End of the Line for The Bottom Line?

By Jennifer Ludden

Published September 19, 2003 at 11:00 PM CDT

A revered nightclub in New York's West Village is being threatened with eviction due to $185,000 owed in back rent.

The Bottom Line Cabaret opened in 1974, with a show featuring Dr. John and Stevie Wonder. An astonishing variety of artists followed over the years: Bruce Springsteen. Neil Young. Dolly Parton. Aaron Copland. The Ramones. A parade of jazz greats and many lesser lights who can still say they made an appearance at The Bottom Line.

Allan Pepper is a co-founder of The Bottom Line, and he's been at almost every show since the club opened. Now he's in a court battle with the building's owner, New York University, as he tries to keep the venue open. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks to Pepper about the club's past and future.

Jennifer Ludden

Jennifer Ludden helps edit energy and environment stories for NPR's National Desk, working with NPR staffers and a team of public radio reporters across the country. They track the shift to clean energy, state and federal policy moves, and how people and communities are coping with the mounting impacts of climate change.

See stories by Jennifer Ludden