Razorcake Issue #19

don’t care. It’s going anyway.” I said,“Alright, I will.” We gonna make it loudgoing down the country. Can paint it. “Whatthey’re in, you can’t miss them. You cansee ‘em coming for miles.” I just love mypolka dots. You know Jimmy Rodgers, wayback in the ‘20s and ‘30s? He was the onewho made a song about that. He’s got somesongs out. He’s got that “Polka Dot Blues.”That used to be famous way back then.Then here it come back in again, then itwent back out. Shirts and pants was allpolka dotted. Loud, man. Can see you comingfor miles with the polka dots. [Hasil getsup and grabs another tape.] This song’sabout Clinton. I was testing. See what youthink about mine. This is just about two orthree more pieces. I’m gonna play twelve ortwenty, but see what you think of this.“Clinton Blues.” Working on the bluessound. We’re gonna campaign, too, outthere. [laughter]Bradley: Hasil for president. [The musicstarts up. For those of you who haven’theard this song, it’s Hasil Adkins on drums,guitar, vocals and saxophone all at the sametime.] How were you doing that? Playing asaxophone while you’re playing the guitar?Hasil: Yeah, and I was whistling. I’mgonna play about twelve instruments.Twelve to twenty. I’m rigging them up inthe back room. I’ve got to rig them upacross there where I can get to them.Bradley: Can we take a look at the set-upyou got? You got them all rigged up?Hasil: No, no. I’m rigging them back there.I’ve got to tape them and tie them on andeverything so they won’t come off. Seewhat you think about some of this bluesstuff.Bradley: When was thatone recorded, the one justnow, “Clinton Blues”?Hasil: Back in the backroom there.Bradley: How long ago?Hasil: It ain’t been too long.[Another song starts up onthe tape deck.]Bradley: How many guitarsyou got here?Hasil: I’ve had abouteighty-something all together.Broke about seventysomething, trying to put ona show.Bradley: What’s up withthe pickup on this one? Didyou make it yourself?Hasil: Yeah, all of them.That guitar there, I boughtthat in Baltimore. They justmade twenty-five hundred.That’s the reason I don’twant to tear it up. I laid itdown. Five or ten peoplesaid, “Do you see that helaid the guitar down?” Theydidn’t know what to think.They ain’t ever seen me.Bradley: That’s a prettyguitar.Hasil: It’s made pretty, ain’t it? Whoeverdesigned that, I think they done a good jobon it. It’s a good guitar too, it is. [Hasil putsin the song, “Play With Your Play Pretty.”]Bradley: Why do you write songs aboutpeanut butter?Hasil: The kids love to eat peanut butter. Igot a lot of songs about peanut butter.Everybody likes that peanut butter. [Startstalking about a song that’s playing.] I donethat in Baltimore, about that girl Amy. Shespent fifty thousand dollars calling me. Isaid, “Give me that money, man. Quit calling,just holler at me.” I get to rockin’, thenI slow it down. They said, “I don’t knowwhat to think.” I waited about two monthsbefore I called her. I said, “I didn’t knowwhether to call you or not. You might becrazier than I am. I had to figure it out.” Shesaid, “I didn’t think you’d ever call me.” Isaid, “Oh yeah, I got around to it.” I had tostudy it a long time. [A harmonica blasts inthe background. It’s a sad song and we’redowning Budweiser.]Bradley: So when’s this new record comingout?Hasil: Pretty soon. We’re working on one.Me and Jim is trying to get one.Bradley: Where is Jim?Hasil: North Georgia. He likes my music.That’s what it is. He does. He loves it. He’stickled to death. Every show I’ve played,he’s counting every one.Bradley: Really?Hasil: Yeah, he’s counting every one. [Atthis point, there’s lots of background noisecoming from Hasil’s tape deck.] “WhoTook Your Clothes Off?” See what youthink of this. [The music starts in.] This islive. This is the show where I made it up.They said, “What do you do, make ‘em upon the spot?” I said, “Yeah.” [The songgoes on and it gets to a part where Hasil isdoing the voice of the girl trying to explainto her man why she isn’t wearing clothes.]That’s when she been hanging out all nightand wants to come back. She’s runningaround naked and come back here wantin’to go back inside and I said, “Get out!” Shemust have been pretty drunk or something.Bradley: That really happen?Hasil: Yeah. How you like my guitar? [It’sat a part in the song were Hasil is doing theguitar solo with his mouth. Hasil sings anew guitar part over the stereo. Then anothersong starts off.]Hasil: Here we go. Some of these songs aremessed up. Listen at the words to it. I had todo this buddy with a baseball bat. I ain’tkidding. Them ballplayers like this. [Hasilstarts singing in his own voice.] “I don’t tellthem of the nights I cried without you. I sayjust someone I used to know.” [He startssinging a duet with himself in a woman’svoice.] “Your lies don’t tell them how lost Iam without you. I’ll say it’s just someone Iused to know.” [Sings in his own voice.]“Now, honey, this last time you left on yourown. I want to tell you this. Next time youcome back I’m taking this baseball bat. Andyou’re gonna leave on your own, ‘cause I’mgonna run you off with this baseball bat.You won’t come back no more. And youwon’t have to worry about this baseball bat.You don’t know. I’ll run you out the door,hollerin’ and a-screamin’, sayin’, “Hey,he’s trying to kill me with the baseball bat.”So please, honey, don’t come back no more.I can’t stand it. It’s just about to run menuts. Plum insane. [Mouths out the guitarparts and the tape cuts off in the middle ofthe ending, and goes into “Do the Scalp.”]Bradley: How do you do the scalp?Hasil: Take your cap an’ wack you head.Bradley: What’s your dogs’ names?Hasil: Spot, Molly, Puppy, and Rat.Bradley: Is Rat the little white one?Hasil: He is a rat, sure. If Rat could beatyou to death, he will. He’s worth three hundreddollars. But I wouldn’t give you a dimefor him. You have to pamper him. I say,“You don’t get pampered here. I’ll get aclub on you. You straighten up.”Bradley: When we pulled up, he tried tojump through the window.Hasil: Oh, you know how high they canjump? They can jump as high as your shoulder.They can. That sucker can jump. He’spart rabbit. Them rabbits are hard to catch.He’s fast.Bradley: A rabbit dog. [There’s anothersong playing. It’s got a guy playing fiddlewith Hasil.]Hasil: Listen to that fellow there. That fellowtrying to play that fiddle with me. He’sgood on that fiddle, but he said, “If youshow me the song, I can help you.” I said“I’m making it up myself.69