The Nine of Clubs Night Club
and the Cleveland Alternative Scene

For years the night club on West 9th Street in downtown Cleveland, Ohio was my home away from home.  Back then, in the mid-80s to early 90s, there was no Alternative music "scene" in Cleveland, except the dark and backwater clubs that strayed from the mainstream.  The "Nine" was the premiere club of that genre.  It was never fancy, but it was always inviting and inclusive for those of us attracted to that style of music.  Goth music, industrial music, pop music, it was all played at the Nine.  And oh yeah, House, Acid House, and later the dreaded Techno music was also played there.

This site is a tribute to those days of mispent youth.  I can easily say that the people I met there shaped my life more than any other influence to date.  I met my wife there, and made lasting relationships with a broad range of people.  My regret is not keeping in touch with everyone over the years.

I owe the creation of this site to James Teitelbaum who wrote an excellent memoir on the Nine of Clubs.  It made me relive a lot of memories that tend to get pushed out of the way over the years because of work, kids, and finances.  His memoir reminded me of simpler times before mortgages and daycare were a part of my vocabulary.

I encourage those of you who were a part of the Cleveland alternative scene to chip in and help me recover the memories of those days.  If we don't record them in time they'll fade and it'll be as if they never happened.  I nearly let them all go, and I thank James for reminding me that I needed to do something to preserve them.  I say we share them again and try to rekindle some of that elusive community that we established those nearly 20 years ago!

This site is a living thing.  I'll be adding information as I come across it, either from personal memories (and research) or from updates people send me.  Stop back periodically and review the information.  Hopefully you'll find something new, or some piece of an article will bring back a flood of memories.

If while reading through this site you remember something I've left out drop me a line and I'll add it!  If there's enough interest I'll even add a forum as a way for us to communicate.

-- Richard Brown