Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Interview date: 19.02.2007
Before the Mardi Gras show, the Eagles Of Death Metal gig, our crew managed to lure singer Jesse Hughes in front of the mic, the persona who gives this American band its very special patina. In the belly of Ljubljana’s Cvetličarna we didn’t know what exactly to expect. A nonchalant, self-absorbed star? A man of few words, a poser who can’t string together two coherent sentences? Jesse is anything but. The moment we walked into the room where the interview was supposed to happen, he greeted us with a warm, homey handshake and a cheekiness that promised a dynamic and interesting chat.
RockLine: It’s a great honor to have you here in our neck of the woods, in Slovenia. If I’m not mistaken, this is your first visit?
Jesse: That’s right. First time ever.
RockLine: What are your impressions so far?
Jesse: I can tell you this won’t be the last time we’re here. I fucking love this place. Yesterday I was in Croatia, in Zagreb, where I went wandering around and took in the sights. I came out to see what you’ve got to offer here today too. Even on the drive in, I was checking out the landscape. It’s beautiful here. Seriously beautiful. You’ve got the Alps, gorgeous suburbs and the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. It’s fucking beautiful here! You know what I mean?
RockLine: So you actually took the time to check out the sights and the people? You got lucky with the weather, too.
Jesse: It’s wonderful. I didn’t even need a coat, it’s so warm. We got in at ten in the morning. As soon as I got up I stepped right out of the bus and went sightseeing. That’s what I usually do. I don’t like hanging around in the bus. I like checking things out. Culture is living people, not framed pictures of people who’ve been dead forever that you look at in a museum. And it’s the people who give a place its character and its look, the thing that lets you feel the pulse of a city, a culture, a nation. You can tell just by how they react to a smile and stuff like that. I love your parts of the world. I can’t wait to retire somewhere on the Croatian coast, where there are hordes of girls going topless. You know what I’m getting at, right?
RockLine: Then come back and check out the situation in the summer. The selection is no doubt bigger at our neighbors’ than on our tiny coast, but still… Ambassadors of pleasure: welcome to our place! (laughs)
Jesse: (laughs) Thanks, man!
RockLine: So much for culture and beauty. Let’s move on to topics closer to the music. What are you expecting from tonight’s show?
Jesse: Full-blooded boogie rock’n’roll. Killer rock that’ll rip your pants off – that’s what I’ve got for you. My voice is giving me a bit of trouble right now, but I don’t really give a fu- I’ll just swing my dick around more. I’ll make a deal with the crowd: if they promise not to hold it against me that I’m not exactly in top vocal shape (if I start running out of voice…), I’ll work like a dog and do my best to send them home with a smile. I’m offering a good time. How could anyone resist fun and easygoing vibes? As for me, I can’t wait, because every show is a brand-new experience. A new crowd always shows up, and that definitely affects what I do on stage. I’m up there because I’m happy to see the crowd, about as happy as they are to see me, right? A show is always a two-way street. As for how I see the role of a rock’n’roller, I just play guitar. Now I’m here, and so far the crowds have been totally wild. And when I look out from the stage and see smiling faces… “Hey baby! How are you doin’?”
RockLine: How would you compare your experiences promoting the album in different countries – in Europe, the US…? How did the crowds receive the material?
Jesse: Overall I think the reception has mostly been good. I’m not bullshitting anybody. I show up, I’m respectful, I mind my own business, I give it everything I’ve got. I think the world is just ripe for a party, for good times. I think everybody’s sick of being told who to vote for. We’re sick of the global warming lectures. I also think we’re sick of hearing about war. So I’m not even gonna talk to you about any of that. I’ll talk about pretty girls and cherry cola. I just want to sing to you guys, folks, and swing my cock around. (laughs) And that’s pretty much what I’m gonna do!
RockLine: And that’s your personal philosophy, which you sing about on your albums, right? What about the common thread behind the latest album, its title… Is there anything you’d call the central idea of the record Death By Sexy?
Jesse: I don’t deal with that shit and I don’t think too much about it, really. Death By Sexy is an attitude. The attitude of being ready to die in a world full of shit, to fall and be reborn – Death By Sexy. Then you’re reborn into the rock’n’roll attitude that says everything is phenomenal, nothing is bad, and then you let go, relax and stop taking yourself so seriously. That’s when you get the good times! I’m happy to be here! Nobody else is lucky enough to interview me. That’s it! I’m happy I get to play this gig. Nobody who sees me will be as happy as I am when I play. I figure I’m the luckiest guy in the whole world and I appreciate every single second I get to be here. I want to pay that back so I deserve it. When you come to our show, you see that I’m really trying to earn everything I have. You’ll also see that I’m giving it my all to get laid… (laughs) To the max!
RockLine: If we look back – to when the EODM story was only starting…
Jesse: I had no clue it was happening! Josh believed in me before I believed in myself! In 1998 I was married. I had zero idea about Eagles Of Death Metal…
RockLine: So what was the key thing that made you go from casual fun to serious work and turned EODM into reality?
Jesse: A divorce. I went through a terrible divorce and my best friend Josh was seriously worried about me. He’d come by to check on me and listen to a couple of songs I’d written back then, and he wrote ‘My Mother’s Card To Hollywood’ and: here I am! That’s exactly how it happened.
RockLine: The first serious collaboration was the Desert Sessions project, if I’m not mistaken?
Jesse: I shouldn’t take too much credit for that, because I was useless at doing anything. I didn’t even play guitar. And I sure don’t sing anything remotely like death metal. It was a joke. Then we came up with the name and laughed ourselves silly, and Josh is one of the “culprits” on duty for getting us to work together on Desert Sessions…
RockLine: So tell us how you came up with the name. What’s the real story behind it?
Jesse: There are actually two stories that happened on the same day. We went for a beer at the Beerhunter pub and my buddy Joshua called Lou. And that guy was listening to ‘Wind Of Change’ by the Scorpions and flailing around like his life depended on it. So we’re like, what the hell is this guy doing? And he looks at me and asks: “What???” and I tell him: “Nothing, man. It’s great! That’s rock’n’roll.” And he goes: “Hell yeah! That’s fucking heavy metal!” and I say “Whatever…”, and he keeps going: “That’s fucking death metal!” And Joshua shoots back: “Dude… That’s the Eagles of death metal!” and then we collapsed into indescribable laughter, but later, when we went to smoke a joint, sitting in the back seat of a van and one of the guys there started playing real death metal, Dimmu Borgir, spewing bile and thundering like crazy, we said it was time to cut this pussy shit: “Put on some real death metal!” and then the dude puts on Vader. “That’s not death metal, man! That’s the Eagles of death metal!” and… The band was born.
RockLine: So what’s Josh’s definitive death metal, if Vader are too soft for him?
Jesse: He was just kidding. I came up with the definition that Little Richard is death metal. Little Richie showed up in a pink suit with a mustache, sang ‘Tutti Frutti’ and scared the whole world and changed it! That’s terrifying. Kabuki face paint and growling vocals don’t seem that scary to me. Lord of the Rings is goofy fantasy, not a rock’n’roll style. I really wish Gandalf had never sung anything. Dungeons&Dragons is a game, not music!
RockLine: So tell us about your musical influences, the stuff you spun into what EODM is?
Jesse: The Sonics, The New York Dolls, Stooges, The Strokes, Foo Fighters, QOTSA, Alice Cooper, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Angus Young, Bon Scott, K.K.D. and Elton John and even the Bee Gees. I take influences from everything that’s good and that you can dance to. My mother says I’ve Tarantino-ed classic rock radio, so you can really say I love classic rock too. I adore Dizzee Rascal, Jungle Brothers, hip hop and that kind of shit.
RockLine: A few more questions, because time is chasing us… In two years you’ve conjured up two albums. What are your plans for the future?
Jesse: When we get home we’re going to record a new album. It’s supposed to come out around April or March… No… We’ll start recording around March, get it all done in about a week and head out on a new tour. I’d love to do this all the time! I love it to death!
RockLine: And when will we be able to grab that album off the shelves?
Jesse: Within six or eight months. And the concept will be Stylus Interuptus. The new QOTSA album is supposedly going to be called Era Vulgaris, and I’m craving Stylus Interuptus, adding a little style and getting you moving, dancing.
RockLine: Speaking of QOTSA: you contributed to the new record… What was the collaboration like and what do you think of the result?
Jesse: I sang on the record, which is a big deal. Singing on a QOTSA album is a big deal, because Josh is a perfectionist with a clear, intense vision, so he’s often almost impossible to please. And when you’re offered the honor of singing on one of his albums – that’s you getting recognition that maybe you actually know something and have some skills… Most of the time I just sat in the studio and admired that incredible group process with Chris Goss and… All Josh does is make the grandest, biggest rock albums you can imagine. And this album has teeth and a gorgeously structured body and a wickedly huge appetite…
RockLine: And you were offered the role of the second Mark Lanegan… I’m already looking forward to the record coming out…?
Jesse: …Soon, since they’ve wrapped up the mixing. The final phase comes next. Josh’s philosophy is that you’re only as good as the people around you. He’s my hero and my best friend. He’s the captain of our crew and whatever the captain orders, I’m happy to do and follow his lead. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be here, so it’s no trouble at all for me to say that. I love him so much!
RockLine: Tonight we’ll be focusing on EODM, and we wish you a one-of-a-kind, wonderful show, a great party, and that you get laid in Slovenia!
Jesse: Now that’s what I’m talking about, man! (gimme five greeting follows) Thanks for the interview, which I finally enjoyed!
photos: Jani Lah
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