When I was in the first grade,
a kid a grade above me
told me in that really confident way kids do when an adult has taught them a new and controversial fact that
Elvis didn’t invent rock and roll.
It was really Chuck Berry.
As a result,
this is how I spent a year
in the early 1980s telling everyone
that Gong Show host Chuck Barris also invented rock and roll –
which in retrospect
seems as plausible as anything else
what with him being a secret agent and all.
RIP Chuck Berry (1926–2017) and thanks for all the rock and/or roll.
update 10 p.m., 21 december 2017
RIP to Chuck Barris (1929–2017) too – the real king of rock and roll, not Elvis Costello.
—jason malmberg
Flommist Jason Malmberg is a simple man who believes in brown liquor and small dogs. He also makes art sometimes. Copyright © 2017 Jason Malmberg.
PLEASE SUPPORT FLOMM
TIPS + DONATIONS DISCREETLY ACCEPTED