Morgan Wallen

Yeah, I mean, you can't blame... Of course not. You know what I mean? You can't expect them to know what's in your head and what you're going to do next.

Right, right. Like I've heard Wasted On You, I've heard that 2.0 18,000 times in my inbox. A lot of them don't even make it to me because it gets snipped before it even gets to me, but... I've heard plenty of them. Oh, yeah, for sure. I understand it, but you can't settle like that. Yeah. But you also don't want to go too far either because then your fans are like, dude, what's he doing?

What's his name, Chris Gaines? Is he just taking a lot of mushrooms or something? You can get that guy too.

Yeah.

Right. Right. You know, like my last album, I had plenty of trap beats and stuff like that. This time I was like, Hey man, let's just, let's tone that back a little bit. I'm tired. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of hearing it. So if I'm tired of it, they probably tired of hearing it. You know?

So just like certain things that you can still get that same swag or that same, you can accomplish certain things without doing the same exact thing.

So it's just simple stuff like that in some cases.

Cool, man.

I like to think so, man. I feel like I can tell when something's getting tired, you know? Yeah.

Yeah, I guess so. Maybe God gave me that. I don't know. But I've also learned from people in my, you know, that I've been around for the last 10 years who I feel like I've learned from and that have helped me with that as well. You know, I don't think I was just –

That shit has been, that's a big, that's a big deal.

It was your birthday?

Oh, happy birthday.

Yeah. The more I let help come in, I think there's certain areas in my life, like with music, I've always kind of – I've been a good teammate. I don't know why that is. Maybe I've just always – I like the aspect of feeling like you're on a team, I guess because I played sports and stuff so much growing up. For me, I enjoy the camaraderie of making music with my buddies and doing all that stuff.

So I've always kind of –

enjoyed the the the help and the team aspect of that but there's other areas in my life where I I'm like you where I'm like I don't you know whatever no no I'm good yeah I'm good yeah so it's not it doesn't necessarily permeate throughout my entire life it's just that one thing where I I've been able to to do that yeah oh dude I'll be sitting in the damn bottom of a hole there'll be a thousand people out there with rope and I'll be like I'm good yeah I'll find I'll find one I'll find I'll figure there's one down there's one down here somewhere

Yeah, my parents are in town as well, but I'm trying to get them to move here, so...

Yeah, no, it does. It's, it's still, it's still weird. And there's parts of that that I don't like. I mean, I think anybody who has to deal with that, it's not ideal, you know, it's not ideal to go everywhere.

Yeah, I'm working on that. That's been going on for the last few weeks now, so we'll see.

And even if you don't get, get like, you know, bothered you, you, you were on edge the whole time because you thought you might, it's like, there's just not a lot of, not, there's, there's things that you just don't do. You just don't do them anymore. But that's okay. That's why I've taken up hunting so much, I think, because I can go be with my buddies. I'm in the middle of nowhere.

I can be at ease. I can not stress out. You just find ways to supplement it, I think.

I mean, if you're using a bar as a specific example, that's definitely the best thing for me. I ain't been in a bar since the last time I was in a bar that everybody knows about.

It sounds like an old country song for sure. But yeah, that's the most public time I was in a bar. That's the last time I was in a bar.

Look, change it to whiskey and have Morgan Wallen sing it. That's one of the number one comments.

Dude, AI is nuts, man.

I was talking to my mom about AI this morning. But that is, I mean, you know, could be a hit.

Yeah, yeah. That was a cool day, man.

I wish we did stuff like that more often, you know?

That's a good question. I've been trying to find new stuff to listen to. I don't find a whole lot of new stuff to listen to. I've been listening to, like, old. I mostly only listen to music if I'm driving or if I'm working out. That's about the only time I listen to music, which I do those things a decent amount, you know?

It feels like... It feels good to actually get out and do it yourself, you know what I mean?

Yeah, that guy is really, really good.

I don't listen to country music a whole lot. I think I've always kind of been that way. I know who Zach Topp is, and I do agree. He's very solid.

No.

She's great. Me and Big X, we almost did a song, but I don't know. I actually sent him a song, and he didn't finish it, so I don't know. That's on him. I guess I don't know what he was doing. He was in jail. Did he? I think so. For what? Not a long time. Not long enough. I went to jail, too, man.

It can be a little stressful. You know, you got to keep it timed up right to where you're not sticking around in one place too long and all that stuff. You know, you got to be a little tactful about it, but it's good.

hey if you behind bars write a couple yeah um no it was kind of spur of the moment thing though i got a song on my record called miami and um i haven't heard that one yet they sent me a couple of the songs did they yeah yeah miami it's like a it's a it's a keith whitley flip so it's like an old you know miami miami that song have you ever heard that um

People talk about Keith Whitley. That's one of his bigger type songs, I guess. But we flipped it and turned it into more of like a... It's a little more like rap style. But it's cool, man. I like it. It's cool. It seemed like it could use a rapper on there. I didn't end up using a feature. We ended up just making a second verse. But...

It's one of those songs where it wouldn't be surprising if we got a remix and did that. You know what I mean? Once it's out and all that stuff.

Neyland Stadium is you know that's my home that's where I grew up watching games Peyton put those pads on Peyton that one was really good the baseball team one we did was really good too but that Peyton one that was that was one of the you know it's hard to beat anything that happened those two nights at that stadium I find myself just being like yeah that's that's pretty those those are like the you know some of the best memories I've had yeah

He came out looking like he was actually about to go play with his facial expressions and stuff.

Hey, man, you got another year of eligibility.

uh yeah man that was special dude so cool yeah but the walkouts are they're just the energy that comes from those it just could last you i mean maybe not the entire show but it'll last you a while you know and then once you get out there and compound the energy that comes along with the actual show it's just it's a it's a rush oh yeah yeah there's that coach right there that we put that water on yeah hypo yeah

Yeah, dude, he came out.

Yeah, he's cool, too, man.

You know, the album comes out on the 16th. I'll play on the 18th. I'll play some of the new stuff. That's another thing, man. It's hard picking set lists at this point, too.

Yeah, me and my band do it together. You know, it's... A lot of it's... A lot of it's data-driven, you know, because you can see. You know which songs people... The majority of people want to hear. Oh, yeah. You're always going to miss somebody's favorite song. You're probably going to miss my favorite song, you know, in some sets.

He always helps with stuff involving our foundation, and we stay in touch on a regular basis.

Just trying to figure out a way this year, since I'm only playing 20 shows. So probably... If I can Try to figure out a way To not play the same Set list All the time You know Cause last year I'd interchanged A couple But I think it's gonna be I'm gonna Make a bigger effort To try to make The set list Different for

at least each night, you know, maybe not every single show be a different set list, but like night one, night two. Yeah. Cause we're playing two nights in each place. So night, you know, trying to separate the two nights as far as music goes should be, should be interesting. Cause we've never done that before.

Yeah. I tried to invite him to a bracket the other day. I was like, you're probably not allowed to do this, are you? He said, no. Okay. All right.

we would always just do like maybe change one or two songs you know I'm thinking maybe a little more than that so I like that yeah that way if he wanted to come for both nights too they couldn't hear different stuff yeah a lot of people already do come both nights so that would be nice for them too yeah there's really no way to do it perfectly somebody's gonna be disappointed or

You know, at any point. Oh, he didn't play this song or he didn't play that song. But trying our best. I'm not going to play for four hours either. So, you know. Yeah.

Like, I don't want to sing for four hours, you know. Two hours about. Maybe a little longer than two hours.

But I can't imagine... Oh, you used to do two shows in one night?

Back to back?

just support in the community i didn't even realize it was early because to me i'd been listening to you for like a little while you know so i already knew you and knew your knew about you and knew your story and everything so it wasn't like hey come do this weird new guys podcast i already knew who you were so well it's just support you know it was nice to have some support right when i got into town yeah yeah no i'm glad i'm glad we got to do it man damn that was in 2020 was it really

Yeah, I tried to invite him into that bracket.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Yeah, he's done that for as long as I can remember. I remember him, when I was growing up, he would just go and stay out in the wild in a tent or something and just drink apple juice or something. I'm like, dude, how is this possible?

Thank you.

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

Thank you.

Yeah, he needed some space. Didn't have enough money to get a trailer or something.

but that was I just didn't because it was crazy because I'd just been looking into fasting because people say it like if you fast it'll help like eat away the cancer cells that are in your body so when he was like I've been on 40 days well they say that that only takes like a couple days to do that what you're talking about right yeah like if you fast for a couple days it'll do that yeah I think yeah yeah no that's right you get past 48 hours yeah I think what he was doing it for was spiritual purposes yeah that's what he used to do it for and that's probably what he's doing it for now

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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Yeah, that was good, man. Got some big fish in there. It's a beautiful spot, man. But does he hunt with you? Does he hunt?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, some. He does, yeah. I like hunting with him. You know, he works for Field and Stream, so he travels a lot doing that job, which I think is a really good job for him.

We all keep telling him, like, he should have his own YouTube channel or something. Really should, man. Just a series of some sort. And this is the things that happen to that guy. I'm like, dude... I don't know how this has occurred to you, but, you know, the world deserves to hear this. Yeah, that's okay, bro. The world deserves to share in your pain that you're dealing with right now.

Yeah, absolutely. Because the things that happened to him are just unbelievable, man.

Yeah, he is a true, he's a treasure, man. He really is. He's a national treasure. He's a buried treasure, too. I mean, he is buried right now. We keep, I mean, maybe he'll take this and he'll watch this clip and go start his channel, you know?

Yeah, I mean, I used to be probably a little more frugal than I am right now.

I mean, dude, I don't understand how that's physically possible. You know, I pretty much have been, for the last little while, fast until, you know, noon. I'll do my workout and, like, everything in the first part of the day without eating. But I can't imagine... going a whole day without doing that, to be honest.

Yeah. I'm trying to think if there's anything that I was just really splurged out on. You know, I got a couple of watches and just things like that, but – and I got a – couple nice cars. I mean, I don't, I don't feel like I'm over the top big spender guy. Yeah. You know, and a lot of times.

oh this thing had a lot more than 12 000 miles really yeah um it was a white jeep grand cherokee i think it was a 95 if i'm if i'm remembering correctly dude i like those cars it was not a bad car um i mean it wasn't whoever had it it wasn't the most it was like that right there that's exactly what it looked god those bitches were tough dude it's exactly what it yeah i had them ford escort 84 ford escort pull that bitch up dude

I mean, yeah, that's pretty bad. Especially that one on the right, that blue one. God.

It's got a two-cylinder in it. Probably had a fucking outboard motor engine. You had to steer it like with the reverse way. Like you have to do a John boat. Yeah, it had a boat motor in it too.

Oh, yeah, some of that stuff ain't going to be repeated on here. He makes me look calm.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh. the powers that be will give you a deadline if you want certain things to happen you know like do you want your vinyl to come to be out to be ready by when the record's ready you know things like that so you kind of They give you a buffer because they know you're not going to have it in time. They got a buffer for the buffer.

They got like an eight-week buffer, I think, that they put on me. But those time limits are healthy, I think, you know, because especially, I mean, it's not like we weren't working. I mean, we worked really hard on this album pretty much since tour was over. I've been writing and...

you know just recording all that so i mean we recorded 50 or 51 songs and cut 13 or 14. wow really yeah yeah um so what happens to a lot you just kind of decide this doesn't fit here right now or you might yeah some of those songs were songs that i wrote some of them weren't so if i didn't write them then they'll just whatever happens to them not up to me anymore And then if I did, who knows?

Yeah, I'm trying to get them to. We'll see how it goes, but I'm working on it. I've been talking to them about it for a while. But, you know, just somebody uprooting their entire life to come somewhere. But me and my sister live down here. It's a tricky, you know, it's always tricky getting stuff like that to happen, but we're working on it.

I might make a side project of something that has nothing to do with my name. I've always kind of wanted to do that anyway. Just kind of figure out a way to – it wouldn't be my voice. I don't know how you'd do that. I'm sure there's all kinds of ways to go about it now these days. Oh, yeah.

But it would not be my name, not my voice, not be any kind of style of music that I normally do, you know, just to see what happens to it. Yeah. It might be like house music or something, you know. I don't know.

I mean, people would, if they saw my name on it, they would, I don't want it to have my name on it. Right. I want to just see what happens if it just gets put out into the world. You know, maybe I'll like put it on a story or something.

Whoever it is, you know, Dream Jacker or whatever the team is, but. Yeah. Whatever the name of the guy is.

Dream Jacking.

I mean, we were talking, me and my buddies were talking about this topic the other day, actually, and

Yeah, but it wouldn't even be similar to the type of music that I'm doing. Totally, I understand that. It would be nothing even close to what I'm doing now. It would be like... I mean, I like house music a little bit. So I'll listen to it working out or driving or stuff. You know, like melodic stuff.

But I feel like a lot of that stuff doesn't necessarily... have a lot of words and stuff, you know? So maybe what if I took a song of mine that didn't make my album, but it's got a story, it's got all these things, you know, what if, what would people, would people like that? I don't know.

I don't know the difference between all of those styles of music. It's like, it's one style of music.

Yeah, I do.

Well, I feel, you know, Miranda, I'm good friends with Miranda. I'm good friends with Brooks and Dunn.

Yeah, I mean, there was already mutual interest, and that's something that's kind of been a conversation for a little bit longer than just this year. So that one kind of just worked itself out between them and my managers. I'm good friends with Thomas Redd as well. He's nice, huh? He's super nice.

His name's Indigo, but I call him Indy.

Yeah, I think you're right. It just all kind of happened pretty naturally. But, I mean, it's unbelievable to me. You know, like I haven't really this page that's pulled up. I mean, just to see the people that are opening for me, it's like it doesn't even make sense, you know.

Yeah, Ann Wilson, she's a Christian artist by trait, but she's, you know, dabbling in the country music world. She's really good. You know, she's on our agency, so.

There is nobody like him, dude. He's definitely outlandish. One of those things, those military, one of those MREs or whatever, he just got beer in there. But he's entertaining. He's entertaining. He's got a good voice, too, and his music seems like he just keeps getting better, too. So I'm happy for him, man.

Yeah, I think.

I don't even know how to ask that question I think it just gets better and better as you know the older he gets I mean it's always been cool but you know when he's he's four years old now he'll be five this year just the personality that keeps coming out and the relationship that you build you know and he's he's got a little he's got a little sass on him like he's got a he's got a little attitude you know which is I like I like that spunk you know like that yesterday my dad was telling him he was trying to get him to eat it's kind of a task to get him to eat to sit still long enough to eat you know

It is, man. It can be for sure. I mean, depends on how often you do it, too, you know? I mean, if you're doing it Some people, I guess, still do it three nights a week. I'm just going to do it two because it feels like a disservice to me and everyone else to do it three days in a row. But two seems like a good sweet spot. As long as you play the show.

Probably don't go to bed until 3, 4 in the morning just because you're so wound up.

But even if your family's there and stuff. Yeah, but even still, they know what the priorities are at this point. So if I play a show. You'll head out. Which my boy, if my boy's with me, he'll be asleep already anyway. So I'll just, we head straight out. Don't stick around. I try to go to bed as soon as possible. Usually, like I said, don't have until 3 or 4.

Then you try your best to sleep until noon, 1, 2, as late as you possibly can just because of your voice after doing all that. You know, you need all that rest. So it's become a little bit more like a regimen for me, which is good. You know, I got a vocal coach and all that stuff too now. So it's just like a whole boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

This is how it is now, you know, and it seems to help me a lot.

No, but you're, I mean, it is, I mean, it's still the same thing.

Yeah, I mean, back in the day, I mean, which we weren't playing two-hour shows back then either, you know, but we would play six shows in one week, you know? So... I don't know how – I mean, it just had to be young, I guess, you know. I mean, it wasn't like we were – the only regimen then was sleep till 4, start drinking at 5. You know what I mean? Like that's what it was then.

And we're going to be good.

Yeah, I think back in the day, if I had a camera on me like Adcock does now, they would be probably saying some similar stuff about me, but he's a little more bold with it, I guess, than I was. Well, he's really, yeah.

Real tea. Man, it seems to be progressing nicely. It's good. I like it. I like it on ice better. Yeah, brother. But I've always liked sweet tea better on ice. I mean, you know, because I've been trying to eat and live and drink and all that stuff clean. So for something that's actually, you know, healthy, it's good. Yeah. Yeah, it's good for sure.

Do you?

yeah I don't do all that you don't? no my drummer told me one time he had drank like I can't remember how many you know like 13 or something ungodly in a short amount of time said damn man you're gonna have kidney stones for sure

I mean, yeah, the song I wrote to my son is the song.

Yeah, that does that. It'll be out soon, but I mean, it's also one of those things to where, you know, I've tried so many times to write a song like that for him, and it always fell flat. So I'd listen to it on the way home or whatever after we wrote it, and I'd be like, that's good, you know, but it's not how I want it. And I also didn't want to write like a song to him that was,

And my dad was like, hey, man, if you don't eat, I'm going to put you in the bedroom. You got to go to sleep or whatever. You know, I don't know exactly what my dad said to him, but he looked at my dad and he said, I don't want you to stay here anymore.

all, I don't know, sappy and slow and, you know, just like what you would expect a dad-son song to be. You know, I wish you wouldn't grow up, you know, all that. Like, I didn't want it to be that. Another birthday cake. I didn't want that song at all. That song's been written plenty enough.

so and i wanted it to keep like have a little bit of my my sound and my swag and just like and to be honest you know so it was a hard thing to try to get all those things wrapped up into one song and what it's called superman's what it's called and i feel like we accomplished that when i was when we wrote it and i was riding home it was actually the last song that made my record so it's not like i've had it for a long time you know it took us a while to to get that song and um

It was actually Blake, one of my buddy Blake's. It was his idea. And the hook was different, though. It said Superman.

i don't remember what the hook was exactly but i was just singing it and i was like oh i know i know what it is and i changed i changed the hook and it like it made it it was like oh there it is unlocked and we all all three of us there are four of us in the room just kind of was like oh yeah that's it you know and then on the way home i was listening to it and started crying and that's the first time i had that it happened with a song for him so that's i kind of knew yeah that's cool man

Do you really?

This goes back to what you're talking about, thinking and motion and all that stuff.

Thank you, man. I say the same to you. I appreciate everything that you do for me.

Yes, sir.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just anything to keep him rocking. But he's a sweetheart. Is he? Yeah, oh, yeah. He's almost too sweet. He's too nice to everyone. Like, people he doesn't know. Yeah. Like, hey, man. We don't like everybody, man.

Yeah, I couldn't believe he figured out how to get a hold of the iPad like that. I'm not really big on letting him, you know, sit around with an iPad, but I guess he got my nieces or something. She probably had him send, or he probably had hers send the email, you know. Hey, Haven, type this out for me.

I just downgraded to the threes, man. I'm weaning myself off. Are you? I don't know. I might just be putting two in. Yeah, that's right.

That's like Andrew. Oh, yeah. Your cousin? Yes, yes. He'll have a multitude in there.

he's only on the citrus though he's hilarious dude well I'll ask you about him in a little bit man alright what did your son have like a favorite song of yours or anything yeah it's a song that's not out yet like this this album right that I've been working on this is the first time where he's it seems like he's really starting to put two and two together you know yeah um

I would come home after I'd been writing and I'd show him songs this time. This is the first time that he's ever cared. There's a song called Eyes Are Closed on my record. I brought it home that night. We wrote it that day and took it home that night. I wasn't really playing it for him.

I just had it kind of playing in the background because it was my first time hearing the demo of what we had just done that day. He was in the background and he kind of

you know moseyed on over there and started being like what's this you know and then after it was done he said i like that song daddy really and it was like the first time he had ever done that you know so it was a special moment for me something i'll never forget and he said play that again you know and i was like yeah this song's a hit for me no matter what you know so um that was the first time i had really seen him like all those you know dots start connecting yeah and

For a while, he thought that Soul by John Michael Montgomery, he thought that was me singing. He was like, play daddy's fast song. He called it the fast song.

He called it the fast song, and I finally broke it to him. I said, that ain't me, dude.

I think that's the right word, too.

If there were the dictionary, guys. Yeah, dude, definitely. It's like a lot.

Yeah, I think it does.

Well, for this album, I feel like I just didn't let it get to that point. At least if I was a part of writing it. I can't remember exactly how many ones I was and wasn't a part of writing. But if a song came in as a pitch, I kind of knew immediately. I was like, oh, these people are writing... This might have made my last record. Maybe. Probably not.

But, you know, it's like that's what it felt like to me. Right. A lot of the pitches were that.

There was a select group of writers that I kind of, you know, told a little bit what I was trying to accomplish, you know, and I feel like that really helped me find a certain one of the sounds that's on my record. But for me, when I'm writing, I kind of, you know, you can kind of tell from the idea almost if the song is going to be similar or not, you know.

And that was something that was tougher for me because a lot of, you know, a lot of the things that were successful and that were easy in the past were just like whiskey drinking, you know, like all that stuff. And I've kind of just almost explored every angle of that that's possible, you know. Like there's still some possible ways to get that in there.

But I tried to dig deeper, man, and, you know, and I – A lot of my guys that I write with, we kind of kept a – at least for me, when I was writing, we kept five or six guys.

We didn't always write together, but, you know, that kind of core group of guys, we all just had a good sense of what we were shooting for and just trying not to say the same thing that I've said before and, you know, incorporating new things. So I feel like it was harder. You know, I had to work harder.

Yeah.

like what do you mean like find a new angle like drop yeah just finding new angles and just thinking up ideas you know and there's you know or just maybe somebody had an idea and they brought it in and I'm like well that's pretty good but like trying to find a way to to make it something different you know like it would sounds like that idea would have been on the last record but maybe I can flip this or flip that into making it something that's more unique you know so just trying to dig deeper and not just not just saying oh yeah not just being content with something you know oh yeah taking it easy

Yeah, just digging deeper.

Yeah, Marissa, yeah.

No, definitely not. I think he'd probably agree with that.

He's pretty blunt guy. Yes. Pretty blunt.

Which I've always loved that about him. You know, when he first got to town, I guess that was probably – we wrote If I Know Me. I mean, I had to be either 17 or 18 when I first met him. Wow. And – 2017 or 18, not when I was 17 or 18 years old. But, you know, he kind of – I think he came from L.A., so he had like this – I don't know. I guess it's different out there, you know.

It seems like it's like a dick measuring contest out there a lot. Well, people are probably, yeah, that could be true. And I think he had brought a lot of that mindset to Nashville, you know. And whenever we were first writing, I'm like, hey, man, you ain't got to be like that, you know. It ain't like that here. Yeah. And I would give him a hard time when he would be acting like that.

I'd always talk shit and stuff. So we just became instant friends, like that kind of friend.

I mean, it was a beautiful wedding, man. I mean, really, really beautiful. It was on an island somewhere. Yeah, an island marauder. It was like, you know, you heard of that show Bloodline? Oh, yeah. It was that compound where that was filmed. Oh, damn. So it was legit.

I don't know if they – I was in the damn wedding, and I don't know if they was expecting me there. I showed up about an hour before it was supposed to start and left before it was over. But I was proud to be there, man. It was cool. I really appreciated it.

I love that. He's, that's a definite, That's an accurate way of describing him.

He's, he's, he'll definitely tell you like, Or if you're on something, he's like, man, that sucks. I feel like I have a pretty good gauge of what's good and what's not, but it's nice to have another person in the room who will tell you straight up. Because especially when you do get to this level, people sometimes don't check you the way they should. They'll just let you rock with it and whatever.