Veteran bassist and author Mickey Hayes joins Circling the Drain to pull back the curtain on the wild, brilliant and chaotic world of country legend David Allan Coe. From blacked‑out tour buses and outlaw bikers to wigs, panthers, boats and hit songs, Mickey shares what it was really like to live on the edge with one of country music’s most controversial figures.

Mickey talks about joining Coe’s band in 1979, surviving the Outlaws MC, refitting buses and boats in the Florida Keys, the truth behind the “death row” myth, and why Coe was the PT Barnum of country music. He also dives into Coe’s overlooked Columbia catalog, the making of “The Ride,” working with Warren Haynes, and how those years inspired his book “My Life on the Road with David Allen Coe” and a late‑career songwriting burst.

If you love outlaw country, road stories, and unfiltered music history, this episode is packed with stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Timed highlights

02:56 Miami club gig and the four‑barrel derringer on the monitor board

04:55 Flying into David Allan Coe’s world and first impressions at the compound

07:04 The purple house, refitting buses and boats, and riding in like a circus

10:16 Swamp-ass on black buses with no A/C and building the outlaw image

13:17 Ad break: Milltown Bikes in Columbia, Tennessee

16:01 Coe’s later years, health, and the line “I just don’t want to die alone”

20:02 Leaving the spotlight, finishing the book, and writing 35–40 new songs

21:38 Playing Coe’s deep cuts, Columbia catalog, and early classic albums

22:18 Rewriting “Stand By Your Man” as “Stand By Your Band”

23:32 The birth of the wigs and why David named one after Mickey

24:57 TV appearances, Farrah Fawcett hair and multiple wigs on Ralph Emery

26:24 Rusty Spur stories, lost wigs and using heartbreak as stage patter

26:55 Earning Coe’s respect by standing up to him over an out‑of‑tune guitar

29:32 Outlaw caravans, smoking and drinking on the road in a fake Packard

33:21 The real story behind Coe’s “death row” legend

34:55 Controversy, X‑rated albums and why Coe welcomed being talked about

41:04 Kris Kristofferson’s advice on songwriting and “Sunday Morning Coming Down”

45:19 Dealing with labels and the infamous record‑exec table story

47:20 Pink Nudie suit, “family” crowd shock and Coe’s onstage antics

50:00 Ruskin Cave, Loretta Lynn tours and getting kicked off the bus route

51:39 Why David Allan Coe belongs in the Country Music Hall of Fame

54:00 Sinking the 50‑foot “pirate” boat and losing everything with no insurance

55:00 Outlaws MC, being hung over a balcony and “you can’t testify if you don’t know”

58:31 Calling Coe a legend and the unmatched volume of songs he wrote

59:54 How Nashville remembers Coe and what happens after you die in this business

1:02:08 Billy Joe Shaver standing up to Waylon and how an album got made

1:07:00 Touring with a black panther, monkeys and other road “pets”

1:11:18 Quitting Coe five times and sending him the tire bill

1:18:00 Austin City Limits, “My Girl,” and how Coe gamed the taping

1:19:49 Mickey on Coe’s legacy, the kids, the widow and posthumous releases

1:20:31 Outro: Where to find Mickey’s book and how to follow the show

Follow Johnny B:

https://www.facebook.com/john.e.bozeman

Follow Jay Harper:

https://www.facebook.com/harperjeff

Follow Jim:

www.jmvos.com

Circling The Drain is produced by It's Your Show dot Co

www.itsyourshow.co