Rocking the Status Quo: A Conversation with John Hardin
With a career spanning years of dedication and passion, John Hardin shares his thoughts on the music industry, social issues, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
Mana:
Your posts touch on social issues and politics. Can you discuss the role you think musicians should play in speaking out against injustice?
John:
Little Steven (of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band) famously said: “…The history of rock ’n’ roll is the history of America in the twentieth century.” Which I think is the absolute truth. I mean, let’s look at Woody Guthrie creating “finger-pointing music” in the 1940s and 1950s; the 1960s had revolutionary musicians who were vehemently against the war in Vietnam. The 1970s were decadent and dripped with excesses of s3x and dr#gs. Then the 1980s brought us corporate, sanitized, conservative rock and roll, which reflected the “Moral Majority” at the height of their power. By the time the 1990s hit, we had a bunch of Gen X’ers who were fed up with the pursuit of wealth and just wanted to become numb to it all. I mean, if that doesn’t show us how important musicians and music have been and always will be to us as a nation… well, we’re in trouble as it is, because we’re headed straight toward fascism. I’m still hoping for a black guy playing an upside-down Stratocaster, leading us to strength and enlightenment, and I hope it happens soon.
Mana:
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love is on everyone’s mind. You often mentioned your wife Paige with affection on your posts , can you share how she’s inspired your creative process and influenced your music?
John:
When we first met, I had a horrid drug addiction. I’d lost gigs and been thrown out of some great bands due to that monkey on my back. On our first date, she flippantly mentioned she could never date a guy that did drugs and I wanted to be with her so badly, I cleaned up off of drugs and haven’t relapsed once since.
Mana:
How do you balance your desire to speak out on issues with the potential backlash or criticism?
John:
Opinions are like a**holes: everybody has one!” And when I say or post something that may be disliked or controversial, I can sanctimoniously say that if someone indeed does have a VALID counterpoint, I wanna hear it! I actually enjoy having my opinion changed for the better. But if someone is going to respond with a garden-variety “…well, that’s just the way MY so and so group sees it” isn’t gonna hold a lot of water with me at all.
Mana:
In what ways has tinnitus affected your musical journey and relationship with sound?
John:
Well, I can’t play the drums any longer because I have what is called ‘a heavy hand’ when I play. This has gotten me a hell of a lot of gigs in studios and stages all over the country, but it has also been the executioner to my drumming career. I hear things a bit differently now with the onset of tinnitus. Like when I do a remix, the bass is a bit more meatier and the high end isn’t as cutting. Kinda like the Van Halen-esque ‘brown sound’. High end enough for the guitarists and low end enough for the bass player to funk to.
Mana:
What advice would you give to your younger self, just starting out in the music industry?
John:
Learn about how the money is made before you get paid.” I didn’t realize how little money the musicians actually make after all is said and done. If I knew back then what I know now…oh man. It wouldn’t have taken me so long to…well, get to everything.
Mana:
Let’s try something fun. If you could switch lives with any past or present musician for a day, who would you choose, and what’s the first thing you’d do?
John:
I would want to be Prince in the recording studio half a second before he hit the opening note to ‘Purple Rain’… I would want to be Paul McCartney half a second before the ending crash of pianos on ‘A Day In The Life’… I would want to be Aretha Franklin in that church when she sang those final notes of ‘Amazing Grace’… I would want to be Jeff Buckley when he recorded ‘Hallelujah’… I would want to be Eddie Van Halen when he was recording ‘Eruption’ or Randy Rhoads when he was recording ‘Revelation (Mother Earth)’… This list could go on to infinity!
Mana:
If you could create a dream festival lineup, who would be on the bill?
John:
Headlining: The Van Halen Kitchen Sink Lineup (Look that up!)
Opening Acts: Motley Crue, Mammoth WVH, Extreme.
Mana:
What self-care practices do you swear by?
John:
Hmmm. This is a bit difficult as I haven’t really realized I self-care. Or even: often enough! Paige often tells me: “…having a mental health day isn’t just taking the day off and laying on the couch…you gotta do the work!” So, I’m kinda befuddled when it comes to self-care. I guess the closest thing I can think of to safe-care is spiritual…when I put my guitar on and just play. It clears my head and heart, I guess.
Mana:
What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you at a gig?
John:
The worst horror show was when I arrived at a gig, unloaded all my gear backstage, and when I returned from the bathroom, my entire drum set was gone. Cymbals, hardware case…everything. I had a complete meltdown backstage and had to be restrained from physically attacking some of the security guys backstage. Fast-forward to the next morning, when a great friend of mine, whose band was on the bill with us that night, blew up my phone, telling me that one of the idiot cousins of the guitarist — who was their roadie — had loaded my entire kit onto their gear van. I collapsed into a puddle of tears and gratitude.
Mana:
If you could have dinner with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
John:
Prince. Because he was such an enormous influence on me musically, I’d wanna talk to him about what his methods were for writing such amazing music consistently.
Mana:
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to, and what made it so memorable?
John:
The Almighty Van Halen, Women and Children First Tour. Firstly, they came out on stage before the house lights even came down and Dave looked as fucked up as a soup sandwich. He grabs the microphone, says a few things that get the crowd riled and as the band hit the first note of ‘Romeo Delight’, the lights went off simultaneously and they were fucking incredible the entire show. I’d never seen showmanship like that in my life and still haven’t to this very day.
Huge thanks to musician John Hardin for taking the time to share his thoughts with me! I really appreciate it. To connect and learn more about his latest projects, feel free to reach out to him directly via email.
This interview is a collaborative effort between myself, Mana W Rothstein, musician John Hardin, and the supportive staff at CHU Sainte-Justine. I would like to thank everyone involved for their invaluable support and assistance in making this interview a reality.
