John Hiatt

by Clay Kallam

2000

It was 20 years ago, at least as best as I can remember, when a much younger music writer interviewed a much younger John Hiatt -- and oddly enough, I still recall a couple of questions and answers from that conversation.

One has always stuck in my mind, for no apparent reason. I asked Hiatt, who had released a couple of albums to good reviews and middling sales, what it felt like to be a success in the music business. He was surprised at being called a success, since he hadn't torn up the charts, but when I pressed him, he was willing to concede that he'd never had to have a day job.

This time around, I reminded Hiatt of that first question, and that first answer.

'I was really hungry for a big piece of the pie,' he recalls. 'I wanted all the alcohol I could drink and all the pretty women.'

Today, his career is not necessarily any hotter than it was. In fact, he's been dropped by a series of major labels, and his newest album, 'Crossing Muddy Waters,' is a one-shot release by Vanguard, that's also available for MP3 download on line. But Hiatt has survived, and spent his adult life writing songs, and making music -- and he's still never had to have a day job.

'Today,' he says, 'that's success beyond my wildest dreams. I'm having more fun now than I've ever had -- and isn't that what it's all about?'

He's also having fun doing his first-ever, full-blown solo tour behind 'Crossing Muddy Waters,' and he comes to the Bay Area almost two months into the experience. 'First off, you get all the glory,' he laughs, 'but there's a risk too.'

For the fans, though, it's a chance to connect even more directly with a prolific songwriter who can not only change the set night to night, but minute to minute. In addition, 'I can do more songs in the same amount of time. I don't know why exactly, but maybe it's because the band isn't noodling around. With encores, I do about 25 songs.'

That may seem like a lot, but Hiatt has more than a hundred to draw from, not including covers. 'If I'm sinking, I can pull out "I Wanna Be Sedated", he says, 'to get the crowd going.'

But Hiatt doesn't sink that often. Long-time fans will respond to songs like 'Slug Line,' his first semi-hit, 'Love Like Blood' and 'Radio Girl,' and of course he'll play several songs from the acoustic 'Crossing Muddy Waters' -- which has done quite well, even without the 'support' of a major label.

'If you're a niche artist, you almost have to go outside the major labels,' says Hiatt. 'In a weird kind of way, they're out of the music business. They're big entertainment now -- there's no interest in developing artists.

'With Vanguard, I was shocked. They have a real marketing plan and they work hard to get my songs on the radio, like labels used to do.' That isn't all that easy, because Hiatt's mix of folk, country, blues and rock and roll doesn't fit into any of the simple categories radio loves so much.

But it hasn't hurt that Hiatt got some extra exposure as host of 'Sessions at West 54th Street,' a PBS music series that was at one time emceed by David Byrne.

Though Hiatt enjoyed being on the other side of the questions, there were some dues to be paid. 'It was scrotum-tightening,' says Hiatt, with his usual flair for language. 'I had to do a lot of homework, a lot of research. Some of the interviews lasted for an hour and a half, even though they only show four or five minutes.

'The biggest plus is I got to see 41 acts,' he says. 'Ruben Blades had a really cool band, and I loved Henry Rollins.'

Hiatt would like to come back, but he might be touring next year when the series is taped -- and his musical career comes first.

'I'm a late bloomer, definitely,' he says, and after touring behind 'Crossing Muddy Waters,' he's got a more rock-and-roll album almost ready to release.

'It's no longer wearing you down,' he says of writing and touring, 'it's keeping you going. I plan to do this 'til I die.'

Which means the Times should plan on another interview around 2020.