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(posted 10/15/03)
Questions for Tuscaloosa musicians … answers from slimj, guitarist for Boscoe the Lonely Dog
These musicians have answered our local music questionairre about the closing of the Chukker.
If you'd like to submit your comments, click here.

slimj, puffy and billy have played the Chukker dozens of times over the years

Druid City Online ... What was your first experience with the Chukker as a patron? … as a musician?

slimj, guitar and vocals, Boscoe the Lonely Dog ... As a patron, back in the day when Mr. Bill owned the joint.

Who is the first band you saw at the Chukker and what do you remember about that night?

It was a friend from high school’s band….I can’t really remember the name but I can make one up. “Cheese Balls”

Who is the best and worst band you’ve seen at the Chukker and what do you remember?

(BEST) I would have to say Guided by Voices, Woggles, The 45’s, and too many other great bands to list in this survey. The energy, the creativeness, and the pure love of what they were doing is what I remember.
(WORST) Some pathetic Birmingham “pretty boy poser” band that opened for us one time. It was so bad I won’t even honor them by mentioning their name (Goddamn you Ludovic for ripping us off that night….you bastard).

Name as some of the best local bands you saw at the Chukker. Include any information you can remember about those bands.

Cunning Runts, Sweat Bee, The Frydaddys, all of Che Arthur’s bands, Dexateens, Model Citizen, Hooper, and Boscoe The Lonely Dog.

Where will you go to see music once the Chukker is closed?

In T-town….not likely, but I’m always hopeful someone will carry on the tradition of having a place for up and coming original artists to play.

What’s the strangest sight or experience you can recall from the Chukker?

Getting hit on by three woman, two men, and somebody’s grandmother all in one night………jesus freaking christ.

How would you describe the Chukker under its current ownership?

Those two had a chance to do something really great with the place and blew it.

When you hear the name Ludovic Goubet, what comes to mind?

Self absorbed, three time loser, megalomaniac, and pathetic jerkoff.

In your opinion, what do you think could have been done differently with the Chukker from the time is was dying under Goubet, through its short-lived rebirth, until now? What went wrong?

Well the Chukker's downfall is that the owners became disinterested in what the Chukker was known for "original music and interesting people". That is the heart and soul of the Chukker. Ludovic's personality drove people away and the current owners should have opened a bar down in Temerson square ... I think they would have enjoyed it more and been more successful.

I think the Chukker should have raised the bar, so to speak, on creativity and art in the southeast. Art nights, Poetry nights, customer appreciation nights, more regional advertising, MORE ORIGINAL MUSIC and better national acts. The owners should mingle with the patrons and let them know that you appreciate their business and want them to come back ... yup that's what I would have done.

What will Tuscaloosa lose when the Chukker closes on Halloween?

The heart and soul of creativity.

What do you plan on doing on the Chukker’s final night?

Party with all the patrons and friends who made the Chukker a home to ALL who came through its doors. Regardless of the ownership, THE CHUKKER is the people’s bar and will live forever in the memory of those who walked through its doors.

slimj is/was a member of these and other Tuscaloosa bands ...
Boscoe the Lonely Dog, Satanic Muppet Lice

The Chukker closed forever Halloween weekend 2003. Music for the Last Stand of the Chukker was provided by the Woggles, Club Wig, Model Citizen, Sweat Bee, DC Moon and his Atomic Supermen, and The Last Gunslinger. Click here to read more about the history of the Chukker.

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