(l-r : Hayes, Gordy, Roberts)
“I remember Nick Gulas suggested we were on marijuana pills,” Michael “P.S.” Hayes tells Canoe Sports’ Marshall Ward, the “we” in this case being the trio of Hayes, Buddy Roberts and the late Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy. Collectively known as The Fabulous Freebirds, their southern rock affectations not only presented a stark contrast to the toothy goodness of the (doomed) Von Erich clan, but also presented Hayes with a memorable, if brief recording career, one highlighted by the video below.
Recently honored with the Cauliflower Alley’s Lou Thesz Award (and noting the irony — there’s not many stylistic similarities between himself and Thesz), Hayes spoke with Ward about attempts to revive his musical sideline :
Historian and writer Steve Johnson said his friend Dr. Tom Prichard calls you the David Lee Roth of wrestling — in a complimentary manner — as sort of the entrepreneur who created opportunities where none existed. Is that a reasonable analogy?
Yeah, it is. It really is. I kind of fancied myself that same way a long time ago. And speaking of Dr. Tom, I have known Dr. Tom for a long time and he’s a great guy. A funny guy, he’s got a little weird sense of humour, but if you know him he’s a really a good guy.
And speaking of music, I’ve got a new CD coming out probably in the next month or so with some really new tunes that I’m really proud of. I’m not releasing this thinking, well, I’ll be at the Grammys in February (laughs). I don’t give a damn about going to the Grammys. I give a damn about releasing these great tunes, and writing a song and expressing it, and letting people hear it.
Two of the songs are probably as polar opposite as possible, and I think they both have a lot of potential. One is called “Why Can’t the Children Pray in School” and the other is called “I’m Gonna Drink ‘Til You Start Looking Good.” So I mean, that’s what makes me tick, it’s not just one element, it’s all the elements of life, and I’m really happy to be above ground and still swinging the bat.