Hollywood Five-O :: Hank Williams III

MEMO FIVE-O
To: Hank Williams III
From: Nate Diamond
Re: Superjoint Ritual at House of Blues
Los Angeles, June 24, 2002

Hey III:

Here's my chance to spell it out for everybody exactly what you people do.

You and Superjoint are full-blooded, expertly trained, swamp-haired Hessian Metal Commandos. No bells and whistles, no glitter, eyeliner, dry ice, flashpots, laser shows or platform boots. Just the reckless firepower of Army Rangers on maneuvers in Mogadishu, recast as a street-clothes mosh pit free-for-all.

I like the jarring, stunning, sudden stops followed by lead screamer Philip Anselmo's stream of semi-consciousness stage patter. "This is the abrupt style... I don't need no fucking stupid fucking costume to hide behind. Here's to the realists!" It's a Louisiana accent or something, but he sounds like he's from Brooklyn when he introduces you, "Hank Fucking Williams The Thoid."

So Anselmo's got 2 other bands, Down and Pantera, which is funny, because I remember when Pantera was a club band in Dallas in the '80s at like, the worst clubs - now they're the General Motors of metal. Plus he's got Superjoint, based for over ten years in the 13th Dimension called New Orleans, a band escalated to a new level when it signed up the country-metal nomad Hank III as its touring bass player. You guys got a killer, ballistic drummer named Joe Fazzio, two guitar-shredding werewolves named Jimmy Bower and Kevin Bond, and Anselmo, a front man of weapons-grade intensity, detonating on vocals.

So, III: in case you ever wonder what it looks like from the audience, your band's performance style is marked by rigorous head-banging, free perspiration, liberal expectorating, and open mockery of L.A.'s marijuana ordinances. In fact, the effect is full-on Underground 1987, like a $4 show at Deep Ellum's Theater Gallery.

Meanwhile, you personally are about a million light years away from all these put-on artists trying to be Mister Popularity at MTV High. You're just an honest, driven, hard-working, eerily exact physical carbon copy of the greatest country artist of all time who likes to throw down with Phil Anselmo and the Melvins when you're not out raising hell with your own solo band.

For this a grateful rock nation salutes you. And reminds everyone that Superjoint's new album Use Once And Destroy is in shops and boutiques now. Ask for it by name wherever 1987-vintage thrash metal is sold.

Regards,
Nate Diamond

PS: Here's all your best quotes from the interview.

hank3

Hank III in the First Person

The Basics
"We are glad to have Superjoint Ritual back on the road, man. It's been four years since Superjoint has done any kind of touring. We're just trying to get some old school metal back out there with no gimmicks... just old school knock your teeth in."

Fraternal Order
"We all been at it for a while. We all got one thing in common, and that's just hard rock, man. We all love it."

Seduction Of The Innocent
"I first got into heavy rock when I was a drummer. When I got my first Kiss albums. When I was 8 or 9 years old for Christmas I got a bunch of Kiss records. From then on, I liked the beat. I liked the energy. And then I started getting more pissed off when I was a little kid with no father around and all that shit, and then Black Flag, and then death metal, and it all just went bad. That and Misfits and then once I heard Metallica and Slayer, it was over, you know. I've always been attracted to the dark side for some reason. I don't know why."

RIP Cliff Burton
"I been a bass player and singer before in old hard core bands, but I'm just trying to bring [original Metallica bass legend] Cliff Burton back from the dead. I'm just banging my head as hard as I fucking can. I love the songs. We're just here to rock as hard as we can, man."

White Line Fever
"I try to tour as much as I can. I might take a month off here and there. But that's the only way I make my money, dude, is the road."

State Of Readiness
"Whoeeever wants to fucking play with me, man."

The Melvins
"They've been heroes of mine, man. I totally respect them, how long they been out on the road. And they been clean for the last 8, 10 years, getting shit done. Touring around in a van and always being true to what they always been true to. They're icons of that era, man. It's a dream come true to open up for them when we had the chance to."

Does Anyone In Country Music Today Get You?
"The old timers do, (George) Jones, Willie (Nelson), Waylon (Jennings). But all the people in the business, I tell them to fuck themselves all the time because I never had much money, and I don't need much money to get by, man. Since I don't play the game I'll say, 'All this new country you put out sucks, all your radio country sucks, CMT sucks, Nashville sucks and the real country music is Dale Watson, Wayne Hancock, Junior Brown and a lot of other guys that don't get any kinda respect at all.'"

Next Up For III
"My rock album will come out one day and I'll have plenty of country albums, that's just taking some time."