1 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: What's up. It's Granger Smith and this is the Granger 2 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: Smith Podcast, Episode one. I'm brand new to this, so 3 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna kind of make it up as i go, 4 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: like a lot of things I'm do in my life, 5 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: and I've got a lot of stories to tell. I 6 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 1: hope that there's a lot of people that want to 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: hear them. So here goes Nothing, Episode one. Iowa. It's 8 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: one of my favorite places to be. I'm a Texas 9 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: boy and I didn't know much about Iowa until I 10 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: started touring, and for that matter, it wasn't until probably 11 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: about twenty thirteen before I finally got to Iowa, before 12 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: we had enough fans to get to Iowa. So that 13 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: brings me to today. Got three Center Iowa a plan 14 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: to do these podcasts wherever I am, which is usually 15 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: on tour. So the first one is right here at 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: Guthrie's River Ruckus Festival. I'm sitting in the back of 17 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: my bus Wildflower. I'm looking out of the window. The 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: blinds are open. It's an empty festival yard. Rolling hills 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: of Iowa, which most people think Iowa was flat, but 20 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: it actually has some beautiful rolling hills, a little slice 21 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: of heaven and today is a blue sky afternoon, so 22 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: I couldn't ask for a better day to start this podcast, 23 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,959 Speaker 1: which leads me to my point. Let's get started. I 24 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: want to talk about how this whole crazy journey began. 25 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: You know, my very first memory I was three years old. 26 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: When people think I'm a little crazy because I can 27 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: remember being three, and I don't remember complete thoughts, you know, stories. 28 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: I just remember this one very specific memory. And we 29 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: were living in Carrollton, Texas. We moved away from there 30 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: when I was four. That's how I could kind of 31 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: narrow down the timeline of this thought. We were living 32 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: in a little house that had a sunroom, tile floors, 33 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: a stereo, and a couch. Besides that, I could remember 34 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: a window that looked into the backyard, so off into 35 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: the distance. Through the window, you could see past the backyard, 36 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: over our old wooden fence that we had, and there 37 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: was a hill and you could see a road, a 38 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,679 Speaker 1: highway off in the distance, and so on a clear 39 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 1: day you could see all the cars, right. And so 40 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: my memory is three years old, waking up in the 41 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: middle of the night, and I would go to the 42 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: sunroom and I would lay on the couch and look 43 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: out through the window, out into the distance to this highway, 44 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: and I would see these headlights and these tail lights 45 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: back and forth the middle of the night. My parents 46 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: are asleep, my brother is asleep, and I remember very specifically. 47 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: The part of this memory is that I'm thinking, where 48 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: are these people going in the middle of the night, 49 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: driving And I wish I could do that too. It 50 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: wasn't because I wasn't happy. Actually, nothing to do with that. 51 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: I had a great family. Strange. I know it sounds weird. 52 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: I'm three years old. Sounds weird, but that that has 53 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: never left me, and that feeling is still, It's still 54 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: in me. It's still I have a little, maybe a 55 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: little fomo, a little fear of missing out and when 56 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: people are going somewhere I want to go to. I'm 57 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: not much of a homebody. I guess you could say. 58 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: I like to keep moving. And that's why this business 59 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: was perfect for me, the music business. And the first 60 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: time I jumped in a pickup truck and hooked up 61 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: a trailer and we headed out to San Angelo, Texas, 62 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: which that was my first road trip ever from college station. 63 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: And that that first trip was freedom. It was like, man, 64 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: here we go we're heading west. We got guitars and 65 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: amps stacked up in the back. It's we're off on 66 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: an adventure. We don't know how this day is going 67 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: to pan out, how this is an adventure, and I 68 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: can't wait to find out where it leads me. And 69 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: that feeling is every day still today. And what I 70 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: want to talk about on this first podcast. And I've 71 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:37,840 Speaker 1: done a little thinking about this, and by the way, 72 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: thank you for listening, thank you for tuning into something 73 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: like this, because I can't imagine a more personal way 74 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: to reach people than a podcast. Me sitting here in 75 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: the back of my bus with one microphone. I'm the 76 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: only one in this room. I'm the only one producing this. 77 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: It's just me, and that means a lot that anyone 78 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: would w would want to engage in that. So what 79 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk about was how I became a fan. 80 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: I'll talk about how I played guitar, how I started 81 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,280 Speaker 1: singing on stages. I'll talk about all that stuff at 82 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,720 Speaker 1: some point, but this first one, I want to talk 83 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: about how I became a fan because me becoming a 84 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: fan is such an important part of my story and 85 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: such an important part of how I live my life. 86 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: As a musician. Now it's all reflecting upon when I 87 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: became a fan and how passionately engaged I was on 88 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: that front row. It was Garth Brooks for sure. In 89 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: a lot of ways, that was my first musical love. 90 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: I listened to, you know, all kinds of crazy bands 91 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: as a kid, like Poison and Doctor Dre and Vanilla Ice, 92 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: Bobby Brown, The Eagles probably the first band I ever 93 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:18,039 Speaker 1: sang to. That's another story for another time, but I 94 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: think when I really started feeling what the passion of 95 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: music was, it was Garth Brooks. Sometimes late at night 96 00:06:34,760 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: I lie awake and watch her sleep. This song If 97 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: Tomorrow Never Comes was released in August of nineteen eighty nine. 98 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: I was just a kid, but it is crazy the 99 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: impact that this song made, And this was my first 100 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 1: understanding of the power of music. My granddad was very 101 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: sick with lung cancer and he was in his last day. 102 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: He was a very quiet man, very hard worker, very traditional, 103 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: raised six children, loved his garden, worked construction, slow Texas 104 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: draw hero from World War Two in the Pacific. You 105 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: get the picture of who this guy was. Very typical 106 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: of what we like to call the Greatest Generation. He 107 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: was not very affectionate with his words. It was very 108 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: rare that he would say I love you to my 109 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: grandmother or to his children. And when this song came 110 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: out in August of nineteen eighty nine, it spoke to 111 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: my grandmother so much, and even more interesting, it spoke 112 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: to my grandfather. And he was so affected by that 113 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: song that he felt that compassion of those lyrics and 114 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: told her how much he loved her, which is exactly 115 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: what the song was written for. If tomorrow never comes, 116 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: will she know how much I love her? This was 117 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,679 Speaker 1: obviously the very beginning of Garth's career, and he came 118 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: to College Station, Texas for a show at a place 119 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: called the Texas Hall of Fame, and that day he 120 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: went and did a Walmart meet and greet. People did 121 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: this all the time back in the nineties. You would 122 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: go to Walmart and meet your favorite artist and get 123 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: their autograph and such a cool one on one experience 124 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 1: you could have. So she went and waited in line, 125 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: and she met Garth and she told him what that 126 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: song meant to her. That might not be that big 127 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: deal to most artists, but knowing the stories you hear 128 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:44,280 Speaker 1: about Garth, I'm sure I'm sure he listened to her. 129 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: If tomorrow never come, will she know how much joy 130 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: you're not trying every way? Show every day? And she's 131 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: my only one. Three months later, November nineteen eighty nine, 132 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: my granddad passed away. It was tough on everybody in 133 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: the family, but there was a There was a piece 134 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: about it because he was able to say how much 135 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: my grandmother meant to him. Thanks a lot to Garth 136 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: for that and the power of his music, the power 137 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: of the song. But the story doesn't end there. It 138 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:37,079 Speaker 1: meant so much to her that she wanted to include 139 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:41,679 Speaker 1: that song on his gravestone. I called her just now 140 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: to tell me exactly what she had written on that stone. 141 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 1: He said, if tomorrow never comes, I love you now 142 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 1: and I always wil Gouse, You're my only one that did. 143 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,080 Speaker 1: And she chokes up. And it's been thirty years since 144 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: she had those words put on his headstone. I was 145 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 1: just a little kid, but that's the first time I 146 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: felt the power of country music. Unbelievable. Looking back, Ah, 147 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: the memory the dance wee Shire to meet the stars. 148 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: Why did you decide to put Garth Brooks on there? 149 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: Because when doub was sick over it temple that I 150 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:40,439 Speaker 1: want to see God. He came to Walmart and it 151 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: is one the first time you'd ever been there. He's 152 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: gonna be thenner of one hour, but then so many 153 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 1: people came in backing the state. He s take two hours. 154 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: Then when we went out to the twelve that night 155 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,599 Speaker 1: to be, threw a note of film that stays that 156 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: my mother's here. He loves you and would get played 157 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: than Tama never comes. Hey, my white a white bag, 158 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: and everybody in that we're looking at a million out 159 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: of the groom. I love that guy. So I'm sure 160 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: a million people have a very similar story with Garth. 161 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: He just has that kind of legacy with his fans. 162 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: But you know, the reason I'm talking about it in 163 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: my podcast is because I'm an artist now. I make 164 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 1: my living on the road. I make my living because 165 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: of fans, because of community, and gosh, is there anything 166 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 1: better that you could possibly learn than this from Garth? 167 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: And I was a kid, you know, And that's the 168 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: effect that's having on me, and that now it's part 169 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 1: of my story. That was my grandmother And she's still 170 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:04,560 Speaker 1: little cries about this. She still laughs about this, ninety 171 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: two years old. That's crazy to me. So the podcast 172 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: is brand new. Obviously, I don't have any sponsors yet. 173 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: I don't even have any listeners yet. Actually, but hey, 174 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 1: I can't talk about one thing. Ee Energy. It's not 175 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: really a sponsor because it's my drink. Me and my 176 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: brothers made it. But people always say, oh, Grangersmith, he 177 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: just aligned himself with some energy drink company and then 178 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: stamped his name on it. That's actually not what we did. 179 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: We actually started from scratch and built an energy drink ourselves. 180 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: We got several different companies from all over the country 181 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: to make these recipes and they would send them to 182 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,439 Speaker 1: us and we would taste test ourselves, me and my 183 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:50,839 Speaker 1: two brothers. We would decide on what we didn't like, 184 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: a little too sweet, little too tangy, and we would 185 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: send our results back until we finally got what I 186 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 1: think is the perfect tasting drink. So if you haven't 187 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: had yee Ye Energy, go to my website Grangersmith dot com. 188 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: Go to yee Energy dot com. You can get it 189 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: on Amazon right now. However you get it, I just 190 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: I hope you try it and let me know what 191 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: you think. And that's my shameless sponsor plug. So there. 192 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: I was a kid in the nineties, deeply and directly 193 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: impacted by songs. Country music was alive and well in 194 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: my family. And by the way, there was this brand 195 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: new thing that everyone was listening to music on, and 196 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:32,199 Speaker 1: it was called a compact disc. Don't Rocks, Ju Fire's Jon. 197 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: I had all kinds of CDs. I collected Alan Jackson, 198 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: Clinton Black, Vince gild Tracy Lawrence, Neil McCoy sent me Kershaw, 199 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: Steve Warner, on and on. But it wasn't just CDs 200 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: I was listening to. We were watching music videos on CMT. 201 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: They called it country music Till the Cows Come Home 202 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:51,599 Speaker 1: back then, and we didn't have cable at home. But 203 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,559 Speaker 1: my grandmother Manye, who I just talked to on the phone. 204 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: She introduced me to music videos and would record them 205 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: on vhs. And every time I would see her, she 206 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 1: would have a brand new tape labeled that she had 207 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,680 Speaker 1: written on with hundreds of music videos that she wanted 208 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 1: me and my brother to see. It was this way 209 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 1: that I found Mark Chestnut. In sports. Last night in Oakland, 210 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,439 Speaker 1: Nolan Ryan pitched the sixth no hitter of his career, 211 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: Boy Oh Boy, Nolan's hot isn't he talk about hot? 212 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: It's hot everywhere here at Southeast Texas. So here's Mark 213 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: Chestnutt and his music video for two Gold at home, 214 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: and he's driving in his pickup and he goes and 215 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: he visits this little single wide trailer that obviously his 216 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: girl left him in and he's alone. You better he's 217 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: up around seventy percent and give us a feat of 218 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,000 Speaker 1: nuts in about one hundred and ten at tonight. And 219 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: so I'm locked on watching this country boy another muggy 220 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: night on the bayou with lows in the eighties, man 221 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: own mad old man. Well, like they say, you can't 222 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: do nothing about the weather, So let's get back to 223 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: more music. The steel guitar leads the song in he 224 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: steps out of the truck, walks into the bar to 225 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: grab a cold beer, and I'm thinking, can I like 226 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: this guy? Well, it sure feels good to come in. 227 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 1: So it wasn't just the music now, it was the video. 228 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: It was the visual that starts moving me and drawing 229 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: me in. I became obsessed with music videos and I 230 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: watched this one over and over, wore out that old 231 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: vhs that many gave me. This is my favorite part 232 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: right here oh, well, work. He looks at the bartender, 233 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 1: he says, well, I gotta go to work, and he 234 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: gets up from the bar and then he's with his 235 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: full band and they're playing in the honky tonk and 236 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: that's his job. And I'm thinking, that's his work. I 237 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,640 Speaker 1: want to do that, And just like that, the honky 238 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:54,760 Speaker 1: Tonk seeds are playing it. Inside me, it's so not care. 239 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 1: It was because of these music videos that my brother 240 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 1: Tyler and I first started messing around with the camera, 241 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: and we re enacted music videos a lot of them. 242 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: We would just set the camera up, either me or him, 243 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: and we would play a song on a stereo, and 244 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: then the other one would kind of dress up a 245 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: little bit, maybe put on a cowboy hat, and act 246 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: out like we were a country music star. The truth 247 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: is I had no idea who I was about to 248 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: discover that would drastically change the course of my life forever. 249 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: I don't remember how or when or why, but I 250 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: know the song was Ocean prompt property that first led 251 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: me to George Strait, and then it wasn't long before 252 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: I found a Maillo by morning by morning up from 253 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: the sign and tall. I loved it. I still do 254 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: my favorite song. It was my good luck song. I 255 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: felt like every time I came on the radio or 256 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: through speaker, the rest of the day would be good. 257 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 1: And that's sun Side in that Texas guy. So his 258 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:10,639 Speaker 1: Greatest Hits Volume two with Oceanfront Property then took me 259 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 1: backwards the Greatest Hits Volume one, and then I found 260 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,640 Speaker 1: Straight Country, and then straight from the Heart, and then 261 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: right or wrong? There's forward ever crossed her mind? Something special. 262 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,399 Speaker 1: I was a George straight junkie and had everything he 263 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: put out. But apparently I wasn't the George Strait super 264 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,719 Speaker 1: fan yet that I was about to become. Amy Haynes, 265 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: that was her name. She said, Hey, I'm having a 266 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: bunch of people come to my house and we're gonna 267 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: watch Pure Country together. I say, what's Pure Country? She 268 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 1: looks at me like I'm crazy. That's George Strait's movie. 269 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: What George Strait has a movie? How did I not 270 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: know this? How in the world did this get past me? 271 00:17:56,119 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: When did you star? Mean? So? I watched it, and 272 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: I watched it again, and then I went and bought it, 273 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: and then I watched it over and over and over again. 274 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: I'm talking so many times that I memorized every single word, 275 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: and that's exactly what I did, freakishly. I didn't watch 276 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: any other TV only that movie. And right around the 277 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:25,680 Speaker 1: time when this obsession starts to become unhealthy, it gets worse. 278 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,160 Speaker 1: I joined his fan club so I could find more 279 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: people like me. And guess what, He's coming to San Antonio, 280 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,760 Speaker 1: Texas on tour for the George Strait Country Music Fest. 281 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 1: And yes, I gotta go. I'm fifteen years old, and 282 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 1: my amazing dad takes me and two other buddies on 283 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 1: a four hour trek from Dallas down to San Antonio. 284 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:48,679 Speaker 1: On the way, we even took a pitstop in New 285 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: Bronfles so that I could walk in Green Hall, the 286 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: place where George took the pictures for his first album, 287 00:18:54,920 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: Straight Country. The concert was unbelievable. I screamed like a 288 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: little girl, I'm sure, and all I wanted when it 289 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: was over was for there to be more. I look 290 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: at his calendar and he's coming to Dallas in the summer, 291 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 1: and by then I'll be sixteen years old. You can't 292 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:19,639 Speaker 1: write this script any better for me at this point. Now, 293 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,160 Speaker 1: I have a green nineteen seventy four GMC pickup truck 294 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: three in the tree, and you damn right, it could 295 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,440 Speaker 1: get me to Texas Stadium. The interesting news is, since 296 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: I'm a fan club member, I could spend the night 297 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: at Texas Stadium about a month before and get fan 298 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 1: club exclusive seating, which just happens to be second row center, 299 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,680 Speaker 1: second row in a stadium. You know how amazing that 300 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: would be. And so my parents, bless their heart, allowed 301 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: their sixteen year old son to go to Texas Stadium 302 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 1: spend the night with a bunch of other crazy George 303 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: Strait fans. And when the sun came up that morning, 304 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,359 Speaker 1: you better believe I was second in line at seven 305 00:19:58,359 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 1: am when they opened the ticket office, and there it 306 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 1: was like gold in my hand, a paper ticket that 307 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: had second row smack dab in the middle. I got 308 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,159 Speaker 1: there early, the gates opened at noon. I saw a 309 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: bunch of great bands like Asleep at the Wheel, Faith Hill, 310 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: Tim McGraw, and then it was time for George. The 311 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: show started exactly like the movie Pure Country, Lights Down. 312 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 1: The track started, his son Bubba starts singing Heartland in time. 313 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,159 Speaker 1: A video starts playing up on the big screen. It's 314 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: from Chevy Trucks and it's this gorgeous, brand new pickup 315 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,399 Speaker 1: truck traveling through the Texas hill country and everyone is 316 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,400 Speaker 1: fixated on it. The lights in the stadium are off. 317 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: I mean it's black besides the video. I'm looking around 318 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: and it's kinetic energy, like crazy. People are losing their minds. 319 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: Sixty thousand people in the dark together and I'm taking 320 00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: the bait, put line and sinker. I'm scanning the stage. 321 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: I've got incredible second row seats. I could see footsteps 322 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:11,119 Speaker 1: rushing around, and I could see lighting, guides and security 323 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: and band members and tour managers. And I'm thinking, if 324 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 1: I could just be a part of this, nothing else matters. 325 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 1: I have found my calling. This is what I want 326 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: to do for the rest of my life. The energy raises, 327 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:35,880 Speaker 1: there's a stir in the crowd. Cameras are up, people 328 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,480 Speaker 1: are looking left, right, up, down. They know he's close. 329 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: I know he's close. I could feel it. There's a 330 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: place where and like a light from heaven shining on 331 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 1: a white cowboy hat, and you feel the mother nature 332 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: walk along. The spotlight illuminates them, ladies and gentlemen. George 333 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 1: Strait ten feet away from my house, rush hands, my job, 334 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: rops sing the Sun about the Heartland. Would you believe 335 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 1: me if I told you I walked away from that show, 336 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,199 Speaker 1: getting to shake his hand from the stage, getting one 337 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 1: of his guitar picks, and getting his entire band's autograph. 338 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:26,400 Speaker 1: I guess after everything I've told you, you probably would 339 00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: believe that I was a crazy fan. It definitely didn't 340 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: end that night. I mean, I guess you could say 341 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: that was the beginning. I started following his tour everywhere. 342 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: Sometimes I had friends with me, and then sometimes I 343 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,920 Speaker 1: just went by myself. I learned all the intricacies of 344 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: the entire show. I even knew the routines of the 345 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: security guys, and they even told me. They said, hey, 346 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:50,360 Speaker 1: you could rush the stage whenever they bring the big 347 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: concert cameras down, and of course I knew exactly what 348 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: song that was, and I would leap over the front 349 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: row and boom, there I was on the foot of 350 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,280 Speaker 1: the stage with a thousand teenage girls pushing me up 351 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: against it. So, hey, George, it's me. I was that 352 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,600 Speaker 1: kid on the front road for all those Texas shows 353 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: in the nineties. You know. I even went as far 354 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,239 Speaker 1: as going to the back of the arenas where all 355 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: the buses were parked, and I knew George's bus. It 356 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: was a big white one, and I would wait in 357 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,440 Speaker 1: the closest spot by that fence so that I could 358 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:23,119 Speaker 1: see his bus, and I would wait for George to 359 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,640 Speaker 1: walk out of the dressing room, and usually he would 360 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: walk out with his wife, Norma, and during that little moment, 361 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 1: during that time, I would yell out George, George, and 362 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: he would kind of look over and wave. And that 363 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: wave doesn't matter how many hours I waited by that fence, 364 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: just the acknowledgment that I was another human being on 365 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 1: the same planet as him made it all worth it. Okay, 366 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: I know what you're thinking, and this is not the 367 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,159 Speaker 1: George Strait Fanclub podcast, even though I could do a 368 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: pretty damn good one, but it would probably be about 369 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,200 Speaker 1: four hours long and very boring. But the reason I'm 370 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: saying it, and the reason it's part of this podcast 371 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: and part of my story, is for me to tell 372 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: you that I was a crazy fan, right and I 373 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:22,119 Speaker 1: believe with all my heart that me being a crazy 374 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:26,480 Speaker 1: fan allows me to understand them. And there's not a 375 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 1: single night that goes by that I don't as an 376 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: artist scan that front row and look for that boy 377 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: or girl and look for that fire in their eyes 378 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:39,199 Speaker 1: that I recognize so well. And if I could give 379 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,639 Speaker 1: them a guitar pick or shake their hand, then I 380 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:49,640 Speaker 1: get it. I know what that is doing. I consider 381 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: myself a fan first, VIPs, meet and greet shows. That's 382 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 1: all allowed by fans. And this is not all going 383 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: to last forever anyway, It might not even last the 384 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:04,199 Speaker 1: next few years. I hope it does. It's not up 385 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: to me, it's up to the fans. So every day 386 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,479 Speaker 1: when I walk out on that stage, it's a blessing 387 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: for me to live my dream. But you know, it's 388 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: also a responsibility for me to give back to those 389 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:22,240 Speaker 1: fans because they deserve it. I felt like I deserved it, 390 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: and George Strait gave that to me. And I'm never 391 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 1: going to compare myself to George. But don't you think 392 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: it's my job now to pass on what I saw, 393 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,159 Speaker 1: what I experienced, what I witnessed, especially now knowing what 394 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:39,400 Speaker 1: I have the ability to share. Don't you think that's 395 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: my responsibility? I do. There's so many more stories to 396 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: connect these dots, like how I started playing music myself, 397 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: and there's plenty of time for that. I can't start 398 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: boring you too much on episode one. Plus, I got 399 00:25:57,119 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: a show to play in Iowa, and there could be 400 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 1: that kid night on the front row and he needs 401 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: a guitar pick. So, as Mark Chestnut said, I gotta 402 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: go to work. Thank you so much for being a 403 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,199 Speaker 1: part of episode one. There's more to come. I promise 404 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:14,680 Speaker 1: it happens up that out of the blue scat lost 405 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: in her blue glass. Yeah, when it happens up that 406 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,159 Speaker 1: nothing to lose turns right into you, Julie, or you 407 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: can do just to keep her around till the moon 408 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: goes down in her back at your house. One thing 409 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: is to another. You love each other when you can, 410 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:35,200 Speaker 1: you never look back. It happens like that. This podcast 411 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,119 Speaker 1: is brought to you by EE Energy. Come find us 412 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:41,600 Speaker 1: on tour grangerspid dot com, Forward Slash Tour, See you 413 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:42,160 Speaker 1: down the road.