Jesse Helms Busted With Pornography - The C&W Opera By Eugene Chadbourne

This loosely connected songs on Eugene Chadbourne’s Jesse Helms busted With Pornography make up a self-described “C&W opera.” There is no plot to speak of, rather than just a theme of comically obvious corruption and obscene political commentary. The sound is vintage Chadbourne: an astute mix of avant-garde bluegrass, country, and wry protest music. Though the disc was recorded with a wide variety of musicians — including the Violent Femmes’ Brian Ritchie, former Frank Zappa drummer Jimmy Carl Black, members of Camper Van Beethoven, and many others — the recording manages to hold together thanks to Chadbourne’s skills as a bandleader. Mostly, the common thread that seems to bind is the artist’s undeniable manic energy as he baits Jesse Helms, the conservative senator from Chadbourne’s home state of North Carolina. Helms makes a good arch enemy and gives the music a pranksterish force missing from most protest music written since the 1960s. – Jesse Jarnow