Don Hoffman – Thanks for Asking!

Don Hoffman – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Or so they say. Whether you’re off the wagon, on it, or never been, there’s something you got a thirst for. What are some of your basically harmless vices?

DH:   I partied pretty heavily as a youngster but nowadays not so much. I tend to drink tea when I perform. No drugs. I think my greatest indulgence is my need to be near woods, mountains and water. Backpacks , canoes, kayaks, snowshoes and hiking poles have long been my go to drugs. I also love a good creative woodworking project.

RRX: We do this for the fans. For the blisters also, but mostly for the fans. Who’s one of your best fans? Without necessarily giving their name, what are they like?

DH:  My wife Debbie is by far my best fan! She’s been there for me and my music for nearly 45 years. She bought me my first banjo, She’s approved every gig I’ve done and have been at way more than half of them. Always clapping me on and always, later-on,  giving me the real TRUTH about all my performances.

RRX: How does practice go? Is the road practice enough, or do you have a practice shack? If so, how does it look? What’s on the walls? What cool sh*t is in there?

DH: Practice is learning and creating. I rarely spend time rehearsing songs I already perform. Even in my duet, we rarely rehearse. We prefer to learn each other’s  songs live.. It’s a wonderful process full of creativity and testing and communication. Not every song sticks but the better ones morph and come into their own as we play them.

RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.

DH: Hall of the Mountain King is my original song telling the story of the Hobbit, JRR Tolkien’s classic.  It all came out as an add-on to teaching my daughter to read. She adored Sci-fi novels from the beginning. It was she that suggested I write the song.

RRX: One of the coolest things about music is that there’s a whole landscape sound that interflows with the beats, harmonies, and melodies. Can you imagine the best background acoustics to play one of your songs over? Is it a place? Can you describe it for us?

DH: Simple, It’s around the campfire at an Adirondack lake.  My home.

RRX: What historical era would you like to visit if the sole purpose was to put together a Battle of the Bands? How would you set it up?

DH: It would have to be the late 60-s through the late 70’s. No better music was ever made on this planet. Zeppelin, the Beatles, Black Sabbath, Yes, Queen, The Stones, The kinks. The Who, Aerosmith. The contest should be held at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.

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