ABSTRACT: 01:00 Rush explains that though he was born in Louisiana he identifies the way his father taught him, ‘You’re always from wherever you are.’ 01:36 Rush tells how though he’s played and recorded all over, his first Grammy came last year, for his first album recorded in Louisiana. He explains that it came to be from a producer who years ago had asked to record him and Solomon Burke, then followed up. 03:21 Rush says that he claims both Homer and Houma, LA, having grandparents from both towns. He identifies as a country boy, which he seems to credit for teaching him the blues. 04:20 Rush gets into the music of his childhood, telling of a man named Mr. Tutch who taught him guitar (while it was nailed to the wall). His father was skeptical of his influence, given the lyrics of the songs he would sing. 06:16 Rush tells of his journey to Chicago, via a stunted bus route earning money between stops, where he found preeminent members of blues royalty, including Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. He says that he and Buddy Guy are the only remaining living black blues singers from the Chess crowd, and that he, turning eighty-five in November, is the oldest. 09:08 Rush speaks to the development of his and Billington’s record, which he feels was facilitated by Billington’s permission to be himself. BIllington adds the anecdote of Rush having shared his old demo cassettes, which gave them three songs, including the title track, “Porcupine Meat.” Rush credits Billington with pulling the best out of the personnel, coaxing them into multiple takes. They reveal that they’re currently working on their second collaboration, which Rush predicts will be one of the greatest things he’s ever done. 15:58 Rush explains that the chitlin circuit, of which he’s sometimes referred to as the last king, will always be there with its audience, the key being empathetic storyteller. He sees his aim as letting people briefly forget their problems and enjoy themselves. He also notes that while he crossed over and gained a white audience, he never forgot his black one, and gets into his background, including having not made decent money for a very, very long, a marker he uses to measure how far he’s come. 21:50 Demonstration, what he learned from Jimmy Reed, who he considers to have taught him everything he knows. 23:44 Rush explains that the Beatles stole some of Reed’s riffs 24:16 Demonstration 27:34 Demonstration, with Billington’s accompaniment 31:34 Rush, prompted by a question about having known Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reflects on some of the sadder moments in his life, including when he and his drummer were ignored by sheriffs after a horrible car accident in Chicago in 1963, and referred to as “the N-word.” He says, however, that good things have come from the bad, and believes his character to have been strengthened by the adversity he’s endured. 35:55 Reflecting on how many places he’s been, Rush explains that he hopes to never forget “the bridge that brought [him] across.” A major mission of his is to give back, and to, as he sees important for all members of his generation, “bring the young peoples along.” 40:29 Demonstration 42:42 Rush sing-speaks some of his musical history, over accompaniment by guitar and harmonica, leading to an anecdote about his father, a preacher, singing a song that plants lewd thoughts in Rush’s mind (who recently proclaimed himself a “dirty old man). 45:50 Rush reflects on their upcoming album, saying how he knows it will contain what it needs to, which he hopes will appeal to his audience.