Wilson Dixon, Jesse Griffin’s character, is a comedy country singer– a breed of his own.
First, some background on Dixon the character: he has a strange family, with whom he has some qualms, and his worst enemy is Andrew the horse. He often uses these aspects to make audiences laugh. His delivery is dry and he’s a laid-back guy. He likes to use words to his advantage, rhyming and throwing puns around.
“Life is like a salmon swimming upstream. Hard work. And sometimes you get eaten by bears.”
He likes to use self-depreciating humor, and for good reason, too — it’s pretty hilarious.
Back in 2010, he made a four-part radio series for the BBC called “The Wilson Dixon Line.”
In 2010 he recorded a four-part radio series for the BBC – The Wilson Dixon Line – and the Australian Sunday Age newspaper called him, “an abject lesson in intelligent, understated comedy.”
What about Jess Griffin, the man behind the character? Well, in an interview with Kineta Knight from The Press, Griffin grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand and loved listening to Bob Dylan and Neil Young. He was a part of a comedy trio called “The 4 Noels,” which was a successful act for about 10 years in Australia.
Griffin thinks of himself as The Dude in the movie “The Big Lebowski” except “a bit more straight-laced than that.” He’s also a family man and enjoys bringing his kids along on tour.
“Live in the country for a while, I suppose,” Dixon says to up-and-coming country singers. “Maybe strike up an intense relationship with an animal; a dog or a horse or something. Learn how to tie a few knots, go to a few rodeos, maybe live off the land for a year or two and eat some corn. If you want to play country you got to be country.”
In a world of comedians and trying to remember who did that one bit that you tell all your friends about, Dixon stands out. He’s both…
Smart and funny.
Photo Credit: Wilson Dixon
He’s definitely not typical, which helps with his uniqueness.
“A good man is hard to find,” he says. “Especially if he’s hiding.”
You can find out more about Dixon on his website where, among other things, he gives a little info about his music.
“I’ve released a number of albums on my own record label Phoo-wee Records, including my most recent one, an album of love songs entitled ‘Soft Hands,’” says his website. “These are all available from the Cripple Creek general store. Just call up and ask for Wes Andersen, the proprietor. He also helped make a video for one of the tracks.”
