Local Musicians Revisit the historic Chukker in Tuscaloosa Alabama

The Penetrators rode their spy themed surf music to worldwide acclaim. One of Tuscaloosa's all time best bands

The late Rip Thrillby, Spanky Twangler, Sticks Stetchkins and Trace Luger are all-time Chukker favorites.

The Penetrators rode their spy themed surf music to worldwide acclaim. One of Tuscaloosa's all time best bands

Spanky and Trace surf it up at the 40 Watt in Athens, GA

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

Trace Luger, bass, the Penetrators ... The only thing I remember early in my Chukker career was going to the Chukker, under age, on Mondays and Tuesdays to hear out of town bands play filler gigs on their way to other gigs. I came to Tuscaloosa at the end of the alternative college radio, just as the hippie jam bands began corrupting young minds. Saw a lot of great bands with only 10 people in the audience, such as Sublime. Seeing live original music 6 days a week is the first thing I remember about the Chukker.

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

The Smugglers. Learning how much fun booze, chicks, and rock-n-roll is, in no particular order.

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

Best: Dick Dale's first show at the Chukker. Dusty Watson on Drums (Agent Orange) and that legendary reverb drenched Fender guitar sound pumping thru those 2 suped-up dual-showmans blew my mind. Our drummer Sticks Stetchkin decided to join the Penetrators after watching that gig saying, "If you weren't a surf music fan before that gig, you were when you left."

Honorable Mention: Sublime, played in front of a handful of people, but had as much fun on stage as any band I had ever seen.

Worst: Tarantella, Tarantulla or something like that. A band that opened for us on a Saturday and took up all the time allowed to play before 2 am. I remember them whining on stage for about 2 hours before we unplugged them.

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

In no particular order:
Hooper - World's Greatest Stunt Band
The Irascibles - one the best bands to come out of T-town
Kilgore Trout - Pop Alternative, fun band
Sweat Bee - a little different, truly original sound.
The Hitchcocks - great mid 80's frat rock college band
The Nooners - see kilgore trout add lyrical mischief (I need a new I.D.entity......)
Conspiracy A-Go-Go - PsychoBilly Rock!!!
Fly Wheel - Good songs, live....?
D.C. Moon and Red Giant - B-Movie Sci-Fi conspiracy ROCK!!!!
Pain - Most Talented band to come out of T-Town, Fun,Fun, Fun.
The Woggles (Dan Electro on Drums) - honorary local band. Kings of 60's Garage Rock!!! Also, Hardest working band anywhere!
Club Wig - alot different, cool.
The Dexateens - Punk to PunkRock to Rock!!!!
Model Citizen - Need two more electoral votes to be Rock gods!!

What do you think has changed about the appreciation of local music since the rise of the "hippy jam bands" you mentioned. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, rock-n-roll from bands like the Storm Orphans was huge. What happened?

I believe the appreciation for local music started to fade because each of the following: self destruction, corporate/college radio, and Sex & Drugs.

Self-Destruction - When I first got to T-town there were a lot of local bands (8-10). However, there was alot of tension between the bands. Too many big fish in a small pond so to speak. I remember times when alot of local musicians would go to see an out of town band at the Chukker, but not come out to see each other play. This failed to form a core local scene that could fight back the massive hippy jam band army to come. Also, as bands broke up or moved on, others failed to take their place, causing a void.

Corporate/College Radio - When band such as Nirvana and REM made it to MTV and top 40 radio, it caused the flood gates to open for regional bands to make it big, quick. Every major record label began scooping up their own "alternative" bands to put on major radio, therefore causing college and corporate radio to blend together. College Radio has never recovered, everything is on rotation, which stripped the fun out of DJ'ing because you are not allowed to play what you like, which brought variety to college radio. Local college radio stopped supporting local music about this time also, both on the radio and in the scene. Regional "Alternative" bands began playing larger markets on the fast track, giving up the hard road of touring college towns trying to get a following. Original music was getting harder to come by.

Sex & Drugs - Not from the local scene. It's hard to beat free love and drugs, which is all hippy jam bands are about. Getting high and going to hear a mindless unthreatening band where everyone is dressed alike and talk about their favorite Dead bootleg was easy for the Drone's. The only pickup line to a hippy chick you needed while chicken dancing was, "Wanna go to my place, get high, and listen to my 1972 bootleg copy of the Dead in De Moines." It's supposed to be Sex, Drugs & ROCK-N-ROLL. There was just to many sheep and not enough different shepards.

Atlanta, Ga.

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

A bachelor party....those who were there know which one I'm talking about! :)

How would you describe the Chukker under its current ownership?

A valiant attempt to mend burnt bridges.

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

Bridge Burner

What will Tuscaloosa lose when the Chukker closes on Halloween?

Tuscaloosa will lose the coolest bar in Alabama. A dive, a saloon, a lounge, a meeting place, a music hall, an art bar, a juke joint, a jazz club, a blues club, a punk bar, a rockabilly bar, a biker bar, a drag bar, a band bar, a PBR bar, a martini bar, an all night bar, you name it the Chukker was all the above. The Chukker was an entity of its own, thanks to the people and bands that created it over the years. A little, big city freakiness with small town charm.

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

Drink (in no particular order) a PBR, Scotch, Martini, Import Beer, Crappy draft beer, a horrible shot of something someone buys me, and anything on special, cheering all the good times, good friends (both alive and gone) and memories (again, both alive and gone). Kiss my beautiful wife, who I met while she was bartending at the Chukker. I'd also like to win that damn costume contest for once!