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Uncle Kracker is a daddy, too
His first solo CD doesn't mean his friendship with Kid Rock has changed. Uncle Kracker talks back about Detroit, fatherhood and why his wife calls him by his last name.
By GINA VIVINETTO
© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 16, 2001
[Photo: Atlantic]
Uncle Kracker says that even though he’s getting comfortable with his solo gig, he has no plans to leave the Twisted Brown Trucker Band.
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Uncle Kracker isn't just Kid Rock's DJ and collaborator anymore. Double Wide, his recently released debut album, is filled with mellow hip-hop, tinged lovingly with country and R&B flourishes. From a tour stop in Baltimore, Uncle Kracker, 27, answers 10 Pressing Questions about being a dad, eating barbecue with Hank Williams Jr. and growing up with Kid Rock.
(1) You and Kid Rock were like Batman and Robin for so long. What's it like to be on your own?
At first it was creepy, but now it's all good. I'm comfortable. He's a good teacher.
What has he taught you?
Everything.
What do you teach him?
Nothing. (laughs). Seriously. I don't think I give anything back. I'm worthless.
Worthless? You co-wrote Devil Without a Cause.
I wrote a little.
You co-wrote it! Everybody knows that. Are you always this modest?
Kid Rock is a very talented cat. He does it right. I don't give as much as he does. Trust me.
(2) Which leads us to our next question: Now that you are a solo success, are you sticking around in the Twisted Brown Trucker Band?
Definitely. That's where my loyalty is. Kid Rock's my best friend.
(3) Why do I think you guys probably got into a lot of trouble as kids?
We never got caught at anything! We did a lot of running around. We were crazy. He could talk me into s--. But he protected me, too. He could play my best friend and my brother at the same time. But we did do some dumb-a- s--.
(4) Your parents, what do they think about you guys being rich and famous now?
Oh man, they trip out. They're excited. They read the Billboard and s-- now. My whole life all I heard was, "Are you going to go to school? Go to college? Are you going to get a good job?" But they're happy now.
(5) What about your kids? Two little girls? (Skylar is 2, Madison is about a year old.)
They're awesome. They keep me wanting to go home all the time. I don't go more than a month and a half without seeing them, but it s--s. My wife sends me pictures, and I send her checks.
Are you a good dad?
Yeah. Well, aside from not being home. But it will come to a point where this will stop, and I can be there full time.
(6) What does your wife, Melanie, call you? Matt? Kracker? Uncle?
She calls me Shafer. Because we met in high school, and you know how everyone in high school calls you by your last name? She still does. But she gets a kick out of it now 'cause she's Shafer, too.
We been married 31/2 years. Marriage is good. It keeps me grounded. It keeps your mess out of everybody else's mess (laughs). She's good for me. She kicks the s-- out of me.
(7) You're a DJ. Is your record collection sick?
Oh, man. It's pretty sick. I quit buying probably four years ago. But I scored huge. A buddy of mine, his dad was a DJ in the 1970s. He had a sick-a- R&B collection. He had to sell it because he needed cash. It was like 1,700 records. He sold them all to me for $150. I didn't leave my room for, like, four weeks.
(8) Let's talk about your song Heaven. The contemporary Detroit artists are always giving props to the city. Is it really so great?
Not to the average person. But Detroit heard s-- from the music industry for so long. We got no love. So, now we sing about it. We have a lot of pride, and the people of Detroit have always been good to us.
Why is there all this talk in music nowadays about being from the ghetto and being from the trailer parks? Stars used to try to hide that stuff, and now they capitalize on it.
Well, you got to have some kind of message. You got to let kids know, in the end, all you got is you. You got to be proud of where you came from and who you are.
(9) Say you and Kid Rock could build your own Detroit theme park. What would it feature?
(Laughs) Oh, man. Beer and cigarettes. Strip clubs. McDonald's. We'd have the perfect block.
What would you have for the kids?
Day care! (Laughs.)
(10) You got to go to a barbecue at Hank Williams Jr.'s house. What was that like?
That was fresh. I'm a big fan. Meeting him was -- he was everything we wanted him to be.
Was it good barbecue?
It was good barbecue. The best part was he had a spot for bands to play, a triangle with some hay. He had a couple of guys play from Nickel Creek, that bluegrass band. It was all fast and high-pitched and crazy.
PREVIEW
Sugar Ray and Uncle Kracker perform 7:30 p.m. Friday at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa. Tickets are $32. (813) 229-7827 or toll-free 1-800-955-1045; or www.tbpac.org.
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