Dan Hicks may be one of the wittiest musicians around, and when he sashays on stage backed by his effervescent Hot Licks, old timers detect the raucous spirit of Spike Jones and the City Slickers.
Just in time for the holidays, the two-time cover personality of Rolling Stone magazine and composer of "I Scare Myself" and "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away?" is on the road to convulse fans in laughter with songs from his latest recording, "Crazy For Christmas.
" Hicks does not make the claim that he is a comedian, but he loves to surprise the audience.
He keeps the program light and snappy and nothing makes him happier than when folks come up afterwards to confess they haven't laughed so much.
The humor comes naturally to this laid-back, cheerful guy who grew up as an only child, the self-proclaimed family comedian whose entertaining ways always tickled his parents at dinnertime.
That ability to evoke giggles during a serious conversation has set him apart from the mainstream purveyors of folk, jazz, cowboy, country, swing, bluegrass and pop music.
When his producer at Surfdog, the label he's been with for the past decade, encouraged him to cut a Christmas album, he plunged right in, composing some originals like "Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit" and "I've Got Christmas By the Tail," but the proposal to stir his special spice into the traditional "Carol of the Bells" perplexed him at first.
"It sounded like a bunch of work until I thought about adding the Chipmunk sound and turning it into a scat version," he said.
"Then I went on to 'Santa's Workshop' with a kazoo solo and 'I've Got Christmas By The Tail.
'" Even before he picked up the guitar, that title occurred to him.
The theme is that folks are so bogged down by Christmas they have to show Christmas who's the boss.
Thanks to his love of Christmas, the lyrics end up on a positive note.
Since 1959, Hicks has plied his banjo, fiddle and guitar with a variety of artist friends, including Elvis Costello, Jimmy Buffet, Willie Nelson, Rickie Lee Jones, Brian Setzer and Bette Midler, but he ranks his recording session with Tom Waits as the most unique.
It was held at a remote studio in an area of Northern California he describes as "the sticks.
" He remembers it as (literally) "a cool experience" because he had to keep his coat on.
Once the session ended, Waits drove away to pick up his kids and Hicks was left to collect the goods and see himself out.
In addition to his expertise on multiple instruments and talent for writing rib-tickling lyrics, Hicks is a remarkable artist.
Although he doesn't consider himself especially talented in drawing, he happily provides the covers to his albums when commissioned to create them.
Looking back on his career, Hicks is convinced that the smartest move he ever made was getting a couple of girl singers.
Daria and Roberta Donnay provide the harmonies to Hicks' vocals and guitar, backed by his regular band members on lead guitar, piano, string bass, violin, dobro and drums.
The first time he heard the wife of a band member sing and learned she had a girl friend who also sang, he asked them to sit in.
He has always liked the sound of Brazil 66, Tex Beneke and the Modernaires and Tony Orlando and Dawn, and the moment the girls raised their voices in song, he realized they would make the ensemble unique and provide an avenue for creative arrangements.
Now, wherever Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks perform, the evening is full of joy, fun, and that certain swing.