Interview: Eagles of Death Metal

By Mel Drummond
Interview with Singer, Jesse "The Devil" Hughes

Jesse "The Devil" Hughes

Eagles of Death Metal's frontman Jesse "The Devil" Hughes is as notorious for making relentlessly fun rock music as he is for his women whispering ways.

So when it came time to chat to him about Eagles Of Death Metal's upcoming Australian tour - I almost expected…hoped... to be served up a verbal seduction by the rockin' Romeo himself.

Not sure of just exactly what I might encounter when he picked up the phone (I have read reports of him doing drugs on a tour bus while talking to one interviewer), I was a little underwhelmed to hear Jesse was just chilling out on the couch and watching a movie.

And it wasn't porn either...

Although it sounded like this Casanova was having the night off, Jesse was still every bit the charming gentleman when talking about the band's imminent tour of Australia to promote the new album, "Heart On".

"I love Australia, honestly, I know you Australians think I am saying this to you just because I'm trying to get your ass, but now that I've been around the world… well, Australia is paradise to me".

"It's like San Diego with prehistoric trees. You land and they have this wonderful miniaturised El Camino which they call the f**king Ute, and girls run around in sun dresses with pigtails in the middle of the daylight - it is beautiful".

So how is the band's third and latest album?

According to Jesse, it is "hornier" than the last two and has been driving audiences to frenzied heights of rock loving ecstasy on the band's recent tour through Europe.

"People were going insane. In fact, in one country the crowd was so nuts they began to cannibalise each other… well, no... But I think that would be rad if that happened".

Fans of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) might be disappointed he won't be joining his good buddy Jesse for the four Australian shows, but with Brian O'Connor, Dave Catching, and Joey Castillo (also QOTSA) stepping in - Jesse assures me the shows will be every bit as good as fans remember.

And while EODM will be delivering four shows in just five days to Aussie fans, Jesse is reluctant to complain about the hectic schedule which is intrinsic to life on tour.

"To me, that feels like I would be saying to myself “it must get really hard to have the best job in the world”... honestly, when I get up, I have the luxury of having some of my best friends in the world in my band, like Joshua, Joey, Davey, Brian – they are all my dear friends, we all have this really good ethic of knowing how to tour by working together almost as a family".

"We finish the night of a show and the party element always gets played, so we get off stage and there is always like an hour and a half party or whatever and then we go to the bus and we talk about what happened, we put on a movie and once the bus is rolling we all say goodnight to each other and go to sleep – it is very homely in a way".

A relative newcomer to the world of fame, fortune, and females on tap, Jesse first picked up a guitar at the somewhat mature age of 30 and says he "didn’t get into music, music got into me".

It was following a messy divorce when he first truly metamorphosised from redneck to rock star - writing the entire "Peace, Love, Death Metal" album in under a week.

"That is what happens when you have a lot of time on your hands, impending doom in court and a lot of drugs".

Of course, the rags to rock ‘n’ roll riches journey is also just that bit easier when your best friend is accomplished musician and flame haired spunk Josh Homme.

"Joshua, without any equivocation, is the greatest friend I have ever had in my life. I love the man dearly, I enjoy every second of his company... you are very fortunate if you can find that sort of friend. He is like a brother to me, I love the guy".

He is such a good friend that he even once tricked Jesse into rehab, wooing him into the car with the promise of buying drugs. And though a stint in rehab might seem as de rigueur these days as men wearing tights, Jesse isn'’t planning on revisiting or curbing his habits anytime soon either.

"Rehab taught me how lame it is to quit taking drugs with a bunch of people who cry about how hard it is to stop doing something that sucks. I have never taken a drug if I thought it was going to suck and I have never not paid my bills, you know what I mean?".

"Grow the f**k up - have a drink, or as my grandfather used to say, “A real man works with a hangover”."

Drugs, women and rock star mates aside, Jesse has another great love - the "emancipator of rock ‘n’ roll": Little Richard.

"I love him, he is the source. He defines it all to me, he hit the nail on the head, and that is why he was the first. He is gay, but he sings about women – he knows that rock ‘n’ roll is about girls dancin’, he knows rock ‘n’ roll is about fun, he knows that he can write the same fucking song twenty times and it is twenty different hits".

"The Ramones figured that sh*t out, I mean; the Ramones’ songs sound pretty much the same... every one of them is rad".

Five years on from the release of EODM’s first album and Jesse is still doing his best to keep up with his circle of talented pals.

"It is great fortune that the best of the best were my friends, I got bought into such an elite rock world - but then the other thing is that you can’t suck, you don’t have the option of f**king around".

"You get a little forgiveness when people realise you are thirty and you just came into it, so they will wink and they will nod and it is cute for a while, but it is just like any kid – when he is fourteen it ain't so cute when he cries because he ain’t getting his way".

And finally, I hate to break it you ladies, you won’t be getting your way with our charming, sexed-up rocker anytime soon – he’s currently "with girl" and fans will catch a glimpse of this tiger-taming temptress during her guest appearances on the Australian tour.

"I have the pretty Ms Coco Bubbles and I am bringing her on tour and you will get to see why it is that I'm addicted to those buns".

"Heart On" is instores now / Eagles Of Death Metal tour Australia from April 24, 2009.

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