by Stephen Thomas ErlewineJohn Mellencamp began his career as Johnny Cougar, on the advice of his manager, Tony DeFries. Cougar's debut, Chestnut Street Incident, was released in 1976 in a whirlwind of hype, which the album simply didn't deserve. At best, the record is a competent collection of Stonesy rockers, infused with a blue-collar Bruce Springsteen/Bob Seger attitude, but Cougar's music and lyrics aren't memorable and are often laughable.