"In 1968, Baker was savagely beaten (allegedly while attempting to buy drugs) after a gig in San Francisco, sustaining severe cuts on the lips and broken front teeth, which ruined his embouchure. He stated in the film Let's Get Lost that an acquaintance attempted to rob him one night but backed off, only to return the next night with a group of several men who chased him. He entered a car and became surrounded. Instead of rescuing him, the people inside the car pushed him back out onto the street, where the chase by his attackers continued, and subsequently he was beaten to the point that his teeth, never in good condition to begin with, were knocked out, leaving him without the ability to play his horn."
So, why did he get beat up? We only have Baker's version of what happened. This story speculates on what could have been the reason.
I love the way you pick out moments like this. I know that if I did something speculative about Baker, I would've done it on his death- From the same article:
"At about 3:00 am on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on the Prins Hendrikkade, near the Zeedijk, the street below his second-story room (Room 210) of Hotel Prins Hendrik in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with serious wounds to his head. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle, and the death was ruled an accident"
Although I guess you'd have to turn to conspiracy to make it interesting? In any case, I love your stuff. Thanks for replying- J
Thank you! If I had decided to make a longer story about Chet Baker, that probably would have been the opening, the body being found, and then the rest would have been flashbacks.
Nice one. Is the rabbit based on anyone in particular?
ReplyDeleteYes, he's based on Chet Baker. From Wikipedia:
ReplyDelete"In 1968, Baker was savagely beaten (allegedly while attempting to buy drugs) after a gig in San Francisco, sustaining severe cuts on the lips and broken front teeth, which ruined his embouchure. He stated in the film Let's Get Lost that an acquaintance attempted to rob him one night but backed off, only to return the next night with a group of several men who chased him. He entered a car and became surrounded. Instead of rescuing him, the people inside the car pushed him back out onto the street, where the chase by his attackers continued, and subsequently he was beaten to the point that his teeth, never in good condition to begin with, were knocked out, leaving him without the ability to play his horn."
So, why did he get beat up? We only have Baker's version of what happened. This story speculates on what could have been the reason.
I love the way you pick out moments like this. I know that if I did something speculative about Baker, I would've done it on his death-
DeleteFrom the same article:
"At about 3:00 am on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on the Prins Hendrikkade, near the Zeedijk, the street below his second-story room (Room 210) of Hotel Prins Hendrik in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with serious wounds to his head. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle, and the death was ruled an accident"
Although I guess you'd have to turn to conspiracy to make it interesting?
In any case, I love your stuff. Thanks for replying-
J
Thank you! If I had decided to make a longer story about Chet Baker, that probably would have been the opening, the body being found, and then the rest would have been flashbacks.
ReplyDelete