the passing of El Goodo

Yesterday, just after I posted my blog entry, I clicked on a link on my Yahoo! home page under 'trending now' that said 'Alex Chilton.' His is not a household name but is very familiar to me. As I was clicking I was thinking to myself, "He didn't just die, did he?" Well, I was startled to find out that yes, he did.

Alex Chilton was most known for being the lead singer of a 60's band called The Box Tops (who had the hits 'The Letter' and 'Cry Like a Baby') and later, in the 70's, as a member of Big Star. I first heard of Big Star, I think, by seeing that R.E.M. cited them as an influence, more so than The Byrds, to whom R.E.M. was often compared. Another band I was listening to, The Replacements, later had a song titled 'Alex Chilton' on their album Pleased to Meet Me. And then, one of my favorite songs done by The Bangles is 'September Gurls,' which is a cover of a Big Star song. Perhaps their most familiar song was used as the theme for That '70s Show - 'In The Street.'

Another of my favorite bands is called The Posies, and they did a wonderful cover of the Hollies song, 'King Midas in Reverse.' The two leaders of The Posies, Jonathan Auer and Ken Stringfellow (who coincidentally has performed with R.E.M.), are also big fans of Big Star, and have performed with Alex Chilton and original drummer Jody Stephens in reformed versions of Big Star. The Posies also did a stunning cover of late Big Star member Chris Bell's song 'I Am the Cosmos' (Bell died in a car crash in 1978).

In reading some articles online about Alex's passing, I saw that he was all set to participate in this year's SXSW in a Big Star reunion which was to include all three surviving members of the band: himself, Jody Stephens, and also original bass player Andy Hummel. It was going to be one of the highlights of the annual Austin music festival, but now sadly, organizers are going to have to figure out how to commemorate his passing.

When I was still able to access YouTube (I need to upgrade my computer), I had spent time looking for songs by Alex Chilton and Big Star; it might be worth your while to look for some of their music.