“50,000 bands and 1 disgusting bathroom.”
That sounds about right. The first official trailer for CBGB is here, and inside you’ll find earfuls of music with an accompanying sleazy, slacker charm.
CBGB chronicles the opening and subsequent rise to glory of CBGB, a Manhattan club intended to feature country, bluegrass and blues acts (hence the name) but instead became a foundation of the punk rock scene in the 1970s. Alan Rickman, scruffed up with a bushy beard, bushier hair and some suitably unkempt clothing, stars as Hilly Kristal, the club’s owner. Alongside him are Ashley Greene and Donal Logue, as Kristal’s daughter Lisa and ‘Idaho,’ respectively.
Check out the trailer below.
The one thing in CBGB that might be of more importance than Rickman’s scroungy demeanor and untidy surroundings would be the music- of that, this trailer has plenty. We’re given a sampling of the bands that graced CBGB over the years: Blondie, The Talking Heads, The Ramones, Dead Boys, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and The Police. Be on the lookout for Rupert Grint, The Hangover series’ Justin Bartha and Taylor Hawkins (drummer for the Foo Fighters) as a few of the many, many musicians featured in the film.
And, judging by the very last shot of the trailer, CBGB will be going the Ray route rather than Walk the Line– that is, the actors will lip sync their musical performances rather than try to emulate the real deal. Some slightly off-kilter lip syncing is a reasonable price to pay for a more authentic product. With such a long list of actors, it’s doubtful that every one of them would be able to pull off a convincing singing impression.
CBGB has no release date of yet but expect it sometime this year.
