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
parade
Vic Chesnutt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wandered, searching for about an hour
Then I parked it on a bench
Shifting and sulking
Those pesky little mosquitoes
They nearly, nearly, nearly, nearly drained me
Then a man dripping with vitalis
He asked me did I used to be famous
And I said "neighbor, I'm famously late"
And I said "neighbor, I'm famously late"
Where did you go after the parade
You never even appeared to enjoy it
I came out of it with a slight experience
Drinking and howling at the natives
You're a great at disappearing
You left me with an ear ache
I spit into the swan lake saying
"what a hideous review"
Saying, "what a hideous review"
Weather, barometric pressure
Push me to the ground
My stomach is growling
I always heard this was such a festive town
But everybody over ten years old is frowning
Everybody over ten years old is frowning
Where did you go after the parade
I didn't expecting you to be bolting away
Remember the time you took me
To see Harold and Maude
'cause I didn't know the meaning
Of the word catharsis
We are busy weaklings
Poking around for reasons
We are happy little heathens
It's just time we both admit it
It's time we both admit it
In Vic Chesnutt's song "Parade," the singer is searching for someone after a parade. He wanders around for an hour before finally sitting down on a bench. He is tormented by mosquitoes and then approached by a man who mistakes him for Joe Namath and asks him if he used to be famous. The singer responds by saying that he is famously late. The song then transitions into the singer speaking to the person he was searching for, expressing frustration that they did not seem to enjoy the parade and left him with an earache. He laments the lack of festivity in the town and the frowning faces of those over ten years old. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that they are "busy weaklings" searching for meaning but ultimately happy heathens who need to admit it.
Line by Line Meaning
Where did you go after the parade
Asking where the subject went after the parade
I wandered, searching for about an hour
The singer searched aimlessly for an hour
Then I parked it on a bench
The singer sat down on a bench
Shifting and sulking
The artist was uncomfortable and unhappy
Those pesky little mosquitoes
The artist was bothered by mosquitoes
They nearly, nearly, nearly, nearly drained me
The mosquitoes almost completely drained the singer's blood
Then a man dripping with vitalis
A man covered in hair tonic then appears
Said I looked like Joe Namath
The man said the artist resembled Joe Namath
He asked me did I used to be famous
The man asked if the artist was once famous
And I said 'neighbor, I'm famously late'
The artist responded with a witty remark
Where did you go after the parade
Repeating the question
You never even appeared to enjoy it
The subject did not seem to enjoy the parade
I came out of it with a slight experience
The singer gained a small experience from the parade
Drinking and howling at the natives
The singer drank and made loud sounds at people
You're a great at disappearing
The subject is skilled at disappearing
You left me with an ear ache
The subject caused the artist to have an earache
I spit into the swan lake saying
The artist spat into the lake and said
'what a hideous review'
Expressing one's negative opinion of a performance or activity
Weather, barometric pressure
The weather and pressure conditions
Push me to the ground
The conditions made the artist fall
My stomach is growling
The artist's stomach is making noises due to hunger
I always heard this was such a festive town
The artist heard the town was very enjoyable
But everybody over ten years old is frowning
However, older people in the town seem unhappy
Where did you go after the parade
Reiterating the question
I didn't expecting you to be bolting away
The singer was not expecting the subject to run away
Remember the time you took me
Recalling a time when the subject took the singer somewhere
To see Harold and Maude
Specifically to see the movie Harold and Maude
'cause I didn't know the meaning
The artist went to better understand the meaning of something
Of the word catharsis
In this case, the word catharsis
We are busy weaklings
People are busy but also weak
Poking around for reasons
We search for reasons why things happen
We are happy little heathens
Despite our shortcomings, we are happy
It's just time we both admit it
It is time to acknowledge our true state of being
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: VIC CHESTNUT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind