The Josh Innes Show - What A Long Strange Trip Part 2

Episode Date: August 20, 2026

Looking back, was leaving Nashville my greatest mistake? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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But when I was in Nashville, they kind of let me flirt with that. But in Nashville, you could do that because Nashville's kind of a more good old boy type town. And I'm sure there are plenty of liberal types there. But we could do like gun topics and do them in a fun way where people would call and you talk about it. Or you could do, you know, that when we did the parade in Nashville, we were doing the Don't Lose the Boo's Party Bus parade where we wanted the party buses to be able to stay afloat. and there was this group of, you know, Dean Wormser types that were trying to eliminate alcohol on party buses, which would basically make the party buses pointless. At that point, you know what they are?

A fucking bus, you know, or in some cases, you know, like a military vehicle, you know, or whatever. If there's no alcohol on them, they're pointless. Their buses, their military vehicles. There was nothing. So that was the point of the bid is we were trying to save alcohol on these. And we did a cool event and we got all the party buses together and we rode through downtown Nashville. and it made the fucking news and it was great. And people in I heart were talking about me.

They're like, that's a good fucking bit. This guy's good. And that's the kind of stuff that got the attention of people. And that's how they wanted to put me on in Detroit. And that was always the thing is they would talk about that with me in Detroit. And they'd say, when I got back to Detroit, they were like, why aren't you doing the kind of stuff you did when you were in Nashville where you did like the party bus thing? I'm like, well, find me the event you want me to do. Find me, you know, where they're trying to tell people they can't have alcohol on party buses here.

Like that is an opportunity thing. You know, the opportunity was there for me to do the bit. There weren't that many opportunities for those type of bits in Detroit. And also keep in mind that four or five years ago when I was in Nashville, Nashville wanted me to do some slightly controversial things that were, you know, the type of things that would get, would be sort of divisive, right? Like, and I don't know if I ever told you guys this. I think I've told you this. And look, I'm sure I've told you a lot of the same stories a thousand times. It's like listening to a wrestling podcast.

like how many times can you tell the same story over and over, you know, Eric Bischoff or, you know, Double J. Jeff Jared. I mean, a lot of them are the same fucking stories. But when I got there, we were just kind of coming out of COVID shit out of the Rona. This was in March, April of 2021, right? So the COVID's was still a thing. Like to the point that I, when I was on the air, they had, like, I was on the air there when they decided that you didn't have to wear a mask at the store anymore.

Like, it was a big deal. And that was controversial. People are like, I want to leave my masks on. Well, that wasn't my point of view. My point of view, like, this is the kind of shit that I don't think they would let me do in Detroit because Detroit's a different vibe, right? You know, Nashville was a lot like Houston and Texas in that way where it was like, hey. Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters.

On September 19th, joined thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcf walk.ca.ca. Like fuck masks and fuck this authority. There were more people in those states and those cities that felt that way than in Detroit, where I'm going to guess a lot of people in Detroit because of the political climate there, they were the type of people that would judge you.

if you know you weren't wearing your mask to walk through the grocery store and you weren't following the fucking arrows, you know. But in Nashville, that wasn't the case. So they were going to let me do a bit. And it's a bit that they would have, I don't think we could have ever done in Detroit because Detroit's just not that kind of town. But when I was in Nashville, they were going to let us do a mask burning. So I talked to the corporate people. I was like, do you mind if we do a bit where people bring all their masks since masks are now, you know, You no longer have to wear masks.

The masks have been lifted, basically. So forcing people to wear masks in every store and everything has now been changed. I want to do an event where we get people together out at some location and people can bring their masks out. We're going to set these motherfuckers on fire. And to my surprise, people above my boss said, all right, do it. That is until we realize that like some sort of like toxins are shot into the air if you set these things on fire and people can die. so we didn't do the bid. But they were going to let me do that bid.

And keep in mind that like the don't lose the booze, you know, party bus parade and that type of shit, like that is a political thing. Like that there's politics involved in whether or not people should be allowed to drink booze on party buses. It is a divisive subject, right? But we were allowed to do those kind of things. And I think part of the reason why certain things don't work in certain towns is I think in certain towns people are afraid because of the socioeconomic. economics or the politics of certain cities, you can't do the type of shit that you were doing. That's why, like, you could argue that me leaving Nashville was a fucking dumb thing. If my goal in life was to stay, you know, classic rock radio guy, you know, you could argue

that leaving and going to St. Louis, despite the fact that it was for double the money and it was for a bigger rock station and seemingly a company that was in better position, which I don't think it is now. I think what I learned there is they find. people and do the same shit as every other company. But when I was leaving Nashville, that was kind of my thing. Because when I got to Nashville, my thought process was the only way I would leave is if I had the opportunity to go back to doing talk radio again.

And if it was the right talk radio situation, whether it be sports or whatever, that was going to be my situation. I was going to leave only for that. But then the opportunity to go to St. Louis came about. And I'm like, well, shit, I got to take this. You know, I've got to do this. And I do believe that it. If I would have gone to St. Louis and done mornings, I think life would have been totally different.

There were two things in the St. Louis situation that were to my detriment. One, they told me to run off the old people. So I was like, all, so I was really a fucking terrorist with these old people. And I didn't try to play the game with them at all. Like, I wasn't trying to be a nice guy at all. Like, I was just a fucking heathen. And that was probably the wrong play. But I had never seen that kind of hate like I got in St. Louis.

Even in Philly. The St. Louis classic rock radio hate, like, Matt McAfee can tell you about all the hate and shit he gets and whatever. But I did not go into that trying to be hated. I went into it thinking I said all the right things. Then I start looking at Facebook and it's just nothing but people that want me dead. Like they fucking hated me. And so maybe I could have played the game a little bit better there.

I didn't. It is what it is. Maybe I should have. Okay, fine. But they wanted me to be a bad boy, whatever. And I was. And that was one of the things that failed. And then if I was on in the morning, I think it would have been a different story too.

But I've told you that many times that if that show would have been a morning show. And looking back, you know me, I'm a malcontent. I don't know if you guys knew this about me. I'm a malcontent. And no matter what I'm doing, I want to be doing something else. I don't know why I am that way. I probably should see a psychiatrist or ask Gypsy why I am that way. Why, you know, no matter what I'm doing, I want to be doing something else.

I don't know. It's amazing that I've been married for as long as I have. Because in my mind, all I ever want to do in life is do something else. So the second I have a job, I'm like, hmm, I'd like to have this other job. Or even if I don't want the other job, I want people to want me to want another job, you know, it's just my thing, right? That's how I've always been. So, and I don't know why. I don't know why that's the way I operate.

But the second I was in Nashville and I was finding success, it was like, well, hell, maybe I want to do something else. And I'm always unhappy with what I'm doing in terms of the way it sounds until after it's over. And then I go, that didn't suck as much as I thought. St. Louis is a great example because there are still some episodes of that show on Casey. If you look up Josh Ennis on Casey, I think there's still a podcast feed on the different podcast sites where there's a, actually, no, I take that back. It doesn't exist. It exists on my phone because I had some saved episodes of it. And when I tell you, I go back and listen to that. And I'm like, this is a funny fucking show. And if they would have put that on in the morning, I think I would have still been there. And I may have been happy or doing it because it would have gotten a different reaction. There still would have been a lot of hate from people, but I think there would have been a more, a more, not positive, but there would have been a more understanding response because I think people at least have an understanding that in the morning things are a little wacky or you talk a little bit more or whatever versus doing it in the afternoon, which was a mistake.

I mean, but they gave it a shot. It was a mistake. It fucked up, whatever. It had a moment where it was doing well, then it wasn't doing well, then I made too much money for what the reaction was, all that. but if that show would have been on in the morning, maybe it wouldn't have been the number one show in town or anything like that, but I think it would have been a very successful show. And I think there would have been fun.

And I genuinely liked the guys I worked with on that. And looking back on it, but in the middle of it, I didn't. I'm like, I hate these fucking guys. And they're not putting forth effort, whatever. Because I just do that. That's just the way I operate. But I do believe that if that show would have been in the morning

and I would have handled the initial reaction and the hatred, you know, if all that, I think that would have been a different reaction from the audience. And maybe I'd still be there. But like, I look back on it. Me and Jilly talk about this a lot. She's like, you know, you shouldn't have left Nashville. And I'm like, you know, it's easy to say now. Because now I look at it and go, I probably could have ended up on a bunch of radio stations.

Because at the time you don't know it, but you look back on it and you're like, I was probably kind of the it dude in the company, like a young guy. dude in an old format, like they were probably looking at me to be a next type of thing. You know, not like maybe not Bobby Bones or Charlemagne the God or something like that. But I would have had some opportunities. But instead I left and then I came back to the same company and I come back and I've been kind of probably replaced by some people in terms of like the new it people. And I'm no longer the it person, I think, is the way I would sum that up. So maybe I shouldn't have left.

I should have left. I don't look back on that and go, hey, Josh, do you think you made a mistake? Leave it. It's easy to say that now because you went to St. Louis and you got fired. But you got to put yourself in the situation you were in whenever that situation came about. Two and five Canadians will hear the words, you have cancer. That's why every step and dollar raised matters. On September 19th, joined thousands in Toronto for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

walk. Challenge yourself, friends, and family to walk 21 kilometers in support of life-saving research. Together, we can carry the fire and help create a world free from the fear of cancer. Register today at pmcf walk.ca.ca.ca.