Friday, January 15, 2010

Vic Chesnutt Final Show In Cleveland

I was fortunate enough to make it out to the Beachland Ballroom on June 27, 2009 to see Vic Chesnutt open up for Jonathan Richman. Little did I know that this would be the final time I would see Chesnutt.
Vic Chesnutt passed away on Christmas day after taking an overdose of muscle relaxers.

The last memory I have of Chesnutt is of him hanging out on the sidewalk outside the Beachland making small talk to anyone that would approach him.

Three weeks before his death Chesnutt gave an Interview with Terry Gross of NPR, below is a small part of that interview where Vic explains to Gross the thought process of "Flirted With You All My Life", a song off of his new album "At The Cut" that was recorded with Fugazi's Guy Picciotto and members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion.


GROSS: Vic, let's talk about the lyric. The song [Flirted With You All My Life] is about flirting with suicide, but from what I've read, you've done more than flirt with it. It's something you've tried.

Mr. CHESNUTT: Right. Well, this song is a love song. It's a suicide's breakup song with death. You know, I've attempted suicide three or four times. It didn't take. And this is really a breakup song with death. You know, it's talking about flirting with, you know, flirting - I had flirted with death my whole life, you know. Even as a young kid, I was sick and almost died a few times. And then suicide attempts - it's a kind of - you know, it's a breakup song.
--Lyrics from "Flirted With You All My Life"--
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 not ready, no, no, cold death, cold death, oh death, really, I'm not ready. [NPR.ORG]

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