Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Location: Orto Bar / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Interview date: 04.10.2012
Bob Wayne is more than just one guy – he’s the central figure of a band that mixes bluegrass with hillbilly and a punk take on country, all wrapped up in backwoods tomfoolery. These beardos, who love walking the edge of the law and whose guiding principle is stubborn rebellion and whose motto is »Fuck the law!«, showed off their hairy, tickling charms in tandem with Nashville Pussy, and after the show at Ljubljana’s Orto, the mastermind behind the project, bandana- and beard-adorned frontman Bob Wayne, gladly took time for a chat with our crew, which this time came armed with a camera too!
Rockline: I’m a journalist from the web portal RockLine in Slovenia. It’s the most-read web portal here.
Bob Wayne: Damn!
Rockline: We cover all kinds of music genres – from rock and alternative to everything in between, and one of the new things is Rockline TV – a video channel that’ll be something fresh on our site.
Bob Wayne: Cool!
Rockline: Let’s start with this – the tour so far: how many shows have you played up to now?
Bob Wayne: I wouldn’t even know – maybe if I only count the tour with Nashville Pussy. Two weeks of touring – 14 shows. I think we’ve got two more weeks ahead of us, but yeah – I was out on the road before that too, pretty much the whole year before. This is my third trip to Europe this year.
Rockline: Really?
Bob Wayne: Yup!
Rockline: Let’s compare it with the US – when you play across the States versus when you’re touring Europe: what’s the difference you feel yourself between the two?
Bob Wayne: As far as the people go, it’s the same everywhere, just the accents are different, but everywhere we see folks in Slayer and Johnny Cash shirts, metalheads and punks. The crowds are the same all over, whether we’re in New Orleans, Slovenia, Seattle – when I stand on stage and look down, I see similar faces everywhere. And when I think about what’s so different for us? I don’t know … It’s weird. I’d say … I couldn’t tell you, ’cause I don’t know. The food – that’s different!
Rockline: Maybe a bit less spicy …
Bob Wayne: It’s easier to get laid in America, ’cause I speak the same language, and over here the girls don’t even understand me, and they don’t get enough of my jokes to find them funny. Just kidding! (laughs)
Rockline: Your show tonight showed something totally different. The impression I got watching you is that you’re like the soundtrack of the American South and of America as a whole.
Bob Wayne: Yup.
Rockline: How would you square that with what you think is the very essence of Bob Wayne? What’s the story you identify with most easily?
Bob Wayne: Let me tell you what the essence is – originally, with most songs, it goes like this: I have an idea … As a kid I always wanted to be a filmmaker, I’ve always wanted to make movies. I even wrote a film treatment once, that was during the tour with Zeke, when I was thinking up movie ideas. I came up with a great idea for a story about a trucker who does drugs and drives around – it would be a modern take on a trucker movie, but always with a touch of the old Wild West. Kind of like Quentin Tarantino. I’ve always had these movie ideas, but the problem is always how to get a truck, all those cameras … So I decided I can at least tell the story in a song, armed with a guitar. At least I can tell the story, lay out the whole plot, introduce the characters – I can tell the story. Originally I follow a vision that would fit short films, which I see in my head. Sometimes I follow real life, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I combine both, but I always tell these short stories. Maybe I’ll manage to bring all of this into film form and you’ll be able to see what I have to say too. I’ve started writing screenplays for all of it, for some of the songs. I wrote a few kinds of scripts for it, but I’m on the road so much that I don’t have time for it right now, though I hope someday I’ll be able to devote myself to that film side as well. But yeah – it really is a kind of soundtrack, and I’m glad you pointed that out.
Rockline: The other thing I felt on stage was really beautiful chemistry between all you guys. How did you all end up together, and what’s the story?
Bob Wayne: The whole thing is too out there, too crazy. It’s really crazy how it all came about. I’ve been touring since 2006. I started with Hank Williams III, when I was his roadie, and since then I’ve gone through as many as 35 band members, ’cause I never stop. Usually I’ve got a fiddler on stage too, but on the Nashville Pussy tour we’re just the opening band, we only get half an hour and the pay doesn’t cover five members, so there’s only four of us here. But there are more of us. On the albums you can hear banjo too … And this lineup came together in a really nuts way! This is probably my favorite lineup so far, no offense to the old members I played with before, but this time we all feel the thing. We’re really tight, so everything’s great, and we’ve become friends along the way, which makes everything easier, we have fun and a good time, which is awesome.
Rockline: The show must go on, they say. So what about the next leg of the tour in the US? How many shows are still ahead of you?
Bob: Yeah, after this we go to the US, where we’ll be playing with Social Distortion – the California punk band.
Rockline: I know them …
Bob: I heard they’re well received over here, yeah, and in America they’re a huge deal, and it’s a real honor that we’ll be playing with them too. After we play that run, there’s an American tour waiting, and then I’ll take a bit of time off … I recently bought a piece of land in Alabama and I haven’t even been there yet, but now I’m a landowner, so I’ve got to go home and check it out. I plan to set up a trailer camp there. It’s in the woods …
Rockline: So no ranch there?
Bob: Nope. There’s an ancient house standing there, but I’ve got a camper van. We’ll haul over my guitarist’s mobile home too, our drummer’s trailer, light a fire and have proper camping in Alabama! After a few months we’ll meet up with Social Distortion again, and next year we’re coming back to Europe for Wacken Open Air in Germany. That’s a really good festival. This year we played Roadburn, Shockfestival – you’ve got really good festivals here in Europe. That’s one big difference between the US and Europe – festivals.
Rockline: Too many festivals …
Bob: The festivals here are huge. In America we could use more of that kind of festival, even though we do have a few solid ones: Muddy Roots, and also Farm Fest, which is a West Coast version. So a couple of good festivals are starting to pop up.
Rockline: I’ve only got two questions left. First, in the US you’ve got a long list of bands you’ve shared the stage with. Which band do you dream about, the one you’d be proud to stand on stage with? Clutch or …
Bob: I’ve already played with my heroes. I’ve played with Bobby Liebling from Pentagram, Hank III, David Allan Coe … I’ve played with all my heroes, but I’d play with Willie Nelson – that would be primo. As for the metal scene … Clutch and bands like them are close to my heart, but …
Rockline: All beardos …
Bob: Yeah, everybody with a beard! We’d love to play with bearded bands.
Rockline: Mastodon!
Bob: Mastodon are incredible!
Rockline: Yeah!
Bob: Those guys are incredible. Word got back to me that they’ve already heard of us, but I don’t know …
Rockline: Maybe next time it’ll be a tour with them …
Bob: A mutual friend said he passed our CDs along to them. They’ve grown into a big band, but I think they still listen to a lot of underground shit.
Rockline: At least they should. The closing thoughts are all yours. If you’d like to say anything to our readers or to the viewers of Rockline TV. We’re really glad to be here with you and to have the chance for you to say hi to our viewers.
Bob: OK! I’d say: enjoy the music, and what was it I said before?
Rockline: »Fuck the law!«
Bob: Fuck the law!
