I never knew Vic Chesnutt. But I did meet him. First, …
Vic Chesnutt is dead. How sad it is to finally write that. He passed away this past Christmas after a failed suicide attempt, in which, he slipped into a coma and never came out of. For those who are unfamiliar with the man, Vic was an amazing literary author masquerading as a singer/songwriter. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida but is more associated with Athens, Georgia, where he moved a few years after becoming partially paralyzed in car accident. Constrained to a wheelchair and having limited use of his forearms, Vic was able to strum a guitar and began performing carefully crafted songs around the local bar scene. Discovered by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Vic was brought into the studio where out flowed a vast amount of material. (Click here for a touching NPR story of Stipe’s recollections with Vic.) Those early albums like Little, Is the Actor Happy?, and Drunk established himself as a masterful storyteller, but it was his more recent releases that I felt the musician became even more giving to the listener, rewarding them with a more intimate and sharing Vic. Vic was never one to shy away from his depression, and even talked openly about his multiple suicide attempts. And while Vic was suffering mentally, he was also suffering physically. There were many stays in the hospital due to the condition of his frail body, and the medical bills were staggering. Even though he had insurance, he still owed close to $70,000 in hospital bills. Fans of the late musician have set up a website accepting donations to help the Chesnutt family financially.
Another reason Chesnutt’s death has affected me so much is that I relate his music to the start of me and Apryl’s relationship. As many of you out there know, Apryl and I met while volunteering at WEVL. When the two of us hit it off during our shift, I knew I wanted to ask her out on a date. Only, I didn’t alert to her that it was, in fact, a date. But I knew that Vic Chesnutt was coming to town, and being a fan, I was definitely checking it out. So I asked her if she would like to join me. It never occurred to me that she might have no idea who Vic Chesnutt was, which was exactly the case. Somehow I just assumed everyone knew about this man. When we got to the Hi Tone, we met up with another couple. My friend told he had spotted Vic earlier that evening having dinner with his wife at India Palace. Some reason I got very excited about the fact that Vic was eating only a few blocks from my apartment. The show was sparsely attended, and only a select few seemed to be there for the music. I believe it was drink special night, and the patrons were very talkative and loud crashing their used bottles into the trash cans. One of the annoying ones happen to be friend of my sister, so I felt brave enough to ask him to keep it down. And perhaps, I was trying to show off in front of my “date”. After the show, I handed Apryl a mix tape, the first in our relationship. On it, my favorite songs from Vic Chesnutt. She still has it today.
Two years later, Vic returned to Memphis with The Undertow Orchestra, a group including David Bazan, Mark Eitzel, and Will Johnson. While that first show we attended was subdue, this performance was extremely lively and entertaining. One of the things that stands out the most from that night is how funny Vic was on stage. Afterward, Apryl and I both agreed that it was one of the best shows we had seen in a long time. Still is. While the Hi Tone was emptying out, I bought a poster for Apryl and had all the members of the band sign it. For some reason, I was the most nervous asking Vic for his autograph, but he was very kind, and simply signed it: Vic.
That poster is now framed and hangs in our hallway.
Even though I listened to him a bit less in recent years, he still managed to impress me immensely. In 2008, I had his song “You Are Never Alone” as my favorite song of the year, on The Music Lovers’ Best of 2008 show. Recently, Chesnutt had been very busy in the recording studio, releasing three albums in the last two years, including two in 2009. One of the most touching of these new songs was “Flirted With You All My Life,” which I included on The Music Lovers’ Best of 2009 show, but found impossible to rank. In the song, Vic relates his close relationship with death throughout his life. The song sadly concludes with Vic expressing:
Oh Death
Oh Death
Oh Death
Clearly, I’m not ready.
He will be missed. He already is.