Lee Hazlewood: cynical cowboy bard
September 27, 2007 Not long before he died, the man who wrote "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' " and much, much more sat down for a wide-ranging, freewheeling interviewContinued...
There’s a definite warmth and love that comes through, with every song, even though stylistically it’s very diverse. You voice your political opinions, as well, with “Baghdad Knights” and “Anthem.”
You hate the war, but you respect the warriors. I can be proud of the young people, but not proud of why they’re over there. Why can’t we get things through other means than violence? English is such a rich language—Russian, French, they’re all rich languages to negotiate in. I’m super-liberal; violence bothers the hell out of me. A couple of songs here and there—there’s no other way for me to make a difference.
The waltzy “Fred Freud” pokes fun at psychiatrists. What’s your take on psychiatry?
There were six, seven of us that went to university together; they call me the historian of the group, and two of them became shrinks. So when I’d go home, they’d introduce me—and honest to God, I was better known than they were—but they’d always say, “This is so-and-so, he’s a druggist, he’s a dentist, he’s a psychiatrist. Oh Lee, he writes songs, you never heard of him.” We’d tease each other; I’d say I didn’t think too much of their profession, either. They’d tease me back about never having written a love song.
You worked with Ann Kristin Hedmark in Sweden.
When I first heard “Please Come to Boston,” I thought, God, this is the greatest loser song I’ve ever heard in my life! But it would be more of a loser song if it were a duet. When we were in the studio, someone asked her, “Why would you sing with Lee?” And she said, “Oh, because he’s funny.” And that’s as good a reason to sing with me as any I can think of.
Do you see the humor first in a situation, or use humor to get around the horror of a situation?
