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(posted 10/19/03)
Questions for Tuscaloosa musicians … answers from Steve Breslin, Sweat Bee
These musicians have answered our local music questionairre about the closing of the Chukker.
If you'd like to submit your comments, click here.

Sweat Bee rocked the Chukker during the mid 1990s.

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

Steve Breslin, bass and vocals, Sweat Bee ... I played pool. I was I guess around 15 or 16 years old. I think this was when Mr. Bill owned it. It was a biker bar at this time as I recall.

As a musician, I played first with Sweat Bee. This was also Sweat Bee's first show. It went well for me and the band, and the audience enjoyed it from what I gathered.

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

I don't remember. I was probably drunk or something. The first apparently wasn't important, as it didn't override my disinterest with chronology.

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

The best was this band that played a bunch of drums. Hank Morgan went with me that night; he might remember their name. They made a fire and danced in the audience and passed around a jug of wine, and it was very primitive and good. Also, the best was the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. They are great jazz. I missed morphine, and there's surely a number of others I deeply regret missing.

Worst band? I really don't know. Whenever some band was bad, I'd flee to the pool tables, or out back, and wouldn't particularly remember them therefore.

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

Kilgore Trout: the drummer and bass player were good, and the song writing was reasonable. Copasetics: they are all wonderful. I don't want to try a complete list, as I'll regret having left off a number of great ones.

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

I no longer live in Tuscaloosa. Plus, I'm old and crotchety. Where else would I go in Tuscaloosa? I have no idea, since I'm quite out of touch with the music scene there nowadays.

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

I don't know about strangest, but among the most delightful would be tripping on LSD with some friends. I recall specifically the courtyard filled with washing machines.

How would you describe the Chukker under its current ownership?

I have not been to the Chukker under its current ownership, so... no comment.

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

Frenchman, saxophonist, purported womanizer, although this is only hearsay. He showed a pretty magnanimous and "hands-off" face to me. He did his best to help me avoid getting busted for smoking dope in the courtyard; he handled the minor police-raid quite well.

What will Tuscaloosa lose when the Chukker closes on Halloween?

The single most important landmark in Tuscaloosa, other than the University as a whole.

How are Buffalo and Tuscaloosa different? What's the closest thing to the Chukker that you have in Buffalo?

I'd say Tuscaloosa is more homey and close than Buffalo. This has positives and negatives. In Buffalo you can go to a lot more bars, but ultimately get to know fewer people very well, as others are going to other places all the time too. Eventually you'll get to know regulars, but it takes longer to get a feel for any given scene. There's more cross-over between scenes. I'd be able to give a much better answer if I weren't such a homebody these days. The closest thing to the Chukker is the Continental. I've been there only a few times, and not recently, so I don't know if that helps. Not the Buffalo scenester, but still ...

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

Play some songs. Maybe get laid.

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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