An Idolator Quasi-Investigation: Just Who Is This Clutchy Hopkins Fella, Anyway?

In February, we posted a handful of MP3s from a mysterious musician named Clutchy Hopkins, a man armed with an impossible-to-believe life story–his bio claims he’s a cave-dwelling ex-mystic/revolutionary–and impossibly good instrumental beats. We figured that the whole thing was a ruse, possibly the alter ego of a big-name artist hoping to stir up some viral-marketing chatter (if so, it’s working, as Hopkins has already earned a rave write-up on Okayplayer.com). Reader Jason Spitz, however, became obsessed with finding out more about Hopkins, and his Google-sleuthing uncovered two clips from an unreleased Hopkins “documentary,” as well six tracks of MF Doom’s lyrics over Clutchy’s beats. As for the last known whereabouts of Hopkins himself, all Spitz could find were vague reports that the reclusive artist lived as a busking beach bum in Southern California–a convenient and anonymous hiding place for an aging, hirsute musician.

Last week, though, Spitz was approached by “Seth,” a tall, boxy man in his late twenties who claimed to be an official Clutchy representative, and who was purportedly in town to take meetings with some indie hip-hop labels. They rendezvoused in a half-empty Silverlake pub and Spitz pressed him for details.

Let’s be honest. Is Clutchy Hopkins real? Yes, Clutchy exists.

Does anyone have contact with him? He’s currently living in a cave in the Mojave Desert. His daughter, Kelly Hopkins, is the only person with direct access to him. Through her, we correspond with Clutchy, and he sends us his tapes and paintings.

When were these tapes recorded? What instruments were used? We think the tapes so far were recorded in the early 1980s. It’s hard to pinpoint exact dates, since Clutchy did all his own recording. All the tracks are live instruments — electric and acoustic guitars, drums, bass, electric piano, melodica, Indian flute, and several homemade percussion pieces.

How do you respond to skeptics who claim Clutchy doesn’t exist? People are skeptical because they think he’s too good to be true. Most people have low expectations nowadays. Clutchy’s so fresh, they have trouble believing in him.

Clutchy’s music has been embraced by some hip-hop fans. What’s his opinion of the genre? He’s down with it. Clutchy feels hip-hop is the evolution of funk. He likes old-school, indie, conscious shit. But he’s been embraced by other genres, too–jazz-heads, downtempo groove fans. We want his music to reach as many ears as possible.

What will we hear next from Clutchy? Collaborations with Lord Kenjamin, a street musician from Jamaica. Clutchy met him while studying Rastafari in Kingston in the ’70s. The two shared some interests–hand-made instruments and Kumina drum rituals. He and Clutchy laid down tracks before Clutchy left Jamaica, and we plan to release a CD of those tracks by fall.

While “Seth” refused to disclose his real name, he steadfastly denied that he was actually Clutchy himself. He also dismissed the notion that DJ Shadow was behind the whole operation, citing the live instrumentation and lack of loops and samples as evidence. We’re extremely skeptical of Hopkins’ outrageous back-story, but as long he’s knocking out tracks like this, we’re not gonna argue too hard:

Clutchy Hopkins and M.F. Doom – Untitled [MP3, link expired] Clutchy Hopkins [MySpace] Earlier: Listening Station: Bearded Man Emerges From Cave, Releases Album