CHUCK E. WEISS

One of my favorite people and performers in my years in L.A. was Chuck E. Weiss. I haven't seen him perform in the fifteen years since I left, but I used to see him play in the funkier clubs (the Central especially, if I'm remembering the name correctly). He was a local legend in L.A. and among music makers elsewhere.

The Rickie Lee Jones song that most people thought was "Chuckie's in love" was actually "Chuck E.'s in love" and was written about him. One of the things I loved most about him, though the few times I was around him he seemed either shy or distant so I probably never told him, was his style. In the '80s and '90s when I lived in L.A. he stood out with his 1940s and '50s hip pegged slacks etc.

I had some of those outfits myself and wore them now and then, but my style was way more eclectic and emotional, wearing clothes old friends gave me or called to me in thrift shops. Anyway, it's great to see Chuck E. getting his due in this video. I never saw him perform sitting down. He's like John Lee Hooker now, only he's not playing the guitar, at least in this video.

But if you want to see what Chuck E.s style was like back when I was catching his act or running into him at events in L.A., wait for Johnny Depp to make his appearance, a total homage to the Chuck E. I loved to see back in the day.

[PS: If you don't dig it the first time you watch and listen, just wait awhile and go back and listen again...before long you might not be able to get it out of your head...it might even become your new favorite...]