Authors keep memories of the great Trenton nightclub City Gardens alive

The exterior of the Trenton nightclub, City Gardens, an important New Jersey rock venue in the ’80s and early ’90s.

It was grungy before grungy was fashionable.

City Garden in Trenton was a no-frills, no-nonsense, decidedly non-glamorous nightclub of the 1980s and early 1990s. Decorations were few, and fights were frequent.

Over the years, the club hosted countless alt-rock and punk-rock shows — bands such as Nirvana, The Ramones, Green Day, Yo La Tengo, R.E.M., Black Flag, The Replacements and Jane’s Addiction all made stops there, in many cases before they began to attract mainstream attention — and Jon Stewart has often talked about his days as a City Gardens bartender.

Defunct nightclubs tend to be forgotten, but Amy Yates Wuelfing and Steve DiLodovico are trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. Co-authors of the book “No Slam Dancing, No Stage Diving, No Spikes: An Oral History of the Legendary City Gardens,” they will talk about the club, and their book, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Morristown & Morris Township Library.

City Gardens promoter Randy Now will also be there, as will Ron Gregorio, who provided photos of bands such as The Minutemen, Hüsker Dü and Black Flag for the book.

City Gardens is also the subject of a documentary, “Riot on the Dance Floor: The Story of Randy Now and City Gardens,” that will be shown at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave, New York, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 11 at 5 p.m., as part of the CBGB Music & Film Festival.

Director Steve Tozzi will be at both screenings; Randy Now will be there Oct. 11 only.

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