Vic Chesnutt, 1964-2009

It was with great sadness that I learned the other day that Vic Chesnutt had died. I have been a big Chesnutt fan since the early nineties. I was first turned onto him after seeing Live, one of my favorite bands at the time, cover his song Supernatural on MTV Unplugged.

Not many people knew of Chesnutt’s music. His screechy, sometimes mumbling vocals and peculiar lyrics made him inaccessible to many. But his life makes both a tragic and inspiring story, and the body of music he leaves behind takes its place in the great American tradition of singer songwriters. Michael Stipe, who discovered him playing in a small bar in Athens, Georgia, and helped launch his career, recently called him “one of our greatest songwriters, and one of our greatest voices.”

At the age of 18, Chesnutt suffered a drunk driving accident, leaving him paralyzed. Despite the limitations, he found he had just enough movement in his hands that he could play the guitar by laying it across his lap. Thus began his career as a musician.

Making his death sadly ironic, just over a week ago, Chesnutt appeared on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and spoke about his recent album, At The Cut. One of the tracks, Flirted With You All My Life, is a metaphor for his life long flirtation with suicide masked as a love song. The song is hauntingly beautiful, and proclaims that Chesnutt is definitively not ready to die.

I only got to see Vic Chesnutt in concert once, in Cincinnati, when he opened up for the Cowboy Junkies. I was not a CJ fan, and the concert confirmed a lesson I first learned when I saw Living Color open for the Rolling Stones: Never go see a concert for the opening act. The sound system is not properly tuned for them, there sets are always too short, and you are stuck having paid a lot of money to see a main act that you are not interested in.

But at least I got to see him once. Even as the opening act, with a lousy sound set up, he commanded the attention of everyone in the room.

I urge everyone to take some time and discover Chesnutt’s music for yourselves.

Here he is playing Supernatural:

If Supernatural is not my favorite Chesnutt song, then Panic Pure is.

From a more recent concert, here he is playing Flirted With You All My Life.

And here is Chesnutt with Elf Power at the recent R.E.M. tribute in Carnegie Hall.

Another way to access his music is through the Sweet Relief II recording, a tribute album with Chesnutt covers from R.E.M., The Smashing Pumpkins, and Garbage, among others.

Vic Chesnutt has had a profound influence on me, both in terms of the music I listen to, and the way I write. Along with Sonic Youth, he taught me music could be discordant and melodic at the same time. As a poet, he demonstrated the necessity to pull words out of their context. And hee created an urge in me to use the word jigsaw in every poem I write.

Lyrics Of The Day:

Built a king on compliments
Charisma and advertisements
Still they see him shimmer ephermeral
It ain’t supernatural
No it ain’t supernatural
Supernatural maybe

Out of body experience
I flew around the once
On intravenous Demerol
It weren’t supernatural
No, it weren’t supernatural
Supernatural maybe

Sudden smell a certain view
Sparks a whoppin’ case of the deja vu
Is it inexplicable
It ain’t supernatural
No it ain’t supernatural
Supernatural maybe

“Supernatural”

Bonus Lyric:

My earliest memory is of holding up a sparkler
High up to the darkest sky
Some 4th of July spectacular
I shook it with an urgency
I’ll never be able to repeat

At times i might be accused of being painfully nostalgic
But as of late i’m looking forward to the future
Thought i’ve never been much of a planner
Throwing caution into the fan
Catch as catch as catchers can

And so all you observers in your scrutiny
Don’t count my scars like tree rings
My jigsaw disposition, it’s piecemeal properties
Are either smoked or honey cured
By the panic pure

“Panic Pure”
-Vic Chesnutt