Chuck Mathieu: bluesman, Dudeist

Welcome to another Dudesday, loyal reader. If you’re just joining us, this is our weekly celebration of the ethos of my favorite movie character: The Dude. Yes, The Dude is a lazy man, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate him. And today’s song…if it wasn’t written about The Dude, well, it was written by someone who is firmly on the path of Dudeism. Just look at the title: “Lazy Man Blues“ (click the link to hear the tune).

And the first line is, “Don’t feel like doin’ nothin’.” Well, you don’t need me to tell you that describes The Dude perfectly. He doesn’t feel like doin’ nothin’ except bowling, drinking white Russians, and listening to Bob. He follows that line with “Don’t want no part of workin’” You’re not alone there, Mr. Mathieu.

Then Chuck Mathieu gets to the heart of Take ‘Er Easy Thursday when he sings

There’s workin’ folks that just can’t relax

They’re working hard and breakin’ their backs

One day, they’ll all be dead from heart attacks.

Brothers and sisters, friends of the revolution, can I get an AMEN for Mr. Chuck Mathieu? Yea verily, he speaks the truth! He has seen the light just like The Dude, who is expert at taking it easy, and he sure isn’t gonna break his back working for The Man. And why would he when he can spend all his time at leisure?

Mathieu also has his own version of “Careful, man! There’s a beverage here!” when he warns against going too fast because he might fall and break his glass. Clearly, this is a man who follows the righteous path of Dudeism. And I take comfort in that. It’s nice to know that lazy guys like this are out there takin’ ‘er easy for all us sinners. That about wraps ‘er up. Until next time, you take ‘er easy. I know that you will.