1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Country music superstar John Rich has a message for Sean 2 00:00:03,720 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Ditty Combs as he faces sentencing and the advice he 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,639 Speaker 1: has about bouncing back from defeat and the power of art. 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: You have to hear it all on this edition of 5 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: The Arroyo Grande Show. Come on, I'm Raymond Arroyo. Welcome 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: to Arroyo Grande. Go subscribe to the show. Now turn 7 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: those notifications on. I want you to know what's coming 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: and we've got some amazing things in the days ahead. 9 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: Country music superstar John Rich is my guest on this 10 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 1: episode with Shaun Didty. Colmbs recently found guilty on two 11 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: counts of trafficking individuals for prostitution and immoral purposes. He 12 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: now faces sentencing. The federal law he violated, the Man Act, 13 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: carries a maximum sentence of ten years, which brought to 14 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: mind comments John Rich made to me recently. The songwriter, 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: singer and father is a fighter, one whose faith moves 16 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: him to call out injustices that he sees around him. 17 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: He had some choice words for Diddy and I also 18 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: spoke to John about coming back after a defeat and 19 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: the power of art. His advice is worth heating. You've 20 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: got a new song that I just heard. Yeah, it 21 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: hasn't been reading, but I've been reading about it and 22 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: it STI tell me about this song. 23 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 2: Well, if you can say you're inspired by Sean Combs. 24 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 2: I saw a video a couple of weeks ago of 25 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 2: that monster looking right into the microphone bright lights on 26 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 2: a stage. He looks in the camera and he goes, 27 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 2: I own your soul. I own it. I determine what 28 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 2: your kids wear. I determine what your kids listen to. 29 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 2: I determine all these things about your life, about your 30 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 2: kid's lives. And he's got that look in his face, 31 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 2: just look like looking straight at the devil. And I said, 32 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: look at this guy walking out here in broad daylight, 33 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 2: saying he owns us and owns the souls of our children. 34 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 2: Reminded me of Goliath walking out, mister hein and mighty, 35 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 2: mister powerful, biggest guy on the block walking out when 36 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 2: Gliath called out the Israelis and he's just mocking them incessantly, 37 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 2: and they all stood back, like, what are we going 38 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 2: to do? He's too powerful, he's too big. And then 39 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 2: David walks up and hits him with a rock, which 40 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 2: didn't kill him. He helped him down. He takes Golias 41 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 2: on sword and cuts his head off. So I go, okay, okay, 42 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 2: Sean Combs. So your weapon of choice is music? Correct? 43 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 2: Mine too nice to meet you. So I thought, you 44 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: know what, nobody's written a song about these devils. Nobody's 45 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 2: written that so. 46 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:00,679 Speaker 1: Well, it's really not about the devil, It's about the 47 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: defiant reaction to the devil. Correct. 48 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 2: We are not supposed to, as Christians, be weak. The 49 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 2: people that wrote the books in the Bibles were not 50 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 2: weak people. Jesus was not a weak Jesus was so 51 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 2: strong he allowed human beings to torture him to death. 52 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 2: He allowed them to do that. It says in the 53 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 2: Bible that we are supposed to be weapons in the 54 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 2: hands of God to tear down the thresholds of Hell itself. 55 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 2: A weapon cannot swing itself. An axe cannot cut down 56 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 2: a tree by itself. It takes an operator to pick 57 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: that axe up. Now, you hope when you pick it 58 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 2: up that it is heavy and it is sharp, and 59 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 2: it has cut trees down before. And when you start 60 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 2: wailing away at that tree, chunks of wood are going 61 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 2: to go flying. You hope that tool is ready when 62 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 2: you're ready to pick it up. So I look at 63 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 2: myself and I look at other Christians in this country, 64 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 2: that we better be preparing ourselves to be the tool 65 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 2: He created you to be. Maybe one guy's an axe, 66 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 2: one guy's a screwdriver, one guy's this, one guy's that 67 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 2: they do this. Everybody's got their job, But be prepared 68 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 2: for him to use you and the way he wants 69 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 2: to use you to bring it to these people, Raymond. 70 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 2: The most egregious sin I believe a person can commit 71 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 2: is to harm children. And the reason I believe that 72 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 2: is because Jesus Christ himself said in the New Testament, 73 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 2: you'd be better off to have a millstone tied around 74 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,279 Speaker 2: your neck and cast into the sea than to ever 75 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 2: cause one of these little ones to stumble. He didn't 76 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 2: say to kill them or hurt them or abuse them. 77 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 2: He said to mess with them at all, to mess 78 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 2: with their innocence at all. He'd be better off dead 79 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 2: than ever being that person. So we know how Son 80 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 2: of God felt about it. And now we look around 81 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,280 Speaker 2: our country and Tom Holman's going, there's three hundred to 82 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 2: five hundred thousand missing kids that we know about that 83 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 2: have come across the border that's not even taken into 84 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,040 Speaker 2: account all the other ones, and they didn't come across 85 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,239 Speaker 2: the American citizen bingo, And we're allowing this to go forward. 86 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 2: And then you've got people like Sean Combe standing there 87 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 2: on television telling us that he owns our souls and 88 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 2: owns our kids' lives. 89 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: How long are we going to sit. 90 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,279 Speaker 2: Around and just let them keep talking to us like that, 91 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 2: because it ain't just talk. They're doing it. So that's 92 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 2: what set you off to all this big time? Can 93 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 2: you tell me? Can you tell? 94 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah, I can. I could feel it in the lyrics. 95 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 2: Face is getting hot talking about it. 96 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: Tell people about this song. About the lyrics, I mean, 97 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: it's basically, go and repent now, brother, while I go 98 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: get my gun. This is not I'm gonna go pray 99 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: for you. 100 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,720 Speaker 2: The point of the song is, you come after my kids. 101 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 2: Horrible things are going to happen to you. You will 102 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 2: not survive what happens to you. If you come after 103 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 2: my kids, you will not survive. You think you're tough, 104 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 2: Try it one time, come on, come on up my road, 105 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: Come on up and try to get my kid one time. 106 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 2: Try to take one of my sons and see what 107 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 2: I do to you is what the song is all about. 108 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 2: And it talks about because we fight with the sword 109 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 2: of the Heavenly Father and we ain't afraid to die. 110 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 2: Are you afraid to die for your kids? Me? 111 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: Either? 112 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 2: I would stand right in front of whatever I had 113 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,440 Speaker 2: to gladly, happily. That song is going to keep them, 114 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 2: you know, to keep these demons off my kid. 115 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: That song is going to be a huge hit, not 116 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: because you wrote it to be a big hit, but 117 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: because it resonates. 118 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 2: I wrote it out of sheer anger towards these people, 119 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 2: and I want most of them. Probably won't hear this song. 120 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 2: I don't even know when I'm going to put it out, 121 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 2: probably pretty soon. It doesn't matter if they don't hear it. 122 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,559 Speaker 2: I want parents to hear it. I want parents, moms 123 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 2: and dads to realize we do not have to put 124 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 2: up with these people and listen to them and give 125 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: no rebut back to them. Because they're so powerful. They 126 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 2: have no power. Their power comes from the Father of lies, 127 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 2: and we all know what happens to him. He gets 128 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,600 Speaker 2: utterly destroyed in the end. You see what I'm saying. 129 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: I do, and John, I love that you're writing This 130 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: is the path of every artist, whether it's Irving Berlin 131 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: or the great novelists of the eighteenth century. They're writing 132 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: about their time and they're using their art to speak 133 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: to that moment, correct, And that makes it like the 134 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: Book of Revelation. It's true in the moment it was written, 135 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: it's true for all time. In the case Revelation, it's 136 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: going to happen in the future too. So it's it's 137 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: the alpha and the omega, it's all of it. Art 138 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: has that same power, though in some ways do you 139 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: feel a part of that and has that and why 140 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: aren't others speaking to that same country? Music always reflected 141 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: the heart of the people in a powerful direct way, 142 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: and we're still singing he stopped loving Her today and 143 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: we're still singing those songs. Yeah, because they were so 144 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: true in the moment they were written. Do you feel 145 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: this is a part of that tradition. 146 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I just feel that the age were currently in 147 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 2: the world and in our country. Sometimes I wonder if 148 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 2: Johnny Cash was alive in twenty twenty four, what would 149 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 2: he say if Charlie Daniels, who was a good friend 150 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 2: of mine, if he was still around. He died in 151 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:19,600 Speaker 2: twenty twenty, right before it all got crazy. What would 152 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 2: he say? 153 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: Now? 154 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 2: These are old men, and I have to think there's 155 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 2: a big advantage to being an old man, being in 156 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 2: your eighties that you just don't care anymore. Well, I'm 157 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 2: not an old man. I'm fifty, so I'm not a 158 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 2: young guy. But I'm not an old guy and I 159 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 2: don't care. As a matter of fact, it worries me 160 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 2: more if something is laid on me to go say 161 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:45,719 Speaker 2: and I don't say it, that is more dangerous than 162 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 2: saying it, because guess who you just upset the boss. 163 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 2: I put that on you and you did not follow 164 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 2: through with it. So guess what. I ain't sending you 165 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 2: any more of those or whatever else he might decide 166 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 2: to do. I think he opens doors for people who 167 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 2: have enough nerve to run through them. I don't think 168 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 2: he opens doors for everybody. I think he opens especially 169 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 2: the dangerous doors, the doors he goes. I need this 170 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 2: to be said, I need this. I need people to 171 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 2: hear this message song, whatever it might be. And so 172 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 2: I'm going to put it in that kid's brain and 173 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 2: see if he's got enough, you know what, to carry 174 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 2: through with it. And I'll be honest, it is unnerving 175 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 2: to talk about those things, those subjects. 176 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 1: What do your colleagues say to you? 177 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 2: Most of them that are my actual friends. Thank you 178 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 2: for saying that. Ah, I wish I could say that. 179 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: I get that a lot. I'll bet I'll have. 180 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 2: Some of the biggest country artists out there, even some 181 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 2: of the new ones that are massive right now, back 182 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 2: channel and direct message me on X. Hey, I heard 183 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 2: that interview he did with so and so, keep it up. 184 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 2: Wish I could say that. Wish I could show you 185 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: those over and over and over that say that, and 186 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 2: I go, well, that's I wish they would say it, 187 00:09:57,640 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 2: But I understand why they don't. They're right in the 188 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 2: middle of what's going going on. I know what's at stake. 189 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 2: So maybe my job, Raymond is right now is to 190 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 2: keep your mind standing wide open and he hits you 191 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 2: with something that he wants to be said, write it down, 192 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 2: do it the best you can, and unapologetically slam it 193 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 2: out there. 194 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: Tell me about your father, Jim, who was a pastor, 195 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: but he spread the gospel in an interesting way. I 196 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: ready he had to always had a guitar with him. Yeah, 197 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: tell me how that marked you. What you learned from him. 198 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a singer songwriter. Actually went to college on 199 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 2: a vocal scholarship. You know, he's a real singer. And 200 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 2: at nineteen he said, I was called to go preach 201 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 2: at nineteen and so he said, so that's why I 202 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 2: started doing. He started on college campuses where he was 203 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 2: going to school, and then when he got out of there, 204 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 2: he started going. He went to the Democrat National Convention 205 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 2: right after that, and then he started going to places 206 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 2: like Marty Grass, the Indianapolis five hundred, all kinds of 207 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 2: major events around the US. And he would go out 208 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 2: in the streets and take his guitar and take a 209 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 2: speaker and on a cliant's cart, stand it next to 210 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 2: him and start singing. And I asked him why. I mean, 211 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:18,959 Speaker 2: I understand the point of why you're doing that. What 212 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,200 Speaker 2: a great thing to do, But man, you're such a 213 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 2: charismatic guy, You're such a great minister. You could have 214 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 2: been preaching at a massive church somewhere. He goes, Yeah, 215 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 2: because the people I was told to preach to will 216 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 2: never walk into one of those churches. The people I 217 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 2: was told to preach to, so prisons, Yeah, Marty Grass, 218 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 2: like go where the people are who are never going 219 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 2: to walk in the front door of a church building. 220 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 2: They're the ones that need to hear what I have 221 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: to see. 222 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: You feel that calling on your life? Now, I think 223 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:52,439 Speaker 1: you're it in your music now, John. 224 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think to a large degree, you know, an 225 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 2: audience that I've been able to build up with help 226 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 2: since the mid nineties with the band Lone Starr and 227 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:06,719 Speaker 2: then Big and Rich and then solo and combinations of 228 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 2: those things. You know, they get used to hearing you 229 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,200 Speaker 2: singing hit country songs and they go, I love you music. 230 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 2: I love your music. I love your music. Well, now 231 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 2: when they come up to me, they go, I love 232 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 2: what you stand for. I like your music. I really 233 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,960 Speaker 2: love what you stand for. So I guess, with the 234 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 2: skill set and audience I've built over all these years, 235 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 2: I'm now able to write songs that mean something other 236 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 2: than just a check or an award or a plaque 237 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 2: on the wall. Like you can put into gear. A 238 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 2: piece of music that in three minutes can communicate more 239 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 2: to people, get them to think more, think more deeply 240 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 2: than if you talk to them for three weeks, than 241 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 2: any speech anybody could ever get. You're a musician, you know, 242 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 2: the power of music. It disarms people, It opens up 243 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:54,959 Speaker 2: a different part of their mind. I believe a different 244 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,679 Speaker 2: part of their spirit as well. So they're so and 245 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 2: when they hear something that's real, Ruth and it's wrapped 246 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 2: in music, it's a really powerful thing. 247 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: And the guitar. You all, you and your father shared 248 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: guitar lessons. 249 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, young, Yeah, that's how I learned how to play 250 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 2: my dad. You know, you don't get real rich preaching 251 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 2: in prisons and at Marty Grass. 252 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: I mean you get reach in different ways John rich. 253 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 2: Well, of course, absolutely, but not monetarily. And so he 254 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 2: had a lot of different jobs. My dad slopped hogs 255 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 2: at a barn on the weekends, he was the night 256 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:31,480 Speaker 2: watchman at Emberland National Bank where I'm from. He sold cars, 257 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 2: and he gave guitar lessons. And so when I was 258 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 2: a little kid, probably five, my dad goes, he's walking 259 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 2: out the door and he goes, you want to go 260 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 2: with me to the music store and do guitar lessons. 261 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 2: I was like, yeah, let's go. You know, I've get 262 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 2: to go with dad. 263 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: Wow. 264 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 2: And so I go in there and there's this whole 265 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 2: like semicircle of adults that got their guitars out. He 266 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 2: pulls up a little chair for me, goes here, just 267 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,640 Speaker 2: sit right behind me and hands me like a little 268 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 2: cheapy guitar. Just follow along, follow along. Well, after a 269 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 2: few weeks of tagging along, I'm sitting at the house 270 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 2: playing better than the adults were playing. And he went, 271 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 2: he picked that up pretty fast, Andy, I went, I said, 272 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 2: it's really fun, you know. And so then he said, 273 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 2: you want to sit behind me in the pulpit sometimes 274 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 2: when I go preach at these places and back me up. 275 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 2: I said, yeah, So that's where I got into playing 276 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 2: the guitar. Was wanting to play with my dad. 277 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: What did your dad teach you about spiritual warfare and 278 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: the power of music and the gospel to counter evil? 279 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 2: My dad priests a lot on that still does. Uh 280 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 2: that basically everything you see happening and the flesh has 281 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 2: already happened in the spiritual side. It plays out down 282 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 2: here amongst all of us, and that it's always really 283 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 2: important to remember that when you meet an individual that 284 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 2: seems vile, well, that seems violent, angry, way out of whack, 285 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 2: He said, look at that person and realize that is 286 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 2: not how they were born. They were not created to 287 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 2: become that. They started out as an innocent little baby. Okay, 288 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 2: they weren't like that. At some point in their life 289 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 2: the other side got a hold of them and ripped 290 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 2: their life to shreds. And this is how they are now. 291 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 2: And you know, when you look at presidents, for instance, 292 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 2: my dad and I had a conversation about that before 293 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 2: this last election, and he says, well, if Trump wins, 294 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,160 Speaker 2: it'll be an act of God. And if Trump loses, 295 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 2: it'll be an act of God. 296 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: I want to talk about your origin story. You leave home, 297 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: graduate high school, you go to opry Land, right, Why 298 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 1: opry Land? Why had you gone there? And said, I 299 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: went as a kid multiple tire. You go, yes, we 300 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 1: loved it. Yeah. 301 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 2: So Operland, for people that don't know, is a big 302 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 2: theme park in Nashville for a very long time live 303 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 2: country music, bluegrass, gospel, and they had roller coasters and 304 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 2: log rides and everything else. And so as I was 305 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 2: a senior in high school, a friend of mine says, oh, 306 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 2: look at this back when we had a new Oh 307 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 2: look at this opulan's having auditions. I went, oh, that's cool, Yeah, 308 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 2: been there one hundred times. He goes, you should audition 309 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 2: for that. I said, they're not going to hire me. 310 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 2: He goes, why not, I said, cause you got to 311 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 2: dance and do all this stuff. 312 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: I said. 313 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 2: He goes, well, you know there's going to be a 314 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 2: bunch of good looking girls there. I said, well, no, 315 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 2: that is true. That's a good point, because you should 316 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 2: just go down there. I'll go down there with you. 317 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 2: I said, okay, fine, So drove my nineteen seventy one 318 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 2: Dodge Dark Swinger, which I still own by the way, 319 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 2: drove it down there and I auditioned. 320 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: And I got the call back with your guitar. 321 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 2: Just me and a guitar. They didn't make me dance 322 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 2: or anything. I just sang, got the call back, came back, 323 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 2: sang again, and they said can you dance? And I 324 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 2: said I can two step? I'm from Texas. I said 325 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 2: I can do that. But that's about it. They go, 326 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 2: could you learn some stuff? I said maybe, I don't know. 327 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 2: They said, well, it doesn't matter, because you're hired. You're in. 328 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 2: So I knew halfway through my senior year I would 329 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 2: be working at Appyland. So that's the first time I 330 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 2: ever got a real check. I think it was three 331 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 2: hundred and thirty dollars a week to do Opuyland, which 332 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 2: is where I met the guys started the band Lone Star. 333 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,880 Speaker 1: Right Dean Dean Sean Sam Sam's how did you meet? 334 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 2: Well? He worked at Aprey Land what he had been 335 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:10,399 Speaker 2: there several years and uh, I wound up on a 336 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 2: show with him and he heard how high is saying 337 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 2: I was first tenor? I was really high first tenor. 338 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 2: And he said, hey, we're putting a band together, a 339 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,119 Speaker 2: bunch of guys from Texas. You're from Texas. He said, man, 340 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 2: your voice is so high. We need somebody that can 341 00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:25,679 Speaker 2: hit those high notes. We're going to you know, covering 342 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 2: modern day country music because at that point he still 343 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 2: had a lot of harmony rest his heart in Alabama 344 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,399 Speaker 2: and all that. I said, that's cool. He goes, you 345 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 2: play bass, right, I said, I mean, yeah, I can 346 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 2: play a bass. I'm thinking, how hard can it be? 347 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 2: It's only got four strings? How how could it be? 348 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 2: The answer was no, I was not a bass player. 349 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 2: So he goes, great, learn these songs and he hands 350 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 2: me a cassette tape of the top twenty I think 351 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 2: the first twenty out of the top forty country songs 352 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 2: of that week, so we're gonna have We're gonna have 353 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 2: a little get together this weekend. So I called a 354 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,480 Speaker 2: friend of mine who was a pro bass player. I said, 355 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:00,119 Speaker 2: can you show me how to play bass on all 356 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 2: these songs this week? And by the way, can I 357 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 2: borrow a bass and a cable and an amp. He goes, sure, 358 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 2: I can show you how to do it. So he goes, 359 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,400 Speaker 2: here's the technique, and here's it. So I spent eight 360 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 2: nine hours a day leading up to that little rehearsal 361 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 2: with my thumb. You're supposed to play it, I play 362 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 2: it like this now, doing this, trying to find all 363 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 2: the notes. And went to the rehearsal and they said, okay, 364 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 2: you can stay in the band because you can sing 365 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 2: higher than Richie McDonald, which was the lead singer, but 366 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 2: you got to get better at the bass. You can't 367 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 2: stay in the band. I said, you got it. And 368 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 2: that's what really made me not go to college. Because 369 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 2: the guy's called up and said, hey, we got a 370 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 2: booking agent that can put us on a road for 371 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 2: about two hundred dates this year. I said, I'm supposed 372 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 2: to go to college. I said, I've got a full 373 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 2: ride scholarship to Belmont University on a vocal scholarship. They go, well, 374 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 2: you're gonna have to pick. And I went to my 375 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:50,159 Speaker 2: dad and I said, I don't think I'm going to 376 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 2: go to college this year. He went, do what I said? 377 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 2: He said, what are you going to do? Instead of that? 378 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 2: I said, I'm going to get in a van pulling 379 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 2: a trailer with a bunch of guys were ten and 380 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 2: fifteen years older than me, and we're going to go 381 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 2: play holiday in lounges, rodeos and casinos. This is the 382 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 2: dad who preaches at Marty Grass so this world but 383 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,439 Speaker 2: signs now. I can't even imagine the pit in his 384 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 2: stomach that must have given him. But that's He said, 385 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 2: what's your ultimate goal? I said, MultiMate goal is I 386 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,480 Speaker 2: want to write hit songs beyond country radio and play 387 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 2: the grand O Library. I don't know how going to 388 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,040 Speaker 2: college is going to do that. He goes, it won't. 389 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 2: I said, So he goes, that's what you think you 390 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 2: need to do. You're grown man. I was eighteen. You're 391 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:31,640 Speaker 2: grown man. 392 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: Wow. 393 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 2: So that's what I did. I took off on the 394 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 2: road and never. 395 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: Look back, and you have a number one hit. Of course, 396 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: not long thereafter. 397 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,480 Speaker 2: To Yeah, Come Crying to Me hit number one. That's 398 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:43,360 Speaker 2: my first number one? 399 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 1: How did that come to be? 400 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,160 Speaker 2: So in Nashville, when you get a record deal back 401 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 2: then you would get a de facto publishing deal. Because 402 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 2: you have a record deal, you get a default publishing deal. 403 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 2: And when that happens, they'll take these greenhorn songwriters like 404 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 2: me and sit you in the room with Hall of famers, 405 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 2: I mean, like the greatest country songwriter minds that have 406 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 2: ever existed. And you're sitting in the room with them, 407 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 2: and they're trying to write songs to get on your 408 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 2: new record. That's the point. And they figured if one 409 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,679 Speaker 2: of the guys in the band is a writer on it, 410 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 2: he'll vouch for the song. We got a better show 411 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 2: to shoot into the album, right, So I got to 412 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 2: sit in the room with all these guys, and I 413 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 2: guess by just really watching them in osmosis, I started 414 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 2: getting a lot better. And so Come Crying to Me 415 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 2: was actually a co write. It was a three way, right, 416 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 2: So it was me and two established songwriters, but it 417 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 2: was my title and I had the thing going. I 418 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 2: was always walking with an idea started and they go, 419 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 2: that's a really good idea, let's write that. Why not 420 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:40,640 Speaker 2: being my first number one? 421 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: Wow? What did you learn from them that you didn't 422 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,880 Speaker 1: know before sitting in that room? Because you always picked great. 423 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,120 Speaker 1: I mean, when you're working with people at the top 424 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,200 Speaker 1: of the game, I always tell my kids, you really 425 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,160 Speaker 1: want to know how this works. Go find the best 426 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 1: people in this game next to them, clean their their 427 00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: toilets or offices, do whatever you need to do to 428 00:20:59,119 --> 00:20:59,640 Speaker 1: be near them. 429 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 2: Yes, do not hang out with people that are at 430 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 2: your level. If you can keep from it. You know, 431 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 2: you can say all day, well, I'm really good compared 432 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:07,720 Speaker 2: to this one, this one and that one and that one. Yeah, 433 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 2: but are you pretty good compared to Johnny Cash? 434 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:10,200 Speaker 1: Right? 435 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 2: No, and you never will, but you're pretty good to 436 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 2: compare to George Jones. No, Okay, Then keep their faces 437 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 2: on the wall when you're writing, which is what I 438 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 2: have at my house. What you learn from pro country 439 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 2: songwriters is which is what I know now and how 440 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 2: I do it. And if you listen to my songs, 441 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 2: you'll hear this play out. The first line of the song. 442 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 2: Better get your attention, I mean, right out of the gate, 443 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,119 Speaker 2: you better say something bang, gotcha. That way they'll hear 444 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 2: the second line and the third, and really you want 445 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 2: every line in the song to be a standalone thought. 446 00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 2: I'm kind of a I'm a still picture songwriter. So 447 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 2: some people saw different styles. But some people like to write, 448 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 2: you know, some chronological story. And that's fine too. I 449 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 2: love those songs. 450 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. 451 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 2: For me, ninety percent of what I write would be 452 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 2: I'm sitting here with you. I take a mental picture 453 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 2: of this room, and I write what's happening in that room, 454 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 2: so you could literally watch the picture and listen to 455 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 2: the song and be in the picture. I write in pictures. 456 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 2: I try to put you in the spot, make you 457 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 2: smell it, feel it, taste it. I want you to 458 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 2: feel what's going on in this situation of the lyrics 459 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 2: so almost voyeuristic to a degree. I've been able to 460 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 2: write songs for other people. Faith Hill said, I wish 461 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,360 Speaker 2: you'd write me a song. Said, I'd love to write 462 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:28,920 Speaker 2: your song. Faith, what do you want to sing about? 463 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: Mississippi? Being for Mississippi? 464 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 2: Do you know you know well? I know your songs, Yeah, 465 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 2: she says, I said, what do you want to sing about? 466 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 2: She goes, I don't know. Write a song where it 467 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,360 Speaker 2: would only make sense if I sang it, no other 468 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 2: girl singer could even sing it. What do you make 469 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 2: sense for them? I went, well, that's quite a homework assignment. Okay, 470 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 2: all right, let me think about it. So we're right 471 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,879 Speaker 2: on tour with Tim McGraw at the time, and Faith 472 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 2: was out there. And during the day you see Faith 473 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 2: Hill back in the back parking lots by the tour buses, 474 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 2: flip flops, cut off jeans, ball app sipping a corona, 475 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 2: got her kids playing at a kiddie pool. I mean, 476 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 2: just mom. And then the concert hits and Faith comes 477 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 2: walking off the bus in an evening gown and diamond 478 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 2: ear rings and her hair's all done, and she's singing 479 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 2: Itch Your Love with Tim mcgrawl of thirty thousand people, 480 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 2: and five minutes later she's right back in the parking 481 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 2: lot with her flip flops ball cap. I said, that's 482 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,399 Speaker 2: what the fans don't know about Faith, because she had 483 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 2: been doing some Hollywood movies at that point, and a 484 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 2: lot of the fans said, oh, she's gone Hollywood. She 485 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,200 Speaker 2: forgot about where she came from. So I said, I'm 486 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 2: gonna write a song about where she comes from. So 487 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 2: the first line of the song it's a long way 488 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 2: from Star, Mississippi, her hometown, to the big stage. I'm 489 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 2: singing on a night. So Martina can't sing that, Shanaia 490 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 2: can't sing that, Gretchen can't sing that, Riba can't sing 491 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 2: that because none of those people are from Star. You 492 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 2: see what I mean. So there's approaches that I've taken 493 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,639 Speaker 2: to songs, all various approaches, but in general, it's writing 494 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 2: in pictures Gretchen Wilson. 495 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: Then you write redneck woman for greting right, Wilson? 496 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 2: That out after that? Would know it was right before Faith. 497 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 2: Faith came to me because she heard me. 498 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:02,240 Speaker 1: You heard that one. 499 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,280 Speaker 2: She said, I want a redneck woman for me. 500 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: I need my song. I don't blame her, she's got 501 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:08,360 Speaker 1: a good air. 502 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 2: Yeah it was. It was quite a challenge, and I. 503 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: Wouldn't take you back. What happened with Long Start? They 504 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: boot you out of the band? Yes, they did? Why 505 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: because I deserved it? Why because I was. 506 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 2: A real ass and it was hard to deal with? 507 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 1: Man? Why were you so difficult? You're just you're feeling 508 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:26,120 Speaker 1: your road. You got a number one hit right out 509 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: the gate, right, yes? And and when you grow up? 510 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 2: So I grew up in a double wide trailer Emerald, Texas. 511 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 2: We didn't miss meals, but wasn't any extra laying around, 512 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 2: and a lot of people around me had said not 513 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:46,479 Speaker 2: my dad, but others were down on me, down on 514 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 2: me all the time. Growing up, I was very as 515 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 2: you can imagine, headstrong kid. And when I finally broke 516 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:56,959 Speaker 2: through and made it to the other side and had 517 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 2: started having real big success like that, I took success 518 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 2: like a hammer, and anybody that had ever messed with me, 519 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 2: I just whack them in ahead with it. By the 520 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 2: way I would talk, the way I would live, the 521 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 2: way what I would drive, how I would present myself, 522 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,120 Speaker 2: what I would say in a meeting, what I would 523 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 2: say on a microphone. I mean, just one hundred percent 524 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 2: totally engrossed with my own arrogance. And so at one 525 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 2: point the band just said, you know what, we've had 526 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,159 Speaker 2: just but enough of you thing. It's time for you 527 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 2: to go wow, which sucked because the very next song 528 00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 2: they put out was Amazed Yeah, one of their biggest 529 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:36,000 Speaker 2: songs in country. And I was sitting at home in 530 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,040 Speaker 2: my little apartment that I no longer could pay for 531 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,360 Speaker 2: because I just lost my income, lost my record deal, 532 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 2: and lost my what publishing deal because by the fault 533 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 2: you get the pub deal lost them both lost. The 534 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 2: management lost, a business manager lost, the shows on the road, 535 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:51,119 Speaker 2: lost all of it. Boom, just like that in a 536 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 2: phone call. So, I'm sitting at home watching my old 537 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 2: band except the award for Amazed. 538 00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: And so, and you thought what when you watched it? Oh. 539 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 2: I was viciously upset at them initially and then started realizing, well, 540 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:09,399 Speaker 2: I would have fired me too. I would have fired me. 541 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,160 Speaker 2: I deserve being fired over that. So I thought, well, 542 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 2: now what do I do? Maybe I can get a 543 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 2: solo record deal. 544 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: I got one, You got one. 545 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:21,280 Speaker 2: I got one and it flopped. Put out two songs 546 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 2: and neither one of them hit. So I lost that deal. 547 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 2: Now I'm a two time loser. I got kicked out 548 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 2: of a band. My solo deal failed, and in country 549 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:30,719 Speaker 2: music that's a big deal. If you can't hit your 550 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 2: radio goes. Now he tried it didn't work. Next, I mean, 551 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,800 Speaker 2: it is just like that. It was at that point 552 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 2: I got some really good advice from a couple of 553 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,159 Speaker 2: the older songwriters, and they said, listen, when everything is 554 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,399 Speaker 2: out out of your control, find the one thing you 555 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 2: can still control. And control it well. They said, that 556 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 2: could be what you're eating. How many pushups did you 557 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 2: do today? Whatever? Find what you can still control and 558 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 2: control it well. For me, that was a pencil and 559 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:01,440 Speaker 2: a piece. 560 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,719 Speaker 1: Of paper writing back to the chora writing. 561 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 2: So in the course of about four or five years, 562 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 2: I wrote around seven to eight hundred songs because you 563 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 2: couldn't stop me from writing, and I write, I want 564 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 2: every single day. 565 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,240 Speaker 1: All were making ends meet What were you doing? 566 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 2: There was still a little bit of money coming in 567 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 2: from come crying to me and a couple of other things. 568 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 2: But that's about it. That's about it. It was. 569 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: It was burning down then. 570 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:27,720 Speaker 2: And then I meet Big Kitty, which I know you're 571 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,359 Speaker 2: gonna ask about, and he was kind of the same 572 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,880 Speaker 2: thing where he was just writing every single day and 573 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 2: misunderstood by the industry. You know, my anglic country music 574 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 2: was ac DC was a banjo player. That's what it 575 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 2: sounded like. That's what I wanted to sound, you know. 576 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 2: I wanted to do save Ors, ride a cowboy Lone Star, 577 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 2: wanted to do mister Mom. They want to do love 578 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 2: songs and family songs. I wanted to do stuff that 579 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 2: make the college campus so controlling what I could control 580 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 2: in that time period. One of those songs got recorded 581 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 2: in that span of time, but the second bigg And 582 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 2: Rich and Gretchen hit. Al Dean also hit, which I 583 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:09,440 Speaker 2: wrote four number ones on his first record, and then 584 00:28:09,440 --> 00:28:11,879 Speaker 2: the whole city starts coming to me and goes, you 585 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:13,880 Speaker 2: got any more songs like these? I go, yeah, here's 586 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:14,719 Speaker 2: nine hundred. 587 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,680 Speaker 1: You go, you're giving them. 588 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 2: So there was just a raid on my catalog where 589 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 2: everybody wanted to cut those kinds of songs, and so 590 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,640 Speaker 2: all the stuff I've been stockpiling now is valuable. 591 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: So what's the lesson for people who find themselves in 592 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: those positions, those predicaments where God maybe hitting you across 593 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:35,480 Speaker 1: the head two by four, Yeah, to reorient you do 594 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,360 Speaker 1: what you can control. Is that the lesson. 595 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 2: Boil it down to the simplest thing that you can 596 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 2: still control. And it could, like I said, it could 597 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 2: be what you're eating every day. It could be that 598 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 2: you're gonna call your mother every day, it could be 599 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,240 Speaker 2: whatever it's going to be. You go find a charity 600 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:52,719 Speaker 2: you're going to want to go work with, and go 601 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 2: do the best you can at that. You basically start 602 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 2: rebuilding yourself. What you'll find is when you get that 603 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 2: next opportunity, which you will, because opportunities continue to come 604 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,640 Speaker 2: for people that continue to push. All that stuff that 605 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 2: you screwed up in those first times come to bear 606 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 2: again and you go, oh, yeah, I'm not going to 607 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 2: be that guy this time. I'm going to be this guy. 608 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 2: And that's a never endings. 609 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: I love that story. I mean, I read about this 610 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: that you're rebuilding, but you're also you're quietly and maybe 611 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,680 Speaker 1: unbeknownst to you, rebuilding the future because that in the 612 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: panic and the loss, in the hurt, you found why 613 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: you were here. 614 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 2: Well, there's two ways have gone when you're that upset 615 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 2: and now you're embarrassed in front of the whole industry 616 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 2: and your money is gone. Two ways to go. One, 617 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 2: drink your face off twenty four hours a day and 618 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 2: wind back up down on Broadway playing in a bar 619 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 2: somewhere as the guy who used to be in Lone Star, 620 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 2: and that's your claim to fame for the rest of 621 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 2: your life. A lot of people do they make that out, 622 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 2: Oh a lot of them. The other is to back 623 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 2: down into what got you in the game in the 624 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,160 Speaker 2: first place. What's your original goals? Go back to piece 625 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:07,960 Speaker 2: of paper and a pencil. Cheapest thing in the world. 626 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 2: Everybody has that. 627 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: How did you and Big Kenny meet? How did you meet? 628 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 1: And why did the partnership work. 629 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 2: There was a girl that worked for Fender Guitars named 630 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:25,440 Speaker 2: Cindy Simmons, and back then, Cindy's job she was an 631 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 2: artist rep. So her job was to find up and 632 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 2: coming singers that she thought might get a record deal 633 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 2: or might get them early and say, oh, I see 634 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 2: you're playing that nothing to get your guitar, but that's 635 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:38,480 Speaker 2: not a great guitar. And they go, that's all I 636 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 2: could afford. She goes, how about if I get you 637 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 2: a brand new Fender guitar? And they go what She'd go, 638 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:45,360 Speaker 2: here you go? And she tried to get them to 639 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,479 Speaker 2: play Fenders and then when they hopefully they'd go hit 640 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 2: almost like venture cap right. I can give it to 641 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 2: one hundred artists, three of them get deals and they're 642 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:51,959 Speaker 2: playing Fenders. 643 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: Right. 644 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 2: So she had done that with me and done that 645 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 2: with Big Kenny, and we didn't know each other. She 646 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 2: knew the two of us separately and had told him 647 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 2: and told me about the other and hit me up 648 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 2: one night and said, hey, Big Kenny is playing a 649 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 2: show down at Douglas Corner. I said, okay, I'm gonna 650 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 2: be down here. Come on down here. I want you 651 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 2: to hear him. I said, can I ask you a question? 652 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,920 Speaker 2: Why Big? I said? Is he big and fat, big 653 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 2: and loud, big and tall. That's the dumdest thing I've 654 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 2: ever heard. Why is he called that? She goes, Just 655 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 2: come see him and you'll it'll make sense when you 656 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:26,800 Speaker 2: see a show. I said, okay, fine, So I go 657 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 2: down and sure enough, he walks out on statures. He 658 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 2: is tall, he's about six y fourth but all his 659 00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 2: hair and he's going to everybody. He's like Willie Walker, 660 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 2: and I was like, what is that. Hagrid didn't like 661 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 2: him at all. I'm like, that's a strange individual. I 662 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 2: wonder what he sings like. And then I hear about 663 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,880 Speaker 2: sixty minutes of his set and I went, I don't 664 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 2: know what I just heard, but that was some of 665 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 2: the most creative things I've ever heard somebody. Right, So 666 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 2: when it was over, walked up to him, Hey man, 667 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 2: I'm Johnny goes, oh, hey, I've heard about you, right, 668 00:31:57,920 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 2: and he goes. Cindy says, we ought to write a song, 669 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 2: because what are you doing tomorrow morning? I go, I'm 670 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:04,959 Speaker 2: not doing anything. He goes, well, you want to come 671 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 2: over to my house and write a song, so she'll 672 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 2: leave us alone. Basically I said, yeah, I'll come over. 673 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 2: We wrote that next day. That was October of ninety nine. 674 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 2: Next day, we wrote again, next day, next day, next day, 675 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,840 Speaker 2: And we have written hundreds and hundreds of songs. And 676 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 2: as a joke, people started calling us big and rich. 677 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 2: We'd show up at somewhere late at night to come 678 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:24,760 Speaker 2: hang out there, but go, oh, look it's big and rich. 679 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 2: Ha ha. That's where that came from. 680 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: That's where it came from. Yeah. 681 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 2: So Kenny is Kenny and are really polar opposites on 682 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:37,240 Speaker 2: many many things, including creatively. And so what's interesting about 683 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 2: that is I'll come at you with a straight line 684 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 2: and he's coming at you with flowers. So, like I said, 685 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:45,120 Speaker 2: Kenny likes to smell the flowers and I like to 686 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:48,520 Speaker 2: mow them down. But when you lock those two together, 687 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,440 Speaker 2: what do you get, Raymond? You get a three sixty 688 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 2: view at the whole song, at the whole subject that 689 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:57,120 Speaker 2: you're writing, whether it's a love song, party song, whatever song. 690 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 2: So that that locking in of the two opposites like 691 00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:02,520 Speaker 2: that have really created something. I know. 692 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: It's hard to describe why partnership work, creative partnership works. 693 00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,800 Speaker 1: It's always hard. I mean I remember talking to Jerry 694 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,480 Speaker 1: Lewis about why he and Dean Martin worked right, and 695 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:15,680 Speaker 1: he knew, but he didn't know. How would you why 696 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: does this partnership work? 697 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 2: I would take that answer. I would say, you know, 698 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:21,360 Speaker 2: but you don't know. 699 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: One of the reasons that Jerry said it was love. 700 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,280 Speaker 2: Well, okay, I would say on between Kenny and I, 701 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 2: it's mass respect for the other person's competency and ability 702 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:37,440 Speaker 2: and creative energy. I don't have what he has and 703 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 2: he does not have what I have, and we both 704 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 2: know that. You know, it's like in a relationship, if 705 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:44,800 Speaker 2: you're both the same, one of you is irrelevant. That 706 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 2: goes for marriage to that is exactly right, you know, 707 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 2: it's the opposite track. Well, that's a real thing. I mean, 708 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 2: you want to be strong where they're not, and you 709 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:55,400 Speaker 2: want them strong where you're not. And I think even 710 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 2: though you know we've disagreed over the years strongly on 711 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,720 Speaker 2: a lot of different things, like what we've disagreed on 712 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 2: political things, we've disagreed on musical things, business moves. You 713 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 2: can imagine it's a duo. Man, it's hard both have 714 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:13,319 Speaker 2: to agree or it does not happen. Right, And so 715 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,520 Speaker 2: if you had, you know, three people, or it's a 716 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:18,239 Speaker 2: band like lone Star, majority rules. There's no majority in 717 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,120 Speaker 2: a duo, yeah, right, it's one in martnership. 718 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:23,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, but throughout. 719 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 2: Now you're looking at twenty years since our first record 720 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,799 Speaker 2: came out, came out in two thousand and four. 721 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:28,440 Speaker 1: Amazing. 722 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,080 Speaker 2: We're still on the road doing fifty sixty cities a year. 723 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:35,759 Speaker 2: The crowds are, I would argue, maybe bigger than they 724 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 2: were back in the day. You know, all our original 725 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:40,439 Speaker 2: fans are all still there, and now it's their kids 726 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:42,400 Speaker 2: are all coming out. You got college girls hanging out 727 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,520 Speaker 2: with their moms going save of ours right again, loving it. 728 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,319 Speaker 2: And then the Patriot crowd from songs like Eighth of November. Right, 729 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,879 Speaker 2: It's just massive at our shows. So I think we're 730 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 2: a good example of how Americans ought to try to be. 731 00:34:56,480 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 2: Me and Big Kenny, are you. 732 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:01,520 Speaker 1: Get your first record deal? Worried about that first record 733 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 1: coming off of what you would come off of? 734 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:08,000 Speaker 2: Well, the whole music industry, except for one guy said, 735 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 2: big and rich music is what is that? I mean, 736 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:14,399 Speaker 2: is this a clown show? What are you guys trying 737 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,080 Speaker 2: to do? I mean, first of all, John kicked out 738 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 2: a loan star, his solo deal totally failed. And what 739 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:21,920 Speaker 2: is a big Kenny? I mean really, and you've got 740 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:25,480 Speaker 2: a big black rapping cowboy, cowboy Troy who at that 741 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 2: points working at foot locker in Dallas, Texas. They're like, guys, 742 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 2: it sounds like a lot of fun. Enjoy playing that 743 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:35,919 Speaker 2: in the bars. That was everybody's answer except one guy 744 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 2: named Paul Whirley. And Paul Whirley is one of the 745 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:44,479 Speaker 2: best record producers, guitar players it's ever been, highly creative guy. 746 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:46,399 Speaker 2: He signed the Dixie Chicks and a bunch of others. 747 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,480 Speaker 2: He was producer Martina McBride, and he heard about us 748 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:51,799 Speaker 2: at a jam we were doing called the Music Mafia, 749 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 2: where Paul's daughter Ashley had started coming to these On 750 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,640 Speaker 2: Music Mafia, seventy eighty people crammed into a room on 751 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:00,400 Speaker 2: Tuesday nights, me and Kenny and other artists that we 752 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 2: knew that nobody had a record deal, we would jam 753 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 2: and Paul came down and saw that He goes you 754 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:08,440 Speaker 2: guys want to come to my office tomorrow. I just 755 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 2: became the president of Warner Brothers Records last week. We went, yeah, 756 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 2: we'd love to come to your office. We're thinking we're 757 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:16,520 Speaker 2: going to pitch him a song for somebody. We get 758 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 2: in his office, he goes, no, I want to talk 759 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:21,640 Speaker 2: about Big and Rich. I think that's a thing. We 760 00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:23,880 Speaker 2: go to his office and he said, play me some 761 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:26,360 Speaker 2: songs that you would play if you had your own record. 762 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:28,840 Speaker 2: So we started playing those songs and he goes. He 763 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 2: slams his hand out on the table. He goes, boys, 764 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 2: I want to do this. Kenny goes, you want to 765 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:36,440 Speaker 2: do what? He goes, I want to sign Big and 766 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 2: Rich to Warner Brothers Records. And I looked at Kenny. 767 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:41,080 Speaker 2: I said, are you hearing this? He goes, are you 768 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:42,800 Speaker 2: serious right now? And he goes, yeah, I want to 769 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:44,719 Speaker 2: do it. And we went well, all right, and we 770 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,200 Speaker 2: high fived. I was it and off to the races. 771 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:51,120 Speaker 2: So he was short of him, seeing that there was 772 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:53,799 Speaker 2: something there. I doubt you'd have ever heard of us. 773 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:56,680 Speaker 1: Course of the different colors at first time they fought 774 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:00,279 Speaker 1: you though on Oh, they including some of your biggest. 775 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:04,280 Speaker 2: The industry hated that record why because it didn't sound 776 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 2: like anything that it ever happened. And Nashville goes through 777 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:09,120 Speaker 2: these phases. I think it's in one right now it 778 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,920 Speaker 2: starts trying to break out where it sounds like they 779 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:14,120 Speaker 2: all went to the school of redundancy school. 780 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 1: You mean the truck I left my truck running school. 781 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:21,600 Speaker 2: I mean, same tempo, same court progressions, everybody looks the same, 782 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 2: the storylines are all the same. And it's kind of 783 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:27,279 Speaker 2: gotten back into that. There's a few breakouts starting to 784 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:29,279 Speaker 2: push out now. But at this point, country music, that's 785 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:32,360 Speaker 2: where it was at that point, and they said, you 786 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 2: don't fit on country radio. What are you even singing about? 787 00:37:35,719 --> 00:37:38,960 Speaker 2: I mean, really, you guys are songs based off of 788 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,799 Speaker 2: bumper stickers you saw, which is exactly what save worst 789 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,280 Speaker 2: right A cowboy was what, Oh, he has a bumper sticker. 790 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: You saw a bumper sticker. 791 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:48,439 Speaker 2: The friend of ours saw it, yeah, and said that'd 792 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:50,759 Speaker 2: be a funny song. Right. We're like, yeah, it would 793 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,279 Speaker 2: be a funny song. Let me go, right, And it 794 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:54,959 Speaker 2: was a funny and it is a funny song. 795 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,480 Speaker 1: But they said, no, don't do it. They said this 796 00:37:57,520 --> 00:37:59,799 Speaker 1: wouldn't This is saying to trivialize you. 797 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 2: If you put this on the record, guys, nobody's going 798 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:06,160 Speaker 2: to take you seriously. And we said, but yeah. When 799 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:11,160 Speaker 2: we played at Music Mafia, people go nuts. They're like, Okay, 800 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 2: we'll put it on the record. We'll just bury it 801 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:14,959 Speaker 2: in the track count. We'll put it at track seven 802 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,279 Speaker 2: or eight. It's not going to be a single though, 803 00:38:17,719 --> 00:38:19,320 Speaker 2: that's fine, just let us put it on the record. 804 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 2: So we put the record out. A song called wild 805 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,400 Speaker 2: West Show was our first single, and when that single 806 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 2: came out, the whole record became available, so fans started 807 00:38:26,960 --> 00:38:29,680 Speaker 2: buying a record. Next thing, you know, radio stations are 808 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,439 Speaker 2: getting hey, can you play track seven on the horse 809 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,760 Speaker 2: of a different color record? On drivetime? On Friday? Wow, 810 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 2: a station in Florida played it one time. Phones exploded 811 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,080 Speaker 2: and we went The record label goes, well, I guess 812 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 2: it's going to be the single A single. 813 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: Thought. 814 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 2: Thank goodness, because if we walked out and didn't play 815 00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:49,279 Speaker 2: sab Ors Ride a Cowboy, they'd be throwing stuff at us. 816 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:54,080 Speaker 1: You know, how do you write and where do you write? Well? 817 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:57,640 Speaker 2: I write for various You say, how. 818 00:38:57,520 --> 00:38:59,800 Speaker 1: Do I write? You know? I like to be in 819 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:01,520 Speaker 1: my I like quiet I don't like a lot of 820 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:04,560 Speaker 1: noise when I write, but I'm not writing music right, 821 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:06,680 Speaker 1: So where do you go? Do you have to be 822 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: in a place so you write wherever you are. 823 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:12,200 Speaker 2: I sit next to Tom Petty one time in La 824 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:15,759 Speaker 2: at the ASCAP Expo, which is a huge songwriters deal. 825 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,800 Speaker 2: It was usher, Tom Petty and me, I'm the country 826 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:22,240 Speaker 2: guy on the panel, and a lady asked Tom Petty 827 00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:27,160 Speaker 2: from the audience, mister Petty, how do you get your 828 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:28,360 Speaker 2: ideas for your songs? 829 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: I didn't ask you that one. I know, bumper sticker. 830 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:36,279 Speaker 2: He's leaning back in his chare. He goes, well, I 831 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:38,960 Speaker 2: just stick my antennat there as far as it'll go 832 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,960 Speaker 2: and wait for a song to drift across it. Then 833 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 2: he just stopped talking. The whole place went okay, but laughing. 834 00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:48,680 Speaker 2: Hey Tom, and I heard that answer. I went, that 835 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,480 Speaker 2: is not far off from exactly how it is. I 836 00:39:51,480 --> 00:39:54,200 Speaker 2: don't know what it is in a songwriter's brain, but 837 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:57,520 Speaker 2: you don't just walk around thinking about songs all the time. 838 00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 2: But there is a spot that if you give me 839 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:02,799 Speaker 2: three or four minutes, it's almost like you can turn 840 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:05,279 Speaker 2: a key and it opens up. I always point to 841 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,080 Speaker 2: this down in my head. It feels like they come 842 00:40:07,080 --> 00:40:08,759 Speaker 2: out of here for some reason. But all of a 843 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 2: sudden it opens up and you as a songwriter, I 844 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,719 Speaker 2: will hear melodies, rhythms, lyrics, all kinds of stuff. It's 845 00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:18,440 Speaker 2: almost like a faucet. Turn it on and turn it off, 846 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 2: turn it on. Every now and then one will hit 847 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:24,279 Speaker 2: me so hard that I wasn't in the frame of 848 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:26,600 Speaker 2: mind to write a song, and it will literally just 849 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:30,400 Speaker 2: come into my head like as loud as you can imagine. 850 00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:33,520 Speaker 2: And that doesn't happen very often. It happened with a 851 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:36,400 Speaker 2: song called Revelation or something. That's when you grab a 852 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:38,439 Speaker 2: guitar off the wall and tell everybody, Okay, I'm going 853 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,640 Speaker 2: off in another room. I need an hour and get 854 00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 2: your pencil out and you get to going out. 855 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,279 Speaker 1: But you write along. You like quiet when you write 856 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:46,359 Speaker 1: when you're working the song. 857 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:48,880 Speaker 2: If I'm working a song, now, I gotta be by myself. 858 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:51,120 Speaker 1: It's yeah, yeah, but I figured yeah. 859 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 2: Because you're wrestling with your own thoughts, you know. 860 00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 1: Is it harder writing for others when you write women easy? 861 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:01,919 Speaker 1: I mean you're a for Taylor Swift as well. 862 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, he'sier writing for somebody else. 863 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:07,640 Speaker 1: Because you can see the whole person on you. 864 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:08,360 Speaker 2: You can't see me. 865 00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:11,560 Speaker 1: It's harder writing see you. 866 00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:12,920 Speaker 2: You want me to write a song about you and 867 00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:15,560 Speaker 2: about this this podcast. I can do that for you 868 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:17,680 Speaker 2: in about ten minutes. I can have you a song. 869 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 1: Ready to go, a new a royal ground. 870 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:21,200 Speaker 2: I think I can see you, I can hear you. 871 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:23,120 Speaker 2: I know what you're about. I know what the point 872 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:24,920 Speaker 2: of this is. But if you're writing it from your 873 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 2: own perspective, man, that's a deep spot to go to 874 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:29,920 Speaker 2: because you're there's nobody to bounce it off of, and 875 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:32,840 Speaker 2: you're just you're wrestling with your own thoughts. What am 876 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:34,759 Speaker 2: I feeling about this subject that I need to get 877 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:36,400 Speaker 2: on the paper as strongly as possible. 878 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:39,960 Speaker 1: Why have you gone more political in recent years? Is 879 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 1: that just where you feel God taking you, the times 880 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:46,600 Speaker 1: taking you and your music? 881 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 2: I think after my two sons were born and started 882 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:57,719 Speaker 2: to get old enough to realize Dad is part of 883 00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:02,880 Speaker 2: this industry here, and they would watch me get upset 884 00:42:02,920 --> 00:42:06,319 Speaker 2: at the television screen like we all do, and say, 885 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:08,560 Speaker 2: be talking to my wife about something going on in 886 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:11,839 Speaker 2: the music industry that I didn't like, but then turn 887 00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:15,319 Speaker 2: right around, cowboy up, walk out, the door, hit the 888 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:18,000 Speaker 2: red carpet, go play patty Cake with all these people. 889 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:21,640 Speaker 2: I was just yelling about is hypocritical. That's being a 890 00:42:21,719 --> 00:42:25,000 Speaker 2: hypocrite in front of your own two sons. And one 891 00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:26,719 Speaker 2: day that hit me really hard. I said, I am 892 00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:30,560 Speaker 2: being a hypocrite. Not only am I upset that they're 893 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:33,000 Speaker 2: watching me do that, I'm upset that I'm watching me 894 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:35,439 Speaker 2: do that. How long am I going to keep this up? 895 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,080 Speaker 2: Because the record labels in the industries are telling me 896 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:41,800 Speaker 2: at this point, do not do that interview with Raymond, 897 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:44,680 Speaker 2: do not go on that network, Do not talk about 898 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:47,560 Speaker 2: this on social media? No, no, no, no no. They 899 00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:51,360 Speaker 2: would have meetings about it. I'd make a comment something, 900 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:53,279 Speaker 2: you know, something they didn't want me talking about, and 901 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,120 Speaker 2: they'd have a full blown meeting with the press they're 902 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,319 Speaker 2: press people at the record label and bring me in 903 00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:00,759 Speaker 2: and say you got to stop doing that. You're going 904 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 2: to blow your career up. And I listened to that 905 00:43:03,239 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 2: for quite a while. I'd go, Okay, well, I don't 906 00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:06,600 Speaker 2: want to blow my career up, and I don't want 907 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:08,839 Speaker 2: to cost Kenny his career. And you got a band 908 00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:11,680 Speaker 2: and crew and bus drivers and yeah, wife and kids 909 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 2: and Okay, okay, I'll back up. But after a while, man, 910 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:18,000 Speaker 2: it got to the point where I said, yeah, that's 911 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:21,319 Speaker 2: being a hypocrite. And so if it means that I 912 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:23,640 Speaker 2: got to say exactly what I know needs to be 913 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 2: said and do it like it needs to be done, 914 00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,200 Speaker 2: I run the risk of losing this industry that has 915 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:31,320 Speaker 2: put more plaques on my walls than I can count. 916 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:33,680 Speaker 2: They will be done with me if I ever go 917 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:37,400 Speaker 2: to this point. But can I live with myself if 918 00:43:37,440 --> 00:43:39,520 Speaker 2: I keep playing this stupid game with these people? And 919 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 2: the answer was no, you can't. And by the way, 920 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:43,480 Speaker 2: your sons are watching you, and what are they going 921 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:45,239 Speaker 2: to do when they grow up and get out of 922 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:47,960 Speaker 2: the house. They'll go, well, yeah, I really don't like 923 00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:50,080 Speaker 2: how this is going. But you know what Dad did. 924 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:52,120 Speaker 2: Dad just yelled at the TV, rolled over and took 925 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 2: the check kept going. Which is the problem with a 926 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:59,799 Speaker 2: lot of Americans and Christians that they'll just roll over 927 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:04,879 Speaker 2: and get along, get along and stay in a nice, easy, 928 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:08,000 Speaker 2: comfortable spot instead of taking the harder route and punching 929 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:08,399 Speaker 2: through it. 930 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:10,840 Speaker 1: It's a good time to talk about revelation. You mentioned 931 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,680 Speaker 1: it a moment ago, which is this incredible song you 932 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:17,239 Speaker 1: wrote this year, and you said, I'm gonna quote it 933 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:19,319 Speaker 1: felt like a hammer hit me in the back of 934 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 1: the head. Was it physical? Was it a jolt? 935 00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:26,040 Speaker 2: No, I mean no, not like a physical hammer. But 936 00:44:26,120 --> 00:44:29,480 Speaker 2: it was if you could take a thought and pound 937 00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:31,600 Speaker 2: it into your head, as if you hit yourself with 938 00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:34,080 Speaker 2: a hammer. That's what it felt like. It was mine 939 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:39,200 Speaker 2: in my own business. And I mean out of nowhere boom. 940 00:44:39,239 --> 00:44:43,080 Speaker 2: I could hear the melody, I could hear the lyrics. 941 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:46,600 Speaker 2: I'm seeing that revelation this has been you know, there's 942 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:51,200 Speaker 2: been so much intensity placed upon our country and so 943 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:55,080 Speaker 2: many things going on that I have read about in 944 00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:57,160 Speaker 2: the Bible my entire life, and I've heard it preach 945 00:44:57,200 --> 00:45:00,400 Speaker 2: my entire life, and not until recently have many of 946 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:03,799 Speaker 2: those things even been possible to be carried out. You know, 947 00:45:03,920 --> 00:45:07,200 Speaker 2: most of Revelation and Daniel and Second Thessalonians and places 948 00:45:07,200 --> 00:45:09,440 Speaker 2: that talk about the end times seem like science fiction 949 00:45:09,920 --> 00:45:12,920 Speaker 2: to people, including my own father. He goes, We never 950 00:45:12,920 --> 00:45:16,480 Speaker 2: could understand how these things could be possible, he says, 951 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:20,640 Speaker 2: until recently. And now it's really easy to track everybody 952 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:22,520 Speaker 2: on the face of the earth. It's really easy to 953 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,680 Speaker 2: control how you spend your money and what you're allowed 954 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:27,719 Speaker 2: to buy and sell, which is what the Mark of 955 00:45:27,719 --> 00:45:31,000 Speaker 2: the Beast is about. He said, with the advent of tech, 956 00:45:31,239 --> 00:45:33,759 Speaker 2: where we are in the world today, the globalization of 957 00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:39,000 Speaker 2: everyone that is new, that's new that allows for these 958 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:41,200 Speaker 2: things to now take place. Doesn't mean they're going to 959 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:43,920 Speaker 2: take place tomorrow or even in my lifetime, but it's 960 00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 2: now possible and we're looking at it. So I've been 961 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:50,440 Speaker 2: thinking about that and really scrutinizing things and watching and 962 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:53,280 Speaker 2: that's when that song came and I realized, Raymond, nobody 963 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:57,200 Speaker 2: had written this song. I started going back through gospel bands, 964 00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:00,320 Speaker 2: Christian artists, contriar artists. I could not find an anybody 965 00:46:00,400 --> 00:46:03,439 Speaker 2: that literally wrote what the book says in the Book 966 00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:04,680 Speaker 2: of Revelation and. 967 00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:08,680 Speaker 1: Saint Michael the Archangel and the battle with Lucifer. I mean, 968 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:10,680 Speaker 1: the whole thing is in there. All of that is there, 969 00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: all of in the song. 970 00:46:11,960 --> 00:46:14,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's throughout the Oh, it's in the song. Yeah. 971 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,920 Speaker 2: The video. The goal of the video was can we 972 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:23,560 Speaker 2: show what spiritual warfare would look like if it came 973 00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:27,680 Speaker 2: into the physical huh. I remember telling my video director, 974 00:46:27,680 --> 00:46:30,319 Speaker 2: Doc Abbott, who lives here in Nashville. He goes, how 975 00:46:30,320 --> 00:46:33,160 Speaker 2: do you think how do we do that? I go, 976 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:36,040 Speaker 2: probably CGI. I said, I've got a great guy that 977 00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:39,400 Speaker 2: works with Tom McDonald, who's probably my favorite rapper alive 978 00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:41,920 Speaker 2: out in California and he has a lot of CGI 979 00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:43,919 Speaker 2: in his videos. I called Tom told him the idea. 980 00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:45,800 Speaker 2: He goes, oh, yeah, you need to work with Jared. 981 00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:48,799 Speaker 2: Jared's up in Washington State. So I sent it to Jared. 982 00:46:48,880 --> 00:46:52,440 Speaker 2: He goes, that's going to be difficult, but I'm definitely 983 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:54,560 Speaker 2: capable of making that happen. I said, I want the 984 00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:57,960 Speaker 2: Devil and Michael the Archangel to have a battle with 985 00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:01,399 Speaker 2: me standing in between them. That's what I'm looking for. 986 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:04,359 Speaker 2: He goes, okay, and so we shot it and that's 987 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:05,319 Speaker 2: what the video is. 988 00:47:05,640 --> 00:47:06,239 Speaker 1: Have you ever seen a. 989 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:06,759 Speaker 2: Video like that? 990 00:47:07,239 --> 00:47:09,359 Speaker 1: No, I've never seen a video like that. I never 991 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:10,520 Speaker 1: heard a song like that either. 992 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:10,799 Speaker 2: Yeah. 993 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:14,480 Speaker 1: A prophetic song in many ways. Do you think of 994 00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:15,200 Speaker 1: it that way? 995 00:47:15,520 --> 00:47:18,359 Speaker 2: No, because the song is not really even a song. 996 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:20,400 Speaker 2: It's me saying what the pages of the book say. 997 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 2: I just made them rhyme. Those are not my words, 998 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:23,800 Speaker 2: those are John's words. 999 00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:28,040 Speaker 1: Well, but those are prophetic. It's a prophetic. Yesterday and today. 1000 00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:31,400 Speaker 2: Spoken by the prophet John as he was exiled to Patmos. 1001 00:47:31,719 --> 00:47:35,120 Speaker 2: He's writing what he's seeing and hearing, and that becomes 1002 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:37,959 Speaker 2: a book of revelation. And two thousand plus years later, 1003 00:47:38,760 --> 00:47:41,640 Speaker 2: we're standing in situations that look an awful lot like 1004 00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:44,520 Speaker 2: what he was talking about. And so here's your lone 1005 00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:48,640 Speaker 2: songwriter who think God doesn't have a record deal, publishing deal, 1006 00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:50,920 Speaker 2: or any company that can tell me, I can't put that. 1007 00:47:50,920 --> 00:47:52,319 Speaker 1: Song because you would have never been hit. 1008 00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:55,040 Speaker 2: No, not in a million years never. You would have 1009 00:47:55,080 --> 00:47:57,239 Speaker 2: never heard a song. If I had a record deal, 1010 00:47:57,560 --> 00:47:58,719 Speaker 2: that song does not get heard. 1011 00:47:59,239 --> 00:48:02,680 Speaker 1: I forgot. You were at the Mandalay Bay shooting right 1012 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:06,239 Speaker 1: You were performing with Jason Alden. What did you think 1013 00:48:06,280 --> 00:48:09,800 Speaker 1: when that hill of gunfires started falling on these poor people? 1014 00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:14,080 Speaker 1: It almost hit you. You were there, what forty minutes before? 1015 00:48:14,120 --> 00:48:16,359 Speaker 2: I was there forty five minutes before the bullets started 1016 00:48:16,400 --> 00:48:19,719 Speaker 2: flying through the drum risers on the stage. So big 1017 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:22,920 Speaker 2: and rich we opened for Aldean that night, and so 1018 00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:26,239 Speaker 2: as soon as we got through playing, we left on 1019 00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:28,600 Speaker 2: the bus. Actually had a red Nick Riviera kind of 1020 00:48:28,640 --> 00:48:31,239 Speaker 2: satellite little bar over there, and I will go over 1021 00:48:31,239 --> 00:48:33,080 Speaker 2: there and hang out with the local band and you know, 1022 00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:36,319 Speaker 2: get ready to leave town. We get over there and 1023 00:48:36,360 --> 00:48:38,440 Speaker 2: we're up there singing a little bit. The security man 1024 00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:40,080 Speaker 2: comes up to me and he says, he goes, stop 1025 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:41,759 Speaker 2: the music. Stop the music. I'm like, what are you 1026 00:48:41,760 --> 00:48:43,960 Speaker 2: talking about. He goes, stop the music. They pulled the plug, 1027 00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:46,440 Speaker 2: killed the pa. I'm like, what is going on? And 1028 00:48:46,480 --> 00:48:49,239 Speaker 2: they say, there's a mass shooting happening at where you 1029 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:52,560 Speaker 2: guys just were at the concert. I went what, So 1030 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:54,840 Speaker 2: everybody got quiet. We turned on the local news. We 1031 00:48:54,880 --> 00:48:57,640 Speaker 2: had you know, we had TVs everywhere. Yeah, and the 1032 00:48:57,760 --> 00:49:02,719 Speaker 2: local news is reporting if you were anywhere near Mandalay Bay, 1033 00:49:03,200 --> 00:49:08,399 Speaker 2: Bellagio or Caesar's Palace, get away from the windows. Well, 1034 00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:10,480 Speaker 2: we were looking right at Blagio. We're looking at the 1035 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:13,400 Speaker 2: fountains and all that. I'm like, everybody, get away from 1036 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:15,400 Speaker 2: the glass. So you go get off in the corner. 1037 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:18,920 Speaker 2: And I remember looking down you can hear all this 1038 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:21,319 Speaker 2: racket going on. We're kind of up high, We're looking 1039 00:49:21,360 --> 00:49:23,560 Speaker 2: down and you could see police squads moving through the 1040 00:49:23,560 --> 00:49:27,200 Speaker 2: streets down below. I'm like, okay, so somebody's on the 1041 00:49:27,239 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 2: loose through the town. So I said, somebody needs a 1042 00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:33,920 Speaker 2: whole point on this front door, and I asked, has 1043 00:49:33,960 --> 00:49:35,920 Speaker 2: anybody got a weapon in here? And everybody went, uh, 1044 00:49:36,080 --> 00:49:37,520 Speaker 2: I know, well I did. 1045 00:49:37,880 --> 00:49:38,440 Speaker 1: The only one. 1046 00:49:38,560 --> 00:49:41,279 Speaker 2: I had a Colt forty five in my belt, so 1047 00:49:41,320 --> 00:49:43,719 Speaker 2: I pulled it out start walking to the front door. 1048 00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:46,680 Speaker 2: We got a glass door, and this big old cop 1049 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:50,759 Speaker 2: officer brown flops his badge out and I looked at him. 1050 00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:52,800 Speaker 2: I thought, oh, I'm in trouble because I have a firearms. 1051 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:55,920 Speaker 2: First thing I thought, He goes, I'm a police officer, 1052 00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:59,319 Speaker 2: Minneapolis Police Department. I'm here with my wife on our honeymoon. 1053 00:50:00,719 --> 00:50:04,040 Speaker 2: Can I have that and letting me protect the door? 1054 00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:07,399 Speaker 2: I said, yes, sir, and I turned the gun around. 1055 00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:09,359 Speaker 2: I said, it's not chambered, and he grabbed it, went 1056 00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:11,799 Speaker 2: it is now, and he racked it, got down on 1057 00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:13,799 Speaker 2: one knee and put his elbow up on the T 1058 00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:16,319 Speaker 2: shirt table there and just held point on that door 1059 00:50:16,320 --> 00:50:18,239 Speaker 2: because for all we knew, somebody was coming straight through 1060 00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:20,800 Speaker 2: the door. Got back home after all that had happened, 1061 00:50:21,239 --> 00:50:24,600 Speaker 2: and was going through my suitcase and I found the 1062 00:50:24,640 --> 00:50:27,759 Speaker 2: hotel key because we were staying at the MGM. Found 1063 00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:30,120 Speaker 2: the hotel key, and I'm watching the news and I'm 1064 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:32,040 Speaker 2: looking at the room number on my hotel key, and 1065 00:50:32,040 --> 00:50:34,160 Speaker 2: I'm looking at the news, going hang on a minute. 1066 00:50:34,960 --> 00:50:37,359 Speaker 2: My ceiling of my room was the floor of that 1067 00:50:37,440 --> 00:50:40,160 Speaker 2: guy that was lobbing those bullets shooters all day. I'd 1068 00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:42,520 Speaker 2: been up in that room just waiting for the show 1069 00:50:42,520 --> 00:50:44,680 Speaker 2: to start. He was literally right there all day long. 1070 00:50:45,120 --> 00:50:47,800 Speaker 1: Are you satisfied with the answers that we've gotten about 1071 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:48,640 Speaker 1: this guy? 1072 00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:49,520 Speaker 2: What answer? 1073 00:50:49,719 --> 00:50:52,400 Speaker 1: This old man running back and forth between how you 1074 00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:53,920 Speaker 1: know how long? That's sweet? Was Yes? 1075 00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:56,680 Speaker 2: What answer? There are more cameras per square inch in 1076 00:50:56,719 --> 00:50:59,359 Speaker 2: Las Vegas, Nevada than probably any city on the earth. 1077 00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:04,160 Speaker 2: There are cameras everywhere, everywhere. Can't find any camera footage. 1078 00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:06,239 Speaker 2: The cameras we don't have cameras reminds me of other 1079 00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:09,759 Speaker 2: things I've heard since then. And then you start thinking about, well, 1080 00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:11,640 Speaker 2: how in the world can one guy sit in a 1081 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:13,640 Speaker 2: hotel room like that, because my hotel room would have 1082 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:17,239 Speaker 2: been exactly like his and fire thousands and thousands of 1083 00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:19,839 Speaker 2: rounds and not choke to death. That's the first thing 1084 00:51:19,880 --> 00:51:22,160 Speaker 2: I thought. I'm a shooter. I'm like, man, if you 1085 00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 2: fire enough rounds outside, you can start okay, clear the air. 1086 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:28,319 Speaker 2: He's inside a hotel room doing this, and then you 1087 00:51:28,320 --> 00:51:30,480 Speaker 2: think about what the local news said, get away from 1088 00:51:30,480 --> 00:51:33,359 Speaker 2: these hotels and get away, and then national news took 1089 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:36,120 Speaker 2: it and I remember seeing the big FBI guy leaning 1090 00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:39,080 Speaker 2: over that sheriff while the sheriff hands are just shaking 1091 00:51:39,160 --> 00:51:41,600 Speaker 2: like a leaf, trying to read the statement. There's the FBI. 1092 00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:46,120 Speaker 2: I'm going is what happened? What really happened here? Anybody 1093 00:51:46,120 --> 00:51:49,799 Speaker 2: that was there, anybody that was around that situation, None 1094 00:51:49,880 --> 00:51:52,600 Speaker 2: of us believe a word that we were told. And 1095 00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:54,920 Speaker 2: I'm hoping in this new administration that is one of 1096 00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:59,439 Speaker 2: the things. There's many, but I hope they tell us 1097 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:03,040 Speaker 2: what that actually was, what actually went down to a 1098 00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:05,520 Speaker 2: lot of people, that over fifty people got killed at 1099 00:52:05,560 --> 00:52:06,600 Speaker 2: that concert. 1100 00:52:06,280 --> 00:52:10,239 Speaker 1: Your fans, your fans, you had met with some of 1101 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:12,880 Speaker 1: these people who are victims of this. Right before the 1102 00:52:12,920 --> 00:52:13,640 Speaker 1: concept died. 1103 00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:16,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, that died. A young young man came through with 1104 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,279 Speaker 2: his wife and the meet and greet, big fan took 1105 00:52:19,320 --> 00:52:21,960 Speaker 2: pictures with him, and I got word that when the 1106 00:52:21,960 --> 00:52:24,040 Speaker 2: bullets came in, he turned his back to where the 1107 00:52:24,080 --> 00:52:26,360 Speaker 2: bullets were coming, shielding his wife, and he took several 1108 00:52:26,440 --> 00:52:29,080 Speaker 2: rounds in the back and he died. And you know, 1109 00:52:29,760 --> 00:52:33,520 Speaker 2: they deserve answers. We deserve answers. And pardon me for 1110 00:52:33,640 --> 00:52:36,080 Speaker 2: being so skeptical when you go through something like that 1111 00:52:36,160 --> 00:52:37,560 Speaker 2: and you go back and look at it and go, 1112 00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:41,120 Speaker 2: that is not true. That is not true what they're 1113 00:52:41,160 --> 00:52:43,359 Speaker 2: telling us. And America knows that a lot of things 1114 00:52:43,400 --> 00:52:45,480 Speaker 2: have happened in our country that America knows is not 1115 00:52:45,560 --> 00:52:46,000 Speaker 2: the truth. 1116 00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:49,759 Speaker 1: We need answers, particularly for that. I mean that that 1117 00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:52,399 Speaker 1: is a that well, the shooting here in Nashville too, 1118 00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:56,640 Speaker 1: that school shooting here not sufficient answer. No, and we're 1119 00:52:56,680 --> 00:52:58,200 Speaker 1: talking about babies. 1120 00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:00,920 Speaker 2: And shop you Valdi, Why are the cops standing in 1121 00:53:00,920 --> 00:53:04,320 Speaker 2: a hallway for an hour while this guy's executing kids 1122 00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:08,120 Speaker 2: and they're all got bulletproof, vest rifles, everything they need 1123 00:53:08,160 --> 00:53:10,000 Speaker 2: to walk in that room and take that guy out, 1124 00:53:10,239 --> 00:53:12,880 Speaker 2: and they just stand there for an hour as the 1125 00:53:12,920 --> 00:53:16,560 Speaker 2: shots keep popping and killing these kids. Yeah, America is 1126 00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:18,839 Speaker 2: sick and target it. Honestly, That's one reason why Trump won. 1127 00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:23,239 Speaker 2: It is it is it is the gravity that is 1128 00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,120 Speaker 2: that finally got together of all these things, put all 1129 00:53:26,200 --> 00:53:28,279 Speaker 2: into one big package and drop it in your lap 1130 00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:32,640 Speaker 2: and go Trump, fix this, tell us the truth, tell 1131 00:53:32,719 --> 00:53:34,640 Speaker 2: us what's going on. I have a feeling if we 1132 00:53:34,640 --> 00:53:37,000 Speaker 2: all know the real truth about everything, it would change 1133 00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:40,239 Speaker 2: America's future for probably a century, because it'd be real 1134 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:42,439 Speaker 2: hard to trick us in anything again for a long time. 1135 00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:46,720 Speaker 1: Tell me about Rednick Riviera. I've loved the Rednick Riviera 1136 00:53:46,840 --> 00:53:49,239 Speaker 1: because I know the origins of that. But I'll bet 1137 00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:49,560 Speaker 1: a lot. 1138 00:53:49,480 --> 00:53:50,800 Speaker 2: Of people, yeah, the Gulf Coast. 1139 00:53:51,120 --> 00:53:54,200 Speaker 1: Tell people where that title came from. Why you had 1140 00:53:54,200 --> 00:53:54,799 Speaker 1: to call it red? 1141 00:53:55,960 --> 00:53:58,600 Speaker 2: As a as a songwriter, it's one of my favorite 1142 00:53:58,600 --> 00:54:02,440 Speaker 2: phrases because it's funny. First of all, I like funny stuff. 1143 00:54:02,760 --> 00:54:06,359 Speaker 2: But it's basically, back in the sixties, people living on 1144 00:54:06,520 --> 00:54:08,640 Speaker 2: limited income, which is still the way it is today, 1145 00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:10,920 Speaker 2: couldn't afford to go to the French rivi era. So 1146 00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:12,719 Speaker 2: where would they go? We got to go to the 1147 00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:16,360 Speaker 2: redneck rivi So that's like Destin Florida, Gulf Shores, Alabass 1148 00:54:16,680 --> 00:54:20,200 Speaker 2: Mall City Beach, and the beaches are pristine, and the 1149 00:54:20,239 --> 00:54:22,399 Speaker 2: food is great, and there's music everywhere, and you can 1150 00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:24,920 Speaker 2: drive there, you can afford to stay there for a 1151 00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:28,040 Speaker 2: week and your family have a good time. And so 1152 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:30,200 Speaker 2: I always thought, man, what a great phrase. Growing up 1153 00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:32,600 Speaker 2: blue collar myself, I thought, yeah, I remember calling it 1154 00:54:32,640 --> 00:54:34,600 Speaker 2: Rednick Rivera. When I was a kid, first time I 1155 00:54:34,600 --> 00:54:37,279 Speaker 2: ever got stung by jellyfish was in Panama City Beach. 1156 00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:38,960 Speaker 2: My dad drove us down there in the station wagon, 1157 00:54:39,320 --> 00:54:42,960 Speaker 2: and so I thought that should be a brand into itself. 1158 00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:47,400 Speaker 2: So I wanted to step out and build all American, 1159 00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:51,080 Speaker 2: one hundred percent made in the USA brand that reflected 1160 00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:55,319 Speaker 2: my life, Like basically I grew up blue collar. My 1161 00:54:55,400 --> 00:54:57,920 Speaker 2: brain still works that way. But you go to a 1162 00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:00,640 Speaker 2: place you can afford because it's truly nice memories with 1163 00:55:00,680 --> 00:55:03,640 Speaker 2: the family, and can we get back to veterans to 1164 00:55:03,800 --> 00:55:05,239 Speaker 2: a brand which we have to fold. 1165 00:55:05,360 --> 00:55:08,080 Speaker 1: How many tuitions have you paid? The folds and honor 1166 00:55:08,120 --> 00:55:08,439 Speaker 1: a lot? 1167 00:55:09,200 --> 00:55:12,200 Speaker 2: It'd be hard to say how many tuitions. The brand 1168 00:55:12,520 --> 00:55:15,640 Speaker 2: has generated one point six million dollars since twenty eighteen. 1169 00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:19,880 Speaker 2: That's a lot for any brand, much less a privately owned, 1170 00:55:20,120 --> 00:55:24,960 Speaker 2: small upstart brand. But I look at that as you know, 1171 00:55:26,080 --> 00:55:29,480 Speaker 2: the only reason guys with high school diplomas who grew 1172 00:55:29,560 --> 00:55:31,800 Speaker 2: up in a double wide in Texas and nothing fancy 1173 00:55:32,280 --> 00:55:36,080 Speaker 2: get to go out here and just shoot at the moon. 1174 00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:38,360 Speaker 2: Literally just go all the way as hard as you 1175 00:55:38,400 --> 00:55:40,799 Speaker 2: want to go and chase the American dream. It's because 1176 00:55:40,800 --> 00:55:44,040 Speaker 2: of the United States Military. Short of those men and women, 1177 00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:46,440 Speaker 2: you don't get to sit here and be on TV. 1178 00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:48,640 Speaker 2: I don't get to go make music. Nobody gets to 1179 00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:51,320 Speaker 2: do what they want to do short of life, liberty 1180 00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:54,000 Speaker 2: and pursuit of happiness being kept in tact by the 1181 00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:58,640 Speaker 2: US military, And so Folds of Honor puts kids and 1182 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:01,960 Speaker 2: spouses through college who lost their mom or dad, or 1183 00:56:01,960 --> 00:56:04,200 Speaker 2: who have a family members one hundred percent disabled. That 1184 00:56:04,320 --> 00:56:06,759 Speaker 2: was the income earner. And so there's people all of 1185 00:56:06,800 --> 00:56:09,719 Speaker 2: the US right now going to college. Parsley subsidized by 1186 00:56:09,760 --> 00:56:10,520 Speaker 2: Rednick Riviera. 1187 00:56:10,560 --> 00:56:12,239 Speaker 1: Love that. I love it, and you got and you 1188 00:56:12,239 --> 00:56:14,560 Speaker 1: have the club here in Nashville, which is a great 1189 00:56:14,600 --> 00:56:16,239 Speaker 1: place to one place if you want to come to. 1190 00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:18,719 Speaker 1: If you're coming to Nashville, you should go to the 1191 00:56:18,719 --> 00:56:20,839 Speaker 1: Redneck Revie. It's a lot of fun. It's a great bar. 1192 00:56:20,920 --> 00:56:23,840 Speaker 1: There's a love of music. And you were one of 1193 00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:27,640 Speaker 1: the first country artists really to start. I mean everybody 1194 00:56:27,680 --> 00:56:29,399 Speaker 1: followed John Rich's lead on this way. 1195 00:56:29,920 --> 00:56:32,359 Speaker 2: Everybody. Alan Jackson had a play. There was a couple 1196 00:56:32,400 --> 00:56:34,880 Speaker 2: of the big dogs. Yeah, places not. 1197 00:56:34,760 --> 00:56:36,520 Speaker 1: Like it is now. Everybody and the dog's trying to 1198 00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:37,759 Speaker 1: get a place. It brought you out. 1199 00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:39,839 Speaker 2: I mean it truly. I think every building down there 1200 00:56:39,880 --> 00:56:42,120 Speaker 2: has a country artist's name on it at this point. 1201 00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:45,439 Speaker 2: But we try to make the bar really be its 1202 00:56:45,480 --> 00:56:47,440 Speaker 2: own thing, and it really is. When you walk in 1203 00:56:47,480 --> 00:56:50,080 Speaker 2: the front door. We call it the Heroes Bar, and 1204 00:56:50,120 --> 00:56:52,520 Speaker 2: that's where if you're a vet, active duty or a 1205 00:56:52,560 --> 00:56:56,000 Speaker 2: first responder, you get the seat and the first drinks 1206 00:56:56,040 --> 00:56:58,360 Speaker 2: on the house and the walls are covered in patches 1207 00:56:58,400 --> 00:57:02,040 Speaker 2: and military coins. Part of the proudest moment I've had 1208 00:57:02,280 --> 00:57:05,200 Speaker 2: seeing that place operate was a bunch of rowdy guys 1209 00:57:05,200 --> 00:57:08,360 Speaker 2: were down there having a bachelor party at the Rednick Riviera, 1210 00:57:09,200 --> 00:57:11,480 Speaker 2: and I mean they're getting you know, you can imagine 1211 00:57:11,520 --> 00:57:14,120 Speaker 2: they're having a big time, and these two old Vietnam 1212 00:57:14,239 --> 00:57:17,800 Speaker 2: vets come walking in with their Vietnam Veteran ball caps on. 1213 00:57:18,800 --> 00:57:21,280 Speaker 2: They come walking in. It's six deep at the bar. 1214 00:57:21,360 --> 00:57:22,880 Speaker 2: You can't get up to the bar. And I watched 1215 00:57:22,960 --> 00:57:27,880 Speaker 2: these bachelor party guys see those old men and got 1216 00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:29,520 Speaker 2: up out of their chairs and moved people out of 1217 00:57:29,520 --> 00:57:32,840 Speaker 2: the way and said take my chair, come on, take 1218 00:57:32,880 --> 00:57:35,040 Speaker 2: much here, and sat the old man down at their 1219 00:57:35,080 --> 00:57:37,200 Speaker 2: chairs and then they got up and that was the 1220 00:57:37,200 --> 00:57:40,520 Speaker 2: coveted spot to sit and respected those old men for 1221 00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:43,280 Speaker 2: their service. So that's really the culture of that kind 1222 00:57:43,280 --> 00:57:45,120 Speaker 2: of encapsulates the whole brand really. 1223 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:47,360 Speaker 1: Well and what the country should be. 1224 00:57:48,160 --> 00:57:49,240 Speaker 2: I hope we get back to that. 1225 00:57:49,520 --> 00:57:51,440 Speaker 1: I think we're getting there. I want to ask you 1226 00:57:51,520 --> 00:57:53,640 Speaker 1: quickly before I get to I have a list of questions. 1227 00:57:53,720 --> 00:57:56,680 Speaker 1: I ask everybody give me the state of country music 1228 00:57:56,680 --> 00:57:59,760 Speaker 1: through John Richard's eyes. Now you've said there couldn't be 1229 00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:02,760 Speaker 1: a rede all End today, there couldn't be a Johnny 1230 00:58:02,800 --> 00:58:06,600 Speaker 1: Cash today. Why not? Especially when you hear those young 1231 00:58:06,680 --> 00:58:09,040 Speaker 1: artists reaching out to you privately and saying thank you 1232 00:58:09,120 --> 00:58:13,760 Speaker 1: for saying that. Clearly that's where they are still. 1233 00:58:13,920 --> 00:58:17,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. So the talent of a Loretta Lin, but the 1234 00:58:17,400 --> 00:58:20,880 Speaker 2: talent of a Johnny Cash can exist in Nashville and 1235 00:58:20,960 --> 00:58:25,240 Speaker 2: does there There are people with unbelievable talent and Nashville 1236 00:58:25,240 --> 00:58:27,280 Speaker 2: that are that are coming up through the ranks. The 1237 00:58:27,320 --> 00:58:34,560 Speaker 2: part that's different is is the record label's stranglehold on creativity. 1238 00:58:35,920 --> 00:58:40,720 Speaker 2: Back in the day, Johnny Cash could sing you know, 1239 00:58:40,840 --> 00:58:43,360 Speaker 2: I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, 1240 00:58:44,960 --> 00:58:47,000 Speaker 2: and they would let him put that out and let 1241 00:58:47,040 --> 00:58:49,160 Speaker 2: the fans decide if they like or something like the matter, 1242 00:58:49,200 --> 00:58:50,920 Speaker 2: if Johnny Cash is too crazy, I don't want to 1243 00:58:50,920 --> 00:58:54,240 Speaker 2: ever hear that again. That's really not how it is now. 1244 00:58:54,400 --> 00:58:56,320 Speaker 2: And I know that for a fact because I was 1245 00:58:56,440 --> 00:58:58,880 Speaker 2: in it. And then now all these artists that come 1246 00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:01,160 Speaker 2: to me and go, I'm gonna play let me. I'm 1247 00:59:01,200 --> 00:59:02,960 Speaker 2: gonna send you a song I just wrote. The label's 1248 00:59:03,000 --> 00:59:04,320 Speaker 2: not gonna let me put it out, but I wanted 1249 00:59:04,360 --> 00:59:06,240 Speaker 2: you to hear it. Anyway. They'll send me a song 1250 00:59:06,440 --> 00:59:08,440 Speaker 2: and it'll be it'll be making some kind of a 1251 00:59:08,480 --> 00:59:12,680 Speaker 2: cultural statement or something, and they won't even bother turning 1252 00:59:12,680 --> 00:59:15,200 Speaker 2: it in to the record label. It's almost like it's 1253 00:59:15,240 --> 00:59:18,600 Speaker 2: not censorship because nobody ever puts it forward to even be. 1254 00:59:18,640 --> 00:59:19,680 Speaker 1: Some self censorship. 1255 00:59:19,720 --> 00:59:20,280 Speaker 2: It's self sense. 1256 00:59:20,320 --> 00:59:23,040 Speaker 1: They get what they understand, what's going to. 1257 00:59:23,000 --> 00:59:25,680 Speaker 2: Make a no go, So why don't even try? And 1258 00:59:25,720 --> 00:59:26,560 Speaker 2: that's not healthy? 1259 00:59:27,120 --> 00:59:29,400 Speaker 1: No, Okay, I'm gonna I gotta put my hat on. 1260 00:59:29,480 --> 00:59:31,720 Speaker 1: Can you throw that hat to me for a second? Good? 1261 00:59:31,800 --> 00:59:32,560 Speaker 1: I gotta put my hand. 1262 00:59:32,680 --> 00:59:34,240 Speaker 2: I didn't know. I think that's my hand I got 1263 00:59:34,240 --> 00:59:37,520 Speaker 2: it almost looks like look at that, look at you. 1264 00:59:37,640 --> 00:59:39,200 Speaker 1: That's a big one, all right? 1265 00:59:39,240 --> 00:59:40,360 Speaker 2: One tip pull it down? 1266 00:59:40,360 --> 00:59:41,160 Speaker 1: A little bit lower. 1267 00:59:41,360 --> 00:59:44,720 Speaker 2: There you go. That's it. That's that guy's ready for 1268 00:59:44,760 --> 00:59:45,520 Speaker 2: the grand ole up. 1269 00:59:45,520 --> 00:59:48,680 Speaker 1: Really right, here we go, ladies, and they won't let 1270 00:59:48,680 --> 00:59:51,120 Speaker 1: me on the opery that'll bring down the stage forever. Okay, 1271 00:59:51,280 --> 00:59:55,000 Speaker 1: these are my royal Grande questionnaire questions I asked everybody. 1272 00:59:55,000 --> 00:59:58,120 Speaker 1: He's a rapid fire, but they're important. Who is the 1273 00:59:58,120 --> 01:00:02,800 Speaker 1: person you most admire my dad? Why? 1274 01:00:03,480 --> 01:00:06,080 Speaker 2: Because he is unyielding and relentless? 1275 01:00:07,640 --> 01:00:10,880 Speaker 1: You took the lesson? Well, my friend, who's the person 1276 01:00:10,960 --> 01:00:12,680 Speaker 1: you most despise. 1277 01:00:15,080 --> 01:00:20,040 Speaker 2: Right now? Sean Combs and anybody like him? 1278 01:00:20,080 --> 01:00:21,760 Speaker 1: What is your best feature? 1279 01:00:24,360 --> 01:00:24,880 Speaker 2: Loyalty? 1280 01:00:25,520 --> 01:00:27,880 Speaker 1: Ah? And your worst? 1281 01:00:31,680 --> 01:00:35,080 Speaker 2: Hm? Which one should I pick? 1282 01:00:36,200 --> 01:00:40,480 Speaker 1: Took a card? Any card, I. 1283 01:00:40,480 --> 01:00:43,320 Speaker 2: Would say, rushing to judgment. 1284 01:00:45,160 --> 01:00:49,240 Speaker 1: The last great book you read? And your favorite book? 1285 01:00:49,960 --> 01:00:51,560 Speaker 1: I think I know the answer to this one. 1286 01:00:52,320 --> 01:00:56,160 Speaker 2: Well, I mean discounting the Bible, not counting the not 1287 01:00:56,160 --> 01:00:58,920 Speaker 2: counting the Bible. Hill Billy Elogy is one of mytown 1288 01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:01,640 Speaker 2: favorite books. To be honest, the yeah reminds me of 1289 01:01:02,200 --> 01:01:03,720 Speaker 2: where I grew up, my people. 1290 01:01:04,280 --> 01:01:06,880 Speaker 1: The American people. What do you fear, John? 1291 01:01:10,400 --> 01:01:11,640 Speaker 2: Something happening to my kids? 1292 01:01:12,920 --> 01:01:15,960 Speaker 1: We all fear that, all of us. The greatest virtue 1293 01:01:16,280 --> 01:01:16,640 Speaker 1: is what. 1294 01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:19,760 Speaker 2: Patience. 1295 01:01:23,240 --> 01:01:25,520 Speaker 1: I think we have a shared lack of that. I 1296 01:01:26,160 --> 01:01:33,200 Speaker 1: guess what the word you could not live without? 1297 01:01:34,400 --> 01:01:36,880 Speaker 2: Idiot? I say that word a lot every day. Look 1298 01:01:36,920 --> 01:01:39,840 Speaker 2: at this idiot. Sometimes I'm looking in the mirror and 1299 01:01:39,840 --> 01:01:40,520 Speaker 2: go look at this he. 1300 01:01:40,560 --> 01:01:44,160 Speaker 1: Oh, No, you shouldn't do that. If you could live anywhere, 1301 01:01:44,360 --> 01:01:45,120 Speaker 1: where would you live? 1302 01:01:47,360 --> 01:01:49,120 Speaker 2: Probably just outside of Yellowstone? 1303 01:01:50,520 --> 01:01:51,880 Speaker 1: Wow? Except in the winter. 1304 01:01:52,440 --> 01:01:54,440 Speaker 2: No, in the winter too gets a little deep. That's 1305 01:01:54,440 --> 01:01:56,800 Speaker 2: why with me? Wow, Yeah, I like it out there. 1306 01:01:56,840 --> 01:02:01,800 Speaker 1: Beautiful country, good air, beautiful country. What is your biggest regret, Johan? 1307 01:02:04,160 --> 01:02:06,800 Speaker 2: Not jump in that train and get an a hell 1308 01:02:06,840 --> 01:02:07,640 Speaker 2: out of this interview? 1309 01:02:09,000 --> 01:02:13,640 Speaker 1: We're almost done. Your biggest regret, John, besides jumping the train. 1310 01:02:14,680 --> 01:02:18,440 Speaker 2: Biggest regret probably disrespecting my father in my youth. Hmm. 1311 01:02:20,280 --> 01:02:23,280 Speaker 2: I've apologized since then, but still I regret it. 1312 01:02:23,440 --> 01:02:26,400 Speaker 1: The best piece of advice you ever got was. 1313 01:02:26,320 --> 01:02:30,760 Speaker 2: What You're never truly free until you can say no. 1314 01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:33,600 Speaker 2: Who gave it to you, Larry Gatlin? 1315 01:02:33,880 --> 01:02:37,400 Speaker 1: Wow, You're never truly free until you can say no. 1316 01:02:37,600 --> 01:02:38,400 Speaker 1: I love that. 1317 01:02:38,400 --> 01:02:38,840 Speaker 2: That's right. 1318 01:02:39,280 --> 01:02:42,320 Speaker 1: If you could not do what you're doing now, if 1319 01:02:42,360 --> 01:02:44,760 Speaker 1: you weren't a singer and a songwriter, what would you be, 1320 01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:47,040 Speaker 1: What would you like to do? What else were you 1321 01:02:47,080 --> 01:02:48,360 Speaker 1: called to do? Do you think. 1322 01:02:50,120 --> 01:02:52,720 Speaker 2: Something where I can inspire people? Whatever that would be. 1323 01:02:52,880 --> 01:02:55,440 Speaker 2: I've always thought if I'd ever gone into the military, 1324 01:02:55,600 --> 01:02:57,280 Speaker 2: I would have been a guy that would have really 1325 01:02:57,320 --> 01:03:01,200 Speaker 2: probably enjoyed that and excelled at it, being around other 1326 01:03:01,680 --> 01:03:05,280 Speaker 2: really competent people, younger ones, especially bringing them up. I 1327 01:03:05,280 --> 01:03:07,080 Speaker 2: don't know that it would have been military, but something 1328 01:03:07,080 --> 01:03:08,560 Speaker 2: that would have put me in a spot where I 1329 01:03:08,600 --> 01:03:10,200 Speaker 2: can communicate. 1330 01:03:10,360 --> 01:03:14,080 Speaker 1: Like that final question, what happens when this life is over? 1331 01:03:15,080 --> 01:03:17,880 Speaker 2: When this life is over, every single human being that's 1332 01:03:17,960 --> 01:03:20,960 Speaker 2: ever lived stands directly in front of the Son of God, 1333 01:03:21,560 --> 01:03:23,800 Speaker 2: and he will either say come on in or he'll 1334 01:03:23,800 --> 01:03:26,200 Speaker 2: say depart from me. I never knew you one or 1335 01:03:26,200 --> 01:03:28,280 Speaker 2: the other. And the only way you get into heaven 1336 01:03:28,320 --> 01:03:31,560 Speaker 2: is by submitting your entire life and will to Jesus Christ. 1337 01:03:31,760 --> 01:03:35,800 Speaker 2: Going to church will not get you in. Academia about 1338 01:03:35,800 --> 01:03:37,880 Speaker 2: the Bible will not get you in. All of your 1339 01:03:37,880 --> 01:03:40,400 Speaker 2: philosophy will not get you in. Doing good deeds will 1340 01:03:40,400 --> 01:03:42,840 Speaker 2: not get you in. If that was the case, the 1341 01:03:42,920 --> 01:03:44,880 Speaker 2: thief on the cross would have never gone into heaven. 1342 01:03:46,040 --> 01:03:47,280 Speaker 2: That's what happens when you die. 1343 01:03:47,480 --> 01:03:50,320 Speaker 1: Now you're on your way. There, my friend. God bless 1344 01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:51,680 Speaker 1: you great John. 1345 01:03:52,200 --> 01:03:53,560 Speaker 2: See you next time. Looks good. 1346 01:03:54,320 --> 01:03:56,560 Speaker 1: I've never taken it off. Now here's the least in town. 1347 01:03:56,720 --> 01:03:57,560 Speaker 2: Give me one of these. 1348 01:03:58,320 --> 01:04:02,080 Speaker 1: There you go, Thank you, John, here's the hole. I 1349 01:04:02,160 --> 01:04:05,160 Speaker 1: love the John Rich, like all great artists, uses his 1350 01:04:05,320 --> 01:04:09,600 Speaker 1: gift to reflect his values and his time, whether it's 1351 01:04:09,600 --> 01:04:12,880 Speaker 1: his outrage over Diddy or concerns about where the country 1352 01:04:12,920 --> 01:04:16,160 Speaker 1: is headed. And that advice he gave was golden. I 1353 01:04:16,200 --> 01:04:19,560 Speaker 1: hope you listened. When everything's out of your control, find 1354 01:04:19,560 --> 01:04:22,600 Speaker 1: the one thing you can still control, and control it, 1355 01:04:23,120 --> 01:04:25,680 Speaker 1: do the one right thing you're capable of, and build 1356 01:04:25,720 --> 01:04:28,800 Speaker 1: from there. And I love that he holds onto his hat, 1357 01:04:28,840 --> 01:04:32,000 Speaker 1: which I'm going to do too. Why live a dry, narrow, 1358 01:04:32,120 --> 01:04:34,760 Speaker 1: constricted life when if you fill it with good things, 1359 01:04:34,800 --> 01:04:38,600 Speaker 1: it can flow into a broad, thriving Arroyo Grande. I'm 1360 01:04:38,640 --> 01:04:41,880 Speaker 1: ramming to Arroyo. Make sure you subscribe like this episode. 1361 01:04:42,000 --> 01:04:44,320 Speaker 1: Thank you for diving in, and we'll see you next time. 1362 01:04:45,160 --> 01:04:48,920 Speaker 1: Arroyo Grande is produced in partnership with iHeart Podcasts and 1363 01:04:49,040 --> 01:04:51,640 Speaker 1: is available on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get 1364 01:04:51,640 --> 01:05:06,160 Speaker 1: your podcasts. Specs spoken consists spoken spooks,