, Mark. "Television: Marquee Moon/Adventure". MOJO (2003). Television. Rock's Backpages. Accessed September 14, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/television-imarquee-moonadventurei.

“Poets Don't Make Money.” n.d. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpREBg9iZcg.

Rose, Caryn. 2015. “Patti Smith's Most Notable New York City Gigs.” The Village Voice. https://www.villagevoice.com/patti-smiths-most-notable-new-york-city-gigs/.

Trakin, Roy. 1978. “The B-52s: CBGB.” New York Rocker, November, 1978.