Life on the Road with David Allan Coe: Outlaws, Wigs, Boats and Blues :: Ep 42 Circling the Drain Podcast

About this episode

Mickey Hayes shares his wild experiences touring with country legend David Allan Coe.

Veteran bassist and author Mickey Hayes joins Circling the Drain to pull back the curtain on the wild, brilliant and chaotic world of country legend David Allan Coe. From blacked‑out tour buses and outlaw bikers to wigs, panthers, boats and hit songs, Mickey shares what it was really like to live on the edge with one of country music’s most controversial figures. Mickey talks about joining Coe’s band in 1979, surviving the Outlaws MC, refitting buses and boats in the Florida Keys, the truth behind the “death row” myth, and why Coe was the PT Barnum of country music. He also dives into Coe’s overlooked Columbia catalog, the making of “The Ride,” working with Warren Haynes, and how those years inspired his book “My Life on the Road with David Allen Coe” and a late‑career songwriting burst. If you love outlaw country, road stories, and unfiltered music history, this episode is packed with stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Timed highlights 02:56 Miami club gig and the four‑barrel derringer on the monitor board 04:55 Flying into David Allan Coe’s world and first impressions at the compound 07:04 The purple house, refitting buses and boats, and riding in like a circus 10:16…

People in this episode

Hosts: John E. Bozeman, Jay Harper

Guest: Mickey Hayes

Topics covered

• country music
• outlaw culture
• music history
• touring experiences
• songwriting

Keywords

• David Allan Coe
• Mickey Hayes
• outlaw country
• tour stories
• music history

Sponsors

Milltown Bikes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Outlaws MC

Books & works: My Life on the Road with David Allen Coe, The Ride

Places: Florida Keys, Miami

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