C: You have a project going with Kelly Keneipp, right?

V: Yeah, were still working on it. I wanted to have it done by January, but I haven’t because I’ve been so busy lately. He’s a collaborator with Jack Logan and a longtime buddy and hero of mine. The first time I ever recorded was with him. He and his wife have been writing these songs – just chords. They’ve been taping them on their tape machine and giving them to me and I’ve been writing the lyrics and music for it. It’s been fun and really different from what I usually do.

C: Are you going to end up releasing it on a CD at some point?

V: Yeah, Kelly’s gonna release it on his Internet site. I forget what’s it’s called. It has something to do with Jack Logan.

C: The sound of your new album seems kind of like a turning point for you. It seems really pre-meditated. Did you approach it like that?

V: Me, I wanted to do something a little bit different with this record. Some of these songs are old. I didn’t think they fit on some of my other records for whatever reason. When I started putting this record together, I was trying to create a story in my head so I could figure out what songs to record. It was also really a collaboration the same way Brute was, only with Lambchop. I really let them do what they do best, I didn’t really have to tell them what to do, I just played songs. For me, making this record was really easy. I didn’t have to think about it, I just did it. It was organic and really fun to do. I wanted the listener to hear what fun we were having, and I think you can.

C: It seemed like you definitely knew what you wanted to say.

V: Yeah, you know, I’ve made a lot of records. This is my seventh record. I planned it out ahead of time like I’ve never done before. Usually I just record songs and throw some out. This time we recorded it in order, first songs first, last song last, all the way down the line. We had it really well organized, totally different from any other record I’ve ever made.

C: How about track 13, “Square Room.” Is that kind of a personal song for you? You don’t drink anymore, right?

V: Once a year, maybe, I’ll fall off the wagon. I ruined my liver drinkin’ and doin’ drugs. That is an old song, though. I’m sure I wrote it with me in mind. To me I feel it fit the story of the salesman very well and his persona.

C: And the album cover too.

V: Yeah, that was pretty much an old-style Vic song there.

C: How does it make you feel when other people sing your songs? You’ve influenced so many other musical acts from an alternative group like Smashing Pumpkins all the way back to Widespread Panic with lots of others in between.

V: Right. Garbage, too. I love it. I never thought people would cover my songs because they’re so idiosyncratic. When I started hearing Panic do them, I was like WOW, well, OK. To me it is the coolest thing in the world to see Dave Schools singing “Sleepy Man.” I’m just on the top of the planet when that happens. He’s such a mighty, mighty figure singing. We were maybe gonna do a quickie version of that in the studio, but we didn’t get the chance. I went over to see them play one night in the studio and damn, they were SO good.

C: I was kind of hoping that they would slip another one of your songs onto their upcoming album.

V: Well, I had one for them to do. I thought up one that would have been a really good single for them, but I chickened out at the last minute and didn’t give it to them. They’ve got plenty of songs on this record and I thought I’d just let it go. It’s kind of a goofy song, and that was another reason I didn’t give it to them. I thought the fans would really like it, though. My nephew has been a really huge Panic fan for years, so I sprung it on him to see if he would dig it. He seemed to think it would be a crowd-pleaser. The arrangement was also such that it would be a little different from some of their other stuff – with a big breakdown.

C: I think certain idiosyncrasies in Widespread Panic’s own songwriting are what set them apart from other bands, too.

V: They write some fuckin’ great songs. The songs that they cover are also really incredible. As far as players go, they smoke everybody, as far as I’m concerned – tasty, tasty. When I was in the studio with them singing on Aunt Avis, I just felt like a puny mouse in there, singing with JB. My voice is like a little pea and his is like a pizza. It made my penis shrink a long ways, when I had to try and belt it out next to him.

C: Have you kept in touch with Billy Bob Thornton lately?

V: I haven’t talked to him in a while. He sent me a Christmas card – or, I’m sure his hired slaves sent me a Christmas card. I haven’t seen him since we made the Aunt Avis video. He’s been busy making all these movies. While he’s hot I’m sure he’s gonna work his ass off and make his billions while he can. He’s a cool dude. He’s rock drummer, he played in a ZZ Top cover band in the early 80’s. He’s a pretty slammin’drum-well I wouldn’t say that. He’s a good drummer. I’ll leave it at that.

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