Jesse Hughes (musician)

Jesse Everett Hughes (born September 24, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, 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.

Jesse Hughes
Hughes performing in March 2010
Background information
Birth nameJesse Everett Hughes
Also known as
  • Boots Electric
  • J Devil
  • The Devil
  • Fabulous Weapon
Born (1972-09-24) September 24, 1972
Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
OriginPalm Desert, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • drums
Years active1998–present
Labels
Associated acts

Early life

Jesse 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.

Career

Eagles of Death Metal

Hughes 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

Hughes 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]

Musical equipment
Hughes performing with Eagles of Death Metal in June 2019

Hughes is currently endorsed by Maton guitars[12] and Orange amplifiers.[13]

Guitars
  • Maton MS500 Electric
  • Maton BB1200 Electric
  • Maton EAJ85 Jumbo Acoustic
  • Yamaha AES1500
  • Custom Gretsch Duo Jet[14]

Effects
  • 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[15]

Amplifiers
  • Orange Rockerverb 50w combo
  • Orange 4x12 Cabinet
  • Laney Amplifier

Personal life

Hughes is divorced and has a son named Micah.

Hughes uses many different nicknames, including "J. Devil", "The Devil",[16] "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."[17]

In a November 2008 interview, Homme described himself and Hughes as "socially liberal but government conservative guys".[18] 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.[19]

Controversies

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.[20] Most notably, one scene shows him breaking down crying because he has been barred from seeing his son due to his drug abuse, but this is immediately followed by a scene in which he snorts an unknown substance and starts ranting about how he deserves respect because he is a "rock star".[21]

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.[22] 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".[23] He and his band were then dropped from the lineup of two French music festivals.[24][25] 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, but he claimed this was not true and that he never tried to enter.[26][27][28]

In January 2017, Hughes' former friend Andrew Julian Vega obtained a restraining order against Hughes after he sent Vega death threats.[29]

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, Emma González, of treason.[30] 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."[31]

Selected discography
See also: Eagles of Death Metal § Discography
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 Soundrack "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."
September 2011 Boots Electric (solo artist) Honkey Kong
2011 on Miracle 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
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

Filmography
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
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

[32]References
  1. Archived July 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Singer for Eagles of Death Metal escapes Paris attack". ABC News. November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  3. Kreps, Daniel (November 14, 2015). "Eagles of Death Metal Merch Manager Killed in Paris Attack". Rolling Stone.
  4. "Horror unfolds at Paris' Bataclan theater". USA Today. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  5. Miles, Paul. "Sex Tips From Rock Stars by Paul Miles". SexTipsFromRockStars.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  6. Martin, Andrew (August 4, 2011). "Eagles Of Death Metal Frontman Preps Solo Debut, 'Honkey Kong' | Prefix". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  7. "Play Full Music Albums Free - Spinner". Music.aol.com. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  8. Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, Henry Rollins to Star in Silent Movie Gutterdämmerung". Pitchfork.com.
  10. "Eagles Of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends)". HBO. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  11. "About | Culturally Obsessed | We Love Pop Culture". Culturally Obsessed. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  12. "Maton Guitars Australia". maton.com.au.
  13. Archived December 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Boots Electric "Honkey Kong" album trailer". YouTube. August 2, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  15. "L.A. Sound Design | Complete guitar tone solutions and professional services". www.lasounddesign.net. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.
  16. 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.
  17. "Eagles of Death Metal Part 2: Jesse Hughes". SuicideGirls.com. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
  18. "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.
  19. "Jesse Hughes". Rockin Lifestyle. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013.
  20. "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.
  21. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5124104/
  22. Hunt, Elle; Chrisafis, Angelique (February 15, 2016). "Eagles of Death Metal frontman: 'Everybody has to have guns'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  23. Blistein, Jon (March 10, 2016). "Jesse Hughes: Bataclan Security 'Had a Reason Not to Show Up'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  24. Britton, Luke (May 22, 2016). "Bataclan survivor responds to controversial comments by Eagles Of Death Metal frontman". NME. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  25. Wright, Hayden (May 23, 2016). "Paris Festivals Drop Eagles of Death Metal After Anti-Muslim Remarks". Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  26. "Bataclan reopens with Eagles of Death Metal singer 'refused entry'". The Guardian. November 13, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  27. "Eagles of Death Metal frontman turned away from Bataclan - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Online. November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  28. "Eagles of Death Metal Member Wasn't Denied Entry to Bataclan, Says Band's Manager - Billboard". Billboard. November 12, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  29. "Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes Subject of Restraining Order Following Alleged Death Threats: Report - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
  30. Snapes, Laura (March 26, 2018). "Bataclan survivor Jesse Hughes calls March for Our Lives 'pathetic'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  31. Kreps, Daniel (March 31, 2018). "EODM's Jesse Hughes Apologizes After March For Our Lives Tirade". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  32. "Jesse Hughes". IMDb. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
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