This Past Weekend - E433 HARDY

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Starting point is 00:01:20 The pre-sale begins Wednesday March 8th at 10 a.m. Local time with code Rat King and the general on sale begins Friday March 10th at 10 a.m. Local time We've added a fourth show in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 1st at the Encore Theater I will also be in Hollywood, Florida on April 7th at Hard Rock live. That's the day before the Miami UFC fights We will be in Uncusville, Connecticut July 21st Bethlehem PA July 22nd and Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 23rd All tickets are available at the oven comm slash to you are Today's guest is an award-winning singer and songwriter He's written for some of the greats like Morgan Wallin and Blake Shelton

Starting point is 00:02:14 He has a new solo album the Mockingbird and the crow which he's out touring with right now I've gotten to know him over the past few years and there is no one Just more down-to-earth and enjoyable to be around then this man today's guest is Hardy I Live like I could walk here. I would be tired, but I could walk here. Could you really? Yeah I mean, I would be tired. It would take me to we're rolling, but all right So it would take you so it would take you how long to walk here? I mean maybe 30 minutes, but it's like two miles It's like a mile and a half, but that's not walking somewhere. That's your at that point. You're you're hitchhiking

Starting point is 00:03:26 Yeah, kind of I could bum a ride here Yeah Yeah, I could bum a ride here. That's that I feel like that feels like a better state Yeah, that's I don't know why people don't use that like cuz cuz technically, you know How they're like you could walk there and like technically you could pretty much walk any like you can walk anywhere Yeah, and so you had to swim or whatever, but yeah, you could walk almost it like it's crazy It's crazy to think of the old days when people were like I'll head over and then you got there like four hours. Oh, yeah, anything there anything can happen between them like you wouldn't know

Starting point is 00:03:59 Yeah, like you'd have to be like you'd have to call somebody on a pay phone and be like I'll see you on Saturday And before pay phones, it was like by letter It was like I'll be there next month and then they never showed up and they just like got killed by a bear or something Or people like or like a parent showed up and they're like, where's our daughter and the guy was like, you know You fucking died or she went to get some water and I haven't seen her. He's lying. I took her. He took her life Yeah, exactly. That's like some Game of Thrones shit. Oh, that's heartbreaking man. Yeah, we live in a We live in more convenient time than ever. Yeah, it's pretty wild. It's so yeah things are almost too convenient now It is dude. We I've somebody needs to do a study on this

Starting point is 00:04:39 But I get I think that like do you remember like in the 90s 80s whenever but that when you heard a song on the radio that you loved and You the next time you got to hear that song was on the radio So and it was so euphoric to hear that song again because you didn't have access to it We're now it's like if you like one song you can go listen to every single thing that artist or what it has ever done Yeah, and back then you had the the luxury of having that euphoric moment of like Oh, it was having that to yourself, you know, and then having to like record it on the on the fucking cassette tape. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it almost felt magical too

Starting point is 00:05:14 Like if it came on at a certain moment, it was like that we're like that was like the gods telling you this is it You know, yeah, like I was driving by and this played and yeah, and you had no control over it It just had to happen to you. Yeah Now you can sit outside of somebody's house for like seven hours and play the same song over and over again Mm-hmm, you know until the cops show up and take you somewhere. Yeah, exactly But it's like you couldn't have before you couldn't yeah, you couldn't build up that dirty momentum like you can now Dang dude, that is so crazy things see but then think how much power the DJ had back then Yeah, cuz he's like, you know what right now

Starting point is 00:05:52 I feel things out there kind of slipping slipping out of our grasp. Yeah, put you guys on something and he put out a Love tune. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, or like we are the world. You know what I mean? Like oh Oh, he could he controlled the narrative of people's lives back in the day. It's pretty crazy. It was powerful wasn't it? It was always like the DJ at a dance. It was like that but for the whole city or a nation It was like when that song came on it was like this is what everybody's gonna feel if somebody right now is like if two Spouses are fighting or whatever the casserole ain't good. I'm about to hit them with this love ballad and everything's gonna change Yeah, and that's the only way that they could hear it. They couldn't do it themselves. Let's see how to a violin or something Yeah, or a capability. Yeah, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, you had to have a real capability. Yeah, something like that

Starting point is 00:06:42 Hardly good to see you man happy to be here. I know I'm stoked. Yeah. Thank you so much for your time And you guys are I know you you were had to or push your flight or let or leaving tomorrow now Yeah, I appreciate you make it in time. I am a while. I'm glad to make it man. Um, I'm so happy for your career, dude Thank you. It's been awesome past couple years has been Incredible, bro. I didn't know you were such a man. It's almost like going to a Fitness and it is like going to a dang show. Yes When you go see Hardy if you have not if you haven't gone to see Hardy then you you need to go see him

Starting point is 00:07:19 You're gonna be touring with Morgan and doing what do you what do you have right now? I'm on I have my first like real live nation like headliner tour walking burn the crow tour and we're like a Quarter of the way through it now. It's only like 20 shows. So like five weekends, but yeah this summer I'm doing the I guess it's called one night at a time tour with Morgan I should know I should be more confident with that. I think that's what it's called when Morgan earnest But in Bailey Zimmerman and then Parker McCollum is going to when I there's some shows that I can't do because I had other shows But so he's he's doing fill in my spot when when I'm gone or whatever nice and that's dude Like two nights at the biggest venues in the world. It is like the craziest thing to me

Starting point is 00:08:06 It just like what do you mean when you say when you're saying that you're like like well just Morgan like I've known him for so long now and like he you know, he's always just been Morgan and and it's just it's so hard to process that one of my friends is Literally quite literally the one of the biggest artists on the planet like yeah college football stadiums are the biggest Like that's oh, he's the white. Oh sure. Yeah, dude. Yeah, maybe even white Michael Jack the yeah Well, yeah, yeah, he's like I don't know. He's the Michael. He's a country Yeah But no, he's like Elvis Presley

Starting point is 00:08:45 Kinda dude, it's it's crazy. Yeah, and like I just I don't know I came up with him and like I Like toured with him like he brought me on my first tour as an opener and we were doing like rooms of like 800 maybe to 2000, you know and just to know that he's doing which is doing like 80,000 people and shit is fucking Unbelievable so proud of it, man. Yeah. Oh, it's I mean, it's I mean I've only known you guys for maybe a couple years and I Went I got to go to some of his shows last tour. Yeah, and it was amazing I mean when Morgan goes on, you know, you've heard I never realized that I could sing for two hours straight like everybody

Starting point is 00:09:25 You know every single word everybody in the whole place is singing it too. Yeah, it's awesome But watching you man, it is like a fit. It's like I'm like dang if that guy's wearing his Like it his fit, but I just said that an interview like an hour ago that dude is he gonna step out He's gonna beat his year and a half somehow I get fat when I go on tour I have no idea how dude Well, cuz it's just incredible man. It's such a show bro. It's so powerful. Yeah, I'm just it's I don't know I just have the I feel like I

Starting point is 00:09:58 grew up like watching rock shows and then like I If GL had me out a lot like early and I got to watch their show and how active they were and like I don't know I just feel like I learned from that and that's just kind of the only way I know how to you know translate all that into mine or whatever Yeah, and it just feels like it fits you. It feels like just like oh, you're just getting who hard he is That's what I'm feeling like. Oh, wow. Yeah, this is who this guy is. This is real exciting Yeah, man matches the music to especially with like we're doing the rock stuff now and and so it's the music itself It's really high energy. So I feel like I'm just having to keep up with my the mute the songs, you know

Starting point is 00:10:33 Oh, dang train all that at the same time, I guess are there ones where you got to take a couple of breaths before you start that Bro, yeah, there's dude. I there are some songs that I am like suffocating dude And I literally I'll just like hold the mic out and be like you guys come on But really I'm like just fucking dying dude. Just trying to catch my breath and have your fans are probably smokers You're like No, you know you like no fucking seriously dude Uh, yeah, there's times for sure man It's bad like the first right now our set the first six songs is like a ball buster, dude

Starting point is 00:11:09 And it's awesome, but there's like no break and they're the first Five songs especially are like all the the biggest like the heaviest like rock songs and the biggest singing and screaming songs So there's like no break. It's crazy. That's all said, but it's fun Yeah, the new album so Mockingbird of the Crow. It's like um It reminds me some of kid rock in a way. That's a yeah, it reminds me of kid rock and And then obviously country music. Yeah, you know, so it's That's uh, and people see you look like kid rock, too. Do you remember? We were somewhere when you met kid rock. We're in the same place. Yeah, we were dude

Starting point is 00:11:47 It was it Miranda Lambert opened her bar. Yes, but Um, oh man, Casa Casa Rosa or something like that. Yeah, like a Spanish bar. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah and downtown and Yeah, she had a big big star studded thing. There we go. Yeah, and people People had always told you you guys look like each other well Yeah, dude, I get it. I'm seeing more memes and stuff now Are you? Yeah, like that night when we met like he already knew about it apparently Uh-huh. So like he made a joke. He like was like my long-lost brother Which kind of that cuz cuz I was a huge fan of kid rock back in the day like massive and still am and I know him now

Starting point is 00:12:26 Which is crazy, but I love him and and um Yeah, so he was in on the joke and like the first thing he did is like took my hat off and put his hat I was like, let's take a picture, you know twins or whatever. It was cool. Yeah, but yeah, that was that night I was I forgot about that. I was that was really cool. Yeah, I think I honestly I think I might have taken one of those pictures. I don't have to look through my pictures and see Um Yeah, so we're just some of that that come from for you So because some guys don't have that both sides of that thing. They're really they're in one world kind of a you don't you really

Starting point is 00:12:56 Walk, that's you have a foot in both. Yeah in both boots, man I tell everybody like I grew up in a small town and you know country, you know, I grew up 8,000 people and probably real similar at Covington, right? Yeah. Yeah similar just just small small-ass town and so Like growing up. That's everything lifestyle wise I absorbed. So that's like that's where all the country Comes from in the lyrics and all that stuff. That's how I grew up But like I did not listen to country music at all who listened to music in your house that everybody my music Other than like God, you know, like music was number two behind, you know, religion in my house like like There was always music playing my sister was a really good singer

Starting point is 00:13:40 My dad didn't play or sing but he was like obsessed with rock and roll and my mom played piano So I mean music was you know, it was huge in my house So I had no choice but to be obsessed with it growing up. Do you remember like the first song you ever heard? Yeah, really? I have a vivid memory dude. It was alive by Pearl Jam. Oh, I know where we were in Philadelphia Philadelphia, Mississippi Yeah, we were in my dad's truck and he had a cassette and he said listen to this It's the band called Pearl Jam and he put the cassette in and that riff from a live started playing It was like something out of a movie dude

Starting point is 00:14:12 My brain chemistry just changed and I was like what the fuck is this and I was like four It's one of my first day Amazing it changed my life forever Did you and was it just you and your dad and that in that moment? Yeah. Yeah Yeah, and he he saw it like then like he was like, okay, this you know, thank God like my son loves rock and roll or whatever And so from then until I could like drive basically every time we got in the truck It was something new Aerosmith. There's easy top, you know, but it was never country He liked a little bit of like Merle Haggard and like guess if you call John Prine country like but he knew he never played

Starting point is 00:14:50 It was always rock and roll. So I owe all of my and then I found you know, then I got into like But it's my like prime setting like teen, you know angst or music influence years was like Lincoln Park and like Puddle of mud and all that new metal lint biscuit and all that shit. So I've kind of discovered that on my own But I owe all of my childhood like music Taste or whatever to my dad. It was all classic rock. Hmm. Yeah, there's something interesting. Um, cuz Laney Wilson was just on here Yeah, listen to it. Yeah, she's great. Yeah, awesome. Yeah, dude. She like I Mean, yeah, she's magical and you guys have that great song together, man Waitin the truck. Yeah, and uh, so but I was thinking like and I was talking on there about the first time that I heard a song

Starting point is 00:15:31 I was with my babysitter. Mm-hmm. And I wonder sometimes if there's like something about just you and your dad together like Sometimes it takes like a certain like I don't know what I'm thinking exactly like cuz I remember it was that I was alone with I'd never been in a car with somebody That wasn't like probably all my brothers and sisters at the same time or all of us I was like my babysitter was taking me somewhere. So it was me and her right It was just like this moment and then she put in a cassette and so my senses were already real alert. Yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's interesting. I never really thought about it like that But I'm sure you and your dad are probably going different places together

Starting point is 00:16:05 But that's cool that he put that in dude Imagine if there's like a dad and he puts like a good song on for the kid and the kid doesn't give a shit Dude coming from a music family like it would have broken my dad's heart If I would have just looked and said like I don't I don't like this Can you just turn it? Can we sit in silence a four-year-old just Figure turn it off. This hurts my ears or something dude brother. He's so crazy He would have he would have died he would have hated that or the dad even puts on something That's kind of like just not even that great and the kids like this is trash

Starting point is 00:16:35 Yeah, but the dad like loves his favorite song Kids like this fucking sucks That would have been horrible dude, I hope that does not happen to me dude That would break my heart if I have a kid one day and I know that would have to be such a heartbreaker You'd not think about that a lot like imagine if your kid isn't smart and you have to like wish him good luck on a test Or something when he leaves for school And you know with like the luck isn't it nothing's gonna help. I feel like parents probably go through that though Oh, yeah, like your kid sucks it

Starting point is 00:17:05 Fucking volleyball out of soccer. I don't know but you go out You just have like your kid likes it for whatever reason and you just have to go watch him like fail until they lose interest in it Oh, that's crazy. If you have a kid who like He loves like just not even being good at it kind of but he still wants to go because usually kids want to stop going if they're not good Yeah, but I guess when you're like a young kid, I don't know That's I don't know what would go on in a kid's mind, but like t-ball, you know, like if they're horrible Like does the kid is the kid old enough to be like I'm not very good I don't feel like a kid would say I'm not very good at this. I don't want to do it anymore

Starting point is 00:17:40 Maybe maybe after like seven or eight, but when they're real little maybe not and then you have to have that talk like You know like if especially parents that grew up like you know middle-class or whatever you want to call it And and like they're spending money, you know on this thing and they're you know, the kids terrible Like does the parents sit them down and say like look, maybe you should find something that's you're gonna actually be better at So we don't we're not spending our money on this wasteful shit. Yeah, that's wild as I think that's kind of Yeah, I'm trying to think of what I played. I think I play our teams. Did you play baseball? Oh, dude. I was bad I was under I couldn't even believe I was so bad at baseball dude. Yeah, and the field we played on was like slanted

Starting point is 00:18:20 Right. We had a bad slanted down. So what was so would a home run be easier to hit though? Like cuz you know in golf like if it's downhill, it's technically shorter. Oh, no, that would have been great Or it was just slanted over to the side to right field So every like kind of if you hit it to third it ended up like out in center field So it was the name of your part Oh, we played out at a cordell furniture and American Legion. Okay, American Legion. Yeah, that's everybody used to play it American Legion like ours was Northside Park, but then I'm pretty sure the American Legion was like right behind the park Yeah, it's like that comes as a package deal. It's like the National Guard the fire station in America. Yeah

Starting point is 00:19:02 Yeah, especially like in a smaller community. Yeah, that was awesome. Yeah What so what was Philadelphia like you're from Philadelphia, Mississippi was that kind of like man? I loved it, dude It sounds like a perfect size 8,000 is like It's the most cliche in a way the most cliche in the best way like small town, dude And like when you hear like a cliche ass country song about the courthouse square and the whole deal Yeah, it's it is the definition of a small town But dude, it you know, I hear a lot of people I meet a lot of people that are like Talk about where they're from and they're like, I'm glad I got out of that shithole and like I had never felt that way

Starting point is 00:19:35 I absolutely loved my hometown. Yeah, it was really cool And there was obviously, you know, like drama and everything it was all there was just as much bad as the good But I was just very Thankful for my time there and I still love to go We had it dude the coolest thing about my hometown is we have a county fair and this is worth a Google called the Nishoba N-E-S-H-O-B-A Nishoba County Fair. Okay, Nishoba County Fair. So that's see all's County was Nishoba County, Mississippi I think it means like It's a chock-doll. It's chock-doll. Yeah, and it's I think it means like wolf or something like that

Starting point is 00:20:10 I'm not sure I could be wrong or I could be completely wrong about that But dude, so this fair is everything else about it is just like a county fair You have horse races all the whole thing But you but you have like 800 of these cabins and they're all family owned and you you you move out there For an entire week and it's a heat of the summers hot as fuck and you being from Louisiana In that like the end of July dude, it's brutal But and you live out there and they air conditioning like you know AC units and all that kind of stuff or window units and stuff

Starting point is 00:20:42 But dude, it's it's the most fun It's the most unique thing ever because the town literally shuts down and everybody in the little quadra county area Just goes to the fair and you use people take off work like and you stay out there and just kind of party and hang out For a week and it's amazing and the the houses and stuff They're around a lake or they're around around the fair around the fairground picture it like a giant like cookie cutter neighborhood somewhere Okay, there's like 10 rows here and then you kind of go over and there's a little section here with a long row and then back over here But the the like cornerstone of it is around there's cabins that wrap around the racetrack and that's like the cool picture Ask but there there's 800 of them and they do it's it's like 200 years old or something crazy like that

Starting point is 00:21:26 They're family-owned dude. They get broken up in divorces and wills. You they're dude If somebody sells one you can sell them for like half a million dollars. It's a really cool Little piece of like Americana South that's like kind of still undiscovered I can't believe like bar still sports or somebody hasn't gone out and like kind of blown it up yet But it's a really cool little gym in the south. Wow, you have never can you zoom in on one of those, please Ben? I've never even seen I've never even heard of this The Neshoba County fair. Yeah, man. Have you played it yet? I did I got to play it I was supposed to play it 2020. I got first year got canceled since the Civil War not since the Civil War World War two

Starting point is 00:22:04 since the Depression I believe and But so it got canceled so I played it in 2021 and it was like it's like three top three like bucket list places that You know, and I got to play it and it was incredible. Wow It was really really cool and do people come in from around the seat or is more just the locals kind of go Well, the locals it's the locals like have the cabins, right? Okay, like you'll have a you'll have a crew like from Jackson that's had a cabin for forever Or maybe from Louisiana or like a town We know family from Texas that somehow has a cabin that come every year

Starting point is 00:22:36 But like a lot of people from around the state will come for like a night like the first weekend and the last weekend It starts on a Friday ends on a Friday, you know And like so people from all over will take off work and like crash with a friend or go and come or whatever But for the most part the people that live around there are the ones that have the cabins Wow, you guys can't see it. I mean if you're seeing on YouTube, maybe you can see some of these pictures, but it's beautiful I mean, yeah, they have all these homes are beautifully colored and yeah It's like a Bourbon Street kind of vibe. Yeah, and then it mixed with like college football Like every a lot of cabins are like Ole Miss or Mississippi State Southern Miss like decorated. Yeah

Starting point is 00:23:10 I think ours is a big Mississippi State cabin gang, baby. Yeah. Wow, that's nice man. Really cool This episode is brought to you by better help and we are grateful for them If you if you've struggled if you do struggle if you don't feel like you're yourself if you feel like You're just not fitting into the world or into your life the way that you want to you may need someone to talk to and That's okay Sometimes we need someone else To help us get to know ourselves and better help can do that Therapy is all about deepening your self-awareness and understanding

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Starting point is 00:26:03 Here's a special deal for you Try blue chew free when you use our promo code Theo at checkout. Just pay $5 shipping That's blue chew comm promo code Theo to receive your first month free and Would your folks do in town like for a living my dad was a chicken farmer? And my mom was a food service manager for Philadelphia high school I went to Neshoba central the county school, but my mom was the food service manager So she like was the lunch lady's boss and like oh damn meals and did you know like she had a big spatula? Yeah, yeah, but my dad was a chicken farmer. Was he really? Yeah. Wow

Starting point is 00:26:42 So did y'all have extra chickens at the house has pets and stuff? No way you didn't bring anything. This was like this was like Tyson chicken dude like oh he's working out there one of the hard long houses with 27,500 chickens in a house And they're violent aren't they those animals? Yeah, like game roosters are these chickens were like I Don't know politically correct. They were not specially It's fine. I was in special ed. Yeah, they were they were they were that kind of deal like they're Yeah, but the challenge chickens. Yeah, let's be honest what they're giving people look You ain't get if you getting a McNugget you ain't getting the best chicken

Starting point is 00:27:24 No, and these things man, you ain't getting a Harvard bird. No, you ain't getting a fucking yeah, exactly You're not getting the ones that are like on pictures on websites These were like different they would start like this big and in seven weeks, they'd be a seven pound chicken They were pumping them things full of I don't even know what and where they send them like a little gym to obvious Or what do they do and then they don't move huh? No, they're just packed in a house that the floor is literally chicken shit Oh, man, and and it's just it's crazy. It's the way it is man and There's a feed line and there's tons of like this just a long feed line and it has a little reservoir and they eat and there's water and

Starting point is 00:28:03 My dad had this thing called a cake machine and it literally it was designed for chicken houses That you would go in after they catch all the chickens because the shit would be so compacted After they you know the people and all the chickens have been in there And it would break up the chicken shit and lay it back out like dry and like soft for the next chickens cake machine Wow, yeah, and is that a real machine that they have? Yeah, I mean It was it breaks up chicken shit and then what lays it back out like still on the soil Yeah, it's literally it's kind of like that, but it probably like goes into this It's like a big machine and it would you would scoop it up and it would go through

Starting point is 00:28:41 The machine somehow and I think it would like dry it and just it turns it into powder again and lays it back down It's not every time they would catch you have to go back to there It's like mow and grass, but like scooping up chicken shit. Yeah Wow, we had a turkey farmer on really it was real interesting to learn about how quick they get them ready for Thanksgiving really, you know and how they like change the lights in there and stuff to make them think that it's day and night Oh, yeah, I think maybe my dad did some of that too. It's kind of like that saw like saw the movie You know big saw vibes dude for sure like if if I If I if reincarnation is a thing that's one of the last things if not the last thing I'd want to come back

Starting point is 00:29:21 One of those chickens It's a really shitty life man. Oh Yeah, we're doing better than them What uh I'm trying to think is a bunch of stuff that I wanted that I want to talk to you about What was oh, what was I looking at earlier that I was thinking about? Whenever whenever you start getting into tunes like what is the first instruments that you get like who gets you keyed into music like Obviously your stuff your dad was listening to you liked it. Yeah, your mom's playing music around the house

Starting point is 00:29:49 Yes, right, so you're hearing a lot of good tunes. When do you start to really get like an ear like oh? This is something that I'm kind of good at I got I got a guitar when I was little um I got like my parents got me like a little Fender Squire like hundred dollar guitar and a little guitar amp when I was like Probably fifth or sixth grade and I picked it up I learned like the bar court like the easiest shit like smoke on the water and crap But you know what I mean like oh, yeah, I'm Alabama and just all the shit that everybody learns stairway to heaven No, not even bro. I couldn't that was that was like expert level compared to the shit. I was learning. Yeah, but um Um, yeah, and I picked that up and then like I got I I went into my teen years

Starting point is 00:30:30 And I kind of put it back down and then I picked it up again when I was like 16 or 17 And that's when I like started to really I like figured out like right songwriting and like all that kind of stuff and like Actually learning a little bit more about the guitar and getting a little bit better and stuff was like like later in high school And did you feel more like a performer? Did you feel like a writer like when you when you think about what you felt like that drew you to something? You know like like some of the comedy like I don't know if I think of myself as a writer I think of myself as a performer. Right. It's like it's like me And and I don't yeah like a performer sure did you have one or did you have a man?

Starting point is 00:31:06 It was writing for me, dude it was writing for me until five years ago like I moved to town to be a songwriter and my goal was to write hits for people and then So at that I always had that in me like in like in my favorite class in school I liked like biology because I loved animals and like being outside and all that kind of stuff But I was not a very good student, but I excelled randomly in writing I was I always had a really good knack for it whether it was like essay, you know it's like short story whatever you had to write in school and

Starting point is 00:31:39 I just had a knack for it and I was obsessed with it like knowing that I had the ability to create a story or make something up or say something and writing was always like Really important to me for whatever reason you know, I know why like that was just like that was the gift that God gave me I guess was my interest in writing or whatever and but so I that's it was always writing and then The record like the the artist thing you know people say doing the artist thing that came Around the time like Morgan's Updown was a hit like that because that was my first number one as a writer and it was his first number one as an artist

Starting point is 00:32:15 And he was at Big Loud and I was writing other songs for other people at Big Loud And that's when they kind of came to me and and they were just like, you know, do you want to do the artist thing? Wow. Yeah And that was 20 of 2018 Yeah, so that's not that long. No, it feels like a time has flown by but it also feels like forever ago But like I didn't I was super apprehensive about it. Like well most that was coded Yeah, well not of it. Yeah, I mean when I really my shit finally kind of started going is when 2020 happened Um, but I was I saw like what Morgan was going through and it's not a bad thing

Starting point is 00:32:50 It's it's great But like you if you're if you're shit like pops off like it That your life changes you you understand I mean like your life changes forever and and I just didn't know like I had an offer on the table And I sat with it for months because I didn't know if I wanted to to do it I was I'd had some success as a writer and I was like man it's you get to go write a fucking song and then go play golf every day or something and and I Just got done reading the Alchemist and

Starting point is 00:33:17 That book it talks about opportunities and omens and stuff like that a lot And and so I had that in my head because it they kept kind of getting brought up of like, you know Like are you gonna sign this record deal and blah blah blah, and I finally just said I'm gonna do it I didn't want to regret it later, you know having turned it down or whatever. I think it's awesome that you that you did choose that I mean, you know, like Mississippi has a lot of great writers. Yeah, you know I mean over time some of the greatest writers from Mississippi and Oh Yeah, you door welty. I think she's from Mississippi, right? Yeah, I think so

Starting point is 00:33:47 Dude, and then you've got Elvis. Oh, yeah, Robert Johnson who arguably created rock and roll with the blues This is does he have us does his son did his son play music too? I think so I should know that but I don't um But yeah, and it's it's nice to see misses kind of like, you know Cuz people a lot of times especially in the South they put an artist on a mistake, you know Yeah, it's good to see Louisiana and getting a guy. It's good to see Mississippi. Yeah, you know have a musician, you know, like yeah that People can get behind and a guy that has his own point of view and stuff like that I think it's because also a place needs that, you know

Starting point is 00:34:23 There needs to be a young man in Mississippi right now who loves your music and then he's gonna learn He might even realize right now. You're from Mississippi. Yeah, and then in five years you were like no way He's for I could do that. Yeah, so That's how things happen. Absolutely man. We had very familiar with Marty Stewart. Oh He's a big bluegrass guy Pull him up, please. He had he had a he had a couple of hits in just a regular country format in the 90s but he's a really famous roots like bluegrass guy and He there he is he is from Philadelphia, Mississippi. And so when I was a kid

Starting point is 00:34:58 he was the shit and So exactly what you're saying like I always had that in my mind of like well somebody from Philly went and did it You know, and he really made it. I mean, he's very very respected in the country He's really big in the opera and like all that, you know, and I certainly heard his name before so it was inspiring man that was like I Knew it's like exactly what you say like it can be done and that gave me the courage to move up here and give it a shot Well, there's a part of your brain that you don't even know that's working that it's like, okay That's in my head that that's possible. Yeah, and until that little thing till that little coin gets put in your bank

Starting point is 00:35:33 Yeah, your brain isn't really have that as a as as part of its account. Yeah, you're not like hyper focused on that It's just you know, it's just yeah, you're subconscious like oh this can happen in your subconscious that you know It just starts to be part of the Your assets, you know in the background, you're like, oh then eventually it can happen My favorite comedian one of the reasons I believe that I got into comedy and storytelling myself my best friend Scott, he's a his dad is from Jackson his family's from Jackson, Mississippi. Yeah, cool and I Would go up there and he would play Jerry Clower for me. Oh come on, dude speaking my language

Starting point is 00:36:12 Bro, he would play Jerry Clow knock him out John Knock him out come on like from Yazoo City, Mississippi. That's it and and I was like, oh my god like this guy like He's some it just it's amazing what he's doing and like that that this is a possible thing And I think hearing that to this day has had a big effect on the fact that um That I got in a storytelling that I like it or that I believed maybe that I could do it Do you think like was he kind of the first guy that really Really based his comedy around Southern ideals and stuff. I think he was a really Well, he sounded very southern, right?

Starting point is 00:36:53 But I think he was probably just a good storyteller and he had a lot of that like the lead betters You know like right named people in his neighborhood and characters So when you were listening to him you start he had this world was being right. Yeah. Yeah. And so I think I that was Fascinating to me curious because you talk a lot about people from your hometown. Oh, yeah That was an influence or whatever. Yeah. No, I think I probably had a lot to do with it You know, but it was funny because yeah, my best friend's dad. He said Yeah, you got to listen to this guy. You'll love him and he put him on. I just I couldn't believe it was a thing You know he was and then man, that's awesome. Dude. I haven't really heard jerry clower

Starting point is 00:37:33 In a long time that I remember my childhood didn't play in him too. Everybody knew his bits, right? Yeah It was really cool. Yeah, and you go and there's there's video you see him perform And he always wore this kind of like Loud red outfit. He was a big dude too, right? Yeah, and he was a drug He had a Cocaine problem for a while and he ended up being a pastor. I think towards the end of my I didn't know that His wife still lives in Mississippi, but he passed not like that long ago right 10 15 years ago something like that Yeah, I'm not sure when he passed. I would say 10. Yeah, it sounded about 10 or 15 years ago. Yeah, um

Starting point is 00:38:05 But one day I was getting out of my car at the mall and this guy comes running up and he goes, hey man Uh, I've heard you say that my grandfather is your favorite comedian and it was his grandson here Jonathan clower. Yeah here. No way dude. Do you look like him? That's pretty cool. Is he a big dude? I mean, he was young so it's hard to be like, I didn't want to fucking, you know, dude That's really cool. You know Put him in old clothes and see how he looked He didn't have like the old like puffed up It would have been crazy if he just had old ass hair

Starting point is 00:38:36 He was born like that. Um, so how'd you get over to so at that point so you're starting to write you're in school Um, how do you get over to mississippi state? That's where you went, right? No, I didn't do that dude. This is my biggest And I understand like if I didn't move up here when I did like my life would be completely different But that's like my biggest life regret is that both my parents went to state We're a mississippi state family, but I moved to nashville when I was 19 I went to one semester at a junior college called east central community college in decatur mississippi But uh, no, I didn't go to state. I actually went to uh, middle tennessee down here in murphy's bro And you got your degree from there? Yeah, I did. Yeah. Oh, wow commercial songwriting. Dang really? Yeah

Starting point is 00:39:18 He just went and took a class on it. Yeah. I mean, it's like a poor man's belmont. You know what I mean? Yeah, um, like all the kids all the belt the kids that didn't get into belmont, which is like, you know The big music I mean literally sits at the end of music row down here Um But yeah, I mean and the songwriting class was like Whatever and I've said this before and I feel kind of uncomfortable because I know there's people watching it Probably they go to mtsu there But like when I was there it was like there was no filter. So it was like a bunch of people that just weren't very good

Starting point is 00:39:45 and so like it was like, okay Today we're gonna learn about writing a verse and it's there's got to be structure and each line has to rhyme It's just stuff that you like most people knew but there were a couple kids in there that like got it you know, I mean like you were you like You had to play a song you wrote every week and they'd critique it and talk about it and this and that the other Yeah, and and there was a some people in there were horrible And but there were some kids in there that were really good But you could tell like that was what I took away was like

Starting point is 00:40:10 The people that had it had it but you can't like learn it like you can't in my opinion Like I don't know if you could like say man I owe all of my songwriting success to the songwriting class at mtsu because It's like songwriters. It's like any other form of writing. It's like Everybody has that weird internal voice and that's how they write and stuff and I feel like people are just born with that Yeah, I think you can hone things. Yeah, and you can like fine tune them. You can whittle them Right, you know, you could put a little bit of you know, you could put something in across You know, you could put a icing on something. Yeah, but you got to have something

Starting point is 00:40:44 You got to have the the natural kind of thing I think but I learned a lot about the industry there like Like record deals and publishing. I mean, I learned a ton about all that stuff and like even Recording and studio stuff like I got all of that all of that stuff from mtsu Yeah, and then the first time you hear those things in business. It's not the first time you've ever heard them You know, so it's interesting how Like some people know I took a comedy class, right? So I went to I was in uh I was out in Los Angeles, you know and everybody was just you know, it was When you first get out there that's a lot of like kind of per like every

Starting point is 00:41:20 People like they'll have agents and managers will sign you but just because they're damn pedophiles or something You know, it's like they'll try to get you out to dinner and then they give you a ride home and they're squeezing on your leg Or something, you know, yeah asking if you got any leftovers on you or something like, you know, what are you talking about? What are you even talking about? You know, I don't have any leftovers But it's like, yeah, it's just a lot of pervs out there. But um, eventually I found, you know, I said no to all that and then I got into a comedy class and The best thing about it was I thought I was probably in my head. I thought it was

Starting point is 00:41:55 Better than the class maybe in a weird way or I didn't but it made you at the end of the class you had to get on stage After six, you know, and then I realized as a class went on some people were better joke writers And they were better like organ to keeping their stuff or I just came in with a little bit of an attitude I think but at the end you got on stage. So how long was a bit? How long do you have to go for it was six weeks and it was probably the actual performance Oh three minutes. Okay. Damn. So they didn't give you you had to like You had to give it everything you got then. Oh, yeah, dude And it was like and the first week into like at the end we're gonna do a three-minute performance

Starting point is 00:42:29 You're like, I got that and then like the day of I mean, you're you know, you're losing it Yeah, you know people are just damn, you know, just losing it jumping off a really small buildings not hurting themselves But just you know, yeah, just practicing right it can't handle it exactly But um It got yeah, but then we got on stage and that was the thing that was the breaker It was like for you guys having to have a song at the end of the week. It's like, yeah, that's the thing where it's like, okay Because if I don't get on stage 10, I don't know if I ever get on stage. It's like, can you do it? Can you actually do it? Right? Yeah

Starting point is 00:43:01 And once you get that first can you do it once you get that first like Open mic or I'm gonna write a song and play it in front of other people right once you get through that first time Everything changes. Yeah, because then you have a real clear idea on if you're capable of it or what part of it You're capable of the most Yeah, and that's all contingent on your audience too right in a way because you don't know if you killed it Or if you did a good job unless somebody tells you people that you know, well you can trust That's a good point. But I think you get a feeling as to okay. Maybe I loved writing it Maybe I didn't love being up there. Maybe

Starting point is 00:43:38 I mean you just get more information. Yeah, you know, it's crazy that How much how little information you have before that first step Almost with anything. Yeah That's really true, man. You know, yeah, that's very true Especially for getting on any type of stage. It's like you just don't you know Yes, it's kind of thrown to the wolves in that moment. Right. Yeah Yeah, but but right after that you're like, all right, you know Yeah, and then you get into like immediately

Starting point is 00:44:04 I feel that like you can immediately be like your brain starts ticking on like what you could have done better and like how to make it better But you don't know that until you do it. Right. Yeah, and it's so crazy the difference between I didn't do it yet till I just did it. You'll come off like and suddenly you'll be like next time I'm gonna do it this way and you're like, what am I saying next time that means I want to do it again It's like just the little information that you get from taking that first step Dude, that's such a cool snowball effect too. Because it just it gets better and better and like You're constantly critiquing yourself and telling yourself next time which is manifesting that you're gonna It's gonna get bigger and better and all that. Yes, true. Yeah, it's interesting. It is man

Starting point is 00:44:43 um When you write a song like so you guys write You and Laney wrote wait in the truck. No, so I so she she did not she did not write it Okay. Yes. So you write the song with other writers, right? Okay. Yep. Um Just it's like going to work and you just you know go in a room and throw out your ideas and Sit around and write a song now say you walk in a room right and you see the other writers in there Is there sometimes you're like, all right, I'm gonna put a certain ideas and sometimes I'm keeping some in totally Yeah, oh dude like if you're

Starting point is 00:45:16 this is like if you have a Like balling ass badass idea like I'll sit on that until I know I'm in a room because if you throw it out Especially in Nashville like LA it can be a little greasier where like people will take back ideas But you just don't do that really in Nashville and like Like uh, it's not as dog eat dog. Let's just put it that way as it is in LA and But like I'll wait until I'm with some of my buddies or people that will completely grasp a cool idea So, you know, you're gonna nail it because I've made the mistake of throwing out a really good title With some people that could that just couldn't latch on to it as well as maybe other people could and you just kind of ruin the idea

Starting point is 00:45:54 And then you can't really write it again or you're an asshole Right, because then other people are attached to it and that's what I think you get then that then that's when like you'll you know Then if you did write it 10 years later, then you got to add these people because they were there when you know And they're like, well, I said that line and you use that in this song too But yeah, there's definitely time. It's like waiting the trucks a perfect example So hunter Phelps is like one of my best friends and I wrote that with him and Jordan Schmidt Who's also one of my best friends? You got I'm pointing that one because Jordan lives right down the road. Okay. Um and hunter and I kind of came up with that idea together and

Starting point is 00:46:28 We knew Jordan was a really incredible writer and that that was the time to bring that idea out and write it with somebody Definitely, that's wild man. That's cool. Yeah, it's interesting I guess in the beginning you might go in is put all your eggs out there And the other two people one of them shows up hung over one of them Is pre you know, not pre could be like just found out they're pregnant, right? Fucking ruin. Yeah Yeah, exactly Uh, and then you're like, damn man. You just don't get it to fruition. Yeah, and it dude

Starting point is 00:46:59 It breaks my heart when I have a great idea and then you kind of ruin it because then you're just like fuck Like that that that I mean really if to get into the Technica or the not to be vain or not vain but materialistic But you're like I just missed out on like $200,000 because I had a hit idea and I just ruined it on on these people It happens dude and you just kind of beat yourself up about it and like This and that some people even go home and completely rewrite the idea and make it better and be like Send it back to the people you wrote it with and you're like I like this you guys can be on the song

Starting point is 00:47:31 But I read completely rewrote the song or whatever Does that happen sometimes where somebody will write it to other people are in the room and they get a part of the credit And that's that Yeah, the the rule in Nashville is drop a word or say a word take a third, you know like It doesn't matter if you're having a bad day and that there's like It always evens itself out because like you go into a room with two other people and one of the guys sits over there And doesn't say a word. He's still on the song. He still has a third of the song like freaking boo wordly over there Yeah, right. Bradley. Yeah, like sitting over there like fucking it is

Starting point is 00:48:04 I don't just not saying a damn word. Just stare at his phone or something But then there's times where you might not be on your a game and somebody else two of the other guys are guys or girls are Killing it and yeah, you know, you it's just like a Nashville rule I know in LA like they have lawyers that people like sitting in on rights like paying attention to who said what and then They like get in and they try to like Negotiate who contributed the most and that's like the percentage they get that hasn't made it here yet I hope it doesn't miss sounds stressful Oh

Starting point is 00:48:32 It ruins everything LA will ruin anything Are you still out there? You still have you still about there at all? Yeah, I'd probably spend about Almost three. I would say almost four months. Maybe all right out of the year out there because I have to practice out there I can't really practice comedy in Nashville. Yeah, so Zany's is that the only spot here. Yeah, that's kind of surprising I mean It's good for them. I guess because they have like uh, they I mean, it's it's like that until you until you you're bigger than that, right? And then you do like the rhyming or something, right? Yeah So we could do other places. Yeah, it's like but if I want to practice, you know, like in LA you can prock and do three spots a night

Starting point is 00:49:08 Is that like comedy store and stuff like that comedy store. There's a place called the bourbon room. That's really popping Um, west side comedy. There's I mean you could do five in a night if you wanted to but at a certain point you're just driving around like Perform you're not really learning anything, you know, you just like show up and and see the guy that runs the thing and you're like Y'all got a spot for me or do you schedule it in advance? No on Mondays as you put in your avails So that I mean I just you can some place you could stop in And they'll let you get up if you have a certain level of I guess No, right. No, right. He probably is a better term But I don't know that always feels uncomfortable to me

Starting point is 00:49:45 Like I always feel like you're crashing a party. Yeah a little bit and it feels like it's not your you know Somebody else drove up there. Yeah, they might have a couple children. They might be expecting to get home I don't want to wreck that guys. Yeah, or you know, I don't want to have him get home 30 minutes later. Yeah, that's you know That's nice. That's like just out of respect, right? It's like showing up to somebody's show and then Somebody pointing you out and then you get up there and play for an hour and steal the show or something Right. Yeah, if you want to do one so, you know, but but but yeah, I think yeah So that kind of thing is a little bit uncomfortable kind of uh, so I would rather I like to and I like to know in advance when I'm I'm gonna have to go go to work. Yeah, you know, because now it's it is more like going to work

Starting point is 00:50:21 um, is it interesting does that start to feel like that for you like in the beginning that It was a lot more of like this is fun and it's still fun. Yeah But once it once it becomes your work, it becomes your work. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I mean Man, I would almost argue and say that the the more into it I get like the the the more the years have gone by the the more fun It feels in the less because when you're if you just start out man, and you're like you've got a new brand new single You're doing like radio tour. I mean you're grinding so hard and you're playing shitty shows For new people that you're either opening for somebody and the crowd is not there for you

Starting point is 00:51:05 So they have no fucking idea who you are So but then the more you're established I feel like I mean it it still feels like work It's just a crazy job But it's it's I think it's more fun the more like, you know success you have which I guess that that makes you know That's obvious, but no, it's not obvious really. I don't think I think it's interesting because it's like Yeah, I don't know if I guess there's different ways to

Starting point is 00:51:32 Look at it or different ways that it kind of happened in the way you perceived it. Yeah Because I think some people would Say that it was more fun In those other moments. Yeah, and I guess in some ways it is more it's like You don't know what's gonna happen. Yeah, that's true. Well, that's true. Like it. There's so much left to wonder like What's gonna come of that? You mean right or what the other side of the coin can look like a little So I guess maybe fun isn't the overall word that we're kind of Looking at it's like it's all fun, but some of it's

Starting point is 00:52:07 It's Thrilling more thrilling in a way or yeah, I don't know. I mean, I'm just trying to figure it out and Today's one of those days where I'm not figuring it out. Yeah, you know, but that's okay, man. Um But yeah, it's it's definitely there's things that are more Well, there's more intrigue I feel like but I don't know because then you get Different opportunities you're like, oh god. This is what this feels. You know, it's like Yeah, I think it's all it kind of comes in like not waves, but even levels, right? Like that's a good word, you know because then you have a you have like a

Starting point is 00:52:44 Big record and then then you're kind of like new to a newer scene of more of a higher level You know and and then there's more wonder and all that and then like You blow up again or have another big moment and I don't know. I feel like it could be kind of tiered But it's all relative. It's all the same situation, but just at different levels of success. Maybe I think that's a good way to say it I remember uh going to you guys's show at the In Nashville Bridgestone at Bridgestone. Yeah, and I remember seeing the arrows on the flutter taped on the floor where the Where the artists go and go up and like, you know, because it's dark back there. Yeah

Starting point is 00:53:22 Yeah, everything really dark and I remember thinking oh man. How cool, you know, I've always wanted to be like See what the rock star sees, you know and like stage and all that kind of stuff Yeah, it was just like and I have my own backstage at shows and they're it's different, you know, it's just with comedy It's a lot different. It's really subdued. It's just you're sitting back there Yeah, let's go say there's probably not it's not all hustle and bustle because there's not it's like the production's not like a Country like or any like a concert. Oh, there's nobody to damn bum a vape off of you. Yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah It's like you and your you have a tour manager. Yeah, you got a tour manager a couple other comedians. Yeah, yeah

Starting point is 00:53:57 And it's wowed. It's like quiet and more chill. It's dead quiet. Yeah, that's kind of crazy Yeah, and so so it's totally different to be back there and you guys the environment is like people walking around Oh, yeah, especially like you call it like a Nashville show. It's like fucking chaos But yeah, it's just but in the best way like there's it's just exciting and there's people everywhere and like Other country stars and shit walking around. Yeah, it was cool. That's when Ronnie Dunn came out and play. Yes, that's right God, he can I didn't realize he could oh dude. He's a legend. I knew we could sing but I just didn't know it was like that yeah dude, he's a people a lot of people say that he's like

Starting point is 00:54:30 The his the most the most or one of the most iconic voices in country. He's a damn wind instrument, dude He is my god. It's fucking man. We want to hang him outside of you on your grandma. There's porch out there Yeah, you know the wind blow through him. That's what the damn birds eat off of him Did you imagine dude a fucking Ronnie Dunn wind chime dude? Just every time it was like every time a great idea That'd be fucking awesome If we could make it so that when the wind went through it sounded just like him Yeah, and then have three notes and harmony, you know, like when chimes do

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Starting point is 00:58:00 Yeah, that was fun, man. And who oh did I was there? Oh, your parents were there. Yeah My mom is actually they're having some work done. They live here at the house and so she I was walking out the door She was like, where you going? I told her I was coming over here and she was like, oh, I love him because I forgot y'all had met there Y'all met right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I got to meet your folks there and um And who yeah, like oh Baker Mayfield was there. Yeah, he was there and like Yeah, that was so random dude. It was random. It was Jason Jason worth I think it's Jason worth baseball player. There was a bunch of like athletes there. It was a bizarre group of people, man It was an interesting group. That was fun though. Ernest was on. Yeah. Yeah, that was great

Starting point is 00:58:42 Was that there was three nights one of them I came the first night Thursday nights to me. I thought Thursday and Friday were the best. It was Thursday night St. Patty's or was that Friday? I can't remember one of them was st. Patty's day And I just remember how drunk the whole crowd was it was like I could see it from All the way at the top like some people were falling over and stuff. Oh, that might have been sad I don't uh, yeah, I don't think when I left I remember seeing people doing st. Patty's stuff It might have been it might have been might have been saturday. Yeah um

Starting point is 00:59:13 Is there a night that you guys like to is there a night when you feel like the shows are better or day? Is there a show that give me that day in time? Okay, that a country for show or that that a performance a musical performance is the best Friday nights Usually in the summer Because Thursday night a lot of people have to go to work So they're there and they'll stay up late, but they're not gonna they're not gonna party And then saturday night a lot of people go to church, especially in the country crowd

Starting point is 00:59:41 Friday night is like I just got off of work and I don't have shit to do tomorrow That's like that's the one every time even if you do you can feel it Especially when you if you do three nights at one venue You you can see the difference between thursday friday and saturday It's pretty crazy and saturday crowds like more tired and hungover. You know what I mean I mean, they're all good, but like friday night. Nothing ever beats friday night. It's the best Yeah, because for comedy it's different friday night is the toughest night. Really? Why do you think so?

Starting point is 01:00:10 I think it's because people have been working They get off and I don't think they want to be kind of still in a space where they have to sit And kind of listen attention. Yes. I think their attention is a little burnout They either want to fucking rip their dick. Oh, you know or not. There's somebody or something Yeah, they want to rip a tit off or whatever and get a damn micolobe in them or they want to um Or they want to uh chill out. Yeah, but I don't think they want that middle ground. Well, I wonder why that's But it's notoriously there were steve martin quit performing touring on friday nights because that totally I think but Because if you go out and you're just waiting thursday to saturday, I think it's just kind of a low

Starting point is 01:00:51 But he said he quit performing because friday night Really? It's that big of it's that big of a difference I wonder why I mean, I guess I don't know. It's crazy because I guess you don't have to pay attention at a concert This is super Archie for I guess you feel music more than like you actually pay attention to it, you know So maybe that's a little bit more of a release than feeling like having to sit and focus on something. Maybe I don't know I don't it's interesting that is interesting

Starting point is 01:01:20 Sometimes it stands up. I think in the in the end it gets it gets in your head that friday's gonna be You know, it might not be but then I don't know half the time I feel like I can't really tell the difference So, huh, dude, what other if you take Louisiana out of the equation. What's your favorite city to play in? Oh dang, dude Anywhere in texas is good. Really texas is fucking good, dude, but then portland some of my biggest crowds are like portland um Australia, oh dude. I'm going in like a month. I've never been. Oh, bro I'm so excited. It's like, you know, they started it. It was all criminals, dude

Starting point is 01:01:51 Yeah, they they sent them down there. That's right from from like the uk area, right? So it's awesome. Yeah, dude You know that georgia our georgia Uh, was the same thing Really was like Australia for americans and they would send Uh, and you can fact check me because I could be wrong But I'm pretty sure it was a place where if you went bankrupt or committed a crime They would send you down to georgia because georgia is one of the I think one of the 13 colonies It's one of the original if not, it's like it was very early and they would send it down there to uh

Starting point is 01:02:28 Send you down there to like restart down there from jail to georgia. Let's see that. Hey, I think you had it there, bub Zoom in on that if you don't mind, please 18th century georgia was really just King georgia's penal colony, right? Can you zoom in a little bit more? um As conceived by its founder james oglethorpe and his trustees in london georgia was expressly built on the theory of work release um and is

Starting point is 01:03:01 They convinced king george The overcrowding in prisons Uh, it's fair to say that scores are recently released People of the king's house of corrections were among the colonists, huh? There you go. Damn. Isn't that crazy? Well, the here's This might go for the whole sdc because Louisiana, they said it if um, it was like criminals and prostitutes from france Really settled like in new orleans. No in france are like if you want to marry a prostitute, we'll give you

Starting point is 01:03:37 Oh, shit land in louisiana I just tweeted something about it or no, I saw I just saw something the other the original colony of georgia For example was founded by james oglethorpe who originally intended to use prisoners taken largely from debtor's prisons Creating a debtor's colony where the prisoners could learn trades and work off their debts. Wow Isn't that crazy? So you had people over there that were just work doing a trade to work off a debt that was in england. That's crazy. Yeah, isn't that wild? But then the craziest part had to be after the american revolution or after we won the

Starting point is 01:04:06 Beat england and I guess right in the war that those people were I was just like, oh, I don't know anybody anything Yeah, so then they were just free. That's great. They were just there Huh, that seems like georgia a little. Yeah Um, what is something I was thinking about this? What is something that? Uh Had you met lanie before you guys got together to make that song. Oh, yeah I uh, so that tour I was talking about that morgan brought me on the that tour I said 800 and 2000 people lanie was first of three

Starting point is 01:04:40 Uh, just acoustic. So she was the acoustic Opener and then I was second and the morgan was third And so I met her then and we did we did that was like 30 nine shows or something So we she was and that's I really got to know her then she was on the first half of that tour And got to really know her then dude. She's I love she's like a sister to me dude. She is Salt of the earth. Yeah. Oh, she seems really really. I mean she's interesting And beautiful exciting

Starting point is 01:05:10 Authentic man. She's a real deal. Yeah, she just yeah, she sounds like I mean you just want to climb down her throat and just damn just be in just right, you know Just live in it, dude. Yeah. Yeah, just get a damn You know get you a little oven or something in there and just stay in there and make treats a couple chairs Yeah, dude. Yeah, it's like she just she sounds like a home. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. Wow Um, she writes owns and she's sound. Yeah, she just sounds really this is so powerful I I've really enjoyed getting to spend time with her. I was thinking what is something that people wait in the truck for? There's sonic order

Starting point is 01:05:47 Okay, definitely sonic. Uh, they're like their drug dealer to show up. Maybe okay drugs and sonic. Yeah um Oh their wife anywhere their wife. Oh, yeah, especially if you're like if you're like The kind that it's like I'm gonna go wait in the truck So hurry up, you know, and they're honking kind of deal which was every day. I feel like oh, yeah When we were like and even like I mean you're young and people when we were growing up It was like every day was like, I'm gonna wait Yeah, I want to be out here. I heard a story about George Jones and he like got tired of waiting on

Starting point is 01:06:22 His current the wife that he died with I can't remember her name. Uh I should know that but that one time He he wouldn't wait on her so he went and sat in the car and laid on the horn And she came out in her underwear and got in the car and he was so fixated on going wherever they were going he drove all the way down the road And didn't realize she was she was pulling one on him because she was like, well, fuck you then well I'll go wherever we're going. I'm going to my underwear if you can't wait And he went like five miles down the road until he realized that she was in her underwear and turned around and came back

Starting point is 01:06:51 Yeah, that was always a thing. I'm gonna wait in the truck and you would just see dads out there just shaking their head What about like you're like a little brother when your big brother's like at baseball practice, you know, like that type of deal Oh, yeah, I'm gonna sit you would see the brothers always just lean on the open on the open window Yep, and then somebody would come up and just like bang on the windows scare the shit out of them. Yeah. Yeah Um, what else do people wait for? Yeah drugs for sure Dude, I uh waiting for drugs was always scared. It was always like dude always always I always had to wait. What was the fucking deal? Why don't drug? Yeah drug dealers are not punctual

Starting point is 01:07:29 No, they're not dude Even like weed before weed was legal like I would have panic attacks, dude Like he'd be like show up here at three and I'd be like, all right, cool And then and then like dude it would be like 305 and I'm like, but you're like, I don't want to piss my drug Do you know what I mean? Like I don't want to piss my guy off But you're like, where the fuck are you at? Did you get arrested? Like Are they are like in my mind? It was like, okay, the cops got him and they're like, all right Go do the drug deal so we can bust the guy like I had

Starting point is 01:07:55 Of course, you know, dude, I remember this guy told us one time. He's like, yeah, meet me at this time So we get there is like a huge in the middle of this kmart parking lot, right? So we're like, we'll fucking pick a corner Why them go behind it any it was just the worst idea, right? So we so we were like, I remember we drove around like Like just around the middle for a while. Like I guess we didn't want to go in It was like if we went into the middle, we were in trouble, but it was like we were just Thought it'd be less suspicious to just make like a bunch of laps around the parking lot

Starting point is 01:08:28 Oh, dude, the worst the I remember one time we got some weed to sell it, right? And it was like we were so excited, right? We get this weed and the second we got it We're like, oh, we're going to fucking jail, dude, right? So we're so scared. We're in the driveway. We finally ended up just giving the shit away to a guy down the street, dude And just ended up working the uh The payment off to the guy Seriously freaked out. Yeah Damn, dude too. No, I would have done some shit like that too though too fucking no it it out, dude

Starting point is 01:08:57 How much was it? Hmm. Was it like a co-op or was it like was it like teenager a lot of like an ounce or something? No, no, no, I would say it was probably yeah, maybe a QP. I think yeah, damn. Yeah, damn, dude gave it away That was a good day for the guy you gave it to them And maybe he saw that in us maybe said oh these fear babies over here and we'll fucking get that Yeah, he might have was it a stranger or somebody you knew somebody we knew. Okay That was fun though um

Starting point is 01:09:26 All right, so you get in the tunes you get out here. Yeah, how do you get that first hit you think dude? It's I have it's a crazy story. I got my first publishing deal And where's a publishing deal for people that don't know so it's so if you're just a songwriter in Nashville you sign There's time if you drive up down music road There's like 50 or probably more publishing companies and they sign songwriters and the the point is they pay songwriters a salary To write for that company and they also they have people that work for the company that schedule the rights for the songwriter They pitch the songs to artists that the songwriters turn in, you know that type of thing Oh, so you get a deal with a publishing house

Starting point is 01:10:08 Or a publishing company company. Yeah, and then you're kind of like one of their batters in their box. Yeah, exactly Yeah, and and like, you know A lot of times I've seen like, you know Fucking Joe blow nobody signs with a pub deal and then he blows up Signs with a publishing company and then he blows up and has a bunch of hits as a writer Well, then suddenly that publishing company is on the map because people are gonna want to sign there so they can write with this Dude, you know what I mean? And that's how people that's how big loud, you know big loud started as a publishing company

Starting point is 01:10:42 Craig Weisman signed Like four writers and it was like Rodney Clausen, Sarah Buxton, Chris Tompkins Uh, a few others and they all blew the fuck up and they and so that just boomed big loud And then and with along with Craig who also was a big hit writer And so then they were able to really Have a legit publishing company and sign a bunch of writers because people wanted to be in that camp because they were the guys Writing all the hits. Okay. So then how does a big loud get guys like Morgan and you and Ernest? So once they

Starting point is 01:11:13 You know, so they're doing well people know their name. That's just as a publishing company And so then Craig Weisman and uh, I think at that point Seth Englund and them Decided to start a record label Uh, and so that's you know, when they started the big loud records and then they Said well, let's go find an artist to try to develop and then they went and found Chris Lane And they had a hit on Chris Lane and fgl was in that because because they signed fgl to a publishing company But they also managed them

Starting point is 01:11:44 But but they're the record label was a big machine But they had Chris Lane and then you know, they broke Chris Lane and then they went and they've got um Um, I don't even know who like the next would have been but anyway, then they found they found Morgan And they just like catch word like Morgan was on the voice And then he had you know word he'd gotten out that he had been coming into town and doing stuff And so they were like, let's let's have a meeting with this Morgan Wilden kid And they reach out to Morgan and Morgan plays them a couple songs They're like, we like your voice seem like, you know, we could work well with you. They signed into a record deal

Starting point is 01:12:14 You know, it's just it's constantly growing and that whole deal And then guys like you at that point are friends already with Morgan. You see that he's there and that excites you guys Yeah, yeah, I mean like I met Morgan part of it. Yeah. Yes, exactly and like and especially like Florida, Georgia line and those guys like they were all in that big loud camp and so that draws people into that and But uh, I met Morgan when the way I talk was like at I think it died at like number 30 Which is crazy to think about because it's such a still like a big hit for him but it it died at like number 30 at radio and I wrote with him around that time and

Starting point is 01:12:48 Uh, for the first time and I was just a big fan of that song and his voice And I was just like this kid's really good. And so he came over to the house But I've lived in an apartment over here and and we wrote and hit it instantly hit it off and you know, rest his history Damn, but when I so my publisher to this day, his name is Dennis McCoskey And he grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but his mom. Oh, really from Philadelphia, Mississippi And his mom is my grandfather's aunt So and I knew and so Dennis in the 80s lived in LA

Starting point is 01:13:25 He's my grandfather's aunt So so Dennis and my grandfather are first cousins. They shared mom's sisters, you know, I mean And when Dennis Dennis in the 80s was a big hit songwriter in LA and his claim to fame He's done a bunch of other amazing things, but his biggest claim to fame is he wrote maniac in the 80s, exactly. Yeah, and So growing up, I knew I had this cool cousin that was like a songwriter But I didn't know like I knew he lived in Nashville at this point, but I didn't know and he's an older guy he's like late 60s, maybe early 70s and um

Starting point is 01:14:00 So I was in college and I was writing songs videoing them on my webcam dude and putting them on like youtube and shit And you're sharing on my face, dude. Yeah, right? I know, right? Uh, and he wrote on my facebook wall and what my facebook wall, dude And was like I like you seem like you're doing good like come by the house. Oh, what a bigger pervert Dude, that was that's like Back then though, this was shit. This was like But if a man writes on your facebook wall, you seem like you're doing good come by the house sometime To anybody that didn't know the situation I could see how that would be

Starting point is 01:14:32 Yeah But I went by his house and then he he signed me and then I mean well It took like years But but it was a cool thing because like it was a family thing But I didn't really know him and then he reached out and so we've now and now he and I are very close So but it felt like it was supposed to happen when some of those other pieces are kind of built into the background It was written in the stars Especially when it's family stuff. Yeah, you kind of put those pieces together. Yeah, um

Starting point is 01:14:58 What about uh What about so tell me a little bit more about that publishing house. So how does that work? So People get some writers gets kind of a publishing house, right? They start writing. Yeah, and then they're on salary Yeah, but if one of them does well and creates a song then they start to make money from the song Yeah, but only these days only if the song Uh gets played on the radio um, so You have what's called mechanical royalties

Starting point is 01:15:27 And that is Royalties that are paid to the song if it sells copies. So like for instance like on morgan's last record the big record That created a lot of mechanical royalties because it sold really well, right? So but but when you sign your first publishing deal most first publishing deals called a baby deal uh You you as a writer you don't get control of your mechanical royalties that goes to the publisher and the publishing company Oh, wow, and it's just something that's been around for a long time So so even if you had a song that blew up on tiktok or that sold or streamed like crazy on apple music

Starting point is 01:16:08 or Spotify or whatever You wouldn't see any of that money The only way that young songwriters really make money because most of their salaries are like If you sign a first publishing deal, it's like 40 grand. That's that's really good. Like you're doing really good So it really a year for usually they're like four Four years three or four. Yeah. So 40 grand over three or four years. No, sorry Yes, 40 grand a year for the term is like three or four years

Starting point is 01:16:36 But you only make money if if you have a hit on the radio. So like Anything especially for a young writer top 20 and better is you'll make a life changing amount of money Right, you know what I mean like is that the one you were talking about earlier? Like you can make a couple hundred thousand dollars a number one you will Wow, depending on how many writers because if it's split, you know, if it's a six way You're gonna make less or you're gonna make half of what you'd make if it was a three way and that kind of thing but But uh, yeah, so the radio pays out a lot of money and that's where that's where songwriters Get paid and that's through pros which is paid

Starting point is 01:17:12 Wait, what's it? What does it stand for paid royalty organization? Is that right? Yeah, I think so and and they they collect money from the radio stations And then they in return pay the writers for having hits on the radio Ah, it's tricky man. It's hard to get a song on the radio like it's it's a it's so hard It's I worked. Well, you know one of my jobs that I had I was a tour manager for uh, josh kelly I don't know if I ever told you that or not. Really? Yeah Georgia clay

Starting point is 01:17:42 Just like that Georgia clay. Yeah. Was it that time? Baby, dude, you're amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Oh josh's man I didn't know that you tm'd him. Yeah, when was that we went around the whole country, dude We would go to all the radio stations and I would go in in the morning and be like Just can't leave you know and get the coffee and the donuts and you know get people fired up and stuff And josh would come in with his guitar. You paint a picture on the wall. Yeah, man. It was awesome This was I don't know. This is probably eight seventeen years ago. Maybe or something like that. Oh, wow But we went around We went to I think every radio station. I mean we went to a lot of the bigger radio stations

Starting point is 01:18:23 We went to probably totally no radio tour game, man So I didn't realize until you were saying that I kind of forgot about it But yeah, yeah, we would go in and you try to grease not grease these people But you wanted to get them excited about an artist. Yeah, of course, you know, yeah And they see so many of them that that like what can you do, you know, like Yeah Jason Moraz is bringing crab legs Exactly

Starting point is 01:18:50 Dude, it's it's hard man. Just sit in a room and they're just they're looking at you like Yeah, what are you doing here? You know, I did not know that though. That's crazy Yeah, Josh Kelly is one of the most talented guys out there and Yeah, I just feel I feel grateful. I got to be just even a little bitty part of his career That was fun, man. It was interesting But that's what I learned about kind of and that's when radio was still even more It was a bigger deal. Yeah, 20 15 years ago. Yeah, now they've a lot of them have been kind of consolidated now Yeah, I mean streaming is just streaming is like

Starting point is 01:19:21 It's taken over a lot of that market for sure. Yeah What was I thinking about, uh Did I saw or do you see that thing with the governor? The um, Tennessee. Yeah, I don't I'm not sure it was like the governor of Tennessee Um brought crab legs No, this Tennessee governor appears to have dressed in oh there remember there Did you see this thing you're trying to make it so in Tennessee you couldn't

Starting point is 01:19:54 They don't want people performing get into the article man. If you don't mind Criminalizing drag performances in public Yeah, my daddy a recently passed bill criminalizing drag performances in public and in front of children So they want to stop. I guess like drag perform. They don't want performances that could influence I guess a child's sexuality maybe or Um, but then this is the governor, right? And they found a picture of him in a powder puff game Oh, no way. And so that's what they're saying. Well, they say look Here you are you dragging out. Oh boy, you know, so they found this a picture of him in high school

Starting point is 01:20:33 Man, but it looks like they're gonna try to pass this law Which is kind of wild, you know Yeah, I mean Let's just let people do what they want. Well, I think it's like It almost seems like it's more of a parents thing like if you're taking your child to something Yeah, where where would you where are you going to be that your child's going to see a drag show? Right without the parent going like a child child. Yeah, you know Without the parent going

Starting point is 01:20:59 Dude, I remember and we went to like a prom or something dance and they had this restaurant in the french quarter new warlands and it was uh It was all drag queens in there Yeah, and dude they kept getting like they were getting I mean all of a sudden we're underage probably but we're in there with fake IDs, you know, it's like teenager. Yeah, like probably yeah, we were under 21 anyway, so it could have been caught I think it was high school And all the like it was like the male waiters or whatever they kept getting people liquored up and then they would take like This one dude ryan. I remember they kept taking him back like into the kitchen. I'm like damn I don't know what's happening with ryan, bro

Starting point is 01:21:39 Like they how long was he back and would they do it like more than once? Oh, yeah And at first he was like, I don't want to go by the third time. He's like, I'll be right back guys Like you could tell they were like kind of like picking off young birds who are kind of milling around Damn, really? You think they had any cocaine back there or something? Oh god. I hope they did I wouldn't want to get molested if I didn't have something in me. Yeah I don't feel like anyway. I mean, I hope not I uh, I fucking loved new orleans, man. Yeah. Yeah, it's like Key west is like my number one

Starting point is 01:22:08 Favorite place to go, you know visit, but new orleans is number two I fucking love it so much, man. Dude. Nick Swarton. Do you know who that is? Yeah He spent almost a million dollars during coveted. He stayed at a hotel in qs. He went there. Oh really? You know, it's like i'm just gonna stay. I wonder which one it was Have you ever been down there? I have been one time, but I don't remember it real well, man. What's it like? It's it's like a Like a beachier Safer new orleans. Hmm. It's very very similar Man, I went for my bachelor party. It was so fun. Oh my god. It was so fun. It's just

Starting point is 01:22:46 Man, I don't even know dude. I the island time thing is such a thing down there Like nobody is worried about shit and like, you know It depends on what you're into but there's like the food It's just like new orleans man The food there's these little hole in the walls that are like super authentic and I could see that because you're in kind of Like that it's kind of got that Caribbean vibe. Yeah, I mean shit. You're you are 90 miles from Cuba Oh, wow, they built a bridge. You could you could get there in like less than an hour and a half I love it, but I knew orleans man the food

Starting point is 01:23:16 And there's something there's no other city to me with the culture That new orleans has it's such a fine-tuned like distinct Culture and and like every city has its thing and like, you know, the northeast and balsam and seafood and all that But there's just something so fucking dope about new orleans. Yeah Yeah, I guess you know, I always I always noticed that growing up. I went to like san francisco I thought that was a really exceptional city. It's very unique, right? Yeah, and um

Starting point is 01:23:47 I remember thinking charleston was kind of cool charleston had a vibe of its own Definitely It was a kind of old south but still pretty neat chicago new york city and then I was like new orleans because for a while I was like new orleans vanna, but then I went around a lot of america. I'm like, oh, wow It's really yeah, because you you were kind of like kind of a cut like uh, took it for granted in a certain way Yeah, you used to it. Yeah, but then you go around you're like dang bro new orleans is something. Yeah, do you like new york? I I do I think there's some energy about it. I don't think I like some of the I don't like the

Starting point is 01:24:23 Like the overtly liberal shit a lot of it. Yeah, you know, if I'm real, you know where it's like yeah ridiculous You know where it's like they're Wearing masks to the end of time like the same kind of stuff that happens in la. Yeah, you know There's something about it. That's cool though, right like oh, yeah There's something about it that is the energy that's like right no other city has that they could build this that I remember the first Time I got out of New York in a taxi and I was like, what? Yeah, it looks like it's I love every time I think I can't remember if it's JFK LaGuardia, but there's one where you can see like a really stretched out view of Manhattan and it's just like

Starting point is 01:25:00 So it's like breathtaking in this weird way like there's so many fucking buildings and shit. Yeah, it's crazy I love it. Yeah, it blew my mind man. Did you guys tour internationally yet? No, we're doing we're flying to australia On like March 16th Wow first time. I'm so excited man. We're flying from San Francisco to which is or sacro San Francisco I can't remember but So it's that shorter flight. It's not like I've heard there's like a Dallas one and like a new york one And that's like 20 hours. Yeah, dude. I'm so stoked. It's nice. So dude. I like being up in the air

Starting point is 01:25:37 I like if you get yeah, if you get the good see if you get the bougie like the the pot or whatever Oh, sometimes. Yeah, I think I got that one time. I don't know where I was going. Oh, you getting that bitch You're like, let's stay up. Oh, yeah. You're like, why does everybody want to land? You start getting angry. Yeah. Yeah, the second you get off people aren't serving you and shit anymore Dude, what's australia like though if you had to if you had to compare it to anything or describe it a lot of Well, they don't have a lot of religion over there. Really? Yeah, and it's a lot of dangerous animals, dude If somebody's like, hey, look at this animal. Yeah You know where I'm from if somebody's like look at this animal. It's usually some type of somebody trying to flash that wiener on

Starting point is 01:26:15 Yeah, you know like a sling blade situation. Yeah, it's like, hey, you want to come see this animal? And it's just a wiener, you know with like little cat ears on or some guys like got little in a parking lot Little mouse ears on his penis, you know, you're like that I'll pet it, but I ain't feeding it cheese. You know what I'm saying, bro Yeah, but it's like over there. It's like, you know, god put nine of the most dangerous animals ever in new york Can you look it up? No in australia. I know the box jellyfish, right? That's one. Oh, they're all bad I mean, I hate to say it But it's crazy because they put all the prisoners in australia and then god put all the

Starting point is 01:26:52 Pretty much the most criminal animals in australia. Yeah, it's kind of wild, right? Very wild, dude. Yep You got box jellyfish called the sea wasp also. Oh god. Look at that thing I've heard the type hand snake. It's like you used to live like 15 minutes or some crazy shit Yeah saltwater crocodile saw these That blue-ringed octopus. I saw a tick tock of this kid that picked one up and didn't know it was an octopus And then he just like casually let it back in the water and they were like damn if that thing would have What does the octopus do bite?

Starting point is 01:27:25 What I don't know probably just I feel like just how does it Don't octopus have a beak or something don't they have a little like that's a good question Can you look that yeah go go to that blue octopus and let's see what it says and can you zoom in to your mind just overall note? Dear god They look absolutely Okay, they look absolutely amazing in a fish tank, but don't touch these ball-sized creatures Bite and are highly venomous This thing is often fatal the body shuts down becomes increasingly paralyzed and breathing is no longer possible. Oh damn, dude

Starting point is 01:28:00 There's no known. That's the scariest part. No known anti-venom So if you're asking people for help they can be like, oh, I can't help you and they mean it So does that mean that you die if you get bit by one? Oh, there it is. Look at that. Oh damn kite kiting Oh, yeah, okay, there you go Man, it kind of looks like a the mouth of it looks like a vag a little bit Oh, yeah, definitely and that's probably what gets you into it Some perv over there about a beach being like hold on son. I'm gonna go meet up with this little thing

Starting point is 01:28:29 You think do you think that people in australia? You think somebody like if they wanted to if they wanted to like end it all would just go find something like that like Usually pretty easy or something or just spend time with it. Oh, yeah. Oh, I can you're saying wanted to die Right if you wanted to die, so you don't now that is kind of nice It's almost like God's saying hey, you don't need to hang yourself or you know, you don't have to get all brooks with Yeah, like, you know, you can go the way, you know, the natural way I've always said I wanted to if I if I was gonna die. I like an ant like an animal killing me would be kind of Honorable, I think

Starting point is 01:29:05 Well, especially since you were hot too, you know, yeah, you feel like it's almost like turnabout is, you know It's like it's a their turn to get one. Yeah. Yeah, exactly I don't know. I've always thought that they were here first kind of thing and and I don't know. I just think it'd be it'd be terrifying, but like bit by a rattlesnake or like Even a mountain lion or something it would be terrifying, but Yeah, or just nature dude like letting nature get you. Yeah, like some naked and afraid shit, dude Because yeah, yeah, yeah back in the day like you could you know how jack dangled died the whiskey guy He fucking got mad because he couldn't open a safe or something and he kicked it and his toe got infected

Starting point is 01:29:44 And it went up through his body and they chopped his leg off and it kept going and he died Because he kicked a safe or a heater or something Like back in the day, man, like If you if you fell and like cut yourself Like you could that was you could you could die. Yeah Oh dude imagine and how like That's what kind it's like. We're just living these long like crazy. We don't even yeah That's why I think it's one of the reasons why we have so much mental health because we don't have it at a certain point

Starting point is 01:30:12 You don't have anything else to do but have problems, you know at it's like we've just Because nature is you're not yeah, the same things aren't happening people now. They even have like um You should be you got stung by a bee. Yeah, you were dying, you know You fell off a light you fell off like a third step three or four. Yeah died. Yeah Yeah, you know and also Like tuberculosis What happened to that? What is it? Look at everybody everybody died from tuberculosis back in the day. That's heartbreaking. Do you think that like I wonder if like tuberculosis was just like

Starting point is 01:30:47 Cancer before they knew it was cancer Oh, there you go. Probably Are the people like is there a is there a vaccine for it? Tuberculosis is a disease caused by germ germ sorry that are spread from person to person through the air Oh, dude, this was yeah Can people still get it though or is it affects the lungs and also affect other parts of the body such as the brain? Oh god kidneys or the spine imagine that it literally sounds like coveted, dude Yeah, it sounds like definitely has very early coveted vibes. But do you think uh?

Starting point is 01:31:19 Over 10 million people get infected with tuberculosis every year. Was there a cure for it India or something, dude? Yeah, I can't imagine. I never met anybody with it. Have you? No, I thought I mean absolutely But dude when I was growing up people would have like you'd have a dude who like if he got hit by something That's just how he was. Oh like polio or something. Oh, yeah, you had a dude who got hit right like go to baseball bat in the side Real hard. Yeah, and he was just like that from now on dude. You had a dude If somebody broke their collarbone, they're just their shirt never fit right, you know, just that's who they were like everybody has Faced out teeth had a bad eye

Starting point is 01:31:56 You'd always see him at church and you'd finally ask like your parents and they'd be like well when he was a kid Yeah, I'm like, yeah, and the truth would come out. Yeah, but now everybody's all patched up. Oh, yeah For sure. It's different like scoliosis like people that was that's such a common thing back in the day people were just They checked at school. Yeah. Yeah, did they do checks at your school? Yeah You'd have to bend over and that lady would do both of them. Yeah, I do remember that on your back That's right Damn, dude, I forgot all about that They would check that damn spine boy. Check that railroad on you. Uh-huh school nurse, dude

Starting point is 01:32:33 God dude. Oh, we had for a while. We had a hot one and then we had a man, dude man nurse Man nurse. I used to think man could be the most odd That was nobody got sick for like two years. You'd all the guy like just scared of them Oh, dude, I don't want to get sick. I think they were just scared of you know, just You know, it just wasn't they didn't know what a lot of people have never seen a man nurse Yeah, I didn't think I didn't think it was a loud. I thought it was like illegal or they honestly I truly I thought it was like you were gay. Yeah, like actually gay if you were a man, right? It was just part of the practice and I think early on it probably was you know

Starting point is 01:33:08 I think now it's a little bit more universal. Yeah, because you see a lot of latino male nurses that have like families and stuff But I think in the beginning. Yeah, it was like It was like I think a lot of men used to want to have kind of women jobs kind of you know I think if they were I think a lot of gay men Because I think here's probably why because they probably weren't accepted in a lot of male jobs. Yeah, I'm sure You know, maybe people made them feel like they weren't capable like a maid a maid like a man made Oh damn or a train conductor. There's no way if some guy was like Yeah, they're gonna let him run the train even though he would have loved it, dude

Starting point is 01:33:46 Oh, bro. Oh boy, bro. I think they should only have gay male train conductors. I feel like Could you imagine dude? Why would they have anybody who wants to like a some straight dude being like brr? You want that fucking party boy up there 100%? You know how it's got like the little rail that you know, and they just do a little grind on it And they pop up in there and fucking Go to town Dude, that's what I want man. Damn

Starting point is 01:34:11 Um It's does it feel weird to consider that you've made, you know this term that you've made it. It's a weird feeling, isn't it? Yeah, I think so Man, I don't know. I don't I've never I don't I don't see Maybe there will come a time but like I always feel like There's a next step a next level. You know what I mean? Yeah, I don't know Oh, you're in the midst of something. Yeah, right like something is next always like I'm still doing it

Starting point is 01:34:39 Yeah, maybe I haven't written my best song yet. Yeah. No, I'd do 100% believe that. Wow. I always feel like that for sure Yeah Because I don't know I think can content can can kill somebody's career. I've seen it happen to friends and stuff, you know like That that's definitely a thing but I also you know want to learn how to Slow down or like I don't know feel like that, you know I appreciate moments But like really try to take time to be like man

Starting point is 01:35:08 I have done really well and like technically have made it, you know to a lot of people and Because there are times where I'm constantly worried about the next year and man We're gonna be in arenas next year and the year after that we're gonna do this and that and you know and kind of constantly worried about that But it's good to check yourself for sure What um, you started a family. Yeah, you know, that's one thing I think that kind of starts to put down something that's real to you. Yep, and you seem to really love your wife You know, I do man. You seem to really love being around her. You know, I noticed that when I'm around you You guys have such a nice connection. It's admirable. Thank you, man

Starting point is 01:35:41 Um, how did that kind of come to play man? Did you know she was the there was no doubt when you met her? How did it go down first night? I met her man. Dang It was awesome boy. It dude. I I again my buddy hunter Phelps. This is so cheesy, but we Uh, we hung out. I met her at, uh, I was playing drums for a hunter opening for a guy named Jamison Rogers at Ole Miss And uh, I met her there She went to Ole Miss. She did. Oh, dang. Ole Miss girl. It's from San Diego, but went to Ole Miss. Oh, okay. Okay Best of both worlds. Yeah, it's interesting And we met and then like

Starting point is 01:36:16 She took us well, I went to her apartment hung out with her friends and then she took us I always remember she drove us barefoot To huddle house. Oh god. We ate huddle house and she went she went to huddle house barefoot Which is big on its own. Oh, that's tuberculosis. Yeah, exactly, bro. That's ringworm fucking shit And uh, and then like yeah, if you like it put a ringworm on it Dude, exactly. I'm I'm gonna put that in a country song. I'll give you a credit dude. It won't be a good song I already told you that, bro Um, but anyway, and I knew that after that night, man

Starting point is 01:36:50 I was like, I gotta keep in touch with this girl because Ah, so that was after keeping touch with her. There's something about her. Yep. And I'd never really I'd never had that with anybody And then we went she and I we dated we'd been dating for Like uh, three or four months not long and then when she got out of college I she and I took a road trip from here to san diego To meet her parents already. I mean, we just it was the one it just was we just knew and so we drove all the way across the country It's my favorite memory. I've ever had and so it's hers too It was just everything like we were like newly like in love and shit and but also seeing the you know

Starting point is 01:37:27 The driving across the whole country together And like just that whole experience and but we would hit like a middle of nowhere spot But then go to vegas the next night. It was unbelievable And uh, but anyway, uh, there was never never a doubt dude. It was awesome. Damn. Yeah, and did you word you propose at? Did you do something I did at the venue that I met her at a specific spot in this venue called the lyric in oxford Okay, I proposed I faked a uh, she she knew she she tells me she don't she fucking knew But I faked that I had a private show at this venue on a sunday after our atlanta show on saturday and

Starting point is 01:38:04 so she rode with me to the private show and uh, We go in the venue and then like it had been like laid out with flowers And so I did it like at the exact spot that we we met. It's pretty cool. That's cool, man That's romantic. Yeah, dude Does it feel hard to keep up with that amount of romance because some dudes are like, oh dude I'm starting with low level romance dude. So you always have something to work up to Yeah, there's no we're moving up. You know, man, I try dude. Yeah I don't know if I don't know if I would consider myself romantic, but uh

Starting point is 01:38:37 Uh, I try and it's it's tough man. I think in any relationship, but it's just always some so much shit going on and like Just try to take a second every couple weeks and like think of something You know to do like out of the ordinary just and it could be anything It could be like a fucking Chick-fil-a gift card to leave, you know and be like go get some lunch. It could be anything But I just try to do something just to keep it to keep it, you know Keep it interesting or whatever. You had to be thinking of somebody else, you know Yeah, because that's the thing. I think in the end we want to be thought of, you know, people want to be damn thought

Starting point is 01:39:09 Yeah, yeah, and that's You know, like the love languages thing you ever heard of that? Oh, yeah. Yeah hers is like definitely Like Acts of service and like quality time and stuff like that, you know what I mean? And I've learned that, you know throughout us dating and being married But I always just try to think of that like even if it's just like one little thing or whatever, you know, it's hard though, man like This life, you know, it's just busy busy busy and I come home. I'm tired and stuff, but I'm She deserves it. So like I really try to do as much as I can to, you know, out of the ordinary for her

Starting point is 01:39:45 Yeah, I just noticed how when I'm around it's like you really put her on a you know, you you there's no doubt that you I feel like when I'm around you and she's around that you Present her proudly. Yes, I do and there's something about that that is uh It's like, oh, I would like to be like that. Yeah, sure man And I'm you know in love with with a lady. So it's easy to do when you find the one that you want to do it with though Like I'm never I'd never be ashamed. Was there a close call before that? Was there any We went through a little a little where you got married though. Were you almost got married before? With me and another another no, that was it. No, I had like one other maybe maybe two in the past like serious girlfriends like I would say

Starting point is 01:40:27 Like I wouldn't count a serious girlfriend till after you're like 18. You know what I mean? So I had like maybe two over the course of Eight years before I met her but not not like never really considered like going and buying a ring or anything like that Yeah, just it was just like a year your relationship or something like that She was the only one for sure. That's cool, man. Yep. Damn. She went to Ole Miss. She did she's from San Diego Her dad was in the military. You don't see a lot of that California to Ole Miss. No, she only knew She knew like one other girl. I think from San Diego, but um She wanted to she she wanted to

Starting point is 01:41:05 An experience outside of what she was raised in and so she went and toured she said she went and saw like texas Uh lsu maybe alabama and then she went to Ole Miss and she just was like this is where I want to go She did say that she When she went she was she thought like, you know, as a lot of people I think she was like this to south So everybody's gonna have like cowboy hats and shit and she shows up and it's just a bunch of Fucking fat frat dudes. Like, you know what I mean? Like completely different You know than what she thought but especially at Ole Miss. I don't think you get the cowboy hat at Ole Miss No, no, that's a Mississippi state. Yeah. Yeah, the Ole Miss is all the kids from Memphis and Jackson, dude

Starting point is 01:41:42 Yeah, definitely city city kids City country kids if that makes sense. Yeah, I think it does man That's interesting. Um Ben was there anything else in the news that we wanted to look at I'm trying to think of anything else that was cool Oh, dude, what let me see people Yeah, it says the average penis length is growing according to a new study The study was led by michael eisenberg a urology professor at stanford medicine and sexual function specialist the

Starting point is 01:42:13 Compiled data from over 75 studies done between 1942 and 2021 damn. He's been Just looking at a lot of Wayne, huh? uh Gathered measurements of the erect penises Of over 55,000 men. God this dude's probably in the damn closet If he's got a wife, she needs to damn knock on the door sometimes to see what's going on in there 55,000 men and erect dude. Yeah, there's no way you could look at this many they I don't want to bring up a picture of the guy But are we sure he's not just the findings were astounding is what he says, dude

Starting point is 01:42:51 Oh, let me see zoom in on bro. There's no way that that guy wasn't born and Oh, no, he just looks like a dude who would look at the 40 to 1942 though Oh, that's when the studs when he's been looking at him from then. Oh, oh, okay So he's just been looking at pictures from then. Yeah our drawings. How do you even find a picture of an erect penis from 1942? Oh, you know, I think you can get that pretty easily. I think it's some of the rest of that It's like just putting them all in a stack or whatever How many is go back to the information, please brother? Let me see the findings were sounding penis length also showed variation by derivative go down

Starting point is 01:43:25 Um, let's get into some information Oh, it locked up great You know, it's becoming interesting. You have to pay for news now. Do you notice that? Yeah So then if over time Whatever information is going to be only available to people with money. Hmm Damn, that's wild. It's gonna get weird. Yeah, you get you read. I've noticed that like I'll see a clickbait thing and you'll read like the Though just enough and then it's like for the rest like subscribe to Huffington poster. Yeah, where it is

Starting point is 01:43:58 Oh, there you go. Can we get any more Eisenberg told Stanford showed variation by we all knew that already by geographic region Yeah, that's that's a given, right? I think so In the article Eisenberg said chemical exposure could be interacting with our hormone makeup Which could be one of the many reasons the biological changes occurring Oh, maybe people are living in a place where there's more plastics in the water Or could it be like, uh, I've heard like kids like a 13 year old boy or girl today It looks like a like a grown-up like has the is built like a grown-up

Starting point is 01:44:32 compared to like in the 30s 40s 50s or whatever because of like hormones in the food or something like that That's crazy, dude. It's weird what we're gonna end up as We're gonna end up like chickens in your dad's thing. Yeah, we probably kind of already are you know It feels like it doesn't it sometimes. Yeah You know, it feels like we all know the same information and are kind of like watching this You know, it's like we all get the same six news stories every day. Yeah, we're all kind of like stuck in the same thing What about that train thing? Are you keeping up with that? That Ohio derailment? Yeah, I supposed to make it here, but I don't

Starting point is 01:45:06 Oh, that cloud is coming here. I or something. Yes in the water. I'm gonna get a hot air balloon and go up and get a hit Cuz if that shit comes over here, bro fucking tail or something that dude Third arm or something Dude, I'll take it bro. If I had three arms dog. Oh, what do I do? What would you do with three arms? Would you go would you fight people? Oh, yeah, I would grapple. You'd make a hell of a prostitute. I think too. Oh, yeah Dude, you'd be you could juggle

Starting point is 01:45:36 Oh, but you'd have to juggle like five things, right? Yeah, that's true, huh? We have to really up the ante What would you do if I had three arms? Oh, you could be a really good like blackjack dealer. Oh, yeah hard dealer Yeah, I remember I got a handjob from this Galladale blackjack one time and I remember at the end She went like this. She went like this. She was she it was like Dude, I like that. Yeah, it was awesome dude pretty cool and that was everybody, uh, I think by the wind Is that in Louisiana? Y'all got casinos down there? Oh, that was in Las Vegas. Oh, Vegas. No, we don't we have two You guys have two below, right? Uh, tunica tunica, but what that's another thing about my hometown. We got two big, uh, chalk talk casinos

Starting point is 01:46:18 Oh, really out in the country like you you top over this hill dude and it's these two like They're like what the size of like tunica or somewhere like, uh, like fixburg like there But there's one that's crazy. It's called the golden moon and it's this like Stairway to heaven looking shit with a with a big old moon at the top corner of it. It's pretty wild It's in Philadelphia. Oh, but I moved here when I was 20 and when I was 19. So I never Got to go and do it. Yeah And I was afraid of getting out there like sneaking out there and trying to sneak on the floor and like

Starting point is 01:46:49 Getting arrested or going to like Choctaw jail or something, you know. Oh, yeah. What did we have? Do you have one in Covington or close? No, what did we have we had We had like a daiquiri place people would go drink it that was big in Louisiana get you a daiquiri Oh, I've heard and they put the little straw the thing on the end Yeah, if they don't take like the thing if they don't take the paper off the straw It counts as a closed container right So they'll give you that thing with that little hat on it. You know, dude, uh, it's crawfish season

Starting point is 01:47:18 Oh, yeah, it's good. I haven't I haven't had any yet this year. Yeah, they're good, man Did you guys ever have them up? Mississippi? Did they get up? Yeah. Oh, yeah Yeah, we we actually just recently in the past 10 years. There's a place in Philadelphia called blakes Seafood and they do it there and you can go get like a Big ol, you know, I'm actually going to Philadelphia tomorrow. I'm playing a little Acoustic hometown show and I might go get some crawfish. That sounds pretty good. That does sound good Dude, we used to go Because I used to work on a farm in Mississippi in the summers

Starting point is 01:47:46 So I heard you say I go up to Natchez, right? Yeah, and the farms I mean the land was actually right over the levee in Louisiana. Oh really because Natchez is on the border, right? Yeah, so we go by like deer park. We'd be like in ferrity and vedalia like right there um and we go across and and we'd be in uh in Mississippi And

Starting point is 01:48:09 Yeah, it was nice, man. What kind of farm was it? It was soybean corn. Okay Cotton. Did y'all ever find arrowheads out there? Milo Uh, no, but they had land around where we go look for them sometimes on the weekends I found them. I'd look for them out here. They look for civil wars. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well Natchez. That's right. Yeah apparently Natchez though was like Uh that the the union came up the river and they fired a bunch of cannons off and that the whole city came out and was just like Surrendered or whatever. Oh, they gave up. Yeah, and it kind of opened up the gate Oh, they they Natchez gave up

Starting point is 01:48:44 Natchez to the union go look it up Natchez surrender in a civil war and they and then they I think they kind of opened up the gate to Because there's a lot of pills there now. I don't know what they were doing then But I could see everybody being on something and just dude, this is right here as big civil war shit Really? Yeah big time. There's a hill right over here called shy's hill and there's a memorial at the top It was a giant battle people people find uh still to this day find Relics and shit in the ground metal. You know what I mean? Like oh, yeah kinds of stuff My buddy says he saw a ghost. He lives over here says he saw a union. I mean dude in this dude Is he from mississippi? No, he's from i's from minnesota

Starting point is 01:49:26 Oh, damn. I don't know if they usually like ghosts as much dude He was laying in his hammock said he saw a dude walking like up the side of his hill and like civil war outfit I swear to god and he was like dude He was like, I don't believe in nothing and I saw this and I was like I think I just saw a ghost walking up shy's hill where there was like an actual battle I could see that man I could see there being so much traffic right where a lot of deaths happen at once Yeah, that a couple spirits get kind of logged in the yeah something like that right ether open that back up ben

Starting point is 01:49:55 please Surrender you guys surrender in that just mississippi. There we go This shit looks damn Is this a play I know Um, sure that's pretty sure it was the thing that they fired a bunch of cannons and shit I got a damn AA meeting. Do you? Yeah What time? In one minute. Oh, shit

Starting point is 01:50:27 It's at home. Oh word. All right, cool um Yeah, will you be bummed if we's in in chat another time? Dude, not at all. Okay, cool I've been here for two hours. Just dude. Yeah, we've been sitting here for a while. I appreciate the time man Yeah, I appreciate you teaching me about the nashoba county. Yeah, dude. You gotta go. Yeah, I can't even believe it looks amazing I can't have never heard of it. I mean you can walk and dude like people are so inviting like you can walk into any cabin And say hey, I'm not from here. Can you guys tell me something to do and any cabin will be like come in here feed you like

Starting point is 01:51:03 It's just it's the coolest thing in the world. God And it's hot as fuck, which I love dude Yeah, well, you know what's interesting man is I noticed like say if Like there's been times where I go and stay in a hotel somewhere and then I'll stay like in a off the beaten path place It doesn't have air condition. Mm-hmm. And there's something about when you're in that non AC place You like wake up in the middle of the night your sweat and shit's weird and it's like but it feels like more natural Yeah, it's sticky. I mean it is nasty, but it feels a lot more natural Yeah, we did that in Thailand like we went to Thailand for a honeymoon and like there was a couple places that were like that

Starting point is 01:51:39 And it was just like they just don't have air conditioning. Yeah, you feel like you're just out You know, you're inside you feel like you're outside or something Yeah, yeah, I think it's just when you're more in tired into nature when that kind of stuff's going on, you know But yeah, I could imagine that there's a lot of places where people died at once and then there's just Bumper to bumper traffic going to heaven or whatever. I think so and people was like i'ma mill around Yeah, it's like that's like white like um mental hospitals and like old prisons and shit You know, we're like a lot of people died in one place. They said that's like the most haunted places Oh, yeah, you know what I mean? I could see it. Yeah

Starting point is 01:52:14 um All right the mockingbird in the crow Yeah, congratulations, man. Thank you very much. Yeah, please keep keep please keep writing and making cool music, man Thank you, brother. I love you. You know my sister and I are one of my sisters and I have a real super close and we listen to uh Give heaven some hell. Yeah. Yeah, and dude. We just jammed out. We've never done that before. That's awesome, dude So it's cool. Like, you know, we never had that kind of even those little that little moment of fun We never had that that's cool, dude. How that's that makes my day. That's the power of music, man It really is the only language we all know how to speak dude. Yeah, it's pretty incredible

Starting point is 01:52:49 Thanks for all your contributions to it. Oh, you guys can check out hardy We'll put all his links to everything and um and you guys can catch him on tour on his own tour and uh with more With morgan and parker and bailey And urn and urn. Yeah. Oh dude. So funny. I can't wait to have urn in here. Yeah Yeah, he is man. Thank you so much. All right, dude. Thanks. It's just I really appreciate it. Yeah, it's awesome And I'm glad we got to spend some time Now I'm just floating on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves. I must be Cornerstone

Starting point is 01:53:22 Oh, but when I reach that ground, I'll share this piece of mind. I found I can feel it in my bones But it's gonna take

This Past Weekend - E433 HARDY

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