Alt-rock icon struggles to make a comeback after fire
By Matt Dellinger, CNN
August 31, 2010 11:51 a.m. EDT
Athens, Georgia (CNN) -- Wilmot Greene sat among charred remains of his iconic Georgia Theatre recalling the fire that reduced it from an alternative rock icon to rusted steel girders and walls of black bricks.
A year after an unexplained fire gutted the century-old musical cradle of bands such as R.E.M., the B-52s, Indigo Girls and Widespread Panic, Greene still kicks himself for missing Rockinwood play the last show before the fire. He says he'd missed only about 20 shows since buying the place in '04.
The fire broke out overnight and raced throughout the building.
"I got a call at about 6:45 in the morning, and by the time I got here, it was completely engulfed in flames," Greene said. "And that was the beginning of the longest day of my life."
Theater production manager Ric Wallace watched the roof collapse atop piles of blazing wood, leaving firefighters with few options but to let the fire burn itself out.
"It was one of those moments where the town stood still for a day," Wallace said. "It was a stunning day, you simply cannot put words to it ... it's a total life-changing event."
Their emotional investment in the music palace tracks back to the '80s. Greene remembers the exact day he fell in love with the Georgia Theatre -- October 1, 1989 -- when he was still one of thousands of students at Athens' University of Georgia.
The Georgia Theatre had recently reopened as a music venue and was featuring a local band, Pylon. He went to see the show with some friends and fell in love with the place. The club had a vast open floor where hundreds of sweaty music fans would dance the night away and a balcony upstairs for those that wanted to just sit back and enjoy the show.
more here: http://www.cnn.com/2...?iref=allsearch
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Georgia Theatre article on cnn.com
Started by Kelly A, Aug 31 2010 08:53 AM
2 replies to this topic
#2
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Posted 31 August 2010 - 09:35 AM
Pretty cool article. Good to see this brought to the attention of the public. The comments section is always hilarious.. It truly shows that our educational system is lacking. :)
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#3
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Posted 31 August 2010 - 05:34 PM
RamblingRob said:
Pretty cool article. Good to see this brought to the attention of the public. The comments section is always hilarious.. It truly shows that our educational system is lacking. :)
I agree. Someone who commented actually thought the fire happened years ago. Not sure what they thinking.
Good to see it make headline news like that. Mostly I feel really bad for the Owner. What a shame to see your dreams literally turn to dust. So I hope it will eventually get rebuilt.
MS to Me: Where else could antelopes jump off tall buildings and submarines be fueled by melody?
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