What Makes the Monkey Dance: The Life And Music Of Chuck Prophet And Green On Red

I’ve been a sort of Chuck Prophet fan since I picked up Raisins In The Sun because I was a Jules Shears fan. Then I got Temple Beautiful and really listened and realized I was listening to the best thing I’d heard in forever. Then I saw him with his band and he became someone that I had to tell everyone about. This book traces his history and journey. He is a true explorer and fan who can’t sit still. In some ways it is the story of every music fan who becomes obsessed with and saved by music and is on a journey that keeps them exploring. Except that Prophet is a genius and lives that journey. I thought I knew him, but knew nothing. Quite a ride.

Track down his records or pull up some YouTube vids if you need proof. But the book will give you the feel for what life as a working musician looks like for most people–a gritty game of chance conquered by not letting your success be defined by other people.

One of Chuck’s very best efforts. Each song carries one along to some place I have wanted to go. Great lyrics, musically superb, and such sweet harmonies. It’s a comfort in rough times.

Fantastic book, really well written. I love Mr Prophet, this book really lets me understand what this cat has been through to write so many fabulous songs

I discovered Chuck Prophet when a friend gave me the No Other Love CD to listen to and I was immediately hooked. How utterly different--strange, melodic, atmospheric--and the lyrics! Cool, just cool. Next I saw him live at Mountain Stage and started collecting all his albums. They are all so different, from the early alt-country ones to the later all out rockers. Chuck Prophet always seems to be experimenting which is why I love his music.On to the biography... The author connects the periods of Chuck's life through his albums, starting with the Americana group Green on Red he was in first. I personally can't really get into Green on Red because Chuck only sings back-up, but that's just me. There's a lot of information about the songs on each album, but unfortunately not a lot about Chuck. A little bleeds in and out of each period, including the ubiquitous drugs and alcohol and later the sobering up. But this book was written with Chuck's cooperation, and I have read his crazy newsletters, so I imagine it was hard for the author to pull a lot of usable material from his conversations with the artist.Nevertheless, as a huge fan, I enjoyed the book. Do yourself a favor if you haven't heard Chuck Prophet and listen to a few songs. Chuck's the ultimate in California cool!

Chuck Prophet is the rock 'n' roll secret handshake. He's the best guitarist, the best songwriter and the best performer that you think you haven't heard of, but you have (probably). And if you haven't actually heard Chuck Prophet's music, you need to. This well-written scrupulously researched book is the perfect guide to Chuck's career. Where should you start? Start with Chuck's music and use this book as a roadmap for navigating its twists and turns along with Chuck's steady pace of making great rock 'n' roll. This book will deepen the appreciation of what we fans already love about Chuck and (hopefully) make some new fans as well. Great book about a great artist.

A longtime fan, author Simkins has done admirable amount of homework researching and giving a critical appraisal of the discography, career arc, and influences of perhaps commercially under appreciated San Francisco based musician Chuck Prophet. I found the book to be comprehensive and generally well cataloged account, but the fact that Simkins lives thousands of miles away, across an ocean from his subject, makes him lack the immediacy, and undercover fly on the wall perspective that might make this book more of a magical masterpiece. While Simkins dubiously dares document the arcane journey of an accomplished, but relatively obscure indie musician, Prophet is a somewhat unusual choice, as he is unlikely to ever achieve even the commercial crossover success or numinous notoriety of a Lucinda Williams, Joe Strummer or Elvis Costello, much less the household name status of songwriters like Springsteen, Petty or Dylan.Simkins spent years striving to bring the reader up to pro forma speed and properly informed to join the nascent Prophet pack, and strives to reveal the artists' musicological mastery . The tone is oft conversational, perhaps like a long weekend listening to tea for two, the tone strikes me as a tentative transcribed podcast, but rarely does it run off the rock n roll rails, which might make it more of a vicarious peek into a musician's special secret world. Like Chuck's musical output of late, its all presented in a professional, very deliberative measured tone, the highs are rarely of the absurdist acrophobia inducing level, and the lows limply linger like listless languid lulls, no tissues required. I myself would have loved more digging for the dirt underneath the fingernails, a search for less obvious sources, and perhaps a scraping aside of some of the fancy formalities. While the publisher delivers a solid work, full of Prophet's humble, self deprecating wit, I woulda myself liked to learned a lil' more about where the bodies are buried. This book refuses to bog down in my fave rock cliche' tales of broken bottles, hearts and promises that we know must surely lay strewn on the long and winding road most musicians must travel to get "somewhere", even if that "somewhere" is just to the next bar gig in a Ford Econoline van in desperate need of a new transmission.One wonders if they set out to issue a G rated rock book, one that Chuck and his wife Stephanie's parents can safely read. While certainly the only worthwhile literary look at Chuck's career in print, its not quite on the level of any breathtaking page turning passionate prose you'd find in a Greil Marcus, David Ritz or Peter Guralnick treatment, nor anywhere near as unexpected as Keith Richard's LIFE or Bob Dylan's Chronicles, much less the crass confessionally caustic veneer peeling in NOFX' recent "Hepatitis Bathtub", or Mötley Crüe's "The Dirt".Writing a well researched and authoritative book like "What Makes The Monkey Dance " was obviously no easy feat, and the folks involved turned in a respectable offering, with nice rarely seen photos, and will be well received by the mostly middle aged fans of Prophet that will likely read it. Simkins at some point mentions also being bestowed honor of the caretaker of the Prophet media archives and I know many fans would've appreciated it if these men (and lady) had opened the reels of unreleased recordings and included an audio or DVD component to augment the tales rather than erstwhile extended passages describing guitar solos that we'd all likely rather watch or listen to. Now that they've delivered the dissertation, here's to hoping this team gets on with the dessert and cranks it up at a graduation party sooner than later.

A good read , very surprised to find no mention of Richmond Fontaine/Willy Valutin .

being a fan of Green On Red more than CP solo career I didn't particularly enjoy the book: I always find the first part of a bio, youth and formation, boring (but that is my limit), the GOR part is a bit rushed, the solo career becomes repetitive (record recording/record song to song review/press reaction/solo tour, over again)

As a long-time fan of Green On Red and Chuck Prophet, I bought the book straight off the bat, and no regrets. It's extremely well researched. Many of the names of venues and musicians meant nothing to me, but that's okay. CP's story is worth reading, and this book does him justice. It covers the recording, the touring and the hassles with record labels, and is testament to the staying power of CP and Stephanie Finch. So - buy his music, go and see Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express if you can. Four stars for this book doesn't seem enough, so I'll give it five.