Bones Unfiltered Podcast : Music Edition Episode #9, featuring Jonathan Hendrix

In Episode #9 of Bones Unfiltered Podcast, we sit down with Jonathan Hendrix, a soulful singer-songwriter hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee.  Johnathan dives deep into his roots, sharing the stories behind his latest endeavors.  Don't miss this heartfelt conversation with this rising star.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

There we go. I need to fucking, ladies and gentlemen. We are all over the fucking place. That's that we had a little technical difficulty. And this was supposed to fade itself out. The music was. And it's not, so let's do that. All right. Well, there we go. Well, it it turned to be a little bit of a shit show. We had some uh feedback issues that we had to work out, so we are currently one minute late, so we apologize for that. But welcome to the podcast. Uh this is Bones Unfiltered Podcast. I'm your host Bones. This guy right next to me is Jonathan Hendricks, and I'm happy to have him on the show today. He is part of um he's part of the roster with Pamela Little with Southern Lights Entertainment, and he is also a young man that's got quite a few nominations for the award show. So we're gonna we're gonna talk to him, let him talk about that, talk about his music and whatnot, where we can find him and and learn a little bit about uh Jonathan. So Jonathan, just before we get started, you know, he's a singer and songwriter based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. And you can find him on Jonathan Hendrix Music on Facebook, as well as I'm sure a lot of other places, which we'll let him get into. So without further ado, let's welcome Jonathan Hendrix to the show.

SPEAKER_04 1:37

Thank you for having me. It's awesome. It's my first podcast. So oh no shit, is it really? Yeah, I tried to do a podcast years ago with an old friend of mine that we had a fallen out with. And um I think we I think there are like test episode is somewhere out there in the ether, but um, oh boy, it was it was an awesome one. Um we recorded one other episode, but they never actually released it to us, and I think it was because it was a pretty vulgar one, and it was oh no shit. Yeah, it was um, I mean, just it wasn't vulgar by like content means, it was more vulgar because of just the language. I I mean back then, like we were we were cussing up a lot, and uh this was also a guy that ran the music department at my church, so I think I think he probably had a little bit of a problem with that.

SPEAKER_02 2:31

Probably uh so we are here. Pamela's in here, so welcome Pamela. Glad you could join us tonight for the show. And uh oh, and some well, it says that's weird, that's kind of cool. It must feed through to uh the YouTube response as well as me, which is weird. I've never seen it do that. But this first time, this is really the first show, or maybe the second show where I got to a chance to actually hook into YouTube because when I first uh upgraded StreamYard, I had to wait. So that kind of sucked. But uh, I'm digging the shirt. We were talking he he went to Bad Omen show uh last night, and uh we were talking about that. So I'm assuming that was that a shirt you got last night, or was that a different one? No, this is a shirt I got last night. Yeah, yeah, that's badass, dude. And I guarantee that was a badass show. Yeah, let me see.

SPEAKER_04 3:22

Let's because it's got like the uh the album artwork for Spectre on the front. Oh, that's it's got like the tour dates on the back. Yeah, it was the best shirt that they best looking shirt that they had, in my opinion. And I've been to plenty of rock shows where the band shirts look terrible. Oh, yeah. Who would wear this? Some of it's just straight up cringe, but other other times they've got some solid ones. Like nothing more usually has some really good ones. Their latest line of carnal merch isn't been very good, but it is what it is.

SPEAKER_02 3:54

I guess you can't you can't hit it every time, can you? Welcome. So tell us a little bit about you and uh, you know, uh about your uh pretty much about how you got to where you are currently today.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

Okay, well, like I've been writing music for a long time, it feels like. I think ever since I learned how to play guitar, I've been writing, or at least working my way to it. Um, and I don't think it wasn't until I say probably about 2018-2019 when I actually really started focusing in and songwriting a lot more. I was actually going to college for a songwriting degree at uh no doubt. Yeah, at MTSU, and I had to drop out. I just had a lot of issues, some personal stuff going on at the time, and I wasn't able to finish it. And so and I've my also my thought process was like, well, most of these people probably don't have a songwriting degree in in the music business. Let's just put it that way. You probably don't need it. It helps. I wouldn't say it wouldn't help, but I just a lot of personal stuff came up, and so I started writing back in like 2018-2019, right around the time I met my fiance. And um, I think it wasn't until she kind of came into the picture where I actually really started writing stuff that I was actually genuinely proud of, and to some degree, I am my own worst critic. Every time I write something, I think, man, I don't know if this is it, and I won't know if it's it until I gauge the reactions from the closest people around me. So that's kind of the process. I mean, I lock myself in my room pretty much the entire time, and I focus heavily. A lot of times I'll be coming up with lyrics just randomly every once in a while. I'll have to keep that down on a note somewhere in my phone and keep track of all that. Um I feel like my my process is more of like my art is inspired by other art into pretty much. And not saying that my stuff isn't like original or anything or derivative, but like I because I try to make it as original as I can. My my talent ratio may not be where I want it to be, but I get there. Like um, I I I like to write move music about video games, uh, sometimes movies. Other songs will like hit me so in a like a guttural way that I was like, oh man, that just like gets the juices flowing, makes you excited to start writing again. And you kind of write in that style, and I kind of try to navigate all of that. So um actually one of the songs I'm nominated for was written for a video game or written based off of a video game.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Oh no, what so what what video game was it based off of, if you don't mind me asking? Silent Hill 2. No shit. Hell yeah. Those games are legit, man. Those are really legit games. I I'm just now started playing uh my son, he he downloaded it, so I go down there in the basement sometime and I'll start playing uh Resident Evil, the newest one. Oh yeah, dude, it's those games are so fun, man. They are just so good, you know.

SPEAKER_04 7:20

On a pure gameplay level, like the you can't really match the survival horror that Resident Evil offers. Like, and what I like about Silent Hill is that like it's the dichotomy of it, right? Like the Silent Hill is more of the story stuff, the more of the character-driven stuff, and the gameplay takes the back seat. But with Resident Evil, the gameplay is first and foremost. The scares and the intensities there, and then the characters are kind of just like the the campy uh window dressing, but you can't help but love them.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Like it's there, yeah. Yeah, I like the characters better on Silent Hill. I just I love the I love the nurses with you know the no face and uh whatever the dude, I can't remember his name, but the that big jack dude with the fucking weird head. Pyramid head. Yeah, he is that what he's called? Pyramid Head.

SPEAKER_04 8:11

He's got a statue of him right over here.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

That's him. No shit. Yep, there he is. He's bad fucking. I mean, they they just have really cool characters on Silent Hill, they just really do. It's just it's all around both both games are just great. And yeah, and I love I like some RPGs because they take a long time to play.

SPEAKER_04 8:31

Yeah, um, same air.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

And I do like COD, and I play that with my handicapped son. He's he loves, he's addicted to COD. And I love COD, but it's um but it's it's one of those games that you know, I don't know. After a while, it's like it uh the RPG just seems to go on so much longer. You know, it takes so much longer to get to the other side and finish it. So it's like it feels like it's really worth the buy. It really is. I thought Wolf was gonna be doing a podcast, but she jumped in here too. So did Lisa. Welcome, Miss Lisa. Y'all are y'all are in here with Jonathan Hendricks. If you don't know, um he is an up-and-coming artist and songwriter out of Knoxville, Tennessee. Are you still in Knoxville? Yeah, I'm still in Knoxville. Are you yeah now? How how old are you, if you don't mind me asking, John? I'm 28. 28? Hell yeah. So you started songwriting. Now, your instrument of choice, obviously, you I've seen you on everything I've seen so far. It's been the uh acoustic guitar, but um, what all instruments do you like to play?

SPEAKER_04 9:43

I may I mean I like playing drums and bass. I'm not good at not good at them particularly. Um I can I can fake it till I can make it, you know, kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

You're further along than I can.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

I would if I I can I can play a mean air guitar, I can throw some shit down on some air guitars.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

But other than that, I've got about as musically talented as a turd. So, you know, that's why I podcast, you know, and that's why band manages because I I ain't uh I ain't uh ain't the real deal when it comes to that. Is he country? Is what Miss Judy wants to know. And that's an interesting question because your genre is you're you definitely have a different uh kind of a different sound. So like what what would you classify yourself as genre-wise?

SPEAKER_04 10:35

I've struggled with figuring out what it is because I I have a love for all genres. Like if I happen to yeah, if I happen to write a country song, it it happens. I mean, I'm not gonna tell myself not to do that. But I mean, as of right now, I'd say just from the stripped like performances I do, it does seem more singer-songwriter type stuff. But the vision in my head is to be more of like an alternative rock band, things like that. Maybe even getting into some heavier like uh alt metal kind of like in the Bad Omen's genre kind of thing. Um, like one another one of my big influences is the Silent Hill 2 uh composer, Akira Yamoka. The music he creates for those games are just they're on like two different planes of existence. They are either the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my life or the most like nail-biting, like shrill nails on a chalkboard industrial sound that just drives its way into your skull. Like he has two modes and he nails them perfectly. And like I was saying about Restless Dreams, like the style of his song, Theme of Laura, is kind of what inspired the sort of musical base of that song. Um, and a lot of his other like works that he did for the later Silent Hill games, where he had Mary Elizabeth McGlynn on singing and doing some songs with them, and kind of that lyrical style kind of bled into that song. And I was with Restless Dreams, I wrote it from the perspective of the main character of Silent Hill 2 in mind, and kind of to chronicle his story because it was a game that uh when my fiance and I first played it. I mean, it just by the time we put the controller down, it was it was heavy. Like we had to really sit with what we were doing for like 18 hours and like contemplate the whole like passage of time, like everything that we went through with this character, thinking, like, oh, we really want to see him uh to get over the death of his wife, and then come to find the twist, and it just recontextualizes the whole entire journey. It's um really something that is impactful and powerful in like just uh such an emotional way that the only way I knew how to process it was to write a song. And that's the best way I know how to process my my thoughts, my feelings, who I am. But that was the most roundabout way to say I don't have a genre.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Yeah, well, and you know, that's what's interesting about you though, is you're you know, you take you take songs that uh technically are that meaningful to you when you create, but a lot of songwriters, when they create, they create songs that's like, you know, my my dog died, so I'm gonna write a song about it, or you know, my granny died, I'm gonna write a song about it. And you know, they it it's very personal with that retrospect, but with you, it's kind of different because it's like it's it's about something that you care about, but it has it revolves around video games, and you don't you don't I or at least I haven't heard many people that have kind of wrote songs about that, so it's kind of it's kind of cool, it's kind of neat, it's like you're you're tapping into something that doesn't get a whole lot of tap, which can be very good for you, which is really interesting. Now I noticed that you're obviously singer, solo artist, singer, songwriter currently. So what's your what's your plans for the future? Are you wanting to kind of stay singer-songwriter and do the kind of the solo thing, or are you looking to actually kind of get into the whole band aspect? And if you do, are you gonna want to keep it kind of the Jonathan Hendricks band and band, you know, or maybe a band name, or are you wanting to eventually maybe evolve into a an actual band, like one name, the whole conglomerate is the band. What's your thoughts and process on that? Um, that was that was a lot to take in.

SPEAKER_04 14:44

I fucking said a lot of shit. It's okay, it's okay. I work at a pawn shop, so I have to take in a lot all the time. So well, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

So this is this should be easy then.

SPEAKER_04 14:54

Yeah, hell yeah. Hell yeah. So, but I mean, I do eventually want to have a band. The idea of being a solo artist is I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me. Um, sure. I mean, I write all the all my own stuff and just by myself, I I've never really had any help. But um other than I have a couple of songs I recorded with an old producer of mine, he played the drums because he was a better drummer. Like, as far as like the the musical direction and the lyrical approach, it's usually just me. But like the idea of being a solo name or a solo act just feels a little too like I guess egotistical. And I just I want to avoid that entirely. And I would prefer to have like a band with me who are more competent at their instruments than I am, that way that there is actual input that is valuable that will bolster what I'm writing lyrically. Because what I the the first thing I care about is making sure that the songs I write are telling stories that like connect with people um and and connect to some degree and tell stories, basically. That's the most important thing with me. Like, if I never had to write another guitar lick again, I could probably live with that as long as I got to perform the songs, and you know, they're they're my lyrics, that's my thing. Though that is the one thing that I hold um in high esteem for myself, is that I take very, very big pride in what I write because I don't just write anything that isn't true to me to some degree. Like I like I said, I do write about video games, but I do have personal things in my life that um I write about too. Another song that I'm nominated for, Hero, is about something very personal to me, and something that's happened to me personally that I won't get into for what's the word?

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Um you want to keep that to yourself. That kind of hold that near and dear to your heart, and it's for you, it's not for everybody else. Yeah, because and there's nothing wrong with that. I can respect that big time.

SPEAKER_04 17:12

Yeah, and I've always kind of found it kind of takes the mystery away when you explain the songs, and and I want people to like interpret it in their way and and have their their own meanings because that's the magic of music, right? Because I can listen to a I don't know, I can listen to any radio head song and take away something from it, and then my fiance will listen to it and have something totally different that she implies with it. Um one of my favorite examples of that is like uh hurt by uh nine inch nails at the end of the downward spiral. Um so many people interpret the end that is a very two different endings, like does he kill himself, does he not? And you can take it in two different ways, and that's the beauty of it. And there's a great song Exploder episode on Netflix where Trent Reznor talks about like the musical process that took to create that record, and especially that track, they focus solely on hurt, and they ask him about the lyrics, and he goes, Yeah, I don't I don't want to talk about them because there's so many times I've heard an artist explain this song and it's ruined it for me, it just doesn't have the same hit. So, and I feel like my songs are explanatory enough to where people can can latch onto them in their own way and and get meaning out of them. So, and I don't want to take that away from anybody.

SPEAKER_02 18:40

Now, uh how many original songs do you currently have?

SPEAKER_04 18:46

Um like if I had to go do a set, I probably have a solid 15. I've got a lot more other songs in the works. I've had songs in that I've been writing for, like I said, since 2019, 2018 that it still need to be kind of fleshed out. Like if I really wanted to just throw a record out there, I could probably throw two or three records at least. But like that's good. I wouldn't I wouldn't be proud of them because they're not as up to the par that I would want them to be.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

Well, yeah, and again, that goes back to the whole you're your worst critic. I'm the same way. I I trash myself all the time. You know, it's I'm my definitely my own worst, my own worst enemy for sure. Now, in regards to like say say you're say you're gonna go do a show, you're gonna do a gig, and they want a mixture. So they want originals, but they also want covers. Now, it you know, kind of like you brought up hurt. Hurt, I mean hurt, obviously Johnny Cash covered it. I mean oh my gosh. They and and and it was a really interesting take on that song because you had you had the rock song, and then when Johnny Cash did it, it's like it was that had that country swing to it. Yeah, but it was but it it just was equally just as good, but it the difference was there.

SPEAKER_04 20:08

I would say it's better. And even even Trent in that episode where he talks about it, he goes, like, once I heard it, it wasn't my song anymore. Because there's like what's so great about a good cover is that it can change the meaning of a song entirely. Because, like I said, like that when you put it in context, hurt is about a man coming to the end of his days and deciding whether or not suicide is the way out or not. But when Johnny Cash things about it, it is a man reliving every moment of his life before he passes away, and all the mistakes that he would change, and all the people that he hurt, it's all coming back to him. Totally different context, totally different singers, same words, and it it resonates in two completely different ways. It's it's exciting to think about, and I love that stuff.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

But um now and for you, if I were to say, Hey, you know, I want you to do a gig, you can do some originals, but I also want I also want some covers. What would you throw at me that that would be your choice of covers that you would like to do?

SPEAKER_04 21:18

Oh man. I don't know. I've I've really thought about it. Um the first show I did in December, it was my first show in six years, and um I thought about doing covers because I needed to fill out time, but I really didn't want to. Because I mean everybody does covers, and you get stuck into that trap where you're doing covers for the rest of your life. And and and you don't want to do that, especially if you're a creative. But of course, everybody wants them. Like one of my go tos like anytime I pick up an acoustic guitar, I play Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd without hesitation. It's the first one of the few songs that I like know front to back. Heart to hard. And uh it's my favorite Pink Floyd song, too. Yeah, it's a song. Yeah. It's really heavy. That whole record is just heavy. But um that would be one. I kind of toyed around with doing Rooster by Alice and Chains in a more subdued manner. Um because uh that's actually how my fiance and I sort of met was because of Alice and Chains, so I owe a lot of it. Yeah, we um we met on Tinder. No shit. Yeah, not the most uh romantic story, but uh whatever works. Yeah. Uh there was a buddy of mine when I was talking about the podcast thing that we were doing earlier, uh, that I no longer talked to. We were exchanging ideas on how to like actually find somebody worthwhile on Tinder. And he said, if you really want to find somebody that you think would click with you, you need to find a question that uh like feels personal to you and that you can get a good gauge of that person through that question. And I was like, Okay, his was what's your favorite dinosaur? Which I thought was just ridiculous. But mine was if you would if you could see any artist living or dead in concert, who would it be? And her first response was Alice and Chains. And I was like, Yep, I'm gonna marry this woman. No shit. That's hilarious. Yeah, so I owe a lot to them. Um there's the song that I posted from the Bad Omen show, I was uh thinking about covering too, Death of Peace of Mind, because that's actually within my vocal register to some degree, and I can make it, I can finagle it to where it works with me, and I don't have to do the screams that come out at the end of the song. Right. But um, those are a couple. I mean, I'm not really typically into the the typical covers you hear at every like restaurant or bar. I don't do a lot of the I don't know a lot of the classic 70s catalog or of of rock bands and country artists. Um those are the three that come to mind. I mean, I'm sure there's more that would come to the surface.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

No, well that's no, that's a good start. Well, yeah, I just wanted to ask that because you know, when I when I was looking at your stuff on uh Facebook, and then of course you posted the video from the bad o omens. I was like, dude, this dude's just like me. He he's all over the place musically, like because I when I would ride in the ambulance, but it I had I you know back then I had the traditional old school fucking iPod, you know, the the thing with the wheel that you had to do like that and screen. I remember that, but I had that thing loaded down with everything, everything. Well, people would ride with me and they're and they would be like, What the fuck is wrong with you? And I'm like, what? And and I go, what? And they're like, they're like, dude, they were like, we were just listening to Slayer, and now it went to fucking Johnny Cash, then it goes to fucking Taylor Swift, then it goes to I was gonna say, Oh, and I'm a closet Taylor Swift fan. I used to really dig her, but then she once she went with Kelsey, I can't compete with that. So I was like, Well, I gotta find a new girlfriend, and it ain't working. Yeah, not that I was ever had a chance in hell with that anyway, but but uh, but but you know, it's like people are like your your iPod just makes no sense, and then it'll even jump to like comedic shit like Stephen Lynch, and it'll be some some comedic song where he's singing a a comedy song, you know. I don't know if you know who Stephen Lynch is, but he's fucking great because he sings all his comedy is sung, and he does it with an acoustic guitar, you know. So it's pretty it's pretty fucking cool. But Mike just sent 500 stars. Well, uh hell I didn't see that, but fuck damn thanks, Mike. Jesus, fuck. I still don't even know what I'm still learning the whole. I'm such a dumbass, dude. I am learning all this shit. I swear, I'm so old, but uh, but I'm I waited late in life to get started with shit. But but you know what? I'm having fun, it's kicking ass. That's how you feel about myself too. Do you?

SPEAKER_04 26:16

Yeah, I feel that way. Very good.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

Dude, I'm I feel so inept with all this technology. It's just like I said, I actually tried to take a small video and learn how to edit it on iMovie. I didn't even know iMovie came with this fucking computer. I didn't even know that. My neighbor had to tell me. So he's like, we already got a program. I'm like, what? And he's like, yeah, he's like, Jesus, Pete. You know, it's amazing that I'm not dead because it's amazing I don't have to have a coach sitting there going, breathe, breathe, you know, just to make sure I don't fucking die. Because it everything I gotta do. Pam, she's helped me. This wolf, she's helped me a bunch with with learning this technology. It's just like golly. But you know what? I'm getting there, it's slowly but surely. So welcome. Uh, just to let you know, the guy Mike that gave us the stuff. Um, he's in here. If if you don't know him, you can check him out, especially if you're into he uh the blues. Um, he he is he's Mike Clacy. He he owns Locked and Loaded Records, he's out in Oregon and uh super fucking cool dude, man. Such a great guy. Got he's got that beautiful blues voice. Um very you know, does a lot of blues songs. Real cool cat. So welcome, Mike. Thanks for coming in. Miss Val, just uh take a minute just to it to say hi to everybody. I I know you probably shouldn't do that in a podcast, you probably shouldn't break character to say hi to your to the people that are making this big for you, but you know what? I the way I see it is it's my podcast, I can do what the fuck I want. And yeah, I want to I gotta take time to say hi to everybody because these are the people like Miss Val that's in here. She has not missed a fucking podcast that I've done, not one. Uh so again, that's awesome. Welcome, Miss Val. Happy anniversary again to you and Hubby. I'm glad y'all had a good time last night. And of course, we've got all the typical people in, like uh, you know, Wolf. She's in here, Pam's in here. Um, and I'm glad Miss Pamela could could sit through with us. She was pretty excited about it. Miss Lisa's in here, Miss Judy. Uh, so welcome all of you all that are that are coming in. I don't think I've missed anybody, so we'll get back to it. But I just wanted to take that pause just to say thanks to the people that actually are making this happen. Um, and my buddy Tom Johnson is it. What's up, my brother? My boy Tom. I rode with him in Amalus for 10 fucking years, man. Thanks for showing up, brother. I appreciate it. So, so how long have you and and mama been together? See, it'll be seven years in like two weeks. No shit. Well, congratulations on your upcoming uh seven years. That's that's something to be proud of, brother. That's something to be very proud of. I'm this day and age, you're you're an anomaly by like two years. So you broke you broke the cycle, so that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_04 29:08

Yeah, I'm so fortunate that like somehow the internet produced the best friend I've ever had, and I could not ask for a better partner. She supports me in ways that like I don't think anyone has. I mean, other than my mom, of course. Well, yeah, yeah, she's my mom. She's she's obligated to. But yeah, I mean, I wouldn't really be doing this if it really weren't for her, because she I there's so there for a long period of time I was just writing songs for myself and just keeping them in here, and I would play them for her, and she she she loves them, and she genuinely loves them too. She's not just telling me because I know when she's lying, and I know when she because she doesn't, she doesn't lie, yeah. But um yeah, and she's just been my biggest champion. Her and my mom, they they've really pushed a lot for this, and they're pushing me out of my comfort zone because I am a very introverted person, and of course, like the pawn shop, working with the public all day long, it kind of forces you out of your shell.

SPEAKER_02 30:16

I was gonna say it's interesting that you're so introverted because pawn shop would be you gotta deal with people, yeah, you do.

SPEAKER_04 30:23

And um, they're they're because I just the there's nothing better than sitting in my room and relaxing. It it just recharges my whole body, and it just kind of helps me refocus things. And um, she's kind of they've both pushed me, like, hey, look, you need to get out there, you need to start doing this. And I've reluctantly gotten to the point where I'm like, okay, I'm gonna start actually working towards it because I'm 28. It's like I like we were saying, like, we got started late in life. Most artists that are popular nowadays have or were popular at 18, 19, 20 years old. Like, I mean, Billie Eilish was popular before she was even adult, and yeah, she was like what 15 or some shit, and already made way more money than I've ever I'll ever see. She she swept the Grammys at like age 17, and I'm like, that is the most insane feat ever, and I'm so happy for her because that album is incredible. I love Billie Eilish, she's awesome. Um, but like it so I'm getting like a late start, and that kind of makes me feel like, oh, I'm I'm not gonna get there.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

And I do want to eventually try and get there, but now what's your what's your girlfriend's are is are you're not married yet. Did I ask? Not married, yeah. We're she we're engaged. Engaged, that's right. It was engaged, that's right. I couldn't remember what I what when I asked you earlier. Um, what what's your what's mama's name? Shania. Oh, so this is her. She says, I love you, Jonathan, and I'm very proud of you. So I just want to throw that comment at you and welcome Shania. That's I love you too. We're glad you're in you're hanging in the room. So uh she's probably what is she sitting on the other side of the door. Um be good, Mike.

SPEAKER_04 32:08

She's not, thank God.

SPEAKER_02 32:09

I thought maybe she was sitting there, she was all doing like this.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

No, no, she's good, Mike.

SPEAKER_02 32:14

Thanks for stopping in, brother.

SPEAKER_00 32:15

I appreciate you very much.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

Thanks for the thanks for the 500 stars. I I tell you what, I'm I'm actually making stars now. I know which you know I have to learn all that good stuff, but uh that's a good that's a good thing. Yeah, so this podcast seems to be going pretty good. See, I got I got you know Miss Pamela that's pushing me to do podcasting, and and I'm glad she did because I I I do really enjoy it, you know. Now me, I'm like you, I'm like, uh yeah, my podcast sucks. But and I know it doesn't suck that bad. I mean, you know, but you know, they're like you got a radio voice, and I'm like, I see, I think I have the worst voice ever. I think I have the most horrible voice. I can't so about my singing voice. Do you really?

SPEAKER_04 33:02

Really? Yeah, I think every little imperfection in my voice just stands out so bad. And like I I've gotten a lot better than I was. I'm not gonna say I haven't like worked, but like it's the hardest thing that I it's the thing I struggle with the most is the singing part. Like, if I could just sit in the background and play the guitar and then have someone else sing my lyrics, I'd totally do it. But um as of right now, I I don't really have anybody to to jam with or that meshes with me well enough for us to like actually have like a cohesive band thing. And I just and that's the hardest thing when I write these songs too, is like I I write these I write these lines and I'm like I really love what I'm saying, but I just don't know how to say it. And the melody will might like I'm always worried that the melody sounds like too much like someone else's because like I can't create my own melody. Like if you if you gave me a song to sing, I could probably make my way through it because the melody's pre-established, but like I can't like it's so hard for me to come up with a original melody that fits a song really well. And but I mean I try, that's all I can do.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

Hell, that's all that's all that's all we're both doing right now, is trying, and we're doing pretty damn good, I think. So but we're gonna take a second just to pause for this uh this uh commercial announcement, and uh this podcast is brought to you by Southern Lights Entertainment. So if you go to www.southernlightsentertainment.com, you'll go to Miss Pamela Little's page, and it is badass. It's a new website, folks. So go and check it out. Definitely. Um, when you're in there, you can see the roster of all of the wonderful talent that Miss Pamela has on her roster sheet, as well as all of the people that were nominated for various awards. Like this young man sitting right next to me, Jonathan Hendrix, is up for um, he is up for the solo male vocalist of the year. He is also up for songwriter of the year, and he is up for rising star of the year. So if you don't know Jonathan, I want you to go to Facebook, find Jonathan Hendrix Music, and check out some of his videos. Um, then you go to Southernlightsentertainment.com. You can vote now, you can vote often uh as you want, all the way up through September until votes are tallied. And once they're tallied, then this young man right here is gonna be at the award show with this ugly mug, and he's gonna perform two songs well during the award show. Now, John, which two songs have you have you determined what you want to throw out on everybody, or are you still kind of in that process where you're trying to see like what's gonna be the best fit for you?

SPEAKER_04 35:55

Yeah, I've already decided. Um, I'm also nominated for two more.

SPEAKER_02 35:59

Oh, you are. I missed some then. Yeah, well, yeah, please let me know. Leah, let me know what all your what uh the other two are.

SPEAKER_04 36:06

Yeah, I'm nominated for Song of the Year twice. I have oh shit. Uh Restless Dreams, the one I wrote about Silent Hill 2, is nominated, and a song called Hero is uh also nominated, and those are the two that I will be performing.

SPEAKER_02 36:19

Oh, sweet. That's awesome. Well, I look forward to I definitely look forward to checking that out. I don't know how I miss those. It's probably because there's so damn many people. I mean, it's uh this is gonna be a really good award show, man. I mean, yeah, it is Pam Pam is a superb person, and she she wanted to have a new award show to for those that don't know to to make it a little bit a little bit better for the artist. I mean, yeah, you know, a lot of these award shows you get nominated and it costs you like 170 bucks to just to go to the damn show to see if you won. And it's like yeah, her philosophy is I want the artist to go and then not have to pay. So she she's got this awesome venue, which I'm sure you've you've played at before, have you not, with Mark B's and and and Juice Cleveland?

SPEAKER_00 37:04

You've played yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

So so you've already played at the Oak Grove Theater. Now I've never been. I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be it's gonna be awesome, I think.

SPEAKER_04 37:13

It's a nice little quaint theater, and like and I just really I mean I do have to thank Pam and Juice as well. They they both really have helped push me a little bit further than uh than I really would have gone. Pam was really the one who brought the idea of performing at the Grove Theater in December to me. And I'm telling you what, I was nervous. Like I said, I haven't played in six years, and or at least in front of people, like a lot of people in in six years. And so I was really nervous because this not only was my first time performing in that time, this was the first time I've ever performed songs straight from memory. I've always struggled with memorizing my own songs. If it was someone else's, I have no problem. But my own always always a struggle, and then I get there and I'm like, okay, I'm kind of okay. Hopefully this goes well. And then Pam springs that uh, oh yeah, they're we're doing an award show too. So um hopefully you do well. I was like, oh great, yeah, so much more fun. Fuck up, we'll kill you. Yeah, pretty much, and then um then she broke told me the news and I was nominated for five awards. I was like, You gotta be kidding me. This is insane. I I I was so beside myself. I was at work when I found out. I was at work when I found out. I had to like I just like my my mouth went and I was like, I'll be right back. And I ran to the back and I swear to god, I think they thought I was dying. I was like, I probably just drained of color, but yeah, her she's she's really been a big champion too. And I I can't understate what she's been doing, and I really appreciate Juice too, because he's just um uh accepted me into the the bees collective with him and Mark Bees. And I'm excited to play with them for a while and and kind of get a feel for our little work relationship that we'll have going on.

SPEAKER_02 39:09

And he's just a super cool dude. Just down all the both of them were so cool as shit when I interviewed him. Because I did a they were a back-to-back, so I did mark one day in the daytime because you know, I know it's better to do podcasts now at night. I mean, I know this, I've known it from the start. But when you're old like me, it's like, you know, I want to do it at like 10 in the morning, you know, 11, you know, it's like fuck. Everybody goes at at eight at night, but there's a reason why I get it. But um, but you know, I did I had Mark on, and then of course we tried to have Juice, but Juice was he couldn't at the time because he was still working. So he ended up he was just available with his schedule being all over the place. He was like, Hey, you know, um, I'd love to be on the show. I said, Well then what are you off tonight? He's like, Yeah, I'm getting ready to get off. I said, Well, let's just do it tonight, then. So we did back-to-back shows for them, uh, which kind of made sense too, because you know, you had you had the Mark, you know, Mark, the the B Z's collective, and then you had Holler Haints, and then you had no return address. So it's it and and with all of them, you know, meshing together, kind of like with you, the it this is like it's actually turned out to be really good because I didn't realize you were doing that much until about 30 minutes before I called you. So it's this is kind of neat that we did a podcast where one, two, and three are all all three of you all have a connection, so it's kind of ties everything together, which was a happy accident. It was not planned.

SPEAKER_04 40:46

It's uh it's a the the cosmic universe just telling us something, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 40:52

Hell yeah. Hell yeah. So well, you know, I'll I'll be nervous with you because I've never I I get to do uh what is it again? Uh presenting uh oh shit, uh uh Entertainer of the Year. Or yeah, and uh Entertainer of the Year, the big one at the end. And I'm not uh I'm not a I've never spoke in front of a crowd, so like standing in front of a whole a whole uh auditorium of people is gonna be a weird fucking thing for me too. I just I just hope I can talk, you know, which I'm sure I can. My mouth never shuts the fuck up, but I hope it makes sense when I talk. And I don't sit there and look like a deer in a headlight and be like, when the winner is, and people are like, Oh, for God's sake, don't ever have him up there again. I hope I don't watch it, but I am honored to get a chance to do it.

SPEAKER_04 41:44

Yeah, it is awesome. I mean, you could be Adrian Brody accepting his Oscar like two years ago, where he went on forever and ever and ever and just never got off stage.

SPEAKER_02 41:52

Yep. People are like, yeah, people are like, everybody had left. He was still standing on stage by himself, the auditorium was empty.

SPEAKER_00 41:59

Yeah, pretty much.

SPEAKER_02 42:01

But yeah, Miss Lisa said, Y'all will rocket. Man, hell fuck yeah. Thanks, Lisa. See, that's what I need. Motivational, I need Lisa. I'm gonna have to pick her up and take her with me when I got that way. She can hold a sign up and say, You can do it. You know, just be holding it up for me too. Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:19

Like, yeah, that is kind of the hardest part, like, too, about like the performance part of it. It's like you have to find like a way to like talk to the crowd and like have some synergy with them. And the my best way to know how to like get a crowd going is to just be funny and just joke around and and be lighthearted and fun with people. That's usually like my whole thing. Like, I get along with pretty much anybody because of it, but when I have to try and be funny, that's when things just go awry. Because like the like I was sitting there, like, okay, I have to fill out so much time for this set, and I gotta talk in between these songs, and I don't want to explain what these songs are about, so um, I gotta find a way to be funny, and like I'm sitting there up, like, oh no, I didn't write anything. Because when you write a joke, a lot of times it it falls flat. So I just kind of read the room and man, it's nerve-wracking just talking to people you don't know.

SPEAKER_02 43:20

So that is so funny. That's so funny hearing that from you too. Because, like, because for those of y'all that are just tuning in, I mean, you know, that he's he's a solo artist songwriter, but he also works, you know, he's got a regular job just like all of the other blue-collar folks out there, and he works for a pawn shop, him and his uh fiance, they both work for pawn shops. Now, is the pawn shop you work for? I think I asked you this, but I don't remember the response. Is the pawn shop you work for family owned, or is or do you all just work for a company that had just hired you to work for them?

SPEAKER_04 43:54

Yeah, we're a corporate business. We are the I work for Cash America, they're an eight billion. Dollar pawn shop company.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

Holy crap. Oh yeah, Cash America's huge. I didn't realize you were with them. Yeah, they are huge as shit. Now, uh, what do you what do you exactly do for Cash America when you're working there at the pawn shop? What do you do?

SPEAKER_04 44:12

I'm assistant store manager. I pretty much just I help with employees get prices on things and taking in merchandise, making sure merchandise is actually there that's supposed to be there, taking care of money, um, taking care of the gun stuff and things like that. It's just pretty much just a general manager, uh it's a manager's role. I'm just managing a bunch of different people, but I also get the perks of being a palm broker too, because we work on commission. So that that right there, the money motivates you to actually get out of your shell and try to uh talk with people because if you if your paycheck depends on it and your car payment depends on it, you gotta do what you gotta do. So that's and there's really people have done far worse for far less.

SPEAKER_02 44:57

So yeah, like like uh I didn't know they they worked off commission.

SPEAKER_04 45:02

I didn't know that. So that's it's not fully commission, but uh it's commission and hourly rates. But yeah, like I bank on that commission all the time for my for my bills.

SPEAKER_02 45:14

Yeah, do they do you all with the solo with the hourly rate and the commission? Do they do it kind of like the way they do wait waitresses and waiters, where it's it's a lesser amount per hour, but then the tip is the obviously what brings you up to par. Is it kind of a similar process or is you get a certain hourly rate, but then if you get a commission, it's almost like a bonus. How does that work for you?

SPEAKER_04 45:42

The commission pretty much works as a bonus, yeah. Does it yeah? We get paid fairly well for all things considered, and then we get the the commission on top of that as well.

SPEAKER_02 45:53

So now does mama work at the same place, or is she does she have to work at a different pawn shop than you?

SPEAKER_04 45:59

She has to work at a different one, but she is an assistant manager over at another one as well. Oh no shit, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:05

So that hell, that's cool. Yeah, hell yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:08

So we can we can bitch about work all day long to each other because you know we know each other and we know how everything works.

SPEAKER_02 46:16

You know the line of work, yeah. Absolutely. So it's I think it's just interesting because it's like when people come in, it's like, how the fuck do you know what to even tell them that you want for shit? It's like, you know, how do you know? It's like you'd have to know a lot of shit.

SPEAKER_04 46:30

Well, to know how to Google so you Google a lot of shit. Like my phone's battery dies so quickly nowadays because I am constantly looking stuff up all the time, and our computers are just so slow that we have to use the phones and they won't give you proper results for whatever reason. I don't understand it, but like the so I have to be on my phone all the time.

SPEAKER_02 46:54

But no shit. Do you know an Aaron Waller? I sure do. Yeah, well, he said that I'm proud of you, man. Keep it up. He's in here watching right now. So, Aaron, welcome, man. Thanks for tuning in. We appreciate you. Yeah, he's one of my employees. And Miss Charlotte, Miss Charlotte Johnson, that's my uh my good buddy that's in here. That I used to ride with EMS for uh he was my longest running partner I ever had, was uh Tom, and uh his mom is in here watching as well. That's awesome. So what'd she say? She I never knew that uh you were not able to talk. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's that is true. I I don't shut up. My wife's like, you even talk in your fucking sleep. She goes, I I'm surprised my I'm surprised my jaws, I'm surprised I don't look like what's that guy from Disney? The the the the he was the the one character um go Gustav with the big ass fucking chin, like the muscles in the chin from all the yaking. That that's I'm surprised my jaw don't look like that as as much as I fucking talk. That's funny, it's good shit. We should all tip bones for this podcast, or just some stars. Yeah, they give me a tip. Stars work, stars work, yeah. And I don't even know. I like I I got stars on the last, I don't even know where they go. Like, I have no clue. So it's like I I'm gonna have to learn, I'm gonna have to learn it. Because I know I made some, I made like I don't know, if it's like 120 stars, and I I have no clue where they go. So I'll have to learn all that shit.

SPEAKER_04 48:32

If you're doing some yeah, it may be some like monetary thing. Like I think, because like if you're on like uh Twitch or whatever, you can like gift people subs, which you have to pay a certain amount to get those subs, and that goes into the creator's pocket or something. I don't know how that's how this all works, but it sounds similar. Yeah, I may be wrong.

SPEAKER_02 48:52

And I don't know how kick works either. I just started kick. So right now you're you're streaming on kick, YouTube, and Facebook. And um, those are the only the three that I'm allowed with the package of of this that I bought from StreamYard. And my buddy sent me another. I I may try both. Uh, there's another one. I may I'd like to have it as a backup, maybe. Um, I don't, but I'm gonna have to learn that one. But yeah, the whole monetization thing is I I don't know how all that works. But I luckily I got people like Wolf and Pam that that'll they'll fit they'll help figure it out. And it'll be nice to make something. You know, I don't want to, I don't, I don't give a shit about making a lot. I just want to it'd be nice to eventually the podcast take off just enough to where I make enough to cover like the expenses of like StreamYard for a year, you know. I mean it cost me 450 bucks for you know for stream yard for a year, and so you know, it would be nice to make just enough to cover that because you know what I'm doing, I ain't moving mountains, but I'm having such a good time because it's allowed me to meet cool people like you and Mark B's and and and uh juice and and you know outlaw whiskey. I'm gonna have them on uh next week because um they they couldn't do it uh this week due to some circumstances, but I'm gonna have them on next week. There's a whole lot of people that Pam's got that that I want to do this, so I'm having a good time in uh you know learning about these different artists, and that way too. It's it'll benefit me when we go to do this show too, because I'll know a little bit more about all of you all. So it gives me a unique advantage because when I go to that show, I'm gonna I'm gonna go there already. I'm gonna be like, I already talked to them. I know them, I know that I know him. You know, I won't be there. It's it it won't be like I'm there showing up and like don't know nobody. So this is this is a cool experience. So I have to thank Pam for letting me do it. So yeah, it says bottom left corner of the screen. Look at the stars. See, she I wonder if they see something different because I swear to god, I'm looking, but I don't see shit. Anyway, I die I digress. Maybe it's just so damn dark. That's the only other thing about doing it this late. Like this this little ring light does an okay job, I guess, but I feel like I'm in a fucking cave, you know, or in the daytime, I just I can open the windows up and and do whatever. Yeah, for sure. So you don't what'd you say? You don't know. Now, all right, so back to your music. Now, um the songs that you have in the works, how many songs do you have that you still haven't finished? And and how like like how long of a process does it take for you, especially since you're kind of like me, you're your own worst enemy. How long of a process does it take you to actually start to finish create a song? Like, are do some of your songs take like months? Do you have you spent time like a year to get it to where you really like it? What what's kind of your process with that and and durations?

SPEAKER_04 52:12

I think it really depends on the song. Um, because certain songs just come naturally, like almost too easy. It's uh not to keep like mentioning other artists, but like it the artist, like the the writing experience, and hearing people talk about their creative process is just fascinating. When Jimmy Orld wrote the song in the middle that like broke them out, and uh I remember watching an interview where they said like it almost didn't feel right, like it just felt too easy. They said that the song just came to them naturally, and then they recorded it and ended up being the biggest hit ever. And sometimes it's like that. Sometimes I'm like, okay, yeah, this is all very solid, cohesive, just great stuff that's just come out naturally. Other times, like it's pulling teeth to get just one line right. I mean, to like, I mean, thinking about how many songs I've got in the works, I mean, I've probably got hundreds, hundreds of stuff. Wow, just not even not even completely complete. Like, I've probably got like a verse here, a chorus there, a couple of lines here and there, and stuff that like just words and like phrases and sentences that really like capture my attention. I'll I'll write them down and keep them in case like they fit somewhere else later on down the line. But um, I found that lately my my the best writing process for me is usually just sitting down with my guitar and writing as I'm playing. It's because a lot of times when the music is developed first and then the lyrics later, or vice versa, they don't mesh for whatever reason. Like I have this one guitar riff that is so gorgeous, and I cannot fit it in anything. No matter what I try, I can't find anything that fits with it. Um, but those tend to be the best songs are the ones where like the music and the lyrics develop together naturally, and so usually on those nights I'll like get home from work, I'll like and eat. So I'll be done by like 7, 7:30, and then I'll be spending the next three or four hours, sometimes five hours, just writing, messing around with melody, messing around with lyrics and and whatever to try and get it all right. And sometimes it sometimes it finishes, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it bleeds over. I mean, I don't really have necessarily one like specific like time where these songs get finished. Other times, like there's a song that I'll have finished for years, and I'm like, hmm, I don't know, and I'll tweak like a line or two, and I'm like, okay, now it's perfect. Like, um there's some old songs that I recorded with my old producer that uh I'm really trying to rework back into my set lists. Um, I've got three in particular, well, four in particular that are like really strong, but that was back when I really had no control over my vocal range. I didn't know what fit me well. So I'm gonna have to try and rework a lot of those songs vocally. And I think one of them I'm gonna be trying to perform this Saturday. Um, it just depends how that all shakes out. I need to practice a lot more than I have for it.

SPEAKER_02 55:40

But uh now, where are you playing at this Saturday for those that may be interested or maybe nearby that want to uh pick up a show? Sure.

SPEAKER_04 55:48

I'll be playing at Alley Ray's on Broadway. It's uh uh the address is 937 North Broadway, and uh it's completely free. Uh I'll be playing with Juice Cleeland and Mark B's too. So it's gonna be a nominee showcase, so everybody that's performing is nominated, and we'll be performing a bunch of different songs.

SPEAKER_02 56:09

And that's cool, man.

SPEAKER_04 56:10

Stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

Now, yeah, when you when you do stuff with the collective, um do you do you do uh like acoustic stuff, or do you they actually like become your band and you you will use like their drummers and bassists and and stuff to help you when you're doing your sets?

SPEAKER_04 56:31

I haven't actually done anything with them yet, so I don't know how this is all going to be. Oh, so this is new. Yeah, this is very new. Yeah, everything that's like happened like since December has like just it's all just happened so fast, and I'm trying to keep up with it. And uh so I think Saturday we'll probably have some discussion about it and moving forward and seeing what we're gonna be doing. But uh from what I understand is that we're gonna be getting a couple of artists together to perform shows and we'll be getting paid for them. So this will be the first time I've ever gotten paid for a gig if if this all goes well, which is really exciting to me.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

Yeah, well, dude, that's fucking awesome, dude. Well, congratulations. I didn't know that, so that's badass. Well, you do what you you got homework then. Your homework is during at some point in time during the collective, you gotta get somebody to shoot at least one video of you while you're performing. Uh that way you can upload it to uh Jonathan Hendrix Music, everybody on Facebook. So check it out. Uh that way we can see how this goes for your first time in this. That's that's exciting news, man. That's really good.

SPEAKER_04 57:36

Yeah, I am.

SPEAKER_02 57:37

I'm excited, very, very excited. What time does that show start? Oh, 7 p.m. 7 p.m. Hell yeah. Absolutely. It's my show. Yep, Miss Pamela's part of that show. It's on Saturday, right? Two songs a year. Okay. Pam's running it. She's gonna kill it. I know she will. Oh, yeah, she always does. She's such a good lady. She's she's really cool. Really cool. Don't put up with no bullshit though. She she she don't she don't play. It ain't even worth it to bullshit her. Don't even try. I don't think he's there. Yeah, there's a yeah, well. Anyway, you always gotta have there's always somebody in the gr in the bunch. It's it's good comments. You can't see the comments, so that's good. But um most everything is super positive. A lot of a lot of good support from a lot of good people here. A whole lot. Let's see. Let's just say what's Lisa says. Lisa's cool. Oh, she wants me to ask you. The damn comment keeps bouncing around. I keep losing it. Here it is. She wants me to ask you about the brown vest. So, what is the story about the brown vest? I want to hear this story.

SPEAKER_04 58:58

Uh, this is deep-seated childhood trauma that I have buried deep in my recesses of my memory for I don't know, 15 years, maybe more. This is a long time ago. We were watching some TV show. Uh uh, I don't even remember what it was. I think it was on like AE or something. And this dude was getting on stage and he was trying to, he was getting ready to perform, and he had the ugliest brown vest I have ever seen in my life. He was wearing it, and he's getting up there talking about the song that he's getting ready to perform, and I'm like, and this song's called Brown Vest. And I'm he didn't say that I did, I made the joke, and then everybody in the room started laughing. It's one of those things you gotta be there to like understand why it's funny, and this like was so long ago, I can't even I've forgotten all about it. I can't believe she remembers it.

SPEAKER_02 59:58

Now, who is if you don't mind me asking, who is Lisa? Uh yeah, obviously she has the same last name, so is that mama? Yep, that's my mom. Hell yeah! Well, welcome, Miss Lisa. Thank you for showing up and hanging out with us. And I appreciate you bringing up the brown vest and throwing him on the spot. We get got to watch a few shades of color in your face change a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:20

That's that's always good.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:22

I've forgotten all about that, like genuinely. Yeah, she's my mom. She does she did uh the photography for my photos that are on my page. She's a great photographer. She does, she's done like we've talked about earlier with nothing more. She did photos for them, and um they they're all great. Like, I think I even think Johnny, the lead singer, has a photo of hers hanging in his house, which is really cool.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:49

Oh no shit. That's that is cool. Well, then it's not you that has homework, then it's it's it's mama, mama Lisa has homework because she's gonna be the one that's probably gonna be taking that video, uh, or two or three.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:03

She's mainly a photographer, so I'm sure she'll take some really good pictures. Um, hell yeah. I'll I'll probably have Shania, my fiance, do it. She she did uh all the video work for my last show that I posted on the page for all the songs I performed.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:16

So yeah, you definitely want to do that. Get yourself some content, filler. You're gonna have plenty of opportunity, and you're with a great bunch of guys to do it. So, man, you guys, you got really lucky. That's awesome. That's really good. And for your first time, man, I'm I I'll definitely have to give you a ring and see how this went, see how you enjoyed it. And and I I look forward to seeing the video to see how it turned out. Yeah, that's that's really cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:39

I'm I'm excited, I'm really nervous again, but like fortunately, like half the set is gonna be the same as the set I played, but I've got uh since the show, I've had a lot of inspiration. So I've wrote like four or five songs in like a couple of months, and that's the most I've ever written in a long time because it's it's gotten to the point with my songwriting where if I don't feel like the idea is good enough, I will abandon it full stop. I will not write a song that is a technically a waste of time for me, and if if I keep working on it, then it's something that I feel like has legs and has ideas that like really stand on their own. So to to have written five songs in four months is is impressive for me. That's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:29

Yeah, now it's but over your right shoulder on the wall back there. Is that a picture that you all drew?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:37

Uh the one that's hanging on the door, this one here. Yeah, uh-huh. That's actually a uh RPX poster for a quiet place part two. I went to the theaters to see it when it came out and they gave it to me.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:48

Oh no shit. I was curious, I was just curious. I was sitting there looking at it and I was like, oh, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:54

I've got a whole bunch of like drawings on my walls from Shania. She's a she's a drawer, she's an artist. Um, so I would take you around if I'm working on my laptop. No, it would be way kind of odd, be all like, okay, here, take a look at this. Um, we're both big SpongeBob fanatics, so I have a lot of Spongebob fan art in my room. No shit. Ridiculous. Um, actually, you know what? I will be right back. I gotta bring you this one. This one's really funny.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:23

All right, let's see it. I'm looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:29

Hold on, see if I can get this off the wall.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:32

Oh, god dang, I did I didn't mean mean to put you to work.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:37

Oh, it's all good.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:40

Is that a fucking watch hanging on your wall? Yeah, it is. That is fucking the most bizarre thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:49

Um I'm looking at that and I'm like, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:52

That's all the story there's actually a story behind that somewhat.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:56

Well, I want to hear that too. What's the hell's the story behind that watch?

SPEAKER_04 1:04:00

That um, so I first started getting into like actually watches, because I'm a big watch fanatic. Like I were like, I love automatic watches. Citizen, I've got a whole case full of them, and it's because I've been working at the pawn shop that I started getting into watches. I don't know what it is. I like it. Uh anything that's sort of like not saying watches are a bygone era thing, but like people don't wear like traditional watches as much anymore, and that stuff's just always appealed to me. Don't know what it is. Now, that watch was a watch that we passed on in the pawn shop. And because it was just I don't even know. I think it was just it's a cheap old Casio. We don't take stuff like this typically, we only really want like higher end or mid-range watches, and we didn't take it. And five minutes later, my dad walks into the shop and he said, Hey, this guy just threw this watch on the ground. Do you want it? I was like, Okay, sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:07

So y'all did not even he's like, Fuck this shit, threw it on the ground.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:11

It's a hundred percent. That's what happened, and so this was technically my first watch. So I don't know why I've kept it. I just you know, I've just hung it up there like this, and I don't I don't ever think about it. You bringing it up made me think about it.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:27

Oh, sorry about that. No, you're good. I see all sorts of I spy with my little eye, all sorts of fucked up shit.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:34

I'm telling you, like, if there's I cannot have a single inch on my wall that's not covered because to me, my room is my sanctuary. It gets it's where I get to like represent the things that I love. Because I'm a big media freak. I love film, I love games, I love music, I love it all. It's like I I I consume all of it that I can. But uh anyway, this is the picture. So I don't know, I don't know if it'll be as Entertained by this as I will, but she drew this where SpongeBob is looking at the moon, and handsome Squidward is the moon, and he's just looking at it in a very loving way.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:14

Well, there you go, ladies and gentlemen. Who knew that the man in the moon was actually Squidward? I mean I learned something new every fucking day.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:22

That's awesome. This was the first ever piece of artwork I ever asked her to draw for me because she's always asked me, like, Oh, what do you want me to draw? Draw, let me draw something for you. I'm like, I don't know. I can't really think of anything. I was like, okay, how about you you draw handsome Squidward as the moon? I thought that was just a stupid thing, and it would be really funny. And it turned out even better than I expected.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:44

Oh, she did a great job.

unknown 1:06:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:46

So she's like, Shinnaia, you're you guys strong work. I mean, that's uh that's impressive. And mine, my sponge ball would look like a little stick guy, he'd have like little little lines and like weird finger, weird hands, and shit. That's what I would draw.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:01

And speaking of the pyramid head earlier, she did a little painting of this. Uh, this is really hard to see in the photo. Oh, yeah, you guys can see it better now. Yeah, now that you've spangled it.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:12

Oh, dude, that's badass, dude.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:14

Yeah, this is awesome. This is what sits on my computer desk all day. This, and I can't believe I'm actually showing this. I actually had to take it down for to see the TV sometimes because it's such a big photo. I have this on my desk.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:36

That is so random.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:38

It is random. So my my this is a guy named Scott the Waz on YouTube. He pretty much does like bizarre random video game topics, and my fiance and I are both big gamers. That's like kind of one of the things that we bond over. That and music we bond over just like there's a connection there on a cosmic level, but uh, so we both got we got into him recently, and I was on his subreddit, and somebody posted that they had this that had a frame picture of him on his desk for like five years. He just randomly did it for himself. No reason why. And then one day his mom comes in and says, Honey, is there something you need to tell me? Are you gay? Because he had a random dude's picture hanging out just sitting on his desk, and then he said, I decided after that day I to put it up. So it's all I showed her that post, and then she had this brilliant idea. I think this was a Christmas gift. It was like it's like no shit.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:39

So she made that for you. That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:41

She just found a picture of him and just put it in the frame. And so, like, I I I sit it here when I have the space to do so.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:48

So it so now excuse my ignorance because I'm like 900 years old, so I don't I don't know who the guy is, but I would assume he's probably one of those Twitch people that that does like gaming podcasts and stuff like that. Is that is that what he does, or does he do something a little bit different?

SPEAKER_04 1:09:05

No, he does something different. Like uh, I don't think I don't think he's ever streamed. Um, but oh really streamer at all, then no, he does YouTube. It's he has like a channel where he makes these big long scripted videos, and it'll be about like different topics in the gaming industry, like the like uh what they'd call like the the sixth gen uh curse or whatever. We're talking about the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii era of consoles and like the kind of stuff. He did this big, long, two-part documentary is specifically about the Wii U console because he has some obsession with the Wii U that I don't understand, but he can like take the history of this console's development and the games that came from it and the trouble that Nintendo had kind of actually marketing the thing, and he made like a video about it, and I just find that stuff fascinating. Like, uh that's the one thing I love about YouTube is like even if I'm not even interested in the topic, if the right person is talking about it, it'll get me invested in it. Um, but fortunately, he talks about stuff I I have a lot of interest in.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:10

So that's interesting. Yeah, that's just pretty funny that you got his picture. Yeah, I mean, that's hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:15

That's it's it's ridiculous, but I mean, I I live for the ridiculous. I like to just have all sorts of dumb weird stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:28

There ain't nothing wrong with that, brother.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:30

Nothing wrong with that at all. Because I've always like, I gotta keep I've gotta keep life light, you know, because there's so much heaviness weighing down on on us all the time. Oh, yeah. And um and that's what my music is an outlet for, really, is the for the darkest parts of myself. A lot of times, like I'll take songs even that are not from my perspective or not from who I am as a person and not things that I felt, but I I have like a very strong sense of empathy, and I can find the things about these people that like connect with me, and I can put myself in their positions, and that's what I do with a lot of the songs, like the song I wrote for uh or Restless Dreams, um, the song I wrote about Silent Hill 2. I got two songs I wrote about The Last of Us Part 2. That's my personal favorite game of all time, and I don't care uh to say it. Like it's it's a controversial opinion, but uh now what what what what's the name of that game?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:26

The Last of Us Part 2. I don't think I've ever heard of that one. Really? I don't think yeah, I don't think I have. I'm I'm currently playing uh Starfield.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:35

I also controversial opinion. I love Starfield.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:39

I didn't I mean I I haven't beat it yet. I'm I've still got a ways to go, but me either. Um yeah, like I'm I'm kind of in a weird spot right now where it's like I don't know if I developed if I developed everything so so quickly to where now I've got a lot of stuff done, but but I haven't got far enough along with the advancements to uh what is it called when you're um your level, you know how you get you got different planets and my level cap is like right now, I think I'm in the 50s, like 55 or 57 or something. Yeah, but yet now the next the next planets I need to unlock are like 65 60 65 70s. So you're locked into that like grinding phase you're in that grinding phase where it's yeah, it's like it's like fuck, you know, yeah, and that that kind of sucks.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:33

That is a common issue that a lot of people have with Starfield, and I get it. I played it when it came out, I got I put like 25 hours in it, and I loved it, and I just haven't picked it back up. I actually speaking of my watch collection, I got the collector's edition that comes with the Starfield watch, and it's such a cool looking watch. It's the only digital watch I own, and I will wear it. I rare it on occasion, just very rarely, but uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:58

I like your I like your watch you wear. I I can't wear watch, I'm too big of a pussy. You know, I got I got hairy ass arms. So like I put the metal watches on there, and it feels like it feels like they're taking one hair at a time and just slowly pulling it out of your arm. And it's like I'm like, fuck. I was like, how does anybody wear these damn things without shaving your arm? And maybe that's what they do. I mean, I don't know, who knows?

SPEAKER_04 1:13:21

I don't know. I'm a naturally smooth-skinned dude. I don't know why. I can't develop hair that isn't here or here.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:27

So all right, it's it's bizarre, but oh, I'm like, I've got like three chest hairs, they look like that, and then but I've got but I'm hairy from the elbows down and knees down. But other than that, it's like no, I couldn't get it.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:44

Chest hair looks like Homer Simpson's head.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:46

It does, yeah, it does. Or or Charlie Brown, you know how Charlie Brown had yeah, yeah, little funky shit. That's what that's what my chest hair looks like. It's uh that's funny. That you have a few of them gnarly nipple hairs that you know they're all like yeah, yeah. And of course, you know, your hair's kind of like you're you're you're like my brother from another mother because you got the you got the same curse that I've got. The women love this shit. But but I mean, look how fucking curly it is. It's like I know you can't do shit with it, and it's long, but it don't it never looks long. It it's like yeah, I could let it grow forever, and it's always gonna look like it's sitting right here, even though this it just gets it just gets bigger, bigger, yeah. Like I look like bozo the fucking clown. If I if I if I'm out in a humid time, you know, it just like it goes.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:35

I used to work, I used to work with a guy, and um God bless. I love him to death. He's a he's an asshole in the right in the best kind of way, but uh he used to call me Ron Jeremy all the time, and I hated it. I hated it. He would call me Ron, he would shorten my name to Ronathan so that he could get so he could get away with calling me Ron Jeremy in front of customers. I'm just like, you are an ass. And like, don't compare me to that piece of shit. Fucking Ron Jeremy. Like but like I I I love this hair, I like having it, but like I hate it in like these when the seasons change, like it gets so frizzy and fuzzy.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:19

Like, even when I can't stand it, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:21

Even when I wash it, like it still looks flat. Like normally, like my hair will look like yours if it's done right, but sometimes I just can't get it right, no matter how hard I try. So I just gotta gotta do what I gotta do.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:33

My shit gets it. I I know exactly what you mean about when it dries out and it gets it frizzy because it does, it just grows. I look like I look like Bob Ross's chia pet. You know, if you had a chia pet and you grew it on a desk, yeah, when my hair that's what my hair would look like is Bob Ross's, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:51

My boss got me a SpongeBob Chia pet one year for Christmas. No shit. Yeah, speaking of chia pets, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:00

I've never had one, I should buy one, but I've never had one.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:04

I've I've wanted to grow it out, I just haven't like thought about like doing it. It's it's also something that's gonna take time, and I have to like set it out, and I've already got it like a cluttered room as it is, because I've got like you can't see it, but like 90% of my walls are bookshelves because I have all my video games and my movies up in there to to just sit right most of the time because I can only play one at a time.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:30

See, I think you kind of have a little bit of that Jonathan Jonathan Davis look. Oh, yeah. From corn, you know. I see it. You know, especially with your you know, your facial hair and stuff, it looks it's it's kind of similar to the way his is and your hair similar length, or at least it was. I don't know what it is now. I haven't I haven't seen Jonathan Davis in a long time, but they were definitely badass back in the day.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:55

I'm not typically googling pictures of Jonathan Davis on the daily, so I I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:00

Yeah, me neither. You know, Pam Pam is she goes, well, they probably people probably didn't know who Ron Jeremy was, but I don't know. Yeah. Oh man. He's he he was um he wasn't the greatest looking dude, but I guess if you have a baby's arm holding an apple, I guess it doesn't fucking matter. So what you look like, you can look you just look terrible, it just doesn't make any difference.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:25

So there's actually a funny story about this. Uh, ever since that joke came about, it reminded me of a movie I watched uh 12 years ago, and it is not at Porno, I promise. You're gonna suspect you're you're gonna suspect it is, but what but let me explain. So the Ronathan jokes came out, and there was this movie that I watched like when I was way too young. I should not have watched this movie at like I think I was like 12, but like I watched it one time and I remembered every fucking detail of this movie because it was just so bizarre, and I had to tell him about it. I had to track this thing down, I had to buy a DVD for$30. It was the cheapest copy of it I could find. Everything else was in like the$70 to$90 range. I'm like, I'm not paying that for a damn DVD. I'm just not. And it's cool. I wouldn't either. It's oh, but I have no problem spending five hundred dollars on a Pokemon game. That that's that's where my my collection tendencies take over. But uh well, you know, yeah, it was the movie is called One Eyed Monster. Oh, for God's sake, and it stars Ron Jerno. It's not a porno, I told you, it is not a porno, and it does star Ron Jeremy. It is a horror science fiction comedy akin to like the thing, but the whole premise is that this like porn cast, they like go up to like this uh cabin in the woods uh to shoot this porno, and uh Ron Jeremy can't perform. He has to go outside to he's like, I need to go outside, and it's snowing outside because I'm because he's thinks that'll you know get it to work or whatever. I don't know why. Or find the fluffer, one or the other, yeah. Find the fluffer. And uh out of nowhere, he sees like something in the sky that's like a like Aurora Borealis, but it's more of like a like a controlled beam, and it hits him. And then he goes in and he performs the scene like nobody's business, and his junk falls off after he does it and he dies. And this and his junk goes around and starts killing the cast members off one by one.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:54

I have not seen that movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:56

Not that I would I would watch it now just for the simple fact that I'd be like, what in the fuck?

SPEAKER_04 1:20:03

I I invited these two guys over, two guys from work to watch it one time, and they never let me pick another movie again.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:13

I'd imagine not.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:14

They're like, Yeah, you oh man, it was it was I it was like everything I remembered it being. It was hysterical. Every detail like was just ingrained in my mind for some reason. Uh, it is a very memorable movie. It is not a good movie, it is pretty bad, but it is like bad good, like in that like funny bad range. Oh, yeah, you get a group of your friends together and you just riff on it the whole time. Oh man, that's that's the kind of movie like Mystery Science Theater.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:43

What was it, 2000 or whatever? Where you just turn the movie on, turn the volume off, and then just sit there and make up your own shit. It's epically awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:53

It's awesome. Yeah, I love doing that. There's there's a lot of kinship in that, you know, and I love it.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:00

Is this a juice ass? Is this a uh a trauma film? T R O M A. Yeah, I have to admit, I'm a dumbass because I don't know what a trauma film is. I don't know what a trauma is either. I I'm I'm kind of I'm gonna have to look that shit up. I'm gonna have to figure that out.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:18

I'm gonna look it up in incognito in case it's something I don't want to know and don't need to be put on a watch list for.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:26

What the hell is incognito? It's like I mean, I know what incognito is, but is you act it. Did you say it as though it's a thing? Like it's a it's an app or some shit.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:37

No, like you can go to Google and you can open up open up like a private browser and it won't like tie to like your your search history or anything.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:45

Oh, I don't know how to do all that shit. She said kinship and Ron Jeremy shouldn't be in the same sentence. Right, no, they shouldn't. Yeah, they really but but in this podcast it is. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:01

So a trauma a trauma film, it's sort of like um it's like it's there's a production company called Trauma Entertainment that was founded in the 70s and they made like schlocky B movies. So it's sort of like a like a Roger Corman type thing. Like where they're like campy, weird, like yeah. So I get what he's saying. It's nothing bad. It's just well, the quality bad, yeah, but not like anything questionable bad.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:32

So John Weber likes your shirt, he says awesome. Thank you. Bad omen shirt, Jonathan. Hell yeah. It is badass. That video you posted was was was just killer, man. They what a killer show. Killer light show and shit. You know you've made it when you can afford all that shit.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:49

I know it was and I thought it was crazy because like when we were trying to get the tickets and it said they were playing Bridgestone. I was like, what? These guys just hit popularity like not too long ago.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:00

Oh, is that where you went to the Bridgestone Arena to see it? Oh no shit. Hell yeah. It was the best sounding show I've ever been to. I've always wanted to go inside there, and I I've been and out around it a bazillion times, but I've never been in it. It's cheaper. I would like to because I heard it's nice. I heard it's really nice.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:17

Yeah, it is a really nice venue. I've seen so many bands there, but I've never seen anybody there.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:22

Now I've seen I've seen like Dropkicks was Dropkick Murphy's was at the uh Marathon Music Works. Music Works, thank you. Marathon Music Works. That's what now that's a that's a cool ass venue, too. That was nice. It is that was a good venue. It was hard as fuck to find though. Oh, yeah, it's not no, it's like the GPS drops you off, and there's all these buildings. I kept walking in places and they're like, Can I help you? And I'm like, Yeah, I'm trying to find the concert. Well, it's not in this building, and I'm like, Okay, yeah, next one. Yeah, you know, never would tell you where to go. It's just like it ain't here. Okay, well, see ya.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:03

Um, in man, I think this was when did Carnel come out? 2023. I went to see him in 2023 when that record just came out, and they had like a sign posted that Bad Omens was getting ready to play at the Marathon Music Works in 2023, and it's three years later, and they're already headlining Bridgetown, like totally skipped like a send amphitheater. Like, they're I that's insane to me. Like the the popularity rise is meteoric for these guys. And I hate to be that kind of guy because I like I didn't start really liking their music until the Death of Peace of Mind came out, and uh, because their first two records just didn't really click with me. Um, the whole like early bring me the horizon type sound before they started melding into like more pop rock, pop metal type stuff, just never always clicked with me. Very specific artists do it, but uh then like right when like just pretend was hitting radio stations and it was blowing up on TikTok everywhere, and uh that was right around the time I got into them. And I was like, I kind of feel like a poser, but like I don't care that out. But Death of Peace of Mind is a fantastic album. And I don't care, it's they were awesome. I mean, it was such an incredible show from start to finish. Stack set list. I mean, they played like eight songs from Death of Peace of Mind, and all of them were fantastic, every single one of them. They ended with Dethrone, and Dethrone just tore the whole roof off the place. I swear, it was it was insane. Oh man, I haven't seen that energy level at a show in a long time.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:44

That's fucking cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:45

Like, and nothing, and not to like bring down like nothing more or anything, because they always bring it when they br when they perform a show. And they are personally the my favorite live show I've ever seen was at Mirathon Music Works when they performed. Because just Johnny has energy that is unparalleled, his singing voice is incredible. Their music to me is in is just unparalleled, like all the way up to um spirits. Those are like spirits, stories we tell ourselves, and uh self-titled are three of my favorite albums all time. Like stories we tell ourselves in particular is my favorite. And Johnny's like writing style and his his uh music has been such a huge inspiration to me. They're my favorite band, despite like me having disagreements on his like stances on AI and stuff like that. Like, I hate AI. I can't, I I will never touch it.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:37

But I'll tell you what, it's AI scary, dude. It's terrifying. You know, when I was a kid, uh Terminator came out, and uh I was sitting there thinking, yeah, I was like, that ain't that could never happen. It's badass, but it could never happen. Dude, yeah, right. Um boy, I don't fucking know now. Cause I tell you what, fuck man. That AI shit is scary, dude. It's uh it ain't far from being self-aware, I don't think. I think we're getting close. If it ain't already there. I mean, because hell, what do I know? I live in a cave anyway, so it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:18

But yeah, everything that it's everything that it does, it's just learning everything about us. It is in a learning phase. And it's it's terrifying because the what's even scarier about it is like you don't have like a T eight, T eight, T one hundred or T eight hundred that's actually something that you can maybe physically stop. This is something that's almost invisible, and it can get you to do all sorts of things just to manipulate you. Because I mean humanity is a very manipulative uh thing. People can be manipulated even without even knowing it, and it's kind of insane.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:55

Oh, yeah, people can manipulate people easily. Can you imagine a fucking computer that learns the ins and outs of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:01

Holy shit. It's it's wild. And it's deep. I've looked into like the there's been like a a study done called AI 2027. That is the single most scary thing I have ever heard in my life because the the paper concludes that if we continue at this rapid progression rate where we're trying to like outperform China and we're constantly in this race, it's going to come to an extermination point in 2027.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:30

Dude, that's fucking scary.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:32

That's this is from industry insiders who know AI and the ins and outs of it who know like Sam Altman and the whole like chat GPT open AI stuff. They the only thing that they say that is a miscalculation is that it will happen in 2027. It's more likely to happen in 2030. Only three years difference.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:55

So it's crazy it's it's nuts man. I tell you what it's uh it's something unfortunately it's what the world is going to oh yeah I mean Pam's right yeah they are I mean it's I and I don't see I I think we're to a point now where there ain't no turning back anyway. I don't I don't know I hope I'm wrong. I mean because what do I know? I mean I'm a dumbass anyway I can I can barely even fucking use Facebook much less anything else but so you know so do your own research because don't don't listen to this asshole because he don't know he he wouldn't know an AI if it fell on his face and started wiggling.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:35

So and of course I'm not gonna say like I'm the the all-knowing arbiter of AI or anything I have done a little bit of research into all of it but I I am big in pushing that people do their own research on stuff and really reading and understanding what all the ins and outs are with this stuff. Like it's but that's the that's the problem they're they're commodifying AI and they're they're making it palatable to like a general audience and they're trying to push it into people's homes and be like no it's your friend it it's it's here to help you and then you have like all of these damn articles coming about coming out about how like AI has convinced some dude to kill himself. Like that's that really helps.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:15

That's insane it's nuts man. Yeah yeah it's gonna be interesting to see what happens that's for sure I guess the only good thing that's the only good thing about being old like me is that if shit goes south well I'm gonna be dead anyway so it don't matter if it gets real bad I'll be like 900 years old so it'd be like fuck it whatever. But uh so back to you and like where can people find you so obviously we obviously know uh you have two Facebooks but I did find the one that that is your more business account which is the uh Jonathan Hendricks music page but um I'm sure you're on other stuff so where can people find you if they say they don't do Facebook?

SPEAKER_04 1:31:05

Um I actually don't have anything right now I do need to create an Instagram page um I've thought about making an X account but I got off of Twitter for a reason and I'm not gonna do any of that ever again. But um just I'll I'll post it on I'll I'll keep making accounts and and whenever I I get to that point. Like I really need to just sit down and do it. Like the the hardest thing is just sitting down and doing it.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:34

No I feel well like baby steps. I mean we all we all start somewhere so yeah you because you're getting you're getting your start now you're it's gonna you're gonna plume for sure you're gonna be going to all sorts of shit like YouTube and and Instagram and kick and twitch and all that other shit.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:52

I do intend to make a YouTube I need to do that as well so that may be down the down the pike pretty soon. I don't know which is the best but to me personally just from from a guy that don't know dick from dick I I really like Facebook and and uh youtube I those are my two favorite Instagram it's well I like how Instagram like anything you do on Facebook you can automatically go to they'll just send it to Instagram I do like that yeah but Instagram is I I don't know I'm such an idiot that I it's like I wanted to delete something off my Instagram and I I still it's still there I have no idea how to I have no idea how to delete it it's like they they don't make getting rid of shit easy you know they don't and I don't know why I don't know why I get it's almost like they don't want you to get rid of shit so they make it so damn hard I guess I don't know either that or I'm just that big of an idiot they're wheeling you in yeah it's like it's like canceling a subscription service they like you can't can't just cancel Hulu you have to like call their help desk and have to sit on the phone with somebody for 20 minutes be like hey look I don't want this service anymore can you please just cancel the damn thing I'm getting charged for something I don't use like it they they purposely do it just to keep you reeled in and interacting and whatever. And I've never been a big social media guy like I'll scroll through Facebook every once in a while and just like watch stupid reels and look at memes or something. I'm I just I just don't like doing it and that's kind of the hardest hardest part of like actually trying to make social media counts for to promote my my music is just you know putting myself out there and doing it because I don't post anything on my page I don't post I I have an Instagram I don't post anything on it. I don't do it just I've never found the appeal in it because I've always been a live in the moment kind of guy like when uh when I posted the video of the bad omen show like I felt kind of bad because I was on my phone like I if I'm going to a concert I'm putting my phone in my pocket and I'm enjoying it because like the moment is there I want to be in the moment I don't want to like be stuck behind a screen well I feel in the moment.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:02

But he only did one song so you you did a song to kind of say hey this is for mem remembrance you know like a keepsake my uncle's in here he just made fun of me he goes yeah I know for a fact you don't know dick from dick yeah yep you're right uncle Denny I sure the hell don't that's what I love about but that's what makes my podcast is gonna be fucking good man is because I just don't I just don't give a shit. It don't have to I don't have to make it so it's like I can do whatever I if I want to do a podcast at 11 I'll do it at 11. And people would be like well that's dumb okay well yeah all right whatever if I want to do it at eight I'll do it at eight okay that makes more sense yeah but it also is weird like like I'm looking at myself and I'm like this is the first time I've been it's been that dark because even when I did juice I think it's for the time change maybe I don't know probably but I don't remember it being this dark like it's just bizarre.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:00

It's just I don't know but but yeah but that's what I love about like tool shows they like and like I think they do it with a perfect circle too like the entire show you're not allowed to have your phone out. If they find you with your phone they kick you out and you spent four hundred dollars for a ticket and you get kicked out because you use your phone that's that's yeah but I mean they want you to be in the moment and like especially with a perfect circle like some of their later stuff on Eat the Elephant is talking about the over reliance on technology and social media and things like that. But uh but they will let you film one song they will let you film the last song that they perform.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:35

And you know it's so funny that you say that because when Maynard had his birthday bash um I went with my brother my brothers we went to I forget where the hell we had to go to for it it was Chattanooga maybe I forget but anyway anyway they they it's funny you say that because they said that at the very beginning of the show they said we no phones except at the end we got one song then we want everybody to have it out and and fucking have at it if they want to but it was a great show because it was his birthday batch so it was a perfect circle it was Pussifer and it was Primus. And it was really it was really cool the way they did the show too because you know you you had the stage and then out in front of the stage they had like bizarre like they had a I think it was a ping pong table set up they had all sorts of shit so like the guys would get up and you would have like they like like it would be like a perfect circle would do like I don't know two or three songs. Then they would they would come down and they just wouldn't leave I mean they'd go down and start playing ping pong and then Primus would go up and do like two or three songs and then Pussifer would go up and do two or three songs and then it went back to a perfect circle and it just it it was just like that. And it was just they just would come up and just cycle through it was so cool. I mean it was it was just neat it was neat it was it was great but at the end like you said that's when they're like all right now you can now you can pull your phone out and you can record this last song so my fiance and I that's like one of our like uh our bucket list bands to see is a perfect circle because we have we absolutely love the 13th step that's one of our favorite records especially like recently we've been wearing it out we've just been in a perfect circle mood we've seen tool twice that was our first concert was tool actually they they put on some killer fucking light shells too they they're insane it was so good live oh yeah I was I was a little disappointed when we saw him in Knoxville because they mostly played fear inoculum stuff and it's weird to say like it fear inoculum is not a great tool record but it's a great record by any other metric.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:54

So like it just it isn't what I would want from Tool. It feels a little too safe and a little too overblown and over and bloated and that's mostly what they played at that show. They played like they played the pot which I was excited about. That's one of my favorites yeah I think they they ended with Anima and it was oh man the onima was awesome they played that I got to hear the grudge for the first time and that song just oh it rips that that scream in that song is insane.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:23

I love it but uh yeah but most of it was like the the fear inoculum stuff and some of it's great not all of it yeah I've I've always been in the minority everybody loves Numa and I've just never got it I just don't know why you probably know this but I'm gonna tell you it it just to see if you do you know that Maynard was in Green Jelly that did the three little pigs what no I didn't know about that. Yeah look it up yeah he was actually with green jelly yeah and he was actually a part of the uh the three little you you remember the three little pigs the claymation uh music video and stuff um yeah oh dude it was such a my kids were obsessed with that song when I was a kid or when when they were little I mean and uh I would I bounce them on my knee especially when Rambo came out with that fucking yeah fucking Gatlin gun you know the damn M16 yeah he was all like he was all like shooting everybody with the M16 or whatever the fuck he had in his hand you know and uh but you know the whole time it's it's that snare drum you know so all the I'm bouncing my kids on the knee on my knee and they just loved it man that was such that's awesome but then but I don't know how I finally found that out but I was like you are shitting me Maynard was a part of that I was like wow that's but he's such a badass dude he is he's a badass he he's badass and jujitsu he's just he's just an all-around he's an all-around badass dude that's for sure I've seen videos of like people running on the stage and him just laying up bodying them entirely it's insane like the guy just he's on he don't even stop singing he just keeps I know he keeps singing like look like sitting on him like looking in their face just like just keep singing like it didn't miss a beat didn't get winded nothing he's the simultaneously the most unprofessional professional I've ever seen it's it's kind of wild and I'll and I respect the hell out of that for him.

SPEAKER_04 1:40:25

I love the fact that he's always like in the back that's always been his like mindset is like the band are the the talented members so I'm gonna let them shine and I'm just kind of like the the window dressing for him but right even though like I was telling my fiance this at the Bad Omen show is like tool is great because they are greater than the sum of their parts right they are all fantastic individually but when they're put together they're even better like I just that's I can talk about tool forever.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:55

Finally yeah they're they're really good they're really really good yeah yeah man this has been fun I mean I've we've had a good time we talked about you we talked about your stuff but then we got into this all sorts of fun fun activity stuff to talk about I mean I love talking about you know I'm 52 and I love video games I still do I'm like a fucking kid yeah my wife calls me one of her you know I'm one of her three children you know my wife she does everything and I'm just exist like I'm the big kid I'm the oldest and then I got our two sons are the they're the they're you know they're below me and we all act like a bunch of idiots but we play video games all the time but you know even before I used to play man it was really cool back when when Xbox came out you remember Halo oh yeah of course well that was my fucking jam dude I love that game I loved it well when that when the Xbox first came out that was when I actually first started online gaming and you know we had I had two buddies from here and then I had like we had a a guy from Canada from the UK from Boston from Oregon I mean we had guys and and a mom and pop and son so they were like mama bear papa bear and and killer bear and they were all like they were all like in Oklahoma and stuff and we and we had you know we finally got we played for like I don't know seven or eight years like every night and this before I had kids and especially once I had kids it kind of changed but but um but finally the people like still were like hey we're gonna take a vacation we want to we want to come hang out for a day like even a guy we had a guy from fucking the UK he had never been to America so I was his first stop in Louisville for me and and me and my two other buddies it was like he made sure he came and hung out for a day with us before he started his his month long holiday you know it was just I don't know video games are fun I love them they're like they're a great connector like when when they're when they're done right they connect so many people together and that's what's the beauty of them that it makes like a great community of just a bunch of people who like playing a video game like and I've unfortunately never been a part of that I've there's not a lot of people that I because I don't typically play online shooters or online anything typically um I've always been a story driven guy like ever since I first got into music I've always been like a storyteller and I've been interested in like the stories that are told in video games and and and movies and things like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:47

But ever every once in a while I'll get down with a good uh good multiplayer game like I love playing Left for Dead it game for dead timeless yeah that was a great game that's I would just just play it for hours and hours and hours and I can still play it to this day and never get tired. It is just it's always dynamic it's always evolving it's always fun and I love it. But I do remember back in like when I was in school like I think I was in about in high school um I didn't I wasn't really around when like the first Halo and the original Xbox came out so like I was in the height of like the PS3 360 era. That was my first console was a PS3 that uh that uh tells me I'm I'm a little too young but whatever. But uh yeah you're a lot younger than I am but we used to I still have my original Atari we've got one with the fucking joystick in the one single button.

SPEAKER_02 1:44:45

Click click click click click you know yeah we've got the joysticks we've got the little paddle rotators that have the like the dials on them all that stuff yeah didn't that come with like Coleco vision or some shit or oh yeah was it I can't remember what I'll do in television in television yeah television that's what it was yeah that's like like I said Shine and I've thing like video game collecting is our hobby like it's it's everything to us like that's what we put most of our money into unfortunately but uh well you it could be worse things at least you ain't spending it on crack and all that other shit exactly so you know exactly you're at least spending it on something enjoyable I play I'm playing hell divers right now too with my one son my youngest son oh yeah when uh he's not working we get on and play hell divers and uh it's kind of a it's kind of an O day to Halo to a degree there's you know they have some it you can tell that some of the same creators uh definitely had a hand in that so hell divers hell divers is fun but but it's hard as it it's hard as fuck man yeah especially play it have you yeah it's I wanted to I just I don't have anybody to play with typically well and what's and what's cool about it is you remember the well you may not remember because you're still a young pup but they you know it used to be they had the controller it was the whole like left up down left right left right up up the Konami code yeah yeah it it well you know hell divers uses that for your different grenades so like you you're you're like running and you're like trying to fuck it up down left right up up up up up down down down and then all of a sudden it sets to this certain thing and then you throw it and it does something so that it it that was kind of cool too because it kind of gave you a nostalgic flashback to the way things used to be when I was younger. Yeah but I mean I remember I I remember all of the progressive consoles from Atari and then you just keep you just kept growing and growing and and and of course when Nintendo came out it was like holy shit what the hell is this you know yeah it revolutionized everything it saved the gaming industry it it did it really did and then when when before Halo or Xbox when when PlayStation came out I was just like holy shit this even makes Nintendo I'm like what the hell is this like the graphics and of course now you look at stuff and it's like wow it is like as real as it gets yeah you know I can't wait to see this new GTA I can't wait till that starts oh man I'm so excited that's gonna be sick as hell man it's gonna be crazy. I have uh I love the Rockstar games I just finished Red Dead Redemption 2 for the first time about uh oh dude that is such a wonderful game dude oh man red deads were so good man so amazing like oh the graphics and I just love the whole western fucking thing man me too that was so badass man it sucks that they don't even I mean they don't even update it anymore but I guess they're not going to especially since they're gonna be dropping GTA whatever fucking number it is six it's all hands on deck seven or whatever is it six I couldn't remember what it was called but but I know my kids already have it pre-ordered you know they're like are you gonna pre-order it I was like nah I don't think so but I mean but I am gonna get it but I'm just yeah of course it'll be available yeah they're not gonna they're not gonna skimp out on making copies for that damn thing hell no and now that everything's digitally downloaded it's like why do you need why do you even need to pre-order shit it's gonna be there you know well at least maybe maybe maybe maybe it's not I don't know the whole thing I don't like about digital stuff is that you don't technically own it and if they decide that they want to take the rights away from you they can pull that game and you'll never own it again oh that's that's what sucks about it.

SPEAKER_04 1:48:34

That's why it's so great having the physical copies and stuff. That's I'm so vehement about physically collecting it's a way of preservation kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:44

Bye Pam she's going to bed she's uh I feel like I'm eavesdropping on a uh on a phone call we did kind of we did kind of shift gears and go from music to yeah but you know what but that's the glory of a podcast it's yeah things evolve and things change gears but hell we didn't neither one of us missed a beat that's for sure that's true and I guess I don't know let's see how long we've been on here and well it's almost a two hour mark so I guess we can be getting ready to be wrapping this up I don't even know what time it is now because it's so late. Oh it's it's almost 10. Yeah it's almost past my bedtime Lisa's like no I don't know if your mom don't want us to stop or not wolf's getting GTA six hell yeah that's gonna be badass I think what we should do is we should all get we should all get gamer tags together like well you know all of us all of us get each other's gamer tags and then start fucking playing and playing shit. That'd be great.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:44

I'd love it I've always wanted to have like people to play with I've just never been able to because I'm always worried about getting on that online sphere. Like I played high guard for two hours right before they like cut the server short like last week or two and I had a good time with it. I just I don't know. I haven't played that. I'll have to I have to look into that. You won't be able to. They they shut the servers down. Oh, so they oh, so it's done done. It's done done. God dang. Seriously? Seriously.

SPEAKER_02 1:50:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 1:50:20

Dude, that's the gaming industry is weird, man. It's it's going in weird directions, but well, and with AI, can you I can you only imagine?

SPEAKER_02 1:50:29

I can only imagine what dear God. There's already been Christmas, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:50:34

There's already been a bunch of stuff with the AI thing. Like that's one thing I kind of like about Steam is that like if your game has any form of generative AI usage in it, you have to denote it, or they will pull your game off their site. So oh no shit. At least they're trying, like to some degree. I won't say it's a flawless system because of course they're not monitoring it, they don't check to see if all these games have it. They have to have like reports come in of it. But I mean, at least they're doing something that's better than what anyone else is doing.

SPEAKER_02 1:51:06

Everyone else is just going gung-ho with it. Oh, yeah. Well, and it didn't Elon Musk didn't he even say that you know, he's like, dude, we need to be you need to be careful with this AI shit. Yeah, we're getting a little bit overzealous with it.

SPEAKER_04 1:51:20

He did for a while, and now he's like back down and he's been fully farming felt fully funding the groc thing, and he's been going heavy, heavy, heavy into it. No shit.

SPEAKER_02 1:51:31

I wonder what changed. I wonder if it's like a you know, strangle hold or if it's uh I don't know. Or there's no telling, you know, because it's not like he needs probably money. I mean, god dang, he's got he's got so much money, he probably wipes his ass with money and probably does and just flushes it. I mean, and he probably does. Yeah, he probably does. I mean, I wish I had that problem.

SPEAKER_01 1:51:53

Yeah, that'd be a great problem to have. No, me, I sit there and I'm like, damn, do I want to upgrade that combo meal? Because god dang, that's like an extra two dollars. Extra two dollars, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:03

You know, it's like going going to Whataburger and you're spending$15 on one meal for yourself. You're like, damn, that's a lot of money. But to be fair, you get a lot of food with Whataburger. That burger is huge, yeah, and it is worth every penny.

SPEAKER_02 1:52:17

Well, and you know, everything's so god dang expensive anymore. I mean, it's unreal what shit's gone to. It really is. Oh, Pamela didn't leave. She says she goes, I was just fucking around with you.

unknown 1:52:27

She didn't leave.

SPEAKER_02 1:52:32

Did I say did he say strangle ho? Did I? Damn. I thought I meant to say strangle ho. You know, the old Ted Nugent song. Straight strangle ho. Strangle ho. Not strangle a hoe.

SPEAKER_04 1:52:46

Strangle a hoe. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 1:52:48

Yeah, I can't be strangling a hoe. I think I'm pretty sure they frowned upon that, especially in podcasts. Not in GTA, though. That's that's pretty commonplace. It's like with you two men talking about video games. It is it is sad, but yeah, yeah, but I love it. I don't care.

SPEAKER_04 1:53:07

I do, I don't care either. It's fun. I mean, you gotta have fun with life if you're not like having some fun with it to whatever degree you're wanting to, as long as you're not hurting anybody, I think it's okay. I agree with you. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. So I've always disagreed with like the whole idea that like violent video games or movies make you violent, like others.

SPEAKER_02 1:53:29

I don't think that either. I've been playing for my whole life and I don't I don't want to kill nobody, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:53:34

No, hell no. I mean I don't have no desire to hurt a motherfucker. I don't even help.

SPEAKER_02 1:53:41

I got into EMS and I used to hunt, I was an avid hunter. I used to love it. Got into EMS and then finally I was I just one day out of the blue, I was just like, I don't feel like killing anything. Yeah, and I guess it was the job. The job was to heal people and help people, it wasn't to take a life, so I fight it just totally changed the way I I'm just like, you know, there's really no sense in me even hunting anymore. It's not like I need to. If you had to, that's one thing, but it's like it's like hell, I don't need to, so why? Yeah, I I just lost the desire. It's just weird.

SPEAKER_04 1:54:13

Yeah, I understand it. I I mean, I get there, I've been there. Like, there was a ironically enough, there was a period in my life where I just lost the desire to like do music. I mean, uh like in when I was in college, like I said, I I went through a big, big depressive spell where I just didn't know what I was meant to do or what I was gonna do. And I kind of just I let it go to the wayside. I I filled that hole with film and I got into big, big into film, and then I moved into video games again. It's all come full circle. It's like it's all it it all goes through cycles. Like it started with music and then it went to video games and then film and then music and then video games and then back to music again. It's like uh so which kind of like when I think about it and word it that way, it kind of makes me think like, oh yeah, I'll never really truly escape that I have that love and that admiration for those. But it wasn't until recently that I've actually just tried to cultivate this this music thing in a way that I haven't before. Like I've always just gone to open mic nights and just hope somebody would find me, like some like it's some movie or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:55:21

Now, how many open mic nights have you done?

SPEAKER_04 1:55:24

Oh man, back in the day I used to do them all the time.

SPEAKER_02 1:55:27

Like what they let you do like one song at a time, but kind of like they do with karaoke, you put your name in, and they when it's your time, you can go perform, except you're doing it with your instrument, or or was it always kind of more karaoke-based, where you they they provided the music you just sang.

SPEAKER_04 1:55:46

It was more of like just you you get up there and you perform, and like you play with your own instruments and things like that. Like back in the day, there used to be a uh restaurant called Mulligan's, I don't even think it's there anymore, that I used to perform at like every Monday night religiously after school, and um it never really got me anywhere. Um then like I would do stuff at open chord, and they would only let you, they would play like you'd let you play like three songs, and that was back when uh, like I said, when my music really sucked there was nothing there to actually like push me forward, and now I'm actually at a point where I feel comfortable saying, like, okay, this this is good enough to for people to like digest. Right. And uh and I'm not gonna lie, I am I am always worried about what people will think about stuff. Like it's when people tell like I I always think it's kind of strange when people are like, Oh, yeah, you you don't need to care what other people think. Like part of the job is you gotta make sure that people like your stuff because you don't have a career if people don't like it. And I mean, I get it, every there's gonna be haters and people who don't like stuff. That's that's totally fine, but like it it always weighs on my mind a little bit, and I'm I'm just in a way of being honest about it. And I preferred like if I ever have any sort of like thing that I'm feeling deep inside, I I need to communicate it. So, and that's why I have such a great relationship with my fiance, is that we communicate everything, everything that we're feeling, everything that we're thinking. We communicate it with one another, and we address the issue or whatever we're we're having, and it's resolved like that. And that's kind of because of her, I've made that like my my like mode in life. Like if just be honest about yourself and be honest about things, and things might actually start getting better, and they have like if I've uh I've just been so sick and tired of being put in situations where I've had to hold things in for so long, and then it builds like this resentment, and then you start not being able to hold your tongue anymore, and you start lashing out in more violent and ways. So I've always just said, you know what, if I have a problem, I'm gonna voice it in in a controlled and calm manner when things happen, and that way the issue gets resolved. So that's kind of why I uh said things like uh just being uh worried about what people think. I mean, I people can say that they don't care, but you always are gonna care. It's your art, it's something personal to you. You're gonna care.

SPEAKER_02 1:58:35

Oh, yeah. Well, it's hard, especially if people say shitty comments. Now it's one thing for constructive criticism. I get it. Yeah, you know, it's it's like good, you know. It's like, well, you know, like if somebody came to me and was like, hey bones, your your podcast kind of sucks. And but you I think if you tried this, maybe it'd be better. Well, then those kind of people I tend to listen to. Now, if you have some ass hat that's just like, Well, you ain't gonna make it because you're ugly, and then it's like fuck off. It's like, whatever, have fun. You know, it's like if you if you're not enjoying the podcast, why are you still in here? Just leave. Exactly. Yeah, I don't care if I got yeah, I don't give a shit how many people's in here. I as long as you're in here and we're having a conversation, we're having a good time, it really doesn't make any difference about anybody else. You know, the people that are here that are still in this comment section that you can't see, but it's all these people that are still in this comment section actually give a shit. They actually care. They they care, they're supportive, they want to see you succeed. Um and even Pamela, we sure do. You know, we want to see you succeed, we want to see you flourish. So the these are the people that are the people that are still in here now currently are the you know the ones that have had good comments, or the people that are that's the people that matter, and they're the ones that I'm sure can give you constructive criticisms because you because you're right, you need it. You it it helps you make a better product. So I'm I'm I so I agree, you know, I do agree with that, and it's hard. Like I say all the time, I say, Oh, that shit don't shit wouldn't bother me. Yeah, it does, you know. Yeah, it's like deep down, yeah. Deep down, if somebody says I hateful shit, you're just like, damn, dude. It's like really, you know, I mean it cuts deep.

SPEAKER_04 2:00:22

At the end of the day, you're still human and you're still gonna take things, and whether you take them in the right way or the wrong way, it it's still it affects you. I mean, everything that's said and done affects you. And I'm I'm very open about being an emotional person, I'm very emotionally centered. That's what my music's all about. I I don't really connect with music that isn't to some degree emotional. Right. And uh, I mean, don't get me wrong, there's songs that are just fun and that I can have fun with that I just I just love and I can't help but love them. Like there's always one red hot chili pepper song that like makes no sense, there's no meaning to it, but you can't help but have fun to it. Because it's just like the musicianship. They are fun, it's they're a fun band. Yeah, they're they are they're a fun band.

SPEAKER_02 2:01:08

They are they're they're fun for sure.

SPEAKER_04 2:01:11

Yeah, but like, yeah, it's like we're emotional creatures, we have thoughts, feelings, and it's gonna affect us one way or another, and it's better to just be upfront about it and understand why it's making you that way. Because the most important thing for me, especially like dealing with things like that, is you need to like look at yourself because it's it's really hard to criticize someone else when you haven't looked at yourself either.

SPEAKER_02 2:01:40

Oh, yeah, and a lot of times the people that are being pricks and dicks, the reason they're doing that is because they they're insecure about something in their life, and they're just they're trying to hide it, or that or somebody else treated them like dick, and it's like now they're they're feeling like they have to pass that forward. And that's and that's a shame, you know. But I'm glad like when you know on the positive side of things, like you talking about your your uh fiance about how you you know you all communicate, and and I'm telling you right now, communication is you've already got that hammered down. You're you're gonna be good to go, bro. You're gonna be good to go. Because I've been I've been married 29 years, and uh I'm sure the wife looks for the receipt to send me back quite a bit, but since she can't find it, she's stuck with me. But it l but our communication has gotten better to the point to where I agree with you. I think when I started off, my communication was terrible and it and shit was rough. But but but I've been working hard on myself and and doing stuff like that too to better communicate. And communication is the key factor. You can get through anything if you communicate. It's when you stop, is when there's a problem, yeah. You know, so you so it sounds to me like you're on a you you're on a good playing field. So I wish you and and Shania all the very best with uh your future developments. So you're engaged. How long have y'all been engaged? Oh man, probably about two or three years. And there's nothing wrong with that. That's good. Yeah, you're not rushing shit. That's good. Yeah, we uh that's a damn good thing.

SPEAKER_04 2:03:26

Our our intention is to get a house first before we do any sort of like wedding or actual ceremony or anything, because we don't live together. That I live with my parents, she lives with her parents, and we just we see each other throughout the week and we make time for each other. Um like I said, she's my best friend. I can hang out with her all day long, every day if I want to. At least I feel that way now, and right until we live together. So we want to actually make sure we live together. And these past few days we've been on vacation together and we've pretty much spent every waking minute together. And it's it's been a ride, it's been a good time, it's always a good time.

SPEAKER_02 2:04:05

Well, and you know, uh it's you talking about you talking about that. I mean, it's that's a good thing. That's a good thing to wait what you are doing. Why rush why rush into anything? And you know, the the way you're doing it, you can save money buying a house, wait a that's the way to go, man. It really is sucks. It just sucks. But you know, you can take this for what it's worth. I was married once before, and I did the whole hoopla. You know, we had the whole fucking I don't know, I don't know what we spent, 20 grand or whatever. But it's like you had$20,000 on a one-day hoopla, which yeah, it would be fun and it's memorable, but it's one fucking day. It's like, and then and that marriage only lasted, I don't know, a year. And the the woman I'm with now, we met, we decided we're not gonna do a hoopla. We went and got married down at the fire memorial in Louisville, which used to be a water fountain there, it's not anymore, but a big water fountain behind us, justice of the peace. My mother-in-law at that time uh what had a part-time job working as a at a fucking limo place, so she got us a limo, and then we went and did a horse horse carriage ride in downtown Louisville after we ate. Or yeah, I think we ate, and then we ended up having the reception. It ended up being at her mom's house in the kitchen, everybody over, and they almost did like potluck where people just brought in fucking shit and we had all this food. I mean, our cost was so minimal for this wedding. Like my wife's wedding dress, she found it. I don't even know where she found it, but it was not like a traditional, so I don't even think it cost like 80 bucks, but it was a white dress and she loved it. But but the but the thing, my point of this whole rambling bullshit is you can have the big hoopla, but to me, it's smarter to take that 20 grand for that one day of excitement and put that 20 grand on a house that you're gonna make a life out of, and you do that with her, and I guarantee, I guarantee you're gonna be happy with that decision because I know I am, and I and and like I say, we spend hardly no money, no big tah of of anything, it wasn't huge, and I'm still married to the same woman 29 years later, so there has to be something with that besides communication. There has to be something, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 2:06:44

But yeah, we have talked about it. She's the one who wants to just do this do the like the the the courthouse thing and then just spend it all on the honeymoon. I'm the romantic one, the hopeless romantic who wants the big wedding. I don't know why. I just your thing, do you?

SPEAKER_00 2:07:04

Yeah, so whatever makes you happy, you know.

SPEAKER_04 2:07:07

We may or may not do it. Um, we've kind of we put that whole thing on the back burner and focused on the house first. So yeah, that's what we're doing.

SPEAKER_02 2:07:15

That's not a bad deal. I know when I was hell, when I was younger, of course, you know, back in the olden days, you know, they they frowned upon you doing the whole living together before marriage shit. They frowned upon that. Like you were going to hell, you're gonna die. We're all gonna die if you do that. Everybody's gonna die. But the thing is, I think, I honestly think the way y'all are doing it's smart because you're in a different, maybe a little bit different boat because you all been engaged for a while and you've been together for seven years. So that that that helps, but but it really does make a big difference when you go from doing the whole putting showing your feathers trying to impress the woman and you don't really know them. But once you start living together, that's when everybody's true colors start coming out. And you know, and there are little nuances of of things that they do, whether it's the way they brush their teeth or the way that they leave the toilet seat up, or you know, it's like there's all sorts of nuances that cause problems, you know, and it's like you never don't really see that shit until you start living together. So I think living together personally, I think it's a good idea because that way, before you actually tie that knot and commit completely, you know that yeah, this is the person I want to be with. So and it sounds like you all are well on your way. So I congratulate you, you know. I congratulate both of you on that, and I wish y'all the very, very best. Communication, keep it up, because that's good, that's key. You're gonna be you're gonna do just fine. But I guess we can get ready and and wrap this up. We still got a lot of people in. Hell, there's still nine people in, and we've been two hours and eight minutes, and we've talked it, we've talked about all sorts of shit. Talked about your music, but then we got we busted out in video games and other other concerts, and I mean, hell, I could talk to you for hours about just all sorts of just random shit. Oh, yeah, because um because I'm like a squirrel. I can't, you know, I see something shiny, I'm like, ooh, ooh, and I just I can totally change gears. You feel me?

SPEAKER_04 2:09:17

Yeah, that's how it is with my like friends at work, like or my buddies, the people I work with, my employees. But like I call them friends because we all have like we all get along really well. Like, we'll just be talking about something, and then just something else will piggyback off of that, or whatever. It's just there's there's no cohesion to the conversation, and like they'll be like, Oh, well, I want to come back to the conversation. There was something I had to say, and then just you forget about it all later it every time, so it's all good.

SPEAKER_02 2:09:48

So, everybody out there, this is if you if you're still here with us, we thank you for hanging in. It's uh this is Jonathan Hendricks. You go to uh go to Facebook and go to Jonathan Hendrix Music, and I want you to smash that like button and smash that follow button. Give it show him some love. We all need it. You know, everybody starts at ground zero, he's no different, I'm no different. We're all starting it, we're all starting at the bottom and we're working our way, trying to work our way to the top in a in a field that is very hard to do. So if you just take your time to go check this young man out on Facebook, it don't cost you anything to hit that like button and hit the hit the follow button and show him some love. Just let give just let him start growing himself. Um, the more people that do that for him, that's gonna help him immensely. That's gonna help more people hear his music. And if you like his music, then definitely stay up on him. If you don't, well, that's okay. That's okay too. We're all I'm not everybody's cup of tea, and I'm sure he isn't gonna be either. But give him a chance. And give him a like because that'll that's like again, it's gonna help him so much just by growing his numbers to where he can start reaching other people. Because you may find some people that may not be into the same kind of music, but there's gonna be a lot of people out there that are gonna hear him and they're gonna say, Damn, uh I I like this guy. This is this is my this is my jam. And you may find you may find a diamond in the rough. So take the time to just give him a like. And it it ain't gonna kill you to do it. Just give him a like. Same with me, help the podcast out. Thanks, thanks again for uh Mike Clacy for the 500 stars. That's that's flipping. I don't know I mean, I don't know. I don't know what that means exactly because I'm still learning, but that's fucking awesome. So thank you. But also, same goes for uh people like me, uh Pamela Little, uh, you know, uh at the Southern Lights Entertainment. Go to all of these places. It it's not hard to go check out what people are doing, you know, Pam's. You know, we all spend a lot of our own hard-earned money and time trying to grow ourselves. So reach out, hit the follow button on everybody. You know, you can check me out on uh Bones Enterprises LLC, period. Um, you'll see my ugly mug at the top, and you'll see the logo that's uh over top of Jonathan's head as the uh the round circle. So you'll know it's me because I'm not certified yet, because I I can't seem to want to pay that kind of money per month yet. I think it's like 15. I think it's like$15 a month. I'm like, you're fucking high as hell. Just for a check mark, yeah. Yeah, just for a check mark. It's like I can. There you go. There's my check mark. If you're if you're not sure it's me, then you know, shoot me a message um on Instagram or Instant Messenger, whatever the hell it's called, and uh I always try to respond. But um I'm I'm very, very uh blessed to have Jonathan on here with me. I had a great time, brother. I had a great time. Thank you. I mean I did too. It was awesome. I love I love talking about the other stuff. So I think we had a killer show. And if if anybody else don't think so, then they can all piss off. I don't really care because I thought we had a great show. Um I wish you the very best. I can't wait to meet you in person. I want to shake your hand and actually see you in real life instead of just what I'm doing right now. But that's gonna come soon enough. So remember everybody, he is nominated for several awards. Hell, I didn't even I didn't even do my research right, and I missed two of them. So he's nominated for I think it was a total of five awards. Five, yep. You can find him again on www.southernlightsentertainment.com. Go there, hit vote now, you'll see the list of all the people. Go through everybody, take a day and just enjoy yourself. Just click on a name and and search for them on Facebook. There's so many talented people on that list. I mean, it's unbelievable the amount of lists that's on there. Check everybody out. Uh, because you know, he does stuff with the collective Mark B's and and Juice and Cleeland and stuff like that. I mean, there's so many bands. I haven't even got a chance to look at them all yet. And I'm I'm going through them. And every day it seems like I've I've picked somebody else, and I'm like, damn, they're good too. I so there's a lot of good artists, a lot of good music. Check them out. Vote now, vote often, show him some love, send him some votes. It don't cost you nothing to vote. You can vote every day if you want, all the way up through September. Then we're gonna count everything and tally it up. And then November 14th, Oak Grove Theater in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I'm gonna be able to see him in real life. We're gonna have that award show. He's playing two songs during the award show. And yours truly is going to give out an entertainer of the year award. So I hope I don't fuck that up. But uh, I'm looking forward to coming out, you know, setting up the having the you know, the podcast stuff out there and seeing all the other podcasters out there because there's a lot of good podcast people that were nominated. Um, yeah. So there's definitely check out Wolf Vare podcast, definitely check out What's Up Worlds Podcast, uh, 901 Memphis. I mean, there's there's so many, there were so many, and I'm sure I'm missing some because I'm trying to do this from memory. And and at 52, I'm I think I'm starting to get a little dementiated. So I'm lucky I remembered that much. Happens to all of us. So uh have a good night, Val. It was great seeing you, honey. But uh, oh Miss Kelly, I missed you, but thank you for showing up, Miss Kelly. She enjoyed, she said, I very much enjoyed listening to you both. Well, thank you, Miss Kelly. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Kelly. Yeah, that was very, very nice of Miss Kelly to stop in and say hi. So I we appreciate everything she's done. And and John Hendricks. Now, is John who's John? Is that that's obviously somebody to you? Is that your dad? Yeah, that's my dad. He said, My dude. Did he put the three dots before it? Yeah, he put the three dots before it.

SPEAKER_04 2:16:08

He does that for everything, everything he posts on Facebook, whether it's a comic. Has the three dots? Three dots. That's his mark, man. That's his mark. It is. I think he says, I I can't, I may be wrong about this, but he says, like, because all my everything I say is just one continuous thought.

SPEAKER_02 2:16:27

Well, I love how you call how he called you my dude because my brother, my youngest brother, and I love it, so I say it all the time. But my youngest brother, he always when he sees people, he's like, Hey, what's up, duder? You know, he's always duder. Well, I love duder. I thought I'm just like, so now I'm like, Hey, what's up, duder? You know, it's just it just sounds, I don't know. Duter just sounds uh to me, it sounds fun. It does.

SPEAKER_00 2:16:49

It's a it's a good word.

SPEAKER_02 2:16:51

But anyway, um, is there anything else you want to tell any of the fans or you know, out there, or uh anything else that you want them to know that is about you so they can check you out?

SPEAKER_04 2:17:05

Um, I th I think you covered it pretty much just yet. Check out the Facebook page. All of the songs that I've performed uh are on there, everything. And please keep checking back. I will be posting more regularly here soon. I keep promising to do that, but you know, life gets in the way and there's things I want to do, and I just don't think about posting on Facebook. But I think I'll be trying to post some of the original stuff that I've got um straight to there. I've got a couple of songs that I've pre- that I've recorded like six years ago I've been toying around with like putting on there. Um I do want to uh and another thing I want to thank Pam for. I forgot all about this till just now. Um she had a radio station for a while uh that I think got defunct for some reason. I can't remember why. And she had put a couple couple of those songs on there. Um two there were there was an instrumental version of a song called Monster Victim that has uh it has lyrics and vocals recorded for it. I'll probably be posting that soon. That's one that I'm probably gonna try and play at the show um this weekend. Uh another song called Choke. And uh I did a cover of I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cat for Cutie. And uh she pretty much boast boosted all that stuff out to all sorts of different people. And I wouldn't really be here if she weren't actually putting the effort forward. I and if I'm honest, she's put more effort forward than I really have, and so I need to step up and get to her level. So, Pam, thank you for everything that you've done for me. It's it's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 2:18:38

But yeah, she is badass, she's a badass lady, that's for sure. But yeah, keep checking back.

SPEAKER_04 2:18:44

She actually cares, she actually gives a shit about everybody, you know. That and that's awesome. Like, you don't see that from many like people who are in the business side of this industry because uh they're all about business. It's like uh I've had I I had a particular person tell me like you're oh you can't get too emotional. The emotion uh anything emotional gets in the way of business, and like I'm a human being, that is my business.

SPEAKER_02 2:19:13

Well, you know, if if if I've gotta be that if I've gotta do that to to make it, and it's it's gotta all be about business, then what's the fucking point? You know, I mean that's no fun. That's just like you know, this is like doing the podcast tonight. I mean, we did it tonight. Why? Well, it worked out best for you. I mean, you went to the omen show, you you know, so you by the time bad omen ended and you drove back. I mean, it's probably early, early. We morning hours. You you weren't gonna be ready. So this was really good. Oh, yeah, you would have been dude would have been worthless. But you know dog tired. But you know, it's I don't know, it's it's funny how you know some people are just like, Yeah, you do you're dumb. You do you've done podcasts at 10. Who does no one who does that? Me. Yeah, it's like I don't give a shit if you think it's dumb or not. Yeah, because you know, everybody who has succeeded has done something that someone else says, nah, yeah, I wouldn't do it that way. But they said, Fuck it, I'm gonna do it my way. I'm gonna do it and look what happens. So no one really knows what's right or wrong. That's why people could say all day long, in my opinion, and maybe I'm wrong, they could say all day long about oh, you know, the well, the algorithm works best if you drop at this exact time and you stand on one foot and you close your right eye and you hop, then you know, then you're gonna get the best reach. And I'm just like, you know, if I gotta do all that shit, then I don't I I don't really care. I'd rather have the seven people that are in this room watching us and do this again. Uh I'm I'm content with that. It's fine by the way. You know, yeah. So it's it was this has been in very enjoyable. I've very much enjoyed myself. It was very nice to actually meet you. And I look forward to uh I definitely look forward to more for sure. This may this probably won't be the only podcast. I mean, who knows, man? You talk to Mark, you talk to Juice, you never know, man. We could have a we could have a collective. Now that I pay for this, I can have up to 10 people at one time. Now, 10 to me, 10 would be a lot. That would be uh I'd be like a mirror cat. I'd be like, ooh, ooh, ooh, look at it.

SPEAKER_04 2:21:17

It's like doing an online course for somebody.

SPEAKER_02 2:21:19

Like, oh yeah, it'd be terrible. And that and you could you imagine that the screen would look like the fucking Brady Bunch with little boxes, it really would. It would look like the fucking Brady Bunch. So that's way too many people, but it's perfect. It it's still perfect amount though, to where you could have you could have three or four people. Well, then yeah, that'd be doable. So you never know, man. We uh this this won't be the last time, I guarantee it. It it if you're wanting to come back, because I I'm I'm gonna give this podcast shit a try. And uh Pam keeps telling me that I think you should, I think you should. So I think I need to finally listen to somebody for a change instead of being I know what you mean. I need to just go ahead and say, you know what? Somebody else sees something in me, quit doing like what you said. I'm always beating myself over the head about everything that I do because I'm my own worst critic. I need to start stop doing that shit. I need to start saying, you know what, yeah, yeah, I can do this.

SPEAKER_04 2:22:15

I guess the hardest thing is always asking for help. It's like I've always had a mindset, this is also my work mindset, too. I'd rather do it because if I do it my way and I I know it'll get done right, kind of thing, and that's kind of how I felt about my music for a long time. But like I need to like start letting that go and start uh just accepting help and taking advice from people, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:22:38

So well, and I used to I used to also think, well, if I do it myself, then if it fucks up, I don't have anybody to blame but myself. Yeah, but but like you said, it that I mean that there's some validity to that, I guess, but on the same token, it you you have to everyone needs help at some point in time, so you have to have you have to be able to finally swallow your pride enough to say, hey, I I don't know what I'm doing. And and you know, people like Pamela and Wolf that have helped me, um, they've helped me learn how to do this shit that I didn't think I would ever do, especially at 52. I was like, fuck, that ship sailed. Now they're like, no, eh. Well, we got you. We you you we can teach you, we can teach you. Yeah. So it's people like that that you know, I finally had to swallow my pride and ask for helping. And they were one of the few that actually stepped up. And then, you know, you got fans like Val. You know, she's still in here, but Valerie is I mean, she like I say, this this lady's never met me in real life yet, but yet she has not missed a show. She's that's awesome, man. I I I mean, I I I'm just like, damn, that's just awesome. How cool, how cool that is. That you've got to be able to do it. When you break up, you need to get somebody. Oh, yeah, I'd have to get a Val statue made, you know, or something.

SPEAKER_04 2:24:00

You'll have it right behind you during every episode.

SPEAKER_02 2:24:02

I'll have her face. They'll be like, Why is why is there some random woman's face on your wall? I'd be like, Well, that's you know, that's your wife might have a couple questions. My wife's like, well, my wife knows she even that's what's funny, is she she knows who Val is now because you know, because of everything I do, I'm like, Oh yeah, I I show her Val all the time. I'm like, Val, this lady never missed, never missed. And how flattering is that? Especially for somebody like me that you know this podcast ain't it ain't it ain't gonna it ain't gonna hold no no candle, no Joe Rogan. But yeah, you never know, man. It I mean who wants to anyway? Somebody's trying to say that, oh I can earn money or I don't know. I this must be some random shit. Oh, somebody wants a WhatsApp call call on WhatsApp. Hey, fuck, fuck WhatsApp, man. I don't use that shit. I don't know to me, WhatsApp is all about it just to me, there ain't nothing worth you doing on WhatsApp. Everybody asks that shit all the time. They're like, hey, what's your WhatsApp? I don't know. I don't have one. Don't have one, yep. I don't want one. I don't know. That's another fucking password that I gotta remember. And I already got an iPhone from a fucking I mean, I'm surprised I don't have to have a password to take a shit yet, but I'm sure that's coming. If AI if AI keeps going, the next thing you know, there's gonna be AI toilets. You're gonna have to, you know, give a give a stool sample to even use the damn head, you know.

SPEAKER_04 2:25:28

Yeah, like uh like you're already going to restaurants and you have to ask for the key for the door so they can take it.

SPEAKER_02 2:25:34

Oh, yeah, because all the all the crackheads go in there and and fucking overdose.

SPEAKER_04 2:25:38

God, man, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:25:41

I used to make a bunch of them motherfuckers, man, all the time, man. Reviving people in bathrooms. Kroger bathrooms are the worst. I don't know what it is about a Kroger. It's like people want to get high and they want to go to maybe it's because there's food there, I guess. Maybe but they want to go get high in the bathroom and then I guess go, you know, like get a bunch of fucking snacks. But then but the problem is they never make it to the snacks because they always overdose and then they're laying on a shitter floor like that. I'm like, ugh, pass out a you know, oh god, man. Thank God I didn't get into that shit. Oh yeah, me too. God dang.

SPEAKER_04 2:26:17

I thankfully have two parents that have who are very I think they have over 30, 35 years of sobriety between for both of them. Like that's awesome. So they've kind of they put they put a lot of uh that stuff into me to make sure that I don't touch that stuff because they yeah, that shows how good they are. Yeah, I owe a lot to them for that. I really do.

SPEAKER_02 2:26:42

Because I mean that's one thing you don't want to get made. And in this day and age, god dang man, you get a hold of some stuff too, and you won't know it. Like you, you you don't know what you're getting. Like even you can't even buy weed anymore. Like back in the you know, back in the 70s, uh, you could probably buy weed from anybody and it you knew you were getting weed. Yeah, but now you don't know what you're getting. Now they mix that shit with everything. It's like it is so dangerous anymore.

SPEAKER_04 2:27:06

I wouldn't and I'm I'm just and my knowledge level on that stuff is just non-existent because I've never even smoked a cigarette, so never even drank. I've done I had the hardest thing I've ever drank was like a damn Coca-Cola. So yeah, I've stayed completely away. Like you could tell me, I I would be like somebody's like, Oh, what kind of weed do you want? I'm like, isn't there just weed?

SPEAKER_02 2:27:31

Yeah, they don't they don't have that anymore. What oh, I didn't even think about it. Yeah, this has this may be a source, this may be a sore subject. I didn't even think about that. I just I just realized something. So uh I will change gears. Okay, well, we'll change gears, but anyway, um yeah, I totally uh yeah, I totally didn't think about that. There's a reason I'll share with you sometime. But anyway, uh yeah, two two and a half hours. I think this is a good time to wrap up. It's definitely getting my bedtime. And uh but brother, it was it was a pleasure meeting you. It was a pleasure having you on the show. We had I I thought we had a good show, it was fun.

SPEAKER_04 2:28:12

Um yeah, I had a lot of time, a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 2:28:14

I had a lot of good times too. Learned a lot of stuff too about some video games that I didn't I'd never played, so that's cool. Oh yeah, but you never know. Hell, you never know. All some of us on here too, we may all end up uh getting each other's gamer tags, and uh you never know. Maybe one weekend we could all get online and you know, shoot some people in the teeth or something, you know, on cod or whatever, on whatever. That'd be that'd be cool as shit.

SPEAKER_01 2:28:37

Play some hell divers together. Oh man, I'd love to. I'd love to.

SPEAKER_02 2:28:42

It's so fun, man. It's it's a rough game. Especially the the high levels, it's like insane. Insane. But it's uh but it's fun. But anyway, yeah, Val's weed is good. Yes, it is. Weed is good. All right, well, I guess, yeah, I guess we can go ahead and wrap that up. So uh Kelly, thanks for hanging out with us. Val, always a pleasure. Miss Pam, thanks for hanging out the whole time. I know it's past her bedtime too, and she was a trooper, so I appreciate it. Always thank you for hanging out. And Miss Lisa, uh your mama still, she's still in here, I think. Miss Lisa, thank you for hanging out with us and uh uh and all your your colorful commentary that you had too because she she looks like she plays some video games. She made a couple video game remarks. I'm like, oh my mom doesn't really play video games. She doesn't? Oh well she she must listen because she she made a couple comments. She was like she uh we used to play Lego Star Wars all the time. Oh, dude, that that is so fun, man. All the Legos are just so much fun. I loved Indiana Jones Legos. That was that was we played that one too.

SPEAKER_04 2:29:55

Like, I love those.

SPEAKER_02 2:29:56

Oh the Legos are so good, man. Yeah, and it's it's not like it's a hard game, but it's just fun. You know, it's fun trying to get all the stuff, and you have to play each each level more than once, you have to because you can't unlock all the people to get to all the shit at at one time.

SPEAKER_04 2:30:13

So oh, yeah, like I'm just like half half of my like memories with video games is uh playing that stuff with my mom back in the day. It was so much fun.

SPEAKER_02 2:30:24

Hell yeah. That's good stuff, man. Well, sounds like you've got you got a beautiful and a good uh uh fiance, but you also got yourself a good set of parents. So man, you uh they did they did you right. You're a hell of a dude. Your parents should be very proud of you because you're uh you're a stand-up man, and I'm glad that I got a chance to interview today. So I hope you had fun. And I can't like I say, can't wait to see you. It won't be it I I don't want November to get here quick because that means it's getting cold again, and I hate that. But it'll be here before we know it. I do too. I can't stand the cold, brother. I can't stand it. But anyway, well, from all of us here at the Bones Unfiltered Podcast, there's Jonathan Hendricks. Check him out. I'm Bones. We look forward to seeing you all on the next episode. Thank you guys. Y'all have a good night. Be good, brother. You have a good night too. Be safe. Say hi to your family for me.

SPEAKER_04 2:31:26

I will.

SPEAKER_02 2:31:29

And we're gonna wrap it now.