Outlaw through and through.
Hank Williams Jr. built quite the reputation for being one of country music’s party animals in his younger years. The outdoors enthusiast loved spending his time off the stage in the woods or drinking with his buddies, which naturally has led to some wild stories. His larger-than-life personality combined with his rocking honky tonk music makes for some of the craziest shows country music has seen.
So much so that Williams Jr.’s daughter has the words from a security guard noting how rambunctious his crowd was burned into her brain. In 2016, Hank and his daughter, Holly, sat down with The Today Show for an interview and poked fun at how Bocephus is considered a “country music hell-raiser.”
Jenna Bush Hage led the interview and started by asking Williams Jr. if he was aware of his rowdy reputation. He responded sarcastically, acting like he was a Chick-fil-A, family-friendly act. His daughter then piped in, recalling a memory she was told, but also noted that her father kept her away from all of that craziness as much as he could.
“Really, it’s true. I wasn’t around it as much, but of course, it’s true. I will never forget a security guard saying to me, ‘Your dad’s show was wilder than Guns N’ Roses. Literally, there were more naked people, there were more unruly things going on.'”
Williams Jr. bursts out laughing, knowing that that statement is the truth and nothing but the truth, but of course, he spins it into a joke.
“WHAT? Did you say naked people? That’s shocking. This is Nashville, Tennessee… that couldn’t happen there. That’s not country.”
The Today Show interview focuses on how music runs through their family’s blood since Holly pursued a career in music. One portion of the conversation that stuck out to me had to do with some advice Hank Williams Sr. passed down.
Williams Jr. is a proud dad who braggingly says he knew Holly was meant to do music. Given her talent as a songwriter, her style reminded him a lot of himself when he put pen to paper.
“Hank Sr. always used to say if a song can’t be written in ten minutes, it ain’t worth writing.”
Williams Jr. gets fired up after Holly says that and agrees wholeheartedly.
“You know what, he was SO right about that. When they just eh and eh (moves hands like a grinding gear). But when they flow and just come from here (points above), and flow…those are the best ones. Oh yeah.”
Clearly, that method does work, given he has eleven number-one hits under his belt.
Rowdy is on stage but poetic with the pen in hand; Hank Williams Jr.’s got the best of both worlds.
