They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, they say...I'm (over a week) late again....
During the time I was trying to write the Great American Novel (which, sadly, turned out to not be so great), I went into quite a folk music phase. I bought numerous folk compilations, both old and new, to get a nice variety of folk tunes as well as being introduced to a number of new artists. As I dug through the folk selection at the now defunct Borders bookstore, I came across this week's album and took a chance on it. This week's tune immediately stood out and has been a favorite of mine since the late nineties. Unfortunately, as I was doing my half-assed research this week, I realized that I didn't remember a single other tune from the album. Suppose that's a listening for another day....
As I wrote about Dog's Eye View in Vol. CDXXV, I thought I'd write about the man who wrote and originally performed this week's tune, Vic Chesnutt. Chesnutt was born in Jacksonville, FL in 1964, and began writing songs at the age of five. In 1982, at the age of eighteen, Chesnutt was in an auto accident (he'd been drinking and driving) that left him partially paralyzed from the neck down. Though he would be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, he was able to continue playing the guitar and began his career in 1985. He was discovered by Michael Stipe of R.E.M. fame in a music club in Athens, GA, and Stipe would produce his first two albums. Chesnutt gained a measure of fame with the release of this week's featured album, a benefit recording to help musicians without insurance pay for their healthcare. Chesnutt would perform with numerous artists over the course of his career, and all told released seventeen studio albums. Chesnutt attempted suicide several times, and sadly in 2009 he took his own life at the all too young age of forty-five.
"Dodge" was originally released by Chesnutt on his 1993 album Drunk. The version I'm writing about appeared on the 1996 release Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation. The song was not released as a single either time it appeared on an album. Drunk did not chart, but Sweet Relief peaked at #115 on the Billboard 200.
Every now and again when I'm listening to my tune of the week in preparation for its post, it dawns on me that the song is much better than I had originally thought. Such was the case this week. As I listened to this tale of a lifelong fuckup, I was massively impressed by Chesnutt's lyrics which show a character with a lot more self-awareness than is usual in a pop song. There's also a sense of the character being between a laugh a tear (to steal a phrase) at his predicament, and for whatever reason the "welp!" of his attitude appeals to me. To cut to Dog's Eye View, I love the sparseness they bring at the beginning (swear it sounds like a ukulele at the opening but could just be an acoustic guitar). Lead singer Peter Stuart captures all of the lyrics' pathos with an inspired performance. There's an extended whistling solo in between the verses, and the band closes with a nice crescendo that reminds me of a performer taking a bow with a flourish before leaving the stage. A wonderful song with a wonderful performance--a gem that should not be forgotten.
Blogger's Aside: I'd never heard Chesnutt's version of this song (probably has something to do with there not being enough hours in a day) but decided to give it a listen before writing this post. I wasn't too sure after the first listen, but by the third it was genius. My pop sensibilities went with Dog's Eye View, but with a few more years hindsight, I very well may have chosen Chesnutt's original version. Definitely worth a listen.
Lyric Sheet. "I've done shit everywhere that there is to eat/Guess it's time for me to get the fuck out of Dodge..."
Enjoy:
And the original:
Fuck Donald Trump
Peace,
emaycee
