No, really, it does! I had always hated country music, because to me it represented all the Yokel/hillbilly racist-conservative bullshit from the American South I had come to detest when I learned about the history of slavery and so forth.

On the other hand, I´ve always been a fan of ZZTop and of Black Bluesmen like John Lee Hooker or Muddy Waters. Willy Nelson rocks, too and is certainly far from being conservative. Then came the Coen Brothers movie "Oh Brother, where Art Thou?" and I liked some of the songs from its soundtrack.

For some time now I´ve been occasionally trying out country that´s supposedly different and more conscious of its relations to Black Rhythm and Blues. Through the books of Kinky Friedman I was prompted to listen to Hank Williams...I mean a cool guy like Kinky wouldn´t make some strawhead his idol, wouldn´t he?

From Hank Williams I went to his son, Hank Williams Jr. and then to his grandson, Hank Williams III, who is some sort of Metal/Punk/Country rebel. Cool stuff really. So with the bearded guys from Texas, Willy Nelson and the 3 Williams' there's in fact some country-related music in my musical arsenal now, but it's certainly not backwards stuff, no sir. Mama, let that boy boogie-woogie....