I admire Chip Taylor for all that he has done in an illustrious career that spans the decades. Even more, it is amazing what he has been up to of late. He just got back from a tour of Sweden and Norway in frigid temperatures which included performances at prisons. Chip’s globetrotting is an inspiration, and his continuing thirst to create is a thing of wonder. I don’t know if you have checked out the website that Chip started a while back called Rock and Roll Joe: A Tribute To The Unsung Heroes of Rock N’ Roll. It shines lights on lesser known, yet influential characters that occupy the dark corners of our musical history. There are essays from Chip and others, and word is that Rosanne Cash and Buddy Miller will be adding some reflections to the site soon.
Last year, Chip released an album on Smithsonian/Folkways, Golden Kids Rule by Chip Taylor & The Grandkids. Yes, it really does feature his three granddaughters, Riley, Kate and Samantha. It gave Chip the opportunity to mentor and collaborate, celebrating love of family and their communal music. And not to go from the sacred to the profane, but today is the day that the new album, F**ck All The Perfect People comes out. Chip recorded it with the New Ukrainians, his Scandinavian touring band. The album features longtime guitarist John Platania and keyboardist Goran Grini along with bassist Bjorn Petterson, guitarist Orjan Maki, drummer Magnus Olsson and additional musicians. The video for the title track was directed by Juno Award winner Jeth Weinrich. There is also a ‘clean’ version; “Screw All The Perfect People.” (Whew!)
-Jessie Scott
