Neko Case has called her pal Kelly Hogan “the Zelig of rock ‘n’ roll.” Her name appears in the credits for albums by Mavis Staples, the Mekons, Will Oldham, Matt Pond PA, Amy Ray, Giant Sand, Archer Prewitt, Alejandro Escovedo, Drive-By Truckers, Jakob Dylan, Tortoise and many others, Case included. Hogan’s fourth album has been a long time coming, in part because she’s been busy as a crucial part of Case’s band (anyone who’s seen Case live has witnessed Hogan’s amusing banter), in part because of the nature of the project. For I Like To Keep Myself In Pain (Anti-), Hogan sent letters to her songwriter friends, many of whom she’d sung with, asking them if they would send her a song, either one written specifically for her or one that “you think I could do right by,” as she said. That process started several years ago, and results yielded songs from a veritable who’s who: Vic Chesnutt, Stephin Merritt, Andrew Bird, Jon Langford, Janet Bean, M. Ward and others. Hogan will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our recent feature on her.
Hogan: Don’t even try to lie. I know all y’all out there want a piece of my man, but you can’t have him. He’s all mine, and I’ll fight to keep it that way.
When I accidentally stumbled onto my first episode of Freaks And Geeks back in 2002 it was truly love at first sight. It was the episode where the geeks switch out the kegs at the freak party, and there he was. I watched while my sweet future man got knee-walking drunk, drinking beer out of a novelty plastic batting helmet while slur-yelling at Dallas on the television. “J.R.! Don’t go in there! It’s a trap!” Sigh …
He’s got a peanut allergy, a hot mom, and his big beautiful eyes look like they’re swimming in a fish tank behind those thick lenses. He’s smart, funny and tender—and, though he may not be a strong physical specimen, he’s got strength of conviction and character, and he’s a brave crusader for geek rights. Who else would have had the big hairy wookie balls to combat geek abuse and oppression by phoning the tyrannical P.E. coach at home and asking him if he likes to “pat boys’ butts?” It was a novel (and may I say ultimately successful) means of railing against high-school injustice.
Watching him in those special moments: stuffing his bra to go trick-or-treating as the Bionic Woman (hot!) carefully peeling the foil lids off his sugary juice drinks with his long elegant fingers, being forced to drive go-karts with his hot mom’s veins-a-popping gung-ho boyfriend (that very same tyrannical P.E. coach!) or eating his sandwich off a TV tray all alone while watching The Larry Sanders Show. It’s easy to see why I was an instant goner for my dreamboat.
Oh, I could go on listing his fantastic attributes—there’s a huge Sears catalog of his many, many fine qualities and glorious feats—but I don’t wanna rub your noses in it. And really, people, even if all I had ever seen of Bill Haverchuk was his perfect dissolving smile in the opening credits of Freaks And Geeks—those few seconds right there would have been enough. I love him. Because, well, now you know. Because he’s just my Bill.
(Yeah, I said my Bill! So don’t even think about it! Boom!)
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY_r5O4PKi4
