Chuck Prophet Remembers Producer Jim Dickinson

Posted on Aug 17th 2009 3:00PM by Jason Cohen
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Chuck Prophet was just 22 when he first worked with Memphis blues and rock legend Jim Dickinson, who produced two discs by Prophet's old band Green on Red (1987's dark but polished 'The Killer Inside Me' and 1989's demented 'Here Come the Snakes') around the same time that he worked with the Replacements. They were friends and collaborators ever since, performing together on the 1997 live record 'A Thousand Footprints in the Sand.'

Prophet, who is working on his 11th solo record, was in Baja Mexico when he heard the news of Dickinson's death Saturday. He immediately jotted down some thoughts. "He was a sensitive man," Prophet wrote. "But full of mischief and fun. Corny as it sounds, he was a father to me. I was definitely a student. I always feel his presence. He left his mark. Jim was also a dedicated man, dedicated to the art of record producing and to his family. He believed making records was a fight of Light vs. Dark -- but who refused to work Saturdays so he could watch his Memphis Wrestling on TV. A tangle of contradictions, his gruff exterior never hid his huge heart.

"As a producer, when he sensed that Green on Red lacked faith in ourselves -- us fearing it was all hollow, a scam, Jim said, "Never let anybody make you feel bad about what you're doing,'" Prophet continued. "He offered belief. And made you feel your work was important. It was clearly important to him. What a gift he gave us.

Prophet goes on to list some of his favorite memories of Dickinson, including:

How happy Jim was when Dylan started performing 'Across the Borderline' in concert: "Bob Dylan singing MY words!"

On tuning: "Tuning is a decadent European habit bordering on the homosexual." Said with no malice, just his grin. And again on tuning, but years later: "This auto tune is great. I'd run the drums through it if I could."

On producing The Replacements: "Did you know Paul Westerberg wears make up?"

Read the eulogy in full at Prophet's web site,