RJ JUKES INTERNET OUTPOST

Juke's lil' Mountain Hideaway or where I to go to chill when show times over 

My Lair

The late Great Hunter S Thompson chillin' at the Owl Farm

Things used to be so crazy for me. I would come offa tour or out of a show and just be speeding like a meth junkie at midnight from the energy we had just exchanged with the crowd.

Then came Ozzy. One of my heroes of stability in the music world.

Yes, Ozzy my hero of stability !

The Prince of Darkness. The madman who gave a new meaning to rock n roll extreme insanity and the fine art of dining on bats and doves heads.

It all started when Skutch, a good guitar slinging friend of mine, sensed I needed "professional" help with my high energy come/down problem and turned me onto a wonderful documentary on the Oz man called "Don't Blame Me" The Tales of Ozzy Osbourne. 

There I saw Ozzy in his natural state. Sittin' at home in his living room. Fresh from rehab and talkin' clear and clean. None of that "Meet the Osbournes" mumblin' and stumblin' through his sentences, which at times are so rock n' roll garbled that wife Sharon has to interpret just what the hell the man was sayin'.

But it wasn't the clear diction that caught me as much as it was what he was sayin' which stuck in my mind. The clarity of his mind.

In the film "Dont Blame Me" he is at home talkin' the truth about his family, his music, and his lifestyle. It quickly became very clear to me that Ozzy had a handle on dealing with the rough n' tumble rock world. I mean just think how long the man's been at this. We are talkin' the rock world ... where fun is fun and biz is biz, drinks are drinks and dope is dope !

Now before any of ya start jumpin' on me about doves and bats for dinner, I figure it took a lil' trial and error on the Oz man's part to arrive at this point of serenity in his life. I think anyone would agree that long time side kick Sharon was most instrumental in groundin' The Prince of Darkness.

So what I am gettin' at here is:

I started thinkin', granted it took me several years of hangovers, BC powders, Thera-flu, methadone clinics, careless cons, and low grade street dope deals for high grade cash, the DTs, ect ... to arrive at a point that I realized in order to survive in this business I was in, I had to make some major lifestyle changes.

Maybe this Ozzy guy had something going here besides full throttle on the road, crash the gate doing ninety eight, in your face madness 24/7. After all he had been puttin' out music for many a year and didn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down with his rowdy, relentless career of putting on outrageous shows and excellent new material out.

Yes.

It took me quite awhile. Many arrests, drug overdoses, failed relationships, wrecked cars, fights, missed flights, etc ...

I was a hard head, but I finally came to the conclusion that if I wanted to play at my best for a few more years I had to slow down and separate the stage from the man. Separate the real and the show. Know when the show ends and home life begins.

But what really nailed this down, before anyone had a chance put nails my coffin, was another loony genius of prose. I got some more positive reinforcement when I learned of Dr Gonzo.

The man from Woody Creek, Colorado by way of Louisville (Slugger), Kentucky, who uses way too many of these ... (dot, dot, dots)  ... (sic) only correctly in comparison to my sleepin' through English 101 in college.

The late Mr. Hunter S Thompson.

One of the last great American outlaw journalist we had in this country.

Hunter aka Dr Gonzo, one my favorite writers on the pleasures of excess in all areas.

HST Quote:  "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."
See a long time ago in the 60s, Hunter moved to the middle of the Rocky Mountains to Woody Creek, Colorado. Way before the fashionable ASPEN crowd brought the million dollar ski kings in. There he made a notch in the land and his sanity for himself. He called it the owl farm, and for him it was his own personal retreat to go after many a life threaten', high adventures. He once wrote in "FEAR AND LOATHING IN AMERICA" that when he turned that last corner on the dirt road leading home. He felt ultimate relief after his adventures in THE RUM DIARY, LAS VEGAS, and hanging with the outlaws of outlaws ... THE HELLS ANGELS. 

He said, "You got to keep them home fires burning".

The Owl Farm by the way, was ultimately the location of the famous shootin' of Doc Gonzo's ashes out of a cannon into the cool Colorado night air by none other than my former band mate, Mr Johnny Depp. But that is another story and I promise all the Deppheads I will sit down and put the days of Johnny and I on one of my scribblings shortly. (actually there is a secret link on this website that tells all)

But back to finding serenity.

For my purposes here, I figured if ole Hunter had him a hideaway and still carried on the way he did but remained intact (until recently), I probably needed one to.

I wanted to get out of the city of Memphis and move just far enough that I could find the same peace these men of greatness had found, while still being close enough to work the town or fly in and out of the airport.

So there ya have it.

I finally found the spot. About a hundred miles North of Memphis you will find Spring River country. Located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.

Spring River Country.Where about the most exciting thing that happens is the first Winter frost.

You do have the river itself and it gets it's share of tourists who flock there to trout fish, swim, and canoe down the white water. We do have an occasional summer drowning on the river, but we don't like to talk about that much as to spook the tourist trade.

Just know that if ya do tip over. It's best not to use your head has a bumper against the rocks 

But myself ... I came here for peace.  Remember ?

The last damn thing I need are a bunch of drunk ass river rats paddling up to my back door to see if I got a cold one in the frig, while they goggle eye my sun bathing wife.

So, with that in mind I dug into the forest deeper and finally found the ideal spot. A place where I can piss off my deck naked in broad day light and not bother anybody. Yes sir we don't get much traffic on the dirt road I share with one other house and it's right up the shore from a Ozark mountain lake.

About the second most exciting thing that happens 'round here is me and my bud Jason D getting into a fight with Tiny (my full size skeleton) over a game of cut throat on the pool table out in my backyard clubhouse/command center. The place where these writin' originate.

Now Tiny's a good pool shooter mind you. After all he was a real pirate in life ... he still wears the eye patch from time to time. But damn it if he don't cheat !

     My two home fires ...Missus Jukes and my son Charlie Parker DH Lawrence

Now if all of this is soundin' just a lil' too Beverly damn-well Hillbilly/Deliverance/Copperhead Road ... there's a good reason for that.

Because it is !

But in these woods is also the most peaceful existence I have ever lived.and it keeps my mind ready and sharp to play the drums like "two jack rabbits fuckin' inna gunny sack" when I so desire. Yes I am picking up on the local rural lingo as well. I found my own personal Kathmandu and although we got the locals to screw with ... this backwoods hideaway ain't no Hillbilly's in a Haunted House movie.

But although I am friendly enough at all my shows, if ya come snoopin' 'round here ya best be ready to take a load o' buckshot in your ass has your zig zaggin' through the Black Oak !

That's why most folks live back in here. For a lil' peace and privacy.

Don't get me wrong ... I like company just as well as the next fella. But call first. Ain't got the number ? Well then don't come 'round here 'til ya do. Slippin' round these backwoods might just get ya an not so funny unwanted part with some of the devils rejects. I have found the place of peace I needed and I like to keep it that way ... if ya don't mind.

Then again ... maybe we could have fun if your into snipe huntin' or just playin' a good game of RUN RABBIT RUN !

"shoo shoo shoo"

said the Maiden

Well hopefully I am gettin' my point across that ya can't be balls to the wall all the damn time in this wacky, crazy business of rock n roll.

Ya got have down time if ya want that long term career in the music biz and a home base where ya can unwind after tearing apart a drum set, ripping off your sleeves, wrapping them 'round your cymbal stands, taking a swig offa bottle of OZO (during the drum solo with both bass pedals thumpin' like a well tuned shovel head) and then pouring the rest on the OZO on the sleeved/cymbals and settin' em on fire. Makes for some nice tiki torch lite drum solo and gives a lil' inspiration to play a solo that would make any world class drummer turn an ear and wanna shake your hand at the after show greet and meet.

Yes, that really is part of the show when the venue permits.

Come out sometime and see for yourself at a hot spot near you ... I will be coming soon and ya don't have to call first for that one !