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Freeplay: Hank Williams III
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Hank Williams III ain’t your granddaddy’s country music. Hell, he ain’t his granddaddy’s country music, neither.

He is, however, one helluva lot more country than his papa, Hank Jr. and that washed-up Monday Night Football shtick of his. Though I sure am ready for some football, again.

With tracks such as “Punch, Fight, Fuck” and “Cocaine,” it seems that Hank III has done a fine job of conjuring up the country music of our granddaddy’s day.

Becoming sporadically acquainted with Hank III’s music over the past couple of years through dive bar jukes, I’ve always been fond of his Four Horsemen, outlaw demeanor, but never thought to purchase one of his CD’s. Thanks to this 70-minute live set at archive.org, recorded at the Ogden Theater in Denver, I’ve no need to. But be damned sure I won’t miss his show the next time he’s in town.

Hank III delivers an energetic and charismatic playlist, beginning in typical fashion with a long set of country music full of original and covered material, before spiraling into the abyss of hellbilly and assjack. Whatever he calls it, with tunes like “Straight to Hell” and “Thrown Out of Every Bar,” seems like he and his granddaddy are gonna have a real good time when they meet again. When Hank III promises, with fiddles screeching in the back like in the track “Dick in Dixie,” you best believe he’s telling the truth.

Another gem of this live set is a cover of Johnny Cash’s classic killer anthem “Cocaine Blues.” Whereas Cash’s cold conclusion to the dark tale of jealousy, addiction and destruction is to “lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be,” perhaps an amped up Hank III might be better off advised to lay off that gasoline and let those methamphetamines be.

Sure, there are some great rockabilly and hellbilly bands out there that have given some new bite to the original country sound laid down by the likes of Williams, Sr. and Cash, but Hank III gives that old country sound some serious balls.

And if your granddaddy don’t like it, have a slug of whiskey and a slug at each other. I’m sure that’s how the Williams boys would’ve handled it.