Jesse – œThe Devil’ Hughes is the rock upon which The Church of Eagles of Death Metal is built. You might know his oldest friend and recording buddy, Josh – œBaby Duck’ Homme, but nowadays he doesn’t play live with EoDM very often – something about being in other bands. Whatever.

As anyone who has seen them live will know, Jesse is the ringmaster of this travelling rock and roll party. Invariably dressed in tight jeans, a rockin’ tee, and aviators resting just above his world-famous moustache, he leads his band through three album’s worth of material that glorifies rock and roll – the hard living, the rocking out, the loose women and the tight pants.

It’s always a party when The Devil is around – even when he’s on the other end of a crackly phone line, 16,000 kilometres away. FasterLouder caught up with the great man on his tour bus, hurtling down the highway towards Paris, France.

I ask him how France is, and Jesse says it’s great, that there’s lots of pretty women around. He opines that, as cute as French girls are, “they don’t look nearly as hot as girls running around in pigtails and a sundress on an Australian beach.” Which brings me to the weather, and how bizarre it was for the last couple of weeks of October – rain, then heat, then wind, never making its mind up.

It’s Mother Nature deliberately messing with us, I suggest, trying to make it obvious that global warming is happening. And here is where I make my first interesting discovery – Jesse Hughes doesn’t believe that global warming is occurring. “I think that’s a communist lie.” He’s serious; although I think the communist bit might just be hyperbole. Maybe.

“I think it’s Mother Nature just doing what Mother Nature does,” he continues. “I truly, honestly, do not believe in global warming. I just can’t. Even if we want to believe in magical talking monkeys and that the earth is billions and billions of years old, then a cycle could be a million and a half years, and we wouldn’t have a clue about it. Did you know that over half the scientists involved in the original study have written a letter to the United Nations saying that the original conclusions are impossible, and the UN has refused to read it on the floor?”

I do remember seeing a headline like that at some point, I say. But my argument is that even if global warming is just a big cycle and there’s nothing man-made about it, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to reduce our reliance on coal, and on oil, and to actually live in a place where there is cleaner air and cleaner water for everybody.

“I agree with you. My mother’s a devout Southern Baptist and that’s what she believes. She thinks we’re supposed to take care of the earth and that we’re doing a horrible job of it. Me personally? Global warming is good because it makes people wear less clothes.”

Now that’s something we can all agree on. Which brings us back to summer in Australia. EODM are playing Soundwave in February, even thought they were just here last April touring their third album, Heart On. Not that we’re complaining, but why the frequent visits?

“Man, let me tell you a story. When we were here in 2007, I did a photo shoot for Von Zipper, and one of the models and I started hooking up on the set of the photo shoot. And we kept hooking up, but she was so fucking horny that I had to hide – I’m not kidding. As soon as I walked off stage I had to go and hide in the gear truck because I couldn’t have sex anymore. I had been drained of every bodily fluid – I was afraid of her. That’s how horny her vagina was.

“I fucking love it there. I fetishise Australia – I play Maton guitars, I wear R.M. Williams riding boots, I use Australian microphones. I fucking love the place. I say that Australia is the most beautiful place in the world. I’ve seen two dudes break into a fight in front of a cop, and the cop says, – œWhat’s going on? Everyone stop. You go this way, he goes that way’. Nobody gets arrested. Everyone is really level-headed. I even flew inside Australia, from Sydney to Perth, and I didn’t have to show ID when I got on the plane. And it’s not because people are lazy or stupid – it’s because people trust. And that is something you cannot ever let go of.”

I promise that I’ll try and keep things intact until February. But what are the plans until then? I heard something about a solo album in the works?

“As soon as we finish this leg of the tour I go home to record. That said, I don’t really like the term – œsolo’. I like to think of it as – œindependent’. That way it keeps that unique American spirit (Laughs). I’m joking. But yeah, solo album comes out. Well, it’s recorded from the perspective of dog’s hearing – it’s so low you can’t even hear it. And then Josh and I are going to record a new Eagles record. Because it’s not like he’s got enough to do with Them Crooked Vultures and Queens of the Stone Age.”

Oh, Them Crooked Vultures. I tell Jesse just how damn excited I am for the album, and for the show in January. Often if you mention other people’s bands to people you are interviewing the conversation is quick – they agree with whatever you say and move back to their own material. But Jesse is clearly excited by the Vultures.

“It’s awesome, right? They are going to finally plant the flag of bringing rock back. I’m going to take the credit for leading the way, but they are planting the flag. When you get a whole bunch of big names together, sometimes it’s just boring. But these are big names, and big ideas, and big songs. It’s great. It’s the real deal.

“And I’m sure you’re probably going to see a Them Crooked Vultures and Eagles line-up at some point. I’ve got to manipulate my best friend in some way, don’t I?”

But as potentially awesome as this bit of gossip is, I am in desperate need of some advice. I had just shaved off my beard for Movember (a serious part of my identity and self-worth) and now I’m suffering a tremendous existential crisis. Help me Jesse Hughes, you’re my only hope!

“Ok, so here’s what I want you to do. DON’T SHAVE AGAIN for a week, and then shave. Otherwise it’s going to look really trippy. That’s how I grew mine – if you have a beard, then shave everything off then all of a sudden there’s a moustache there. But if you shave everything off and just grow the moustache little by little…that just doesn’t work.

“Make sure you use essential oils, too. You have to anoint yourself. In fact, just thinking of the word – œanoint’ and – œyourself’ in the same sentence works really well.”
– œAnoint’ and – œmyself’. It seems to me like I was just baptised, via phone, and am now a member of a religion that praises Jesse Hughes, Eagles of Death Metal and above all, Jesse’s moustache. I don’t think I’d be the only follower, and I’m sure there will be a few more once Soundwave comes around.

Eagles Of Death Metal rides into the country next month for Soundwave.

Saturday Feb 20 – Brisbane Soundwave
Sunday Feb 21- Sydney Soundwave
Friday Feb 26 – Melbourne Soundwave
Saturday Feb 27 – Adelaide Soundwave
Monday March 1- Perth Soundwave