Oh, people, this is a great post in general about our friend, Hank Jr. but I want to say that it hadn’t occurred to me that we’re watching a man on a four-year bender being an angry drunk while his fans cheer him on, but once Havighurst said it, it seems obvious.
And now this is the part that bothers me most. I mean, frankly, Hank’s just embarrassing himself and lying to his fans. Fine. But isn’t there a way where we’re almost at the GG Allin point here? Where folks are showing up solely to watch a dude self-destruct as a form of rebellion? To see who he’ll try to take down with him? To see if he’ll die?
That part breaks my heart.
Tiny Cat Pants 
I’m not sure that Havighurst is suggesting that Hank Jr. is on a four-year bender, or is in the process of self-destructing. I think he’s more suggesting that Hank Jr. is being a public jerk and is driving away fans and sponsors. I doubt that he needs alcohol to act like that. But I know I walked out of one of his shows when he started being all hateful about politics, and I haven’t heard anything about his behavior since then that would draw me back.
Well, I think Havighurst is suggesting a metaphorical bender–Jr. playing the angry drunk.
I’m happy to believe that it’s not just a metaphor.
Either way, I think it’s obvious the audience, even if they’re on Jr.’s side, no longer has his best interest at heart. That seems to me to be a dangerous psychological place for an artist.
we won’t arrive at the GG Allin point until he starts flinging poo
I agree with Beth. Also defiling a SM58 microphone in a very unbecoming manner is a requirement for GG Allin status.
People with the head injuries Hank Jr. suffered often are not nice. They cannot help it. I watched a man who was kind turn into a jerk who was always angry and made sexual remarks that were just plain crude. He, like Hank Jr., had half his face ripped off and suffered head injuries.