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 R.L. Burnside August / September 1999 By Michael Koster
What do you like to play in concert? Them blues songs, you know. Yeah, old blues. Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins. I like all of those guys. Out of all the stuff in the past, who are your biggest influences? All those blues guys. I like all those blues guys. Yeah. Do you play the traditional stuff in concert or more radical Ass Pocket kind of stuff? It's more on Mr. Wizard and on back on, you know, Too Bad Jim. Stuff like that. A little more toned down? Yeah. That Ass Pocket is kind of rough there. It's sellin' good but it's kinda up there, ain't it? Oh yeah, a lot of people like that one. How did that whole thing come about? You're an old blues guy and Jon Spencer's kind of a radical rock-&-roll guy. We opened for 'em two or three times, you know. We got on tour with 'em, opening for 'em. We'd be in the restroom havin' a drink and be tellin' a lot of old stories you know. [Spencer] said, "R.L., we ought to make a record." I said, "Oh man...." He said, "Yes, man you just don't know." I got back home and I been back three or four days I reckon and he called, asked me if I wanted to do it. I said, "Yeah, come on down." We do it. Said if it don't help me it can't hurt me none, old man. Go down to Holly Springs, rent one of them big hunting clubs, got all the equipment set up out there and everything. We did the album in four hours.... I got a lot of stories on it, you know. Like "Tojo Told Hitler" and some of those? Yeah. [laughs]
Well, that's talkin' the blues. When I told that story about the ass pocket of whiskey, that's what they named the record after. Talkin' about all them animals that got together at the house down at the party. Where did that story come from? That's just one I made up. You tell a lot of stories like that in concert? Oh, yeah. You gonna do more projects in the future with Jon Spencer? Well, we thinkin' about it. People know you mostly from the '90s, but you recorded in Europe way back too? Yeah, Bluebird was the company, you know. They got a CD made, gonna be in stores. It's gonna be in stores everywhere before too long. How'd you hook up with Fat Possum? We just playin' one night and [Fat Possum founder Matt Johnson] come in. Playing over at Junior's one night. He been lookin' for me. They come in up there that night and I was there. We got hooked up from there. Glad you did 'cause I'm loving the stuff coming out of Fat Possum these days. Well I'm glad you do, I appreciate that. |
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