Nightclubbing at the Blitz Benefit

In 1978, a benefit was held at CBGB over four nights for Johnny Blitz of the Dead Boys who had been the victim of a stabbing. I discussed the famous t-shirt for the event a couple of years ago here. This week's installment of Nightclubbing from Pat & Emily discusses this historic event in May of that year, 34 years ago. Be sure to visit Go Nightclubbing.

The East Village was a very different and much more dangerous place in 1978. But it was still a shock to everyone on the Downtown scene when Johnny Blitz, the Dead Boys’ drummer, was stabbed in a fight on Second Avenue. Street violence isn’t quite what it was in those days, but one thing hasn’t changed: the problem of musicians and medical insurance, or the lack thereof. To help meet Blitz’s mounting medical bills, the CBGB community rallied with a four-day event, the Blitz Benefit (please, don’t call it “Punk Woodstock”). With a t-shirt created by the Ramones’ design guru, Arturo Vega, and more than 30 bands performing, it was a heartfelt outpouring of help and money for one of our own. Continued here.