Country comedian seeks new persona Fulks to perform in Northeast Harbor

Robbie Fulks wants to be known as more than the funnyman of alternative country.

It’s his own fault, in part, as the creator of such country send-ups as “She Took a Lot of Pills (And Died),” “Papa Was a Steel-Headed Man,” “Cigarette State,” and the anti-Nashville blast “**** This Town.”

The Chicago resident, who will play at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor, is taking a more serious tack these days. The new Robbie Fulks is on display on his current albums, “Couples in Trouble” and “13 Hillbilly Giants.”

Fulks, whose visit is part of the Austin-Acadia Connection concert series, admits he doesn’t want to be seen as country’s Weird Al Yankovic. He said the biggest misconception about him is that he’s “a novelty hillbilly singer.”

“I’ve done enough funny things for a while,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s more motivating to track down a subject drawn from the real world rather than from an ironic understanding of old music. I’m more challenged to write stories out of real life.”

His genre-bending “Couples in Trouble,” which Fulks self-released on his Boondoggle Records label using funds from the buyout of his contract with Geffen Records, features pairs of people in unavoidable crisis.

“The theme emerged after the first couple of songs,” he recalled. “It was pretty loose rules to work under,” he said. “The album is musically disparate, so I figured I needed some lyrical continuity so it didn’t float off into outer space.”

His release on Bloodshot Records, “13 Hillbilly Giants,” features covers of obscure country songs by the well-known (Porter Waggoner and Dolly Parton, Bill Anderson) and the lesser-known (the Carlisles, Jimmy Murphy).

Finding songs wasn’t the problem; cutting was, Fulks said.

“I’m a huge fan of country music from World War II to the mid-’60s,” he added. “Stopping was hard. We cut down based on the instruments we had, and what was a good representation.”

After his rock-pop album “Let’s Kill Saturday Night,” Fulks parted company with Geffen to return to his indie roots. Don’t look for him to be back with the majors anytime soon.

“I’m closed to entanglements, which is what most major-label contracts are,” he said. “I’ll just keep making deals one album at a time.”

Fulks, 38, grew up listening to folk music in Virginia and North Carolina. During his two years at Columbia University, he became a fan of the smart rock of Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and Dave Edmunds. He quit school to become a full-time musician, joining the Chicago bluegrass band Special Consensus for a time. He later spent a few years in Nashville, trying to make it as a songwriter.

Some among country music fans look askance at Fulks’ style of humor.

Peter Applebome wrote in The New York Times: “The question that’s interesting about Mr. Fulks is whether his humor fits in the traditions of country or whether it’s something different – a hipster tossing brickbats from outside the tent rather than an antic insider like [Roger] Miller. … Country humor has usually been self-mocking but polite. … It hasn’t been a game for snide wise guys.”

Fulks belongs to the “perspiration” school of songwriting, not willing to wait for inspiration to strike.

“If there’s something to write for, I’ll write,” he said. “I sit down and do the work. There’s obviously some spark of an idea. But I’m also a heavy rewrite guy, which involves a lot of self-editing and double-guessing your instincts.”

Although he appears to be backing away from satire, Fulks hasn’t backed away from being a provocateur.

“Real life has its share of absurdities, of outrageous aspects, so that’s got to be in the mix as well,” he said.

Tickets for the Robbie Fulks concert are $15, and are available at The Grasshopper Shops in Ellsworth and Bangor or the Music Bar in Bar Harbor. The potluck supper for the event begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 288-4740 or 288-4365.