No More Hot Dogs, Hasil Adkins, Chicken Walk

My then-roomate Angela Opell turned me on to the late great Hasil Adkins a couple of years ago. My first thought was “Man, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ got nothin’ on this guy!” He’s got that crazy, out-of-tune, distorted sound that seems to bridge the gap between old-timey music and Sun Ra.

Tragically, Hasil (pronounced “Hassle,” it seems) was run over by a kid on an All Terrain Vehicle shortly after I started listening to him - no joke. A random, crazy end for an admittedly random and kind of crazy dude.

Since I parted ways with Angela, I haven’t had the pleasure of getting down with Hasil until just recently, when I found a copy of Chicken Walk in a discount rack in West Philly. This track here, “No More Hot Dogs,” is one of his best, I think. Nobody cackles like Hasil Adkins - Hasil’s old girlfriend, I sure as hell hope he didn’t cut your head off.