WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.180 Welcome to Overeducated and Underemployed. I'm 00:00:03.180 --> 00:00:06.719 Fettin. We're here with part two of my interview 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:10.779 with J. Roddy Walston to wrap up our first week 00:00:10.779 --> 00:00:17.019 here of the podcast. We talked a lot about what 00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:19.679 he's trying to accomplish now, and one thing 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:21.760 I want to point out is he's touring, he's doing 00:00:21.760 --> 00:00:23.940 shows with his band right now, but he's also... 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:27.820 throwing these pre -parties beforehand, typically 00:00:27.820 --> 00:00:31.339 hosted at a bar or occasionally somebody's house. 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:34.179 So if you're planning to go see him, make sure 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:39.380 you check out whatever pre -party he's got planned 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:42.380 because he's still, even when he's playing clubs 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:45.159 with the band, he's still trying to do this thing 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:47.020 where he's really fostering connections with 00:00:47.020 --> 00:00:50.119 his fans and trying to build community among 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:53.219 his fan base. I highly encourage you to check 00:00:53.219 --> 00:00:56.299 it out. I might be heading to Chattanooga to 00:00:56.299 --> 00:00:59.939 go see him next week. I'm going to be seeing 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:02.960 Wilco this weekend, so I'm excited about that. 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:04.959 I'll be telling you all about that next week. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.260 Without further ado, here's the second part of 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:13.859 my interview with J. Roddy Walston. Your priorities 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:15.359 are a lot different than they were a decade ago, 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:18.299 too, right? You're a father. You've got other 00:01:18.299 --> 00:01:22.079 people that rely on you to do things. Whereas, 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:25.010 for a long time, you were just... doing it for 00:01:25.010 --> 00:01:26.750 you and that's all you had to take care of and 00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:29.489 as somebody who was also a parent like it changes 00:01:29.489 --> 00:01:32.969 things a lot yeah and i think on the other hand 00:01:32.969 --> 00:01:35.109 like being a parent does change everything but 00:01:35.109 --> 00:01:37.349 like in a lot of ways it's hard for me to remember 00:01:37.349 --> 00:01:39.650 a time before my kids were born or like i placed 00:01:39.650 --> 00:01:41.549 them in the memory it's like when my daughter 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:43.689 was there when i was eight or something but at 00:01:43.689 --> 00:01:46.370 the same time i'm still a human and entirely 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:48.950 self -obsessed and selfish and whatever and so 00:01:48.950 --> 00:01:51.750 yeah i'm here to do everything i can for my kids 00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:54.269 and definitely It's changed my headspace of like, 00:01:54.310 --> 00:01:56.030 how long do I want to be out? My wife's also 00:01:56.030 --> 00:01:58.590 a musician. So we also very much in our, the 00:01:58.590 --> 00:02:01.010 DNA of our relationship was being apart. You 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:02.730 know, it can only take so much of each other. 00:02:03.469 --> 00:02:06.430 Yeah. And inevitably early on, I'd be like, Oh, 00:02:06.469 --> 00:02:08.569 I'm gone for six months. I'm back these two weeks. 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:10.229 And he's like, I got to get those two weeks. 00:02:10.370 --> 00:02:13.069 And you're like, Oh my gosh. I really processed 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:15.610 it a lot. Okay. I'm just like a sailor. I'm just 00:02:15.610 --> 00:02:19.550 like old, like I'm on a wooden boat. bopping 00:02:19.550 --> 00:02:21.210 from place to place and every once in a while 00:02:21.210 --> 00:02:23.569 i'll come back and i go it was a bad year sorry 00:02:23.569 --> 00:02:27.789 go back out and fun way to live till it's not 00:02:27.789 --> 00:02:31.129 or till i think that was even something i was 00:02:31.129 --> 00:02:34.530 seeing like that it exploded a lot of my friends 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:37.590 who also were either bandmates or whatever buddies 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:41.750 on tour i was like man like i'm keeping it together 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:45.250 for the most part but by way of inviting other 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:48.250 people in to do it like i'm like actively destroying 00:02:48.250 --> 00:02:50.610 them or something the road destroys people yeah 00:02:50.610 --> 00:02:54.610 it's crazy and some people it's six months and 00:02:54.610 --> 00:02:56.629 some people it's 10 years you know when your 00:02:56.629 --> 00:02:59.969 limit has been reached i've been one of the main 00:02:59.969 --> 00:03:02.909 qualities for any human that i look for i meet 00:03:02.909 --> 00:03:06.469 so few people that actually can and will change 00:03:06.469 --> 00:03:09.310 i think the ability to actually actively change 00:03:09.310 --> 00:03:11.580 is One of the hardest things to do. Yeah, superhero 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:13.860 level. Find out new information, think about 00:03:13.860 --> 00:03:17.740 it, go, I was wrong, now I change. It is rare. 00:03:18.379 --> 00:03:21.520 I'm not the best at it, but I have some sliver 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:23.960 of that ability. I do think it takes us, it's 00:03:23.960 --> 00:03:25.900 not just information probably, it's like information 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:29.979 and pain. Like somewhere in there is the sweet 00:03:29.979 --> 00:03:32.460 spot where you're like, oh, I can just like, 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:35.360 I get Steven Seagal just gently pushing my energy 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.000 in a different direction and sometimes it's, 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:40.659 oh man, I ran into that brick wall. and turn 00:03:40.659 --> 00:03:42.560 to dust and I have to rebuild the whole thing. 00:03:42.699 --> 00:03:45.280 So I'm not like an expert at it. It's like I 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:47.199 find out after the fact. But you try to learn 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:49.139 from it and integrate that information. People, 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:52.639 I would never wish COVID to happen. I can say 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:55.500 that a lot of things currently in my life that 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:58.599 are positive came out of it. I think for me personally, 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:00.819 like that was one of the times where I did change 00:04:00.819 --> 00:04:03.340 a lot and was really reflective and was able 00:04:03.340 --> 00:04:05.960 to admit what I was wrong about. Yeah. And I 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:07.340 think that was true for a lot of people, really. 00:04:07.460 --> 00:04:10.639 Like, when everything gets shut off, and you're 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:13.800 just stuck with yourself. Yeah. Man, a lot of 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:15.180 people don't get better until they're tired of 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:17.339 their own shit. And when you can't put that shit 00:04:17.339 --> 00:04:19.519 on other people, you get tired of it a lot quicker. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:22.259 I travel around and have the same party 30 times. 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:24.980 It's a lot less sad than if you try to have that 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:27.680 same party in your house days in a row. Starts 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:31.259 to smell bad. Yeah, it sucks. But, yeah, the 00:04:31.259 --> 00:04:33.959 COVID thing just really, I know a lot of relationships 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:38.680 didn't make it. Definitely wild to process my 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:40.920 relationship with my kid. I now have two, but 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:42.720 at the time it was just the one. And then the 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.819 relationship with my wife. Discovered meditation 00:04:45.819 --> 00:04:48.519 in a real way then. And was able to tie it back 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:52.759 to why do I feel... For me, I've described it 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:54.860 for a long time without knowing what it was. 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:57.800 The best shows are ones... I know that I had 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:01.000 a good show. I walk off stage and I already basically 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:03.180 can't remember the show. Because it was just 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:06.009 happening. Truly present. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever 00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:08.129 was happening and not that I didn't make mistakes 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:10.370 or do something bad. I feel like you had a moment 00:05:10.370 --> 00:05:12.189 like that last night. Yeah. It was either the 00:05:12.189 --> 00:05:13.730 wanting or you were like afterwards you were 00:05:13.730 --> 00:05:16.389 like I was so lost in it that I don't even know 00:05:16.389 --> 00:05:17.970 if I played the right chords. Yeah. I know after 00:05:17.970 --> 00:05:19.629 the fact I stumbled through some chords but it 00:05:19.629 --> 00:05:21.970 was like one of the first times I really felt 00:05:21.970 --> 00:05:24.029 the weight of the song and the way I did kind 00:05:24.029 --> 00:05:25.670 of initially writing it. And I think that came 00:05:25.670 --> 00:05:28.029 through. The room was electrified by it. Yeah. 00:05:28.029 --> 00:05:30.980 And I think that's why. I think you being present 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:33.480 in that way, and anytime an artist can get to 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:36.759 that place where they're just there, that's the 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:39.319 goal, right? And to get the audience there, too. 00:05:39.420 --> 00:05:41.360 This is what I was getting at. All of a sudden, 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:45.240 I'm not hitting that maybe 100 times, 200 times 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:49.100 a year, like a sort of zen kind of state. Didn't 00:05:49.100 --> 00:05:51.740 know that's what it was. Just night to night 00:05:51.740 --> 00:05:54.649 was like good show, bad show, whatever. Good 00:05:54.649 --> 00:05:56.889 parts of a show are bad, or whatever. The whole 00:05:56.889 --> 00:05:58.449 time, you're just in your brain. And that's why 00:05:58.449 --> 00:06:01.069 I can barely remember the show instantly. The 00:06:01.069 --> 00:06:02.970 bad shows, I could tell you every second of it, 00:06:03.009 --> 00:06:04.370 because I was going, like, I should walk over 00:06:04.370 --> 00:06:06.850 here. Maybe I should say something. Maybe, like, 00:06:06.910 --> 00:06:09.550 what's the next chord? Whatever. And just getting 00:06:09.550 --> 00:06:11.829 out in front of myself two or three seconds and 00:06:11.829 --> 00:06:13.850 planning what I was going to do, or something 00:06:13.850 --> 00:06:17.959 like that. And it just sucks. really realizing 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.120 that it's a lot of the same thing with meditation. 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:22.339 You start to see the thoughts come in, and it's 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:24.100 not that the thoughts are bad. You just go like, 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:26.720 all right. And you come back to just observing 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:28.920 and being here. And so when that stops happening 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:33.100 as much, that's a sign for you. Well, yeah, I 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:35.800 realized that. It was just naturally taking me 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:39.480 to a place where my brain went from splintered 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:41.860 a hundred different ways at any given time to 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:45.500 pulled together and body -mind. everything it's 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:47.399 weird to describe one of those shows as calm 00:06:47.399 --> 00:06:51.220 but instead of like i said the lack of chaos 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:54.300 did i pay that bill you know like bad moments 00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:56.939 in shows i'm literally like having 17 conversations 00:06:56.939 --> 00:07:00.019 in my head at the same time where i messed up 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:02.240 last night on this part why is that guy over 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.660 there it looked like he's sniffing a fart like 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:07.279 why isn't this person dancing oh i wonder if 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:09.000 I wonder how the wife and kids are doing. Like 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:11.360 all that going on. I think at a given moment, 00:07:11.420 --> 00:07:13.279 if you could broadcast that to people, they'd 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:15.180 be like, how the hell is this guy? And on top 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:16.579 of that, I don't actually know anything about 00:07:16.579 --> 00:07:19.379 music. So every time I hit the right chord, it's 00:07:19.379 --> 00:07:21.120 like, yes. That's going to be good for the confidence. 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:24.000 Yeah. Well, you obviously also use humor, like 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:26.620 just talking to you, spending time with you and 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:28.639 read another interview. You're a funny motherfucker. 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.240 You obviously, humor is part of your coping. 00:07:32.910 --> 00:07:35.110 Yeah. With the world. I think you write some 00:07:35.110 --> 00:07:37.310 really funny lyrics, too. Is that intentional? 00:07:37.569 --> 00:07:39.470 Or do you ever write something and you're like, 00:07:39.529 --> 00:07:41.430 I want this to be funny? Or does it just come 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:44.110 out that way? I don't know if I've ever written 00:07:44.110 --> 00:07:46.269 anything and gone, people are going to chuckle 00:07:46.269 --> 00:07:48.529 and fall on the ground or something. Maybe clever 00:07:48.529 --> 00:07:51.529 is a better word. People like Randy Newman or 00:07:51.529 --> 00:07:54.050 John Prine. I was talking about my buddy Johnny 00:07:54.050 --> 00:07:56.129 Fritz. Yeah, Johnny Corndog. These people that, 00:07:56.230 --> 00:08:00.279 inside of humor. I think is a lot of the same 00:08:00.279 --> 00:08:02.379 stuff that good songwriting comes from where 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:05.939 you're like observing stuff. You can say it plainly 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:08.120 and sometimes that's powerful and then sometimes 00:08:08.120 --> 00:08:12.220 you can say it in a humorous way or growing up 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:15.399 in church it would be like my favorite people 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:17.199 were the people that like a lot of times got 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:20.160 discounted because they were clever and funny. 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:22.620 They could kind of do it a lot in a solo show 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:25.209 where it's like tell a stupid story and then 00:08:25.209 --> 00:08:27.250 drop a heavy song so everybody's giggling and 00:08:27.250 --> 00:08:28.970 then all of a sudden they're like what i guess 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:31.430 it's dynamics i don't know but yeah you have 00:08:31.430 --> 00:08:34.950 but i always it wasn't just that they it was 00:08:34.950 --> 00:08:37.409 if this guy takes himself really serious for 00:08:37.409 --> 00:08:40.009 whatever reason everyone else assumes he's serious 00:08:40.009 --> 00:08:42.370 and smart maybe they're ineffective at actually 00:08:42.370 --> 00:08:45.289 doing anything whereas to me the people that 00:08:45.289 --> 00:08:49.029 can like tell a joke and inside the joke right 00:08:49.029 --> 00:08:51.289 after the joke there's like also this serious 00:08:51.289 --> 00:08:54.519 nugget You're more open, more available. The 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:58.460 best jokes come from the most uncomfortable places. 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:02.120 If I'm being honest about something that I'm 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:04.299 maybe not even wanting to share with people, 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:07.659 finding a way to share that in a way that I'm 00:09:07.659 --> 00:09:10.700 ultimately comfortable with, those are usually 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:13.299 the best jokes. And probably the best songs, 00:09:13.299 --> 00:09:16.720 too, I would think. You're hesitant to put these 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:19.419 ideas out there. Do you know the concept of laughter 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:23.570 is... There's like an inch off the mark of a 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:25.509 fear response. What are we afraid of? Things 00:09:25.509 --> 00:09:28.309 that either we don't know or we weren't expecting. 00:09:28.509 --> 00:09:30.629 But then we're humans, and what are we talking 00:09:30.629 --> 00:09:32.470 about? We're talking about ourselves. So the 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:34.509 idea of either you're talking about something 00:09:34.509 --> 00:09:37.889 someone thought no one else had ever gone through, 00:09:37.970 --> 00:09:40.429 so they're surprised by the fact that you know 00:09:40.429 --> 00:09:43.169 about them in a way that they have never shared, 00:09:43.330 --> 00:09:45.870 or you literally are holding up a mirror in a 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:47.830 way that it's like the first time someone sees 00:09:47.830 --> 00:09:50.590 their ass or something. Also, like, people... 00:09:50.940 --> 00:09:53.299 If you miss the mark, you are actually scaring 00:09:53.299 --> 00:09:55.220 them. And then when they get scared, it's like 00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:59.379 anger or let's fight or run away. You're right 00:09:59.379 --> 00:10:01.940 on the edge of like doing something that changes 00:10:01.940 --> 00:10:04.340 the whole situation. Also, I just think the idea 00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:07.139 of saying I'm never on stage with banter being 00:10:07.139 --> 00:10:09.120 like, this will be funny. I will make someone 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:11.320 laugh. I think the idea that someone gets up 00:10:11.320 --> 00:10:14.259 and goes, I know it's funny. I'll say it. And 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:18.679 then people will laugh is like the wildest. scariest 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:21.379 thing that anyone could try to do. I know it's 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:23.759 sad. And then people can either be like, this 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:25.659 guy's playing to the crowd or I don't relate 00:10:25.659 --> 00:10:29.440 or whatever. But to get up and be like, this 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:32.580 is funny. And then someone go, no, it's not. 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:34.919 Neil Brennan describes it as putting yourself 00:10:34.919 --> 00:10:37.460 through a car accident every night. Yeah. Doing 00:10:37.460 --> 00:10:39.639 stand -up comedy. Yeah. Have you ever wanted 00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:41.580 to do stand -up comedy? Is that ever something 00:10:41.580 --> 00:10:43.620 that even crossed your mind? When I was young, 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:47.159 there was, it was basically like, Music, outdoor 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:50.100 stuff, and comedy. So me and my buds did like 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:54.139 bits early on, like BHS or whatever, camcorder 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:57.299 stuff we had. We'd write ridiculous things and, 00:10:57.340 --> 00:10:59.980 I don't know, make a right turn instead of a 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:02.720 left turn, butterfly effect stuff, like could 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.639 have chased that down or was like obsessed with 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:07.360 Saturday Night Live and all that kind of stuff. 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:09.759 So somewhere in the same fantasy, I want to play 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.279 music, possibly was like, I'd love to be on Saturday 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:15.000 Night Live. Never having actually ever done that 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:17.879 stuff. I don't know if I have the skill set to 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:21.539 do that thing where you actually sit down. I'm 00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:25.120 good in conversation at being shocking or surprising 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.500 or silly or funny or witty or whatever. I feel 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:30.179 like that's a different skill than, say, I'm 00:11:30.179 --> 00:11:32.259 good at observing things. But I don't know if 00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:35.720 my processor is built to turn them totally into 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:38.620 jokes. I think the way it works for me, most 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:41.620 of my jokes do come up conversationally. The 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:44.779 trick and the struggle is like, A, remembering 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:47.679 that joke, writing it down, preserving that moment. 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.600 But then figuring out how to get there. That's 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:52.539 like organically on stage. And sometimes you 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:55.220 can't. Sometimes that joke will only exist in 00:11:55.220 --> 00:11:57.580 that moment. And that's fine too. I do think 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:00.019 there is this similar drive between musicians 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:03.419 and comedians. And maybe that's what the core 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:05.620 of this podcast is going to end up being about 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:09.059 in general. I think most comedians want to be 00:12:09.059 --> 00:12:12.460 rock stars. I think most... really good songwriters 00:12:12.460 --> 00:12:15.799 are pretty fucking funny. Yeah. And I think you're 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.620 right. Like the observational and then not even 00:12:18.620 --> 00:12:20.840 just being an observant, like observing yourself 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:24.120 too, not just the outside, but there's something 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:26.879 that's, it's the same fire. And as someone who 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:28.980 felt like they belonged in this world for years 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:31.179 and years and never, I can't play guitar. I can't 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:34.139 sing more than like a couple of karaoke songs. 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:37.200 But I always felt like this is where I belong. 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:39.279 And I think that's what happens with comedians 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:41.289 is like they, They feel like they don't belong 00:12:41.289 --> 00:12:43.149 anywhere except this one place that they don't 00:12:43.149 --> 00:12:45.370 even necessarily have talent. And then they go 00:12:45.370 --> 00:12:47.870 crazy. And then they start making jokes about 00:12:47.870 --> 00:12:50.889 it. I also think comedians and bands are hanging 00:12:50.889 --> 00:12:52.909 out. They're cut from the same cloth. Yeah, I 00:12:52.909 --> 00:12:55.629 think it's potentially very similar or it is 00:12:55.629 --> 00:12:57.789 the same people. Maybe somebody just gets their 00:12:57.789 --> 00:13:01.350 kicks punishing themselves a different way. Songwriters 00:13:01.350 --> 00:13:03.620 can't sing. And that never stopped him. Some 00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:05.879 comedians are not funny, and they are very successful. 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:08.159 That actually brings me, and I know you've got 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:09.360 to get on the road here, so we're going to wrap 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:12.059 this up here in a minute, but I think the thing 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:14.679 that's unique about comedy that is maybe not 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.679 true for any other kind of art is it's just a 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.059 hair off of fear. It's an involuntary response. 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.700 So I don't think Jeff Dunham is funny. Right. 00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:25.860 Like, he makes rooms of people laugh. And there's 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:29.360 something about that is objective in a way that 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:32.620 I don't know any other art can be. I'm just interested 00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:34.759 to see what you think about that. Like this thing 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:37.019 that I'm doing, the house show thing. On paper, 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:39.659 there's another thing that I do that, or if you 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:41.840 took a picture of it, looked at the gear I brought, 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:44.379 the situation, the whole thing, you'd be like, 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:47.080 those are the same thing. But for a chunk of 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:49.399 money, I will play a private show. And the private 00:13:49.399 --> 00:13:50.799 show, I don't care if it's you, I don't care 00:13:50.799 --> 00:13:53.120 if it's you and 100 of your friends. At a certain 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.779 point, the price will change because I can bring 00:13:55.779 --> 00:13:59.860 this and it's loud enough for... 50 to 100 people. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:02.059 Like, oh, I'm going to have a 5 ,000 person party 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:04.220 or something. It'd be like, okay, we got to talk 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:05.879 about bigger production stuff or whatever. But 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:07.879 generally, it would look the same to an outside 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:10.759 person. But in one of those scenarios, I'm playing 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:15.100 to one person and 49 of their friends are watching 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:18.519 that person watch me. So when I walk out on stage 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.580 or I sing this song or that or make a statement, 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:24.559 this guy is going, I can't believe this. I'm 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:26.899 looking at their friends and their friends are 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:29.000 like, And if he's like, I can't believe this. 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:31.940 And they're like, we can. Or whatever. I walk 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:35.179 in the room with 50 fans that also have seen 00:14:35.179 --> 00:14:38.799 me multiple times in a 2 ,000 seater or whatever. 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:41.759 And they're like, I can't believe. All 50 people 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:44.500 going, I can't believe this. It turns everything 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:46.980 I say into something funny or clever or reactive. 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:49.980 Versus, I guess my point is, I don't know necessarily 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:52.600 why certain people get over some hump and then 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:54.600 they have this thing where like their people 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.399 show up. And then. Potentially that can feed 00:14:57.399 --> 00:14:59.379 into more and more of their people showing up. 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:01.940 But once someone has said, I like this, it's 00:15:01.940 --> 00:15:05.169 like they want to like it. So it makes... You 00:15:05.169 --> 00:15:07.629 sit there just hoping that your favorite musician 00:15:07.629 --> 00:15:10.210 says something that you can go, whoa, or laugh 00:15:10.210 --> 00:15:12.850 at, or go, oh my God. Versus even in a scenario 00:15:12.850 --> 00:15:15.409 of music lovers, if you're the opener, you don't 00:15:15.409 --> 00:15:17.470 have the same power as the headliner. And I'm 00:15:17.470 --> 00:15:18.990 sure it's the same with comedians or whatever, 00:15:19.149 --> 00:15:21.570 where it's no one's trying to like what you do, 00:15:21.590 --> 00:15:23.590 or no one's trying to laugh at what you say. 00:15:23.690 --> 00:15:25.230 And all of a sudden, I think that is probably 00:15:25.230 --> 00:15:26.990 where some of these guys are like, they hit some 00:15:26.990 --> 00:15:29.029 level of success. And they don't really have 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:30.730 to say funny stuff anymore. They just have to 00:15:30.730 --> 00:15:33.590 be themselves. People want to like it. They want 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:36.529 to enjoy it. That's interesting. I live in this 00:15:36.529 --> 00:15:38.649 world where I'm constantly either the most important 00:15:38.649 --> 00:15:42.149 person in the room to someone. People think I'm, 00:15:42.169 --> 00:15:43.850 literally, we were just talking about replacements. 00:15:43.950 --> 00:15:46.529 I'm like, I played, J. Ryan Business played the 00:15:46.529 --> 00:15:49.169 last three replacement shows. Finally, after 00:15:49.169 --> 00:15:50.830 the last show, I was like, I'm going to go talk 00:15:50.830 --> 00:15:52.289 to these guys, tell them how important they were, 00:15:52.389 --> 00:15:54.049 and thank them for being on stage. And when I 00:15:54.049 --> 00:15:55.649 walked up, I was like, hey guys. And they were 00:15:55.649 --> 00:15:58.019 like, we're good. Like, they thought I was a 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:01.259 backstage hand, even though we played three shows. 00:16:01.419 --> 00:16:03.440 All my buddies were like, I can't believe it. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:05.779 You're so lucky. I'm freaking out. This wasn't 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:07.539 like, they didn't pluck us out of obscurity. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.100 We were doing really well at that time. Right, 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:11.679 yeah, yeah. But had been walking around, crowd 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:14.899 being like, holy crap. They'd just be like, no, 00:16:14.980 --> 00:16:17.019 we're good, man. It's humbling. That's the kind 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:18.779 of shit that brings you back down to earth at 00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:20.720 the same time. I've been rejected by a lot of 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.559 my heroes. Are you still booking these shows? 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:24.679 If people want you to come play in their living 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:26.559 room, can they reach out? This has been like, 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:28.320 I was talking about last night. It's been an 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:30.419 experiment. And I think I have, there's like 00:16:30.419 --> 00:16:31.960 a lot of people, like when I said I would do 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:35.220 house shows, I got a lot of replies, but it was 00:16:35.220 --> 00:16:39.100 through social media. And I was like a guy that 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:40.700 was here last night was like, yeah, I was talking 00:16:40.700 --> 00:16:42.120 to you about a bunch. And then it fell off. And 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:43.960 I was like, dude, that's one of the main things 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:45.580 I got to figure out is like the communication, 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:48.360 not being through social media, because I'm chatting 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:50.940 with you. And then all of a sudden I post something 00:16:50.940 --> 00:16:54.000 and it gets like 1700 likes. And all of a sudden 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.750 our chat is buried. The moment with you where 00:16:56.750 --> 00:16:59.110 it was like, okay, boom, let's build the ticket 00:16:59.110 --> 00:17:02.409 thing, whatever. And all of a sudden I was like, 00:17:02.509 --> 00:17:06.109 okay, brass tacks, let's get all the info. And 00:17:06.109 --> 00:17:08.609 for real, let's say a number. How many people 00:17:08.609 --> 00:17:10.930 are you comfortable having in your house? And 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:13.869 I'm sure we had talked about it early on. And 00:17:13.869 --> 00:17:17.049 it was like, yeah, so I'm shooting for 50. And 00:17:17.049 --> 00:17:18.569 they're like, oh, my wife would kill me if there 00:17:18.569 --> 00:17:20.329 was more than 10 people here. I was like, dude, 00:17:20.450 --> 00:17:24.029 we've talked for so long about this. I will say 00:17:24.029 --> 00:17:27.319 there was this moment. When we got to that final 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:29.619 stage. Yeah. Where there was like a little, I 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:31.240 don't want to say hesitation, but it was like, 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:34.880 okay, this is becoming real. Yeah. And I think 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.039 a lot of people fantasize about the idea of having 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:38.579 somebody play in their living room. And when 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:40.559 it becomes real, they're like, oh shit, can I 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:42.640 actually do this? And it's so different night 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:44.180 to night. You know, I mean, you saw, I got here 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:45.700 late last night, so I had to blast through that 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:47.440 setup. I don't really have anything to plug, 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.099 but the thing that I'm experimenting with or 00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:53.049 trying to mess with is. Beyond the sort of, I 00:17:53.049 --> 00:17:54.690 want to do something different, I'm trying to 00:17:54.690 --> 00:17:57.509 keep myself engaged. I don't know if entertained 00:17:57.509 --> 00:17:59.269 is the right way to put it, but if you play the 00:17:59.269 --> 00:18:03.289 same show, let's say there's 20 variations of 00:18:03.289 --> 00:18:05.609 any given kind of setup at a club, but you've 00:18:05.609 --> 00:18:08.849 also played every club in America like 50 times. 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:11.119 It's sad, but you can get to the point where 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:12.519 you're just going through emotions. Or like on 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:15.079 a Tuesday night. It's a job. It is at a house. 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.619 But like every house has been something that 00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:19.480 was different. You're split into a V and then 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:21.700 I'm in the corner versus some shotgun house. 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:24.480 Only enough space for one person like right here. 00:18:24.579 --> 00:18:26.039 And so half the show I'm going to be looking 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:28.880 at one guy. And half the crowd is actually looking 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.099 at my ass the whole time or whatever. So it's 00:18:31.099 --> 00:18:33.460 a whole different. And then where do I even position 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:36.740 the speakers? It's all let alone like time to 00:18:36.740 --> 00:18:39.480 do this show. There's the thing that's just for 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:42.019 me. Okay, this is making it exciting every time. 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.380 On top of that, a lot of what I'm interested 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:47.940 in is what we were talking about earlier, not 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:50.240 on the podcast, about the thing that I observed 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:53.440 and initially didn't appreciate. In fact, I was 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:55.220 annoyed by the Drive -By Trucker shows where 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:59.599 this crowd just talks so much. Maybe in a two 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:02.109 -hour set. any given person will shut up for 00:19:02.109 --> 00:19:04.849 three songs because those are their songs they'll 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:07.289 be talking and you can certainly like oh i love 00:19:07.289 --> 00:19:09.990 that line but i just didn't really appreciate 00:19:09.990 --> 00:19:13.170 i never thought it was necessarily my a part 00:19:13.170 --> 00:19:15.589 of my job is the right way to put it but like 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:20.109 the community building thing was not on my radar 00:19:20.109 --> 00:19:23.089 in any real way yeah here's what i do i write 00:19:23.089 --> 00:19:24.849 these songs that really matter to me hopefully 00:19:24.849 --> 00:19:27.029 they matter to you and then i want to put on 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:29.960 or be a part of a show where everyone's entranced 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:32.740 and you have to shut up and if anyone's not shutting 00:19:32.740 --> 00:19:35.799 up and if anyone's not dancing or fully in what 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:38.480 are we not doing yeah and then people they buy 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:40.000 the merch and then they walk out of the building 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:41.859 and then they hopefully talk to their friends 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:44.640 about how to go back to the truckers thing like 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:47.839 truckers like bat signal for are you 40 and drink 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.619 ipa show up here and your people will be here 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.660 yeah yeah i almost described it it's like what 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:56.799 some religions wish they had. Like this imagined 00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:59.099 community of people that they know they're going 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:00.799 to get along with. But that, like churches are 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:03.059 falling apart. So I don't really want to get 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:04.220 into arguing about whether or not there should 00:20:04.220 --> 00:20:07.839 be churches, but like we are more and more separated. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.579 And then we are going through this thing of the 00:20:10.579 --> 00:20:12.960 internet making people think like they are connected, 00:20:12.980 --> 00:20:15.160 but they're not. Not that the internet can't 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:18.180 bring you or connect you to people like in a 00:20:18.180 --> 00:20:20.640 way it can, but the general way that most people 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:22.990 are using the internet is not. making them closer 00:20:22.990 --> 00:20:26.849 to anyone. And so that was a big part of this. 00:20:27.289 --> 00:20:29.069 There was people that kind of kept hitting me 00:20:29.069 --> 00:20:30.289 up and being like, I can just get you in this 00:20:30.289 --> 00:20:32.009 club. I want you to come to my town. Why don't 00:20:32.009 --> 00:20:33.890 you play here? We can get 400 people in us. What 00:20:33.890 --> 00:20:37.390 I'm trying to do right now is personally interact 00:20:37.390 --> 00:20:40.829 with people, find out some stuff, observe people 00:20:40.829 --> 00:20:43.369 in my own mind, try to figure out what's... Because 00:20:43.369 --> 00:20:45.549 I don't know that I have that thing where I know... 00:20:45.950 --> 00:20:48.230 It's way reductive to be like, are you 40 and 00:20:48.230 --> 00:20:50.170 IPA? No, but we understand what you mean. I don't 00:20:50.170 --> 00:20:52.049 know that I had that. I've never had that thing 00:20:52.049 --> 00:20:54.890 where everyone who walked into one of my shows 00:20:54.890 --> 00:20:57.509 is like, oh, this is all the same people. I will 00:20:57.509 --> 00:20:59.390 say, though, one of the things that first attracted 00:20:59.390 --> 00:21:02.329 me to your band was the people that love your 00:21:02.329 --> 00:21:05.470 band. You have fans that fucking love your music. 00:21:05.630 --> 00:21:08.970 And to me, that's a really good marker of somebody 00:21:08.970 --> 00:21:10.750 who's doing shit. I think there's something. 00:21:11.029 --> 00:21:14.109 What I'm getting at is that I don't know if there's 00:21:14.109 --> 00:21:18.160 a single thing. But I want people in that room 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:20.640 who maybe have been in the same room to see me 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:23.559 20 times to finally look to their left and their 00:21:23.559 --> 00:21:25.539 right and go, hey, my name's Greg, blah, blah, 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:27.559 blah. I made a bunch of friends last night. I 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:29.319 met people that had never been to my house before, 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:31.160 and now they'll be back. I'll be fucking with 00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:32.799 those people. I went out with my buddies, Murder 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:36.660 by Death, and I walked around. I literally took 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:39.880 no merch out. It was the first real run of shows 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:42.599 I'd done post my breakdown of I don't know what 00:21:42.599 --> 00:21:44.799 I want to do anymore. But part of that thing 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:46.680 I was still going to. You know what? Merch sucks. 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:49.200 I'm not doing merch anymore. I'd play. I'd grab 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.660 my stuff. And then I was just walking around. 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:52.859 And I'd gab with a lot of people. And there were 00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:54.359 people there that were like, I care what this 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:56.900 band does. But I actually don't care. I will 00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:00.319 always be at all their shows. I'll buy all their 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.960 stuff. I'll do whatever it takes for them. Because 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:05.359 I met this person. I met this person. We don't 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:07.000 live in the same state. But these are my people. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:09.420 And I met them. That's why I go to Athens every 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:12.000 year, man. These are all people that, like, it's 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:14.759 their pilgrimage, right? This was in a cave. 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.279 Oh, yeah. I'm going to see them in August in 00:22:17.279 --> 00:22:19.180 the caverns, man. I'm excited. It's incredible. 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:21.259 They let me sleep there that night. There was, 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:23.339 like, a movie afterwards. Then they locked up 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:25.740 and I slept. Their shows are special, but a big 00:22:25.740 --> 00:22:27.579 part of why we all go there is to see each other. 00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:30.059 We bought the room. Like, we are the promoter. 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:33.000 went all in. And it's like big. It's expensive 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.839 to buy the place. And I said, do you know where 00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:36.140 everybody's coming from? Because it's kind of 00:22:36.140 --> 00:22:37.920 in the middle. It's near Nashville, but not totally. 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:39.339 And he's like, yeah. And I was like, how many 00:22:39.339 --> 00:22:41.519 people live near this cave? And he's like, oh, 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:43.680 it's 90 % people flying in from out of state. 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:47.619 And so that crowd was very much, this is, and 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.380 so it was that sort of. I've dreamed of seeing 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:52.519 a show there. Yeah. It's a really special place. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:54.960 It's really cool. And all that really, what I 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:57.259 was getting at is like that particular conversation 00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:59.880 just really. hit me where i was just like man 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:02.779 i just i don't even know if people i don't know 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:04.720 if there's someone who's i'll always love what 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:07.599 rod does because i met my wife at a show or whatever 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:10.900 when i go back now i can think of times where 00:23:10.900 --> 00:23:12.819 people are like our first date was at your show 00:23:12.819 --> 00:23:15.000 or something or we said let's go on a date and 00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:16.799 then i suggested the show and she was a big fan 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:19.250 and He was a big fan. That's when we knew. But 00:23:19.250 --> 00:23:21.190 I never really processed as, so I'm important 00:23:21.190 --> 00:23:23.670 to you because of this. Not in a way, I'm not 00:23:23.670 --> 00:23:25.230 sitting there, I'm hoping people show up and 00:23:25.230 --> 00:23:27.089 tell me the story of how important I am to them. 00:23:27.329 --> 00:23:29.789 It's more, oh, what can I do to like... Create 00:23:29.789 --> 00:23:32.029 those connections. Yeah, like really, because... 00:23:32.029 --> 00:23:35.690 Or foster them. I'm a strange cat. I have lots 00:23:35.690 --> 00:23:38.490 of acquaintances and I have a few friends, you 00:23:38.490 --> 00:23:40.490 know? But when I find people I connect with, 00:23:40.529 --> 00:23:42.430 I'm just like, whatever it takes. I'll murder 00:23:42.430 --> 00:23:44.809 for you or whatever. So the idea of potentially 00:23:44.809 --> 00:23:48.509 creating a moment where someone, P, next. Literally, 00:23:48.589 --> 00:23:51.009 this idea. Like, the first night of the first 00:23:51.009 --> 00:23:53.089 house show, I walked by, and the person was, 00:23:53.170 --> 00:23:55.230 like, talking to someone else. Oh, I always see 00:23:55.230 --> 00:23:56.490 you at the Christmas show. I was like, oh, yeah, 00:23:56.569 --> 00:23:58.410 yeah. Like, we get a party bus. Let me get your 00:23:58.410 --> 00:23:59.869 number, and you can be on the party bus. And 00:23:59.869 --> 00:24:03.029 this is exactly what I wanted to happen. I told 00:24:03.029 --> 00:24:05.210 you earlier today, this made me love my house 00:24:05.210 --> 00:24:07.849 more. Yeah, that's cool. This house sucks, dude. 00:24:08.029 --> 00:24:10.990 It does. It's, yeah. It's, like, go back to the 00:24:10.990 --> 00:24:12.970 truckers and something they did recently to keep 00:24:12.970 --> 00:24:15.430 things fresh, and I think, because it's almost 00:24:15.430 --> 00:24:17.210 like the other side of what you're talking about. 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:18.940 They're a band that never plays with a set list. 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:21.400 They never, I've never, I've seen them over a 00:24:21.400 --> 00:24:22.720 hundred times. They've never played the same 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:25.339 show until they did the Southern Rock Opera tour. 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:27.759 And I saw that tour four times. That was the 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:29.119 first time I've ever seen them play the same 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:31.700 show more than once. And that was new. Yeah, 00:24:31.740 --> 00:24:33.980 I know. But then, now that they're not doing 00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:36.140 it anymore, the rest of their catalog, it's like 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:38.099 they're in love with it again. Yeah. And this 00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:39.599 ties back to the thing I was talking about on 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:41.200 an episode that you haven't heard yet, about 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:44.079 these reunion tours and these nostalgia, Flaming 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:46.920 Lips doing Yashimi, Truckers doing... Southern 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:49.680 Rock Opera, Bright Eyes is on tour right now. 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:53.160 These people are actually revisiting a lot of 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:56.420 what you're talking about. Like, somebody met 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:58.980 at one of your shows, they go back to your show 00:24:58.980 --> 00:25:01.079 and it's like a memory. People go see Bright 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:03.440 Eyes because they fell in love to that band in 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:08.099 college or whatever. I think you're hitting the 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:10.119 nail on the head, first of all. I think if your 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:12.500 goal is to do that, then you're accomplishing 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:15.099 that. Fuck yeah. But also, I just think it's 00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:18.940 interesting how different artists do different, 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:21.299 completely different things. Set list, no set 00:25:21.299 --> 00:25:23.940 list or whatever. And then also, okay, we're 00:25:23.940 --> 00:25:25.579 going to go play this album that we've never 00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:28.519 played all the way through in 20 years. Or I'm 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.079 going to go play at house. I haven't done solo 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:32.660 shows in 20 years. I'm going to go do house shows 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:34.440 and I'm going to really foster these connections. 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:36.779 And I think both of them are doing the same thing. 00:25:36.859 --> 00:25:39.779 Yeah. In different ways. But you're building 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:43.359 something that isn't necessarily tangible. Like 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.990 for me, there's also this thing. Someone would 00:25:46.990 --> 00:25:49.009 be like, you did this and you did this and now 00:25:49.009 --> 00:25:50.309 you're doing this and now you're doing this. 00:25:50.450 --> 00:25:52.650 And I'm not zooming out and looking at my life 00:25:52.650 --> 00:25:55.069 in some sort of like, how do I tell the story? 00:25:55.490 --> 00:25:57.609 I'm in the middle of it. So the high points, 00:25:57.730 --> 00:26:00.410 the low points, the whatever, that's just that 00:26:00.410 --> 00:26:03.470 Thursday, that one week, that one year. I don't 00:26:03.470 --> 00:26:06.230 have this like observational measurement, whatever, 00:26:06.410 --> 00:26:11.190 like this is no different than playing some festival 00:26:11.190 --> 00:26:14.119 than... getting some even in the course of like 00:26:14.119 --> 00:26:16.099 why did that one record work it's like there's 00:26:16.099 --> 00:26:18.980 no reason that record worked like to me i was 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.720 never shooting lower there was definitely like 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:23.359 last night people were asking for songs i wrote 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:26.160 when i was 19 i'm 44 but also i played the song 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:28.539 i wrote last week and it's like i can't tell 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:30.960 you why anything works and that's not my job 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:35.180 my job is to look at it and then talk about it 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:39.099 and sometimes the talking about it is obscuring 00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:41.789 it in a way that someone has to dig so hard that 00:26:41.789 --> 00:26:43.809 they figure out something about themselves and 00:26:43.809 --> 00:26:46.450 sometimes it's just saying it plainly. I think 00:26:46.450 --> 00:26:48.950 we've lost a lot in the sense of the difference 00:26:48.950 --> 00:26:52.630 between what an artist is here for and our obsession 00:26:52.630 --> 00:26:55.990 with easy sugar. Just like, let's get entertained. 00:26:56.390 --> 00:26:58.890 Yeah, give me my dopamine fix, my flavor of the 00:26:58.890 --> 00:27:01.250 week. And I like to be entertained. Last night 00:27:01.250 --> 00:27:04.190 we numbed out and watched a big dumb movie. There's 00:27:04.190 --> 00:27:06.190 times where I want that. That's not the same 00:27:06.190 --> 00:27:09.170 as an artist actually doing something or changing 00:27:09.170 --> 00:27:12.980 my life. So, That's almost like a recharge in 00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:15.420 a way. And in the same way that I don't think 00:27:15.420 --> 00:27:17.079 you should be entertained all the time, I don't 00:27:17.079 --> 00:27:19.279 think you can get your life changed by art every 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:22.099 five seconds. If that happens, you're just consuming 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:24.559 shit all the time. Yeah. Or like looking for 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:27.380 answers when your life is happening to you. Yeah. 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:29.640 And some of that, it's literally like, I thought 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:31.720 I was going to be in New Orleans writing and 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:34.019 recording for the last three days, but instead 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:37.220 I was living in a way that it's like... what 00:27:37.220 --> 00:27:39.559 the hell just happened to me new orleans is like 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:43.220 that though and so anyways yeah again i like 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:44.920 i guess you were like do you have anything plug 00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:46.920 and it was just more whether not necessarily 00:27:46.920 --> 00:27:50.180 my shows or the idea of doing more house shows 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:52.680 or i'm also playing club shows yeah yeah and 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:54.680 whatever what i was getting at is i guess i'm 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:59.740 just like wanting people to connect i don't really 00:27:59.740 --> 00:28:01.339 know how to plug that other than put your phone 00:28:01.339 --> 00:28:05.119 down and find a situation where maybe it's not 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:07.869 weird to actually Like, that thing of going out 00:28:07.869 --> 00:28:11.309 to a bar to be alone is uninteresting to me now. 00:28:11.569 --> 00:28:13.369 This scenario, something like this house show, 00:28:13.430 --> 00:28:17.130 it seems like it's so different that all those 00:28:17.130 --> 00:28:19.950 rules are kind of suspended. Yeah, no, it's so 00:28:19.950 --> 00:28:21.869 weird because it's just someone who goes to a 00:28:21.869 --> 00:28:23.829 bunch of shows. Yeah. Talking to it straight, 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:26.359 like... Even, we're there for the same reason. 00:28:26.420 --> 00:28:28.839 We obviously both love this band. You have something 00:28:28.839 --> 00:28:30.519 in common. But still starting a conversation 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:32.799 with those people is weird. Hey man, don't go 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:34.619 over there. There's a weirdo that's talking to 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:37.359 everybody or something. Yeah. Whereas like last 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:39.339 night, it would have been fucking weird if we 00:28:39.339 --> 00:28:41.819 didn't talk to each other. It would have been 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:43.019 like, it's like the opposite. You were like, 00:28:43.079 --> 00:28:45.140 can I get in your fridge or what? Yeah. Can I 00:28:45.140 --> 00:28:47.039 pee here? And I'm like, I don't like the alternative. 00:28:47.420 --> 00:28:49.480 Using your hand towels. You know, like, yeah. 00:28:49.619 --> 00:28:52.279 Yeah, I think. I'm not anti -bar, I'm not anti 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:54.880 -restaurant, I'm not anti -whatever, but I guess 00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:57.720 that is the experiment. I'm pushing myself into 00:28:57.720 --> 00:29:02.519 places that it's different enough that it breaks 00:29:02.519 --> 00:29:07.180 all my typical patterns and cycles. It's easy 00:29:07.180 --> 00:29:09.920 to just have. That's the design of modern life 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:12.180 in America is I can go to the same coffee shop 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:14.319 in every town because literally there's a Starbucks 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:17.240 in every town. So I can walk in, I can say my 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:20.839 order, it will taste the same. I'm out the door. 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:25.539 And so to search for that weird stuff and that, 00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:29.859 like, non -processed, non -just homogenized version 00:29:29.859 --> 00:29:32.920 of the world, it's more difficult. It's weird 00:29:32.920 --> 00:29:35.220 that it's more difficult to get fresh organic 00:29:35.220 --> 00:29:38.519 food than not. Yeah. Like, one of them takes 00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:40.740 maybe more work in the sense of you've got to 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:42.640 care for it, but you don't have to have technology 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:45.400 to have an apple. But, like, here we are, and 00:29:45.400 --> 00:29:47.839 now I have to have, like, apps to figure out. 00:29:48.220 --> 00:29:50.420 if this thing saying it's organic is lying to 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:52.039 me or whatever. I don't know. Anyway, the point 00:29:52.039 --> 00:29:54.660 is, it shouldn't be that hard to experience life 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:58.220 where every store is different and everybody's 00:29:58.220 --> 00:30:00.400 hamburger tastes different and everybody's whatever 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:03.619 it is. Have it be organic and natural and real. 00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:08.059 Some weird industrial person decided that they 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:10.019 knew that everyone's afraid all the time and 00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:12.279 they can give you a safe experience and everybody 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:14.119 just said, yeah, let's go. You could have murdered 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:16.839 me last night. I don't think I have the means, 00:30:16.980 --> 00:30:19.000 if I think about it. No, there's a nice knife 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.220 set over there, but I definitely don't have it 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:23.539 in me. I don't want to get murdered, but it definitely 00:30:23.539 --> 00:30:25.779 is like, it's different even than crashing with 00:30:25.779 --> 00:30:27.740 a band. Right. There's four or five of us, this 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:29.279 guy. There's been a few times where he showed 00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:31.539 up at our house, and like the second the person 00:30:31.539 --> 00:30:34.599 who invited us over laid down, we were all like, 00:30:34.619 --> 00:30:36.160 we gotta get the hell out of here. To be fair, 00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:37.839 I half expected you to be gone when I woke up 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:39.779 this morning. I need your help carrying the heavy 00:30:39.779 --> 00:30:41.700 stuff. Let's do this. I got one last question 00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:44.440 for you, Red Bull and NyQuil. Still fuck with 00:30:44.440 --> 00:30:47.619 that? No. The combinations of chemicals have 00:30:47.619 --> 00:30:50.420 changed for sure. Yeah. Always experimenting. 00:30:50.819 --> 00:30:53.099 Thank you so much for being here, Roddy. I really 00:30:53.099 --> 00:30:55.599 appreciate it, man. Guys, if you have a house 00:30:55.599 --> 00:30:58.079 that can host a show, get in touch with this 00:30:58.079 --> 00:30:59.720 guy. He'll throw the best fucking party you've 00:30:59.720 --> 00:31:01.440 ever had. All right, man. Thanks for having me. 00:31:01.480 --> 00:31:03.759 Let's get you loaded out. Yeah. That was part 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:05.559 two of my interview with J. Roddy Walston. I 00:31:05.559 --> 00:31:07.759 hope you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed talking 00:31:07.759 --> 00:31:11.380 to him. Make sure you check out what he has going 00:31:11.380 --> 00:31:16.869 on wherever. I know he's going to be in the Midwest 00:31:16.869 --> 00:31:19.730 for the next couple of weeks. Like I said, he's 00:31:19.730 --> 00:31:21.650 going to be throwing those pre -parties, so make 00:31:21.650 --> 00:31:24.890 sure you go check that out as well. And I highly 00:31:24.890 --> 00:31:27.769 encourage you to check out his band, Pom Pom, 00:31:28.069 --> 00:31:31.049 which is a band we didn't talk about much, but 00:31:31.049 --> 00:31:33.589 that record's really great. I really love that 00:31:33.589 --> 00:31:36.410 band, too. J. Roddy Walston, check out his music. 00:31:36.609 --> 00:31:39.369 It's fantastic. I really appreciated him being 00:31:39.369 --> 00:31:43.940 here. I am going to switch things up a little 00:31:43.940 --> 00:31:46.160 bit next week. We're going to have Cole Taylor 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:50.599 from Classic City Wrestling will be on the show. 00:31:50.880 --> 00:31:53.859 And before that, I'm going to do an episode about 00:31:53.859 --> 00:31:57.400 the scientific method and the history of that, 00:31:57.500 --> 00:32:02.380 where it came from, and whether or not it's actually 00:32:02.380 --> 00:32:06.359 how science is conducted. Stay tuned for that. 00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:09.859 Click that subscribe button. Check out Fedden 00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:14.740 .net. Check out JRottyWalston .com. Thanks to 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:16.759 Lee Baines for the inspiration for the title 00:32:16.759 --> 00:32:20.480 of this podcast. And if you want me to answer 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:23.099 one of your questions on the podcast, send me 00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:27.240 an email at FeddenXR at gmail .com. That's F 00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:32.880 -E -D -D -U -N -X -R at gmail .com. Thanks for 00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:33.920 tuning in. Have a great weekend.