Alex Chilton Turns 56

Alex Chilton Birthday Bash
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Thursday, December 28, 2006

Alex Chilton’s mythical status will confound our humanoid successors when they discover us thousands of years after the thaw, fallout, or flood. His adorers constantly argue why he should be among rock ‘n’ roll’s elite while having to agree the vast majority of his output is erratic at best.

But it’s near impossible to find negative criticism anywhere of Chilton’s second band — he was originally in the The Box Tops (“The Letter,” “Cry Like A Baby”) as a teen — Big Star. They are now gloriously posited as a hinge in the power pop paradigm, though virtually unknown in their brief existence and never having a hit. They are, in many eyes, successors to The Beatles. Chilton was further lionized in a song named for him by The Replacements on 1987’s Pleased To Meet Me (Sire), where Paul Westerberg declares “I never travel far/without a little Big Star.” Chilton’s career since, including several Big Star “reunions” with former Posies members, has been riddled with more ostentatious, self-sabotage than explorations of his curious gifts, yet that batch of emotionally charged recording sessions in the early ’70s remains untarnished. The producers of “That ’70s Show” even made Big Star’s “In The Street” its theme song.

The affection has trickled down to Chicago musician/poet Larry O. Dean, who will host the 2nd Annual Alex Chilton Birthday Bash at Empty Bottle on the 28th. He’ll be joined by The Braves, Doleful Lions, Farewell Captain, Joy Poppers, John Kimler, Recent Photo, The Saturday Nights, Feathergun, The Injured Parties, Rich Miller, Donn Morr, The Prams, Tenniscourts, and Van Go.

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly