Terry Chimes - The Strange Case of Dr. Terry and Mr. Chimes (2013)

Terry Chimes (born July 5, 1956 in London, England), credited as Tory Crimes on The Clash's first eponymous album, was their original drummer and is a member of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Chimes is a very fascinating individual who is not your proto-typical punk-rocker. In his short, 167-page autobiography, The Strange Case of Dr. Terry and Mr. Chimes, the teetotalling, vegetarian, and spiritual rocker relates tale after tale about the rock 'n roll lifestyle and great insights about his famous band. He also tells us why he left the music business for a totally new, unrelated career.

Unusually for a punk-rocker, Chimes grew up in a loving, stable family with two parents. That difference immediately set him apart from Joe Strummer and his mates so Chimes often felt like he didn't fit in.

In addition, Chimes was not aligned with the angry, political left as the other members of The Clash were and he wasn't shy about benefiting from the riches and privileges that being in a major rock band could bestow upon him. On the other hand Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonin were quite vocal about giving their money away if the band eventually made any.

While all of this did create some friction in the band, the others wanted Chimes to remain a loyal member even though his unhappiness made him determined to leave. It even got to the point where Strummer offered the drummer his share of the band's profits if he would stay on after their first album began making some positive noise.

The rocker's departure from "the only band that matters" led to a discussion about one of the book's more important overriding themes: the promise Chimes made to himself to never work at a job he didn't love.

After the East Londoner left The Clash and was replaced by Nicholas "Topper" Headon he continued to work in hard rocking bands. He went on to play with Hanoi Rocks, Johnny Thunders, and Black Sabbath before the 80s came to a close. Then, after Headon left the band in 1982 due to his heavy drug addiction Chimes returned to The Clash but he stayed less than a year because the band broke up.

While in Sabbath's lineup Chimes experienced severe arm pain. When the band's chiropractor, a member of a profession he never heard of before, helped cure him a new spark ignited inside the still young man. When this internal fire spread the musician gave up rock 'n roll for twenty years and become a chiropractor himself. He eventually opened up a chain of practices across Britain. Then, when he felt that life was being sucked out of him again he followed his belief of doing only what he loves and sold the business. After the sale he went to work at one of his former offices and that allowed him more time to renew his musical interests.

Today, Chimes is still a practicing chiropractor. He is also a motivational speaker and continues to follow his musical muse in a new band.

Chimes still has genuine affection for most of his old band mates and he is still close with his family.

The author appears to be a deep thinker and his prose is clear, concise, and good enough to hold your interest. He should also be credited with the ability to find success in whatever path he pursued and in being his own man because he never allowed the excesses and lifestyle of the more glamorous of his two professions to control him.

Visit Terry Chimes' website to get details about his music, medical practice, charity work, and speaking gigs.

Comments

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more