Georgia Today – Special Episode: Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers on 'Decoration Day' & Reuniting with Jason Isbell
Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Orlando Montoya (Georgia Public Broadcasting), with Chuck Reese (Salvation South) interviewing Patterson Hood

Episode Overview

This special Christmas Eve edition of Georgia Today shines a spotlight on Patterson Hood from the Drive-By Truckers, in conversation with Chuck Reese. With the release of the definitive "Decoration Day" box set and a much-anticipated reunion with former member Jason Isbell for a performance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Hood opens up about legacy, home, creativity, and the moments that shaped the band.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Athens, Georgia: More Than Just a Hometown

• Patterson Hood's emotional ties to Athens, where he lived for 21 years, are paramount.
• Even after moving away, Hood insists Athens will always be his "true" home because it enabled his artistic growth.
• Quote:

  "I lived in Athens for 21 years and Athens, I will always consider Athens home. Even more than my hometown, I grew up in that community enabled me to become who I became." — Patterson Hood (00:32)

2. The 'Decoration Day' Anniversary & Jason Isbell Reunion

• The Drive-By Truckers recently released a definitive box set commemorating the 22nd anniversary of their 2003 album "Decoration Day."
• They reunited with Jason Isbell (former member) for a special televised performance — a significant event considering the band's history.
• The invitation to perform on TV was catalyzed by Isbell's involvement:

  "I would, I seriously doubt we would have gotten on for a, for a reissue of a 23-year-old record ... but when they pitched it about doing it with Jason, I was like, well, if, you know, if, if he's willing to do it, I'm in, you know, Absolutely." — Patterson Hood (01:33)

• Describing the moment, Hood recounts the rawness and camaraderie:

  "We all got there about 10 minutes before our rehearsal sound check thing and we got up there completely cold ... The first take of it sounded as good as what we did on tv." — Patterson Hood (02:10)

3. Reflections on Jason Isbell

• Hood reflects with warmth and admiration on his relationship with Isbell:

  "Jason Isbell, he's a freakish talent and he was freakish talent before we met him. At that time, he was so young. We left for that tour, his mama dropped him off for us to all get in the van and leave together. And his Mama, she like comes up to me, tears in her eyes. It's like, don't let my boy die. Don't kill my boy." — Patterson Hood (02:44) "I'd say the last five or six years, you know, I mean, we're closer than we ever were when he was in the band. And he was like a, almost like a kid brother to me or something." — Patterson Hood (03:18)

• Expresses deep pride in Isbell's success.

4. The Legacy & Creation of 'Decoration Day'

• The album arose from a period of intense creativity and personal turmoil (divorce, band near-breakup, and professional uncertainty).
• The name “Decoration Day” was a last-minute change — originally, Hood favored "Heathens," but after several major acts released similarly titled records, the name was switched.

  "The working title was always Heathens. We changed the name ... because ... in about a two-month period ... David Bowie, Oasis and someone else ... put out records with Heathens in the title. ... And Decoration Day was the obvious next choice. In retrospect, it's better that it worked out the way it did because that's the perfect title." — Patterson Hood (05:57)

• Recalls the excitement of the band's first taste of success.

  "We got four stars at Rolling Stone and we were making year-end lists and the Village Voice ... We're selling out everywhere we play. Still playing small rooms, but you know, they're like, I mean, people are excited when we come to town. I'd never experienced that." — Patterson Hood (04:18)

5. Songwriting and Homegrown Inspiration

• Hood describes writing "The Deeper End," the first song for "Decoration Day," alone at night on his Athens porch, inspired by passing trains.

  "There is a railroad track that ran right across our front yard. So I'd come home from work and take my guitar out on the front porch ... and drink a beer and play my guitar ... and while the train, watched the train go by ... I wrote 'deeper in'. It probably took me 15 minutes to write. I mean, it just wrote itself." — Patterson Hood (05:34)

6. Looking Forward: New Music, Sticking to Roots

• The band is set to start recording a new record in Athens in February.

  "We're about to make a new record. We're starting a record in February. We're going to start in Athens. I don't know where it will lead us, but we're going to go in and we're going to start recording." — Patterson Hood (07:38)

• Hood emphasizes the drive for authenticity and evolution, distancing from repetition.

  "And. And you know, we want to do something different too because we, we got a lot of records. There's no need of doing another one. That's a lesser version of something we've already done." — Patterson Hood (07:53)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Athens:
  "As far as I'm concerned, the Drive By Truckers will always be based in Athens, Georgia. And I'll always consider Athens, Georgia, home." — Patterson Hood (07:23)

• On the band's legacy:
  "We just play it like we feel it. When I look back at my life now that I'm an old man and look back at my life, I mean, the first half of 2002 was probably the most idyllic six months of my life." — Patterson Hood (03:35)

• On changing the album name:
  "I can't begrudge Bowie. So it's like, we gotta find another title. And 'Decoration Day' was the obvious next choice. In retrospect, it's better that it worked out the way it did because that's the perfect title." — Patterson Hood (06:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• (00:32) — Patterson Hood on Athens, Georgia, as lifelong home
• (01:33 - 02:44) — Reuniting with Jason Isbell, backstage moments, and Isbell's talents and history with the band
• (03:18 - 04:18) — The band's close friendship, creative process, and career breakthrough around "Decoration Day"
• (05:34) — The story of writing "Deeper In" and the Athens porch
• (05:57 - 06:24) — Origin of the album's title and reflection on creative serendipity
• (07:38 - 07:53) — Announcing new music, commitment to originality

Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, nostalgic, and tinged with characteristic Southern wit. Hood's storytelling is unvarnished, moving fluidly between personal memory, band history, and reflections on creativity. The episode serves both as a retrospective on an influential album and a love letter to a place and time — Athens, Georgia in the early 2000s — that shaped the Drive-By Truckers and their signature sound.