As summer approaches, many acts will be retuning to the road, or retuning home waiting for the next leg of their tour to begin. Unfortunately, our dear Chicago brother and bassist Charles Levi will still be recovering from many medical issues.

You don’t have to be a rivet-head from Chicago to know just who Charles Levi is. Anyone who’s followed alternative / industrial music are familiar with either “My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult” or “PigFace” who Charles Levi has toured with extensively over the years. Charles Levi’s contributions to music had lasted decades until everything came to a halt not to long ago once Charles came down with sepsis and lost one of his legs as a result.

Since then, Charles has come down with many medical struggles while attempting to recover from this tragic chapter of his life. Now, after several strokes, and a current battle with vascular dementia, Charles Levi is living in Colorado literally fighting for his life and his sanity. As Charles (and his love Dani) attempts to contact anyone they can for public / government funding so they’re able to find and pay for a forever home, medical bills, and living costs, they are now in between places to live as the money gets spent before it’s received.

All of this considered, I’d like to personally thank Charles Levi (and Dani) for taking the time to answer some questions for me and Lost Anarchy Magazine.

HH: Charles, Thank you brother! What do you look forward to more than anything else that you couldn’t say ten years ago?

CL: Honestly, I look forward to being able to play my Bass again, marrying my Fiance Dani, and just staying alive with all the health issues I have from Sepsis. Music is all I know. I had several Stokes when I was in an induced Coma while I had Sepsis and I’ve had mini strokes over the past year or so. I have very bad Central Neuropathy from these Strokes but my fiance (Dani) was having me play my Bass everyday for as long as I could. Unfortunately we don’t have a permanent home now, so I had to put both my Basses in storage. I’m very grateful for everyday. Life is a gift even when it gets hard.

HH: If you didn’t become a musician, what would you be doing all these years?

CL: Ha! Good question. Maybe a professional athlete or bum . Music is really all I know so it’s hard to picture doing anything else.

HH: What do you miss most about Chicago?

CL: Lake Michigan

HH: After either recording with or performing with Chemlab, Skatenigs, Die Warsaw, and KMFDM what are a couple of your favorite memories or stories you’d like to tell the readers?

CL: This is one of my favorite stories. My first job working for the infamous Jolly Rogers at Jam Productions was to watch his 2 daughters while the Thin Lizzy crew was loading into the Uptown Theater. Phil Lynott was walking around and I noticed him and I could tell he was looking for Jolly Rogers then wife cause she was really hot. I had been waiting for Thin Lizzy to come to the U.S. but their tour was cancelled twice because they either got into fights and then their guitarist got injured. So it was amazing my first assignment from Jolly Rogers was to watch his 2 daughters at the Thin Lizzy show at the Uptown Theater. Anyway, when I noticed Phil Lynott walking around looking for Jolly ‘s then wife and I said to him the blonde is spoken for and it wouldn’t be wise for him to pursue his interest for her…..”She’s the wife of the stage manager you know the guy who is 6’8..?” He thanked me and I struck up a conversation with him about them finally coming to the U.S. and we talked a bit about life. I had never heard a black guy with a Irish accent before. It was amazing to see a black lead singer playing bass. It really inspired me and meeting Phil Lynott was incredible.

HH: Which are your top ten favorite bands / artists in no particular order?

CL: Actually here’s my top 12:

*Thin Lizzy
*Weather Report
*UFO
*My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
*Pigface
*Barry Adamson
*Skinny Puppy
*Led Zeppelin
*ChemLab
*Damage Manual
*Yes
*Sam Cooke (he was Dad’s cousin)

HH: Which are your favorite bands to watch live?

CL: Skinny Puppy, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, Killing Joke, Ministry.

HH: What are you top 10 favorite studio albums in any order?

CL: Montrose by Ronnie Montrose, Twitch by Ministry, 13 Above The Night – My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Toys In The Attic – Aerosmith, Black Rose – Thin Lizzy, Notes From The Underground – PigFace,
Too Dark Park – Skinny Puppy, Hair Of The Dog – Nazerath, The Negro Inside – Barry Adamson, Lights Out – UFO

HH: What are your top 5 favorite live albums by any artist?

CL: Peter Frampton Comes Alive, Nick Cave – Idiots Prayer, Ministry – In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up, Nine Inch Nails – And All That Could Have Been, Deep Purple – Made in Japan

HH: If you hadn’t had a career playing bass, which other instrument do you think you’d be immersed in?

CL: Guitar, absolutely Guitar

HH: Are there any projects coming up in the future you’ll be involved with that the readers can look forward to?

CL: Nothing yet but life is full of surprises . Thank you to all of the readers for letting me reach out! I miss you all!

HH: THANK YOU CHARLES!!

Make sure you keep your ears open for a new band / project featuring myself, “OG” guitarist of Ministry / Mind Funk / M.O.D. Louis Svetek, and Charles Levi. Just three Chicago guys making music which will be available on most download platforms (all proceeds will go to Charles Levi).

A non profit is currently being put together for Charles Levi to help with his living expenses so we can get our brother back on the road again. If you’d like to make a donation directly to Charles, please do by going to a new web site we’re putting together in Charles name.

www.TheLeviLeviFund.org

There you will find a link to make a donation for Charles Levi, an online store, autographed memorabilia from everyone in the entertainment industry, clothes to purchase, all sorts of merchandise, and whatever else Charles Levi wishes to share with all of you.

PLEASE DO post the new web site on all Social media outlets, and message your friends, so we can all be a part of making Charles Levi’s life a little less stressful one donation at a time. Any and every size donation will help. No donation is too small. As a music community as a whole, we can really make a difference to an amazing human being’s life. If you know Charles, well then….you know. AND, he’s a distant relative of SAM COOKE??!! That’s amazing!

Thank you for reading.
My cell is on 24/7 (text only please) if anyone has any questions relating to helping our Chicago brother Charles Levi in his time of need.

Otherwise, be safe, be kind, and turn up the music until the cops come!
Respect, Happenin’ Harry