An interview with the Legendary Jerry Teel of The Honeymoon Killers and Chicken Snake
Interview By: John Wisniewski
The following interview is with Jerry Teel of The Honeymooner Killers and Chicken Snake.
In this interview, Jerry discusses his influences, the early days of The Honeymoon Killers, and playing in various bands.
Punk Globe: Jerry, what was the first band that you were in, before Honeymoon Killers?
Jerry: I had a garage band in high school called The Deacons. We never recorded, but the Baptist preacher called me and told me to change the name. I didn’t. My first band in NYC was called The Sno Caps. That was in 1981. We played out a few times, always with a different lineup. Lisa Wells played bass in that as well. We had parties and made Super 8 films. Then there was Huge Killer Ship, 1982. We did some local gigs and recorded a few songs. Claire Lawrence Slater played drums in the first lineup of Honeymoon Killers, which was my next project. Lisa Wells was back on bass.
Punk Globe: Could you tell us about the latest band Chicken Snake? What was the idea for their sound?
Jerry: Chicken Snake evolved the same way I have. It was the next step in my life. The song came from a song on my project before Chicken Snake. That was Big City Stompers. The song was inspired by a true story told to me by my wife Pauline Owens-Teel. It happened to her as a child growing up in the swamp. The recorded song is an instrumental, but the vibe is there. Dark and spooky. If you close your eyes, you can hear the words. Big City Stompers was an attempt to tap into my childhood, growing up in Alabama and listening to country music on the radio. I loved Hank Williams, still do. When I met Pauline, this rekindled my love of country music. Coming from Southeast Texas, she knew it well. George Jones haunted her stompin’ grounds around Beaumont before Janis Joplin and Johnny Winter. Blues and country and the deep South. In Chicken Snake, Pauline and I write the songs together. We’re both from the south and now we both live in the swamp. So that’s why it is what it is. The sound comes out of who we are and what we hear in our heads. All of the Chicken Snake records have been released on BEAST RECORDS, out of France. We are working on our 7th. We’ve played with many different lineups, which seems to be the story of my life. In the beginning, Jack and Bob, who were in my previous bands, were on the first Chicken Snake record. I tried to get back to garage roots and at the same time, keep the country element, which both Pauline and I had grown up with. We both have a deep appreciation for it. The swamp is always in the mix.
Punk Globe: When did The Honeymoon Killers form?
Jerry: HK was formed in 1983. I just went from one project to another. The band name changed as did the players. I always played with friends. It’s like walkin’ down a road. You hang with people, stuff happens and you walk a little farther down the road
Punk Globe: Any favorite bands?
Jerry: My all-time favorite is the Velvet Underground. I love the sound. I love Dylan, Neil Young, CCR, Stones, Patti Smith, Howlin’ Wolf, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Jesse Mae Hemphill, Them, The Seeds, Dead Moon, John Lee Hooker, and lots more. But something ties it all together. I’m not into slick. I like real.
Punk Globe: Could you tell us about being in Boss Hogg and Knoxville Girls?
Jerry: Those were entirely two different situations. Boss Hogg was mostly Cristina’s thing. She and Jon. I was just a guitar player and a friend, and Cristina played in Honeymoon Killers (before Jon). So, for me this was just a natural continuation, another chapter. I was still doing HK at the same time. Knoxville Girls was something that grew out of Little Porkchop which was I band I had when playing with The Chrome Cranks. The Cranks were loud and very male. I wanted something to give me a balance. Little Porkchop wasn’t loud, and it had country as well as Velvet Underground in the mix. Jack Martin was playing guitar in Little Porkchop, so I brought him along as well as Bob Bert, who had been playing drums in Chrome Cranks. This was my vision, unlike Boss Hogg.
Punk Globe: Could you tell us about playing with The Chrome Cranks?
Jerry: Chrome Cranks happened just as HK was coming to an end. I had known Peter from Cincinnati. He had booked HK there. When he moved to NYC, he asked me if I wanted to play bass. I was ready for something new. So, I said yes. I’d never spent that much time playing bass, so this was really different for me. I began to think more about the foundation, the notes that mattered, and the power of the bottom. I love the bass, and really got into developing my sound. When Bob Bert joined the band, everything clicked. It was a very productive time. I’m happy with what he accomplished. We did a reunion years later, and that was good. It was still there.
Punk Globe: any future plans and projects?
Jerry: I just keep working. Music has always been part of who I am. Pauline and I are writing new songs for Chicken Snake. I mixed Knoxville Girls In a Ripped Dress for BANG! RECORDS. That was released this year. I re-released Honeymoon Killers Hung Far Low. I’m digging through old HK tapes, remixing lost material. There’s always something to do. Keep walkin’ down that road.
