I finally read my copy of Chuck Berry: An American Life. I wasn’t in a rush. There were other books above it in the pile, and when you get down to it, I know as much as any outsider can know about this particular American life. (That’s autism for you.) What I appreciate about the book, I suppose, is that the author, RJ Smith, recognizes the greatness and the complexity of the man. What I appreciate less is having to follow the same old same old path, and then to learn one or two things too many about that life. The great lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who represents death row inmates, has said, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” I believe that. And I know that Chuck Berry is a million times more than the tawdriest things he ever did. So why tell them, especially when they were private and consensual?
On the other hand, this is the first book to reveal to me what a terrible driver he was, so there’s that. Who would have thought the man who wrote so eloquently about cars would be so incompetent at driving them. Even Blueberry Hill’s Joe Edwards tells a tale of going the wrong way on a Los Angeles freeway at 70 mph?
And the book makes an attempt to answer every alleged scandal and alleged tawdriness or nastiness with some sort of reminder that Chuck Berry faced a host of difficulties and injustices during his long life.
But what his long life and his incredible body of work actually deserve is a celebration, pure and simple.
Once I bought volume one of a gigantic biography of Elvis Presley. I couldn’t actually read it but I skipped through and read parts. And I was surprised to find a paragraph about young Elvis spying on young women changing into their bathing suits at one of his homes. There was a lens built into the room that Elvis evidently used.
This never became a part of Elvis’s legend—it was just a paragraph in a book the size of Game of Thrones or War and Peace.
But the tawdry crap has become the be all and end all of the Chuck Berry story. I wonder why? I wonder why the difference?
On a personal note it appears Mr. Smith stole something from this blog and never credited it among the copious footnotes. I will go out on a limb and say there’s no way Smith figured out that young Chuck was observing an eclipse of the Sun in 1938. He took that from this blog. Once upon a time Peter K. of Sweden sent me a wonderful photo of young Chuck using a telescope in broad daylight. I figured out he was observing the sun. Peter K. went farther and found two eclipses in St. Louis when Chuck was twelve. And the lovely Rebecca did some American history and practical math with Chuck and CBII to determine the year (more or less!) That merited a footnote. I mean, whole pages were wasted on whether the ding-a-ling belonged to Charles or Dave.
So if you’re looking for the best in Chuck Berry writing, look no further. It’s right here. Original. And free.
And if you're looking for Chuck himself, spin a record. It's right there, original, and free.
3 comments:
Many times i read, he was driving from a concert in a foreign town, to his hotel, effortlessly. So everyone has a bad day then and now..
Pete:
Bob Lohr here. In regard to this book, here's what I posted in my less-than-stellar one-star review on Amazon:
"My name is Robert Lohr, pianist for Chuck Berry from 1996 until he retired in 2014. Last week a friend told me that I'm mentioned/quoted several times in this unauthorized Chuck Berry biography. I read most of the book and found it entertaining...that is until Mr. Smith claimed that he had interviewed me in April 2018. Please be advised that to the best of my knowledge/recollection I have never met Mr. Smith nor did he ever interview me. I remember his name specifically because a friend had contacted me on his behalf to ask whether I wanted to speak to Mr. Smith in connection with a book he's writing on Chuck. Told the friend I don't give interviews about Chuck & respectfully declined. The incident he described in Brazil was totally mischaracterized/backwards/wrong from a fact standpoint & his account of what I allegedly said to Chuck was an out & out fabrication. Makes me wonder what else in this book was apparently fabricated out of whole cloth. Bottom line: I never spoke to Mr. Smith re: Chuck Berry in April 2018 or on any other date."
Footnote: this character did a book reading at a local indie bookstore (Left Bank Books)...see the attached YouTube link. At the end of his talk, he had the brazen audacity to thank me for my help!!! Good thing I wasn't there or they may have been fireworks!!...As I said...I politely declined to be interviewed by Mr. Smith back in 2020/21...then he claims in a footnote to have interviewed me in 2018!!! https://www.youtube.com/live/UQCsdsGuYa0?si=2IGCRLm-DeMPfKJK
Bob, if you ever see this, good to hear from you! Alas, I don't look back myself often and was surprised to see comments from you and Peter K. GoHeadOn lives! A little.
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