CHRIS BUTLER - THE MUSEUM OF ME

"Although Chris brought us the semi-successful band The Waitresses, this new solo effort is nothing but crap. Shoddy recordings, outdated music and neither funny nor interesting lyrics combine to make this one of the worst listening experiences of all time - DB"

  As yet another twelve months bite dust, tis time again to whisk ears back upon what the year past had to offer within the “Rock,” “Pop,” “Pop-Rock” and (my personal favorite pigeonhole) “Otherwise” competitions.  Now this time, I present an alphabetical mix of curios both new and re-issue – with even a couple of beauts which technically came out a month or twelve or twenty outside our strict chronological criteria but failed to reach MY full attention til A.D. 2002 – each and every single one of which, if they aren’t already, do most definitely deserve an immediate place deep within your daily listening habits. 
  All set then?  Ears open, if you will, to….. 

CHRIS BUTLER
The Museum Of Me
(Future Fossil)
www.nutscape.com/ChrisButler

The man, the far-from-myth, yes the supreme audio architect which is still Chris “I Used To Be A Square Peg, But I’m Alright Now” Butler has finally packed the absolute crème of his home-recorded (on Edison wax and Webster wire recorders, direct-to-lathe-and-PortaStudio, and even the Rolling Stones Mobile!) crop onto this one great big disc.  Complete with just about everything from mini-song sketches (lifting off with the soothing benedictory “Hole In The Sky,” which opens “The Museum Of Me” just as “Meant For You” introduced the Beach Boys’ “Friends”) through to full-blown soundscapes of near-cinematic stretch (the lasagna western theme which is the Beatles’ authentic Studer four-track-recorded - Really! - version of “Bad Moon Over Mel Bay”), these seventy-one full minutes go a good sonic mile and then some past what one may rightfully expect from such an assemblage of perfectly unapologetic retro-fi’ness.  Why, “The Idiot Trail” deftly chews up then spits straight out the comparative self-pomp of The Eagles at their most, yes, idiotic, while “The Bottom Of A Workingman’s Beer” and the Con Edison-powered “Power” sound nothing less than Lost Lennon Tapes for the End Times!  Similarly, “The Man In The Razor Suit” takes but five-minutes-twelve to completely demo-lish such recent big-budget collections of triteness as those by Ryan Adams (et al et ALL).  Intricately interspersed with snips of dialog and comparable found sounds, then trailed by a doubling helping of fascinating Bonus Footage to boot, this is one musical museum you undoubtedly will be returning to quite often after your initial visit… though you really should try to keep from thinkin’ bout them gurls so much you know, Chris!

Chris Butler
The Museum of Me
Future Fossil Records, 2002
by Vera Darin

Who the hell is Chris Butler? Well, what I realized is that he's one of those musicians that you really don't think you know but you do. Chris' work has crept into my life under many different guises. He was the front man for the Waitresses ("I Know What Boys Like") and wrote the theme song to that darling Sarah Jessica Parker sitcom gem, Square Pegs. He even found the time to record the longest pop song on record, "The Devil's Glitch" recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records and clocking in at a tortuous 69 minutes. Now does any of this ring a bell?

So, what's he been up to lately? Chris has been making the rounds at your local flea market, where he's found that one man's trash is truly another man's treasure. He's put together an assortment of old and new recording devices, has played around with his new toys, recording his activity for your listening pleasure. Here is The Museum of Me.

Sounds interesting enough, but only after repeated listenings could I piece together what this guy is trying to do. I was initially put off by Chris' quirky, shaky voice and confusing, choppy lyrics that were often too abstract for me to understand or appreciate, but this is not his concern. He wants to show you that he is a mad scientist in the recording studio, mixing and recording on vintage tape and wire and wax cylinders, and slapping it all together to produce an "eclectically recorded" album. Think beyond the actual music, start to consider the production and methodology of recording and this is when you discover that Butler may not have the greatest voice or lyrics but he knows cool and unusual ways of recording it all.

A few songs delightfully stand out such as the down-south themed "Swamp Boy," recorded on vintage tape in what sounds like a garage. This little snippet reminds me of early Modern Lovers. Another track, "Bad Moon in the Sky" is an enjoyable surfer psychedelic swoon comparable to the laid back strummings of the Tornadoes. The whole album has a comedic quality and the best example of this is "Thinking About Them Girls," a spoof of those 30's and 40's tunes recorded on an old wire cylinder.

So, yeah, I liked three songs, but I suffered through nine others. Try testing how open-minded you are by listening to a man brag about his electronic gadgetry (laptops, stereos, etc.) in spoken word over synthesized music. Think you'd dig it? Try track eight, "Power." Or maybe you're in the mood to hear a middle aged man pretending to be a teenaged boy singing about his confusing obsession with his best friend's sister. Then track seven, "Davey's Sister Home from College" is right up your alley.

Overall - could I pass this along to just anyone? Nope. I can think of a few friends that wouldn't return my phone calls if I dared to give them this CD as a birthday/Hanukah/Christmas gift. But there are those select few that might enjoy The Museum of Me: sound engineer techies/geeks, music historians or people with loads of patience.