Interview conducted by Luie Brangers. Posted January 15, 2012

www.hank3.com     www.facebook.com/hank3     www.reinstatehank.org  

SplatterTribe: So where you at today?

HANK3: San Diego, California...swallowing fire...

SplatterTribe: Swallowing fire, huh?

HANK3: Yeah... man...

SplatterTribe: So what's is it like to finally be in control of your musical destiny?

HANK3: Well, I just do what I do. I've been with a label that didn't respect what I did and I was never able to show people how creative I am as a musician and now that's finally happening. So, it feels great. My fans are exited. I was able to make musical history, in my eyes, by releasing four records in one day, across three different genre's and starting up my own label. So I'm coming out of the gate strong. I'm just doing what I do and doing what I live for and that's playing music.

SplatterTribe: Is this a sign of the times of music changing in general with the do it yourself, or just your career changing?

HANK3: It's just a new beginning for me, really with the way I'm looking at it. I'm still the same guy. I haven't changed. I'm still doing the same shows. My work ethic is the same. It's just now I am able to... if I want to go jam with Junior Brown tomorrow, I can and I don't have to go through five lawyers and have it setting on the shelf for two years. I have no one else to blame but me now.

SplatterTribe: Yeah, but when you first started in music, you couldn't do anything like that could you? I don't mean you personally, but just the music industry in general...

HANK3: Well, I mean, I was doing my own thing but, it doesn't matter if it's me or if your Journey, if you're on a major label, you have to deal with all the managers, lawyers and he said, she said, business plans and all of that. I've never been like that. I'm a DIY (Do It Yourself!) person.

SplatterTribe: How important is it to you to be able to pull off the diversity that you do in music as far as with your musical career and your sanity?

HANK3: Well, sanity, that's something in itself... I mean... I'm an acid casualty, many, many, many times over. So that's a never ending battle... but, (with) what I do, I know there's no one else out there delivering the show we do as far as having the cheapest ticket price and the longest show, as far as national acts go. There's no one coming close to what I do. If I was just a Country singer, it wouldn't be the same. If I was just a Heavy Metal guy, it wouldn't be the same. We're wearing our crowds out. At the beginning of the night there'll be 1,500 people, at the end of the night there'll be barely 200 left. That's how much energy we're draining out of them.

SplatterTribe: Yeah and what's awesome is you've earned it by doing it your own way. You've earned everybody that's in that crowd. They're there for HANK3 and not there just because of a 'legacy'...

HANK3: They've also seen me connect to them. After every show I've done since 1995, with a crew and a bus, I kneel down and I shake every hand, sign every poster and take every picture and over the years that's been the best marketing out there that money can't buy... It's the old Country way. That's year end, year out, night after night (that I hear), "Man, you're the realest mother fucker out there and Thank You for being there for us. Not everybody might get it, but you're being a trooper and you're trucking on through it..."

SplatterTribe: Getting to the new albums, I can't imagine how you could have any organization when you're doing four totally different sounding albums at one time. I mean, how did you not just get lost in the concept? That's a lot of music and that's a lot of diversity. Like you said, it's definitely something that's never been done because I can't even see anybody else even being able to pull it off.

HANK3: I got off Curb Records January 1st. On January 2nd, I started writing. February to June, from the time I woke up, till the time I went to sleep, (it was) nothing but writing, recording, playing. I played drums on all the records and all of that. It was full on, everyday was dedicated to it. Some days I just wouldn't even eat. It was 9, 10 AM till Midnight, everyday. Yeah, it was an overload and full throttle. I doubt I'll ever be able to do that again in my life, but that's what happened. I weighed 160lbs. I went to to 139lbs. (because I was) grueling over it. The hardest part about it was mixing, really. That's the only time I really separated all the projects. It was also inspiring...at the same time too...

SplatterTribe: Did you have the idea going into it that you wanted to do four albums?

HANK3: I knew I wanted to pump out as much as I could because I knew I wanted to be on the road for a good, solid two years. I wanted to have a product for my fans. I wanted to give them the option to get the four parts of my show. Have a chance to get a Country, or Rock record, or Metal record.

SplatterTribe: Are musically exhausted now? Did you put out everything you had in you at the time? Was there any other styles that you wanted to showcase?

HANK3: There'll always be more, man. I mean, (there's) no telling what I'll be into two years from now. That's all I do is listen to music, play music. That's all I live for. That's all I got. There's no telling what kind of phase I'll be in when I'm off the road. That's two years from now. Look at Les Claypool. He's a perfect example. He played on the record, but then again, look at how many different styles he's done. I'm an all around musician doing a little bit of everything. Not everybody might get it, but I'm just doing what I do.

SplatterTribe: I want to run through all your albums and get you to say whatever comes to mind since you're this far into your career, whether it's one word or 5 minutes...

HANK3: Alright...

SplatterTribe: We'll start with 'Risin' Outlaw'...

HANK3: Risin' Outlaw was a big production. Still a little green on my side. My favorite track on that was definitely... Is 'Blue Devil' on that one...? You remember...?

SplatterTribe: Yeah, 'Blue Devil' is on that one, definitely...

HANK3: Well, then that's gonna be my favorite song on that record. That one (Risin' Outlaw), I didn't have that much 'hands on' it. That was more CURB (Records). It was OK, coming out of the gate, but I was still green.

SplatterTribe: What about 'Lovesick, Broke & Driftin'?

HANK3: I got to record that my way, with my engineer. I was there throughout the sessions with all the players. (I) was very 'hands on' about that one.

SplatterTribe: What songs on these two albums do you still play?

HANK3: My set list always changes. Sometimes you get 'Mississippi Mud' or you'll get 'I Don't Know' or 'Thunderstorms (& Neon Signs), (87) Southbound, 7 Months, 39 Days. My sets usually move different every night.

SplatterTribe: It seems like there was a big difference between 'Lovesick, Broke & Driftin' to 'Straight To Hell'. What brought that change? Is that the point where you actually felt who you were?

HANK3: Well, no, you gotta understand I was on the road with Superjoint Ritual for two years and I had two years of having my recorder with me and setting up in a rehearsal room before we played a show every night. So I got to compile a lot of music and that's where a lot of those legendary songs came out of. It was the first Country record ever...and there's not even that much cussing on it... It was the first Country record ever to have a Parental Advisory on it. (I was) going against the grain and that's probably one of my all time classic records right there. One that my fans will always go to the next level on. It's one of my rowdier records. One that the fans just really fucking identify with.

SplatterTribe: You mentioned 'Superjoint Ritual' and I know you guys have mentioned that it just will not happen again, what is the reason behind that. The reason there will never be anymore Superjoint albums?

HANK3: Why Superjoint is no more?

SplatterTribe: Yeah.

HANK3: It has to do with someone tried to boss the boss and you don't do that. The boss of that band was Phillip Anselmo and you don't boss the boss. That's the way it works. Someone tried to do that and now that band is history.

SplatterTribe: I liked Superjoint a lot, man.

HANK3: Phil has got something up his sleeve that is going to blow everybody away. Unheard of, Untouched and it's gonna make SuperJoint look like nothing...

SplatterTribe: Awesome, I'm looking forward to it...Going back to your albums though, after 'Straight To Hell' you went into 'Damn Right, Rebel Proud'...

HANK3: That one was recorded at my house. (I had) full on control over it. That was done my way. I just turned it into CURB and said, "Here you go...Take it or leave it..." It worked out good (though).

SplatterTribe: But when you did that with them, there was a chance that they would not accept it. What was it like to not have that appreciation from them?

HANK3:Yeah, I'd just tell them to go talk to my lawyer and I will be out there playing my shows on the road, you know? All and all, I'm a bar band and I'll keep doing what I do. That's the way I approached it.

SplatterTribe: I got ya, It is what you do...

HANK3: (laughs) Yeah, man...

SplatterTribe: After 'Damn Right...' you released the very Metal 'Assjack' album. I guess you were getting a little more leniency from the label then, huh?

HANK3: Yeah, I mean that was a lot of lawyer talk to make that stuff happen, just to get it out there.

SplatterTribe: Now, the 'Assjack' project isn't gonna play any part in the next couple of years of touring, correct?

HANK3: Not for right now. I'm doing the Doom Metal and 3 Bar Ranch. I've done Assjack almost 10 years, so I'm ready for a change.

SplatterTribe: Now we move on to 'Rebel Within'...

HANK3: Once again, I recorded it at my house. It's got a couple of rowdy songs, a couple of slow songs. It's kind of a (more) Country record, in my eyes, compared to what I had just released. It was a lot more Blues oriented.

SplatterTribe: Moving into the NEW albums, first there's '3 Bar Ranch' and I've got to ask, what kind of looks did you get when you were trying to explain to people what you were trying to do? I mean, I'm sure no one else has ever thought about mixing auctioneers with Speed Metal and I'm sure it was hard to explain to the auctioneers...I don't know if you talked face to face or over the phone but...

HANK3: I just got on the phone with auctioneers. Most of them are 60-70 years old. I'm trying to explain to them that they're not gonna understand it and there not gonna like the music and that I'm not making fun of their industry was the hardest thing. I did lose half of my fastest auctioneers. They pulled out and didn't want to be a part of it, but hopefully on the next go around, I'll be able to have them once again, on there. . It's been a lot of fun and it's been awesome playing it live...

SplatterTribe: So you are playing 3 Bar Ranch songs live?

HANK3: Yeah, we're doing all of it, Country, Hellbilly, A.D.D. and 3 Bar Ranch.

SplatterTribe: How are you pulling those songs off live? Do you have an auctioneer with you?

HANK3: No, we're playing the samples (till) someone wants to get out there and be a Rock N' Roll Auctioneer and wants to go on the road...

SplatterTribe: What about 'Attention Deficit Domination', another of the NEW albums. This one is more in the Doom Metal vein, is that something you have been wanting to do?

HANK3: For years I have always loved it and I just needed to... All I'm doing is I'm just a musician man and I have many different sounds in me and (I'm) trying to let everybody hear it. But someone literally (asked), "How's it feel to be a Country artist and have one of the best Doom records out there right now?" So you know, I'm paying respect to may hero's, Black Sabbath, The Melvins and all these other people that helped me get that sound. It's just a part of me man. I love doing different styles of music.

SplatterTribe: So basically nobody knows what you may come out with next?

HANK3: Yeah, I mean, I don't even know. If people don't get it, that's fine, I'll still be doing what I do.

SplatterTribe: Now, 'Ghost To A Ghost', is that considered a double album or is 'Ghost To A Ghost' an album and 'Guttertown' an album?

HANK3: That's two separate albums. I mean, I approached it like it might be the last album that I ever record. The first one, Ghost To A Ghost was done the right way and the second one (Guttertown) was done the wrong way. There's a lot of experimental stuff on there. I got some big timers on there, from Tom Waits to Les Claypool to the Underground and Alan King from Hellstomper. I just wanted to go all out, man. (I) pretty much, wanted to make my hero's proud.

SplatterTribe: Well, that's like in the middle of the 'Ghost To A Ghost' CD, you have a couple of songs with Ray Lawrence Jr. It's a change of pace but flows good with the album. What lead you to do that?

HANK3: He just came in, we had one microphone, I hit record and that was that. He had no idea it was gonna end up on the record. He was living in a homeless shelter when we recorded that. He's just a good soul, a real strong man. He just opened up for us a two days ago.

SplatterTribe: I know you're tight on time, but I wanted to address the 'Reinstate Hank' thing before we end it though. I'm fully behind it, but I wanted your opinion on why Nashville and The Opry not do that? It seems like they could make such an event over his reinstatement, if they wanted to.

HANK3: I don't know what kind of politics are there or who Hank Williams pissed off back in the day. All we're asking for is a simple ceremony and that they acknowledge Hank Williams as being a member of the Opry again, or a statue or something, man. That just goes to show how Nashville has a political side to them, I guess. It's not preserving musical history. That's something they're not doing. All I can think of is Hank must have really pissed someone off. All we can do is keep talking about it and people sign the petition to give to'm and stuff like that. You know, that's all I can do.

SplatterTribe: Well, I'll let you get back to your day, just want to see if you have any closing comments you want to say?

HANK3: If anybody wants to see where we're at on the road, go to HANK3.com. If anybody wants to get our CD's, buy them straight from me. Me and my Mom run our business. So all the proceeds go to us, if you buy it from us. Hope we can keep making you proud over the years, man. Hope we'll be seeing you out there. Take care.

www.hank3.com     www.facebook.com/hank3     www.reinstatehank.org