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(posted 10/23/03)
Questions for Tuscaloosa musicians … answers from E. Brobston "Edwin" Cleverdon, Club Wig
These musicians have answered our local music questionairre about the closing of the Chukker.
If you'd like to submit your comments, click here.

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

E. Brobston "Edwin" Cleverdon, guitar, Club Wig ... As patron: My buddy Glen Key (author of “Ballad of Abraham Lincoln”) and I decided to find the legendary Chukker in September 1984. After driving about downtown we asked a fellow getting out of a pickup truck for directions, and he pointed down the street and said “You see those queer-looking cars down that queer-looking block – that’s where the Chukker is.” We went in and found a rather dingy, smelly, yet somehow vibrant place. Uninhabited except by the bartender and two young women. Somehow Glen went home with both of them.

As musician: I had linked up with the Club Wig in November 1984, and about 2 weeks later we had a performance. We had been rehearsing as an instrumental combo, led by the amazing Rick Naylor on guitar, with Carlos Garcia-Aranda freshly installed on bass and anchored by Robert “Rowbear” Huffman on the drums. When we played, various members of the audience joined us on the “stage” (actually it was just the floor then) to share improvised lyricisms. I remember looking out at a fully crowded Chukker with people jumping around with aplomb and wild abandon. Quite memorable.

In those early days, what did a local band expect when they booked a gig at the Chukker? Where else was there in town at the time to play?

When the Club Wig started up, there were no bands playing original music in the area, so we didn't expect any kind of red carpet treatment. In fact, the general attitude among nightclubs was that live music was a crowd-buster. We felt quite honored that Bruce Hopper (then-owner of the Chukker) allowed us to come in and make our noise (and believe me, with our skill level, "noise" is putting it nicely), but of course it was only on nights that they weren't having dart tournaments. Bruce had a small PA that we would haul down from the Chukker's "penthouse" on those nights we played. A few hardy souls would venture in to see us, but we were there primarily to entertain ourselves. At some point we played at Egan's, but generally the places with college-age clientele had no interest in live music (although a few bands, such as the New Boys and Western Decadence, found welcome at those venues). The perseverence of the inestimable Rob Trucks, however, really opened the door for original music in the Tuscaloosa nightclub scene. The Varsity turned out to be a good venue -- especially since they had a nice sound system we didn't have to set up, and they actually paid us money -- but, of course, the Chukker was always our home.

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

Yikes. Senior moment. I think it was some reggae band called African Dreams, or something like that. Lots of folks there. A good time was had by all.

Who are the best and worst bands you’ve seen at the Chukker and what do you remember?

Best “band” was Eugene Chadbourne. His performance ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime (and achieved those ends simultaneously when he cranked up his electric rake). I ran sound at the Chukker for many years, so it would be hard to say which act was the worst, but I must say that anytime the Replacements played, their second set was guaranteed to be toxic.

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

Casual Love was excellent. Songs written by the undervalued Ken Adams, sung by the extraordinarily talented Greg Staggs. I don’t know if Will & the Bushmen would be considered “local,” but Will can always make my jaw drop. I always enjoyed shows by the Storm Orphans (yay Patrick bros.!) and the Peace Frogs.

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

Since I live in Washington, DC, the Chukker’s closing won’t affect my musical choices. I have two sons who are excellent string instrumentalists, and I am blessed to have many concerts of their’s to attend.

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

One afternoon when I came in to set up for a show there was a patron sitting near the stage methodically burning himself with a cigarette. The bartender (yay Mark!) soon escorted him out.

How would you describe the Chukker under its final ownership?

I don’t have any first-and experience with the managers, but I am ever so grateful that they have asked the Club Wig to band together for a final hootenanny.

When you hear the name Ludovic Goubet (former owner), what comes to mind?

I don’t have any experience with Ludo regarding his Chukker management, so no comment there. Otherwise I know him as the ex of a very dear friend of mine (yay Frannie!) and the father of their two charming daughters. ‘Nuff said.

What will Tuscaloosa lose when the Chukker closes on Halloween?

Just it’s soul. It will be just like Washington DC.

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

I will be striving to remember how to play the Club Wig songbook, as well as searching my memory for the names of all the familiar faces I hope to see.

E. Brobston "Edwin" Cleverdon is/was a member of these and other Tuscaloosa bands ...
Even Greenland, E. Brobston & the Clevertones, the Eric Landis Band, Ivan & the Terribles, the Potato Heads

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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