Rapper Mickey Avalon has led quite the life. Born in 1975, Avalon grew up in a hellish environment. His father was a heroin addict; his mother sold marijuana to make a living. Avalon's early life was marked by tragedy. He adopted his mother's trade and sold pot to make money. He converted to Orthodox Judaism in his teenage years, but lost his father in a drunken car accident sometime later. By his early 20s, Avalon was both a husband and a father; however, he was also caught up in a vicious heroin addiction that would later cost him his marriage and custody of his child. To support his heroin addiction, he worked as a prostitute. Racking up debt, and nearing the bottom of the bottom, Avalon decided to attempt to kick his addiction and moved in with his sister, a fellow-recovering addict. However, tragedy struck once more when his sister relapsed and died in an overdose. Seeing this as a final sign, Mickey returned to L.A. in an attempt to find peace. While there, a friend, DJ Simon Rexx, encouraged him to pursue a career as a rapper. After recording some demos, Simon passed them out and Avalon suddenly found himself in demand. Around the L.A. club scene, He began to sell out shows, and was spurred on by the success of the singles "My Dick," "Jane Fonda" and "Mr. Right." Avalon released his debut self titled LP in 2006 to positive reviews, and quickly found himself in a place of success.

Yes, that's a long paragraph. It's also been a long, rough six years for Avalon.

Present day, Avalon has released his second album, Loaded, for which he embarked on a massive tour, followed almost immediately by a smaller one. Before his show Saturday, Dec. 1 at Tacoma's Jazzbones, I caught up with him to ask about his new album, the tour and his plans for the future.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: I'm curious, in my generation, there aren't a whole lot of rock stars. Typically, those who find success making music in the independent scene are just kids making pop music in their bedroom. You've led quite the life, how do you think that separates you from your contemporaries?

MICKEY AVALON: I mean I think there isn't too much difference. I got my start in making music as kind of a fluke. You know, you'd just start goofing around in a friend's house, and then I started playing shows and it just went from there. I never could save up to afford a clean and fancy studio so I can relate to what a lot of people do these days. I really think the only difference between me and others is the music I grew up on, and the stuff I like. You know, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, that kind of stuff.

VOLCANO: You're older now, but the majority of your music details your life when you were younger. How does it feel to be rapping about your younger self and your past life as an adult?

AVALON: It's weird. I didn't even think I would be alive at this point, which is a bit of a trip. I mean, I don't feel much older, and I don't think much older. I'm not really sure why, maybe it was the drugs that just kept me like this, who knows (laughs). Maybe the drug use just stopped me from progressing past the age of 13; I mean that's when I first started using them, which is good and bad I guess. I mean I always feel young, and I always feel a bit like a teenager. So it isn't really all that different. It is weird though. I won't lie about that.

VOLCANO: Primarily, your music can be defined as rap or hip-hop, but your influences branch out quite a bit. Particularly in the song "Rock Bottom" - which is a fantastic song by the way - there seems to be a strong glam rock influence akin to T Rex's Electric Warrior days. You've also listed Bob Dylan as a source of inspiration. What other bands, musicians or rappers inspire you in making your music?

AVALON: Honestly, I rap. I don't know how to sing but I'm still trying to write good songs. At the end of the day, say you're making a soup, and you just keep throwing a bunch of stuff into it. I listen to a lot of music, so essentially you're hearing just about everything I like and listen to in my music. I mean you've already listed a huge chunk of my influences, you know, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed. You mentioned T. Rex. Those kinds of guys.

VOLCANO: Do you have favorite albums?

AVALON: As for albums, let's see ... I like a lot of live stuff. Live at The Roxy, Nirvana's Unplugged ... Dylan has some really amazing records, along with Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop and The Stooges' Raw Power ... Black Sabbath. I guess I would say a good chunk of my favorites comes from the mid-60s to the 70s.

VOLCANO: Loaded, your sophomore LP, was released a few months back, and a solid six years after your debut. In those six years how do you think you've grown musically? And what portions of it are you most proud of?

AVALON: Well it was completed a year after the debut, but stuff happened with the label and it just kept getting pushed back. I don't really want to go into it; you probably don't want to hear about it. Nothing's worse than people whining about their record label. But I mean, you know, I don't really want to blame the record label for anything, but sooner or later you don't want the fans to be upset or to think you're lazy. So I just kept having problems and decided to leave, and you know, I think that was a pretty good idea. As for moments I like, I really like "Mickey's Girl," which is based on a Lou Reed song - not really sample wise, or anything, just stylistically. I really like that song. I really like "Rock Bottom" and "Making Love." If I had to pick anything from the album, it would probably be those.

VOLCANO: What was your primary idea for making Loaded? What did you want people to take away from it once they heard it?

AVALON: "Well, I wanted to be more of the same. I didn't think anything was broken, so I didn't fix it. I think people just want what I have to give. I mean, I can't really talk about anything I don't know, but I like rap, and I wanted to keep it that way. I'm thinking for a third record there might be some changes. Maybe a little more electronic, I mean not really dubstep or anything like that, but it would probably have more guitars than my previous two releases.

VOLCANO: Can you give us any hints at what a third record might sound like?

AVALON: Well, I'm just starting to get started, but it won't be released 5 years down the line or anything like that. I'm aiming to have it released toward the beginning of next year - sometime in January or February. I don't really know what sounds good, but I know what sounds bad, and I'm just going off of that. I'm working with Sisco Adler and Mike E. Clark. We're just getting started on the record, but if there was a sort of "Mickey Avalon" sound then Sisco would probably be closest to getting it. I've worked with him for a long time and he did a huge chunk of the production on Loaded - like half the songs. Maybe two thirds? I haven't with Mike much, and just started. But it should be interesting.

VOLCANO: How have you been enjoying the tour so far? Do you have any particular memories of it you would like to share? Do you have any favorite spots you're returning to, or would like to return to again?

AVALON: Well, I've pretty much already toured. I toured America and Australia so this is more of a mini tour. Favorite place, though, is pretty much Australia. It's such a different world you know. When you're touring America a lot of it looks the same. I mean the towns are all different of course, but you don't get to spend too much time there so you really can't appreciate it. But my fans are all really cool all over the place - which is amazing. I mean if you spend all day inside you can hardly know what the weather is like, and there isn't too much of a change aside from the accents, and you can only stay in town for so long.

VOLCANO: How many tattoos do you have, man?

AVALON: Fuck, I don't know ... 20? I got one in Tokyo that no one's seen unless you follow my Instagram and I got a newer one on my throat just last week. So, well, let's see (begins counting to himself). ... Yeah I'd say around 20 or so.

JAZZBONES, MICKEY AVALON, WITH PINKBEAD FEDERATION, THE CHICHARONES AND SKY PILOT, SATURDAY, DEC. 1, 6 P.M., $19.95, 2803 SIXTH AVE., TACOMA 253.396.9169