Damn, Burn to Shine was off the hook and these kids are off the table. Crazy, the Black Lips are straight up doin’ it, and God bless ‘em. I love what they are about: making good music and having fun. I watched them play their first shows, crotches on fire, a great amount of spit, body parts mangled and playing mostly cover songs. Their shows today are still like that, but it’s all original material… And a lot of it. We had a chance to catch up with Jared at the Atlanta filming of Burn to Shine when I was asked to give The Mighty Hannibal a ride to the airport. Jared was nice enough to go with me and deal with him since they are old mates (thanks for your help!) and we did a quick interview driving back to the site drinking Miller High Life and listening to Amy Winehouse.

Jared Swilley: Rewind that, put that song on again.

Dry Ink: Oh, Amy Winehouse, no problem.

JS: Yeah, I love her. She sounds so old and black.

DI: I think she is the best female singer to come out in 40 years.

JS: She just might be. She sounds so black.

DI: She’s an English Jew and I love her.

JS: Me too, she’s so tough.

DI: How bad ass is today? Getting all of our friends together, 12 bands to play one song each under the same roof.

JS: It’s amazing. Thanks for asking us to do this.

DI: Thank you guys. You’ve had some year. Your touring schedule is so busy, along with some of the other acts today. I’m blown away that we were able to get everyone to be here at the same time.

JS: It is amazing. We’ve been wanting to do this forever. I was starting to think that it wasn’t gonna happen.

DI: So how’d you hook up with Hannibal?

JS: Really I just called him. We’re big fans of his. He’s a legend. We cover his songs live from time to time when we’re tired of our own. We hit it off. He’s a good friend of ours now. I’d do anything for him.

DI: Well, I appreciate you taking this ride with me and walking him through the airport. I picked him up yesterday, and I have to say, it’s not easy walking an old blind man through that place.

JS: It’s no biggie. I just hold his hand and cut in all the lines. People got pissed off but I don’t care. I think people thought I was his little gay lover.

DI: How did he lose his vision?

JS: He became blind many years ago. He had glaucoma and the doctor told him if he didn’t take his medicine his vision would go. He told the doc to go to hell and that he had seen all there was to see in this world.

DI: He likes controversy.

JS: He got into a fight at James Brown’s funeral.

DI: What?

JS: He was complaining in a loud manner saying that it was all wrong that they had his funeral on New Year’s Eve because all of his entertainer friends wouldn’t be able to come. New Year’s is a big money maker night for an entertainer. They had shows booked already, he said. He was getting loud saying that they couldn’t break their contracts. “It’s disrespectful” he said. James Brown himself had a gig booked that night. Someone asked him to change seats and I guess he moved into an area that was reserved for family so someone asked him to change seats again. He started screaming “I ain’t no human chess piece” and had his assistant walk him out of there.

DI: Goodness, screaming at the Godfather’s funeral?

JS: He was screaming “Where’s Little Richard? He’s working, that’s right!”

DI: Does Hannibal know Little Richard?

JS: He knows everybody. He asked me to call someone for him one day when I was at his house. I started looking at the numbers in his cell phone. He had Muhammad Ali in his phone, James Brown, Little Richard was in there. I couldn’t believe it. So when he went into the other room I called Little Richard. He picked up and said “hello” in a high-pitched voice. I just hung up quickly.

DI: That is hysterical. How was it being his backing band?

JS: Amazing and frustrating. He’s a perfectionist and he yells a lot but it was a great experience.

DI: I understand you have a bit of history with the house we are recording at today?

JS: Yes, when you told me the address over the phone I said “I know that house very well.”

DI: Yeah, I thought you were going to tell me about getting drunk in there and hooking up with a gorgeous woman.

JS: No, I almost died there.

DI: What happened?

JS: Well, we just finished playing a show at The EARL in East Atlanta with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. People were putting mushrooms in my mouth while we were on stage. After the show I got on my bicycle and started riding down Moreland. I was trying to go to my girlfriend’s house. I lost control of the bike and went right into a telephone pole. I split the middle of my face wide open. I walked onto the porch of the house and started knocking because I needed someone to take me to the hospital. When no one answered, I broke their window and climbed in the living room. They eventually got up and called the police. I woke up in Grady jail, which is right next to the hospital. I was in the jail for hours, 12 I think. Then they brought me over to the hospital to sew me up and wire my mouth shut. Then they took me back to jail.

DI: Goodness, you do have history with this place! That is a lot more interesting than a lay.

JS: Yeah, I guess.

DI: Well, thanks again for doing this. It’s been a great day for Atlanta. What is next for you?

JS: We have a new album coming out on Vice next month, and we’ll continue living on the road.

DI: Much love, and stay away from mushrooms, stay away from bicycles and don’t break into any more houses!

Tom Cheshire is the publisher of Dry Ink. Write to him at tom@dryinkmag.com