I’ve got a little essay over at Rightnetwork today to help celebrate Chuck Berry’s 84th birthday. Enjoy. This is how we roll. With big, chrome fins.
sippicancottage
A Man Who Has Nothing In Particular To Recommend Him Discusses All Sorts of Subjects at Random as Though He Knew Everything
Happy Birthday Chuck Berry
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i saw chuck play a free concert put on by the local oldies station about 10 years ago. they started out the day with the almost weres and moved on to has beens. the place was packed by the time i got there mid afternoon with people sitting on their blankets holding out all the best grass and the cops busting us off the sidewalks. i just walked down and stood in a corner where two blankest didn't meet the side walk and blocked everyone's view. they yelled at me but i reckoned they paid the same as me plus i didn't bring a blanket. they trotted out richie valens's bride and after a bit a bright suited little richard played and someone threw him a joint to this family crowd's amusement.
then right about 9pm out came chuck. he was dressed almost like an old car mechanic and almost instantly got with it. whereas everything till then had been pg top 40 oldies he was playing things that last night had shut down the bars. everyone before him had the look of someone grateful to play a gig after all these years. not him. with him it was solid music. all the parents with kids looked at each other and decided that it was suddenly BED TIME NOW. within 5 minutes it was only standing (and dancing) as close to the stage as you cared do be. what sticks with me now is the group of deaf people just ahead of me jamming out as someone signed "johnny be goode" .
"Hail, hail rock and roll"