It looks like, for maybe the first time in American history, the legal system has come down firmly on the side of punk rock. It seems that legndary rock club CBGB's, like many a punk fan, ran into a little trouble with its landlords over the terms of their lease.  Here is what I wrote about it back in March:

     Legendary rock club CBGB’s may have to close due to unpaid back rent. It looks like they suffer from the same kind of problems their customers face. If the owners of the rock club that launched the likes of The Ramones and Blondie and Television and countless others can’t resolve this rent thing, they will be shut down by, get this, THE HOMELESS CHARITY THAT OWNS THE BUILDING. You would think a homeless charity would have a little more heart. Guess it’s all business.

     Well this thing went to court, and the judge siad in her ruling: “CBGB has proven itself worthy of being recognized as a landmark -- a rare achievement for any commercial tenant in the ever diverse and competitive real estate market of New York City.” She went on to say that, “It would be unconscionable for this court to allow the petitioner to proceed with its intent to evict CBGB … because it failed to notice that monies were outstanding for approximately four years.”

     While I think that's great and everything, and I am happy that such an important part of rock history will reamin open for now, I wish that the legal system would treat the kind of people that GO TO CBGB'S with the same respect. If a punk rock fan that lived in the same place had screwed up its rent for four years, I somehow doubt that the court would be so forgiving.