Chuck Berry: reelin’, rockin’, roilin’ forever
u e calls for the house lights to come up. The Silva
n 1 Concert Hall is suddenly awash in a yellow glow
Alone in the middle of a churning mass of bobbing
heads and waving arms, Chuck Berry — with his
cherry-finish Gibson — plays The constant noise of
2,500 people cheering peaks only a few decibels
beneath the sound of Berry's flashing chords The
audience dances in their seats, in the aisles and on
stage around him
His head is bowed, his eyes closed, as he plays the
guitar chords that are distinctly Chuck Berry He stands
in a center of a circle into which no one dances, a lone
man and his guitar His longish, brushed-back hair, with
a touch of greyness sprinkled through its blackness,
wags above his head Glistening sweat streaks down
the brown flesh hollows of his cheeks Berry's expres
sion changes with each chord progression, blurring
from pain to gentleness Yet, even in gentleness, when
he thinly smiles and nods his head at "getting it jess'
right," his face betrays the deep etching of pain
And all around him a steady 4/4 time makes the
crowd dance and shout delirious — as Berry plays on.
| n the dressing room between shows, Berry reclines
J—1 on a couch. He has one shining patent-leather
loafer cocked on the edge of the coffee table He seems
relaxed and easy-going, but the man is guarded and
calculating in his words.
The reporters are in a semi-circle before Berry. Two
sit on the floor, another is off to the side They are more
than a little aware that Berry doesn't do many interviews
and the occasional volatility of his personality. There
was already a "misunderstanding" and scuffle with a
photographer who had to give Berry his film Still, the
reporters are awed They ask Berry personal questions
like:
"Ghuck, I've listened to your tunes all my life
and. ... ”
"I remember the first time I... ”
"Chuck, I come from St Louis also
Berry’s reminiscences ramble deftly through the
past, the present He spans decades as he chain
smokes Salems '
Some recollections of his career possess a brittle
veneer He talks about his legal problems with the
Internal Revenue Service, owing the government
$400,000 plus penalties, as if it was some amusing
misunderstanding
"I told'em I had the money in my safe, Jim, '' he says
with a laugh. "If you want it you gonna hav'tah cornu
and git it."
But, between jags of his "home-boy" laugh is a
bitter tinge
"We didn't figure no computer would come out
there (Berry s home in Wentzville, Mo ). Hey, we got
rock roads How could some computer come down rock
roads?”
g erry toys with the reporters One moment he's the
jester, playing on their naivete and whiteness —
the next he's regarding them shrewdly, reciting back
to them their questions like they were posed by chil
dren.
"What did I find out about music that helped create
rock'n'roll?” Berry repeats with an incredulous tone
before clearing his throat and answering
He talks about colleagues being exploited. Bo
Diddley got "clipped" by his manager Larry Williams
missed out on Allen Freed's "American Hot Wax”
shows because he wanted $700 instead of the $500
offered. He doesn't understand what happened to Little
Richard
Even though Berry was smart, he says he was
exploited, too. Amazingly, Berry looks forward to 1983
because he’ll finally be able to acquire sole rights to
"Maybellene", “Roll Over Beethoven" and his other
early songs
The reporters lose their masks in his presence, he
is an icon that still shines from their youth through the
crawling of the years Here is the man that orchestrated
the soundtrack of their "teen-aged" rites of passage
It is much the same with the audience for the two
shows, they range in age from the 20s all the way to the
50s There is an odd mix: some kind of overweight and
conservative, young Neo-Wavers, families, some in
cowboy hats and others appearing as if they d just
come from a cocktail party All have come to see a living
legend — "The man who taught the whole world how to
play rock'n'roll guitar,” as Jivin' Johnny Ethridge, the
announcer, says
They enjoy the Whitetones and Johnny Limbo and
the Lug Nuts — but it's Berry they paid money to see.
\A/ hen Berry is introduced by Ethridge, they rise and
give him a standing ovation Out he strides, in
yellow slacks and mottled-green suit coat He jumps
right into "Roll Over Beethoven" to the crowd's delight
The toll of age is only slightly evident. The crowd
applauds Berry’s every move He struts and they clap
He wiggles his lanky body, they cheer. He plays a
flawless "Maybellene” and when he crouches into the
"duckwalk,” they go wild
The songs get mixed up Berry laughs through
skewed verses The crowd doesn't care
"Name nother one,” he shouts to the front row
"Gimme the first verse "
Berry doesn't tour anymore "I haven’t toured since
1967," he says He averages from six to eight selective
gigs a month According to Berry, it isn't for the money
"I have enough money now to live comfortably until
I'm 100," he says. "I don't have to be doing this. Jack "
d erry's all business, and it's disconcerting to the
reverent reporters He talks about his real estate
ip LA, Canada and the 90-acre Berry Park in Wentz
ville The reporters can't shake the image they've held
so long of Berry the smooth "cat," the clowning rocker
It’s disillusioning to see the man is not the same in life as
he is on stage
They ask him questions hoping he'll say something
like "rock'n'roll is my life " He doesn't
"My family used to go out and cut grass six days a
week This (performing) is how I go out and cut grass, "
Berry says
The reporters rise to leave Berry shifts something
from his right hand to his left and offers a handshake
Throughout the entire interview he's held a Fender
flatpick pinched between his thumb and forefinger
Story by Cort Fernald
Photos by Mark Pynes
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