The Daily: How long have you been performing in Norman?

Hosty: A long, long time. Since 1990.

The Daily: How would you describe your musical style?

Hosty: Well, I am a storyteller. Most of the songs I write are really built around a story — strange tales, earthquakes and tornadoes. I overhear them sitting in bars. Those are the things that write songs — other people and listening to what’s going on around you.

The Daily: What are your favorite songs to perform?

Hosty: Any song that someone yells at for you to perform — that’s your favorite song. If I had to narrow it down, it would be a song where I play the slide guitar, like “Drive- thru,” “Nobody,” and “Oklahoma Breakdown.” If you write songs, you better really like them because once you play them, somebody is going to ask you to play it and you will have to play it over and over again.

The Daily: Which venues in Norman have you performed?

Hosty: The Deli, Liberty Drug, (which is now Pepe Delgados), The Red Dirt, The Jockey Strap, The Firehouse, The Red Room, (which use to be Café 66), Coach’s, all over town.

The Daily: Which is your favorite venue to perform?

Hosty: Oh, The Deli. It is set up as a live music venue — the stage, the seating and the sound. Most other venues are set up to where the music is just kind of an after thought. I guess consistently, I have played there every single Sunday since around 2003.

The Daily: When did Mike Hosty solo begin?

Hosty: The first time I did the solo deal was 1993 at Liberty Drug because the band quit while I was playing. They got in an argument, the bass player and the drummer, and the place was packed full of people. (It used to be the place to go because it was free beer night.) So, the owner said I better figure something out quick, so I just got behind the kick drum and the high hat, grabbed a guitar and got through the night. Everybody danced and from that point on I knew it would work.

The Daily: Which instruments can you play? When did you start playing them?

Hosty: I can play each instrument marginally and I thought that if I could combine them all — because I can’t play one specifically better than the other. But, really, the guitar, bass drums and the kazoo. I began playing in 1979 because I snapped my arm when I was 7. I wouldn’t use my hand, so for therapy I just started playing guitar. I love Willie Nelson so I got an acoustic guitar just like Willie — he was my hero.

The Daily: Where else do you play in Oklahoma?

Hosty: In Tulsa, Stillwater — we play up there on campus just like we do down here — Tahlequah, Muskogee, Kansas, Little Rock, Memphis, Colorado and Texas. Any of the Big 12 schools we go to are always fun because the atmosphere. People come out to party. A lot of other places you go they come out to just sit and stare at ya.

The Daily: What else do you do other than play music?

Hosty: I teach guitar lessons for 6- to 56-year-olds one day a week. I also teach at the ACM (The Academy of Contemporary Music) in Oklahoma City. ... But really, just playing music. They say “if you do what you’ll love you’ll never work a day in your life,” which is really not true at all because you will want to work because the work is what makes it satisfying.

The Daily: How big of an audience do you typically play for?

Hosty: It’s probably about 300 and under, nothing bigger than that. I did open for Fiona Apple though, it was pretty big, and it was pretty funny to say “Hello, Lloyd Noble!” and then the next night be at The Deli and go “It’s great to be back, ya know, played the Lloyd Noble last night” and everyone’s like “No you didn’t!”

The Daily: When did you know you wanted to make a career of music?

Hosty: Well after I graduated from OU as a journalism major and anthropology minor, I applied for a job — you think getting a job is hard now, it was harder then — all of the people who still have jobs now were entrenched and there were no openings in anything. So, while everyone was playing grunge, I began playing blues, like an obscure old-time blues, not like Stevie Ray Vaughn blues. I just kind of fell into it really. After that I just never really gave it a second thought.

The Daily: Who are some other local artists you admire?

Hosty: I don’t think you have enough room to list them all. Probably some of the ones I gave lessons to as kids and now see them out there playing. Also, Mickey Reece, Damn Quails, The Other Lives, Taddy Porter, Ali Harter, Samantha Crain and there are so many talented people at the ACM.

The Daily: You tell jokes in between your songs, tell us more about that.

Hosty: I’ve always loved comedy and in playing blues and stuff like I play, it’s in the tradition of the music. You’re not just there to have people listen to your song; you’re there to entertain them. It’s really a lost art to be able to capture an audience for three hours, by yourself, talking and telling jokes — it’s a real challenge. I try to pattern it kind of like a talk show — with no guests.