Vic Chesnutt TND

interview

NOTE: The following transcript represents almost the entire conversation we had with Vic after we taped his performance at a house concert with his touring band he affectionately had introduced as “Vic Chesnutt and His Amazing All-Star Asshole of a Band”

The Neighbors Dog: I can't remember if it was Steven Martin or somebody else said it before... and what was it?... Ah, “Talking about music is like dancing to architecture.”

Vic: Yeah. That's bullshit.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah, okay.

Vic: That's complete bullshit, 'cause people talk about everything in... people talk about everything in the universe. I mean, that's what people do. That's why we are not monkeys, so um... yeah, no, that's bullshit. Talking about music is like talking about love or anything else in life. So...

The Neighbors Dog: I like that answer.

Vic: Yeah, it's true.

The Neighbors Dog: I agree, I agree. I think there's something to be said for... you know...

Vic: You can talk about … yeah, I mean there's a lot to say about everything, EVERYTHING, in the Universe. There's a lot to say about everything.

The Neighbors Dog: A lot of that fits into the songs.

Vic: Yeah. I mean, I tend to speak about a lot of different things, in my songs sure.

The Neighbors Dog: I love your collaboration theme. My understanding is you love to collaborate at various levels of creating the final product.

Vic: Right, well I like to play with different bands, and different... yeah... one of the things I like to [collaborate with] is a band that's already a band? And then ah, record with them, or play with them, because they have a dynamic, a certain dynamic already. And then, when I come into that, it kind of... it changes a little bit what they do and everything, and it's exciting for them, to, to... it's exciting for them for the little change of, you know ah, of having somebody else to be the kind of leader. And it's really... it's fun to do that. It's really, it's really fun.

The Neighbors Dog: How many... in your band right now for instance, how many of them have you played with before, or would this be the first time in the touring band with any of them?

Vic: Well some of these guys in this band, it's my first time playing with them. Ah, um... Mike O'Brien, the guitar player that was behind me, um... it's my first time on tour playing with him because he's kind of replacing a person I've played with on 'North Star Deserter' and um, and 'At The Cut', that couldn't come on the tour, and so he was kind of replacing him. But um, but everybody else in this line-up, is um, you know [has] played on “North Star Deserter”, and ah, and um, and 'At The Cut'.

The Neighbors Dog: I liked the way you set up the stage itself, I mean, the collaboration...

Vic: In a semi circle?

The Neighbors Dog: ... is implied, just by the way you're sitting there. It's not...

Vic: Right. Well, it's... we, I want to be able to see everyone, because there's a whole lot of cues that we take from each other. I really don't want to be, with... the... in front the way bands set-up, with the band, with the rest of the people behind me, because then it... it... we can't communicate. You know? And there's a lot of communication going on in our um... in our set. And it's also more fun even without the, like, logistical, um... help that it gives to the set, it's also really fun because we make eye contact when things go good you know? And that's enjoyable. Very enjoyable. It's very... you know, it's very... you know um... there's a whole lot of camaraderie in our set and, a lot of communication, so it's pretty great. I learned that from '[Thee] Silver Mt. Zion'. That's the way they do it. And when they first, when we first got together to go on tour together, and they were like, "Okay, we set up in a semi-circle and you'll set up over here," and I was like, “Well that's kind of strange.” You know, in a semi-circle. Um... I was, I was worried sometimes because some of the loud amps over there, on that side of the stage, were pointed right at me. And I was like, I don't know if I can deal with this. But then immediately... during... you know, like 5 minutes into the first show I realized this is the way to go about it. And now other bands, when I... I made an album, and I toured with 'Elf Power' this year, and part of last year... and we set-up in a semi-circle, because to me, it's the only way to go now. It's the only way.

The Neighbors Dog: How do you think... does it affect the audience? Does it change how the audience experiences it?

Vic: It's hard for me to know what they, what they do. I know it changes some the way the audience on this side... you know, because they like are looking at my back basically and I'm sorry for that and I tell em, usually "I'm sorry people, I'm not forgetting, I'm not being rude, you know, but it's just..." you know. It's ah... It's the shows better because we're facing each other.

The Neighbors Dog: And like you say, you can react. Do you actually use that then sort of as ah... I was going to use the word ad lib but that's not the right word. So can you change things on the fly then?

Vic: Oh yeah, we do a lot. And it would be a lot harder with them at my back. And we do, we... ah, I extend parts you know? I look at them, and I, I, I, um, you know there are stops that are longer. Sometimes I... yeah, a lot is... a lot is changed every night.

The Neighbors Dog: Right. Communication can be there. Yeah... 'cause, yeah I can picture yeah, like you say a lot of times, 3 people in front, 2 in back whatever, the don't look at each other.

Vic: It's hard to look at each other.

The Neighbors Dog: So they can't change anything. They have to go by the script every night… and I could see it kind of getting...

Vic: Right. And most bands, you know, they want to go by the script. And that's, you know, that's what most bands want to do, you know? Um. I understand that. Um. I understand that. It's not how I work. How I've ever really worked. I am, an improviser. I mean my life is like that. It's very much my lifestyle. It's hard for me to stick to the script.

The Neighbors Dog: When you... after you've written a song, is that song, is that script part of the... maintained, sort of maintains throughout the whole process when you do the collaboration later, with whether it's producers or it's other artists, or ah... is it....?

Vic: Well usually, I write the songs in these collaborations and then they back me up. I make up the words, the melody and the chords and they back me up. That's usually how it goes. I mean I just did a collaboration with 'Danger Mouse' and 'Sparkle Horse', where they gave me some music and I sing on top of it, and wrote the lyrics, and ah... you know, but that's rare.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah.

Vic: That's rare.

The Neighbors Dog: Was it successful? I mean, was it, did you... how did you find that's different, that is different...

Vic: Yeah, no, it was fantastic. I loved it. It was one of the best songs I ever wrote. I had a part, part, ah, it's on their um “Dark Night of the Soul” album, it's coming out very soon. Ah, Danger Mouse/Sparkle Horse. Um... yeah.

….

The Neighbors Dog: How long does this tour last?

Vic: Ah, it's about three weeks, in three weeks, something like that... we, and with a week or ten days off in the middle of it. So we are on Day 3 of the second leg of this tour, so I've got a couple more weeks.

The Neighbors Dog: And then what are you going to do?

Vic: Well then I'm going to go home and ah, I'm not sure, what I'm going to do. I mean I was thinking about going to New Orleans. And um... visiting a producer friend of mine.

The Neighbors Dog: You don't play at the Jazz Fest there by any chance do you?

Vic: No, I've never played the Jazz Fest. I would like to. But I've never been asked.

The Neighbors Dog: I'd ask you.

Vic: I would like to.

The Neighbors Dog: I don't know, I was looking for your name on [ the line up ]. For some reason I just had this whim... I know it's... a lot of Jazz Fests of course have, you know, a broad artists...

Vic: Oh I know lots of different people play it. I mean my friends in Widespread Panic play it, almost... I mean I think they play it all the time.

The Neighbors Dog: Okay... I'm going next year.

Vic: Cause they're huge.

...

Vic: Yeah, no I've flown there [ Athens ] once or twice, but no, it's a drive - I would drive there. Hang out and see my friend John Chelew [sic]. He produced my album 'Ghetto Bells', and he's living there now, and it'd be kind of fun to go see him. And my good friend ah, Kristen Hersh a singer/songwriter extraordinaire.

The Neighbors Dog: 'Throwing Muses'?

[

Vic: Yes! Exactly. She lives there, and I would really love to see her. So, I was thinking about going down there. [Pauses] When I get home.

The Neighbors Dog: … other people, you know... asking you to work with them, and I mean, I don't know the energy of having somebody that you respected and known for a while [ ask you to work with them and say, ]... “I'd love to do this project and this project with you...”

Vic: Uh huh, yeah, yeah. Really, yeah. I mean it's flattering. I'm not a fountain of confidence, um, not, not a fountain of confidence.

The Neighbors Dog: Why do you think that is?

Vic: I'm sure it's my nature.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah.

Vic: I'm sure it's something to do with my DNA.

The Neighbors Dog: Is there something musically... in the musical world that could happen that could sort of convince you [otherwise]?

Vic: I've, I've, you know, I've... you know... I've done a lot in my career, and I've had great heights of a... I mean I've, I mean I've... met heroes, I've collaborated with absolute rock gods, and I've done a lot. I've played at Carnegie Hall. I've played at ah... I've played at the Royal Albert Hall. I've played at the Olympia in Paris. None of that helped my fucking confidence one fucking bit. But I mean, but like... this collaboration with these guys really did help my ah... boost my confidence. It really did. It was a real shot in the arm.

The Neighbors Dog: What would be different about that?

...

Vic: Well...I don't know, it's like - going out and playing... it seems like we're like... really good? You know? And it spurs me on. Like I think we're making really good music. And that's exciting. And it makes me um, just the reaction of people. That people get from it. Like, people who don't know me, or know my music, they seem to react really favourably and so that is like, it makes me go, "Aaah, we must be... good.", you know?

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah, tonight there was some really strong, powerful stuff in there.

Vic: Yeah.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah there was pretty high emotions in there.

Vic: Yeah. And it's funny too, and ah, heavy and funny and ah, sad. And ah, angry. You know. All kinds of stuff... in my music.

The Neighbors Dog: Someone said on one of your YouTube videos said "I played at a little party at a little house last year in Athens with Vic and Stipe, cool stuffs happens in small unnoticed places.

Vic: It sounds like.... with Vic and Stipe?

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah.

Vic: [whispers] I don't think that happened. I don't think that happened.

The Neighbors Dog: I thought the idea of cool stuff happening in small unnoticed places was kind of neat.

Vic: That's very true. It's very true.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah.

Vic: I mean of course it happens all the time. There's you know, great things, that nobody sees always throughout history. Of course. You know, we cannot be everywhere at all times. And the greatest, probably the greatest artists known to man, I mean that have ever lived, are probably holed up in their room and doing stuff and nobody will ever see it. You know? Probably scribbling on a... a note or an envelope right now, something - the greatest line that's ever been written, may be painted on a bathroom wall right now. The greatest image that has ever been known to man. And nobody will ever know it.

A lot about... a lot of what we do know is all bullshit, you know? And hyped and... you know. That kind of stuff, you know. It's just the nature of the game. We are. We are um... we are very... we're kind of like pack animals, you know? We like to run in a pack, you know, by, by, by our, our um, nature, you know. We have lone wolves. Those are the… lone wolves are the guys who shoot the president. You know? But, and the dudes that, you know... the dudes, all of us that gather together, you know were the ones who get shit done you know. And ah, it's just you know - we're sheeps, you know. We must be told what to do and then we do it, you know.

The Neighbors Dog: Do you do it?

Vic: What?

The Neighbors Dog: Whatever somebody tells you?

Vic: I'm a lone wolf... you better... the president better watch out, that's all I've got to say. I'm a lone wolf.

The Neighbors Dog: But you do it both ways. Tonight you were in a pack, but you do the lone wolf presentation too.

Vic: Well that's true. I mean I... yeah... I mean this is all rhetorical showery but... you know, yeah.

The Neighbors Dog: But I mean because those are all your songs, I mean I guess you're still...

Vic: Yeah writing songs, is a very lonely process for me. I'm stuck... I'm in my little room writing, you know, in my own kind of imagination, you know. I'm a dreamer. I mean. More than a doer, you know. I'm a dreamer. And ah, you know... that's what... I dream.

The Neighbors Dog: So then every once in a while you need to play with the other musicians and artists sort of replenish other parts of...

Vic: Well it's really... it's just... it's very fulfilling and very... it's very... it's great. I love it. I love playing solo. You know. And I would do it - you know and I do it quite a bit. Um... you know, but there's something. The power of this band, you know what you see. The sheer volume and power, it's not just volume, you know it's really, it's the emotional power of this band, it's a thrilling thing to be... to ride. You know it's, it's like a rocket, you know, into space sometimes.

The Neighbors Dog: What are some of your other dreams as a dreamer? Do you have other dreams?

Vic: What do you mean?

The Neighbors Dog: Not music dreams, ...

Vic: Oh yeah, I mean, I dream about a lot of stuff. You know, I mean everything. I'm always thinking about politics a lot, I'm always thinking/dreaming that I can figure out how ta change the nature of politics, you know. A couple of years ago I was convinced that I almost had it all figured out. I mean I really was serious about... I was like "I think I've got it figured out, that I can... change the world." And I didn't. I never got there. I was convinced that I could pierce the right wing bullshit bubble. And ah, you know fix it all.

The Neighbors Dog: I imagine that's a shared dream or wish anyway by a lot of people that's for sure, but to actually have that moment of ...

Vic: Yeah, like I was close. I mean, I thought I was close. I mean, you know I dream about politics, I dream about philosophy. And I dream about all kinds of... you know. I write. I'm a writer too sometimes and... you know. I'm a dreamer, I dream about everything. I dream about love you know and hate, you know? I'm a dreamer.

The Neighbors Dog: … When you're with a band like this, do you need an audience when you're playing with them? I mean you know...

Vic: Audience is a big help, for me. You know. I'm kind of a little … ah... what's the right word, I'm kind of very fragile, ah, ah a musician. Like, ah, if the audience doesn't seem to be into it, I'm a wreck. I cannot do it. You know I feel like... I feel stupid singing my songs, you know. My heartfelt songs that I pour so much into, in front of people who don't care. You know? I feel like this... I'm not very good. You know, I feel like... you know? But then again I, um... but if the audience is in to it, you know, then I feel like ah, yeah.... I'm ah, I feel like "Yeah!" you know? “I'm worthwhile”, you know, “This is... I'm worthwhile.” And so audience is a big part of my show. The energy of the audience has a lot to do with how the show is executed in my world. Which is a kind of wrong way - I should be able to motivate every night no matter what - but ah, you know. I'm kind of a neurotic person. So...

The Neighbors Dog: Can I ask you a question about Granny?

Vic: Yeah.

The Neighbors Dog: Just because that songs been with me in my head for the last few weeks and I wanted to know if that song meant to you… or what I got out of it, is that it's an unconditional love that your grandmother gave you and nobody else maybe gave you that same kind of love. Is that true? Is that what... am I getting that right?

Vic: Well, I don't know. You know, I don't know what the song means.

The Neighbors Dog: No?

Vic: I mean it came to me fully formed in a dream.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah.

Vic: It is straight from my subconscious. You know? Straight from it. I wrote it down. I woke up and wrote it down immediately and that's never happened to me before. In my dream I was looking up at my Granny from the perspective of a child, you know. And I was crying, you know, in my dream I was singing the song to her. And... she was at the kitchen sink, and then when I woke up, the pillow was soaking wet, and I was actually physically crying. Tears were pouring out of my face. And I realized... wow, this is a great song. I've got to write this shit down. And so I did, you know, I wrote it down and there it is, you know. I didn't have anything to do with it. You know. And ah, that's a really exciting thing. It's one of the greatest songs, it's really, you know, [an] affecting song.

The Neighbors Dog: Yeah.

Vic: And ah... it's pretty great. So I don't know, you know, I'm not sure... it... what it means you know, I mean.... my parents love me, my sister loved me, so it's not like I was really wanting for love, I was kind of like suffocated with so much good, you know, love. You know, suffocated with good love. My Granny lived with me and grew up with me you know... I mean, I grew up with my Granny living with me, you know, so she was a big part of my life. I've written a lot of songs about Granny. You know, ah, I play "Sewing Machine" and it mentions Granny in that. You know, I wrote ah "Bug" from her, you know there's all kinds of shit. So she's a big part of my muse you know.

The Neighbors Dog: I just love that you acknowledged your grandparents, and a lot of people don't and you did, like... it's cool.

Vic: Yeah, they like I said, she grew up, so my parents were... my parents were, um, ah commuters you know? So they would drive from Pike County to Atlanta, which was a long drive, everyday to work, and so, they left before I got up in the morning, so when I got up in the morning my Granny was there cooking me breakfast. You know, they get... got home late, you know. And ah, so she was there. My Mom didn't drive either. So, my Granny, and me lived way out in the sticks, you know, the boonies so, my Granny had to drive us for the weekends, when my Mom was home from work, to do all the errands. I mean she was... my Granny was constantly there. And my other grandparents, lived near us, and you know they had a huge influence on me too. It's one of the greatest things I have. Is that generational thing which, um, which I have... I cherish it. It's one of the things I cherish most about my life is that I got this real connection to the old South, you know, which um, you know, they grew up in a different era. A totally different world of the South, you know. That is gone now. And so I've got all this kind of southern culture, culture of the South, from these people I mean... my grandpa was a dirt... grew up... my grandma and him they were dirt farmers, I mean... really. I mean, they were, you know, eating squirrels, you know... that's... they were killing squirrels, they were eating squirrel. And my... and my Granny was kind of... her Dad ran a bicycle shop... in the deep south, Waycross. So, you know it's pretty... pretty, um... you know I really cherish that is the southern, the southern ah, idiom, um you know... I really cherish that. It's a really great thing. A great thing.

...

The Neighbors Dog: Well, You can tell me if this sounds crazy, but um... it's from what I've read, or seen, it seems like you'll do just about anything to maintain a life of making music.

Vic: What do you mean?

The Neighbors Dog: Well, like that you wouldn't, you couldn't necessarily... can you picture yourself doing something else?

Vic: I can't physically do anything... I've been doing it for over 20 years, I haven't had a job since 1983.

The Neighbors Dog: Except music.

Vic: Except for music, you know. I've been making... I've been supporting my wife and me, since 1990. Um, I really have no other skills, and physically, you know... I can't work in a MacDonalds. I physically can't, you know. I physically can't... you know, I'm not educated enough to be a teacher, you know, I'd have to go back to school, and finish, you know get a degree to teach. That's probably the only physical thing that I could actually do. You know. Actually. And ah, you know... and so you know the fact that it's hard to make a career out of music anymore because people, like me, ah big tour and everything, ah, you know it's ah...

The Neighbors Dog: Do you think that's contributing to sort of a revival of live music? For a lot of...

Vic: I don't think so.

The Neighbors Dog: No?

Vic: No, I think people go to see... to the disco a lot more, than they go see live bands. I mean, I know that's a fact. I mean, because I, I play a show, right? And ah, there's an 11 o'clock curfew at the show at the rock club, you know and there's 100 people there, 150 people there, 200 people there, three people there, and then as soon as I get done playing, those people leave, and waiting outside is 1,000 people who are going to a disco and a guy, you know, a guy with a... playing you know his I-pod, is ah, you know playing for 1,000 people you know in the same club. You know, so... I mean. So no, I don't think it's a revival of... and also there's just so many bands in the world, and so much music to go see, that it's just so, you know... it's diluted the num-... the audience is diluted, which is, you know, understandable, I'm not going to sit here and cry about "Oh people don't like my music, how dare they, they're dumb and they're stealing my songs, and how dare they go to a disco and party and not come see me rock and roll, because live music is so much better than disco." That's bullshit you know People are going to do whatever they want to do, you know. You know? I don't go to disco. I used to, but I don't anymore. I like to go see bands, but that's just me, you know? You know.

The Neighbors Dog: That's what we like.

Vic: Yeah.

The Neighbors Dog: You know, that's what this show is kind of about, I mean, we're trying to... yeah... capture...

Vic: I appreciate that. It's a great thing. It's a great... I was really excited to have a document of this band. Ah, a visual document of this band playing. So I really appreciate you guys having us up here. Because um, it's a special thing this band. A very special thing. I mean, you know... playing with Guy Picciotto from Fugazi I mean is... you know, it's kind of handy. You know... it's kind of crazy. I mean he is, a very influential person in the world of rock. Very influential. And when Fugazi, you know, when Fugazi quit playing - it's heartbreaking for people like me, who love him. Who think [he's] very important. And so, playing with him, is pretty great. You know it makes me feel like a king in a way, playing with him. And ah...

The Neighbors Dog: So you knew him - about him ...

Vic: I've known him for 20 years.

The Neighbors Dog: ...before this whole thing...

Vic: I've known him for 20 years.

The Neighbors Dog: I thought Jim Cohen brought all you guys together for some reason.

Vic: He brought us together. He's the one that suggested that we make a record. Together. But I've known... I opened for Guy in 1988. I opened for Fugazi on their first tour.

The Neighbors Dog: That's like before your first album came out?

Vic: Before my first album came out, and ah yeah, I opened for him then. And we hit it off kind of in a way.

The Neighbors Dog: Wow.

Vic: And they were friends with Michael. And Michael Stipe. And Michael Stipe was friends with, you know, good friends of mine. And he gave them a copy of "Little" that Michael produced, my first album, way early and they were... and it made the rounds in the D.C. punk scene, and you know... every time I play D.C. for these 20 years man, if they were in town, they would come to my shows, and I opened for them many times. And yeah, I love them. I love those guys - a lot. And so, playing with Guy is a... I never thought in a million years that I'd ever get to play with him, so it's pretty exciting. And 'Thee Silver Mt. Zion' is one of the most powerful musical entities ever, you know... it's powerful poetry these guys make... so playing with them is, ...is,...is incredible. I never thought I'd get to. You know. When I was... when I saw 'Godspeed' play I never thought in a million years, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, we're going to rock."

The Neighbors Dog: Which members out there are from Godspeed and [Thee] Silver Mt. Zion?

Vic: Well, the drummer [ David Payant ]and the bass player [ Thierry Amar ] are in [Thee] Silver Mt. Zion. We had two more people from [Thee] Silver Mt. Zion and Godspeed. Ah, the bass player was in Godspeed too. Ah, we had the lead... the lead... I mean the... singer from [Thee] Silver Mt. Zion you know, who also is...

[an audience member walking by in the hallway ]

"We love you Vic!"

Oh shit, okay. Yeah, so yeah you know... but we had two more people from [Thee] Silver Mt. Zion but they had to go home, because they just had a baby 3 months ago, and these drives were going to kill them.

The Neighbors Dog: So they were on the first part of your tour?

Vic: They were on the first part of the tour, and they were just like, "We just cannot do it. We really want to, and we're sorry" and I was like, "Oh, I understand." I felt guilty dragging that little baby around... you know.

The Neighbors Dog: We appreciate you holding everybody up [ to stick around and chat after the show ]

Vic: Well thank you guys, like I said...

The Neighbors Dog: Maybe we'll have to come and visit you down south and get some more stuff.

Vic: Thanks a lot for having us. For having us all.

I was really excited to have a document of this band. Ah, a visual document of this band playing. So I really appreciate you guys having us up here.