If youre not already aShooter Jenningsfan, you will be after you read this interview.
Even if youre a Jonas Brother.
Today, Jennings celebrates the premiere of hisCMT Crossroadsconcertwith close friend Jamey Johnson.
Its not a real raucous show.
I play piano for most it, he says.
I tried to take it as psychedelic as we could possibly go.
Tomorrow, his compilationBad Magick: The Best of Shooter Jennings & the .357shits stores.
Expect that to tie a ribbon on his time straddling the country and rock aisles.
Is that typical for you, or did we just catch you on a good day?
SHOOTER JENNINGS:Im usually pretty punctual.
Im not one to like to be late.
[We like him already.]
Lets jump right in.
What is the best concert youve ever seen?Thats a tough one.
Ive seen some good concerts.
It was with Jim Rose Circus and Marilyn Manson.
I remember seeing it at Vanderbilt Auditorium in Nashville.
I felt dirty, I felt all kinds of stuff watchin all that s go down, you know.
OrLoving Her Was Easierby Kris Kristofferson.
Pretty much anything Kris Kristofferson ever wrote I wish Id written.Isisis another good one, that Bob Dylan song.
Your guilty pleasure dance song?
[Laughs] Look, the production was quite progressive on that record.
Im kind of a stickler for progressive music to some degree.
Oh, you know what song I dont mind?Lovebug,that Jonas Brothers song.
It feels like the Beatles to me in a way.
And then at the end, when it rocks out, Im into that.
Im not afraid to say that.
So you gotta state that there were expletives all around this statement.
[Laughs]
Oh, it will be noted.Oh yeah: Jonas Brothers Lovebug, thats his favorite song!
But you get the Jonas Brothers.I get it for what it is.
I dont own the record.
I can respectMiley Cyrus.
Im not gonna walk away and say that s is completelyinvaluable, because I dont believe it is.
addCredit(James Minchin, III)
Joaquin Phoenixs rap career: Real or rouse?
[Laughs] Everybody wants to ask me this.
[Shooter played Waylon in Phoenixs Johnny Cash biopicWalk the Line.]
I know the guy, but I dont know him well enough to know.
I havent seen or talked to him in years.
If hes really gonna rap, f, go for it.
If its a joke, even better.
I just find the whole thing really entertaining.
Some people get really mad about it.
Theyre like, Its not funny, because hes being smug.
To me, its better than hearing him gloat about what a good actor he is or something.
Watch the video for Shooter Jennings 4th of July
Moving on to movies…
The film you have to watch every time you spot it on cable?Blade Runner, for sure.
Its my favorite movie of all-time for, like, a number of reasons.
Pretty much anything Stanley Kubrick, if its on, Im watchin it.The Shining.
I love horror films anyway.
But all the Stanley Kubrick stuff is so smart the way its done.
EvenKnocked Upcould be considered a chick flick, which I love the Judd Apatow stuff.
Shes gotDukes of Hazzardstuff, all the KISS dolls, all the crazy Todd McFarlane things.
Ive saved a lot of things that were really important to me.
Your best mistaken identity story?Ive had some homeless people think Im Bo Bice.
This was years ago.
Id be like, Waaaaait, Im not Bo Bice.
[Laughs] How did that happen?
A lot of people get the drummer for that band 3 Doors Down confused with me and vice versa.
Like, people that know him have come up to me.
Thats happened several times, and it always happens to be in Nashville, and Im never there.
I think people think I live there.
Usually though, I dont get confused with other people.
There arent many people who are as short as me.
I think people know Im short.
[Laughs]
How tall are you?56.
Im 52.Well, youre a girl.
If I was that small, then Id be in trouble.
Itd be an issue, some kind of chemical imbalance.
With you, its all good.
You do realize that all the short men in the country just turned on you.Right.
Youre gonna be like, He loves the Jonas Brothers, and he hates short people.
Im gonna be like, Wait, there was so much more to this article.
When I have enough drinks in me, Ill get up there and do something.
But Im not up there doing Bon Jovi.
The last time I did karaoke was on my birthday last year in New York City.
I did [Neil Youngs]Rockin in the Free World.
Name something in pop culture you think is overrated.I think pop culture in general is overrated.
That stuff is just [sighs]…
I can admit that I was hooked at first when that s started getting really big.
And its really interesting to look in those magazines for a minute.
But now, its such a disgrace.
And all the reality shows…The Rock of Love, I fin hate Bret Michaels.
I cannot fin stand him.
At least withFlavor of Love, its Flava Flav and hes like this ridiculous character.
Name something you think is underrated.At this point, rock n roll is completely underrated.
If you watched the Grammys…
The Grammys was the fin worst piece of s Ive ever seen in my entire life.
Excuse all my bad language.
Oh, Im enjoying it.
And its like, what did we get?
Lil Wayne 12 times.
Jay-Z on eight songs.
I like hip-hop, and I like the culture of hip-hop.
I like Jay-Z records.
Im not against that.
And its just like all we get is Taylor Swift.
You know, god bless her soul, at least she writes her songs.
Im not mad at her for that.
But thats all we get is that.
Were fed that s and they just overlook rock n roll.
They overlook people who are making a change and a progressive stance in rock n roll.
The closest we get to rock n roll is John Fin Mayer.
They know what theyre doing.
And rock n roll is so disjointed that the labels dont even care about it.
Like, they dont even want to give a shot to fix it.
Its like, lets get it moving forward.
And they just wont.
I feel like its definitely overlooked and underrated.
My heart mourns for that.
Ifeellike this is an opinion youve put a lot of thought into.
[Laughs] Look, I have a lot of time to sit around and think these days.
Im working on this new album.
I have a little daughter now.
I dont go out anymore.
I think somethings gonna happen, and the unity in rock n roll is gonna change things.
