Singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt died on the 25th of December 2009 after slipping into a coma brought on by a suicide attempt by taking an overdose of muscle relaxants on Wednesday December 23rd. He was 45 years-old.
My first encounter with Vic’s music was in ‘96 shortly after having read a review of the album ‘About to Choke’ in a music magazine. Within a year I owned all Vic’s previous albums: Is the Actor Happy?, Drunk, West Of Rome and Little, and have since then always purchased his new releases. About to Choke is one of my favourite albums of all time.
Vic is special. His lyrics takes a different angle and are, as he puts it, “loaded”. Words are really considered. In some way similar to the writing style of the short story writer Amy Hempel, who’s generally termed as a minimalist writer.
When Vic was 18 he was in a car accident that made him partly paralysed. The accident, he has said, focused him as a songwriter, and it became the subject of some of his earliest recordings.
Vic occupies a special place in my music interest, and that place I don’t think will be replaced by any other artist any day soon. I didn’t even know about the place until Vic popped up in ‘96.
I’ve had the pleasure to see him live in Stockholm. This was back in ‘98 when he was touring with Lambchop and Calexico, promoting the album ‘The Salesman and Bernadette’. That particular concert was in many ways a disappointment, mainly since I was unaware of the release of the new album and was expecting a concert full of ‘About to Choke’ material. But all in all it’s a concert that I will never forget.
He sings about suicide in “Flirted With You All My Life” [local copy] from his recent album “At the Cut.” As described by Vic, “its a song about breaking up with suicide”. Below are the lyrics, followed by some more Vic related links for the curious.
Rest in piece Vic Chesnutt and thanks for all the music.
It’s been a pleasure.
I am a man
I am self-aware
And everywhere I go
You’re always right there with me
I’ve flirted with you all my life
Even kissed you once or twice
And to this day I swear it was nice
But clearly I was not ready
When you touched a friend of mine
I thought I would lose my mind
But I found out with time that
really I was was not ready, no no
Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Really, I’m not ready
Oh, Death you hector me
Decimate those dear to me
Tease me with your sweet release
You are cruel and you are constant
When my mom was cancer sick
She fought but then succumb to it
But you made her beg for it
Lord Jesus, please I’m ready.
Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Oh, Death
Really, I’m not ready
http://kristinhersh.cashmusic.org/vic/
This page is a tribute to Vic Chesnutt – here to accept donations on behalf of his family to defray the expenses associated with his recent hospitalizations and death.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vic+chesnutt
The search results on YouTube for Vic Chesnutt
http://www.google.com/search?q=vic+chesnutt
Search results on Google for Vic Chesnutt
http://www.last.fm/music/Vic+Chesnutt
Vic Chesnutt’s Last.fm page
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/26/arts/music/26chesnutt.html
A New York Times article on Vic Chesnutt
http://vicchesnutt.com/
Vic Chesnutt’s official website