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"Is the Actor Happy"
by Vic Chesnutt
By Webjockey Feral Cat Roundup
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Vic Chesnutt
It opens simply enough: an acoustic guitar picking major chords under the soaring sounds of a pedal steel guitar. Until the voice comes in, there is no way to differentiate “Is the Actor Happy?” from most other Americana acts of the last twenty years. Then a decidedly thin and warbly set of pipes intones, “We blew past the army motorcade/ And it's abnormal load haulage/ The gravity of the situation/ Came on us like a bit of new knowledge.”
Vic Chesnutt is a unique songwriter, capable of portraying suspense and melancholy with what on paper appear to be non-sequiturs. That is not to say he has little to be melancholy about; Chesnutt was paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 18, turning to music soon afterwards. However, his quirky lyrics never convey a sense of despair, but rather a touching sense of humor.
Chesnutt’s wit is apparent in “Onion Soup,” the melodic and lyrical highlight of the album: “I wrote you an eloquent postcard once/ About this most exquisite onion soup/ But, of course I never mailed it though/ Cause it was your turn in the loop.” The music on the album varies from quiet folk to loud rock, and strings make occasional appearances.
Being a native of Athens, GA, Chesnutt is a favorite of REM singer Michael Stipe, who played a large part in getting him some publicity, and appears on the last, beautiful track “Guilty by Association.” Vic Chesnutt has had musicians such as Van Dyke Parks, Bill Frisell, and members of Godspeed You Black Emperor guest on his albums. However, when he is singing his wonderful words, any thoughts of his handicap or his associations with bigger stars just slip away, and one merely hears him as one of the wisest songwriters America has to offer.
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