by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: Hank Williams III
When: October 21st
Where: Jack Rabbits
Despite Hank Williams III’s country music legacy, he started his career in the punk scene and only succumbed to country when a demand for child support payments bled him so dry that he felt he had to exploit his country roots in order to pay. He plays in three different styles: classic, old school country a la his grandfather’s music, hellbilly and the punk metal infused style of Assjack. His newest album, Straight to Hell wasn’t released until this year because of his fight against Wal-Mart’s censorship of his album. Wal-Mart got their way and there are two versions of the CD: a cleaned up version and an uncensored version, complete with a parental advisory label. You can catch him in Jacksonville live at Jack Rabbits this Saturday.
EU: So what’s the story on Wal-Mart’s censorship of your work?
Hank Williams III: That’s ‘cause I have bullsh*t f***ing commercial label that likes to bend over and go with the masses and doesn’t like to make friends of their own. I do things on the independent style, so censorship in music is a complete f****ing bullsh*t when you’ve got South Park that f***s with race, homosexuality, politics, religion. When they say f*** you can hear the f and the k and they sell that to kids and they’re gonna give musicians sh*t about saying sh*t, f***, GD and talking about a little bit of drugs in the music section when you can step over five feet in the Hollywood section buy all the same sh*t in the same f***ing store. It’s pretty much loopholes and lawyers. Wal-Mart, whoever buys music there, I feel sorry for them.
EU: Have you gotten a chance to see more of your kids?
Hank Williams III: No, because that goes back to my reputation and, you know, they have step-fathers in their lives and I’m a crazed rebel who does drugs and drinks and deals with heathens…So that’s the last thing I want to deal with is being back in a courtroom talking to those f***ing a**hole lawyers who do nothing but try to suck the money out of you…[My kids] know when they get old enough they’ll have a chance to track me down…Goes back to…[the mother’s] decisions and…letting daddy run the show, as far as her police pig father calling the shots and waitin’ for four years to tell someone they have a kid, serving papers onstage and all that sh*t…You’re talking about complete f***ing a**holes…As I’ve said for years---F*** ‘em…The kids know they have somewhere to go to whenever they get out of their police state…Hank Williams never had a father. Hank Jr. never had a father. I never had a father and I never wanted to be a father ‘cause I know what the f*** I have to do: be on the road and kick this f***er’s ass every GD day. It’s not place for a child.
EU: I know you went to rehab. Did it work?
Hank Williams III: That was the worst. People that go to rehab need to go for themselves, not for other people…I went trying to get my old girlfriend back…[At the label] they didn’t like this rebel of an attitude…They’re used to zombies doing what they say, so that had a lot to do with it.
EU: Do you use today?
Hank Williams III: I use as much as Willie Nelson would…
EU: Have you ever been arrested?
Hank Williams III: Yes. I’ve done five years Federal probation. I’ve done my time with the Feds.
EU: What did you get arrested for?
Hank Williams III: Aiding and abetting conspiracy and harm to a Federal witness…but that’s no longer on my record ‘cause I did my time and I was a good boy for five years and pissed in a cup with a f***ing mirror in front of me and a dude over my shoulder twice a month and never got busted.
EU: What about you would surprise people--and not something you’ve done that’s rebellious, because every body talks about that.
Hank Williams III: I’m a nice guy. In the end I’m a nice guy. I’m a very patient person and compared with a lot of people I know, I put up with a lot of sh*t. I’m a dick also, but when you first meet me I’m shy and I’m nice…Those are two qualities about me I’m not that crazy about, but, it’s the truth.
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