WEBVTT - Remembering Joe Diffie: BobbyCast #217 with Joe Diffie on having dinner with George Jones, being in a Super Bowl Commercial and seeing an aura Around Garth Brooks 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.480 So Joe Diffy passed away literally saw it just now, 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:05.360 so I thought I would get on and say a 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:07.680 few things and also put back the episode we did 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:10.080 with him just a few months ago. I was lucky 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.480 enough to have become buds with Joe over the last 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:16.360 few years, especially the last couple of years. He first 0:00:16.400 --> 0:00:19.400 came on the radio show, which to me was a 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:21.880 big deal because it's always awesome getting to hang out 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:24.479 with the people that you liked when you were a kid, 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:27.440 and that was definitely the case with Joe Diffy. I 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:30.680 just got a text from a country singer just now said, dude, 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:33.720 Joe Diffy, so sad. I'm really glad he was on 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:37.239 your podcast. It was the only long form interview that 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:40.400 I heard from him. So we're gonna play it back 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:41.639 if you didn't get to hear it. And we also 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:44.680 did this around Christmas time, I think last year, right, Yeah, 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.800 so it we weren't really able to promote as much 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:50.560 as we would like. I would have liked to as well, 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.199 So I hope you like it. Just a couple of 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:55.000 things before we get into it. Joe Diffy died at 0:00:55.000 --> 0:00:58.560 sixty one, and this is a few days after his 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:03.800 positive coronavirus. His tests came out, just made a bunch 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:06.119 of hits throughout the nineties. By the way, I don't 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:07.280 know what day you're listening to this, but he did 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:14.679 die Sunday due to complications related to COVID nineteen. Um. 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:19.440 You know, there's a lot of quotes here. I'll go 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:24.880 because with these funerals or with people dying during coronavirus time, 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:27.560 what really sucks is you can't get a bunch of 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:36.120 people together to appreciate and pay respects. So that that stinks, 0:01:37.360 --> 0:01:40.080 because you know, you want to show that you love people, 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:43.840 you want to be there for them. Joe Diffy was 0:01:43.880 --> 0:01:47.559 a grand old oprety member. It was a Grammy winner. 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:50.800 We're gonna go through some of his catalogs in a second, 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:55.600 But to me, he was just a a good old 0:01:55.680 --> 0:01:59.280 normal dude who whenever he put out his new record 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:01.360 he saved me is very first final and he wrote 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:05.240 on a one of five hundred, so our condolences out 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.680 to the whole family there. You know, when Joe came 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:09.359 over and did the Bobby cast, I think he brought 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:12.240 his whole family with him. Were like they were in here, yeah, 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:15.359 like an audience and his daughter was a huge fan 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:18.239 of the show. You know, I was able to play 0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:20.040 the opery with Joe a couple of times. It just 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:23.519 it sucks. It does it really sucks. There's really nothing 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:28.800 more to the point except it sucks. Um. My favorite 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.799 song from Joe Diffy was problem Me Upside of the the 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:37.680 jew Box. I know. I got to sing it with 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.079 them on the radio show because I was like, Joe, 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:41.840 I love it, but let me sing it with you, 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:45.880 and he was like, all right, so this is my 0:02:45.880 --> 0:02:47.680 favorite on the video we talked about it coming up. 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:54.560 John der Green, Hey, everybody knows this one. On that 0:02:54.720 --> 0:03:02.919 hot summer night. It cut man all my lives and 0:03:03.040 --> 0:03:05.600 trapped me jams and just set off and win and 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:09.040 lack about a pick up man. Third Rock from the Sun, 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.440 which is one of those weird songs that I learned 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:12.920 every word too as a kid because there are so 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:14.920 many words and I was so proud of myself that 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:17.160 I could sing all of it. When do I come 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:18.440 on the radio, I play a cool but like, oh 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:19.959 I like this song, but I know every word and 0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:21.880 I want to look at them too. I'll just be 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.000 singing it and hopefully they'd appreciate. I knew every word 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:29.400 of the song. And then ships that don't come in. 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:36.000 Here's to all the souls who have ever died in bed, 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:46.720 insane loughter looms, all this down, all man, those to 0:03:46.920 --> 0:03:52.280 stand around him, these shoes and it's bead against the wind, 0:03:54.000 --> 0:04:03.440 and those who wait forever. Ships don't recipes. Joe. I 0:04:03.560 --> 0:04:06.080 love you as a kid, love jagain as an adult, 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.080 probably loved you all that time in the middle two. 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:17.039 That sucks. It sucks, It sucks. Um. Here is the 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:20.080 Bobby cast I did with Joe Diffy that I was 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:23.359 so excited for that. I did it on vacation during Christmas, 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:26.040 and I was like, holy crap, I hope you enjoy it, 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:31.200 share it with your friends, and here you go. I 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:35.960 welcome to episode to seventeen with a guy I really 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:37.560 like and we've been a big fan of for yours 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:39.039 Joe Diffy. Good to hear you, good to see you, 0:04:39.160 --> 0:04:43.359 Thank you, thank you. You know. I was looking up. 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:45.800 I know most of the stuff about you, like I've 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:48.039 been a fan before we've been able to be friends. 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:50.920 I was just a massive fan of you growing up, 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:53.640 and so as I kind of went on the deep 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:55.599 dive because I always like to find out. You know, 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:57.039 what do I not know about the people that are 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.360 coming over to the house listen to this. I don't 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:00.960 know if you eve knew? Oh Lord, here we go. 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:07.080 On this day, December six, you had the number one 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:10.160 song on the Billboard Country chart with Pickup Man. It 0:05:10.200 --> 0:05:13.160 was your longest lasting number one. I haven't spent four 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:16.360 weeks in number one from December four to January. Did 0:05:16.400 --> 0:05:18.920 you know that was today? No? I didn't know today. 0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:21.159 I knew the rest of that, but I didn't realize 0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:23.200 the date of it. That's pretty cool on this day 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:28.400 and four number one? Yeah. Yeah. So for example, Luke 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:32.160 Combs just spent three weeks at number one. Um, and 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:35.080 that's a for a song, the last three weeks number one, 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.200 especially today, it's a really big deal when you have 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.840 a song that numbone for four weeks in what's really 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:43.360 the the vibe of that? Well, I mean it was 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:45.839 unusual because back then, you know, they put out a 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:48.800 lot more songs. The frequency you have, you know, you 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:51.480 put out four, four or five songs a year, and 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:53.640 now you might have one song that stays on the 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:57.279 charts lingering there at some point for almost a year. 0:05:57.360 --> 0:05:59.680 You know, so so that was kind of the weird 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.080 part we had. We had to wait to see what 0:06:02.400 --> 0:06:04.200 how long it was gonna stay number one before we 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:06.760 could put out another record. So did you feel like 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:08.320 that song was going to be a number one song? 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.000 I knew it from the instant I heard it. I 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.880 really did. Yeah. I don't know why, I just something 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:16.240 about it. I just you know, have you been able 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:18.560 to name and nail boasted most of your big songs 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.320 when the first time you heard them? Yeah? Pretty much. Uh, 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:24.839 there was a couple that it didn't like John dear 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:29.919 Green I hated when I first heard it. Yeah, why 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:34.240 well because the demo and now this is it's a 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:37.720 long sago, but but when I first heard it, Uh, 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:41.560 it was done by the writer named Dennis Lyndy, and 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:44.159 he had a very eclectic sound in voice, and he 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:46.480 did all his own demos at his house. So it 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:49.760 had like a Jews harp playing like aren't Arnie? And 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.840 I was like, what the heck is that? You know? 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.279 And then my producer so we just he said, ignored 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:57.440 the demo part. I have to add right now that 0:06:57.440 --> 0:07:02.200 that I subsequently, uh loved all of Dennis Lindy's demos 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:04.680 they were so cool. After you got after you kind 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:06.640 of figured out what was what was happening, you know, 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:09.000 any of My producer said listen to the words and 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:11.240 uh and uh. I was like, man, I just don't 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:13.920 like it at all. He goes, well, he said, he said, 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:15.400 I think this is a hit, And I said, well, 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:17.280 we can try it, you know, we'll go on the 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:19.240 studio and cut and if it doesn't work out, then 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:21.400 we scrap it, you know. So luckily it worked out. 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:23.560 So you go in and at what point is it 0:07:23.680 --> 0:07:25.960 during the session? Is it during the track? When do 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:28.000 you go, oh, there might be something here with John 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:30.880 der Gran when we tracked it, you know, because obviously 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:32.920 it was a lot different than the demo, you know, 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:35.680 so yeah, we once once we started tracking, I was like, 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:38.280 that's that is a pretty good song right there. What 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:40.880 song of yours when you play it gets the biggest response? 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:43.680 And you know what's funny about that? It was not 0:07:43.760 --> 0:07:47.280 a number one song? Isn't that weird? And it's you know, 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:48.800 I talked with a lot of young artists now and 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:50.240 they're like, I just want that number one. Like I 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:53.640 get it, you do. But and and in Keith were 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:55.560 gonna have talked about this where his a lot of 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:58.960 his biggest songs weren't number one, and then we werena 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:01.840 you know was back in those days. I mean there 0:08:01.880 --> 0:08:04.280 were severally over like four or five different charts, so 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:06.200 I think it did go number one and one of 0:08:06.240 --> 0:08:09.920 them I don't know which one, but but yeah, that's 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:12.520 always that is a strange phenomena some of your some 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:16.280 songs that do go number one don't sell as as well, etcetery. 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:18.520 You know. So for me, when I think about your music, 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:22.320 like my favorite song has propped me out, and that 0:08:22.480 --> 0:08:24.360 was not a number one song on the on the 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.680 radio chart. I mean when I think, Joe Diffy, this 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:29.960 is the song from me. I know every word. Remember 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:32.920 when it came out, I bought the CD and I 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:34.920 memorized every word so I could sing all of I 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:36.760 did that and third rock because the third rock is 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:39.199 a little harder because the words are a lot faster. 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.280 But this, this is the song for me that if 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:44.079 someone's like, what your favorite? A matter of fact, when 0:08:44.120 --> 0:08:46.160 you came in, I was like, Joe, you gotta play 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:49.280 problem me up? And you did and and again is 0:08:49.280 --> 0:08:51.959 it peaked a number three on the radio chart. It's weird. 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:54.880 There's a big record from you. The video though for 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:58.079 this song is what I really remember from this song 0:08:58.120 --> 0:08:59.520 as well, because back in the day we used to 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:02.280 really watch mt from music video right a lot. Yeah, 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:04.480 all you know what I remember about the video mostly 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.720 filming the video. It was so hot, man, it was, 0:09:07.960 --> 0:09:10.800 And they had this these buckets of like sea bree 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:12.880 remember sea breeze. It was kind of like a facial 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:15.240 cleanser or some kind of deal, and it was like 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.240 but it had like an aromatic kind of effect and 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:20.720 they were dabbing all of us with it stuff. You know. 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:23.120 That's just remember was so hot and and plus the 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:26.760 dead guy. Yeah, it was so funny, man. I mean 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:29.440 that that that to me is those two songs. And 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:31.520 again as I started deep diving, and I was like, man, 0:09:31.600 --> 0:09:34.600 my favorite two songs number five and a number three. 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:37.360 And you say that John der Green gets the biggest. 0:09:37.400 --> 0:09:39.000 When you do your set list, what do you start with? 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:40.760 What's the first song? A third rock from the sun? 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.680 You come out of high energy, huh, Which this wasn't 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.160 number one song for you. Yeah. I just would have 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:48.559 a problem going out and doing the fast up quick 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:49.880 because if you had a breath for the next three 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:54.280 songs that has happened. Yes, like especially I said right 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:56.080 where it happened to me a lot as if I'm 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:58.840 you know, on the oprey for some reason makes you nervous. 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:01.959 And if you ever get backwards during your breathing in 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:04.560 that song, you were screwed. I mean, it's it's over, 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:06.840 you know. Tell me about this song Third Rock. So 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:10.880 you heard it, were you like? What's this about? Like? What? Um? 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:13.720 I always thought it was like a little mini movie, 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:16.760 you know, which I heard a lot of songwriters say, 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:18.280 you try to dude, right, I try to write it 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:21.839 a little three minute movie, you know. But honestly, this 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:23.600 was one that I mean, even though I liked it. 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:27.000 They there was the same publisher had played two different 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:30.360 songs for us, and uh, and I like the other 0:10:30.400 --> 0:10:35.320 one better actually and so uh you know. So anyway 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:37.280 I ended up getting both of them. Had to do 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:40.360 to the wheel and dealing some some guy apparently that 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:42.240 I don't know. I can't verify this, but I was 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:46.520 told this. Garth Brooks wanted Third Rock as well. So 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:49.400 and how did you get Third Rocket? What was the wheel? 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:52.480 We cut both? We would do both of their songs. 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:54.200 Do you know what the other song was. It was 0:10:54.280 --> 0:10:58.959 called uh something. But if you're having to think, I 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:01.240 guess that really was never seen. There was never a single. Yeah, 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:03.599 did you put it on the record. Yeah, it's that. 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:05.920 I'm gonna run through your number one's real quick. Let's 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:13.000 do home. Yeah, your first the debut singers is that right? 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:15.760 First song out and you go number one for six, 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:19.760 number one, six in a row. So do you think 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:21.800 after let's say two or three, do you have a 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:25.440 figured out? Um? You know what I felt like? Such 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:27.439 I was. I felt a little bit like a rube. 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.040 I was so naive about the whole process. I mean 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:32.000 even though I kind of knew. I kind of knew 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:34.680 about stuff, but man, when you know when you get it, 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.200 when you when you start off like from what I did. 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:39.000 I mean, I was on the road three hundred days 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:41.480 a year, and so I didn't really have time to 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.559 think about stuff. I was busy, you know, traveling and 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:47.439 doing shows and me doing meet and greets and all 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:51.080 that stuff. You know, So what brought you to Nashville? 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:53.920 Meaning I know the music, I know that the thought 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:57.720 of country music. But there's always something where something you 0:11:57.720 --> 0:12:00.240 get that push or you can kind of the itch. Well, 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:02.640 I got laid off from my job I had. I 0:12:02.880 --> 0:12:06.280 was working on a foundry back in Duncan, Oklahoma, and 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.080 they shut the plant down, laid us all off, and 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:11.839 you know, and I've been singing a little VFWS and 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:17.959 twenty moved. I moved to Nasville when I was also 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:20.880 a little bit older. Yeah, compared to like the nineteen 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:22.960 two years are moving here now exactly? So you get 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.160 laid off, ye, And I said. And I had been 0:12:25.200 --> 0:12:28.000 to Nashville once before with my aunt and a friend 0:12:28.040 --> 0:12:30.400 of mine. We had we we did this little thing 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:32.559 as a trio, and we came in and my aunt 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:37.160 had known somebody here in Nashville, and so anyway, we 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:39.400 met with him and I spent in love with the 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:42.120 city then. But I didn't have the opportunity because I 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:43.880 still had a job at the time, you know. But 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:45.960 when I got laid off, I was like, well, you 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:47.560 know what, I think, I'm just gonna try it. So 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:49.400 I just loaded up everything I could get in this 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:52.240 whole beat up car I had, and off I went. 0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:55.920 So at home, you know, you're you're playing around bar? 0:12:55.960 --> 0:12:58.200 Are you playing on bars at home at all? Not 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.800 a lot honestly, my background was more of a I 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:03.920 sang in a gospel group then I then I went 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:07.280 from that to a bluegrass group. I played bluegrass for 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.600 six years with this group called the Special Edition. Were 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:12.760 you known as the guy that was doing music while 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.520 working at the plant by your workers? Yeah? Are your 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:17.920 co workers? Yeah? They always asked me to sing, you know, 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:20.480 would you ever sing at work? I don't remember gather 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:22.600 them around and be like all right, boys, yeah, I 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:24.960 mean I just they sing that song, you know whatever. 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:26.719 Isn't it funny how the things at the time that 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.320 seemed this happened over my career in my life too. 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:32.319 We're really I put finger quotes up. Unfortunate things that 0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:35.160 happened to us turn out to really be blessing, dude, blessing, 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:37.800 the biggest blessing ever. Yeah, because if I hadn't got 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:40.360 laid off, I probably would have never left there. You know. 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:42.080 So when you get laid off, do you remember how 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:43.920 that happened? Did you did your your boss your form 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:46.280 and come in and go all right, you're done. No, 0:13:46.440 --> 0:13:48.560 it was just more of a I got a phone call, 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:51.720 I think, and they said, yeah, play shut down, don't 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.640 go out there and then immediately do you go all 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:56.240 right time to go to Nashville? Like, was it kind 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:59.400 of in the chamber already? No, it took a took 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:02.720 a couple of once, you know, drawing unemployment, and I thought, well, 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:06.040 you know, I might as well think of something. I 0:14:06.040 --> 0:14:08.320 had a good friend of mine. We used to discuss 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:10.880 thing he wanted. He moved to Dallas and became an 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:13.120 accountant and you know, and I said, I want to 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:15.480 He said, yet, you know, you gotta try music. You're 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.240 really good at it and all that stuff. So and 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:20.680 when you got to town, did you feel like you 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.960 were good enough to get in the mix immediately? Um? 0:14:24.080 --> 0:14:27.080 I just felt really lost, honestly when I first got 0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.560 to town, because I just gotten divorced and I missed 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:31.120 my kids and you know, and I was just in 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:33.040 this new place and I didn't have a place to live, 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:35.240 and you know, and all this kind of stuff. Would 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:37.440 you do what you I finally moved in with a 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:40.240 with a musician, a guy named David Greer, and we 0:14:40.240 --> 0:14:44.400 we rented at a house with no heater and for 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:46.640 about a year. And what are you doing when you 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:49.520 first moved to Nashville? Meaning are you out trying to 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:53.680 meet people play right around, like what what what happened 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:55.520 with the new artists? Me? I was trying. I needed 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:57.440 some incouncil. I got a job. I knew a guy 0:14:57.480 --> 0:14:59.720 that worked at Gifts and Guitars, and so they hired 0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:04.360 me I there to work in the warehouse shipping guitars everywhere. 0:15:04.400 --> 0:15:08.040 So and then after that I would just do whatever 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:11.440 I could. I'd go to two showcases and you know, 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:14.240 just go hang out, just just to get my get 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:16.680 out there and meet people. You know, it's so interesting 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:19.120 to hear about because, like I know, you was the 0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:21.240 county music legend. But I love hearing like the origin 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:23.480 story of the hustle because I think so many people 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:26.200 don't know that there's a hustle for everyone. Man, I 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.440 tell you what there was. There was days seriously, Uh 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:31.720 you know we didn't have anything in the house to eat. 0:15:31.720 --> 0:15:34.400 I mean nothing. One time I had I think I had, 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.840 like I don't know, seventy five cents on me and 0:15:36.880 --> 0:15:40.440 I went by this funniest thing ever. I didn't know 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.520 they didn't have white castles in the duncan. So I 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:47.120 saw instead of Hamburger cents, I thought, oh yeah, I've 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:49.680 got I can you know, so I stop. Yeah, so 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:51.760 I know, I said, the guys canna help you? I said, 0:15:51.920 --> 0:15:54.960 I like a Hamburger police. He goes, uh, just one. 0:15:55.480 --> 0:15:58.520 I said, yeah, I didn't know they were, you know tiny. 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:01.120 Let's talk about this new prob jack. So it's the 0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:05.600 first ever vinyl, right, and so it's called Joe Joe 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:09.120 Joe Diffy, Right, so tell me about this. It's just 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:13.040 a compilation of of of some number one songs we 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:16.200 had and uh, and we included a new song on it. 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:18.880 I just always kind of wanted a vinyl and it 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.360 seems to be kind of coming back in fashion right now. 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.040 So where can people get it? Joe Diffy dot com 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:29.200 slash vinyl And each album is individually autographed and number 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:32.080 you sign them all? Did you have the family sign 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:35.840 them all? No? I signed every stinking one. They're all different. Thing. Yeah, 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.240 I was. I was trying to be meticulous about it, 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:41.280 because you know, you signed five or anything. After a while, 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:43.520 you're like, man, I just don't care, you know. I 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:45.120 know at first, because I was like when I do 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:47.320 my books, the first book I wrote, I was a 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:50.240 little more like I'm gonna make everything so pride after 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:52.520 and you're like, you know what, I think they're gonna 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:54.800 even like to you start convincing yourself to Sloppy's cooler. 0:16:56.440 --> 0:17:00.360 My arts decide. Even at one point earlier, earlier in 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:02.440 my career, because I was signing so many things, I 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:04.760 was trying to come up with a faster way to 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:07.000 sign my name, just like make a line and two 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:09.320 dots or something, you know, but I just never do. 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.359 Look right, you're living here, you you're in the same roommate. 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:14.720 Are you still together while you're working out the guitar place? Uh? 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:17.840 For a little while. Then I moved out. And that's 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:19.840 kind of how I got my first break actually in 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:23.960 the music business. Was I moved out with from with him, 0:17:24.160 --> 0:17:26.920 and I moved in with his brother and sister who 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:31.480 I worked with, the brother at Gibson and uh as 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:35.720 it happened, uh super you know, talented songwriter, a guy 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.399 who lived next door, and as as Johnny Neil and 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:42.600 uh and so Johnny you know he can't see he's blind. 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:45.760 So my friends John that I moved in with, this 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:49.720 is not getting too complicated. Any time John would would 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.639 you take him to various things too? Whatever you need 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:55.720 to do sessions or whatever. And then one day John 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:59.400 was working in so Johnny asked, He said, A, man, 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:01.879 I think somebody he called the house, you know, and 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:04.040 I answered the phone. He said, man, I need John 0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:05.520 to come get me. A said, well, he's not here, 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:08.240 and he's like, well, wow, man, I don't know what 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:10.480 to do, and I said, I'll come get you. Really, 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:12.879 so I didn't really know him, you know. So anyway, 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:14.960 if we hit it off and we started writing songs together, 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.080 that's how I got my first publishing deals through him. 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.080 Was that a big deal to you to get paid 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:22.359 to write song? Oh? Lord, yes, absolutely. They paid me 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:25.000 a hundred dollars a week to write songs, and then 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:27.800 they paid for you know, the demos. The cost of 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:31.200 the demos. So, and that's how I got kind of discovered. 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:33.840 You know, I guess, quote unquote are you singing the demo? 0:18:33.880 --> 0:18:36.080 I was singing the demos. So then you know, the 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:39.440 musicians and other guys were like, hey, I gotta come 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.600 seeing my demo for me. You know. So what do 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:45.080 you think about your your vocal style? What do you 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:49.280 think it was that attracted people to you? Oh that's 0:18:49.280 --> 0:18:51.640 a good question. I don't know. I really I don't 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:53.880 know if I can answer that. How would you classify 0:18:53.920 --> 0:18:57.840 yourself as a singer but pretty country? You know? I mean, 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:01.040 but I'm able to kind of ran child. On this 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:04.720 new project, I did a duet with with an incredible 0:19:04.720 --> 0:19:11.040 singer named Mark Brossard. He's like Louisiana. Yeah. Yeah, he's fantastic, 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:14.119 and I just happened to get you know, I was 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:16.920 listening to him as we were riding along with the bus, 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:19.800 we listening to various music, and he happened to be 0:19:19.840 --> 0:19:23.800 in town recording the same time Iowa. So we contacted 0:19:23.840 --> 0:19:25.080 him and I just want to go meet him and 0:19:25.080 --> 0:19:27.240 say hi, you know. So I did, and he played 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:28.840 me some of this new album he was working on, 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:31.080 and so we became friends. You know, we're not like 0:19:31.119 --> 0:19:34.520 super close friends or anything. But then I said, man, 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:36.520 I'm looking to do some do ats. I s would 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:38.760