Line Out - Comments on Chic - Real People http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people Interesting facts about Chic: At 13 both Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were hippies. They took their first hits of LSD with Timothy Leary. Rodgers was a member of the Black Panthers. Rodgers also "laid down some tasty licks... Copyright 2008 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:20:33 -0800 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:37:58 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by E Chic is AWESOME. Unfortunately, Bernard Edwards died an untimely death from pneumonia when they were on tour in Japan in 1996. He was one of the best bass players ever.

]]> E http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c921897 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c921897 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:56:19 -0800 Comment by bronkitis My favorite personal Chic experience was listening to "Le Freak" more than 20 times simply because it was the only American song on a jukebox in a Portuguese bar the size of a walk-in closet. And it was awesome.

]]> bronkitis http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c922682 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c922682 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:19:07 -0800 Comment by Matos W.K. I love Peter Shapiro too, and I love the Big Bird line as much as you do.

Lyrics-wise, Real People is the most breathtakingly savage album I know this side of Steely Dan's Countdown to Ecstasy (from before they became all slick all the time). I can't think of many records as outright jaded. Yet there's an oasis or two: "I Loved You More" and "You Can't Do It Alone" are as beautiful as anything they ever did, and are the moments of perspective and sanity on the entire party's-over line running through the album.

]]> Matos W.K. http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923030 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923030 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:27:10 -0800 Comment by terry miller Yeah, this album is totally killing me right now. their whole career, when looked at as commentary, instead of party anthem, is pretty misanthropic.

i had to go back to the book and look that quote up. shapiro goes in and out of various interviews with rodgers so much i thought i was quoting rodgers again! you are correct, though, that is a shapiro quote (and a fucking hilarious one, as is the one about the hustle from friday....)

]]> terry miller http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923220 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923220 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:17:38 -0800 Comment by dc and most importantly, of course, they hired Slash to play lead for this tour:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8UpqHhCABHY

]]> dc http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923564 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923564 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:08:08 -0800 Comment by Matos W.K. Have you read Daryl Easlea's book on Chic? It's not the work of a seasoned writer--not well written, repeats itself a lot--but there's tons of information in it worth knowing if you're on a Chic bender. Another album you need if you don't have it is The Disco Years Vol. 4, on Rhino--a great collection in itself but the first six songs are all Chic and are a dazzling mini-display of the Org in its prime. It climaxes with what might be my favorite Chic Org production, Norma Jean's "I Like Love." The guitar break is to die for.

]]> Matos W.K. http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923566 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923566 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:08:57 -0800 Comment by Uri @1:
Tony Thompson died an untimely death as well. He was one of the best drummers ever. Where's the love?????????

Ohhh, and uh, Nile Rodgers saying he dropped LSD with Timothy Leary is like Mitt Romney saying his Dad walked with Martin Luther King, don'cha think?

]]> Uri http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923650 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923650 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:45:15 -0800 Comment by terry miller norma jeans album is fantastic!

weird. who knew there were so many chic freaks out there?

my personal fave is Sister Sledge's "Lost In Music". It's so strictly rhythmical it's nearly anti-music. It's dark, yet miraculously joyful at the same time. Chic were the masters of contrarian music. they played one way, and the lyrics were heading in the opposite direction.

icons for sure.

]]> terry miller http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923949 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c923949 Dust Bin Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:30:24 -0800 Comment by herbert browne Hell... I never knew that THAT was the name of that song... thought it was "l'Afrique" all these years... (& I dropped acid with Leary, too... or it'd be more accurate to say "stoned in the same milieu"... see? didn't make me any hipper at all) ^..^

]]> herbert browne http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c924213 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/02/chic_real_people#c924213 Dust Bin Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:37:58 -0800