Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast - EP 249: Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All Stars) & Joe Hertler

Episode Date: December 12, 2023

Christmas comes early this year as Andy and the boys bring y'all a new song at the top of the episode and it's a certifiable BANGER. Life is easy with friends like Steve Poltz. Our boy, Damn Skippy joins the fray, and wait, Joe Hertler is also opening the episode?? If you don't know these fine fellows already: Get. On. This. Train. (Stay off the devil's dandruff tho) And on the Interview Hour we got the guitarist of North Mississippi Allstars, Luther Dickinson! As is tradition, Andy dives deep into the shallow end of the conversation pool and we all learn a little bit about life, the universe, and this crazy thing we call music. Ain't life grand? oh and guess what.... you can watch this episode; now in color!  Psyched to partner up with our buddies at Volume.com! Check out their roster of upcoming live events and on-demand shows to enrich that sweet life of yours. Call, leave a message, and tell us if you think one can get addicted to mushrooms: [phone]  Check out our new album!, L'Optimist on all platforms Follow us on Instagram @worldsavingpodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, the band and/or the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com Check out our good friends that help us unwind and sleep easy while on the road and at home: dialedingummies.com Produced by Andy Frasco, Joe Angelhow, & Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: Arno Bakker The U.N. Damn Skippy, aka Alex Veazey

Now, a message from the UN. The water is poisonous. The government's treasonous. There's chemtrails in the sky and we're all breathing it. The border is porous. The billionaires bore us They're burning down the trees To build a new forest Yeah, the crabs in the pot

Will try to pull you down And the folks you thought were friends Can start to bum you out But the gears all work together If they're greasy If you let it be Life is easy The heat is horrible

The poison's pourable They got depression on demand, now it's storable The pinball's tilty, the judge is guilty Everything I ever loved is trying to kill me Yeah, the crabs in the pot will try to pull you down. And the folks you thought were friends can start to bum you out. The gears all work together if they're greasy. But if you let it be. Life is easy if you let it be. Life is easy. Ain't life grand, Steve?

It sure is, buddy. Yes, it's laying my arms. I know how you like it we're so tired and we're back andy frasca's world saving podcast i'm andy frasco how's our heads how's our minds we're in houston fucking texas dude it's hot it's still hot they haven't heard of winter here but i like it i still like it a lot when does texas ever just have like a chill day, like a 60-degree day? Are you making a joke right now? Chill? You're making a...

He's already... I can't do this yet, Andy. We got damn Skippy as my co-host tonight, the merch man. How's it going on the other side of the stage, Skippy? You're with our fans every day. You're in the fucking... It's like Vietnam out there. It's a gauntlet that I've been climbing through the trenches.

You know, I've had a realization this week that your fans... Now, don't get me wrong. There's some crazy ones, okay? There's a couple of crazy ones. They're a direct reflection of you. But also, big hearts. Yeah, they're the. Okay. They're a direct reflection of you, but also big hearts. Yeah, they're the best.

Like occasionally when I'm like, I don't think I can swipe one more card. You know? Yeah. Somebody comes up and they're just the coolest. They tip me. They shake my hand. They buy me a drink. Shout out to everyone who's been tipping Skip.

Appreciate y'all. The fans, they're clipping the merch guy. I appreciate the fuck out of y'all. Not a merch guy.pping the merch guy i appreciate the fuck out of you not a merch guy a guy that's currently selling merch i mean he's a rapper but he's helping me helping me get through out of debt and i appreciate that anything we're doing it together what shirts are selling like which one's the best one you know the new ones are finally catching on i don't know uh can they see the shirts behind us, Bo? They can see it. Yeah, so really, some of my favorites, the monkey. I mean, a monkey on

a unicycle popping out a birthday cake, you really can't beat that, can you? No. I don't think you should. Don't even try. We got Andy Avila here, too. Andy, come on. Get over here. Come on over here. Andy Avila. Come here. Sit down. You wear glasses, Skippy? I've never seen this. I've never seen this. Now you look like God damn Colonel Sanders. I know.

You look like Colonel Sanders. It's like Superman. What was Superman's name the other day? Clark. Clark Kent. It's Colonel Sanders when he was 20 years old. Come over here and sit here for a second. What's up, Andy?

How tired are you? I'm fucking tired, dude. I'm fucking tired. Well, it's like, you know, we go to bed late. We wake up early. Yeah. This is our fifth show in a row. Five's like the limit, but go to bed late. We wake up early. Yeah. This is our fifth show in a row. Five's like the limit, but we're doing six.

We're doing six. Shout out to Bongiorno. Thanks, Bongiorno. Let's go. We're doing six in a row. Six in a row. But the drives have been a little less, so that's cool. But that means less sleeping in the van.

So, I don't know. Yeah, because you guys could normally sleep during the day. I try to crash out as much as I can. You have to.'t know. Yeah, because you guys could normally sleep during the day. I try to crash out as much as I can. You have to. I know. And our adrenaline is so high that we can't go to bed early. No. Because we go to bed at 4 o'clock.

Yeah, I'm sitting there staring at the... Staring at the goddamn wall. I drink a lot, so all the sugar, I'm like... Like in the mushrooms. Sugar, mushrooms. It's fucked. I've been doing cocaine a couple days. You got to chill out on that, buddy in the mushrooms. Sugar, mushrooms. It's fucked. I've been doing cocaine a couple days. You got to chill out on that, buddy.

I know. We want to stay alive out here on the road. Yep. Public service announcement, people. Don't give this band any more cocaine. Also, chill out on the fried chicken. Yeah, we've been eating Gus's fried chicken. Fried chicken's great, though.

Yeah. It's good for your soul. It makes you play better on stage. The next day when you're pooping it out, it's not so good. How do you fucking eat? How do you fucking rock like that after eating Gus's fried chicken? It has to be two hours before. I don't eat... Oh, you have a no when?

I can't eat an hour before and fucking put... Hell no. I'll throw up. Because you're moving everything. I'm moving. My whole body's moving My whole body What was the best show We're halfway in This is like

Buffalo Boys become men Yes You know This is where This is the meat grinder No this is where men Become little bitches

It's right here This is how you find out True character in a person When it's Show 11 in 12 days And You know You get to the venue There's mosquitoes It's hot This is how you find out true character in a person, when it's show 11 in 12 days, and, you know. You get to the venue, there's mosquitoes, it's hot, you're tired, you got two more to go, and what are you going to do?

You can complain like a little bitch, or you can just roll on through. And we keep on rolling, baby. That's what we do. Mic drop. Have a go at Beats. God bless this band Skippy, we have Luther Dickinson on the show He's the man

North Mississippi All Stars, you ever heard of him? Oh, you know it? But this tour would not The reason why we haven't killed each other Is because of Dialed in gummies, yes The best dialed in gummies They're the best, they keep us happy

They keep us from not wanting to kill each other when it's 11 a.m. and the gas break and we have to wake up because we drank too much last night and we take a piss after the first goddamn hour because we're all fucking children and don't pee before we go in the van.

And don't forget why. Why? They're homogenized. They're homogenized, baby. So if you just want a little quarter of one or if you want a half of one and just get five milligrams of it, you can. So get yourself some dialed in gummies if you're in the Colorado area. It's ski time. It was your old prime time. Loved it.

Skippy was a professional snowboarder. And this was his time. This is when you were in Colorado fucking shaking your dick. And balls. And balls. I'm coming out there. You and I are going snowboarding. Yeah, I'm down.

Let's do it. Come. I might come for Christmas to Charleston. Oh, you want to come to Charleston for Christmas? Yeah. Can I? What do you guys do? We're spinning the dreidel, baby.

Let's fucking go. Speaking of spinning the dreidel, happy Hanukkah, volume.com. Thank you so much for feeding us and supporting this Hanukkah, Volume.com. Thank you so much for feeding us and supporting this all year round. Volume.com. Guys, Skippy, you're an artist that just put out a single coming for you. You listened to it on Spotify.

As a new up-and-coming, you're not an up-and-coming artist, but say you're in the new rounds of, now you're touring, you got an agent, it's fucking popping. Why wouldn't you want to put a live stream on volume.com to help you promote your live show? I can't think of one damn reason. Maybe if you're no good live.

Luckily, that's not the case with these motherfuckers right here. No, fuck it. No, because these live shows are testing the bookmarks or a piece of time of how your band was. I re-listened to some of our live shows from 12 years ago, and it was cringe.

Joe Hurtler. It's like game tapes. It's like game tapes. You've got to see what you're doing. Exactly. Get over here. Joe Hurtler is our opener for this week. How are we doing, Joe?

Hey, I'm good, Andy. How are you doing? Have you ever been on volume.com? Volume.com. Yes. No, I haven't. No? What is it? It's a live stream. It's a live stream outlet where bands could get their shows on like nugs.net, but even cooler because they have a great team. Why should I use this site over others? Because the customer care is family. over others because the customer care is family and they love they love they fly out to the gigs and they'll help you out and it's a mom-pa business don't we like mom-pas i do i have you're mr midwest we have joe hurtler the rainbow seekers on the goddamn show how's it going buddy

i'm good how are you are we freaking you out no not at, not at all. You guys have been keeping away from us. You're like, I don't know. We've opened for a lot of bands over the years and it usually just takes a little break-in period for a while. You just got to know the vibe. Obviously, I got that you guys are the fucking vibe. You're always welcome to hang out.

You guys have been awesome. People have been super kind. I mean, Sean came up a couple days ago and was just like listen this shit's fucking hard come hang yeah and uh i appreciated that deeply yeah dude it is no one does that and no one knows how hard it is being the opening act and like taking fucking shit money and fucking driving all day and just like you know you can't afford to like have a driver you can't afford to have all that stuff you know it's like i appreciate you fucking be on the ride with us dude thank you for having us man i'm gonna party with you guys like i said i want to get some like super ratchet we should get

we'll go to the titty bar wherever you guys want to go i'm down we tried to find y'all last night by the way we ended up at that club i was right these yeah i was there wait you were yeah what time did you guys get there i we got there at 12, and then I ended at 1.30. Wait, for real? Yeah, I was there the whole time. I wonder if we just missed you guys or something. God damn it. I think we got there at like 1 maybe.

That place was sick, though. It was popping, dude. Only one urinal, though. Yeah. It was that poor bathroom stall, dude. Yeah, it was just a bunch of cocaine in there. Yeah, people were getting real bummed about waiting in that line, dude. They're like, come on, bro. Finish the toot already.

Yeah, yeah. So where are you guys after this run? We just go back home. We have a New Year's Eve run. I think that's Chicago, Columbus, and Lansing. There's a new venue in Lansing.

I think you were going to play it for a little bit. Yeah, yeah. 3-2-5-4 or something. Yeah, it's called Graywall Hall now. There's a new venue in Lansing. I think you were going to play it for a little bit. Yeah, yeah. The 3254 or something. Yeah, it's called Graywall Hall now. Graywall Hall. That's where I'm from. Lansing? Yeah, yeah.

I live downtown Ann Arbor right now. Oh, sick. Spent like the last 12 years of my life in Lansing. And I love it very much. And I'm really stoked that they actually have a venue. Because when COVID hit, they lost it all. Yeah, they lost it all, dude. It's fucked up.

And you need that kind of shit. Those like stepping stone venues and also just like a really nice venue for locals to cut their chops and for the pros to come through. And it's a good thing for Lansing. What is the shittiest gig

you'll always remember? The shittiest gig? Oh, man. I played on a float once in the middle of Christmas. Yeah. In Christmas? A Christmas parade or something.

In Michigan? Yeah, this was in Lansing. It was so cold. And I used to be a teacher. I worked for Michigan State and did curriculum development. But I worked in the Lansing Public School District for the most part. That's where the programs were initiated. So I had all these students.

And around that time, I was starting to play music. It was of becoming a thing and like closer oh yeah but i uh i i didn't let the students know not that i didn't want to i just like to be kind of you know mysterious made me cooler i thought and uh when i we took that gig it was a favor for a friend of ours a lawyer that had helped us out and And dude, it was so cold. We just repeated the same three songs over and over and it was absolutely miserable. They're like, Mr. Hurtler, Mr. Hurtler. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then like on Monday when I went to school, Mr. Hurtler, did we see you on stage? I'm like, I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about. There was some, there's definitely shittier gigs. You're like Batman, dog. Yeah, that was like a cool shitty game midwest batman yeah yeah yeah exactly i'm into it well shout out to michigan shout out

to you joe shout out to you andy thanks for doing what you do we love you very much buddy and uh just um before we get to luther dickinson's interview skip i love you too you're the best skip i love you skip's a fucking badass yeah skip's a badass dude love you too. You're the best, Skip. I love you. Skip's a fucking badass. Yeah, Skip's a badass, dude. Love you. Love you more. Do you guys want to gangbang a motivational to get people through the week? What do you think? As the opener, as you push in through these shows, give these people some motivation.

All right. Let's see. So if you take a light and you shine it up to space that the path is very much determined by the source you know a long time ago there was a big fucking bang and everything went all in all these different directions and all that matter cooled and coagulated and formed all sorts of different shapes and shit and bounced off of each other and eventually it all kind of like watered down until you became you so like whatever, it was always going to happen. Yeah, you have, you know, there's choices to be made.

There's all sorts of stuff to consider. You got to learn from the past. But, you know, at the end of the day, what happens is like it was always going to happen. Very much in the same sense if you take a laser and point it out to space. So, you know, just take things with stride. Learn from everything that comes your way. And just be fucking nice to everyone because life's a bitch and, you know, just take things with stride. Learn from everything that comes your way and just be fucking nice to everyone

because life's a bitch and, you know, you ought to. What the fuck? My man. My man was ready. I'm glad that came out. My man was ready for that.

Joe Hurler. God damn it. Yeah. It took the last day of tour to hang out with you like this. I'm bummed. We could have been talking to match. I'm always down to chat.

I have nothing to add to that. Guys, have a blessed day. Have a great week. Don't let things get you down because at the end of the day, we should just be fortunate that we're here. Right, buddy? Absolutely, man. No one has to show up on planet Earth, you know?

It's like you're just there all of a sudden. It can be kind of a tough place to be, but you got to just appreciate life for what it is, that it's an incredible miracle that we get to, like, exist in the first place. And what's even more incredible is that we get to, like, I can look at a fucking tree over there and be like, damn, that tree is sick. And when you can do that, it grants you this, like, incredibly profound power over everything because we're conscious and we can perceive things

and we can therefore make things exist in this weird, magical way. That's fucking badass. How much acid do you take? I've taken a lot. Let's go. That's my boy. Sorry for the rant, dude. Let's go. I just got to whip for it. I wish my teachers were Joe Hurtler.

Thank you, buddy. You're a great songwriter and I'm honored to be in Joe Hurdler. Thank you, buddy. You're a great songwriter, and I'm honored to be in your presence. Right back at you, man. Right back at you. It's been awesome seeing you guys do your thing. You're true students of the music, and you have fucking fun, too. Thank you, bro. People take this shit so seriously sometimes, and you ought to, because it's a crap that demands that level of seriousness and that commitment.

But, you know, I wrote a little thing in my studio. It's just like on a piece of paper. It's just like, worry about your career a little less and try and just enjoying it more. Exactly. Let's enjoy Houston. You guys embody that. Let's enjoy fucking Houston, Big Daddy.

It's going to be a good show. I thought there was something wrong with the speakers. I looked up and I'm like, damn. It's raining like a mother. I do like it when we're outside and it's the rain. It's kind to be a good show. It's raining like a motherfucker. I thought there was something wrong with the speakers. I looked up. I'm like, damn. It's raining like a motherfucker. I do like when we're outside and it's the rain. It's kind of like romantic. I fucking love the rain. It's good for our voices, too.

Really? Get that humidity in there. Get them nice and lubed up. You ever feel that when it's super muggy? No. You can sing a little better? No, really. Think about it tonight.

Yeah, I will. You'll be able to push it. I'll be singing my ass off tonight. I'm ready for Stevie Wonder, too. I practiced. You ready tonight? Yeah, yeah. Cool.

Let's do it. All right, guys. I love you. Enjoy Luther Dickinson and Joe H ready for Stevie Wonder, too. I practiced. You ready tonight? Yeah, yeah. All right, cool. Let's do it. All right, guys. I love you. Enjoy Luther Dickinson and Joe Hurtler. Thanks, buddy. Peace, everyone. Thanks, Andy. That was awesome.

Luther motherfucking Dickinson, baby. Let's go. What's happening? How you doing, buddy? Fantastic, man. What do you work on on your day-to-day basis? I know you produce bands. I know you make your own music.

What is the day in the life of Luther Dickinson? Well, I'm either on the road or at home, and I'm either doing music or family. I don't have any hobbies. It is like the yin and the yang. That is it. It's either my family or my my music and the new record popping out magic music for family folk combines the two but anyway we'll get to that

later but man the morning for me is most productive so like i'll try and man i like making lists pen and paper i'm pen and paper so i got lists upon lists and lists about lists and folders and notebooks and so i'll get down and work or computer first thing you know music and i'll work as long as i can in the morning and then i'll just let the day shape me you know be it on the road or with the family and uh and it's just music man it's funny i turned 50 this year and my resolution was to finish all the back burner projects that i've had like just simmering on the stove for like years and years and years so we got four hopefully five projects that i'm finishing up this year that's fucking amazing man is it hard to be a dad when all you do is thinking about his music? No, it's awesome, man. It's really awesome because when I'm home, you know, I can be all in, you know, and, and my kids are creative and, and I'm not forcing music on them, but,

but they enjoy the lifestyle, you know's good and you know my father my father was a musician so i grew up you know in creative community of musicians and artists and freaks and yeah why don't you tell me about that a little bit like tell me about your growing your growing up was did your father put pressure on you to be a musician or was it did you have a tough life was it music was a getaway to get through or tell me a little bit about that man he discouraged us at first he would say it's a hard life don't do it just because you see me doing it you know our father my brother you know my brother and i work together he plays everything and we have our band north mississippi all-stars but our father jim dickinson was like a first generation memphis

rock and roller like a teenager in the 50s in memphis tennessee that's like that's a rock and roll og heaven you know and uh and you know then he went on to have an amazing career he recorded with bob dylan and the Rolling Stones and Ry Cooter. And he produced Replacements. And just an amazing, amazing career. And he was the coolest cat. And he was like my best friend. He passed away in 2009.

So we grew up watching he and his cronies play music around. And then he would leave and go to california he made did film score work with rye cooter he did that movie crossroads where the karate kid gets the blues you remember that movie yeah that that movie was a huge change in my life but so yeah dad was awesome man he was total anti-establishment, just old school outlaw, wild, wild dude till the end, man. You know, he just loved getting high and just being a rebel and just doing his thing, you know. And so, no, man, we played music together. We had our own rock and roll bands, but we would also play music with him.

And he taught us his whole rock and roll repertoire. You know, like he was a song collector. So Roots, Roots is like, you know, like the tree of American roots music, man. And the branches, you know, you could be so many different styles and it's just American music, you know? Yeah. And I feel that. Like, was it when you were first listening to this, how old were you when you, when you started falling in love with that style of roots music?

Cause I feel like it, it, he basically handed it off to you. You're such a, it was like, this is like simpatico to your heart. And a lot of people kind of rebel from the music that their kid, their parents listened to,

you know? So it was like, what made you fall in love with it? You know? Well, it was so rad. Like my dad and his friends, you know so it's like what made you fall in love with it you know well it was so rad like my dad and his friends you know they had a rock and roll band they didn't like the grateful dead but it was kind of like the grateful dead they would play like psychedelic improvisational uh you know versions of of rock and roll roots music you know and we grew up watching them and we just loved it, man.

It was so much fun. They would dress up and paint their faces, and they had dancing girls. It was wild, you know? The 70s in Memphis were wild. But Bo Diddley was the first thing I ever learned as a kid. I wasn't a natural musician, but I knew I wanted to be a musician. I don't remember not knowing I was going

to play guitar. And like I said, dad would discourage me. He'd be like, man, you are not a natural, you know, I'm not going to bullshit you. Like you got to practice if you really think you're going to do this. But I just kept at it and kept at it and kept hustling and hustling. You know, when I long, quick sidebar, when I was 16, he said, hey, man, he was like, you have an amp, a guitar, and access to a car. And you say you want to do this? What are you doing? Like, go out and do it, you know? And he, like, sent me on my way.

And I've been hustling ever since. That was, like, pretty awesome advice for a kid, you know? So I went out, and I started going to Memphis, and I found musicians. We started a band, and you know what I mean? What was the first name? What was your first band called? Man, so many bad names, man. Hold on.

We had a band, my brother and I, we had Dickinson Dickinson Taylor and we went by DDT. That was our little like experimental punk rock, psychedelic punk rock band, whatever genre that is. DDT. But our first band, when I was like 16 and our dad finally said, okay, okay, okay, okay, I'll teach you. So he started, he booked a show and started teaching us his repertoire. And he called it Jim Dickinson and the Hardly Can Playboys. And that shit was true. No way. teaching us his repertoire and he called it jim dickinson and the hardly can playboys but anyway so you know i loved the i loved all that rock and roll stuff in memphis and and you know we grew up you know seeing a lot of old-timers are still around but i'll tell you what

was so satisfying when i was 12 i got the first black flag six-pack single that was my first taste of sst records and black flag oh yeah and man i put that little seven inch on i was like that is my music that's like from my planet you know like that's that yes and then i asked my dad to help me try and learn it on guitar and it made him so mad he was like what the fuck is this is it making sense this is music what is this and that didn't make me even love it even let's fucking go that's see now that's the rebel shit i'm looking for luther let's go that was it that was the moment so what so tell me more tell me a little bit more about your relationship with your brother seems like you were starting bands with him since you were

a kid like uh how did you not like want to fucking kill each other you know man we're really fortunate man i mean it's you know brother bands is a thing for a reason. You know what I mean? It's like, it's not easy, but it sure cuts down on rehearsal. You know what I mean? The telepathy is so valuable. And he's awesome, man. We complement each other well. He's got very different taste and aesthetic. And we're really yin and yang.

But when we come together, it makes a thing that we can only do with each other. Because we make lots of music apart. And that's very healthy. I think that's key. It's like food. What's the similarities and differences between... Because you play with the Black Crows too a lot.

So what is the differences between your relationship with your brother versus the Robinsons? Man, I signed a nondisclosure. I can't talk about those guys. I signed my first day working for those dudes. I just signed it all the way. I can't even talk about it. So what's your philosophy on producing records

versus your philosophy of writing songs for yourself? What do you look for in another musician that um that you try to get the best out of them man i i just i i'm really organic like don't come to me if you want to make like some sort of radio friendly modern you know chopped up you know i'm just organic to a fault you know, chopped up, you know, I'm just organic to a fault, you know, and I just want to get a group of like-minded musicians together and really, you know, capture a moment. Like, if the singer, I don't even want to do it if the singer won't at least try to get keeper vocals with the band, you know, like, I'm down. Like, let's aspire to get a live vocal you know we're all here to facilitate the singer and the song so let's try you know don't like talk me through the arrangement i i don't want

to cut like that but you know of course we'll fix it up and we'll we'll redo the vocals we'll fix them up but let's at least try to get it all live organic like old school and um and i i i like to i don't like for people to tell each other what to play like when people start you know bossing each other around it just changes the spirit of the of the of the music you know like musicians get bummed out when you tell them what to do you know right and uh totally you get the right people together and just let them do their thing and and try to protect everyone's sense of identity and contribution you know and you of course you can sculpt it you know especially if it's not working but i'm not one of those guys that get in there and start telling everybody what to do and

you know i like to just uh it's hard to explain but i'll tell you what man it's it's the most alive feeling that i know it's like because all of your instincts and aesthetics and your um experience is all like you're just like clicking in these like split second decisions and uh it's really fun and it just split second decisions and it's really fun and it just feels so alive and it's all about making music and being creative it's really groovy yeah

go ahead what's the difference between when you're producing albums for your band versus can you have that same philosophy when you're talking to your brother or do you have to be more vocal and like get your point across versus how you're producing like an artist that's not your family member man you know when my brother and i record together we co-produce you know yeah and we really and that's a real exercise in not telling anybody

what to do like that's the exercise in like acceptance, you know, cause like, you know, it doesn't go well, you know, like, you know, I don't, like if I make a little demo, I don't put drums on it. You know, I'll just bring the song to him on the guitar and let him, of course, you know, we'll talk through and try different approaches. You know, there was this one song that we tried like nine different ways you know a couple years back you know we just kept trying different ways but but once again just try not to tell each other what to do you know yeah freedom rock it's freedom rock you know

no and but one thing that like we play a lot of uh improvisational stuff you know like um i don't know if what a jam band is anymore but uh and we've always liked you know we grew up like you know getting high and jamming you know what i mean like we like i grew up on like jimmy hendrix and the almond brothers and like that idea and and i don't get it get you know we used to fucking non-stop just be you know tripping and stoning and just like non-stop and the music was really filtered through that and you know i don't do it the same way but i feel like i'm even more free now uh with experience and like i can you can get to that place without being altered in the moment. So anyway, when it comes to recording or performing improvisational rock, I like to have the balance of, okay, let's play the song,

and let's be disciplined, like James Brown or whatever. Play the part the best you can. Keep it tight. Don't be distracting. Let's play this little song and then go crazy you know so like when we're working with other musicians that is when i will especially on you know on tour not in the studio so much but i'll be like you know let's let's keep this tight you know and then we'll break out we experiment so what have you ever had have you ever had an experience you know you said you're rock and roll is free and stuff and then have you ever had to like deal with record labels

or managers who tells you to calm it the fuck down like are you you're you're out of your mind or because i take mushrooms every day too when i'm on stage and everyone's telling me not to do that you know it's so rad now that you can like whatever your poison is you can just be medicinal with your dose you know isn't it great like in this day and age right like when i was a kid man taking lsd god i mean you never knew what you were gonna get well you know what i mean? It's like some random. Oh, dude. Long story short. I mean, I was 19 and we all took two hits. But whatever, whatever happened, it rode me for a couple of weeks man but my problem was i felt like i was like eureka i have found it i'm there and i didn't want to come back

you know so i just didn't go to sleep everybody else went to sleep eventually i just stayed awake just crazy as a loon for you know i don't know maybe like 10 11 days and then finally i kind of let it slip to my parents what was going on and they tranquilized me and i crashed so fucking hard what they do they give you like a pill yeah straight up i remember it was like being reborn i remember the visualization that crash, what it looked like and felt like. It really was like dark tunnel and lights and like. So after two days of tripping, did you start fixing demons or what? It was more?

Way more? How many days? Well, I wasn't tripping so much once it wore off, but I was still, I was staying awake and being, acting like a lunatic and like smoking weed and just acting crazy. I just, you know, I think it was really a nervous breakdown at what happened regardless at the age of 19, 20.

You know what I mean? Yeah, what happened? What was going through your life? Yeah, nothing. I mean, whatever. It was nothing special. was a pressure and stuff but there's nothing big but but i definitely blew my lid man but long story short short story long so growing up i used to fight my guitar like punk rock and also not being naturally talented at it.

You know, I would just struggle and fight my guitar. But like the psychedelic rock and that experience, because I had to reteach myself kind of. I had to reform some synapses after that. And I just got smooth, you know. That was my crossroads,roads you know that was my personal transition that that was when it all changed you know coming up after that you know and i just smoothed out and re-approached everything and got my shit together why do you think that is do you think because you're you're telling your brain stop stop giving you that stop you know your brain just does an open flow of creativity where you

could like learn how to be uncomfortable with yourself and learn how to be uncomfortable with the guitar yeah man yeah yeah it's like we just blow it wide open and reevaluate you know yeah man mushrooms are you know i i know peopleof. Man, mushrooms are, you know, I know people that need to take mushrooms. They need to look at that big mirror, you know what I mean? I mean, it would fuck them up because their life is so whack.

Yeah, pretty much. It might help. Do you feel like you could, you know, do you believe like songs are like in the ether and you have to be opened up to collect them? Man, I love the thing of inspiration loves to find you at work. It's like, yeah, you have those little ideas and you got to write them down. I love the saying, never think without a pencil.

Like I said, I'm pen and paper. I write everything down. And those moments of inspiration, yeah. But then the craft, it's a combination of craft. And if you don't just sit down and show up and go to work and sit down at the desk or pick up the guitar or start making noises and trying to write a song then you can't wait for inspiration you know yes there is inspiration and they're all

out there and it's all just the collective consciousness you know but i also think that you can't rely on that you know what i mean yeah totally and you think you think, so it's a mixture of showing up and doing the work and also knowing when the gates of inspiration are open. And when it hits, don't leave your chair, like push it and milk it as far as you can, because it's so hard to get back to that initial spark you know yeah so okay so talk about this have you've had like this ether thing how long have has it has it last what's the longest it's lasted for like were you up for four days like fucking you just kept on like what record was it where it's like damn i don't know what's happening but i wrote this whole record in a fucking week or like did you have any of those moments in your career man when uh my when our father passed in 09 i wrote a lot of music real quick you know just processing you know and the craft of songwriting i speak of he taught me because i would write songs uh without just totally self-taught no rules or, and I would bring them to him. And he taught me about,

you know, rhyming patterns, you know, rhyming schemes and syllable count and, you know, patterns and making it balanced and, you know, how to craft a song. Use only, use the best word, you know, is that the best way? Is that the, you know, just really looking at the craft of songwriting he taught it to me and like doing that still is like an act of communion with him and like still collaborating with him just using the process that he taught me you know what i mean that's really cool but when he died that was the most prolific um and i wrote a couple of songs just like in one sitting you know one called let it roll and another one called Ain't No Grave. I woke up one morning on the tour bus and I just grabbed a pen and paper and wrote a page of lyrics before I even turned on the light.

That night after the show, I grabbed my notebook and my guitar and went in the bathroom of the bus and looked at the, you know, and recorded it. And the melody, the music came just as quick on the flip side of the day, you know. So that song, Ain't No Grave. Holy shit. Those two were the most easy, you know. But that's just processing, you know, the grief, you know. How long did it take you to process your dad's death? Man, dude, it's so multifaceted.

Because we were a musical family and business partners. Wild. And he was very heavy-handed in some ways. But I did rebel against his aesthetic in a lot of ways. But I would say 10 years before i really just felt like kind of normal about it yeah it's a long what about your brother he was an awesome guy man man i can't even speak for him their relation relationship was so different you know he he was more like i'm more like my mom and he's more like my mom, and he's more like my dad. So, and he, my brother, and my father, and my grandfather, they had similar traits, you know? So they had their own, their own trip.

But, you know, man, I'll tell you what, dad was Cody's greatest musical champion, man. Because he was, as much as I wasn't a natural, he was, man. He was playing guitar like a whiz like a little kid started playing drums like at age 11 just sat down and started playing drums like he he is just in him you know would you ever be jealous of your brother you'd be like fuck this dude man this guy just is a prodigy when he was a kid i would be so pissed no it didn't No I wouldn't I never was because we could do it together Yeah

Did it make you want to Learn faster because he was Just so dope At it Well it was funny Because in the early years When he was really young and just naturally Innocently playing well I was so obsessed that i was practicing like you know age 12 13 14 15 16

just practicing and studying non-stop so i was just caught up you know it is yourself absorbed you know yeah i'm not worried you know what i mean you're not worried. You know what I mean? You're not worried. He's doing his thing. Yo, what about your process? So you must be ready to write down an idea. I mean, when you have a, when a thought crosses, you have to capture that moment. Yeah. Yeah. I have to, or I won't remember. I've taken too many mushrooms. My memory is just fucking gone. If I don't fucking, if I don't, or like booze, you know, it's like, I don't know how you, how your memory is, but I have to write it down exactly when I feel it or I will not remember it ever again.

I'm with you, dude. But like, I want to kind of go back to this, uh, your dad's death in oh nine. Was it a slow death or did it happen randomly like were you prepared for it like trump i've never had a family member die like that and especially like who you know such inspiration to your life and your career and stuff like what was that day like do you mind talking about it a little that was gnarly no i don't mind it was a he was 67 and he was you know fucking overweight and you know just chain smoke joints like he would break down one roach into the next joint like he just kept him rolling and uh you know old school stems of seeds and zigzags like if we brought him

some good weed he would mix it with some biker weed, he called it. He used to make fun of my bourgeois papers, you know. He liked those fucking zigzags. Bourgeois papers. He was calling zigzags bourgeois papers? No, he was calling mine Rizla. Because I was hand-rolling American Spirits with Rizla. Yeah, yeah. He was making fun of my papers. Yo, so I quit smoking weed. No, he was calling my Rizla because I was hand rolling American spirits with Rizla. Yeah.

He was making fun of my papers. Yo, so I quit smoking weed for a while with the Black Crows and he caught me in the studio turning down a joint in his recording studio. And he was like, well, son, if you can't play when you're if you can't play when you're high, when can you play? Man. So how do you rebel against that? You know, how do you rebel against that? Yeah. I would be in serious substance abuse if my dad was like, I was like, I'd be like, fuck.

If my dad, if I had no like anchor of like, you are doing something wrong, I would, I would not, I wouldn't be fucking out of my goddamn mind. How did you not lose control of yourself, Luther? Yeah, you know, I was just fortunate, you know. But, so anyway, yeah, his heart failed, you know.

And, motherfucker, man, dude, when you see a loved one on a respirator and they can't, he didn't have the lung power to get off, you know know he started having small heart attacks and the fucking the lungs man you know and smoking he quit i never saw him smoke a cigarette he quit in the 70s but it's fucking yeah smoking man took him down it was gnarly But we had some wild communications in the hospital. Even after having heart attacks, his personality was intact. He couldn't speak, of course, but he could still communicate and read his lips and scratch out.

What were those moments? Like, what was he telling you at the end of his life? So, there was one. Okay. You know, Dad bob dylan his whole life and he got to work with him towards the end and that summer of 09 there was this great bob dylan interview that came out in mojo magazine and i took the magazine i i had to my brother and i would take the graveyard shift my mom would be there in the day we would be there all night and uh i read that uh bob did an interview twice and uh and then i passed out from it i woke up and there was a oh the backstory is he and his friends you know our music is very hill country blues inspired it's one chord it's like it's a very very simplistic

rhythmic uh music very very poor chord changes i wake up dad's in the hospital nurses he wants his paper he starts scratching out and he's like Memphis Blues one chord I was like okay yeah second side of Memphis Blues that's it that's it second side of Mobile and then he's scratching out and he's like one chord

and by this time we're in a like industrial size elevator like they're wheeling his bed and the hospitals and nurses and i'm just following along and i was like oh so you're talking about a one chord version of like a hill country blues one chord version of stuck inside a mobile with the memphis blues again he's like that's it that's it so even as fucked up as he was he was still having creative ideas and that's wild So we did it.

And that song has a lot of chords. So I had to learn it and then deconstruct it and make our own one-chord version. We recorded it. I still play it all the time. But even on his fucking deathbed, he was still so creative. So is that song hard to sing now?

Nah, especially with one chord. Yeah, I respect that. I'll clap to that. Let's go, Richard. sing now? Nah, especially with one chord. Yeah. I respect that. I'll clap to that. Let's go. Let's go. But, but like,

it's gotta be hard to like, you know, I guess now it took, but you said it took 10 years to fucking start grieving, start, you know, losing the grief of your dad. So those 10 years of playing music,

you know, it must've been tough, man, thinking about your dad on those tunes and shit. Yeah, and there's so many different waves of emotions that you feel. Some of the emotions you feel are surprising. He was a badass. But truly, I believe, I tell my kids, man,

I was like, look, what other people believe, if they're kids, man, I was like, look, it's like what other people believe. That's if they're not trying to impose that on you, it's OK. Let them believe what they want to believe. And whatever you believe, that's what you believe. And as long as you don't try to impose that on anybody else, you're OK with what you believe. And if that's what you believe, then to you, it's real. You know, and in my heart, you heart, I'm not overtly anything.

But in my heart, music is a realm in which one can commune with their loved ones, especially musical spirits, I feel like. And that's what's in my heart. And that's part of what I think about when I'm playing music, you know? So like, you know, him, R.L. Burnside and Otha Turner and all the mentors I had, you know, I think about him when I'm playing music. I'm also thinking about shaking ass and, you know, having fun. Hell yeah. You know, it's not all a heavy thing.

You know what I mean? I'm there to have some fucking fun. You know, we're going to get down. Yeah, that's what your dad taught you there too, though, right? Your dad taught you to have fun and get down. Yeah, exactly. That's right. What about as a father? What did you learn from...

This will be the last question I ask you, and we'll get more into depth into you. I'm very fascinated with this father relationship. You know, this like, who's a fucking master musician? And then he adopted that into you guys what did you learn about fatherhood from how he raised you on how you're raising your kid you know it's interesting because my brother and i and and we have a small little family and i've got my wife and i we have

two daughters and it's a totally different experience, which I think is fucking rad because I know nothing about little girls and they're teaching me and it's, it's really cool, man. You know, it's a totally new experience. If I'd had two boys, it'd been impossible not to compare the experiences, you know, but, uh, so what have you learned about having daughters versus you living with boys oh man yeah we grew up in a in a rock and roll boys club no doubt about it but yeah having I mean I just teach them to fight dirty man like they know how to they can take down any dude you know what i mean like they know all the weaknesses but it's it's a trip man is it harder to be on the road now that you have kids

yeah but you know what they give you something to fight for you know it's like if i'm gonna be on the road if i'm gonna be gone like yeah i was talking about working in the morning. I work a triple task, whatever. I try to work as much as possible when I'm in work mode. So when I'm home, I can be all in until I see that they're bored of being with me. Then I'll get back to work. And then if I'm down here working on music or whatever, as soon as they interrupt me, I'm like, OK, boom. Apple S, save it.

Boom, what's next? Let's move on. I learned that it's not good to be like, God damn me, I'm like, okay, boom. Apple S, save it, boom, what's next? Let's move on. I learned that it's not good to be like, God damn it, I'm working, don't interrupt me. Because that just fucks up the whole flow. It just messes up the whole house, including whatever art you're trying to work on. Right.

But as far as being a father, fuck, man, I don't know, man. It's hard, hard man just trying you know did you ever think you'd be a dad i mean you've been a rocker your whole life yeah yeah yeah i always did i mean i'm pretty yeah and like like i said family and music that's all i all i really focus on so I would be I'd be pretty lonely and bored without a family because it would just be music you know yeah it's not like I'm gonna go pick up any hobbies you know I would do music all the time if I you know I'd go live down in the in a cave yeah in Mississippi and but that's how I would yeah so i gotta figure out my work and life balance because

all i do is work all i do is work i do podcasts i make records i go on tour i just fill myself with work and i feel like you need a little more balance you need to get out of that work zone and like you know be also a human man don't yeah what i tell people is like don't, yeah, what I tell people is like, don't worry that being a parent will dilute or compromise your artistic individuality, your spirit. It only strengthens it because like I said, it gives you something to fight for, you know? It's like, oh, fuck, like I got to, I got to do this abstract thing to try and make money to raise, to support this, you know, like a family. Like doing, you know, what we do is so, you know, it's so abstract. It's such an abstract way to make money. Right.

If people quit being interested in supporting us and it just falls apart, you know. Right. It's so, so bizarre. it's so bizarre I appreciate every single ticket buyer to no end and it's hard to

talk about your feelings about what it is on the road because not a lot of it's such an abstract way to make money it's hard for people to relate with you so you're just just holding these fucking feelings unless you're with your brothers or with the road dogs of the world.

It's hard. Well, that's who you hang with. Those are your comrades. That's how it is. Because nobody wants to hear it because they think you're living the life. Exactly. That's the problem. People think, they think you're living the life, you know? Yeah, totally. Exactly. That's the problem.

Like you can't, people think, ah, whatever, you're rocking the world. I'm like, all right, well, I still got to pay a mortgage. And my wife or my girlfriend or my kids are pissed off at me because I, you know, stay up a little too late. I didn't call them. And like, you know, it's like, they don't understand all that shit. Dude, my wife is a hero, man, dude. Like, and she just devotes her whole life to to the kids she's got such a high standard of the way you know for herself that that you know trickles down to the whole family you know it's it's intense she is amazing she's probably saved your life i'm very

fortunate yeah yeah yeah and we've been friends forever we were friends before we started Amazing. She's probably saved your life. I'm very fortunate. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And we've been friends forever. We were friends before we started dating. And we dated before we got married. And then we grew up together. I'm really fortunate. When did you find out that you wanted to make her your person? Man, we just gravitated towards each other when we were kids.

And we would just hang out. Even before we dated, we were just in our social circle. we would just hang out like even before we dated we were just in our social circle we would just always be hanging out you know then we started flirting and you know and you know she was she was pretty young at that point we started dating when she was 18 but we've been friends for years uh and uh and that that was just coincidence it wasn't like we were waiting for the legal age but you know we just grew up together we just enjoyed each other's company and we still do you know yeah that's beautiful my thing is like if you don't have chemistry you know i mean what's going to hold you together if you're thick and thin if there's

not just raw primal chemistry that attracts you to one another i mean there are times when that's all you have are relationships hard for you or are they easy i mean i don't know i i mean i'm a capricorn rat i don't know if that's the right way to say it. And I have so many friends and acquaintances and business associates, but it's pretty tight little. I'm not a social person. I don't go out. I don't go out. But what about when you're in a band relationship?

Is it hard to keep guys around, or is it easy for you? Well, it's good. It's a good, you know, it's a communal life, you know? So it's a fun balance of like being a lone wolf. You know, like when you get out of the van, you know, you go find your own corner. You know, you go find your own window to sit by or your own coffee shop or whatever. You know, because you know that you're going to be together so much right you know so if you if you can accept the communal lifestyle

but also protect your time to think and be by yourself you know like to me that's what's important yeah because i always wondered like what happened with chew? Why isn't he in the band anymore? Did you guys have just a falling out, or is it? No. I mean, well, you know, not a falling out. Personally, it was just financially. It was like our career had plateaued, plateaued, and we were trying to work sustainably. And when we were young, we were generating a lot of business

but we were just partying our asses off and we're not being frugal or paying attention just living the dream and it's funny I talk to friends and I'm like man I should have been in more control but you know the whole thing

it feels that you can't fake the funk you know what I mean if you're trying to make psychedelic rock and roll, you know, you got to be psychedelic and rock and roll, baby. Yeah. You know, it's like, fuck. But, you know, you get older. We're trying to get control of our business. And the business shrank.

And we just couldn't support him, man. Like, we couldn't afford a tour bus. And he's a giant man, you know, and the travel was not comfortable. And he had become our bus driver. Like he was a truck driver and quit his job to go on the road with us in 99. And then eventually he became our bus driver. Like he would pitch in for bus drivers and he became the full-time bus driver. And man, you just make more money driving buses than you do playing country blues.

The bus drivers are ruling. They are crushing the game out there. And we couldn't support. He had two kids. He has two kids. They're grown now, but he was supporting two kids and, you know, our business was ebbing and flowing and man, it just sucked, man. He wasn't happy. And, um, dude, oh, it was awful, man. I mean, I've known him since seventh grade, you know, and we had that special chemistry. You know, it's like you can never recover from losing that original member.

I mean, Chew is a fan favorite, man. We lost half our audience. Easy. Easy. Yeah. And then we just had to, you know, rebuild. You know, it's so sad. Man.

What'd you do when you rebuilt? Was it the word, or what'd you do when you rebuild was it was it the word or is it did you still do north mississippi yeah just doing north mississippi and just just kept moving you know just kept kept on keeping on you know yeah and um i mean of course we still stay in touch and we want to play music again together you know sometime when the time's right but and he's top tier bus driver you know he drives for like uh dead and company and uh you know uh justin bieber and stuff justin bieber it justin bieber and dead and company he's one of the best yeah because he's young he learned how to drive the new rigs appropriately and the old time bus drivers weren't

adjusting to the way the new brakes worked in particular like when the brakes system changed i kept saying that chris man's like every time he hit the brakes it's like it's making my stomach go yeah like it's jiggling us like every time and he thought i was just being an asshole and then eventually he figured it out it's a thing called the jake break and he figured that motherfucker out and he was smooth as ice man and uh yeah i mean chris is awesome dude he's so lovable you talk about personal social person man god he is a lovely lovely person yeah he's a good man and um you know i'm jen hartwick's one of my close friends. His wife

and stuff. He was telling me that Chew was a football player too. What the fuck, man? He must have been the bodyguard of y'all, dog. He would have fucked people up for you. There were some times, man. He threw this one dude off the stage and he jerked this one guy

out of the back lounge of the bus and his feet didn't touch the ground until he hit the front line you know yeah did not fuck around with you i'll tell you what man like i said we there was all kinds of addictive behavior you know and uh and he was definitely in the throes of a food addiction you know and i'm so glad he got it together, man. You know, nobody, no one was perfect. You know, we were all dealing with our shit. How do you be perfect in rock and roll? You know, it's like, you need that madness.

Well, that's the thing. I always get irritated when people are like, oh, so-and-so's drinking again, or, oh, this roadie is, you know, I mean, who the fuck in rock and roll are you to police each other you know what i mean now someone's like if their life's in danger if they're harming other people yes but if it's just okay now i'm clapping to that luther let's go that's my boy

i feel like we're rock and roll do you feel like rock and roll is dying? no no? we're just getting older yeah my friend was literally saying I just can't believe

this fucking music these kids are listening to I was like that music's not for you yeah you're not supposed to like it dude yeah

it's like the same thing when you brought that punk record to your dad yeah man yeah we forget we forget we're just getting older I forget that too it's like it's like When you brought that punk record to your dad. Yeah, man. Yeah. We forget. We forget. We're just getting older.

I forget that too. It's like, I try not to say kids these days, you know? Because what's the point, you know? It's easy to say it as you get older, but we were that kid too, trying to shake things up and fucking throw curve balls. Totally. Totally. You just got to put the Z in it. The days. You know, it's days.

D-A-Z-E. That's the trick. Did you ever think... I'll tell you what, though. I mean, I've never smoked shatter or like, you know, like I'm pretty much out of the game. Like, what? These kids,

they're doing some good high getting for sure. Yeah, every time I try to get high with some kids, I have existential crises, dude. They're putting dabs in my face. All my fans call me the mids king. I'm the Frasco smokes wig.

Yeah, because I ain't trying to have an existential fucking crisis at a gas station or at a fucking grocery store you know like fuck i'm barely keeping my shit together as it is i'm not trying to see god through a fucking dab rig you know like i know my friend had a dmt vape pen i was like yo, that's like an oxymoron. It's like, yo, chill, chill. Oh, yeah, the DMT. Yeah, the vape pen deal. I'm like, y'all are figuring out these drugs, dude. Remember when it took forever to smoke DMT?

Just had to find some powder. Fucking smoke it out of a pipe and shit. Now it's like instant going to see aliens. You can see aliens at a Walmart parking parking lot now it's like what the fuck that reminds me like you know as a kid did you ever think you'd have your own gibson signature guitar oh man that was crazy that was an awesome thing gibson moved to memphis man

and that was like the mob moved to town man it was just it was beautiful man it's like the mob moved to town, man. It was just, it was beautiful, man. It's like the mob moved to town. It was. They were so G'd out. And, you know, we had some great friends there, man. Oh, man. We were so fortunate, dude. So fortunate. So cool, man.

And I sold almost all of them in 2020. Yeah? Yeah. I mean, the COVID fucked in 2020. Yeah? Yeah. I mean, the COVID fucked everyone else, dude. Dude. Yes. I've been making guitars. You still love the guitar, huh?

You still love it? Oh, dude, yeah. It's a lifelong friend fascination, you know? And I'll pick it up and, you know and it's fun man yeah you know who's was such a huge inspiration and like kind of got me like changed my path this year was the return of john frusciani yeah um long story short like my daughters they don't like aggressive loud rock guitar they have no tolerance for it. And I was like, well, good thing your mom liked it,

because that's all I was playing forever. But then a lot of hearing damage for me. And then playing with Phil Lesch kind of opened my mind. And anyway, my tone is cleaning up. I'm cleaning up my tone. I'm more comfortable playing clean. It's still really loud, but it's clean and soft. And that's just for me.

But, yes. Oh, and also, like, macho rock really turns me off now. Like, I don't want to hear anybody yelling at me, like, be it a comedian or a public speaker or a singer like don't be yelling at me and dude it's so much of that is just humiliation of my own past because i grew up just screaming into the mic you know and i can't stomach it but yeah when i saw so so macho rock is like no no no no no but when i saw frusciani i was like oh shit i was like that's right there's like a graceful type of like skateboard punk rock aggress aggression

yeah you know what i mean yeah totally elegance i'm elegance to the punk rock but it's gawky you know it's just like awkward. It's like a skater, but with a loud guitar, you know, I was like, oh yeah, that's what it was. That's what,

cause I never liked metal either. Yeah. You know, it's kind of like Jay Maskis. Jay Maskis has like elegance to his gawkiness, you know? Yes, exactly.

So it's really been, it's really, I've really, really enjoyed The return of Frusciane To the electric guitar He is a fucking beast I love his electronic music as well What do you think the most important song

You've ever written is To you, to your heart Written? Me? Man, I wrote one On the last record Called Didn't we have a time and it's uh like anytime i write a protest song or like kind of like a song about uh the cycle of life you know at this point i'm just they're just messages there's breadcrumbs for my daughters in case they're ever curious about how i felt you know you were people were listening

to what you were saying you had a microphone why did you ever why didn't you ever speak up you know i don't want to be guilty of not speaking up and at least you know putting my stance down on record and but anyway this song so that's protest songs and they're really hard to write and i don't like performing them in the wrong situation you know but you know because you know you come to a rock show you know it's kind of it's a party you know and and once again a lot of songs about death but i don't like doing it in the wrong situation you know but yeah the song didn't we have a time is pretty lovely i think that's my favorite that's my favorite i don't know if it's the most important one i don't nothing's important you know any famous songs

like your fans love that you just don't want to play but you have to no you know it's like we were lucky because our first record was all country country blues from like arl burnside and author turn Turner and Junior Kimbrough and that music changed my life like I grew up long story short my dad's blues collection that music was from the 30s and 40s and

50s you know I thought the blues music I liked was long gone you know it was like early primitive Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, you know, Bo Diddley. Like, that music was long gone. I did not like modern blues.

I still don't. Yeah. But then when I found R.L. Burnside and Other Turner and started going to Junior Kimbrough's juke joint, I was like, whoa, trance. Like, so, because they were musical families so there's older musicians with their sons playing and so they had all the you know hip-hop influences you know rock and roll funk influences and we were like yes and uh yeah so our first record

is full of that music so yeah we play that shit every night and I love, and we just reinterpret it. Dude. Yeah. Meet me in the city in the fuck. Dude, your version of that is fucking fantastic, man. Thank you. Were you kind of bummed out that the black keys fucking did that song too? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

man. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Man, for the Black Kings to do the Hill Country songs, it just widens the audience. Yeah. Because those songs should be in the American Songbook. You know, everyone should know those songs. And the Keys, dude, people try and get me to talk shit about the Keys. No way, dude. I love the fucking Keys.

But what the Keys do that's so cool is that they hire Kenny Brown and Kent Burnside. I mean, sorry, Kent Kimbrough and Eric Deaton. They hire the musicians from Mississippi and expose them. They take them out on... It's amazing. That's giving back to the community. That's not just taking

and appropriating. That's helping. Why don't you think those songs are in the American Songbook It's so silly That's so America That is America Well I think they will be It's still young

And it's a subgenre of a subgenre You know it's like I mean dude Personally I come from the underground Memphis underground And North Mississippi underground. You know, it's not that's not commercial news or commercial rock. I'm happy to represent the underground. I'm not trying to be pop.

I can't even say it. But the great thing about the Black Keys and the White Stripes is that no one can take from those bands. They write songs that millions of people love. And you can't take that away from them. And then if they expose, like when the White Stripes sang Sun House at the Grammys, that was fucking great. Yeah. Yeah. I love it.

Yeah. As I think about it, you're totally right. It's like you're just building a bigger net of getting people to listen to that type of music. That's the only reason why we did it in the first place. That's beautiful, Luther.

That's good. You got a new record out? Those guys, they have another take on it, which gives it another flavor that may be more palatable. You know what I mean? Right. That's beautiful. Growing up in Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee

breeds player haters. Yeah. But growing up in Mississippi, I didn't even think about that. Oh my God, you're totally right. Nashville too, though, dude. What is this player hater shit? I i don't know i don't know about nashville uh nashville so wide open there's so many it's it's a very interesting town yeah so many musicians man it's fucking great

yeah well luther you've been a fucking gem on this show thank you so much for being honest um you have a new record you have a new record out, right? Are you excited to put it out? I'm excited to music. How's that? But you're always writing music. Is it like when you have... Do you still get excited for releases?

Or are you like, you're already thinking about the next record? Yeah, definitely. I'm thinking about the next record. But no, I'm so glad it snuck out. In this day and age, dude, releasing a record is like farting in the wind. Yeah.

You know? Just to be able to talk to you, I appreciate it, man. Thanks for any type of spreading the word, man. Always. Good on you. Well, they're going to listen to the record. And I'm just stoked that we finally get to touch base with each other. I'm going to get you my number. I'm going to text you

or I'll send it to you on Instagram when we connect. I'm a recovering Instagram addict. Perfect. I'll make sure you're publicist. You got his number already? Cool. We're good. Bo's got my number.

I'm glad you're off that shit. Instagram is fucked up, man. I know. Instagram is fucked. Oh, I know. I deleted that motherfucker and I felt so much better ever since. I got to do that. I need to hire someone

to just run my social media, but then I'm like, it's killing me, dude. Watching everyone, it's fucking killing me. Yeah Watching everyone, it's fucking killing me Yeah, totally, I agree I agree I got one last question for you, bud You know, I like to end the pod

With this question normally You know, when it's all said and done What do you want to be remembered by? Remembered for? Man, just fucking Fucking making people happy Playing guitar you know what i mean that that's what it's all about it's not about a song or a record or an accomplishment it's just about being in the moment and like making a room full of people feel good you know because it's a

human it's just a human thing that we can't, you can't. Totally. Well, I'm thankful. Well, I'm thankful I live in an era that I could hear Luther Dickinson play that fucking guitar, buddy. So thank you so much for being a part of the show, bro. Thank you. Have a great day, bud. Thanks for being on the show.

Thank you, too. You tuned in to the World'saving Podcast with Andy Fresco. Thank you for listening to this episode produced by Andy Fresco, Joe Angelo and Chris Lawrence. We need you to help us save the world and spread the word. Please subscribe, rate the show, give us those crazy stars, iTunes, Spotify, wherever you're picking this shit up. Follow us on Instagram at World Saving Podcast for more info and updates. Prescott's blogs and tour dates you'll find at andyfrescott.com.

And check our socials to see what's up next. Might be a video dance party, a showcase concert, that crazy shit show, or whatever springs to Andy's wicked brain. And after a year of keeping clean and playing safe, the band is back on tour.

We thank our brand new talent booker, Mara Davis. We thank this week's guest, our co-host, and all the fringy frenzies that help make this show great. Thank you all. And thank you for listening. Be your best, be safe, and we will be back next week. No animals were harmed in the making of this podcast as far as we know. Any similarities, interactions, or knowledge, facts, or fake is purely coincidental.