Drowning Pool Reacts to 82 Year Old ‘America’s Got Talent’ Singer Who Covered ‘Bodies’
John Hetlinger may seem like your normal, every day grandpa but, last Tuesday, he proved that he is way more hardcore than he appears to be.
In case you missed it, Hetlinger was a contestant on NBC’s American’s Got Talent and, let’s just say his performance was somewhat unusual. The 82-year-old confidently walks out on stage and introduces himself as a retired Navy pilot and aerospace engineer who used to conduct repairs for the Hubble telescope. Oh, and he’s a karaoke enthusiast. After a short interview with the judging panel, Hetlinger points off stage, cuing his music and gives the rock performance of a life time. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfR5O2PXzfc
We think his new nickname should be Hardcore Hetlinger! What a performance!! We aren’t the only ones in love with Hardcore Hetlinger’s rockin’ rendition of Drowning Pool’s Bodies. Billboard reported today that, Drowning Pool, themselves, have seen the performance and, they absolutely loved it!
Drowning Pool guitarist C.J. Pierce responded to Hetlinger’s performance by telling Billboard:
“I would love to have him come out onstage and sing a song with us. We invite a lot of people on the stage. That song has been great for us. It’s such a fun song to play. We had a guest onstage with us last week, Aidan Fisher; he is 13 years old and plays guitar. He was amazing, so we had him up to play ‘Bodies.’ So I would love to have John up there singing a song with us.”
How amazing would that be for Hetlinger? Hetlinger said, in his judges panel interview, that performing on America’s Got Talent was the highlight of his life. Can you imagine how awesome he would feel performing that song in front of thousands of screaming and cheering Drowning Pool fans? According to Pierce, they are going to make it happen and make it happen at a big show! Pierce continued:
“I didn’t realize our demographic is from 8-year-olds to 82-year-olds. That’s killer…. We are going to get him onstage and get that on video. I want to get him on a big show. The Open Air Festival in Chicago would probably be a good one for him to be on. We’ll work it out.”
Chicago’s Open Air Festival is right around the corner. The event will take place July 15th through the 17th. Will that be enough time for Hetlinger to prepare? Turns out, Pierce is determined to make sure that he is and that he is there for the festival:
“We are going to find him. We got friends in Colorado and Denver [who said], ‘We’ll go track him down, we’ll go pick him up.’ I told them to go pick him up like in that movie Old School where they pulled up in that black van blaring Metallica and they grabbed Blue. I think they should go pull up with Metallica blasting and go pick up John and bring him to the airport and we’ll go do a show. John’s our boy, Blue! When I see him, that is going to be his nickname now!”
Whether we call him Hardcore Hetlinger or our boy Blue, one thing is for sure. John Hetlinger has made quite the impression on the rock band and, we certainly have not seen the last of his rockin’ performances. Hetlinger and Drowning Pool have been chatting on Twitter and, we can only hope that this plan comes true!
I am ready! It would be incredible to be your guest at a concert! What a blast! Thanks!
— John Hetlinger (@JHetlinger) June 9, 2016
What did you think of John Hetlinger’s cover of Drowning Pool’s Bodies? Let us know in the comment section below!
Source: Billboard
A karaoke obsessed, craft beer enthusiast and lover of all things pop culture, Denise enjoys all facets of entertainment from Broadway to box office blockbusters. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, concerts (lots and lots of concerts), volunteering, reading and playing with her rescue kitten, Samantha (who rescued who, right?).
