Sean Hannity Show - Meet with Riley Gaines - December 14th, Hour 3

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Dec. 15, 2023 - Sean Hannity Show

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Meet with Riley Gaines - December 14th, Hour 3

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	This is an iHeart Podcast.
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	And I'm Carol Markowitz.
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	I'm Ben Ferguson.
	And I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
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	When I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi.
	Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked why.
	Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies.
	From Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries, this is Fiasco Benghazi.
	What difference at this point does it make?
	Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
	Well, we're coming to your city.
	Gonna play our guitars and sing you a country song.
	We'll all be fired.
	High than a jail on her.
	And if you want a little banging yin yang, come along.
	There's no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen.
	Thank you all for being here.
	I'm just gonna ask the press to step out so we can begin a briefing.
	Thank you.
	Thank you, thank you.
	Mr. President, it's more Mr. President, sure.
	Your son have defied the subpoena.
	Did you watch?
	Did you watch?
	I'm in Freedom is back in style.
	Welcome to the Revolution.
	Yeah, we have coming.
	To your centaur.
	Don't play our guitar and saying you a conscious song.
	Sean Hannity.
	New Sean Hannity Show.
	More behind the scenes information on breaking news and more bold inspired solutions for America.
	Stay right here for our final news roundup and information overload.
	Alright, news roundup information overload hour, toll-free.
	Our numbers 800 941 Sean.
	If you want to be a part of the program, let me play for you Katanji Brown Jackson telling Marcia Blackburn that she cannot give.
	Yeah.
	I can't.
	You can't?
	Not in this context.
	I'm not a biologist.
	The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can't give me...
	A definition.
	Senator, in my work as a judge, what I do is I address disputes.
	If there's a dispute about a definition, people make arguments and I look at the law and I decide.
	So I'm not.
	The fact that you can't give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about.
	Joining us now to discuss and debate, we have Riley Gaines is back with us.
	12-time All-American swimmer with five SEC titles.
	Was a successful, very successful swimmer at the University of Kentucky with ambitions to pursue a dental degree.
	That postgraduate ambition and her entire life changed when she was forced to share a locker room and compete against the biological man that was Leah Thomas.
	They actually had a tie in that race.
	A direct tie.
	But they decided to give the quote win to Leah Thomas.
	I can't believe it.
	Uh her story is unbelievable, but it's changed the the trajectory of her life.
	Uh she's been doing an amazing job.
	She's now with with Fox.
	She's a colleague of ours, and we're always honored to have her.
	Uh Riley, how are you?
	Good to talk to you again.
	Gosh, I'm great, Sean.
	Thank you so much for having me on.
	I was so embarrassed.
	We were at the Patriot Awards, and I turn around and I'm I didn't I don't think I had my glasses on.
	People don't know that I can't hear and I can't see.
	In all seriousness, and and I finally got a chance to meet you and tell you what a great job that you have done and what courage you have shown under tremendous fire.
	Uh and as a relatively young woman, the the courage you have shown is inspiring.
	And uh I'm you know, I'm sure your family is very proud of you.
	Um and your life has now taken on a whole new a whole new purpose as a result of this.
	Let's talk a little bit about your life.
	No, you're you're exactly right.
	Uh this is never something I felt prepared for.
	I mean, I would imagine it's a position no one would feel prepared for because who would have ever even imagined that we would be having this conversation.
	Uh I I really it's kind of funny to me.
	It's comical when I think about it because you know, you you gain credibility and notoriety in a platform with millions of followers for simply saying something so basic.
	Really something that that everyone knows.
	I mean, if you took fifth grade science or anything higher, you know.
	Um and it's that men and women are different.
	Uh and again, for simply saying that, um, you know, it it's it's pretty unfathomable to me that a 23-year-old recent graduate, uh, swimmer, college swimmer, has to go to DC, go to Capitol Hill, sit in front of Congress and explain to them that men and women are different, and then to sit on the other side of that and have them be confused by this explanation.
	Uh it it's it's pretty objectively funny.
	Well, let me let me tell you where I am on all this.
	And and by the way, you had I believe it was you that tweeted out or retweeted something about apparently men took the top two podium spots uh in the women's single speed category at the Illinois State, I I guess they call it a cyclocross championship.
	I don't know what they call it.
	I don't I'm not familiar with the sport, to be very honest with you.
	And anyway, so you had two biological men racing in and winning the top two podium spots, and I'm sorry, as uh as a father of of kids that were athletic, uh that just is fundamentally unfair.
	And I I I really look at your case as a great case in point.
	I don't think people understand what it took for you to become a twelve-time all-American swimmer.
	I don't think people understand what it means that you had five SEC titles.
	You started, I think he's told me once you started when you were four years old.
	Yeah, you're exactly right.
	Uh, and it's imp it's an important point to to bring up because I mean the amount of time, the dedication, the sacrifices that you have to make to to be willing to compete and ultimately be successful at the highest level.
	Uh, I mean, it's it's impossible to put into words.
	It is a lifelong journey.
	Speaking to even just the collegiate level.
	I mean, Sean, we were practicing six hours in the water every single day.
	Swimming upwards of 15,000 yards, 10 miles every single day.
	And there's no break.
	You know, you're there all summer, you're at school.
	You're there over Christmas break, you're there over Thanksgiving.
	You don't get to come home.
	We got one week off in August each year.
	But other than that, we were in the water six hours every day.
	Uh so the commitment.
	I mean, it's her.
	Well, well, from what age were you in the w water six hours a day?
	I mean, uh I'm in the water more than like twenty minutes, which I don't swim very often.
	I'm like a a prune after like twenty minutes.
	So that was during college.
	Uh, but even of course, before that, you know, you're training four hours a day.
	Uh, you're in a cold pool at five in the morning.
	Uh, you go to school, you come back, you're in a cold pool again, uh, from you know, whatever time that might be, four to six PM.
	You go home, you do your homework, you eat your dinner, ice your shoulder, go to bed, wake up, do it all again the next day.
	It's just, you know, I I'll actually quote Caitlin Jenner.
	Now, I've known Caitlin for many, many, many years, and uh I I remember when Caitlin did the interview with Diane Sawyer, I was talking about it the next day, and I was discussing how I knew Caitlin when Caitlin was Bruce Jenner and one of the greatest Olympian athletes of all time.
	And anyway, we had a long friendly discussion.
	We'd always had a very friend friendly relationship.
	We do we still do to this day.
	We just had a real conversation.
	I said, Caitlin, if I call you Bruce, you're gonna yell at me.
	And, you know, she started laughing.
	I mean with a sense of humor.
	Then tells me a story about the funniest moment with the interview with Diane Sawyer was, Sean, you're gonna love this.
	I said, what?
	He goes, guess what shocked Diane Sawyer the most?
	I said, this whole issue shocked her the most.
	I don't know what.
	No, when I told her I was a conservative Republican, I thought she was going to have a heart attack.
	Pretty funny story.
	But what what Caitlin says, now Caitlin happens to be a great golfer.
	She can drive the ball like 285, 90 yards.
	Amazing athlete.
	But she said it doesn't matter what the testosterone levels are at 18, 19 or at the collegiate level.
	I want to know what the test ro testosterone levels were at puberty.
	Because that's where the biological difference is so dramatic.
	And I thought that was a very interesting take and is very adamant and agrees with you completely that transgender, that people that are born biologically male should not be playing in women's sports.
	And is actually taking a lot of heat from quote the trans community for that.
	What is your reaction to that?
	Well I I'll just say Caitlin has been uh a phenomenal ally in this fight.
	You know, being someone like you said who of course is is one of the most incredible athletes of all time not even just of his generation I mean of all time and again understanding the struggle that comes with gender dysphoria yet still willing to think independently and go against the grain I'll say which actually I don't even think really goes against the grain because based off conversations I've had with people in the LGBTQ community.
	I mean for example yesterday I was sat next to on the plane a man who said his um son had transitioned to now becoming his daughter and he said even his son well now his daughter agrees that this is wrong.
	You know, being someone who is male now identifying as a woman said look you know my my now daughter just wants to live her best life but she can agree that allowing men into women's sports is fundamentally unfair.
	And that's the whole basis of the argument right we're often deemed and this is what I heard in Congress again last week testifying you know we're deemed transphobic or bigoted or hateful.
	But it's it's like look there's no hate in my heart.
	Of course I I believe you know I believe people with gender dysphoria exist and of course I want them to be able to live their lives without fear of discrimination but it cannot come at the expense of women having to give up their rights.
	Of course their rights to equal opportunity their rights to privacy and locker room setting uh their rights to safety we've seen a lot of injuries take place even as of now so I couldn't be more grateful really for Caitlin's voice.
	You know and and the thing is I I just like the intellectual honesty and the lack of a political agenda.
	All right quick break we'll come right back more with Riley Gaines on the other side then our buddy Ricky Medlock from Leonard Skinner is going to check in, put a smile on your face before Christmas and a little let's just say uh whiskey talk with with uh Ricky he's a great guy you'll love him coming up straight ahead continue now with Riley Gaines uh the the the thing is uh and I it doesn't mean that one sex is better than the other sex you know I would argue and I I'm not even sure how deep
	I want to go into this because I'm about to go on vacation and I don't want to really spend the next 10 days having to deal with crap from the left wing mob media of what I'm saying here.
	But I do believe that, you know, stating the obvious that there are big differences between men and women should not be controversial.
	And one of those differences happens to be now my producers are laughing because they're like, you know, you you want a peaceful vacation.
	I'm being honest I won't I don't want to deal with you know this left wing radical crap over vacation I can deal with it the rest of the year which I have to deal with almost every day but anyway I digress uh Riley I apologize but but the reality is is there are physical differences.
	It's just a fact.
	What Caitlin was stating is true.
	And men are physically generally generally I'm speaking physically stronger than women.
	That's just a biological fact.
	Now there are some very strong women that are much stronger than I am and I consider myself fairly athletic.
	I do mixed martial arts I train every day and you know I I I think for an old guy I'm doing okay.
	So but uh when you say that you know it makes liberals heads explode just by stating a a simple truth like that, generally speaking, men are physically stronger than women.
	And they and when you have tried to speak or out on college campuses and just give your views, you know, you've experienced, you know, all sorts of backlash, uh, including threats of violence against you.
	Yeah, no, you're exactly right.
	Uh, even recently my address got leaked, and I've had Oh great, you got doxxed.
	Yes, and it was actually a conservative who released my address.
	Um, but anyways, uh I've had people showing up at my house, I've had drones flying above my house, uh, as you said, especially on college campuses, which is seems to be a breeding ground for this vitriol, and I would say contempt for women.
	Um, I mean, I've been spit on, I've had glass bottles thrown at me, drinks poured on me, I've been punched by men who were wearing dresses, which fortunately for me, their punches don't hurt that bad.
	Uh, but I've been held for ransom.
	I mean, it it's you know, for Whoa whoa, whoa, you've been held for ransom?
	Yeah, yeah.
	And what happened tell them what happened.
	Well, I was there to deliver uh a speech, very I mean, of course, the same premise, same message of of what I'm here talking to you about, Sean, and um upon doing that, uh, I was met with protests, naturally, which is standard, you know, and that's their right.
	They have every right to protest me.
	Um, but after I was I had finished my speech, uh protesters rushed into the room and they turned off the lights to the room, uh, ambushed me at the front.
	Uh that's where I was ultimately punched and assaulted, and then they they locked me in a room for four hours, demanding that if I wanted to make it home to see my family safely again, I had to pay them money if I wanted to leave.
	What happened?
	Well, uh the police were present.
	They were in the room with me, but again, this was San Francisco, so they were also being held for ransom.
	Uh and you know I'm looking at Whoa, you're you're in a r locked room being held they're holding you hostage for ransom, and you have two police officers in the room with you, and they couldn't get enough help for four hours to get you out of that very dangerous, volatile situation.
	Are you kidding me?
	No, and really it was like six or eight or so officers in the room.
	And when I'm asking them, like, can't you do something?
	Uh they told me Well, were they armed?
	They were.
	Uh, but they said they weren't allowed to do anything or else they could lose their jobs because they're not allowed to be seen as anything other than an ally to that community.
	But keep in mind, this is the same community who on the other side of that door that basically became our prison for four hours.
	Uh this is the same community who are calling these officers racist pigs for protecting a white girl like me.
	Uh, and on and on again, hours of the most obscene things you could possibly yell at someone.
	They were being being yelled at us.
	I'm gonna give you just friendly advice.
	Um when I travel, and I know I'm gonna be in a situation that could erupt in something bad happening.
	Uh I bring the top uh martial artists from my dojo with me.
	And these guys, let me tell you something.
	I don't care if there's 20 of them and two of my guys, they win every time.
	And those are the people you might want to bring with you, you know, in the future, if the police can't help you.
	I mean, that that is insane to me.
	That is by definition insanity.
	Uh I do admire your courage.
	Uh, by the way, you recently got married.
	Congratulations.
	Uh I think I met your husband at the uh event.
	He was a great guy.
	You did, yes, absolutely.
	Uh he's a British guy who's now living down in the south, and and he sees how fortunate we are here in America to have the freedoms that we live, please be safe.
	Uh and uh we wish you all the best as you continue to, you know, fight hard on issues you passionately believe in, and I think you're fighting for all these uh female athletes, and I hope that you get the appreciation you deserve.
	We wish you all the best.
	Have a great Christmas, a great new year's, and all the best from all of us.
	Well, thank you, Sean, and I will see you soon, I'm sure.
	Okay, we appreciate it.
	Riley Gaines, 800 941 Sean is our number.
	You want to be a part of the program.
	Hey there, I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
	And I'm Carol Markowitz.
	We've been in political media for a long time.
	Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
	That's why we started Normally, a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
	We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
	We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
	So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass, you're our kind of people.
	Catch new episodes of Normally every Tuesday and Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
	I'm Ben Ferguson.
	And I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes, inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
	And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.
	We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.
	So down a verdict with Ted Cruz now, wherever you get your podcasts.
	What I told people I was making a podcast about Benghazi.
	Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why?
	Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies.
	It's almost a dirty word.
	One that connotes conspiracy theory.
	Will we ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre?
	Bad faith, political warfare, and frankly, bullshit.
	We kill the ambassador just to cover something up.
	You put two and two together.
	Was it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy?
	Benghazi is a rosetta stone for everything that's been going on for the last 20 years.
	I'm Leon Nafok from Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries.
	This is Fiasco Benghazi.
	What difference at this point does it make?
	Yeah, that's right.
	Locker up!
	Listen to Fiasco Benghazi on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
	Hey there, I'm Mary Catherine Hamm.
	And I'm Carol Markowitz.
	We've been in political media for a long time.
	Long enough to know that it's gotten, well, a little insane.
	That's why we started Normally, a podcast for people who are over the hysteria and just want clarity.
	We talk about the issues that actually matter to the country without panic, without yelling, and with a healthy dose of humor.
	We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we do take the truth seriously.
	So if you're into common sense, sanity, and some occasional sass.
	You're our kind of people.
	Catch new episodes of Normally every Tuesday and Thursday.
	On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
	I'm Ben Ferguson.
	And I'm Ted Cruz.
	Three times a week, we do our podcast, Verdic with Ted Cruz.
	Nationwide, we have millions of listeners.
	Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we break down the news and bring you behind the scenes inside the White House, inside the Senate, inside the United States Supreme Court.
	And we cover the stories that you're not getting anywhere else.
	We arm you with the facts to be able to know and advocate for the truth with your friends and family.
	So down a verdict with Ted Cruz now, wherever you get your podcasts.
	What I told people I was making a podcast about Benghazi.
	Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why?
	Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies.
	It's almost a dirty word.
	One that connotes conspiracy theory.
	Will we ever get the truth about the Benghazi massacre?
	Bad faith, political warfare, and frankly, bullshit.
	We kill the ambassador just to cover something up.
	You put two and two together.
	Was it an overblown distraction or a sinister conspiracy?
	Benghazi is a rosetta stone for everything that's been going on for the last 20 years.
	I'm Leon Nafok from Prologue Projects and Pushkin Industries.
	This is Fiasco Benghazi.
	What difference at this point does it make?
	Yeah, that's right.
	Locker up!
	Listen to Fiasco Benghazi on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
	Exposing the Pelosi Party's chaos and corruption all day, every day.
	This is the Sean Hannity show.
	All right, 25 to the top of the hour, 800, 941 Sean, our number.
	You want to be a part of the program.
	All right, Christmas is now upon us.
	It's a couple of weeks away.
	Time for gift giving and parties and friends and family.
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	You want to get compliments everywhere you go?
	You want to look years younger?
	Well, from now until Christmas, our friends at GenuSell.
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	Well, guess what?
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	I sure do.
	And let me tell you something.
	The compliments that I get, I can't wait to tell them that they can go to genusell.com and look just as good as we do over the holidays and every day of next year.
	And we're going to need it because 2024 is going to be a doozy.
	I just go to genyousell.com slash Sean S-E-A-N.
	And by putting my name in, you'll save an additional 10% off your entire order.
	And if you order today, you are instantly upgraded to Free Express Shipping.
	That's genu.com slash Sean.
	Alright, it's always a privilege, a pleasure, and a lot of fun to introduce my good friend from Leonard Skinnard, Ricky Medlock is with us here to talk about.
	Now I don't know.
	Everybody's kind of getting into the whiskey business.
	I must be missing out.
	Anyway, they have partnered with Bespoken Spirits, which is a visionary craft whiskey maker, recognized for their extraordinary achievements.
	They have a remarkable collection, over 150 medals with within a three-year span, which is amazing.
	And uh, as a matter of fact, to go along with it, they've got their whiskey rock and roll tune.
	Uh listen to the the great Ricky Medlock in action, doing what he does best, playing rock and roll.
	That's what I have.
	We're the whiskey and mass family.
	Uh uh.
	Sometimes I wonder, where would we go?
	No doubt, so take my way.
	Whiskey and rock and roll guitar solo Anyway, so they come out with their own brand.
	It's called Hellhouse.
	It's American Whiskey, American made, and one of the one of the greatest musicians of all time, one of the greatest bands of all time with an incredible story, life story, history.
	Our friend Ricky Medlock.
	It has been way too long, my friend.
	How are you?
	Wow, man.
	Way too long, Sean.
	How are you doing?
	I'm good, my friend.
	Uh uh, why didn't you call me?
	Say Hannity, I want you in the whiskey business with me.
	I'm I'm Irish.
	It would work perfectly.
	Hey, man, they came to us, and this whole idea came to us, and we said, sounds like a sounds like a good idea.
	Then we went about saying, Well, what do we call it?
	Well, we decided we paid enough news in Hell House when we used to write songs there and sweat our butts off.
	And uh came up with that, decided we'd call it Hellhouse.
	It's 90 proof, and it's a good whiskey.
	I'm telling you, a lot of people are loving it.
	And uh I tell I tell everybody go out, get a bottle of it.
	If you can't find it in uh your stores, one that you love to go to, get online, type in hellhousewhiske.com, and you can grab you a bottle.
	So I think was some of the most fun when we did our freedom concerts was hanging out with you guys.
	By the way, hanging out with the likes of you and John Rich or some you gotta be on your A game.
	You better be ready to go down deep into the night into the morning to hang with you guys.
	Uh and and you certainly know how to have a good time both on stage and off stage, and it is amazing how great, you know, Leonard Skinner has been.
	And uh after all the tragedy, all the difficulties, all the challenges that this that you have faced as a band over the years, and you never sounded any better than you do now.
	It's amazing.
	It's a great story of success and a passion that all of you share together.
	Uh, I'm proud to know all of you.
	Uh, how's things going?
	You guys still out on the road?
	Oh, yeah, everything is going good, Sean.
	Um, we had a great year, us along with Z Top, we uh aptly named it the Sharp Dress Simple Man tour.
	I love that.
	And it went out.
	I think we did probably somewhere around sixty, sixty-two shows last this this year.
	Tragically enough though, you know, we lost Gary Rossington.
	I know, I loved him.
	He was awesome.
	And uh that really really just hit all of us, especially uh of course the family, but Johnny and I it hit us really hard.
	Uh I haven't quite settled with it yet, but I'm getting there.
	And uh, you know what, man, his wishes was to keep the music alive, to keep it going.
	Uh Johnny and I spoke quite a few times on the phone.
	We didn't know should we do this, should we not do it?
	And then the outcry of the fans uh came into existence over, you know, Facebook and over, you know, emails and over all the platforms.
	Please don't let this be the end of it.
	And uh so we decided we got it all together.
	Uh we got a great guitar player by the name of Damon Johnson, uh, that that played has had his own band back in the nineties called Brother Kane, but he played with uh Finn Lizzy and Alice Cooper and a bunch of people like that.
	He's an Alabama boy.
	He stepped in, Gary gave him his blessings, and uh, you know what?
	We continued on and the band is firing on all cylinders right now.
	It sounds great, the show's great, and I urge everybody if you see the tour coming around this year, we start back at the very beginning of March.
	So if you see the tour coming around, we're in the arenas first of all, come see the band.
	It's great.
	Man, i it's it's one of the greatest shows you'll ever see and and the most fun uh you'll ever have hanging out with you guys and and the music endures forever.
	It really is an amazing, amazing story.
	I don't know what channel it was on, but they did a biography of the band and and obviously going back to to Ronnie Van Zant and the plane crash and and how the band regrouped and came back and and built back and built back better.
	Uh you know, sometimes they you think people in many ways that well you can never replace some of these people.
	You can't replace Gary, you can't replace Johnny.
	Um but I will tell you, um, you know, you guys have been able to do something that very few bands can do, and that is endure tragedy after tragedy and keep on kicking, man.
	And it's uh I admire all of you for it.
	I'm grateful for it because the music continues and you know what a fan of music I am.
	Yeah, and you know, we never forget, I mean, every night, you know, Johnny lost his oldest brother uh to the plane crash, you know, Ronnie perished, uh, as did you know several other members, Steve Gaines, his sister Cassie Gaines.
	And you know, Gary and and Alan were pretty busted up as well as a lot of the other members.
	But the ones that have gone before us, we never forget them.
	We have a beautiful uh tribute to the you play this during Freebird, the last time I saw it anyway.
	Well, we gotta we've got something else when people come to see us, we got a tribute up there that's unmatched right now.
	I mean, on the video wall, it takes you through a walk, walks you through history.
	And uh like I said, I urge everybody to come see this.
	Uh it's it's great.
	And as long as we can uh keep out there and keep playing that music, we're gonna be there.
	I mean, there's no doubt about it.
	Hey, I like to think about it.
	If the Rolling Stones can do it, we can do it.
	You know what I mean?
	I I have no idea how Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are even standing between us.
	I really don't.
	I you know what?
	It's pretty remarkable.
	I'm glad they are standing.
	I'm glad they're okay.
	I know they lost their drummer over uh uh recently, but you know, Keith Richards in b in particular.
	I mean, how that guy is still, you know, alive and well is a uh frankly a medical miracle, but um I'm glad he's still out there rocking and having a good time.
	One of these days I'll tell you my theory on Keith.
	I I I almost want you to tell me now, but I'm afraid that I might not be able to air it, but go ahead.
	No, I mean, well, you know, I I believe that years ago, uh maybe Keith, you know, passed on and you know whatever, and God forgot to tell him.
	And one of the God's going God's gonna went, wait a minute.
	I forgot to get Keith.
	I called him home a long time ago, but here he is.
	But even Mick Jagger, I mean, you know, with his, you know, uh twitchy moves on stage, the guy doesn't stop moving for an entire show.
	It's pr it's pretty pretty spectacular.
	They've always been one of our I mean, honestly, they've been one of my greatest and favorite bands ever.
	And uh, I love those guys, and I and listen, my admiration for those guys still getting out there and still doing this is just I I'm amazed, and my admiration for them is over the top.
	It really is.
	You know what's interesting because I mean, honestly, you come from a genre that we call, say, Southern Rock, and and that would be the Allman Brothers, that would be Charlie Daniels, that would be Marshall Tucker, that would be Leonard Skinnard.
	Um, and it's interesting the influence that the the blu that blues had on these stones, isn't it?
	I mean, uh very, very heavy influence.
	Oh, yeah, big time.
	You know, over in England, you know, the blues artists from over here could never really make a great living, but when they would go to England, they would do incredible because the blues was so well loved over in England and other parts of Europe.
	So if you look at the stones, look at Led Zeppelin.
	Led Zeppelin's another one that just loved the blues.
	Well, I was raised in a blues environment with my granddaddy Shorty, and uh that's where I was reared between the blues and bluegrass country, all that kind of stuff.
	And uh so was Ronnie.
	So was Gary was Alan, so was Johnny.
	I mean, um we were all raised in that kind of uh v environment, and that's where we got our roots from.
	I kind of got a kick out of when I saw Johnny in the early years before me, he didn't even have shoes on stage or crack me up.
	Look, let me I I I hate to do this, and you can actually push back and tell me to go pound sand, but um one of the things that that uh we always connected on to is your interest in in what's going on in the world and politics and the issues of the day, and you know, I'm just wondering where's your head at today, because I don't think things have been this screwed up my entire career.
	Well, to be honest with you, Sean, I'm so involved in getting this band back out on the road and doing my own life like, you know, I really don't want to get this one thing that I don't do anymore is discuss politics and religion because I find that I get into huge arguments and I don't even like going there.
	You know what I mean?
	You know, the one thing that it's interesting because I've always said politics should never be a part of sports.
	I mean, if you go for for example, I thought, you know, Colin Kaepernick set sports back a long way because he brought politics into it.
	And if you go to like a sporting event or you go to a concert, what what do you have?
	You have large crowds of people that have a shared passion, be it music or or a sport, maybe the sports football.
	And you know, you have people of all backgrounds, all races, all ages, they're there, they're they share the passion of the sport, they share the passion of the music, they share the passion of the team they like.
	You know, you're high-fiving strangers, you're buying beers for strangers.
	I mean, that's what my experience in the stands have been my entire life.
	And and then you add politics to it, then all of a sudden, now now you're dividing all these people and in moments when they can come together.
	When I go to a concert, I'm not thinking about politics at the concert.
	I'm I'm liking the music.
	Uh and if somebody comes up to me and you know, wants to engage me or hates my guts, I'm like, oh, I gotta deal with this crap now.
	I don't feel like dealing with this right now.
	Well, to be honest with you, we we see at a Leonard Skinner show, we see everybody from all walks of life.
	And they're having a great time.
	And I've always said that music is an incredible healer.
	It heals people, it takes them out of their blues, you forget your troubles, you forget everything for that time period, and boy, wouldn't it be great if you could pipe all that music around the world where it would heal people, it would just be incredible, you know?
	You know what's amazing, because I'm in T V and I'm in on radio, obviously, because we're on radio now.
	But you know, I've always said that the most powerful form of communication, one of them at least, is absolutely music, probably movies a close second.
	And I don't know, because you know, you can look out in the middle of a song, and that song, you know, you see somebody, you know, singing along with you, and tears are rolling down their cheeks because it's touching them in a way.
	Um, you know, the only people crying at a Sean Hannity show is you know, a liberal that hates my guts that wants to shoot me.
	Well, you know, it's not exactly the same.
	And anyway, let me give you let me give out the website again.
	It's uh hellhousewhiskey.com.
	Check out Leonard Skinner, they're back out on the road in March.
	Our friend Ricky Medlock.
	We uh miss you, my friend.
	It's been way too long.
	Look forward to catching up again uh soon, I hope.
	Batman and everybody, y'all come see us this year on the uh sharp dress simple man, too.
	All right, that's gonna wrap things up for today.
	Hannity tonight, nine Eastern on the Fox News channel, loaded up.
	Uh, we will check in with the very latest as it relates to the impeachment inquiry passed by Republicans yesterday.
	Uh, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, the Joe Biden bribery and money laundering scandal allegations, Greg Jarrett, Charlie Hurst, J uh Jason Chaffetz, uh, Tommy Larry, Clay Travis, Nikki Haley is on tonight.
	Will she accept Ron DeSantis' challenge?
	And our friend Jimmy Phaelow will put a smile on your face.
	All happening nine Eastern tonight on Fox A D V R. We'll see it tonight.
	I will not be back here tomorrow.
	This is my long Christmas vacation.
	Only if all hell breaks loose will I be back.
	I I am praying for peace on earth and goodwill towards men for a lot of reasons, but I really do want to thank you, this audience, for all you do for me all year.
	I can't do this job without your support.
	I thank you for that.
	I'm going to meet God and spend time and center myself and come up with the best strategy I possibly can that we can turn this country around in November of 2024.
	And I hope all of you will join us in this effort.
	Have a great Christmas, great holiday, great new year.
	God bless all of you, and thank you for making this show possible.
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