Stuart Daniel Baker
, better known by his stage name, Unknown Hinson
, is a musician, songwriter, and voice actor on the Adult Swim cartoon Squidbillies. [1] [2]
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UNKNOWN HINSON TICKETS
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The character
Baker has carefully cultivated his alter-ego. Much like
Andy Kaufman's alter-ego,
Tony Clifton, Unknown Hinson never breaks character in public and adamantly denies having any connection to Danny Baker.
Persona
Unknown Hinson, dressed in his signature
rodeo tailor coat and black ribbon necktie, is a dark parody of the country western stars from the early/mid 20th century. With his glued on sideburns, blacked out front teeth, and dark hair slicked back to reveal a prominent widows peak, he has been referred to as the "hillbilly vampire."
The self-proclaimed "king of country-western troubadours" speaks and sings with an authentic southern drawl, commonly mispronouncing words like woman "womern," and window "winder."
Hinson's personality is that of a hell-raising and hard-drinking country western singer with a preference for "party liquor," sexy women, and fine guitars.
Fictional background & Arrest
Unknown Hinson was an only child, named after his father
“says right there on my birth certificate - Mama: Miss Hinson. Daddy: Unknown.”
and raised by his mother, who gave him his first guitar. After his mother’s mysterious disappearance, Unknown ran off and joined the circus as part of the sideshow, where he learned how to lift 50-pound weights with his tongue, among various other skills.
Later, Hinson was imprisoned for 30 years, convicted of various trumped-up charges, including three counts of murder, 19 paternity suits, vampirism and random grave-robbing offenses. He was released in 1993 to reclaim his long-denied musical legacy.
Origins
Stuart Daniel Baker, a music teacher and studio musician from
Albemarle, North Carolina, created his alter-ego for The Wild Wild South, a Charlotte area public-access program that featured comedy sketches and concert footage. Baker along with co-star Don Swan played the characters of Unknown Hinson and Rebel Helms. After Swan's death in 1994, Baker created "The Unknown Hinson Show", a direct spin-off of "The Wild Wild South". The Unknown Hinson Show won
Creative Loafing's "Best Of" poll for Best Public-Access Television Show four years in a row.
[3]
After the series ended, Baker continued in his role as Unknown Hinson, performing live concerts and releasing several recordings.
Baker also recently appeared as a member of
The Boxmasters during an interview on Canadian Radio. The interview, between Billy Bob Thornton and Jian Ghomeshi, did not go well from the start. Baker appeared to answer no questions during the interview.
Music
Live performer
As a live performer, Unknown Hinson has been known to tour for months at a time. He has shared the stage with many notable
rockabilly,
country, and
psychobilly acts such as
The Reverend Horton Heat,
Marty Stuart, and
Hank III, to name a few.
He is an accomplished and respected performer with a strong cult following and many high-profile fans, including
Ed King of
Lynyrd Skynyrd,
Waylon Reavis of
Mushroomhead,
Billy Bob Thornton and
Matt Groening.
Hank III ,grandson of
Hank Williams, has Unknown's face tattooed on his biceps.
[4]
In late 2008, working under his real name of Stuart Baker, Hinson was hired to play bass guitar in Billy Bob Thornton's band The Boxmasters. For this hired-gun gig, Baker appears without the familiar Unknown Hinson wardrobe and makeup, instead appearing in a 60's vintage suit, white shirt and black pencil tie.
Recording artist
Unknown Hinson writes his own music, performs live, and produces all of his own recordings. His music often parodies the dark elements of today's country and redneck culture. Unknown Hinson's album "Target Practice" was never made available in music stores in the US; it can be found on his official website. His 2002 album "Rock n Roll Is Straight From Hell" is now
out of print and difficult to find. In early 2009, Hinson's 'Torture Town' won in The 8th Annual
Independent Music Awards for Best Alternative Country Song.
[5]
Discography
Year
| Album
| Label
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1999
| 21 Chart-toppers
| Uniphone
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2000
| The Future Is Unknown
| Uniphone
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2002
| Rock n Roll Is Straight From Hell
| Capitol
|
2004
| The Future Is Unknown
(re-release)
| Capitol
|
2006
| Target Practice
| Coffin Case
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2008
| Unknown Hinson: Live and Undead
| Uniphone Records/sdbmusic
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Voice acting
Hinson, credited as Baker, provides the voice of Early Cuyler, a balding hillbilly squid from Georgia, on
Cartoon Network's late night
Adult Swim program,
Squidbillies. The Early character has many echoes of Unknown Hinson, including an affinity for guns and liquor, and a "no-nonsense" alpha-male attitude.
Roles
Starring roles
Series
| Role
| Year(s)
| Season(s)
|
Squidbillies
| Early Cuyler
| 2005—
| 1
| 2
| 3
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Guest starring roles
Series
| Role
| Year(s)
| Season(s)
| Episode(s)
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Perfect Hair Forever
| Early Cuyler
| 2004
| 1
| Anime Talk Show
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Notes
- Baker, Margo. * Retrieved August 21, 2007.
References
- Squidbillies Characters
- It's good to be King: Unknown Hinson is a legend of his own making
- http://www.mountainx.com/ae/1999/1027unknown.php Retrieved November 5, 2007
- http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_RelishArticle&c=MGArticle
- Independent Music Awards - 8th Annual Winners