The Eric Metaxas Show - Charlie Daniels (Encore)

Episode Date: July 9, 2020

In this encore presentation of an interview from September, 2017, country music legend Charlie Daniels talks with Eric about hard work, faith and music from his eagerly-awaited memoir, “Never Look at the Empty Seats.” (Encore Presentation)

Hey, folks. Today we have a special presentation of the Eric Metaxos show. We're going to play my interview, my conversation with the great, now late, Charlie Daniels from a couple of years ago. Really excited to share that with you. Thanks for listening. The Taxis Show. It's the show that Mark Twain once called Smartern, a Blue Jay, what can talk possum, and faster than a naked fat man riding a bolt of lightning. So here's your plain spoken homespun host, Eric Mataxis. Howdy there, folks? This is Eric Mattaxas. And, you know, it's such a joy for me sometimes to get to talk to folks on this program. The people I get to talk to, and I hope it's fun for you to listen in.

But today, I'm speaking to somebody who I consider an American legend. You know, it is not Mr. Davy Crockett or Paul Bunyan. It's somebody you know as Charlie Daniels. He's on the line. Charlie Daniels, welcome to this program. Well, and, you know, it's great. It's great to have you on. I wish you were in the studio, but I did have the joy of meeting you down in Nashville,

just about a year ago to this week, I think, in Nashville. So I had the joy of meeting you, but it's wonderful to have you on the program. Today I want to talk about your life. You have a brand new book out. Now, this book obviously has your picture on the cover because it's your story, but the title is Never Look at the Empty Seats, a Memoir by Charles. Daniels. So I want to start there before we get into the background of your whole story, when you say, what do you mean by never look at the empty seats? I think I know what you mean better when you say.

Well, and what you're not concerned with the empty seats? You don't look at them. So it's like saying, you know, pretty else with them. Well, you got quite a following at this point. But I want to, so I want to start at the beginning, just because this is a book about your life. And most people probably don't know the story of your life. Some people only know you from your gigantic hit. They went down to Georgia. What year was that that blasted into the stratosphere? And that kind of was like one of those things like a rocket ship. I mean, wherever you were in America, you were aware suddenly of Charlie Daniels. I was in high school at the time. I didn't follow country music very much. And then suddenly everybody is singing that song, playing that song. What? What?

What was your life like at that point? In other words, did you expect to break through? Did you have a big album coming out and you just expected it to be a success? But this was more of an success than you thought or did it just come out of nowhere? What was that experience like? Quick, actually. Holy cow. Well, it's just kind of funny because in life you can't predict anything like that.

You know, you just try to be faithful, do what you're doing, do what. what you're doing as well as you can do it. And sometimes something like this just happens out of the blue. It really is extraordinary in your case, because it was so big. I want to ask you really about your whole life. Where did you grow up? Sunday dinner with him. Something's on a Sunday. It happened in Pearl Harbor, and my formative years, basically, were shaped. Wilmington, North Carolina was a play strategic part in the war because we town. Right. We're across the Atlantic to service our troops in your awards by German new boats.

And sometimes, of course, I was too young. See, that's hard to believe. I got to tell you, I mean, when you think about the United States of America, that we are bounded, you know, on either side protected by vast oceans, the idea that you're in North Carolina, and you're telling me German U-boats were right there sinking our ships. That's an extraordinary thing. Right. That we were in. Well, you, so what kind of a home were you raised in? Was it a family of Christian faith, or not so much?

I was raised God. Yeah, that's been a problem over the centuries. Well, it was bad rather than... At what point? At what point did you do? In your 30s before, right. So you were raised in a strongly cultural Christian environment, but the penny didn't drop until later for you. Now, when we come back, I want to ask you about when you were a little kid, if you

you had always planned to be a musician or something. You can give me the short answer now, but when I come back, I want to get into that. But I'll be glad to give you so long. There's no, there's no short. Well, lucky for both of us, we have time for the long answer. Ladies and gentlemen, this is The Eric Mattaxas show, and I have the privilege of speaking to Mr. Charlie Daniels, his brand new book titled Never Look at the Empty Seats, A Memoir by Charlie Daniels.

It's the Eric Mataxis show. We'll be right back. I went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal. He was in a bind because he was way behind and he was willing to make a deal. When he came across this young man sawing on a fiddle and playing it hot, and the devil jumped up on a hickrish dump and said, boy, let me tell you what. I guess you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too. And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you.

Now, you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the devil as due. I bet a fiddle a gold against your soul because I think I'm better than you. The boy said, my name's John N, and. It might be a sin, but I'll take your bet you're going to regret because I'm the best as ever been. Johnny, you're arson up your bow and play your fiddle hard. Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals a card. And if you and you get this shiny fiddle made of gold, but if you lose, the devil gets your soul. Oh man, I hate to interrupt that unbelievable song.

The only good thing about interrupting that song is I get to talk to the man behind this song right now, Charlie Daniels, once again, welcome to this program. Thank you very much. I'm glad to be with you, my friend. It is just so great to have you on. And we are just talking, I always want to know from people who have been very successful in their field. You know, at what point did music come into your life where you said, this is something

I want to pursue? Was that when you were little or were your folks musicians? How did that work out for you? That's a good way putting it. Now, you, so you started on the guitar. At what point does the fiddle come into the picture? Every kid, just a player. Yeah.

But that's me. So what did you do with yourself? I learned my, I wanted to kids. I mean, it was squeaker. I never did. I mean, they pick it up and just go. But you get it done, I think. Well, so did you, were you working other jobs and playing on the side?

At what point do you try to do this full time, or did that take a long time? 18 years old. I'm going to keep it sick. I had together to play six nights a week, 50 miles from Wilmington. And I joined in. So I was working at a life. And nights a week on my night and I's happen because of that. I run this department.

Well, and it's an extraordinary thing in the 50s in North Carolina for somebody to step up like that. What do you think it was that made your father do that? Because that is a big thing to put your job on the line for a black. Because it was a right. Wait, say it again? Oh, Timber, you said. Yeah. Well, that's an amazing thing because just because something's right doesn't mean people are going to do it. I mean, there's so many people that they will look the other way. And so when somebody does it, it's an inspiration to everybody around them. They just say, wow, I don't know you could, you know, step up like that. So that's kind of an amazing thing in that day and age. Even Billy Graham had to make a big deal to integrate his crusades. It's an extraordinary thing to think back that he had to tell people. people, look, I don't care what you think or what you've been doing. We believe that God made a

sequel. So in these crusades, we're not going to have a black section and a white section. We're just a human section. But it's hard to believe really how big of a deal that was, not so many years ago. I'm sure it's still very vivid in your mind. We're going to be right back, folks. I'm sorry, talking to Charlie Daniels. We're going to be right back and we're going to let him finish. that sentence when we come back. It's the Eric Mataxis show, Metaxistalks Talk.com. I have to work like a dog with makings me. There's crooked politicians and crime in the street.

No matter to hell. I ain't going to take it no more. We tell our kids just as they know, and then some panty waste judge lets a drug eater go. It's that from on the wrist and he turns it back out on the town. But if I have my way... The Trump campaign has a special offer just for you. President Trump wants to meet you. This will be the first opportunity he's had to meet with American

Patriots like you since our country started reopening. His team will cover the flight and hotel and give you VIP access for yourself and a guest. He'll even take a picture with you. All you have to do is text VIP to 88022 today for your chance to meet President Trump. Again, that's VIP to 88022 for your chance to win and join President Trump in the fight to keep America great for four more years. Oh, man. That's an ode to pride. What a song there. It's like a, it reminds me of Frank Sinatra's all do. I did it my way. Well, I've changed the lyrics. You have not done it your way the whole way, Charlie Daniels. That's an amazing thing. Well, that's a beauty to me about art. You can express these things. It doesn't mean that it's you speaking. It's a character in a way. and a lot of us know men like that, you know, who are just, I don't want to owe anybody anything, and I want you to give me anything, and I want to, you know, and it's pride.

It gets to be real ugly. It can't get real ugly. But your life changed dramatically. You were going to say something when we went to the break. I don't know if you remember what that was. Otherwise, I've got it from. Well, yeah, it's hard. It's just hard to believe that, you know, we lived in a world not so long ago.

It's an extraordinary thing. Well, I, so you're a young man. You're starting to play. Did you have any early success? And at what point did you decide you want to get married? Where were you in your 20s as life is going by? Well, I would have to do was to play music. I was D.C. area.

So the second one was a charm. That is 54 years. Congratulations. That is. 53 years. I'm getting ahead of myself. Well, when you hit 50, you don't need to remember. the single digits. That is really, really. That's amazing. I had the privilege of meeting your wife when we

were together in Nashville last fall, and that's a long time. And you have kids. You do have kids. Unbelievable. Well, I, well, so, okay, so things were kind of rocky in the early years of Charlie Daniels. This sounds like it. Yeah, well, it was. I mean, you know, you got something thing. And I was pretty And I finally decided at the party in my life away back and getting the game, which I heard about it and cared about anything. I took over. I'm a bunch of people. One, a guy named Don

Law, who was a legendary producer in Nashville to see you. And 67, and a bit of a trip. You've been there ever since. All right, we're going to go to another break. The good news when we go to break is that we get to hear some more Charlie Daniels music. We'll be right back, folks.

It's the Eric Mataxis show. out to LA, tooling along in my Chevrolet, talking on the number and digging on the radio. Just as I crossed Mississippi line, I heard that highway start to whine, and I knew that left rear tire was about to go. Well, the spare was flat, and I got uptight because there wasn't a filling station in sight, so I just limped on down the shoulder on the rim. I went as far as I could, and I would have stopped the car. It was right in front of this little bar, kind of a redneck-knit-licket joint called the do-drop-in.

Well, I stuffed my hair up under my hat and told the bartender that I had a flat. Would he be kind enough to give me change for a one? Hey there, folks. I can listen to this all day. The problem is I got to do a radio program, but the good news is that instead of listening to Charlie Daniels saying I get to talk to Charlie Daniels. You get to listen. Charlie Daniels, once again, welcome the program. It's such a joy to have you today.

My pleasure. Thank you. And I'm excited somebody finally twisted your arm into writing a book. Who twisted your arm into finally writing a book about your life? Well, nobody really twisted my armist until. Whoa. I just kept pushing. And what year was that? That was last year.

That's what I thought. So you turned 80. That's a pretty good week. The great week. Believe me. I went to the induction ceremony. None. You said that's it.

Whatever happens from now. that goes in volume two. I don't care. That's right. All right. Well, it's incredible. I mean, the book is loaded with, you know, bold print names, people that most people just dream of meeting, you know, from Beatles like Ringo Star, George Harrison, to everybody in the country business. I guess when you moved to Nashville, in 1967, things began to change just because of where you were, and I guess you got married about that time. No, well, I made it.

Praise allure. That is, that is incredible. I would shake my fist at the city. That's a picture. That's a picture. I wish there was a movie because that's a, man, that is a picture of somebody who, they have an idea and a will. That's just, it's just an amazing thing.

At what point did you feel like you were succeeding? Some of my songs, say, won't you take a guitar and play some of your songs for these to sign me? Well, at one point, did you play with the Beatles or with the former Beatles, I should say? Yeah, and we just spent the day jamming. They could not release it. We spent the whole day just. Well, that's pretty, it's kind of funny when somebody asks you a question like that. It's the dumbest question. How did you like to come down and jam with Bob Dylan and Georgia? Well, let me think about it. I'll get back to you. I got to think. Well, you met all these folks over the years. It sounds like you met he met just about everybody you got to play with these people. Did you ever, did you stay in touch with any of these folks?

I mean, Bob Dylan is such a character. I can't imagine anybody knowing him very well. He's such an enigma. I went to Bob, a concert initial. Went backstage. When we come back, I will ask you about that. Folks, I am talking right now to Charlie Daniels, the Charlie Daniels. We'll be right back. This is here at Metax's show, and I'm talking to Charlie Daniels, the man behind this music and other music. Charlie, again, welcome the program. You were just saying that you saw Bob Dylan about a year ago. He did a concert, and you said there's a side to him that most people don't know. Talk about he comes to genuine.

Right, right. That's a carry. Right. You know, he said, he wrote one time. He said, you know, people, he said literally come and climb up on top. his house in Woodstock. And I mean, so you can imagine. You're just going to press people and all, but I found it to be.

What year did Nashville Skyline come out, roughly? Yeah. Right at Ross. Yeah. It was 16. Well, now, he just reached such a level, you know, when the Beatles are faunting over you, obviously, it's a little ridiculous. So it's crazy. And then, you know, he had this very dramatic public expression of Christian

faith, which I think blew people's minds. That was in the early 80s. And I've never been, I've never been clear on what happened. Many people have told me, you know, he still believes, but he just doesn't talk about it. It was just like a, there's a bunch of people trying to get to him that. Right. Well, I know, I know some people who have known him, and they say that that is a fact, but I think that what happened when he first came to faith, it was such a circus that I think he just backed off. He decided he wanted to want the controversy or something like that. Well, The only good thing about ending an hour on the radio with Charlie Daniels is that I know I get to start a second hour with Charlie Daniels. So, Charlie, if you will hang on, we're going to end this show and we'll start another show.

I'm just so grateful for your time and so grateful for the book. Folks, the books is called Never Look at the Empty Seats, a Memoir by Charlie Daniels. Thanks for listening. Hey, folks, you've been listening to my conversation with the great. Charlie Daniels just passed away. If you want to hear the rest of the conversation because there's plenty more, go to our YouTube channel, the Eric Mataxis show, and you can listen to it there. Thank you.

I ain't nothing but a simple man. Call me a red nick of rickin that I am, but there's things going on make me mad down to the core. Do work like a dog that makes ends meet. There's crooked politicians and crime.