HH: NOT AS MUCH AS I’D LIKE BUT I HAVE BEEN GETTING SOME GOOD WORK, WAS IN A THING WITH CARROT TOP AND ERIC ESTRADA AND SOME OTHER STUFF IN THE WORKS THAT CAN’T REALLY SAY ANYTHING FOR FEAR OF JINXING IT! FUNNY HOW THE EASIEST GIGS SEEM TO PAY THE MOST MONEY, ALL I DO IS STAND THERE!

MC:  Some of your songs are intensely personal.  I would simply not have the nerve to put such personal stuff out there. How do you do it?

HH: I REALLY DON’T HAVE A CHOICE. I’VE ALWAYS WRITTEN WHAT CALLED ME SO I NEVER REALLY THINK ABOUT IT MUCH UNTIL AFTER THE FACT. THEN I’M KINDA SITTING THERE GOING  ‘DAMN, I PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE WRITTEN THAT. BUT THEN AGAIN THAT’S WHAT DREW ME TO SONGWRITING IN THE FIRST PLACE IS THAT THE WRITER CAN BEAR HIS OR HER SOUL IN WAYS THEY DON’T EVEN REALIZE. FOR ME MUSIC HAS GOTTA BE HONEST IT’S GOTTA BE RAW. I’M NEVER GONNA MAKE A ‘SGT PEPPERS’ RECORD. BUT I CAN BE AS HONEST AS I CAN WITH WHAT I DO. NOBODY IS IN MY BOOTS BUT ME, SO THAT’S WHAT I GOTTA WRITE ABOUT.

MC:  “Possum”  Jones recently said that “pop country” stars like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood have stolen the identity of country music. “…[T]hey’re definitely not traditional country music“, Jones said.  I know that for years I’ve noticed that what I consider to be country music is no longer herad on country radio (or very sparingly). People who do play real country such as yourself and others like you, seem to be marginalized . It’s like “real” country music is not almost an underground subculture.   Do you think that “real” country will ever take back the radio?    Is this even desirable in today’s amorphous media-driven culture?

HH: YEAH IT’S ALMOST LIKE WE’RE SPEAKING LATIN SOMETIMES COMPARED TO WHAT’S OUT THERE. BUT I STILL THINK PEOPLE (AT LEAST THE ONES WITH BRAINS AND HEART) ARE GONNA GRAVITATE TOWARDS MUSIC THAT STRIKES A CHORD WITH THEM. THE ‘REAL’ STUFF IS STILL HERE AND IT AIN’T GOING ANYWHERE, IT’S JUST GONNA TAKE MORE DIGGING TO FIND IT. ONE THING ABOUT IT NOT BEING DESIRABLE TO THE MEDIA THOUGH IS THIS, SOMEONE LIKE A TAYLOR SWIFT OR A KENNY CHESNEY IS GONNA DO PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT THE LABELS TELL THEM TO DO WHEREAS A DWIGHT YOAKAM, OR A STEVE EARLE, OR EVEN A HICK’RY HAWKINS IS USUALLY GONNA BE A HANDFUL OF TROUBLE WHEN IT COMES TO ISSUES OF CONTROL. IT’S ALSO BEEN MORE ABOUT THE PRODUCERS IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, THE ARTIST IS REALLY JUST EYE CANDY.

MC:  In one of your blogs you talked about how commercial “hit’ songs are just catchy arrangements around trite lyrics.  This is very true.  If you look at the albums put out by many of today’s “stars”, a lot of times the biggest “hit” on their CD is written by “professional” songwriters hired by the label.  And the radio is just horrible. They play the same twenty songs endlessly, and like some Pavlovian response, many people run out and buy the CD.  What are your thoughts?  Do you think that people will figure out that they are being spoon-fed garbage by the music media in the name of profits?

HH: I TURNED 41 YEARS OLD THIS PAST YEAR AND I’M STILL HOPING FOLKS WILL WAKE UP TO THAT. BUT PEOPLE STILL WANNA BE ‘IN’ WITH A CROWD, AS IN ‘HEY, I WANNA BE COOL SO IF MY COOL FRIENDS LIKE COLDPLAY THEN I BETTER PRETEND TO LIKE IT TOO!’   RADIO AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE IS ABOUT MAKING IT SEEM LIKE THEY MIGHT BE CAUSING WAVES, BUT IN REALITY DOING NOTHING OF THE SORT. LOOK WHAT’S HAPPENED TO HIP HOP, IT’S BECOME MORE OF A PARODY OF ITSELF THAN EVEN 80′S HAIR METAL WAS. THIS REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, SPRINGSTEEN PLAYED HERE IN MY HOMETOWN AND I REALLY WANTED TO GO, I’VE NEVER SEEN HIM, BUT EVEN THE NOSEBLEED SEATS WERE $150. I STARTED THINKING ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE AT THAT SHOW WHO PROBABLY ONLY KNEW ONE SPRINGSTEEN SONG BUT BECAUSE THEIR FRIENDS WERE GOING OR BECAUSE IT’S NOW A STATUS SYMBOL TO BE ABLE TO SAY IN THE OFFICE THAT YOU COULD AFFORD THE $200 SEATS, ALL THOSE PEOPLE WENT WHEREAS PEOPLE LIKE ME, WHO’S LIVES HAD BEEN TRULY CHANGED BY THE BOSS’S MUSIC, COULDN’T AFFORD TO EVEN STAND OUTSIDE ON THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE ARENA.

MC:  You mentioned Jason Ringenberg in one of your songs.  What was the situation there?

HH: I MET HIM AFTER A SHOW AND TOLD HIM I FELT LIKE I’D JUST SEEN MY ILLEGITIMATE FATHER FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HE JUST GAVE ME THIS LOOK LIKE I WAS SOME GUY WHO JUST BOUGHT MY FIRST COWBOY HAT THAT DAY. I EVEN ASKED WARNER HODGES WHAT THE HELL WAS HE BEING LIKE THAT FOR AND WARNER SAID HE WAS JUST SURLY AROUND FOLKS THAT ARE ACTUALLY INFLUENCED BY HIM.   SO I REALLY WROTE THE SONG ‘MY NAME IS HICK’RY HAWKINS’ ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE I’VE BEEN COMPARED TO AND MET THEM AND FOUND OUT THAT IT’S A FEW OF THEM THAT SHOULD BE HONORED TO BE COMPARED TO ME.

MC:  I’ve seen you a few times at the Heavy Rebel Weekender.  Its’ a great festival. Very laid back and people are very friendly.  What do you like about playing at HRW?  What are some of the other events you have enjoyed performing at?

HH: YEAH HRW IS LIKE A WOODSTOCK FOR PEOPLE THAT AREN’T HIPPIES. IT’S NOT JUST THE THREE DAYS OF LIVE MUSIC AT THE ACTUAL VENUE BUT ALL THE AFTER PARTIES WHERE THE MUSIC KEEPS GOING. ALONG WITH ALL THE OLD FRIENDS YOU MEET THAT YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IN YEARS. PLUS THE NEW ONES THAT YOU FIND. OTHER THAN HRW, I DON’T PLAY MANY EVENTS, I’VE APPARENTLY BECOME TOO MUCH OF A LONE WOLF FOR THAT. I DID LOVE PLAYING THE CONEY ISLAND ROCKABILLY FESTIVAL AND I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR.   I SERIOUSLY TRY MY BEST TO MAKE EVERY SHOW I PLAY A REAL EVENT, EVEN IF IT’S IN SOMEONES LIVING ROOM. I’M THAT GUY THAT WILL MOST LIKELY ACTUALLY DIE ONSTAGE SOMEWHERE.

MC: You mentioned that you have a few interesting stories.  What are some of them?

HH: DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN ON THAT ONE, AHH, HERE’S A GOOD ONE. A COUPLE YEARS AGO ME AND THE BAND PLAYED A WRAP PARTY FOR A MOVIE THAT WAS BEING FILMED HERE, I’D BROUGHT  THIS GORGEOUS LADY THAT I’D RECENTLY MET FOR MY DATE, SHE SEEMED REALLY NICE, EVERYONE THERE LOVED HER. SO WHILE I’M ONSTAGE, SHE AND SOME OTHER LADIES THREW THEIR UNDERWEAR AT ME. THEN LATER SHE ASKS ME TO GO HOME WITH HER, BY THE WAY SHE WAS LIVING IN AN EFFICIENCY HOTEL AT THE TIME. SO I’M WALKING UP THE STAIRS BEHIND HER, ALLOWING ME TO SEE THE PROMISED LAND AND I’M THINKING ‘MAN I’M ABOUT TO BE DAVID LEE ROTH!” I’M LUGGING MY GUITAR, AMP AND SUITCASE FULL OF MERCHANDISE, BEFORE SHE EVEN GETS HER KEY CARD IN THE DOOR, THE DOOR OPENS AND THERE’S A GUY STANDING THERE IN HIS BOXERS SHORTS GOING “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?’ AND I REPLY, “MAN I’M NOBODY AND I’M OUTTA HERE.”

THE GIRL JUST MEEKLY RUNS RIGHT ON IN THE ROOM, SO I RUN DOWN ACROSS THE STREET TO A SAFER HOTEL, I’M CALLING MY GUITAR PLAYER ON THE PHONE, IT WAS ONLY HIS SECOND GIG WITH ME, HE’D BEEN IN A HOTEL WHERE TWO LADIES HAD GOTTEN NAKED AND I’M TELLING HIM, “BROTHER, YOU GOTTA COME GET ME, THE BITCH WENT CRAZY AND I’M STRANDED!”  SO HE COMES TO PICK ME UP AND TELLS ME, ‘MAN, IF THIS IS WHAT IT’S GONNA BE LIKE BEING HH’S GUITAR PLAYER THEN I’VE HIT THE FREAKING JACKPOT!’ THE GIRL KEPT BLOWING UP MY CELLPHONE LEAVING MESSAGES SAYING, “HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE”!

ANOTHER TIME WE OPENED UP FOR MUDHONEY IN ATLANTA. THERE WAS THIS BIG UPSTAIRS SUITE THAT WE ALL SHARED AS A GREENROOM. THE GUYS FROM MUDHONEY WALKING IN AND I’M STAGGERING AROUND THE ROOM WITH BIG BOTTLE OF WILD TURKEY WEARING SKIN TIGHT VINYL, MY BASS PLAYER AND HIS GIRLFRIEND ARE HALF NAKED ROLLING AROUND ON THE POOL TABLE, MY DRUMMER HAD DECIDED IT WAS FUNNY TO WALK AROUND WITH HIS PANTS DOWN AND MY GUITAR PLAYER WAS SITTING ON THE COUCH ROLLING UP A HUGE BAG OF WEED.  HE OFFERED THE MUDHONEY GUYS A JOINT AND THEY ALL RAN TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM AND STAYED THERE TIL IT WAS TIME FOR THEM TO GO ON!

MC: Anyone who mentions Johnny Cash and Sid Vicious in the same song is definitely  cool in my book.  What do you see as some of the common threads running through the early Country/Rockabilly performers up through Punk and even the Outlaw country of the 60s/70s.

HH: ATTITUDE.   IT WASN’T ABOUT HOW MUSICALLY PROFICIENT ANY OF THE GREAT COUNTRY OR PUNK ARTISTS WERE, IT WAS ABOUT RAW EMOTION. BOTH GENRES ARE MUSIC THAT FEELS SOMETHING MORE REAL THAN JUST ‘HEY BABY LET ME LOOK AT IT’.

IN MY OPINION PEOPLE LIKE ROBERT JOHNSON AND HANK SR. WERE THE FIRST PUNK ROCKERS. THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN A DANGER ELEMENT TO THE REAL STUFF. YOU NEVER KNEW IF CASH WAS GONNA JUST JUMP OFF THE STAGE AND STRANGLE SOMEBODY OR NOT AND IT WAS THE SAME WITH JOHNNY LYDON, EVEN CHUCK BERRY. HELL REMEMBER WHEN JERRY LEE LEWIS SET HIS PIANO ON FIRE AND THREW IT INTO THE AUDIENCE? THE GUY DIDN’T CARE IF HE BURNED THE WHOLE DAMN BUILDING DOWN! YOU TELL ME WHO’S OUT THERE TODAY THAT COULD HANG WITH THAT?

MC: Who are some of your favorite bands/performers?

HH: IRON MAIDEN, SAMMY DAVIS JR., DAVID LEE ROTH, DIAMONDA GALAS, MR. YOAKAM, SPRINGSTEEN, KEITH RICHARDS, NEW YORK DOLLS, JOHNNY PAYCHECK, AND OF COURSE SCREAMING JAY HAWKINS, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW MY MUSIC AND HAVE SEEN ME PERFORM, NO FURTHER EXPLANATION IS NECESSARY.

MC:  Is there anything else you would like to add?  Thanks for doing the interview!  I hope to see you on the stage soon.

HH: JUST FOR ANYONE WHO READS THIS TO TELL YER FRIENDS, LOCAL MUSIC VENUES AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT ME. I STILL HAVE ALOTTA YEARS OF HELLRAISIN’ TO GO, AND I HOPE YOU CAN ALL COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE!

THANKS BROTHER, AND GOD BLESS!

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