1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: So this is a fun episode for me because for. 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 2: Those of you that don't know, I'm a musician, I'm 3 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 2: not just an actor. 4 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: I love play of music. 5 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 2: I love writing songs. I first visited Nashville when my 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 2: brother was living there as a staff songwriter at Combine 7 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 2: Music and I was about twelve years old, and I 8 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 2: got on a train to from Philly where I grew up, 9 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 2: to head south and kind of went into this whole 10 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 2: other world. This would be back in the seventies. I 11 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 2: think I sort of fell in love with that city. 12 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 2: It's changed a lot over the years, but it's always 13 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 2: remained a place where amazing, amazing songwriters and musicians meet and. 14 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: Play and write. 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 2: Not just country music. I mean has a reputation for country, 16 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 2: but there's all kinds of stuff being done there. I 17 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: have myself done the whole thing, gone to a little room, 18 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 2: met somebody that I didn't know, drank some coffee, and 19 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 2: written a few songs. And so to hang out today 20 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 2: with someone who has not only written a few songs, 21 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: but has written just twenty tops end songs something like that. 22 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: Just a fantastic artist and to you know, kind of 23 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 2: shoot the breeze about music and writing country and other 24 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 2: kinds of music, and also find out about something that 25 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 2: not only he cares deeply about, but also has been 26 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 2: a very, very big. 27 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: Part of his personal life. 28 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:35,839 Speaker 2: I'm really excited to be hanging out today with Thomas Rhett. 29 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 3: So Lean. 30 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: Here we are with Thomas Rhett. 31 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: I'm so excited to meet you, and thank you so 32 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 2: much for being here. 33 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: We were chatting before. 34 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 2: You're You're just in the middle of the tour. 35 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, So we started in February in Canada. I don't 36 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 4: know you've ever been to Canada in February, but it 37 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 4: is the coldest I've ever been. 38 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 5: In my whole I'm sure you have. 39 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, but. 40 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 5: Yeah, we're halfway through the tour. 41 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 4: We go through like September, and my family and I 42 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 4: have been at the beach for a few weeks, so 43 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 4: I've kind of been touring in and out of here. 44 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 4: So been a good summer, man, been a busy one. 45 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 2: You got a new vinyl coming out right, twenty number 46 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 2: ones or is it out now or yeah? 47 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 5: I think it comes out in a couple of weeks. 48 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 4: It is still kind of mind boggling to me that 49 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 4: that we have that coming out. I feel some days 50 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 4: I feel like I've been doing this career for like 51 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 4: a year, and then some days it feels like thirty. 52 00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: So wow. 53 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, the fact that we've had that many number ones 54 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 4: in a decade is pretty it's pretty mind boggling. 55 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's just amazing. Man, that is just amazing. 56 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 2: You must be so proud of that. And I don't know, 57 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 2: just to have that kind of like milestone for songs. 58 00:02:54,639 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 2: And I'm guessing that you probably wrote or used to 59 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 2: hand and writing all of these tunes. 60 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, I would say maybe maybe seventy percent of the 61 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 4: songs I wrote. 62 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 5: Some of them were pitched to me, you know, from 63 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:09,359 Speaker 5: outside folks. 64 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 4: But Nashville is such a tight knit community that you know, 65 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 4: there's there's really not a week that goes by or 66 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 4: I'm not getting sent at least fifteen to twenty songs 67 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 4: by buddies that are writing all the time. So yeah, 68 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 4: I mean, if it were not for co writers, man, 69 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 4: would I would not be I would not be sitting 70 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 4: where I'm sitting. 71 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: Okay, one of real heroes. 72 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 2: I want to dig into that because I'm actually a 73 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 2: songwriter myself and I have. 74 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 5: Been on the road right now. 75 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, we're kind of like, well, we were, we were 76 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 2: out and then our last three days I got COVID 77 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: and then we shot down and I had we had 78 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 2: to punt them for a little while. Right, We're going 79 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: to go back out in uh September, I think. But 80 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 2: that's awesome. Yeah, yeah, I love I love doing it. 81 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 2: But I've always kind of written. Either when I was young, 82 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 2: I wrote with my brother and then from that point 83 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 2: on just by myself. And recently we've started to do 84 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 2: a little bit of partnering and do and getting into 85 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 2: a room with a complete stranger a couple of times 86 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 2: in Nashville. Yeah, once in New York and a few 87 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 2: times in Nashville. And it's such a it's such a 88 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 2: challenging and strange sort of situation I find because it's 89 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 2: a very vulnerable to me. It's a very vulnerable place 90 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 2: to be, you know. Stor writing to me is so 91 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 2: kind of confessional and and and then to get in 92 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 2: there and you know, you're you're playing something you're going 93 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 2: through like some changes, and you're like, you know me, 94 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,480 Speaker 2: how do you like, how do you handle first off, 95 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 2: somebody telling you. 96 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: I think you could do. 97 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 2: Better with that rhyme or whatever it is. Or someone 98 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 2: else saying, yeah, that's that idea that I don't want 99 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 2: to write that today. 100 00:04:58,160 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I I'm fascinated by that. 101 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:02,840 Speaker 5: Yeah, man, I've been kind of writting. 102 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,719 Speaker 4: My dad was a country artist in the nineties, and so, 103 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 4: you know, I was born in South Georgia and then 104 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 4: we moved to Nashville when I was like one years old. 105 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 4: My dad signed a record deal in nineteen ninety four, 106 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 4: and so I kind of grew up around the space, 107 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 4: you know, from the time I was like nine or ten, 108 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 4: I would do anything that I could to get out 109 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 4: of school on a Friday, to hop on the bus 110 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 4: with my dad on Thursday night, wake up at the 111 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 4: Nebraska County Fair, go to the Illinois County Fair, and 112 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 4: then come home. So I got to watch my dad write, record, 113 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 4: perform all the things, you know, from a young age. 114 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 4: And I was always kind of that kid that just 115 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 4: really loved being behind a camera. Like I loved entertaining 116 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 4: anyone that was in the room. I loved entertaining those people. 117 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 4: So like there's pictures of me in diapers and red 118 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 4: cowboy boots and a guitar, you know, with my dad 119 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 4: singing every Hank William senior Merle Haggard Whaling Jenny Song, 120 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 4: and so I kind of grew up around the craft 121 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 4: of songwriting. And so when my dad kind of retired 122 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 4: from the road, he kind of just just started writing, 123 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 4: you know, for country artist Nashville. And so I would 124 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:02,919 Speaker 4: go when I was in college and watch him, and 125 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 4: he always co wrote, you know. So all I've really 126 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 4: ever known is co writing, and I've got a pretty 127 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 4: second guessing type of brain. And so as many times 128 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 4: I've tried to sit down at a piano or a 129 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 4: guitar and try to write something myself, I feel like 130 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:19,159 Speaker 4: I'll write a verse that I'm okay with, but once 131 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 4: I get to the chorus, it's like I don't trust 132 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 4: I don't trust my instincts enough to just do it 133 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 4: by myself. And so co writers for me have, honestly, 134 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 4: and I'm sure you found this, they've become a therapy 135 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 4: session for me, because some days you can go in 136 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 4: there and write something super from the heart, something super 137 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 4: detailed about your past or about your present. But in 138 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 4: other days, it's like, man, let's just let's write something 139 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 4: fun today. Let's write a party song today, Let's write 140 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 4: a song that's gonna make somebody dance, and so so 141 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 4: many writers in Nashville. There are these niche groups of 142 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 4: people that do each of those things so well. And 143 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 4: you know, over time you kind of find those people 144 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 4: who you want to write specific songs with. And so 145 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 4: I've kind of had to learn through the years of like, oh, 146 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 4: maybe not everything I say is correct, and the older 147 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:02,840 Speaker 4: I get, I'm like, actually, most things I say are 148 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 4: probably incorrect, and so but yeah, I've been doing most 149 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 4: of my writing on the road. Man, I don't have 150 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 4: time to do it at home. So Ibring Co writers 151 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 4: with me on the bus, ok, and we write it. 152 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,119 Speaker 4: We write from ten am till you know, I start, 153 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 4: you know, to meet and greet and then we'll do 154 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 4: the show and then right after the show. And that's 155 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 4: kind of become my place of kind of creation. 156 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 2: So wow, that's amazing. And so do you have like 157 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 2: a kind of recording situational on the bus? I mean, 158 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 2: I mean, I guess if you got a mic in 159 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 2: a computer your self. I mean, yeah, as you know, 160 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 2: technology is insane. Like I've been at the beach for 161 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 2: a month now and I set up like a just 162 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,360 Speaker 2: a mic, a computer and an Apollo twin in this 163 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 2: little Harry Potter looking closet that we have underneathn stuffs, 164 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 2: and I'm like recording record vocals under there. 165 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 5: It's like amazing way you can do with just a 166 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 5: laptop and a microphone these days. 167 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 3: It is. 168 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: It is amazing. 169 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 2: So let me ask you another question, obviously with with 170 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 2: you know, twenty number one songs incredible, you mentioned that 171 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 2: people are pitching you tunes all the time. I have 172 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 2: on one. Actually it's in the chat. I just send 173 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 2: it to you, and I'm just kidding perfectly, kidd thank you. 174 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 5: I'm gonna check it out right now. 175 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 2: But but people are people are constantly pitching you things. 176 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 2: So you gotta have an excellent ear to be able 177 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 2: to say, yeah, not only I like the song, but 178 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 2: for sure because you probably like them all, sure I 179 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 2: think it's a hit. 180 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, man, that's like a It's a whole different skill, 181 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 4: you know. I mean, so many of the greatest artists 182 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 4: of all time weren't necessarily songwriters, you know what I mean, 183 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 4: Like if I at least in my genre, you don't know. 184 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 4: George Strait probably wrote a lot of his six number ones, 185 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 4: but some of his biggest ones he wasn't. He wasn't 186 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,959 Speaker 4: a writer on you know so, And I could say 187 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 4: the same for a lot of people in a lot 188 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 4: of genres. But I think having that ear to hear 189 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 4: something that you go not only is that great, but 190 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 4: I think that is a mega hit for me, you 191 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 4: know what I'm saying, And me also being a songwriter. 192 00:08:56,840 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 4: I think for me, when I'm listening to a song, 193 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 4: I'm trying to hear things that I've physically could not 194 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 4: write for sure melodically and second lyrically, you know, like 195 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 4: cause my brain it doesn't have like a melodic limit 196 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 4: on it. But there are other people that just do 197 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 4: things so much differently than I would do then, right, 198 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,440 Speaker 4: so like I kind of know my lane of like 199 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 4: what what am I capable of? 200 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 5: What do I what do I do well? 201 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 4: And there's always multiple of those kind of songs on 202 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 4: a record, But every now and then, man, there's a 203 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 4: song that gets sent that you're like, Wow, if you 204 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 4: gave me one hundred co writes with a hundred different writers, 205 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 4: I don't think I could write that song. And it 206 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 4: speaks to me it's almost like I was in the 207 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 4: room with that person writing that song. That's how real 208 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 4: it felt to me. So that's been kind of my 209 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 4: gauge on you know, whether I cut an outside song 210 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 4: compared to a song that I wrote. It's just it's 211 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 4: got to hit me like a like a ton of bricks, 212 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 4: And if I listened to it over one hundred times, 213 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 4: then more than likely that song is gonna get cut. 214 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: So and how many how many. 215 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 2: Out of what percentage of the songs that you cut 216 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 2: end up on records. 217 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 4: Maybe eighty you know, I've gotten to work with a 218 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 4: bunch of different producers, and each producer is different. 219 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 2: But because I noticed actually that you're you know, you're 220 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 2: you're it's your stuff is not always you know, uh 221 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 2: like straight up exactly the same kind of sound, the 222 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:19,679 Speaker 2: same kind of sure it kind of it kind of 223 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:24,719 Speaker 2: moves in, uh in and out of you know, the 224 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 2: traditional kind of country stuff that you're were raised onto, 225 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 2: you know, pop, and I hear a lot of when 226 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 2: I listen to uh Renegades that has like a real 227 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 2: kind of Springsteen sort of yeah for sure vibe to me, 228 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 2: you know, And that's and it's a little bit of 229 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 2: an out lot, Like I'm just interested that is that 230 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 2: is that a function of multiple producers or is that 231 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 2: you just have a feeling about that this song needs 232 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 2: to kind of in production wise, needs to go in 233 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 2: this particular direction. 234 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean what you're talking about, you know, early 235 00:10:56,800 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 4: on in my career was absolutely terrifying. You know, I 236 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 4: started in this business eleven years ago and we were 237 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,559 Speaker 4: kind of entering the phase that a lot of people 238 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 4: call bro country. That was kind of the phase that 239 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,319 Speaker 4: we were in as a genre. And so, you know, 240 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 4: when you're first starting out, really in any career, you 241 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 4: can either kind of follow in the same footsteps as 242 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 4: everybody else. You can kind of chase and you can 243 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 4: kind of copy, or you as you know, you can 244 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 4: carve your own path, you know. And so for me, 245 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 4: it was writers, it was producers. 246 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 5: It was a lot of. 247 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:29,440 Speaker 4: People on my team saying, hey, I know that this 248 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 4: is kind of off kilter, but it suits you will. 249 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:34,719 Speaker 4: And you know, growing up, man, I mean, on the 250 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,839 Speaker 4: way to school with my dad, it could have been 251 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 4: DMX one day, and then the next day it could 252 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 4: have been Aretha Franklin, and then the next day it 253 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 4: could have been Ricky Skaggs, and the next day it 254 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 4: was in Sync, and then and the next day it 255 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 4: was some hardcore metal band like I grew up listening 256 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 4: to some many different types of music that even though 257 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 4: country music has always been and will forever be my 258 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 4: first love, I always ventured in and outside of those lines, 259 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 4: trying to take things influence as I grew up on 260 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 4: and trying to make them into my own brand of 261 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 4: country music. And so, you know, in the beginning of 262 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 4: this career, it was kind of terrifying. 263 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 5: I got a lot of. 264 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: Flak for it. 265 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:09,719 Speaker 4: You know, there was a lot of people that were like, 266 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 4: you're not a real country where's the steel, where's the violin, 267 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 4: where's all these things? And you know, I mean, I'm 268 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 4: fine with that argument, because yeah, it's not traditional, but 269 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 4: it was the most authentically me that I could do. 270 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 4: And then somewhere along the way it kind of started 271 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 4: to stick with people, and I think people started to 272 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 4: expect me to be different on a record. So like, 273 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 4: when I'm making a record, man, I'm constantly making new 274 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 4: playlists of all the songs and rearranging them and rearranging 275 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 4: them and making sure that as I'm listening to this record, 276 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 4: I don't ever get bored, you know, I always want 277 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 4: something new to catch my attention or catch my ear. So, 278 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 4: like song one through four might have a vibe, and 279 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 4: then song five through nine might have a vibe, and 280 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 4: then something really different happens on ten, and then a 281 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 4: ballot on eleven, and then you know, just trying to 282 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 4: give people like an emotional roller coaster in the forty 283 00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 4: five minutes, start going to spend you know, listening to 284 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 4: these records. 285 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:03,160 Speaker 2: So and and you know you're you're kind of ahead 286 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 2: of the curve, I think, because that's the direction that 287 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 2: country music in general seem to have gone in. I mean, 288 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 2: you know, I hear country uh country records now that 289 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,720 Speaker 2: they're just straight up pop, you know, or hip hop 290 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 2: hip hop beats. 291 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: You know. 292 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:21,599 Speaker 2: I mean the only the only difference is that the 293 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 2: singer has an accent. 294 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 4: Right and singing and singing about country stuff, well country stuff, right, 295 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 4: Speaking of singing about country stuff, I mean you kind 296 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 4: of think to yourself, Okay, is it really. 297 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 2: Possible to write a new song about beer? I mean, 298 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 2: like like that can't like aren't we done? Hasn't everything 299 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 2: been said? And yet that song is so great. It's 300 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:56,319 Speaker 2: so great. It's it's like this is I. 301 00:13:53,559 --> 00:14:00,080 Speaker 6: I my my sort of barometer of of what I 302 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 6: think is a great song is when I just go, Oh, God, 303 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 6: I wish I'd thought of that. 304 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 2: For sure, God, I wish I'd written that's anything. I mean, 305 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:10,559 Speaker 2: even if it's just a you know, a beautiful love 306 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,079 Speaker 2: song or whatever. For sure, but half of me, that's 307 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 2: a really really funny, funny idea. 308 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 1: Man. 309 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 4: No, you're right though, Like, because I'm in the process 310 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 4: of making a new record and my producer Julian we've 311 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 4: been going through all of the songs and anytime that 312 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 4: there is a drink reference, a beer reference, a whiskey, 313 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 4: a tequila, anything, we've been trying to change all of 314 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 4: those words to be anything else unrelated to alcohol. 315 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 5: Because country music we do. 316 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: Man. 317 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 4: It's like on a record, there's at least three songs 318 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 4: in a creative way about a cold beer before wheel drive, 319 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 4: getting stuck in the mud, making out in the moonlight, 320 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 4: sitting on a tailgate, and you know, I think that 321 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 4: those those are all things that that we live, you know, 322 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 4: especially as a country genre, live on a weekly basis, 323 00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 4: and so it is part of the culture for sure. 324 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 4: But I think when you can find unique and creative 325 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 4: ways to come up with new ways to say those things, 326 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 4: sure a lot of the times they can work. 327 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 5: You know love songs. 328 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 4: I mean, gosh, I feel like i've that's the majority 329 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 4: of my career has been based on writing love songs. 330 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: You know. 331 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 5: My my biggest hit everyone was a song called. 332 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 4: Die Happy Man, and I've spent years trying to recreate 333 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 4: that song. And I think, sometimes you can't recreate magic, 334 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 4: you know what I mean, Like sometimes you just kept 335 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 4: lightening in a bottle and you never. 336 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 5: Know when that's gonna happen again. 337 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 4: But you have to just keep trying to come up 338 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 4: with new ways to say I love you, And at 339 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 4: least for the for the country market, it's like how 340 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 4: do you come up with new ways to drink? 341 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 5: To drink a cold beer? So right, yes, you are correct. 342 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 2: In what order to put those three maybe four chords in. 343 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 2: You know, it's really uh it. I find it to 344 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 2: be such a fascinating expression where you know, in under 345 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 2: four minutes you're gonna tell a full, well rounded story. 346 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 2: I make movies and TV shows and have hours and 347 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 2: hours and hours to you know, to tell the story, 348 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 2: and you know, to be able to capture in that 349 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 2: way is really fascinating. Tell me about the road, Like, 350 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 2: what's your relationship to it? Are you still enjoying it. 351 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,320 Speaker 2: You mentioned that you bring writers on the bus with you. 352 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 2: How does it interact with family, etc. 353 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, I think before we had four kids, 354 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 4: when we just had two kids, it was a lot 355 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 4: easier for the fam to travel. But now we have 356 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 4: a seven year old, a five year old, a three 357 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 4: year old, and an almost two year old, and they're 358 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 4: coming with me this weekend and I'm sort of already 359 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 4: getting anxiety about it. 360 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: And you know, they're all girls. 361 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 5: All girls. Yeah, it's crazy. Our house is chaos twenty 362 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 5: four hours a day. But no, dude, I love the road. 363 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 3: Man. 364 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 4: I think as my kids are getting older and starting to, 365 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 4: you know, do sports, whether it's horses or ballet or 366 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 4: soccer or basketball, whatever, it is, like, I just miss 367 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 4: a lot, you know. And I think that that is 368 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 4: probably the whole est part of being gone, is knowing 369 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 4: that you're going to miss a ballet recital, or you're 370 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:08,199 Speaker 4: going to miss a a horse jumping lesson or a 371 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 4: golf lesson or whatever. It is, Like I just don't 372 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:11,439 Speaker 4: want to miss all that stuff. But at the end 373 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 4: of the day, so many parents have to travel. Like 374 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 4: I was tucking my kid in the other night and 375 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 4: she was like, why do you have to leave all 376 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 4: the time? And I'm like, well, I do have to leave, 377 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,159 Speaker 4: but most parents have to go to work, you know, 378 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 4: at seven o'clock in the morning, and they don't get 379 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 4: home till five o'clock at night. So I'm not going 380 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 4: to see you for these three days, but when I 381 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 4: do get home, you have all of me for four 382 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 4: straight days, you know. So trying to kind of tell 383 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 4: them that, like, you know, I don't have to leave. 384 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 5: I get to leave. 385 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 4: It's like a privilege that I that I get to 386 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 4: go on the bus and sing for people that love 387 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 4: my music. 388 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 5: And so I'm. 389 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 4: Trying to like really instill in them from a young 390 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 4: age that it is possible to love what you do, 391 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 4: because I never want their dreams to get killed of 392 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 4: just like, well, I don't know that I could do that, 393 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 4: or I don't know that I could do that. I 394 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 4: love that, but that might be too tricky. I do 395 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 4: believe that if you if you put your mind on something, 396 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 4: you can accomplish it. So I'm really trying to teach 397 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 4: even though they were very young, I think they're trying. 398 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 4: They're starting to get a grip on that that's great, 399 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 4: that's that's awesome. There's a lot of that that I 400 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 4: can relate to as for sure, Dad, who you know, 401 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 4: when we were raising our kids, how many kids do 402 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 4: you have? 403 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 2: I have two kids now, they're kids that are grown. 404 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 2: I mean they're in their thirties, and we brought them 405 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 2: on the road a lot. Our kind of road was 406 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 2: that we would go to a town and actually live 407 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 2: in a town for sure, you know, two or three 408 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 2: months making a film all over the place, all over 409 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 2: the country. 410 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: My wife's and actress too, so there was a lot 411 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: of that, you. 412 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 2: Know, flying in and you know, I used to kind 413 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 2: of say the same thing, which was that, yeah, I 414 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 2: know that I'm going to work and I'm working a 415 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 2: long day, but there's going to be a lot of 416 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 2: time when I'm not going to work at all. And 417 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 2: there was, you know, and there was a long period 418 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 2: where Cure was a on a TV show in LA 419 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 2: and I was, you know very much, you know, spending 420 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 2: more time than the than the than the average dad 421 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 2: with them. And I think that it it it paid 422 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 2: off in the long run. I'm not saying sure, you know, 423 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 2: somebody should feel bad about having a you know, a 424 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:15,879 Speaker 2: nine to five gig like that's that's that's that's the 425 00:19:15,880 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 2: way the world. But I do think that sometimes people 426 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:23,880 Speaker 2: look at parents in the arts and kind of go, well, 427 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 2: you know, where you're really there for your kid, you know, 428 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 2: And I just I push back on that all the time. 429 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:30,640 Speaker 5: I agree completely. 430 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 2: You spoke about about your dad and about his his 431 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 2: music and looking up to him, and I'm assuming that 432 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 2: the house had a lot of instruments around that you 433 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,240 Speaker 2: could grab at any at any moment. 434 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 5: For sure. Yeah. 435 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:57,399 Speaker 4: Man, you know, my my dad was always like growing up, 436 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 4: was in rock bands, country bands. The Rolling Stones are 437 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 4: are as all time favorite band, The Stones and Zeppelin both, 438 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 4: And so at a young age, I got really into 439 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 4: just like rock and roll, like seventies rock, eighties hair metal. 440 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 5: I wanted to be. I wanted to be a thrasher. 441 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 4: So I remember in eighth grade, I dyed my hair black, 442 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,639 Speaker 4: started talking in a British accent, and and me and 443 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:21,159 Speaker 4: like me and me and three of my buddies started 444 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 4: this band called the High Hilled Flip Flops when we 445 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 4: were in eighth grade, and we basically sang British pump. 446 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:27,680 Speaker 5: Music, oh wow wow. 447 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. 448 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,680 Speaker 4: And so the drums were my first instrument I can 449 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:32,760 Speaker 4: get around okay on a piano, but guitar is kind 450 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:35,160 Speaker 4: of the first thing I learned how to play. And uh, 451 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:36,959 Speaker 4: you know, all through high school, man played in all 452 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 4: the talent shows. 453 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:39,680 Speaker 2: You still have a kit? Do you still go and 454 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 2: bang away sometimes? 455 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 5: Yeah, dude. 456 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 4: This year on tour, actually we built we put a 457 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 4: drum kit on this like little riser at the end 458 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 4: of the catwalk, and so the very first song, I'll 459 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 4: come up on a drum kit playing this like super 460 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 4: metal like halftime beat with my with my drummer, and 461 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,480 Speaker 4: it's always just been one of my favorite instruments to play. 462 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:57,239 Speaker 4: I'm not great at it, but any means that can 463 00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:57,880 Speaker 4: get great. 464 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 2: People people let go nuts when they see they do. 465 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 5: If only they knew that I was not a great drummer, 466 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 5: you know, so. 467 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: Listen, I'm sure, I'm sure you can play. I have 468 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: no doubt about that. 469 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 2: So they were all the so the house was just 470 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 2: filled with music all the time. 471 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 4: It was man, you know, And it's crazy because like 472 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,639 Speaker 4: my my grandparents, like my dad's mom and dad like 473 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 4: played piano a little bit, singing church a little bit. 474 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 5: But my dad was really the first person kind of 475 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 5: our family to take a big leap. 476 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:29,960 Speaker 4: And you know, move to Nashville and try the whole thing. 477 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 4: And he toured really well for like ten years, and 478 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 4: I think ultimately decided after ten years that writing was 479 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:37,480 Speaker 4: like the thing that he wanted to do for the 480 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 4: rest of his life. 481 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 1: You know. 482 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 4: So my dad has written I think forty five number ones. 483 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:43,119 Speaker 5: Uh in our genre. 484 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 4: He's one three BMI Songwriter of the Year, he's one 485 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 4: ACM and CMA Songwriter of the Year, song of the Year. 486 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,119 Speaker 4: He's he's kind of the goat, you know, of the 487 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 4: Nashville community, amongst a few other people. 488 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: But you. 489 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, dude, we've written, we've written I think seven or 490 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 4: eight of of my number ones to get which is 491 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,119 Speaker 4: really special. Wow, it could it could could be a 492 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 4: huge Like yeah. 493 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:07,919 Speaker 2: I can I can guarantee. Well, my my father was 494 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 2: so tone deaf that we used to we joked that, uh, 495 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,719 Speaker 2: when he would sing us a lullaby, we would pretend 496 00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 2: to be asleep so that we could he would stop. 497 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 2: But uh so, I can't imagine sitting down and trying 498 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 2: to work with him, my dad in that kind of cartiosity. 499 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: That's amazing. 500 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 5: It works somehow, man. You know, I think in the beginning. 501 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 4: I think my dad had a vision for what he thought, 502 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:33,119 Speaker 4: you know, my career was going to be. What kind 503 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 4: of songs you were going to write? Like he wrote 504 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 4: my very he wrote he wrote my first number ones, 505 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,840 Speaker 4: and and it was after that that I, you know, 506 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 4: I kind of got with my dad and I was like, hey, 507 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 4: I want to try something different, you know, And my dad, 508 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 4: being the the musical jukebox that he is, like, if 509 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 4: you you give my dad a couple a couple of 510 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 4: beers and then give him a guitar, he can literally 511 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 4: sing you the dictionary of any jhant name a song 512 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:53,879 Speaker 4: and he can play it. 513 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 5: And so as I started to kind. 514 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 4: Of shift a little bit musically, like, my dad was 515 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 4: just immediately right there with me, like helping me along 516 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 4: that journey, giving me advice on you know, how these 517 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 4: songs should go, what they should feel like. And so, 518 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:08,920 Speaker 4: you know, my dad is just like a huge, huge 519 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 4: reason as to why I'm even sitting here talking to 520 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 4: you today. 521 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 2: Som hm wow, that's so that's that's so great. You 522 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:15,680 Speaker 2: have brothers and sisters. 523 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 5: I do. 524 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,640 Speaker 4: My My family is kind of all over the place. 525 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:22,120 Speaker 4: I've got a twenty eight year old sister a sixteen 526 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:23,359 Speaker 4: year old brother and. 527 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 5: A three year old brother. 528 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 4: So my dad got remarried five years ago, had had 529 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 4: had my brother, and uh so him and my three 530 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 4: year old were actually in the same preschool class, which 531 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 4: is amazing. And so uncle and niece, I think that's 532 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,360 Speaker 4: how that works, are in the same preschool class. 533 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 2: So yeah, we have a pretty big I'm on my 534 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 2: wife's side, we have a she's got a Brady bunch family. 535 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:52,280 Speaker 1: And then yeah, and then I'm the youngest. 536 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 2: Of six, so wow, we have a pretty big Thanksgiving 537 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 2: here at the at our at our apartments because just 538 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,680 Speaker 2: a lot of people and they're all spread out all 539 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 2: over the place. It's it's it's amazing. 540 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 5: I wouldn't want it any other way. I think it's read. 541 00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it's great family, you know, it's it's such 542 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 2: a cliche, but it's everything. Sure, you live in Nashville, 543 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 2: live in Nashville. Yeah, do you do you. 544 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: Find that. 545 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 2: The it has I mean, Nashville has obviously changed a lot, 546 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:33,119 Speaker 2: tremendously tremendous. I mean, my brother moved to Nashville to 547 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,439 Speaker 2: work as a songwriter in uh, I guess it was 548 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 2: the seventies. He was a staff songwriter at Combine and uh, 549 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,959 Speaker 2: you know all those like Fred Foster days and right 550 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 2: would would go and you know, kind of sit there 551 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:52,639 Speaker 2: and you know, write write songs. And he moved down 552 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 2: there with his wife. Uh and and when they were, 553 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 2: you know, really young. So I I used to went 554 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:02,719 Speaker 2: down and visited him a couple of times when I 555 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 2: was when I was a kid. 556 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:05,320 Speaker 1: And uh. 557 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,640 Speaker 2: Now obviously we go through Nashville, you know, quite a bit, 558 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:10,479 Speaker 2: and you've been back a lot in the years. It 559 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 2: really is kind of just mind blowing how much that 560 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 2: that city has expanded and grown. Do you feel the 561 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:25,560 Speaker 2: change also kind of culturally there? Yeah, is can you 562 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 2: expound on that at all? 563 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: I mean, what's it? 564 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 2: What's what's the biggest change that you feel? 565 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 4: Well, I mean, so I grew up thirty minutes north 566 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 4: of Nashville. You know, I went to high school thirty 567 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 4: minutes north of Nashville, and you know, when I when 568 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 4: I was growing up, it would take I'm going to 569 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 4: talk about the traffic first, because I feel like traffic 570 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 4: is always like what it was all about. 571 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 5: In their towns. Yeah, it will. 572 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,199 Speaker 4: Never be New York, it will never be La but 573 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:49,680 Speaker 4: it could be Atlanta. You know, I'm sure you've seen 574 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 4: tons of time in Atlanta, but I have have. We 575 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 4: just we don't have the infrastructure for what we are 576 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:56,199 Speaker 4: trying to do, you know. And I think that that 577 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 4: was probably a flaw that happened fifty years ago when 578 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 4: no one thought Ashville was going to be anything other 579 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:04,480 Speaker 4: than just this tiny little country music town. 580 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 1: You know. 581 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,360 Speaker 4: So it used to take me twenty minutes to get 582 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,119 Speaker 4: to Nashville, and now, you know, my parents used to 583 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 4: live out thirty minutes and it would take an hour 584 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,880 Speaker 4: to get to their house. And so, you know, all 585 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 4: my neighbors when we and Lauren first got married, all 586 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:22,360 Speaker 4: were from either Nashville or Huntsville, Alabama, or Atlanta or Greensboro, 587 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:24,719 Speaker 4: North Carolina. And now I would say our neighbors are 588 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 4: literally from all over the country. A lot of folks 589 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 4: from New York, a lot of folks from from la 590 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 4: a lot of folks from Miami are now moving to 591 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,959 Speaker 4: this like central location because it's not just a country 592 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 4: town anymore. It's like you can come to Nashville to 593 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 4: do anything, whether it's film or pop music or hip 594 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:44,200 Speaker 4: hop or R and B or soul or jazz or 595 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 4: bluegrass or whatever. 596 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,399 Speaker 5: It is. It's kind of become this melting pot. 597 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 4: And like it's always been called music city, but now 598 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 4: it's like legit all genre music city and so but man, 599 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 4: I'm not mad about the food scene has really gone. 600 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:01,879 Speaker 2: The food is insane. The food is insane. 601 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 5: I mean it's gone away up like chill Well, all 602 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:05,439 Speaker 5: we used to have was Chili's and now we have 603 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 5: like James Beard Award, you know, chefs winners. 604 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:08,640 Speaker 1: Like what was it called. 605 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 2: I remember my brother taking me to it was called 606 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 2: meat and two vegs or something like that, or meeting meat. Yeah, 607 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 2: like a meeting three yeah, meeting three yeah, three three yeah, 608 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:20,480 Speaker 2: the original for a Philly kid. 609 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,360 Speaker 1: I was like, wow, that's I mean that just I mean, 610 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: and now, oh my god, it's crazy. It's crazy good 611 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,160 Speaker 1: the food. But what's interesting. 612 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:36,240 Speaker 2: Is you still see some guy or girl walking down 613 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 2: the street with a guitar and a dream and a dream. 614 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:44,400 Speaker 2: That's right, that really has sustained. I also think that 615 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,320 Speaker 2: what's what's fascinating. We kind of touched on this before, 616 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 2: but you know, there's, uh, there isn't really a tradition 617 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 2: in straight ahead rock of doing songs that other people wrote. 618 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 2: You know that it's really a real country tradition, and 619 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:09,040 Speaker 2: Nashville has always been the center of the greatest songwriters 620 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 2: in the world. 621 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 1: I mean for sure. 622 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 2: You know, I remember going once later on in life 623 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:19,840 Speaker 2: and going to the Blueberd Cafe and just you know, 624 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:22,440 Speaker 2: one of those you know, circle kind of things, and 625 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:25,880 Speaker 2: you just go, oh, man, I got to go back 626 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:30,959 Speaker 2: to school. I mean, these are incredible songs that some 627 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 2: many of which will never be heard other than you know, 628 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 2: in that in that framework. So it's just I find 629 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,920 Speaker 2: it fascinating. One thing, I'm always curious about them. Maybe 630 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 2: you have the answer to this. Last time we were 631 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 2: in Nashville, I saw, like, I don't know, twelve bachelorette parties. 632 00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 2: Is that like a thing that it's it's it's a 633 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 2: destination for bachelorettes for some reason. 634 00:28:57,480 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 5: Yeah. 635 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 4: I think I could be wrong on my likesatistics here, 636 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 4: but I do think we have I think we have 637 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 4: become the number one location now, like even over Vegas 638 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 4: and Troston for bachelorette parties. 639 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 2: Okay, so it wasn't just a coincidence. I know it 640 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 2: was like a bachelorette convention or something was in town. 641 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 4: Well, yeah, but the ironic part is that there's a 642 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 4: bachelorette convention every single night of the week, three hundred 643 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:24,040 Speaker 4: and sixty five days a year. It's like, so Nashville. 644 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 4: Nashville started this thing called pedal taverns. Have you heard 645 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 4: of these? 646 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's that's right. I saw them there. 647 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 2: They there, you drink beer and you and you pedal 648 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 2: your an pedal town, right, yeah, so right. 649 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 3: And I don't. I don't. 650 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 4: I don't go downtown very often, maybe if I'm going 651 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 4: to watch the Preds play or watch, you know, our 652 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,640 Speaker 4: minor league baseball team play, Like me and Lauren kind 653 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 4: of stay away from downtown. I love downtown, but when 654 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 4: you go, it's, uh, it's intense. 655 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: Man. 656 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,760 Speaker 4: There's party buses everywhere, there's pedal taverns everywhere, there's bachelor 657 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 4: and bachelorette parties everywhere. Downtown is absolute. It's amazing, but 658 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 4: it's absolute chaos, especially for someone like me. It would 659 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 4: it would, it would be a complete disaster. 660 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 1: No, no, going to Broadway, but. 661 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 2: No, no, no, no no. 662 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:07,800 Speaker 4: It is unlike really any any other city, you know, 663 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 4: because you can you can literally hear music from six 664 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 4: a m To six am, Like it's non stop coming 665 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 4: out of every bar on Broadway. It's like, I mean, 666 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 4: if you if that, if that is your dream to 667 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 4: become a musician of any kind, Like yeah, La and 668 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 4: the Orc are amazing, but when you when you go 669 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 4: to Nashville, man, it just it just bleeds out of 670 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,840 Speaker 4: every orifice of the city. So it's pretty wild. 671 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 2: Tell me about your daughter and your relationship to Uganda, 672 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 2: and I'm really fascinated by that whole story. 673 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 4: Yeah, man, I mean, you know, I could, I could 674 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,040 Speaker 4: get into the weeds and all this stuff. But long, long, 675 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 4: super long story short. It was twenty sixteen and I 676 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 4: was I'll never forget it. I was in Phoenix, Arizona, 677 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 4: playing the show and my wife, I know it. We'll 678 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 4: probably get into this stuff later, but my wife was 679 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,160 Speaker 4: really getting into traveling, you know, across the world. My 680 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:58,920 Speaker 4: wife graduated the University of Tennessee with a nursing degree, 681 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 4: and right when we got married, our marriage counselor advised 682 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:04,840 Speaker 4: us to for her not to go to work and 683 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 4: to come on the road with me so we could 684 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 4: spent our whole first year of marriage sorting out marriage things, 685 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 4: you know. So my wife did six hundred and fifty 686 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 4: something straight toward dates with me on one bus with 687 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 4: nine you know dude band members and crew guys. And 688 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:22,760 Speaker 4: it was like year two of the road and she 689 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 4: was like, you know, I think I'm I think I've 690 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 4: had my feel of the road. 691 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 2: I don't know that my wife has ever spent a 692 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 2: single night on a tour bus with me. 693 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 1: I don't know that. 694 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 2: I mean she's been on she's maybe gone, she might 695 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:38,440 Speaker 2: have gone. 696 00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 1: Two hundred miles or something like that. 697 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 2: But she's never done it overnight. That is so impressive, dude. 698 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 4: And we had no like zero dollars, like we took 699 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 4: a bus out, but it was like we were losing 700 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 4: money every weekend that we were touring. And so we 701 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 4: were sharing a bunk and you know you've been on 702 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 4: a but those bunks are like small sharing a bunk, 703 00:31:57,840 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 4: hearing a bunk, Yeah, smaller than a twin sized bed 704 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:00,800 Speaker 4: for like two years. 705 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 2: Oh, but for sure you'd be in the back louns. 706 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 5: We didn't have the back louns. 707 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 3: Man. 708 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 5: Oh we do now, but but we did not back then. 709 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 4: And so well, yeah, to you know, two years of that, 710 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 4: Like you know, in the beginning of any career, just 711 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 4: the grind is just never ending. You know, I feel 712 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 4: like we were doing like six shows a week. I mean, 713 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 4: it was just a lot. And so after the second year, 714 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 4: my wife was like, I think I'm gonna chill. I'm 715 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 4: gonna I'm gonna figure out what I want to do. 716 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: You know. 717 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,480 Speaker 4: I think my wife, about two or three years in 718 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 4: our marriage, were just like, I think that there has 719 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 4: to be a bigger purpose for me, you know what 720 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 4: I mean. Like she was a graduate of the nursing degree, 721 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 4: I think, always wanted to work in a hospital, always 722 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:41,600 Speaker 4: wanted to take care of people. 723 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 5: And you know. 724 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:44,320 Speaker 4: For the first two years after she got out of college, 725 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 4: she just like, you know, travel with me. And so 726 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 4: she had met this woman who is going to hop 727 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 4: on on the zoom in a little wild name names 728 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 4: Suzanne Marrinick. And Suzanne has been doing you know, mission 729 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 4: work for like fifteen years kind of all over the 730 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 4: country help and take care of babies in different countries. 731 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:01,160 Speaker 5: And my wife met her. 732 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 4: They became instant best friends, and my wife was like, 733 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:07,360 Speaker 4: anywhere you go, where you're going to serve and do 734 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:09,320 Speaker 4: any kind of mission work, I want to go with you. 735 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 4: And this would have been twenty sixteen and my wife 736 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 4: was in Uganda, and she just was sending me a 737 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:17,960 Speaker 4: bunch of pictures of the children's song that they were at, 738 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,640 Speaker 4: you know, facetiming me with a bunch of the babies 739 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:23,080 Speaker 4: that were there. And she had posted a picture that 740 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 4: night of this one little girl whose name at the 741 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 4: children's song was Blessing. And I've always thought my wife 742 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:32,600 Speaker 4: is the most beautiful person ever seen in my life, 743 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 4: but there was something about this picture that she was 744 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 4: like glowing man. And so was this baby who I'd 745 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,080 Speaker 4: never met before. And I remember facetiming or that night, 746 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 4: saying who was that baby that you were holding? And 747 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 4: she said, well, you know, this is Blessing and there 748 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:50,120 Speaker 4: are no you know, living parents or living relatives, and 749 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:52,000 Speaker 4: so she has no family, and so she's she's been 750 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 4: at this children's home now and her name is Willie Gray, 751 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 4: but her name was Blessing at the orphanage, and she 752 00:33:57,320 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 4: had been there for like a week. She was six 753 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 4: weeks old. And my wife was just talking to me 754 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 4: and she was like, we have to find a home 755 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:06,400 Speaker 4: for this child. And I'll never forget it, dude. It 756 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 4: was two o'clock in the morning, where I was half 757 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 4: asleep and It just kind of blurted out of my 758 00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:12,919 Speaker 4: mouth of like, well, we're going to bring her home. 759 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 4: And I don't even I don't even remember saying it. 760 00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 5: It was just like I don't even know. 761 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:17,400 Speaker 4: I don't even know if I was ready to have 762 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,799 Speaker 4: kids yet. Wow, Like I was really loving the road thing. 763 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 4: My career was just starting to take off. I was like, man, 764 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:25,440 Speaker 4: if we have kids right now, you know, what is 765 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 4: that going to do? And I'll never forget those words 766 00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 4: coming out of my mouth. And then, you know, two 767 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:31,799 Speaker 4: months later, do we started the whole you know, home 768 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,400 Speaker 4: study process, had people come into our house asking us 769 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 4: a bunch of questions, doing background checks, you know, making 770 00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 4: sure the home was safe and all that kind of stuff. 771 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 4: And then we spent the next foreseeable future in a 772 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:46,000 Speaker 4: little town called mas Cindi, Uganda, which is where Willi 773 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 4: Gray is from. And it wasn't maybe six months later 774 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:51,879 Speaker 4: that I that I met Willi Gray for the first time. 775 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 5: Went to this children's home. 776 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:56,799 Speaker 4: And she had met Lauren, but she never met me. 777 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 4: And I walked into this little front room on the 778 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:04,680 Speaker 4: grounds and she was taking a nap on a dirt floor. 779 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:06,279 Speaker 4: It was it was the first time I'd ever met 780 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:09,440 Speaker 4: her and so spent a ton of time with her 781 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:12,120 Speaker 4: there and once we actually started the adoption process, we 782 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:15,839 Speaker 4: were we lived in Uganda roughly for almost a year. 783 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 4: You know, I had to travel back and forth playing shows. 784 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 4: My wife basically stayed in Uganda for almost a year. 785 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 4: And just you know, this is kind of cliche, but 786 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:27,360 Speaker 4: a lot when a lot of people begin the adoption process, 787 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 4: they get pregnant as well, and that's that's what happened 788 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:30,680 Speaker 4: to us. 789 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:31,720 Speaker 1: So, oh, no kidding. 790 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 4: You know, we were five months in the adoption process 791 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:37,120 Speaker 4: and found out that Laaren got pregnant, and uh so, 792 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 4: you know, Lauren was like your version of twins for sure. 793 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 4: So not only was like Lauren and Uganda by herself 794 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 4: a lot, she was also by herself, uh six seven 795 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,719 Speaker 4: months pregnant, So it was it was a really crazy time. 796 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 4: But dude, I look at Willie Gray now, she's offtionally 797 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 4: eight years old in November, smart as a whip, beautiful, 798 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,239 Speaker 4: just it's I will never get that image out of 799 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 4: my head the first time I'm at her, and then 800 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:03,520 Speaker 4: I look at her today and I'm just like, this 801 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:05,440 Speaker 4: is one of the most incredible things in the world. 802 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:16,800 Speaker 2: So wow, that is such an amazing story. Oh my gosh. 803 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:20,160 Speaker 7: If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us 804 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 7: in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word 805 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:27,320 Speaker 7: bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift 806 00:36:27,320 --> 00:36:30,440 Speaker 7: empowers us to continue to produce programs that highlight the 807 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:33,880 Speaker 7: incredible work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to 808 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:36,840 Speaker 7: provide essential resources to those that need it the most. 809 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:41,840 Speaker 7: Once again, text b a c N to seven zero 810 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 7: seven zero seven zero or visit SixDegrees dot org to 811 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 7: learn more. 812 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,000 Speaker 2: Well, Suzanne Marineck is here, Susan, would you like to 813 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:52,560 Speaker 2: join us? 814 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:53,880 Speaker 3: Good morning? 815 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:54,840 Speaker 5: How you do? 816 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:55,319 Speaker 1: It's up? 817 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:57,760 Speaker 3: Says I'm doing great, Harry Hei Jr. 818 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:02,279 Speaker 2: Thanks, Thanks, thanks so much much for being here, and 819 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:05,919 Speaker 2: I'm well. First off, how did how did the two 820 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:06,399 Speaker 2: of you meet? 821 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 3: Three? Lauren? Yeah, big Lauren. Lauren was friends with my 822 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:20,040 Speaker 3: nephew in college and I was traveling somewhere where we're going. 823 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:23,640 Speaker 3: I was actually going to Haiti, and my nephew reached 824 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:26,040 Speaker 3: out to Lauren and said, hey, I know that you. 825 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:29,200 Speaker 3: Your heart's always desired to go and serve somewhere. My 826 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:31,200 Speaker 3: aunt's going in a few weeks. She ought to see 827 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 3: if you can jump on her trip. And I got 828 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:38,439 Speaker 3: an email or call I don remember from Lauren just saying, hey, 829 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 3: I'm friends with Land then and I heard you were 830 00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:42,719 Speaker 3: going out of you know, to Haiti and I would 831 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,680 Speaker 3: love to join. And I had actually just had my 832 00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 3: trip was full, but I had the week before, I 833 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 3: had had a nurse drop out, and I said, oh, 834 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:55,960 Speaker 3: actually I have one spot open for a nurse. And Lauren, 835 00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:58,680 Speaker 3: I don't know if tr told you, but in school 836 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,680 Speaker 3: she got her nurse seemed to gree and so we 837 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,160 Speaker 3: just filled that spot with Lauren and I got to 838 00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:08,640 Speaker 3: know her on that trip, and I think the Lord 839 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 3: just kind of knitted our hearts together. And when we 840 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,520 Speaker 3: got ready to leave Haiti, she looked at me and 841 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,200 Speaker 3: she said, I really feel like this is something that 842 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 3: I'm supposed to do in life. Everywhere you go, I 843 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:22,279 Speaker 3: want you to book me a flight. I want to 844 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:24,200 Speaker 3: go with you. And I said, be careful what you 845 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:27,200 Speaker 3: asked for, because I'm going to be going to Africa, saying, 846 00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:29,560 Speaker 3: and she goes, I want to be sitting next to you. 847 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,720 Speaker 3: And several months later I looked over and there Lauren 848 00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:37,360 Speaker 3: was sitting in the airplane next semi headed to Uganda. 849 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:39,560 Speaker 3: So that's kind of how it started. 850 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:43,319 Speaker 2: Had you been to Uganda before, I have, I. 851 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:47,320 Speaker 3: Have a little girl. That actually's how this whole thing started. 852 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:50,960 Speaker 3: That we brought home, that we adopted from Meganda. 853 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:55,840 Speaker 2: And Thomas Rover was telling me the whole process of 854 00:38:56,360 --> 00:39:00,880 Speaker 2: adoption is pretty pretty complicated and time consuming. 855 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:07,920 Speaker 3: It is. She's been here now for thirteen years, and 856 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,840 Speaker 3: so when we adopted her, we didn't you didn't have 857 00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:14,560 Speaker 3: to live there for a year or all the you know, 858 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,560 Speaker 3: the things that they've put in place. Now, it took 859 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:20,279 Speaker 3: us about a year to get her home just with paperwork. 860 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:23,920 Speaker 3: But it's gotten a lot more difficult than it was. 861 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:25,800 Speaker 1: Why is that? I'm just curious. 862 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 3: I think, well, in all countries it's kind of come 863 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:35,360 Speaker 3: to a it went to a screeching halt for a 864 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,760 Speaker 3: long time with China and Ethiopia and Ukraine and Russia 865 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:42,799 Speaker 3: and Africa, and then they've kind of started opening them 866 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 3: up again. I think countries started feeling like that it 867 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:52,080 Speaker 3: was a money It became a moneymaker. I think there 868 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:55,880 Speaker 3: were people here that had a heart to bring children 869 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:59,120 Speaker 3: home and were willing to pay the money because they 870 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 3: but like that they needed homes rather than them laying 871 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:07,960 Speaker 3: in orphanages, and you know, the it's this unequaled balance 872 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:12,759 Speaker 3: of and for children and then countries being corrupt in it, 873 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:15,640 Speaker 3: and so I think they just leveled it for a 874 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,279 Speaker 3: little bit. Now the countries are starting to open up 875 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:20,800 Speaker 3: a little bit more, but they have made the process 876 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:26,799 Speaker 3: a lot more difficult. And so some children are you know, 877 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:30,640 Speaker 3: still coming home to forever families and others aren't. 878 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:36,240 Speaker 2: I'm curious, Suzanne, about what you think it is. Tom's 879 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:37,960 Speaker 2: rad and I were talking about this a little bit, 880 00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:42,799 Speaker 2: how that connection to that little girl just sort of 881 00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:48,160 Speaker 2: hit him without really having planned to have this, you know, 882 00:40:48,239 --> 00:40:50,360 Speaker 2: be a part of his life. But I'm wondering what 883 00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:55,160 Speaker 2: it is in your either your upbringing, or your point 884 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,560 Speaker 2: of view about the world, or some some kind of 885 00:40:57,560 --> 00:41:01,480 Speaker 2: experiences you have that you've had that makes you, you know, 886 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:05,400 Speaker 2: want to follow this path because it's not an easy path, 887 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:08,600 Speaker 2: you know, to go to places like Haiti, to go 888 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:11,719 Speaker 2: to go to Africa, to see the kind of conditions 889 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:15,279 Speaker 2: that these children are living in. A lot of us 890 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:17,399 Speaker 2: want to sort of kind of like turn away from 891 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:20,840 Speaker 2: that or at the very least not spend our life 892 00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:24,880 Speaker 2: focused on it. So I'm just wondering if there's something 893 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:28,719 Speaker 2: that you think is a reason for you. 894 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:38,240 Speaker 3: Well, I'll tell you. If you've ever held a dying 895 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:44,600 Speaker 3: child in your arms, or a dying baby and you're 896 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:47,680 Speaker 3: wondering if they're every while you're holding them, if they're 897 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:53,040 Speaker 3: going to take their next breath, it's a failing that 898 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:58,839 Speaker 3: you can't shake and that you never forget. And if 899 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:04,280 Speaker 3: you ever sit across from another mother who is holding 900 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:11,000 Speaker 3: her baby wondering if her baby's gonna live, truly is 901 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:15,879 Speaker 3: to my child fixing to take their last breast And 902 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:22,560 Speaker 3: the look on the mother's face feels like, I mean, 903 00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:26,439 Speaker 3: I don't care what country you're in. A mother's love 904 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 3: is a mother's love. And when they are holding their 905 00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:34,400 Speaker 3: child and they are worried that they're gonna die in 906 00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:38,160 Speaker 3: their arms, yeah, they have no way to get them 907 00:42:38,239 --> 00:42:43,200 Speaker 3: the help that they need to keep them alive, it 908 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:49,040 Speaker 3: does something to you. And I think I had enough 909 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:52,840 Speaker 3: of those times to where I was either holding a 910 00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 3: baby thinking they're fixing a die. They're fixing a die, 911 00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:58,560 Speaker 3: we have to like, I've got to do something to 912 00:42:58,560 --> 00:43:01,319 Speaker 3: get this baby help. Or I was sitting next to 913 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,359 Speaker 3: a mother and I could feel her emotion of worry 914 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,719 Speaker 3: that her baby was going to die. And then I 915 00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:12,560 Speaker 3: would come back to my home in Brentwoo, Tennessee and 916 00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:15,680 Speaker 3: look around and everything that I've ever needed or wanted 917 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:20,320 Speaker 3: was at my fingertips. And it was this battle and 918 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 3: my head and my heart. If I can sit here 919 00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:26,279 Speaker 3: and I can live this great life, or I can 920 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:30,960 Speaker 3: do more to help these other mothers and these babies 921 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:34,080 Speaker 3: that I've held. And I just couldn't lay in bed 922 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:36,920 Speaker 3: at and I and do nothing. I just couldn't do it. 923 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:41,680 Speaker 3: I couldn't sleep. I worried all the time. My heart 924 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:45,080 Speaker 3: just continued to be called back to the different countries. 925 00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:48,640 Speaker 3: We ended up landing in Uganda, which is where loved 926 00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:51,880 Speaker 3: One is now because basically that's where Jessie Love is from. 927 00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:56,160 Speaker 3: But when you have ever held a dying child, you 928 00:43:56,280 --> 00:44:00,839 Speaker 3: don't forget it. And that's what me to do it. 929 00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:04,480 Speaker 3: I mean, on a weekly basis, I get photos and 930 00:44:04,560 --> 00:44:10,759 Speaker 3: babies that truly are skin and bones on oxygen, and 931 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:13,520 Speaker 3: I think about their moms sitting there in the hospital 932 00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:15,080 Speaker 3: next to him, wondering if they're going to take their 933 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:18,600 Speaker 3: last breath, yet they don't have the money to pay 934 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 3: for them to have the oxygen that's on on their face. 935 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 3: And you know, Kevin, I tell my kids all the time, 936 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:36,640 Speaker 3: we only have one life and what are we going 937 00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:39,440 Speaker 3: to do with it while we're here? And so for 938 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:44,920 Speaker 3: me to answer your question, that's what moves me to 939 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:46,000 Speaker 3: continue to do it. 940 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:49,200 Speaker 2: Well, it sounds like might think the thing that you 941 00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:51,920 Speaker 2: that what really struck me with what you said is 942 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:55,640 Speaker 2: that you felt like you didn't really have a choice, 943 00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,879 Speaker 2: that it just you just had to do it, and 944 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:04,880 Speaker 2: that it it. It sounds like also that it continues, it 945 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:08,000 Speaker 2: feels better, a lot better than doing nothing, and it 946 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:10,640 Speaker 2: continues to give back in that way. I mean, you 947 00:45:10,680 --> 00:45:15,839 Speaker 2: must feel a tremendous sense of I don't know, just 948 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:21,200 Speaker 2: pride or energy to keep going. When you see a situation, 949 00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:25,600 Speaker 2: when you see a child whose life is saved or 950 00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 2: moved or moved to a nice home or whatever, that 951 00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:31,080 Speaker 2: must that must really fill you up. 952 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:31,800 Speaker 1: I would think. 953 00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:37,799 Speaker 3: It makes the heart happy. And I looked at a 954 00:45:37,840 --> 00:45:43,040 Speaker 3: mom who was once holding her child, worried about it, 955 00:45:43,120 --> 00:45:46,840 Speaker 3: and then their child is healthy, rating around their community, 956 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:52,600 Speaker 3: and it does you know, I feel like that that's 957 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:57,239 Speaker 3: what my number one calling in life is to be 958 00:45:57,280 --> 00:45:59,680 Speaker 3: a mom to my children and a wife to my husband. 959 00:46:00,440 --> 00:46:02,640 Speaker 3: But I do feel like that he has given me 960 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:05,319 Speaker 3: a passion in my heart to do more to help 961 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:09,920 Speaker 3: other babies and moms, and thankfully now we have a 962 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:11,719 Speaker 3: way and means to be able to do that. 963 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:15,280 Speaker 2: So you said that loved One is on the ground 964 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:19,279 Speaker 2: in Uganda. Explain to me what happens on a day 965 00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:22,800 Speaker 2: to day basis how the organization functions there. 966 00:46:23,560 --> 00:46:28,600 Speaker 3: Okay, So children come to us in several different ways. 967 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:32,239 Speaker 3: We have moms who truly strap their babies to their back, 968 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:35,879 Speaker 3: walk for miles and knock on our door. We have 969 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:40,440 Speaker 3: community liaisons or unity leaders that are out in all 970 00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:43,840 Speaker 3: the different villages and if there's a child that's in need, 971 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:47,480 Speaker 3: they'll call the loved One Admin center and say, hey, 972 00:46:47,520 --> 00:46:51,320 Speaker 3: we have a child that needs care. Or the hospitals 973 00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:55,319 Speaker 3: that are in our area they'll call and say there's 974 00:46:55,360 --> 00:46:58,360 Speaker 3: a child that has come they need medical care, but 975 00:46:58,400 --> 00:47:05,400 Speaker 3: their parents can afford it. And so our staff goes 976 00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:08,560 Speaker 3: in and they do a medical assessment on a child 977 00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:11,799 Speaker 3: or out in the community or either on our center 978 00:47:11,840 --> 00:47:15,000 Speaker 3: when they show up and they see what their basic 979 00:47:15,160 --> 00:47:20,040 Speaker 3: needs are. We have several pediatricians, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, 980 00:47:21,440 --> 00:47:23,600 Speaker 3: we figure out kind of what they need, but our 981 00:47:23,640 --> 00:47:26,640 Speaker 3: first step or stop is always make sure they go 982 00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:31,080 Speaker 3: to the hospital so we have an overview medically to 983 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:34,560 Speaker 3: know if they have any secondary infections that are accompanying 984 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:38,200 Speaker 3: the malnutrition. We get a medical care that they need 985 00:47:38,239 --> 00:47:41,520 Speaker 3: at the hospital, make sure that that's paid for and 986 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:44,120 Speaker 3: the mom is there with them or a caretaker is there. 987 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:46,920 Speaker 3: Then they bring them to our center. A lot of 988 00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:50,839 Speaker 3: times once we get rid of the secondary infection, they're 989 00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:54,440 Speaker 3: so malnourished they can't have solid foods. Their bodies want 990 00:47:54,440 --> 00:47:59,160 Speaker 3: to absorb the nutritional like the substance, and so we 991 00:47:59,239 --> 00:48:02,600 Speaker 3: have to start on a liquid diet that's full of awe. 992 00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:05,120 Speaker 3: It's just packed full of vitamins and nutrients to kind 993 00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:07,200 Speaker 3: of get them boost into where then their body can 994 00:48:07,239 --> 00:48:12,160 Speaker 3: absorb the other solid foods. Then our nutritionists make a 995 00:48:12,239 --> 00:48:17,200 Speaker 3: specific meal for that child depending on what their situation is, 996 00:48:17,800 --> 00:48:23,400 Speaker 3: and they start feeding that child that meal. In the beginning, 997 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:26,360 Speaker 3: when they first come, they typically kind of sit and 998 00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:29,279 Speaker 3: they they're sad and well, they've just been sick and 999 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:32,239 Speaker 3: they haven't had energy to do anything. But once they 1000 00:48:32,280 --> 00:48:36,000 Speaker 3: start getting healthy and then they start playing with the 1001 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:39,799 Speaker 3: other children and they have energy and they go from 1002 00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:41,960 Speaker 3: sitting in a corner or laying in the bed to 1003 00:48:42,040 --> 00:48:45,560 Speaker 3: actually getting out and playing. Then we start if they 1004 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,880 Speaker 3: need physical therapy, we can give them physical therapy. We 1005 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:53,080 Speaker 3: have a spiritual peace to our program to where where 1006 00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:55,919 Speaker 3: everybody that comes through the doors we're trying to share 1007 00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:59,960 Speaker 3: the love of Jesus and tell them just about Christ. 1008 00:49:01,719 --> 00:49:05,680 Speaker 3: Then once they get healthy and they're ready to go 1009 00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:09,759 Speaker 3: back home, we have their families come in and do 1010 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:13,040 Speaker 3: training the whole time they're at they're at our center, 1011 00:49:13,680 --> 00:49:19,000 Speaker 3: we train them on nutrition, on hygiene, preventative measures, on 1012 00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:21,279 Speaker 3: you know, how to keep your child from getting in 1013 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:25,360 Speaker 3: this situation again. And then when they're ready to go home, 1014 00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:30,279 Speaker 3: we bring their families in. We send them home with 1015 00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:35,920 Speaker 3: a meal for about a month for them and their families, mattresses, 1016 00:49:36,360 --> 00:49:44,479 Speaker 3: mosquito nets, Bibles in their language, and we resettle them, 1017 00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:48,040 Speaker 3: make sure they're okay, and then our social workers go 1018 00:49:48,200 --> 00:49:51,239 Speaker 3: back and do follow up checkouts just to make sure 1019 00:49:51,280 --> 00:49:53,400 Speaker 3: that they're continuing to stay healthy and thrives. 1020 00:49:53,760 --> 00:49:57,719 Speaker 2: Wow, that is that's kind of a full service situation. 1021 00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:01,520 Speaker 2: That's that's incredible. You know, Thomas fred I didn't even 1022 00:50:01,560 --> 00:50:04,359 Speaker 2: ask how is how is your little girl doing? How's 1023 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,279 Speaker 2: the adjustment been? I mean, she's been here for quite 1024 00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:11,520 Speaker 2: a few years now, but how's that going. 1025 00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:15,480 Speaker 4: It's uh, it's been the biggest blessing of my entire life, 1026 00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:19,040 Speaker 4: you know. You know Suzanne was talking about, you know, 1027 00:50:19,320 --> 00:50:22,080 Speaker 4: right when we sort of decided that we were going 1028 00:50:22,120 --> 00:50:24,319 Speaker 4: to adopt the rules, did change, you know. So I 1029 00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:26,600 Speaker 4: don't think we I don't think we thought we were 1030 00:50:26,640 --> 00:50:28,719 Speaker 4: going to live in Uganda for as long as we did. 1031 00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:31,279 Speaker 4: But but that time being in Uganda for that long 1032 00:50:32,719 --> 00:50:34,840 Speaker 4: really opened my eyes up to just a whole different 1033 00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:38,920 Speaker 4: kind of life, you know, Like Suzanne said, like we 1034 00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:41,640 Speaker 4: all of us are on this podcast or are so 1035 00:50:41,680 --> 00:50:44,120 Speaker 4: blessed and there is not anything that we couldn't hop 1036 00:50:44,160 --> 00:50:46,120 Speaker 4: on Amazon right now and have delivered to our doorstep 1037 00:50:46,440 --> 00:50:49,279 Speaker 4: in twenty four hours, you know. And so I think 1038 00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:53,439 Speaker 4: when you see that type of poverty, and you see 1039 00:50:53,480 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 4: that type of malnutrition, and you start to play with 1040 00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:58,640 Speaker 4: a bunch of kids, I mean I literally I remember 1041 00:50:58,880 --> 00:51:01,680 Speaker 4: walking to the children's home one day, was just a 1042 00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:04,719 Speaker 4: bracelet on and it was like the kids just swarmed me, 1043 00:51:04,840 --> 00:51:05,399 Speaker 4: asking me. 1044 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:06,120 Speaker 5: For my bracelet. 1045 00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:08,680 Speaker 4: You know, it's just I think I was just like, 1046 00:51:08,719 --> 00:51:10,520 Speaker 4: how can you all, how can you be so happy 1047 00:51:11,120 --> 00:51:13,680 Speaker 4: in these circumstances where I live in a world full 1048 00:51:13,719 --> 00:51:17,279 Speaker 4: of excess and there are so many days where I'm 1049 00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:21,160 Speaker 4: just like either non content or at a want for more. 1050 00:51:21,880 --> 00:51:25,560 Speaker 4: And I think that surrounding myself with so many of 1051 00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:28,279 Speaker 4: the of the folks in Uganda, it just changed my 1052 00:51:28,320 --> 00:51:31,440 Speaker 4: outlook on life and honestly transformed my heart. And so 1053 00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:32,920 Speaker 4: every day that I wake up and I get to 1054 00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:38,120 Speaker 4: see Willi Gray, it's just absolutely incredible. And so you know, 1055 00:51:38,320 --> 00:51:40,200 Speaker 4: next year we're actually going to take Willi Grade back 1056 00:51:40,239 --> 00:51:44,680 Speaker 4: to Uganda for the first time, wow since twenty sixteen, 1057 00:51:44,920 --> 00:51:48,320 Speaker 4: So wow, Wow. Willi Gray talks about it all the time. 1058 00:51:48,680 --> 00:51:50,480 Speaker 4: Every night we got to bread. She prays for her 1059 00:51:50,520 --> 00:51:53,440 Speaker 4: friends in Uganda and loves seeing pictures and loves getting 1060 00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:57,440 Speaker 4: updates all the kids that love one is helping, and it's. 1061 00:51:57,280 --> 00:51:58,160 Speaker 5: Just been incredible. Man. 1062 00:51:58,200 --> 00:52:00,120 Speaker 4: She and Willi Gray at a young age are He 1063 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:02,040 Speaker 4: has a heart for wanting to go and do it 1064 00:52:02,080 --> 00:52:03,960 Speaker 4: as well, which is which is pretty awesome for wille 1065 00:52:04,000 --> 00:52:05,880 Speaker 4: Grade to get to watch her mom, you get to 1066 00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:07,719 Speaker 4: watch Susanne do it, because it's I think it's lighting 1067 00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:10,440 Speaker 4: a fire in her heart to kind of go back 1068 00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:13,760 Speaker 4: to Uganda and and uh and uh you know, she's 1069 00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:17,240 Speaker 4: so obsessed with learning about her culture and learning about 1070 00:52:17,239 --> 00:52:19,600 Speaker 4: her friends and and uh. So it's going to be 1071 00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:22,040 Speaker 4: a very special time for for us and our family 1072 00:52:22,080 --> 00:52:23,560 Speaker 4: to you know, to get to take WILLI grade back 1073 00:52:23,560 --> 00:52:25,359 Speaker 4: to Uganda and get to kind of watch her kind 1074 00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:27,799 Speaker 4: of reunite with with a bunch of our friends. So 1075 00:52:28,000 --> 00:52:30,279 Speaker 4: it's been incredible. Man, it's been the big blessings of 1076 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:31,560 Speaker 4: my life. Yeah, that's great. 1077 00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:35,840 Speaker 2: You know this some podcast was sort of started with 1078 00:52:35,920 --> 00:52:40,720 Speaker 2: the idea, I mean, you two are the perfect example 1079 00:52:40,719 --> 00:52:43,080 Speaker 2: of what we're trying to do in this in this 1080 00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:49,239 Speaker 2: situation where you have somebody who is incredibly successful in 1081 00:52:49,239 --> 00:52:53,640 Speaker 2: in uh in you know, in one way, and then 1082 00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:59,120 Speaker 2: also finds the time and the passion to do something 1083 00:52:59,680 --> 00:53:04,320 Speaker 2: good in the world, and through that has found someone 1084 00:53:04,360 --> 00:53:09,040 Speaker 2: who is generally unsung like you, Susan uh and and 1085 00:53:09,120 --> 00:53:11,879 Speaker 2: giving both of these people an equal voice. So thank 1086 00:53:11,920 --> 00:53:14,160 Speaker 2: you so much for for being here. I mean, this 1087 00:53:14,200 --> 00:53:18,239 Speaker 2: is your your exactly what we're talking about on this 1088 00:53:18,440 --> 00:53:22,280 Speaker 2: on this podcast. But is there a call to action, 1089 00:53:22,560 --> 00:53:24,879 Speaker 2: like how can how can people help? Where can they 1090 00:53:25,040 --> 00:53:27,960 Speaker 2: get in touch with you find out about the organization. 1091 00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:29,839 Speaker 2: Let's give it a shout out. 1092 00:53:30,480 --> 00:53:35,120 Speaker 3: And well, we have our website. It's www dot leve 1093 00:53:35,160 --> 00:53:39,359 Speaker 3: one International dot org. You can find us on all 1094 00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:46,279 Speaker 3: our socials. It's eleven one I N T. And you know, 1095 00:53:47,040 --> 00:53:51,480 Speaker 3: we started out honestly, Kevin, I thought, if I can 1096 00:53:51,600 --> 00:53:57,680 Speaker 3: help five longs or five babies, and that's five babies 1097 00:53:57,719 --> 00:54:01,799 Speaker 3: that would live that wouldn't ordinarily be able to live. 1098 00:54:02,000 --> 00:54:05,040 Speaker 3: And we're five years in. It was five years in 1099 00:54:05,080 --> 00:54:08,239 Speaker 3: April that we kind of just put our sword down 1100 00:54:08,239 --> 00:54:12,320 Speaker 3: in Uganda, and we've helped over eleven thousand children. Amazing, 1101 00:54:13,280 --> 00:54:17,720 Speaker 3: and so I think, so we've gone from a little 1102 00:54:17,719 --> 00:54:21,680 Speaker 3: bitty house that held ten children to now our center 1103 00:54:21,880 --> 00:54:25,440 Speaker 3: will hold forty five. And we just started construction and 1104 00:54:25,440 --> 00:54:28,400 Speaker 3: we're hoping to be finished in twenty twenty four for 1105 00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:32,120 Speaker 3: a rehab center that'll hold over one hundred children. And 1106 00:54:32,200 --> 00:54:35,080 Speaker 3: so we started out with one district in Uganda and 1107 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:39,319 Speaker 3: now we're touching ten. And so as we grow, our 1108 00:54:39,400 --> 00:54:42,799 Speaker 3: operating costs to go up. And you know, I think 1109 00:54:42,840 --> 00:54:45,839 Speaker 3: if that's one of the biggest things that Thomas, Rent 1110 00:54:45,840 --> 00:54:49,319 Speaker 3: and Lauren have played such a significant role in just 1111 00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:52,920 Speaker 3: helping us as we've grown to be able to fund 1112 00:54:53,480 --> 00:54:56,399 Speaker 3: what you know has come our way, and I would 1113 00:54:56,480 --> 00:54:59,719 Speaker 3: love to touch every district in the entire country and 1114 00:54:59,840 --> 00:55:04,800 Speaker 3: just making be just a huge impact for malnourished babies 1115 00:55:05,360 --> 00:55:09,120 Speaker 3: in Uganda. And I think learning t are both kind 1116 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:12,000 Speaker 3: of have that fire in them now that we've actually 1117 00:55:12,080 --> 00:55:13,879 Speaker 3: watched it and be able to grow. You start out 1118 00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:15,440 Speaker 3: going can we do it? Can we not do it? 1119 00:55:15,480 --> 00:55:17,880 Speaker 3: And then all of a sudden it starts happening, and 1120 00:55:17,960 --> 00:55:20,000 Speaker 3: so it feels your fire to do more and to 1121 00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:24,759 Speaker 3: help more. And so I just think anybody that wants 1122 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:28,160 Speaker 3: to come alongside us and help the babies that we're serving, 1123 00:55:28,280 --> 00:55:31,240 Speaker 3: we would be more than happy to take them along 1124 00:55:31,239 --> 00:55:33,200 Speaker 3: with us on our journey. Day. 1125 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:37,440 Speaker 2: Well, thank you guys for your time. Thomas Rhetz's in 1126 00:55:37,640 --> 00:55:40,440 Speaker 2: Mary Nick, keep up the great work. 1127 00:55:40,840 --> 00:55:43,719 Speaker 5: Kevin, thank you so much, man. This is huge. We 1128 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:45,440 Speaker 5: cannot thank you enough. It's amazing. 1129 00:55:45,760 --> 00:55:48,360 Speaker 1: It's huge for me too, So thanks a lot for being. 1130 00:55:50,719 --> 00:55:54,000 Speaker 2: Hey, guys, thanks for listening to another episode of Six 1131 00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:56,720 Speaker 2: Degrees with Kevin Bacon. If you want to learn more 1132 00:55:56,920 --> 00:55:59,960 Speaker 2: about Love One International, all you got to do is 1133 00:56:00,080 --> 00:56:05,800 Speaker 2: head to their website. At www dot Loveweinternational dot org. 1134 00:56:06,239 --> 00:56:07,280 Speaker 1: You can find all. 1135 00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:10,600 Speaker 2: The links in our show notes and to hear more interviews, 1136 00:56:10,719 --> 00:56:13,640 Speaker 2: more laughs, more good in the world. To make sure 1137 00:56:13,719 --> 00:56:16,479 Speaker 2: you subscribe to the show and tune into the rest 1138 00:56:16,520 --> 00:56:19,400 Speaker 2: of our episodes, you can find Six Degrees with Kevin 1139 00:56:19,440 --> 00:56:25,640 Speaker 2: Bigon on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 1140 00:56:25,840 --> 00:56:26,520 Speaker 1: See you next time.