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| Chip was hatched in a small
town in Georgia. He was breast fed and made the transition to solid
food quite well. With the exception of a brief and peculiar hand-licking
phase, he met all developmental milestones in a timely fashion. He
did eat dirt on occasion - but, it was what all the popular kids were
doing and he wanted so badly to fit in... something that would elude
him for a lifetime. |
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| When he was 6 of your human years, the
litter moved to Atlanta. He spent his days in typical suburban fashion:
torturing G.I. Joes, performing tapeworm experiments, and desperately
attempting to keep even one family of sea-monkeys alive. It would
be the first of what would seem an endless parade of failures in his
life. He continued to eat dirt - but, only during Mardi Gras. It was
while contemplating the obvious that he realized that, no matter how
long you torture a G.I. Joe... they will never tell you where the
treasure is. This is the main reason that Chip is poor today. |
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| Discovering the joy of breaking-and-entering
at the tender age of 10 was a character defining moment for Chip -
He was informed by Elves that it was much more satisfying to steal
than work - and produced far fewer hernias. They were quite specific:
All he had to do is imagine he was in a "quiet place", put
a finger in each ear - and he would become invisible. It became abundantly
clear that the authorities had special powers which enabled them to
see through the Elven magic - something the elves neglected to share
with him. Harbouring a great deal of angst at them for this omission
- he continues to work closely with his therapist; he is reluctant
to discuss this matter for fear that "they might hear...".
He did say that he would be willing to answer questions in this regard
"once the medication has reached therapeutic levels". Whatever
that means... |
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| Chip had his first girlfriend in the 7th
grade. He would walk to her neighborhood, sit down outside her house
and listen to her while she practiced the clarinet. Fortunately, stalking
laws were years away. She ultimately broke up with him because he
would not kiss her; Chip's first taste of a dying code of chivalry.
Realizing that this sense of nobility was no longer fashionable, he
vowed to keep it hidden...'lest he never have another girlfriend. |
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| High School was a blur of
Jack Daniels and Dungeon & Dragons. He cannot remember studying
- but, is confident that he must have at some point. Not surprisingly,
he was voted "Most Likely To Be Incarcerated" in his Senior
year. |
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| He matriculated into college
thereafter. English literature was his major; organic chemistry &
physics were far too serious - and requires showing up for class sober.
Besides, he could never figure out those "Calculator - thingies".
It was as an undergraduate the he was asked to join a band - the only
band he would ever be a member of; "The Dixie Express".
They played in a converted chicken house called "The Piney
Grove Jamboree" in a small town outside of Atlanta. Chip
was fired from the band because one night, when he should have been
at practice, ha was busy fawning all over some girl. Ultimately, she
fired him as well. |
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| Songwriting began at age 20.
The bulk of his early material focused on girl, alcohol, and doughnuts.
Not necessarily in that order. |
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| He still holds firmly to the concept of
chivalry - being one of only 17 men in the world who do so. They meet
secretly once a month at Shoney's for coffee in an informal support-group
atmosphere. As all of the other members are at least four score in
years (2 are Civil War veterans) - Chip admits that he longs for conversation
about anything other than bowel movements and the lack of/or excess
of rain. Still, the group voted that not one member is allowed to
die until a replacemtn is found. As hygene is at times (and understandably)
compromised in 140 year old men... it would mean a great deal to Chip,
the "17", and Shoney's - If anyone reading this, who is
willing to take up the banner of chivalry, would consider joining.
A few of these gentlemen do so deserve the opportunity to die. |
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| Each and every character in
his songs represent real people and/or events from his life. At times,
the protagonist is a blend of the two. From juvenile delinquency,
homelessness, drugs & alcohol, divorce, holding a loaded pistol
against his head intent upon celestial discharge from this life, to
finding the courage to go back to school to earn his M.D. from Texas
Tech University, becoming Chief Resident at Vanderbilt, and now serving
that very population of homeless that he was once a part of.... Chip's
songs are the pages of an audio-diary that document one man's struggle
on a path of self-destruction... and ultimately, self-actualization. |
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| Stonewall Music is proud to
share the pages of his diary with you. |
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