An Interview with Hamell on Trial

Brian links up with Ed Hamell as he prepares for an Irish tour...

Hamell On Trial are one man punk rock riot Ed Hamell who will brought what can only be described as 'the' loudest acoustic rock show to Ireland in May 2004. This is an exclusive interview he gave to CLUAS just before travelling to Ireland.

Cluas: Many of your songs weave stories of small time criminals and their antics. Even your column in 'Uncut' documents the trials and tribulations of New York tearaway 'Jakey'. Are these characters based on real people and is Jakey your drunken, psychotic alter ego?

Hamell On Trial: Both really. Most of the incidents actually happened albeit in some morphed form. Oddly enough, I've tamed down a lot of the stuff because I don't think people would believe it. I grew up in Upstate New York, specifically Syracuse, which, if it isn't apparent by it's name, has a predominately Italian population. I think now, per capita, their crime rate far exceeds New York City. And the places I worked in, both as a musician or waiting tables and bartending were more like mafia-wanna-be guys. You know, not real high rollers, but that bred a desperation that sometimes was a lot scarier and also infinitely more comical. That having been said, I rarely felt threatened and felt more comfortable around them then say, cops, lawyers, religious figures, or politicians who also steal and murder but are either too self-righteous, out and out liars, or too stupid to admit it. Anyway, hopefully I give voice to the disenfranchised.

How did the success of 'Choochtown' change your recording process for 'Tough Love'? Were you under any pressure to write 'Choochtown 2'?

I certainly didn't feel it. I just pretty much make records that I'd want to hear and if people come aboard, all the better. It's easy for me to write character based linear narrative stuff, but I think it has to be different then the last time and over all a well-rounded record. Every time I thought I had an idea for the direction of the album some monumental thing would happen. First, I was involved in an automobile accident that almost took my life and took me 9 months to recuperate, then September 11th happened, then my first child, a son named Detroit was born. It was inevitable that major themes of mortality would surface. I'm often frustrated at my inability to sell more than 20 thousand records but I guess if I sold a million, you're right, a whole bunch of new problems would arise. Be careful what you wish for.

'Choochtown' had a very rough quality that particularly suited the stories (specifically 'Long Drive') whereas 'Tough Love' is far more polished. Was this by choice or purely a result of their being a bit more money around for 'Tough Love'?

I think the success of Choochtown brought some people out of the woodwork who offered their services inexpensively. I don't think I've ever said this in print, no one ever asked, but Choochtown was made for $240. Honest. I didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, but I knew I worked well within tight parameters. Tough Love was made for $7000 which still is dirt cheap by industry standards, but I did a ridiculous amount of preproduction. Literally hundreds of drafts in my home studio. I wanted to work with different producers, it's the only way to learn, and I always think that I'll be back at square one again, alone, so I'd have that acquired knowledge to carry on. I felt the same way when I was signed to a major label: I knew it wouldn't last but it turned out a pretty good experience because I went in there thinking, "What can I get out of this?" I built my mailing list and I got known in cities that I still play and support myself in. I'm a survivor, I'll be playing when I'm 80, I just want to keep learning and working. This is a career, not a flash thing.

How did you find working with John Leckie (whose production credits include The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Suede and a list of luminaries too exhaustive to mention) and what did he bring to the party?

Working with John was pretty great. It was quick and easy, and he's an excellent engineer as well. It's tough at home doing everything by yourself. He brought heavier elements than I would have tried, particularly in the rhythm section, and I was initially skeptical, but as I was saying in the last question, I was there to learn and I kept my mouth shut. I was happy with the results, but more importantly I thought it fit well with the rest of the record. I'd like to work with him more, or any producer, Flood or Rick Rubin immediately come to mind. I can't imagine what it would be like to have the luxury and budget to completely focus on a record for say, 12 weeks . But, at the end of the day, money talks and bullshit walks: If I don't sell enough records to warrant that kind of budget, and currently I don't, then I'm shit out of luck. A very honest and realistic account of getting art made versus commerce would be the director's cut of the DVD "King Of New York" with the Abel Ferrara commentary. It's hysterical but also tragic at the same time. It's the same everywhere, and everybody has to get it done by hook or by crook. Even the big guys are lying and scamming to get their art made.

Are you surprised by your popularity in Europe where talk of your explosive live shows is the stuff of lore?

Well, I'm flattered let's put it that way. It's inspiring and helps me keep the faith. I've had a tough time grabbing the same success in this country, of course there's pockets, larger cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco etc but America's big and currently dumb so I just keep listening to my Bill Hicks CDs and trying not to shoot anybody.

Given the pummeling you give your acoustic guitars during your shows, how the hell do you keep them in tune?

HOT: I have a bunch of tricks I've learned over the years. I tune down a whole step which keep the strings looser, I beef up the A and the D string, which I guess I land on a lot and they would break first, I change strings before every gig right after sound check and I stretch them for half an hour or so until they won't go out of tune anymore. Plus my onstage amp and monitor is really really fucking loud so I'm not hitting it as hard as it seems, at least not all the time.

Can we expect the usual mix of colourful anecdotes, jokes and general bawdiness on this tour?

Absolutely, it's what I do. I can't change, it's very real, honest and the thing that keeps me different than anybody else. Sometimes I get the impression from some of the artier alt-rockers that they have disdain for the humorous elements, like I'm pandering or trying too hard to appeal, maybe playing to the lowest common denominator but my take is humor has always affected me as a sign of intelligence, I don't trust those who don't have it, like, um, Hitler for instance. Not that I really give a fuck, I just find it interesting. If anything, I'd like to get it bawdier, stir things up. I always thought, even in my formative listening years, that some comedy records, like Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor, and some spoken word stuff I was hearing, like William Burroughs and Bukowski was a lot more "rock and roll" than the supposed rockers I was hearing on the radio. It's been my goal to incorporate that into my act. It's probably why I'm such a big Patti Smith fan.

Did John Lennon ever actually tell you to f*ck off (as per the song 'John Lennon') or is this tale another figment of your ever active imagination?

Absolutely true. I was 12 at the time, he was my hero, so it was pretty devastating, plus my inherent insecurity and self loathing only made me think that he was a perceptive judge of character. In truth I was pushed into him. I never would have had the nerve to approach him. Matter of fact I saw him on the streets of New York a year later and I crossed the street to avoid him. Now a lot of people tell me fuck off but I can always say, "Better men have told me to fuck off than you!"

You've covered Johnny Cash and Dylan in the past. Have you thrown any other gems into the mix in recent times?

I do a 3 song medley these days, usually for an encore, "Rockaway Beach" by The Ramones, "White Riot" by The Clash and "Kick Out The Jams" by The MC5. I also do "Waiting For The Man" by The Velvet Underground.

Who's hot in New York right now that we should be checking out?

Man, that's a good question, I'm out on tour so much I don't see enough stuff, and when I do get time off I want to check out a play or a movie, I'm not really killing myself to hit the bars. I hear The Star Spangles are pretty great live and the same with The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They're on the cover of SPIN this month, I though it was over for them but who knows, maybe they're having a comeback.

What's next for Hamell on Trial? Are you working on a new album?

I'm trying to get a DVD out this year, I had a guy come around and film about 15 shows, my last one in Dublin as a matter of fact, and we did about 7 hours worth of interviews so if he can get around to editing it it'll be out this year. I'm hoping that'll open some other media door for me in this country. I'm recording in my basement studio, I've been talking to my label over here, Righteous Babe, and they want to get something out by next March, so that's the battle plan.

Hamell on Trial was interview by Brian Farrelly

Check out the CLUAS review of Hammel on Trial live in Dublin in 2001.
Check out the CLUAS review of Hammel on Trial live in Limerick in 2002.