For Hank, it’s all about the process of getting in touch with the spirits of creativity.
“I call upon the muses, the great gifts from above and beyond, before each performance,” Hank said, as he sat in a side room before his performance.
Hank said it takes anywhere between two and 28 minutes to get the gifts of the gods to infect him.
“I take pieces from everywhere,” Hank said, as he picked up chalk dust to start the ritual and threw it up in the air. The chalk routine mimicked LeBron James’ pregame ritual.
Hank then started chanting a Simon and Garfunkel song to call to the patron saint of music. Hank repeated one line, over and over. “Cecilia, I’m down on my knees, I’m begging you, please, to come home.”
Hank collapsed to the floor and began begging. He did this until he felt the spirit of the dragon emerge. At that point, he got up, unsheathed an invisible sword to slay the dragon and then returned the invisible sword to his hip.
Next, Hank grabbed a necklace from around his neck that he had bought at Graceland. It featured the TCB lightning bolt logo made famous by Elvis Presley. Clutching the necklace, he called upon the guardians of the King, including Aretha Franklin, Prince, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Ed Sheeran, to endow him with the spirit of music. Once he felt that each of these spirit protectors had answered, he was ready.
For this performance, he emerged with his guitar from a room which featured images of Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, and walked into a crowded children’s library full of people waiting to see him.
As Hank walked, a person on stage introduced him. “And now, please welcome, Hoedown Hank.”
The parents in the audience sitting around the small stage clapped enthusiastically, and the children mimicked their parents, unsure of what was happening. At this point, Hank said later, he felt like he was floating towards the stage. In truth, he was just walking.
Hank sat in a chair much too small for him and did not address the audience. Instead, he strummed his guitar and sang. “Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play…”