BUT WHAT WE REALLY WANNA KNOW IS, WILL IT HAVE MORE CHAINSAW SOLOS?

The headline “JACKYL Frontman Returns With Second Solo Outing” on Blabbermouth last night totally startled me; I had no idea that Jesse James Dupree had a first solo album – or, for that matter, that Jackyl were even still around in any capacity. And I don’t really have much to say about the revelation that Dupree feels some need to make records without Jackyl; I mean, a) I’m not sure any of you give a shit and b) I myself don’t really give a shit. ‘Cause at the end of the day, you have to wonder why Dupree even bothers making solo albums – does he feel upstaged sometimes by the other members of Jackyl? Are there musical experiments he feels he can’t try within the oubliette of that band? Who knows?

ANYWAY, thinking about Dupree did get me thinking about those chainsaw solos that pretty much overshadowed every other aspect of his band (“Which ones are Jackyl again?” “The ones with the singer who does the chainsaw solo.” “Oh yeah!”). I always assumed that these mini-masterpieces of the aural equivalent of found art were just studio tricks – and even though Dupree apparently does try to recreate them live (at least according to some “fans” on the net), I can’t find any video of said recreation.

I did, however, find the below video of Dupree sawing a stool in half at last year’s Rocklahoma. Truth be told, the clip is only half as amusing as the description posted with it:

“Anyone who knows Jackyl knows that Jesse James Dupree always ends to the show with the ‘Lumberjack Song’ where he actually PLAYS the chainsaw as an instrument. Well, he also always chainsaws a bench and throws it. This is a video of that.”

Gentlemen, start yer engines…

-AR