John Varvatos

I watched.

the punk documentary by John Varvatos and Iggy Pop over the weekend.

I got the MGM Plus.

I did a free trial and I watched the four episode documentary.

This irony that the moniker intended to be an innocuous placeholder became shorthand for rebellion underlines how punk culture was, from its inception, more about subverting expectations than about strict musical aesthetics.

In 2014, the once-familiar brick at 315 Bowery was leased to John Varvatos, a designer known for high-end menswear that seemed an odd marriage between punk's anti-establishment ethos and the glossy polish of luxury street style.

The space was converted into a boutique that showcased the brand's signature leather jackets and avant-gothic pieces while simultaneously selling CBGB-branded merchandise on its shelves, essentially turning the historical haunt into a pop culture museum that catered to both collectors and fashion enthusiasts.

This transformation sparked an immediate backlash among original members of the scene, who accused the new operators of commodifying a sacred site and diluting the raw energy that had defined it while also creating a permanent physical presence where fans could purchase CBGB logo tees tongs, and other memorabilia, effectively keeping the name in circulation while simultaneously generating significant revenue streams for the brand's new custodians.

I was going to feel it.

I wore John Varvatos, Ralph Lauren, and David Yerman, along with jewelry I had collected in two places that have become meaningful to me, Salem, Massachusetts, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

And I was feeling the vibes.

I mean, I was really feeling them.

I just put it together that like...

Like Gaslight did an in-store at John Varvatos.

Did you? Yeah, does that mean, like, I'm maybe one of the last people who played Seabees,

technically? Yeah, I'd say you played Seabees.

Ralph passed.

Yeah, and then he would always wear his John Varvatos.

Yeah, that was the guy.

Trust me, I'm a stern connoisseur.