Amidst a raucous crowd, fists pumping the air to a chorus being chanted from the stage, 10-year-old Hud Mellencamp tugged on his dad's sleeve and screamed, "Dad, this is the best night of my life!" It sounds like a scenario ripped from your average "father-son first rock concert" playbook, except there was no band on the stage, and this was no concert. It was a left-wing political rally in New York City.
That was three years ago, but John Mellencamp remembers it well because it proved that he and his wife, Elaine, were raising their kids the right way. "We take the boys with us everywhere," says the 55-year-old musician and father of two, "and we're always trying to open their eyes to new experiences. I wasn't very close with my own father; I mostly tried to steer clear of him. But now that I have a wife and kids, family time is a priority. I want my boys to remember these good times we're sharing together."
In addition to political rallies in New York, the good times also include everything from hanging out a motorcycle rallies in Daytona Beach to jamming with the family at home in Indiana. There, Mellencamp's other son, Speck, 11, is so obsessed with playing the guitar that his practice sessions are the first thing the family hears in the morning and the last thing they hear at night. "He's pretty inspired right now," says the elder rocker, "but we're trying to let it be his own thing. When it's a profession that's indigenous to your family, you want to be careful not to push one way or the other."
Mellencamp's own latest musical venture, Freedom's Road, his 21st album in 31 years, showcases him doing what he does best: singing songs about the heartland that make you want to find a stretch of open road, crank the stereo, and roll down the windows. It became the highest-debuting album of his career when it came out last January at number five on the Billboard 200. More recently, he has made headlines for a controversial performance at Walter Reed Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., where he played an intimate hour-long set for wounded soldiers and their families. And though the album has an overtly political tone, he says that many of the songs, including "Forgiveness," contain personal lyrics inspired by his wife (and muse), Elaine.
The couple met while filming John's music video for "Get a Leg Up" in 1991, and this year they're celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary. "I'm lucky to have found someone so full of understanding and forgiveness," he says of Elaine, "and someone with such a high tolerance for bullshit." One thing both are passionate about is their collection of motorcycles and classic cars. In the summertime, he drives a '56 Nomad wagon and she drives a '57 Chevy wagon. And despite Mellencamp's hectic touring schedule, the couple claims to have only ever spent 20 nights apart from each other. "There's no big secret to maintaining our relationship," he says. "If you want your marriage to work, you need to make it a priority. Every night we put aside a few hours just to talk and laugh, and it's the most important time of the day."
One thing Elaine cuts John no slack on is his diet. After a mild heart attack more than 10 years ago, Mellencamp reevaluated his hard-and-fast lifestyle, especially his poor eating habits. "I knew that the cheeseburgers at McDonald's were unhealthy," says the former fast-food junkie, "but I thought at least the fish sandwiches had to be good for you!" Elaine took matters into her own hands and became the family cholesterol expert and then the family chef. "I'm the only one cooking now," she says, "so he doesn't have much of a choice. He doesn't have to like it, but it's the only thing he's getting."
"That's Elaine for you," laughs John.
