NH: Having played in so many bands at is point, did it motivate you more to succeed in an original band or were you feeling defeated?

RHH: I’d kind of given up at that point because I had all these songs and it was so difficult to find guys to start a band with because everybody was so damn picky-too picky for their own good, and how was I going to get anybody to play to all my original songs? So basically Reverend Horton Heat started out as me just doing my songs by myself. Fortunately it got to where the music got pretty popular pretty quick and I could make enough money to hire guys to play.

NH: When Jimbo came along you must have been happy to find someone so willing to be part of your music.

RHH: Oh yeah. I had a really good upright bass player before Jimbo came along named Smilin’ Jack Barton for about 3 years and he was a great showman. He was more of a Jazzer though and even though he liked rockabilly I couldn’t get him to do the rockabilly “slap” on the bass and it was hard to get him to play gigs so he quit the band. I had previously met Jimbo in Houston so I called him up. Jimbo was and still is the epitome of “Gung Ho”. He was like “Yes! I wanna play in this band and what do I need to do?” So I said “We’ve got this gig up in Seattle for $100 (and that was a long trip coming from L.A) and there’s Jimbo saying “ OK! Let’s do it!”

NH: That gig got you signed with Sub Pop didn’t it?

RHH: Yeah. It was worth it. With a little gung ho spirit it worked out, plus Jimbo did the gut string slap on the bass that I had been looking for and we’ve been together for a long time now.

NH: Swing and rockabilly hadn’t had resurgence when Sub Pop signed you. Did you wonder how your music would hold up when grunge and alternative rock was all the rage?

RHH: Well, back then there were only a handful of labels that would do these boutique releases of rockabilly music and we really wanted to release an album so to us it made sense because at that time, we were the only thing the label had like that and we weren’t going up against similar music.

NH: You’ve stayed popular longer than many of the strongest contenders of the ’80’s and ‘90’s. Were there times when you were interpreted as a novelty sound unlikely to last?

RHH: I think some people may have looked at it that way. There are so many people that speculate about what the music business is and the music business is not really a business. It’s about a band whose sound is popular enough to sell tickets and records. What we’ve got is a blessing. We do our deal and we’re still trying to expand and explore new territory even while we keep our core style. I don’t really worry too much about trends.

NH: Having toured with such an eclectic range of bands like ZZ Top and White Zombie , such exposure must have expanded your popularity leaps and bounds.

RHH: One thing that I’ve sensed is that looking back, we’ve been a part of a lot of different scenes that have since come and gone and we’re still here! First we were a part of the Deep Ellum scene in Dallas then came the Seattle grunge scene. Then when Swing hit, we were a part of that scene too. Somehow we always got latched on to a scene and we were just trying to do our thing. It’s pretty cool though and I’m glad that we’ve moved around different scenes and not been too latched on to one thing and I think people have sensed that.

NH : How do you think you’d feel if you became hugely famous, a major sensation like so many bands get?

RHH: Oh I’d love it (big smile)!!! I don’t know. The only thing is that I’m a relatively private person. The way it is for me now-I know a lot of people in Dallas, but I can still drive and go out to eat without any trouble and frankly I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a famous person and lose that privacy. That might sting a little bit if that ever happened. The grass is always greener on the other side and we’ve definitely had our ups and downs but it makes you think maybe things worked out for the best that none of that happened.

NH: Do you feel like the level of success you’ve had has allowed you more longevity?

RHH: Yeah, it could be. I was a pretty good guitar player when I was a young kid and if I had been in a band that got really famous when I was 22 and had all this money, I might not be here playing music like I am today. I’ve seen it happen. They get too much handed to them right off the bat.

NH: Humorous songs like “400 bucks” or “Someone in Heaven” (regarding the passing of your Mother) are very personal sounding as well. Do you write mainly from direct experiences?

RHH: Not always although 400 bucks is kind of a true story. Rather than focusing on the personal, the style I focus on is trying to keep things pretty much straight ahead. I really do like music that’s right in your face and very direct-lyrically speaking. When you have all this abstract stuff in a song where you don’t even know what they’re talking about- to me it’s not as powerful as a really simple good lyric. Every song is different I guess.

NH: What about songs like “Baddest of the Bad” or “Lonesome Man”?

RHH: Yeah…….. I have felt like that (looking down and laughing). “Lonesome Man” was actually written back in the ‘80’s. It used to be one of our staple songs. Same thing with “Party Mad”. I though it had been released on our first album and tragically I couldn’t remember what was on our first album!

NH: You’re on the road a lot and touring is something you’ve said you enjoy. What do you like to do when you’re not touring?

RHH: It’s important for me to spend time with my wife and daughter and I’ve also been doing something lately with a buddy of mine. He plays the Hammond organ and he does a lot of soul organ instrumentals and playing with him has been lots of fun. We’ve been doing Wednesday night diner gigs in Dallas. So that’s what I’ve been doing for fun when I’m back home.

www.reverendhortonheat.com

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