Hobo Is As Hobo Does

Yeah ok, he's "America's Happiest Hobo" but those who knew the real Burl Ives knew he was built like a drum and liked to drink and fight. The people who produced this ad probably were smart in leaving that part out. Ives often "talked smack" when it came to rival "hobo singers" and was prone to drunken fights when his own skills were called into question. At times merciless and often short-tempered, Ives' fighting style might be described as Mike Tyson-esque. Tough and vicious, Burl often didn't know when to "say when" such that his drinking fueled his fighting and vice versa. An acquaintance of Burl's who had him as a party guest got in a fight with him and remarked, "The next day after we got into the fight I met up with Burl and we set things straight. Then he told me that the next time I had guests like him and his wife over that I should serve drinks with glass bottoms so that I can see who's coming at me." As you can see the Rock 'n Roll lifestyle wasn't restricted to the likes of Jon Bonham and Joe Elliott but was also the domain of "Happy Hobos".