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Musician says he will put prison to good use
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
All musicians like a captive audience, and Christopher Cordero will have one for about the next year.
Not only will the audience be captive, so will Cordero. He was sentenced Thursday to one year in prison in two separate cases.
The first is for guilty pleas to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying concealed weapons and aggravated possession of drugs; the second is for a charge of possession of heroin in a second case.
Cordero, 29, who goes by the name of “Crazy Chris,” told Judge Lou D’Apolito he plans on honing his craft while he is in prison.
“This is like rehab for me,” Cordero said. “I really need this. I’m going to go in there and write some music.”
The first case arose from a traffic stop with Boardman police Oct. 9, and the second case came after an arrest by Youngstown police April 28. He also will be on probation when he is released from prison.
Judge D’Apolito said he thought Cordero was a bright, articulate man and asked him why he got involved with guns and drugs in the first place.
Cordero, a father of five, said he makes his own CDs and sells them and because of that, he always has cash, so he got a gun for protection – knowing that if he was ever caught with one, he could go to prison.
“I was basically protecting myself from people who are jealous,” Cordero said.
Cordero said he has been doing well as a musician.
“I do parties, music, I got my Facebook going, people love me,” Cordero said.
He said he was using drugs because he had heard that musicians such as Jimi Hendrix had written some of their best music while on drugs, and he wanted to try it to see if it could improve his creative process.
“Who knows if Jimi Hendrix did it better with drugs or without?” Judge D’Apolito asked him. “They say that because it’s an excuse to use drugs. You have to be making music without a gun and without drugs.”
Judge D’Apolito said being away a year from his children is a heavy price to pay for having a gun, but he added that in his mind, when guns and drugs are added together, it often equals prison. Cordero did apologize.
The judge said he applauds Cordero for trying to think positive of the time he will serve in prison, but he added if he is ever violates his probation after he is released, he will send him back to prison.
“I hope when you get out, they refer to you as ‘Thoughtful, considerate, Chris’ instead of ‘Crazy Chris,’” Judge D’Apolito said.