Wednesday Morning Jukebox – Chi Cheng, RIP
On Sunday, Chi Cheng, bass player for Deftones, died after a years-long fight of injuries incurred in a car accident. Deftones were one of the defining bands of the nu-metal movement of the ’90s and ’00s. Heavy Metal isn’t always listener-friendly*, and this could, at times, be said of Deftones as well. But not always. There was a melodic element to their music, with singer Chino Moreno switching – often bar-by-bar – between the aggressive and the lyrically sweet. Here’s an old, undated appearance on Letterman:
Change (In the House of Flies) was the lead single off their third album, White Pony. This was the album that brought Deftones their greatest audience, with Change getting heavy rotation on radio and television (you know, back when MTV and MuchMusic would show some videos), but it was Be Quite and Drive from the 1997 album Around the Fur that first told me that this was a band worth listening to. Here’s an even older appearance on Conan:
(And for good measure, here’s the band doing an acoustic version with Incubus and Adam Sandler… yes, Adam Sandler.)
It’s always interesting to learn what artists a band respected, enjoyed or was influenced by. Deftones inclusion on a punk/ska/alternative tribute album for Duran Duran resulted in this gem:
*”Not listener-friendly” != bad.
I must admit I always mentally lumped these guys in with the Korns and the Limp Bizkits, but you are not the first person to tell me that they were better/smarter/more interesting than that.
I was intrigued by their choice to cover “If Only Tonight We Could Sleep” – not that it surprised me that a metal band might like The Cure, but that they would choose one of the less pop or rock songs to cover, instead going with a fairly faithful rendition of a druggy-droney Eastern-sounding number:
http://youtu.be/RQptLhImcpwReport
Apparently they’ve also covered The Smiths. This probably shows part of where they’re coming from sonically, and might help explain why someone (like me) who doesn’t always like their genre can really get into Deftones.
I think it’s fair to put Deftones, Korn and Limp Bizkit in the same general category. If they were all on the same bill, it wouldn’t seem particularly odd. (I might be inclined to also lump them in with the likes of Tool/A Perfect Circle, System of a Down or POD.)
I’m not a huge fan of Korn or LB (though I think LB had their moments, most of which were Wes Borland’s moments). Deftones have much more texture than LB, and are probably more accessible than Korn, even while staying true to the sound. If someone didn’t like those two bands, but liked loud, textured music, I’d still recommend they try out Deftones.Report
Well, as I live in Sacramento, I guess I guess I should tell my Chi story. I unknowingly ended up shooting pool with him for a few hours in a midtown (hipster/music zone) bar that I was a regular at. He had come in with my friend Caroline, and even though this bar had been name checked on a ‘tones album and a platinum of White Pony behind the bar, I had never put two and two together.
Anyway, we shot pool, drank a few beers and BS’ed for a while before deciding to walk to a house party a DJ was having. As we walked, he asked me what I do, and I gave him the run down. I then asked what he did.
“Oh, I’m a rock star.”
“No, seriously.”
“Well, I play bass for the Deftones.”
“Really? Thats cool.”
Then we talked about our kids.Report
That’s a cool story, Aaron.Report
That’s cool, sounds like he was a level-headed guy.
I get to Sacramento for work sometimes. Next time I am there maybe I will look you up – sounds like you know where the good bars are. 🙂Report
Drop me a line any time you are out this way, it would be cool!Report