James Maslow: The Viral Photo People Still Believe. I Traced the Story (What I Learned) | DSH #1605

Summary

Digital Social Hour with James Maslow

Episode #1605 (Nov 3, 2025)
Title: James Maslow: The Viral Photo People Still Believe. I Traced the Story (What I Learned)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features a wide-ranging conversation between Sean Kelly and James Maslow—musician, actor, and member of Big Time Rush. The focus is on debunking viral misinformation about Israel, reflecting on Maslow’s career and personal growth, discussing the realities of the music industry, and exploring the intersection of public dialogue and personal experience in the age of social media. Throughout, Maslow shares candid insights about his evolving life, music, upcoming projects, and the impact of being an outspoken advocate on sensitive global issues.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tour Life, Personal Transformation, and Nashville

• Touring Intensity and Fitness

  • James is on the last show of his US tour, transitioning soon to the European leg. Describes performing in strenuous conditions and maintaining peak physical condition ([01:02]-[02:44]).
  • “Instead of getting worse as I get older, I'm trying to get better.” — James Maslow ([01:40])

• Moving to Nashville & Personal Evolution

  • Discusses building a new life with his fiancée, Caitlin, and the decision to settle in Nashville ([04:29]-[06:45]).
  • “It almost feels like a new book, to be honest… It’s just so fun to start integrating our lives a little bit more.” — James Maslow ([04:36]-[05:44])

• Working with Caitlin

  • Partnership dynamics: vlogging, starting a supplement company, and dividing creative/business responsibilities ([05:11]-[06:45]).
  • “She has to pick up the slack... She does the majority of it. I’ll come in and be there, ideation, finance it. That’s our partnership. And it’s working extremely well.” ([06:17])

2. Music, Artistic Authenticity, and Solo Work

• Artistic Inspiration from Nashville

  • Discusses how Nashville has re-energized his songwriting, emphasizing musicality and craft ([09:10]-[10:32]).
  • “It has re-inspired me as an artist. In fact, it has forced me to become a better musician because I’m surrounded by the best in the world, bar none.” ([09:10])

• New Releases

  • Explains the story behind his single "Eyes," a tribute to Caitlin, and why it remained a solo track ([09:10]-[10:45]).
  • Upcoming single “On My Mind” featuring Israeli artists, with lyrics in English and Hebrew ([12:18]-[13:11]).
  • “I wanted it to feel more like world music, more global. We have two incredible Israeli artists on it.” ([12:21])

• International Touring

  • Talks about the band's international reach, upcoming shows in Mexico, Australia, Dubai, Hawaii ([14:39]-[15:13]).

• Nostalgia and the Legacy of Big Time Rush

  • Fans’ emotional connection to music and TV show influences tour production ([15:32]-[16:08]).
  • “With us, whether it’s the TV show or the music or both, a lot of our fans feel that way.” ([15:34])

3. Behind the Scenes: The Business of Music

• Touring Economics

  • Reveals how artist earnings get whittled down by overhead, commissions, and taxes ([22:41]-[23:52]).
  • “If you take home 30 to 40% of your guarantees, you’re doing extremely well. Most artists don’t do that.” ([23:32])

• Merch & Revenue Model Shifts

  • Merch margins are slim; touring is now the primary income stream, a reversal from the album-driven model of the past ([24:33]-[25:54]).
  • “You make albums so you can go on tour. Touring is really the only way that most artists make money.” ([25:54])

• Transitioning in the Streaming Era

  • Discusses how streaming and radio haven't been central to the band but are targets for future solo projects ([26:06]-[26:55]).

• Investment & Financial Philosophy

  • James sees himself as his biggest asset; emphasizes long-term, passive investments in real estate and index funds, not risky ventures ([20:01]-[21:57]).
  • “I have zero interest [in day trading] because to me that’s too much like gambling and I don’t like gambling. You know why? My whole career is a gamble.” ([21:46])

4. Public Advocacy, Social Media, and Israel-Palestine

• Advocacy and Misinformation

  • Discusses social media activism, negative backlash, and his intent to foster understanding based on direct experience ([27:58]-[29:39]).
  • “My intention… is nothing but bringing people together. It’s nothing but spreading awareness from a perspective that I don’t think a lot of people have.” ([28:35])

• Viral Photo and Propaganda

  • Breaks down how a misleading image of a starving child in Gaza (promoted by major media, later debunked) shaped global perceptions ([32:31]-[33:37]).
  • “If 400 million people saw the original headline… how many saw the retraction? … People would, to this day, still use that photo as reference for why I’m wrong.” ([32:53])

• Nuanced View of Israeli Society

  • Debunks the “apartheid” narrative by sharing firsthand demographic and social details; stresses coexistence among diverse Israeli citizens ([36:07]-[37:44]).
  • “20% of Israel is Arab Muslims… They have the same rights as everyone else.” ([36:36])
  • Details on gay rights in Tel Aviv, contrasting with neighboring countries ([38:38]-[39:09]).
  • “It’s the only country where you can legally be gay. It’s actually one of the gay capitals of the world, Tel Aviv.” ([38:48])

• The Human Side of Public Criticism

  • Reflects on targeted anti-Semitism, his mixed feelings about losing fans, and the social dynamic of digital hate ([43:33]-[44:25]).
  • “The ones that bum me out are ones that…now they're saying that they're so disappointed and don't want to come because of this, that does bum me out because I'm trying to do right, right? …But you know what? Again, can't please everyone.” ([43:38]-[44:39])

5. Notable Moments & Quotes

• On Debating Online Narratives

  • “I'd love to set up a cordial debate with you. No yelling allowed.” — Sean Kelly ([35:40])
  • “Absolutely.” — James Maslow ([35:44])

• On Fact Checking

  • Story about a friend reacting to a headline without watching the actual video, underscoring cognitive bias and headline-driven culture ([31:30]-[32:19]).

• On Israel Delivering Aid

  • “Name me another war where the country who was attacked is providing such large, if any, aid to their attackers.” ([42:42])

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Memorable Quotes (w/Timestamps & Attribution)

• “Instead of getting worse as I get older, I'm trying to get better.”
  — James Maslow ([01:40])

• “It almost feels like a new book, to be honest. I'm very excited about that… So it feels like almost like a whole new book, and I'm very excited.”
  — James Maslow ([04:36]-[04:54])

• “It has re-inspired me as an artist. In fact, it has forced me to become a better musician because I’m surrounded by the best in the world, bar none.”
  — James Maslow ([09:10])

• “I want to be a spokesperson for peace and I want to be a spokesperson against this anti Semitism that just seems like the easy scapegoat for any of this. But like, guys, use your brain. Don't just take the easy route and blame the Jews, which people have done for 4,000 years, because it's not the Jews. … It should be the world against terrorism. That is it.”
  — James Maslow ([43:07])

• “You make albums so you can go on tour. Touring is really the only way that most artists make money.”
  — James Maslow ([25:54])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Debunking Apartheid Narrative: [00:00]-[01:02], [36:07]-[37:44]
• Touring, Fitness, and New Life in Nashville: [01:02]-[06:45]
• Partnership and Starting Businesses with Fiancée: [05:08]-[06:45]
• Songwriting and Nashville Influence: [09:10]-[10:45]
• Big Time Rush Legacy and International Touring: [14:39]-[15:13]
• Music Industry Economics & Merch: [22:41]-[25:54]
• Investment Strategy: [20:01]-[21:57]
• Social Media Advocacy, Fact Checking, and Misinformation: [27:58]-[33:37]
• Details of Anti-Semitic Backlash: [43:33]-[44:39]
• Israel-Palestine, Propaganda, Personal Experience: [32:31]-[37:44], [38:38]-[40:33]
• Call for Open, Respectful Dialogue: [35:40]-[36:04]
• Closing Plugs and New Music: [44:46]-[45:10]

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Final Thoughts

This episode weaves together James Maslow’s personal evolution, nuanced advocacy, and industry experience into a candid, unscripted discussion. Maslow interlaces stories of his journey from child star to seasoned performer, his entrepreneurial and financial philosophies, and his drive for fact-based, empathetic public dialogue—especially surrounding Israel and social media misinformation. The result is a dynamic portrait of an artist navigating fame, activism, and the complexity of public discourse in 2025.

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Plugs:

• “Eyes” — new single out now; music video features Caitlin ([44:46])
• Upcoming: “On My Mind” w/ Shahar Sa & Maya Dadon (Hebrew/English, releasing Oct 3rd)
• Vlog: Adventures with James and Caitlin on YouTube ([05:11], [45:05])

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For fans or new listeners, this episode delivers both a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry and a thoughtful lens on activism in the digital age, all in James’s forthright, positive, and energetic style.

Transcript

[James Maslow]

A lot of these issues, they'd be debunked where you just to take a trip to Israel. It's very easy. Let's use, you know, apartheid. Probably see that a lot. It's probably pretty convincing. You know, people have spoken about this like there's a clear apartheid with 20% of Israel is Arab Muslims. 20%. They have the same rights as everyone else. They are in parliament, in government, they are doctors, they are attorneys. They have the same voting rights. So you go there, you'll see Arab Muslims in the IDF protecting Jews, their neighbors. They just live together now. They have differences like any human being and any neighbor does. Right. But it's cordial and it's beautiful. There are Christians that live there. There are Druze that live there.

[Podcast Host]

Okay, guys, got James back on the show. He's in Vegas with me this time. He's on tour.

[James Maslow]

Yeah. That I'd come see you this time.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I know you're busy, man. You're. You're three months in the tour already, right?

[James Maslow]

Yeah, it's been with rehearsals, been about three months. And today is the last day of school, as we're putting it, for a little while. It's the last show on the US Run. We take a little break and then we go Europe and beyond.

[Podcast Host]

So this is the final US Final push.

[James Maslow]

Yeah. One more show tonight. Planet Hollywood. So I'm very excited about that. Very excited about the ac. Played a lot of amphitheaters this summer, which is a lot of fun. But, you know, sometimes you're hitting the stage. Phoenix, Arizona, 100 plus degrees, even at 9pm when you go on. So tonight will be a treat. Plus the last one's always a big hurrah.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. Yeah, you gotta be in good shape. We were talking before this. You lost 30 pounds since I last saw you.

[James Maslow]

Yeah, about 20 of those were intentional. 20, 25. I put on size with nutritionist. Trying to learn, you know, I just want to learn. I want to keep getting better at everything. And the whole goal was also to bulletproof my body. For this tour, we do two hours of dancing. I still throw flips here. And again, it's very active.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

And instead of getting worse as I get older, I'm trying to get better. So I put on that size to try and retain some muscle. And I've kept about 10 pounds of muscle, but two hours of cardio five nights a week. Three months in, I'm down to about 175. And I want to go up to about 185 for my maintenance weight.

[Podcast Host]

But, yeah, I don't think people realize how tiring it is on stage. I just saw Backstreet Boys at the Sphere, and they were sweating by the second song.

[James Maslow]

Oh, yeah. It's just. Look, part of it is the physicality, right? You are dancing and running around. But also part of it is just the intention and the focus.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[James Maslow]

You know, they. They're such good performers. They care about everything. They're doing every song. Plus, you're watching my case. Three. Three guys, in their case, four other guys. And you're doing so much of this stuff in coordination, you know, in sync. Not to throw that one in there, but that's where the name comes from, and for good reason. So, yeah, it's a lot of fun, a lot of energy. But you know what? We do? Get it reciprocated from the audience. I got to say, even on the nights when you're tired, when you have X amount of thousands of fans so happy to see you screaming and yelling and singing your songs, it does make it easier.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. You could feed off their energy, right?

[James Maslow]

100%.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I'm a believer in that. Was Backstreet someone you looked up to growing up when you were first starting in music?

[James Maslow]

No, to be honest, I never. I mean, I knew of him, and I respect them. I respect him more now, you know, as I've, what, 17 years now, been in a boy band. But it wasn't something like, I like a genre I really listen to. I mean, I grew up listening to Sublime and the Offspring and Jack Johnson and, like, just totally different music.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I love Sublime, by the way. Me too. I think they're back, right? Son is performing it now.

[James Maslow]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

In Vegas. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I gotta check that show.

[James Maslow]

I actually got to see Sublime with Rome in Vegas. Long time ago. One of the first times we played Vegas, we were playing a show, I want to say, at the Palms, because they have that outdoor, like, pool stage, and they were playing at the pool stage. So I remember getting off stage, running over to their stage to catch the end of their set, and that was super sick.

[Podcast Host]

That was when the Palms was cracking, too.

[James Maslow]

Oh, yeah.

[Podcast Host]

I used to be the number one spot in Vegas. I heard.

[James Maslow]

I can see why we were staying in. That's the place with the hardwood suites, right?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. The basketball court, we were put up.

[James Maslow]

We had there. We had the Playboy suites.

[Podcast Host]

Damn.

[James Maslow]

I stayed in one of those. There's actually a pool in the suite that goes from inside to outside. It's a glass pool. It is freaky but it's awesome.

[Podcast Host]

That's crazy. So you love Vegas, performing out here?

[James Maslow]

I wouldn't say I love Vegas in the sense that, like, I don't gamble. I really don't drink and party almost at all anymore at this point in my life, but I do love Vegas for what it is. I mean, this is a random piece of desert that has been turned into this metropolis, this ridiculous playground. So I am impressed. Every time I come here. The food's amazing, the shows are amazing, the architecture is amazing. So I have a lot of love for it. But I was telling you, I lived in Summerlin for a couple of years, and I'm glad I did it. I had fun, but it's not where I should be full time.

[Podcast Host]

Nashville is where you should be, 100%. And now you're engaged. Congrats, by the way.

[James Maslow]

Thank you, man.

[Podcast Host]

Starting a new chapter of your life. Right.

[James Maslow]

It almost feels like a new book, to be honest. I'm very excited about that. You know, I've had an amazing life, an amazing career, and I have so much more life to live and so much more career to build. But doing it with her now, we've just built a house together where, you know, we want to get married in about a year and start a family, God willing.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[James Maslow]

So it feels like almost like a whole new book, and I'm very excited. She flew home four or five days ago, so I'm a little jealous because she's just relaxing, sleeping in our bed, hanging out with the dogs in the backyard. But I'll be on the first flight out tomorrow, and I get to see her.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. And you're vlogging with her. You've been traveling a lot with her, vlogging.

[James Maslow]

Yeah, we have. We started a YouTube Adventures with James and Caitlin. And truly, it's been a lot of fun. I hadn't really touched YouTube in a long time, and she mentioned that something she wants to do. And I think it's really cool to show just a different side of my life, a much more authentic and, to some degree, vulnerable side of, like, how we live life and get along. And we're building a supplement company together. We're going to start posting a lot more about. She's an amazing health coach, and there's actually a lot of crossover we're gonna be doing. She does events. She's got an event coming up, I think, October 11th in Nashville.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[James Maslow]

And we're gonna have hopefully our supplement there if it's ready in time. Regardless, I'll be there. And so it's just so fun to start integrating our lives a little bit more and more often, because then we get to see each other more. Yeah, we work pretty darn well together. Having said that, it's also been nice having a few days off with her on tour.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. It's always interesting trying to bring the personal life into business. Right?

[James Maslow]

Yeah. But, you know, we've been together for almost seven years now, and I think we've just set the stage to understand, like, this is going to work, because she knows how I operate.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

And I was very clear about, hey, you want to do this, we can do it together. But here's what I'm going to do, and here's what I need you to do. And a lot of it, like the YouTube, she has to pick up the slack on. She has to be coming up with the creatives. She has to be doing the shot lists. She does the majority of it. And I'll come in and be there, be ready to go help with ideation, you know, finance it. But that's kind of our partnership on that. And it's working extremely well. She's a smart girl and she understands the assignment. She's doing it. I'm so proud of her. So it's cool to say that it's all working.

[Podcast Host]

Really well done. Well done. So the first, like, 5ish years, where you keeping the business separate from the personal stuff?

[James Maslow]

Well, it wasn't even that I was intentionally keeping it separate, but she came into my world much more than I came into hers. Right. She moved in with me, my house in Venice, my career started. I'm almost five years older, and I started younger than she started in life. I started paying bills when I was 16, 17 years old. And so I was just many years ahead of her in terms of established and career and what I do. So she very much came into my world. And what I like about being in Nashville is Vegas was my choice. She lived in my house in la. Vegas was my choice. She didn't like it, so I said, where do you want to go? She said, Miami. So that became more of her choice. I had fun there, but it wasn't right. But I say all that to say that Nashville was our choice. So that was really like, hey, we've proved we work well together, we are aligned, we keep growing in the same direction. And so now it wasn't like we were keeping the business separate, but it just was separate worlds. And now we're combining our worlds.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

And that's really exciting.

[Podcast Host]

That's Beautiful. Yeah. You don't strike me as a Miami guy at all.

[James Maslow]

You know, look, I like to visit, but I wouldn't even say Miami so much anymore. I just like to go to a beach, you know, and I love being out in the water in a boat. And you can do that in so many places. But Miami, I also am just in awe in. It really is like the Vegas of the east coast in many ways. I mean, it's on. On the water. You have so much to do. Some of the best food in the world again. Otherwise, swear the food in Miami is the most expensive of anywhere in the world. I'm going to say it straight up, hard stop.

[Podcast Host]

I might agree with. It's. You're dropping hundreds every meal.

[James Maslow]

Every meal. I'll go out with, like, just another couple when I was going there and not even drink. And it'd be 600 bucks, 700 bucks. Like, that's. That's absurd.

[Podcast Host]

Crazy.

[James Maslow]

Crazy At a regular restaurant.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. That is nuts.

[James Maslow]

If you were to think we're being bougie. We're not. Like, that's like just, you know, ordering a steak and an appetizer and like having a nice meal. But that should cost like 250.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

300 at a nice restaurant elsewhere.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Vegas Strip ain't much better, but if you're a local, you kind of eat off strip, you know?

[James Maslow]

And that's the cool part about Vegas. When I was living here in Summerlin, man, there's some of the best food ever because the Vegas chefs have their own restaurants.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[James Maslow]

But you get it off the strip, you get a better environment. You don't have people like smoking and gambling right next to you while you're eating. And it's like at least half the price.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. 100%. Congrats on the new single, by the way. Eyes. What was the story behind that, that release and what's the song about?

[James Maslow]

I'm very excited. You know, again, part of moving to Nashville is I've been writing more music than I ever have in my life, and it has re inspired me as an artist. In fact, it has forced me to become a better musician because I'm surrounded by the best in the world, bar none. There's great musicians everywhere, but there's something about Nashville where there is just an emphasis on understanding the number system or playing an instrument, musicality. The song has to sound good on a guitar or piano before you even go into production. And it's just become fun for me again, you know, it's been like a year and a half now. So while of course, I still write for Big Time Rush, we've only released one song in the last year and we are gonna work on a new album. We're gonna have more music. But if you're writing like I am three times a week on average, there's a lot more story there, a lot more music. And so I'm so excited to be doing my own music and I'm gonna keep putting out my own music, hopefully in parallel with the band. And Eyes felt like the most authentic to me in a lot of ways. First off, it is about Caitlin. So if I were to have given Eyes to the band, it would no longer be about Caitlin. Right? Because you got people singing about whoever they're thinking about, and I didn't want to change that. I wanted to keep it wholesome and original. And it's also in a manner in which I enjoy singing. So it's. It's a good first song and I have a bunch more coming out, but I'm real excited about it. We have the music video coming out this Friday.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[James Maslow]

It's beautiful. It's just me and a baby grand at a really cool theater in Detroit. And one of my favorite film directors who directed my movie Wolfhound came and shot that for us and Caitlin is in it. So it's just fun, man. I'm having so much fun with music.

[Podcast Host]

That's beautiful, man. I'm a fan of the simple music videos. I know you could get crazy with the editing and stuff, but I like the simplistic videos these days. Shout out to today's sponsor Quints out. As the weather cools, I'm swapping in the pieces that actually gets the job done, that are warm, durable, and built to last. Quinn's delivers every time with wardrobe staples that'll carry you through the season. They have fall staples that you'll actually want to wear, like the 100% Mongolian cashmere for just $60. They also got classic fit denim and real leather and wool outerwear that looks sharp and holds up by partnering directly with ethical factories and top artisans. Quince cuts out the middleman still too deliver premium quality at half the cost of similar brands. They've really become a go to across the board. You guys know how I love linen and how I've talked about it on previous episodes. I picked up some linen pants and they feel incredible. The quality is definitely noticeable compared to other brands. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Go to quince.comdsh for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. They're also available in Canada, too.

[James Maslow]

I think you'll like it. I mean, it's literally me playing the song and singing, me standing at a mic and singing, then essentially her coming in and being the only audience member. And conceptually, that may even sound boring, but what we shot it on was like a complete film crane. You know, it brought in half a million dollars worth of glass because Michael B. Chait, the director, is just, you know, pulled some favors. He likes doing movies, and so he made it look cinematic. That's, again, one of my things I get to do with my own personal music, my own personal career, is combine the two worlds that I love most, which is the cinematic world, acting and film. Film and then music. So it's. It's a taste of what's to come.

[Podcast Host]

I love it, man. You're also doing some music in Hebrew now, too. I saw, right?

[James Maslow]

I'm not speaking Hebrew. I did learn to read and write in Hebrew school, but Temple Beth Israel didn't teach me to speak it. And I feel like I spent enough time there. I probably should understand more than I do, but I think that's pretty common in the States. But my next single out is. It's called On My Mind, and it's a bit of a departure from my sound because I wanted it to feel more like world music, more global. And we have two incredible Israeli artists on it. Nice. So Shahar Sa is a rapper who, just, like, he's huge over there, but he's known for his deep voice. It's what he did on the song is so cool and just couldn't be nicer. And then we have a pop star named Maya Dadon who's on it, and she's singing in Hebrew, so it's really cool. It's mostly in English. I sing in English. The chorus, they sing with me in English, and then they're rapping and singing in Hebrew.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[James Maslow]

It's rad. I hope people really enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

[Podcast Host]

I can't wait to hear that one. Have you ever performed in Israel?

[James Maslow]

No, not yet.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[James Maslow]

So I hate to dangle carrots, especially to the Israeli fans that might listen to this. We are playing Dubai as the last show on this tour in March, and I've asked my team, I'm like, guys, we're three hours away. Is there any way we can play Israel? So I think there's a possibility, but understandably, it's hard for a lot of Artists to go over there until other artists do it. Artists don't want to do it.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[James Maslow]

There is still a war going on. So I have to understand, even though I've been many times, I know it's safe. There are a lot of local artists, Middle Eastern artists performing right now and thousands of fans and people. So I know we could do it. But if for whatever reason the band can't go, I will go and play solo music there for sure.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. It's not important to you 100%.

[James Maslow]

Plus, it's just a great market. It's fun.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

Why wouldn't I? The same way I'd love to go back and play in Dubai and the uae. And I don't discriminate as to where I will go. Anywhere that's excited about my music that is okay with me going and wants me to go, I will go and play music.

[Podcast Host]

It's so awesome that you have an international audience like that. Like, it's almost unreal to think about. Right?

[James Maslow]

Very loud. That's a testament to how big the TV show was. It was in over a hundred countries and that was very much the catalyst for the band. So very, very grateful that there are people that know who Big Time Rush is, know who James Maslow is all over the world.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

And now our job is to put on a damn good show every night, as will be my job with my own solo music, to put out great music and perform extremely well each night so that people come maybe because they know, but then see something that they want to come back and see again.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, next year I saw you just release the international schedule. Mexico, Australia, Dubai. Like you said, it's. It's impressive.

[James Maslow]

Hawaii. I'm excited. We're going to play Honolulu.

[Podcast Host]

That's sick.

[James Maslow]

Yeah, it's really, really cool. We're gonna be playing a lot of places. I know there's a lot of international fans who are grateful we finally released and I'm sorry it's taken so long. And you know what? There might even be more shows we add. Nice.

[Podcast Host]

Oh, this is the first international tour for you guys.

[James Maslow]

Not the first international, but we had been talking about adding shows on this tour for a while.

[Podcast Host]

Got it.

[James Maslow]

And again, I hate dangling carrots, but I think we're gonna add even more than we've released for the In Real Life tour. It's gonna go on a little more.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. So, man, you're gonna be on the road for. For a long time.

[James Maslow]

What a blessing, though. You know, you sign up as to be an Artist, musician, whatever it is, with the dream of getting to do what we're doing.

[Podcast Host]

Right. Yeah, it's really cool to see all the nostalgic childhood bands I grew up with, like reliving their. Their come up. Almost like the Jonas Brothers. They're on a huge tour right now.

[James Maslow]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

You guys, it's. It's awesome, man.

[James Maslow]

Yeah. I think a lot of people, you know, they. They relate music. I relate music to moments in my life. And oftentimes my favorite songs are because they were associated with my favorite moments. And with us, whether it's the TV show or the music or both, a lot of our fans feel that way. So this tour in particular, we're giving them more of that than we ever have. We're actually combining elements of the TV show from our openers, Stephen Kramer Glickman, who played Gustavo, and Caitlin Tarver who played Joe, to having video content in the show that actually is like pseudo going back into character. So fans have been asking for it for years, and we are finally delivering on this tour.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. What are the odds the show makes a comeback? The TV show, very low.

[James Maslow]

But a movie is in consideration.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[James Maslow]

It's so funny. I gave one interview with a random. I think it was a Cincinnati interviewer. And we've all spoken about the fact that we're working on a movie, that we have a script. We've gone down the line and we're hoping to make one multiple times. And for whatever reason, the one interview that I gave went viral and everybody picked up that big time Rush is making a movie. And that's great. I mean, it's free press, but it's in the world of film and tv. You can't guarantee anything unless, you know, we were to put up the 15 or 20 million dollars it would take to make the movie, which doesn't make sense for us. It's not our business.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[James Maslow]

There's no way to guarantee it's getting made. Having said that, we are working on it. We hope to make it. We've spent years at this point developing it. So I will say that our show in Intuit Dome the other night, we did have some buyers from some big places come and watch the show. So hopefully that help move the needle a little bit and maybe it's something we could film next year.

[Podcast Host]

Wow, I didn't know. Is that much to make a movie? 15 to 20 million.

[James Maslow]

You can make a movie for 2 million bucks. You can make a movie. 400 million bucks. Depends what you're trying to make. I think Mission Impossible. The reason was, like, 400 million, like, crazy. The avatars think it was over $1 billion. Over three movies or something. And then independent movies. I mean, there are people that still make movies for half a million or even less, but, you know, we would be somewhere. I'm just kind of guesstimating in that 20 million range based on the effects we want, based on the locations, based on the scale that is necessary to deliver the product that we need.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

You know, they knew the TV show. The TV show costs X amount of money we need to deliver a movie that is competitive with other movies in. In that space. So, yeah, it ain't cheap. It takes hundreds of people to greenlight something and make something. It really takes an army.

[Podcast Host]

That makes sense. I was scrolling on your Twitter. Did you go to the Poconos recently?

[James Maslow]

We did. We had a day off in the Poconos. It was beautiful. I've never been.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I just went there for a wedding last month.

[James Maslow]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful, gorgeous. Yeah, the food was good, too.

[James Maslow]

We stayed at this place called Skytop.

[Podcast Host]

Skytop.

[James Maslow]

And no promo here other than it was a amazing resort. Like, I would straight up go back. They have, like, skeet shooting and fishing and, like, anything you can imagine they have at this place. And the food was delicious. We stayed in, like, a little individual cabin on the property.

[Podcast Host]

Nice.

[James Maslow]

Was so cool.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. Shout out to the Poconos, man. It's underrated, for sure, cuz I don't see many people talk about it.

[James Maslow]

I mean, maybe you live in the Northeast, right? I'd imagine it's closer. It might be more popular, but. Yeah, I kind of feel the same way about, like, even aspects of Nashville. I don't want to talk about it because I don't want people to come. I think that's what's up with the Pocono, how good it is.

[Podcast Host]

I think people are catching on in Nashville, though. The real estate seems to be going up over there.

[James Maslow]

It's nuts. I'm. I'm putting more money into real estate there in just a year and a half. I've done well already. It's been nice. You know, you got to be careful with emerging markets. Like, real estate's a big part of my portfolio.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

Not to overspend and kind of hit that bubble and then be stuck with something that you overpaid for. And there's been a little bit of that already in new construction. I've seen that with other builders. But look, it's a fantastic place to live because you have everything you could possibly want in a major city, right. Amazing food, some of the best music in the world. You have nightlife, you've got golf. Like it just, I don't think of something and it has it. But then within 15 minutes of downtown, you're in the country, you're in nature and it's peaceful and you have land. You go another 15, 20 minutes like you're straight up. You know, you can be 10, 20 acres. You're not breaking the bank.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

So it's, it's. I don't know of another place in the States or even the world that is comparable in that regard. And that's why I love it because I live about 20 minutes outside of downtown and we have space.

[Podcast Host]

I love it. Yeah, I know there's a business side to you that people watching might not even know you have, but it's, it's very impressive you surround yourself with the right people, man.

[James Maslow]

I try, dude. I just try and ask more questions than have answers these days, frankly.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

Believe it or not.

[Podcast Host]

Well, a lot of people are, are good at making money. You're great at making money. But investing is a whole another strategy, right?

[James Maslow]

Yeah, I mean that's, that's, it's certainly a way to make money long term, right? Like just having a job and making a paycheck or whatever it is that you do to make your money. Believe it or not, at our age, I believe is our biggest asset. I was asked that question a long time ago by a mentor. You know, what's your, what's your, your best, your biggest asset? Started going through like well, my real estate portfolio or this and then venture like absolutely not. None of that matters. It's you.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[James Maslow]

It's your ability to make money. And I think that's true. So I think at our age it's stressed less about how perfect our investments are. In fact, I do passive long term investments that I just believe in compound interest and I focus on making money. But then things that are tangible or things that you enjoy, they kind of become a hobby that can also make money. There's a way you can spend some of your free time. And for me that's been real estate versus like day trading or something like that. Absolutely no interest. I have zero interest because to me that's too much like gambling and I don't like gambling. You know why? My whole career is a gamble to some degree and I'd identify that as a young man. So the vast majority of my investments are going to be in index funds, are going to Ride the American market and. But real estate is something that, while it is still risky here. And again, I've learned it and done it so much, I'm more comfortable with it for two reasons. One, it's tangible. You can touch it, you can feel it, you can see it. Like there's something there that even if hits the fan, you've got something of value. And two, it's enjoyable. And I believe that I can affect positive change within that investment by picking a better neighborhood by building a house that, you know, I. I think is going to be accommodating for the right person in that neighborhood. Like, I know my research there, even down to decorating, picking the right color and stuff like that. Like, I can positively affect change and affect my ability for that ROI to be big.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

Versus. You go into the stock market and dayjack, you have no control over that. All you're doing is risking your money on someone else's talent or someone else's business. And some people enjoy that. I don't. That's why I like real estate.

[Podcast Host]

So it sounds like crypto is too risky for you too, you know, passive.

[James Maslow]

Right. Like, I invested in some bitcoin a while ago. Not enough to, like, have changed my life, but, like, I follow the hedge funds there. I got about 2%. Okay, 2% and everything else that was in bitcoin, I consolidated to that based on my limited knowledge and limited advice from very smart people. That's kind of where I'm at with that. And luckily, I don't need to touch it. And so far it keeps going up. But if it were to go away tomorrow, it wouldn't change my life.

[Podcast Host]

Hey, 2% is not bad. Bitcoin might hit a million one day, they say. So.

[James Maslow]

Great.

[Podcast Host]

Not bad at all. That's more than a lot of people. 100%, I think only 5% of the global population owns bitcoin right now.

[James Maslow]

Wow. You know what? Hey, maybe after this tour, I'll buy another coin or two.

[Podcast Host]

The money on tours is crazy.

[James Maslow]

Well, it isn't. It isn't. Like, somebody just. I just did this. Interesting. It was a country artist or he was. Sorry. He was either a country business manager, maybe, and he was talking about, like, your average, pretty successful country artist. He said, say they make a million dollars a year. Sounds like a lot of money, but it goes away so fast. Your production, to get everybody there, salaries, buses, gas, you have to cover everything up front. It's. It's a huge portion of what you make. If you take home 30 to 40% of your guarantees, you're doing extremely well. Most artists don't do that. So already you're down to 3 or $400,000 there. That's. And then you have commissions. Manager, 10 to 15%. Business manager, 5%. Agent who booked it 10%. You're giving away about 30% pretty damn fast. Before you've paid taxes, then you're paying taxes. So you can see how that million dollars got down to, like, one or two underground, maybe, if you're smart.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[James Maslow]

But of course, the nice thing about then scaling your guarantees and scaling the size of places is your overhead from there to then 2, 3, 4, 5. $10 million doesn't necessarily need to change relative to the increase in money you're making. Point is, once you've paid for it, you've paid for it. So the longer you tour and the more you can make on merch and guarantees, then you can start making real money.

[Podcast Host]

Got it. So there's like a sweet spot that once you kind of get there, you're kind of set. Right.

[James Maslow]

And you just have to have smart people around you. Especially, like, in my world, we split it four ways. We really have to be smart about it because everybody's families need to be taken care of. So we have an amazing team. Our management, Shout out faculty management, Jared Paul. He's the first person that I went to and had a conversation about truly bringing this thing back together. And he's been our partner from day one. And we're very lucky to have him and have his team because they understand this is a business. We need to give the fans an amazing show. And you cannot cut corners there. But there are ways to make sure you're also not overspending like a lot of artists. And you come off of a massive tour and have no money. And you wonder why, right? We're very lucky to have a team that has helped us avoid that.

[Podcast Host]

Do you know ballpark numbers, like, what the percent breakdown is with merch, the actual ticket sales and all that?

[James Maslow]

I mean, generally speaking, like, merch, Merch. People think like, again, merch, Merch. A takeaway from your merch is if you made back to the 40% mark is pretty good.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[James Maslow]

Because you have the cost of goods itself, right? Has to be paid back. But then what you don't. People don't factor in is the cost of getting merch to venues. You're paying for trucks, you're paying for staff, you're paying for gas.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[James Maslow]

So again, you know, if you sell a million dollars in merch, your Take home might be 400 grand. That can be a great business. But generally speaking, merch is a tough. Merch is a tough business. And it's not where emerging artists make a lot of money. You have to be selling so much such volume to make money there. Just because if you. The less you buy, the more expensive it is. Then you go print on demand like a lot of artists have to do because there's no upfront costs. And oh my God, they hit you with so many fees, so many. You're not getting 40% of that, you're getting 5%, you know. So it's more of a marketing tool when you're starting out. And I think artists need to realize that you need to have it and you should have it. And you want your fans buying it and you want them wearing it and promoting it. But it's something that once it's massively scaled, it certainly is a part of the business. But the business has changed. You know, it used to be you want went on tour to sell albums. Now it's the opposite. You make albums so you can go on tour. Touring is really the only way that most artists make money.

[Podcast Host]

That's crazy. So if you don't ever get to the tour level, it's really hard to make a living, basically.

[James Maslow]

It's very hard.

[Podcast Host]

Damn. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember the days you had to buy a dollar song right on iTunes growing up and you guys got a large piece of that.

[James Maslow]

We didn't at the time because of our deal, you know, with Sony. And that was when we were starting out. But we were lucky to start sell physical albums. Like we were one of the last acts that actually have platinum albums. It's really cool to see, to say and to see on my wall. I mean it's, it's. It's fantastic, you know, and then the streaming game is a whole nother game that. Heck, I'm learning more going into this as a solo artist than I am even with Big Time Rush as a band, because we just haven't tackled it. We get great streams regardless. We have a big audience, but we are certainly far from the top. Yeah, but it's not necessarily important for our touring business. So that's something we want to do next. We want to really give radio, and streaming and radio are intertwined, but not the same. We want to give it a good run. We need the right song, we need the right capital, we need the right partner, you know, whether that's a label or otherwise. Haven't had to do it. But as A band, we very much want to do it. So again, on my own, as I'm starting to do this just independently, no label, I'm learning a lot more about marketing. Like even on my social media, it's like, dude, I'm so proud of the fact that now, like I have extremely good reach. When I put out personal music and personal content, it's beating big time rush content. Wow. Sometimes. Not every time. But the fact that even competes is a testament to me going, hey, how do I use this marketing tool? Yeah, like instead of just hating, hating on social media, which I did for years, artists do it. It's hard. You got to put a lot of work into it, change my mindset, change my tactics, and now it's actually kind of fun. And especially since I have so many people hating on me regardless for being Jewish, which is not entirely false, I'm being a little dramatic as I say that. It has actually made it in some ways more fun for me because I have no pressure to impress anybody. I don't need to be liked by everybody. I would rather be truly liked, admired, respected, loved by a smaller group of people for who I am, what I believe in, including the music I'm making, than like half assed liked by everybody.

[Podcast Host]

Respect. I was scrolling on your Instagram right before this. You get phenomenal engagement some of your videos, over a thousand comments. I saw you sprinkle in the Israel stuff once, about once every two weeks, right? You'll make a video.

[James Maslow]

Yeah. It's honestly a matter of having the time to do it. And I want to prioritize it because it's a priority to me. It's important. But I also have several businesses to run.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

And it's tough. It's like there isn't even a part of me that knows. Like I. I often get a lot of support on what I'm posting. And after doing it for so long now, almost two years, I was seeing it trend to just be so much more support. And then I posted something just a couple of days ago that was, you know, Hamas versus the idf.

[Podcast Host]

I saw that.

[James Maslow]

And by the way, part of that's a tactic, right? You put it there so that people look at that and want to see it, you know, and it's not me trying to stir the pot, but you have to hook people into even watching the content at all. And unfortunately, for whatever reason, this one got less reach. But then more hate. It got like a ton of hate. And I'm laughing about it now. But I'm human. I'm affected by that. And what broke my heart made me, you know, bummed and I called my dad and talked to him about it for a while. Is my intention in doing this is nothing but bringing people together. It's nothing but spreading awareness from a perspective that I don't think a lot of people have. And that perspective is somebody who has been to Israel multiple times, including two times since October 7th. That perspective is someone who's Jewish, but it's also someone whose best friends are Iranian. My two best friends growing up, Danish and Amir. And I just actually was hanging out with Danish. My show in San Diego, Shout Out Buddy CJ Charles Jeweler I love it. That's where he's been working since high school. He's crushing it. And I'm far from an expert in any of this, but I do happen to have a lot of unique experiences, happen to have been studying this even since Judaica studies as a kid. And so when I see misinformation out there and I see blatant lies and propaganda that then smart people are believing because there's more of that than there is the truth, I absolutely feel compelled to stand up. And what breaks my heart is that there are a lot of people, especially in these comments in particular, that I notice where I'm like, some are bots, right? But some didn't appear to be. Some are like people that are probably otherwise caring and smart and great and they really believe that I'm wrong and I'm bad and I'm the evil one for doing this stuff to some degree and that's unfortunate. But again, you can't appease everybody. And I hope if they look past the surface level. In fact, I doubt they even watched the video is the truth. They probably saw the headline and just again went, so I'm just gonna attack him cuz he's a Zionist or attack him cuz he's Jewish? That's the part of it that's shitty. And that's the part of it that makes me feel a little less personally attacked by it because anybody who actually watched through it, that video in particular would talk about my empathy and sympathy for what's happening to Palestinians, what's happening to the Gazans that are in a war zone that is very much probably one of the worst places to live on this earth right now. But hey, most people aren't gonna even watch it. In fact, I'll give you kind of a funny example of that. My buddy Amir. I'm giving a little shit right now. I had posted a Video, I don't know, six or eight months ago, entitled Free Iran. And it went into essentially freeing Iran from the IRGC, you know, talking about how 80% or more of the Iranian people are amazing people who don't want this crazy terrorist leadership they've had since the 70s.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

And it goes into detail in a lot of interesting ways. And Amir messaged me after I posted that went, you're wrong, bro. Iran's an amazing place. And I freaking. My heart sank. My heart sank. I'm like, what did I say that was wrong? I try and fact check as much as I can. I. I literally got so embarrassed. And I went and immediately rewatched the video. Then I messaged him. I went, did you watch the whole video? Five minutes later. Oh, my bad, bro. Great video. You, bro, my best friends in the world. But if My best friend, you know, one of my best homies. And, you know, he was so supportive. He's like, oh, no, you were spot on. Sorry, I just saw the headline. You know, but if. If he is susceptible as a human being to seeing something and immediately having a reaction and reacting to it and saying a comment, then we all are.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

You know, and I do believe a lot of it comes from that 100.

[Podcast Host]

They've done studies on, like, what percentage of people actually read the full news article versus the headline. And I think it's like 70, 80, just read the headline and then they move on with their day.

[James Maslow]

And that's a problem with the vast majority of news outlets. Right. I believe it was the New York Times. Don't quote me on that. Could have been. Pretty sure it was New York Times that posted the famine in Gaza and had that famous now picture of what looked like an emaciated child being held. And something like 400 million people saw that headline.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[James Maslow]

And then a journalist went in and showed the original photo. The mother, first of all, in the photo is healthy. She's like, well, that's a little strange. How's she not starting with the baby is. And then the brother completely healthy, and then the father in the photo completely healthy. And it turns out that it has. The child has a preexisting condition, multiple conditions. And it was complete propaganda that they eventually had to retract. But if 400 million people saw the original headline, you know, how many people saw the retraction, it was around 300,000. And so people would, to this day, still use that photo as reference for why I'm wrong and why there is starvation, why they're. We can get into the nuances, of course, there is some degree of starvation, but there's also 2 million tons of aid have been put into Gaza. That is a ton per person in Gaza hasn't been distributed. There's reasons for that. And so there is still hunger, but there is not this mass starvation that people believe there simply isn't. And that photo is one of the reasons why people are outraged. Because if that photo were true or worse, if that photo were the norm, you should be outraged. But that photo in particular was completely made up for the sake of eliciting sympathy for a terrorist organization. And that's where I get frustrated by this. I'm like, guys, stop conflating Israeli's government with Israelis first of all, or with Jews in general. It's like saying every American is a fan of Trump or every American is a fan of Biden. Like, use your head. We're different people. We live here, we're Americans, but we're not the government. And also stop conflating the Gazan people and Palestinians with Hamas. They do run the government in Gaza and they do run the military in Gaza. And they were voted in. They killed about 1500 people to get voted in, but they were voted in. And at the time, I'm sure a lot of people believed it'd be good for them. But I have a hard time believing that most Gazans or Palestinians actually want them to be their leadership today, having seen what they've done with the country or the place. So again, this in and of itself is a lot of information and is very confusing to people because it is a very confusing narrative, right? Like Hamas doesn't govern the west bank or Judea Samaria because the pa, the Palestinian Authority, said absolutely not. We have our issues and our differences with Israel and they certainly do, but they didn't want a terrorist organization to run. So even within Palestinians as a whole, or Palestine, whatever you, there are huge, huge differences. And, and I fear that most people with the loudest voices don't actually understand these. And I would love to speak to anybody who has a difference of opinion that is willing to talk to me without just yelling and screaming. And that's where I kind of get. I have to draw the line of I'll create content that I believe is helpful and if you want to say something different in the comments, I will do my best to respond to it and learn from. You want to have a conversation, but you just want to yell and scream that I should die for being a Zionist. That's not exactly helpful now, is it?

[Podcast Host]

I'd love to set up a cordial debate with you. No yelling aloud, if you'd be open to it.

[James Maslow]

Absolutely.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. I've been moderating some debates, trying to get to the bottom of the truth, because I think this war will go down as, like, the biggest propaganda war of all time. I think, at the moment. Because right now, like, I don't know what to believe when I see it on social media, dude. And I feel like I'm pretty. Pretty educated. But still, you got to question everything. Yeah.

[James Maslow]

Harder.

[Podcast Host]

Especially with AI and, like, you know.

[James Maslow]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Who's paid off these days? You never know.

[James Maslow]

You know, I have. I have such sympathy for your position and for most people's positions because of that. But the one thing I will say, like, when it comes to the majority of a lot of these issues, they'd be debunked. Where you just take a trip to Israel. It's very easy. Let's use, you know, apartheid. You probably see that a lot. It's probably pretty convincing. You know, people have spoken about this like there's a clear apartheid. 20% of Israel is Arab Muslims. 20%.

[Podcast Host]

It's pretty high.

[James Maslow]

They have the same rights as everyone else. They are in parliament, in government, they are doctors, they are attorneys. They have the same voting rights. So you go there, you know, you'll see Arab Muslims in the IDF protecting Jews because they're neighbors. They just live together now. They have differences like any human being, and any neighbor does. Right. But it's cordial and it's beautiful. There are Christians that live there. There are Druze that live there. And so when you go there, you can see with your own eyes, you just realize, oh, well, that's not true. That's a complete lie. There's so many other examples of this that are just. Would be so easy for the world to see, where they'd be there. But again, a lot of the people speaking it out online, they've never even been to the Middle East. Mostly people haven't left their town. Doesn't make their opinion not valid. And I'm not trying to be rude as I say this, but sure as shit makes it a little less valid. You want to speak from experience. You want to speak from history. You want to speak from people who are professionals in the field. And anyhow, I wish it were a little bit simpler, but there's so much emotion based in most people's conversations.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

That it is clouding judgment, and it's clouding the ability for people to actually talk, listen, learn, and for something Some positive change for all sides and all people to happen.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, yeah, I like what you said. I think you should speak from experience, obviously do research too, but you want to get as close to the source as possible when you're gathering information. So I think the people speaking are so far removed, you know what I mean, that they're not getting facts sometimes.

[James Maslow]

And if you're that passionate about it, book a flight. Guess what? You're allowed to go there. We're not allowed to go to a lot of places. A lot of. You can't just walk into Gaza. You can't just, you know, and it's not because there's a war there now, but they'll kill you for a difference of opinion. You know, they'll kill you if you're gay. It's legal. And so like the gays for Gaza thing, for example, I'm just like, guys, come on. That's a question for you.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[James Maslow]

How many countries in the Middle east are you legally allowed to be gay in?

[Podcast Host]

I would imagine it's a very low number, so I'll just guess like 2, 1.

[James Maslow]

Which one is it?

[Podcast Host]

Is it Israel?

[James Maslow]

It's Israel, okay. It's the only country where you can legally be gay. It's actually one of the gay capitals of the world, Tel Aviv. You can be anything you want. You can celebrate anything you want, any religion, any sexuality. And it is encouraged, it is loved, it is promoted. And anybody with a difference of opinion just has that difference of opinion. But it's against the law everywhere else in the Middle East.

[Podcast Host]

What happens to you?

[James Maslow]

Oh, it's punishable by death.

[Podcast Host]

Holy shit.

[James Maslow]

You'll get thrown off a building, you'll get stoned to death. I mean, if not, you'll go to jail at the very least. But people don't realize, you know, how many gay Palestinians Israel has allowed in to keep them alive. That's what's crazy to me is Israel is actually one of the most. And the people, and the Israelis in general, if I can speak so boldly as to speak for them, are some of the most liberal peace forward people I have ever met. They do not want to be at war. They want to smoke weed and be gay and live life. And I mean, I'm talking about more of like the Tel Aviv, even the less religious aspect. But, and I say that, you know, somewhat in jest, but not really, like, they're just the most chill, peaceful. They're like a bunch of hippies. And like anybody who's Israel, listen, this is going to laugh, you Know, because people picture like Mossad, you know, almost like we picture American military. They're not like that at all. In fact, most IDF soldiers are people that have to go and serve. They do it cause they know they have to, but they don't want to.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[James Maslow]

They're forced to. Cause a small country, they respect it, they do it. But I mean, you know, you have to serve living over there at least.

[Podcast Host]

A year or two. Right.

[James Maslow]

Two is a woman, three is a man.

[Podcast Host]

I believe three is a man.

[James Maslow]

That's what it is right now. But anyways, again, it's like I just say all this stuff because people have this image based on so much propaganda online that would be so easily changed and improved. Dare I say if they're just take a trip. Yeah, go over there.

[Podcast Host]

Well, no matter what side you're on, for people watching this, I. I respect you for speaking out because there's a lot of people in your situation that just stay silent.

[James Maslow]

I appreciate that. And I also want to say that I respect anybody who is speaking out for Palestinians and for the people of Gaza because they are living in terrible conditions. However, I would encourage you to shift your blame from Israel to Hamas. That is why they're in terrible conditions. Israel has been and will be there to continue to support aid and support the Palestinian people as soon as this war is over and the war ends when Hamas is gone.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, I did see some. I don't know if this is true, but Hamas was stealing all the food and then upselling it for a higher price.

[James Maslow]

It's been true the entire war. It's been proven now, but when you're over there, you've known it to be true. That's why the. Oh, what's the terminology? The ghost saying it wrong. They have an entire force now that was led by Americans, at least initially, but I believe there's still a lot of Americans over there whose job is to distribute aid. I'm blanking on the name ghd. And since that's happened two or three months ago now, aid is actually getting dispersed safely because we have armed Americans and armed Israelis making sure that it goes there. There's still aid being stolen, and worse yet, there's still a massive quantity of aid not being distributed. The UN has entirely failed the people of Gaza.

[Podcast Host]

Wow.

[James Maslow]

There is thousands of tons of aid rotting away across in Gaza that's not being distributed now. Why? I can't speak to, but it's horrible. Like I said, Israel just delivered their two millionth ton of aid. That is one ton of aid. Per person in Gaza over the course of this war. By the way, they have no obligation to deliver any of these. They were attacked. But I'm glad they are. And so another thing that pisses me off is the vast majority of countries that called for them to stop the blockade that didn't exist by them and existed by Hamas, have never delivered aid themselves. Israel has been the only one doing it. Now there are several other countries also contributing, but nowhere near the quantity. So name me another war where the country who was attacked is providing such large, if any, aid to their attackers.

[Podcast Host]

Can't think of any.

[James Maslow]

It doesn't happen. And again, I am not saying that Israel has it all figured out. Their government is just as fucked up as ours, if not more, because that's human nature. Right? And I want nothing to do with that. I don't want to be a spokesperson for any of that. I want to be a spokesperson for peace and I want to be a spokesperson against this anti Semitism that just seems like the easy scapegoat for any of this. But like, guys, use your brain. Don't just take the easy route and blame the Jews, which people have done for 4,000 years, because it's not the Jews. I'm sure there are some Jews that do bad things, but it should be the world against terrorism. That is it. The world for peace, for all people who want peace and against terrorism. Let's unite there. Let's start a conversation there. And we will be friends. We can talk about anything.

[Podcast Host]

I can't even imagine your. Your DMs. You must get so much anti Semitism in there.

[James Maslow]

Yeah, it's a bummer. Like again, you know, I get the ones that are like blatant death threats that to me are almost comedic because they're so silly. The ones that bum me out are ones that, whether they're like fans of mine or big time Rush or not, and there's not many of these, but the ones that I kind of think if they really are a fan, and now they're saying that they're so disappointed and don't want to come because of this, that does bum me out because I'm trying to do right, right? I'm trying to do right by my people. Jews, Americans, those are my people. I'm not Israeli, but I have a lot of love for Israel, a lot of friends over there trying to do right by them. Also trying to do right by everybody that's affected by this who are on the other side as well. Palestinians and Gazans and people don't want to listen to this part of the podcast or they don't want to believe it. And maybe I've said things that have pissed people off, but I think it's probably because they haven't watched the full clip.

[Podcast Host]

Right?

[James Maslow]

Truly. So those things, you know, I hope anybody who listens to this might feel a little bit different. But you know what? Again, can't. Can't please everyone. Nor do I have the energy or the time or the ability to even try bars.

[Podcast Host]

Well, James, I hope you have a great show tonight and rest of the tour. Thanks so much. Anything else you want to close off with? We'll also link your single in the video.

[James Maslow]

Yeah, let's focus on that. Eyes is out now. Music videos coming out. What might be out by the time this comes out. And then I might as well plug on my mind with Shahar, Saul and Maya da Don. That's. That's fun as well. That's gonna be coming out, I think, around October 3rd.

[Podcast Host]

Beautiful.

[James Maslow]

So just listen to some new music. Hope you guys like it a lot more to come.

[Podcast Host]

Awesome. We'll link the vlogs below with your wife as well. Or.

[James Maslow]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Soon to be wife.

[James Maslow]

Soon to be wife adventures with James and Caitlin. That's fun. We're gonna do a lot more of those.

[Podcast Host]

Awesome. Check them out, guys. See you next time. Peace.

[James Maslow]

Thanks, guys.

[Podcast Host]

I hope you guys are enjoying the show. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It helps the show a lot with the algorithm than.