Alex Chilton R.I.P.

[Caroline]

I am currently taking a class about the literature of the American South but the professor is an amazing guy, a real renaissance man and a music expert and every class brings stuff in, music, photos, etc to share with us and this morning he opened the class by talking about Alex Chilton and played us Chilton's version of Loundon Wainwright's Motel Blues. I'm still sad about it but it was really nice to have him publicly recognized like that.

[Hank_Kingsley]

Such a great loss. He was a source of inspiration for such a diverse selection of musicians, from his sparkly powerpop to the drugged out, almost gothic, sound of 'Holocaust'.

I got into Big Star through the bands they influenced (The Jayhawks, The Posies, Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, amongst many others) and when I finally 'got' them it blew me away.

Here's a lovely version of 'Kangaroo' by This Mortal Coil:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/0v2u7i

[Little Hoover]

Damn, it was quite recently that I discovered Big Star, this is a real shame.

[Squink]

It's crazy when you dig out the rare interviews Chilton did and see how disparaging he was about Big Star, how totally out of love he was with the music he made while thousands of people were swiftly heading in the other direction. "People say Big Star made some of the best rock n' roll albums ever," he said in an interview with Martin Aston in '92. "I say they're wrong."

That curmudgeonly stance, immediately shutting down any praise foisted on him, might have made him difficult to get to know as an interview subject, but I think Chilton is the archetypal example of someone who found an outlet through music and that was enough for him. There's a stark, unfathomable gap between Chilton the person and Chilton the writer of tracks like "Holocaust" and "The Ballad of El Goodo". It's almost as though he revealed so much of himself in song that the only way to go was to shut all that down in person and be self deprecating about it.

I don't think he was hugely into the Big Star shows he played since the reunion, and I think Jody Stephens nailed it when he likened it to "drumming along to a live bootleg" in a recent Mojo interview. Chilton claimed he did it so he could make enough money to take six months of the year off, and while that might rub some folks up the wrong way, after decades as a "cult hero" of sorts, he deserved that, he deserved to have some cash in the bank for all the years spent toiling away getting nowhere.

On a similar note, returning to this great thread, which is well worth a read, this struck a chord, and echoes thoughts I've often had about people in the arts who've given us so much and don't get to kick back and enjoy some time to themselves at the end of it all:

i mean for me the most depressing thing is the relaxing endgame that Alex has lost. Weird ass entertainment contracts notwithstanding, I have to believe he should have garnered enough money for a modest lifestyle to ride out with ... You know, the Bangles cover, sure, but also the 'That 70s Show' thing. Heck, some nice new royalties from that brand new box set!

Alex should have had many more years to waltz down to Coop's on Decatur, have a few Abitas and red beans and rice, walk back to his place in the Quarter, and enjoy himself spinning those R&B and Soul records that he loved so much. that is what is so depressing. he was owed that. he deserved to get that denouement and it's been taken away.

R.I.P. Alex, and thank you.

http://vimeo.com/6806280

[Crabwalk]

Just noticed one of those weird little coincidences. The last album I listened to yesterday was 'Songs the Lord Taught Us' by The Cramps, which Chilton produced. Hadn't listened to that for absolutely ages. Good record.

Thanks for everything, Alex.

[PaulTMA]

Fuck right off.  Fuck you.

Finding out at 4.30 in the morning, completely inebriated was a bad way to find out the rotten news.

[Custard]

Awful news. Especially so soon after Mark Linkous. Love the work of both men.

It was actually you, Neil, who got me into Big Star. After the Armando interview, you played El Goodo on CaB radio, and I was instantly hooked.

Very sad.

RIP.

[weekender]

I am ashamed that it has taken me this long to get round to listening to Big Star.  I have now been doing this for the past half hour and I am very, very sorry that I did not do it before.  I'm sorry I overlooked you Alex, I thought I was busy.

RIP.

[CaledonianGonzo]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/mar/18/big-star-alex-chilton

[Marty McFly]

I woke up this morning (at the ungodly hour of 6am) and the facebooks and twitters were already awash with the news. I thought I was still dreaming at first. Absolutely gutted, I've had Big Star on repeat since I got home from work.

And for it to happen just a few days before they were due to play SXSW. God, it's a sad day for music.

Plenty of rare Chilton's been posted over at the Twilight Zone recently.. check it. (Searching the blog doesn't seem to work, you'll have to ctrl-F on the page, there's about half a dozen posts)

[Neil]

It's crazy when you dig out the rare interviews Chilton did and see how disparaging he was about Big Star, how totally out of love he was with the music he made while thousands of people were swiftly heading in the other direction. "People say Big Star made some of the best rock n' roll albums ever," he said in an interview with Martin Aston in '92. "I say they're wrong."

That curmudgeonly stance, immediately shutting down any praise foisted on him, might have made him difficult to get to know as an interview subject, but I think Chilton is the archetypal example of someone who found an outlet through music and that was enough for him. There's a stark, unfathomable gap between Chilton the person and Chilton the writer of tracks like "Holocaust" and "The Ballad of El Goodo". It's almost as though he revealed so much of himself in song that the only way to go was to shut all that down in person and be self deprecating about it.

I suspect what you're saying may have a lot of truth in it, and that he may have only really felt comfortable expressing himself through music.  Chilton also seemed to enjoy being contrary.

I also think, though, that he may have still harboured a huge resentment over the lack of commercial success the first two records had at the time.  So calling the old songs 'a bunch of cliches' may have been a case of him saying 'well, where were you at the time?'  Or it may have simply been a coping strategy that Alex contrived to get him through the bad times.  Perhaps he did, really, truly end up believing that. 

[Marty McFly]

I suspect what you're saying may have a lot of truth in it, and that he may have only really felt comfortable expressing himself through music.  Chilton also seemed to enjoy being contrary.

I think that's pretty much spot on, Neil.. have you read the Big Star book by Rob Jovanovic? Alex refused to be interviewed for that, unlike pretty much everyone else that was ever in or closely associated with the band. He was a very private man. There's a quote from Ken Stringfellow that explains a lot..

Everywhere he goes, there are always memories associated with it and things he has to shut off and people he doesn't want to know any more following him around. Or at least [that's how] he perceives what's happening. In Japan [in 1994] it was totally neutral. It was solely based on the music and people were freaking out and he couldn't help but be moved by it, and try as he might, we could see it in his face. He was smiling, but if we asked him, he'd deny it.

Word has got back to us via third parties that Alex is quite complimentary about Jon [Auer] and myself and that he enjoys playing with us, but he never really says anything to us directly.

[Neil]

Yes, I'm just about to start reading it again.  I flicked through it to see the references to "Thank You Friends" there, and was chuckling at a funny example of Chilton's contrariness.  For the first gig with The Posies, Jody Stephens suggests a setlist which Alex knocks back.  Ken Stringfellow emerges from the toilet, and Alex asks him what he thinks the setlist should be, without mentioning what had just occurred.  Stringfellow suggest more or less the exact same setlist, and Alex agrees, adding 'I was thinking along similar lines myself.'

I get that, though.  I don't think he was a prick, I think it was just Chilton.  It's no surprise that I love him and his music so much, as I strongly identify with certain stubborn, contrary habit's.  I was head over heels in love with El Goodo for years before I finally realised the resonance it actually had for me.  "Ain't no one going to turn me 'round" - it's an amazingly strong and evocative anthem, promoting individualism and principles, while rejecting received wisdom and strength in numbers.  It's a fucking masterpiece.

[Squink]

I suspect what you're saying may have a lot of truth in it, and that he may have only really felt comfortable expressing himself through music.  Chilton also seemed to enjoy being contrary.

I also think, though, that he may have still harboured a huge resentment over the lack of commercial success the first two records had at the time.  So calling the old songs 'a bunch of cliches' may have been a case of him saying 'well, where were you at the time?'  Or it may have simply been a coping strategy that Alex contrived to get him through the bad times.  Perhaps he did, really, truly end up believing that.

Yeah, absolutely. I think part of the reason this hits so hard is that Chilton never seemed comfortable with himself, never seemed like a happy person, even if it was partly an act to deal with the lack of success or to get himself through the hard times. And for someone who gave so much happiness to people, I just wish it had somehow gotten to a point where there were a few tiny cracks in the facade, where it looked like he was coming to terms with who he was and what he meant to people. Because at least then we could have said goodbye feeling like he was reasonably happy. Instead he was someone we knew intimately and at the same time hardly knew at all, and I suspect he was ultimately quite pleased with leaving it that way.

Edit: Fuck, it looks like Andy Hummel might have been about to play with the band for the first time since '74 at SXSW!

Hummel and Big Star's Jody Stephens were scheduled to speak and perform Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on the SXSW panel "I Never Travel Far Without A Little Big Star," about the legacy of one of America's most influential cult bands. There was also the possibility that he would play a few songs with Big Star at its 12:30 a.m. Saturday-night set at Antone's, which would have been the first time for him to play with the band since parting ways in 1974.

From here: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2010/03/andy_hummel_on_alex_chiltons_d.php

[confettiinmyhair]

It is weird how news now reaches us, because a friends facebook update posted a RIP link to the aforementioned Replacements song and I thought shit.... Paul Westerberg is dead.

[Caroline]

That is news I will take very badly indeed when it comes.

[Retinend]

Shed a little tear listening to 'I'm In Love With a Girl' just now. Rest in peace, Alex.

[kidsick5000]

If nobody's seen this, it's not something you would expect to happen, but make the world feel a slightly better place
Congressman Cohen Commemorates the Life of Alex Chilton

[PaulTMA]

Unbeknownst to me, I first heard Alex Chilton at around the age of 3 or 4, via my Fisher Price record player and my mum's old copy of 'The Letter'.  I preferred the b-side, 'Happy Times' back then, but I played both sides enough for them to be etched on my brain forever.  Of course, I didn't initially realise it was the same vocalist upon 'discovering' Big Star some ten years ago.  They were always one of these bands on my mental to-do list, and I was not disappointed when I made a copy of the 2fer as found in my local library.  Big Star took little time to click with me, and I felt a particular connection to the 'Radio City' songs.  After acquiring the 3rd album, I compiled a best-of CD and took it to my local pub - I haven't checked in years, but I have a vague feeling it still resides in the jukebox of The Lyver in Dumfries.  I mocked up some cover art and for some reason, added myself to one particularly famous picture of the band...

Over the course of the next year, I began to write the first songs I thought contained any worth, derivative of Chilton and Brian Wilson they clearly aspired to be, though having the few people who actually heard them say as much was complimentary enough for me.  I picked up as many Chilton and Bell related items I could get my hands on, often varying wildly in quality but intriguing nonetheless.  When I finally got the chance to read the 'Rock's Forgotten Band' book, I recall being shocked at certain details and incidents I considered out of character with the supposedly sensitive man I assumed was responsible for the likes of 'What's Goin Ahn' and 'Blue Moon'.

I finally got the chance to see Big Star for the first time when they played the Connect Festival in Inverary in 2007.  Despite many of my friends misplaced over-excitement about the presence of Bjork in another field, there was no one going to prevent me for being down the front for Big Star.   They did not disappoint in the slightest and it was one of those very rare live experiences I'll remember forever - just singing along to all the classics from the first two albums with a bunch of strangers (and a couple of friends with good taste).  Some people had the nerve to suggest "I'd really missed out" on Bjork....  The next year I travelled solo to London just to see them at Shepherd's Bush Empire.  It was good rather than great show, mainly due to the atrocious sound that dampened the experience, though at least I had the opportunity to position myself directly in front of Alex and witness up close, what he really does with the guitar...  An imperfect show it may have been - the overriding impression was that this incarnation of the band just didn't get much practice, at least not as a 4-piece - it was heartening to see how happy Alex seemed, with seemingly no traces of curmudgeon-liness to be found anywhere.  We even got treated to a rendition of 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' to end the night.

Like I mentioned above, I discovered the bad news on arriving home after what was an enjoyable and very drunk night out, and proceeded to deal with it by posting a ridiculous amount of links and sweary, angry comments on Facebook, before being reduced to playing 'September Gurls' on a loop and crying my eyes out.  I suppose I've always found it hard to relate to people who claimed to have never understood the fuss about Big Star, as the great experiences I've had listening to their music suggest I'm living proof they were doing something worth excited about - in no way merely some hip name to drop.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Somehow his music passed under my radar but after listening to some of the clips posted I'll be definitely delving into his back catalogue, especially as he was apparently a big influence on REM's early work.

RIP

[Garfield And Friends]

Well that's a damn damn shame. RIP


EDIT - This is a brief piece that Paul Westerberg has just written about his pal's passing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21westerberg.html Beyond the Box Tops

[vrailaine]

Has anyone heard his Alan Vega/Ben Vaughn collab thing? Very much a Vega album but just listening to it now and it's pretty bloody stellar stuff.

[Paaaaul]

Some nice stuff on here

http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2010/03/23/thank-you-friend-musicians-remember-alex-chilton/

[vrailaine]

Wouldn't mind a covers version of Like Flies On Sherbert, there's some good songs there.


...maybe throw in the Bangkok single, just to be safe.

[PaulTMA]

Infamous Chilton/Stephens 1975 radio session, apparently the final straw for Stephens:
http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/187210978/dusted-in-memphis-in-honor-of-yet-another

Apparently Chilton had taken LSD, having forgotten about the session and took a bunch of downers to combat that.  This was the result.

Anyone heard the KUT session from 1978, complete with 'Riding Through The Reich'?  Crazy stuff.
http://www.mediafire.com/?yiitzyk2wdz  [128kbps AAC]

[Paaaaul]

A 3 hour Chilton tribute show from WFMU

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/35117

[HB-88]

http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2010/04/post_7.html

[Retinend]

Just heard the Box Tops song, Neon Rainbow, on some advert. No doubt some ad man's tribute.

[PaulTMA]

Just heard the Box Tops song, Neon Rainbow, on some advert. No doubt some ad man's tribute.

It was the Talk Talk sponsor music for all of last years X Factor or Big Brother.   I'm guilty of watching both, but still:  song now destroyed.

[Subtle Mocking]

http://pitchfork.com/news/38465-alex-chilton-had-no-health-insurance/

Now we're getting more details about Chilton's death that makes the whole thing even more devastating: it might've been averted if Chilton had health insurance.