by JOHNSON CUMMINS

When Elvis Presley once invited one and all to "get real, real gone for a change," there was one teenager in the West Virginia hills who truly took Presley's exhortation to heart, and his name was Hasil Adkins. On April 26, Adkins passed away at age 67. One of rock 'n' roll's zaniest characters, Adkins is probably best remembered for his classic song "She Said," which could arguably be the ultimate audio document of rock 'n' roll in its most primal form. Adkins howled like a troglodyte about decapitation ("No More Hot Dogs"), stacked bouffants ("Truly Ruly"), eatin' peanut butter on the moon and, uh, more songs about decapitation ("I Need Your Head"). In the dilapidated shack he called home, he claimed to have written over 7000 songs, and performed them all as a one-man band savaging a foot-operated drum kit and an out-of-tune guitar.

If his songs painted him as rock 'n' roll madman, Adkins walked the walk. For most of his life he ate mainly raw meat, and would often carry luncheon meat and sausages in his pocket, pulling them out whenever he was hungry. He also had a penchant for drinking four litres of vodka a day, and had a strange aversion to sleeping, sometimes only taking occasional naps for weeks on end.

Adkins' funeral was on April 30, but because he had no living family and had made no financial plans for a final resting place, this inductee into the rockabilly hall of fame has sadly still not received a proper funeral plot or headstone. Montreal's Bloodshot Bill & the Happy Hunches are doing a Hasil Adkins tribute show at Café Campus on Monday, June 27, to help generate funds toward giving this legend a proper burial. If you are unable to make the show but would like to make a contribution, you can send money to: Irene J. Dolan, 4288 Camp Creek Rd., Julian, WV, 25529, USA, and if you just want to hear some of the wildest rock 'n' roll ever, Google the Hasil Adkins Hunch Club and get real, real gone for a change.

Another hot ticket this week is Sunday night, when Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose) and Kira (Black Flag) team up as the bass-guitar duo Dos at la Sala Rossa, closing the Suoni Per Il Popolo festival. They'll also be screening the Minutemen documentary We Jam Econo. Diebold open up the night. Do not miss!

WHY DOES A MAN START FIRES? jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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