sounds Forever, w hatever

AREA SONgwRiTER, MuSiCiAN and Tik Tok notable Dylan Wilson has two concurrent cases moving through life.

One case involves an ongoing civil dispute that’s run Wilson into some serious binds under Tennessee state law, while the other on the docket here is under an alias, King Lazy Eye, the stage name of Wilson that grew popular due to his posting his authentic backwoods Tennessee comedy and solo acoustic folk-punk performances online for few years now. With both the legal and the artistic cases as genuine as they are public, it’s easy to see they’re both fights in the same upward direction. Wilson’s musical direction is currently fueled by anticipation of King Lazy Eye’s full-band, debut album, All Cops Are Boyfriends, which Wilson predicts will be available by late fall.

Meanwhile, King Lazy Eye will make an appearance showcasing his extraordinarily genuine solo work at Murfreesboro’s Liquid Smoke on Saturday, July 22.

The Murfreesboro Pulse sat down with Dylan to talk about the progress of both his cases:

By Bryce harMon

I went to elementary school [in Lawrence County]. I moved to Columbia when I was in . . . I didn’t go to school for an entire year. Me and my family were “on vacation,” but they weren’t on vacation. They were on the run. We were staying at this hotel, and a bunch of cops just kick the door in, and I was like, “Why were they kicking our door in on our vacation?” it’s Thanksgiving, guys! Everyone’s here!

They were like, “you don’t have to go to school anymore.” I was like, “awesome!” is that when you learned how to play guitar?

I learned how to play guitar when I was in seventh grade. That’s when I started. My dad showed me, like, three chords. . . . Then I started smoking pot and I stopped skating, locked myself in the bedroom for . . . years.

I started a band in high school with my best friend, Greg. We started playing shows in Murfreesboro. We were playing Three Brothers, when it was still open. Playing a bunch of house shows. We were . . . a punk band. Really loud. Really fast. We were a two-piece for a long time. And, I started using drugs; I had already been using drugs, but it was definitely out of control. The reason why I started doing acoustic music is because, well, I burnt my bridges with literally everybody else I played with. I started doing acoustic music out of necessity. I stopped performing for a little bit when I turned 25. Went to jail.

Started getting into a lot of trouble. My Mom started [a] TikTok [account] . . . I did, too, and it really helped out. It kinda like pushed my music further out there for other people to hear, and I was also doing comedy videos, so I developed a following. I have a few shows coming up just to keep people somewhat happy, [but] I’m just working on this album. That’s my main focus, right now, and it sounds really good. Running into any hiccups anywhere during production?

Weirdly enough, no. It’s coming together pretty fluidly. It’s the first time I’ve ever recorded anything sober in my life. And, it’s awesome.

[Regarding KLE’s Musical influences]

My favorite song, period, is Dwight Twilley Band, “Looking for the Magic.” They were kind of like a one-hit wonder. I am a huge fan of the way the vocals are recorded on that song. They tremeloed it, but tremeloed it in a way it cuts out . . . It’s amazing. (Editor’s note: The vocal effect referenced here is produced by tape echo, reminiscent of the “slapback” echo used on early rock ’n’ roll recordings, particularly those from Memphis’ Sun label, which released Elvis Presley’s first records and employed this then-novel vocal effect.)

Any projected release date?

We have, like, a season. Late fall. . . . I write all my songs in a broke-down Saturn that sits on our property and I’ve just been pumping songs out left and right. I don’t know if it’s because I’m manic, or because I’m medicated and happy and sober, or what’s going on. I just wait for everybody to go to sleep and take my guitar and I’ll go sit in that cramped ass, old two-seater Saturn—it’s a little coupe. And, I’ll just sit in there and write songs. I can’t stop. Are you lyrically motivated between life you’ve been going through and the excitement of the debut release?

Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m writing a song called, “Blue’s Your Favorite Color, Now” pretty much about trying to fix somebody while you’re trying to fix yourself. First line is, “I’m digging up landmines I found on the front lines from a war you wage in your own mind,” basically, you feel like you’re walking on eggshells around someone who’s not taking their mental health seriously.

Find dylan wilson, a.k.a. King Lazy Eye, with all his stories, comedy, music and clapbacks, on Tik Tok @kinglazyeye and on Facebook, youTube and instagram and at kinglazyeye.com. Liquid Smoke is located at 2 N. Public Square. King Lazy Eye performs July 22.