Hank 3 & David Allan Coe Have Their Way With “Outlaw Ways” (And It Ain’t Pretty.)
First things, first, y’all. Hank 3 and David Allan Coe paired up to record (and release..meh.) a 7+ minute long song together, “Outlaw Ways” — Before I explain why this song, which I’m pretty sure may have been recorded in a giant shoe, is the least likely thing to make anyone inspired to a) be an outlaw or b) feel nostalgic about the outlaw ways of yore, let’s get some context and take a listen. You’ll need 7 minutes and 18 seconds and a strong willingness to live.
The first 30 seconds of instrumentation were very promising when I first hit play on this track. I’m a sucker for collaborations and I was so hopeful - David Allan Coe and Hank 3 both being musicians that joyfully remind me of when I was a young, dumb, wild lass in the country, wearing very few clothes in the back of pick-up trucks, still yelling at God for things going wrong, cussing and spitting and fighting. I associate these guys with the grit and the good stuff. Additionally, the inspiration for this song may or may not come from “The Conversation” — A Waylon Jennings and Hank Jr. collaboration from 1983 that remains to be a country music fan-favorite, as one YouTuber affectionately said, ” two rebels talking ‘bout the rebel of them all.”
(Yes, I would have loved to have been that dish-towel-whippin’ female extra in this video.)
I say that Hank 3 and David Allan Coe “may or may not” have taken inspiration from this original Waylon/Hank Jr. track, because I have, of course, not asked them directly, and also would make an assumption that had they taken inspiration from this song, they would have done it a staggering amount more justice. Like, maybe it would have been good. Perhaps they would have even taken note from Waylon and Hank Jr, and written lyrics that were clever and believably conversational paired with a classicly country melody done in good production. From what I can gather, Hank 3 and David Allan Coe scribbled down on a piece of toilet paper a to-do list of “important stuff” to include in this tune that went something like this:
OUTLAW BUZZ WORDS:
- outlaw
- dicks
- Waylon
- some stab at Opry
- Hank Sr.
- Johnny Cash
- “Long-Haired Redneck”
- “The Ride”
- being crazy
Then, they awkwardly free-styled what are the remaining lyrics of the song in between those buzz words while recording live, one take, in a giant shoe and the entire production wrap-time including recording, mixing, mastering, was, I’m guessing, about 7 minutes, and 18 seconds.
Hank3: If you think you might understand our crazy waysDAC: You might be living The Outlaw Ways
So, to be clear, about what Hank 3 and DAC are sayin’ here — If I were to think that I might understand their crazy ways, I just might be living The Outlaw Ways, might’n I ?
Of course, all of this is just my opinion and there are other reviewers of country music who have liked this. This one guy, Trigger, a writer for SavingCountryMusic.Com who usually has a knack for hating — for no reason —things that are great, let alone crappy, contributed this review today — HERE — Ultimately, it doesn’t say much at all other than that he likes the fiddle and steel guitar (reaching?) and that this track is historically important. (Yeah, it was historically important when David Bowie collabed with Bing Crosby 5 weeks before Bing kicked the bucket, but nobody gives a cool crap about that now except me playing Little Drummer Boy every Christmas, huh? Enjoy that, HERE.)
Trigger also gives this track 1 1/2 out of 2 guns up. To that I say, I give it two guns. Loaded. And to my temples.
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- May 22 2013
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