Tuesday, September 04, 2007

"He was a different sort of person"

When you finish reading this post, head on over to YouTube and check out the three-part documentary, "The Wild World of Hasil 'Haze' Adkins."
You can find part one here.
The documentary provides almost everything you need to know about Adkins, the so-called "Father of Psychobilly."
You want to see women fighting in a dive bar to have the right to sit next to Adkins? It's in here. You want to see bemused law officers and defense attorneys discussing "the guy who lives in a $40 shack in Boone County, W.V., who was a rock star in Europe?" It's in here.
You want to hear Adkins shriek his lyrics to songs that sound exactly the same?
It's all in this great documentary on an influential performer who eluded the attention of most of mainstream America.
Adkins (1937-2005) was more than just a "local legend," as the documentary recounts. In fact, the film hints at his broader cult fame as the rockabilly artist who sang the frantic, demented proto-punk classic "She Said" and created a supposedly "dirty dance" called "The Hunch."
Adkins once said his primary influences were Hank Williams, Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, Little Richard and Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Col. Harlan Sanders -- Adkins did sing about "commodity meat" from time to time, whatever that means.
Adkins himself serves as a primary influence for a number of punk rock, post-punk, neo-rockabilly and other modern rockers.
There was only one "Haze" Adkins, though, as you will see from the documentary. So, what are you waiting for? Head over to YouTube and type in "The Wild World of Hasil "Haze" Adkins," before it's too late.