WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:03.660 Welcome to Overeducated and Underemployed. I'm 00:00:03.660 --> 00:00:07.299 Fedden, and I'm here with a really special episode 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:11.179 for you today. I sat down with Cole Taylor, who 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:14.779 is the owner of Classic City Wrestling out of 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:17.399 Athens, Georgia, which has moved beyond just 00:00:17.399 --> 00:00:20.320 Athens at this point. He gave me the inside scoop 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:22.300 on this interview, but they just announced it 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:26.899 between recording this and releasing it, that 00:00:26.899 --> 00:00:29.469 they're doing a show in Asheville. They have 00:00:29.469 --> 00:00:33.909 already done Nashville and Atlanta, and they've 00:00:33.909 --> 00:00:39.009 become a really big part of the scene in Athens 00:00:39.009 --> 00:00:42.170 to the point where Kimberly Morgan York recorded 00:00:42.170 --> 00:00:44.570 one of her music videos with them at the 40 Watt. 00:00:44.750 --> 00:00:48.070 I asked John Neff about it because he's in Kimberly's 00:00:48.070 --> 00:00:52.090 band, and he just mentioned that they had a gig 00:00:52.090 --> 00:00:55.310 the night before at the 40 Watt. They had a wrestling 00:00:55.310 --> 00:00:58.140 show at the 40 Watt the night before. And they 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:00.200 just left everything up and went in the next 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:03.340 morning and filmed a music video. But in addition 00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:05.680 to her being like a powerhouse of a songwriter 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.099 and singer, her band is like a super group of 00:01:10.099 --> 00:01:13.159 Athens musicians. So I'm going to link that video 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:15.980 in the description here because I really think 00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:21.040 it captured the feel of classic city wrestling. 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:25.859 Cole Taylor and I met when he was touring with 00:01:25.859 --> 00:01:28.299 the Drive -By Truckers. He eventually became 00:01:28.299 --> 00:01:30.680 their tour manager. We talk about that quite 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:34.739 a bit as well. And back in February, the Drive 00:01:34.739 --> 00:01:38.060 -By Truckers did a Classic City Wrestling. Now, 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:40.640 just to back up a minute, Classic City Wrestling 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:44.420 combines live music, rock and roll music with 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:47.819 wrestling. So instead of having canned music 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:50.780 that the wrestlers walk out to and things like 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:52.659 that, they have a live band. And then the live 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:55.760 band plays a short set after the wrestling matches 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:00.849 are done. So it really has become like a staple 00:02:00.849 --> 00:02:05.590 of Athens culture. And I really enjoyed sitting 00:02:05.590 --> 00:02:08.110 down with Cole. Here's part one of my interview 00:02:08.110 --> 00:02:10.729 with him. Part two will be out next episode. 00:02:11.310 --> 00:02:14.449 So make sure you check out Classic City Wrestling. 00:02:14.550 --> 00:02:17.009 You can get tickets for, I think there's still 00:02:17.009 --> 00:02:19.789 a few tickets available. They've sold out the 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.469 40 watt multiple times at this point. So if you 00:02:22.469 --> 00:02:24.870 don't have tickets for May 17th with Nicholas 00:02:24.870 --> 00:02:28.099 Malice and the Borealis. Then make sure you get 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:31.639 your tickets now. That's just a couple of weeks 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:36.020 away. Nicholas Malice and the Borealis. Classic 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:40.219 City Wrestling. 40 Watt Club. May 17th. And then 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:44.439 you need to make sure you check out their debut 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:47.639 in Asheville, North Carolina at the Orange Peel. 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:50.939 On June 30th at the Orange Peel in Asheville, 00:02:50.979 --> 00:02:53.710 North Carolina. You've got Classic City Wrestling 00:02:53.710 --> 00:02:56.849 with Rhinestone Pickup Truck as the music guest. 00:02:57.210 --> 00:03:00.090 So those are a couple of shows coming up. If 00:03:00.090 --> 00:03:01.889 you're in the area, make sure you grab tickets 00:03:01.889 --> 00:03:05.610 and check it out. I am not someone who has a 00:03:05.610 --> 00:03:07.590 lot of experience with wrestling, and when I 00:03:07.590 --> 00:03:12.090 went in February, it was an absolute blast. Without 00:03:12.090 --> 00:03:13.729 further ado, here's part one of my interview 00:03:13.729 --> 00:03:17.569 with Cole Taylor. Hey, Cole. I want to talk to 00:03:17.569 --> 00:03:19.710 you about a few things today, but I'm going to... 00:03:19.710 --> 00:03:22.389 Hell yeah. Back up to the very beginning. And 00:03:22.389 --> 00:03:23.889 I'm going to ask you a question that I've been 00:03:23.889 --> 00:03:26.590 asking most people. I don't know that you're 00:03:26.590 --> 00:03:28.830 a musician. If you are, I'm not aware of it. 00:03:28.930 --> 00:03:31.590 I'm like half -ass. Yeah. And like by half -ass, 00:03:31.650 --> 00:03:33.969 maybe like a tenth of an ass. So I have this 00:03:33.969 --> 00:03:36.389 thing, like all comedians want to be rock stars. 00:03:36.610 --> 00:03:39.830 So I can relate. I feel you. But obviously music 00:03:39.830 --> 00:03:42.979 is like a big part of your... trajectory and 00:03:42.979 --> 00:03:45.560 a big part of classic city wrestling so i'll 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:47.020 go ahead and ask you the same question i've asked 00:03:47.020 --> 00:03:48.939 other musicians and things like that what's the 00:03:48.939 --> 00:03:51.979 first song you remember loving the first song 00:03:51.979 --> 00:03:55.439 i remember loving wow that's an interesting question 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:57.860 because i know the moment where everything changed 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:00.500 but that wasn't this i grew up in the country 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:05.599 in rural virginia and man like country music 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:10.300 was just such a part of the culture and the first 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:14.090 song that I remember loving was Always and Forever 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.850 by Randy Travis. Oh, hell yeah. I thought about 00:04:16.850 --> 00:04:19.610 that song for a long time. Totally. Now it's 00:04:19.610 --> 00:04:22.029 playing in my head. Yeah, but it brings me back. 00:04:22.089 --> 00:04:25.490 Do you remember how you heard it? Or what the 00:04:25.490 --> 00:04:28.089 connection was for you? Do you remember why you 00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:30.470 loved it so much or anything like that? Man. 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:32.670 And it can be super simple. I don't think there's 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:35.889 much depth to it. I think that my parents had 00:04:35.889 --> 00:04:40.930 one of those 1980s big, huge radios. One of them 00:04:40.930 --> 00:04:43.970 happened to get that cassette tape, and it just 00:04:43.970 --> 00:04:47.209 worked for me. It was cassette. 100%. I can't 00:04:47.209 --> 00:04:49.290 say that I grew up listening to records or anything. 00:04:49.569 --> 00:04:52.629 I had records from an old collection, but I never 00:04:52.629 --> 00:04:55.629 acquired records until I was in college. Yeah, 00:04:55.649 --> 00:04:58.550 yeah. Yeah, and we were too poor for CDs, so 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:01.569 cassettes were where it was at. That came much 00:05:01.569 --> 00:05:05.550 later for me as well. Do you remember when you 00:05:05.550 --> 00:05:10.149 became aware of... Your love for music in general, 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:13.430 not just a song or even a genre or an artist, 00:05:13.529 --> 00:05:16.370 but there's, I fucking love music alluded to 00:05:16.370 --> 00:05:18.930 it earlier, but it's a very specific moment. 00:05:19.009 --> 00:05:22.810 I remember very clearly, but like a funny thing, 00:05:22.870 --> 00:05:25.970 like things were changing. I was 11 years old. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:28.579 And so that's the kind of point where you start 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:30.959 changing, too. And I was always a little different 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:32.420 than my peers. That's when you grew your mustache, 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:35.500 right? Oh, man, my whole life I wished I could 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:38.100 grow facial hair. And then finally I got to the 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:40.500 point where I could grow a mustache. Hell yeah. 00:05:40.660 --> 00:05:44.319 Fuck yeah. Anyway, it was like mid -90s, and 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:49.560 the country music station, 106 .5 The Bear became 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:53.180 106 .5 The Buzz. That was like alternative rock, 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:57.000 and it was this thing that was around. I started 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.600 listening to the radio station some. And it was 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:03.560 cool. I was very much influenced by it all. The 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:06.660 Smashing Pumpkins were coming into town, playing 00:06:06.660 --> 00:06:09.800 the Richmond Coliseum, and garbage was opening 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:13.420 for them. And for whatever reason, I really wanted 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.750 to go. Were you aware of their music at the time, 00:06:16.769 --> 00:06:19.209 or was it more like a buzz, like all the cool 00:06:19.209 --> 00:06:21.370 people were going kind of thing? I kind of caught 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:23.970 wind of it, and I was aware of their music. Like, 00:06:23.990 --> 00:06:28.750 I knew 1979 at that point. The 106 .5, the buzz, 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:31.569 the station that I was listening to pretty regularly, 00:06:31.629 --> 00:06:34.470 they were doing this thing where they were advertising 00:06:34.470 --> 00:06:36.810 the show. Like, it was clearly they were pushing 00:06:36.810 --> 00:06:39.230 the show hard. I understand those types of things 00:06:39.230 --> 00:06:41.129 now, but at the time, like, they're just fucking 00:06:41.129 --> 00:06:45.259 enthusiastic. It worked. And they played a Smashing 00:06:45.259 --> 00:06:49.000 Pumpkins song. They played the song Zero. There's 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:50.939 this moment in the middle of the song where everything 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:55.300 stops. And Billy Corgan goes, Wanna go for a 00:06:55.300 --> 00:06:58.579 ride? And I swear to God, it sounds as cheesy 00:06:58.579 --> 00:07:02.560 as hell, but the world stopped. There's an eternity 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:04.620 in that moment. And I'm sitting at the edge of 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:07.540 my bed, and I make this conscious decision. I'm 00:07:07.540 --> 00:07:09.519 like, yes, take me on this ride. And then he 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:12.850 kicks back in with the guitar. Boom! I've never 00:07:12.850 --> 00:07:16.009 been the same since. I've been on that ride ever 00:07:16.009 --> 00:07:18.930 since. Did you go to the show? My fucking parents 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:21.050 wouldn't let me go. I give them shit about it 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:24.050 to this day. And they're, come on, Cole. What 00:07:24.050 --> 00:07:27.569 the hell? No, that's... I wouldn't let that go 00:07:27.569 --> 00:07:30.529 either. I respect that. But in a way, the yearning... 00:07:30.529 --> 00:07:32.629 I think that if I'd went, it would have taken 00:07:32.629 --> 00:07:34.529 things to a whole new level, but I didn't get 00:07:34.529 --> 00:07:36.769 to go. But, like, the yearning to go. Yeah, because 00:07:36.769 --> 00:07:38.370 it could have also been really disappointing. 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:41.439 It could have been. And so that desire that never 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:43.660 got checked one way or the other, there's something 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:46.459 magical about that for sure. I'll run into people 00:07:46.459 --> 00:07:51.160 as adults. I'll run into musicians and be like, 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:53.019 oh, shit, you're from Richmond? Oh, shit, we're 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:56.699 the same age. Hey, did you go to that show? They're 00:07:56.699 --> 00:07:58.920 like, oh, yeah, it was fucking awesome. Oh, God. 00:07:59.259 --> 00:08:01.180 And it's funny. It's like it still comes up. 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:07.120 I think that does also point to your sensibilities 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:11.079 in a way. That I think, like, that brings a lot 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:12.920 of us together. It's why I think I've gotten 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:15.779 to know a little bit about a lot of the people 00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:17.699 that I'm interviewing in the first kind of initial 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:21.339 round. Is that we all have this ability, this 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:24.819 filter to not just take whatever's thrown at 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:27.480 us and really recognize when something is special. 00:08:28.019 --> 00:08:30.920 100%. And whether you get to go to the show or 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:34.720 not, you knew then that it was going to be, like, 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:37.000 one of those events that people are still talking 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.460 about. It was a thing. It was a thing. And I 00:08:39.460 --> 00:08:40.980 think that's not something that people think 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:43.940 about very often. But having the ability to recognize 00:08:43.940 --> 00:08:47.580 when something is great. Yeah. A lot of people 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:50.299 need to be told what's cool. For sure. And then 00:08:50.299 --> 00:08:52.320 there's the people that tell other people what's 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:54.740 cool. And not many people know what's cool at 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:57.279 11. So I think that's interesting. Formative 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:00.340 moment. So you said you're a half -assed musician. 00:09:00.580 --> 00:09:03.039 When did you start trying to play music? And 00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:05.399 when did you accept that this is just something 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:08.620 I'm going to do for fun? Oh, off and on. Off 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:12.759 and on for forever. Around that time, I was obsessed 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:15.419 with it, and I saved my money for an electric 00:09:15.419 --> 00:09:18.399 guitar. Do you remember what kind? It was a Yamaha 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:22.600 Pacifica, baby. A crate amp. I had a crate amp, 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:25.059 too, at one point. Once you learn a power chord, 00:09:25.179 --> 00:09:27.779 you can get pretty far with... Especially in 00:09:27.779 --> 00:09:30.360 middle school or high school. I had a lot of 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:34.019 fun with that. As embarrassing as it sounds, 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:36.100 looking back, I'm like, it just must not have 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:39.159 been meant for me in that moment. But I just 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:41.639 never could get around changing strings. I just 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:43.299 couldn't ever get the hang of it. And eventually 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:46.940 the frustration of it eventually drove me away. 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:51.539 Now, when you went on the road with bands, did 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:54.519 that ever become part of your job? Briefly. I 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.379 would do things like I was... Just to back up 00:09:57.379 --> 00:09:59.620 for our listeners, there was a time where Cole 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:02.559 was the tour manager, among other roles, with 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:05.480 the Drive -By Truckers, which is how we first 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.779 met. 100%. And so just to give a little context 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:10.840 to what we're talking about here, now we can... 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.379 Patterson said to you one time... Just in truckers 00:10:13.379 --> 00:10:16.600 lore in general, they all liked me and they saw 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:19.379 a lot of potential in me, but they didn't know 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:23.139 what to do with me. And they would just... throw 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:25.340 stuff at me that wasn't right and they'd be like 00:10:25.340 --> 00:10:28.320 oh yeah you better not do that but this guy ultimately 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.559 what ended up happening was I was not a lighting 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:35.279 director but I was an assistant tour manager 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:37.840 who happened to run lights during the show and 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:40.019 my lights were not outstanding at all because 00:10:40.019 --> 00:10:43.159 I wasn't a real lighting person but being able 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:45.279 to help the tour manager at the time back to 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:49.320 run the show like that was where I excelled but 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:53.279 there came a point where Patterson did a solo 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:57.620 tour, and I stepped in and tour managed that 00:10:57.620 --> 00:10:59.860 because Matt is already tour managing the truckers. 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:02.879 He was happy to pass that on to me. Yeah, yeah, 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:05.460 and you had some experience under him, so he 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:08.600 knew you could handle it. But they were like, 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:10.679 yeah, so cool, you'll guitar tech for Patterson. 00:11:10.700 --> 00:11:13.720 You'll change these strings. You'll do all that. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:17.960 And I did it, but... Pretty quickly into it, 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:20.100 Patterson was like, oh, don't worry, buddy. I 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:22.820 got it. I'll just take care of it. And I was 00:11:22.820 --> 00:11:25.360 able to read between the lines there. Are you 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:26.940 sure you didn't fuck it up on purpose because 00:11:26.940 --> 00:11:29.240 you hated changing guitar strings so much? I'm 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:32.480 often accused of doing that with driving. I've 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:36.840 been banned from driving on many tours. And some 00:11:36.840 --> 00:11:39.519 people have accused me of just doing something 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:43.730 dumb right away. I like how you're not addressing 00:11:43.730 --> 00:11:45.470 whether there's truth to that or not. You're 00:11:45.470 --> 00:11:47.490 just letting it sit. And I'll just leave that 00:11:47.490 --> 00:11:50.889 there. Let there be a little lore. So when did 00:11:50.889 --> 00:11:55.789 you kind of realize that you belonged? So let 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:58.450 me just back up for a second. One of the reasons 00:11:58.450 --> 00:12:02.899 you and I always clicked was... For the reason 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:04.679 you were just talking about, we're like the best 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:07.419 fans a band could ask. Totally. You know what 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:09.519 I mean? 100%. And I only say that because I've 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:12.320 been told that by people before. My friend Terry 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:14.299 Clark, he just one day was like, you're like 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:17.720 the best fan. And I see that's what the truckers 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:20.240 saw in you, but they were like, what do we do 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.320 with that? This guy will help us to the end of 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:27.110 the earth, but how? When did you accept? Your 00:12:27.110 --> 00:12:30.350 role as not being a guitar player not being a 00:12:30.350 --> 00:12:33.529 musician and being more running lights running 00:12:33.529 --> 00:12:37.289 the tour would it be part of the show but But 00:12:37.289 --> 00:12:40.190 not I don't know. I think that it's a perpetual 00:12:40.190 --> 00:12:44.149 journey of Trying to figure out your role in 00:12:44.149 --> 00:12:46.570 all of it, and I don't know that I've ever really 00:12:46.570 --> 00:12:49.259 figured it out And don't get me wrong, I still 00:12:49.259 --> 00:12:51.539 have fantasies of being in a band someday. Sometimes 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:53.960 all you need is one chord and fuck you. Exactly. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:56.639 I was a very serious swimmer, so when things 00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:59.159 didn't work out playing music, it was very easy 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:01.639 to just go, that's not even what I'm doing. Music 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.460 is very much an escape. So there's that aspect. 00:13:04.659 --> 00:13:07.299 When did you start swimming? Competitively? Oh, 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:11.860 dude, like, I started swimming, like, regularly 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:16.440 at, like, age six. So, by, competitively by, 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:20.120 like, age seven. Okay. Yeah. So it was something 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:23.600 you were good at right away. Whenever you get 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:25.600 frustrated with something else, it was something 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:27.299 that you knew you were good at, and you always 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:29.460 fell back on it. Is that kind of what you're 00:13:29.460 --> 00:13:31.120 getting at? I don't want to say fell back on 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:33.460 it, but it was something that you knew you could 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:38.360 do. Well, when I was swimming, swimming was very 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:41.120 serious. I was breaking state records by age 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:44.460 10. By age 12, I was the number one swimmer in 00:13:44.460 --> 00:13:48.240 America. And what state? In Virginia, okay. Yeah. 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:51.919 No, that is a landlocked state, folks. Of course 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:53.759 it's a landlocked state. There's some beaches 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:56.299 there, but I'm just making fun. Totally. All 00:13:56.299 --> 00:14:00.259 Floridians can swim by age five. That was the 00:14:00.259 --> 00:14:04.580 driving force in my life for forever. Until, 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:07.519 so ultimately, like, I was extremely serious. 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:09.460 I swam for Georgia. You were very competitive 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:12.539 about it. Yeah, it was everything worked towards 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:15.960 being the best swimmer in the world. And there 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.299 was never that moment where I picked up a guitar 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:21.220 and had those same aspirations where somebody 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:24.220 like Patterson, 100%, that's what he's doing. 00:14:24.980 --> 00:14:27.480 Maybe not in the literal sense. The way he talks 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:29.080 about it, it's almost like he didn't have any, 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:31.360 he was not good at anything else. He had to figure 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.000 out how to make that work. That was how I felt 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:37.240 with swimming. And so like playing, it was all 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:40.679 just for fun. And then like sometimes when some 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:43.379 of those other things. for fun when like when 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:45.740 the tough get going there's really no reason 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:49.860 to really like oh i'm gonna bust my ass and i'm 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:51.940 gonna get over this hard shit because i was already 00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:54.259 waking up at 3 30 in the morning doing stuff 00:14:54.259 --> 00:14:57.659 that was hard i just didn't playing just didn't 00:14:57.659 --> 00:15:01.139 i didn't get over those humps there is something 00:15:01.139 --> 00:15:04.820 to be said about having the desire to put in 00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:07.679 the work yeah yeah yeah good enough at something 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:10.490 to be great at it yeah when i was talking to 00:15:10.490 --> 00:15:12.549 roddy he talked about his aspirations to be a 00:15:12.549 --> 00:15:15.750 lawyer and i never knew that when he was younger 00:15:15.750 --> 00:15:18.789 and he feels very differently about that now 00:15:18.789 --> 00:15:21.330 and i think he concluded he wouldn't have put 00:15:21.330 --> 00:15:24.350 in the work to be a good whereas he's never stopped 00:15:24.350 --> 00:15:27.409 putting in no i've always admired like his approach 00:15:27.409 --> 00:15:29.889 to music he has this awesome little practice 00:15:29.889 --> 00:15:32.370 space studio in richmond are you familiar in 00:15:32.370 --> 00:15:35.129 there but i yeah i know and he goes there every 00:15:35.129 --> 00:15:38.899 day He goes for it. And he just lives in that 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:42.340 world every day. Yeah, yeah. What was it like 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:45.039 for your favorite band to be like, hey, you want 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:47.759 to come out with us? Oh, man. Okay, so let's 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:49.980 jump around. I was out of college. I'd stopped 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:52.240 swimming for a while. We'll go back to that in 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.820 a minute. I'd interned with them for a while. 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:58.820 And looking back, I understand that every one 00:15:58.820 --> 00:16:01.480 of my peers is full of shit. And if they weren't 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:04.360 full of shit, it was an anomaly. But, like, I'm 00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.980 scrubbing toilets at the 40 watt, and my peers 00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:10.519 are like, oh, yes, I have this amazing job, and 00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:12.039 I love it. It doesn't feel like work. And I'm 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:15.100 thinking, what the fuck? I'm interning for the 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:18.320 truckers, and I feel old, which is crazy in hindsight. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.179 But I don't know, man. I'd gone on a couple tours 00:16:22.179 --> 00:16:24.899 by that point, but I just truly believed in them. 00:16:25.059 --> 00:16:30.059 And Brad. was talking to me. I was at DBTHQ doing 00:16:30.059 --> 00:16:34.259 whatever, like, intern work, sorting papers or 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:37.360 some shit. It was certainly important, but... 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.779 Keeping the stalkers away from the fan mail. 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:43.039 Like, whatever. Yeah, and Brad's asking me, I'd 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:45.139 just done a tour with a band called Dead Confederate, 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:48.559 and Brad was asking me about the tour, and I'm 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:51.980 telling him, it was very casual. During that 00:16:51.980 --> 00:16:53.779 time, he's still like that, but Brad was, like, 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:56.629 the band member that was... He had the vibe of 00:16:56.629 --> 00:16:58.649 a crew member as well. You could talk to him 00:16:58.649 --> 00:17:01.850 in a different way. Drummers are like that. They 00:17:01.850 --> 00:17:04.009 just have so much gear and they have to be in 00:17:04.009 --> 00:17:06.430 that world. Sure, that makes sense. And he just 00:17:06.430 --> 00:17:09.470 looked at me like, how'd you feel if you toured 00:17:09.470 --> 00:17:12.089 with us? And I go, I'd like that a lot. And then 00:17:12.089 --> 00:17:15.589 I stopped and I'm like, are you serious or are 00:17:15.589 --> 00:17:18.230 you being hypothetical? He goes, oh, I'm serious. 00:17:19.009 --> 00:17:22.269 And I'm like, oh shit. He gave me an offer, which 00:17:22.269 --> 00:17:25.079 I... took and in hindsight it's hilarious that 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:27.000 i was so pumped about that it was one of the 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:30.279 coolest things in the world and it was brad and 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:32.200 matt d and i looked at them both and i'm like 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:34.799 i know this sounds weird but i just got my dream 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:37.539 job do you mind if i just walk outside for a 00:17:37.539 --> 00:17:40.259 second and get my composure and i just walked 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:43.420 laps for about 10 minutes around dbt hq just 00:17:43.420 --> 00:17:46.500 like taking deep breaths sometimes yes that's 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:50.740 what we got to do to maintain that position that 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:53.299 like in the first place because totally I think 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:55.319 the part of the reason that I've always been 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:58.819 able to connect with artists and musicians is 00:17:58.819 --> 00:18:02.019 partially because like I it took me a long time 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:04.220 to figure out what but I knew I had the same 00:18:04.220 --> 00:18:07.900 fire in me right but I also it rarely gets starstruck 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:10.640 and so I feel like that's one of those moments 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:14.759 where like you The potential to, like, fanboy 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:16.799 was there, but you were like, all right, I'm 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:20.420 going to go process this. And I don't mean starstruck 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:23.640 for you, but you were trying to avoid showing 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:25.759 them how excited you were. Oh, yeah, yeah. I 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.319 was worried that it would be inappropriate, just 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:29.660 laughing and crying and just all this shit. But 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:32.200 it was just a moment. Probably earlier that day, 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:35.599 I was scrubbing a urinal at the 40 Y. It was 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:38.200 just... And you probably still had to go do that 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:41.319 night, too, but... Totally. It didn't feel quite 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:45.599 as bad. Exactly. So you were super competitive 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:48.900 about swimming. Yeah. Does that bleed over into 00:18:48.900 --> 00:18:51.539 other parts of your personality? Are you really 00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:54.039 competitive elsewhere in your life? Oh, everything. 00:18:54.380 --> 00:18:57.019 It gets in the way sometimes. I'm just hyper 00:18:57.019 --> 00:19:00.180 -driven. I'm learning that some things don't 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:02.559 need to be given 100%, and you can even do more 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:04.339 if you give it a little bit less, but that's 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:07.190 quite a journey to go on. But everything I do, 00:19:07.289 --> 00:19:09.369 man, I'm just trying to be the best that I can 00:19:09.369 --> 00:19:12.710 be. I try to work as absolute hard as I can with 00:19:12.710 --> 00:19:15.069 everything. Let's go on that journey for a second. 00:19:15.130 --> 00:19:18.069 What do you mean when you say sometimes you've 00:19:18.069 --> 00:19:19.690 learned? Can you give an example of where you 00:19:19.690 --> 00:19:22.549 think you realized that giving a little less 00:19:22.549 --> 00:19:25.829 was more? I guess it's pacing yourself. I get 00:19:25.829 --> 00:19:29.250 really burnt out always. I'm always exhausted. 00:19:29.730 --> 00:19:31.589 That's something I've learned too. You really 00:19:31.589 --> 00:19:34.869 have to fix your priorities and focus on one 00:19:34.869 --> 00:19:38.559 thing at a time. Tim Ferriss has this 80 -20 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:41.500 theory. Are you familiar? Yeah, for sure. I've 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:44.779 learned a lot. I can get a lot further given 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:47.220 my 80 -20 to all of the different things than 00:19:47.220 --> 00:19:50.140 just wasting all my energy fine -tuning one thing 00:19:50.140 --> 00:19:52.599 and not getting anything else done. For sure. 00:19:52.759 --> 00:19:55.059 That's been tremendous for me. So let's take 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:59.220 that back to swimming. I have a feeling that, 00:19:59.339 --> 00:20:01.319 and I don't know, but I have a feeling you're 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:03.480 about to tell me that something stopped you. 00:20:04.089 --> 00:20:06.750 From continuing that. It wasn't necessarily a 00:20:06.750 --> 00:20:09.289 choice. I got here in Athens, Georgia. I came 00:20:09.289 --> 00:20:12.529 here on a swimming scholarship. UGA. I moved 00:20:12.529 --> 00:20:14.630 here when I was 17 and I haven't left. I'm 40 00:20:14.630 --> 00:20:18.609 now. It's a special place. I adore Athens. I 00:20:18.609 --> 00:20:21.609 adore the University of Georgia. Go Dawgs. Love 00:20:21.609 --> 00:20:24.009 it. He's wearing a Dawgs shirt right now. Damn 00:20:24.009 --> 00:20:28.069 national championship. I love it. But as far 00:20:28.069 --> 00:20:31.990 as personalities go, it wasn't the best fit with... 00:20:32.769 --> 00:20:35.650 The thing about swimming, and really any sport, 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:38.650 you wake up at about 5 in the morning at that 00:20:38.650 --> 00:20:40.670 time. It was 3 .30 in the morning when I was 00:20:40.670 --> 00:20:44.089 a kid. But you wake up at 5 in the morning and 00:20:44.089 --> 00:20:45.690 you stare at that pool and you just get your 00:20:45.690 --> 00:20:48.329 ass kicked for a few hours. And then you live 00:20:48.329 --> 00:20:50.089 your life. Then in the afternoon you get your 00:20:50.089 --> 00:20:53.690 ass kicked again. I was seeing this outside world 00:20:53.690 --> 00:20:56.609 in Athens. There was just an amazing gravitational 00:20:56.609 --> 00:20:59.910 pull to me. I was starting to indulge in it a 00:20:59.910 --> 00:21:02.309 little bit. And that doesn't really mix with 00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:05.029 competitive swimming. It just got to the point 00:21:05.029 --> 00:21:07.329 where my heart wasn't in it anymore and my heart 00:21:07.329 --> 00:21:10.069 was so in this other thing. I'm like, I need 00:21:10.069 --> 00:21:12.769 to direct my energy towards this. And what was 00:21:12.769 --> 00:21:15.910 the other thing? Music. The arts. Fuck yeah. 00:21:16.230 --> 00:21:20.089 I just believed in it so hard and I wasn't believing 00:21:20.089 --> 00:21:23.029 in swimming and my teammates hated me for it. 00:21:23.170 --> 00:21:24.890 Did you think about getting into synchronized 00:21:24.890 --> 00:21:27.200 swimming? Because that's... I don't know, man. 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:29.640 Like today, maybe I would have. It's like American 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:32.160 Pie, right, man? You get it from that shit. I'm 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:33.740 just thinking that's one way to implement the 00:21:33.740 --> 00:21:37.279 arts into your swimming. But I got in a little 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:41.980 trouble. Yeah, I showed up late for a swim practice 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:45.819 after it wasn't the first time. I got in a little 00:21:45.819 --> 00:21:49.759 trouble. I wasn't kicked off the team, but I 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:53.579 was just so unhappy at the time. It just seemed 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:56.880 very natural that... I had this gravitational 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:01.319 pull towards something else. And I didn't know, 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:03.299 I certainly didn't think I was going to become 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:05.500 the tour manager of Drive -By Truckers. But at 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:07.259 the time, I was skipping class to wait in line 00:22:07.259 --> 00:22:10.299 to buy tickets to see them. But I knew that something 00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:13.180 in that world, that was where I needed to go. 00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:16.960 And just for our listeners... There used to be 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:19.299 physical box offices where you had to go and 00:22:19.299 --> 00:22:22.680 buy actual paper tickets for concerts. Wait, 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.319 can I tell a funny story about two weeks before 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:29.240 I quit swimming? Yeah, it's perfect. I love this. 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:32.640 I was at Nationals, and ultimately I did all 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:35.099 right. I came in ninth, but I wanted to be on 00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:39.019 the podium. I was very disappointed. I was very 00:22:39.019 --> 00:22:41.259 heartbroken. It was just one of those things. 00:22:41.380 --> 00:22:43.019 I had finished swimming, but then still went 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:46.509 on, so I just had to be there. and somebody from 00:22:46.509 --> 00:22:49.230 home called me and told me that they had fish 00:22:49.230 --> 00:22:52.329 tickets. And I'm like, I'd never seen fish before. 00:22:52.670 --> 00:22:55.329 And I'm like, oh man, I want to go. I'm at nationals. 00:22:55.329 --> 00:22:58.430 It sucks so bad. I'm not even swimming. And I 00:22:58.430 --> 00:23:00.609 went to my coaches and I don't even remember 00:23:00.609 --> 00:23:02.730 how I did it. But I think that a lot of it was 00:23:02.730 --> 00:23:05.049 that my coaches were just so over it with me 00:23:05.049 --> 00:23:07.690 that they didn't even care. But I got permission 00:23:07.690 --> 00:23:10.549 to bounce and got my flights changed. And I don't 00:23:10.549 --> 00:23:12.390 remember the logistics of any of this, but I 00:23:12.390 --> 00:23:15.890 dipped early and I flew to Virginia. I saw fish 00:23:15.890 --> 00:23:19.569 play in Hampton and it completely changed my 00:23:19.569 --> 00:23:21.789 life again. There was so much energy and it was 00:23:21.789 --> 00:23:23.430 just such a culture around that. And I'm like, 00:23:23.509 --> 00:23:27.009 holy shit, this is where I belong. Maybe not 00:23:27.009 --> 00:23:29.369 fish specifically, but I love fish still. It's 00:23:29.369 --> 00:23:31.210 controversial in our communities as to whether 00:23:31.210 --> 00:23:34.250 people like them or not. But I was so blown away 00:23:34.250 --> 00:23:38.329 by it. And it made so much sense that I quit 00:23:38.329 --> 00:23:40.589 swimming two weeks later. It was like the coolest 00:23:40.589 --> 00:23:42.970 thing ever. I think that like... Still on that 00:23:42.970 --> 00:23:47.769 trip. Yeah. So, did you ever regret it? You know, 00:23:47.789 --> 00:23:52.329 regret's a strong word. I wonder sometimes. I 00:23:52.329 --> 00:23:54.670 feel like I've never really reached my potential, 00:23:54.869 --> 00:23:58.390 and that bothers me. I was 151st in the world 00:23:58.390 --> 00:24:02.069 when I quit. Wow. But there's a big difference 00:24:02.069 --> 00:24:05.809 between 1 -5 -1 and 1. And it's also just like 00:24:05.809 --> 00:24:08.589 a snapshot of time. Right. Totally. And so I 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:11.130 often wonder what I could have done, but I don't 00:24:11.130 --> 00:24:12.950 know. I've been on some gnarly tours where every 00:24:12.950 --> 00:24:15.549 day of life just fucking sucks. And I'm like, 00:24:15.589 --> 00:24:17.349 oh, this is what it was like when I was swimming. 00:24:17.990 --> 00:24:20.390 There was no end to the tour. It was just life. 00:24:20.890 --> 00:24:23.490 It just becomes another job eventually, right? 00:24:23.509 --> 00:24:25.950 All of them do. It totally was. It totally was. 00:24:26.130 --> 00:24:29.009 But I give myself forgiveness, but that makes 00:24:29.009 --> 00:24:31.670 me think things now. I'm very timid to quit anything 00:24:31.670 --> 00:24:34.009 prematurely now because I'm like, I don't want 00:24:34.009 --> 00:24:36.630 to make that mistake again. I don't want to wonder. 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:39.579 And maybe to a fault, because maybe sometimes 00:24:39.579 --> 00:24:41.480 I'll stay at a place a little longer than I should. 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:43.539 Yeah, I can think of a few relationships where 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:45.420 that's been the case for me. Totally, absolutely. 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:48.799 And I don't mean even romantic ones, just friendships 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:50.839 or whatever. It's just like, all right, this 00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:55.359 ran its course a long time ago. And the ability 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:58.460 to recognize that, I think, is hard. It's really 00:24:58.460 --> 00:25:03.059 hard, because you never know. You never really 00:25:03.059 --> 00:25:05.759 know if it's the right decision and what's around 00:25:05.759 --> 00:25:08.599 the corner. But I think one thing that strikes 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:12.619 me about Phish being the band that kind of changed 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:16.460 so much for you, or that show in particular, 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:20.079 seeing them, is they're one of those bands with 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.619 a fanatic fan base. Totally. It's true. And there's 00:25:24.619 --> 00:25:26.839 something, I'll be honest, that's part of what... 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:29.759 got me really curious the first time I saw the 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:31.779 Drive -By Truckers. I already loved their music. 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:33.539 I'd already had all their records and everything 00:25:33.539 --> 00:25:36.819 at that point, but... For sure. When I wasn't 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:39.720 the only one that loved them as much as I did, 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:43.200 it was validating in one way, but it was also 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:47.160 like, you don't feel alone anymore. Totally. 00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:50.480 And... A world that makes sense. And I wonder 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:53.779 how much of Fish, like you said, you like the 00:25:53.779 --> 00:25:56.359 band, whatever, but... How much do you think 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:59.019 the fan base had to do with that? I think that 00:25:59.019 --> 00:26:00.900 it definitely showed me that there was another 00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:03.980 world that I could belong in, for sure. There's 00:26:03.980 --> 00:26:06.500 definitely that. You didn't even feel like you 00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:08.299 belonged in the swimming world anymore. Man, 00:26:08.339 --> 00:26:10.000 it was brutal. It was brutal. Do you remember 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:13.839 when you stopped? Was there a moment where you 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:16.059 knew that you were done? Like your heart wasn't 00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:18.319 in it? And not the fish show in the sense that 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:20.460 here's something else, but was there a moment 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:22.279 where it died, if that makes sense? You know, 00:26:22.279 --> 00:26:27.130 it's funny. When I look back on it, I think that 00:26:27.130 --> 00:26:31.869 I was beginning the process of dying years before 00:26:31.869 --> 00:26:34.670 the death actually happened. And I didn't pick 00:26:34.670 --> 00:26:36.869 up on it. Sounds like all my ex -girlfriends. 00:26:37.089 --> 00:26:40.410 Oh, totally. Every one of them. I started dreading 00:26:40.410 --> 00:26:42.950 swim practice pretty early, but I feel like everybody 00:26:42.950 --> 00:26:46.279 does. Michael Phelps does. I grew up with him, 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:48.799 actually. I'm not here to talk about who you 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.259 grew up with, anyway. If that somehow affected 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:54.559 you, then I think it's relevant. That's the degree 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:57.640 of dislike intensity. I gotcha. You think that's 00:26:57.640 --> 00:27:00.480 good context? I don't know, man. I had one swim 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:03.759 meet. It was SEC Championships my freshman year. 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:06.140 I was expected to place very highly and do very 00:27:06.140 --> 00:27:10.279 well. I ended up just completely bombing. Later 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:12.480 years, I experienced heartbreak a little worse, 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:14.460 but at the time, that was the worst heartbreak 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:17.799 I'd ever experienced. I used to always joke to 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:20.539 my coach, I'm like, hey, after all I put into 00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:24.640 this, if this doesn't pay off, I don't know if 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:28.579 I can do it again. I was just joking, but in 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:33.779 hindsight, I meant it. I was never really the 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:37.660 same after that. But I was already on my way 00:27:37.660 --> 00:27:42.200 before that. That might have been the kick in 00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:45.339 the balls that broke the camel's back. So what 00:27:45.339 --> 00:27:47.680 I think is really interesting about the switch, 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:51.519 especially with your competitive nature, music's 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:54.200 not competitive. It's almost like the, especially 00:27:54.200 --> 00:27:56.519 in Athens. It took me a while to understand that. 00:27:57.279 --> 00:28:00.119 Interesting. Do you mind sharing a little bit 00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:02.440 about that? Just don't get me wrong. I think 00:28:02.440 --> 00:28:05.839 that, like I was talking to Jay Gonzalez. and 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:08.200 we were talking about Drive -By Truckers specifically. 00:28:08.539 --> 00:28:10.619 And he said to me... He'll be on in a couple 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:12.359 of weeks. He said to me, I don't know if he was 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:14.700 referring to himself or referring to other band 00:28:14.700 --> 00:28:17.099 members. I can't remember the exact context, 00:28:17.099 --> 00:28:19.079 and I'm leaving it vague, looking out for Jay, 00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:20.839 because I don't want to misspeak on his behalf. 00:28:20.920 --> 00:28:22.799 That's cool. I'm just kidding. But he said something 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:24.579 of, if you don't believe you're the best band 00:28:24.579 --> 00:28:26.119 in the world, what are you even doing it for? 00:28:26.900 --> 00:28:29.119 And I think that on that level, when you're stepping 00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:31.720 out on the stage, you've got to believe. But 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:35.470 there's not a ranking. Totally. There isn't swimming. 00:28:35.569 --> 00:28:37.329 Totally. That's, I think, the difference, right? 00:28:37.509 --> 00:28:39.930 Yeah, and I had to learn that results were abstract, 00:28:40.109 --> 00:28:42.609 that progress is a little more messy. It's not 00:28:42.609 --> 00:28:45.329 as clean as, like, seeing your time drop. And 00:28:45.329 --> 00:28:48.450 that navigating relationships, it's not as simple 00:28:48.450 --> 00:28:51.970 as just, I do the best, I get rewarded. But I 00:28:51.970 --> 00:28:53.890 don't know, like, I'm a people person, so it 00:28:53.890 --> 00:28:57.170 worked out organically anyway. Yeah, yeah. That 00:28:57.170 --> 00:28:59.349 sometimes things are happening when you don't 00:28:59.349 --> 00:29:03.269 even realize that was a life's lesson. Like... 00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:05.779 A lot of those basic life's lessons happened 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:08.539 in the transition. Still happening. So, when? 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:11.099 Yeah. Because I feel like there's a few threads 00:29:11.099 --> 00:29:12.819 here that I'm following, and they all come together 00:29:12.819 --> 00:29:15.319 at the end. Okay. Who's your favorite wrestler 00:29:15.319 --> 00:29:18.200 as a kid? Tell me about... Because I'm going 00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:20.880 to come back. Oh, man. Because I'm somebody who... 00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:24.140 I've never really been into wrestling. Had a 00:29:24.140 --> 00:29:27.779 fucking blast at Athens Ass -Wolfing. Yeah. And 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:30.769 I'm a convert now. But... It's not something 00:29:30.769 --> 00:29:32.910 I experienced as a kid, I guess is what I'm getting 00:29:32.910 --> 00:29:36.410 at. What was that like? What is that wonderment? 00:29:36.410 --> 00:29:39.569 And how did that change as you grew up? Because 00:29:39.569 --> 00:29:41.269 I imagine that your relationship with it has 00:29:41.269 --> 00:29:43.410 to change as you age. I want to ask you something. 00:29:43.549 --> 00:29:46.269 Okay. Who's your favorite guitar player? Frank 00:29:46.269 --> 00:29:48.829 Zappa. Oh, damn. You're able to name one. Good 00:29:48.829 --> 00:29:52.150 job. And that doesn't mean I think he's the best. 00:29:52.309 --> 00:29:54.890 Right. He's just your favorite. And I wouldn't... 00:29:55.069 --> 00:29:57.490 stop listening to others just so i could listen 00:29:57.490 --> 00:29:59.829 to only him so i understand the complexity of 00:29:59.829 --> 00:30:02.690 your question as far as favorite wrestlers oh 00:30:02.690 --> 00:30:05.930 my god how can i pick a favorite child yeah it's 00:30:05.930 --> 00:30:08.390 like zappo like i'm thinking about a certain 00:30:08.390 --> 00:30:10.710 set of criteria whereas if i change the criteria 00:30:10.710 --> 00:30:12.710 just a little bit i could name a different guitar 00:30:12.710 --> 00:30:14.890 player that would be my favorite rick flair is 00:30:14.890 --> 00:30:18.170 the greatest of all time there's a lot about 00:30:18.170 --> 00:30:21.130 him as a man that just terrible, but I think 00:30:21.130 --> 00:30:23.609 that Hulk Hogan did some great stuff for professional 00:30:23.609 --> 00:30:25.829 wrestling. Yeah, I'm totally over the idea that 00:30:25.829 --> 00:30:28.029 our entertainers need to also be good people. 00:30:28.230 --> 00:30:30.730 God, The Rock, like, nothing channeled my, like, 00:30:30.849 --> 00:30:33.329 Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was amazing. Have 00:30:33.329 --> 00:30:36.049 you seen a picture of The Rock lately? He's huge. 00:30:36.269 --> 00:30:39.079 He's looking a lot like Jeff Ross. Jeff Ross. 00:30:39.460 --> 00:30:42.700 The Roastmaster. Okay. I'm a comedian. I don't 00:30:42.700 --> 00:30:44.660 know, man. It's not a compliment. Undertaker. 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:47.940 Is there anyone more iconic? So as a hardcore 00:30:47.940 --> 00:30:50.380 wrestling fan growing up, did it surprise you 00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:52.579 when all these wrestlers started branching into 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:55.480 acting? Or did that seem like a natural progression? 00:30:55.599 --> 00:30:58.039 Natural? I didn't really pick up on that until 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:02.759 maybe adolescence. Yeah, yeah. Did you like Hulk's 00:31:02.759 --> 00:31:05.440 movies growing up? I wanted to dig Suburban Commando, 00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:08.279 but I just... So, did you view that stuff as 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:10.960 them selling out? Oh, I didn't know what selling 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:13.680 out was yet. Does that even exist anymore? I 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:16.880 think it should. Yeah. It'd be very loose. You 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:19.160 gotta get paid. I mean, I feel like selling out 00:31:19.160 --> 00:31:21.619 is... Are you being true to yourself? Yeah, no, 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:25.779 I... Yeah. And so, when Hulk makes Mr. Nanny... 00:31:25.779 --> 00:31:29.140 Yeah, man. I'm getting off point here a little 00:31:29.140 --> 00:31:31.759 bit, but... Wrestling came, it was just like 00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:34.220 part of my Saturday morning cartoons. When I 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:36.460 was six, it was advertised to six -year -olds. 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:40.200 And then when I was 16, it was also rebranded 00:31:40.200 --> 00:31:44.059 to me. So they kept rebranding to my age. Yeah. 00:31:44.140 --> 00:31:47.119 And I... It grew with you. Yeah. And I think 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:49.000 with wrestling, it's a little different because 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:51.500 it changed with the times and audience. With 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:55.599 great art, even static art, your perception of 00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:58.369 it changes as you age. Absolutely. And so I'm 00:31:58.369 --> 00:32:01.349 really curious how you viewed it as a kid versus 00:32:01.349 --> 00:32:03.930 how you viewed it as an adult versus then the 00:32:03.930 --> 00:32:06.410 professionalization about that. And that's where 00:32:06.410 --> 00:32:08.829 I want to end up is how all this came together. 00:32:08.990 --> 00:32:11.269 Okay. Because obviously wrestling is competitive. 00:32:11.750 --> 00:32:14.730 It is. But wrestling... I wouldn't bet on the 00:32:14.730 --> 00:32:17.150 outcome. Wrestling was never meant to be competitive. 00:32:17.329 --> 00:32:20.069 Wrestling is very much escapism. As music was 00:32:20.069 --> 00:32:23.130 as a kid. Really, the transition. Like, we can 00:32:23.130 --> 00:32:25.809 come to it. Like, music was the escape of athletics. 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:28.940 Then I work in music and wrestling becomes the 00:32:28.940 --> 00:32:33.500 escape of working in music. The attire is very 00:32:33.500 --> 00:32:36.539 similar in the 80s, I think, between stars and 00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:38.180 wrestling. But that's a very specific thing. 00:32:38.259 --> 00:32:39.539 It's called the rock and wrestling connection. 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:42.640 See, I don't know what that is, but it's obviously 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:46.420 something that people pick up on. Yeah. Escapism 00:32:46.420 --> 00:32:49.279 as a kid. It was just cool as shit, man. It was 00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:50.980 like your Saturday morning cartoons as a kid 00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:54.460 and just like fun. And then it became more escapism 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:57.109 later on. Is that what you mean? It was. Like, 00:32:57.130 --> 00:32:59.809 what are you escaping from at six, bro? Oh, man. 00:33:00.150 --> 00:33:02.529 Maybe there's a real answer to that. Getting 00:33:02.529 --> 00:33:04.950 lost in comic book shit. Like, it was very comic 00:33:04.950 --> 00:33:08.710 book -y at the time. Like, Papa Shango was putting 00:33:08.710 --> 00:33:11.109 spells on the Ultimate Warrior, so the Ultimate 00:33:11.109 --> 00:33:13.150 Warrior had to have his diarrhea and then kick 00:33:13.150 --> 00:33:15.509 some ass. Yeah, no, I've always thought about 00:33:15.509 --> 00:33:18.250 the similarities between, like, superheroes and 00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:20.910 wrestlers. And it's not really like that anymore, 00:33:21.069 --> 00:33:24.049 which I think is good. But I think that was a 00:33:24.049 --> 00:33:28.269 very... cool era for someone pre -adolescent 00:33:28.269 --> 00:33:30.230 when they weren't making marvel movies back then 00:33:30.230 --> 00:33:32.730 either it was like like that niche has been filled 00:33:32.730 --> 00:33:35.710 now totally totally something fun but you're 00:33:35.710 --> 00:33:39.269 finding in mexican wrestling you're finding some 00:33:39.269 --> 00:33:42.230 marvel characters are wrestlers oh somebody's 00:33:42.230 --> 00:33:44.750 gonna get sued yeah and you think back to spider 00:33:44.750 --> 00:33:48.420 -man's origin story Wrestling is a larger -than 00:33:48.420 --> 00:33:51.859 -life presentation of something great and something 00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:55.319 phenomenal. And rock and roll is that, too. Yeah, 00:33:55.359 --> 00:33:59.440 absolutely. That concept, that belief, that... 00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:02.420 And Phish is that. Just this great, this huge 00:34:02.420 --> 00:34:05.039 thing. He's like mythology surrounding it. Drive 00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:07.119 -By Truckers is that, in a different way of just 00:34:07.119 --> 00:34:09.340 being the greatest rock and roll band on Earth 00:34:09.340 --> 00:34:11.800 and walking out there and cranking it and blowing 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:14.119 your fucking face off. Like, it's all there. 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:18.130 It's all this... bigger larger than life beautiful 00:34:18.130 --> 00:34:22.150 thing that's happening yeah so where did the 00:34:22.150 --> 00:34:25.329 idea to put it all together come from was this 00:34:25.329 --> 00:34:27.750 something that you had because obviously like 00:34:27.750 --> 00:34:30.250 wrestlers have their walkout songs and things 00:34:30.250 --> 00:34:33.130 like that but first of all just tell us a little 00:34:33.130 --> 00:34:36.130 bit about what classic city wrestling is what 00:34:36.130 --> 00:34:39.349 the inspiration for it is and because The way 00:34:39.349 --> 00:34:41.250 you put it to me is it's like I wanted to show 00:34:41.250 --> 00:34:43.309 the world wrestling the way I saw wrestling. 00:34:43.489 --> 00:34:45.489 That's what you said to me one time. What makes 00:34:45.489 --> 00:34:47.530 you see wrestling? What led you to see wrestling 00:34:47.530 --> 00:34:49.469 that way? And had anybody ever done anything 00:34:49.469 --> 00:34:52.030 like this that you'd seen that kind of inspired 00:34:52.030 --> 00:34:54.989 you? I have no shortage of ridiculous ideas. 00:34:55.769 --> 00:35:01.650 So I've fantasized like how my pro wrestling 00:35:01.650 --> 00:35:05.659 company would work in my head forever. And I 00:35:05.659 --> 00:35:08.139 felt like if it was an Athens brand, you'd really 00:35:08.139 --> 00:35:10.239 be missing the point if you don't have live music 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:13.639 as a part of it. Absolutely. And so I'd been 00:35:13.639 --> 00:35:17.420 viewing that forever. All right. That was part 00:35:17.420 --> 00:35:20.000 one of my interview with Cole Taylor. Make sure 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:23.219 you hit that subscribe button and the next episode 00:35:23.219 --> 00:35:26.539 we'll give you part two. I really appreciate 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:30.039 you tuning in today. Check out my website, Fedden 00:35:30.039 --> 00:35:34.690 .net. That's F -E -D -D -U -N .net. Shout out 00:35:34.690 --> 00:35:36.730 to Lee Baines for the inspiration for the title 00:35:36.730 --> 00:35:39.769 of this podcast, Overeducated and Underemployed. 00:35:39.829 --> 00:35:42.889 Make sure you check out Classic City Wrestling. 00:35:43.289 --> 00:35:47.590 You can still get a few tickets. As of the release 00:35:47.590 --> 00:35:50.130 of this podcast, there are still a handful of 00:35:50.130 --> 00:35:53.949 tickets available for the 40 Watt on May 17th. 00:35:53.969 --> 00:35:57.809 And then on June 30th, they're making their Asheville, 00:35:57.869 --> 00:36:01.230 North Carolina debut at the Orange Peel with 00:36:01.230 --> 00:36:04.139 Rhinestone Pickup Truck. As the musical guest. 00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:07.500 So, for tons of excitement, cold beer, rock and 00:36:07.500 --> 00:36:10.719 roll, and honestly just like pure mayhem, there's 00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:13.840 so much going on at one of these events. Check 00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:15.579 out the music video I'm linking in the description 00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:17.300 if you want to get a feel for what it's like. 00:36:17.780 --> 00:36:20.659 Thanks for tuning in. This has been Overeducated 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:21.639 and Underemployed.