2009 Sucked, Blue Cheer Are Still Awesome

2009 Sucked and I listened to Vincebus Eruptum constantly to fight off all the tearz. That record came out in 1968. Gotta thank Mark Arm from Mudhoney who sorta recommended Blue Cheer to me when we were discussing sweet punk rock pedals.

But 2009 sucked because Dickie Peterson passed away, their excellent bassist and lead singer.

Watch this video of Summertime Blues and then fight somebody:


Andrew "Duck" MacDonald wrote this ode to Mr. Peterson (via brooklynvegan.com).

RICHARD ALLAN “DICKIE” PETERSON

Dickie Peterson was my Bandmate, Business Partner, Friend and Teacher the driving force behind Blue Cheer who some called the godfathers of Metal, Punk, Grunge and Stoner. I’ve heard underrated, overrated, the greatest and the worst band of all time but one thing is for sure there was no middle ground on opinions of his band.

I like to think a hundred years from now researchers will try to figure out how it got from Muddy Waters to Godsmack and they will find Hendrix and Cream, Zeppelin and Sabbath and then they will scratch their heads and think something’s missing and then they’ll see it, it won’t be shiny and beautiful but raw and crude and a bit misshapen but there it is the missing link between all that was and all that is Blue Cheer. Then it will all be documented, put on a shelf, collect dust and eventually be forgotten.

First and foremost Dickie was a Bluesman, a champion of the Blues and a Knight of the Blues Table who just happened to worship at the Temple of the Loud. He once was asked at an interview I was at with him how he felt about working with a heavy metal guitarist and he sort of chuckled and said “ Duck? Duck is just a blues guitarist in disguise.” and in that instance he taught me more about myself than even I knew and profoundly changed the way I thought about myself, no easy feat me being a stubborn Scotsman. There are so many stories I could tell you about my adventures with Dickie and someday we’ll sit down and drink a Scotch and I will tell all (if I can remember) but some things are just for me like the memories of first Love, your first born child being laid in your arms, and the passing of those you loved, those feelings are private and sacred and mine alone so I leave you with this.

Dickie is waiting for us and when we get there he will turn and face God and say
WE’RE BLUE CHEER AND THIS IS WHAT WE DO! And launch into Babylon. (Hopefully God will provide the gear and lots of it!)

Andrew “Duck” MacDonald