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Post by Optimus on Mar 19, 2017 17:10:38 GMT -5
I posted this on my FB page and I'm sure it'll get a frosty reception from all of those who were never actually fans of his music, but are currently falling all over themselves to praise what a "legend" he was. It's the typical bandwagon jumping that you see sometimes when someone who was once famous (but hasn't been for decades) dies; people want to appear as though they're part of the grieving group who were touched by this person's art. But, despite any cool homage scenes from Back to the Future, Chuck Berry was a total pervy creep, who violated women and turned a song about a toy into a chorus about his dick.My FB post said: "Errbody posting all these "RIP Chuck Berry! What a legend!" posts and I'm just over here like, "Hey, remember when he was arrested for transporting a 14-year-old girl across state lines for sex, and that other time he was arrested for child abuse, and that other time he was sued by 200 women for illegally recording them with a hidden camera going to the bathroom and changing clothes? But, I mean, yeah, I guess he did have that one hit song like 60 years ago." www.riverfronttimes.com/musicblog/2011/12/27/videotape-allegations-stung-berrys-legacy-22-years-ago-today |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2017 17:32:21 GMT -5
To be fair, many of those people might not know about the pervy creepy stuff. To also be fair, he was indeed a rock legend, not a one-hit wonder. But yeah, he was also a total creeper, and one can't just forget about that.
I really hate it when a talented legend has done loathsome things. I actually am a fan of Berry's music, but of course it is tainted by his crimes. I can get past it if they've done something creepy or unwise that didn't really hurt anyone (e.g., Pee Wee Herman masturbating in a theater, Hugh Grant hiring a prostitute), but when they have victimized people...yeah. That's different.
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Post by poetinahat on Mar 19, 2017 18:46:54 GMT -5
Whenever I hear Chuck Berry's music, I do remember the creepy stuff. I'm sure there are people whose horrid conduct I overlook, or at least should be less tolerant - in music, politics, and whatever. I tend to give some slack when the person's served time and indicated repentance, even for truly horrid things (say, with Michael Vick) -- whereas if they've been caught and blame the victims, I write them off (say, with Rolf Harris).
We laughed about My Ding-A-Ling in fifth grade. I certainly didn't appreciate the creepy implications of it at the time. Of course, I was naive back then; I changed my horoscope sign from Virgo to Leo, because I knew that a virgin was a bad thing to be, but I had no idea why -- which greatly amused my parents.
Anyway, yes, Hail! Hail! But also, yuck.
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Post by Vince524 on Mar 19, 2017 19:13:46 GMT -5
I never knew until reading these things about his pervert past. The fact is, he is a rock legend. That doesn't excuse any of the other stuff.
However, I still like My Ding a Ling. My mom actually introduced me to that song. (She thought it was funny and had it on a tape with "They're coming to take me away")
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Post by robeiae on Mar 19, 2017 21:09:53 GMT -5
Best Chuck Berry song:
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2017 21:32:03 GMT -5
love that one, but I'm a sucker for the guitar riffs in Johnny B. Goode
ETA:
Hmm. My enjoyment of his guitar riffs remains. But I can't help but hear his lyrics in a pervy way...
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Post by Don on Mar 20, 2017 6:28:36 GMT -5
I preferred Marty McFly's version of Johnny B. Goode.  |
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Post by Vince524 on Mar 20, 2017 7:31:36 GMT -5
ETA: Hmm. My enjoyment of his guitar riffs remains. But I can't help but hear his lyrics in a pervy way... Meh. You sometimes have to separate the artist from the art.
I remember when I read about Steve Coronel being arrested for child porn. I wasn't about to stop listening to the couple of KISS songs he helped write. (Both I think were written back when it was in a band called Wicked Lester with Gene & Paul.
Of course, it made the lyrics stand out more.
Little lady, can't you see
You're so young and so much different than I
I'm 93, you're sixteen
Can't you see I'm goin' blind
It was always a strange little tune, and I'd assumed the lyrics were more metaphorical than anything else.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD6e0TYA35M
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Post by Don on Mar 20, 2017 18:56:22 GMT -5
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Post by poetinahat on Mar 20, 2017 19:05:51 GMT -5
Meh. You sometimes have to separate the artist from the art. Nobody *has* to separate the artist from the art. It's possible to appreciate Berry's music and not excuse his creepiness - just the same as one can acknowledge, say, JFK or Bill Clinton for their statesmanship and condemn their philandering. Or consider Ezra Pound's poetry without ignoring his political views. But there are any number of rock and pop songs with creepy-ish lyrics or titles: Whole Lotta Love; Tonight's the Night; You're Sixteen, You're Beautiful, and You're Mine... any song that refers to the love interest as "little girl" skeeves me out. And seriously -- how did that Blind Faith album cover ever get issued? I don't think enjoying the music equates to condoning the gross behaviour - Rock and Roll (Part 2) is still a cool tune, but I'm a lot less likely to pull out a Gary Glitter album now. That's me; YMMV. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2017 19:11:51 GMT -5
creepiest song lyrics of all time:
ETA:
If he'd really "wait 'til the end of time" for her, perhaps he can wait two years until she turns 18.
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Post by Vince524 on Mar 20, 2017 19:16:10 GMT -5
Meh. You sometimes have to separate the artist from the art. Nobody *has* to separate the artist from the art. It's possible to appreciate Berry's music and not excuse his creepiness - just the same as one can acknowledge, say, JFK or Bill Clinton for their statesmanship and condemn their philandering. Or consider Ezra Pound's poetry without ignoring his political views. But there are any number of rock and pop songs with creepy-ish lyrics or titles: Whole Lotta Love; Tonight's the Night; You're Sixteen, You're Beautiful, and You're Mine... any song that refers to the love interest as "little girl" skeeves me out. And seriously -- how did that Blind Faith album cover ever get issued? I don't think enjoying the music equates to condoning the gross behaviour - Rock and Roll (Part 2) is still a cool tune, but I'm a lot less likely to pull out a Gary Glitter album now. That's me; YMMV. Well, I didn't mean that it was required. And I agree with everything you say. I guess I should have phrased it as, "It's okay to separate the artist from the art." meaning there's no reason to be ashamed that you enjoy a song even if it was written by a creep. Another example from KISS is one of their popular 70's songs. Christine Sixteen. It was bad enough when Gene first sang that when he was 28, but since the character singing the song wasn't named or their age identified, you could overlook it. I love the song, but at 67, he really should leave that out of the set list. |
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Post by robeiae on Mar 20, 2017 19:49:53 GMT -5
Hello?
Neil Diamond: Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon.
And of course, this classic:
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Post by Optimus on Mar 20, 2017 20:05:37 GMT -5
And, if we combine the ridiculously cheesy hair metal of Rob's Warrant song with Chuck Berry's creepier tendencies, we get this gem:
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Post by nighttimer on Mar 20, 2017 20:38:42 GMT -5
Okay, so Chuck Berry had some pervy habits. So does Gene Simmons and Mick Jagger, so when they kick the bucket let's check back to see if you start a thread to piss on their graves. I can still enjoy Ted Nugent's guitar playing while abhoring his caveman politics (and his love for underage girls). I still dig Miles Davis despite him putting his hands on Cicely Tyson. Ozzy Osbourne, David Crosby, Tupac Shakur, Rick James, Paul McCartney, Wilson Pickett, Billie Holiday, George Michael and Jim Morrison all spent time behind bars. Guess we should dump on those scofflaws as well.
So throw out all those Phil Spector-produced songs. He killed a woman. Like "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos? Well, stop because the drummer, Jim Gordon, killed his mom. Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols offed his girlfriend. You should trash your Who collection since Keith Moon ran over his own chauffer. Vince Neil of Motley Crue got juiced up, drove drunk and ended up killing a musician friend. And don't have anything to do with anything associated with Matthew Broderick, Brandy, John Huston, Robert Blake, John Landis, Caitlyn Jenner or Laura Bush because they've all dropped bodies too.
This just goes to show there's always someone waiting to fling poo at a dead celebrity for not living a totally pure and pristine life. It's kind of petty and small, but if it gets the job done, I guess that's okay. There's a whiff of false piety in this thread or maybe it's just the rank odor of taking a giant shit on Chuck Berry's corpse.
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