November 14, 2015 – On his recent Rolling Stone magazine interview ZZ top front man Billy Gibbons goes through stories behind 12 well known ZZ top songs.
On Manic Mechanic from 1979 Deguello album:
As a kid, I’d stand on the front seat of my parents’ car, watching cars coming in the opposite direction. And I could name ’em all. My dad bought a Dodge Dart — an entry-level, economy-priced car. It had no radio. The only amenity was a heater — talk about miserable, driving in that during those Texas summers. The sound you hear on the intro is that 1964 Dart.
I still have that car. It would not die. I do very little mechanic work, but I was at a speed shop in Pomona, California. The head honcho saw me with a wrench, going under a car, and said, “God, get out of there. That exhaust system is hot, and that beard is like a bale of hay.” But I love those crazy automobiles.
Check out rest of the 11 stories behind classic ZZ Top songs from The Rolling Stone.
