Sad but true, I'm afraid. Elmer Valentine, who opened and owned the famed West Hollywood music magnet Whisky a Go Go (they invented the practice of having Go Go dancers in hanging cages!), died last week at the age of 85. The former "dirty cop" from Chicago opened the club in 1964, which would play host to the likes of The Doors (who were the humble house band for a time), Van Morrison, and Frank Zappa. The New York Times obit doesn't mention the future of the club, but whether it carries on or not (we're sure it will), a legend has still shuffled off. Oh, and speaking of legends, remember CBGB's? The "counter-culture" club closed back in 2006 (sniff!), and now its name is being wrestled to the ground and branded over and over again:

Last month, the group struck a distribution deal with Bravado, a Universal Music Group company that markets rock-themed merchandise around the world, to help sell millions of CBGB T-shirts. Next summer, the Vans Warped Tour music festival will showcase an interactive CBGB exhibit.

These deals were crafted by two men who believe there's life after death for the landmark venue: James Blueweiss, a marketer who began advising the club a year before it closed, and Robert Williams, a veteran of the retail music business who helped open HMV stores around the world. The two attracted capital from angel investors and paid $3.5 million for the rights to the CBGB brand in 2008. Their company, CBGB Holdings, owns all intellectual property, domestic and international trademarks, copyrights, video and audio libraries, ongoing apparel business, Web site and physical property of the original club.

That's what the Wall Street Journal is saying about the two fellows who plan to revive and capitalize on the recognizable name (don't forget the OMFUG, too). It's nice that their "dream" is to reopen the club on the Bowery (and in, blech, Las Vegas) but it'll probably end up being just as sterile as a House of Blues.

So, yeah. Dead.