It was the second suicide close to Hiatt he’d already lost his brother. within a two-year period in the mid-’80s, Hiatt had his first child, was dropped by his label, entered recovery and got divorced. Hiatt’s struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction is famous. More than all of that, it’s Hiatt’s life experience that intimidated, as if I were interviewing a younger (and, truth be told, more cerebral and sardonic) Johnny Cash. Or the fact that he gathered a legendary collection of musicians-Nick Lowe, Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner-for Little Village (and one of his solo albums before that). Or his own Grammy nomination in 2000 for Crossing Muddy Waters. King-Eric Clapton Grammy-winning collaboration, Riding With the King. Not to mention Bonnie Raitt with her comeback “Thing Called Love” or the title track to the B.B. Sure, he’s been covered by dozens of artists, from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nelson to the Neville Brothers, Paul Abdul and Iggy Pop.
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Sure, this 51-year-old has been playing guitar since he was 11, was a professional songwriter at 18, had his first hit (for Three Dog Night) at 22, and has released 18 (mostly) critically acclaimed albums over 29 years. My intimidation stemmed from more than Hiatt’s status as a songwriter’s songwriter. It’s all falling apart (I think) and I’ve just sat down.įortunately, someone interrupted with a cup of coffee for Hiatt and we moved on. In that split second pause, I recalled the story of a reporter literally running down the road, chasing Van Morrison after he bolted due to the journalist’s youth.
He thinks I’m some punk kid with little life experience and no sense of his history, and he’s wondering why he’s wasting his time with me.” Although I’m in my 30s, I suddenly felt like William Miller in Almost Famous, and I wondered if the squeaky voice of adolescence would emerge from the dark shadows.
It’s not until I’m back in Atlanta at the Paste office that someone explains this bit of office humor.Īt the time, my reaction was, “Crap. “So, tell me why you deserve this job?” John Hiatt jokes as I sit down across a borrowed desk in his manager’s Nashville office.