wellRED podcast - #100 - The 100th Episode Celebration w/ Ryan F***ing Bingham!

Episode Date: January 17, 2019

Hot damn y'all! We made it to 100 episodes! From Papaw Batman to Mr. Butt to figuring out all the stuff that don't hit for Drew (Bulls, Bob Seger, Old Bay Seasoning) you have stuck with us on this crazy journey and allowed us to come into your homes, cars, and headphones and attempt to hit!For our 100th episode we have singer/songwriter and OSCAR WINNER Ryan Bingham! We talk about Ryan's upbringing, his start in music, and the process of writing an Oscar winning song.Go Ryanbingham.com and pre order his new album American Love Song and check out his entire catalog of tremendous music. Also get your ass out there and see him live! wellredcomedy.com smokeyboysgrilling.com carvevodka.com

And we thank them for sponsoring the show. Well, no, I'll just go ahead. I mean, look, I'm money dumb. Y'all know that. I've been money dumb ever, since ever, my whole life. And the modern world makes it even harder to not be money dumb, in my opinion, because you used to you, you like had to write down everything you spent or you wouldn't know nothing. But now you got apps and stuff on your phone.

It's just like you can just, it makes it easier to lose count of, well, your count, the count every month, how much you're spending. A lot of people don't even know how much they spend on a per month basis. I'm not going to lie, I can be one of those people. Like, let me ask you right now, skewers out, whatnot, sorry, well-read people, people across the skewniverse, I should say. Do you even know how many subscriptions that you actively pay for every month or every year? Do you even know?

Do you know how much you spend on takeout or delivery, getting a paid chauffeur for your chicken low mane? Because that's a thing that we do in this society. Do you know how much you spend on that? It's probably more than you think. But now there's an app designed to help you manage your money better, and it's called Rocket Money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app

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language learning services that I just wasn't using. So I was probably like, I should know Spanish. I'll learn Spanish. and I've just been paying to learn Spanish without practicing any Spanish for, you know, pertinent two years now or something like that. Also, a fun one, I'd said it before, but I got an app,

lovely little app where you could, you know, put your friend's faces onto funny reaction gifts and stuff like that. So obviously I got it so I could put Corey's face on those two, those two like twins from the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland movies. You know, those weren't a little like the Q-ball-looking twin fellas. Yeah. So that was money.

What was that a reply gift for? Just when I did something stupid. Something fat, I think, and stupid. Something both fat and stupid. But anyway, that was money well spent at first. But then I quit using it and was still paying for it and forgotten. If it wasn't for Rocket Money, I never would have even figured it out. So shout out to them.

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What's up everybody? It's your boy the show well read comedy.com. W.E.L.R.E.D. Comedy.com. That is where you can get tickets to our show. Subscribe to our newsletter. get sweet merch like our book, The Liberal Redneck Manifesto, Dragon Dixie, Out of the Dark, and all sorts of other shit. We're hitting the road.

Again, on February 9th in San Francisco, then we're going to be all over the place. Just go to Wellredcom. You can see everywhere that we're going to be. We took the month of January off to work on some television stuff that we hope fingers fucking crossed that we can bring you very soon. It's been fun.

This portion of the podcast is always brought to you by Smokey Boy. Go to Smokey Boysgrilling.com to get all the rubs for all you meats. Also carvevodka.com. You want to get drunk like the show? I know you do. Go to carvevodka.com and learn how you can carve your path with Jacksonville's first and only cra-motherfucker.

It's their only, it's their only, first and only craft vodka distillery. Guys, I'm sorry. I'm a little rough this morning. This is, we celebrated last night. our 100th, as you heard it correctly, our 100th well-read podcast episode, and Lord God, it was a doozy. We had singer, songwriter, extraordinary, and Oscar winner, Ryan Bingham. If you're familiar with Ryan Bingham's work, then you know this is a rad interview.

If you're not familiar with this work, get familiar with this work, go to Ryan Bingham.com, go to Google, just search him, figure out what this dude's all about. Get all his albums, get all his fucking music, check out every movie he's ever been in. If you're not familiar, right off the top. The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart, the Jeff Bridges movie. That was Ryan Bingham. He won an Oscar for it. He's so goddamn rad.

Also, not for nothing. Super good-looking guy. He's got a new record coming out next month on February 15th. You can go to Ryan Bingham.com, pre-order all that, go to iTunes, check him out. It was so unbelievable. So, I said all that to say this. The podcast is up a little late because we had the 100th episode celebration last night with Ryan. He could only do Wednesday night, therefore this is coming out late.

And also afterwards, you know, me and Drew went out with friend of the podcast, Elizabeth Cook, and we got drunk. So, you know, I'm sorry, this is what it is. The podcast is going up late. The interview with Ryan Bingham will be after a little recap from your boys, the boy the show, Trey and Drew. We tell a Red Crette story. We talk shit.

It was just so much fun. This is a great episode. So check her out. We love you. And skew. Well, well. For the 100th time. A hundred episodes and 100,000 lost listeners later.

Yeah, I know that's the truth. Here we are. Is that accurate? Oh, no, it's accurate about me. Oh, no, it's way more. It's accurate that there have been 100,000 lost listeners. I feel like you had to listen twice before I consider you lost. If you came once and you never came back, you ain't lost.

Yeah, and it was dad. Yeah, that's true. That's true. We really, really dropped the ball on launching this thing. It's probably the, like, the worst I've ever done something in my life. And, you know, that's, like, with the expectations that I had for it, I guess. She was taking a video or a picture. That's why I was flipping her off.

You know what I mean? Like, I've done worse things, but I've never done something so bad and thought I was going to do it so good. I can think of one other thing. but we don't have to get into that okay awesome it was the group of us no duh

oh sketches yeah yeah yeah no you're right as it turns out anytime we attempt to do something for the first time we really fuck it up which in fairness is the thing that is true for everybody almost everyone we just have the hubris to think that it won't be terrible and also we have a spotlight on us because we hit

well no but we didn't have to pardon me for my hubris but fuck y'all this podcast rules, dude. It does now. When we first put it out, it wasn't even the content. It just, we, it was terrible. I thought you meant audio quality wise. I thought you meant we have created 100 episodes of a terrible podcast.

No, hell no. You're saying when we first put this out. It had no business being put out. We recorded the first one in a car, in traffic in Atlanta. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Okay, I'm with that.

Yeah. We fuck up my backup over here. We fucked that up really bad. Fuck you, dude. We had some good episodes. I mean, thank you. Thank you for defending that. we've had, I mean, for the most part, they've been, they've all been good episodes, just

audio quality. We've talked about this before. Some people may or may not know. We had a week-long show on Sirius during the election. Oh, I brought that up. And I already made everybody sad right off the top. It's like every episode. We have a format.

I make everybody sad. Corey Farts. We know what we're doing. We got it now. Yeah. Yeah. What the fuck was I saying? Oh, it was formatted.

We had characters. We also had a producer. True. And a sound tech. Yes. We had resources. We had a guy who was like, what are you going to do tomorrow? And if we didn't tell him something, he would get upset with us.

Yeah. Yeah, we had accountability. A professional fucking studio, money. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's a lot. Sway was there. Sway was there. Every day.

Hitting. Just fucking hitting. Kurt Loder was there. We told that story? I'm sure we have. Surely the God would tell the fucking story. Yeah, tell it. So when you go to serious, if you're a guest on somebody's show, and this is that, that's what we were doing.

Then we were guests. That wasn't one of the days that we had it. show. It was leading up to that. We were a guest on a few shows. Did Pete Dominic? Fuglesing, I think, or no, that was... You did Fugel's... We did that individually later. Anyway, they take your picture

by... In front of their little presser thing, like a little serious. Well, I went back by myself to do Fugel Sainz, and they did not do that. So I think they just take Tray's picture, and we were allowed to be there. Yeah, yeah, looking like the malignant tumors that we are. Sway was there from Sway in the morning and with Kurt Loder, both

from MTV, both from our youth. and they're sitting there, they got their picture made, they did slide over, they were having a conversation, and the little millennial photographer, I think she legitimately didn't know who they were. Or honestly, what she did wasn't like rude. She was like, hey, could you excuse us? We have to take these dudes' pictures.

She wasn't really being an asshole. Right. At all. And Sway goes, oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to move living legend Kurt Loder out of the way for? And he turns and looks us and just goes, these guys? And by the way, and I'll say this, like sway was being a hilarious dick like he was joking he was being cool he was being sway which is

which is where the term sway comes from it literally is yeah berm cho druid sway and he is the sway of all sways and uh and yeah when we were we walked we walked by his studio later and i assume somebody was sitting there doing five fingers or five uh what is it five fingers of death yeah five fingers of death yeah five fingers of death and sway looked up at us and was like oh shit what's up rednecks that i just shit on in front of curtailed and it was fucking cool as shit He crowned Shilabouf, the baddest rapper in Hollywood, and I would just love to get to where I hit enough to even, even if I fail, just challenge that.

Shilabufe went on there and did five fingers of death, and it was good. Yeah, it was good, man. I would say right now, I'd be more impressed by you successfully challenging that than like anything else I've ever seen you do. Really? Oh, hell yeah. If you did literally better than that?

But you know it's not. and then they're fine with this, it's not really freestyle. Like, what is impressive to them is that you can... Is it very few freestyling actually? Free styling, yeah. It's bars you've already had for other shit. But the fact that you have so many bars and you can quickly adapt to a new beat on the fly. Right.

That's still un-pucking impressive as shit. Super impressive. Well, like, you know, Eminem's... But I also think Shilaboof was good for an actor. Do you think he was just great on his... He was good on his own. I wouldn't like listen to his whole album. Tomorrow I couldn't do it.

Let me be very clear. Yeah, yeah. I would not even ask to go on there until I hit hard enough to where he would say yes, and I have been practicing my bars. I think after like six or seven months I could come up with some pretty solid bars to go on. But that probably shouldn't count because Labouf, he may have practiced some, but he's been rapping for a while. Because there's videos of him when he first started trying to do it.

He challenged these kids that are like a rock quarry, and he was terrible. Hammered, Lord he was. He's a child actor. Of course, he's been rapping since that start. You know what I'm saying? As soon as he started being that, the next thing was going to be raced. I don't think there's anybody I'm more jealous of as a group than rappers. Like that you can't be that cool?

I guess. Just in general their life, how they get to live it? Quarterbacks? Yeah, but like... I mean, they're on the list. And this is... They're not even at the top. Actors hits more in quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks get the fuck beat out of them. They have to, like, you know, know stuff. This is pretty grim, but, like, you know, rappers often, though, be getting shot. That would not... That part wouldn't hit for me. Not that often once they rap. unless they are fucking dip shits. That's true.

Once they are rappers. Right. Like full-time rappers. I wouldn't say Tupac and Biggie were dipshits, though. That was different, but, yeah. And that was the gangster rap era. That ain't fair to me. Yeah, you're right.

Okay. Okay. Okay. You're right. Because, like, you know, killer Mike, he don't be getting shot at. And there's probably a danger level in general, but no more than an actor. Yeah, I know. You're right.

I was probably specifically just thinking Biggie and Tupac, but yeah. Rest in peace. I mean, a lot of them have been shot. Yeah. You know, how many times? 50 cents been shot nine times? I guess not. I think 50 cents curbing it.

Do you count him as one or nine different events? Was it? Was that? It was all at once. Oh, fuck. I mean, that's, God damn. So we're on the same page. He got shot on one occasion, nine times.

Yeah, yeah, yes. Yes. He got shot nine times once. Yeah. Word? Yeah, that's why. Where were the other ones that? If you listen to really, really,

oh, 50 cent before he ever had, like, a record deal or whatever, like through his teeth. He sounds completely different. Yeah. No, it ain't because it's like, not because, like, his jaw was wired shut or nothing. I just mean, like, he used to sound very different. Then he got shot in the face.

Now he talks and raps and everything different than he used to sound. Yes. And he credits that a lot with, like, his success. Getting shot in the face. Because his sound, you know, like, is what was at least, pretty iconic. and he didn't use to sound nothing like that. The guitar player for Black Sabbath,

he fucking, like, cut the ends of two of his fingers off on accident or some shit, and then because of that, he had to use these guitar. He had to, like, loosen the guitar strings on his guitar in some way, and that's why he has that weird sound on his guitar, that very specific Black Sabbath sound. It's because he has to use different strings

because it hurts his fingers otherwise. That's why they have that different sound. What happened to, not Bobby Bear God damn it what's his name he's got he's only got isn't it

Billy Joe Shaver yeah he's only got he's missing he's missing two fingers on one hand and I'm pretty sure maybe I'm making this up he like has said like I became a better songwriter after that

because I knew I had to become a great songwriter because I could barely play right you know dad's if you've seen dad's hand he's got he's missing this guy right here and he says it helps the middle finger listeners he said it helps him hit a G better. And he's never had it, by the way.

Like, he... Your dad is missing his middle phone. And he lost it when he was two years old. I never noticed that. In his, like, adult life, he's never known anything without it. When he was two years old, you know, remember them... He's like a world-class picker? He's great.

Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah, it is nuts. But, again, he's never known anything different. Right. When he was a kid, you remember how lawnmowers used to just beat, they would just have the blade that did that shit that just ran around? Well, he was fucking two years old, big-headed ass little fucking show some bitch in the yard,

pushing the, mower and like he's holding the top of it just waddling around and he fucking fell forward and the mower it actually took his it took his bird finger and his ring finger off but they sewed the other one back on and couldn't get that other one took and it grew huh yeah it worked fine it worked and it grew back fine crazy i mean i know i've showed you all before my pinkies just split and that happened when i was three and it still grows split the fingernail oh that don't hit well i showed you all that lawn mower you know those lawn mowers they go you're one more too Jesus.

Lawn chair. It's always the lawn, though. It's something on the lawn chair, lawn darts, lawn mower. You know those lawn chairs? Where you can prop them up and they'll be in an angle. Yeah. But to get them back down, you've got to go all the way forward all the way back. They got the white handles and the...

I got hung in the gear and then my aunt had to go all the way forward with my finger in it to get it out. I feel like I've told this on the podcast before and you made that exact noise. Yeah. Not Lord. Yeah, I'm sure I was drunk, but yeah, God damn, did that fucking blows. One thing I meant to say earlier when I opened up by talking about how much we don't hit was uh we do it just how much we appreciate those of you that are left oh yeah everybody that's still sticking around and i'm sure some of you it means that like you came in late and you only

heard good episodes and then you probably went back and tried to listen to old ones and just like whoa no yeah i mean until mr buck got here we were really unprofessional before he showed up and really put the hammer down and i want to say that was episode 19 yeah that was episode 19 conrad thompson Comey testifies and Mr. Butt and that was recorded in Canada. How was Conrad Thompson on if we recorded? We recorded, remember that's when we used to record intros separately. And we recorded one where Trey was drunk and farted. And then we came and did a full episode with Conrad.

I know Conrad was the first Mr. But. It's also, by the way, our most, aside from like the first couple when we did like the big promo launch, it's the most popular, like, of the new era of podcast episode. Conrad is the most famous person whose phone number I have. Yeah. But I didn't know that until I got to know him a little better. I had his phone number before I knew how famous he was. Well, it blew my fucking mind too.

Because I just, I've been knowing Conrad. And like I knew he, like, oh, yeah, he hits and he does the, you know, his podcast. And like, I knew that he was great at it. But, like, I didn't understand the level. Because, like, one time I told you all this, I got recognized at a fucking airport. Yeah. Because of Conrad. Like, this dude kept me.

He's like, isn't it by a guy that Drew knew already? Actually, that might be true. No, it was the guy that seen me. at an airport. Yeah, same dude. Same day or whatever. He came up and he's like, are you the show? I was like, yeah, man, appreciate you list.

He's like, actually, I'm just now started fucking with y'all. I'm a Conrad. No, the guy I'm talking about had just come to our show, but discovered us because of Conrad. Because of Conrad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I think it was two different guys because I remember us talking about it. It was around the same time.

Didn't he like have a rap video about something another? That was my guy. Okay. I'm about saying, I ain't checking for me, but maybe. He was a DJ and a rapper from Brooklyn, but originally from Arkansas. Yeah, kind. Conrad. I thought that was the same dude.

Which I guess is, you know, just a testament of our friendship. We already had him on. Conrad? No, the rapping, DJ living in Brooklyn, who's from Arkansas. Oh, yeah, that would have rolled. Who did it? Well, so, you know, like anything, we farted and it became better. Should we talk about Mr. Butts competition?

Not really that it's competition. Yeah, I'd like to. I'd like to. Not of his competition. Mr. Butts. And he's, yeah, he's the Bill Goldberg, 99 of. no i actually meant like i don't know where you're talking about

tom sagura oh yeah they have recently his wife christina p who like we don't we don't know them we know bert who's tight with them but we haven't met tom or christina i do listen to it for me their podcast rules listen to it your mom's house

your mom's house i'm a big fan of it i'm big fan both of them i think they're hilarious and so yeah this is not no shit talking here, just a thing that has happened. This game recognized game. They have very recently, on their very popular podcast, debuted a fart mic.

A mic they have exclusively for farting, which not to be a, you know, a butthole hipster, but. Yeah, we were farting into mics. We've had a fart mic for a while now. Yeah, we have since episode 19 of the podcast. We have a whole, you know, contributor, Mr. Butt. Yeah, he's got his own mic. I know. Well, here's what, here's what I want.

want to do with this is like I assume that we have some crossover fans because because their fucking podcast is so colossal and Tom's very famous and Christina and if any of y'all listen to both of them and fuck with them on Twitter I would like y'all to well-read listeners please start flooding their Twitter with we want to have a fart off yeah fart off I like it sucks because you can't smell it through the through the mic we'll do it live we're going to set drew way back I see say that buddy we got to do it live because we have smell of it They can't fuck with me in the room. Not on smell.

That's what I'm saying. Nobody can. I'm like a comedian who's fine on TV or album, but in the room. Buddy. Yeah. My audio wise. Every head must bow or tongue must profess. Audio wise, I got some pretty good ones.

The heads will bow, but the tongues ain't doing shit, son. I guarantee that. If I have some fucking pasta cremosa before, my audio, because I've told you what I've been doing lately instead of sending Amber Dickpicks is we've been gone for, I've only seen Amber, I've been gone for, I've only seen Amber, You told us yesterday. Yeah, yeah. I've only seen her, I've only seen my wife three times since Thanksgiving. And I hate it.

It sucks. If we'd been married for a long time, this would probably hit. But we've got, we're a different couple. And I don't send her dick picks because my dick don't hit. So, like, because we miss each other so much, every time I fart, I record my fart on audio, and I send that to her in a text. And she hates it. Well, you told me you were doing that. And maybe you were already realizing what you were doing.

But I want some credit here. You, you pointed that out. I pointed out. Yeah, you did point that out. That's what you're doing. Those are your dick picks. You did point that. out because I just straight up told you

I've been sending it. I've been recording my farts and sent them to Amber and you're like, is that like your dick picks? And like, it is because like, you know, she honestly, she hears me fart way more than she sees my dick. Right. And it ain't because you,

well, and the dick always looks the same. Yeah, I hadn't seen her much and we fart. And we fart. We're both farts. Stronger. Like, we lay in bed and we fart together and it hits for us. Like it's funny.

She hates it, don't she? That I fart. That you send her farts. Only because she like, the first two, she opened at school. Yeah. But now she's just like, she just said, it is a dick pick.

Everything about it's a dick pick. She ought to know. Here's what's better about it than a dick, but your dig almost always looks the same. Every time. You'll have a good dig day. Yeah. But your farts are like a butt snowflakes.

There's only one dick and a dick pick. There's several farts. In a fart. We all know that. We all know that. So yeah, this one is his Ph. His Ph.D. His own, as we recall.

Yeah. My farts are in a fart. Yeah, your dissertation. My feces. I mean, yeah, Theses. My theses. So, you know, I've been doing that.

But now, now she... So anyway, you know, I've been doing that. Well, she sends me a message. Now she's like, hey, just tell me if this is a fart. I'll open it, you know, when I get home. So I've been doing that. So anyways, you know, shout out to Tom and Christina. Y'all holler at him.

We want to have a fart off. We would like Burt Crischer to be involved. I've never heard Burt fart. I can only imagine that. He could be the judge if it's a fart off. Bert's like, though, Bert can't be the judge of that because like, that's like a go into a showcase and just watching stand up. He can't be there and not fart.

You're right. You know what I'm saying? Who should we have judge? Who do we know that wouldn't fart? Nobody. I don't hang out with those people. Not many. I don't trust him.

Andrew. Yeah, Andrew. You don't think he farts? Well, of course he. Yeah, but he wouldn't do this. Right. He's a private farter. Riders.

Andrew's our showrunner for our pilot we're riding. because we ain't talked about. We've never talked about Andrew. We're going to have Andrew on the podcast very soon. We're going to this week, but we're kind of, as we say, in the 11th hour, and we got shit going on. Yeah. So, what do you want to do, you know, a while back we had discussed the thought of shifting the podcast to Red CRED stories, and we never did. Which is fine.

So, Raven. I mean, I knew it wasn't going to happen. Well, then why'd we even thought? fucking talk about it. I told you not to. I literally said don't do it. Okay. In fair, I like, it's fine. This should be the theme of the podcast. I don't think. I take zero responsibility for it not happening. You don't know. Because I pushed it. I did. I know. I know, but like, I kept saying, I was like, when are we going to do that? We're going to do it? Let's do it. When are we going to do that?

I'm on for it. And what I remember the thing being at the time was, we're going to wait to we're all out there, there being California together. Uh-huh. And that's when I, Why I said, okay, well, don't say shit about it until then. And then you said shit about it. We were all at that time when I said it, supposed to have been out here. Not moved. By now.

Yeah, but you mentioned it fucking seven months ago on the podcast. To give people time to fucking, to build the shit up or whatever. Well, then by your notion, which is fine, we still haven't fucked that up. We still could do it. You know what I'm saying? Well, we always still could do it. Okay. I think our annual tradition should be to come up with a new way to do the podcast.

And you never do that. Well, I go and tell you, that'll just happen. That's going to happen a lot. All I'm saying is, there was a period of time there where I was pushing for it a lot and bringing it up a lot. And then I gave up on it because it became clear to me it wasn't ever going to happen. Uh-huh. Well, so? I'm for it still.

I'm saying I'm not like. I'm for it. Okay. I mean, do you want me to lay out my reasoning for why we can't do it right this second? I mean, what do you mean the right in the second? We literally can't do it right the second. I know. But, like, even at all right.

now. I'm saying... No, we'll talk about it later. I want you to read one of these emails. This is from our buddy Brian Laster, who sent in a red-cred story that I really liked. Did we lay it... In case you don't know what we're doing right now, we said we're going to do a new podcast. The theme was going to be Red Cred. The idea was you send us stories to prove your Red Cred.

The reason we were wanting to do that, it's not that we doubt y'all are Red. We've never doubted y'all are Red. But like True Rednecks, y'all will fight with somebody over something that somebody ain't even started to fight with you about. So we would be at shows and people would come up to us. after the show and be like, let me tell you why I'm redneck. And what was hilarious is if they did it in a way like, I know you don't believe me,

but by God I'm going to fucking prove it to you, I'm like, well, you already won. But they would tell us stories about their uncles, you know, beating a guy up with a boot and whatever, something like that. And by the way, the lady got shot her husband and she got shot by the police. My all-time favorite, which we've talked about a lot,

is the race. Which one was that? St. Louis, Missouri, this woman said, for her, like, giving us her red cred, her great uncle and his son, his grown son, drag race. This is fantastic. Had a drag race against each other in the middle of their small town and they both

wrecked and both died and we were like, oh my gosh. And then Corey said, I'm sorry, but I have to ask, who won? And she goes, we all did. And it was amazing. I was just like, I mean, in fairness, she's probably said that before. I don't give a fuck, though. I don't either. Because that's a first ballot line.

Yeah, absolutely. That's fucking amazing. We'll have the boss to say it the first time for a non-commodian. I'm impressed. For sure. All right. Read, say Brian Laster. This is from Brian Laster.

And by the way, even if we're not officially doing this, I do like getting these and we will read them from time to time if they hit. Send them to them to us at well-read podcast at gmail.com. This is from my buddy, Brian Lasseter. The year was 1992. My cousin, one of my roommates and I, had just left my apartment near NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina to make the 30-mile trek into enemy territory, Chapel Hill. So they're going to a UNC state.

Home of the UNC. Tar Holes, as he's calling them. Is that a typo, or is he trying to be sick? I think that's like how they don't hit for him. If he's a state fan, we very don't hit for him. Yeah, that's their lib-tard, because that sounds pretty stupid. What year did you say, buddy? 1992.

So our mission, infiltrate the Dean Smith Center and rock out to rush during the second leg of their North American Roll the Bones Tour. This dude's already pretty ruling for me. Wait a minute. Their plan is to go to a game and go to a rush concert? Yeah, our mission is infiltrate the Dean Smith Center and rock out to, oh shit. No, hold on now. I guess they were, I think that, I think there was a rush concert at the, at UNC.

Oh, so I think that's the deal. Basketball. No. He just wanted us to know that the details didn't have for him. Which is pretty red, just to throw in there, by the way, this team sucks. our mission infiltrate the Dean Smith Center and rock out to rush during the second leg of their North American Roll the Bones Tour. The operation went off without a hitch, and we returned to my apartment, The Conquering Heroes. While we were gone, yes, Drew.

I just want to say, of course he didn't want to bring up the actual 1992-93 Carolina Tar Heels men's team, who went 34 and 4, and ended up first in the ACC that year. And if I'm not mistaken, I'm looking it up, but I think they went to the Final 4 that year. Well, there you go. Proceed. Isn't that, wasn't that Christian Leitner's year at Duke, though, one of them? Because 92 was the dream team and wasn't he still, or had just left college? Right?

He was like a college. He hadn't been in the NBA yet when he was on the dream team, which was like a big deal. Or am I making that up? You're not wrong about the era, but that was 91, 92, if I'm not mistaken. And then he left. That was the year that we had, oh my God, we won. Okay. Yeah, those year we beat Michigan.

Chris Weber took the fucking time out illegally. Sorry, go ahead. You're fine. Anyways, so this motherfucker is going to UNC to see a rush concert with his cousin, who was his roommate. Plan goes off without a hitch. They returned to his apartment to Conquering Heroes. While we were gone, my other roommate and his friends had been partying at the crib. All of them were buzzing hard when we arrived.

It was a cool night, and they had engaged in their own clandestine mission, liberate some firewood from a neighbor. So he's going to steal some shit. That's where we can't hardly say with our accent. Right. Clandestine. Yeah, did I say it wrong? No, I'm saying it sounds like you're saying something.

The clan is. The clansdown. Yeah, that was clandestiny. Clan destiny. It was clandestine. It was clandestine. What happened to Brian? Well, he died in a fire trying to clean his clan robe.

It was clandestine. So his other roommates had engaged in their own clandestine mission, liberate some firewood from a neighbor. So there was a roaring fire going in the fireplace. About 30 minutes after settling in for the night, there was an explosion from the fireplace. Embers flew about the room and so did at least one piece of shrapnel. What? It turns out that my roommate and his idiot friends started burning trash before stealing the neighbor's firewood.

Some of that trash had been taken from a bathroom and contained an empty shaving cream can. Oh, pressurized metal. God damn. um naturally as the only sober person there okay well you've lost a little bit of red cred here yeah your roommates are killing it right but you're seeing some canadian ban and saying sober in the same night naturally as the only sober person there and he had he was the dd so i do respect that that's sweet but i mean you know i don't even know they had two days and you know that i was about saying 92 93 that's some liberal redneck stuff which i respect

yeah dude yeah i guess man that i didn't No, they've been invented yet. I honestly... By the way, and tell me if somebody's done a bit about this, because I've been wanting to do something about it. Driving drunk. Wrong. Very wrong.

Is illegal. Orp B. Drinking and driving. That's not the same thing. Like having a roadie before to get to the party? Just like, you know, I drink when I do a podcast. I drink when I drive.

Well, I mean, the way I look at it is if you do just have one on the way to the party, one beer's not going to put you over the legal limit. Therefore... Two won't. Yeah. So, I mean, yeah. Well, dude. Yeah, fuck yeah.

Makes you relax. You're going to get in trouble if you do it for an open container. I'm arguing that we work changes this law. Hold on. I think a lot of people, but when you say drinking and driving, you mean in the car. That's illegal in a lot of places if you're driving. I know, but that's what you mean. Yes.

Okay. All right. I am saying that driving while and talk is gayed. And it's not illegal and it's fine as long as you're not drunk. It's not illegal to drive after drinking. It is illegal to drive if you're drunk. Right. In most states, there's illegal to drink and drive.

Right. It's a separate statute, to be fair. This is... Then there's New Orleans where they got drive-through liquor stores. Exactly. I've now heard other people posit this, what I'm about to say, but I came up with it after my first DUI, which was that I think you... Because look, here's the deal. My drunk and my wife's drunk are very different things, so I think you should be able to go take your driver's test, drunk.

Keith, Black Comic, Seller. Robinson. Robinson had a bit about that. Okay, all right, that checks out. It wasn't quite the same exact phrasing you use, and my drunk's different. It was just like, he was just like, give me a test. Yeah.

Like, let me take a test. Like, I should have a card. Let me go get a license. Yeah, let me go get a license. And it proves to you that after 10 I can't drive. Because like, 0.08 is the limit, right? But like, me at 0.09 is still fine. I should have a card that's like, look, he fast.

He eats pasta every day. He can drive at this level. In matter of fact, we don't even want him driving unless he's a 0.04 because he'll get mad. Right. Well, we should have boxes. You know, there's boxes on license. Organ donor. Yeah.

Disabled, you know, eye disease. Functioning alcoholic should be on there. We should be right next to shouldn't be an organ donor. Similar thing. You know the David Talbitt about drunk driving in the middle of the night. It should be legal because if you're driving drunk that late at night, you get in a wreck. you're only going to hit another drunk driver you get out you high five you laugh

yager that is unless this is like apocryphal internet bullshit but i know that i did read it that is like literally a thing in some like small like irish villages and shit well it's like there is no dug you eyes after a certain yeah it's like time of night it's like everybody knows like look If you're out, it's like if you're out at that night, you're rolling a dive, man. It's an assume the risk thing. Right. Here's the deal, man. You can't sue somebody if you go skiing.

And by the way, because a tree kills you. And by the way, obviously, I'm not advocating for that neither. Right. But, you know, my drunk, my 0.08. And also, again, for the opposite reason, there's some people I know who are technically under or at the legal limit who are fucking shit-faced. Like, I know people that get shitty as fuck on. like one goddamn drink because they're just lunatics.

I do wonder if there be blood alcohol content is higher because they, for whatever reason, can't break alcohol down. Yeah, and that's why they're that way. But I want to point out, this is Raven. I had this theory I wanted to work out with you guys. And then, of course, Corey has a, like, I was like, is this too insane? And Corey was like, well, I don't know. Let me turn it up 15 notches with mine and see how you feel.

This? Yeah. Because I was like, I think drinking and driving should just be legal. everywhere. Not being drunk and driving. Just drinking and driving. And you're like, yeah, I've always said you should be able to be drunk and drive if you're me.

Right. My saying I'll say before we like finish the story but on this note because I don't think it's been said on here and this is always hit for me. This is how story should be told by the way. You start it. Pause for 30 minutes going a tangent and then get back to the hit. No offense to Mr. Lester, but it depends on how good it is. I agree.

I don't know if this is true either, but it's what I always heard and it hits for me. in the state of Tennessee, and I know it's like their city, county, some of them are different, but in the state of Tennessee, you can have an open container. Generally speaking, is legal. You know, when they did that.

As long as the driver doesn't have one, that's why I'm getting that. What I always heard, the reason for that law is because of, like, rich Tennessee fans in Nashville and Memphis and stuff, wanted to be able to drink on their way to Knoxville on Game Day,

and they had the power and influence to actually make that a law. It's absolutely that. I always just assumed it was after Peyton Manon lost the Hysman. That's the best justification for a law I've ever heard. Well, let's not go that. I'm sure there's some damn good reasons for murder laws and stuff. Well, wanting to drink is a good justification. But it's like if rich people want to do it, we often get to do it.

I know. Fair enough. But I'm focusing on the Vol fan aspect of it. But you might be on to something. Instead of trying to convince rich people to stop putting black men away, you know, for, like, because crack is like such a, you know, you get 18 more years for crack than you do for Coke, even though it's the same drug. Because that's a rich thing.

Maybe we just need to convince people, rich people that crack's fun. I mean, some of them do think crack is fun. I guarantee that. I mean, fucking, what's his face? Rob Ford, that motherfucker had money. Dude, they want, you know. He just like, just like we want to be them. They want to be us.

Yeah, for show. naturally as the only sober person there I was the only one hit by the flying metal that is how it always goes buddy don't I know every fucking time every goddamn time so to this day I still

to this day I still bear a two inch long reminder of that night the least inebriated of the crew volunteered to drive so his least drunk buddy then took him to the nearest ER he's getting

redder, Brian. He's sitting there bleeding out. I can't see, Bill, but you've only had nine. As I was waiting. Not to mention that 30-minute solo, Rush ended with. You're sober. Let me tell you something right now. If they are living room fire shrapnel drunk, their least drunk friend was

shit-faced. Buddy, I feel like Brian here didn't want to get himself in trouble. He was drunk. He had a few. He had a cup. He wasn't drunk. He was me sober. He was me sober. So, as I was waiting to be taken back and have my hand stitched up, rest of the crew came rolling into the waiting room.

Hilarious. So now all the other drunk people just decided, fuck them. We'll show up. This story reminds me of my bachelor party. Go ahead. I'll tell it a minute. In their drunken logic, they had decided to move the party to the hospital. On the plus side, I think this prodded the ER staff to tend to me quicker in order to be

rid of the crowd. As the doctor was sewing me up, the least inebriated came into the ER to let me know that everyone else was leaving because security had told them to go, told them. Yeah. The doctor berated me for my poor life choices and told me that I was lucky because if the wound had been a bit deeper, it would have severed a tendon that would have cost me the use of my left index finger. You don't need it. I didn't. Index. Is that the bird? No, that's the index is your pointer. Okay. Be hard a finger or two girls, but if that's true. I point a lot of things. I'm a pointer. That's my, that's my teddy pointing finger. I've been saying that.

the injustices. Yeah. So I didn't... Titties, injustices. On brand right now, we are. Aside from the doctor telling me this, I didn't feel very lucky and wanted to tell him so, but I kept my mouth shut.

After patching me up and telling me off, the doctor sent me on my way back home with the mostly sober driver who had brought me. To my astonishment, we found the rest of our crew in the hospital parking lot waiting for us. They had had the presence of mine to bring a cooler of beer with them and were merrily tailgating the event. That's the end of that.

And then he says, if you're interested, next time I'll tell you why I was ordered by a judge to stop watching cowboy movies. So, motherfucker buried the lady. I'm giving his friends partying in the parking lot and blowing shit up three Della Earnhardt's. Yeah.

Which is the highest you can get. I'm giving him two and a half. It was going to be two to that goddamn cowboy comment. That's me, and I can defend it, or we can all give our scores and then defend it. I give his portion of the story to Dale Earnhardt. I give his storytelling ability and that cliffhanger, because now I have to email Brian back and say, buddy, I got to hear this fucking story. He did, and that was great.

I give that. The last part, that gets three Dale Earnhardt's for me. Yeah. I think I'm going to have to hold people to a slightly. I'm going to be the Simon Cowell of this. Simon, the sign Cal. The sign cow of art. That was too easy.

sorry. It's all right. Me and Corey are both Randy, but for very different reasons. Come on, dog. Yeah. That was good. I think, even the friends part of it, because, yeah, they blew shit up, but completely, accidentally.

Right. Like, with stolen firewood. Purposefully blowing shit up is, but still, purposefully blowing something up is like objectively more red and accidentally, well, I don't know if I, I don't know if I even agree with what I just said. Well, maybe how we should do this is one person should be a judge, we can rotate who it is,

and the other two should argue. I mean, I know that's what you want. Well, I'm wanting to defend these boys. I'm not putting them on track. Honestly, I thought I was going to have to defend giving him two and a half, and now I'm feeling like I was too generous, which is my least favorite feeling. So I think we can't just do halves.

You've got to be able to do halves. I think I give them 2.13 Dell Earnhardt. Oh, I thought to. Because, you know, that's six ratings we can give. Okay. Right? Yeah, that's true. If we don't break it down a little further.

But it obviously three has to be the maximum. I guess we could also give negative dales. These are things, well, it's walls. Let me tell you something. Two walls. Boom. That's fucking amazing. Do you get a sorry-ass story.

Two walls. Or one Sterling Marlin. Either way. I was singing Gordon, but I like Sterling Marlin. Well, Sterling Mar isn't one to put him into one. I know. And man, that really sucks because that wasn't his goddamn fault. But the intimidator came after him.

I give him over two. What are you going to do? You got to put him in a wall. Don't get me wrong. That's a good fucking. That's a good fucking story. And the wrap-up was very fucking good. The wrap-up was great. There's nothing wrong with Rush.

But if you're trying to convince me you deserve three Dale Earnhardt's, you're going to come with a stronger band. It was Joe Diffy. It was, uh... Yeah. I can't knock a man. for being the DD, except I found that was 92. Yeah, because I just be drunk. Yeah, they were expected that.

Just be drunk. You'd have been fine. The first Bush was in office. Dude, just drink Zemans. They were around back then. It was fine. Yeah. The trash and the stolen firewood, definitely three-Dell Earnhardt World, but his friends had

done that. His friends carried a lot of the weight here. He did tell the story well. He ends up in the hospital. Because all his friends are dead, and they can't tell the story. He ends up in the hospital, which that's his, that's on him. credit. That's a good one.

Yeah. He either didn't get or didn't mention the pain pills. He was fucked up in some way. But I don't know why he would have said that. He left the hospital and didn't tell us he got pain pills. Either he didn't get none, which ain't very red. Or he didn't tell us about him. Well, the doctor was being an asshole to him.

Which is red. It's happened to me. Yeah, but you'd think he'd still be like, all right, man, but you know, you did just severed. 92 was. That was like the very early. That was the, like, that was the last time you could drive your own. Frontier days of... Oxycom.

No. Of like the pills, like, you know. Like when people say pills. Sure. I mean, they had painkillers. But they would have given him something. Right. Matter of fact, that means they definitely would have given him something.

Do you have anything else to say about this story? I don't, no, but I do want... My bachelor party is very similar. Go ahead. There's a story. Okay. There's a lot of stories for my bastard party. Kevin Teets, a friend of the podcast, threw a snake at my friend

of Andy. Funniest's goddamn thing I've ever seen. We got to pause for the cause Yeah, we can just wrap I can just cut this We can wrap it if he's here Well all it was is that my friend Austin Stole a glass from a bar

That we were at But the glass had nothing on it Right He didn't steal a decorative glass He didn't steal a cool glass He didn't steal a bar glass He stole just the beer glass Just stole it

Because he thought it'd be cool Because he's that hammered He fell out of the cab When he got there Yeah we are he fell out of the cab when we got to our destination. The glass cut him super deep. He's so hammered that we had to just strip him of his clothes.

And then the bachelor party had to take him to the hospital. Teach, who had thrown a snake at somebody merely moments earlier that day, drove him to the hospital. And Teets was so funny, he was on the phone with his fiancé, trying to tell her what was going on, but also keep her calm. And he was just talking to her about how his manscaping didn't hit for him. He was like, honey, you need to get on him about his asshole. It's so fucking hairy.

I can't see it. thought he shit himself. That's very teats. Yeah, it was super teteets. Super Tets weren't be a character. It is. I've seen him at Bonarrow. Anyways, well-read listeners, we are going to pause here, and we will be right back

with our guest this week on the 100th episode. It is a banger. We have Oscar winner and singer-songwriter extraordinaire Ryan Bingham. So we'll be right back with you. And Schupe. She'll do a girl named Nikki Bingham, but we call her Nikki Bangham. Hits. All right.

you don't want to do this Ryan fucking bangham How's it going, man? It's going good and going good I speak for all of this when I say we're big fans Thanks for doing this man This is awesome Yeah, thanks for having me

So for people listening that don't know First of all, if you don't know, you should know Your singer-songwriter, a fantastic one One thing I'd like to start out with I would call you a primarily a country music singer-songwriter. I know you're classified often as Americana, and that's kind of a whole thing,

the split between those two, because most people, especially out here, we're in Southern California right now, especially out here people think of country music. They think of, you know, the most popular, like radio countries. They think of a very specific thing. Yeah.

And a lot of people out here, you know, don't like that. So I'll find out from South. Do you like country music? Yeah, I love country music, but I guarantee you it's not the music you're thinking of in your head right now. It can mean different things to different people. How do you feel about that whole, that divide or the separation between the two or the genres? What is it to you? I don't know.

You know, it's interesting. I don't know if it's kind of when I started to kind of, when my career started out, like I feel like the whole Americana thing was just kind of, kind of developing, although there had been musicians like that decade before me, like Steve Earl, Rodney Crowell, Emmy Lou Harris, kind of people like that. Old 97. John Prime, yeah, old 97, tons of these bands, Wilcoe, like, that were my biggest influences. Where were you geographically coming from? Literally.

Like, where were you literally when your career started out? When it really started out, I was in Texas and Austin, around. Austin and the New Bronfels kind of area of San Antonio. So playing those honky talks and were you doing, what they call it the red dirt circuit? That wasn't even around then. Okay. That hadn't even really come about yet. Okay.

I was, I'm originally from New Mexico, West Texas area and family long story, whatever. We moved out to California, Bakersfield for a bit when I was a kid. Back to West Texas chasing oil field stuff around. My family

is a ranching family and I used to rodeo before I got into all the music stuff, road bulls, and that's how I got into kind of playing music and playing for people. And I ended up around Fort Worth, Texas. And it was the first time I was, you know, I was around about 18 years old.

I could start getting into bars, fake IDs, and things like that. And there were a lot of these bands like Robert O'Keehan. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Jason Bolin and the Stuygens and the Cross Canadian Ragged. Yeah. And these guys were coming and playing these bars around there. And that was when I was,

still rode in, but I was playing open mic nights and things like that. And I started seeing these kind of bands coming in and playing and being like, you know, before then I was down on the border in Laredo and all I, you know, the bands I saw were Tejano and Cahunto bands and things like that. And so that was kind of my whole introduction to just that world, you know. And from there I moved down to Austin and just like just dove headfirst into all of that stuff. But how old were you when you got to Austin? I was in my early 20s.

And I assume you go back now to play. We love playing Austin. But is it very different? I feel like it's a town that's grown, but I don't know if it's changed that much. I mean, do you have any sense of that now? Yeah, you know, I mean, I only go back a couple times a year now. But when I was there, you know, I really kind of think, you know, my whole career wouldn't have happened if I didn't, if I hadn't have moved down there. You know, they were, I had an old Dodd's truck with a rodeo.

camp around the back and the dog and that's what I lived out of and I would just go camp out with friends and you could play every night of the week down there whether it was in a bar and an open might night or somebody's back porch party or you know a tower this this kind of the area and the people on there were very supportive of singer-songwriters and storytellers and it wasn't it wasn't a business thing like massville right wasn't all just rotated around like writing songs and getting hits and records and all that's it was like it was like People just like to get around the fire and play songs and drink beer and sing songs and play music. That was all it was about.

Was the Continental Club around back then? It was some of my first gigs I ever played. I love that place. It's my favorite place to be drunk in the whole world. It's great, yeah. Lots of good bands. You mentioned, I mean, it sounded like when you're telling the story then sort of like getting into it through, you know, doing rodeo and then finding yourself, you know, surrounded by it and just getting more immersed in it. but like did you reach a certain age before even like looking at music that way as far as like

writing music and being and doing your own thing or was it kind of a are you one of those it was like from the time i was five years old i was thinking about that you know having the songs in my head and to that really answer your your first question about the country music stuff You know, my background of my roots are in country music. My family used to own a ranch out in New Mexico, and they used to have a little bar out there called the Halfway Bar. They sold that ranch when I was a kid, and we moved on and did other things. But my uncle saved all the old records out of that bar from the 50s, 60s, and 70s,

and it was Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and all the Willie Nelson and Whalen and Merle and all that stuff. But there was also Bob Dylan and David Bowie and Zeppelin and the St. and, you know, all those records that you'd probably find in a bar in the 60s, the 70s, all those, you know, that stuff. And so that was what I grew up on, that kind of music. And so that country music, to me, like Bob Wills and stuff and Wayland, that was country music. So whenever I got into really playing in my early 20s of this, all, you know, all that shit had changed. This is after George Strait, McGarck, Brooks, and Candy Chessney and all that stuff.

So it was like country music meant a whole different thing. Right. When I started playing them did now. You know, I really more related to songwriters like Towns Band Zant and Guy Clark and Steve Earl and like Emmylou and that kind of thing. So it was a country music means different things to different people. It very much does for sure. Which I think overall is a good thing.

I don't know. Yeah. I heard somebody say, I read one time somebody said when you were 25, they said, he's only 25, but he sings like he's Steve Earle's daddy. And there's only one way a 25-year-old is going to sound like that as if he listens to Bob Wills and shit like that. About Ryan specifically? I'm pretty sure.

So on that note, since he said that, because I was going to get to this. I do. I do. He drinks a lot. No, no, no, no. No, that's perfect. Because, like, my best friend, period, but my best friend from back home, his name's Thompson is a colossal fan of yours. He told me, he told me, So I told him, you know, we were going to do the podcast tonight and ask me if he had any questions for you. And I was going to, you know, bust him out later.

But Corey kind of sort of touched on it just now because one of them was, I would truly like to know how a feller of his age can write and sound like songs that only a 90-year-old man could write and sing, specifically the wisdom and experience that comes through with it. How do you have a firm enough grasp on life at that age to be able to craft songs like that? So obviously it's a thing that comes through to people with your music. I don't know if you're an old soul or what it is, but it comes across, is that something you're at all cognizant of, or they just sort of come out of you that way?

Like, how do you feel about that classification? I don't know. I think I just, I never really thought much about it until, you know, I've gotten older and I've got kids of my own now. And, you know, I guess I've always thought for a long time, like, hell, everybody grew up like I did, you know. Right. And the more and more I realize, fucking, no, nobody, there's not a lot of people that grew up like I did. Did you grow up hard or just because you had to work or were you poor?

Or what do you mean? Kind of all of that. In a way, and not saying that there's a lot of people that grew up hard and had it a lot worse than I did, too. Sure. You know, but I just moved a lot. Like, and when I mean move a lot, like, every year we move somewhere. And, like, and within that year, like, maybe, you know, four or five different houses within that year there. And it was, like, kind of, like, had this cardboard box that you never did unpack,

and you just kind of kept things in it and going. And my parents partied pretty hard, but at the same time, kind of raised us as if we were almost like their buddies and friends. And not, I'm talking about me and my sister when I say we, but like, just exposed us to a lot of shit at a really young age and, like, had us at the table, you know, at parties and things. My dad was that way. Yeah. And, like, you just kind of, you grow up fast in those ways, you know. And some of the areas we lived in, you know, from Bakersfield to fucking West Texas down around Houston, the Laredo down on the border where, you know, we didn't necessarily move to the nicest parts of towns, you know, and things like that. And some of the people I was hanging out with, you know, in these areas and things like that, I just, I don't know.

You know, my own grandmother told me one time, she was, I don't know how you ain't dead and not in prison by now. You know, and it's just like, it's just those circumstances where you don't really have someone in your life telling you where to take a left or a right when you get to that crossroads. You just have to use your own gut feelings and navigate that and you cross your fingers and you hope for the best. And, you know, fortunately, I'm still sitting here with you guys talking. And making that music. Your grandma, what she said, is there, like, is that just her worrying about you or do you feel like there was, a possibility was there like a time in your life where like prison or death felt like it was on the table or was she just being like a worried grandma no it was you know i didn't really think much

about it until she said that you know and then like i said you know a lot of time you know when you're in the moment of some of that stuff and you're like oh hell everybody lives like this or whatever and i it's a lot more like when i reflect back on some of the things so why aren't you in places that i was in you know is it luck or luck man i got fucking lucky i hear that yeah i i'll hear that yeah i I got lucky as fuck, and even with the music business, there's a handful of, you know, people that can damn sure play the guitar and sing a hell a lot better than I can. I was just in the right place at the right time for a lot of that stuff, you know.

I truly believe in that, you know. I mean, I'm not saying I didn't work for it, you know. Right, right, exactly. I know. I know exactly what you mean. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I feel the same way a lot of, like, I'd be totally full of shit.

if I didn't acknowledge that like the stars aligned for me in a lot of different ways like when they did to allow me to even like have the career that I've even got to this point. But at the same time like you said, that doesn't, that's not to say that like,

you didn't work for it. Or that I don't feel that I deserve it or nothing. But there's like you said, there's tons of people that fucking deserve it. And didn't get it. Like that's just the reality. Like you have to, you have to catch some.

Some breaks. Careers absolutely require breaks, but I do think there's a different thing. Like, there's a huge difference in a 26-year-old working his or her ass off and then getting a break when they're 30. Versus, I think you were also touching on when you're 16 and you don't really know any better. Sure. And you actually don't know that you're potentially fucking your life up. Well, you know, I'll give you a prime example. I was 17 years old and I got on a great.

Hound bus from Laredo, Texas to Stephenville. And I went to go say by to some of my buddies down there, and one of them had a bail of marijuana sitting in his living room, and he said, here, he took out a kitchen knife, and he just cut off a big old chunk of this bail of marijuana and wrapped it up in cellophane. He goes, here, why don't you take this with you? Where are you going? Make you some money when you get there. And he also had a big bag of pills and all this other, some cocaine and things, and he wrapped

it up in a bag, and he gave that to me. He said, you know, safe travels, but here you go, you know. So I get back in my pickup, my buddy, I took the weed, and I put it in my pants, and I had this back in those days before you had a cell phone, everybody carried like a book, well, you wrote down all your phone numbers and your addresses in, you know, and I had that, and I put all those pills in that book, and I closed it up. And I was on the way to the bus stop, my friend was driving,

and we got pulled over by the police for not wearing our seatbelts. And we got pulled over and I was just going, he had loaded, he had like one of them bothers in the truck up on the top. You could put stuff and we had a loaded pistol up on up there too. And so, you know, I don't know how much weed I had on me and cocaine and pills and also a loaded gun in the truck and all that stuff. How much time that would have got me. Luckily, you know, he wrote us tickets for not wearing our seatbelts, let us go. This is like at 8 o'clock in the morning, you know, or 9 o'clock in the morning. That may have helped.

That may help. It being 9 o'clock in the morning. They're like, well, these boys must be on their way to do something decent. So I get a lot in the morning. You know, I get freaked. I'm like freaked out. I said, I told him, I said, you know, pull over. I'm like, I'm going to get rid of this weed.

So I pull over and I throw all the weed in the dumps there. Go to the trucks or go to the bus stop, get on the bus. And I totally forgot about the pills and stuff in that book. I get on the bus. And I just sat my bag on the empty seat next to me with that book laying on the front. And the bus takes off heading north. and I go to sleep. Well, shit, there's a checkpoint, about 30 miles north of Laredo.

Next thing I know I wake up, and there's a Border Patrol agent sitting there with a drug dog on the bus, asking me if I'm a U.S. citizen. And I said, yes, sir, I'm a U.S. citizen. He said, all right, that's all you know. And then they took off. And I look over at that book and all that stuff was sitting right there. Dogs can't smell pills. They could have smelled the weed, though.

Yeah, you know. I don't know. Maybe they just didn't smell whatever. but, you know, moments like that. Yeah, if you hadn't thrown, if you hadn't got pulled over, it actually ended up helping you that you got pulled over because you threw that fucking weed away. You know?

That answers Thompson's question. That's how he writes those fucking songs, man. There's all kind of people, not everybody, depending on the life you live, but people like us all have those moments that are like, it went this way, but it could have went this other way, and that could have changed fucking literally.

literally everything, you know, and it's wild to think about that shit. I don't know where it comes from, but when I was a public defender, the phrase that everybody would use to, like, say, we're just the same as our clients as but for the grace of God, go I. And even people who aren't religious would use it, because the point is like, if not for what it luck, fate, whatever you want to call it, I'm in that position. Right. So either way, you get into doing, you're in Texas, you end up in Austin, you're playing

these gigs and everything. Was there like a moment for you where it became more real than it was previously? Or were you, like, was there, do you, did you have like this kind of light bulb moment at all where you were like, okay, this is what I do? And this is what I'm going to do and this is what it's going to be. I definitely, I didn't, I've never had very high expectations of having a career playing me. music for a living or anything like that. But, you know, at the time, I understand I was trying to, all I want to do was ride bulls and be a cowboy and whatever.

Work on ranches. A country singer a lot of the time. You know, Chris will do. All my fan, my dad and uncles, they all did that. That's all they ever wanted to be, you know. But when I started playing the guitar, there was something I was getting out of that. There was just bigger than anything else that I'd really had in my life at that time. I've just been a way of say things and deal with my own personal.

shit and um you know i was trying to ride bulls but at the same time i wasn't making a living riding bulls i always had to have some kind of day job during the week as either digging holes for somebody or building fence or construction framing welding whatever uh you know it didn't take me long to figure out that the guitar felt a lot better in my hand than the shovel yeah and i could go to a little bar and i can make a hundred bucks in a night playing two hours tips you know and get free beer and i was like hell that was more and i made all day you know digging holes for somebody so during those days were you were you playing other people's songs were you playing your own like i was just mainly playing my own yeah i didn't have enough of

a back musical background i didn't start playing the guitar until i was about 17 when i was in laredo down the border right and my mother bought me a guitar before we moved down there and this guy when i moved down there this old dude was partying with my old man he showed me how to play these old mariachi songs and that was kind of like my introduction to it and my foundation but other and that I moved and I just went to the guitar store and bought a book of guitar chords and started to you know and then the songs that I was writing were like one and two chords songs and about my adventures on the weekend going to rodeos with my buddy and those are the songs I would sing in these open mics and then these little bars and stuff and you know a lot of these

places I would play people didn't really go there to listen to music they went there to get drunk right right yeah music was happening in the background of them trying to get pussy or start a fight or I knew five songs and I would just change the tempo and play them over and over and over. I remember the guy that in the bar. He said, man, as long as the cash registers going ching, ching, ching, he can play as long as you want. As soon as people start drinking beer, he's like, you're out. So I just keep it up, keep it going, you know. And I don't think it really dawned on me that I was going to have a career out of it.

or something was real, I went to Europe for the first time. I played a show in London and I was in a small club and there was only a few hundred people there, but everyone there was just standing dead quiet, you know, and like, well, like, they knew your shit? What do you have? No, they didn't know anything, but they were like, what do you have to say? But they were into it, yeah.

You know, they heard about it, and I was all the way over there. They were there for the music. Yeah. Like, what do you got to say? And I was like, oh, shit, I got to get my shit together. You know, now these people were actually paying attention to what I'm doing.

Hell yeah. Anyway, you know, it all kind of developed towards there, but never had that high of expectations of having any kind of a career at it. But just, it was damn sure better than anything I had at the time. And I was like, man, if I've got a fucking truck and a camper, I got a guitar and a badass dog. And it was like, I make more money and I do digging holes for somebody all week. I was like, if this is as far as I ever get, I'm one lucky son of a bitch.

right you know and that was just from the life i'd had up till then i was like man if this is as good as it gets i got it made and then from then on it was just everything else that happened after that was just uh you know icing on the cake well you've had quite a fuck ton of icing since then yeah how did well congratulations and deservedly so not to be like just too broad about it but like how how did that kind of progress from that moment in the London where you know you had that realization and that experience to living in a truck from living in a truck to to fucking Oscar went in a goddamn Oscar and you know like obviously there's a lot of fucking a lot of ground to cover in the middle there but like how what what was sort of the trajectory

of that from your experience I don't think it was just a lot of miles on the road and it and it wasn't because and I think a lot of it because I didn't really have anywhere to go I didn't have a a whole lot of family left. I didn't have nothing else to do. I had no responsibilities. I had no bills. I had nothing like that. And I've never been a very competitive person with anybody other than myself.

Like I'm pretty competitive within myself. And I'm pretty hard-headed, you know, once I get something in my mind and I'm like, I'm like, I'm going to fucking do this. Like, I'm going to do it until I've done it kind of the thing. And so I just kind of had it in my mind. There were a lot of people out there telling me that I wasn't going to do it and and I couldn't do it and I wasn't good enough and it would never happen.

To your face? Oh, hell yeah, all the time. That always fucking helps too, I found. You've been in them bars before, you know? Yeah, sure. Play something we can dance too. That song fucking sucks, this and that. You know, you get all that, you know,

and that's what makes you, you know, that's the only way I think made me learn and get better as a songwriter and as a musician and all that stuff. But, and then that was also the part that kept me going. I was like, all right, I'm going to get better and I'm going to keep trying. I'm going to keep doing it.

and a lot of it was too i wanted to travel like you know i didn't have a lot of money to go home to and i was like shit i'm getting to go all over the world doing this you know we do that start places and soon it started kind of in it's uh let's see i was in austin texas for a few years and i went over to paris france and worked in this wild west show buffalo bills wild west show playing cowboys and indians what what was your role in that show like what were you doing in that show I was playing Cowboys and Indians. Yeah, it was the cowboy part. You know, I was rodeo on.

I was working for a rodeo company, and a friend of mine knew about this show, and he got me hooked up to go there and be in it. Were you actually riding horses and shit? Oh, yeah, it was a full. It was a Disney World. It was full horses. They had Native American guys in the States, playing a little bit of music, riding horses.

I'm not going to lie, I kind of want to see the French version of the Dixie Stampede before I died. It's the same thing. It's the exact, recreating the Buffalo Bills while. was show. I mean, they had, like, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Wild Bill and Native Americans, a whole deal. What was the turnout for that like? I mean, was this a pretty, was this a fairly popular thing in terms of like, two nights a week, two nights or two shows a night, seven days a week sold out. Okay. Like Disney theater, like, X caliber, like, you know, three thousand people in, like, like, arena's seated dinner. I mean, it was. And is this like, is this like, okay,

is this like a lot of French folk wanting to say like, all, let's, we want to see this? Europeans wanting to see Cowboys mean. They'd never seen anything. A lot of, like, if there were American tourists, they were just like, oh, well, shit. All right. Some of our shit here. There was like a little half and half. Maybe a little bit, but not.

But mostly actual Europe, that's fucking, that's pretty rad. And a lot of kids, you know. Were you at all sort of a zoo exhibit to them? Total zoo exhibit. Oh, my God. A fucking cowboy. They want to talk to you? Total zoo.

Yeah. Yeah. And that's what, you know, I live with. You got a lot of dates that way, though, didn't me and three Navajo Indians is a trick roper from Chihuahua, Mexico and another kid from Fort Worth. living in this house and how old were you all in our early 20 that's fucking awesome that that was fun as hell I always say when it was like it's like the Pinocchio story when all the boys go to the island they're so bad they turn into donkeys yeah pretty much what it was like

yeah it was way killer and hanging out with gertridge stein and shit over there you know what I'm yeah that'd be pretty fun once I came back from there it was just like I was like fuck you know I'm ready I just like run out of road give me a boat you know I wanted to keep yeah yeah yeah Pretty hard to just kind of settle right back down and stay in one spot after that. Where were you touring here after that all over? It hadn't really started for me yet. Before I went over there, I was just kind of playing at some rodeos and then some bars. And then when I came back, you know, I got a one-way ticket home and didn't really know where to fly back to.

And I was like, the cheapest ticket I could find was back to Fort Worth, Texas, and Dallas, Fort Worth. and I was trying to think of who I knew in Dallas-Fort Worth. I didn't even have a car, you know, or like anybody picked me up or nothing like that. I was like, man, I knew this guy used to rodeo with, and I called him up and see if he could just at least pick me up. And he picked me up. He's like, what are you doing? I'm like, man, I don't know. I'm trying to figure out.

He said, well, come stay at my house for a while until you figured out. We'll party and went over there. And I just got on the horn and started calling around some bars around town and trying to find some gigs to, you know, just get after it and start making money. And I remember I called this place called Woody's Tavern and got a gig there. And my buddy's name was Grayland. He said, you know, my brother plays drums. And I was like, really? He's like, yeah, well, he cuts hair during the day, but he plays drums, you know.

And I'm like, well, shit, I need to meet him. He goes, well, he'll be home here in a couple hours. Sure enough. Matt come walking the door and we met and we're hanging out. He's like, hey, your brother told me he played drums. He goes, yeah. And I said, well, I got this gig tonight over here at Woody's. want to come jam and he said yeah let me get my drums he dug his drums out the garage and

we went over there and played like for two or three hours there wasn't nobody in the bar you know it's like two or three people in there and and uh we all called him pop-ball and he was we just that was it we started a little band and it was the original dead horses was me and pop-ball and yeah i didn't have a car but he had this old thunderbird and man we did get in that sucker and we started kind of going around playing a few gigs and you know under bird we just get a kick in a snare you yeah you know. That was all you need. Kicks and air and a hi-hat, you know.

You got back from Paris where you was in a cowboy and Indian show, and then you and Pop-Paul started a band and went around in his Thunderbird. Yeah, and that was it. You're one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, but also some of these songs was writing their goddamn selves in your life, man. Holy shit. He just right it down. A fucking Thunderbird.

That's great. What's Pop-O doing now? Man, he's playing with a guy named Red Sheehan right now. Okay. I know him. at Fort Worth. Yeah, and he came up on a mix that you're on, just like one of them Spotify playlist.

He's got a lot of, he references coyotes a lot. Does he? Yeah. And he's got a great voice. I really liked him. Like two days ago, actually. That's kind of weird. Good guy, man.

It's a good song. So you and Piper are out there, y'all are, you know, going around doing these gigs and the Thunderbird and all that. And then, like, did you get, like, found by somebody that start sending you off to other places or like how it took a bit took a bit you know me and papa we went around and played and then we met another cat his name was corby shaw but played a mandolin and a mean guitar and so then we became a three-piece and like we started rolling around we we upgraded to got us a suburban so we could all three-fit there and get the drum kit and a couple of aft in there and we we kind of played mix we'd go down to

louisiana a lot like lafayette and kind of south that's kind of southwestern Louisiana, South Texas, all through there, Austin. And we went up and played this music festival up in Colorado one year. And all the bands that were there were from Texas. Steamboat? Yeah, Steamboat. And we'd been up there a couple times. And after it was over with, everybody was packing up and going back to Texas.

And we just were sitting there going like, man, we don't really want to go back. We were kind of sitting there in the parking lot going like, what are we gonna what do y'all want to do you know it's like and we sat there and we said well fuck let's go to California New York you know we can be gonna go back to Texas and be broke or we can go to LA and be broke or New York and be broke whatever and go play where people want to hear music and we literally flipped a coin

to see if we're gonna go east to west luckily oh shit on the fucking West Coast because there's a hell of a lot warmer out here yeah and we drove out to L.A. Closer too from Colorado was whatever gas money we had We had to make some stops and play some gigs, and we made it. We didn't know anybody out here or what we were going to do when we got here. We were just like, let's just go find bars and play them. Do you remember your first California gig?

I do. It was a place called D.P.O.O.T.O.S. Lounge in Long Beach. It was a punk rock club down there. And we were on our way out here, and I called a buddy in mine. And I was like, man, you know anyone out in L.A.? that will give us a gig. And they told us to come to that D.P.O.O.O.L.L. Place in Long Beach. And then he also gave me a number

of this girl named Carla Long that ran a club called the King King down in Hollywood. And I remember calling Carla and just saying, you know, our buddy told us to call, he said, you might let us come play for just tips or whatever. You ain't got to pay us and not just let us come play. She goes, yeah, you come play on Monday night, and there ain't nobody here, but I'll let you play for tips, you know.

And we went in there and sat up, and I think we went on about midnight, and there was three people in the bar. and it was Carla, somebody else, and Mark Ford from the Black Crows. Oh, shit. Yeah. The bar was close to it.

It was his neighborhood bar probably. I think he was hanging out with Carla a little bit too, you know. I don't know the old story there. Anyway, we get offstage and he goes, now I want to make a record with you guys. Fuck. And now's it, yeah. That fucking never, that's the thing that everybody thinks is going to happen.

Like if you ask my fucking dad or, yeah, or not my dad, actually, my dad's very smart in the music game. But like, you ask, some old boy from back in. Yeah, man, just go out to California. Fucking played a bar. Somebody would just be like, God damn hell yeah. But somebody literally just went, God damn hell yeah.

When people tell us. That's what I'm saying. I got lucky, man. That's right place. I mean, literally, we played there. We met Mark and went in the studio in. We cut a couple of songs just fucking around. I went back to Austin, Texas,

and I opened up a couple of shows with Joe Ely. I put at the University of Texas, that little, that venue that had there. I can't remember what it's called. but play the gig and Kim Booie, the A&R from Lost Highway Records was there and she said, hey, I want to do a record with you and I'm like, cool, we've been recording this guy Mark Ford

and she's like, well, I like Mark, let's do a record. And it was just like, you did get lucky, but in order for Mark Ford to not only, in order for Mark Ford to just say, hey man, that was awesome, you had to do a good job. For Mark Ford to be like, yo, I want to do a record, you did a real good fucking job. Well, that's that whole thing we were talking about earlier.

Like, it is luck, but like you've got to have something to back it up in the first place. you know or the luck don't matter but it's all it's this crazy because that's like when people back home tell us hey you guys should you guys should call uh why don't you call conan o'brien right yeah yeah and we're like because i don't have his fucking number what do you talk but like it's like if somebody just said to you you know what you should do when you get out there is try to perform in front of the uh i almost said counting crows the black crows guy like you would be like yeah of course i would love to do that i don't know how to set that well i heard an announcer

say it about and this is an old phrase but i heard an announcer said about tiger woods one time Tiger is at the memorial tournament and he hits this shot. And it's like, it's literally, even for a pro like Tiger, it's a one in a million shot. He hits it on this down slope, but trickles down. And one announcer's like, man, that's, that right there is just pure luck. That is pure luck. And the guy's like, yep, but only Tiger Woods would ever have that luck. Because in order for him to be that lucky, he had to be able to almost hit the shot.

Yeah. You know, nobody else would get that lucky. Like he, and then Tiger, they interviewed him back and he said, yeah, the more I practice, the luckier I get. Golf is all about luck, but the more I practice, lucky I get. You bet. That's right, too, yeah. The more we got after it, the more we went down the road, the luckier we got. And then it becomes my fucking walk. So that ended up being mescalito.

Yeah, that was a mescalido, yeah. It's fucking such a great album, man. This is a very ignorant question. That was it. Is that just Spanish for mescaline? What does that mean? Or is it a town? Pretty much, yeah.

Okay. Slang, yeah, for mescaline, yeah. Okay. Hell yeah. There's a lot of that going on at the time of the writing of the record or the recording of the record. Not necessarily, but it definitely playing a thing, you know, I'm

like, you're trying to make a record. We had some adventures, you know, but, and, you know, it's just part of the kind of, the kind of southwestern part of Texas and New Mexico

out there. There's a ton of phenomena out there and unexplainable shit and like weird brouhaws and fucking medicine men and, you know, and spooky stuff. And we had some adventures,

you know, with that kind of stuff up in the mountains and things. And, you know, So it was, and that's what the whole trip felt like, you know, because we just like, I mean, we had like 10 bucks to our name. We're living day, like, like, like, we would literally like just place at somebody's house. Like I would be here at your house playing in your backyard and we could set that up. You'd give us a hundred bucks and be like, shit, all right, we're going to Phoenix tomorrow.

Do you all know where we could play? Hell, my cousin Joe lives in Phoenix or Tucson. on and, you know, if you'll just make it there, you know, and so, like, we were just going and had no plan, no idea what the fuck we were doing. We were just like, it's going to live in the life you wanted. Because you were like, I could be broke and stuck somewhere, but I'd rather be kind of broke on the road. And everywhere we went, you know, we were just like, you know, I guess we would just show

up and we would show people that we were willing to help ourselves, you know. I mean, we'd, yeah, we'd play at somebody's house for a hundred bucks, but we'd also wash dishes or we'd mow their lawn or we'd help fix their car we could set that up too we'd build fence or like drywall or paint walls so like we would do that as we'd go along and make money and just keep going and like you know having and we'd get lucky and get a break here and there and i have a question related to that i think a lot of people hear that and everyone romanticizes it and there is some romance in that that's like tons yeah you're living on the road you're your life's exciting and you're making it on your own but like was it

In general, and then for you specifically coming from the background you came from. Was that a hard life? For me, it wasn't so much, I don't think, because it was, like I said, it was way better than what I had, what I was coming from. I think maybe for some of the guys in the band, it was a little hard, you know, because it was. And I think that was one thing while we didn't all stay together, because at the end of the day, I think they all finally realized that I wasn't going back.

You know? I think at the whole, it was all fun and romantic and it was this wild adventure and a road trip. But I think in the back of all their minds, it was just kind of like return trip going home. But for me, like I didn't have no, I wasn't a home for me to go back. I was like, like I said, when I ran out of the road, I was going to get a boat. Yeah. Keep fucking going, you know. So there was a point where everybody was like, oh shit, this is fun.

Like, I'm ready to go back. And I'm like, I'm at that point of no return for me, you know. It's just curious. Andy and I, my wife, we hosted a band, recently a punk band, Lee Baines and the Glory Fires, shout out of the Lee.

And they stayed at our house after their Knoxville show. Two of them slept in the van. The other ones are sleeping on a couch. Two were on a floor. I remember I got up. And, you know, I'm a traveling comic. And, like, I, in my mind,

pretend like I'm a road dog. And I am, but, you know. But we're not really. Right. I know exactly what you mean. We're, uh, see, like, comedians, we don't, we're really. Well, there's no equipment.

We're looking that, yeah, we have, we don't need, we don't have gear, we don't have instruments or equipment, we don't need roadies or nothing like that. Like, we just get our own asses onto a plane or into the rental car or whatever and go to a place. And so because of that, that allows us to do very, like, we can go out for a few days and come back for a few days and go, but you know what I mean? Like, we don't have to, like, mobilize and then be out for. like weeks at a time so like we go and we do we we go all over the place and we travel a lot but it ain't but it ain't the same

it ain't the same type of thing is that yeah that like road dog lifestyle and you guys know I'm the worst sleeper and the worst person when I don't get sleep so when I woke up that morning I walk out there like I can remember when the tour first started we're all sharing a room

and I'm just like shut the fuck up and go to bed you guys fucking snore this is Fuck it. I'll make less money. And at the start of the tour, we were drinking a lot more than we are now. Because it was like when the tour first started, you know, I've been doing comedy. Then you get weakened towards it. Well, I've been doing comedy. Or you don't.

We've been to Portland before. I want to go to bed. I've been doing comedy for 15 years, but I've been successful for three. And the first time we were ever a little successful, we were still sharing a room because we didn't know, like, oh, you know, we still got to save money here and there because we had that mentality of like, this will end tomorrow, you know, straight up. But like, every, I don't even know. It literally probably just ended two weeks ago where it was just like every night was fucking,

we're on vacation. Yeah, we're working. But like, woo, fuck it. Portland. And now we're like, well, man, we've been to Portland six times now. I think we can chill out, you know. But I woke up. I walk out there and some of them looked very comfortable sleeping on a floor covered up with their jacket.

There's five, four of them in the middle. But some of them I was like, you're not going to feel good when you wake up. And I was like, fuck, man. Because the worst I ever did was like sleep in a shitty hotel room and wake up on some. and like have you know want to kill myself but that's probably on me uh but it's like it seems hard but i asked that question because it did seem like your life i don't want to call it luck it's not luck that you you and your parents moved around year to year but your life it just so happened had prepared you for that it was circumstance right and yeah a lot of those things

i was forced into making a decision of having to do this and that and and it was unfortunately that I didn't have any time to make an informative decision. It was like, fuck, here I am at the crossroads. You go left or you go right and cross your fingers that one doesn't put you in the bitch, you know. And that's the kind of luck I'm talking about of like, whewf, man, I'm, you know, lucky that one worked out for me kind of thing. Right, right. So did, like I said, Mescalito, I fucking love that album, but I don't have a good sense of, like, did that album, like, did that album, like, open, more doors for you and stuff in in that world or did you have to kind of keep grinding until

another point or two we did two records i did another record with mark called roadhouse son right and um and don't get me wrong it was well received and you know we it was definitely you know we got a booking agent kind of out of the deal that was actually getting us gigs where we could keep going but it was like I mean we're just still playing like clubs you know for 20 people or who have five people whoever is dependent on the place that we were

going you know um it wasn't until I did the the movie the crazy heart thing okay the song and that was like when okay the door back it was well I was hoping that it would go to that I didn't know if the one led directly to the other but I

definitely wanted to get into that whole process and how that worked and T. Bone Burnett was a part of that. Yeah. How did how did that all actually happen? So yes, Crazy Heart movie Jeff Bridges, if y'all haven't seen, you need to say,

it's fucking amazing. And I'll admit, Weary Kind was the first song. Yeah, that was the one that's the one that... And I'm into this kind of music. You know what I mean? The Oscar that year for Best Original song and just

a fucking great movie. And how did how did that come about? How did you get wrapped into that in the first place? And how did that process then sort of transpire for you once you did get pulled into it? Man, you know, we first came out to L.A., and we'd met Mark, and we'd come, but we didn't stay out here. We kind of would go back to Texas and come back and forth, and we would just kind of keep making those, that round. And we are playing over at this bar called Canters Deli. I can't remember. whatever what street it's off of here in Hollywood, off of Fairbacks, thank you.

And there was like three people in the bar, and this one guy, this guy in a suit, young kid. And came up here after we got done playing, and he's like, man, he's like, what are you guys doing? And I'm like, you know, nothing. We're just kind of playing music. And he said, I work in the film business. I work for this company called CIA in town. It's a agency. And he's like, I don't know anything about music.

He goes, I work in the mail room. or like I'm somebody's assistant. He goes, but whatever you're doing, he goes, I want to try to help you out. And we just became friends more or less. And he started, like, kind of spreading the word around about us and trying to get people to come play our shows. Well, a year goes by, we get a couple of records out.

We're still on the road. We're playing gigs and clubs. And he gets promoted. He's like an agent, and he's kind of in the business over there. And he calls me up one day. He goes, hey, man, there's this guy named Scott Cooper doing this film called Crazy Heart. and I was telling him about you and played some of your music and he wants to meet you for lunch. And so I went over and I met him, Scott, for just like a cheeseburger one day for lunch.

And he gave me a copy of the script and he told me about the kind of music he was looking for and what was about. He said, you know, if you're out on the road out there and you feel like writing something, he goes, let me know. He said we were out just playing clubs in a van and a trailer cruising down the road. and I started writing that song in the backseat of the van, got home, made a demo of it. I called up Scott and said, hey, I got this song I wrote for your film, and I want to send it to you in the mail.

He said, what are you doing right now? I said, I'm sitting on my couch at home. He said, you're in Los Angeles, aren't you? I said, yeah, I'm up here in Topanga, and he goes, well, I'm over at Tebow and Burnett's house right now, and it's just right down the road. He goes, why don't you just come over here and bring us the song? and I said, all right, I'll come over.

So I loaded up in my 15-passenger van and drills down to Tebow and Burnett's house here in town. I took him. I knocked on the door. I remember his playing with that. I didn't know. I just thought I'd go there and just drop off the, you know, CD and head out. I knocked on the door and Teabone answered the door. You know, he's like seven-foot tall.

Yeah. He saw I had that record in my hand. And he goes, what's you got in your hand there? And said, I got you a song. And he goes, well, come in here. Let's hear it. And I walk inside and there's like 50 people. people in this house like all the music supervisors for the film Jeff Bridges is there

Jeff Jeff's there Jeff's there Stephen Bruton's there like all these people We went to T-Bone's house and everybody there had an Oscar but us but us and we thought oh shit But Jeff Britt this man walked into Jeff Bridges and he walks straight over to the stereo and puts it like this home demo that I just recorded What were you like at that moment? I was going like oh god damn fuck I wanted to leave I bet yeah he put it straight on the stereo and played it for like everybody in the room and then he goes can you play it for us right here on the couch

and he handed me a guitar and I'm like yeah I'll play it and I played the song for him he goes all right that's our song let's keep the ball in hell yeah and that was it

you know he just gave me a fucking root burger yeah he compared me to Bob Odenkirk but it was later but it was almost as good that's fucking awesome man so like all right so i wasn't still in the backseat of a van before that song that answers your question what'd you do when you left tibone's house i just do you remember like what

that's our song you're gonna be in a movie with jeb bridges i sat there he goes he goes we got some other songs we want to write too he goes so we sat there and worked on that song you went to work right then yeah it was like me and stephen booed and all them like we had a whole song right in him like let's keep going and so we sat there and smoked weed and played music all afternoon. Did you record on that Led Zeppelin? I don't know what they're called. That mixing board. Yeah. Yeah. You bet. Yeah. And then he sent me home and gave me some homework. You know, he's like, hey, we want, you know, we need a couple more songs. Go home and try to write a couple more. And I went home that night and I wrote that song Gone Gone Gone.

Yeah. Man, came back. I'm about to fanboy out because that whole fucking record hits for me so hard. It's great. phenomenal job. It was unbelievable, you know, and it was like I came back and then, I mean, it was a couple weeks. You know, later, I'm in the studio with Greg Leitz and all those players and over at the village and we're just like, that was it, you know? Yeah, I mean, that came out and I imagine after that your life was very different. And I went in and sat, I remember we went to the village and he goes... Is the village a record place or you mean in New York?

It's a recording studio over in Santa Monica. Okay. And T-Bone handed me this like, you know, 1940s Gibson, J-45. He goes, I just want you to go in there and just play the song by yourself. And so I went in there and I tried. I just played the song like two times. And he goes, all right, that's good. And then he brought the band in there.

And they played the song for the band. They tracked to it. And I remember Stephen Bruton just telling everybody in the band, it's like, he goes, if you don't feel it, don't fucking play it. and then they all played it like one time and then that was it oh my god he was just kind of one of those moments yeah and you know Stephen had he had cancer he passed away not long after that and um it was just a real heavy song for me to witness him play on you know and then that would be one of the last tunes he

played on and it's just like uh i don't know it was just a real it was a pretty heavy heavy experience for sure with what was all going on with all that you know so after okay obviously you know

there's some crazy heavy hitters involved with this process while you're doing it but you still don't know or I mean I know from the like the Hollywood perspective

of like making anything like you you still don't know how it's gonna you know turn out no I mean obviously you know I mean you know

the song I'm sure obviously you've got to feel good about and everything. But the movie, you're going to get paid. The movie and all that, you don't know how that's going to go. So, like, they thought it was, they didn't think it was even going to come out. Right. Okay.

Right. So how do you mean? How did that, like, how did that part all sort of unfold and, like, the run-up to it being this Oscar darling and all that? Like, how did that kind of go from you getting there and, you know, cutting the track and this is all going great? but then the life that that movie and the soundtrack and that song and everything took on after that. Well, how did that sort of go from your perspective? I don't really know the specifics, obviously, you know, I don't know the inner workings of what was all set up for that thing. But from what I kind of just the story that I've got at it from other people that it was originally, I think maybe CMT was involved in it.

It was at a Nashville kind of base at the beginning of, you know, maybe or Sony or who was originally financing the, movie and something happened where it was not necessarily everything was coming through and they thought about maybe it might was just going to go straight to DVD or something like that all I know is at the last minute Fox Searchlight bought the film right before the awards season and it was like somebody pressed the green button so it was already made movie was made movie was already made I don't know all the inner workings and what was happened but it wasn't something wasn't going right with it like it wasn't going to get released they made it they didn't They didn't have the distribution and everything.

Maybe, yeah. All of that stuff. The deals weren't placed. Somebody was like not confident putting it out. I don't know. All I know is it somehow it ended up in the hands of Fox Searchlight. And they were like, this is going to be our movie. And they pushed the green button.

And I got a call saying, you just got nominated for an Oscar. And you guys are hitting the fucking campaign trail. And I was like, and me and my wife just looked at each other and just, hysterically started laughing, you know, he was like, how's something like that going to happen to something like me, you know? You know, I mean, from it not even knowing if it's even going to come out on DVD to like it's coming out for real. And yeah, you just got nominated for an Oscar and all the, you know,

the rest of the stuff that came with it. So it was pretty surreal. I want to talk a little bit about Oscar night just because this is the liberal redneck podcast here. I looked up, I wanted to know what your favorite drink was. I couldn't find it. I didn't look too hard, to be fair. But every time I typed in anything about you drinking beer or anything,

it was just you talking about how if you ever go to another award cinema and you won't get drunk again. Did I misread that, or did you get drunk the night of the Oscars? Or is that just somebody making up some bullshit? Oh, no. No, hell no. That ain't right. Hollywood's lying on you.

All right. But what happens at the Golden Globes, I missed getting the award at the Golden Globes because I went to the bar to get a drink. Oh. And what happened was like we walked into the Golden Globes and it was all arranged seating, you know, these big tables. And you didn't get to pick where you sat ahead. Everybody's sitting. And I had to go by myself.

They wouldn't let me bring a guest or anything like that. What? And, uh, yeah, like my wife couldn't go. It was like, because it's all like a range seat. This is before the Oscars. This was like, yeah. But you won, right? Yeah.

But we're sitting. I'm sitting at this table. And I don't have a. God of Hollywood Social. shitty i don't have a like an outline for the show like this right what order the events right whatever's going to be in so i'm sitting there and my buddy jack wiggum my buddy jack did you know got me into the whole fucking mess in the first place like he sends me a that's the guy from uh canters from yes yeah and uh he goes what are you doing i'm like man just sitting around this table and you

know everybody's fucking smoozing and small talk i'm not a big small talker you know i'm like so i'm just kind of sitting there fucking hanging out and he goes come meet me at the bar let's get some beer I'm like, yeah, where's this bar? What's all the way in this other room across the other side of the building? So I get up and I go all the way over this bar, and we're in there hanging out, and literally, it's me and him and Colin Farrell and Jeremy Renner and a couple other guys. And Jeremy Renner looks at me and goes, hey, dude, you just want a golden glove? Fucking Jeremy.

Because there's a TV screen in the bar, you know, so we're watching it, and T-Bones up there, And they're going, and Ryan Bingham and Teabon Burnett, and they're going like, and where's Ryan Bingham? And I'm at the fucking bar going, like, shit, there ain't no way I'm going to make it now. I already thought that you deserved everything. I'm convinced now. I'm thoroughly fucking convinced. Dude, and I realize now what I read was the headline was like, you saying I'll never drink,

I'll never order to drink again, I won't go to the bar. And then I just turned it into, I guess he was hammered at an award show. It's unbelievable that the goal. Golden Globes, they knew you were going to win. Somebody knows. Yeah. They didn't let you bring somebody. They're like staying in your seat or something.

They didn't tell you to stay in your, what? That's just shit, but fuck it. That was awesome. Jeremy Renner told you you won. Yeah. So, dude, you just won. Shit, all right. Thanks, Jeremy.

Hell yeah, man. Cheers. So, and, you know, we want to talk about the new record and all of that, but before we get off Hollywood for a minute, you're, uh, you also, you've done some acting, right? You're an actor and, is it Yellowstone?

A bit, yeah. Okay. So, did you have any, because like, I, you know, we're stand-up comedians, which I feel like it's probably not

as separated from acting as musician is, but it still is not the same thing, obviously. And I recently did, I was an actor on this show that's like it's popular show and everything but i don't even know if i'm allowed to say it but i went out to do that recently and i like i felt very weird a lot of the

time and a lot of it was because of like you know this isn't the thing that i do you know and like i felt like going into it oh i'm gonna fuck this up while i'm doing it am i fucking this up and You know what I mean? Like, am I like just obviously to everyone here? Not, not just, not necessarily the worst, but like, I don't know what I'm doing. Right. Yeah. It's like for imposter syndrome turned up to a million.

Imposter syndrome. Like, do you get any of that when you were doing it? Did you have any of those feelings of like, what is this? I kind of just, you know. I had the feeling of like, man, I got a lot of dues to pay before I jump into this kind of thing. But at the same time, then once you realize it, like, 65% of the people there don't know what the fuck they're doing. Right. That's one of the most reassured.

Isn't that one of the most... And I don't know. I was very fortunate, like, with Crazy Heart, that was the first thing that I'd really done, you know, any kind. And I had a very small role in that, like, with one line in it with Jeff Bridges. And I was fortunate that Jeff Bridges was really into the music part of that. And he was at T-Bone's house all the time when we were. writing songs and so he would just be and he was just the coolest guy he would be like hey man he goes you want to go outside and go over these lines you know this scene and I'm like hell yeah and he's just

like he made it so uh he just broke it down he's like man he's like dude it ain't no big deal he's like he's like we just giving me acting lessons that's fucking great you know and he's like man we're just playing dress up and fucking making shit up let's go you know drink a beer in night just go So he really just made it. He is as cool. Oh, yeah. And so everything since then, it's just like, and. Right.

I've seen it just kind of like, it's taken that away, the insecurities away from that. It's like, man, just go out there and like, you know, get in that character and just, you know, react however you would react in real life. One of a. Or that's how I kind of went about it. My buddy Thompson. Yeah. My buddy Thompson, I mentioned earlier, one of his other questions was. how fucking cool is Jeff Bridges, dot, dot, dot, and if he says he's not, just don't tell me

that you even asked him. No, he is. I knew he would be. He isn't that much more. And I got one from my sister. And I didn't even tell you guys this, because it was right before work this morning, but my sister called me, she FaceTime me. I've been out here for a while, I haven't seen my family in very long,

so we all try. And FaceTime's fucking amazing for that. We're talking. I'm hanging out talking to my niece. And my sister just randomly, she goes, hey, have you have you seen Yellowstone and I was like and I'd heard I didn't know

she's the one that told me right I had no fucking I didn't watch it and I go is that the uh is that the Kevin Costner and she goes yeah yeah she goes great she goes you know I was watching the other night me and Lloyd her husband she goes and uh you know Ryan Ryan Bingham I was like

and I'm just I go yeah this is today I go yeah and she goes you know he's in it he's really fucking good and I was like yeah no shit and I honestly didn't even know I knew that Kirby'd seem crazy or the movie and I go, you fuck what? She goes, we fucking love her.

I'm going to go, I'm hanging out with him or not, and she fucking lost her. She's like, what? Tonight? What a fucking coincidence? So my sister wanted to ask. Okay. Is Kevin Costa, same as Thompson. Is Kevin Costa cool?

If not, don't say. And also, what does he smell like? Because my sister said, and I quote, Kevin Costner is daddy. So. He is a cool guy, and he smells a bit like Old Spice. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. What's what Daddy smell like?

Oh, God damn. Well, 10 stars. So. Yeah, tell us. You've got a record coming out February 15th, correct? Yeah. Because this is going to, this will go up almost immediately. Yeah.

Yeah. It was supposed to come out. We usually put a podcast out on Wednesday, but we wanted you to be on our, we didn't tell you this. This is our 100th episode. This is a big deal for us. Congratulations. Thank you.

Thanks for us. having me. Yeah, man, absolutely. Thank you. Dozens of people will be listening.

No. So, yeah, February 15th, new records coming out. What's it called? Tell us about it. It's called American Love Song. And, you know,

it's a lot about what we've been talking about tonight of just kind of that adventure of where I kind of, where I'm from, how I grew up, all the lot of the different places that I've lived in. And I wanted this record to kind of reflect

all the different places, you know, all the different cultures of experience, different music, different, you know, languages, things like that, and this, and all those kinds of stories. They're all murder ballads and love songs and tie into all these different towns. That's right, you know. So, yeah, it's, and also there's, you know.

Are you touring to support said record? I am, yeah, hitting the road early March for probably the next, about five years. tour or like both starting in the states and heading over to europe in may and i think in australia at the end of the year and then we'll probably come back here and make a few more rounds and just kind of keep going at it so you're kind of covering everywhere yeah so we're listening right now in l a in your area at some point where uh how would people if they want to go see a show how would they find um all the in social media stuff website uh things Ryan bingham or Bingham Music

I think they all rabbit hole down Right Right. I'm sure. I have a bit of a loaded question But I think I mean When we have Our fans really Are proud of where they came from

Even if they Maybe have a weird relationship with it Yeah You said a minute ago that this record is about all the things we talked about Where I'm from Why I would imagine That if you're making a record about that

that it's important to you. When I ask why, I don't mean it shouldn't be. I mean in your words, why is that important to you? Why is where you come from important to you? I think it's holding on to that sense of identity. I think I moved around so much growing up. I always struggled with kind of my sense of identity and where I was from, you know. I think there were a lot of little things like those old records that my uncle saved out of the old bar, you know, that I held on to, and that music and that era was like part of me I could take with me. You know, people ask me where I'm from, like, I could say a lot of different towns, you know. I could say, well, I was born in Hobbs, New Mexico, but, you know, I lived in Bakersfield.

I lived in Midland, Odessa, Monaghan's, Crane, Houston, Laredo, you know, so it's like, I just, and I think I, over the years, you know, I've, you know, was insecure about that. Like, where am I? I've had to wear a lot of different things to, like, blend into a lot of different places. and getting older, I've shed some of those, and just, you know, I realize that that's all of those places have made me who I am now, you know. And this record is very much about that, and it reflects some of those things and kind of what I'm doing now,

but also where I came from, you know, from the roots of sitting around a campfire with an acoustic guitar, playing one and two chord cowboy songs for my buddies to, you know, playing in New York with a full band and backup singers and the whole deal. And just a lot of things that are going on in the world that you witness every day, you know, social things, you know, that we all witness.

Songs are, like you're saying, some of these songs write themselves, you know, if you hear these stories, and that's exactly right. They did write themselves. These are all songs that I just, out of the adventure of my life, traveling and things that I've seen with my own eyes, I've just written down and wrote about them. It's not like, I've always felt like I've had to live, it before I could write it.

And this is a collection of songs that is very much from the beginning to right now. God damn, I want to hear it. I'm going to say, if you can hear that and don't want to check the album out, then I don't know. So February 15th, the American Love Song, American Love Song, Ryan Bingham, everybody check it out. And, man, this is... I'll be at the L.A. show, if you're wrestling out there, I'll be hammered. Yeah.

I'll be hammered. Yeah. bring it. It's been an absolute pleasure, man. Thank you so much, Ryan. We appreciate it. All right. We'll see y'all next time. Scoot! Can you give us a skew?

Skew. First fucking time. People don't always get it the first fucking time. Later, y'all. Thank you, Schu. Thank you all for listening to the well-read show. We'd love to stick around longer, but we got to go. Tune in next week if you got nothing to do. Thank you, God.

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