Courtney Francesca: Watching the Punks and the Freaks

Welcome to the first edition of Fan Mail, a monthly feature where I interview a fellow Drive-By Truckers fan. First up, I'm psyched to share my conversation with Courtney Francesca, who does the lord's work every day as the administrator of the Drive-By Truckers group on Facebook.

Courtney, who lives in south Georgia, warned me before our chat that she talked "fast and a lot." I had a feeling we would get along, and we did. When I confessed that I've never been to Homecoming but want to go next year, she threatened: "If you don't go to Homecoming, I'll come and find you." Fair deal, honestly. Now I just have to get my hands on some tickets.

Keep reading to find out how she became an accidental Facebook admin, the book that "ruined her life" (but she does recommend), and her theory about the four types of Patterson songs.

I saw on Facebook that you describe yourself as a displaced Yankee in the Deep South. Tell me about where you're from and how you got here.

I say that I'm from New England, because I was born in Vermont but I did most of my raising up in western Massachusetts. I am a one-night stand baby. My mother lived in Vermont for a while, then she had me. My father's family lives in Vermont, and my mom's family all lives in Massachusetts.

"This is my 25th year living in the South. I've never quite acclimated, but I do feel like I am a southerner in certain ways."

My mom met a wonderful man on the internet, back before that was really a thing, in like '98. A couple years later, they were married, and we moved down here in 2000, and I've been here ever since. This is my 25th year living in the South. I've never quite acclimated, but I do feel like I am a southerner in certain ways. I do really love it here.

How and when did you discover Drive-By Truckers?

I’m a baby as far as fans go. In 2011, I started dating this man, who I’m now married to, and he has been a Drive-By Truckers fan forever. He made me a mix CD, because that’s the kind of boy he is, and on that mix CD were a few Drive-By Truckers songs. He made sure to include a Patterson, a Cooley, and an Isbell song. 

Then, a couple years later, I won tickets to see the Truckers at the Tabernacle. We were broke as shit: I was a college student and a single mom, so we were not going to shows. But I won these tickets, and it was so exciting, because I love the Tabernacle. 

"And then they played 'Gravity’s Gone.' It was life-changing."

We went, and it was a transformative experience. I was just a casual fan, and I was excited to hear “Gravity’s Gone.” This was during the English Oceans tour. Some random women were like, “oh it’s your first show!” They pulled me to the front. And then they played “Gravity’s Gone.”

It was life-changing. Everybody was so nice, immediately. My friend Becca, who I went to school with and who was also a fan, invited me to the Drive-By Truckers Facebook group, and here I am.

That is one of the best fan origin stories I’ve ever heard. How long have you been the moderator?

I’ve been the moderator for nine years. I don’t know if you remember, but it was a lawless, terrifying place. It was a little raunchy and a little wild. Then they released American Band. People were arguing, like “oh, they’re so political now,” and it was awful. My background is in social media management. So I just made this idle comment, like “Whoa, it’s pretty fucking crazy in here. If you need someone to help you corral this thing, let me know.” I go to bed, I wake up, I’m a moderator. It was an accident. 

"It was a lawless, terrifying place."

I had to really drop a hammer, and it works. I’ve been accused of trying to be hot shit; I’m not. I’ve been accused of being drunk with power; I’m not. I’m just chronically online and I run a Facebook group.

Has it gotten easier to manage since you took over?

Yes, for sure. I’m really good at breaking men, which I think helps. And I have made so many friends, we have such a wonderful community, and the community has my back. They’ll screenshot stuff and send it to me. Patterson himself is in there, being like “what the fuck is wrong with you?”

It did take some time to get there, and there were some growing pains for sure. I’ve had to reiterate the group rules a few times, but I haven’t had to do that in a long time. It’s definitely getting better as we have weeded people out. Like when they did the performance at Homecoming in drag, that helped me weed a lot of people out.

“I say I would be dead if not for this community, because they continually brought buckets of mercy to my door.”

I just have a lower and lower tolerance for bullshit. I used to give a lot of warnings, but not anymore. You can’t have a safe space for everyone. I want to create a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people, for neurodivergent people, for people of any marginalized group. It is not a safe space for any type of bigotry and hatred.

So what were the songs on your husband’s mix CD that got you into the band?

“Outfit” — Of course. I know it’s a basic answer, but I’m a huge Isbell fan. I think he is one of the most incredible songwriters ever.

“Gravity’s Gone” — I’m full of depression all the time, and that song really did it for me.

And “Bulldozers and Dirt” — that’s a song he really liked. There were a few others I can’t remember. But those would probably be the ones that got me into the band.

How many shows have you attended?

I have been to a lot now. I’m not good at counting shows. In 2021, everyone in our little crew tried to sit there and calculate, and I got to 50-something and gave up. I’ve been to every Homecoming for the last 10 or 11 years, so that’s like 40 shows. And if they’re coming here, I’m going. I also will go to Birmingham. If it’s within 6 hours, I’m there.

Any song you’ve never heard performed and still hope you do?

“Daddy’s Cup.” I know I haven’t ever heard that one live. My all-time favorite Isbell Drive-By Truckers song is “Daylight,” and I don’t think I’m ever going to hear it because he doesn't play it.

What DBT song do you think you’ve listened to more than any other and why?

My 100% all-time favorite song is “Mercy Buckets.” I went through a really bad depression after my dad died. I was in a horrible place. I was definitely ready to throw in the towel. It was the pandemic, we were isolated, and my dad’s dead. I also had PTSD from it, because it was a violent exit. I would just lay on the floor and listen to that song.

I say I would be dead if not for this community, because they continually brought buckets of mercy to my door. They made sure every day that I was still here and that I knew I was valuable. So that is my anthem.

I love the line in that song that’s like “if you just need a friend to talk to / or maybe not talk at all.” I feel a lot of times when people are experiencing grief, they don’t want to talk about it. You just have to be there.

I didn’t want to talk, because I didn’t want to be here. But people who I wasn’t that close with — from the corners of the group, people I wouldn't have expected — they sent me books and gifts. They called and texted. They shared with me their stories of grief and their coping mechanisms. It was a good 18 months of me dragging myself through life, and I truly could not have done it without this group and these people in this community.

What underappreciated DBT song do you like?

This is kind of fucked, but “The Deeper In.”

That’s so funny, because that’s mine too. [Read my essay all about "The Deeper In."]

I love that song. It’s beautiful. That’s the thing I like about Patterson. Everyone says he’s such a great storyteller, and he is an incredible storyteller. I’ll listen to him tell the same stories 9,000 times, and it’s like the first time I’m ever hearing it. But he tells these Gothic, dark underbelly-type stories in such a beautiful way. Every song of Patterson’s is a little fucked up.

"He tells these Gothic, dark underbelly-type stories in such a beautiful way. Every song of Patterson’s is a little fucked up."

I always say he has four types of songs: 

1. Wow, OK. WTF was that?
2. Personal history narrative
3. Actual historical narrative
4. Party song 

Or a combination of them.

What’s the most embarrassing DBT superfan thing about you? I assume it is that you are the moderator of the Facebook group. 

It is. Yes, I’m a DBT superfan, but I’m not even the biggest superfan. I always joke about my crew of nerds. Someone will ask me a question and I’ll say, “I do not know, but I can post this in the group and have 35 answers within minutes.” Also, I’m past the point of finding anything to do with something I love being embarrassing.

What’s your favorite piece of DBT merch or memorabilia that you own?

I have a lot of cool stuff. One, I’m looking at right now, is a Patterson Hood poster from a recent solo tour. He just gave that to me. He said, “you’re a part of the family. Do you want a poster?” and I’m like, “I’m going to throw up on your poster stack, but OK.” That is a prized possession for me. 

But this is really my number one most prized possession. A while ago, Wes Freed did a Halloweeny poster. I saw him post it, and I commented, “this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” It showed up at my doorstep about a week later, along with some stickers and postcards. I wasn’t that close with Wes at the time, and that’s kind of what started our friendship. I don’t even have it hung up because I can’t yet. But it was just such a Wes thing to do. It made me feel so special and valued.

And after that, you did form a friendship with Wes?

I did. Wes would always ask me if he could post stuff in the group, and I would say every time, “you do not have to ask me.” He’s the only person who has ever had prior post approval and can post without me having to review it. Even though he knew that, he still always messaged me, and he was very encouraging. I’m very open about my mental health struggles, and anytime I’d post about something like that, I’d get a comment or a message lifting me up in some way. But I’m not special; he was like that with everyone.

What’s your Lynyrd Skynyrd – aka a band you wish you’d seen live but didn’t?

Listen, this happened to me twice in one year. I was still a broke college kid, and Soundgarden was doing a show at the Tabernacle, and I had tickets but it just wasn’t a good time, like I had finals or something. I was living in Columbus, which is only an hour and a half from Atlanta, and I was like “they come back all the time. I’ll get the next show.” And then — he fucking died. 

I love anything Chris Cornell has ever opened his mouth on. I’m very much a '90s girl. I was a little grungy middle schooler. I think there’s a punk/grunge-to-Americana pipeline, and I followed that trajectory. But man, did that one fucking sting. 

And that also happened to me with Tom Petty. He had another group that was playing at the Tabernacle, and we just couldn’t make it. Maybe it was on a Wednesday or something. But then he died. He died a couple of years later, but they never came back. 

I guess the lesson here is always go to the Tabernacle if you have tickets?

The lesson — and we always say it in the group — is “always go to the show.” 

Are there any recent movies, books, or records you’ve consumed that you want to recommend to other DBT fans?

All of the literature and music that I like I’ve discovered from someone cooler than me, whether in the group or Patterson himself. He really does recommend or endorse things that I love, and that’s not always the case with musicians. Musicians often like music that’s made for musicians, and that’s not my thing. Hurray for the Riff Raff, Wednesday, MJ Lenderman, Vision Video, Lydia Loveless — the whole fandom loves her, I know, but my god is she underrated and incredible. 

Patterson got me into Willy Vlautin as an author. I reluctantly recommend anything he has written. He writes the most fucked-up shit. Not Bukowski fucked up. It’s like modern Gothic, a snapshot of the mundanity of life. Just existential malaise. You read it and you’re like, what’s the point of anything really?  I recommend Lean on Pete (Patterson’s favorite) and also The Motel Life. That book ruined my life, but I do recommend it.

Do you have a favorite dive bar?

I don’t have a favorite dive bar, but I’ve had favorite experiences in dive bars. I’m an adventurer. I’m gonna go, “Hey let’s go to this place. It looks terrifying? Absolutely, I’m going.” Athens has a lot of great bars that I probably would consider dive bars that maybe other people wouldn’t consider dive bars, but I’ve never been to a bar I didn’t like in Athens. 

Are there any questions I haven’t asked you that you think I should?

This band has changed my life. That’s it. I think our community is an incredibly special place. There’s no community like ours, whatsoever. It is definitely a family. I don’t know how I got here, but I’m just happy to be here.