ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons called into Rolling Stone for a “Last Word” interview in late October. An excerpt from the chat follows:

Rolling Stone: Gene Simmons says rock is dead. Do you think it is?

Billy Gibbons: “Maybe in his head. In my head it's still quite a robust way to express yourself. You can really let go of the stress, which is really healthy.”

RS: Do you like hip-hop?

B.G.: “I quite like it. That's a great thing about growing up and hanging out in Houston. The hip-hop and rock scene was something that we really enjoyed. We would run into the hip-hop guys at Digital Services Recording. They wanted to know how to play the guitar, and all us rock guys wanted to know how to create those crazy backbeats. It was a nice exchange.”

RS: Have you ever been tempted to shave your beard?

B.G.: “Years ago, we were approached with a rather sizable sum to take a razor to the chin whiskers. We thought about it for a second. But we're not sure what's exactly under here, so we perhaps wisely passed. What was once a very peculiar physical appearance seems to have become a trend, which makes it a little more easy to walk down the street. In the past, we were taken for either an escapee from a Western movie or some kind of religious nut.”

RS: You drink beer through a straw to avoid getting suds in your beard. What else does the beard force you to do?

B.G: “The one constant question is, "Is the beard under the covers or over the covers?" I guess that depends on the weather. If you take to sporting famous chin whiskers, keep in mind it goes where you go. It's always important to keep your eye on the grooming shelf, make sure you bring along plenty of conditioner.”

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