In the pantheon of commercially successful psychobilly bands, the Reverend Horton Heat more or less stands alone. The dusty storm of country-flavored sounds they like to kick up has made its way to such notable mainstream fare as The Drew Carey Show, the Cartoon Network’s Johnny Bravo, and even a commercial for comfort food slingers Boston Market. Of course, if we’re going by TV appearances, I suppose legendary creep-rockers the Cramps outdid every hep cat in the game when they appeared on the original Beverly Hills 90210. Yes, it was a Halloween episode (natch).

Such anomalies aside, the Rev have basically ruled the roost since exploding onto the scene with 1990’s Smoke ’Em If You Got ‘Em. September of ’09 saw the release of the band’s 10th effort, Laughin’ and Cryin’ with the Reverend Horton Heat, a collection of honky-tonk throwback numbers leaning heavily on the humor. Genial entries like “Rural Point of View” and “Please Don’t Take the Baby to the Liquor Store” crack wise in a playful manner generally not seen since the heyday of Carl Perkins or Hank Williams. That’s not to say the Rev is stuck in the last century; the trio get their shots in at modern life, particularly in the extreme metal mockery “Death Metal Guys.”

Crawdaddy! took a moment to speak with the Reverend himself, lead singer/guitar slinger Jim Heath, just the other day. Despite his band’s success, Heath remains seemingly grounded, undeniably friendly, and willing to crack unexpected Michael Jackson jokes in his signature syrupy Texas drawl.

Crawdaddy!: Concerning “Death Metal Guys”—are you worried about repercussions from the death metal community at large?

Jim Heath: [Laughs] Oh, I don’t think so. No one cares about what the Reverend Horton Heat does. Not those guys, anyway. All that stuff… it’s just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to eat the singer’s brains. I mean, come on already.

Crawdaddy!: So you’re not into any death metal at all?

Heath: Well, some of that music I like. Sometimes I’ll be in the mood and throw on some, you know… [long pause]… Mayhem or whatever.

Crawdaddy!: Laughin’ and Cryin’ is a quasi-genre album, a collection of tongue-in-cheek country songs harkening back to a certain time period. Have you considered recording other albums in this vein, or other specific genre records?

Heath: Well, we haven’t really decided where to go next. Humor works better for us, no matter what style. Maybe we’ll go back to psychobilly on the next record. You know, being a musician only works if you let it all go. You have to go with people’s strengths, go with the flow.

Crawdaddy!: In terms of recording, are you strictly an analog guy?

Heath: No, I kinda use both [digital and analog]. I don’t use the computers to cut and paste all this stuff… [the producers and engineers] do all that. Basically, I do what they tell me to do. [Laughs] It’s kind of annoying how people talk about analog because they think it’s “cool.” Some of the most authentic sounding stuff out there is on hard disk. Microphone placement has more to do with things sounding good than whether they’re using analog or digital equipment. That’s more important. And in the end, usually, most producers can’t even tell the difference between the two, so… whatever. And me—look, I’m just a musician. I go out and play for people. I don’t get too caught up in perfecting every little thing on albums.

Crawdaddy!: So you don’t have any major regrets in your recorded catalog then?

Heath: Not really. You know, you do an album, and your brain is fried out after a while from all the repetition and re-listening. It’s like doing drugs. There have been times where I’ve said, “Okay, yeah, great!” in the studio and then, two years later, I hear the thing and I go, “Whoa! Why is that so thin?” You know? But generally, no, it’s not a major concern or anything. Like I said, I’m a musician. I’m more about goin’ out and doin’ the show.

Crawdaddy!: You have a signature guitar. Do you feel obligated to use it when recording or playing live?

Heath: I wouldn’t say I feel obligated, but if I found something better I’d switch to that. It seems to work just right for me.

Crawdaddy!: As a longtime fan, I’ve always wondered: Why did you guys get to do a two-song medley on that cartoon song compilation, Saturday Morning’s Greatest Hits?

Heath: That story is a great example of how you never really have control over anything. They asked us to be on that, and we didn’t know what we were going to do. Two days before the session, the producer says, “Oh, I think it would be great if you guys covered ‘Johnny Quest.’” I remembered that theme kinda; it was definitely something I couldn’t recall clearly. I tell him this, and he says, “Oh, don’t worry, will give you plenty of time to get it down.” Well, we get to the studio, and “Johnny Quest” turns out to be this unbelievably complex big band arrangement, made up of about six or seven completely different parts, with all sorts of weird key changes. We sat down and, literally, it took us all… day… long. Then, just as we’re getting it, the producer runs in and says, “You know what would be great? If you guys combined this one with ‘Stop That Pigeon!’” And that was another song we had never really heard. That was the hardest day in the studio ever. It was all the producer’s idea. But we did it. And we’ve never played it live. [Laughs]

Crawdaddy!: Let’s end this interview with a cliché—do you have a favorite album of 2009?

Heath: Oh, jeez… I’d have to say This Is It by Michael Jackson.

Crawdaddy!: Really?

Heath: Naw! [Laughs] You know, I’m not really up on new music. It’s so hard. I start to like something, something I think is brand new, and then I usually discover it came out in 1995. So, I don’t know. Jeez, was there any—oh wait, you know what was good? Willie and the Wheel, the record Willie Nelson did with Asleep at the Wheel.

Crawdaddy!: Okay, we’ll put you down for that one.

Heath: Willie always does good stuff. Can’t go wrong. Oh, and Nashville Pussy, I remember liking the record they put out this year: From Hell to Texas. Other than that, nothing really struck my fancy.

Watch: “Pyschobilly Freakout” [at youtube.com]

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