This article originally appeared in the December_January 2008 issue of Relix. 

Merle Haggard sound every bit his 71 years of age. The rough-hewn voice and raspy cackle are well-earned: from his train-hopping youth in Bakersfield to his stint in San Quentin Prison for robbery where he first saw Johnny Cash perform to his hard-fought sobriety, Haggard’s authenticity of experience cannot be questioned. Never one to rest on his laurels, Haggard continues to tour and record (last year’s tour and record with Willie Nelson and Ray Price, The Last of the Breed, was by all accounts outstanding). He’s also angry with what he feels in the government’s fear-based ruling (and, believe it or not, he even wrote a supportive song for Hillary Clinton). The Hag’s latest album, The Bluegrass Sessions, sees him striking out in new directions all the while staying true to his straight-shooting’ roots.

You’ve had 38 #1 country hits. Why bluegrass now?

It was just something I hadn’t done and it’s one form of country music that still allows you to sing out of key. No, it’s the realism of bluegrass that attracted me to it. They aren’t into using the studio tuners and all that and that’s part of my style, too.

The album’s final song, “Blues Stay Away from Me,” is quite haunting.

Blues is blue whether it’s grass or whether it’s jazz. It attracts people like myself and blues is blues wherever it’s at.

You’ve said, “ I don’t like all of country music, In fact, I like very little of it.” Why?

That’s true. I just have certain people that I like in country: Johnny Cash, Jimmy Rogers, Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Tommy duncan. There’s a whole lot of it that just doesn’t have any effect on me at all. I don’t dislike it—I just don’t spend a lot of time listening to it.

The name of your previous album, recorded with Willie Nelson and Ray Price, is Last of the Breed. If that’s indeed true, who are those doing right by your breed?

I don’t think music will allow them to do it. If somebody wanted to record in the manner in which we recorded that bluegrass album, unless they had some clout and a lot of hit records behind them, nobody would let you do it in fear they might hear a bad note. It’s really a shame that you can’t even hear a person breathe on the microphone. You used to hear Elvis breathe, you could hear Johnny Cash make a mistake once in awhile. But there is no chance of that anymore.

You’re often on the list of our country’s greatest songwriters alongside Dylan, Hank, Guthrie and Townes van Zandt. How do you weigh in.

It’s a great compliment to have you throw me in with those names, The majority of those names are from the past, way in the past. I doubt that Woody Guthrie would recognize this country and I’m sure that Jimmy Rogers wouldn’t although I think Jimmy had an insight into what was coming. His songs seem to be almost current in some way.

You’ve been bestowed with a number of different honors. Is there one that means more to you than the rest?

My pardon from Ronald Reagan is the most important thing I’ve ever received. It gave me the right to travel from state to state and out of the country. Without that I would have been handcuffed, you know?

Anything ever elude you?

I just want to remain healthy and I want my family to remain healthy. I’m more interested in finding out the ways to stay off of beta-blockers and things they’d like me to take at my age. It’s really hard to stay straight and sober because they don’t want you that way. They want you to be drunk in the manner they want you to be drunk in.

It has to be hard for addicts when doctors start prescribing them pills.

Somebody ought to do an article on the affects of narcotics in the music. When did speed first show its ugly head in music? I mean it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. The Japanese invented it in 1919 and the Charleston came about in the 1920s. You can follow it all the way through. It’s been said that when they took methamphetamines off the market in pill form they set music back 40 years. It may be true.