Damn Right, Rebel Proud is the follow-up for a record Hank III is uncertain he can ever match. Straight to Hell was a project Hank spent many years working on. It was the first time he had the creative input he desired on any of his recordings, and it showed. The two-disc release was a personal conquest for him in many ways.
“Well, in my eyes it is going to take me a long time to top ‘Straight to Hell,’ probably because it was so personal and we made such a large impact without any push from the label,” Hank said. “We had no videos, no single, and little publicity. The thing is that fans were singing these back to me before they even came out on a record. They were already on firm ground. Just in my eyes, it will be a very hard record to beat. On this record, the whole process was much more of a drag. The way it was recorded, the way it was mixed, it was just everyone was in a bad mood except me on trying to get this project completed. That was my main problem with it. Just does not seem to be as many sing along kind of songs.”
Every musician will tell you that each project is different. Sometimes it is hard to capture the same energy that carried the last record. This time, Hank had some band issues, and a new guy recording, that contributed to the difference. The mix on Damn Right obviously lacks the fiddle prowess in Straight To Hell, leaning heavily on acoustic and electric guitar. Also missing are the unique sounds Hank loves to use in his music for more impact.
“It is just when you get to the top of the pyramid, like I was with STH, it seems that you start sliding down a bit. That is just the way creativity is. Sometimes you really care about it, and other times it seems everyone just goes through the motions. The best way to sum it up is usually what the artist cares about the most does not get any success, and what is usually worse, does. That is just the way I feel about ‘Damn Right, Rebel Proud.’ It is just going to take me a while to top ‘Straight to Hell’ as far as a songwriter. There are just so many different things that were put into ‘Straight to Hell.’ DRRP is just straight forward. Even if I am just talking about adding echoes or effects, the guy that I was working with was just not into it. It came to a standstill. He was having personal problems and shit, and that hurt the whole thing. There did not seem to be the same camaraderie beside me like with ‘Straight to Hell’ to really make the vision I had in my head for this record.
“We just had issues with the guy recording. The guy I was recording with had never worked on a country project, and he thought he was coming to party instead of work. That caused a big problem right there. I had never had to call out someone, and lean over and say ‘Do we need to take this shit outside because you are acting like a little fucking bitch.’ When I have guys like Johnny Hiland and Randy Kohrs in doing their thing, it is not the time to be an amateur. You need to be a pro and step up. If you are not willing to do that, then go back home so I can get someone else in here. That was just the first time I have had to deal with some bull shit like that on a personal level. If you are going through a record label and dealing with shit like that you can get away from it easier. When you hire this guy yourself on good faith, it kind of messes everything up. We made it through,” Hank said. In fact, whether joking or not, if you check out the liner notes on DRRP, you will see it clearly stated “Recorded By a Bitch.”
“As far as the mix goes, we definitely had a fiddle issue. I went through 4 or 5 fiddle players trying to find the right guy, but could not find what I wanted,” he said. “Acoustic and electric guitar pretty much dominate the whole record. Straight to Hell was recorded on a standard machine that was not up to radio standards and done as cheap as possible. DRRP is done beyond 96K, and protocols, and all of that high-end tech shit. So that might be what makes it sound tighter or whatever. The compressions are just different. So, you got one record that is done the wrong way, and you got another record that was done near perfectly. It was still done at my house, set up in the room, and had everybody stay with us for a while. It just did not feel right, like everyone was just going through the motions.”
The musicians Hank used for the record are very strong. They include Johnny Hiland on electric guitar, Randy Kohrs on dobro and acoustic, Shaun McWilliams on drums, Andy Gibson on stand up steel, and Joe Buck on stand-up bass. Marty Stuart even contributes mandolin on “Wild & Free.” Hank boasted, “Johnny Hiland has been on every one of my records. We have been friends for a long time. I have known him since he moved to Nashville, and got to watch his whole career take off. It is always an honor to have him on our record. We can’t really take him on the road with us because he is so busy, but we get to do some local stuff together from time to time. He is just a great guy and an amazing player. He will take two passes on the very first time hearing it, and an hour and a half later it is like ‘All right man, see ya soon,’ and he is done. He is just an amazing guitar player.” He also had high praise for Kohrs: “He is amazing to watch and listen to. He can play whatever he wants, and does it well.”
It is not often, if ever, someone will speak honestly about their own material. However, everyone else is not Hank III. That is not to say he does not appreciate the record, in fact he is proud of a few of the songs. Among those is a somewhat dark song titled “Candidate for Suicide.” Hank stated: “First of all, I do want people to know that song might have dark content to it, but in reality I was just saying that everybody has possibly thought about it, but not gone through with it. I would never promote or condone following through with it. It is just a thought that might cross people’s minds during the hard times. The lyrics, as far as what happened to me, are true. I had to deal with all of that. The song is one of my favorites as far as the mix, with the acoustic, dobro, drums, and a little accordion. It is one of my top four on the record. Just look at how many anti-depression pills are sold today. You know a lot of people are dealing with stuff, and can kind of relate to it.”
On DRRP, Hank also pays tribute to another musician, GG Allin, with “P.F.F.” This ten minute cut is broken down into a full energetic band version, and a lone slower acoustic take, on the same song, along with some actual tapes of GG thrown in at the end.
“One thing I really identify with GG is that he truly respected country music and extreme hard rock,” he said. “A lot of fans don’t look past the shock and violence stuff of GG’s that he did on stage and all that, but in reality he loved country music and he loved being a musician. He could come up with records in twenty minutes. He had a song called ‘Drink, Fight, Fuck,’ so I played from that to come up with ‘Punch, Fight, Fuck.’ Through the years, I have got to know GG’s brother Merle well from the Murder Junkies, and had him open for us before. It was just a respect thing because I do get some GG fans that come out to the shows, and that was a lot of the inspiration behind it. You know when my voice gets all ragged out from screaming the Assjack stuff and everything, I start sounding a little bit like GG. Guys have asked when listening to records ‘Is that you?’ and I would tell them no that was GG with his acoustic guitar. There is a little bit of that foundation there for me. You know there are a lot of kids that hop trains, and live off the dumpsters, and are the new age of hobos that love Hank Williams and love GG Allin. There is just something about the gutter punks that follow that stuff.”
Hank includes a great duet written by Bob Wayne titled “Working Man.” Bob Wayne may not be widely known yet, but his popularity is growing, as it should. The acoustic feel and melody here are certainly appealing.
“Bob wrote that song, and he is definitely a true working man,” he said. “I have been very fortunate to get to know Bob, and watch him through the years do his thing. To me, Bob is like a Kris Kristofferson or David Allen Coe as far as songwriting goes because he can tell an awesome story with his words.” That is certainly high praise.
“The Grand Ole Opry (Ain’t So Grand)” opens up the record on a personal topic that is very close to Hank. An energetic song to be sure, it sets the tone letting you know this is someone that will entertain you his own way. He has been fighting the Opry for a few years now, trying to get his grandfather, Hank Williams, Sr., reinstated into the Opry. There is a Web site for more info on this fight at http://www.reinstatehank.org/.
“I do want it to be known first of all that I did try an honest behind the scenes approach to all of this with them, and was not trying to be a dick head or anything. I tried for about 4 years before I really brought the fight to the public. What made me take it to the public was just a very hateful and disrespectful attitude from Pete Fisher at The Grand Ole Opry saying we will never reinstate a dead guy and all of this shit. He was just laughing at the idea. So I thought if he was going to be that way, I will just let you hear what the people have to say about that. So that is when we took it public. Yes, the song is definitely harsh, but that is just the way it is. It may never happen, so I might as well just lay it out there the way it is. You know, lots of people have no idea. They just assume Hank is part of the Opry. There are people all over the world who are at least finding out the truth and signing the petition.”
While the Opry continues using Hank, Sr. for promotion, it is unclear why they take this stance. Hank continues, “It goes back to respect. That is what this whole thing is about. If you are going to use his image, and have the impersonator out there, why not do the right thing and reinstate him. We are talking about a man who was the first inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame, he is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Opry has a million records out there with his music on it. So if they are going to ride on his name, he at least should be a member. Louisiana Hayride always showed Hank respect. Why the Opry can not respect him is fucking stupid. We got a very interesting DVD that is going to come out on this, with people all the way from David Allen Coe to Henry Rollins and others, just speaking about their feelings on the topic. One day soon, I do hope to get a day or two of music together as sort of a tribute for the reinstate Hank drive. It would be nice to get lucky enough to get some sort of broadcast on a radio station or something. Open it up to any musician who wants to be a part of it, and just pay respects to him.”
Of course, Hank is the son of another famous musician, Hank, Jr. While their relationship has not been the best, it is odd how Jr. has not taken up the fight with his son to get his own father reinstated. They did spend some time together recently on a tribute to Jesco White.
“What went down there was Jesco wanted to come to Nashville,” he said. “First I asked ‘Are you sure about that,’ because I know how Jesco is. So, I wanted it to be a special trip for him, and I know how big of fan he has been for Bocephus through the years. I wanted him to get a chance to meet him. So I called up Jr. and asked him if we could come up to the farm for two days of filming, and he said that would be no problem. Only the still pictures are what is being used on the documentary. Hank will not be in anything else on it. That is all that was, he just gave us permission to come up to the farm for us to do some shooting there.
“As far as my relationship with Bocephus, it is what it is. As to why he is not pushing more for Hank Sr’s reinstatement, I am not sure on that honestly. When I was up at the farm that weekend, it never came up. I think it goes back to that bigger picture we all may never understand. Just who did Hank Williams really piss off a long time ago? I am a little more independently oriented as you might tell. I can get away with talking more shit. When you are on the level of Hank, Jr, I guess you have to be a little more leery of it.”
Hank has shown his inclination to fight for what he feels is right. That has included his strained working relationship with his record label, Curb. “It has been a long one,” he said. “It is just hard to work for someone that does not understand you. They act like they want to respect what we do, but they just can’t. I thought they would be broke in a bit more through the years after working with Dale Watson, Merle Haggard, or Hank, Jr., but it is just a very strange deal. It is almost over, then my full creativity and expression can be let lose. I won’t be limited anymore. I think the deal is one rock album which will finally see the light of day, and then one more country record. So we are looking at possibly 14 more months.”
When asked about the future rock record, Hank stated: “I don’t know officially when that will come out. It will be bootleg free. I sold as many as I could by myself, and I was legally forced to stop selling them. We recorded just a couple of things on it, and it will all be turned in to Curb before December. Then we will see what happens from there. They have the option to keep it or reject it. If they reject it, then I get to release it myself. If they keep it, it will be released through a different company name. But that will be it, one rock record and one country record, then our relationship should be over.”
Damn Right, Rebel Proud did not come without fights with Curb either. On the preliminary release, it was supposed to include a great version of Johnny Paycheck’s “Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised.” In fact, there were some press releases from the publicist which included this song. Curb, however, pulled it at the last minute.
“Curb rejected it,” he said. “Somehow there was a mistake made, which was not on my end, because I definitely wanted the song on there. They said they wanted to keep it back for a greatest hits collection release. This song was already out there on Robbie Fulk’s tribute record to Paycheck. I am glad you liked that take though, because I did and thought it belonged on the record. I got to open up for Johnny Paycheck a few times and spend some time with him. It is just a very good song that I can identify with and a lot of fans have requested it when we are out on the road over the years. So that version is probably five or six years old. I fought hard for it though.
“The only song I had trouble getting on the record was Paycheck’s. Every other song was no problem. Even the Opry song or ‘P.F.F.’ was not a problem.” He also stated fan favorites “Six Pack of Beer” and “3 Shades of Black,” which he pushed for were no problem with the label. “I have no idea what they are thinking sometimes,” he said.
Interestingly enough, fellow Curb musician Hal Ketchum recently recorded his latest project live via two track, a process that would suit Hank’s energetic music very well. “That would be something I would love to do, the whole live energy and all, but you know right now I have just been struggling for the last 6 or 7 months just trying to get a band together,” he said. “In time, I would like to do it, but a lot of the players I use are spread out. Between Johnny Hiland, Shaun McWilliams, Randy Kohrs on dobro or whatever he wants to play, and Andy Gibson, my steel player, we would definitely have some fun that way. I know a lot of guys that record that way, and they have that foundation around them to be able to do it right. Unfortunately, most of the time I have to piece everything together. Everyone else is out on the road, or doing their own thing. You know Wayne, good buddy Wayne ‘The Train’ Hancock, all of his records are as live as you can get. It is the real deal there. Someday, I hope to be able to do just that, but with everyone scattered all around, it makes it hard to do. It has probably been eight or nine years since I have been able to do a live recording.”
Hank is a student of older traditional music, of really all genres. He professes a strong love for older musicians, including the great Jimmy Martin, and continues to research their music to improve his own. “Bluegrass is the roots and jazz of country music,” he said. “It is supposed to be the hardcore bad ass players. That is why the old stuff is so great. It is still out there for us to listen to, so that is what I choose to do. Thank God for Jimmy Martin and all of the others who dedicated themselves to music. I was just listening on my ipod the other day to Reno and Smiley, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, and others. I wish I had my ipod in front of me to read them off, because there are several others. The only new bluegrass that I would listen to today would include Randy Kohrs. That is pretty much it. Honestly, I am still doing all my homework on the legends. I listen to the old stuff, and that is where I get my inspiration from. I couldn’t even comment on current bluegrass to be honest.”
Hank continues to promote the music for those hardworking true musicians out there who may not get the respect they deserve. “I have been pushing Wayne Hancock and Dale Watson for years. Bob Wayne is just now getting his recognition. I have been listening to Dock Boggs a lot lately. He is just an interesting blues guy on banjo. Those Poor Bastards are another one that people should get to hear. My ipod is just full of stuff from the ‘20s, old bluegrass, and shit.”
As for future projects, right now Hank is just busy trying to get a band together to take out on the road. “That is the main thing that is holding me up right now,” he said. “I am a fiddle player away from having a good core band again.
“Well, my motto is when you are not having fun anymore just let me know,” he said explaining what happened to his last fiddle player. “It is almost like fucking marriage when you are out on the road, spending all that time together. I am not complaining, but you do not have any privacy anymore. Some people kind of crack under that pressure. A few of my guys, they lasted with me for 5 years, and they were like they just needed to take a break. I appreciate everything they have done, working hard, and maybe down the road we will work together again. My bass player Joe Buck is out doing his own thing, fronting his own one man band, and that is his vision now. He has been having fun with that. It is going to be a new bass player, fiddle player, drummer. I am unfortunately going to have to take 2 drummers out. I have been messing around with a banjo player from Alabama, and we have been practicing quite a bit, so we are about ready.”
With only one country record to go on his contract with Curb, and his issues with a full band, one good idea might be to record an all acoustic record, and perhaps even throw in some spoken word songs much like his grandfather Hank, Sr. did as Luke the Drifter. When asked if that might be a possibility, Hank said, “I did that on Straight to Hell. That is about as old school as you can get. I do have tons of songs like that, and it is a possibility. There is no telling what that last country record will be. There is material like that that will see the light of day, but not sure when. Honestly, the way I record songs like that is just me alone with a tape recorder. That is what all of the Straight to Hell songs are. That is the sound I like. I definitely have some songs that sound good that way. We will see. As far as the spoken word stuff, I have always been into the more disturbing images of things like the depression that some have to deal with, so I could easily go down that road.”
In the meantime, we can enjoy Damn Right, Rebel Proud, and look forward to more surprises from Hank III. One thing we know for sure when it comes to him, you will be entertained. So let’s sit back and see what happens. It will be a fun ride for sure.
