The Living Arts
44 Minutes of Love (and Music):
A Conversation with Musician and Club owner Chuck Perrin
by Derek Shaw
Fifty-seven year-old Chuck Perrin is owner of Dizzy’s Jazz Club, a Southern California favorite that recently moved to the Wine and Culinary Center at 2nh and J Street in downtown San Diego. In operation since 2000, Dizzy’s showcases local musicians as well as some of the premiere jazz artists in the world. Originally from Indiana, Perrin is a prolific songwriter and studio artist himself. His melodic style is intricate and poetic. Perrin’s new album 44 Minutes of Love comes out just in time for Valentine’s Day. Vision Magazine had a chance to chat with the musician and club owner recently about music, life and that crazy thing called love.
Vision Magazine: In addition to your artistic talent, your entrepreneurial savvy seems to have developed early as well.
Chuck Perrin: My first venue, Webster’s, was then what Dizzy’s is now. My sister and I were eager to perform, but the options in central Illinois [where we were living] were limited. I found a former radio station in an old basement and set up cement blocks with shelf board across them for a stage. People paid a fifty-cent admission and were handed pillows to sit on. Webster’s was near my college so there were poets, actors and artists everywhere. It kept me around that creative spirit.
VM: Why did you decide to move to California?
CP: After touring throughout the seventies, I went through a period during the eighties where I needed more stability. I had a daughter and a wife, and I wanted a house, but I’ve never been able to save up. An opportunity arose to manage the entertainment for a conglomeration of restaurants. All of a sudden I was put in a corporate situation. I flourished because I realized all they wanted was money.
VM: I love music for art’s sake, but I’ve never been comfortable getting involved in business. Is it possible to be an artist while working for a corporation?
CP: I think so, but I wouldn’t have been able to stand ten years if I hadn’t given them what they wanted. Once I did, they cut me complete slack and I had no set hours. As an artist, you have a leg up over businessmen. It’s about content and creative ideas. If you’ve got them, you can make it work for you.
VM: How does that relate to the collapsing music industry?
CP: The music business is definitely tumbling, but it’s putting the power back in the artist’s hands…Paying your dues doesn’t mean suffering; it’s about experiencing. Be true to yourself because that’s the only way it will ring true.
VM: It seems like that attitude inspired your return to the studio in the mid-90s. Swallow Life and Beatitude recapture the bohemian spirit that originally inspired you.
CP: The artist reflects the world around him…You have to be a person of your times. Right now, there is a shit load of change going down. Revel in it and discuss what you see. You can’t try to be something you’re not. Beatitude was a commentary on 90s culture becoming more sheep-like and less individualistic. Things tend to go in cycles, and people needed that freedom again.
VM: I like the fact that Dizzy’s is not only musician-friendly but audience-oriented as well.
CP: I simply created a place where people wanted to play. The artist sets the cover charge and keeps seventy percent. It isn’t gimmicky or pretentious because art doesn’t need anything else. There’s no dress code or expectations because I want people to feel comfortable. It got me around that sense of community again. Local musicians are very supportive of each other. Everyone thanks me for what I’ve done for the scene, but it’s really selfish. I’m the one who benefits because I’m constantly surrounded by that positive energy. The artist’s challenge is to stay in a creative frame of mind, and that’s what Dizzy’s does for me. I wake up excited to play my guitar.
VM: How do you manage to stay relevant as an artist?
CP: As long as you’re honest, it will find its place. The great part about the Internet is that you can reach people around the world. You don’t need 3,000 fans in San Diego anymore. The ballgame is changing. It’s no longer about getting a major label contract; it’s about building a fan base.
VM: Your new album, 44 Minutes of Love, is sort of a musical Valentine to your wife. How do you write original songs about such an age-old subject without sounding cliché?
CP: I didn’t used to write love songs because they do tend to be trite. But this was sincere and natural…I was just a man being open with his feelings. With all that drains us, the challenge is to keep the passion in our lives and relationships. I covered Al Green and Bob Marley because they have such a real message.
VM: Now that your children are grown up, how has that influenced your marriage?
CP: We’re at the age where our relatives are passing away, and it causes stress. My wife beat cancer, and for me, there’s nothing greater than having a partner to help you through life’s battles.
VM: You’ve showcased diverse artists at Dizzy’s, but you’ve said that it’s “all jazz.” What does that mean, and how does it relate to life and love?
CP: Jazz is spontaneity…responding to the moment. It carries into life because, as a human, you have to be willing to adapt to change. [It’s the] same with love—it’s important to find new ways to express your commitment.
VM: I was recently at a jazz show with friends and we were discussing Eastern philosophy. I related Buddhism to jazz in that it’s about being in the moment. My friend thinks Buddhism is amoral, that nothing matters. I actually think it’s the opposite: everything matters…Each decision affects our environment and ourselves.
CP: I’ve always loved Hesse’s Siddhartha, and the image of life as a river constantly flowing, yet ever-present. It’s amazing to be alive…to be a creative person with the ability to think something up out of nothing.
VM: I think everything comes from something. Artistic inspiration is derived from experience, consciously or not, and art is a reflection of those daily interactions. Being that our daily lives are so intertwined with technology, what direction do you think music is moving?
CP: Art is a manifestation of what people want. Our lives are so technologically perfect that everything is available and possible. You can do it all with Pro Tools and Photoshop, but the new generation wants real and raw…they need some soul. Live music is never going away because people crave that connection.
Check out Chuck Perrin and his new CD at www.chuckperrin.com. For more information about Dizzy’s Jazz Club, visit www.dizzyssandiego.com. Derek Shaw is a musician, skateboarder and writer. He loves his black lab Spot, and Spot loves him. Check him (and his band) out at www.myspace.com/thedoomsdaydevice