The Viall Files - E853 Going Deeper with Riley Green

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

Welcome back to The Viall Files: Going Deeper, with country music’s newest superstar Riley Green! Riley tells us about his origins in country music, his experience on “Redneck Island,” his collab with Ella Langley, and more! Plus, Nick and Natalie explain love languages to Riley.  “I never thought I’d end up here.” Listen to Humble Brag with Cynthia Bailey and Crystal Kung Minkoff every Monday starting October 21st! Available wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@humblebragpod https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/humble-brag-with-crystal-and-cynthia/id1774286896 Start your 7 Day Free Trial of Viall Files + here: https://viallfiles.supportingcast.fm/  Please make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode and as always send in your relationship questions to [e-mail] to be a part of our Monday episodes. Listen To Disrespectfully now! Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/disrespectfully/id1516710301 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0J6DW1KeDX6SpoVEuQpl7z?si=c35995a56b8d4038 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCh8MqSsiGkfJcWhkan0D0w To Order Nick’s Book Go To: http://www.viallfiles.com  If you would like to get some texting advice on Office Hours send an email to [e-mail] with “Texting Office Hours” in the subject line! To advertise on the show, contact [e-mail] or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/TheViallFiles  Thank You to Our Sponsors: Life360 - Make everyday family life better. Visit https://life360.com or download the app today and use code VIALL to get one month of the gold package for free. BILT - Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to https://joinbilt.com/VIALL  Mint Mobile - Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at https://mintmobile.com/VIALL  True Classic - So, if you’re ready to upgrade your closet, shop now and unlock big savings during their HUGE holiday sale. Just go to my exclusive link at https://www.TrueClassic.com/viall  Episode Socials: @viallfiles @nickviall @nnataliejjoy @rileyduckman @justinkaphillips  @leahgsilberstein @dereklanerussell  

In the dry states of the Southwest, there's a group that's been denied a basic human right. In the Navajo Nation today, a third of our households don't have running water. But that's not something they chose for themselves. Can the Navajo people reclaim their right to water and contend with the government's legacy of control and neglect? Our water, our beauty. Our water, our beauty. That's in the next season of Reclaimed, the lifeblood of Navajo Nation.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. You're crazy. You're crazy. You heading back after this? No, we got a couple of meetings and then we're rehearsing tonight. We're performing on The Voice tomorrow. Oh nice. Very cool. And then we're in Vegas and then Denver and then I'm wrapped up until New Year's.

Okay. What are you, what, when should we just start? I thought we did. All right, yeah, we go. It felt real. We just started. How's it going, Riley? Good, man, how y'all doing?

I'm doing great, yeah. So anyways, we were talking about your travel schedule. Yeah, it's been a busy year. I signed a record deal in 2018 and I was, you know, I traveled a lot touring, but it was pretty regional. I was driving everywhere. I'd never even been on a plane.

And of course, the last few years, we played in Europe this year, Australia. Done several tours in Canada and obviously all over the US. So we're pretty well traveled now. I'm ready to spend a little time at the house for the holidays. You get tired? Yeah, I stay about like that, yeah.

This is me amped up right here. So wait, wait. This is you amped up? When was your first time on a plane? I don't know where I was going, but I mean, a show somewhere, I guess. Maybe going to, I think I went to a radio station in Oregon. How old were you? 2018. Okay, shit, 2018?

Yeah, so, I don't know, 30-ish. Were you like afraid to fly or you just never got around to it? I was probably afraid like everybody else, a little nervous about it. But of course, now I sleep better on a plane than I do in my bed. But I also feel like in the South, it's like everyone drives anyways. It's like when you're out here, you're so far from anything. But like in the South, it's like Tennessee's right there and Florida's right there. Yeah, even in like Illinois and stuff, there's a little community and then there's 40 miles

of cornfields and nothing. Like Alabama, George is the same way. There's just communities all over the place. We drove to Birmingham. That was an hour from me. Atlanta was an hour and a half. Birmingham was a big city before I got on the plane. Isn't that crazy?

That is crazy. Were you home for Thanksgiving or were you on the road traveling? I was. I got home for about four or five days and then I went up to Kansas and I've got a little farm up there. I went deer hunting for a few days.

Mostly just slept in the woods. Is your family back in Alabama? My whole family lives in Jacksonville, Alabama, where I'm from. Does Wilson have a farm in Kansas? Where is he? No, he's in Oklahoma. My brother-in-law just bought some farm out there

to hunt on, yeah. Yeah, they got all like deer. You've been a hunter for a long time? Yeah, yeah. I was really into sports when I was in school and then when I quit playing ball, I think it was like my way of being competitive still. Like everybody going out trying to trick a deer or ducks or whatever it was. You're a duck hunter, aren't you? Yeah. That Instagram handle. Yeah, that one stuck around for a while. And now I think I like it because it's quiet and my phone doesn't work. You know, I can slip off in the woods and hide from everybody for a while. And now I think I like it because it's quiet. And my phone doesn't work. I can slip off in the woods and hide from everybody

for a few days. So you're a big sports guy when you're young. Are you a quarterback? You play football? Yeah, I played football, baseball, and basketball. And then I went to Jacksonville State and played quarterback for a little while. Were you big into music then?

No, not really. My older sister, Lindy, was a really good singer. She was like Sandy in all the Grease plays and then went to college on a music scholarship. I never really thought I was a good singer. My granddaddy, Buford, was a big good singer. She was like Sandy and all the Grease plays and then went to college on a music scholarship. I never really thought I was a good singer. My granddaddy Buford was a big music lover. Like he loved old country music, George Jones and Merle Haggard and all that. And so like when I was with him, we'd sit around like playing old guitar like try to sing songs. So like maybe that was kind of like a little bit of a hobby.

But I started playing lead guitar in a band and started writing songs and people started requesting them and then I started playing them guitar in a band and started writing songs and people started requesting them and then I started playing on my own and it was really accidental I was framing houses during the week and I'd play on the weekends and you know here we are. When did we have like what was the moment where it was like you went from just like playing the guitar with your friends and being like maybe I'll be a huge giant country music star. There wasn't one really I mean I can't think of any big break moment.

It was just like somebody said, hey man, why don't you come play at my bar, you can drink for free. Okay. And I did it. And he was like, man, that was good, do it next week. And so I did that for about six years at every bar in the Northeast of Alabama.

I had a little business card with my phone number on it. I would hand out and people started calling me. And I remember there was a venue in Birmingham, Alabama called Iron City. And I was playing at a Mexican restaurant in Jacksonville every week for 150 bucks. And a guy called me and said, would you come play here? And I'd just seen Chris Stapleton play there,

and it's like 1300 people. And I was like, nah, dude, it'll be empty, you know? And I went down there and it was like, we sold 1200-something tickets. Like I had no idea anybody knew who I was in Birmingham. So. What was that moment like? That must have been kind of surreal.

It was cool. My grandparents came. My grandmother Nancy was, we all had dinner there before and they opened the doors and all these people came running in and my grandma said, why are all these people here? I was like, cause I'm playing.

She said, yeah, but who else is playing? No. It's a good point. It was like candy for you. We tricked him. Humbling. Yeah, humbling. Yeah.

I always like hear those moments, especially hearing your story, just kind of almost like you fell into it, you know? Yeah, quite a bit. I always say it was very accidental success. I didn't think I was a songwriter because I've never been to Nashville and written songs with anybody. Nobody I knew wrote songs. I started writing songs because I got tired of playing the same covers every week and

played three shows a week. And so people started going, hey man, play that one song you played last week. And somebody said, man, you should record that song. So I went and paid like some guy named Bob, you know, $500 record in his basement and I put an EP out. I don't even know how to do any of this stuff. It didn't have a manager or booking agent or anything. Song called Bear Me and Dixie did really well.

Song called Georgia Times started doing really well. I didn't even know that I was making money on streaming, but I had like a little account that was like, you know, I thought I was getting rich. Yeah, eventually record labels and publishing companies started coming down from Nashville and coming to shows and it just kind of grew from there. That's crazy.

I remember Bear Me and Dixie and Georgia Time both because it was- Well, being from where you're from. Yeah, yeah. And it's like no one ever writes songs about being an Auburn fan or being, you know, from Alabama. Yeah, well, I mean, and you know, it's funny because, I mean, Bearman Dixie is obviously about growing up in Alabama. Yeah.

It's a very regional idea. And Georgia time is probably more regional than that because it's talking about just the side of Alabama, which includes Auburn that we call the Eastern Time Zone, Georgia time. So for people to be singing that in California was insane to me, but they sing both the songs everywhere. And like I said- Do you play in both at shows today? Yeah. You do? So for people to be singing that in California was insane to me, but they sing both the songs everywhere. Do you play them both at shows today? Yeah. You do? It's hard for me not to.

I mean, and that's, I wrote those songs when I was like 24, you know, I mean, so it's been a while, but I have no idea why that worked. Do you listen to those songs today? Well, I hate it. Yeah. I was like, I'm sure your voice has evolved. Well, not even my voice. I played guitar on them. Like I remember going in the studio and the guy, I didn't have a producer, you know, and I was like, I played it and the guys in the room with the buttons and I go, how was that? He said, I don't know. Do you like it? I was like, I guess. And he's okay. I did it like once, you know, now you spend like weeks recording a song. So the production is

awful, but it's also a little bit of something too. It's like, I didn't sound better in my recordings. So I think when people came to shows like, oh, he's not that bad. It's kind of just like this. There wasn't all this like auto tune on it. It's kind of just like me. No one ever thinks he's lip syncing. I think people just grew up a lot like I did in that part of, in the things I wrote about and maybe relatable is what I could say about it. And it was, you know, it's those kinds of things still work today.

I've definitely been, uh, I'm a newer country fan. Nally, my wife got me into it and we watched you at stage coach two years ago. And that was like my first immersion, really embracing country and like your show. I had such a, such a good time. It was just like, yeah, it really just, that was my experience at stage coach and particularly your show, I had such a good time. It was just like, yeah, it really just, that was my experience as stage coach and particularly your show. It's like, it feels more than just like a show or just like you're really kind of connecting with people.

Everyone's having a good time, you know, just like you were talking about being from Alabama. You're talking about your grandfather when you're singing your songs about him. And it was just like, you really feel like a community. And it was really kind of what made me fall in love with country music. Yeah. Well, I mean, I wish grandpa was never died is, you know, my biggest song by

far and it's, you know, I've heard people tell me stories about maybe they didn't even know their granddad or they were, you know, related to it because of their dad or this or this line. Of course that song has a lot of, a lot of different lines in it. So it's, it's cool to see how people relate to it differently. But I just think people just take those songs and relate them to their own life in some way. And that's what's so great about country music is you see people crying in the crowd about something I wrote just as a tribute to my two granddaddies. So that part of this lifestyle, I don't get tired of. How have you handled kind of all the fame that you're really

popping off, you're becoming bigger and bigger, you're really popping off, you're becoming bigger and bigger, you're becoming more mainstream, people talking about you on TikTok, do you stay off, stay connected, just go hunting the woods or do you have to do like a lot of us do is try to stay off because a friend sends you some shit, like, oh, did you see this about you? It's hard not to laugh at most of it. I know it's probably hard for a lot of people that have had some success tonight, dive into that and let it affect you,

but for everything I see that seems accurate about me, there's 10 things that are completely made up. So- What was the craziest thing you've seen about you? There's no telling. I mean, there's several old ladies on Instagram that think we're like having a relationship that are getting like catfished and all.

I probably block or delete 30 fake accounts a day. And I just can't imagine how. It's crazy that people are still falling for it. Did you have someone show up at your front door like I did once? No. Well, it'd be hard to find my front door. You gotta go down the driveway this mile long.

Because I had that too. I had fake accounts, people trying to fake me for a while. And I'd block them for a while. It was like, it was happening for a moment. And then like, turns out one of the people who got duped like found my address and like showed up. So it really was you. Yeah.

So my thing's like this, if these scammers are making that much money, pretend to be me, why would I just quit singing and I'll start doing it? Cause I can pretend to be me better than anybody. That's true. Yeah, but you probably wouldn't ask them for like $10,000 to.

Well, they believe I would, I guess. I guess, yeah. It is crazy. It was scary. I don't know how these people have $10,000, just give a fake rally green. She's like, I sent you money. I'm like, it wasn't me.

How jarring though, to be like, well then who the fuck did I send money to? I don't know. Yeah, that is crazy. I will say, I tried to find something about you and everyone loves you. There is nothing, I could not find a negative thing about you. You didn't look hard enough, I'm sure. Maybe not, but I did have my daughter crawling around.

She's used to trying to find bad things about me and it comes right up. She realized she has to really look. Well I can promise it's not from lack of it being out there. There are things that I've done, but I think I was really lucky that my, I don't know what you would call it, big level of success didn't come in my early 20s. I was in my late 20s, and I kinda had a business mindset about my career.

Cause I framed houses until I signed a record deal. I did construction work for $500 a week, till 2018 I signed the deal and went on the road. And I knew how fortunate I was to have the opportunities I had. So I started thinking about like, okay, well, I need to be a person that I would want to go see a show. You know, not just the songs I write or the performance I do. I just mean like now you have all the social media. Everybody knows everything about you.

Or at least I think they do and they want to. So, you know, how I display myself, I tried to be mindful of. And I think if I'd had that success or that magnifying glass on me at 22, it would have been a different story. Were you a bit of a hell raiser? I think I was rowdy, yeah. I remember when I started playing guitar

and I mean, I was, you know, quarterback in my hometown and played, you know, country music at the bars and they were letting me drink for free I thought that was a pretty cool time. I was I was running pretty hard then but it's a lot different now 30s are different Yeah, any any ex-girlfriends from the past when you're younger like look you back up after you like made it big and be like Most of them

I Don't think it would like my success hasn't made it worth putting up with me though. They're not like trying to get back with me. They're just mad I'm successful maybe, I don't know. What was a bad habit you had in real life? Like I don't close cupboards. Oh, you're talking about like you were in there, like you were like not taking the trash out and stuff. I don't think I got that far. I didn't get to having a shared cupboard stage. We had our own separate cupboards.

I think my problem was when I was actually old enough and like mentally I thought I wanted to like settle down is when my career really started to take off. And that was a time when like I couldn't focus on one thing. You know, it was like, I think a lot of people, especially in that kind of entertainment line of work or whatever, there's a, it's hard to have a relationship, especially with the travel and just the million distractions there are. So I kind of thought I'd put my nose down and kind of grind for a couple of years and try to get, you know,

as much out of, as I could out of a country music career. And it's just continued for about six years. That makes sense. I mean, I was like in my 20s when I was just like working regular job. I was just like relationship guy after relationship guy. And then, you know, I was like, then I went on reality TV and then came out to LA and tried to make it out here. And yeah, like if you don't feel like settled

like with what you wanna do with your life or you're like chasing a dream, like it just feels like love and dating is this kind of a distraction. Yeah, well, I mean, I looked at it like, if I had enough time to go out to dinner, I have enough time to write a song, and that's what I should be doing right now,

you know, for a while. And the other thing too is like, I barely have time to like see my dog, you know? So I mean, it would take a really special girl to be okay with the amount of travel and time I'm gonna be gone, and I just, I don't think I found her yet. I think that's what a lot, I mean, we,

I think Dustin Lynch kind of opened up about how it's, it's hard to date when you're just traveling the world, you're gone nonstop, you're just, it's, it's a nonstop lifestyle. And so he was, he was talking to us about that too, about just like, it's not easy to just find someone who's okay with that and you know. Yeah, well, and I mean, you know,

aside from the issues they might have, my life has changed so much over the last, you know, handful of years that I'm trying to kind of figure out where I'm gonna end up at. I mean, I've got a place in Alabama, my farm, which is where I thought I would spend the rest of my life at,

and I think I went home five times this year. And that's three hours from Nashville, so it's tough to kind of picture your life and find somebody that you're really thinking about settling down with. So what's keeping you in Nashville? I mean, it's I've it's not really that I'm in Nashville. I'm just on the road. Yeah.

We've been it's been a crazy busy year. But, you know, like so my farm in Alabama is three hours from Nashville. So let's say I get in it, you know, Sunday morning at eight o'clock. First thing I need to do is go sleep for a day. And then I wake up and it's Monday and I got to go back out Tuesday night. I get on the bus. So I'm like, well, I might as well hang around town and try to ride or go have a meeting or whatever So yeah, it's a it's not that I have the greatest work ethic ever

I just feel like I'm trying to kind of ring out this career while I have the opportunity that I do and that's my excuse For you know, it's hanging in town Redneck Island. Yeah, that was awesome Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Redneck Island. Yeah. That was awesome. What a time to be alive, yeah.

Do you look back in that and think like that was a really cool experience or not that you've? No, that's not how I would describe it. No, okay. Do you regret doing it? I don't regret doing it because I didn't do anything stupid on there. Okay.

But I did. How did you end up there in the first place? So I was playing a show at a bar called The Floor Balan. That's what you're familiar with. And a guy comes up to me after the show and he said, he was a casting agent for the show on CMT with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and he thought I'd be good on it.

It sounds cool. Gave him my number, figured that was the end of it. Somebody called me from California and they said, we're gonna fly, we're gonna take you to Atlanta, put me in a hotel, and we did all these stress tests and psych about, you know, all this stuff. And so I remember like asking my mom, I was like, you think I should go do this?

Like I've never watched the reality show and thought, man, that guy looks really smart. You know? I mean, they make people look so crazy. And you have a lot more insight in this to me is my thing just like, there's always some theme or something going on. I couldn't forget why they wanted me.

I'm gonna go out there and people are gonna respect me. Yeah. Yeah. So I thought, well, if they mention that I play music, I was very early in my career, and I don't do anything stupid, then it might help me a little bit. So I went on there. Also, it was a competition show. So I knew that at least half the episode would be that,

not just like the real world drama of the house. So I went on there and I was extremely boring. I slept the whole time. The producer was constantly coming in to wake me up, like, hey, we need B-roll, go do something, you know? And I didn't drink the whole time I was extremely boring. I slept the whole time, the producer was constantly coming in to wake me up, like, hey, we need B-roll, go do something, you know? And I didn't drink the whole time I was there. We filmed for a month and a day. We were stuck in this house with a bunch of crazy people.

And I think they, I couldn't figure out why they cast me. And I think I was like the love interest. That was what they had planned. So they would make all these like, it looked like girls were fighting over me kind of stuff. And you know how it is, like a girl would look across the room and she'd have like a weird face that'd make it look like she was looking at the other girl.

All that stuff was going on. But I will say if there was anything positive that came out of it, well, I mean, I won the show. Won $50,000, which I found out what taxes were really quick. But I learned like how that works. Like how much goes into a production. And we would do these exit interviews after we'd filmed two

or three episodes. We'd go sit in this room with a lady and she'd basically go over a script of what had happened. And I realized that I could get out of that room faster if I just said, Hey, what's the storyline here? What are you trying to get me to say? And so I got good at like kind of playing a part a little bit, which I think probably helps me in a lot of interviews and those types of things. Cause there's a lot of stuff about touring

and having a life in country music. I was not prepared for the media training that I didn't have. So that was a little helpful in that world, I guess. Yeah, you learn a lot about Hollywood or how just TV is made or just what B-roll is. Yeah, I know what B-roll is. At least you can say it now. Do you keep in touch with anyone from that show?

No. No. Do you know what any of them are doing? now. Do you keep in touch with anyone from that show? No. Do you know what any of them are doing? Have they tried to keep in touch with you? A little bit, yeah, a little bit. There was a while they were all coming out to shows. A lot of them were, I think a couple of them were from Alabama. So like they were-

Were they asking you for tickets or were they buying tickets? Oh, they weren't asking me, they were showing up. Oh, okay. The whole like, you're on a show together? But it was a cool experience, I guess. I certainly wasn't like calling trying to get somebody to get me on another one after it was over,

but I did, it was something, I had no idea what all goes into a show like that. So it was really eye-opening for me, never having any experience like that. Yeah. That's crazy. The holidays are a time for family, but with all the travel, it's more important than ever to make sure your family is safe and accounted for.

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I mean, this collab is massive. It is absolutely everywhere. Did you expect this to happen when you first, did she approach you and be like, Hey, I've got this cool song idea. How did it come about? Well, I first heard it from a promoter that's that kind of helps manage her. This is a buddy of mine and he was the first person that ever told me about Ella. You know, I was touring in Alabama and he would put her on some shows of mine and you know, I liked, I liked her voice. She's obviously from Alabama, very country which I liked.

And he played the song for me and it wasn't really pitched to me like it needed to be a duet. He was like, what do you think about this? And I was like, man, that's cool. Like there's something cool about the girl picking up the guy or whatever. And the second verse kind of was like more of the first verse and I thought, well,

Ella's going on tour with me next year. Like maybe if the second verse was like the guy's perspective or something like that might, then we'd have a song to play on tour. I had no idea it would be a hit at all. I thought that might help the song a little bit. Yeah, it just goes to show you, I don't know, because it was, I think one day I opened my phone

and you couldn't not hear it. Oh, I mean, it's stuck in my head ever since it first came out. Well, now he plays it a lot. It's a great song. It's a great song. It's a great song. It's a fun song, yeah.

It's a fun song. It really is. I. It's a great song. It's a fun song. It's a fun song. It really is. I mean, I think everyone in the world is shipping you and Ella. Are we strictly friends? Yeah. I mean, Ella's probably too smart to date me anyway. But I think that's kind of the country music fan. They love the Tim McGraws and Faith and the George and Tammy.

I think that people want to believe that. And when we first started having the success we did with that song, I kinda told Ella, I was like, you know, there's gonna be a lot of things said, but I mean, you don't really gotta play into it or not play into it. It's gonna be something that people enjoy

in the same way that we do when we go listen to those songs. So it's cool to have that one and have that moment on stage with her, you know, every night. And the title track of my album is called Don't Mind If I Do, and that's a really big song. So it's cool to have that one with her, and that's a completely different type song. Yeah, it is cool how both of y'all

have major songs with each other. Yeah, and that was very accidental too. I wrote that song on the road, and I wrote it as a duet, and I was in the studio and I asked Ella to come by just to put a female vocal so I could make sure the key was right. And I was thinking about getting somebody else, because we already had that song together

and she just crushed it in the booth. She did so good. I was like, well, I can't think of anybody who's gonna do it better than that. So it's been cool to have two very different songs that are working really well. I also feel like I see y'all going into just random bars and playing, like what is the story behind that?

Well, they're not that random. It's my bar. Oh, is it? Yeah, I opened a bar in Nashville. I'm sure you've been to Nashville. You know where Losers is? Yeah. Well, Winners was connected to Losers.

It's now Riley Greene's Duck Blind. Oh, so that's where all these videos are from. Cause y'all stumbled into that bar. I thought that might make people wanna show up at my bar. We just jump up and play every once in a while. Is the bar new? It is, yeah. Okay, nice.

Yeah, it's what, around October? I think we opened it. September, I don't know. It's Okay, nice. Yeah, it's what, around October, I think we opened it? September, I don't know, it's open now. But yeah, it's cool. That's one of the things I loved about that part of Nashville and Midtown is when I was going up there, that was where you saw, I mean, every artist or celebrity I've ever met.

It's like a rite of passage. Really is, it's such a local hangout, you know, and I think it's cool for country music fans to go in there and maybe see somebody up there playing. I think Jamie Johnson was playing background guitar for us that night, you know. That's it's cool for country music fans to go in there maybe see somebody up there playing. I think Jamie Johnson was playing background guitar for us that night you know. It's been fun. Okay so y'all are just sneaking into your bar and playing a couple songs.

That might be the only one I can get in at this point. There's no way. You love to be self-deprecating it seems like. I didn't somebody look that up. What does that mean? Make fun of yourself. Quick someone quick. Was that self-deprecating for me?

Like I'm gonna do this? I'm really smart. You're gonna do this, shift gears? You're smart. I'm the greatest. Yeah. Whenever you do settle down, do you see the appeal of like?

No. None of it. What are you gonna say? No, more like dating someone who does the same, like another music show. You like your more chill. It's not that I don't, it's not someone who does the same, like another music star. You'd like your more show. It's not that I don't, it's not the appeal.

First off, I don't see any appeal of it because I know what that lifestyle is like and how tough that would be. I think what I search for outside of my career is like a sense of normalcy. True, yeah. I love going home. I'm kind of a homebody.

You don't really realize it until you start traveling. And I think having a career that's in the public eye will probably make anybody a little bit reclusive. I think some people are cut out more for than others. But one reason I love to go home now is it's the exact same. Like life moves so much slower. Like my Uncle Wayne still pulls up at my house and he says, hey, the lady down at the huddle house's daughter listens to your songs. Like that's a huge deal. He has no clue what's going on. Like my mom I want a CMA award. She's like, that's great huge deal. He has no clue what's going on. My wife wants a CMA award, she's like,

that's great, you want macaroni and cheese? Nobody cares. And that's a really easy way to stay grounded and also a really good way to find inspiration for songs because I don't have a lot in common with the Nashville country music star lifestyle and that's certainly not what my fans have in common. That's so true.

I mean, it's like my family has a 300 acre animal farm in Georgia and every time we go back, it feels like I'm talking to my sister about life out here and drama or this and that. And she's like, who? Who are these people? Like, I don't know. And I'm like, God, you're right. It doesn't even call me. She calls my managers or my tour managers and they show up at my shows. They didn't even tell me they were coming. And like I said, that's I think creatively, that's a really important thing to have, but it's been very helpful to keep you sane to be able to slip back there and kind of disconnect. That's a pretty good way to do it. Do you think you get a lot of your inspiration when you are kind of unwinding back at home, just kind of disconnecting? Yeah, there's a lot of, and like I said, I'm very fortunate

because things are going well and that's why we're so busy, but it's a lot of like, I get off the road on Sunday and I wanna put my guitar down, not look at it again until I have to. So when I have a little time to unwind, I can sit back and look at, for one, how awesome this is that I'm getting to do, and then also think about songs like Georgia Time

and like, man, what was I thinking when I wrote that? You know, I'm sure you're familiar with Corey Smith. I always think about him because I was such a big fan of Corey Smith. A lot of my stuff that I cut years and years ago was very much like that. And I even had some songs where I kind of like rapped in the verse a little bit like he did. But I always think about he wrote those songs and it was talking about wishing you were 21. How do you go back there mentally when you're 40 years old? You know, so going back and living with some of those songs and visiting those places that kind of gave me

that inspiration, I think, helps me to write from a place that at least got me somewhat successful. You just released Christmas to me. Have you always wanted to do? No. No. A Christmas song? Yeah. I feel like every record deal in Nashville has a clause that says they can make you do a Christmas song

Yeah, yeah, and I think everybody dreads it I was going I had a really busy travel week like West Coast to New York did like good morning today or something and It's a new show. It's really good. You'll love it. And it's a late night show. Perfect. And they called me and my manager was like, hey man, I hate to even ask you this, but

like, could you go do this thing? It's kind of a favor. Christmas special somewhere. And I had travel planned to go home and like catch a ball game at my, where I went to school at. You know, I was really excited about it. And I was like, well, you know, I'm supposed to go do it. What's the song? And it was the most awful, like it wasn't Jingle Bell

Rock, but it was worse than that. It was cheesy. A lot of Christmas songs are cheesy. And I thought, Oh, I'm off for Christmas is you. I kind of like that one. But if I thought if I can write a Christmas song, I'll never, I'll always be able to play a song. If I like it, I can like, people ask me to do that. I can always have a song that's like decent to play so I sat on the bus and wrote a Christmas song and I like it it's great I cheated a little bit yeah it's not I think it's a country song that I made a Christmas song yeah

it's not very like deck the halls there's a little jingle at the end though you know some sleigh bells a little sleigh bell yeah that's about all there is. I like it though. A little sleigh bell. And the album cover is Christmassy. Well, it's me. It was Christmas in my grandmother's little jean's house.

There you go. Yeah. My granddad Buford sitting in the corner, that's a little me with a Troy Aikman jersey on. Stamp. It's one of those songs that I can see it. Like it was the easiest song for me to write. I think me and Eric Dillon wrote that song

like 15 minutes on the bus. Like and he couldn't type it fast enough it was coming out. Cause it was just me singing about what Christmas was like growing up. You know? Yeah. What do you think the most,

one of the most surprising things about you is, or like things might, people might be like. Probably how smart I am. What do you mean? Like what people wouldn't know about me? Shit you're into, like a guilty pleasure like you know Like you're a big fan of Mariah Carey's all I want for Christmas is you know, I like this

I like that Rihanna song up. You look so dumb right now. What's that song? That's not how she sounds. I never said I sounded Rihanna. I'm just saying I couldn't put the two together. I gotta come at our guests like that. That was my best Rihanna impersonation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a video of her singing it and it's just like her out there. I don't know. I like that song. I watch that video a lot.

Makes me feel good when I'm in a bad mood. Is that when she has the short red hair? I didn't get it. I don't know what outfit she has on. It might not. It might have been earlier. Now we're testing. Y'all don't know what outfit she has on. It might have been earlier. Y'all don't have the internet here? Put a link to that on there. Look it up.

It makes you feel good. That and there's a movie called Ten Cup. Great movie. My favorite movie ever. And the last 20 minutes of that movie when he hits it in the water so many times. The Seven Iron? Yeah. I watched that a lot, just the last bit of that movie.

Why? It just puts me in a good mood. Like you fast forward to that? Or you just like watch a clip of you? Like kind of your meditation almost in a way? I don't know, just like I can't help but like kind of smile makes me feel good. Okay.

I don't know. What's your favorite food? You said surprise, you're surprised. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Uh, meatballs. I love some good meatballs. Probably I make. You do? Mm-hmm. See, that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.. You've got it. And this man made meatballs and only made, and only ate the meatballs.

It's all he touched. This Thanksgiving. And my grandmother was like, well, I don't know about this, Nick. Wisconsin. You lost the, oh yeah. You don't even have it. You don't have a Wisconsin accent.

When he says roof, he says roof. When I say roof or locker. When I say locker. You look like you were born in Georgia. You got some of the things like you went down there, they were expecting a certain level of. He was probably still wearing skinny jeans when I told him. Definitely still wearing skinny jeans back then.

They took me to, so I'd never been to like really nice restaurants or anything. When I was getting, like my record label was trying to sign me, I had four record labels offering me a deal, so they had to like court me. It was like get recruited. And so they were taking me out and like pretending they liked to drink beer, bush light,

and all this stuff with me, and trying to like look through my hunting pictures and act like they knew what I was like getting recruited. And so they were taking me out and like pretending they liked to drink beer, bush light and all this stuff with me and trying to like look through my hunting pictures and that like they knew what I was talking about. And so we would go to these nice restaurants and I found this place in Nashville. It took me had meatballs and that was where like each time I had like a number one or something good happened, we all went there and I made everybody eat meatballs. We just ordered them off the appetizers. There was three in there. It's that Tratatouille place. It's next to Bridgestone No, she asked me to make meatballs and I was like, okay, it was like a potluck and I'm yeah I make some fun good. Wait, did he make the little? Yeah, and then I made them and then like no and she was like you should make meatballs like okay

And then like it was Thanksgiving dinner, which I just don't like, I'm not a big Thanksgiving. Well, I don't like a lot of ingredients. I'm like a kid, I like cheese and sauce and I could just eat one thing. That's kind of how I was. But I'm also respectful, so I get everybody's stuff. Would you have tried grandmother's stuffing?

You'd have to. You'd have to. He was like, I'll get back to it, I promise Betty Sue. I went over to my grandmother's house the other day and she made beef stew and that has too many ingredients for me, like I don't do onions and I don't even know. You don't do everything but the kitchen sink. Yeah, it's just like everything in there.

It's literally like she just puts whatever she has in there and I mean, I had to eat some of it, you know. Did you like choke it down or? She always has these little bitty miniature, well, just grape juices. So I was just. Chugging that. Do you tell her it was good?

Do you lie to her? Of course. Are you kidding me? I'm trying to get beat. That's crazy. This is an Alabama grandmother we're talking about. She still cuts her own grass. Damn.

How old is she? 86. Damn. I went home in the summer and she was weed eating. It was 100 degrees and she's out there weed eating. And I pulled up and I said, grandma let me do that. She's like, no, I wanna do it.

I said, let me do it. I said, I'm gonna take my shirt off out here and let the neighbors see and get a little sun, you know? And so she went up to her house and I got around to the other side and she was back down there with the other weed eater. She's doing the other side. She'll weed eat off the side of her golf cart.

She'll just ride the golf cart? Yeah, she loves it. Like a stick, if a stick falls off a tree, it doesn't sit in the yard long. She picks it up. Yeah, it's getting picked up. Wow. They don't make them like that nowadays, landscapers. They don't make them like an Alabama grandmother.

I don't remember, somebody came down and was filming like a little content thing or like where you're from or something and they were like, you you can't make up where I'm from obviously you you know being from where you are you know what that small town life's like and there's one flashing light there's one store it's called Green Store all four of my grandparents knew each other when they were kids so like everybody's from right there and like the old man go to the store in the morning play dominoes and you know talk about all the gossip and the camera guy was sitting there like I'm giving an interview I

said oh my grandma was calling why she about to cuss me out because I bought her a lawnmower she was getting a new lawnmower and I talked to the John Deere guy I said let me pay for it he said no she told me don't I was like come on man so she I answered the phone and she said Riley you little shit and they were like who's your grandmother? I was like yeah. Grandma's got a mouse. With big wireless providers, what you see is never what you get.

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Collaborate with George Strait. Oh yeah, I mean I've already been so fortunate to have collaborations with people I'm such a big fan of. And they've all worked out really well too, which is awesome to have hit songs with people that you're friends with. ACM Award was pretty crazy. We won a CMA Award the other day, Ella did.

I think there's probably a lot of people that had dreams of a country music career, always grew up doing it and they've had more time. I never really had that. I thought I would grow a long gray ponytail and play at the Floor of Amma and do construction during the week and that would be the extent of my career.

A lot of ponytail. I don't know, if you live at the beach. Look at that beautiful hair. Yeah, yeah. I hope you're okay with me saying you got beautiful hair. I was hoping somebody would. No, I'm glad you said that though, because it's like. I didn't have any visions of that. I was like, what? Yeah, yeah. I hope you're okay with me saying you got beautiful hair. I was hoping somebody would.

Yeah. No, I'm glad you said that though, cause it's like- I didn't have any visions of the success I've already had. So for me, it's like, if I never had another hit, I would be blown away by how awesome my career has been. But at the same time, like, my anxiety or whatever, my worry in my career is just that I don't get

as much as I can out of it. Okay. And I'm like, for me to like sit around when I should be going to write a song or you know, management calls me and says, hey man, you've had a really busy week, we're gonna not do this one show. I'm like, no, let's just do it.

You know, there'll be a time when I start saying no, but right now it's like, I just wanna, I know how fortunate I am, I wanna try to get as much as I can out of it. That makes sense, cause yeah, it's not something you expected to do, you got into it and it must constantly kinda almost feel surreal, right?

And at the same time, now you're doing it, you're having a ton of success, you're winning awards, you're on Jimmy Fallon, like you get used to it, but at the same time, you have this appreciation for something that you, you know, 15, 20 years ago, like if I'm guessing, if I would have told you, like you'll be where you are now, you know. On this podcast, I would have never believed it.

Yeah, no, for sure. There's a little bit of what's been tough for me is like the bigger you get, there's a little bit of a disconnect with fans that you have. Like when I was playing songs and like I would go in a barbecue restaurant, I would have to win over people.

They didn't come to see me, you know, like they were eating and they probably thought my music was too loud. So I had to like do something to set me apart from somebody else. I wasn't that great of a singer. So I started writing songs and I thought that was how I learned how to write. Like, oh, this line, they turned around. You know, this one made them like raise their beer up. So you lose that a little bit when

you're, you got a sold out show somewhere. You're, we did stadiums with Luke Combs last year. You know, I'll be on an arena tour that I went on this year and, and they're, they, everybody seems so far away now. So it's nice to, when you write songs, be able to do something on a level that's a little more intimate and go, man, that works, you know? Every once in a while, you gotta be worried that somebody might not like it. I think that's what keeps you working hard.

Keeps you sharp, yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Can't sit there and look at all the TikToks of old ladies saying that your forearms are pretty. You gotta do something to keep yourself motivated. That doesn't keep you motivated to work out? Forearm workout, that's it. Like Popeye, that's all I do, eat spinach

and work out my forearms. Bails ahead. Yeah. No actual work, no actual work. You just a college football fan or you like the pros too? In Alabama, we don't have a pro team, everybody's a Braves fan and everybody's a lot more college. I've kinda been like that. It's kinda hard to be an Auburn fan these days. You know it's not, because you just don't have a pro team. Everybody's a Braves fan and everybody's a lot more college. I've kind of been like that It's kind of hard to be an Auburn fan these days, you know, it's not because you just don't care

When I think Auburn should be really good it's tough me because I'm like biting my nails at every game this year I didn't expect that much and they didn't just warn me. Yeah, you're like, well, all right another loss It'd be worse. I guess. Did you watch the Georgia game? The eight overtimes? Yeah, that was wild. That was insane. Who were they playing? Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech, yeah. That's crazy. Do you cheer for any other SEC, even though Auburn's Auburn? My whole family's Alabama fans. Are they? Yeah, yeah, well, I mean, you know. How are you Auburn? I don't know.

I always, I think growing up, my sister Casey's two years older than me. My sister Lindy's 10 years older than me. Me and Casey fought all the time. I thought Lindy was cool. So every guy that she dated, I thought was the coolest dude ever. You know, like I remember like khaki pants

with the little frizzle, the little shorts, like the new balance shoes, like I had to have. So I mean, I think maybe one of her boyfriends was an Auburn fan and that was that was why Wow. Yeah easily influence Backfire though just cuz like Alabama's been so good Yeah, but man Alabama can have the best team in the country and Auburn can be the worst team They can still beat him in a year like it's the craziest thing that one that one you always talk about the Remember that I was watching.

I was randomly watching. See that's the thing too. When you have a game like that, it doesn't matter if Alabama wins 50 national championships and go, I kicked six game though, man. I can't take that back. That's true. So what are you going to do for Christmas? As little as I can get away with.

I'm going to almost head home and hang out with the family a little bit. We still very traditionally go over to my grandmother's and eat and take a nap and get up and eat again and nap and open presents. Yards like the parking lot. That's right, see. She did her due diligence. I'm a fan.

Oh yeah, you just kind of have to be. I'm a fan. Yeah, at least pretend to be on the podcast. Well, yeah. Self-deprecating. I got a lot of nieces and nephews, so that's fine. Yeah. You know. Are you the favorite uncle? Come on, yeah. Self-deprecating. I got a lot of nieces and nephews, so that's fine. Yeah. You know?

Are you the favorite uncle? Come on, dude. Do you get them presents? Yeah. You know what was one of the best years I had was I just took them to the store and just let them all pick out what they wanted. Oh, yeah.

That was fun. Yeah. It's easier, because then you're not guessing what they want and they're not like, I already have this. Yeah. That always happens to me. And it was something to want. They're not like, I already have this. Yeah. You know, that always happens to me. And it was like something to do, you know, they enjoyed that. That was fun for me. What store did you take them to, Walmart?

Yeah, of course. There's not a Target where we're at. They don't make tours for us anymore. No. They don't? No, I think they closed them all. Yeah, unfortunately. I was really looking forward to taking.

They're coming back. Are they? They're trying to, yeah. They exist in, I to taking. They're coming back. Are they? They're trying to, yeah. They exist in, I think, JC Penney's or Macy's. It's so hard to believe that any stores exist anymore with Amazon. Yeah, online shopping.

I found out what that was like three years ago. And you're like, oh shit, this is you. One of the ladies who works for my record label was telling me, I was like, I just built my house in Alabama and then I signed my deal, went on the road, and I was getting furniture delivered and all this stuff., I was like, I just built my house in Alabama and then I signed my deal, went on the road and I was getting furniture delivered and all this stuff. And I was like, I didn't even see it. My mama sent me pictures of like furniture and I was like, man, I got to get plates and cups and buy stuff. You can order them on Amazon. I'm like,

and so she showed it to me. And now I'm like, you know, I just order all kinds of junk. I don't think I'm like, uh, what's the call when you see something like by the register and you impulse, I don't like impulse buy stuff. I just like having packages when I get home. So like, what's it called when you see something like by the register and you impulse I like impulse boss up I just like having packages when I get home so like it doesn't matter what it is there's so much stuff I've opened that I've never touch you too would get along just fine package it's like Christmas all the time matter of fact I don't know that there's been many things I've opened in the last few years it didn't disappoint me when I got inside of it like I was I was more excited about having it just

open just like having is it it like the free stuff? I think so. Do you get a lot of PR packages? Yeah. You do. Is it mostly just like beer and blue water sunglasses? I don't think you're saying beer in the mail. Like no, it's a lot of hunting stuff.

I've got five billion hats with a duck on them somewhere in my house, yeah. It's funny too, cause I'll see people in my little community out there with them on, cause my dad goes and gets all that stuff and gives it to people. And there's a thing called Trade Day in Collinsville. It's like a big flea market outside. And we always went there when I was a kid. Me and my dad would go like trade case pocket

knives with people and set up and sell stuff. And I took some of my buddies up there and we bought a bunch of miniature goats and pigs from my farm. It was just something to do when I was home. And I saw my dad there and he had a booth set up and selling stuff. And I went over there and there's like a real tree vest with the tags to it. I'm like, that's mine. And he said, $15. Like he's gonna sell it back to me.

He's just taking all the stuff that people send me and selling it to trade days, making a killing. My sister sells bootleg Raleigh Green merch. Honestly, that is smart. Yeah, you're a- It's smart for him, yeah. It's great. It's great. You're losing're a... It's smart for him, yeah. It's great. It's great. You're losing packages though.

It's less for you. That's crazy. I do remember, I saw you at the Music Vault in Savannah years ago and so it is real. And there was like no one there, no offense. But it is... Is that on the river? Yeah.

Okay, so I just remember that I didn't know there was like such a bachelorette party thing and down there until that show. Oh, it's at Saddleback's. It's like a... Saddleback's with the... Yeah, that's the spot. With the bull, mechanical bull. So I can only imagine what like your friends and your family and your ex-girlfriends think about you now because it is... It's wild for me at least to be like, oh, I was at a concert when like no one was there and then to like see you now so massive and so big.

That's the girl I should have had on here my girlfriends You had a bigger couch. I would green ex-girlfriend For me it's tough to Really grasp because it was so grad like gradual like it happened like it went from this little place to a little bigger and like Music vault and we did the arena and Savannah. Yeah last year the year to a little bigger and like the music vault and we did the arena in Savannah last year, the year before. And Mark.

Yeah. And also it was very regional to start with. So like I was a big deal in like Cowan County for a while, you know, in Alabama. And then it kind of, the circle has grown and now people, that's the biggest thing. I mean, like we went to Australia and had, I don't know how many sold out shows.

We headlined two big festivals out there and I flew my parents out with me and they sang it. It was like we were playing in Georgia. Like they sang every word. It's gotta be surreal. Yeah. It's that kind of thing is, uh, it's hard to really comprehend. I think that it can travel like that.

Yeah. I think Carly Pierce was, she was sitting where you are and she was saying I in like Sweden or something. She's like, they know every, they don't speak any English. She says they know every single word to all of our songs. And then the second she starts like talking to the crowd, they're all like, what? That was in Montreal.

They speak French somewhere in Canada in that area, Boots and Hearts Festival or Lasso Festival or something. And I noticed they sang every word, but when I would do my in-between song banter, it was just like, so. You don't speak any French? I thought I wasn't funny. Thank God I am. It wasn't me, it was them.

Yeah, yikes. I can barely speak English. Yeah, I don't speak French. I relate to that. Yeah. Yeah, no struggles with English. Yeah, it's hard. Reading's hard.

They did a, they filmed a like, where you're from piece on my farm. And it was right when I signed a record deal and my mom was sitting in my house making CDs, putting my label on them. I told her when I was playing those shows, like that she could make CDs and sell them and she'd keep the money. For me, it was good advertisement. I didn't want to fool with it. And the label's like, you

know, you can't do that anymore. Right. Like that's like piracy or whatever. She's like, what? And my dad was on the porch, like staying in the ports. And they went out there and talked to him. They were interviewing them and they had to use subtitles for my dad because he's mumbled so much. Oh, really? That's great. What's he saying? Can you do an impression of your dad? Yeah. But you know everything he's saying don't you? Or at least your mom does. I don't I just yeah man that's right. Yeah. He called me the other day he was at Trade Day and he said hey listen. Your stuff sold great today. Yeah he figured out how to work my phone. Like he's got a phone. And so he like takes pictures with it now and he calls and he was like, hey man, listen, I'm at Trade Day

and I found this trailer, man. It's bad, it's bad ass. Like you think I can get it? He works for me on my farm. My mom has like the farm checkbooks. We used to call me and check. I was like, how much is it? $750.

He's like, yeah, you can get it. He's like, man, you're not gonna believe it. And he's telling me all about it. And I went home for Thanksgiving and he drug me out there to go see it. And it's literally like, man, you're not gonna believe it. And he's telling me all about it. And I went home for Thanksgiving and he drug me out there to go see it. And it's literally like, you know those trucks like Allagasco, like a utility work truck with the white ones with the big toolboxes

on the back and all that? It's like one of those, somebody saw it in half and they just put a tongue on the front of it. So you could hook it up. That's all, it's like the most rinky, it'll fall apart. And he was so excited about it. Yeah. Did you ride it? You wouldn't it. Yeah. Did you ride it?

You wouldn't even ride it. Did you drive it? Drive the, you mean like pull it somewhere? Sure. No, I don't want any part of that. But he's doing the whole thing. I don't know what he's gonna do with it. He doesn't need it.

He just was so excited. It was a deal. And I guess. He just loved the sale. He'd never seen one like it before. He's like, it's actually collecting dust now. I haven't, yeah. But we got 80% off. But we did get 80% off. That's awful. That's great. What's actually collecting dust now. I haven't, yeah. But we got 80% off.

But we did get 80% off. That's awful. That's great. What's your favorite cereal? Favorite cereal versus like the one I eat because I feel like it's okay, you know? Sure. Honey Bunches of Oats.

That's your healthy cereal? Yeah, but I mean, I eat like protein cereal and stuff. Now I like, I don't remember the brands of them, but they're kind of like cardboard. But I guess it's got enough that it makes me feel like I'm, I don't know how you beat like Sanitose Crunch. That's tough to beat.

Fruity Pebbles. Over cocoa. Yeah, I'm not. You're talking about Cocoa Puffs? Pebbles. Pebbles. Yeah, I don't know. I'm not a big chocolate guy.

Really? Pops. Pops. You know what's a slept on cereal? Apple Jacks. I do like Apple Jacks. Yeah, and that feels kind of healthy too. It is slept on too. Doesn't it? I feel cereal? Apple Jacks. I do like Apple Jacks. Yeah, and that feels kinda healthy too.

It is slept on too. Doesn't it? I feel healthy eating Apple Jacks. Sure. Yeah, cause it's a little cinnamon-y. Well, I can trick myself in it thinking anything. Yeah, after I have like three quarters of a box though. Yeah. Yeah.

It must get a little frustrating to have everyone want to know so much about your love life because I think you personally keep it so private and so it like makes people want it more because you're like, I'm not talking about it. That's nothing, you know, it's, and then like, we've got to know, we have to know what's going on in Raleigh Green's love life.

Well, if I told them anything about it, they wouldn't want to know anymore. They'd be like, I don't think there's really that much of one. I mean, like I can't convey the amount of travel that it's been this year. And I just think sometimes the last thing I wanna do when I got two days off is go on a blind date or like,

I mean, I don't know. I just, I think I'm pretty far from the schedule that it's gonna take for me to settle down. So, hey, I don't know what they're saying on other podcasts or gossip sites. I just know that that's like people, I mean, you were at the CMAs. It was like, who is the hottest person in country music? Carrie Underwood or Riley gossip site. I just know that that's like people, I mean you were at the CMAs, it was like who is the hottest person in country music?

Carrie Underwood or Ali Green. Well that's nice. That's a group there. Right? Yeah. I think you said Carrie Underwood, didn't you? I did, yeah. That seemed like a no-brainer to me.

They said I couldn't say myself, so. That wasn't self-deprecating, was it? Went the other way with that one. Yeah. I just think it's wild that people are, you know, they always want what they can't have. They must be flattering though, or do you find that annoying?

It's not annoying. My mom used to tell me I was the cutest one in my football uniform all the time after every game, win or lose. You know, a mom's love for her son, she's like, that really, it's what gives you, you'll get confidence if mom loves you. If I ever get down on myself, I'll just go home.

And call mom. Yeah. My mom gave me an unnecessary amount of confidence. Yeah. Yeah, I'll go along with that Yeah, have you um, are you the type that like has? Like a notes app of your future kids names on it. No No, I did. Well, you mean isn't that probably more of a girl thing? What's your dream wedding? That would have been my answer to the what would surprise people question Isn't that probably more of a girl thing? What's your dream wedding? Have you already picked out your tux? Let me ask you this. That would have been my answer to the what would surprise people question. I think I look like the guy that's gonna pick out. I've got a notes app full of kids names that I want.

I might have an app like a notes app of just like names for like a dog that I might get one day. Or like batteries, Chinese food. I know I should draw this because I did watch an interview of you talking about your dog. What's your dog's name again? Carl. Carl. I love that. See know I should know this because I did I did watch an interview you talking about your dog What's your dog's name again? Carl Carl? I love that. See what I mean? We have Stephen and Jeff. It's nice people names. Carl and he's got a girlfriend now Her name is Carol Ann. Love that. Yeah. Where did he meet her? Like on the apps or something? No, I mean, she's not his girlfriend yet. She's like still like young, you know

But when she you know, we're gonna do the thing or they maybe they will if they want to. And I got a yellow lab named Jazz. That's my duck hunting dog. So they all run around on the farm and chase the goats and animals. I thought Jazz is a good dog name because if it was a girl, it'd be Jasmine. And if it was a guy, it'd be Jasper. You didn't know which one it was going to be when you got it. I wasn't sure. I let the dog pick me when I went to get the dog, you know? Oh. You're supposed to get, if you want a dog for hunting,

this is just so y'all know, you're supposed to get the dog that likes people more than other dogs. So when you go and they're like little puppies and they walk around, this is not scientific. For anybody that's like dog people out there, don't. This is a riley green. Like I know what I'm talking about.

This is what I think. So like the one, like Jazz was like over there by me and the other ones were like jumping on each other and stuff and like really in real life, you went to a park right now, she's not like around a lot of other dogs a lot. She would like go smell of another dog and then she would run back to you.

She's not even interested. No, she would never like go chase another dog or something. I think that makes her like wanna like do what I want her to do, so. Did you send her off to training or did you? No, I trained her myself. You did? Dad's ruined it. I bet. Cause you just gave her a bunch of treats all the time. He send her? No, I trained her myself. You did? Mm-hmm. Dad's ruined it.

I bet. Because you just gave her a bunch of treats all the time. He feeds her coconut and powdered donuts all the time. Ooh, that hurts my stomach. Yeah. Coconut, powdered donuts. No, I mean the two different types. Oh, different.

Coconut donuts and powdered donuts. You know, like that's what he gets from the store. Damn. And he like brags about it too. He's like, when I'm driving, I'll open up that pack and she'll put her head right there on my shoulder. I'm like, yeah, Dad, she wants it. Yeah, you know, like that's what he, he gets them at the store. And he like brags about it too. He's like, when I'm driving, I'll open up that pack and she'll put her head right there on my shoulder. I'm like, yeah, dad, she wants a, yeah, I know. She can smell.

He's like, I trained her to eat donuts. So he's happy about that. She can smell the blood from a deer and she can also smell the second that bag opens up and that powder dust. I bought a bunch of chickens and I had to tell dad, she's a bird dog like you can't have her around like she'll eat them you know he's like no she wouldn't do that

and I feel like the first baby chick that got like I feel like there was nothing but just the feet smoking like on a cartoon. What'd your dad say? He was surprised. He said Riley your dog ate a chicken today. Probably easier to get powdered donuts than chickens, I guess. I don't know. Your dog ate a chicken today. That's how he sounded. He said it just like that. Yeah, yeah.

That's how he sounded. Oh, that's funny. Do you have a favorite? No. Does your mom have a favorite song of yours? I wrote a hell of a way to go about her dad, my granddaddy, Lyndon. So that one, I remember like, you know like, he recently passed away when I wrote it. So I think that one's probably up there.

They liked the Christmas song. I kind of wrote it with her mom and dad's house in mind. Oddly enough, she likes Worst Way. That's something people always ask me in interviews when that song came out, it was like, what does your mom think of it? She likes it. Interesting.

Did she have any follow-up questions when you were like, mom, this is a new song? No, we have a relationship. It's kind of a don't ask, don't tell where I come up with my whether something really happened or is fictional when I write songs Well, I do tell her all the time when I was young and I was like sneaking out of the house and going to the bars And all this stuff that that's where I got all the stories that I wrote these songs from, you know So she can't be mad about it now if I tell her that I got arrested like before Easter Sunday one year

and like bailed myself out and made it to church, you know, that didn't really happen. See if mom's gonna watch this. Oh, your mom's a huge fan of our show. She probably is. She will be. She might be. Yeah. Especially this episode. She'll like this one. She's gonna love this one. I'm her favorite. Do your sisters like, do they know that you're the favorite?

Yeah, they can't stand it. Really? I was the favorite before I had success. So you can imagine now. My mom and dad live in my house. But I bet you treated your mom right. You're probably good to her. Well, yeah, I mean, I've bought everybody cars and stuff.

And y'all know this from being successful. There's nothing I've ever bought myself that gave me as much enjoyment as like by my dad a truck He's never had anything nice. Yeah, this truck that was nice. I bought him isn't nice now He's back into everything I have with it About my mom her dad's lake house back and that's a cool. Yeah, I mean it just and I honestly don't do it For people to think I'm a good person and I don't even say it for that reason. It's just like, it really is like when I'm on the road thinking about getting my niece's and nephew's something,

or like sharing what's really awesome that I get to do and what success I have with them is pretty special. Yeah, it's like taking care of the people you love. Yeah, but I didn't give my parents my house, they stole it. They just squatted on it. Really? Yeah. They like loitered and then.

I built a house, went on the road, they just moved in the basement and then slowly moved upstairs into the master bedroom. You didn't come back. And I came home and my mom was like, came out and was in a nightgown on the porch. She saw me and she's like, what are you doing here?

She didn't even see me, she ran back in the house and I thought, oh, it's not gonna be good. And I got in there and it was just like, my whole room just had stuff, all that like, and I literally went in, I was like, listen, I'm gonna go. She's got plates framed on the wall. I'm gonna stay at the barn, but like, you know, we need to talk about this tomorrow.

And I just moved into the barn. Well, that can't be a bad place to stay. No, that's all right. Does it stink? It's a nice barn. Do you know your love language? English. Do you understand the question? I don't know what that is.

Usually, I'm not against somebody that speaks another language, but like, how do you feel loved Riley? They, there's like several things. There's you've never heard of languages. I've heard people talk about it. Yeah, I'm sure there's physical touch. Where you have information.

Okay, sure. Yeah. Uh, and she probably was like, my love language is this. I know the answer. When I go to the Chinese restaurant, I'm a dragon on the place. Matt nailed it. So am I. And so is river.

I'm a monkey. October 18th. That's how. So am I and so is River. I'm a monkey. October 18th, that's how you figure it out? It's your year. For the Chinese dragon. Oh. For the Chinese, yeah. Oh, that's not the same thing? That's not the same thing, no.

The love language is like, how do you show love to a romantic? How do you like to show love and what makes you feel loved? And there's physical touch. He's exhausted, he's like, I can't do that. Are you asleep? No, so there's four of them. Can I tell you the four?

Can I tell you the four? Yeah. And you can pick. Okay. So wait, let me ask you this. Do you think that people are responsible enough to pick their own? You think they should be able to?

You don't? People are gonna say what they want you to think they are. No, no, cause none of them are bad. Well, I guess. No, no, no. Yeah, that's not like- But they're gonna pick their favorite. It's not like a right or wrong. It's just like a howdy. Yeah, there's no favorite. It's like you're in they are. No, no, because none of them are bad. Well, I guess. Yeah, that's not like. But they're going to pick their favorite. It's not like a right or wrong. It's just like a how do you.

There's no favorite. Yeah, there's no favorite. It's like you're in a relationship. I don't think you should be able to pick what you think. That doesn't seem fair. No, it's more like. Well, tell them what they are. Like for example.

Y'all have only out here for like an hour. What do y'all think? Words of affirmation, right? No, I think he's, there's words of affirmation. There's gifts. There's acts of service and physical touch. So like. And quality time. And quality time, sorry. So five, yeah physical touch. So like this- And quality time.

And quality time, sorry. So five, yeah. I don't like being touched all that much. There you go. Okay, so definitely not, you do not wanna be touched. Same with me. Nick's the same. I'm always like, let me get inside of your skin.

And he's like, I don't really wanna be a part of that. Yeah. You know, you wouldn't be into that? And like gifts, I could give a fuck. I mean like, you know, like girl, like I don't mind being like touched, like sitting on the couch watching a movie or something. But I don't like people just touching me all the time like my guy friends like kind of like patching my cave

I don't like that. Okay. Yeah, we're talking about romance. We're talking about a romantic situation Yeah, so there you don't want you wouldn't want her to like sit on your I've dated girls that like to be just like back scratched all the time. I'm not like that. That's a lot Yeah, I'm like, yeah, just really you didn't. If you're doing it for me, don't. You're wasting energy. Matter of fact, I'll get you a back scratcher and do it to yourself. Then I don't have to do it.

I'll be the wooden back scratcher. Does that mean we can take that one off the list? Yeah, off the list. Done, quality time. Quality time. I've bought a lot of back scratchers and massagers and stuff over the years. That's terrible.

You do it. The little thing that goes around here, like all kind of stuff. Well, she's hooked up to all kinds of stuff. That Amazon is working for you. Right, quality of time. Do you like hanging out with the people you like, or do you like being alone more?

Are you introverted or extroverted? Definitely introverted. I think that I would have to have a little more in my normal lifestyle. I think I don't mind being around people. I think I'd have to have a little more in my normal lifestyle. I think I don't mind being around people. I think I'd have to have a little more of a regular schedule to be less introverted, but I think now I am a little bit. I think she's an ex-a-service guy.

You like doing things for the people you love. Okay, yeah. Like that's how you show love. I like doing nice stuff. Like how do you show love? But you would like make her a cup of coffee and you'd bring it to her and like, that's how you're showing love. You're not scratching her back. And I would sit her down and not touch her. Yeah. Like you would like make her a cup of coffee and you'd bring it to her and like, that's how you're showing love.

You're not scratching her back. And I would sit her down and not touch her. Yeah. Yeah. And matter of fact, I would make her the best cup of coffee and take it to a room that I was not gonna be in. Yeah.

And put it down. And I would try to coax her into that room. And I would go into the other room. And then you'd shut it behind you. And not even say anything. One of my favorite things would be to like, turn on a movie that I know is gonna be kind of boring and then just like coax them to sleep

so I can watch whatever I wanna watch. There you go. Ever they fall asleep. That's really fun for me. That's awful. Riley, this has been a ton of fun, man. Oh, sure that you got like a good segue out. Do that better.

Y'all are good at this. Can you say oil? Huh? Cause oil. Oil? Oil. See, he says it normal. Yeah. He's an oh. Oh.

Oh. How does your grandma say it? Oil. No, she doesn it normal. Yeah. She's oh. Oh. Oh. How does your grandma say it? Oil. No, she doesn't. I bet she does. You should call her when you leave her an ass. You got called out.

Okay. No, there's no way. You say it weird. I don't say it weird. Yeah, you do. Well, everybody, Christmas to Me is out and it is the best Christmas song of the year. Riley Green, everybody.

Thank you. It's been a lot of fun, man. We appreciate you. Best of luck with everything. We're big fans and can't wait to see what's next for you, buddy. Appreciate it, man. All right, take care, man.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.