I think this picture was taken in 1998. I invited R.L. down to the Circus, but was told he couldn't make it to the studios because he needed to get his rest before that's evening's gig (at the House of Blues). Though they did tell me I could interview him at the hotel. I have to admit, I was a bit suspicious. "Come On In" had just come out, and like many others, that and "Ass Pocket of Whiskey" were my only exposure to R.L.. If you're not familiar with the recordings, they are a low-down, raunchy, punk blues affair. In any event, I had reservations about going to a "hotel" to talk to some dirty old blues guy, but the record rocked so hard, I had to meet the man. So I got me a chaperone (my fellow WMBR DJ Doug Gesler of the Lost Highway) and headed over to the Days Inn in Brighton to talk with R.L..

You know what they say... "you can't judge a book by its cover." And, sometimes you can't judge an musician by his/her music.

R.L. was a perfect gentleman who I felt totally comfortable with. We had a great interview talking about a variety of topics from the realities of the music business, how "Ass Pocket..." isn't allowed in his house (neither are cuss words) and his dream to do a straight blues record. It was a special afternoon indeed. Luckily Doug snapped this picture of us and since then R.L. has put out that blues record "Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down" and Fat Possum has also re-released some of R.L.'s earlier work on "Mississippi Hill Country Blues."