Being 16 Horsepower's founder member is no part-time job, it's a lifestyle. Accordingly, David Eugene Edwards smokes American Spirit cigarettes, with an Indian chief designed on the pack. He and drummer Jean Yves Tola are dressed like 2 genuine cowboys – but not with the glittering garb from Nashville and Hollywood. And Secret South follows the same path as the first 2 albums, acoustic and haunting, somewhere between Nick Cave's gloom and folk music from the Appalachians. Sure, there will always be a few who'll find it depressing, but those who are afraid of too deep a soul may just as well go and listen to Britney Spears.

"I'm proud of Secret South, David explains, because we've produced it ourselves, and it is exactly like we wanted it to be. We never have precise prior ideas about our music, we just go where it takes us." And it took them pretty far right from the start. In 1990, David met Passion Fodder's drummer Jean Yves Tola, a Frenchman who settled in LA. They became good friends and started 16HP when their respective bands split. David, who hates California, moved back to Colorado, and Jean Yves followed him. "That's really where the band started for good. We played gigs and attracted other musicians."

David Eugene Edwards' open-mindedness is striking at first sight... What if 16HP's labeled as rueful? When Tola's grumbling against clichés, DEE remains philosophical: "We can't control what people think, and we wouldn't want to anyway."

What if reviews always mention "Night of the Hunter" to refer to their albums? They shrug. DEE: "The way I see it, my songs are like short movies. If that's also the way people view them, then I'm satisfied." He acknowledges he's had many weird experiences with his fans, but "the gist of our music appeals to disturbed people. And we meet them. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's tiring, but we have to love them." He sure didn't turn a deaf ear to the principle of universal love preached in the Bible, a constant source of inspiration for him. When asked about his faith and his obsession with good and evil, DEE goes straight to the point: "I do believe in God, the Devil and Jesus, and it has an impact on my whole life, and affects every single minute of my life, every thought I have. It changes my whole perception, I care about inner struggles I wouldn't think of otherwise. My opinions differ from the rest of the band's on that point. We don't view ourselves as a Christian band, but only as musicians who enjoy being together, playing."

And they share eclectic musical tastes, mentioning, among others, Hungarian folk music, Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Nick Cave, Dylan, Cohen, Renaissance classical music, AC/DC, Motörhead... Riding on 16HP's bus must be quite an interesting experience. And a funny one, too, as their peals of laughter seem to reveal...

Although they embody the gist of American traditions, 16HP don't sell well in their country. For more than a year, they had to do without a contract. "We ain't famous there, except in Denver. We're not doing too bad in New York, Seattle, San Francisco, wherever there's a strong musical culture. But in the Midwest..." David doesn't finish his sentence. Sounds like Kid Rock's fans don't like to be pictured by accursed poets who dance in graveyards and sing it in "'Cept you", or only play 2nd hand instruments and give a bad image of capitalist America.

"They've improved with age, just like good wine", explains DEE. "They sound softer, rounder. All my guitars were getting dusty in back shops. A mate gave me my first banjo, he found it in a trashcan." And with "Praying Arm Lane", they turn the Great Plains into a film set for Dead Man. One wonders how 2 Frenchmen could fit in such a background. David didn't have doubts. As for Jean Yves, his passion for music was what made him leave France. When I arrived there, music was my language. I had always dreamt of living in the USA. I had to go there, I didn't have the choice." David smiles gently. He quickly adds: "I'm glad he came".

Quotation: "Although I do appreciate good old blazing glam rock, as far as I know his work, Marylin Manson seems silly to me. I don't like his appearance, the fact that he tries to look scary, to look like a freak for provocation's sake. Of course, he's expected to say it's just a game, but I'd respect him more if he took all this seriously."

Translation by Magali.