Alex Chilton Commemorated By Rep. Steve Cohen (VIDEO)

I suppose that I really shouldn't encourage the endless array of legislators taking to the floor of the House Of Representatives to talk about matters that aren't germane to actually legislating. But as long as that tradition is going to continue, I may as well highlight Representative Steve Cohen's tribute to Big Star frontman and songwriter-extraordinaire Alex Chilton, who died yesterday at the age of 59.

WATCH:

Chilton, and his band Big Star, never enjoyed the name recognition of many of our pop icons. But his influence on rock music is great. I promise you, something that somebody sang that you love would not exist were it not for Alex Chilton, and that is just a fact.

RELATED: Letters To Cleo/Palmdale frontwoman Kay Hanley, who's appeared on the Huffington Post before, shares her thoughts on Chilton at her eponymous blog.

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Comments

[BunkerBoy]

08:52 AM on 03/20/2010

Thank you, Jason, and thank you Rep. Cohen for rememberin­g Alex.

"I promise you, something that somebody sang that you love would not exist were it not for Alex Chilton...­" This is so true. Those who will now discover Alex's music as a result of your tribute have something wonderful coming their way.

RIP Alex.

[PDinCA]

01:53 AM on 03/19/2010

He was a great artist, and will certainly be missed.

[FessorFrink]

01:31 AM on 03/19/2010

I knew I heard the name before. I bought a CD in college called "Downtown Does The Beatles: Live at the Knitting Factory". Not sure even if that place exists anymore. Alex Chilton did a version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand". So not only did he respect Elvis, but The Beatles too.

[mch321]

07:26 PM on 03/18/2010

Great tribute. Really sad. We'll miss you, Alex.

[Randy Reichardt]

01:59 PM on 03/18/2010

.: Really pleased to learn about Representa­tive Cohen's tribute to Alex Chilton. He seemed genuinely moved by Alex's passing, and his words were respectful and dignified. Well done, sir, and thank you for taking the time to do this.