Cracker, remember them? If you were around in the ’90s, you know who they are, even if you don’t remember their name. “Low,” “I Hate My Generation,” “Get Off This:” these were the guys who didn’t just whine about how life sucked, they screamed about it and acknowledged their part and kinda prodded you in the ass to do something about it. I knew they were groovy, but I really fell in love with Cracker when I heard the word “fecund” in their song, “All Things Beautiful.” Music is awesome; smart music is like… fuck, you know? It stays with you. One of my favorite memories is of driving around with my sister in my beat-up minivan, singing along with “Mr. Wrong” at the top of our lungs, feeling like everything was absolutely awesome with the world. We both ended up finding our Mr. Rights, but Cracker is still a huge part of some of my best memories.

I recently got the opportunity to interview Johnny Hickman, who along with David Lowery, is half of the songwriting team behind Cracker’s beautifully snarky and intelligent lyrics. I thought I’d share the link with you here; I hope you enjoy it. And if you haven’t yet, be sure to check out their latest album, a double record called Berkeley to Bakersfield. It’s fantastic, truly.

photo: Bradford Jones