Chas Smith

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 20 May 2024 5:51 pm

Chas took great pleasure and pride in the kinetic art (moving sculpture) that he built for artist Paul McCarthy. Would you like to see some of it?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 20 May 2024 7:01 pm

Earnest Bovine wrote:Chas took great pleasure and pride in the kinetic art (moving sculpture) that he built for artist Paul McCarthy. Would you like to see some of it?

Heck yeah.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 20 May 2024 7:23 pm

Mike Neer wrote:
Earnest Bovine wrote:Chas took great pleasure and pride in the kinetic art (moving sculpture) that he built for artist Paul McCarthy. Would you like to see some of it?
Heck yeah.

Well, I wasn't gonna do this, but since you insist, here is one of them:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zu01r

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 21 May 2024 3:10 am

Earnest Bovine wrote:
Mike Neer wrote:
Earnest Bovine wrote:Chas took great pleasure and pride in the kinetic art (moving sculpture) that he built for artist Paul McCarthy. Would you like to see some of it?
Heck yeah.
Well, I wasn't gonna do this, but since you insist, here is one of them:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zu01r

Yikes,,, well ,,that was inappropriate.

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 21 May 2024 8:30 am

It’s good to remember a multi-faceted person for all of their talents, even if some of the wellspring’s manifestations may seem controversial.

I just read an article about Chas Smith in which he described his introduction to the steel guitar:

While he was a student at CalArts, he went to a party one night. After some dedicated drinking, Smith lay down and got good and comfortable. Just then, someone put on Waylon Jennings’ Honky Tonk Heroes, and the record player was set for automatic repeat. The LP kept playing, over and over, even after his friends went out for a bite to eat. “I couldn’t get up to shut it off,” he remembers, “so I just laid there, listening to Ralph Mooney play, listening to the sound of his guitar. In the single notes, everything seemed to have this elevated importance to it. His chord structures were somehow changing while they were moving from place to place. I’d never heard anything like that in my life.”

After that, Smith went out and bought every record he could find that had pedal steel on it. And it wasn’t long before he bought himself a pedal-steel guitar—a single-neck Emmons. “I had no idea what I was getting into,” he says. “I started hacking away. Underline hack. I was so bad that the neighbors would throw their garbage into our yard whenever I practiced.” Of course, Smith had to listen to it too and he wasn’t particularly enjoying what he heard. “It takes 10 years to learn to play one of these f*ckers,” he says. “Not really. It actually takes 20.”
______

I did not know Mr. Smith, or even know of him. Sorry I missed all the fun while he was here. My condolences to family and friends and fans.

Thanks for posting.

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 23 May 2024 5:36 am

Here is an article I found when I was first getting into building steel guitars. So sad to hear he is gone. What an inspiration... https://www.fretboardjournal.com/featur ... has-smith/

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 23 May 2024 8:15 pm

I’m sorry to hear this sad news about Chas. The creativity and innovation that he displayed in any and all of his endeavors was incredible. The steel guitar community was fortunate to have him as a member. My condolences go out to all of his family and friends.

Andy DePaule · Post by **Andy DePaule** » 29 May 2024 3:24 pm

Earnest Bovine wrote:
Mike Neer wrote:
Earnest Bovine wrote:Chas took great pleasure and pride in the kinetic art (moving sculpture) that he built for artist Paul McCarthy. Would you like to see some of it?
Heck yeah.
Well, I wasn't gonna do this, but since you insist, here is one of them:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2zu01r

Well as I said before I saw the link, "We agreed on a few things and disagreed on more, but I liked him and considered him a very talented man."

I watched a bit of that so called "Kinetic Art" and I'm sure you turned off at least half of the forum members including myself.

He was a very talented man but we disagreed on issues of politics, morals and more if I wanted to dredge it up. But we don't do that with people who have passed away and I won't other than to repeat that he had a lot of talent, unfortunately I disagreed with some of the ways in which he used it.
Still I hope that if in fact there is some afterlife (And I do think something is there) that he will find a place to rest there in peace.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 30 May 2024 9:15 am

Andy, I would posit that Chas and you were opposite sides of the same very talented and valuable coin. We need all types to make this a great world.
I would also add that Chas was not the sculptor who created that art, just the wizard whose skills brought it to life.

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 13 Jun 2024 12:53 pm

I am saddened by this news chas could play more without pedals than many could with pedals I remember when he rebuilt the Ernie Ball double eight Bigsby for me that Bobbe Seymour nearly destroyed and claimed it was Bud Isaacs guitar Chas had great talent and he will be sorely missed

Andy DePaule · Post by **Andy DePaule** » 14 Jun 2024 5:03 am

Mike Neer wrote:Andy, I would posit that Chas and you were opposite sides of the same very talented and valuable coin. We need all types to make this a great world.
I would also add that Chas was not the sculptor who created that art, just the wizard whose skills brought it to life.

Hi Mike,
I have always respected your opinion and agree on what you said.
But to me this is just not art. For myself the are jobs I do and some I would refuse.
I would have refused to have anything to do with that (Art).

When I think of art it is something very different.
Still I liked Chas and our disagreements were mostly respectful.
I did enjoy pulling his leg on the continuing use of Psychedelic drugs, A position I have plenty of first hand (Or should I say first head) knowledge for about for 5 years in the 60's and 70's. I'd guess about once or twice a week back then.
I quit all that on the day my daughter was born.

My reasons are simple. I know many of us thought back then that they did us some good. We even told other that it would be good for them and in retrospect that was very bad judgement. I share some guilt for that and the stupidity of becoming a true believer.
Living in Springfield, Oregon, the home of Ken Kesey, I see some of the many bad results as living monuments standing on corners in Eugene with cardboard signs begging before returning to their tents and shopping carts full of a life of junk collection. Not what I'd call a great result or any form of enlightenment.

I know that Chas has great talent and I'd never try to take that away. I could not do that or want to. I'm sure he was well intentioned.
I enjoyed arguing with him just because it's a great Jewish sport!

Still have good thoughts for a friend who has passed on, if indeed we do pass on to something else? Maybe our souls just desolve back into the universe which is truly beyond my understanding.
Best wishes,
Andy

Jacques Boudreaux · Post by **Jacques Boudreaux** » 2 Aug 2024 9:07 pm

long time lurker first time poster, created an account to be able to post here in regards to chas smith

my heart goes out to friends, family, and SGF who no doubt were impacted by this loss

it had been a dream of mine to meet this dude, or at a minimum shoot the breeze via phone, ever since i stumbled across some youtube videos of him several years ago

super bummed out it won't be able to happen now

i was going down an internet rabbit hole last night about dekley guitars, and found this - felt compelled to express condolences for a tragic loss to this community

i hope yall all live life to the fullest and play every show like it's your last, tomorrow is guaranteed to no man