Based on its theatrically vibed style of soulful country-rock, Orville Peck’s fourth studio album, Mule, could be taken for an almost joyful affair. But a closer look reveals that he’s clearly taking his own journey with these new songs, filling reflective confessions to the hilt with pomp and glitz, as well as banjo and strings-tempered moments.
The record’s chronological, year-long story and concept shares something much deeper than its polished surface belies; it’s ultimately a long, hard look into a very talented human’s moments of pain, coping mechanisms and the sweep of self-redemption that juuuust pulls him back from the brink.
Produced by Jay Joyce, Mule’s condensed journey begins with the very first song, titled “Prologue,” in which Emmylou Harris, Noah Cyrus and Allison Russell entreat:
Come along, little darlin', come hear the old tune
How men chase their darkness away
The needle won't thread when it's tied to the spool
Here lies a man turned mule
Thirty-eight minutes later, you feel like you’ve been to hell and back right alongside Peck’s clear, gusto-filled voice. No surprise, Mule’s already being called one of his best; it clearly comes straight from heart and soul. I talked with Peck after the album’s release and ahead of his Milwaukee show Nov. 5 at Landmark Credit Union Live.
Interview highlights
The following has been edited for length and clarity
On how getting sober affected his creativity:
It was a big adjustment, and it's become sort of the priority of my life and what I have to work on every single day. That has only really enriched every part of my life; it’s made me a more present, more accountable, more aware person in my daily life, which of course has an effect on everything I do and create.
So it's been a really special thing to kind of revisit this time, which includes the time of me when I wasn't sober and when I went to rehab. Everything that's on this album … to look back at it with sort of a clear head and really kind of examine what that year was like for me.
On how growing up with skate culture and punk music from The Misfits and The Cure led to a life of country:
Sometimes, I don't think I ever went away from it. And I think, in a strange sense, I kind of feel that those two genres have a lot of parallels and are sort of like weird cousins of one another. When they go to the family reunion, they probably hang out together 'cause there's sort of a rebellion in both of them, especially as far as the country that I grew up loving.
I think there's an avenue in both of those genres for individuality, personal storytelling and for expressing that in ways that can either be really on-the-nose vulnerable or they can also be filled with humor, filled with metaphors, filled with wit, filled with anger. I actually think both those genres are the storytelling genres and that they just find their way differently, but they're kind of the same spirit.
I really wanna play drums again in a punk band. And so I've talked with Beck — who's a friend of mine that was on my album Stampede — about making a side project where I play drums and he plays guitar and there's some other people that have come up to join that, and it could be a funny little punk side project.
On his gateway to country music, the late Dolly Parton:
I remember the first time I came into Dolly's orbit of existence was when I was a kid. I was staying home from school one day when I was in elementary school, so I was probably, like … I don't know, maybe eight or nine I think, and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was on TV.
I saw her coming down the stairs doing, [singing] “It's just a little bitty pissant country place,” you know? And I was like, “Well, who is this person, just exuding so much like light and charisma?” And I, as a little gay boy, I think I just sort of gravitated toward this almost drag queen-esque character. I think because of that context that I first saw her in, I kinda thought she was like a caricature. I thought she was like Elvira or like Peewee Herman or something, you know?
I started to learn more about her music, and of course I fell in love with her version of “I Will Always Love You” — her original version — and, yeah, that was sort of it for me. Her and Johnny Cash were kind of my gateway into what I would fall in love with as country, this kind of combination of storytelling and character.
On collaborating musically with Milwaukee's Trixie Mattel and the drag-queen orbit:
Trixie is one of my real-life best friends. I have celebrated so many incredible milestones of hers and (mine) together, and we just came up together. We became very fast and organic friends.
We met at the Calgary Stampede, where we were both performing, many many years ago. I was a fan of what she did already on Drag Race, and I think she was a fan of my music already, but we just became really close over the years. I was just talking to Trixie yesterday!
I always love visiting Milwaukee. I'm also friends with Jaida Essence Hall — another Drag Race queen — who I love very dearly from Milwaukee. It's always such a fun time when we're over there. I'm excited to be back, and I can't wait for everyone to come out to the show. It's gonna be very different than usual. We're putting a lot of new things into this production of this tour, so I'm excited for everyone to come and check it out.
Orville Peck plays Landmark Credit Union Live in Milwaukee on Thursday, Nov. 5. One dollar from every ticket sold on the Man Turned Mule Tour will be donated to The Trevor Project, supporting its mission to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ young people.
