1 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: Pushkin. It's been nearly four years since Drive By Truckers 2 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: released They're Pissed Off, politically charged album American band. That 3 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: record was their rebel yell, full of songs that reflected 4 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: life and injustice during the Trump era, and judging from 5 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: their latest release, The Unraveling, it's clear the Drive By 6 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: Truckers have moved from anger into a state of grief. 7 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: The Unraveling is the Drive By Trucker's twelfth album. The 8 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: band's two lead vocalists, Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood, both 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: grew up in rural Alabama. Patterson's dad, David Hood, was 10 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 1: the basis for The Swampers, one of the most famous 11 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,919 Speaker 1: studio house bands of all time, who are officially known 12 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: as the Muscle Shoals rhythm section the backed artist I 13 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: could read the Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and 14 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: Paul Simon, but Patterson explains to Bruce Headlam in this 15 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: interview why he never talked about his dad's until he 16 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: was in his thirties. Patterson and Mike also played songs 17 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: from the new album, most of which are protest songs 18 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: inspired by the current political climate and conversations they've had 19 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: to have with their kids about it, and as you'll hear, 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: they've had to rethink their live set lists after fans 21 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: started waiving the Confederate flags at a festival they were 22 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: playing alongside one of their favorite rappers. This is broken 23 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: record liner notes for the digital age. I'm justin Richmond. 24 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: Here's Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood in conversation with Bruce 25 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: had them. We're here with Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood, 26 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: who for more than twenty years have been the leaders 27 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: and songwriters for Drive by Truckers. Songwriters doesn't seem to 28 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: quite capture it almost You guys have been so prolific, 29 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: and you write with such strong themes, it's easy. You're 30 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: almost to think of you as novelists with guitars. I 31 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: think because you've done so much work. Uh tell me 32 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: where this song came from. The song came from a 33 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: stopover on an off ramp off ninety outside of Gilette, Wyoming. 34 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: And uh, I don't I don't write a lot on 35 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: the run. I don't write a lot of songs on 36 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: the road because it tends to be hard with on 37 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: a bus with you know, eleven people and and all 38 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: the loud noises and music playing and stuff. But um, 39 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: but we uh were on our way from Sioux Falls, 40 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: South Dakota to Missoula and uh taking the required the 41 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: legally required bus stop where the driver hopefully sleeps for 42 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: a few hours. And those pretty good laws. We've seen 43 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 1: the other side. We've seen the other side. Well, yeah, 44 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: we've seen naught abiding by them. Yeah. We we had 45 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: a driver one time go for Minneapolis to Seattle non stop. 46 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: I don't I don't even know if he pete. I 47 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: mean he just went and uh and it was a 48 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: little terrifying, but uh, but so were. We were stopped 49 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: at a holiday in express Us on an off ramp. 50 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: I mean it could just as easily have been somewhere 51 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 1: in Alabama or Arizona other than how cold it was. 52 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: And uh, because it was wintertime. It was January, and 53 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: it was it was nice and cold, and we were hungry, 54 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: and we were walking to uh going to walk to 55 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: this like Mexican restaurant a couple of blocks away. There 56 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: was the only thing on that off ramp that wasn't 57 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: a chain and uh there was like three stars on yelp, 58 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: you know, sold and uh and we met in the 59 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: lobby and we were walking when I walked out of 60 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: the door with like patches of snow and ice. You know, 61 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: in the parking lot, our buses parked under this giant 62 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: billboard that said the Oasis Tanning Salon. And I don't 63 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: know how that became a song, but by the time 64 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: we got to the restaurant, I wrote the first verse 65 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: on a napkin, and after I ate, I went back 66 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: to the hotel room, in our motel room and wrote 67 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: the rest of the song that afternoon, And that kind 68 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: of opened the floodgates for the songs that I wrote 69 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: on this album, because I, up to that point, was 70 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: having a real hard time wrapping my head around how 71 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 1: I wanted to approach writing about this crazy time that 72 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: we're all trying to live through right now. You know, 73 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: your last album, American Band was also written about an 74 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: earlier part of the crazier time, back in the good 75 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: old days when we thought it Yeah, and you know, 76 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: parts of that album seem to be written more in 77 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: sorrow than an anger. Um, you seem to have become 78 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: a little easier with your anger in this one. It's 79 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 1: a tough, tough album. It's it's funny because I because 80 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: I almost almost if taken the opposite thought on I 81 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: love hearing that, hearing it. I love here how different 82 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: people gauge it and react to it, you know, because 83 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: because from my point of view, I thought of the 84 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: last record is more the angry one, and this is 85 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: more just the sad one. It's just like, now, now, 86 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: what what do we do now? You know? And uh, 87 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: so so much of the so many of the songs 88 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: I wrote on this record were directly inspired by conversations 89 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: with my kids and uh, trying to raise your family, 90 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: and you know, in all of this and uh and 91 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: and you know, the questions they had about different things, 92 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 1: you know, talking to you know, my kids about the 93 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: lockdown drill they had in school, you know, and and 94 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 1: uh and my son had all these questions about, you know, 95 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: if if someone was going to take him away from 96 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: his mommy and I and put him in a cage 97 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: and a holding. I mean, he was literally he was 98 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: worried about that, you know. And and you know, first 99 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: I comforted him and told him that that wasn't going 100 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: to happen, which led to the real uncomfortable, unpleasant conversation 101 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: about why you know, and and you know the fact 102 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: that you know they aren't taking little white kids away 103 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: from their parents and doing that, and uh and and 104 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 1: the look on his face as you could see him 105 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: trying to wrap his head around that concept, and uh, 106 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: it was just heartbreaking to me, you know, and that 107 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: that directly led to you know, at least one if 108 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: not more, of the songs on the record, and some 109 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: of the songs and what you just played is not 110 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: an example of that, but a lot of the songs 111 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 1: take the form of really protest songs. Yeah, in a 112 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: very old fashioned way, which is something of the departure 113 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: for you guys. Yeah, I guess you know, we've always 114 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: I've always thought of our band as political, and and 115 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:50,280 Speaker 1: my songs is is political. But you know, so often 116 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: it was like done in the form of telling a story, 117 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 1: often a story said in a different time and place, 118 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: you know, almost like the Chinatown, you know, the way 119 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 1: the movie Chinatown used the thirties noir you know, format 120 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: to to tell to talk about, you know, what was 121 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: going on at that time in the seventies, you know. 122 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: And uh so, uh so I always kind of took 123 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: that approach, you know. I mean I considered Southern rock 124 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: opera to be a very very political record, you know, 125 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: with all of the George Wallace stuff and all that 126 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: and uh, but but starting with American Band, we've been 127 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: we made a kind of very conscious decision that that 128 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: record in this last one are set right now, and 129 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: there isn't there isn't some story to you know, necessarily, 130 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: you know, he's the he's the he's you into it. Um, 131 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: we are going to get back to politics, but I 132 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: do want to ask you just a bit about the 133 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: making of the album itself. Uh, you went to Memphis 134 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: for this, yes, so tell me a little bit about that. 135 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:03,679 Speaker 1: We went to Sam Phillips Recording Service, uh studio that went. Um, 136 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: you know, of course Sam. Sam's actually from our hometown. 137 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: He grew up. He grew up two farms over from 138 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: my grandmother. They're the same age, and they went to 139 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: elementary school together even and uh, you know, of course 140 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: he moved to Memphis and you know, basically discovered rock 141 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: and roll and and Sun Studios and Elvis and Carl 142 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: Perkins and all of that. And and around nineteen sixty 143 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: or so when he sold Sun Records and the Sun Studios, 144 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 1: he took his money and he built like his dream studio. 145 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: And so that's the place where we recorded our record. 146 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:41,319 Speaker 1: It's like a time capsule from like nineteen sixty two basically, uh, 147 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:45,199 Speaker 1: with with some early seventies updates here or there, and 148 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: uh some amazing old tube gear and just and those 149 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: echo chambers. He designed and built three different echo chambers 150 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: of different sizes into the actual building. And so we're 151 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,560 Speaker 1: like running our stuff through though echo chambers and really 152 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 1: digging the way it sounded and kind of being inspired 153 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: by did it changed to the sound of this album 154 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: from other albums? I think it did. I think I 155 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: think a combination of that and just you know, how 156 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: the band's evolved too, because uh, you know, because uh, 157 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: we've been you know, we we've we haven't had any 158 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: kind of a personnel lineup change or anything for about 159 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:31,239 Speaker 1: eight years now. And uh, and so this this incarnation 160 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: of the band is just really really jailed in a 161 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: way that I don't think we were ever able to 162 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: quite achieve before because in our more tumultuous earlier days. Uh. 163 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 1: And I heard there was a celebrity setting there. There was, Yeah, yep. 164 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: Um Peter Grownick, who wrote the Sam Phillips book, came 165 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: and visited us, and uh, and he had Mick Jagger 166 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: with him. Yeah, okay, but did you talk to Mick 167 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:01,560 Speaker 1: Jagger there or yeah, a little bit for for a second, 168 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: you know. And uh, um, we knew that Peter was 169 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: coming and uh and of course I'd read I'd read 170 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: as Sam Phillips book. I've read probably all his books 171 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:12,719 Speaker 1: and uh, and so i knew he was coming, and 172 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: I was looking forward to meeting him. And we're seeing him. 173 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: I've met him before, seeing him again. But uh, and 174 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: then when Mike Jagger stuck his head in, it was, uh, 175 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: it was it was a bit of a trip, all bad. 176 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: You know. The song you just played describes, uh, sort 177 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: of how homogeneous sort of the American landscape has become. 178 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: You guys grew up in a in a very particular 179 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: part of Alabama. Now, when you say Alabama to most Northerners, 180 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: they have a certain idea and it's probably Birmingham or 181 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: Mobile or football or oil or whatever it is. My cousin, Ben, 182 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 1: cousin Benny, was that in Alabama? Yeah? Okay, Um, they're 183 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:58,719 Speaker 1: not thinking Emmy Lou Harris or you know, any of 184 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: the people who are actually from there. What was what 185 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: was that part of Alabama? Let growing up. I mean 186 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: when we were growing up, it was it was kind 187 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,319 Speaker 1: of isolated in a way because there's no major highway 188 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: through our town. There's a pretty major waterway through there 189 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: as far as the Tennessee River, so there's a lot 190 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: of barges that floated through. But you know, the closest 191 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: airport of any size, you know, was at least two 192 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: hours away, and the interstate was an hour away. And 193 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: and uh, we're kind of right between three cities. It's 194 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,560 Speaker 1: about two to three hours away. Birmingham and Nashville and 195 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 1: Memphis were kind of right in the middle of of 196 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 1: the you know, of that triangle. But yeah, the Shoals area, 197 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: it's four cities all that border each other. But I 198 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: would describe the four of them collectively as a small 199 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:48,120 Speaker 1: town with a lot more people in it than you 200 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,160 Speaker 1: usually see in a small town. But it's still very 201 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: much a big small town, right. Yeah. And it also 202 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,839 Speaker 1: I mean to the rest of the world because of 203 00:11:56,920 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 1: Muscle Shoals where your fatherhood played for years and years 204 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: and some of the greatest soul records ever. Right Mick 205 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 1: Jagger came to his studio too. Yeah, but uh, yeah, 206 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,560 Speaker 1: the you know, they the Stones recorded brown sugar and 207 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: wild horses and you got to move there. And uh 208 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: but um, and at that time, I mean it was 209 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: a dry county. You know, it was when I when 210 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 1: we were growing up, it was still a dry county. 211 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: Was almost in high school before we had illegal alcohol 212 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:30,920 Speaker 1: was right there. Yeah yeah, so uh wow, so it 213 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: was time. Yeah, they saw you coming. Yeah, they needed 214 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: to raising taxes. Always say the best thing for you know, 215 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: for a hard drinking teenagers to live in a dry 216 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: county because the bootleggers don't care how old you are, 217 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: you know, and if you don't and you know, if 218 00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: you don't have legal liquor, then you're just gonna have 219 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,679 Speaker 1: illegal liquor. I mean it's no, it's not like you're 220 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:55,720 Speaker 1: gonna keep anyone from doing what they want to do. 221 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 1: There's a certain image, you know, musically, at least of 222 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: kind of racial harmony. Um, people associate with muscle shoals, right. Um, 223 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: this is a place that great soul records were made by, 224 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: you know, by racial bands. And well I guess the 225 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: band itself was mainly white, but yeah, they were artists 226 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: mainly white, at least at least Dad's group. Some of 227 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: the some of the later groups, it got a little 228 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 1: more integrated. But uh, but yeah, I mean, yeah, you know, 229 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: my in the heart of the George Wallace era, my 230 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: dad was making his living backing up Aretha Franklin and 231 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 1: Wilson Pickett and Bobby Womack, Atta James and you know, 232 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: all these amazing records that came out of there. And uh, 233 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: and yet you know, at times, especially in the earlier days, 234 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: you know, I don't think some of the you know, 235 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: some of the African American artists that were recording there 236 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 1: were particularly comfortable going out and having dinner. You know, 237 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: when some of the restaurants there, I think it got 238 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,280 Speaker 1: I mean, it wasn't nearly as bad there as like 239 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: what you see from like burning Ham and and you know, 240 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: we didn't have Bull Connor and you know, they weren't 241 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:06,839 Speaker 1: necessarily seeking police dogs on people, but it still was 242 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: a closed minded, you know, bibble Belt religious. I used 243 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 1: to have to pass by there was a radio station 244 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: pretty much from where I lived to get to anywhere. Um, 245 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: it was a black owned AM radio station. So the 246 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: w ZZ A the soul of the shows, and it 247 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 1: very often it wasn't uncommon at all to pass by 248 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: there and see that it had been vandalized again. Um, 249 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: some kind of racist epitap spray painted on the door, 250 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: you know. So yeah, you had both you right, you 251 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,080 Speaker 1: had you had a little of both worlds. Yeah. And 252 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 1: is it is it changed in a way that we'd 253 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: recognize from the song you just played? Is it become 254 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: more commodified in big box? I mean it's it's it's 255 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: kind of gotten cool in a way because they've you know, 256 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 1: when we were growing up, like the whole music thing 257 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: that was happening, there was a secret. I mean, it 258 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: was almost like a secret society. I mean I learned 259 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: really early on that I didn't go to school and 260 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: talk about what my dad did. It was not something 261 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 1: I was going to talk about at school because if 262 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,160 Speaker 1: if he were my dad, that was literally all I 263 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:20,440 Speaker 1: would talk about it. Even today. I mean it's like 264 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 1: I was like thirty before all of a sudden, I realized, Okay, 265 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 1: I think it's okay for me to talk about my 266 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: dad now. But but it was kind of like a 267 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: it was almost like they were in a secret society 268 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: because they were I mean, they were afraid if they 269 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: got too much attention, someone would try to stop them 270 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: from doing what they were doing, you know, but they 271 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: knew if they just kind of stayed under the radar 272 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: and you know, and and and donated money to the 273 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: Little League teams and and you know, did did did 274 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: the you know, the the nice community stuff that you 275 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: know that they could do. They would generally get left 276 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: alone to kind of do what they were doing. And 277 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: if there if there's a Little League team sponsored by 278 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 1: the Swampers, I want that really At one point there 279 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: definitely was we should explain Swampers. Who's the name for 280 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: the what's also called the Muscle Shoal A lot of 281 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: the realm to attract a lot of the artists there too, 282 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: especially the ones who are on the more famous at 283 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: the end of the spectrum at the time, because I 284 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: mean Elton John could probably walk down the street there 285 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: right now and not get recognized. And yeah, I mean 286 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, you know the rolling Stone State 287 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: at the Holiday Inn right there, you know, right across 288 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: the river from Muscle Shoals in Florence, and uh, the 289 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: first time they've been able to walk around in public 290 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: in years at that. Boy, Yeah, you know, Linda Linda Ronstat, 291 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: legend has it Linda Ronstat was the was the first 292 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: girl to go sit at the counter at the pool 293 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 1: room in order. There's a pool room in Florence that 294 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: had like good chili burgers and stuff like that. And 295 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 1: it was it was, you know, kind of an unwritten 296 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: law that it was men only. This would have been 297 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: like seventy one maybe when she recorded there and uh, 298 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: and she wanted to go to the pool room and 299 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: shoot pool and uh sit at the counter and did 300 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,439 Speaker 1: because Linda Ronstad did what she wanted, you know, and 301 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: she wasn't a big store yet, but she was already 302 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: she was already Linda Ronstad wear her cut off wearing 303 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: her cut off shorts, no less, you know, at the 304 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: pool room and uh, and you know they served her 305 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: and that was, you know, pretty pretty nice way to 306 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: have change occur. But uh but yeah, I mean now, 307 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:28,680 Speaker 1: you know, it's in some ways unrecognizable to me because 308 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,160 Speaker 1: it's it's it's a kind of a cool town. Now 309 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 1: they've embraced their musical heritage, and you know, we've got 310 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: a you know, we've got hipsters and a boutique hotel 311 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: and you know, a fancy barber shop, a barber shop 312 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,199 Speaker 1: with guys and handlebar mustaches and their jeans rolled up, 313 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: you know, Okay, it's it's it's kind of crazy. So 314 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:54,680 Speaker 1: they've just turned into Brooklyn. Yeah, yeah, that's Brooklyn. Kind 315 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: of is a big box store. Now you just find 316 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:58,800 Speaker 1: it all over the country. We'll be back with more 317 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: of Bruce's interview with Mike William Patterson Hood if the 318 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: drive by Truckers. After a quick break, we're back with 319 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: Mike William Patterson Hood performing Grievance Merchants from their latest album, 320 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: The Unraveling Thank You. That was grievous Merchants. Yeah, can 321 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 1: you tell me about the writing of that song. I 322 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:28,240 Speaker 1: started thinking about everything that went into it. And after 323 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:34,040 Speaker 1: that the Parkland, Florida shooting that mobilized those kids so much. 324 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: I was pretty moved by what they were up to, 325 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: you know, but the predictable reaction they got, being accused 326 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 1: of being less than sincere. They were called crisis actors. 327 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: They were discredited, insulted and made fun of. And I 328 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,719 Speaker 1: don't know if that particular shooter or not was one. 329 00:18:57,760 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: I think you may have been. But there was a pattern, 330 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,439 Speaker 1: um of all these young men that were committing these acts, 331 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: you know, um every twenever it was over and you'd 332 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: get a look at their uh, at their laptops, their phones, 333 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,920 Speaker 1: what they'd been looking at, what they've been posting, liking 334 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 1: on social media. It was kind of a who's who 335 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: are the usual suspects? Um, maybe not the same names, 336 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 1: but definitely the same message. Um. And that was that 337 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,160 Speaker 1: was what it all boiled down to me. Was this 338 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: this cottage industry whose product was grievance and victimhood. Um 339 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: too mostly young white guys now maybe sometimes not so young. 340 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: And at that time, you know that the that Alex 341 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: Jones guys probably the most household name of all of them. Um. 342 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: I never went far enough down that rabbit hole to 343 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: even know who most of the rest of the names 344 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: are because I just don't want, you know, I don't 345 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: want that stuff to start popping up on my phone 346 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 1: when I'm in public. Um uh. But yeah, it was 347 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: that they all seem to uh have some kind of 348 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: problem with women. They had ex girl friends x wise 349 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:15,880 Speaker 1: with restraining orders, that they had been arrested for stalking. 350 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 1: They couldn't get the kind of attention from women they 351 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:22,640 Speaker 1: thought they deserved. Um that they were honestly that they were. 352 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: Their whiteness was losing its value was the message that 353 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: was constantly being pumped at them. And it's not your fault. 354 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: They're kind, you know, sending them that message that you know, 355 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: it's not because you're socially awkward, or because you inevitably 356 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: open your mouth and say the wrong thing, or because 357 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 1: you're you know, it's got to be this, it's got 358 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:46,200 Speaker 1: to be this thing or that thing, this is m 359 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: or that ism that's turning these people against you. And uh, 360 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,439 Speaker 1: and you know you go far enough down it and uh, 361 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,960 Speaker 1: you're you know, you've you've completely self radicalized, which a 362 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,080 Speaker 1: lot of these guys have, and you know, you I 363 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: I just don't want to you know, I can't draw 364 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,440 Speaker 1: a line to people on the internet or the TV 365 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,479 Speaker 1: or the radio saying something and somebody doing something. Of 366 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:10,919 Speaker 1: course not. But I'm not going to let them off 367 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: the hook either. Um. Some of them are true believers 368 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: in what they're peddling, and they're pure evil, and some 369 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: are just con jobs who are in it for the attention, 370 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: the money and the ratings, and they're more than pure evil. 371 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: Is there there's a wonderful line in that song conspiracy 372 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: to dilute their blood. Yeah, Yeah, that's that's that's a Yeah, 373 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,159 Speaker 1: it's a great line. But it connects to that idea 374 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: of lost hand manhood emasculation, which is very much needing 375 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:46,479 Speaker 1: to see um, non white men as sexual predators. Um. 376 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: And and how it's in some grand conspiracy to get 377 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,159 Speaker 1: white women to have fewer white babies. Yeah, I mean 378 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 1: they really do. That's really out there. That's literally what 379 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: these people are feeding up. Do you think that connects 380 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,640 Speaker 1: to a bigger sense in the South of being looked 381 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,919 Speaker 1: down upon, um by the elites, and and you know 382 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: that's always been part of it. I mean yeah, definitely 383 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: anti eliteism, anti intellectualism. UM. Growing up around you know, 384 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: working class southern white men, there was all at men 385 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:29,400 Speaker 1: or who were more educated or more successful. Um, there 386 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,880 Speaker 1: was always that sense that he thinks he's better than 387 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: I am. And maybe some of them did, but he 388 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:37,679 Speaker 1: got above his raisin. Yeah, yeah, maybe maybe some of 389 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: them did. I'm sure some of them, you know, or 390 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: they look at academics and uh they don't they think 391 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: they're so smart. Well they kind of are, um, but 392 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,480 Speaker 1: you know, whether they are or not, it's not why 393 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: that person thinks that. They're going to think that no 394 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:56,399 Speaker 1: matter what. And it's just there's definitely a blue collar 395 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: chip on the shoulder. Well it's all, you know, fear 396 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: of the other is such a you know, which has 397 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 1: been a prevalent thing that our band has written about 398 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 1: for years and years. It's been that's been kind of 399 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,240 Speaker 1: an ongoing theme, you know. And and and our records 400 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: kind of from that day one. But uh and and 401 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 1: it's like there's always somebody to blame, some other that's 402 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: that's taking what's rightfully mine or whatever, you know, And 403 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:29,200 Speaker 1: you know, and I mean, you know, our current president, 404 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: I mean that's what that's how he got elected was 405 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: capitalizing on that over and over and over and over. 406 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 1: They're coming across the border to get your jobs and 407 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,680 Speaker 1: you know, probably take your women to you know, as 408 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,959 Speaker 1: that whole. Now they've now they've morphed into these magic 409 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: immigrants that can take your job and still not work. Yeah, 410 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: never thought of it that way. Yeah. It's interesting because 411 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: you're from the South. You've written quite a few songs where, 412 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: for example, George Wallace appears you guys grew up. I mean, 413 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 1: Wallace was still probably governor at something you probably remember 414 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: misc into the eighties. Yeah, yeah, I mean he got 415 00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 1: elected his fourth term my freshman year in college. Okay, yeah, 416 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: that's interesting. I mean you and I don't remember the song, 417 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 1: but I think you had a line something to the 418 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: effect that, um, there's racism everywhere, but George Wallace gave 419 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: it a Southern accent. I'm not remembering the phrase exactly 420 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:27,679 Speaker 1: from then, if you're going to have a racist in 421 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:29,640 Speaker 1: a movie, you're going to give him a Southern accent 422 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 1: flat out. It's just it's like, uh, that's one of 423 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,840 Speaker 1: the ways that you established the character of of of 424 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,399 Speaker 1: being a racist as you give him that accent. You know, 425 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: there's a James Bond movie, you know, Live and Let Die, 426 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: you know the the you know, they they made sure 427 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:49,240 Speaker 1: to set set a Louisiana so that the so that 428 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: the cop could be a redneck cop. You know, they 429 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,640 Speaker 1: said it so. But as the flip side of that 430 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:57,639 Speaker 1: that if somebody has a Southern accent, people then assume 431 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:02,959 Speaker 1: he's a racist. I mean some do, I'm sure, you know, 432 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 1: and uh, I mean I'm you know, I'm sure that 433 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure there's been people who've never listened to our 434 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: music that would just assume we're something that we probably aren't. 435 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: You know, whether it's racist or just you know, whatever 436 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,560 Speaker 1: whatever you want to whatever presumptions you want to make 437 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:26,959 Speaker 1: about Southerners in the South, you know, And and you know, 438 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:28,680 Speaker 1: it's like I tell people a lot. You know, It's 439 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: like Trump won Alabama by sixty percent, which is horrific, 440 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,640 Speaker 1: but that's still forty percent that voted against him. That's 441 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 1: still you know, over a million people who feel as 442 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 1: strongly opposed to this as as I do, you know, 443 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,440 Speaker 1: or as you know, as someone in a different state does. 444 00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: It's just it's just a matter of how the demographics 445 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,000 Speaker 1: of the population, how it how it all settles. But 446 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: given how polarized the times are now, uh, there is 447 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: probably not the same audience for a sophisticated, nuanced take 448 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: on certain kinds of characters. And I'm wondering. Another example 449 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 1: is you had a song, I think it was Southern 450 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: thing where and you wrote about this in the Times, 451 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 1: which is that people were bringing out Confederate flags. Yeah, 452 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,920 Speaker 1: and it made you uncomfortable. It was hard, it was horrified. Yeah, 453 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: So you stopped playing the song largely, Yeah, and sell 454 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 1: them will occasionally play it, and even then it's it's 455 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,639 Speaker 1: only in an environment where I feel comfortable with no 456 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:43,120 Speaker 1: one that the people I'm playing it for, no, they 457 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,160 Speaker 1: get it. They get where I'm coming from with it, 458 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: you know. And uh, that songs very very rarely played. 459 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: Are there other songs that have that are now in 460 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,159 Speaker 1: that category in the last few years because of changing politics? 461 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: Things that you may have felt your intentions were right, 462 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 1: but it just is not going to be heard in 463 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,919 Speaker 1: the same way. Probably. I can't think of any examples offhand, 464 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:11,119 Speaker 1: but but but probably, I mean, you know, and the 465 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,719 Speaker 1: case of that song, you know, I mean, I'm not 466 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: sure I did it. I'm not sure I did my 467 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,480 Speaker 1: job adequately in writing that song. I mean, it's got 468 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,640 Speaker 1: a you know, it's got a really cool guitar lick, 469 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 1: and it was always a crowd pleaser, you know, because 470 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: it's a good rock song as far as musically on 471 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: all of that, maybe, but the point I was trying 472 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 1: to make in writing it, I'm not sure if I 473 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: adequately made it. The mere fact that it was so 474 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: misunderstood always kind of made me question the actual writing 475 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: of the song itself. You know. The point I was 476 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 1: trying to make, maybe clumsily, was that if you ask 477 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: ten Southern people what you know, people always refer to 478 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: this like the Southern thing. If you ask ten different 479 00:28:01,119 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: Southerners what that is, you get ten very different answers, 480 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: often that conflict with each other. Sometimes from the same person, 481 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: you'll get different answers that conflict with each other. And 482 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: what time of the day you ask them. Yeah, And 483 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: so that song has a lot of has a lot 484 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: of statements that people state as fact themselves personally in 485 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: describing being a Southerner that and over the course of 486 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,880 Speaker 1: the song, there's all these other contradictory statements to that, 487 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:33,800 Speaker 1: And I think, uh, I think I really maybe underestimated 488 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: the how easily that could get misconstrued as as the 489 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: song actually making those statements. You know, I didn't. I 490 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 1: didn't view it that way when I wrote it, and 491 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 1: when I realized that kind of the hard way. You know, 492 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: it was specifically a show we were playing at this festival, 493 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 1: this outdoor festival in Georgia in Atlanta, and uh, We're 494 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: actually on the same bill with Big Boy from from 495 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: Outcasts too. I'm a huge Outcast fan and uh and um, 496 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: and there were people waving that record was still pretty 497 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 1: new then. There were people you know, with with rebel 498 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: flags and uh, that like pull him out when that 499 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 1: song comes on, and I was, I was mortified, and 500 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: it's like, wow, people think that's what I'm saying and 501 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,920 Speaker 1: that's not you know. So so it's made me question 502 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: the actual writing of the song. Oh interesting, but you 503 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,240 Speaker 1: are part of the song is in it's in a character, sure, 504 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: and you guys, you guys write a lot of a 505 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: lot about kind of desperate characters, like characters serve in 506 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: the edge, and people tend to not get that really right. 507 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: Wouldn't want anybody, does it, you know? Yeah, you know, well, 508 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: speaking of Randy Newman, sail Away is not a song 509 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: I think he'd be really comfortable about paying right now. 510 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,840 Speaker 1: It's an it's an amazing song, yeah, or or you know, 511 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: or Rednecks, which is also an amazing song, you know, 512 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: and uh, but it's also you know, a song that 513 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 1: you know it it's polarizing even to people who do 514 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: get it, you know. And I mean when we were 515 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: writing what the record that came to Southern Knock Opera, 516 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: we were We've spent a lot of time listening to 517 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: the Good Old Boys album by Randy Newman. To me, 518 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: that was that was always the original Southern Nock opera, 519 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: you know, And uh, it's just you know, I've always 520 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 1: loved him doing that, his writing of how he can 521 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: write from a point of view of a character who 522 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 1: might be at times a pretty dislikable character. And uh, 523 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: I think that's a valid I think that's a valid 524 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: art form. But it is something, particularly in these times, 525 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:37,720 Speaker 1: it's it's it's a risk and uh and sort of 526 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 1: you know, I'm, I'm, I'm I'm still grappling with all 527 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:45,160 Speaker 1: of that. Is it is that a particular burden of 528 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: Southern writers. I remember um Flannery O'Connor at one point 529 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:55,120 Speaker 1: talked about Uh. She was always asked why Southern writers 530 00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:59,959 Speaker 1: always write about freaks, and her answer, and I'm again 531 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,720 Speaker 1: hair phrasing, was something the fact that, well, there are 532 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: freaks everywhere, we're just better at recognizing them. And you 533 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: guys write about people, you know, who are very some 534 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:14,760 Speaker 1: edgy characters. Do you feel an extra duty to somehow 535 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 1: make them sympathetic to not necessarily? I think I don't know. 536 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: What I don't ever want to be is condescending to them, 537 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: even if I disagree with them, I don't want to 538 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:27,200 Speaker 1: be condescending to them. I don't want to be. I 539 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: want to at least try to write about it fairly 540 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: and then let the listener make up their own mind 541 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: as to where they land about that, which right now, 542 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: in this damn current climate in itself, that is even 543 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: the risk, you know, And maybe it always was. Maybe 544 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: I always naive to it, you know, because that certainly 545 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 1: could be possible too. But I want to be. I 546 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: want to I want to be true to what I'm 547 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: writing about, though, whether whether whether I personally agree or not. 548 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, I had a had a very 549 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 1: different upbringing than most of the people I know from 550 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 1: where I'm from, you know. But but I don't necessarily, 551 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:14,440 Speaker 1: you know, need to impose that on all the characters 552 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 1: are right about. When we come back, we'll pick back 553 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,160 Speaker 1: up with Bruce's discussion with Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, 554 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 1: And if you want to hear more about Randy Newman's 555 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: Good Old Boys album, check out episode four, Season four 556 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 1: of Malcolm Gladwell's other podcast, Revisionist History. More. After this, 557 00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: we're back with Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood. Before playing 558 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: The Trucker's new song Thoughts and Prayers, Patterson talks about 559 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: what inspired him to write this song. This one's not 560 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:46,959 Speaker 1: really in a character I don't guess, but it's uh, 561 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: I mean again, it was inspired by, you know, the 562 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 1: stuff going on, you know, the shootings and and and 563 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 1: all of that, you know, and again talking to my 564 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:02,120 Speaker 1: kids about it and everything. But hum, the song is 565 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: called Thoughts and Prayers. Thank you. You told you explained 566 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,760 Speaker 1: a little bit where the song came from. But I 567 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 1: need to ask you where one particular part of that 568 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:17,360 Speaker 1: song came from. Which is the just beautiful image of 569 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: the flat earth earthest I guess right, realizing he's the 570 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: earth is around just before he hits the ground. Remember 571 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 1: where did that come? Years ago? When uh, like some 572 00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:33,520 Speaker 1: guy like went way up? It was like some kind 573 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 1: of a flatter thing a guy like like launched himself 574 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: and really didn't know it was like it was. It 575 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,360 Speaker 1: was in the news right around the time that I 576 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 1: wrote the song. And and just at that perfect moment 577 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 1: when I came to that part of the it was 578 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: time to like write a bridge for the song, it 579 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 1: popped in my head. Then Uh, it just kind of, um, 580 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,719 Speaker 1: you know, I got lucky, You get very lucky. That's uh, 581 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: that must be the Nassa influencing Yeah, northern Alabama. Yeah, 582 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,399 Speaker 1: putting people on the moon, but it weirdly, which you've 583 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,920 Speaker 1: also written about, it makes it a strangely optimistic song. 584 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,799 Speaker 1: As angry as that song may sound to people, you know, 585 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,280 Speaker 1: after that, I'm not sure if it's a course or reverse. 586 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:23,319 Speaker 1: You actually talk about people finding a solution to all this? 587 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: Are you? Are you actually optimistic at this point. I'm 588 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 1: trying on that particular issue, or on any particular issue. 589 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,520 Speaker 1: I'm trying. It's a work in progress. I'm trying, you know. 590 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:40,719 Speaker 1: I do. I do get a lot of optimism from 591 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:44,040 Speaker 1: the young people i'm around and uh, because I'm I'm 592 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,360 Speaker 1: getting old and uh, but I'm around a lot of 593 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,120 Speaker 1: young people, probably a lot more than people my age 594 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 1: normally are, because because I've I've got still have small kids, 595 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:56,160 Speaker 1: I'm around a lot of their friends. You know. Our 596 00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 1: house is kind of that house that a lot of 597 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: the it's friends feel happy congregating at. And uh, and 598 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:06,960 Speaker 1: our bands on the road we meet people all over 599 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,879 Speaker 1: the country, but we also our crew as all these 600 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: you know, guys in their twenties who are amazing, you know, 601 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: and uh and um, and I get so I get 602 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 1: I get a lot of optimism out of out of 603 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,960 Speaker 1: that and uh, or what optimism I can hang on to? 604 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:29,880 Speaker 1: I guess, uh, you know, I I'm I've always thought 605 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,560 Speaker 1: of myself as a as an optimistic person, even if 606 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 1: I was kind of cynical and and maybe sometimes pragmatic 607 00:35:37,239 --> 00:35:40,799 Speaker 1: about it. I've I've always, I've always, I've always felt 608 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:43,319 Speaker 1: like I had an undercurrent of that, and that was 609 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 1: that's been a that's been a real issue the last 610 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:49,760 Speaker 1: few years because it's taken a real hard beaten after, 611 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 1: you know, with everything that's been going on, and hanging 612 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:57,319 Speaker 1: onto that it's been Sometimes I feel like I'm hanging 613 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,919 Speaker 1: onto it for dear life, like like a life raft 614 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:04,200 Speaker 1: Steven and uh and um, but I'm I'm still hanging 615 00:36:04,239 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 1: onto it. Is it important to you that your music 616 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: and your shows reflect that. I would like it too, 617 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 1: But I don't want again, I don't want to be 618 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,520 Speaker 1: dishonest about it, you know. And so I mean, you know, 619 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 1: it's definitely an underlying theme I think, and in this 620 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:26,800 Speaker 1: record is the trying to hang on to that, and uh, 621 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,000 Speaker 1: because uh, you know, I think that I think the 622 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: act of going to a rock show is a cathartic, 623 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 1: can be a really cathartic, uplifting, wonderful thing. You know. 624 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:41,760 Speaker 1: I think, you know, I think I get from going 625 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:46,239 Speaker 1: to rock shows probably what some people would get would 626 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:48,560 Speaker 1: get from going to church or whatever. You know, It's 627 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,439 Speaker 1: always been sort of that that thing for me, like that, 628 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,239 Speaker 1: and and I would love for it to be have 629 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:57,480 Speaker 1: that experience for the people who come to see us play, 630 00:36:57,719 --> 00:37:00,120 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, I want it to be on 631 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 1: and and there'd be some some bit of uplift to it. 632 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:10,319 Speaker 1: But you know, at the same time, I'm you know, 633 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,200 Speaker 1: these are tough times, which makes us need it more 634 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 1: than ever in a lot of ways. Thank you so much. 635 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: This songs are just beautiful. It was just it was 636 00:37:18,640 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 1: lovely hearing them just with two guitars. Please don't say 637 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,600 Speaker 1: that to the rest of the band. It was great. 638 00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:29,759 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. Thanks to Mike Coolliam Patterson Hood 639 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:32,160 Speaker 1: from the Drive By Truckers for talking to Bruce and 640 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: for playing songs from the new album been Rattling. The 641 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,799 Speaker 1: album's out now, so be sure to check it out 642 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 1: along with the rest of their catalog, and if your 643 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:41,880 Speaker 1: need for a Drive by Trucker's primer, check out our 644 00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: favorite songs and a playlist we made on Broken Record 645 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:49,920 Speaker 1: podcast dot Com. Broken Record is produced help from Jason Gambrel, Melabelle, 646 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:54,400 Speaker 1: Leah Rose, Matt Leboza, and Martin Gonzalez for Pushkin Industries. 647 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,160 Speaker 1: Our theme musics by Kenny Beats. I'm justin Richmond. Thanks 648 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,880 Speaker 1: for listening. Four