Mike Mull

Ask anyone familiar with the Rude Street Peters to describe their sound and the answer will almost always involve the words “hillbilly” and “punk,” both accurate descriptors of their boozy blend of Southern-style punk and Stones-y twang. Singer Mike Mull, a native Muhrvillian, cut his musical teeth in the early ‘80s with his band The Screaming Hawthornes, during those halcyon days when Reagan-cursing, pogo-dancing punks ruled the Knoxville music scene. Exactly when the Peters were formed, according to Mull, is anyone's guess, memories undoubtedly obscured by hundreds of beer-fueled shows in sweat-filled dives, most of which are no longer standing. Mull recently sat down with Knoxville Voice to listen to some of the music that has inspired the group's simplistic, no-frills formula for rock ‘n' roll longevity.

The Weirdos
“A Life of Crime”
1977 single

MM: Is that the New York Dolls?

KV: It's The Weirdos.

MM: See, I've even got their disc, but I ain't heard it in so damn long the only thing I remember is that “Helium Bar” song. It was on all the compilations and stuff. Yeah, I like them, man, but yeah, golly, it sounds like [New York Dolls singer David] Johansen singing a little bit. I think they were actually playing way before all them other bands like Black Flag, and everybody gets all the credit for starting the big punk L.A. deal and all that shit.

Angry Samoans
“My Old Man's A Fatso”
From Back From Samoa (1982)

MM: That's Angry Samoans; that's one of my all-time favorite bands. They never get no credit, either; I hate that. Everybody nixed all the bands from that period and stuff, and nobody ever talks about the Angry Samoans, hardly. I thought they were the perfect step from The Ramones ‘cause they kinda had that beat, but it was faster and harder, you know, but more disgusting; just this kind of silly funny lyrics and stuff, you know? I read something about where they used to be way slower, and they wanted to play a joke on one of the guys in the band, and they all get real stoned, and they used to get freaked out and shit when they got high, and so they decided that when they went on stage, all stoned, they were all going to play like three times as fast as normal, but they didn't tell him, just to freak him out. And they did it, and everybody was like, “Man, that was really damn good!” You know, and it kind of became their style and everything.

13th Floor Elevators
“Slip Inside This House”
From Easter Everywhere (1967)

MM: It's the 13th Floor Elevators… Roky Erickson. I'm not as familiar with the song, but I recognize his voice. I love that song “Don't Slander Me,” when they play it in [documentary film You're Gonna Miss Me] – that's good. Poor old Roky; I'm glad he's doing well – seems to be. What I'm curious, though, is somebody still filming because as they went away, he got off all his medicine and all that stuff. I wonder if, I mean, is he going to go back and get worse because the brother seemed like he was getting all fucked up and eating up the rock ‘n' roll style, and looking like Mr. Drughead and everything.

Mike Watt
“Puked To High Heaven”
From The Secondman's Middle Stand (2004)

MM: I don't even know who the fuck that is!

KV: The song's called “Puked To High Heaven” – it's Mike Watt.

MM: That's Mike Watt? I quit listening to him, I mean, goddamn. I love the Minutemen, and when they played here in town, it was awesome – at the old Vic and Bill's. I tried to like Mike Watt, but, probably because I'm not a musician, I just don't get a ton of it, you now what I mean?

Scream
“Came Without Warning”
From Still Screaming (1983)

MM: I really don't know who this is. It sounded like that dude that played guitar with Dag Nasty and shit. Sounds old.

KV: You want me to give you a hint — the name of the song?

MM: “Came Without Warning?” (laughs) I'm listening!

KV: They played at the Hippy House, way back when.

MM: Channel 3 played the Hippy House. Scream played the Hippy House.

KV: It's Scream.

MM: That was a real good show, man. That was a real good show. I remember people slamming in that one little room when that one light bulb that lit the whole place totally “Pow!,” went out, and it was like being in a dark blender, man, everybody dancing and shit. That was wild.

Circle Jerks
“Wasted”
From Group Sex (1980)

MM: Is this early Black Flag with Keith Morris singing, or is it the Circle Jerks' version? I don't know, sounds like the Circle Jerks to me, but I don't know.

KV: Yeah.

MM: Yeah, I like that period of old Black Flag when Dez Cadena sings and shit, man. I love that shit. Circle Jerks are good; when they played here the first time, it was killer.

Bad Religion
“White Trash, 2nd Generation”
From How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982)

MM: Sounds like [D.O.A. singer/guitarist] Joey Shithead, almost, but… it's not D.O.A., is it? I don't know this shit.

KV: It's Bad Religion.

MM: That explains it. I've always liked them OK, but I just think all their stuff's like this (gestures with hands to illustrate a flat line). They've got great lyrics and play good riffs, but then, I don't know, something about it always just stays like that (continuing flatl ine gesture).

Peter Tosh
“Legalize It”
From Legalize It (1976)

MM: Peter Tosh! (laughs) Don't get the credit that Bob Marley does, but this album was my favorite, favorite, just straight favorite reggae album. I love it. I think that's the one where he's standing there in that pot field and got the big old – was it a joint or pipe, man? He's squatted down in a big bunch of pot plants. Yeah, that's a good one, man.

The Stooges
“T.V. Eye”
From Fun House (1970)

MM: Sounds like The Stooges! The first album I ever heard, and had, my buddy got it, and I taped it. I'd read a review in Creem, and it was that damn bootleg, that live album, man, Metallic K.O. The sound quality on it ain't worth a shit, but it's pretty cool. When I was hearing about Iggy and the Stooges and whatnot, when I was really into that when the whole punk shit was going and all my damn yard-mowing money and whatnot was all going to shit, that was coming out, and I bought tons of compilations and stuff.

Bob Dylan
“Cocaine”
From Gaslight Tapes (1962)

MM: So is it Bob Dylan or somebody that's supposed to sound like Bob Dylan?

KV: It's Dylan.

MM: That's pretty good shit. I've got his very first record – it's kick ass. It's a great record cause there's no electricity, but man, it's got a ton of energy on it. It's got as much energy as like – more energy than a Metallica record, or anything. And most of it's just old blues covers and stuff, but fuck, it's good. It's real good. I hate the period of Dylan where he sings – can actually sing. I mean, like “Lay, Lady, Lay?” It's like, what the fuck's that? If he can sing, was he faking all this mumbling shit all these years? Was that just a shtick? Cause I love his voice, but it was like, “He sings on that song! What the hell? Where'd that come from?” It'd be like if I busted out into an opera in the middle of something, you know?