Jesse Everett Hughes (born September 24, 1972) is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the rock band Eagles of Death Metal, with whom he has recorded four studio albums and a live album. Hughes is also known for his solo career under the moniker Boots Electric.
Jesse Hughes | |
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_(4416148631).jpg) Hughes performing in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jesse Everett Hughes |
| Also known as |
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| Born | September 24, 1972 Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Origin | Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
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| Member of | Eagles of Death Metal |
| Formerly of | |
Early life
editJesse Everett Hughes was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on September 24, 1972. At age seven, he moved with his mother Jo Ellen to Palm Desert, California. In high school, he met Josh Homme, and they became good friends after Homme stopped a bully from picking on Hughes. He graduated from Greenville Technical College with a degree in journalism and worked as the manager of a video depot in Palm Desert for several years.[citation needed]
Career
editEagles of Death Metal
editHughes and Homme formed Eagles of Death Metal in 1998. Hughes credits Homme with saving his life, claiming that during the recording of the second Eagles of Death Metal album Death By Sexy, he fell into serious drug addiction and that Homme not only drove him to rehabilitation, but paid for it as well.[1]
On November 13, 2015, Le Bataclan theatre in Paris was attacked by terrorists while Eagles of Death Metal were performing. The band escaped via the backstage area,[2] but their merchandise manager Nick Alexander was killed.[3] The attacks killed 90 fans at the theatre. Other related attacks occurred in Paris at restaurant terraces that night, for a total of 130 deaths in all, including the Bataclan murders and 1 person killed at the Stade de France in a preliminary attack.[4]
Other projects
editHughes is one of the characters in the book Sex Tips from Rock Stars by Paul Miles published by Omnibus Press in July 2010.[5]
In September 2011, Hughes released Honkey Kong, his first solo album under the nickname Boots Electric. It was released on Dangerbird Records.[6][7][8]
In 2015, Hughes appeared in the Björn Tagemose-directed silent film Gutterdämmerung alongside Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, Lemmy, and Henry Rollins.[9]
In 2017, Hughes starred in the Colin Hanks directed documentary Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) about the November 13, 2015, terrorist attack in Paris that claimed 89 lives at the Eagles of Death Metal's Bataclan Theatre concert. The documentary also features Josh Homme and Bono.[10]
In 2020, MUSE TV and Culturally Obsessed announced Hughes as their Senior Reporter.[11]
In 2021, Memphis musician Muck Sticky and Hughes collaborated and released a song and music video, Stir Crazy.[12]
In 2021, Eagles of Death Metal announced their 24th anniversary tour.[13]
Musical equipment
edit
Hughes is currently endorsed by Maton guitars[14] and Orange amplifiers.[15]
Guitars
edit- Maton MS500 Electric
- Maton BB1200 Electric
- Maton EAJ85 Jumbo Acoustic
- Yamaha AES1500
- Custom Gretsch Duo Jet[16]
Effects
edit- Ernie Ball Wah Pedal
- Boss DD-6 Delay
- TC Electronic Nova Drive Overdrive/Distortion
- Boss TU-2 Tuner
- EHX Mini Q Tron
- EHX Deluxe Memory Man Classic Chassis
- MOOG MF-102 Moogerfooger Ring Modulator
- MXR Phase 100
- Boss BF-3 Flanger
- Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer
- Vox V8474 Wah
- Custom L.A. Sound Design Pedalboard[17]
Amplifiers
edit- Orange Rockerverb 50w combo
- Orange 4x12 Cabinet
- Laney Amplifier
Personal life
editHughes uses many different nicknames, including "J. Devil", "The Devil",[18] "Boots Electric", and "Fabulous Weapon" (the latter two being band names used by his father). In November 2008, he revealed that his bandmate Josh Homme gave him "The Devil" nickname when he was 13: "I used to get picked on a lot, and when I would get picked on severely, or if it really made a point to me, I would get vengeance, but I would get vengeance in the way that I could, which was mostly clever and all consuming. Joshua once witnessed me in the moment I was about to enact vengeance upon someone, and he just said, 'You're the fucking devil dude,' and it stuck."[19]
In a November 2008 interview, Homme described himself and Hughes as "socially liberal but government conservative guys".[20] Hughes' political views became more right-wing over the following years, and he revealed in December 2013 that he had even "wanted to be a Republican politician" in his youth.[21] He has described himself as a "proud Zionist".[22]
Controversies
editThis article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. (June 2021) |
In October 2015, the documentary The Redemption of the Devil gave a behind-the-scenes look at Hughes' life. While generally well-received, the documentary mostly gained attention for Hughes' erratic behavior, which included beginning a relationship with a former porn actress and getting ordained as a minister with the Universal Life Church.[23]
In February 2016, Hughes made a series of controversial statements blaming Islam, liberal values, and French gun control laws for the November 2015 Bataclan attack, as well as claiming that Muslims "[celebrated] in the streets" during the attack.[24] He also speculated that it was an inside job, claiming that security personnel who did not report to the venue that day "had a reason not to show up".[25] He and his band were then dropped from the lineup of two French music festivals.[26][27] Bataclan management said that Hughes and his manager were refused entry to the venue when he tried to visit on the anniversary of the attack. This has been denied by the band's manager Marc Pollack as well as journalists that were at the event.[28][29][30]
In January 2017, Hughes' former friend Andrew Julian Vega obtained a restraining order against Hughes after he sent Vega death threats.[31]
In March 2018, Hughes attacked the March for Our Lives protesters on Instagram, calling them "pathetic" and "disgusting vile abusers of the dead". He accused the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting who participated in the protest of "exploiting the death of 16 of our fellow students for a few Facebook likes and some media attention" while accusing one of them, X González, of treason.[32] He later deleted the posts amidst widespread criticism and apologized five days later, saying, "I was not attempting to impugn the youth of America and this beautiful thing that they accomplished. I truly am sorry, I did not mean to hurt anyone or cause any harm."[33]
Discography
edit| Year | Band or artist | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Desert Sessions | Volumes 3 & 4 |
| 2002 | Fatso Jetson | Cruel & Delicious |
| 2004 | Eagles of Death Metal | Peace, Love, Death Metal |
| Jesse Hughes | A Pair of Queens | |
| 2005 | Queens of the Stone Age | Lullabies to Paralyze |
| 2005 | Eagles of Death Metal | Domino Soundtrack "Speaking In Tongues", "San Berdoo Sunburn" |
| 2006 | Eagles of Death Metal | Death By Sexy |
| 2007 | Eagles of Death Metal | Epic Movie Soundtrack "Don't Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!)" |
| 2008 | Eagles of Death Metal | Heart On |
| 2010 | Eagles of Death Metal | The Perfect Host Soundtrack "Wannabe in L.A." |
| 2011 | Boots Electric (solo artist) | Honkey Kong |
| 2011 | Boots Electric (solo artist) | Untitled 4-song 12-inch LP |
| 2011 | Eagles of Death Metal | The Cabin in the Woods Soundtrack "So Easy" |
| 2012 | Eagles of Death Metal | Silver Linings Playbook Soundtrack "Now I'm a Fool" |
| 2015 | Eagles of Death Metal | Zipper Down |
| 2017 | Lujuria | Sextorsión "Electricity" |
| 2017 | Kesha | Rainbow "Bastards", "Let 'Em Talk" |
| 2018 | Eagles of Death Metal | Super Troopers 2 Soundtracks "Got the Power", "Shasta Beast", "Complexity", "Secret Plans" |
| 2019 | Boots Electric (solo artist) | Eagles Of Death Metal Presents Boots Electric Performing The Best Songs We Never Wrote |
| 2021 | Muck Sticky | Stir Crazy |
| 2021 | Boots
Electric (solo artist) |
EODM Presents: A Boots Electric Christmas |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Epic Movie | Aslo's Camp Band | |
| 2015 | The Redemption of the Devil | Self | |
| 2015 | The Damned: Don't You Wish We Were Dead | Self | |
| 2016 | Gutterdammerung | Bounty Hunter | |
| 2016 | Conan | Self | Emilia Clarke/Jason Jones/Eagles of Death Metal |
| 2016 | ¡Atención obras! (TV Series) | Self | Episode #5.2 (2016) |
| 2016 | Desert Age: A Rock and Roll Scene History | Self | |
| 2017 | Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) | Self | |
| 2019 | Stellar Moto Brand (Video short) | Daredevil |
References
edit- ^ [1] Archived July 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Singer for Eagles of Death Metal escapes Paris attack". ABC News. November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (November 14, 2015). "Eagles of Death Metal Merch Manager Killed in Paris Attack". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Horror unfolds at Paris' Bataclan theater". USA Today. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ Miles, Paul. "Sex Tips From Rock Stars by Paul Miles". SexTipsFromRockStars.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ Martin, Andrew (August 4, 2011). "Eagles Of Death Metal Frontman Preps Solo Debut, 'Honkey Kong' | Prefix". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ "Play Full Music Albums Free - Spinner". Music.aol.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ [2] Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, Henry Rollins to Star in Silent Movie Gutterdämmerung". Pitchfork.com. July 15, 2015.
- ^ "Eagles Of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)". HBO. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "About | Culturally Obsessed | We Love Pop Culture". Culturally Obsessed. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "Muck Sticky Boots Electric are "Stir Crazy" in New Music Video". Culturally Obsessed. March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ "Eagles Of Death Metal announce 24th anniversary UK and Ireland tour". NME. May 17, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- ^ "Maton Guitars Australia". maton.com.au.
- ^ [3] Archived December 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Boots Electric "Honkey Kong" album trailer". YouTube. August 2, 2011. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ "L.A. Sound Design | Complete guitar tone solutions and professional services". www.lasounddesign.net. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (October 20, 2004). "Eagles of Death Metal: Local-Eyzed in San Francisco". IGN.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- ^ "Eagles of Death Metal Part 2: Jesse Hughes". SuicideGirls.com. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
- ^ "Queens of the Stone Age Interview: Josh Homme". Craveonline.com. November 30, 2008. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
- ^ "Jesse Hughes". Rockin Lifestyle. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Podcast But Outside Best Buy (For Thanksgiving!)". YouTube. November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Jesse Hughes (Boots Electric), Leader of Eagles of Death Metal Becomes an Ordained Minister with the Universal One Church". sbwire.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ Hunt, Elle; Chrisafis, Angelique (February 15, 2016). "Eagles of Death Metal frontman: 'Everybody has to have guns'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (March 10, 2016). "Jesse Hughes: Bataclan Security 'Had a Reason Not to Show Up'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ Britton, Luke (May 22, 2016). "Bataclan survivor responds to controversial comments by Eagles Of Death Metal frontman". NME. Archived from the original on May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ Wright, Hayden (May 23, 2016). "Paris Festivals Drop Eagles of Death Metal After Anti-Muslim Remarks". Archived from the original on May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ "Bataclan reopens with Eagles of Death Metal singer 'refused entry'". The Guardian. November 13, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ "Eagles of Death Metal frontman turned away from Bataclan - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Online. November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Eagles of Death Metal Member Wasn't Denied Entry to Bataclan, Says Band's Manager - Billboard". Billboard. November 12, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ "Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes Subject of Restraining Order Following Alleged Death Threats: Report - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. January 17, 2017.
- ^ Snapes, Laura (March 26, 2018). "Bataclan survivor Jesse Hughes calls March for Our Lives 'pathetic'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (March 31, 2018). "EODM's Jesse Hughes Apologizes After March For Our Lives Tirade". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
External links
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