Backstory: what an awful term, but I have to deal with it constantly when I'm actually working for money. Mercifully, I don't have to do much of that any longer. I live modestly in a smallish city (although I'll have to be commuting to Memphis some for the next few years). Raggedy-ass ancient farmhouse in North Carolina and an oo-la-la condo off Beale Street in Memphis.

But backstory. I didn't shoot this one. It's the work of a friend and big time r&r fan, Scarlett Goode. I followed her around looking into the LED display over her shoulder and loved her tightly loose/crazily sane hand on the camera. And no more bullshitting around about wondering if Chuck Prophet really exists or not. That joke's done got about as old Bazooka bubble gum comics.

This is merely one song from an incredibly fine show at The Garage (not the one in London, the one in Winston-Salem NC, the Seat of Western Culture). There is no way on earth this incredibly cool but dirt-poor r&r bucket of blood could afford Mr. Prophet and his combo called The Mission Express. Combo is a hip word,right? With the younger generation, I mean. In the press of late, many fine writers have called Mr. Prophet a "visionary" and other pretty flattering things. Well, okay, maybe, I guess sometimes big and complicated words are called for. All I can say is this, Chuck and Stephanie (with Todd Roper drumming, Kevin White on bass and the startling Depraved James Deprato on guitar set not just to stun but to kill) blew the roof off the joint.

Cold, rainy mid-week school night -- all odds stacked against him, but Mr. Prophet water-boarded the house. He behaved in no fashion like a normal human being of this or another other planet. But the crowd had been subversively foreplayed first by the remarkable writer/stand-up comic Jelisa Castrodale

http://www.thetypingmakesmesoundbusy.com/

and then a solo acoustic set by Jeffrey Dean Foster

http://www.jeffreydeanfoster.com/home.html

who joins Chuck and the Mission Express for the version of David Bowie's 'Rebel, Rebel' above. Scarlett's original film has lost a lot of quality; this is at least third-generation now, after having been run through the YouTube, MySpace and Brink wringers. And I'm not sure any camera could have captured the loony energy and wild-ass _pleasure_ in that club that night.. I never tried anything like this before: the bill was three of my favorite people on the planet. And they didn't just shine, they _glowed_. The rock and roll night of a lifetime for me.

And I didn't get arrested!

I think.

Good on ya Guy. These guys do so many really good covers, I find myself wondering where they find time to come up with new songs.

such a great song done with aplomb!

oooh la la!

Brian--

I'd heard Chuck and Stephie and the boys do the song once before. Chuck was playing Joe's Pub (the fancy bar/grill/music hall) of New York's Shakespeare Festival's headquarters in Manhattan, and he'd sold so many tickets so fast that they added a second show -- which also sold out in about nine seconds. after the second encore of the second set, the crowd was screaming for more. Chuck looked kind of pleased and totally baffled, because he's a fanatic about shuffling the set-list, and he glanced over at James who mouthed 'Rebel, Rebel,' and they sailed into it. The evening of the show you saw in the clip, the song was a link between Jeffrey Dean Foster's acoustic set and Chuck's own bizarro set. My request. And as for the riddle of having enough time to learn covers, Jesus, those bastards can play anything. I think I've got fim/tape around of Chuck introducing Summertime Thing as his biggest hit and then saying that the melody had been ripped off by another artist. And he played the song to the tune of 'Sweet Jane,' although he was about 18 months old when that song came out. And nobody (hardly) got the joke and he didn't seem to give a rat's ass. Covers? That fool covered an entire Waylon Jennings record and then made up a bunch of horseshit about why he had no other choice because he was trapped in the studio and it wa the only record available. If he didn't write such fine songs of his own, he'd be the frontman for Chuck and The Chameleons.

I knew there was a reason I stopped in here. Thanks Guy for sharing your life history and your not-so-historical moments. For those of us who are not there when and where you are, have only your words to give us a glimpse ... glimpse? Hell, I don't know anyone who can put us right there any better than you. Blinded by the light is more like it. I'm still connecting the dots - Rebel, Rebel - David Bowie - All The Young Dudes - Sweet Jane - Lou Reed - Chuck Prophet - Summertime Thing ... more dots? I was about 18 years old when that song came out. OK, so maybe that wasn't a dot that connects, eh? 18 months, 18 years ... not so big a difference in time when we are perched upon the event horizons you paint with your words Guy.

Chuck and the band apparently killed in England, too. And he's playing in Sioux City tonight. Connect those dots.

Oh God ... you will not believe this, but, guess what song just came on my Pandora Radio station? Sweet Jane by the Cowboy Junkies. The name of my Pandora radio station? Chuck Prophet. I can't make this stuff up.