Questions and Answers with Patterson Hood

by: Matt Gewolb

Patterson Hood: Photo by Jason Thrasher Here in the Smoke-Filled Room, we often find ourselves bemoaning the dearth of political activists on the scene these days. Not today. Today we extend our heartfelt birthday wishes to a man who has largely shaped our very concept of the protest singer. That man, of course, is the incomparable Pete Seeger, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday in high style with a star-studded concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Not surprisingly, all the proceeds from the event went to a good cause—the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a non-profit organization created to defend and restore the Hudson River. Among the dozens of A-listers who showed up to pay tribute to Seeger were Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, and a good friend of the Smoke-Filled Room, Ani DiFranco. Most importantly, for our purposes, was the involvement of Patterson Hood. Hood, who is best-known for leading the powerhouse Southern rock group Drive-By Truckers, is a formidable activist in his own right, and his new solo record, the delightfully titled Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs), is due out later this month. We caught up with Hood to talk about sharing a stage with the Boss, what to expect from Obama, and the cause closest to his heart.

Crawdaddy!: First of all, congratulations on the release of your new album, which comes out next month and will mark the end of a very long process of writing and recording. Are you relieved? Sorry to see the end of it?

Patterson Hood: Very relieved. It’s been an extremely long process. I’m very proud of the album and have wanted to see it come out for a long time. It also clears the way for me to do other things, too.

Crawdaddy!: With an album that consists of songs written over such an extended period, is it hard to produce a cohesive record? Were there other challenges in finishing this project?

Hood: I think it’s amazingly cohesive, even without considering the 15-year span of the songs and four-year span between making the majority of it and releasing it now. We’ve been joking that since some people have actually called it timely (something I haven’t been accused of very much), maybe we should hold all of them for four years before releasing. I wrote an album’s worth of songs in ’94 when I first moved to Athens, Georgia. I didn’t have a band or money to record them, so I recorded the songs on my jam box at the house I was living in. When DBT started two years later, I was writing so much that we began the band with all new songs and those songs kinda got left behind. In early ’05, the band was taking some time off (briefly), and I was awaiting the birth of my daughter. The studio is a few blocks from my house, so it seemed like the perfect time to record this project. I had written some new songs that pretty much counter-pointed the ’94 songs, as I was in a very different place. I really loved how the old songs and new songs fit together and that became the basis for the album. As it so happened, my friends, the band Centro-matic, were coming to town. I lured my Dad into town to record; David Barbe is an amazing bassist, etc. It all came together so easily and naturally. We recorded it in 10 or so days and planned to put it out that spring, as DBT was about to start their next album. Then the biz side of things reared its ugly head and now I’m just thrilled that it is finally seeing the light of day. I think it actually all worked out for the better, although I wouldn’t have said that two years ago.

Crawdaddy!: You recently played at Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday party concert at the Garden. First of all, how is Pete holding up these days?

Hood: He looked and sounded great. A very sweet man with an amazing extended family.

Crawdaddy!: How was the whole experience, and how did it come about? Any special moments for you?

Hood: It was amazing. I met so many great folks and made some new friends. The show was fantastic. Playing the Garden wasn’t too shabby either. Bob Ezrin, who was one of the directors of the thing, was a childhood hero of mine, as I grew up loving records he produced. We became fast friends and it was great working with him. I got to meet Springsteen and talked to Kristofferson. I hung out with the Band of Horses guys, who were just stellar. I got to sing with Bernice and Toshi Reagon and met Ruby Dee. I sang with the Band of Horses guys and we all became new, fast friends.

Crawdaddy!: What’s it like sharing the stage with folks like Seeger and the Boss?

Hood: Still kinda letting that one sink in.

Crawdaddy!: What do you take from Seeger’s musical and political legacies in these troubled times?

Hood: Mr. Seeger’s life story and body of work should serve as an inspiration to anyone who views music as a potential impetus for change or even a longing for a better world. I’m not naïve enough to think that a song alone can make that much difference on its own, but as a piece of a puzzle, it can really inspire and move people, and even big changes usually start with something small. I’m a big believer in “think global/act local” and try to act accordingly. Pete and his family (real and extended) are really amazing people, and it was an honor to be a part of paying tribute to that and to be a part of his birthday celebration.

Crawdaddy!: Some critics have called your solo material “stark,” “dark,” and the like—especially compared with the Drive-By Truckers’ records. Do you agree? Does that say anything about you or your political outlook?

Hood: Well, the first one was definitely stark and dark and all of that. This one actually has some very bright moments in it. The title cut and a couple of others are dark and foreboding, but “I Understand Now” is the most positive song I’ve ever written. “Back of a Bible” is a love song. “Granddaddy”, which I wrote for my then-unborn daughter, is a very sweet song. I think every song is different and that is one of its strengths. The only blatantly political song on this album is actually one of the vinyl-only bonus songs. “Uncle Phil and Aunt Phyllis in the Month After the Election” is like a political, dark comedy set in the weeks after the ’04 Kerry/Bush election. That occurred right before I made the album and was a fresh wound. It’s certainly not timely now, but hopefully is still funny and a snapshot of a time that hopefully will remain in the past.

Crawdaddy!: You’ve written your share of political songs and you wrote on your website shortly before Obama was elected that “Jr. has wrapped the Camaro around too many telephone poles and it’s time to take his keys away.” What’s your evaluation of Obama’s first 100-plus days?

Hood: I think he has the hardest job on earth and has done an amazing job under the circumstances. I don’t expect him to be perfect or to agree with everything he does, but he’s covered a lot of ground in a short time and under really bad circumstances.

Crawdaddy!: Many of us seem to have placed a tremendous burden on him, expecting him to right a lot of big wrongs and fix an awful lot that’s broken. Are our expectations too high?

Hood: I don’t really get all of the belly-aching from either side. I wasn’t expecting a miracle; I was hoping he could stop or slow down the bleeding. I try to focus on the big picture. The neo-cons are going to gripe, but they got us into a lot of this mess to begin with, so I don’t feel they really have much of a leg to stand on. The liberals who don’t feel like he’s done enough need to remember that one man can on
ly do so much and especially in barely 100 days. If he doesn’t build coalitions and do all of this right, we’ll end up with another Bush in there next time and what will we have then? I do understand some impatience with the gay issues, but the only way those are going to change is with a transformation of the way people think and feel about those issues. That is happening, but it is slow and is going to still take some time. I suspect that he’s a little frustrated with the slowness of that change himself.

Crawdaddy!: Overtly political songwriting seems greatly diminished these days, in rock, folk, and elsewhere. How do you see your role as a songwriter? Do you feel an obligation to write about politics?

Hood: I write about life, but much of life is controlled by and affected by politics. I don’t write many overtly political songs, but I write a lot about the personal side of how people have been affected by political actions. The personal consequences of politics.

Crawdaddy!: I hear you’re deeply involved in Nuçi’s Space, a musician’s resource center in Athens, GA that aims to “prevent suicide by providing obstacle free treatment for musicians suffering from depression” and to “assist in the emotional, physical, and professional well-being of musicians.” It sounds like an extraordinary place. How has it helped you and the people around you?

Hood: Their program is amazing, innovative, ground-breaking, and, like all of the best things, profoundly simple. Founder Linda Phillips lost her very talented young son to suicide shortly after I moved to Athens. She turned her grief into Nuçi’s Space. She felt that the biggest obstacles to troubled young artists getting or seeking help are not knowing what to do or who to reach out to to get help and the financial end of paying for it afterward. By Nuçi’s Space acting as a practice space and musician’s resource center, she solves the first obstacle. Artists get into the habit of coming there to practice or fix their guitars or whatever, meet the people working there, and are more likely to then reach out to someone there if the need comes up (which it statistically often does). Nuçi’s also helps with getting them affordable, sometimes free help. As long as they are willing to also help themselves, it works magnificently. On a personal level, I could write a book on all of the people very close to me, myself included, who have been helped by their various programs. My wife and I are both on the Board of Directors now, and it’s an honor to try to help them continue their program.

Crawdaddy!: I see you’re headed out on the road when the record is released. Is that something you’re looking forward to?

Hood: The instrumentation on the album varies from song to song, but there is a core band that plays on the majority in various ensembles. I’ll be going out this summer with that core band, which is a bitchin’ good band. David Barbe on bass. He hasn’t really toured since Sugar broke up in ’95. Will Johnson and Scott Danbom from Centro-matic, which is my favorite band. Neff and Brad from DBT. Plus, we’re all great friends, so we’re going to have a blast.

Crawdaddy!: Sounds like a good time. Has the economy affected you much? Do you think it will affect you on this tour?

Hood: I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far everything’s been holding steady.

Watch: Drive-By Truckers, “Decoration Day” [at youtube.com]

Tags: Patterson Hood, Drive-By Truckers, Pete Seeger, Nuçi’s Space