Vic Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 - December 25, 2009) was a singer-songwrite… Read Full Bio ↴Vic Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 - December 25, 2009) was a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who lived in Athens, Georgia, United States.

Around 1985, Chesnutt moved to Athens and joined the band, The La-Di-Da's. After leaving that group he began performing solo on a regular basis at the 40 Watt Club; it was there that he was spotted by Michael Stipe of R.E.M.; Stipe produced Chesnutt's first two albums, Little (1990) and West of Rome (1991).

In 1992 Chesnutt was the subject of a PBS documentary, Speed Racer. He also had a small role in the 1996 Billy Bob Thornton movie Sling Blade which he later described self-mockingly as a poor performance.

In 1996, Chesnutt was exposed to a wider audience with the release of the tribute album Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, the proceeds from which went to the Sweet Relief Fund. The album consisted of Chesnutt covers by famous musicians including Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins (with Red Red Meat), Madonna, R.E.M. and Live.

He recorded several times with other groups and artists. Most notably he made two albums with fellow Athens, GA recording artist Widespread Panic, under the name of brute. Chesnutt's album The Salesman and Bernadette (1998) was recorded with alt-country group Lambchop as the backing band. The album Merriment was a collaborative effort between Chesnutt and Kelly and Nikki Keneipp, with Vic writing and singing the songs, and the Keneipps playing the music. The 2005 album Ghetto Bells features famed guitarist Bill Frisell, whom Chesnutt met in 2004 at the renowned Century of Song concert series at the German festival RuhrTriennale. Chesnutt's wife, Tina Chesnutt, frequently plays bass on his albums. His niece, and fellow songwriter, Liz Durrett also appeared on the Ghetto Bells album.

Chesnutt's first four albums were released on the independent Texas Hotel label. He then recorded About to Choke (1996) for Capitol, which was his first and only major record label recording. The Salesman and Bernadette (1998) was on PolyGram; Merriment (2000) was on the Backburner Records label; spinART was the label for the self performed and recorded Left to His Own Devices (2001). Vic then found a new home at the New West Records label, who have released two albums for him so far. In 2004 New West also re-released the early Texas Hotel recordings, including expanded liner notes and extra tracks.

In the winter of 2006, he recorded his newest album, North Star Deserter at the Hotel2Tango in Montreal. It was released on September 11, 2007 by Constellation Records. The record includes contributions from Constellation artists Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, as well as Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto. The album was produced by documentary filmmaker Jem Cohen. He also appeared as a guest musician on Cowboy Junkies' 2007 album Trinity Revisited, a 20th anniversary edition of their classic album The Trinity Session.

On Dec 25th 2009, Vic Chesnutt died after falling into a coma following a suicide attempt.

Official Website: Vic Chesnutt

Styrofoam
Vic Chesnutt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Emotion drains
Like the contents of a cooler
My thorax is Styrofoam

I'm a cheap spent shell
And a bio hazard
Grind me up then mail me away

Maybe transmogrified
I'll be satisfied
That finally at long last I'm harmless

It is simply so
It's my chemical makeup
I slough it off every 28 days

So raise your hand
And ask yourself a question
But make it the powerful one

And if you answer by rote
And pap comes from your throat
Just tidy up and think of me in pieces

Yeah, the lousy poet in me can't lie no more
And the warrior in me
Has gone and died before
And that hard, handsome Olympian
Was forced to retire

So dig out the films
And all those yellowed clippings
Do them up then stash them for good

Then raise your hand

And ask yourself a question
But make it the powerful one

Overall Meaning

In Vic Chesnutt's song "Styrofoam," he describes the feeling of his emotions draining away like the contents of a cooler. He then likens himself to a spent shell, made of cheap materials like Styrofoam and potentially hazardous. He suggests that if he were ground up and mailed away, he might finally become harmless. Chesnutt then turns his attention to the connection between his body and his chemical makeup. He suggests that every 28 days he sloughs off a part of himself, like shedding skin or hair.

Line by Line Meaning

Emotion drains
My feelings are fading away

Like the contents of a cooler
Quickly and completely

My thorax is Styrofoam
I feel empty and insignificant

I'm a cheap spent shell
I'm worthless and depleted

And a bio hazard
I pose a threat to those around me

Grind me up then mail me away
Dispose of me and forget about me

Maybe transmogrified
Perhaps transformed into something better

I'll be satisfied
I'll finally feel content

That finally at long last I'm harmless
I no longer pose a threat

It is simply so
It's just the way things are

It's my chemical makeup
It's my nature