WFMU :: The Cherry Blossom Clinic

Listener comments!

Sat. 3/20/10 3:18pm frownland:

Nothing can hurt me. Nothing can touch me. Sigh. Rest in peace Alex.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:20pm Hatch:

Spoony requests that you play Cheech Marin's Box Tops parody "Hey Vanna Pick Me A Letter."

Sat. 3/20/10 3:21pm matteo(rudie war):

cya Terre T, RIP Alex Chilton

Sat. 3/20/10 3:32pm ken in denver:

Not the stuff of the tourist/But the stuff of the purist.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:33pm Dean Rispler:

Terre - thanks so much for playing all these awesome Chilton songs. So great.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:34pm Martin (from Edison):

fantastic set Terre!

Sat. 3/20/10 3:37pm frownland:

Requests? Like Flies on Sherbet (the track), natch.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:38pm Greg:

I knew we'd hear a great set from you when I heard about Alex Chilton's passing this week. You never disappoint!

Sat. 3/20/10 3:38pm Carly:

Best way to start off the show, Terre. Ballad of El Goodo. So natural. Would definitely love to hear "Like Flies on Sherbert".

Sat. 3/20/10 3:41pm rosedrop:

hello terre,
thanks for saying thanks to Alex Chilton. Hey, can you play Neon Rainbow?

Sat. 3/20/10 3:44pm scANner:

please play the most "ballady" big star tune you can think of...thanks

Sat. 3/20/10 3:44pm Ron:

What an epic tribute. Keep it going! And thanks Terre T for doing such a solid job with saluting one of the all-time greatest.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:46pm will:

Big Star opening for Badfinger in Boston 1972. Front row, small/medium sized club (now the Paradise), wonderful to see how good and loud and crisp a trio can be....wowed to see them pull off "O My Soul" with all its tricky changes and off-the-wall touches....great.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:47pm ken in denver:

I saw Chilton at a part-time club in the '80s in Denver's oldest historically black neighborhood, which only occasionally hosted rock shows, so was a little uneasy when he played Ubangi Stomp with several middle-aged and older black folks running the place. But he and his ace band nailed it and everybody seemed to be having a great time. Who can't love a song that confuses its racial stereotypes, after all?

Sat. 3/20/10 3:47pm fan:

WOW...Big Star opening for Badfinger -- that must've been seriously great.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:48pm dan melchior:

Hello Terre and Mike -
I actually really understand how he felt about Big Star. I love the Third album, and really like the other two - but for me, all the fucked falling apart stuff is really important, and just because it doesn't have the same 'perfectionist' qualities of the other stuff, I don't think it makes it any less important. I realize my own tastes are pretty marginal - but for me you can't beat 'The Walking Dead'.
Dan.
PS - I saw him play with the Box Tops at the foot of the World Trade Centers. The people I was with moaned constantly about having to stand there, but I loved it. A lot of that memory no longer exists in reality!

Sat. 3/20/10 3:51pm will:

Oops excuse me it must have been 1973 because I was with my new girlfriend who I met in 1973! She didn't like them (and we didn't last)....

Sat. 3/20/10 3:52pm Edzo:

Saw him at CB's under the pseudonym "The Deteriorating Situaton" opening for the Replacements who were billed as "Gary & the Boners". A great mess of a show!

Sat. 3/20/10 3:56pm Dean Rispler:

@ Edzo - I am so jealous. I was 14 in 1984 when I first saw The Replacements at The Ritz (now Webster Hall on 11th St). I was lucky enough to see The Mats 5 times with Bob Stinson (who kinda ruled). It was because of them that I first got into Alex Chilton and Big Star.

Sat. 3/20/10 3:57pm dan melchior:

I just read that back, and it's pretty inarticulate.
What I meant to say is - Can you imagine everyone going on and on about something your whole life that was actually a thing of great heartbreak and defeat for you? Even though he made out he didn't give a shit about it all I think that was just a defense mechanism. They must have expected 'No 1 record' to be just that.
Tav Falco's Panther Burns rule too!

Sat. 3/20/10 3:58pm seang:

Chilton played the greatest cover of the Michael Jackson song, "I wanna rock with you"

Sat. 3/20/10 3:59pm ken in denver:

Amen to Panther Burns! They're how I got into all this sick shit.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:00pm ken in denver:

... well, a big part of it anyway.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:01pm Dean Rispler:

@ Dan Melchoir - I don't think you were inarticulate at all. I totally understand what you wrote. So cool you went to that Trade Center Box Tops show. I was supposed to go, but I think I had to go into work that night. I did get to see Mitch Ryder at the Seaport though.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:01pm Vinnie:

Terre! So far so great for the Chilton tribute! Big Star's 3rd and Chilton's Like Flies On Sherbert are 2 of the most important records in my life and have been for quite some time. Please throw on Kanga Roo, Big Black Car, or No More The Moon Shines On Lorena. Love ya Terre! RIP ALEX

Sat. 3/20/10 4:07pm Thom:

Hey Terre,
thanks for this wonderful tribute to Alex Chilton. I thought i'd share a story about the only time I ever got to see the man live. It was circa 2000 or 2001 at the Khyber in Philadelphia. The show was not particularly well-attended, but the attendees were eager. Alex seemed to be having fun but was definitely doing his own thing, playing obscure covers and pretty flatly rejecting audience requests. One gentleman in the back of the room was particularly tenacious with his request to hear "The Letter." Alex gave him several iterations of the "you're at the wrong show, this isn't the Box Tops" speech before finally saying, presumably to shut the guy up, "all right, I'll do The Letter for twenty dollars." "I've got it!" the fan shouted; he then proceded to make his way to the front, $20 bill in hand, and handed the cash to alex. Alex seemed to pause to think for a moment with a mischievous grin, then held an impromptu on-stage band meeting to teach the drummer and bassist how to play the song. The trio blazed through an incendiary performance of The Letter that wowed the entire audience and even prompted a winded mr. Chilton to declare, "I'm sorry, but that's better than the Box Tops ever did it." For the record, I'm inclined to agree.

Of course this song set off a flurry of requests for other songs from chilton's past, which he answered with prices ranging from 50 to 100 dollars. Nobody coughed up the loot, but it would have been interesting to see how far he would have gone.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:07pm ken in denver:

AC's version of Boogie Shoes is killer.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:10pm matteo(rudie war), florence:

yo, i love September Gurls ,Alex play a italian song from Celentano
'il RIBELLE'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__oU53rwZv0

Sat. 3/20/10 4:13pm leslie:

Terre,
thanks for doing this show, it's been a sad week knowing alex c is gone.
first saw him at the old knit on houston street maybe 1988 or 89? thrilled to have seen big star at the masonic hall show this november. Made a good friend in film school when my endlessly played homemade cassette of #1 record/radio city drew a fellow big star fan to my edit room

Sat. 3/20/10 4:14pm ?:

Re: melchior's comments. From what i've read, it's more than just "heartbreak" and commercial "defeat" that made it hard for Chilton to look back fondly on his early work. After Big Star, Alex deeply invested himself in the theories and practices of Wilhelm Reich, and he subsequently viewed those early records as humiliating vestiges of a sexually immature, pre-actualized self! God damn, Chilton was one complex, mysterious guy.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:19pm ken in denver:

"Lost My Job" from Stuff would be timely for too many people dear to me...

Sat. 3/20/10 4:21pm Scott S.:

Walking Dead: strangely touching song.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:23pm pete:

love "No Sex" but it's got the "F" work in it. Great lyrics though
Pretty soon we're all gonna get it/ It's time to buy some stuff on credit

Sat. 3/20/10 4:35pm Kristin:

There is so much to love from the earliest to the most recent. "What's Your Sign" always sounds great. And pretty much any song from Set. We are sad thinking of the shows that won't be happening now on this earth. Peace to all who love Alex's music.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:39pm Ben:

Loving the Chilton solo stuff that I haven't really heard outside the "20 years" comp. Thanks, and more please!

Sat. 3/20/10 4:49pm Listener Jumpy:

The 3rd Big Star album sounds good because the world has caught up with them.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:50pm ken in denver:

I'm with you on the messed-up stuff being the best stuff. It's sad but too often true in rock & roll that drugs make you play better.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:50pm Robert:

FYI, they've confirmed the lineup for tonites SXSW show: http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2010/03/20/big_star_alex_chilton_tribute.html?cxntfid=blogs_austin_music_source&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Sat. 3/20/10 4:51pm Listener Jumpy:

Big Star learned the trick of combining down lyrics with up music. Creates immediate tension.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:53pm Robert:

Here's the info:

Announced today at the Big Star panel, for the show that has become a tribute to Alex Chilton, who died Wednesday: Evan Dando, John Doe, Chris Stamey, Watson Twins, Sondre Lerche, and MIke Mills are playing. They reached out to Jeff Tweedy but his schedule wouldn’t allow it.

It’s scheduled to begin at 12:30 a.m. at Antone’s.

Sat. 3/20/10 4:53pm pete:

what is "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" but a band trying a little too hard to be Big Star's "Third" ?

Sat. 3/20/10 4:54pm Scott S.:

Could we hear "she might look my way"

Sat. 3/20/10 4:55pm Joe Skirkie:

Wow. I love this song. (Big Black Car)

Sat. 3/20/10 4:55pm theagata:

thanks for the Alex Chilton`s music today!

Sat. 3/20/10 4:59pm Robert:

how about the india song?

Sat. 3/20/10 5:00pm Vivian:

Request: What's Going Ahn. Best song ever.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:02pm Greg:

Jim Dickinson produced some of the best music I've ever heard. He had a different approach to music that is what really made some of the Big Star / solo material stand out for me.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:04pm Laurie:

Request: Can we hear the Big Star cover of "Femme Fatale"?

Sat. 3/20/10 5:05pm ScottP:

Great tribute Terre!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:09pm Robert:

Thanks!!

BTW, NYT's just posted an op-ed piece by Paul Westerberg:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/opinion/21westerberg.html?src=twr

Sat. 3/20/10 5:11pm Steve:

DONY is great song - Please play "MIne Exclusively" from "In Space" - LOVE IT!!!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:12pm dan melchior:

I'm glad you knew what I meant Terre! -
I've been pretty broken up since Wednesday, - I'm pretty surprised in all honesty, but something about this guys music had an extremely deep affect on me. Thanks so much for the tribute show!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:18pm Robert:

From allmusic.com: Recorded in 1975 and 1976, shortly after Big Star broke up during the fractious, drug-addled sessions for their final album, the songs on Bach's Bottom were similarly left stranded at the time, although four of them did eventually show up on the 1977 Ork Records EP Singer Not the Song.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:21pm robert:

yes, overton shell is in memphis, and yes, they were scheduled to play there. (dont have the date)

Sat. 3/20/10 5:27pm the Jelly Slide:

Hey..can you play Alligator man.. from Like Flies on Sherbet

We loved ALex so much!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:31pm ?:

Jelly Slide! Where you been??

Sat. 3/20/10 5:32pm Ronald:

If you're going to play a set of Chilton-as-producer tracks, make sure to spin Chris Stamey's 'Summer Sun'!!!!!!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:33pm Jelly Side:

Living slippery ...in Brooklyn

Sat. 3/20/10 5:33pm Daed Pizza Records:

Terre, this has been amazing. Last minute request - could you play "Stroke It Noel" ? We love you.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:34pm jelly slide:

Loved the Insomniacs too...as you know...:)

Sat. 3/20/10 5:35pm PB from SI:

Alex Chilton commemorated in congress!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9LGwzGnx5w

Sat. 3/20/10 5:35pm Listener Jumpy:

@Jelly Slide, I'll dig out the issues and look you up! Bad circumstances to reconnect.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:37pm Igor:

Pleeeeeeease, play "I'm in love with a girl". My favorite Big Star tune, and dedicated from someone special. Just like the cliche people like to ask for DJs.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:38pm John John FTL:

I always liked Big Star Christmas songs.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:38pm Jelly Slide:

@ L. Jumpy...same here..they are in our basement...created prior to the digitized world...we may scan and post this summer..

Sat. 3/20/10 5:39pm Ramona Blair:

Bittersweet enjoyment listening the past couple of hours from the UK...

Sat. 3/20/10 5:40pm Listener Jumpy:

Upon this sad news, I thought about the Alex Chilton T-shirt!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:41pm Listener Jumpy:

...that Jelly Slide had a picture of in the mag.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:41pm Laurie:

Thank you, Terre. Oh god, now I'm crying.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:44pm Jelly Slide:

Jumpy, i painted that. It was and is ...thick and heavy. Glad you remember it!

Sat. 3/20/10 5:44pm kirsten zinser:

yes, thank you. great tribute.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:44pm John john FTL:

Thank you TT <3

Sat. 3/20/10 5:45pm Joe Skirkie:

I've been loving this show. It's been amazing. Though I'm upset about the circumstances.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:46pm Rob F:

What a great selection from Alex's career. A beautiful tribute. This tribute @ Congress gives me chills and chokes me up.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:47pm Jelly Slide:

Thank you Terre for doing this tribute ! Can you go over-time ???

Sat. 3/20/10 5:48pm Carly:

PERFECT.

please go overtime.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:51pm annie:

i've been listening, but had to come on the comments and say wow!!! and rob, i agree with the comment on the congressional tribute..

Sat. 3/20/10 5:52pm fan:

greatest show ever on wfmu.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:56pm ?:

This song is too sad for me.
@Annie and Rob..S. Cohen's eulogy is so heartfelt. So glad he made it.

Sat. 3/20/10 5:57pm Fredericks:

I saw Alex open for the Replacements in 1987. Alex closed the show singing with the "Mats for last half hour. Did "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and TLetter" as I recall. Long time ago.

Sat. 3/20/10 6:01pm Listener Jumpy:

Thank you,friends.

Sun. 3/21/10 10:51am thomas giudici:

great show-look at all the replies!

Mon. 3/22/10 11:34am Mike Sin:

I was quite honored that Terre T asked me to participate in assembling this show as much of Alex Chilton's brilliant music, particularly with Big Star, has spoke to me on many different emotional levels through the years. I'm glad a lot of folks tuned in and commented -- Thanks!

Mon. 3/22/10 3:36pm Maria:

The Big Star performance that was coming up in May at Overton Park is, I believe, part of Memphis in May, which is a month-long celebration of arts and culture in Memphis. If the rest of the band shows up, that should be a pretty poignant performance, surrounded by the mystique that has blessed so much superior music coming out of that town.

Mon. 3/22/10 7:54pm Steve:

Thank you, Terri for doing an all Alex Chilton Tribute Show ! You're the only one who had the courage to do this.

Wed. 3/24/10 8:37pm Chris:

Thank You Friends!!!

Thu. 3/25/10 4:19pm Jen:

This was an awesome tribute, I've listened 2x. Thanks Terre!

Fri. 3/26/10 6:39pm DJ Terre T:

Thank you all for the nice comments and memories. This was such a sad show for me to do. I'm sorry i couldn't get to all the requests that were asked for--no time! There was so much more i wanted to play.
Thank you very much to Assoc Prod Mike Sin whose assistance is invaluable! Listen to his fill-in shows on archive!
http://wfmu.org/playlists/MV

Also former WFMU DJ and former head of Homestead Records KEN KATKIN does a great show in OHIO called Trash Flow Radio. Unfortunately it's not archived AND its on EXACTLY the same time as my show Sat at 3pm! Ken did a GREAT Alex Chilton tribute which he put on files here that u guys can DL !! It's a totally different approach: he covered only the years 1972-1982, and relied heavily on bootlegs, rare imports and old interview footage. He's gotta lotta good facts but he's alittle irreverent in places (but he means well!)
Click on the following addresses & it will work just like opening an email attachment.
You can simply choose to "save" or "open" the file, and that's all there is to it:

Download: Trash Flow Radio March 20, 2010 (Alex Chilton Special) Pt 1 of 2 (67 mins | 77MB):
<http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/ta3ex0>
Download: Trash Flow Radio March 20, 2010 (Alex Chilton Special) Pt 2 of 2 (51 mins | 58MB):
<http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/8brk9c>

Playlist for Trash Flow Radio March 20, 2010 (Alex Chilton Special):
<http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t155/trashflow/WAIFPlaylistMarch202010-AlexChilton.jpg>

Note: The music bed between sets is the william orbit remix of pierre henry's "psyche rock" taken from the 1997 album metamorphose -- messe pour le temps present featuring the music of pierre henry and michel colombier (FFRR/polygram 4562942). The last column may have tons or NO info depending on how reliable my notes are. (I write up the set list as I play it)
Artist	Title	Album, Label, Format, Year, Notes	Approx. start time
THE MOVE	Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited	Shazam!. Repertoire. CD. (1998) from 1970.	0:00:00 )
BIG STAR	The Ballad of El Goodoo	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) originally from the LP "#1 Record", 1972	0:07:09 )
ALEX CHILTON	Free Again	Bach's Bottom. Line. LP. (1980)	0:11:20 )
THE BOX TOPS	The Letter	The Letter/Neon Rainbow. Bell. LP. (1967)	0:13:26 )
ALEX CHILTON	Bangkok	Top 30. Last Call. CD. (1997) from 1977.	0:15:31 )
BIG STAR	Don't Lie To Me	#1 Record. Line. LP. (1986) originally from 1972	0:17:31 )
BIG STAR	In the Street	Keep An Eye On The Sky. rhino. 4 CD. (2009) alternate mix. Originally from 1972	0:20:25 )
BIG STAR	September Gurls	Live. Rykodisc. CD. (1992) from a live radio session on WLIR (NY) in 1974.	0:23:26 )
ALEX CHILTON	Hey! Little Child	Like Flies On Sherbert. Line. CD. (1991) from 1979. Out by request to Vince	0:26:20 )

THE BOX TOPS	Cry Like a Baby	The Best of the Box Tops. Arista. CD. (1996) from 1967	0:39:58 )
THE BOX TOPS	Neon Rainbow	The Letter/Neon Rainbow. Bell. LP. (1967) for "rosedrop"!	0:42:27 )
BIG STAR	O My Soul	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) alternate version. originally from 1973.	0:45:34 )
BIG STAR	Lovely Day	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) This demo track later morphed in "Stroke It Noel" From 1974. for "scANner". To DEAD PIZZA RECORDS- We couldn't get to 'Stroke it Noel" but here was the early version!	0:50:35 )
BIG STAR	She's a Mover	Radio City. Line. LP. (1986) from 1973	0:52:45 )
BIG STAR	September Gurls	VA: Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story. Big Beat. 2 CD. (2008) slightly different version than the original. 1973.	0:55:38 )

ALEX CHILTON	Rock Hard	Like Flies On Sherbert. Line. CD. (1991) from 1979.	1:10:03 )
ALEX CHILTON	Walking Dead		1:12:40 )
BIG STAR	Kizza Me	Third/ Sister lovers. Rykodisc. CD. (1992) recorded in 1975.	1:16:02 )
ALEX CHILTON	Lost My Job	Feudalist tarts. (1985) For Ken in Denver	1:18:57 )
ALEX CHILTON	Like Flies On Sherbet	Like Flies On Sherbert. Line. CD. (1991) from 1979. for "Carly" and "frownland"	1:21:26 )
ALEX CHILTON	Nobody's Fool	High Priest. Big Time. CD. (1987) This CD comps up "High Priest", "Feudalist Tarts", and the "No Sex" single.	1:23:38 )
BIG STAR	You Get What You Deserve	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) originally from 1973's "Radio City" LP	1:26:42 )
BIG STAR	Baby Strange	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) a cover of a T. Rex track. Recorded live at Lafayette's Music Room in Memphis in 1973.	1:29:39 )

BIG STAR	Big Black Car	Third/Sister Lovers. Ryko. CD. (1992) originally recorded in 1975. For Kelley and Vince.	1:50:17 )
ALEX CHILTON	The EMI Song (Smile For Me)	VA: Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story. Big Beat. 2 CD. (2008) recorded in 1969.	1:54:09 )
BIG STAR	The Letter	Nobody Can Dance. Norton. CD. (1999) recorded live at the Overton Park Shell in Memphis in May 1974.	1:58:00 )
BIG STAR	O, Dana	Third/Sister Lovers. Ryko. CD. (1992) recorded in 1975.	2:01:23 )
BIG STAR	The India Song	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) from "#1 Record", 1972. alternate mix. Featuring Andy Hummel on the lead vocal. For Robert.	2:03:39 )
BIG STAR	Dony	In Space. Rykodisc. CD. (2005) from the only original "Posies-fueled" Big Star album.	2:06:21 )
ALEX CHILTON	Take Me Home and Make Me Like It	Bach's Bottom. Line. LP. (1980)	2:08:30 )

BIG STAR	Kangaroo	Third/Sister Lovers. Ryko. CD. (1992) recorded in 1975. Out to Vinnie.	2:26:24 )
BIG STAR	Back of a Car	Live. Rykodisc. CD. (1992) recorded live on WLIR (NY) in 1974.	2:30:12 )
BIG STAR	When My Baby's Beside Me	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) alternate mix. originally from 1972's "#1 Record"	2:32:45 )
BIG STAR	Femme Fatale	Third/Sister Lovers. Rhino. CD. (1992) originally recorded in 1975. For Laurie.	2:36:22 )
BIG STAR	Jesus Christ	Keep An Eye On The Sky. Rhino. 4 CD. (2009) demo version	2:39:22 )
CONGRESSMAN STEVEN COHEN	Alex Chilton Eulogy	Live from the floor of The House of Representatives, 3/18/10. Uncle Sam. (2010) US Rep from the fine state of Tennessee. (Thx Bernard & Kid Pain!)	2:41:50 )
THE REPLACEMENTS	Alex Chilton	Pleased to Meet Me. Rhino. CD. (2008) from 1987.	2:43:37 )

BIG STAR	Holocaust	Third/Sister Lovers. Rykodisc. CD. (1992) recorded in 1975	2:49:46 )
ALEX CHILTON	I'm So Tired	Bach's Bottom. Line. LP. (1980) recorded in 1975.	2:54:07 )