Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal can’t be put in a box. From his love of music to the incredible way his first album was written, it’s clear that there is no in-between for the frontman. Jesse is an artist that is either 1,000% in it or not at all.

No Name: If I meet someone who’s not fully in love with The Ramones, I totally question their sincerity…

Jesse Hughes: It’s a profiling question. Consider this: Ronald Reagan loved The Ramones so much that he made them honorary Marines. They’re the only punk band to have ever be invited the White House. (“Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”) is a demonstration that they were able to write great songs. In their mind, they thought they were competing with the Bay City Rollers. They never thought of themselves as punk. They just wanted to be a great band.

NN: We’re going to hear “Generals and Majors” and “Senses Working Overtime.”

JH: Two great songs and incredible sing-a-longs. It’s always good to remind ourselves that life can be light-hearted, and music is the vehicle that takes us away. Really, it has healing power.

Also, that was “Get Down Tonight” by KC and The Sunshine Band. KC was 17 when he wrote those songs, the bulk of his hits. I love KC because you can hear the pure joy of what it is he’s doing, it’s so natural.

NN: The thing I like about music like that, it doesn’t matter how hard you are, even the dude who doesn’t move, in his mind, he’s got a disco going on.

JH: It’s the sort of music that doesn’t care. As long as you check your politics at the door, anyone can dance.

NN: Do you remember when you wrote your first song lyrics?

JH: I come from a long history of old-hillbilly-church-going folk, so speaking in tongues is a big concept there. But the songs from the first album came to me in dreams. I woke up with “Music and Tongues” music and lyrics in my head with an urgency that I’ve never experienced in my life. I was going through an awful divorce at the time, I was walking home from a bar called The Firehouse, I had just seen Rosemary’s Baby, and I was thinking how would you actually sell your soul? I was so broken hearted…I went home, I had been getting high all day, and when I woke up, Speaking in Tongues was in my head. The best songs from that album came to me in dreams.

Catch the full interview with Jesse Hughes above.