Hiatt's a hit

by Tony Peyser

October 13, 1999, Santa Monica Mirror

Months ago, I was watching PBS’ performance and interview show, Sessions At West 54th. David Byrne, the music program’s often awkward host, was interviewing John Hiatt. In the middle of a question, Byrne suddenly wasn’t sure where he was going with it and blurted out, “Blah blah blah.” Hiatt breezily responded, “Blah Blah Blah ...Iggy Pop...1986 ...A&M Records...great album.” Byrne was momentarily speechless and then cackled uncontrollably. Hiatt smiled at his joke, looking every bit like Kevin Bacon’s black sheep uncle. Other artists have had far more success with his songs than Hiatt has -- most notably Bonnie Raitt’s take on “Thing Called Love” -- but he’s a wonderful singer, energetic performer and talented writer whose lyrics cut to the bone regarding issues of family, love, betrayal and trust.

“She Said The Same Things To Me” is a cautionary tale about getting picked up in bars and “She Loves The Jerk” addresses the heartbreak of foolishly trying to win back Miss Right who’s hopelessly latched on to Mr. Wrong. These are just two of the thirteen nifty tunes on Y’all Caught?, a Geffen-era compilation from the early 1980’s. Back then, Hiatt often sounded like the U.S. version of Elvis Costello. (When Hiatt and Costello finally sang a duet together, Hiatt happily announced that neither of them could tell one another apart.) I’ve always thought the noirish “Riding With The King” is the title song for The Great American Biker Movie that Hollywood never got around to making. Hear Music right here in Santa Monica has it for the ridiculously low price of $6.99.

By the way, the new season of Sessions At West 54th started a few weeks ago and the affable new host is a fella named John Hiatt.