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Oct. 11, 2024 - The Joe Rogan Experience
02:16:58
Joe Rogan Experience #2212 - Jelly Roll
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jelly roll
01:18:42
j
joe rogan
50:33
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jamie vernon
00:30
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unidentified
Joe Rogan Podcast, check it out!
The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan Podcast by night, all day.
joe rogan
Let's go!
unidentified
I'm back with my bubba!
joe rogan
My man, I haven't seen you since Master's Square Garden.
That was crazy.
jelly roll
What a great night that was, dude.
joe rogan
What an experience, man.
jelly roll
Dude, it was so...
I was thinking about it pulling up here.
I think y'all just got out of Vulcan and the club had just opened.
And I came that night to see Ron White.
And I went back that Monday to see Kill Tony.
And I could feel the Kill Tony thing happening over COVID at Vulcan.
So I had to go see it in person, you know?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
And I could remember sitting in there.
And you know how, like, You can feel an energy shift.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
I felt an energy shift in life in that room that night.
I was like...
This is fixing to explode.
Like, everything associated with this club, everything associated with Tony, everything associated with Joe is fixing to fucking rocket ship.
And it felt like, almost like, I'm getting goosebumps, Joe.
I'm not even bullshit.
joe rogan
I'm getting goosebumps, too.
jelly roll
I'm getting goosebumps.
It's almost like, I swear, dude.
It was like feeling the grunge movement in the 90s.
Like, when you first heard a little something, you were like, this is different.
And you were like, this could be something.
And then it just turned out to be the explosion.
It's like, I felt that happening.
So to see Tony at fucking Madison Square Garden, and then to see how y'all showed up for Tony at Madison Square Garden, every fucking comedian on earth came to see that dude to fucking kiss him on his fucking cheek.
joe rogan
I had to be there.
I was there in the beginning.
I was there when there was like 18 comedians in the crowd.
jelly roll
Is that not crazy?
joe rogan
It was crazy.
They were doing it in the belly room of the Comedy Store.
It was just like an afterthought.
They couldn't do any of the other rooms because they didn't have an audience.
And Tony just had this weird idea that he just, like a little pit bull, just stuck with it.
One minute of comedy and he honed it over time and then he became the best host in all of entertainment.
There's no one better at hosting a comedy show than him.
The way he does that show, the speed of his comebacks, the speed of the roast lines.
jelly roll
I tell Tony all the time, I say, Tony, I love you, and that panel is the coolest thing I've ever seen, but you are the show, brother.
We would all tune in if you were sitting up there by yourself.
Like, you were just so sharp.
I relate to it, too, Joe.
I compare art forms.
It's just something I like to do.
I know some people don't.
But watching Tony, I feel a kinship to Tony and Andrew Schultz in a certain way because I feel like we all kind of met each other right before it happened for all of us.
unidentified
All right.
jelly roll
Like I remember me and Schultz doing the opener up song at the five, four, you know, he was doing two nights at Zaney's, two shows, one show, you know, one show a night.
You know what I mean?
And I was doing a thousand seat club in the South.
You know what I mean?
And Tony was still kill Tony.
And you know what I mean?
And we're all fucking old.
The fact that it happened for all of us in our late 30s is even cooler.
So it's this double kinship.
When I was nominated for New Artist of the Year at almost 40, that's the first time that it ever happened in CMA history in country music.
But this year, most of those kids are 27 and under.
Here I was a 40-year-old fucking man up there.
joe rogan
You're a beautiful example that there's no rules.
unidentified
Yes.
joe rogan
There's no rules.
It's all bullshit.
Just be yourself.
Just be yourself.
Do your best.
Find whatever it is inside you that you can express.
unidentified
That's it.
joe rogan
There's no rules.
There's no rules for age.
Like, Ron White used to worry about that all the time.
I think I'm too old.
What are you—you're Ron motherfucking White.
You're a legend.
But it's like that humility that he has, even though he's got great confidence in his ability, like Ron is a very humble guy, as successful as he is, but that humility that he is is also that constantly has him writing, constantly has him working.
He's 40 years in the game, he never stops.
And he's better now than he's ever been before.
Now that he's sober, Like, he's a monster.
A monster on stage.
jelly roll
Imagine hitting...
So to me, Ron White is on Mount Rushmore of comedy.
For me personally, I know it's subjective.
unidentified
Me too.
jelly roll
Some people are going to, you know, whatever.
But for me, because I judge comedy as a fan of like...
I look at skits like...
I mean, I look at specials like...
What songs stood out to me the most in the whole special?
Like, your special was your album.
How many songs do you have that I tell my friends about, like it's my song?
joe rogan
Right, right, right.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
Like, to me, Ron White has done more of that.
I have more Ron White bits memorized than any other comedian.
Just by default of how good he is at weaving these little quick two-minute stories of just complete white trashery and drunkery, which is just my fucking specialty.
I feel like he grew up on my street.
You know what I'm saying?
My mama likes Ron White.
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
He was the first guy out here.
He was the first guy that came.
He moved here before the pandemic.
jelly roll
That's crazy.
joe rogan
Because he was always with us at the store, and then one day I called him up, I'm like, where the fuck you been, man?
He goes, I moved to Austin.
Fuck it.
jelly roll
Back to Texas.
joe rogan
He just loved it.
He's like, there's no traffic, everyone's nice.
And I started thinking about it then.
He planted like the first seeds in like 2018. I was like, can I live in Austin?
Fuck, I don't know.
Because my instinct has always been to move to the mountains.
I want to live somewhere where there's no people.
jelly roll
Did you have mountains in mind when you romanticized it?
Did you ever think of what mountains you would move to if you did it?
joe rogan
I really liked the mountains above Boulder.
I lived there for a little while, in 2009. But when I think about Montana sometimes, I think about just someplace more peaceful, Wyoming.
Somewhere just a little more peaceful.
Cold as fuck in the winter, but just like more real.
And that was my thought when I was living in LA, but it was like a necessity to get the fuck out of there.
When the COVID stuff was going on, I'm like, they're not gonna let this go.
They're gonna keep us in control.
Once they have control of you like they had during the pandemic, wear a mask, gotta get a vaccine, can't go here, can't go there, no businesses, everything's shut down, all the restaurants go under, all the comedy clubs go under.
When they were doing that, I was like, they're not gonna let this go.
I gotta get the fuck out of here.
And when we came to Texas, It was wide open.
Some places made you wear a mask, but it was a joke.
It was a goof.
It was weird.
It was like a completely different universe.
My kids were young, man.
They were 10 and 12, and they wanted to go to restaurants.
I'm like, we can go to a restaurant here and sit indoors.
Everyone was terrified in LA, and they just weren't here.
And the same result, the same thing happened to everybody, but over here it was a way more peaceful experience.
And Ron, when we were out here, we started doing shows at the Vulcan.
And one night, the first time Ron had been on stage in like eight months, he just grabbed me by my shoulders.
He's like, whatever the fuck we have to do, we're going to keep doing this.
He's like, you got to open up a club.
And I'm like, all right, that's it.
We're opening up a club.
And the process began.
All because of Ron.
Ron led me to think about moving here.
Ron was already out here.
So I knew that if I did move to Austin, at least Ron's here.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
You know, and then Tony moved here, and then Brian Simpson moved here, and then the fucking, just the train kept a rolling all night long.
unidentified
It was nuts.
jelly roll
I think it was by default, it was kind of a universe thing where there was a little bit of stale water that needed to be stirred.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
And when you came, that stale water stirred and it awakened everybody.
Like, hold on, there's choices outside of the same routine that we've been, because, you know, I mean, I'm sure y'all's life was store, store, store, weekends out, store, store.
joe rogan
It was improv, too.
I did it in the Ice House.
There was a few clubs we did, like, on a regular.
You know, because the more places to work out, the better.
You know, and when we were, there were so many of us, too.
You know, we'd have shows.
It's like Bill Burr's on, me, Tom Segura, Bert Kreischer.
They're crazy shows.
Crazy shows.
Because everybody was in L.A. It was a beautiful thing up until they shut everything down.
jelly roll
It's that beautiful here now, though, Bob.
joe rogan
That's what's crazy.
jelly roll
That's what I'm saying.
The water is complete.
I mean, it is.
joe rogan
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That's betterhelp.com slash JRE. And you know the best thing is, too, there's an added element that we bring new people in every weekend.
So every weekend there's these big national headliners, so they come in on Tuesday, Wednesday, and we're fucking around all week.
We're just having a great time, hanging out.
jelly roll
That's how I describe your club.
I was like, it's the gym for the greatest comedians in the world, Tuesday through Thursday, and then the other greatest comedians in the world come and rent it from Friday to Sunday.
I was like, it's crazy, dude.
It's like, no matter what day or show you want.
joe rogan
And then you have Kill Tony, that's the anchor.
Kill Tony is the anchor of comedy in the known universe.
Really, that's a grandiose statement, I know.
But what Kill Tony shows you is like every comic wants a reaction.
And some comics, unfortunately, if you're in specific areas, like very liberal areas, like Silver Lake has a problem with this, like those kind of places, where everyone's like super woke and they want to let everyone else know that they're super woke.
It's like a kind of thing you have to do.
So you get ideologically captured.
You make material that's bullshit.
You get claptor.
What Kill Tony makes you do is you have one fucking minute.
You have one minute and there's obviously no rules.
By the time you get on stage, you've seen Cam go crazy, you've seen Hans Kim say some ridiculous shit, maybe you've seen William Montgomery or Brian Holtz, but you've seen maniacs on stage killing.
And so you got one minute just crack.
It's time to crack.
So it sets a tone for comedy.
That comedy is just entertaining.
No matter how you put it out, no matter what it is, what your style is, what you like to talk about, whether you're Nate Bargatze or whether you're Shane Gillis.
There's just a different way to do it.
Everybody's got their own way to do it.
But it's just, just go try to find your way.
Don't try any tricks.
Don't try to sneak in some fucking ideological bullshit just because you think people are going to agree with you and like you more and clap and cheat and you're going to say something profound.
Shut up.
You got one minute.
So that sets a tone for all the people coming up.
jelly roll
It's so real!
joe rogan
I never thought of it that way.
It's so real.
It's one of the most important things that's ever happened in comedy.
jelly roll
Nobody's trying to impose their beliefs on you real quick.
They're just trying to make, they got 60 seconds to get a fucking laugh.
And the Kill Tony crowd will boo you if you don't.
You've got about 30 seconds with them in an arena.
In an arena?
Real dangerous grounds, dude.
joe rogan
Bro, they were, especially New Yorkers.
jelly roll
The first show in New York.
joe rogan
They were rough.
They were rough.
They go hard.
jelly roll
You know when I knew the arena thing was going to be huge for Tony?
I flew down here for the first one he did, because we were drunk at the bar that night, and he was like, I'm going to play an arena.
I was like, I'm going to come sing the national anthem.
It was a joke, because I don't sing the national anthem.
I have a rule.
I don't sing the national anthem.
But I told him I was going to do it, so I came down.
And we're watching the first comedian this night at the HEB Center, right?
The first bucket pull comes up.
And you could tell this bitch did not have any idea she was going to get called or anything to say.
This is the first you talking about a gift from God for Tony, right?
She's not up there 18 seconds, Joe, before they realize that she's just, you know, falafeling.
The boo birds came.
They didn't start slowly and grow like they normally do.
It was like 13 or 12,000 people made the decision at once.
Boo!
joe rogan
What a horrible feeling.
What a horrible feeling.
jelly roll
And I was like, oh yeah, this is gonna explode in arenas.
I was like, Kill Tony's gonna fuck in arenas.
joe rogan
It's the best show for that kind of an audience.
jelly roll
We watch it every Monday on the bus.
joe rogan
It's so chaotic.
jelly roll
Full disclosure, like, as a bus.
Imagine, like...
A bunch of music dudes every Monday that were like, religiously.
It's something we have together, you know what I mean?
It's something that the whole band can agree on.
joe rogan
The other thing about Kill Tony was, in the beginning, Tony wasn't famous, no one was famous, and they were just going hard.
And then, as everyone got famous, they kept going hard.
Whereas it's very hard to just jump in and do something that wild now.
And there was nothing like it during COVID. There was nothing like it.
You had this live show every week in front of a live audience, and everybody else is locked down where you have to wear your fucking mask where you're walking your dog.
You know, like, what is going on?
jelly roll
No, you're having to bring it.
joe rogan
It was also just like this...
Rejection of norm, you know, rejection of whatever people think the comedy industry is.
Because people think the comedy industry is like some group of people with power that control and give people specials that don't deserve it.
There's all this like weird...
Weird thoughts about the comedy business.
But when the comedy business is only comedians, it's a completely different experience.
And that's what Kill Tony is.
There's no business element behind it.
There's no networks.
There's no producers.
There's no executive worrying about their fucking mortgage.
You can't say that, Tony.
There's none of that.
So it's just wild.
jelly roll
No, it's complete chaos all the time.
It's the greatest show on the internet, period.
That's the truth.
joe rogan
It fucking rules.
jelly roll
But you're talking about people that do more when they get there.
And me and you were talking off-record, I mean off-record, off-microphone when we were walking in here about, you hang around nine long enough, you'll be the tenth.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
And God bless me that in the last few years, in light of my success, I've had really cool friends.
Like Tony and I have become really good friends.
You and I have become really good friends.
And I've been able to watch, like a student of the game, guys like y'all, Bert, Tom, and go, man, these dudes are turning the heat up.
As it matters, like the content's flowing like it's only getting bigger.
Last year, Joe...
My most successful year of my career, I wrote more songs than I've ever wrote in a single year as a free man.
joe rogan
That's amazing.
jelly roll
Jail's a different concept because fuck what, I wrote a song a day.
You know what I mean?
But I wrote a hundred and...
I turned in a hundred and seventy songs to my publisher last year.
joe rogan
Holy shit.
jelly roll
I just couldn't quit writing them.
I was on the bus.
I just could not...
I could not...
At every corner...
I was getting done with show.
You know, I do five shows a week.
It's just how we tour.
I was getting straight on the bus and just grabbing a guitar and just pouring ideas.
I'm putting out 27 songs when this podcast is out.
My album Beautifully Broken is out right now.
I had 22 on the album and I had five or six features that I was going to do for Deluxe next week.
And my wife tees one of the songs that's kind of doing good.
So I think I'm just going to drop them all tomorrow.
Today, technically, anyway.
So...
joe rogan
Dude, you're so at home on stage.
It's crazy.
You know, when you did New York, New York at Madison Square Garden, I asked you, I'm like, how often do you just do this?
Just get up there and sing.
How often are you doing this?
It's a crazy thing because it's like just you.
You just are you up there.
You know, 15,000 people, 50,000 people.
It's just jelly roll.
Yeah, that's it.
That's when a guy's like, you know, you're just so in the zone and so on top of your game.
It's just beautiful to watch someone that's in the zone.
Because you recognize that feeling is a great feeling.
When you're just like totally in tune with what you're doing.
I love when I see a comic that's in there.
jelly roll
When you know it's a flow.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Last time Dave Attell was here, it was right before he filmed his special.
My God.
It was magic.
jelly roll
He's so different.
joe rogan
Oh my god, he's so good right now.
If you get a chance to see Dave Attell live, if you're a comedy fan, you have to see him.
And now I'm sure he's got a whole bunch of new stuff because his special's out.
God damn, he's in this fucking flow.
He's like a zen master up there.
unidentified
It's weird.
jelly roll
It's scary how comfortable he is.
So I've never been to the Cellar.
It's been a dream of mine.
I had a night in New York.
I'd finished TV, so I went to the Cellar that night.
And I got Dave Attell's number on Burt's tour.
I went on Burt's fully loaded tour this year for fun.
Did I tell you the story?
joe rogan
I think so.
jelly roll
I think I told you, but just like to fuck off.
I called Bert and was like, yo, can I just park my bus and just come fuck off for like five or six shows?
And he was like, what?
I was like, yeah.
He was like, will you sing?
I was like, fuck yeah, whatever.
I'll come sing a song or two.
So I just go up with a guitar every night between comedians, right?
joe rogan
That's amazing.
jelly roll
But me and Dave would hang out every night.
Me, Dave, Big J, Oakerson, Soder, Morrell.
And we would all just, Bert, I'm just like having the cool...
I'm just like...
Rarely quiet as I am back there, because I'm just listening, because these dudes are the greatest storytellers ever, telling old stories.
joe rogan
Great guys, too.
Soder, he's the best.
jelly roll
Soder's the dude, son.
joe rogan
Sam's fucking amazing, too.
They're just such good guys, too.
jelly roll
And such good, real, just different-level comedians, too, man.
joe rogan
They're great comedians, but they're just great people, too.
They're fun to hang with.
There's a great crop.
It's a great crop of people coming up right now.
You know, Norman and Shane and all these guys coming up right now are so good.
So fun.
jelly roll
It's a different level.
David Till gives me his number.
He's like, call me if you're ever in New York.
I know I see he has a flip phone, right?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
He pulls the flip phone out.
So I'm in New York and I just like randomly and I say, Dave, when I call you, I'm going to be in New York City trying to find you.
OK, he said he said, no problem.
I'll be at the cellar.
It's what he tells me.
Right.
I call this dude, me and Ian Finance are sitting at the bar, and I say, I'm going to call Dave and see what time he's coming.
I call, third ring, Dave answers and go, you here?
I go, I am.
He goes, you need help getting in?
I was like, I'm in.
He said, see you in a few.
Flips the phone down.
It was the most David Dale thing ever.
joe rogan
He's one of the only guys I know that stopped partying, got completely sober, and got way better.
Way better.
A lot of guys, there's like this thing that they have when they're, you know, doing drugs especially.
Where they're just wild.
And sometimes that wildness is like a magical energy on stage.
Like I couldn't imagine a sober Kinnison.
That would have been really weird.
Like Kinnison's whole thing was like, I'm here to fucking party!
Like he was partying, dude, hard.
And that's why we didn't get much out of him.
We only got like really a couple of good albums out of Kinnison.
Because he's just going too hard.
jelly roll
His family came to my show in El Paso.
Polly sent them.
And they brought me Sam Kennison's original gospel discs.
joe rogan
Oh, wow.
jelly roll
They gave me like five of them, Joe.
It's like one of my most prized possessions now.
joe rogan
How is it?
How's the music?
jelly roll
Oh, it's crazy.
Well, it's a lot of preaching on there, too.
joe rogan
Is it preaching and singing?
jelly roll
Yeah, it was a lot of preaching on the first one.
I didn't get to the second one yet.
I hadn't had a disc player.
They brought all five of them.
I was so scared to fuck them up, I immediately put them in a pelican crate and sent them home.
I was like, this is crazy.
You know what I mean?
The whole Kennison family, there's like ten of them in there, sharing all these cool stories.
Polly said, the Kennison family wants to come see your show.
I said, I want them to see my show because so much of my show is derivative from Sam Kennison.
You know what I mean?
I'm a southern gospel man anyways.
I went to a southern church, so I just understood Kennison's inflections and that kind of thing.
It just spoke to me from where I'm from.
So it's like I have always tried to—I tell people I'm somewhere between Billy Graham and Sam Kennison.
You know what I mean?
I do the Moody's Center in November.
It's the middle of the week, too.
You should be able to make it.
It'll be fun.
I'm trying to talk Carrie into putting a closed on Mitzi's door sign that says, Closed Gone to the Jelly Roll Show.
Speaking of Mitzi's, can I tell you something?
I've been waiting to talk to you about this in person.
I was so inspired by the time I spent with you down here, and more importantly, the time I spent at your club, even without you.
They treat me.
I don't know if you hear the stories, but I've become a fixture of furniture there when I'm in town.
And...
I am opening, I'm announcing this now right here, that I am opening my bar on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee, which is a real big deal.
You've been to Broadway.
It's all after country music stars.
I'm the first Nashville native to get a bar.
So like the first kid from the city to get a bar.
But I was so inspired by the way the mothership has Mitzi's.
And it's like an honor to Mitzi's.
And what y'all do that I have put, my bar's going to be called Jelly Roll's Goodnight Nashville.
But I have a back bar called Buddy's named after my late father.
joe rogan
Ah.
jelly roll
And it was completely inspired from what you have done at Mitzi's.
joe rogan
Oh, that's great.
jelly roll
All the way down to the we're going to set his chair there for him.
You know what I mean?
Like, it's just so inspiring.
And it's going to be just like y'all.
Our rule is it's open to the public when it's open to the public.
And when it's not, it's not.
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Yeah, like Menzies.
jelly roll
Yeah, it's like, because that place has created such a safe place for me to party.
This is what me and Post Malone talk about when we're drunk by ourselves.
We're like, we need to go back to Jalston.
Let's just go hang out.
It's like the safest bar in the world.
You know what I'm saying?
It's like, I can say anything here.
joe rogan
I know I'm okay.
Everybody's cool.
The whole staff's cool.
The staff's mostly comedians.
jelly roll
But my question was, can I send my buddy's bartender to hang out with Carrie for a week and shadow her?
joe rogan
A hundred percent.
unidentified
Okay.
jelly roll
Carrie said she's into it.
She just said, ask Joe.
unidentified
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
joe rogan
Whatever you need.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
Yeah, that's a great idea.
jelly roll
I think I'm going to send her down in November around my show here.
I'm going to bring her with me so she can meet Carrie that night.
Because Carrie runs the ultimate celebrity bar to me.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Like, she deals with complete chaos down there with them comedians.
I've watched it.
It is wild.
joe rogan
Well, Carrie learned how to do it at the store.
That's why I hired her.
She was one of the first hires.
Because I told her, I go, you know, she was like one of the first people I contacted.
I'm like, I'm going to open up a club.
jelly roll
She's awesome, dude.
joe rogan
I had to get her out here because she was like the mother of the back bar.
jelly roll
That's how I feel.
joe rogan
So the back bar at the store was, it was completely removed.
There's no general public at all.
It's a very small, you've ever been in the back bar at the store?
jelly roll
Oh, yeah.
joe rogan
Yeah.
So Carrie ran that place.
So she kept everybody in line.
Punky was there, too, before Punky was on SNL. It's hilarious.
She used to run that back bar, too.
And we used to all hang out there.
Like anybody, you know, you could be safe there.
All these celebrities, people from out of town, they'd all just find their way to that weird little private bar.
So I kind of knew.
And originally, Mitzi's was not going to be open to the public at all.
It was just going to be a private bar.
But then along the way, we said, you know what?
It doesn't hurt to have it open to the general public up until a certain time.
And then from that time out, have it everybody after the shows are over.
Because that's when everybody really wants to hang.
And that was the best blending of both worlds.
But that old bar in Hollywood was...
It had her bar from her home that they had moved and put there.
So the actual bar that you put drinks on was from her home.
jelly roll
Yeah, yeah.
joe rogan
So it's like that there was like a piece of her there with us all the time.
So when we decided to do this place, I'm like we gotta have a bar just for Mitzi.
Just it's the same kind of same kind of vibe.
jelly roll
It touched my soul in such a way that I wanted to do it for my father.
joe rogan
That's awesome.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
So I just want you to know that the Mitzi legacy has went even further and that what y'all have created there is spreading on to...
You almost got me emotional talking about a woman I never even met.
I just know she did so much for you.
joe rogan
She did so much for everybody.
She's the most important person in the history of comedy that's not a comedian.
jelly roll
Polly shared some really cool stories with me about her, and it's just, man, it's just unreal.
I got to spend a little time with Polly because I went to that back bar there.
The cool thing is, because of y'all, I've now found y'all's community embraces me everywhere now, so I'm safe.
If I'm in a city now, if I'm in L.A., I'm like, where's the comedy club?
I bet they got a back bar.
Call Adam Ray.
You know what I'm saying?
Adam Ray's like, hey, I'm at the back bar at the store!
unidentified
Come on!
jelly roll
I'm like, yes!
On the way!
joe rogan
Yeah, it's a fun group of people.
Contrary to popular belief.
Popular belief is that comedians are all miserable.
jelly roll
No, dude, it's actually the funniest...
The greatest...
Storytellers ever.
I could listen to guys like Burt talk all night.
Yeah.
I could listen to Joey Diaz talk all night.
joe rogan
I've known Joey for 30 years.
He still tells me new stories.
jelly roll
Yeah.
It's crazy.
No, dude.
It's crazy, man.
joe rogan
How do you still have stories?
jelly roll
It's crazy, dude.
Joey could go to the store today and have a story.
joe rogan
Oh, yeah.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
It'd just be fucking one of the best stories ever.
Joey's a monster.
I think we're all in the storytelling business, right?
That's what I do, too.
joe rogan
Sure.
jelly roll
I'm telling stories.
I'm not doing it in a comedic way, but I'm still telling a story.
You know what I mean?
It's all that kind of story.
I am attracted to storytellers.
joe rogan
I think we all are.
I mean, that's why you love a good movie.
That's why you love a good book.
jelly roll
Especially one that's somebody that can tell a story that can capture you in a certain way.
joe rogan
I think it was probably the oldest form of entertainment, right?
Once people, when they first started learning language, I bet the oldest form of entertainment was probably recreating a thing they saw.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
Yeah.
Had to be, right?
jelly roll
Yeah, for sure.
Think about the old, let's sit around the campfire, read stories.
Sure, sure.
I'm sure they were telling tales.
Tall tales is what they used to call them.
Think about how long we've been hearing these kind of stories of people just telling stories.
joe rogan
Also, back then, that was the only time in your day that you got to relax.
unidentified
Mm.
joe rogan
When you're sitting around the campfire, that was the only time.
It was dark out.
There was nothing to do.
You found all the food you're going to find and you're going to get up in the morning and go right back at it all day long again and then eventually find your way back to the campfire.
So the campfire was like the time where people would sit around and entertain each other.
Wow.
In prehistory.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
That's deep.
jelly roll
Because you're thinking about it from a hunting perspective, too.
They had to go out all day and find the food.
You could only do that when the sun was out.
joe rogan
You could only do it when the sun was out.
In the nighttime, it's fucking dangerous, because there's predators out there.
So fire is the best thing to keep off the predators.
You need a fire, and everybody gathers around the fire, because the predators don't want to come to the fire.
Fuck, man.
And that's where people learn how to tell stories.
That's why we're so attracted to it.
jelly roll
They were doing fucking drugs back then, too, I'm sure.
unidentified
Oh, 100%.
jelly roll
They were smoking pot and doing all kinds of things.
Somebody had already figured out that cow shit mushrooms could make you feel great.
joe rogan
Yeah, 100%.
100%.
They tried everything.
They were starving.
They tried a little bit of eating everything, and they figured out what you can eat and what kills you.
Imagine going through mushrooms and trying to figure out which ones kill you and which ones get you to see God.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
They had to figure that out trial and error.
jelly roll
How many times they had to go through it and go back and go, listen, y'all, I've done this a few times and I'm pretty confident that there is this thing that grows in a pile of shit that makes me feel fucking like God.
You know what I'm saying?
It's crazy, dude.
Somebody had to be that guy.
joe rogan
Did you ever hear about John Marco Allegro in the book The Sacred Mushroom and the Scrolls?
unidentified
Mm-mm.
joe rogan
It's Sacred Mushroom in the Christian Myth.
There's two different...
Sacred Mushroom in the Dead Sea Scrolls, I think, is one of them.
What are the titles of his book?
Sacred Mushroom in the Cross.
And then there is another one?
There's another one that he released after the Catholic Church allegedly bought out all the copies of the first one to get rid of it.
Something in the Christian Myth.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth.
jelly roll
I read the Dead Sea Scrolls.
joe rogan
So this guy thinks that all of religion is stories about mushrooms.
He thinks that the entire Christian religion was about psychedelic mushrooms and fertility rituals.
He thinks that what they were doing was they would have these stories, especially when they're conquered by the Romans, they'd have these stories so they would hide the truth in stories and in allegories and all these different tales.
But he thinks that the entire Christian religion was based on the consumption of psychedelic mushrooms.
jelly roll
I can tell you this on brand, I mean, I'm a man of faith, but on brand with that is Jesus told stories and he taught in stories.
Jesus never gave a direction.
He always was just like, well, and then he'd tell a story and you would have to figure out, you know what I mean?
It was like, okay, this story would show the, it was always in story form too.
joe rogan
Maybe they knew that was the best way to ensure that people would tell it the same way every time.
unidentified
Ooh.
joe rogan
You know, because if you have a story, in the story, Noah has an ark, and he brings the animals in the ark, and God tells him he's going to do this, and he's going to do that, and he does it, and then, you know, if you have a story, then that information keeps getting told essentially the same way over and over and over again.
Like, we can read the Epic of Gilgamesh today.
That's a 6,000-year-old story, something like that, 5,000.
We can read that today.
That's nuts, right?
That's crazy.
Because it's a story.
But if it was just people talking about what you should do or what happened and, you know, like, when it's history, man, we can't trust history from the 60s.
History from the 60s.
We're finding out new shit every day about the Kennedy assassination.
That was fucking 63, man!
unidentified
63!
joe rogan
That's 51 fucking years ago!
That's insane!
And we're still trying to figure out what the fuck happened.
And this is like with modern, like they had television, they had printing press, they had all these different things.
They had accountability, they had elected officials, they had democracy.
Still can't figure out what the fuck happened.
And that's 63. So imagine trying to figure out what the fuck happened 5,000 years ago.
It's like, who knows who's telling the truth?
Who knows?
You've got to sort through the rubble and figure out what the facts show.
But if you have a story, even if it's like there's something hidden in that story, and he thinks that that's what the apple was in the Garden of Eden.
jelly roll
That's deep.
All that was in stories.
The thing about stories, too, is they said, I've never been to the pyramids, but they said that All that stuff on the inside of it is just a story, right?
It's all telling a story to a degree.
joe rogan
The hieroglyphics, some of them, sure.
jelly roll
Yeah, the hieroglyphics are like telling stories, or when they have the guys chasing these things with the spears, they're like trying to show a story.
It's all trying to tell a story, man.
joe rogan
And a lot of mushrooms, too.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
There's a lot of images of them with mushrooms.
jelly roll
I might do mushrooms a day.
It's my album release today.
I'm thinking about it.
I don't know if I want to do mushrooms.
joe rogan
God, they should be legal.
jelly roll
I know, right?
joe rogan
God, they should be legal.
They should be legal and regulated and people should figure out what the fuck they do.
Should do a lot of research.
Figure out what this is.
This might be the thing that gets us out of there.
Just a micro-dosing nation that connects together.
jelly roll
I know every time I've went deep, it was life-changing for me.
Like, I'll do a lot of mushrooms every now and then, just like, you know, ooh, let's get...
But any time I was like, let's go...
It was a life-changing experience every time.
joe rogan
It's funny that people want to reject that.
What's really important is to keep people from losing their mind and losing their ambition and becoming like the hippies were in the 1960s following Timothy Leary.
That's what everybody's worried about.
Everybody's worried about this collapse of society because people, they give up on capitalism, they tune in and drop out, you know, that whole thing.
I don't think that's real.
unidentified
I don't think we should be worried about that.
joe rogan
I think those people are always going to want to drop out.
The people that want to fuck off are always going to want to fuck off.
And if you give them an excuse, yeah, they're going to do it.
But that's just a style of person.
That's not going to affect most people.
Most people would benefit, especially if they're not crazy, if they don't have mental health problems.
You'll probably get something out of it.
jelly roll
Yeah, I mean, it's helped me in some of my most depressed moments.
If I'm really in a dark, dark spot and can't get out of it, my wife will encourage me to go trip.
She'll be like, why don't you go?
We got this called the Buffalo River back in Tennessee.
It's outside of a little town called Hornwall, Tennessee.
Old Country River, man.
I mean, look, Country Creek River.
I mean, it's a river, but it's kind of shallow.
You can see the bottom of it.
It's called Floating the Buffalo.
We'll go out there and just float the buffalo.
And every now and about twice a year, me and the buddies will go out there and we'll just take six or seven.
Damn.
And just float the buffalo.
unidentified
Damn.
jelly roll
So if I haven't got to do it in a year because of the schedule, my wife will feel that on me and be like...
No, you might need to go to the Buffalo.
You know what I'm saying?
She'll say it really cool.
She'll be like, when's the last time you floated the Buffalo?
And I'll be like, man, it's been a year, hasn't it?
She'll be like, I think you and Scary Larry is one of my best friends.
And we met each other in Juvenile Hall.
He's just a wild character.
She goes, you and Scary should go float the Buffalo.
She'll just like, encourage me.
She knows I'm going to come back a way better husband, way better father.
joe rogan
You know what the wildest theory I've ever heard about psilocybin is?
Is that it came from outer space.
That's an organism from another planet.
And the reason for this is that they know that spores can survive in the vacuum of space.
And there's a thing called panspermia.
What panspermia is, is the idea that like an asteroid slams into a planet And it takes amino acids and biological organisms that can survive in space and a bunch of different elements from that planet and then introduces those new elements to another planet by way of an asteroid.
And that's a real thing that we know for sure happens, right?
And they know that that's how we get iridium.
There's a lot of iridium on Earth, like in places where there's been an impact because it's really rare on Earth but really common in space.
So we know that some shit gets to us.
And apparently, I'm too stupid to understand this, but the way botanists describe it, and see if you can find any information on this, there's something very unusual about the compound psilocybin and psilocybin and cubensis mushrooms.
They're very weird, and they're not really connected to a lot of the other fungus that's here in some strange way.
The way they work is also very tied into human neurochemistry.
It's really close to dimethyltryptamine, which is a part of human neurochemistry.
And so, the craziest theory is that it's come from space.
Living spores have been found and collected in every level of Earth's atmosphere.
Mushroom spores are electron dense and can survive in the vacuum of space.
Additionally, their outer layer is actually metallic and of a purple hue, which naturally allows the spore to deflect ultraviolet light.
And as if all this wasn't unique enough, the outer shell of the spore is the hardest organic compound to exist in nature.
So this is one of the weirder theories.
Was this Terence McKenna's theory?
Are mushrooms from outer space?
jamie vernon
It brings him up.
I don't know if it's officially his theory.
joe rogan
The late ethnobotanist Terence McKenna suggests that mushrooms are responsible for human intelligence.
Yeah, he had a theory.
It's called the stoned ape theory.
jelly roll
Yeah, I heard about that on your pod.
joe rogan
His theory hypothesized that mushroom spores possess all the necessary requirements to travel on space currents.
Furthermore, they could have settled in the brain matter of primitive hominoids and following the lines of modern-day hallucinogenic mushrooms directly contributed to our modern-day intelligence and self-awareness.
jelly roll
It's fucking wild.
joe rogan
Yeah, his theory is that's why I mean if you can see it there click on that back again you can see Where it was talking about his theory so his his theory is very very bizarre So he went on to theorize that mushrooms are the reason there's human life on Earth.
Yeah.
So while it may seem like material from space, from a science fiction novel rather, there is no avoiding the fact that mushrooms possess many traits that are unique to their kingdom alone.
Fungi build cell walls of, I don't know how to say that word, chitin?
Chitin?
Chitin?
The same material that makes up the hard outer shell of insects and other arthropods.
jelly roll
I'm so country I said chittin.
joe rogan
Chittin.
Could be chittin.
Chittin.
Like chitlins.
These cell walls contain similar chemicals found in butterfly and beetle wings as well as the plumage of some colorful birds such as peacocks, living spores.
Okay, so we've read that, but there was something about his theory where he was explaining his theory of how it would have worked.
That's it?
Well, essentially his theory was that they experimented with mushrooms, and it made them better hunters, and it made them more creative, and it made them figure out language.
And he thinks it's responsible for this weird mystery of the human brain size.
It doubled over a period of two million years, and there's no real solid explanation.
It's a very strange thing.
Apparently the biggest mystery in all the fossil record when it comes to animals and evolution.
Really?
Yeah, how'd the human brain double over two million years?
jelly roll
Oh, dude, it hadn't been psilocybin.
joe rogan
Probably had a part of it.
Or aliens.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
Maybe aliens.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
Maybe both.
Maybe they are aliens.
You know?
Maybe they are aliens.
Maybe we're just looking the wrong way.
jelly roll
Maybe we're fucking aliens, right?
joe rogan
I think we probably are.
I think we probably are.
It doesn't seem like we belong here.
jelly roll
You know what I tell somebody all the time?
My new theory is, because my life turned out in such a way I never dreamed, that this is a simulation.
And that there is an overweight, nerdy alien that plays me.
And that during my...
I think about this all the time when I'm high.
And that my sleeping hours are like when he's doing his normal stuff, and my waking hours are his two hours a day.
And I just imagine this kid that's looking back like, Mom, you won't believe what I've done with that fat dude the last nine months.
It's fucking crazy.
He's one of the most famous artists in the world.
And she's like, you gotta get off.
He's like, but he's going to the Grammys!
joe rogan
Yeah, it's like a super hype version of Red Dead Redemption.
jelly roll
You know what it is?
My dude's telling people, like, y'all remember that dude we thought wasn't gonna do it?
unidentified
He did it!
jelly roll
He fucking figured it out!
joe rogan
If it's a simulation, it's a really good one.
We're in a good timeline, brother.
jelly roll
Oh, it couldn't be better, man.
joe rogan
We're in a really good episode.
We got a fucking good group of writers.
jelly roll
It couldn't have got any coming.
joe rogan
It's like, if you're on the show and you got writers like this, like, fuck, these writers are amazing.
This fucking show is always entertaining.
Every day there's some drama.
jelly roll
Yeah.
Oh, especially right now.
We're in the middle of the drama.
joe rogan
Oh my goodness.
There's so much.
There's so much.
You could get overwhelmed just looking at the fucking news every day.
jelly roll
It's a great time for me to be in the middle of a tour.
unidentified
Yes.
jelly roll
Because I've missed it all.
I'm doing five shows a week and I'm so in the vortex of touring.
joe rogan
Yeah, good.
jelly roll
We do that old school rock and roll shit.
So we really do play five shows a week for 12, 13 weeks, you know?
joe rogan
That's amazing.
jelly roll
It's awesome, dude.
joe rogan
But again, that's why you're so comfortable up there.
You're so just...
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
It reeks of a man that's done a thousand shots.
You know what I mean?
It's like when you see a comedian up there really comfortable.
It's like when I watched the tale at the Comedy Cellar, when he leaned back on the wall, I was like, oh, he's fitting to kill.
When he just walked straight up and leaned back.
And then he calls Ian up and Ian's just throwing, you know, just shit at him.
And he's just lighting Ian on fire.
It was so good, man.
joe rogan
Yeah, that's a good hammer and nail, the two of those guys together, too.
He did that at the club here, too.
jelly roll
I feel like it reminds me of the early phases of a bumping mics thing, like a new version of that.
Because when him and Jeff Ross are together, it's like when David Lucas and Tony are firing on each other.
I feel the exact same way when Jeff Ross and David Teller near each other.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
I get that same excited feeling of like, ooh, some shit's gonna pop off.
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
Yeah, when David and Tony go after each other, there's like hours on the internet of just David and Tony shitting on each other.
There's a hundred thousand ways David can call Tony gay.
jelly roll
Yeah, and he's called David a hundred thousand ways to be fat.
joe rogan
It's also the way they laugh at each other doing it.
Like, if this is a simulation, man, we picked a really good one.
jelly roll
Yeah, it's getting cooler and cooler.
joe rogan
Elon believes it's a simulation.
He's a lot smarter than me.
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
He thinks the odds that it's not a simulation are in the billions.
jelly roll
Really?
joe rogan
Yeah, in the billions, he said.
jelly roll
Wow.
I'm telling you, dude, there's a little dude that nobody believes in.
He's going to school every day like, my Minecraft dude is killing it.
joe rogan
Do you get that imposter syndrome thing ever?
jelly roll
Oh, man, so much.
I'm...
I'm somewhere between feeling extremely uncomfortable where I'm at in my career right now or overly comfortable where I'm at in my career.
So I'm either having to catch myself and go, whoa, big fella.
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
Come on now, dawg.
You were just in jail.
People that knew you six years ago hate you still.
unidentified
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
It's like...
jelly roll
And then I have situations where I'm like, I don't belong here.
I'm having that moment right now.
This is my first album, Joe, that is going to be in a fight for the number one album in the world.
Never dreamed.
Now, this is like, what the fuck am I doing here?
You know what I mean?
Like, that's a different world.
joe rogan
Do you think that's maybe something that you shouldn't even think about?
Because, like, your music's amazing.
You're amazing.
Maybe all that, just let it just exist.
jelly roll
No, that's what I've been...
joe rogan
Because it's so big now.
It's almost like if you pay attention to it, you're going to go blind.
unidentified
Oh!
joe rogan
You know what I'm saying?
Like you're kind of staring at the sun.
You're kind of staring at the sun.
Like it used to be you had a little campfire and you're warming your hands because it's cold outside.
But now you're kind of staring at the sun.
And maybe just be Jelly Roll.
jelly roll
That's what I... Yeah.
But being Jelly Roll got me to the point that they're now saying I might have a number one album.
You probably will.
You know what I'm saying?
And then you're in a place where you're like, holy fuck.
And that's where the imposter syndrome comes in.
Because you're like, yo, I wasn't even...
joe rogan
That's where friends are bored.
jelly roll
Yeah.
I didn't have a Billboard Hot 100 song until 36 months ago.
joe rogan
You know what I mean?
You exploded.
But you handle it beautifully.
You really do.
Because you feel like genuine gratitude.
Genuine gratitude comes off of you.
jelly roll
Thank you.
joe rogan
It's real.
jelly roll
I am true.
You feel it.
I mean, you know me.
I can't believe this is happening.
joe rogan
I know you can't, but it is.
jelly roll
It's the fucking wildest thing ever, dude.
joe rogan
It is, and we deserve it.
jelly roll
I was just with our boy Brigham doing some blood work and getting some shit to make my feel, but I broke my heel.
And we were talking about that of like...
Living in the gratitude of it and realizing, even you saying that we're such a special simulation.
Yeah.
The time of this, I know I keep going back to the same point, but it's where my heart is right now, is watching me and a bunch of guys that were all at this kind of same thing at the same time three or four years ago, that you could feel the teapot bubbling.
And all of us being like a little left of center.
You know what I mean?
Like, I wasn't supposed to be in country music the way that they've embraced me.
Outside looking in, you'd have never guessed.
Outside looking in, you could have never said that Kill Tony would be the number one live podcast on the internet.
You know what I mean?
Or that Schultz's podcast would be...
Or that...
Me and Zach Bryan would have this similar...
Of course, he ended up being way bigger than me, but this similar kind of...
We're writing songs our whole life that nobody really heard, and then all of a sudden they got just...
It's probably the craziest synergies that could have ever happened in any scenario for me in any way.
And it's inspired me to get healthy.
It's like gave me purpose and I've never felt more loved.
I've never felt more warmed or welcomed.
I spent so much time feeling the opposite of loved, you know?
Even walking in here and playing with Carl, there was a time in my life where I would have walked in here and that dog would have let y'all know I was not a good person.
You know what I'm saying?
You would have just looked and been like, why is Carl acting weird with this big guy?
You know what I mean?
Kids were the same way, dude.
Kids would look at me and squall.
You know what I mean?
And it's really inspired me to start focusing on my health, too.
Dude, I'm down 100 pounds now.
Officially down 100 fucking pounds.
joe rogan
That's amazing.
Congratulations.
That's really huge.
That's a massive accomplishment.
jelly roll
Thank you, brother.
It's been all food.
I'm working out, I'm walking, but what I've learned is as I'm losing the weight, it's inspiring me to just...
joe rogan
Keep going.
jelly roll
By nature, I want to go walking, do more stuff, because I fucking, I'm lighter.
joe rogan
I feel better.
jelly roll
So when the homie's like, you want to go play basketball?
We're playing basketball three days a week now.
unidentified
Wow.
jelly roll
You want to hear the coolest act of love, Joe?
I'll try not to get emotional talking about this, but...
unidentified
My whole band...
has watched me fight.
jelly roll
Cocaine addiction.
They watched me get off coke.
They watched me get off lean They've watched me figure my life out slowly and they knew that the last mountain for me was food So we started putting a real structure around I hired a real nutritionist.
He's out here with me now I mean like I'm only eating his food.
I'm just like super with it We're getting anything that could you know out of the green room for just so I'm working out every day walking around the arenas and And one day they have a basketball court, because we're fucking playing in a...
This is insane, by the way, that I'm playing fucking NBA arenas.
And, like, I'm playing where the fucking Orlando...
I'm on an Orlando Magic court!
unidentified
Like, what the...
jelly roll
I feel like a fucking fat shack!
But, um...
So the first day, it's just, like, me and, like, three or four dudes.
The crew heard.
Dude, the next day, 30. The whole crew showed up for me.
These dudes, they're just there because they know it's helping me, kind of.
So now, three days a week, we're renting basketball courts and having full-blown fucking tournaments.
And it's been so good for me because it's like reconnecting to my childhood in this really weird way.
I grew up in a community where there were basketball courts and we would all go play.
You know what I mean?
It's been really like...
It's been the best experience ever.
And I'm getting to do it in like, back to that weird shit.
Not only are you experiencing this with your friends and people you love, and then you're doing it at the San Antonio Spurs court.
unidentified
And the San Antonio Spurs coach is out there giving you pointers and fucking being the referee.
jelly roll
That's amazing.
And you're the Sacramento Kings coach is fucking shooting with you.
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Yeah, Elon's right.
This ain't real life.
jelly roll
No, I'm...
joe rogan
It can't be.
jelly roll
It's unreal, dude, leaving Nationwide Arena.
But I was also telling Brigham, talking about the humility too, is that I'm still nervous walking in here.
We're friends.
And you know, what you tell us all the time is what you told Brink.
You know what he's going to tell you?
We're just two friends talking.
I was like, I know what.
20 million motherfuckers listening, dog.
I'm not falling for that.
We're just two buddies talking shit.
joe rogan
Don't look at the sun.
jelly roll
That's it.
You're right.
It's the same thing.
unidentified
Don't look at the sun.
jelly roll
You know how much I needed to hear that?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Especially like, because I don't get in my head about stuff, but just this week was the first time the label called and said, hey, we want to put this on your radar because it might make you want to promote the record.
You might have a number one album.
And I was like, whoa, dude, this shit wasn't even in my mind.
When I had a number five album last year, you couldn't have told me I didn't have a number one album.
You know what I'm saying?
I was like, fuck you!
joe rogan
Crazy.
jelly roll
You know what I'm saying?
What's in this one?
unidentified
Water.
joe rogan
This is coffee, that's water.
jelly roll
Okay.
joe rogan
Yeah, it's a wild experience, man.
And if it's not real, boy, we picked a really good simulation.
jelly roll
It's been great, though, man.
joe rogan
It's great to hear that you're on this positive track, because it's all now just about momentum.
It's just about staying on the course.
That's what's hard for people, is getting the good momentum.
jelly roll
I'm building the momentum.
I had a moment the other day, I was telling Schultz this.
It was a really small win, but for a lifelong food addict.
Joe, I was up to 550-something pounds.
I was having to weigh myself at meat places.
And I was telling him that I used to walk in and like a drug addict, I would scan the room and make a count of everything I could eat.
You know what I mean?
Like if you had like the little baby Snickers and a little thing or...
The other day I was in my green room and somebody was in the green room and they picked up a piece of candy and said, you want one of these?
Because we just got hit in a dab or something.
I didn't even know the candy was in there, Jeff.
Because normally they get the candy, they don't put shit like that in my room.
And that was the first time I was like, oh, I'm on to something.
Like, I'm fucking winning right now.
Like, I didn't even notice.
I could have been eating them for five hours.
I didn't know.
I would have ate them all.
I didn't even scan for candy.
It's not even a thought now when I walk into places.
Is there a candy dish here?
You know what I mean?
That used to be literally one of the first things I would look for.
You know, is there a candy dish here?
I've had to make so many different small habit changes, but it's been the fucking...
I was just telling Bubba out there, and I was telling Bruce on the way in here, I feel this good just losing 100 pounds, Joe, and I'm still...
I've never told my weight, but I'm going to tell it here because I want some accountability from people.
I'm 420-something now, 420. And...
Imagine, I'm walking around different, talking different, my shoulders are setting different, I'm fucking my wife different, I'm just kind of, you know, I'm moving different.
joe rogan
Bro, you probably have crazy powerful legs.
jelly roll
Dude, it's crazy, Joe.
joe rogan
I bet you have massive leg muscles.
jelly roll
I've been going to the gym now.
Listen, dude, as much as you can fit on that thing, I'm throwing.
joe rogan
Of course.
jelly roll
Throwing.
Think about it, man.
joe rogan
You've been carrying around 500 pounds.
jelly roll
Yeah, 500 plus.
joe rogan
Your legs must be sturdy as fuck.
And if you could lose weight now, you're gonna have like super legs.
Should you keep going?
jelly roll
Joe, man, my goal is when I come back and do this next year, it's gonna be fucking insane.
Like, I've never been more dialed in.
I've never cared more about it.
I've never been happier.
joe rogan
What are you eating?
Like, what has he got you eating?
jelly roll
Oh, dude, man, he's here.
He's actually been really killing it for me.
So, from eating bad for so many years, my gut has just been fucked.
So we've just been focusing on slowing down the gut.
I'm only eating twice a day.
I'm eating a fruit snack in between.
joe rogan
You ever do any fasting?
jelly roll
Mm-hmm.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
I'm trying to fast one day a week now just to work on like the autophagy so some of these skin cells so I won't be as full.
I don't want to be saggy.
You know what I mean?
Because I'm going to lose that kind of weight.
joe rogan
You know that story about that one dude that went on nothing but a vitamin IV drip for a year?
jelly roll
For a year and lost 200-something pounds.
joe rogan
I think he lost 300 pounds.
jelly roll
Yeah, I've watched that story.
joe rogan
Didn't he lose like 300 pounds?
Something crazy like that.
The dude had no food for you.
And his fat shrunk, but his skin shrunk, too.
jelly roll
Yeah, that's what happens.
Somebody told me, and I could have the name wrong here, y'all, but it's called autophagy.
Have you heard of this?
joe rogan
I think autophagy is...
jelly roll
Ain't that where the skin cells...
joe rogan
I think your body gets rid of all bad cells.
This is like something that comes with fasting.
Bad cells is definitely a scientific version of it, but I think...
jelly roll
I think the way they explain it to me is that it has something to do with the elasticity of the skin, and that is what helps.
So that's why one day a week, at least every other week, I'm just taking a full 24 hours.
But I'm only eating probably eight or nine hours a day now anyway, so I'm kind of intermittent anyways.
joe rogan
That's the real bummer when people lose a lot of weight is that you got all this extra skin.
Like Ethan Supli, he had to have all that shit cut and stitched up.
jelly roll
I've listened to that podcast with him twice in the last 90 days.
unidentified
Really?
jelly roll
He has a full three-hour podcast his first year.
Just to kind of...
I love the way he thinks.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
It's just, you know...
joe rogan
He's a brilliant guy.
jelly roll
I love...
For me, I'm always looking for, like, inspiration.
As a...
As a songwriter, we're always writing a song.
You know, as a comedian, you're always looking for a joke.
You know what I mean?
So that kind of...
I'm always looking for that.
So when I found that pod, I was like, oh, this dude...
And he kind of did what I would...
How he looks now is a dream scenario for me.
He didn't get, like, crazy big, but he doesn't look, like, saggy sick.
Because sometimes when you go from...
Being as big as we've gotten, you get down to 300 pounds and people start looking at you like, are you okay?
And you're like, I'm fucking better than I've ever been!
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
They're worried.
jelly roll
Yeah, they're worried.
But they just couldn't imagine.
You know what I mean?
Even when I just told...
I always forget his name, but your guy out there, the archer guy.
Worked at the archery store.
Great guy.
But I was just telling him that I... Yeah, same thing.
Same concept.
joe rogan
Yeah, if you just keep going, you know, it'll become normal for you to not eat candy, normal for you to eat healthy food, it'll be what you crave.
jelly roll
Lots of protein.
Lots of bone broth kind of potatoes.
Anything that we're doing, whether it's rice or bone broth, we're not doing a lot of it.
But when we do it, we're soaking it in bone broth.
Keeping it really clean protein style.
Kind of going low on fats to kind of let my liver kind of reset from just years of me eating.
Fatty foods and shitty greasies.
You know what I mean?
So just been kind of taking it slow, man.
I'm enjoying it, though.
The cool thing is he did Bilal Muhammad's weight cut.
He's worked with DC. I found him from that world.
So he really gets it.
joe rogan
That's a complicated science.
You get those guys like Bilal's way over 170. I don't know what he weighs, but I've got to guess he's close to 200 pounds.
And he cuts down to 170 perfectly.
jelly roll
Yeah, Ian does it every time.
He said it's pretty effortless, man.
Ian says out of everybody that Bilal is just insanely disciplined.
You know what I mean?
Like when he goes into camp, he's like a different dude.
joe rogan
Well, that dude does, he's done camp in Ramadan, and you know, you can't eat or drink anything during the daylight hours of Ramadan.
So he would have to get up in the morning while it's dark out, have a morning breakfast, go to training, not eat anything.
jelly roll
Do it to a day, probably.
joe rogan
And no water.
And you're training.
And then at the end of the day, then you get to eat.
jelly roll
No, he's a machine.
That dude is complete.
joe rogan
That Leon Edwards fight was crazy.
jelly roll
I get to see him tomorrow.
joe rogan
He's a great guy, man.
He's a great guy.
He really is.
And, you know, the fact that he's that devout a Muslim that he, you know, prays five times a day.
Like, he doesn't fuck around.
Like, he's really by the book.
He doesn't even swear.
jelly roll
No, he says fudge.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Jelly, jelly, jelly.
What the fudge are you doing?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Crazy.
When are you coming to fudge in Chicago?
joe rogan
It's ridiculous.
He's like this assassin.
jelly roll
I'm going to get to see the two champs tomorrow.
I'll get to see him and I'll get to see the Venezuelan vixen.
They're both coming.
So him and Juliana are coming out to the show.
unidentified
Nice.
Chicago?
jelly roll
Yeah, I'm super excited, man.
joe rogan
Nice.
jelly roll
Album release night, Chicago.
United Center.
First time at the United Center.
joe rogan
Nice.
jelly roll
Big, big deal for me.
joe rogan
Chicago's always a great fucking town.
jelly roll
What's the comedy club down there?
joe rogan
Well, they have a few.
They have, what do they have, Zanies in Chicago.
They have another one in Rosemont.
jelly roll
The Dorfman brothers don't have nothing to do with that one, though, do they?
joe rogan
I don't know.
I don't know.
jelly roll
They never know.
joe rogan
It doesn't make sense if they don't.
jelly roll
Did you hear what they did to the Nashville Zanies?
So you know Brian and them own that building and through the back bar, so you know Zanies doors here, the front door, not the door, we go through the front door.
Whatever that place was right here, he's turned that into a place called the lab now.
And it's like a 50 person smaller.
It would be like the little boy.
You know what I'm saying?
It would be like the little boy.
So he calls it the lab at Zaney's now.
joe rogan
Oh, that's nice.
jelly roll
Yeah, it's super.
It's really, really cool.
joe rogan
They used to have a really good room at the improv in Hollywood they called the lab.
And that's where Ari started This Is Not Happening, which became that Comedy Central show.
You know the storyteller show?
That all started in that lab.
That was Ari's little baby that he created.
The old way the improv used to be set up was amazing.
You have the big room and then you have this tucked away small room in the back with a very small bar.
But then they expanded it and made the bar bigger and made the stage by the door.
They fucked the whole thing up.
The whole thing's fucked now.
It used to be the stage was in the back.
There wasn't a lot of noise in the room.
And then they turned it into a bar and fucked it up.
But at that time, that was what it was called.
It was called The Lab.
jelly roll
Yeah, no, this place, they call it The Lab.
It's beautiful.
Speaking of that show, God, I'd love to see that show back.
This is not happening?
That show was so good.
joe rogan
Yeah, you know what happened with that?
You know how it all went down?
Ari got an offer from Netflix to do a special.
He actually filmed his special, and Comedy Central wanted it because he was on Comedy Central, but Netflix was better for him.
And they were pissed that he was going to do the special on Netflix, so they fired him.
And he's like stuck to his guns, and then Roy Wood took over, and he did it for a while, and that was the end of it.
But that's why.
It was because Ari wouldn't listen to that.
They were trying to force him into doing his special on Comedy Central.
jelly roll
Wow.
joe rogan
Yeah, and he's like, no.
Like, I don't have a contract that I have to do it on Comedy Central.
This is crazy.
jelly roll
And they tried to use the show.
joe rogan
They did use the show.
They fired him.
jelly roll
How fucking petty is that?
joe rogan
They fired him.
jelly roll
And not to say Roy Woods didn't do great with the show.
joe rogan
Roy Woods is great.
I mean, Ari was happy that Roy Woods took over.
Because, first of all, Roy's hilarious.
He's a great comic.
But also, that meant all the people that were working on the show got to work.
Ari was going to take out a loan, and he was going to pay all the people, all the camera people, all the crew.
He was going to pay everybody their salary.
jelly roll
Just because he felt bad.
joe rogan
He felt bad.
And it was like, this is not what I want.
This is not my fault.
But they're forcing me into it.
And by principle, I can't just give in and say, okay, I'm going to do this at Comedy Central.
jelly roll
But just for us having fun today purposes, imagine if that show came back right now with Art.
unidentified
It could.
joe rogan
It could come back.
jelly roll
And the explosion that's happening right now.
joe rogan
Well, Ari should do the show on Netflix.
It's his show.
Now he calls it Ari Shafir's Renamed Storyteller Show.
I think that's what he calls it.
He still does it.
jelly roll
It's on Netflix now?
joe rogan
No, no, no.
I said he should do it on Netflix.
But he'll still do live ones every now and then.
He does live storyteller shows.
jelly roll
No, he should do it, man.
I think about guys like Brian.
I would cry laughing to hear whatever his story was.
I think about the Joey Diaz, the Mother Mary story.
If I'm going to that, you know, like, there are stories on there that...
joe rogan
Yeah, everybody's got good stories, too.
People have stories of some fucking nutty thing that happened on the road or what have you.
jelly roll
No, it's crazy.
I'd love to start seeing people in my genre try stuff like that more.
If they ever did it, just try to, like, I'd love to hear, you know, Jason Aldean tell a story.
You know what I mean?
If he really, if he got with somebody backstage, like one of the homies, you know what I'm saying?
Like if Rosebud was back there with him and was like, all right, tell me your best story and I'll punch it up.
You know what I mean?
I think Jason Daldeen would at least kill a six-minute story.
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
Everybody's got at least one good story.
One that you could concoct.
jelly roll
Yeah, one that you could figure out.
joe rogan
Yeah, I think that really is probably the oldest form of human entertainment.
jelly roll
It's funny how I love when anything you talk about has a theme, and this one has been storytelling.
And that's, it's all I ever wanted to do.
Before I was writing songs, because I knew that music could be written that way, I would just write these kind of stories for my mother.
You know what I mean?
I would just try to, you know the story, we've talked about it a lot, but it was a way to connect with her, even before music.
And then when I found out music was her shit, I was like, oh, this is the double connection.
Like, oh, this is, I'm doubling down on this.
And I still to this day think I'm writing for my mama.
Like, to this day, I'm still like, when I'm really finishing a song, I'm thinking to myself, I wonder what my mama would think about this, you know, in this really weird way.
Like, first thought.
Like, I wonder if mama would like this, you know, does this represent?
And then the second thought is, why does this song exist?
That's always my second following thought.
First of all, it's like, would my mama dig it?
And then the second is, you know what I mean?
And the second is like, why does this exist though?
You know what I mean?
What could it do?
What purpose could it actually serve?
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
And if it's, it could be anything as much as it's just, you know, it just makes me happy or it could make people happy or it could make people move is enough of a reason.
joe rogan
Out of these 100 plus songs that you've written recently, how many of them you think you'll ever record?
jelly roll
I recorded probably 30 something of them.
Wow.
I'm going to put out probably 28. Wow.
And I think four or five will probably end up circulating next year through other artists.
That'll just cut some of the songs.
Because sometimes I'll write a song show, but I'm just not the vessel.
And I know it when I'm writing it.
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Do you hear it in a different voice?
jelly roll
Sometimes.
Sometimes.
But sometimes you just know that it's like, I couldn't sing this with a certain amount of conviction.
You know, like for me personally.
You know, it's not that I couldn't, you know...
I don't know if this is a good comparison, but it'd be like, I could write a song about hating my wife, but I could never sing it because I don't really hate my wife.
I could never sing it with conviction.
Now, as a songwriter, do I have the skill set to write a song about hating my wife?
For sure.
But would I ever sing one and represent myself that way?
I couldn't sing it with conviction.
But there might be a guy in Nashville who just got his heart broke.
joe rogan
Well, you know Colter Wall's Kate McKinnon.
unidentified
That's the mother of all I Hate My Wife songs.
jelly roll
Insane.
joe rogan
That's a crazy song.
When the fact that that dude was 21 when he sang that, you're like, what?
It sounds like he's 58. I believe in reincarnation.
jelly roll
I'm telling you, man.
joe rogan
There's no other way.
That doesn't make sense.
jelly roll
And if his story couldn't get any cooler, it's that he just doesn't give a fuck.
joe rogan
Doesn't give a fuck.
Won't do podcasts.
jelly roll
For sure.
joe rogan
I tried so hard.
jelly roll
He told Post Malone.
Post Malone hit him up and Post was like, hey man, I'd love to work.
And pretty much he was like, yeah, if you ever want to come to the ranch, we can maybe write a song or something.
Post was like, if you want to fly to the middle of Canada, we can write a song.
But if you think I'm getting off this ranch to write with you, fuck no.
joe rogan
Yeah, he really works on a ranch.
jelly roll
Yeah, that's how Cody Johnson is too, though.
Cody Johnson flies out on the...
I joke with him all the time.
I'm like, you're a cowboy that plays a country music singer on the weekends.
Because, you know, he plays music for real, but he literally goes home and ranches Monday through Thursday.
You'll FaceTime this dude and he'll be out just in his ranch somewhere tagging cattle.
joe rogan
That's amazing.
unidentified
You know what I mean?
jelly roll
And then Friday night he'll fly and go sell out two nights at the Staples Center.
joe rogan
I have not experienced any of that, but I swear to God, it resonates with you when you watch it on Yellowstone.
jelly roll
Yeah, right?
joe rogan
Like, I want to live like that.
unidentified
So bad.
joe rogan
I want to hang out with the horses.
Seems like a good time.
Seems like everybody's all peaceful and shit.
jelly roll
We'll stay up and watch the rodeo late at night because PBR plays on TV or whatever.
Dude, I'll watch that stuff.
I don't know much about it, but I just can't quit watching.
I think it's the wildest shit ever.
joe rogan
Yeah, I'll watch it for bursts, but then my knowledge of orthopedic surgeries that these people are going to be receiving and injuries and concussions, they're just like, I got to stop watching this.
jelly roll
I love watching stuff that doesn't seem real, though, right?
Have you seen the J.B. Mooney?
Is that how you say his name?
Is it Mooney?
Mooney, right?
joe rogan
I think it's Mooney.
Is it Mooney or Mooney?
You got me thinking now.
jelly roll
Yeah, me too.
joe rogan
But that dude, he owns the cow that retired him.
jelly roll
It's crazy.
How cool is that?
joe rogan
Yeah, pretty cool.
jelly roll
Yeah, but we're talking about a dude that, you know, with no helmet, cigarette lit in his mouth.
joe rogan
Animal.
jelly roll
Like, oh, just when you look at...
joe rogan
Animal.
Those dudes riding bulls with no helmet on is the craziest fucking American thing that anyone's ever done.
That is so dumb and so amazing at the same time.
Like, what the fuck are you doing?
jelly roll
It is so American, dude.
Especially when he had the cigarette.
It almost looked like it was out of a movie.
Like somebody overcooked it.
joe rogan
And at the end, those guys are always broken.
Everything's broken.
We had a dude on Fear Factor that was a bull rider, and one of his arms, his shoulder had like just giant scars all over the place.
He had like five or six shoulder reconstructions.
It pops out sometimes.
He has to pop it back in.
jelly roll
That is...
joe rogan
Jeez!
jelly roll
Sick.
unidentified
It's crazy.
jelly roll
All from riding a...
joe rogan
A giant 2,000-pound animal that doesn't want you riding.
jelly roll
With horns.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
And when it gets you off of it, it wants to hurt you afterwards.
joe rogan
It wants to stomp you.
jelly roll
It's pissed off.
joe rogan
Yeah, man.
Fuck all that noise.
jelly roll
I can't quit watching them, though.
I don't know why.
I'm just so attracted.
I've always been attracted.
I loved songs about rodeos, though, is what did it.
We talked about it before, too.
There was 90s music, had all these old-school, really cool rodeo records.
unidentified
Mm-hmm.
jelly roll
And I feel like somewhere, it's kind of like everything goes in themes, and then country music went through, like, you know, the hunting and fishing era.
But in the 70s, it was more of the storytelling era, like the poncho and lefty style stuff, you know what I mean?
But to me, the 90s cowboy music was, like, still some of the best country music ever made.
joe rogan
Bro, you know who's got the best rodeo song for my money?
Zac Brown.
unidentified
Mm-hmm.
joe rogan
Open the Gate.
unidentified
Oh, it's the...
jelly roll
It's one of the best rodeo songs ever written.
Oh my God.
100%.
joe rogan
Oh my God.
Meanwhile, I'm listening to them going, get off that bull!
unidentified
Don't go ride that bull!
joe rogan
Don't do it!
Your dad's dead!
Don't ride the same goddamn bull that killed your dad!
Jesus Christ!
jelly roll
You want to hear a cool rodeo story?
Reba McIntyre got discovered at one.
unidentified
At a rodeo?
jelly roll
You want to talk about a real cowgirl?
Reba McIntyre was like Oklahoma or somewhere, and she would sing the national anthem at all the local rodeos because they knew she was a local singer, but she was a real cowboy.
So one night she was singing.
This is back in the day when it was old school, like a record exec discovered you.
joe rogan
Wow.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
And flew you to Nashville and signed you to a record deal.
That's a true story, though.
Reba did it because she loved it.
Like if you were singing in church, every weekend they'd have the rodeo in town and she'd go sing the national anthem for them.
joe rogan
Wow.
How many people are like that out there?
When you think about yourself becoming artist of the year at 39, how many people are like that out there that are just super talented, that just never get that crack?
jelly roll
It's, man.
joe rogan
There's a thing that's inside some people.
There's a thing that's inside some people.
And it's different in everybody.
Like, your different is different than Coulter Wall's different.
It's different than Reeb is different.
Different than Johnny Cash is different.
Everybody's got that thing.
jelly roll
Everybody's got a thing.
joe rogan
But there's so many people out there that we never get to see that thing.
jelly roll
I wonder how much of it is the ones that just jump ship early, too, though.
joe rogan
They quit.
A lot of people quit.
It's hard.
jelly roll
I think about doing something for 10 years to no avail is really, really hard, man.
This is what I tell people.
I was a desperate, delusional dreamer, Joe.
And everything I regret, I did out of desperation.
But I don't regret one thing I did as a delusional dreamer.
You know what I mean?
Because there was moments...
I went to the Juvenile yesterday in...
Columbus, Ohio I went to go play cards with the kids in their units before my show I try to do stuff like that all the time and we were all talking about You know time energy stuff into this and songs and I talked about writing 170 songs last year And I was like do y'all know that there was so many moments in my life where I in hindsight I'm glad nobody sat me down really that I had to have looked fucking crazy You know, that kid asked me, he said, when did you feel like you made it?
I was like, I think that's why God kept blessing me is that me and DJ Highlight, that's my DJ's from Columbus, Ohio, he was there with me.
We did the one o'clock slot at Rock on the Range 12 years ago, right?
The festival, you know Rock on the Range, Jamie.
This is a big deal of where Jamie's from.
We played the fifth stage of five stages.
So we played the smallest stage there, 30 minutes after they opened the gates.
Joe, we started drinking at 10 o'clock that morning because we were rock stars in our minds.
We had made it.
We were that delusional.
We were backstage full-blown shooting shots and celebrating.
There was 40 people there.
There was thousands of people just walking right past our stage to the stage they were going to.
unidentified
We didn't care.
jelly roll
We had made it.
You know what I mean?
Like, we'd made it.
You're telling me we got $1,500 to do this?
This is insane.
We have arrived.
And I'd go home.
My old beat-up band in my whole neighborhood probably had to look at me like I was fucking nuts.
You know what I'm saying?
But nobody said that to me.
I had to look like the crazy person kind of, right?
At this point, I'm in my early 30s, mid-30s even, and they're like...
All right, big guy.
joe rogan
But you're at Rock on the Range.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
That's how I felt.
You actually are performing there.
jelly roll
That's how I felt.
joe rogan
I think you're correct.
jelly roll
Yeah, I felt that way.
joe rogan
I think you should be celebrating.
Yeah.
You're supposed to be.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
And when I told that kid that it was cool to see his face kind of light up, he was like, man, that's perspective.
You know what I mean?
I was like, dude, I was...
I would celebrate whenever I would get a clap in here when I was in Juvenile, when we would have Freestyle Fridays in Juvenile.
And if I spit one line that got a ooh, man, I went to my cell, did push-ups, and started looking in the mirror different.
You know what I'm saying?
I was like, it's fucking fixing to happen.
You know what I'm saying?
That kind of delusion will just celebrate every moment I had, I made a moment.
joe rogan
What is this?
jamie vernon
This is the day.
joe rogan
Look at you up there.
jelly roll
Yeah, this is us.
This is a true story.
joe rogan
Rock on the Range.
jelly roll
This is Rock on the Range, dude.
This is 2017, probably.
unidentified
Wow.
jelly roll
This was our second time.
I think we made it to the second stage by then.
unidentified
Yeah, this is 16. It's weird doing shows when it's bright out.
I'm just getting used to doing shows when it's dark.
Shows when it's bright out are kind of crazy.
jelly roll
Dude, it is unforgiving.
Especially when you're working.
You're trying to build something.
There's a lot of people that are coming to give you a chance.
But they don't know anything about you.
joe rogan
Well, the thing is, if you could figure it out, right?
People figure out everything.
They figure out how to write books.
They figure out how to play baseball.
People figure it out, but not everybody figures it out.
That's why it's so exciting when you do.
That's why it's so exciting when you make it, because you know it's not just that a bunch of lucky things had to happen to you, because they all do with all of us.
There's a lot of good circumstances to happen your way just to keep you alive, right?
You have to get lucky.
But then you also have to have that thing.
Like, what is that thing inside you that you gotta get out?
And you can figure out a way to get the best version of it and display it for people.
Or you quit.
A lot of people quit.
jelly roll
Man.
I tell you, there's a line in a song, Joe, that...
It's an old song.
It's called Just Breathe.
And she goes, at the end of the song, she ends the song by going, 2 a.m.
and I'm still awake writing this song.
Because if I get it all out on paper, it's no longer inside of me.
Threatening the life it belongs to.
I almost get emotional when I tell people that.
Because to me, that is the greatest line ever written as to how I feel.
You know what I mean?
This idea that I have to get this out of me.
When I write, it's not like...
I have to.
It's like a thing in me that's burning in me.
It's like I have to get this out of me.
Brother, I wake up out.
I wrote, somebody saved me on a sheet of paper out of a dead sleep.
joe rogan
Really?
jelly roll
Notebook, side of the bed.
Somebody?
Just like I wrote notes here with you when you'd say something that would inspire me.
One of these is a song title right here, right now.
You said it earlier.
I'll tell you off camera.
joe rogan
Okay.
jelly roll
Just in case you've got to negotiate a publishing thing.
Bert, I wrote a song on the album.
It didn't make the album, but Bert one night said something.
He was like, yeah, man, this is where dreams go to die.
And he was talking about a bar he used to go to where everybody would talk about what they would do but never did, so he quit talking about what he was going to do.
But what he don't know is I just quietly grabbed my phone and wrote, dreams die here.
You know what I'm saying?
I went and wrote the song.
It sucked.
I'm going to send it to him, but I tried.
unidentified
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
You never know.
Maybe revisit it in a year or two.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
But I connect with that in a way that's...
Writing is...
It's an outlet for me.
It always was.
It was always a way to express and to tell stories around me.
joe rogan
It's also a connection to some strange realm where ideas come from.
The ideas that come to you, they just come to you out of nowhere.
They just feel like gifts.
They really do.
Like when you sit in front of the computer and an idea just comes to you and you start writing it down or when you wake up in the middle of the night, take a leak and you can't get this idea out of your head and you gotta grab a notebook.
Man, those things are gifts.
They're gifts from the universe.
jelly roll
You've had that happen, too, where you find yourself at the kitchen table at 3 a.m.?
joe rogan
The worst one is I try to convince myself that I'll remember it.
jelly roll
And you'll go back to sleep and you'll blow it.
joe rogan
Yeah, because I'm lazy.
I'm like, you're going to remember.
Don't worry about it.
You'll definitely remember that.
jelly roll
You don't remember it?
joe rogan
I remember, like, one of them ever.
But I write them down now.
jelly roll
I do, too.
I got a small legal pad beside my bed, like the little one, and I got one.
This is a crazy place.
But I have one on top of my commode.
joe rogan
That's a good place for it.
jelly roll
So in case I'm going in there to pee or something and on the way there just...
Yeah.
Sometimes, too, I'll have to grab my phone and do melodies in the middle of the night, because I have dreamed of melodies before.
joe rogan
Like, you hear it.
jelly roll
Like, stone-cold melodies in my dreams.
Like, the Somebody Save Me melody was in my dream.
The first words...
The problem was, me and D-Ray joke about it.
It took us two hours to write the song that would have took us 20 minutes to write, because I was convinced, Somebody Save Me was supposed to be the chorus.
joe rogan
Oh.
Interesting.
jelly roll
I know I'm weird when I talk about stuff like this, Joe, but this is how the universe works.
I don't think I was wrong.
Because when Eminem ended up taking that song, you know Eminem redid that song?
unidentified
Oh.
jelly roll
Yeah, you got to hear it.
It's crazy.
Eminem redid the song.
And he took the verse from Somebody Save Me, the first verse, and made it the chorus.
unidentified
Whoa.
jelly roll
So his version of it is he's rapping, and then my first verse is the chorus.
And then he raps again, and my first verse is the chorus again.
Wow.
So maybe I was kind of right.
unidentified
Wow.
Wow.
jelly roll
And the groom, I kept going back to like, you should start this way.
joe rogan
Did you ever tell him that before you did that?
jelly roll
Never even told him the story.
Wow.
Joe, I'm fucking flipping.
It gets even deeper, dog.
John Manili, my manager, calls me and goes, he says, Paul Rosenberg just called me.
That's Em's manager.
He says, I think Eminem wants to do something to save me.
I didn't...
I asked John Manili, right then, Joe, I said, man, I hope he takes the first verse and samples it.
That's all I said.
And John said, whatever.
I don't know what he wants to do with it.
We just sent it over.
Because, you know, M&M's the greatest ever.
You don't send them instructions or notes or ideas.
You know what I'm saying?
You're just like, yo.
And we didn't talk about that until we met.
And he was just as whipped out, too.
Because the funny part about him was...
He was struggling with whether or not he was going to keep the original chorus and do somebody save me at the end or do somebody save me as the chorus and put the original chorus at the end.
And he ended up doing somebody save me in the original chorus at the end.
So he fought the battle the opposite of the way I fought it.
It's crazy, right, how art works that way?
joe rogan
It is crazy.
It's crazy where those things come from, the muse, you know?
And you gotta respect the muse, you know?
And, like, I think when you're writing a lot like you are, like, that muse is, like, ready to go.
Like, you're tuned into whatever that is that gives you those ideas for songs.
You're just, like, searching for it.
You're in the mode of searching for it.
jelly roll
Yeah.
No, I'm always...
Yeah, you're right.
I'm in that space.
I'm in my stride.
I'm in my quest.
I'm looking for it at every angle right now.
I'm like...
I wrote a song.
I wrote so many...
Talking about storytelling again.
Sorry, I keep going here.
It's my fucking storytelling podcast.
I probably have four songs on this podcast that I wrote.
Just very old school storytelling.
Like the music I grew up loving.
Like how Willie Nelson would tell these stories of these characters.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
And it has been so—talking about muses—I wasn't sure if I was going to tell this story, but I will.
As a part of my journey of my mental health and with things I struggle with, I will pop into when I'm home, NA or AA meetings, even though I still drink and smoke pot.
I don't claim to be a part of the program because I have so much respect for those who are sober, like can really live the clean, sober life by the program.
But it's helped me so much not to go back to some of my demons.
It's taught me about gratitude lists.
It's just helped me a lot.
And I go to, you know, a few a year, never say nothing, just sitting back quietly.
I'm just in there trying to learn, you know.
Never went in there thinking like an artist.
Just kind of going there thinking like an addict.
So I just want to be an addict in here.
That's why I don't talk.
And I watched a man having a breakdown in there.
And this happens.
You know what I mean?
People are coming in here.
You know what I mean?
It's an AA meeting, right?
And he's shaking.
And at the end they go, does anybody want to get a 24-hour chip or a desire to change?
And the guy said, I drank this morning, but I do have a desire.
And he was already shaking where he hadn't drank in five, six hours.
And The guy goes...
Old head walks over.
Most gangster shit I've ever seen.
Puts his arm around him and says, I'm sorry, baby.
None of us came in here on winning streak.
Dude, I was like...
I had no intention of going to this meeting.
The only reason I even went, believe it or not, wasn't because I was having a craving, even.
I had an hour to kill on the way to a writing session.
And I was like, well, fuck it.
I could either spend this hour scrolling on fucking TikTok and thinking about how fucking Ukraine's going to kill us, or...
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
And I went into the meeting and I left and I walked in the writer's room and they was like, you know, it's fun when we write together because everybody's got an idea.
I said, boys, I don't know if this is the idea, but I want to tell you what just happened to me.
I just seen one of the most beautiful acts of humanity I've ever seen.
Because this guy's shaking, he's crying.
And this dude's walking.
I'm getting emotional because I'm watching it.
The whole room's getting emotional.
This dude just super cool.
Just kind of walks over.
Almost like, I've seen this before.
He was the only one.
All of us were sad.
This dude was happy.
He walked over with a smile like he'd seen it.
He was like, oh, don't worry, baby.
Nobody comes in here on a winning streak.
So I went back to the meeting a week later.
We started the song.
The guy ended up being like 25, 30 years clean.
They came in to help the other guy.
So we wrote the song.
It's called Winning Streak.
I sung it on Saturday Night Live.
joe rogan
Wow.
jelly roll
It was cool.
It's not even out yet.
It'll be out on the album today.
joe rogan
Imagine if you didn't walk into that place?
jelly roll
Imagine if you didn't walk into that place, right?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Just old church basement.
joe rogan
How much time have you lost on your phone where you could have been walking into a place talking to people?
jelly roll
And getting a winning streak.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
It's like just, you know...
joe rogan
Especially as an artist that deals in, you know, to say it again, stories.
And just, you know, you find things out about people when you see them interact with each other.
And sometimes it just lights a spark.
jelly roll
Yeah.
It's just, man, you, um, yeah, anytime I see anything that makes me feel something, I feel the need to try to write it.
Whether it makes me happy or sad or...
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
If you really think about old-school rock and roll, think about classic rock, there's great songs, but then there's these story songs.
You know?
Like Shooting Star, that Bad Company song.
You know, Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatles song.
That's one of those songs that, like, everybody listens to the words.
You know, you just get caught up in the story.
There's a difference between that and, you know...
Just fun songs.
There's fun songs, back in black, you know?
Fun.
It's not like a story, like an emotional story that gets you.
There's some of those songs, you know?
American Pie.
jelly roll
American Pie.
joe rogan
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
jelly roll
I listen to it once a week in the cold plunge, because the original version's like seven minutes.
So if I start it while I'm getting into my skibbies, song's over, I get out of the cold plunge.
Yeah.
unidentified
How about James Taylor, I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain?
jelly roll
The greatest song ever written, Joe.
The greatest song ever written.
joe rogan
Don't listen to that song when you're sad.
jelly roll
I'll cry if I'm happy, Bubba.
joe rogan
That song will get you.
jelly roll
Every time.
joe rogan
That song will get you.
jelly roll
And that's a story too.
joe rogan
And that motherfucker had a voice.
jelly roll
Man, he had a voice.
joe rogan
What a special voice.
jelly roll
And it was so effortless, Joe.
Yeah.
When he opened his mouth, it was almost like he was just talking to you like me and you, but he would sing like an angel.
And you know, he was self-taught guitar, so he plays like shapes and chords that don't really technically exist.
unidentified
Really?
jelly roll
Yeah.
He literally, because he self-taught himself, they'd be like, well, that's kind of a It looks like a G, but you're doing this, not that.
It's like, it was crazy.
joe rogan
He's authentic.
jelly roll
My father, who I named Buddies after in my bar, we were driving down to Gulf Shores, Alabama one time.
I was a kid, and we started listening to Fire and Rain.
My family would tell these stories.
About music.
I don't know what it was, but before they would play a song, it was like they would take, and I'm like this to this day, I would take great pride in being like, oh, I'm fixing to show you something.
So I'd give you the setup, you know?
So my dad goes, I'm not going to set this song up.
I'm going to tell you about it afterwards.
We're going to listen to it again.
joe rogan
There it goes.
Give me it from the beginning, Jamie.
This motherfucker.
unidentified
So...
jelly roll
Look at them all, just long hair.
joe rogan
That was before you went bald.
When you went bald, you said, fuck it.
jelly roll
Yeah, that was Hey Mr. Jukebox, James.
joe rogan
Bro, that guy could not have a fly swatter big enough to swat those panties that were flying to him.
unidentified
What?!
jelly roll
He could not!
joe rogan
Just whack!
jelly roll
At every corner, dude!
joe rogan
Oh my god.
jelly roll
And listen.
joe rogan
Voice like an angel.
All sensitive.
jelly roll
And hot take, he was married to a woman that is arguably a better songwriter than him.
joe rogan
Carly Simon.
Carly Simon was so beautiful.
God, when she was young, she was one of the most beautiful women that's ever lived.
jelly roll
I love that none of that mattered to him, though.
Watch this.
So my dad tells me this story, Joe.
And we are riding down I-65.
I've only seen my father cry three times.
joe rogan
Give me some words, Jamie.
jelly roll
Yeah.
And we are going down I-65.
And we are squalling.
I mean, like two children, Joe.
unidentified
My body's aching and my time is...
joe rogan
Just authentic, you know what I mean?
There's no bullshit in this song.
jelly roll
The third verse when he goes, yeah, you gotta let this rip then.
It's a core memory I'll have forever though.
unidentified
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end.
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.
But I always thought that I'd see you.
jelly roll
When I watch this.
To me, this is some of the best, the whole song, but right here.
unidentified
I've been walking my mind to an easy time With my back turned towards the sun So simple for real.
Lord knows when the cold wind blows It'll turn your head around There's hours of time on the telephone line To talk about things to come Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.
Oh, now I've seen fire and I've seen rain.
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end.
jelly roll
Now watch him take it up right here.
unidentified
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.
But I always thought that I'd see you somehow one more time again now.
I thought I'd see you one more time again.
There's just a few things coming my way this time around.
Oh now, I thought I'd see you.
I thought I'd see you firing me.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Damn.
So good.
It's crazy.
joe rogan
What a team.
Him and Carly Simon.
Think about that.
jelly roll
What was...
joe rogan
Bro, You're So Vain.
jelly roll
Oh my goodness.
joe rogan
Pull that shit up.
Give me a You're So...
And seeing her sing it with that bass.
Oh my God.
jelly roll
God.
joe rogan
Oh my God.
What a great song.
jelly roll
Was it...
He toured with Carole King forever.
Do they ever have a relationship?
joe rogan
Hopefully Right?
jelly roll
She's talking about another great songwriter.
God, dude.
joe rogan
Here we go.
While she's playing the piano, son.
jelly roll
With her hair blowing.
So 80s!
joe rogan
In the wind.
jelly roll
Yes.
unidentified
You had one eye in the mirror.
You watched yourself.
This pre-chorus is crazy.
They'd be a partner and you're so vain.
I bet you think this song is about you But hold on, hold on.
joe rogan
Because if the song was about him, he's right.
jelly roll
Yeah, right?
For sure.
joe rogan
You know Warren Beatty was listening to that song going, I think this song is about me.
jelly roll
Yeah, I knew I was him.
And that's live back when they were like, you know, that was live, live.
joe rogan
That might be one of the first diss songs.
jelly roll
Right?
Right?
joe rogan
I think that's the first diss track.
jelly roll
Hold on, hold on.
When was this song put out?
jamie vernon
Is it officially about Warren Beatty?
I thought rumors that it was about James Taylor, too.
joe rogan
Oh, really?
jamie vernon
I thought it's unconfirmed who it's written about.
jelly roll
James Taylor?
joe rogan
You know what, man?
It wouldn't shock you, right?
If you found out that the guy was like the sweetheart, super nice guy was actually a fucking psycho.
jelly roll
Dude.
I've had, talking about James Taylor, I've had fans come up to me and they would be crying.
And they go, I'm so sorry I'm crying.
And every time I tell them the same thing, I say, don't worry.
If I ever meet James Taylor, I'm going to cry.
For sure.
I know it.
So I'm like 100% I'm going to cry.
joe rogan
Ever since the singer released her accusatory track in 1972, The Identity of You has remained one of the greatest mysteries in music history.
But she did date Warren Beatty, right?
jelly roll
It came out in 72?
When did Sweet Home Alabama come out?
jamie vernon
Look at all the possibilities.
joe rogan
Warren Beatty.
jamie vernon
Michael Crichton.
joe rogan
Michael Crichton.
Jack Nicholson.
Cat Stevens.
James Taylor.
Or John Travolta.
Even rumored flings with Sean Connery.
jamie vernon
Marvin Gaye.
joe rogan
Marvin Gaye.
Mick Jagger.
Possibility of Mick Jagger.
jelly roll
I bet Marvin Gaye did something different with that.
joe rogan
That lady got around.
unidentified
She got around with all the talented motherfuckers.
joe rogan
She got around.
jelly roll
I bet Marvin Gaye was a monster.
joe rogan
Oh my god.
jelly roll
I'm just fucking...
When did Sweet Home Alabama come out?
So you know Sweet Home Alabama was a clapback track.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
It was in the diss world, too.
So I think it was right around that early 70s era, too.
joe rogan
I don't know.
jelly roll
So it was after that.
Your Sylvain came out before it.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
But when did Southern Maine come out?
Probably the same time, right?
It was just a year before.
joe rogan
So that was...
jamie vernon
1970?
jelly roll
Yeah.
unidentified
Oh, no.
jelly roll
So it was a few years before.
unidentified
Okay.
joe rogan
So they wrote it about Southern Man?
Is that what they wrote it about?
jelly roll
Yeah.
The idea was, and Neil Young was speaking a lot about what was happening down there in the South at the time, and Ronnie's position was just simply like, hey man, We stay the fuck out of your business.
Stay out of ours.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
You know, a southern man don't need them around anyhow.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
You know, it's kind of how he came back.
joe rogan
What a banger of a song.
jelly roll
What a banger.
What a diss.
joe rogan
What a banger.
jelly roll
You're talking about...
joe rogan
I mean, that is a...
Sweet home Alabama.
Give me some of that.
jelly roll
Yeah, please.
joe rogan
God damn, that's a good song.
I mean, all respect to Neil Young.
That's better than anything he's ever done in his life.
jelly roll
No, no.
Neil Young apologized later.
It was really cool.
He owned it.
He publicly said Ronnie was right.
joe rogan
Well, you know...
Neil Young is name checked and dissed.
Yeah, I don't think they thought about it that way back then.
It reached number eight in the Billboard Hot One.
Give me some Sweet Home Alabama.
That's a song that you hear in the bar in the first couple of chords play, and you go, oh, yeah.
jelly roll
You just immediately stand up.
You're like, oh, we're finna party.
joe rogan
Oh, baby.
jelly roll
And I hate to be this guy, but I immediately look around, and I'm like, everybody in here who doesn't know this song...
I don't know that we can be friends.
If you can't at least sing the chorus, or if you don't go...
joe rogan
This might be one of the most recognizable songs ever.
jelly roll
Is it going to be a live video too?
jamie vernon
You just have to go for the live one, especially this one.
jelly roll
I love it.
joe rogan
Once again, look at these bad motherfuckers.
unidentified
Oh, they were so funny.
jelly roll
You want to talk about people that couldn't get the pussy away from them.
joe rogan
And they're from Florida.
jelly roll
Yeah.
unidentified
That's 77, so that's Ronnie.
jelly roll
That's 77.
Oh, no, that's Johnny.
Once again, how great Gary Rossington was.
To me, he's the greatest guitarist that ever lived.
Up there with Hendrix and him.
He's on Mount Rushmore guitarist.
Because I can't name another guitarist, Clapton, of course, that has more riffs that you want to go, you want to hum.
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
Right?
Because like...
Yo, the Freebird solo.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
You know what I'm saying?
Give Me Three Steps.
There has not been that since, if you ask me.
You know what I mean?
Helm, Clapton, Hendrix, they had those kind of guitars.
But this was different because it was riffs.
It wasn't like a solo.
They were singing over these riffs.
And the riffs were bigger than the melody sometimes.
joe rogan
They captured you.
jelly roll
If you tell somebody right now, like, have you ever heard the song Sweet Home Alabama?
And they go, how's it go?
You wouldn't go sweet, you'd go...
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
It's crazy.
That's how good Gary was, man.
joe rogan
That solo in Freebird is insane.
jelly roll
Oh, it's the best solo ever.
joe rogan
Ever.
It's hard to say because of Hendrix and Steve Ray Vaughn and a bunch of other people, Eddie Van Halen, but that solo was the same every time they did it.
jelly roll
Oh, the story about Sweet Home Alabama.
They're sitting at a sound check and it's just Ronnie and Gary.
And Gary's holding electric.
And he goes, man, I got this.
I just don't know what to do with it.
It's...
And Ronnie goes, well, hell, just keep playing it.
Let me fuck with it.
So they just looped that.
And that's how they wrote the song.
Yeah, dude.
I'm such a...
I have like...
Skinner to me is like, Jesus.
unidentified
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
I'm a giant Skinner fan.
And you know what I love about Skinner too?
They came out of Florida.
Who would have saw that?
jelly roll
No, dude, Jacksonville.
joe rogan
Who would have saw that?
jelly roll
Straight out of Jacksonville, Florida.
unidentified
What?
Jacksonville?
joe rogan
Jacksonville's not going to make any amazing bands?
jelly roll
Dude.
joe rogan
How's this band come out of Jacksonville?
unidentified
Period.
joe rogan
And every song is about running away from girls.
I gotta go, ladies.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
I gotta be free.
jelly roll
It's all the time.
joe rogan
Give me two steps.
jelly roll
I love you, but I gotta go.
It's crazy.
unidentified
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
I gotta go.
I gotta go.
jelly roll
No, dude, they were the best, man.
When Gary's family gave me that guitar after he passed away, it still is up there with my top probably ten possessions that I've ever been gifted.
You know what I mean?
I have it in my studio now, and I hung it in a case with the note that his family wrote me with the picture that we took the night he played the guitar.
And I put a lock on the case.
Instead of just casing it forever, I put a lock on it so I can still play it.
So when we do the album, there's a couple of tracks that we played a Gary Rossington guitar on.
Oh, wow.
unidentified
You know what I mean?
jelly roll
Because it was a Gary Rossington-played guitar.
unidentified
Wow.
jelly roll
And his family, the estate gave it to me right after he passed.
joe rogan
Does it sound different?
jelly roll
Well, it's an old Les Paul, and it's older, so it's got a different pickup on it.
So it's got some different tunes and textures to it.
joe rogan
What's the difference between the older pickups and the newer ones?
jelly roll
I don't know.
I'm not as educated in it as most real guitarists.
I'm a campfire guitarist.
But over the years, they always found different ways to make them as they were improving them, but the sounds and textures were getting different.
But I forgot exactly what he does, because he takes a pickup from another guitar and puts it in, too, I think, in most of his guitars.
There's a lot of real guitarists that'll want to play this guitar, but they'll want to put this from this guitar on this guitar.
joe rogan
Because that's their shit.
jelly roll
Yeah, because they like the way, well, I like the pickup on this, or I like this and this, or I like the way this, you know, whatever.
joe rogan
Makes sense.
jelly roll
And then they'll have a kind of hodgepodge like that.
But, you know, something else, when Gary survived that plane crash, let's think about him playing guitar.
He had a rod that went from right here, Joe, to his elbow.
joe rogan
Oh, my God.
jelly roll
And still played the guitar that way.
So if you ever watched Gary play the guitar, he always kind of played it high like Charlie Crockett.
Or down here like this because he couldn't get full extension on the wrist.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
So he was playing all those from 70, whatever the 70s.
When was the plane crash?
Jamie, you know?
I figured you might know off the top.
joe rogan
How many people died in the crash?
jelly roll
I know Ronnie did for sure.
I think it was two or three.
joe rogan
Wasn't Ronnie standing up?
jamie vernon
It was in 77. So...
jelly roll
So that video you just showed might have been one of Ronnie's last performances.
joe rogan
He was standing up when the plane crashed, right?
He went and sat down, he was drinking.
jelly roll
Yeah, they were just partying.
They were just Leonard Skinner, dude.
joe rogan
You know what I'm saying?
If he sat down and put his seatbelt on, he might still be here.
jelly roll
It's crazy, dude.
It is crazy, man.
joe rogan
Goddamn.
jelly roll
You said it was 77?
jamie vernon
Three days after their fifth album was released.
jelly roll
Yeah.
jamie vernon
Street Survivors.
joe rogan
Wow.
jelly roll
Just totally different, man.
I've gotten so far into there.
We've been covering Skynyrd on the road for years and years anyway.
That's probably not a Skynyrd song I can't play.
If we were to go to a bar tonight, you could probably just randomly pick a Skynyrd song, and I'd go up there and be able to just kill.
Just love Skynyrd, dude.
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
They were awesome, man.
They were gone too quick.
And I know they toured after Ronnie died, but it wasn't the same.
jelly roll
Yeah.
You know, they still tour, and one thing I don't, as a diehard fan, I don't object to it a lot.
Now that Gary's gone, it's a little rougher, because he was the last living one.
But Johnny Van Zandt, which, how are him and Ronnie Ken?
I always confuse it.
They're cousins, right?
Or are they brothers?
Because remember, the three Van Zandts, do I want to talk about a family, Joe?
Johnny, Ronnie Van Zandt created Leonard Skinner, was the first lead singer.
Johnny Van Zandt took his plot when he died, and the other Van Zandt brothers, the lead singer of 38 Special.
joe rogan
Crazy.
jelly roll
Yeah, it's the younger brother.
So his younger brother took right over.
And like I tell people, the average Lynyrd Skynyrd fan that's not like me and you, obsessed with him to a degree, they don't know anybody other than him to be their singer.
Because he's been their singer four years longer than Ronnie was.
That band has only been out for four years when Ronnie died.
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
So it's like an ACDC type thing.
jelly roll
Exactly.
You know what I mean?
And the fact that it's a true Van Zandt.
And Johnny's still the lead man to this day.
So when I go see him, I still feel like I'm watching Ronnie a little bit.
Looks just like him.
Still got the same long, hairy Johnny Van Zandt, dude.
unidentified
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Ronnie was a fucking psycho, though.
jelly roll
No, that's the difference.
Johnny's like a really, really calm, cool man.
He's also older now.
You know, these dudes are all Ricky Medlock and them.
He was with the original group, too, pretty much.
He's still there.
Them dudes are all in their 70s.
joe rogan
Yeah, and that's nuts, too, because when we were kids, we never thought the rock stars would be touring in their 70s.
jelly roll
They're going to come out for my Jacksonville show.
They came and sung with me last time.
joe rogan
That's amazing.
jelly roll
Johnny and Ricky always come out and sing, man.
They're fun.
joe rogan
That's awesome.
jelly roll
Yeah, dude.
It never gets any different.
joe rogan
Dude, look at you.
You're living the life.
jelly roll
It's fucking weird, dude.
joe rogan
You're living the life.
jelly roll
It's the shit we grew up listening to.
I'm saying it's like...
I don't know, man.
joe rogan
It's weird when you meet people that were real famous when you were a kid.
That, to me, is always going to be the weirdest one.
jelly roll
It's the one.
joe rogan
Steven Tyler.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
Meeting that dude.
Meeting people like that.
It's just like...
You just feel weirded out.
I met Tarantino.
unidentified
I was like...
jelly roll
Oh, dude.
joe rogan
This is weird.
jelly roll
Yeah.
This is weird.
Especially people you watched back in your childhood.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Out of all the comedians I met, the only one I've probably ever made an ass of myself to is Ron White.
Because I literally have watched him since I was a teenager.
Because he was such a voice for...
I don't want this to come off disrespectful, but being from the South in my household, we thought Jeff Foxworthy was incredibly funny.
We liked his books more than his comedy, though, because we felt like his comedy almost felt a little forced to us as Southern people.
It just didn't sit right in my household.
joe rogan
In what way?
jelly roll
In this way of like...
joe rogan
You might be a redneck.
jelly roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
If your family tree does not fork...
jelly roll
It was hilarious.
No, all the books, we religiously.
But when we're watching a blue-collar special as a family, and I know this wasn't the way to watch it in hindsight, we're all waiting on her.
You know what I mean?
There's nothing wrong with that.
He's the voice of our household, but I'm also in a household full of drunks, by the way.
My father's a raging alcoholic.
My mother does drugs.
All my brothers do drugs.
But it was like, you know, we love Jeff.
We love Bill, Larry the Cable guy.
But man, Ron was our...
You know, he just spoke to what our household was doing.
You know what I mean?
So when I met him, it was kind of like, man, I got to tell my fucking mama.
joe rogan
When he first started hanging out at the store about, I guess it was about 10 years ago, he never had like a club like that before where it was like a home base.
You know, he was always a successful touring comedian.
So he'd bring guys to open up for him on the road.
But it was basically the Ron White show.
And then he started hanging out with us at the store.
And he was like, man, this is what I've been missing.
You know, I've been missing, like, a real camaraderie, like the base, the home base, where everybody goes and just hangs out.
Makes all the difference in the world.
jelly roll
It is.
No.
Well, iron sharpens iron, too.
joe rogan
Yeah.
When you're in Nashville, too, I mean, think about how many different amazing artists there are that you go see live in Nashville just fucking around on a regular night.
jelly roll
For sure.
Dierks Bentley goes and plays this, like, with his bluegrass band, like a 200-person bar every week.
joe rogan
That's amazing.
jelly roll
You know, like his little subversion of a bluegrass band.
That's how I feel about our songwriting community, too.
I've rode in LA and I've had big songs come out of LA, but Nashville is just, man, it's the killers.
You know what I mean?
It's the dudes that are just, the dudes and girls down there that are in those rooms every day are snipers.
joe rogan
They've been doing it forever.
It's the same thing like you do in all those shows.
It's the same thing like them, right?
You just get real good at your fucking job.
jelly roll
For sure.
And you get to know how to pivot.
You know what I mean?
That's something else that comes with being on that stage a bunch.
The more you do it, the more circumstances you've been up against, nothing starts to scare you no more.
Even if I walk out to a crowd, like if I'm opening for somebody still and I walk out and I'm like, I'm going to have to really work for this one, I'm not panicked.
I've done it enough now.
I'll even watch some guys in my band get a little panicked.
We'll be on the second song and you'll see them going like, why are they not just so excited we're here?
I'm like, just relax.
It's okay.
We're gonna get there.
You know what I'm saying?
Let's just have fun.
joe rogan
The hardest spot is opening on a comedy show.
It's brutal.
I tell every committee that opens for me, this is like running what waits on.
Yeah.
jelly roll
Talking about like the one of three, not the feature slot, the number one.
unidentified
First guy.
joe rogan
First guy on stage.
That's the hardest gig.
And it's the gig for the guys that are the youngest, that are the learners.
They're learning it.
They don't really know how to do it yet.
jelly roll
And you're kind of responsible for getting the first laugh of the night.
joe rogan
You are 100% responsible for it.
jelly roll
Man, you gotta break the room.
joe rogan
Yeah, that's why Hans Kim was like our best opener.
Because Hans Kim has structure.
All his jokes have structure.
So he puts you in this mode of laughing at ridiculous shit.
And he puts you in this like, it's like a very structured set.
So he gets people into like the hypnosis of comedy.
You get locked into laughing.
And then boom, next comedian goes up and the bar is already set.
You're already loose and everybody's running.
But that first spot, man, you gotta like...
jelly roll
Yeah, same with us.
If you're one of three, Alexander Kaye's doing it on this tour and she's killing it.
But it is a rough one because, one, you've got your fans that knew you were one of three and they showed up early.
So that's the only thing you have to advantage.
The rest of it is people literally walking in with popcorn and beer in their hand wondering why the show's already started.
unidentified
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Right, exactly.
jelly roll
You know, I tell people all the time, you're not going to be a good performer until you've performed in a place where people looked at you like you were interrupting them.
Right.
You know what I mean?
You ever been in a place where you're like, hey, I'm sorry I'm bothering y'all by playing loud music up here?
You fucking knew you were coming to a bar, bitch.
You know what I'm saying?
It's just, you know...
But those are the funnest, too, though.
I got to open up for Morgan Wallen this year a few times, and it was really fun because in the last few years we've just been headlining.
We haven't got to really, you know, go out and do something that was so much dramatically bigger than us that it made sense for us to do it.
And I love Morgan, so I was like, I'm in.
And we went out there, and it was cool because you feel it immediately.
You're like, even with the hits I have, you know, there's 70,000 people here that bought a ticket to see Morgan Wallen for they knew my name was on the bill.
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
You know, so there's a lot of people here that are with me, but I'm still having to tell you, I'm still up here like, oh, okay, tonight.
You know, I see there's three scenarios in my business, and I don't know if this is probably different for y'all's, but in mine, my three scenarios are this.
One is the you're welcome, we're here.
Right?
Which is the simple, like, thank y'all.
We thank each other.
You came to see me.
I'm going to give you a great show.
Thank you.
It's the easy one, right?
The other one is the, thank you for listening.
I appreciate that you gave me enough respect that you sat here and listened to me.
And the third one is the one that makes men.
It's the, hey, motherfucker, I'm singing.
And you have to go through a couple hundred of those before you get good.
You know what I mean?
Like, I don't care.
And that's what's been so about like the tick tock explosion is you have these kids that'll have this big hit, Joe, and they'll have five or six hits in a row and they can start selling 2000 seats at a theater overnight.
It's kind of like the podcasters that have a quick, quick flip and they go to the comedy clubs on a Friday.
Yeah, but can't make nobody laugh or stay.
These kids go straight into 2000 seat rooms and then stand up there like I've never done a fucking show.
I've never stood in front of anybody.
Oh my God.
Imagine getting a big TikTok hit, Joe.
Never doing a show in your life.
You know what I mean?
Or imagine it's even worse.
They put you on an opening tour for somebody.
They're like, we got an amphitheater act that'll let you be two of four.
This'll be great.
And you're going out there looking at 6,000 people?
joe rogan
Oh my God.
jelly roll
You've never stood up in a bar?
I'm watching it happen to people all the time.
I'm having to grab these kids and kind of mentor them now.
And it's the flip side of it where, like, booking agents are dragging them to the slaughter.
joe rogan
Of course.
They just want to make money.
They don't give a fuck.
jelly roll
And here's the problem.
Imagine your kid, you're 20 years old, 22 years old, you've got a big successful record, and you're going to meet booking agents.
You're excited.
I've been there.
You know?
And the first one's like, we're going to put you right in 2,000 seat rooms, you're going to get $22,000 a night.
You're like, woo!
What?!
A night!
And we're going to do it three nights every weekend.
joe rogan
Oh my God, I'm rich.
I'm buying a Corvette.
unidentified
That's fucking it!
jelly roll
Immediately.
And then you go to the next booking agent and they're like, now hear me out.
My plan is for you to go play these 200 cap rooms like the high-fine Indianapolis, the end in Nashville.
We're going to go do that for six months.
We're going to get like 40 shows under your belt.
You'll get like $1,300 a night, $1,200 a night.
And they're like, fuck you.
The other guy just said I'm getting $25,000 a night immediately.
unidentified
Right?
jelly roll
But this guy actually knows what he's doing.
You know what I mean?
This guy actually is doing it right, but they go back to the money.
And then they end up having to circle back and they've got to re-figure it out anyway.
I tell people all the time, you might be able to skip the line a little bit, but you can't cheat the game.
You know what I mean?
You had to put them hours in one way or the other bubble.
joe rogan
It's the same thing with fighters.
You know, I see fighters that come out and they compete in the UFC and like their first fight they look fantastic and they're fast-tracked.
And sometimes guys get broken because they meet top flight competition before they're really ready.
They're really like an up-and-coming fighter honing their skills and they run into a wily veteran who's like a top 15 guy and they get fucked up and they're kind of never the same.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
Because they really shouldn't have been fighting that guy.
Whereas boxing is a lot more clever.
If they have a guy who's like a Terence Crawford or someone who's a really good fighter, they'll match him up correctly until they can make the big money and until their skills are at a very, very high level.
And then they start challenging for a world title.
But they prepare him.
They get him.
They put him...
The thing about the UFC is sometimes you just get thrown right to the wolves.
And if you're Jon Jones, that's fine.
Jon Jones wins the title at 22. But most guys are not Jon Jones.
Most guys could be an elite fighter, but the circumstances just derail them before they ever get there.
jelly roll
It burned them too early, man.
joe rogan
Yeah, they burned them too early.
jelly roll
You know, and it's like the perfect example of this in the UFC to me is one guy could be Sugar Sean, who went on to be that guy, right, immediately.
I know he just had his loss, but I mean, he still looks like Sugar to me.
You know, that kid's tough.
And the other one could be that kid that we all love, but I always confuse it.
Was it Hooper or Hopper?
The 19-year-old kid, he had a Sugar Sean kind of thing going.
He was a Contender Series guy too.
unidentified
Chase Hooper.
jelly roll
Hooper, that was him.
And to me that's kind of the tale of the same kid, you know what I mean?
Where it's like, for Sugar, it kind of worked.
But this is what I tell my people all the time.
unidentified
Chase still has a shot.
joe rogan
He's still super talented.
He just had to really get better at striking.
jelly roll
Yeah, he's just young and has to circle back around.
joe rogan
But he got a lot better.
He got a lot better at everything.
He's really good on the ground.
jelly roll
No, the kid's great.
joe rogan
He also went up to 55, which I think was big because he was killing himself.
jelly roll
Good.
Yeah, no, you could tell it was a big weight cut, especially for such a kid.
His frames, they're kids.
I think we still haven't seen what Sean's real man body is going to look like yet completely.
Well, Sean's 30. Is he 30 now?
Okay, so we see him.
But they say it's 25 or 26 now before you actually see a full development.
joe rogan
Well, you definitely see some of these guys that are coming in that are 22 that are still growing.
They're still getting bigger.
Like Raul Rosas Jr., he's 19 years old.
And that kid's still growing.
Every time you see him, he looks more muscular, more jacked.
He's still in his prime.
I mean, not even close to his prime.
He's still growing up.
jelly roll
There's still a...
Yeah, there's a growing thing that's...
Yeah, I guess it's different too, man.
I'm thinking about that kid like Chase is that getting put into that national spotlight at the biggest fighting organization in the world at 19. You know what I mean?
And you're like, Tavondre Sweat is the defensive end for the Tennessee Titans.
I'm a huge Titans fan.
He was our first round pick this year, defensive end.
I went to go hang out with him because I just think he's great.
I think he's going to be a superstar.
He's 22 years old.
He's probably 6'5", 300-something pounds.
Jeez.
And he can't grow a full beard yet.
You know what I mean?
You know what I'm saying?
It's patchy.
You know how it is when you're in your early 20s?
It's still patchy.
And I'm looking at Jeffrey Simmons, who's our veteran defensive end, who's 6'6", just cut like a...
Oh, that's where you're going to be at in four years, three years.
You know what I mean?
Because we picked up Jeffrey Simmons as a rookie, too.
It's like, even at 22 years old, they haven't fully developed in yet.
I'm looking at Devandre Sweat right now, and I'm like...
You still got a baby face.
You know what I mean?
Look at baby face sweat.
You know what I mean?
You see this face of him right here?
That's all you need to know about his personality.
That's who he is as a human.
He's the sweetest dude ever.
But you can still tell by the look of his face.
You know what I mean?
That face is going to slim down and get a little more, you know.
joe rogan
That's the craziest job.
Being a pro football player is the craziest job.
Because you're literally in a car wreck every day.
jelly roll
Especially guys for their position, they're in a car wreck every play.
I think about this, offensive lineman, defensive lineman, guaranteed full contact every snap.
100% every time we snap the ball, because the wide receivers, they're going to hand fight.
Backfield, there's going to be some action, but not full contact every play.
Every single play, as soon as they say, huh?
These two linemen are fucking collision-coursing.
Jesus.
And they're both hitting each other with the intention to try to knock the other one down first, right?
The goal is, like, if I can hit you and knock you down and go right past you, after that, I've just got to fight my way around.
joe rogan
And they're all 300-plus pounds of solid muscle.
jelly roll
Huge.
Full-blown athletes their whole life have been playing since they were eight.
joe rogan
Colliding with each other.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
And that's the American sport.
jelly roll
It's a totally, I mean, in full speed.
joe rogan
Isn't it kind of crazy that that is the American sport?
I mean, what other countries even play it other than Canada?
Who else plays football?
Like, American-style football?
They don't even play it overseas.
They don't even touch it.
jelly roll
That was when Nate Bargassi hosted Saturday Night Live, not this time, but last year, he did that skit joke about it coming from the UK, and he was like, and we will have a sport named football.
And they were like, oh, where you'll kick a ball?
They'll go, no.
And they'll go, so you never kick the ball?
They go, sometimes.
It's so funny about trying to explain football to somebody not from here.
joe rogan
It's bizarre that we didn't call it a different thing.
They were calling it football and it was soccer.
And we just said, no, we're going to change the name of that.
We're going to call it soccer.
And this is football now.
What are you talking about?
jelly roll
It's the American way, dude.
It's like, hey, we don't care how y'all do temperature everywhere else.
joe rogan
Yeah, exactly.
Fuck you.
We go with degrees.
Fahrenheit, bitch.
unidentified
Yeah, fuck you.
jelly roll
We're going to create one.
joe rogan
Fuck your metric system.
Metric system is so much more efficient, we're like, nah, I don't like it.
jelly roll
You'll love that Nate skit there, because that's what he does.
He just kind of goes through trashing all these ideas.
The best part is Kenan looks at him at the new skit and goes, what about my people?
Will the slaves be freed after the war?
He said, they will be freed after a war.
But not this one.
Just fucking, I don't know.
It was a good skit, man.
It was really funny outside.
joe rogan
He's a funny dude.
Another Nashville guy.
jelly roll
Love him, man.
Big, big...
joe rogan
Have you seen Theo, speaking of Nashville guys, have you seen Theo do his impression to you?
jelly roll
Oh yeah, it's the fucking best.
unidentified
It's my favorite thing ever.
joe rogan
We'll let every acceptance be.
See if you can find it, Jerry.
jelly roll
I want to thank the concrete layers.
unidentified
Oh, Dio.
jelly roll
He did it with him and Joey Diaz.
unidentified
Every time he wins an award, he gets up there and he's like, I just want to thank!
Right now there's somebody stuck under a bridge.
There's somebody out there who's got a size 11 foot in a size 8 tennis shoe.
I was a maitre d at a macaroni grill.
jelly roll
And now I'm a gravel.
unidentified
I'm not gonna tell you to keep it.
jelly roll
It's a simulation, Joe.
joe rogan
Yeah, I think it might be.
jelly roll
I just couldn't believe that I'd be in a place where Theo Vaughn would, one, be my buddy.
He came to my L.A. show.
It just made me so happy.
I'd almost cry when I see him.
I was so excited.
But then to have him, you know, just fuck, dude.
I've said this a lot.
There's a dream for an artist.
There's nothing more pop culture than being brought up in a comedy special.
Like, if you was an artist back in the old days, and you got brought up on an HBO special, you were on fucking fire.
You could not be bigger.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's like, I have those, that to me is like those unreal moments when you watch a guy like Theo with his platform impersonating me to a T, and we're friends too, and it's just like...
I would have never even...
I never thought I'd win an award to give a speech.
Or more or less that the speech would be so viral that a comedian would have an impression of it.
You know what I mean?
I don't know.
It's the greatest...
That's the greatest compliment you can be paid in pop culture is if a comedian will burn on you a little bit.
joe rogan
That's hilarious.
That one was perfect.
jelly roll
I'm still like, that's my, like, the first time I get dropped in a special, I'm going to lose my shit.
It's going to remind me of little me watching HBO specials.
unidentified
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Well, if someone's listening to this right now, some comic's probably going to write a bit and put you in there.
jelly roll
Don't be mean.
No, just be funny.
joe rogan
Just for fun.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
Maybe it's Theo.
jelly roll
Yeah, right.
joe rogan
Maybe Theo will do that in a special.
jelly roll
Theo's such a...
I'm...
joe rogan
We're trying to steal him from Nashville.
jelly roll
God, I know.
joe rogan
We're trying to steal him.
jelly roll
Well, listen, for what it's worth, I think the wife and I are on the way, too.
joe rogan
Really?
jelly roll
Yeah.
unidentified
Beautiful.
jelly roll
You know, my wife was born in Houston.
joe rogan
Oh, okay.
jelly roll
She's always had Texas in her heart.
I went out on the river up here, and it's just...
joe rogan
Come on.
jelly roll
I'm coming, my brother.
I'm telling you, man.
I love it, dude.
I just love the city.
I love the space.
Before I got here last night, just the few people that knew I was coming, I'd already got texts from my friends down here, from Kerry to Bruce to people that, you know, just...
Even my wife was like, you love it there.
I was like, she loves Texas anyway, so she's all in.
We're talking about it.
joe rogan
That's beautiful.
jelly roll
We'll always be back and forth because Nashville's always Nashville to me.
joe rogan
Are you friends with Gary Clark?
jelly roll
Yes.
I love Gary Clark, by the way.
joe rogan
Gary Clark's a wizard.
He's a wizard.
jelly roll
That's something else.
I was talking to his manager's name, Scooter.
Have you ever met Scooter?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Scooter's the best.
And I was like, I think if I came down there, we would get, you know, if I brought the culture, the way I approach songwriting in Nashville here, I think we could have a little paradigm shift down here, too.
unidentified
Why not?
jelly roll
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Let's go!
You feel me, my buddy?
unidentified
Let's go!
joe rogan
Come on, man!
Show broken!
A musical mothership.
Let's go.
jelly roll
I've told you this before, drunk, and I meant it then and I mean it now.
I'm going to come to you one day, and it's not going to surprise you, I hope, and I'm going to, with a concept about doing the mother, you're just giving me the right to call it the music mothership in Nashville.
joe rogan
I'll give you the right right now.
jelly roll
All right, cool.
joe rogan
Go for it.
jelly roll
I got a plan, man.
Because what y'all do for comedy...
We have singers...
Have you ever been to a writer's round?
joe rogan
No.
jelly roll
Joe, when you come to Nashville, please, please come a little early and let me take you to a writer's round.
joe rogan
Okay.
jelly roll
You will have a ball.
So what happens is the songwriters who are writing all these big hit records in town...
They go to these bars and they do writer's rounds.
They'll set up three or four bar stools.
And every songwriter will have a guitar and they'll sing a song they wrote and tell you the story about the song.
And it's the coolest thing ever because it's a dude, not being funny, but a dude that looks like me if I wasn't.
Me or a dude that looks like young Jamie.
And then he sings Live Like I'm Dying by Tim McGraw.
And he tells the most heartfelt story about where he was at in his life when he wrote the song and how he came up with the concept for it.
And it's this beautiful thing.
And there's only one place in town that's really famous for it.
It's called the Bluebird Cafe.
They happen everywhere.
And the first time I left the mothership, I was like, I'm doing this for music.
I'm going to create this same culture for our songwriters.
Because what happens is, if you can create a place where people feel safe, they show up.
So what happens is, because I don't go to the Bluebird Cafe a lot because it's a pain in the ass to get in and out of.
So if one of my friends calls, like, hey, I'm at the Bluebird, it's a legendary spot and I love it.
They're like, when you come sing something with me, it's like, you know what I mean?
There's no structure.
You built your club for comedy.
You knew that if the comedians were happy, they would show the fuck up.
And that if you did everything you could to cater it to the comedians first, that they would come and bring their best and the best comedians would be there, which means that people were going to come see the best art, right?
Same concept I'm going to try to do with music.
It's my next move, dude.
Let me open my bar first, Bobo, and I'm going to circle back about this.
That's a great idea.
I just want your right to call it.
I don't want no money.
unidentified
100%.
joe rogan
No, do it.
jelly roll
I just want to call it the Music Mothership.
It's a great idea.
And we'll talk about the logo because I want to kind of do a music.
I want to do like a guitar version of the alien.
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
Do it.
Do it up.
Do it up.
jelly roll
Imagine you're a little alien with a guitar.
You know what I'm saying?
And call it the Music Mothership.
joe rogan
Well, the idea behind it, you could definitely apply to music.
jelly roll
Yeah, for sure.
joe rogan
Same kind of idea.
jelly roll
Take the phone.
You know what else happens, too?
I thought about this.
If I take the phones like y'all do, then it becomes a laboratory.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Right?
Because then it goes from, like, not only will I sing you the hit I just wrote, how about I got a song Morgan Wallen's finna put out next month that nobody's heard.
unidentified
Ooh.
Ooh.
jelly roll
You see what I'm saying?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
Yeah.
And it's a safe place.
Morgan shows up to sing it.
Nobody's videoing.
Nobody's picturing.
joe rogan
People know it's a laboratory, too.
And that's another exciting thing about it.
Like, when you go to the mothership, you go to that Bottom of the Barrel show.
That's a full laboratory show.
jelly roll
My favorite show I've seen there.
joe rogan
Nobody knows what the fuck it's going to be about.
You're just reaching into a barrel and pulling out suggestions.
jelly roll
Yeah, that a bunch of people that are mothership fans wrote on paper.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
It gets wild immediately.
They're fucking There wasn't a warm-up question.
It's automatically to the...
Brian Simpson is so good at it, by the way.
joe rogan
Yeah, well, it's his show.
But the reason why it's so good is because it's like a premise factory.
Like, you just get ignited by this thought that you didn't think of before that.
Like, in that moment, someone says something about fire trucks, and then you're like, you know about fire trucks?
And then all of a sudden, there's a bit.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
Like, all of a sudden, because of necessity, because you're forced into this situation where you're trying to, like, it's literally like you're calling on the muse on the stage.
And, you know, a lot of times it's nothing.
Like, seven out of ten times, you ain't got shit for that bit.
But every now and then, you catch fire, and that becomes, like, a bit.
jelly roll
Oh, have you ever had one birthed into a bit?
joe rogan
A bunch of them.
I'll tell you which one's off-stage or off-camera, but a bunch of them.
jelly roll
That's awesome.
joe rogan
Yeah, a bunch of them.
Because it's just like that little room, too, is like so...
You can't bullshit anybody in that little room.
jelly roll
It feels like we're all sitting Indian style together.
joe rogan
Yeah, there's only 100 people in there.
110, I think, is when it's fully packed.
Dave was the first person to go on stage there.
unidentified
Really?
joe rogan
Yeah.
Well, actually, Shane first.
Shane opened for Gillis.
Gillis opened for Chappelle.
We didn't even tell the audience who was going on stage.
We just said it was a special, intimate show.
Show sold out like that.
Nobody knew who it was.
And then Gillis goes on stage, does 15 minutes, and he brings up Dave.
And Dave did like an hour and a half.
And he just fully writes on stage.
Like he had just done a special.
He fully writes on stage.
Like he has ideas and he just like lets them breathe.
Just fucks around on stage.
Gets a little tipsy.
Just fucks around on stage.
jelly roll
You can cut this if you don't want me to tell it, but my favorite story I tell about you is my time at the comedy club with you.
It was one of the first times I did this pod.
I think you had shows that night, and I went to both of them.
And the first one was killer.
But the second one, you had gotten a little slippery.
And it was fun.
It was like, because I remember right before you walked out there, you even looked at me, and that's the word you used.
You said I felt a little slippery.
It's just a little loose.
You had your cup in your hand, and I'd just seen a twinkle in you.
I was like, oh, I'm staying.
Because I was going to leave.
I'd already seen the show, you know?
And you did two shows.
I was like, oh, I've got to see this.
I think this is going to be a little different.
joe rogan
Those are the fun ones.
jelly roll
Yeah, it was fun, man, because I got to watch the same set, but you fuck around a little more and kind of get lost in it sometimes, just having fun with it.
You know, like you could tell you were like, you did the first one like, this is what I know I got, and the second one you had a couple cocktails, like, I'm going to riff on this point a little bit, just fuck off.
joe rogan
Sometimes when you do that you have the best part of the joke.
jelly roll
And that's when you'll find probably the shit that closes it out.
joe rogan
There's sometimes like taglines just come to you in the moment and you're like wow I never even thought of that one before.
jelly roll
Do you get straight off stage and write them down?
joe rogan
No I record all my sets.
jelly roll
Oh wow.
joe rogan
So then after I'm done I'll listen to the recording then I write.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
I sit down from the laptop and just actually sit down and put them out.
jelly roll
Does it help you to see your ideas like that?
joe rogan
It helps me to expand on them because it takes longer to type a thought than it does to think it.
So if I'm thinking of a coffee cup, I'm thinking of it instantly, but it takes a couple of seconds for me to write it.
And that gives me chances to explore left, right, down, up, all these different ways you can go with an idea.
And then I'll usually try to write it out like an essay form.
So if I have an idea and it's funny and it does really well in the bottom of the barrel or a riff out of nowhere, Then I take that idea and I just write out like an essay.
I'm not even trying to be funny.
I just try to think about all the different angles of this idea and then I'll extract like little pieces of it and try these little pieces on stage.
jelly roll
Wow.
And then you go and test them and chew the meat and spit the fat.
joe rogan
And then sometimes in the middle of it, like, this sounds wrong.
This sounds disingenuous.
I take a totally different approach.
Sometimes I contradict myself.
Like, in the middle of it, I go, but what the fuck do I... Why would I think that I know the answer to that?
And then that becomes the bit.
jelly roll
Right.
Then it turns into a turn.
joe rogan
Yeah.
You never know, man.
And the whole thing is just numbers.
You just got to put a lot of numbers in.
A lot of numbers in front of the computer.
Numbers on stage.
It's just...
It's like this constant process of building a mountain one layer of paint at a time.
jelly roll
Yeah, just constant.
Time under pressure.
Me and my daughter, she writes songs.
She's already so much better than I was at 16. But she would come to me a couple years ago and she'd be like, hey, I want to put some of this stuff out.
I've been writing all this stuff.
And I was torn because I was like, well, you should have the right to put out whatever you want.
That's the freedom that exists.
But I know something you don't know.
That you just wrote your first 30 songs.
And they're incredible.
For your first 30 songs.
You know what I mean?
You go write a hundred.
And let's see if we can find five that are worth rewriting.
Reworking, refiguring out.
You know what I mean?
And I was cool.
It taught me a lot about her personality because she was like, I get it.
She got it immediately.
I wouldn't have got it at 15. You know what I mean?
She got it.
She was like, cool, no problem.
joe rogan
Well, she probably sees what you do.
And that's the beautiful thing about having an example, whether it's your peers or for her, your dad.
You get to see an example of how someone does a process.
Because if you're not around anybody that's trying to get good at something, you don't really know how to do it.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
That's one of the cool things about a conversation like this.
Because there's people out there that are listening that don't have anybody around them that's doing cool shit.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
And they think it's impossible.
And they hear about this dude that was in jail for half his fucking life.
And this other dude who's a cage fighting commentator and stand-up comedian.
These fucking guys, they're not normal either.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
Maybe I'm not normal.
Maybe there is something out there for me.
unidentified
Yes.
joe rogan
But I don't hear it from anybody in my neighborhood.
I don't hear it from my parents.
I don't hear it from my teachers.
I don't hear it from my boss.
jelly roll
Right.
joe rogan
And I'm fucking lost, you know?
And then they hear people talk about, like, the love of writing songs that you have, the passion you have for creating a thing, how you piece it, how you jump up and write down the premise.
You write down an idea for a lyric.
And then in their head, they're like, I can do that with something.
jelly roll
Yeah.
joe rogan
I can do that with something.
I just have to find a thing.
jelly roll
My daddy, I sat down with him at a bar called the Tin Roof on the Mummery Street one night, Joe, and I looked my dad in the eye and I said, I'm done.
I said, I've done everything I can.
I remember I was probably 29 years old, probably a decade ago.
And I said, Dad, I've been out of jail five years or four years, whatever.
I've done everything I can in this business.
You know how hard I've worked.
Do you think our brother Roger will give me a job on a meat truck?
Because my father sold meat.
So did my brother.
And He said, I know your brother will give you a job on a meat truck, but I want to give you some perspective.
I said, I'm open for a healthy dose of that.
He said, you've only been out here trying this as hard as you possibly can for five years, just five, four years, four and a five years.
I said, Dad, that's five years.
He said, if you went to Vanderbilt, you still wouldn't have your bachelor's degree.
unidentified
Joe.
joe rogan
It's true.
Right?
jelly roll
It's so true.
It covered me.
And he said, Jason, if you're working as hard as you really, as I know you are, if you're really writing every day, if you're doing shows every week, and I was opening up 50 bucks a night.
I mean, you know, my story is that old school, get in the van and go do a thousand shows for fucking gas money.
You know what I mean?
He was like, if you're really doing that, there's no way it's not going to work.
If you're really doing it, not you're faking it, not you're half-assing it, if you're really, this is all that matters to you.
If you were going to Vanderbilt right now and you did it for another five years, you'd finally be a brain surgeon.
He said, if I was you, I'd wait and see if I was a brain surgeon.
joe rogan
You know what I'm saying?
jelly roll
I swear, dude.
I'll never forget, and I'll never forget calling him crying the first time I moved into a neighborhood with a surgeon.
You know what I mean?
unidentified
Right.
jelly roll
You know, when you call him, like, you won't fucking believe.
I just met my neighbor.
Guess what he does?
What?
It's a fucking plastic surgeon.
unidentified
You know what I'm saying?
joe rogan
That's crazy.
jelly roll
Yeah, that old man knew something, though.
But he just knew that the law of work would never work against us.
You know what I mean?
joe rogan
Yeah, if you keep going.
That's the thing we were talking about before, about people bailing out.
jelly roll
Yeah, that's it.
joe rogan
It gets hard.
jelly roll
You just gotta sit, man.
You just gotta sit, man.
You just gotta sit.
joe rogan
You also gotta recognize when you're making the right moves or the wrong moves.
You know, with what you're doing.
And sometimes people don't want to course correct.
They don't want to course correct.
Then it could be a bad relationship.
Ooh, that one's tanked more guys than anything.
jelly roll
Yeah, I've seen it.
joe rogan
And gals.
jelly roll
I've seen it.
joe rogan
The bad relationship one, that'll tank you.
jelly roll
No, that'll do it.
joe rogan
Yeah, it'll become everything in your life is that thing, and then you have very little resources for your art.
unidentified
Yeah.
joe rogan
Because your life is just a storm.
It's just a storm of confusion and chaos and fucking emotions every day.
jelly roll
Yeah.
And then trying to block it out to make the art.
joe rogan
Exactly.
jelly roll
You know?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
If you can't allow it to be the muse for it.
For me, it was a little different because it became the muse.
The chaos that was happening around me just became—I had a moment where—and this is such a cool epiphany I had, Joe.
For the longest time, I thought I was special because I was from Antioch, Tennessee, and I grew up in a certain kind of way around certain kind of people, and that I was special because that was—I hung on to that like, I'm different.
And then I realized what was happening was I was just like everybody else.
That's what the superpower really was, is that every fucking neighborhood in America is like Antioch almost.
You know what I mean?
So it was like a totally different thing.
So I started realizing, oh, this is the muse.
I'm speaking for every man when I'm writing just the chaos that's happening around me right now.
This is the everyman story.
joe rogan
Isn't it crazy that everybody wants to be special?
But every special person wants to be an everyman?
Yeah, I like being an everyman.
That's what I like being.
jelly roll
Me too.
joe rogan
Yeah, but when you're a kid, you want to be different.
You want to pretend that you're different than other people because that'll make success more attainable.
jelly roll
Exactly.
joe rogan
You want to pretend that you have some special quality and ability that other people don't possess, so that's why you can get to this bizarre position that everybody wants, where everybody in our business wants to be successful and famous.
So you have to be bizarre.
And then once you get there, you're like, oh, shit, everybody's just the same.
Everybody's the same.
I got to make sure that I keep that.
Make sure that I keep we're all the same.
jelly roll
It was in my songwriting, I'm going to say 2015, 16-ish, I realized that I was trying to tell special stories.
And that God had put me in a situation.
He was screaming at me to tell a story of a group of people that had never had their story told.
But I was just going out of my way to try to come up with a special story.
You know what I mean?
And then when I started being like, you know what?
No, I'm just going to write about my neighbor who's struggling with drug addiction.
I'm just going to write a song about my baby mother because I'm infuriated that she left our daughter high and dry like this because of drugs.
You know what I mean?
I just started writing from that perspective.
unidentified
Yeah.
jelly roll
And then I realized that it was connecting with people because it was an everyman story.
You know what I mean?
I almost called this album Cinderella Man.
Right?
And I'll tell you why I didn't.
But I thought, I watched the movie and I was like, I had a moment in that movie where when he's walking, you've seen the movie, right?
Y'all have all seen the movie.
unidentified
Yeah, sure.
jelly roll
He's walking and for those who haven't, it's about an old boxer who in the depression had kind of Was on a losing streak, kind of long in the tooth.
James Prattock.
James Prattock.
They would call him a journeyman, is what we call him now.
He looked like he was never going to work out for him.
Couldn't get a job on a loading dock almost.
Family splitting bread.
One of the greatest movies ever.
Russell Crowe, right?
joe rogan
Yep.
jelly roll
And he comes out, and towards the end he ends up fighting this championship fight, and it's a crazy movie to watch.
But when he's running, he goes by the old dock, and they're all cheering for him.
And I relate to this because this happened to me.
And he didn't understand it.
So he looks at his manager.
You remember this scene?
This is the scene that I related to the most.
He looks at his manager and goes, why are they cheering for me?
He goes, because you're them.
I was like, I'm the fucking Cinderella Man.
That's why this worked for me at 40. You know what I mean?
But I ended up calling it Beautifully Broken because as I started really writing, because that was my idea going into the project, I'm going to write the Cinderella Man story.
And all I could think about was other people.
Every time I'd pick up a pen, I would think about this young lady at a show who told me that Save Me helped her because she was raped by her uncle.
So I'm like, what do I write for her?
unidentified
I see winning streak.
jelly roll
I watch this moment.
I gotta write that for him.
You know?
Now, I might write some of them from first perspective, but it changed everything.
And all of a sudden, I was like, this album ain't about me.
You know what I mean?
unidentified
Right.
jelly roll
This album's about finding beauty in broken things.
You know?
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
And instantly, it was like, once again, how God works.
As soon as I took me out of it, the album blossomed.
Immediately.
I wrote 80 songs that sucked.
Just couldn't find my way to what story I was trying to tell.
You know?
And just as soon as I was like, let's go back to where's the muse coming from?
Who am I writing for?
I say I'm the voice of the voiceless.
When I had the opportunity to go talk about fentanyl down at Capitol Hill, I didn't hesitate.
I knew I was going to talk for a bunch of people that couldn't talk.
You know what I mean?
It's like, who am I writing this for?
And dude, it changed that whole writing style, dog.
Then I got lost and wrote another 80. But now I'm having fun.
I got a direction.
I feel like I've heard from God.
I'm Moses.
You know what I'm saying?
The burning bushes spoke.
I know what I'm supposed to be writing about, you know?
It took me 16 months to get there, but that's just how it works.
joe rogan
Isn't that crazy what you're saying, too, about taking yourself out of it?
jelly roll
As soon as I took me out of it.
You know what I mean?
As soon as I took me out of it.
It was that easy.
It snapped that fast.
joe rogan
It's almost like a trap.
It's the You're So Vain song.
It's like a trap.
That trap of thinking about yourself.
You waste so much of your resources.
So much of your resources.
Thinking about how you want to come off.
How you want people to react to it.
How you want to get out there and kill it in front of everybody.
And you miss all the beautiful magic.
All the magic.
jelly roll
It's right there.
joe rogan
Yeah.
jelly roll
You know, and you're just missing...
You just get lost in the art.
joe rogan
And when you're at your best, you are them.
You are one of them.
You're like singing for them.
You know?
jelly roll
When I'm at my best, it's when I didn't know they were cheering.
I didn't know they were even cheering for me.
joe rogan
Right.
jelly roll
It's because I'm one of them.
You know what I mean?
It's kind of like the...
Yeah, it's that same kind...
Yeah, this album was...
The most fun I've ever had getting to an album.
I learned so much about myself.
joe rogan
I think that's one of the things that people really dislike about stars, like famous people, like people that you think of as stars, that they somehow or another think they're better than everybody else.
That's the thing that people dislike the most.
Like, oh, they think they're better than us.
They live in Beverly Hills.
They think they're better than us because they're a star.
You ain't better than us.
When someone can do what you do and stay the same person and stay them, just a better version of who you used to be, but stay normal.
jelly roll
Yeah, and actually getting better every day because I'm doing the work.
I'm trying to be better, you know what I mean?
I was telling the Titans when I went and talked to them at the game, I was like, I don't focus on winning anything but life.
I know that everything else is going to be good as long as I'm focused on being a good father.
Like, priority number one is like, am I a good husband?
What I've learned is if I'm winning as a husband and I'm winning as a father, I am fucking kicking ass in business.
joe rogan
Yeah, the last thing you want is those home dramas.
jelly roll
Yeah, you know.
joe rogan
You don't want no home drama.
jelly roll
No, it's crazy.
But it's also, that's something, we talk about things that distracted people.
I was in so many bad relationships early, or even times in my life I was single courting multiple women.
And that's such a distraction.
Like when I got with my wife and fell to the point of being like, I don't want to spend time with any woman but you.
The time I have to spend, I want to spend it with you.
And it's like my whole world suddenly went from feeling like it was this big to this big.
And when it got that small, I was like, oh man, this is it.
We're in a foxhole.
And then I just started kicking ass outside of that.
You know what I'm saying?
Life just starts winning and I'm like, oh dude, it's because I'm fucking winning at home.
joe rogan
It's also what you're saying too about your resources.
You have so much more to give and everything's positive.
A happy home life feeds off your happy business life and your happy performing life.
That's what we all want.
We all want a beautiful community of people that are enjoying life and experiencing life together.
Your family and your friends and the people you fuck around with.
You just want a beautiful community of people having a good time.
That's possible.
But it's hard.
And that's why it's so wonderful when you get it.
Because you know that there's a lot of people out there that are never going to get it.
jelly roll
Man, that's deep.
That's probably the hardest part.
It's a lot of work towards it, too, though, man.
A lot of work.
joe rogan
It's a lot of work on yourself.
jelly roll
Yeah, yeah.
Lots of work.
That's work in relationships, though, man.
joe rogan
Just think about the arc that you've gone through from being a kid, getting arrested as a kid, spending all that time in juvenile and jail, and then getting free, and then figuring out that you're talented, and then pursuing this crazy, impossible dream, you know, to where you are now.
It's nuts.
jelly roll
Sitting on the biggest podcast of the world, my bubba.
joe rogan
It's an amazing story.
I mean, it's amazing.
If it was in a movie, you'd have a hard time believing it.
That movie's nuts.
jelly roll
Nah, man.
Yeah, for sure.
I'm telling you, dude.
That little fat, nerdy alien that's playing me on the game every day is fucking killing it.
joe rogan
He's killing it.
My brother, I appreciate you very much.
jelly roll
Yeah, I love you.
joe rogan
I love you very much.
jelly roll
I gotta put Jamie on blast before we go, though.
joe rogan
Oh, that's right.
jelly roll
Jamie, we got a deal.
Me and Jamie had some cocktails one night.
Now look at Jamie.
And we had a deal that if I ever played Ohio Stadium, Joe Rogan, that Jamie was going to come out and play the guitar.
joe rogan
Jamie, you got any video of you playing guitar?
jelly roll
Yeah.
jamie vernon
Not recently, but yeah, I used to be in a band and played music on stage and stuff.
joe rogan
Sure.
jelly roll
He definitely knew.
joe rogan
I heard him talking.
Do you have any video of you playing guitar that we could sweat right now?
jamie vernon
No.
You wouldn't know it was me.
It's just a lot of heavy metal music.
jelly roll
Will you pull up a Buckeye Country Fest then so you can show everybody the flyer of the concert you're going to be playing next year?
joe rogan
Oh my God.
jelly roll
There it is, baby.
I'll see you there, Jamie.
joe rogan
Jamie, June 21st, 2025, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio.
Let's fucking go.
jelly roll
Yeah, fuck Jelly Roll.
Y'all come to see young Jamie play that guitar.
joe rogan
I love that Megan Maroney chick, too.
jelly roll
Listen, man, she's awesome, awesome, dude.
joe rogan
Yeah, my daughter turned me on to her.
jelly roll
Yeah, she is badass, man.
When she made her Opry debut, she wore a jelly roll jacket, and it tickled me so pink.
It made me like the cool dad for my daughter, because my daughter loves her, too.
joe rogan
That's amazing.
jelly roll
Really cool.
I love you, Joe, man.
joe rogan
I love you, too, brother.
jelly roll
Thank you for your time, brother.
Beautifully broken, available now.
joe rogan
Available now.
Go get it.
Bye, everybody.
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