Soul Coughing: "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago"

If you were a hipster in the 1990's, then you know Soul Coughing. The New York-based band made its mark on the college crowd thanks to an unusual mix of rock, hip-hop, and electronica samples (the band billed themselves as "deep slacker jazz") laid over vocalist Mike Doughty's non-linear, half-spoken, half-sung, likely high-as-shit poetry. The effect is mesmerizing: the plucky upright bass line, the guitar's grooving accents, the weird sounds coming from the piano, a bleached blond Doughty basking in yellow stage lights, spitting out the lyrics as he dances with the mic stand -- if you're not into it by the time the sticks kick in at 30 seconds, then the invisible gods of beat might just start bobbing your head for you.

Of course, you probably shouldn't listen too closely, because the lyrics make no sense whatsoever:

"A man drives a plane
into the Chrysler building.

Saskatoon is in the room
Poulsbo is in the room
Bennetsville is in the room
Palmyra is in the room [note: these are various cities in the modern U.S. and Canada, as well as ancient Syria]

Is Chicago!
Is not Chicago!
Is Chicago!
Is not Chicago!"

Uh, yeah, okay Mike.

Still, "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago" is superficially about Chicago (in that you get to say "Chicago" a lot), and it's groovy, and it was the first song off the band's debut album Ruby Vroom back in 1994, so it's a great place to leap into the story of one of the quieter cult classic bands of the last couple decades.

After three albums and what seemed like a modest but happy ride through the mid- and late-nineties, the band broke up in 2000, though Mike Doughty is still trucking, releasing solo albums on Dave Matthews' label and his own for the last few years. His most recent album dropped this past Wednesday, and he also released his first memoir last month in which Soul Coughing fans may be sad to learn the extent of his disdain for the years he spent with the band; apparently the experience left him exhausted, bitter, and addicted to various tangible substances (alcohol, drugs) and intangible substances (fame, attention). Check out the new album here and the new book here.

And if you want more, check out this interview with Doughty, uploaded yesterday, in which he talks about Soul Coughing, the solo career, the drugs, and his journey:

He essentially blames the breakup of the band (and the fact that they didn't make it as big as the Beastie Boys) on his bandmates and his drug use. (Kids: Just say no!) But he seems to be in a good place now: "If there's just 55 people listening to the music that I make, and I'm eating food and sleeping in a bed - and making music that I love and believe in - I have a fantastic life."