2004 should have been a time for the Drive-By Truckers to finally capture a well deserved rest. The past three years saw the band mature into a critic’s darling with two brilliant back-to-back albums, Southern Rock Opera (2001) and Decoration Day (2003). But with barely enough time for audiences to even consume all that original material, and the band themselves sufficient time to relish the praise of being named to practically every “album of the year” list, the Truckers drove out another fourteen songs on 2004’s The Dirty South. In true reflection of their sweaty, hardworking, southern background, the Drive-By Truckers are stopping for nothing and chugging unwaveringly ahead.
Fronted by Patterson Hood and his bandmate and friend of almost 20 years, Mike Cooley, the Drive-By Truckers have ripened from dive bar favorites to respected recording artists. Hood and Cooley first played in a proto-grunge band, Adam’s House Cat, and then formed the Truckers, which led to three albums: 1998’s Gangstabilly, 1999’s Pizza Deliverance and 2000’s Alabama Ass Whuppin. The acclaimed double album, Southern Rock Opera, followed, ironically rejected by sixty record labels before being reissued on Mercury/Lost Highway Records.
Joining Hood and Cooley, North Alabama native Jason Isbell joined the group in 2003, adding a youthful spark to the aging rock and rollers, while his wife Shonna Tucker now lends bass duties. The five-piece, rounded out by drummer Brad Morgan- the only non-Alabama native – ramify teamwork within their framework of three principal songwriters and three guitar players. Without sounding too Skynyrd, the band focuses on the song and message first, rather than a straight, pump-your-fist three-guitar attack; though there is plenty of hold on for dear life riffs to complement the words.
With perseverance, the Truckers have held on for dear life, much like the characters and tales in their chilling songs. Singing of the truth behind candid and fictitious tales of strangers, relatives and friends, the band delivers on the mission of exposing the unseen and untold underbelly of the south. The band is a solid collection, but the true heart and soul of The Drive-By Truckers is Patterson Hood. A storyteller and prolific writer, Hood leaves very little unsaid. Growing up in Florence, Alabama across the Tennessee River from the legendary Muscle Shoals, Hood, whose father David played rhythm for Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge and Wilson Picket, was raised – and obsessed – with music. The raspy-voiced frontman talks like he sings, with a poke of sincerity, energy and wisdom in his cracking drawl.
Despite the whirlwind year they’ve had, Glide had the chance to catch up with Hood to discuss almost everything that was on his circling mind – including turning 40, Republicans and Democrats, late 70’s arena rock and how a little Jack Daniels now then sure does keep things loose.
The Drive By Truckers have had three renowned albums (Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, The Dirty South) in the last four years, plus you released your own solo album as well. How have you managed to record so much new material in such a small time frame?
I don’t know, maybe we just can’t afford not to. We’ve been together for so long and the record company had a big back log of stuff too. It just kind of all came together that way.
Yeah, but the label is still feeling the momentum of Decoration Day, and you immediately came out with The Dirty South.
That’s what our record label says (laughs). It’s like, “why are we doing another record right now? (laughs) After this [album], we may have to slow down for a little while, ‘cause I know the label would like it if we gave them a little more time in all this.
Wasn’t the original plan to just release an EP, not a full record?
We talked about that – now that I look back on it, it’s so confusing. While we were writing The Dirty South, and in the early stages of recording it, we wrote like an EP worth of stuff, a couple of which we recorded, but its kind of been put on hold indefinitely, if we even revisit it at all. I’m sure a couple of the songs might pop up elsewhere. And in the course of making this record we ended up with a bunch of extra songs that we want to do something with. We’ve talked about putting out an EP [with] leftover songs from this record, because some of our favorite songs are among those, but I don’t know when we’ll end up doing that. At some point the songs, or at least the better ones of those songs, will see the light of day, ‘cause we feel real strongly about several of [them, and] for one reason or another, they didn’t fit together. So we ended up cutting nine new songs of those that made the final record, and we had to bump some songs to make room for the new stuff. And that’s sometimes what happens.
You talk about the songs fitting together, and The Dirty South seems to fall into a concept album realm, much like Neil Young’s Greendale. But Greendale revolves around idealism, and The Dirty South offers a more realistic message, one in which people don’t have a choice to revolt and try and change the world. Do you agree?
I saw Neil Young last summer when he was doing the Greendale tour. I really liked the first two-thirds of the record and then he loses me. It’s kind of like somewhere after Grandpa dies, it’s like an attempted Utopian ending or something that I didn’t get. I say that as the utmost Neil Young fan, but I felt some of the moments on that record were real high points, and there are great songs on there, although some of them were a bit longer than I would have liked them to be. I guess I can say that about some of my songs too. I tend to romanticize the three-minute pop song, but it seems like when I attempt to do it, it comes out at five (laughs).
What would you say The Dirty South explores that hasn’t been explored in your previous records? It’s certainly more narrative.
Accidentally yes. I think it ended up being more cohesive, probably for lack of a better word, almost more concept record than Southern Rock Opera was. But Southern Rock Opera tried to be a cohesive concept record, and this record if anything tried not to be. I don’t know if I can explain it other than, the five of us spent a whole lot of time cooped up together and we have three writers. But when we are in the van, we can only listen to the same CD so long, and writing about being homesick or broke or whatever, that it’s almost more fun to make up these stories and talk about them. Then it ends up waiting for us to write songs about that stuff. We’ve never actually sat down and planned it, it just kind of happens.
How do you go about working in a band with three principal songwriters?
We all have our belief that the song comes first, you know. I think the three writers in the band are huge fans of each other’s writing, and to some extent, we do a lot of the editing on ourselves. Before offering a song to play it to other folks, I want to make sure it’s really good, or otherwise I’d feel like I’m opening myself up to fans going, “what a piece of shit.” We all kind of take that approach to it with each other. And then once it’s done, it’s thrown into the mercy of the project. There isn’t even a lot of discussion on it. It kind of dawns on all of us together – what songs fit together and which don’t.
Which of your own songs are personal favorites?
Well, I’m probably more happier with my songs on this record than any record so far. I’m particularly fond of “The Sands Of Iwo Jima” and I’m kind of partial to “Puttin’ People On The Moon.”
With the recent political conventions….
God dammit, I’ve been walking around my house, just walking in circles, just foaming at the mouth, I’ve been trying to make myself watch as much of it as I can, but it’s just about all I can do.
Yeah, and listening to your lyrics, “I can’t afford no insurance, I’ve been ten years unemployed,” it kind of brings the whole current political situation full circle.
Yeah, I’m really lucky ‘cause in the last few months, I’ve actually gotten insurance now and it costs a fucking fortune. But it costs more than I make, because it comes off the top from the band. We made a commitment to get ourselves insurance, and our goal is to get everybody that works for us insured within a year. We’re trying to do that, but it’s tough, it’s so God damn expensive! I got my wife insured just in the nick of time, cause we’re about to have a baby.
At least things are coming together a bit for the band now, so you can begin to take care of yourself and your family.
I’m 40, and [I’ve been] uninsured since I moved out of my parent’s house when I was a teenager. I’ve been uninsured until the last year. I’m just lucky nothing ever happened to me and I didn’t get sick and I didn’t get injured on the road. What would have happened if we had a wreck? We spend 250 days on the road and until recently we had no protection for any of that.
What would probably happen is a big Drive By Truckers benefit concert for you guys.
Yeah (laughs). I’m feeling really lucky for the amount of time we’ve spent out there, and we’ve seen some really scary things, but so far, we’ve come away pretty unscathed. In a lot of the ways, being on the road so much has re-affirmed my political beliefs about people. Because I’ve seen and experienced so many random acts, of some stranger saving our ass over some situation over the past few years. I’ve let people lead me through parts of the country and Europe and have kind of seen that people are generally pretty much alike. When I hear someone on TV say “we don’t have to ask the President’s permission before we do things.” It’s like, you know, maybe we don’t have to, but maybe it’s not a bad idea to kind of figure out. Because everybody has their opinions for some reason. But its such a better thing to find out what those reasons are, versus making big, stupid fucking statements, you know?
I’m sorry I get so mad, but me and my wife both vowed that we’re going to both watch as much of this God damn Republican convention as we can because we watched a lot of the last convention. And at times we feel we did, but for the sake of, if nothing else, we have little side view stakes. But God damn it, it’s like they aren’t doing anything! They’re not! It’s pandering to people who only see the outside world through their TV screens. Ah, Don’t get me started! I guess I have gotten started, but I’ll quit whining.
It will be interesting come November to see what happens.
I’m scared shitless about it at this point. I really, truly am. I felt real optimistic this summer thinking things were going to turn around, and maybe they will. But God damn it, it really does scare the shit out of me. I realize right now its going to be that big rise in the polls that always comes at this time for the Republicans, that comes along with the convention, but hopefully some of that will level off. As a southerner, I get so fucking mad, because our southern states are kind of [guaranteed for] him. He wouldn’t get re-elected if it wasn’t for Georgia and Alabama and these states that he can just count on. And those are a lot of the states that are being hurt the most.
[And the southern voters] that I really can’t understand are the ones I know personally to be very rational, intelligent, well thought out, well-read, educated adults who are still buying into this shit and I don’t know. I know that a lot of people are slaved to the whole religious angle and things. Somehow, they’ve been brainwashed into thinking Jesus was a Republican or something, which I don’t think there were Republicans then (laughs).
Being 40 years old in a band just picking up steam, does that concern you at all? if you’re 50 and the band is really taking off, isn’t that a bit late in life?
Good Lord it sure is! I wouldn’t know what would have happened though if I had gone through this and was 24 and stupid or something. You can see how…we’re not famous, but I can see where people, particularly when they are younger, can get really taken in by taking in the wrong aspects of it all and lose sight and end up really fucking themselves up. At the same time, I sure wish I had the energy of someone who’s 25 than someone who is 40. Because I do feel at times, god damn I’m getting too old for this shit. Just being on the road 250 days, the toll it takes on me physically. Right now I’m trying to get myself more healthy cause I don’t want to get sick and have to cancel shows or anything. So I’m trying to get myself as healthy as I can for this tour.
Hopefully, the band will start selling more records, and you’ll be able to cut down on the touring a bit.
That would be nice. I mean I love the shows, I love playing, but some days I can tell the difference in the physical toll it takes out of you. Plus, my throat. It’s a fact that I’ve never had any kind of proper training or anything, I’m sure that doesn’t help either. I’m sure I’m doing all kinds of damage to my throat. I don’t wear any protection near enough, so I’m doing damage to my ears. But I love every second of the playing and the rock and while I’m doing it, it makes me feel 20, 30 years younger. But I feel like hell when it’s over though.
Well, your voice hits a chilling, story-telling pitch, particularly in “The Sands Of Iwo Jima.” Is that a result of numerous takes, or is it just natural?
It’s natural. I don’t know how successful it was. The nicest thing anybody said I think, was a writer in Memphis referred to it as my “flawed, human attempt at a falsetto.” I thought that’s really a nice way of putting it, as opposed to like an Al Green who sings this out of worldly beautiful thing.
How would you sum up your guitar playing, verse the other three guitar players in the band?
I’m the primitive one, but melodic maybe. I hear melodies in my head, so I play the melodies I hear in my head. But I really don’t hear hot licks in my head, so I’ve never learned how to play any and I don’t know if I could if I tried at this point in the time. Whereas the other guys are much more accomplished players. I mean Jason (Isbell) technically is just a marvel, he can really do about anything. And fortunately unlike so many other people who are so technically gifted, he doesn’t let that get in the way of an inner fear. He’s really soft and tasteful and really puts the good of the song first. He would certainly know how to do otherwise if he chooses to. Cooley is kind of a psycho player and he plays the really twisted stuff. It’s like “God, how did anybody think of that? How did that happen?” I’m just really lucky that I get to stand in the middle between both of them on stage and I get to hear one on one side and the other on the other. It’s like the best seat in the house for me, ‘cause night after night I pretty much follow what they do. I try to play good enough to where I don’t stink it up or hold it back.
Does a little Jack Daniels help out now and then?
That does help, but now and then. A little helps, a lot don’t (laughs).
The band is getting a great deal of mainstream press lately, including a big story in Blender magazine in the same issue that featured Usher on the cover. Do you think this kind of mass coverage and publicity hurts or helps the band, integrity wise?
I guess it helps. I’m kind of under the feeling that probably any exposure the band gets – I don’t know, my dad always says “you can die of exposure.” But I think its good. We’ve got all these songs and all these records, and to this point we’ve gotten really little radio play. So pretty much the only way we have in getting it out there, and getting it heard, is to go play live show after live show all over the country, and then hope that enough people write about it to where we hope that people, even if its just for their curiosity, come out and check it out to see what it’s all about. I’m sure its comical and “what’s all this hype about” or “we’ll see if its overrated,” but then our job is to hopefully win them over while they’re there and leave with a CD.
It’s been noted you were particularly moved by Molly Hatchet, Blue Oyster Cult and AC/DC shows when your were younger. Were there any other live performances that you saw that you were equally moved by in the 70’s?
The AC/DC show particularly stood out, ‘cause I was in eighth grade, which is like a perfect time to see AC/DC for the first time, and I had never heard of them ‘cause it was the first time they were in America with the Let There Be Rock Tour with Bon Scott. The opening act was UFO, and they were fucking great. And I was thirteen and it was kind of euphoric. I’d been to concerts before, but never been to one without parents or without any kind of guardian looking over my shoulder. I’d never really been to one without not seeing The Eagles and one close by that I can talk my parents into taking me to see. I felt really bored at an Eric Clapton concert, that was for the Slowhand tour. I had never seen a show that was just rock. This was raw and mindblowing and right around that same time was when that whole punk rock thing started taking off and I got really into that, although I didn’t get to see any of that, as The Clash never came close to where I lived. So a lot of the shows I saw as a teenager were B level arena shows. You know, Zeppelin and the Stones didn’t come close to where I lived, so we’d go see the Molly Hatchets and the kind of B-level and C-level acts. I saw Kansas five times and hated them, but it was something to do.
What about REO Speedwagon?
Yeah, I saw all those bands. And just going to the show itself was worth it to us whether you liked the band or not. I saw Springsteen as a kid and that was a mind-blowing show. I saw Prince opening that same year too. Rich James was really awful, but Prince was really amazing and that was a standout show from my youth. But most of the shows I went to, I romanticize the experience because the experience of going was such a fun thing.
Talking about old times, your old band Adam’s House Cat opened for Uncle Tupelo once. Do you remember anything particular about that gig?
I don’t remember a lot about it. They were a three-piece, I had never heard of them before and it was at the Antenna Club in Memphis, which is probably a 300 or 400 seater – a real shit hole, a real dive. I certainly had no idea they were going to end up being some real big deal, and I’m not sure even if I paid that close attention to them. We were the opening act, and probably busy getting drunk. We were way, way drunker those days than we are now…but sometimes we still are.
Coming full circle with the arena shows you mentioned, if The Drive-By Truckers score an arena gig on a co-bill, who would you like to share it with?
The obvious choice would be to get to go on tour with Neil Young, or Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers would be great. That would be a great tour, two bands that everybody loves and respects. Otherwise, maybe The Darkness would be fun. I really like playing with bands that rock hard!
