Chet's Last Call Documentary

Check out the Chet's doc .... now free on Tubi, Fawesome, amazon and several other big free streaming platforms.

I had a great interview with Sarah Elizabeth Murphy about Chet's Last Call.
"The Back Story: Unreeling the Woods Hole Film Festival
Opening the Door to Chet’s Last Call
By Sarah E. Murphy
Chet’s Last Call holds a very special place in the heart of Dan Vitale.
The legendary dive bar is where he first performed 35 years ago with his Boston ska punk band, Bim Skala Bim.
Located across the street from the former Boston Garden on the corner of Causeway and Lancaster Streets, on the second floor up a narrow stairway above the old Penalty Box, the endearingly-sketchy dive bar boasted an orange interior and mirrored walls harkening back to its days as a strip club and disco. Named for the irritable yet lovable caretaker, Richard “Chet” Rooney, one of Boston’s youngest club owners at the time, Chet was known for his dedication to providing a venue for emerging talent.
Vitale first visited Chet’s in 1983 to check out a friend’s band with Bim bassist Mark Ferranti. Despite the alcohol and drug-fueled haze and rumors of Boston mafia activity taking place below, the small club would prove to be a welcoming haven for Bim Skala Bim and other fledgling artists including The Dogmatics, The Neighborhoods, Scruffy the Cat, Husker Du and three unknown kids from Brooklyn who called themselves the Beastie Boys.
“Most of the members of Bim Skala Bim were teenagers at the time, and clubs in Boston wouldn’t let you play if you were under age, so having somewhere to perform was a godsend,” Vitale said. “Chet made a big difference in our lives, and for many other bands, because a lot of us got our start there. He was like a punk rock angel.”
Rooney, who had discerning taste and appreciated musical experimentation, was already familiar with Bim Skala Bim, having heard their first single on local radio station WBCN, and liked what he heard.
The invitation was extended and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Vitale and many of his peers from the local music scene pay tribute to those halcyon days in Chet’s Last Call: A Story of Rock & Redemption, which he co-directed with his brother Ted Vitale. Edited by longtime friend, Emmy-nominated Jack Sherman, the full-length feature documentary has been chosen as one of five world premieres at this year’s Woods Hole Film Festival with a screening on Friday, August 3 at WHOI’s Redfield Auditorium. The special event is part of the Music at the Festival series, and will be followed by a show at Grumpy’s Pub in Falmouth featuring Bim Skala Bim and The Dogmatics, with several musicians from the film in attendance.
The film explores the very public demons that plagued Rooney who, in addition to possessing a vocal talent he was too shy to share, also struggled with chemical dependency. For just as quickly as Chet and his club rose to local fame, they both disappeared.
Reaching his own perceived rock bottom, Rooney dropped off the scene to seek treatment and subsequently studied to become an alcohol and drug rehabilitation counselor. He would initially answer calls by stating flatly, “Chet’s dead. Call me Richard,” before hanging up the phone. However, friends and musicians facing similar challenges soon recognized him at AA meetings, and just as he fostered their creativity at Chet’s, for the next twenty years, he would go on to make a larger impact by supporting their recovery. Rooney died suddenly in December 2015 at the age of 61, and the close circle of artists, whose friendships and collaborations have sustained over the past three decades, responded in what they believed to be the most appropriate way: with live music.
A few months later in February, and then again in May, fourteen bands including Dogzilla, Bim Skala Bim, The Dogmatics, Pajama Slave Dancers, Liz Borden Group, Moose and the Mudbugs, and The Real Kids, along with several special guests, family and friends, all gathered for “Chetstock,” a memorial benefit at the Once Ballroom in Somerville. The film includes live performances from the shows and interviews with over 40 rock stars, writers, and former employees, along with archive footage of Chet’s. Additionally, it showcases candid conversations with Rooney’s two siblings and his niece and nephew. Created on a shoestring budget for under $20k, half of which was raised through Kickstarter, Vitale called the project a “labor of love” on behalf of all involved.
“We believe this is an important story on many levels and it needs to be told. Everybody is touched by addiction, and often having someone supportive to talk to can make all the difference for people,” he said.
To that end, Vitale hopes the story will be seen by a wider audience, therefore he continues to raise much-needed funds to augment his grassroots and social media publicity campaign. Steve Morse, former staff critic at the Boston Globe, who now teaches rock history at Berklee College of Music, credited the film for exploring an essential chapter in the city’s musical past.
“Boston rock history isn’t complete without a look at Chet’s Last Call. This head-spinning new film is a raucous, fast-paced tribute to him and the underground, anything-goes music of the time,” he said.
Vitale is grateful to Rooney’s family for their willingness to participate, for after initially agreeing to be involved in the project, they later expressed reticence.
“I told them I really didn’t think we could make the film without their blessing, but then they saw some early footage from the interviews, and how Chet changed so many lives, so they wanted to be part of it, and they wanted us to be honest about his illness,” he said.
Sarah Henderson responded by expressing the family’s gratitude for telling his story.
“‘Chet’ was my uncle and godfather, and he was wholeheartedly dedicated to the Boston music scene. I got an early introduction to it at the age of 12,” she said. “I am thankful his legacy of music is still alive and I thank the filmmakers from the bottom of our collective heart for what they are attempting to do.”
Throughout the challenges and financial hurdles of making the film, Vitale has relied on an inspirational bracelet given to him by a friend, which he put on two years ago and never removed.
With just one word, the reminder provided encouragement when Vitale needed it most: Persistence.
Visit here to check out a preview of “Chet’s Last Call: A Story of Rock & Redemption” or to make a donation.
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People have been asking if they can buy the documentary so they can have it forever or how to rent it so they don't have to watch ads. Google TV and Youtube would be a good way to go. Click here.

Chet's Last Call: A Story Of Rock & Redemption - Movies on Google Play Richard "Chet" Rooney is a legend in Boston. He is famous because of his dive bar and was well- known for living a life of excess. However, a man's life should not be judged by the mistakes he made or the rules he broke. Instead, it should be viewed on how he learned from those mistakes and passed t...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxjbLX1nKw

Pajama Slave Dancers w J Mascis; "Polly Ann Marie" The new Pajama Slave Dancers new single with J Mascis on lead guitar, from the PSD LP "SoSo" out in the Winter of '25. Out on vinyl Jan. 15th

This is the full interview from Joe Harvard.
Awesome stuff. Rest in peace Joe. We love you!

JOE HARVARD - Interview for Chet's Last Call documentary May 21, 2016 at ONCE Ballroom - Somerville, MAInterviewers - Dan & Ted Vitale - Directors of "Chet's Last Call" documentaryCamera / Sound - Franchot LubinTo...