4
From a piece about Alex Chilton's life as a New Orleanian: "At least twice in the week before his fatal heart attack, Chilton experienced shortness of breath and chills while cutting grass. But he did not seek medical attention, [his wife Laura] Kersting said, in part because he had no health insurance."
Swear to God, I figured a lack of insurance had something to do with it.
Where did I put my Ted Nugent doll… feeling the need to STAB SOMETHING.
The more I read about this man, the more it strikes me what a satisfied life he led. I'd always wondered, what possessed him, artistically, to pass from being someone who crafted some of the most structured, intricate, disciplined music imaginable, to simply letting go of that and living spontaneously. No, not just that: carelessly. Wondered if he was tortured by demons, by his inability to recreate that magic, or fear he couldn't craft another perfect song.
Maybe there was that. But mostly he seems utterly artless, till I wonder finally if his greatest work wasn't craft at all.
So he was a great musician, but pretty dumb. Better to be treated, alive and in debt than dead and debt-free.