E853 Going Deeper with Riley Green

Summary

The Viall Files - Episode E853: Going Deeper with Riley Green

Release Date: December 11, 2024

In this engaging episode of The Viall Files, host Nick Viall sits down with rising country star Riley Green to explore his journey through the music industry, his personal life, and the challenges of maintaining authenticity amidst fame. Joined by co-host Natalie Joy and the Household, the conversation delves into Riley's accidental rise to success, his dedication to songwriting, and the balance he strives to maintain between his career and personal life.

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Early Career and Touring

Riley Green opens up about the beginnings of his music career and the extensive touring schedule that propelled him into the spotlight.

"I signed a record deal in 2018, and I was, you know, I traveled a lot, touring, but it was pretty regional. I was driving everywhere." (00:41)

Transitioning from regional tours to international stages, Riley shares how touring Europe, Australia, and Canada expanded his horizons.

"We've played in Europe this year, Australia, done several tours in Canada, and obviously all over the U.S. so we're pretty well traveled now." (00:41)

Accidental Success and Songwriting

Riley attributes much of his success to unforeseen opportunities and his natural progression into songwriting.

"It was really accidental success. I didn't think I was a songwriter because I'd never been to Nashville and written songs with anybody." (05:40)

His songs, such as "Bear Me and Dixie" and "Georgia Times," resonate deeply with fans, drawing from his Alabama roots.

"Georgia Times is talking about just the side of Alabama, which includes Auburn, that we call the Eastern time zone, Georgia time." (05:46)

Handling Fame and Public Image

As fame grows, Riley discusses the complexities of public perception and the challenges of maintaining privacy.

"It's hard not to dive into that and let it affect you, but for everything I see that seems accurate about me, there's 10 things that are completely made up." (08:46)

He shares his experiences with fake social media accounts and the importance of staying grounded despite increasing recognition.

"I tried to be mindful of how I display myself. If I'd had that success at a magnifying glass on me at 22, it would be a different story." (11:17)

Experiences on Redneck Island

Riley recounts his stint on the reality TV show Redneck Island, highlighting valuable lessons learned about media portrayal and self-presentation.

"I was extremely boring. I slept the whole time. The producer was constantly coming in to wake me up." (15:00)

Through this experience, he gained insights into media training, which now aids him in navigating interviews and public appearances.

"I got good at kind of playing a part a little bit, which I think probably helps me in a lot of interviews." (17:16)

Collaborations and Business Ventures

The conversation shifts to Riley's collaborations, particularly with fellow artist Ella Langley, and his entrepreneurial venture of opening a bar.

"Ella's going on tour with me next year. Maybe if the second verse, like the guy's perspective or something like that might then we'd have a song to play on tour." (20:16)

Riley also shares the excitement of opening Duck Blind, a bar in Nashville, aiming to create a local hub for country music fans.

"I opened a bar in Nashville. It's Now Riley Greens, Duck Blind." (22:28)

Personal Life and Inspirations

Riley emphasizes the importance of family and home in fueling his creativity and keeping him grounded.

"Having a career that's in the public eye will probably make anybody a little bit reclusive. But slipping back home and disconnecting is a good way to stay grounded." (24:47)

His songwriting often reflects personal experiences and relationships, providing a relatable and heartfelt connection with his audience.

"I wrote 'Wish Grandpa's Never Died' as a tribute to my two granddaddies. People cry about something I wrote just as a tribute." (07:14)

Future Aspirations and Career Peak

Looking ahead, Riley discusses his dreams for future collaborations and the pinnacle of his career.

"If I never had another hit, I would be blown away by how awesome my career has been." (37:12)

Winning awards like the CMA Award has been a milestone, yet he remains focused on maximizing his current success.

"I want to try to get as much as I can out of it." (37:29)

Fun Anecdotes and Personal Stories

The episode concludes with lighthearted anecdotes about Riley's family, pets, and personal quirks, showcasing his down-to-earth personality.

"My dog Carl has a girlfriend now. Her name is Carol Ann." (51:22)

Riley shares humorous stories about his grandmother and family dynamics, adding a personal touch to the conversation.

"I have a relationship that's kind of a don't ask, don't tell where I come up with my... songs." (53:58)

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Notable Quotes

• Riley Green: "Used to sleep better on a plane than I do in my bed." (01:27)
• Riley Green: "People just take those songs and relate them to their own life in some way." (07:53)
• Riley Green: "I didn't have a producer or booking agent or anything. Song called 'Bear Me and Dixie' did really well." (05:56)
• Riley Green: "I tried to be mindful of how I display myself." (11:17)
• Riley Green: "She likes 'Worse Way to Go' about her dad." (53:42)

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Conclusion

This episode of The Viall Files offers a comprehensive look into Riley Green's life as a country music artist navigating the peaks of fame while staying true to his roots. From his humble beginnings and accidental success to handling the pressures of public life and cherishing personal relationships, Riley provides listeners with an authentic and inspiring narrative. His dedication to songwriting, commitment to family, and strategic approach to his career serve as valuable insights for aspiring artists and fans alike.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisement segments and focuses solely on the content-rich portions of the podcast.

Transcript

[Riley Green]

You're crazy.

[Nick]

You heading back after this? Are you off?

[Riley Green]

No, we got a couple of meetings, and then we're rehearsing. Tonight we're performing on the Voice.

[Nick]

Oh, nice.

[Riley Green]

Tomorrow?

[Nick]

Very cool.

[Riley Green]

And then we're in Vegas and then Denver, and then I'm wrapped up until New Year's.

[Nick]

Okay. What do you. Well, should we just start?

[Riley Green]

I thought we did. All right.

[Nick]

There we go. How's it going, Riley?

[Riley Green]

Good, man. How y'all doing?

[Nick]

I'm doing great.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

So anyways, we're talking about your travel schedule.

[Riley Green]

Yes. It's been a busy year. I signed a record deal in 2018, and I was, you know, I traveled a lot, touring, but it was pretty regional. I was driving everywhere. I'd never even been on a plane. And of course, last few years, I've, you know, we played in Europe this year, Australia, done several tours in Canada, and obviously all over the U.S. so we're. We're pretty well traveled now, and I'm. I'm ready to spend a little time at the house for the holidays.

[Natalie]

You getting tired?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, I stay about like that. Yeah. This is me amped up right here.

[Natalie]

So this is you amped up.

[Nick]

When was your first time on a plane?

[Riley Green]

I don't know where I was going, but, I mean, a show somewhere, I guess, maybe. Going to. I think I went to a radio station in. Or in Oregon.

[Nick]

How old are you?

[Riley Green]

20. 18.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Riley Green]

Shit.

[Nick]

2018?

[Riley Green]

Yeah. So, I don't know, 30ish.

[Nick]

Were you, like, afraid to fly or you just never got around to it?

[Riley Green]

I was probably afraid like everybody else. A little nervous about it. But of course, now I sleep better on a plane than I do in my bed, so. Used to.

[Natalie]

But I also feel like in the south, it's like everyone drives anyways, you know, it's like when you're out here, you're so far from anything, but, like, in the south, it's like Tennessee's right there and Florida's right there and, you know.

[Riley Green]

Well, yeah, even in, like, you know, the Midwest, like Illinois and stuff. Like, there's a little community, and then there's 40 miles of cornfields and nothing like Alabama, you know, Georgia the same way. There's just communities all over the place. We drove to Birmingham that was an hour from me. Atlanta was an hour and a half, and Birmingham was a big city before I got on a plane.

[Natalie]

Isn't that crazy?

[Nick]

That is crazy. Were you home for Thanksgiving or were you on the road traveling?

[Riley Green]

I was. I got home for about four or five days. And then I went up to Kansas and I've got a little farm up there. I went deer hunting for a few days.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Riley Green]

Mostly just slept in the woods.

[Natalie]

Is your family back in Alabama?

[Riley Green]

My whole family lives in Jacksonville, Alabama, where I'm from.

[Nick]

Does it Wilson have a farm in Kansas? Where was it?

[Natalie]

Where does he know? He's in Oklahoma.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Natalie]

My brother in law just bought some farm out there to hunt on.

[Nick]

Yeah, yeah, they got a whole like deer. You big. You big. You've been a hunter for a long time?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, yeah, I was. I was really into sports when I was in school. And then when I quit playing ball, I think it was like my way of being competitive still. Like everybody going out trying to trick a deer or ducks or whatever it was.

[Natalie]

You're a duck hunter, aren't you?

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

That Instagram handle.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, that one stuck around for a while and now I think I like it because it's quiet and my phone doesn't work. You know, I can slip off in the woods and hide from everybody for a few days.

[Nick]

So you're a big sports guy when you're younger you play your quarterback?

[Riley Green]

You play football? Yeah, I played football, baseball and basketball. And then I went to Jacksonville State and played quarterback for a little while.

[Nick]

Were you being into music then?

[Riley Green]

No, not really. My older sister Lindy was a really good singer. She was like Sandy and all the Grease plays and then went to college on a music scholarship. I never really thought I was a good singer. My granddaddy Buford was a big music lover. Like he loved old country music, George Jones and Merle Haggard and all that. And so like when I was with him, we'd sit around and like play an old guitar, like try to sing songs. So like, maybe that was kind of like a little bit of a hobby. But I started playing lead guitar in a band and started writing songs and people started requesting them and then I started playing them on. And it was really accidental. I was framing houses during the week and I'd play on the weekends and, you know, here we are.

[Nick]

When did we have like, when. What was the moment where it was like you went from just like playing the guitar with your friends and being like, maybe I'll be a huge giant country music star.

[Riley Green]

There wasn't one really. I mean, I can't think of any like, big break moment. It was just like somebody said, hey man, why don't you come play at my bar? You can drink for free.

[Nick]

Okay?

[Riley Green]

And I did it. And he was like, man, that was. That was good. Do it next week. And so I did that for about six years at every bar in northeast Alabama. I had a little business card with my phone number on it I would hand out, and people started calling me. And I remember there's a venue in Birmingham, Alabama, called Iron City. And I was playing at a Mexican restaurant in Jacksonville every week for 150 bucks. And the guy called me and said, would you come play here? And I just seen Chris Stapleton play there, and it's like 1300 people. And I was like, no, dude, it'll be empty, you know? And I went down there and it was like, we sold 1200 something tickets. Like, I had no idea anybody knew who I was in Birmingham.

[Nick]

So what was that moment like? That must have been.

[Riley Green]

It was cool. My grandparents came. My grandmother Nancy was. We all had dinner there before, and they opened the doors and all these people came running in. And my grandma said, why are all these people here? I was like, because I'm playing. She said, yeah, but who else is playing? That's a good point.

[Natalie]

It's like, can be tricked. Humbling.

[Nick]

Yeah. Humbling. Yeah. Yeah. I always like here. They'll hear those moments, especially hearing your story, just kind of almost like you fell into it, you know?

[Riley Green]

It's like, yeah, quite a bit. I, like, I always say it was very accidental success. I didn't think I was a songwriter because I'd never been to Nashville and written songs with anybody. Nobody I knew wrote songs. I started writing songs because I got tired of playing the same covers every week and played three shows a week. And so people started going, hey, man, play that one song you played last week. And somebody said, man, you should record that song. So I went and paid, like, some guy named Bob, you know, 500 to record in his basement. And I put an EP out. I don't even know how to do any of this stuff. I didn't have a manager or booking agent or anything. Song called Bear Me and Dixie did really well. Song called Georgia Times started doing really well. I didn't even know that I was making money on streaming, but I had, like, a little account that was like, you know, I thought I was getting rich. Yeah. Eventually, record labels and publishing companies started coming down from Nashville and coming to shows, and it just kind of grew from there.

[Natalie]

That's crazy. I remember Bury Me and Dixie and Georgia Time both because it was, well.

[Riley Green]

Being from where you're from.

[Natalie]

Yeah. And it's like no one ever writes songs about being an Auburn fan or being, you know, from Alabama.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. It's like, well, I mean. And, you know, it's funny because, I mean, Berryman Dixie is obviously about growing up in Alabama. Yeah. It's a very regional idea. And Georgia time is probably more regional than that because it's talking about just the side of Alabama, which includes Auburn, that we call the Eastern time zone, Georgia time. So for people to be singing that in California was insane to me. But they sing both those songs everywhere.

[Natalie]

And like I said, both at shows today. Yeah, you do.

[Riley Green]

It's hard for me not to. I mean, and that's. I wrote those songs when I was like, 24, you know, I mean, so it's been a while, but I. I have no idea why that worked.

[Natalie]

Do you listen to those songs today?

[Riley Green]

Sure.

[Natalie]

Like, you're. Yeah, I'm sure your voice has evolved.

[Riley Green]

But not even my voice. I play guitar on them. Like, I remember going in the studio and the guy. I didn't have a producer, you know, and I was like, I played it and the guys in the room with the buttons, and I go, how was that? He said, I don't know. Do you like it? I was like, I guess. And he's, okay. I did it, like, once, you know. Now you spend, like, weeks recording a song, so the production's awful, but it's also a little bit of something, too, is like, I didn't sound better in my recordings.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

So I think when people came to shows like, oh, he's not that bad. Just like, that wasn't all this autotune on. It sounded just like me.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Nick]

No one ever thinks he's lip syncing. Yeah.

[Riley Green]

I think people just grew up a lot like I did in the. In that part, in the things I wrote about. And maybe relatable is what I could say about it. And it was. You know, it's. Those kind of things still work today.

[Nick]

I've definitely been. I'm a newer country fan. Nally. My wife got me into it and we watched you at Stagecoach.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Two years ago. And that was like my first immersion, really embracing country. And like, your show. I had such a. Such a good time. It's just like. Yeah, it really just. That was my experience at Stagecoach and particularly your show. It's like. It feels more than just like a show or just like you're really kind of connecting with people. Everyone's having a good time. You know, just like you were talking about being from Alabama. You're talking about your grandfather when you're singing your song about him. And it was just like, it's. You really feel like a community. And it was really kind of what made me fall in love with country music.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, well, I mean, I Wish Grandpa's Never Died is, you know, my biggest song by far. And it's. You know, I. I've hear people tell me stories about maybe they didn't even know their granddad or they were, you know, related to it because of their dad or this. Or this line. Of course, that song has a lot of. A lot of different lines in it, so it's. It's cool to see how people relate to it differently. But I just think people just take those songs and relate them to their own life in some way. And that's what's so great about country music, is you see people crying in the crowd, you know, about something I wrote just as a tribute to my two granddaddies. So that part of this lifestyle I don't get tired of.

[Nick]

How have you handled kind of all the fame that you, you know, you're really popping off. You're becoming bigger and bigger, you know, and you're becoming more mainstream. You're people talking about you on TikTok, you know, is that you stay off, stay connected, just kind of go hunt in the woods, or do you kind of have to do, like a lot of us do is, like, try to stay off because someone, like a friend sends you some shit like, oh, did you see this about you?

[Riley Green]

It's hard not to laugh at most of it, you know, I mean, I know it's probably hard for a lot of people that have had some success to not dive into that and let it affect you, but for everything I see that seems accurate about me, there's 10 things that are completely made up.

[Nick]

So what was the craziest thing about you?

[Riley Green]

There's no telling. I mean, there's several old ladies on Instagram that think we're, like, having a relationship that are getting, like, catfished and all. I'll probably block or delete 30 fake accounts a day, you know, and I just can't imagine how.

[Natalie]

It's crazy that people are still falling for it.

[Nick]

Did you have someone show up at your front door? Like, I didn't know.

[Riley Green]

Well, it'd be hard to find my front door. You gotta go down the driveway that's a mile long.

[Nick]

Because I had that, too. I had, like, fake accounts, people trying to fake me for a while, and I'd block them for a while. It was like. It was happening for a moment. And then, like, turns out one of the people who got duped, like, found My address and like, it really was you.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

So my things like this. If these scammers are making that much money, pretend to be me. Why would I just. I just quit singing and I'll start doing it because I can pretend to be me better than anybody.

[Natalie]

That's true.

[Nick]

Yeah. But you probably wouldn't ask them for like $10,000 to.

[Riley Green]

Well, they believe I would, I guess.

[Nick]

I guess. Yeah.

[Natalie]

It is crazy.

[Nick]

It was scary.

[Riley Green]

I don't know how these people have $10,000 just give a fake.

[Nick]

Riley Green sent you money. I'm like, it wasn't me.

[Natalie]

How jarring, though, to be like, well, then who the fuck did I send money to? Oh, yeah. That is crazy. I will say I tried to find something about you and everyone loves you. There is nothing. I could not find a negative thing about you.

[Riley Green]

You didn't look hard enough. I'm sorry.

[Natalie]

I felt. Yeah, maybe not, but I did have.

[Nick]

She's used to, like, trying to find bad things about me, and it comes right up. And then it was just like. So she realized he had to really look.

[Riley Green]

Well, I. I can promise it's not from lack of it being out there or things that I've done, but I think I was really lucky that my, like. I don't know what you would call it, like, s big level of success didn't come in my early 20s. You know, I was in my late 20s and I kind of had a business mindset about my career because I framed houses until I signed a record deal. I did construction work for $500 a week till 2018. I signed the deal and went on the road and I knew how fortunate I was to have the opportunities I had. So I started thinking about, like, okay, well, I need to be a person that I would want to go see a show, you know, not. Not just the songs I write or the performance I do. I just mean, like now you have all this social media. Everybody knows everything about you, or at least they think they do and they want to. So you know how I display myself. I tried to be mindful of. And I think if I'd have had that success at a. Or that magnifying glass on me at 22, it would be a different story.

[Natalie]

Were you a bit of a hell raiser?

[Riley Green]

I. I think I was rowdy. Yeah. I remember when I started playing guitar and I mean, I was, you know, quarterback in my hometown and played, you know, country music at the bars and they were letting me drink for free. I thought that was a pretty cool time. I was I was running pretty hard then, but it's a lot different now. 30s are different.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Any.

[Nick]

Any ex girlfriends from the past when you're younger, like, look, you back up after you, like, made it big and be like, what the.

[Natalie]

Yeah. Wait.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, most of them. Yeah. I don't think it would. Like, my success hasn't made it worth putting up with me, though. You know, they're not like, trying to get back with me. They're just mad, unsuccessful, maybe. I don't know.

[Nick]

What was a bad habit you had in relation? Like, I don't close cupboards. Like, you know.

[Riley Green]

Oh, you're talking about, like, you were in, like, you were like, not taking the trash out and stuff. I don't think I got that far. I didn't get to having a shared cupboard stage. We had our own separate cupboards. I think my problem was when I, When I was actually old enough and like, mentally I thought I wanted to, like, settle down is when my career really started to take off. And that was a time when, like, I couldn't focus on one thing, you know, it was like. I think a lot of people, especially in. In, you know, that kind of entertainment line of work or whatever, there's a. It's hard to have a relationship, especially with the travel and just the million distractions there are. So I kind of thought I'd put my nose down and kind of grind for a couple years and try to get, you know, as much out of as I could out of a country music career. And it's just continued for about six years.

[Nick]

That makes sense. I mean, I was. I was like in my 20s when I was just, like, working regular job. I was just like relationship guy after relationship guy. And then, you know, I was like. Then I went on reality TV and then came out to LA and tried to make it out here. And yeah, like, if you don't feel, like, settled, like, with what you want to do with your life or you're like chasing a dream, like, it just feels like love and dating. Is this kind of a distraction?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, well, I mean, I looked at it like, if I had enough time to go out to dinner, I have enough time to write a song. And that's what I should be doing right now, you know, for a while. And the other thing too is like, I barely have time to, like, see my dog, you know, So, I mean, it would take a really special girl to be okay with the amount of travel and time I'm going to be gone. And I just. I don't think I found her yet.

[Natalie]

I think that's what a lot. I mean, we. I think Dustin lynch kind of opened up about how it's. It's hard to date when you're. This travel in the world, you're gone nonstop, you're just. It's. It's a nonstop lifestyle. And so he was, he was talking to us about that too, about just like, it's not easy to just find someone who's okay with that and, you know.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, well. And I mean, you know, aside from the issues they might have, my life has changed so much over the last, you know, handful of years that I'm trying to kind of figure out where I'm going to end up at, you know, I mean, I've got a place in Alabama, my farm, which is where I thought I would spend the rest of my life at, and I think I went home five times this year, you know, and that's three hours from Nashville. So it's just, It's. It's tough to kind of picture your life and find somebody that you're really thinking about settling down with.

[Natalie]

So what's keeping you in Nashville? I mean, it's. I've.

[Riley Green]

It's not really that I'm in Nashville. I'm just on the road. Yeah, we've been. It's been a crazy busy year, but, you know, like. So my farm in Alabama is three hours from Nashville. So let's say I get in at, you know, Sunday morning at 8:00. First thing I need to do is go sleep for a day. And then I wake up and it's Monday and I got to go back out. Tuesday night I get on the bus. So I'm like, well, I might as well hang around town and try to ride or go have a meeting or whatever, so.

[Natalie]

Yeah, that's true.

[Riley Green]

It's. It's not that I have the greatest work ethic ever. I just feel like I'm trying to kind of ring out this career while I have the opportunity that I do. And that's my excuse for, you know, hanging in town.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nick]

Redneck Island.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

That was awesome.

[Riley Green]

What a time to be alive.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Do you, do you look back on that and think, like, that was a really cool experience or.

[Riley Green]

Now that you know that's not how I describe it?

[Nick]

No. Okay. Do you regret doing it?

[Riley Green]

I don't regret doing it because I didn't do anything stupid on there.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Riley Green]

But I did.

[Nick]

How did you end up there in the first place?

[Riley Green]

So I was playing a show at a bar called the floor Bama. That's what you're familiar with. And a guy comes up to me after the show, and he said he was a casting agent for the show on CMT with Stone Cold Steve Austin. He thought I'd be good on it.

[Nick]

Sounds cool.

[Riley Green]

Gave him my number, figured that was the end of it. Somebody called me from California and, you know, they said, we're gonna fly. We're gonna take you to Atlanta. Put me in a hotel. And we did all these, like, stress tests and psych about, you know, I'm all this stuff. And I remember, like, asking my mom. I was like, you think I should go do this? Like, I've never watched a reality show and thought, man, that guy looks really smart, you know?

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

I mean, they make me look so crazy. You have a lot more insight in this. To me is my thing. Just like there's. There's always some theme or something going on. I couldn't figure out why they're gonna.

[Nick]

Go on there and people are gonna respect me.

[Natalie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Riley Green]

So I thought, well, if they mentioned that I play music, I was very early in my career and I don't do anything stupid, then it might help me a little bit. So I went on there also. It was a competition show, so I knew that at least half the episode would be that, not just, like, the real world drama of a house. So I went on there, and I was extremely boring. I slept the whole time. The producer was constantly coming in to wake me up, like, hey, we need to be roll. Go do something, you know, And I didn't drink the whole time I was there. We filmed for a month and a day. We were stuck in this house with a bunch of crazy people. And I think they. I couldn't figure out why they cast me. And I think I was like, the love interest. That was what they had planned. So they would make all these, like, it looked like girls were fighting over me kind of stuff. And, you know, it is like, a girl would look across the room and she'd have, like, a weird face that make it look like she was looking at the other girl. All that stuff was going on. But I will say, if there was anything positive that came out of it. Well, I mean, I won the show $150,000, which I found out what taxes were really quick.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

But I learned, like, how that works, like, how much goes into, you know, a production. And we would do these exit interviews after we'd filmed two or three episodes. We go sit in this room with a lady, and she'd basically go over a script of what had happened. And I realized that I could get out of that room faster if I just said, hey, what are you. What's the storyline here? What are you trying to get me to say? And so I got good at like kind of playing a part a little bit, which I think probably helps me in a lot of, you know, interviews and those type of things because there's a lot of stuff about touring and having a life in country music. I was not prepared for the, what media training that I didn't have.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

So that was a little helpful in that world, I guess.

[Nick]

Yeah. You learn a lot about Hollywood or how just TV is made or just like what, Like B roll is.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, I know what B roll is. At least can say it now.

[Natalie]

Do you keep in touch with anyone from that show?

[Riley Green]

No.

[Natalie]

Do you know what any of them are doing?

[Nick]

Have they tried to keep in touch with you?

[Riley Green]

A little bit? Yeah, a little bit. It was a while they were all coming out to shows. A lot of them were. I think a couple of them were from Alabama. So like they were.

[Natalie]

Were they asking you for tickets or were they buying tickets?

[Riley Green]

Oh, they weren't asking.

[Natalie]

They were showing up the whole like.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, but it was, it was a cool experience, I guess. I certainly wasn't like calling trying to get somebody to get me on another one after it was over. But I did. It was, it was something. I had no idea what all goes into a show like that. So it was really eye opening for me never having any experience like that.

[Nick]

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[Natalie]

Well, I guess we can just jump to Ella Langley. I mean, this collab is massive. It is absolutely everywhere. Did you expect this to happen when you first. Did she approach you and be like, hey, I've got this cool song idea. How did it come about?

[Riley Green]

Well, I first heard it from a promoter that's a. That kind of helps manage her. This buddy of mine, and he was the first person that ever told me about Ella. You know, I was touring in Alabama and he would put her on some shows of mine. And, you know, I. I liked. I liked her voice. She's obviously from Alabama, very country, which I liked. And he played the song for me, and it wasn't really pitched to me, like it needed to be a duet. He was like, what do you think about this? And I was like, man, that's cool. Like, there's something cool about the girl picking up the guy or whatever. And the second verse kind of was like more of the first verse. And I thought, well, Ella's going on tour with me next year. Like, maybe if the second verse, like the guy's perspective or something like that might then we'd have a song to play on tour. I had no idea it would be a hit at all. At the start, really. I thought that might help the song a little bit, you know? Yeah. It just goes to show you. I don't know, because it was. I think one day opened my phone, and you couldn't not hear it.

[Natalie]

Oh. I mean, it's stuck in my head ever since.

[Nick]

Natalie plays it a lot.

[Natalie]

It's a great song.

[Nick]

It's a great song.

[Riley Green]

It's a great, fun song.

[Natalie]

It's a fun song.

[Riley Green]

It really is.

[Natalie]

What I mean, I think everyone in the world is shipping. You and Ella, is it? Are we strictly friends?

[Riley Green]

Yeah. I mean, Ella's probably too smart to date me anyway, but it's. It's. I think that's kind of the country music fan. Like, they love the Tim McGraw's and faith and the George and Tammy, and I think that people want to believe that. So I. You know, and when we first started having the success we did with that song, I kind of told Ella. I was like, you know, there's going to be a lot of things said, but, I mean, you don't really got to play into it or not play into it. It's going to be something that people enjoy in the same way that we do when we go listen to those songs. So it's cool to have that one and have that moment on stage where they're, you know, every night. And the title track on my album is called don't mind if I do. And that's a really big song, so it's cool to have that one with her, and that's a completely different touch.

[Natalie]

That is cool how both of y'all have major songs with each other.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. And that was very accidental, too. I wrote that song on the road, and I wrote it as a duet, and I. I was in the studio, and I asked Ella to come by just to put a female vocal so I could make sure the key was right. And I was thinking about getting somebody else because we already had that song together. And she just crushed it in the booth. She did so good. I was like, well, I can't think of anybody's gonna do it better than that. So it's been cool to have two very different songs that are working really well.

[Natalie]

Yeah. I also feel like I see y'all going into just random bars and playing. Like, what is the story behind that?

[Riley Green]

Well, they're not that random. It's my bar.

[Natalie]

Oh, is it?

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

I opened a bar in Nashville. I'm sure you've been to Nashville. You know where losers is. Yeah, well, winners was connected to losers. It's Now Riley Greens, Duck blind.

[Natalie]

Oh, so that's where all these videos are from.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. Make people want to show up at my bar, up and play every once in a while.

[Nick]

But is the bar new?

[Riley Green]

It is, yeah. Okay.

[Nick]

Nice.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, it's what, around October, I think. We opened it September. I don't know. It's open now, but yeah, it's. It's cool. That's. That's one of the things I loved about that part of Nashville in midtown is when I was going up there, that was where you saw, I mean, every artist or celebrity I've ever met.

[Natalie]

It's like a rite of passage, really is.

[Riley Green]

It's such a local hangout, you know, and I think it's cool for country music fans to go in there, maybe see somebody up there playing. I think Jamie Johnson was playing background guitar for us that night. You know, it's been fun.

[Natalie]

Okay, so y'all are just sneaking into your bar and playing a couple songs.

[Riley Green]

It might be the only one I can get in at this point.

[Natalie]

There's no way. There's no way.

[Nick]

You love to be self deprecating. It. It seems like I didn't.

[Riley Green]

Somebody looked that up.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

What does that mean?

[Natalie]

Make fun of yourself quick. Someone quick.

[Riley Green]

I'm really smart. I'm the greatest.

[Nick]

Yeah. Whenever you do settle down, do you see the appeal of, like, no.

[Riley Green]

What are you gonna say?

[Nick]

No, more like, you know, dating someone who does the same. Like another music. So you'd like to more show.

[Riley Green]

It's not that I don't. It's not the appeal. First of, I don't see any appeal of it because I know what that lifestyle is like and how tough that would be. I think what I search for outside of my career is like, a sense of normalcy. Yeah, I love going home. I'm kind of a homebody. You don't really realize it until you start traveling. And I think having a career that's in the public eye will probably make anybody a little bit reclusive. I think some people are cut out more for it than others. But one reason I love to go home now is it's the exact same. Like, life moves so much slower. Like, my Uncle Wayne still pulls up at my house and he says, hey, the lady down at the huddle house's daughter listens to your songs. Like, that's a huge deal. He has no clue what's going. You know, like, mom, I want a cma. Works like, that's great. You want macaroni cheese, like, nobody cares. And that's a really easy way to stay grounded and also a really good way to find inspiration for songs because I don't have a lot in common with the Nashville country music star lifestyle, and that's certainly not what my fans have in common with me.

[Natalie]

That's so true. I mean, it's like my family has a 300 acre animal farm in Georgia, and every time we go back, it feels like I'm talking to my sister about life out here and drama or this and that. And she's like, who?

[Riley Green]

Who are these people?

[Natalie]

Like, I don't know. And I'm like, God, you're right. None of it matters.

[Riley Green]

Like, my friends and family have to pry information out of. My mom didn't even call me. She calls my managers or my tour managers, and they show up at my shows. They didn't even tell me they were coming, you know, and like I said, that's. I think creatively that's a really important thing to have. But it's. It's been very helpful to keep you sane, to be able to slip back there and kind of disconnect. That's a pretty good way to do it.

[Nick]

Yeah. Do you think you get a lot of your inspiration when you are kind of unwinding back at home, just kind of disconnecting?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, there's a lot of, you know, and like I said, I'm very fortunate because things are going well and that's why we're so busy. But it's a lot of, like, I get off the road on Sunday and I want to put my guitar down, not look at it again until I have to, you know, so when I have a little time to kind of unwind, I can sit back and look at, you know, for one, how awesome this is that I'm getting to do. And then also, you know, think about songs like Georgia Time and like, man, what was I thinking when I wrote that? You know, I'm sure you're familiar with Corey Smith. I always think about him because I was such a big fan of Corey Smith. A lot of my stuff that I cut years and years ago was very much like that. And I even had some songs where I kind of like, wrapped in the verse a little bit like he did. But I was thinking about he wrote those songs, and it was talking about wishing you were 21. How do you go back there mentally when you're 40 years old? You know, so going back and living with some of those songs and visiting those places, that kind of gave me that inspiration, I think. Helps me to write From a place that at least got me somewhat successful.

[Natalie]

You just released Christmas to me. Have you always wanted to do. No, No.

[Riley Green]

A Christmas song.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

I feel like. I feel like every record deal in Nashville has a clause that says they can make you do a Christmas song.

[Natalie]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Riley Green]

And I think everybody dreads it. I was going. I had a really busy travel week, like west coast to New York. Did like Good Morning Today or something and Good Morning Today combined. You get what I'm saying?

[Natalie]

I know the one.

[Riley Green]

It's a new show. It's really good. You'll love it. And it's a late night show.

[Natalie]

Perfect.

[Riley Green]

And they called me and my manager was like, hey man, I hate to even ask you this, but like could you go do this thing? It's kind of a favor Christmas special somewhere. And I was like, had travel plan to go home and like catch a ball game at my. Where I went to school at, you know. I was really excited about it and I was like, well, you know, like I'm supposed to go do it. What's the song? And it was the most awful. Like wasn't Jingle Bell Rock, but it was worse than that. It was just cheesy. A lot of Christmas songs are cheesy.

[Nick]

And I thought for Christmas is you.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, I kind of like that one. But if I thought if I can write a Christmas song, I'll never. I'll always be able to play a. If I like it, I can like people ask me to do that. I can always have a song that's like decent to play. So I sat on the bus and wrote a Christmas song. And I like it. It's great. It. I cheated a little bit.

[Natalie]

Yeah. It's not.

[Riley Green]

I think it's a country song that I made. A Christmas song.

[Natalie]

Yeah. It's not very like Deck the Hall.

[Riley Green]

There is a little jingle at the.

[Natalie]

End, some sleigh bells, a little sleigh belt. Yeah. That's about all that.

[Riley Green]

I like it.

[Nick]

A little slip album.

[Riley Green]

And the.

[Natalie]

And the album cover is Christmy.

[Riley Green]

Well, it's me. It was Christmas in my grandmother little jeans house.

[Natalie]

There you go.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. My grand Buford sitting in the corner. Little me with a Troy Aman jersey on. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Stamp.

[Riley Green]

It's. It's one of those songs that I can see it like it's was the easiest song for me to write. I think me and Eric Dylan wrote that song in like 15 minutes on the bus, like and he couldn't type it fast enough. It was coming out because it was just me singing about what Christmas was like growing up, you know?

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Nick]

What do you think the most. One of the most surprising things about you is? Or, like, things might. People might be, like, probably how smart I am. Okay.

[Riley Green]

What do you mean?

[Nick]

Like, what people wouldn't know about me? You're into, like, a guilty pleasure. Like, you know, like, you're a big fan of Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is, you know.

[Riley Green]

I like this. I like that Rihanna song. You look so dumb right now. What's that song?

[Natalie]

So dumb right now.

[Riley Green]

Take a bow.

[Natalie]

Oh, yes.

[Riley Green]

There's a video of her doing that.

[Natalie]

That's not how she sounds. I couldn't put the two together.

[Riley Green]

That was my best Rihanna impersonation. No, but there's a video of her singing it, and it's just, like, her out there. I don't know. I like that. So I watch that video a lot. It makes me feel good when I'm in a bad mood.

[Natalie]

Is that when she has the short red hair?

[Riley Green]

All right, I didn't get in. I don't know what outfit she has.

[Natalie]

No, it might not. It might not.

[Nick]

Now we're testing.

[Natalie]

No, no, no.

[Riley Green]

Y'all don't have the Internet here?

[Natalie]

No, we're outplugged.

[Nick]

Look it up.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, and there's a movie called Tin Cup.

[Nick]

Great movie.

[Riley Green]

My favorite movie ever. And the last 20 minutes of that movie, when he hits it in the water so many times. That's the seven iron. Yeah, that's that. I watched that a lot. Just the last bit of that movie.

[Nick]

Why?

[Riley Green]

It just puts me in a good mood.

[Natalie]

Like, you fast forward to that, or you just, like, watch a clip?

[Nick]

Like, kind of your meditation almost, in a way.

[Riley Green]

I don't know. Just, like, I can't help but, like, kind of smile. Makes me feel good.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Riley Green]

I don't know.

[Natalie]

What's your favorite food?

[Riley Green]

You said surprise. You're surprised. Meatballs I love.

[Nick]

I make.

[Riley Green]

You do. That's surprising.

[Natalie]

You know how. You know how Thanksgiving is down south, right? You better eat Grandma's stuffing or you're out. Well, first Thanksgiving I brought him to, I'm like, all right. My grandma's been cooking this dressing all day long. Everyone's played their part. Everyone's cooked something. You've got it. And this man made meatballs and only made. Only ate the meatballs at this Thanksgiving. And my grandmother's like, well, I don't know. Where you from?

[Nick]

Wisconsin.

[Riley Green]

You lost the. Oh, yeah. You don't even have it. You don't have a Wisconsin.

[Natalie]

When he says Roof.

[Riley Green]

When I say roof, you look like. Like you're born in Georgia. I mean, you got some things like you went down there. They were expecting a certain level of.

[Natalie]

He was probably still wearing skinny jeans. When I.

[Nick]

Skinny jeans back then.

[Riley Green]

They took me to. So I'd never been, like, really nice wrestling restaurants or anything. And when I was getting, like, my record label was trying to sign me. I had four record labels offer me a deal, so they had to, like, court me. It was like getting recruited. And so they were taking me out and, like, pretending they like to drink beer Bush Light and all the stuff with me and trying to, like, look through my hunting pictures and act like they knew what I was talking about. And so we would go to these nice restaurants and I found this place in Nashville. They took me, had meatballs. And that was where, like, anytime I had like a number one or something good happened. We all went there and I made everybody eat meatballs. We just ordered them off. The appetizer was three in there. It's. That tradituy place is next to Bridgestone.

[Natalie]

Put a link to that.

[Nick]

No, she asked me to make meatballs, and I was like, okay. It was like a potluck. And I'm. Yeah, I make some good.

[Riley Green]

Wait, did he make the little.

[Nick]

No, no.

[Riley Green]

I like that.

[Nick]

Yeah. And then I made them and then like, no. Okay. And she was like, you should make meatballs. Like, okay. And then, like, it was Thanksgiving dinner, which I just. I mean, I just don't like. I'm not a big Thanksgiving.

[Riley Green]

Well, I don't. I don't like a lot of ingredients. Yeah. I'm like a kid. I like cheese and sauce, and I could just eat one thing. That.

[Nick]

That's kind of how I was.

[Riley Green]

But I'm also respectful, so I get everybody.

[Nick]

Apparently not.

[Natalie]

Would you have tried grandmother stuffing?

[Riley Green]

You'd have to.

[Natalie]

I mean, he was like, I'll get back to it. I promise. Betty Sue.

[Riley Green]

I went over to my grandmother's house the other day, and she had. She made beef stew, and that has too many ingredients for me. Like, I don't do onions, and I don't even know what.

[Nick]

You don't do.

[Natalie]

Everything about the kitchen sink.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, it's just like, everything in there. It's literally like she just puts whatever she has in there. And I. I mean, I had to eat some of it, you know?

[Natalie]

Did you, like, choke it down or.

[Riley Green]

I. She has. She always has these little bitty miniature Welch's grape juices.

[Natalie]

So I was just chugging that. Do you tell Her. It was good. Do you lie to her?

[Riley Green]

Of course. Are you kidding me? I'm trying to get beat. This is an Alabama grandmother we're talking about. She still cuts her own grass.

[Nick]

Damn. Does she?

[Riley Green]

86.

[Natalie]

Oh, damn.

[Riley Green]

She. I went home in the summer and she was. She was weed eating. It was 100 degrees and she's out there weed eating. And I went. I pulled up, I said, grandmother, let me do that. She's like, no, I want to do it. I said, let me do it. I said, I'm gonna. I'm gonna take my shirt off out here and let the neighbors see and get a little sun, you know. And so she went up to her house and I got around to the other side and she was back down there with the other weed eater doing the other side. She'll weed eat off the side of her golf cart.

[Natalie]

She'll just ride the golf cart like a stick.

[Riley Green]

If a stick falls off a tree, it doesn't sit in the yard long.

[Natalie]

She picks it up.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, it's getting picked up.

[Natalie]

Wow. They don't make them like that nowadays, landscapers. They don't make them like an Alabama grandmother.

[Riley Green]

Oh, I don't remember. Somebody came down and was filming like a little content thing or like where you're from or something. And they were like, you know, you can't make up where I'm from. Obviously you, you know, being from where you are, you know what that small town life's like. And there's one flashing light. There's one store. It's called Green Store. All four of my grandparents knew each other when they were kids. So, like, everybody's from right there. And like, the old men go to the store and morning and play dominoes and, you know, talk about all the gossip. And the camera guy was sitting there like. And I'm giving an interview. I said, oh, my grandma was calling. Why she about to cuss me out? Because I. I bought her a lawnmower. She was getting a new lawnmower. And I talked to the John Deere guy and he. I said, let me pay for it. He said, no. She told me, don't. I was like, come on, man. So she. I answered the phone and she said, riley, you little. And they were like, it was your grandmother.

[Natalie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Riley Green]

Not having it.

[Nick]

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[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Other than. Other than this moment, though.

[Riley Green]

Oh, that's tough.

[Natalie]

Collab. George Straight.

[Riley Green]

Oh, yeah. Oh. I mean, I've already been so fortunate to have collaborations with people I'm such a big fan of. I mean, and. And they've all worked out really well too, which is awesome to have hit songs with people that you're friends with. ACM Award was pretty crazy. We won a CMA award the other day, you know, it did. I think there's probably a lot of people that had, like, dreams of a country music career, like, always grew up doing it and, like. And they've had more time. I never really had that. I thought I would grow a long, gray ponytail and play at the Florabama and do construction during the week, and, like, that would be the extent of my career. So. I don't know. I mean, if you live at the beach, look.

[Nick]

I mean, look at that beautiful hair. Like.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Nick]

I hope you're okay with me saying you got beautiful.

[Riley Green]

I was hoping somebody would.

[Nick]

Yeah. No, I'm glad you said that, though, because it's like, I didn't have any.

[Riley Green]

Visions of the success I've already had. So for me, it's like, if I never had another hit, I. I would be blown away by how awesome my career has been. But at the same time, like, not. Yeah, my anxiety or whatever. My worry in my career is just that I don't get as much as I can out of it.

[Nick]

Okay.

[Riley Green]

And I'm like. For me to, like, sit around when I should be going to write a song or, you know, management calls and says, hey, man, you've had a really busy week. We're gonna not do this one show. I'm like, oh, let's just do it. You know, there'll be a time when I start saying no, but right now, it's like, I just wanna. I know how fortunate I am. I want to try to get as much as I can out of it.

[Nick]

That makes sense, because it's not something you expected to do. You got into it. It must feel. Constantly. Kind of almost feels surreal. Right. And at the same time, now you're doing it. You're having a ton of success, you're winning awards you're on Jimmy Fallon. Like, you get used to it, but at the same time, you have this appreciation for something that you, you know, 15, 20 years ago. Like, if. I'm guessing, if I would have told you, like, you'll be where you are.

[Riley Green]

Now, you know, on this podcast, I would have never believed it.

[Nick]

Yeah, no, for sure.

[Riley Green]

There's a little bit of. What's been tough for me is, like, the bigger you get, there's a little bit of a disconnect with fans that you have. Like, when I was playing songs and like, I would go in a, like a barbecue restaurant, I would have to win over people. They didn't come to see me, you know, like, they were eating and they probably thought my music was too loud. So I had to, like, do something to set me apart from somebody else. I wasn't that great of a singer. So I started writing songs and I thought that was how I learned how to write. Like, oh, this line they turned around, you know, this one made them, like, raise their beer up. So you lose that a little bit when you're. You got a sold out show somewhere. You're. We did stadiums with Luke Combs last year. You know, I'll be out an arena tour that I went on this year. And. And they're. Everybody seems so far away now. So it's nice to, when you write songs, be able to do something on a level that's a little more intimate and go, man, that. That works, you know?

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Every once in a while you got to be worried that somebody might not like it. I think that's what keeps you working sharp. Yeah. Yeah.

[Nick]

That makes a lot of sense.

[Riley Green]

You can't sit there and look at all the tick tocks of old ladies saying that your forearms are pretty. You got to do something to keep yourself motivated, you know, that doesn't keep.

[Natalie]

You motivated to work out.

[Riley Green]

Forearm workout. That's it. Like Popeye. That's all I do. Eat spinach and work out my forearms.

[Nick]

Bails ahead.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, yeah. No actual work?

[Nick]

No, no actual work. You just a college football fan or you like the pros, too?

[Riley Green]

You know, in Alabama, we don't have a pro team. Everybody's a Braves fan and everybody's a lot more college. I've kind of been like that.

[Natalie]

It's kind of hard to be an Auburn fan these days, you know, it's.

[Riley Green]

Not because you just don't care.

[Natalie]

Yeah, that's true.

[Riley Green]

When I think Auburn should be really good, it's tough for me because I'm like biting my Nails at every game this year. I didn't expect that much and they didn't disappoint me.

[Natalie]

Yeah, you're like, well, all right. Another loss could be worse, I guess. Did you watch the Georgia game? The eight overtimes?

[Riley Green]

Yeah. That was wild.

[Natalie]

That was insane. Who were they playing?

[Riley Green]

Georgia Tech.

[Natalie]

Georgia Tech?

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

Yeah. That's crazy. Do you cheer for any other sec? Even though Auburn's Auburn.

[Riley Green]

My whole family's Alabama fans.

[Natalie]

Are they?

[Riley Green]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, how are you?

[Natalie]

How are you Auburn?

[Riley Green]

I don't know. I always, I think, growing up, up, my sister Casey's two years older than me. My sister Lindy's 10 years older than me. Me and Casey fought all the time. I thought Lindy was cool. So every guy that she dated I thought was the coolest dude ever. You know, Like, I remember, like, khaki pants with the little frizzled. The little shorts, like, New Balance shoes. Like, I had to help. So, I mean, I think maybe one of her boyfriends was an Auburn fan, and that was. That was why.

[Nick]

Wow.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. Easily influenced.

[Natalie]

Yeah. Oh, my gosh.

[Nick]

Kind of a backfire, though, just because, like, Alabama has been so, so good.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. But, man, Alabama can have the best team in the country and Auburn can be the worst team. They can still beat them any year. Like, it's the craziest thing.

[Nick]

That one.

[Riley Green]

That one.

[Nick]

You always talk about the. I remember that. I was watching. I was randomly.

[Riley Green]

See, that's the thing, too. When you have a game like that, it doesn't matter If Alabama wins 50 national championships. You can go. I kick six game, though, man. That was. Can't take that back.

[Natalie]

That's true.

[Nick]

So what are you gonna do for Christmas?

[Riley Green]

This as little as I can get away with. I'm gonna almost head home and hang out with the family a little bit. We still very traditionally go over to my grandmother's and eat and take a nap and get up and eat again and nap and open presents.

[Natalie]

Yards. Like the parking lot.

[Riley Green]

That's right. See, she did her due diligence.

[Natalie]

I'm a fan.

[Riley Green]

Oh, yeah. You kind of have to be.

[Natalie]

I'm a fan.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. At least pretend to be on the podcast.

[Nick]

Well, yeah, Self deprecating.

[Riley Green]

I got a lot of. A lot of nieces and nephews, so. That's funny, you know.

[Nick]

Are you the favorite uncle?

[Riley Green]

Come on, dude.

[Natalie]

Do you get him presents?

[Riley Green]

Yeah. You know what was one of the best years I had was I just took them to, like, the store and just let them all pick out what they wanted. Oh, yeah, that was fun.

[Natalie]

Yeah. It's easier because then you're not like, guessing what they want. They're not like, I already have this.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

You know, that always happens to me.

[Riley Green]

And it was like something to do, you know. They enjoyed that. That was fun for me.

[Natalie]

What store did you take them to? Walmart.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. Yeah, of course. There's not a Target where we're at.

[Natalie]

Yeah, they don't make Toys R Us anymore.

[Nick]

No, they don't.

[Natalie]

No. I think they closed them all.

[Nick]

Yeah, unfortunately, I was really looking forward to taking.

[Riley Green]

They're coming back.

[Nick]

Are they?

[Natalie]

Are they?

[Riley Green]

They're trying to. Yeah, they exist In, I think J.C. penney's or Macy's. It's. It's so hard to believe that any stores exist anymore with Amazon.

[Natalie]

Yeah. I mean, online shopping.

[Riley Green]

I found out where that was like three years ago. And you're like, oh, this is somebody. One of the ladies who works my record label was telling me. I was like, I just built my house in Alabama and then I signed my deal, went on the road and I was getting furniture delivered and all this stuff. And I was like, I didn't even see it. My mom was sending me pictures of, like, furniture and I was like, man, I got to get plates and cups and boxes. Well, you can order them on Amazon. I'm like, what do you. And so she showed it to me and now I'm like, you know, I just order all kinds of junk. I don't think. I'm like, what's it called when you see something like, like by the register and you. Impulse. I don't like impulse buy stuff. I just like having packages when I get home. So, like, it doesn't matter what it is. There's so much stuff I've opened that I've never touched.

[Nick]

You two would get along just fine. I do.

[Natalie]

I love a package. It's like Christmas all the time.

[Riley Green]

Matter of fact, I don't know that there's been many things I've opened in the last few years that didn't disappoint me When I got inside of it. Like, I was. I was more excited about having it.

[Natalie]

I'm just opening.

[Nick]

Just like having. Is it like the freeze free stuff?

[Natalie]

Do you get a lot of PR packages?

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

You do? Is it mostly just like beer and.

[Riley Green]

Blue water Beer in the mail? Like. No, it's a lot of hunting stuff. There's. I've got 5 billion hats with the duck on them somewhere in my house. Yeah. It's funny too, because I'LL see people in my little community out there with them all. Because my dad goes and gets all that stuff and gives it to people. And there's this thing called trade day in Collinsville. It's like a big flea market outside. And we always went there when I was a kid. Me and my dad would go, like, trade case pocket knives with people and set up and sell stuff. And I took some of my buddies up there and we bought a bunch of miniature goats and pigs from my farm. It was just something to do when I was home. And I saw my dad there, and he was. Said had a booth set up selling stuff. And I went over there, and there's like. Like a real tree vest with the tag still. I'm like, that's mine. And he said, 15. Like, he's gonna sell it back to me. He's just taking all the stuff that people send me and selling at trade days. Making a killing.

[Natalie]

My sister sells merch.

[Riley Green]

Raleigh Green merch. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Honestly, that is smart. Yeah.

[Nick]

You're.

[Natalie]

You're.

[Riley Green]

It's smart for him. It's great.

[Natalie]

It's great. You're losing packages, though.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

It's less for you. That's crazy. I do remember I saw you at the Music Vault in Savannah years ago. And so it is real. And there was, like, no one there. No offense, but it is.

[Riley Green]

Is that on the. On the river?

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Okay. Yes. So I just remember I didn't know there was, like, such a bachelorette party thing and down there until that show.

[Natalie]

Oh, it's like a honky Tony. It's like a saddlebag with the. With the bull. Mechanical bull. So I can only imagine what, like, your friends and your family and your ex girlfriends think about you now, because it is. It's wild for me at least, to be like, oh, I was at a concert when, like, no one was there, and then to, like, see you now. So massive.

[Riley Green]

That's what y'all should have had on here. Match girlfriends. You had a bigger couch. I would.

[Nick]

Riley Green's ex girlfriend.

[Riley Green]

Step right up, folks. For me, it's tough to really grasp because it was so grad, like, gradual. Like, it happened, like, it went from this little place to a little bigger and, like, the Music Vault. And we did the arena in Savannah.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Last year. The year before. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

And also it was very regional to start with. So, like, I was a big deal in, like, Cowan county for a while, you know, in Alabama. And then it kind of. The circle has grown, and now people. That's the biggest thing I Mean, like we went to Australia and had I don't know how many sold out shows. We headlined two big festivals out there and I flew my parents out with me and they sang it. It was like we were playing in Georgia. Like, they sang every word.

[Nick]

That's gotta be surreal.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, it's. That kind of thing is. Is. It's hard to really comprehend, I think. Think that it can travel like that.

[Natalie]

Yeah, I think Carly Pierce was. She was sitting where you are and she was saying I in like Sweden or something. She's like, they know every. They don't speak any English. She says they know every single word to all of her songs. And then the second she starts, like talking to the crowd, they're all like.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, that was in Montreal. They speak French somewhere in Canada. In that area. Boots and Hearts Festival or Lasso Festival or something. And. And I noticed they sang every word. But when I would do my in between song banter, it was just like.

[Natalie]

Like, you don't speak any French.

[Riley Green]

I thought I wasn't funny. Thank God I am. It wasn't me, it was him.

[Natalie]

Yeah, yikes.

[Riley Green]

I can barely speak English again. I don't speak French.

[Nick]

I relate to that.

[Natalie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nick]

NICK struggles WITH ENGLISH yeah, it's hard. Reading's hard.

[Riley Green]

They did a. They filmed like where you're from piece on my farm and it was right when I signed a record deal and my mom was sitting in my house making CDs putting my label on them. I told her when I was playing those shows like, that she could make CDs and sell them and she keep the money for me. It was good advertisement. I didn't want to fool with it. And the label's like, you know you can't do that anymore, right? Like that's like piracy or whatever. She's like, what? And my dad was on the porch, like staying in the porch, and they went out there and talked to him. They were interviewing them and they had to use subtitles for my dad because he's mumbles so much.

[Nick]

Oh, really? That's great. What's he. Can you do an impression of your dad?

[Natalie]

But you know everything he's saying, don't you? Or at least your mom does.

[Riley Green]

I don't. I just. Yeah, man, that's right.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

He called me the other day. He was at trade day and he said, hey, listen, great today. Yeah, he figured out how to work my phone. Like he's got a phone. And so he like takes pictures with it now and he calls and he was like, hey, man, listen I'm a trade day, and I found this trailer, man. You. It's. It's bad. It's badass. Like, you think I can get it? He works for me on my farm. My mom has, like, the farm checkbook, so he has to call me and check. I was like, how much is he? 750. Yeah, you can get it. He's like, man, you're not gonna believe it. You know, he's telling me all about it, and I went home for Thanksgiving, and he drugged me out there to go see it. And it's literally like. You know those trucks that, like, alagasco. Like a utility work truck? Like the white ones with the big toolboxes on the back and all that?

[Natalie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Riley Green]

It's like one of those. Somebody saw it in half, and they just put a tongue on the front of it so you could hook it up. That's all. It's. It's like the most rinky. It'll fall apart. And he was so excited about it. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Did you get. Did you ride it?

[Riley Green]

You wouldn't ride it.

[Natalie]

Did you drive it?

[Riley Green]

Drive the truck? You mean, like, pull it somewhere?

[Natalie]

Sure.

[Riley Green]

No, I don't want any part of that.

[Natalie]

But he's doing the whole thing.

[Riley Green]

I don't know what he's gonna do with it. He doesn't need it. He was so excited. It was a deal.

[Nick]

And I guess they just love the sale.

[Riley Green]

He'd never seen one like it before. Yeah.

[Natalie]

He's like. It's actually collecting dust now. I haven't. Yeah.

[Nick]

But we got 80% off. That's great. What's your favorite cereal?

[Riley Green]

Favorite cereal versus, like, the one I eat. Because I feel like it's okay, you know? Sure, honey. Bunches of oats.

[Nick]

That's your healthy cereal.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, but, I mean, I eat, like, protein cereal stuff now. I like. I don't remember the brands of them, but they're kind of like cardboard. Like, it's got enough that it makes me feel like. I'm sure. I don't know how you beat, like, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That's tough to beat. Fruity Pebbles over.

[Nick]

Over Cocoa.

[Riley Green]

Yeah, I'm not. You talking about Cocoa Puffs Pebbles? Yeah. I don't know. I'm not a big chocolate guy.

[Nick]

Really?

[Riley Green]

Pops.

[Nick]

Pops.

[Riley Green]

You know? What's the slip on cereal? Apple Jacks.

[Nick]

I do like Apple Jacks.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. And that feels kind of healthy.

[Nick]

It is. Slept on, too, doesn't it?

[Riley Green]

But I feel healthy eating Apple Jacks.

[Nick]

Sure.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

Because it's a little cinnamony.

[Riley Green]

Well, I can Trick myself into thinking anything. Yeah.

[Nick]

After I have 3/4 of a box, though.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

It must get a little frustrating to have everyone want to know so much about your love life because I think you personally keep it so private and it like makes people want it more because you're like, I'm not talking about it. There's nothing, you know, and then like, we've got to know, we have to know what's going on in Riley Green's love life.

[Riley Green]

Well, if I told them anything about it, they wouldn't want to know anymore. They'd be like, boring. I don't, I don't think there's really that much of one. I mean, like, I can't convey the amount of travel that has been this year. And I just think sometimes the last thing I want to do when I got two days off is go on a blind date or like, I mean, I don't know. I think I'm pretty far from, from, from the schedule that it's going to take for me to settle down. So. Yeah, I don't know what they're saying on other podcasts or.

[Natalie]

I just know that that's like people. I mean, you were at, at the CMAs, it was like, who is the hottest person in country music? Carrie Underwood. Riley Green, Screen.

[Riley Green]

Well, that's nice though. That's a group there, right? Yeah.

[Natalie]

I think you said Carrie Underwood, didn't you?

[Riley Green]

I did, yeah. That seemed like a no brainer to me. They said I couldn't say myself. So that wasn't self deprecating, was it? With the other way of that one?

[Natalie]

Yeah. I just think it's wild that people are, you know, it's. They always want what they.

[Nick]

It must be flattering though, like. Or do you find that annoying?

[Riley Green]

That's not annoying. My mom used to tell me I was the cutest one in my football uniform all the time after every game, win or lose.

[Nick]

You know, a mom's love for a son, she like that really. It's what gives you. It's. You'll get confidence if mom loves you.

[Riley Green]

If I ever get down on myself, I'll just go home and call mom. Yeah.

[Nick]

My mom gave me an unnecessary amount of confidence. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Yeah, you are mom.

[Riley Green]

I'll go along with that. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Have you. Are you the type that like has like a notes app of your future kids names on it?

[Riley Green]

No.

[Natalie]

No, I did.

[Riley Green]

Well, I mean, isn't that probably more of a girl thing?

[Nick]

What's your dream wedding?

[Natalie]

Have you already picked out your tux?

[Riley Green]

That would have Been my answer to the what would surprise people question. I look like the guy got a.

[Natalie]

Notes app full of kids names that.

[Riley Green]

I. I might have a. An app. Like, a notes app of just, like, names for, like, a dog that I.

[Natalie]

Might get one day or, like, batteries, Chinese food.

[Nick]

I know I should, because I did. I did watch an interview of you talking about your dog. What's your dog's name again?

[Riley Green]

Carl.

[Nick]

Carl. I love that.

[Riley Green]

See what I mean?

[Nick]

Steve and Jeff.

[Riley Green]

He's nice. People names, Carl. And he's got a girlfriend now. His name. Her name is Carol Ann.

[Nick]

Love that. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Where. Where did he meet her?

[Nick]

Her?

[Natalie]

Like, on the apps or something?

[Riley Green]

No, I mean, she's not his girlfriend yet. She's, like, still, like, young, you know, but when she, you know, we're gonna do the thing, or they. Maybe they will if they want to. And I got a yellow lab named Jazz. It's my duck hunting dog. So Jazz, they all run around on the farm and chase the goats and animals. I thought Jazz was a good dog name, because if it was a girl, be Jasmine, and if it was a guy, it'd be Jasper.

[Natalie]

You didn't know which one it was going to be when you.

[Riley Green]

I wasn't sure. Here. I let the dog pick me when I went to get the dog. You know, you're supposed to get if you want a dog for hunting. This is just so y'all know. You're supposed to get the dog that likes people more than other dogs. So when you go in there, like, little puppies and they're walking around. This is not scientific for anybody. That's, like, dog. People out there don't. This is, like. I know what I'm talking about. This is what I think. So, like, the one, like, Jazz was, like, over there by me, and the other ones were, like, jumping on each other and stuff. And, like, really in real life, you went to a park, right? Now, she's not, like, around a lot of other dogs. A lot lot. She would, like, go smell of another dog, and then she would run back to you.

[Natalie]

She's not even interested.

[Riley Green]

No, she would never, like, go chase another dog or something. I think that makes her, like, want to, like, do what I want her to do.

[Natalie]

So did you. Did you send her off to training, or did you.

[Riley Green]

No, I trained. I trained her myself.

[Natalie]

You did? Dad's ruined it, I bet.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

Does he just give her a bunch of treats?

[Riley Green]

I feeds her coconut and powdered donuts all the time.

[Natalie]

Oh, that hurts my stomach.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

Oh, coconut, powdered.

[Riley Green]

Donuts No, I mean the two different types. Oh, coconut donuts and powdered donuts. You know, like, that's what he. Damn, you get some at the store.

[Natalie]

Damn.

[Riley Green]

And he like, brags about too. He's like, look, when. When I'm driving, I'll open up that pack and she'll put her head right there on my shoulder. I'm like, yeah, dad, she wants. Yeah, I know.

[Natalie]

She can smell.

[Nick]

Like, I trained her to eat donuts.

[Riley Green]

He's happy about that.

[Natalie]

She can smell the blood from a deer. And she can also smell the second that bag opens up and that powder dust shits up.

[Riley Green]

I bought a bunch of chickens and I had to like, tell dad, like, she's a bird dog. Like, you can't have her around. Like, she'll. She'll eat them, you know? He's like, no, no, she wouldn't do that vet. And I feel like the first baby chick that got like. I feel like there was nothing but just the feet smoking. Like on a cartoon.

[Natalie]

No. What'd your dad say?

[Riley Green]

He was surprised.

[Natalie]

He said, r, your dog ate a chicken today.

[Riley Green]

Probably easier to get powdered donuts than chickens, I guess.

[Natalie]

I don't know your dog. That's how he sounded.

[Riley Green]

Just like that?

[Natalie]

Yeah. Yeah, that's how he sounded. Oh, that's funny. Do you have a favorite? No. Does your mom have a favorite song of yours?

[Riley Green]

I wrote a hell of a Way to Go about her, dad. My Grande Lyndon. So that one I remember, like, you know, he recently passed away when I wrote it. So I remember. I think that one's probably up there. They like the Christmas song. I kind of wrote it with her mom and dad's house in mind.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Oddly enough, she likes worse way.

[Natalie]

Really?

[Riley Green]

That's something people always ask me in interviews. When that song came out was like, what does your mom think of it? Like, she likes it.

[Natalie]

Interesting. Did she have any follow up questions when you were like, mom, this is a new.

[Riley Green]

No. We have a relationship that's kind of a don't ask, don't tell where I come up with my. Whether something really happened or is fictional when I write songs. But I. I do tell her all the time when I was young and I was like sneaking out of the house and going to the bars and all this stuff, that. That's where I got all the stories that I wrote these songs from, you know, so she can't be mad about it now if I tell her that I got arrested like before Easter Sunday one year and like bail myself out and made it to church, you know, that didn't really happen. See if mom's going to watch this.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Nick]

A huge fan of our show.

[Riley Green]

She probably is. She will be.

[Nick]

She might be.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Especially this episode. Sure she'll like this one. She's gonna love this one. I'm her favorite.

[Natalie]

Does. Do your sisters, like, do they know that you're the favorite?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, they can't stand it.

[Natalie]

Really?

[Riley Green]

I was the favorite before I, like, had success. So, like, you can imagine, now my mom and dad live in my house.

[Nick]

But I bet you treated your mom right.

[Riley Green]

Right?

[Nick]

Like, you're probably good to her.

[Riley Green]

Well, yeah. I mean, like, Like, I've bought everybody, like, cars and stuff, you know? I mean, and y'all know this from being successful. Like, there's nothing I've ever bought myself that gave me as much enjoyment as, like, buy my dad a truck. He's never had anything nice. Yeah, his truck. That was nice I bought him. Isn't nice now because he's backed into everything I have with it. Yeah.

[Nick]

I bought my mom her dad's lake house back, and it was the coolest.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. I mean, it just. And I, I, I honestly don't do it for people to think I'm a good person. And I don't even say it for that reason. Like, it's just like, it. It really is. Like, when I'm on the road thinking about getting my nieces and nephews something or, like, sharing what's really awesome that I get to do and what success I have with them is pretty special.

[Nick]

But, yeah, it's like taking care of the people you love.

[Riley Green]

Yeah. But I didn't give my parents my house. They stole it. They just squatted on it.

[Natalie]

Really?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, they, like. And then I built a house, went on the road. They moved in the basement, and then slowly moved upstairs into the master bedroom.

[Nick]

You didn't come back.

[Riley Green]

And I came home, and my mom was like. Like, came out and was in a nightgown on the porch. She saw me and she's like, what are you doing here? She ran back in the house, and I thought, oh, it's not going to be good. And I got in there, and it was just, like, my whole room just had stuff all in my. And I. I literally went in. I was like, listen, I'm going to go.

[Natalie]

She's got plates.

[Riley Green]

I'm going to stay at the barn. But, like, you know, we need to talk about this tomorrow. And I just moved into the barn.

[Natalie]

Well, that can't be a bad place to stay.

[Nick]

Do you Know your love language.

[Riley Green]

English.

[Nick]

Do you understand the question?

[Riley Green]

Yeah, usually I'm not against somebody that speak. Speaks another language, but, like, how do you feel Loved?

[Nick]

Riley, they.

[Natalie]

There's, like, several things. There's.

[Nick]

You've never heard of love languages.

[Riley Green]

I've heard people talk about it. Okay. I'm sure there's.

[Natalie]

There's physical touch information.

[Nick]

Okay, I'm sure.

[Natalie]

And she probably would. My love language is this.

[Riley Green]

I know the answer when I go to the Chinese restaurant. I'm a dragon on the place mat.

[Nick]

Nailed it.

[Natalie]

So am I. And so is River.

[Nick]

I'm a monkey.

[Riley Green]

October 18th. That's how you figure it out.

[Natalie]

It's your year. Oh, for the. For the Chinese dragon.

[Riley Green]

Oh, yeah.

[Natalie]

For the tr. Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Oh, that's not the same thing.

[Natalie]

That's not the same thing. No. There's the love language, which is like, how do you show love to.

[Nick]

How do you like to show love? And, like, what makes you feel loved?

[Natalie]

And there's physical touch.

[Nick]

He's exhausted. He's like, we can't do that.

[Riley Green]

Are you asleep?

[Nick]

No.

[Natalie]

So there's four of them. Can I tell you the four?

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

And you can pick.

[Riley Green]

Okay. Okay, so wait, let me ask you this. Do you think that people are responsible enough to pick their own. You think they should be able to. Like, people are going to say what they want you to think they are?

[Natalie]

No. No, because none of them are bad.

[Riley Green]

Well, I mean, it's. There's.

[Nick]

Yeah. That's not gonna pick their favorite.

[Natalie]

It's not like a right or wrong. It's just like, how do you. Yeah. There's no favorite. It's like you're in a relationship.

[Riley Green]

I don't think you should be able to pick what you think. That doesn't seem fair.

[Nick]

No, it's more like.

[Riley Green]

Like, for example, y'all were here for, like, an hour. What do y'all think?

[Natalie]

Words of affirmation. Right? No, I think he's. There's words of affirmation, there's gifts, there's acts of service and physical touch. So, like, quality time and quality time. Sorry. So five. That one.

[Riley Green]

So I don't like being touched all that much.

[Natalie]

There you go. So definitely not. You do not want to be touched. Nick's the same. I'm always like, let me get inside of your skin. And he's like, I don't really want to be.

[Nick]

Yeah, yeah.

[Natalie]

You know, you wouldn't be into that.

[Nick]

And, like, gifts I could give.

[Riley Green]

Like, I don't like. I mean, like, you know, like a girl, like, I don't mind being like, touch. Really sit on the couch, watch a movie or something. But I don't like people just touching me all the time. Like my guy friends, like, kind of like patching. Okay. I don't like that. Okay.

[Natalie]

Yeah, we're talking about romance. We're talking about a romantic situation. Yeah. So there.

[Nick]

But you don't want. You wouldn't want her to, like, sit on your.

[Riley Green]

I don't want, like, I don't. I've dated girls that like to be just like, back scratched all the time. I'm not like that. I don't care. Yeah. I'm like, yeah, just a. Rather didn't. If you're doing it for me. If you're doing it for me, don't. You're wasting energy. Matter of fact, I'll get you a back scratch. Do it to yourself. Then I don't have to do it.

[Natalie]

The wooden back scratcher.

[Riley Green]

Does that mean we can take that one off the list?

[Natalie]

Off the list. Done. Quality time.

[Nick]

Quality time.

[Riley Green]

Matter fact, I've bought a lot of back scratchers and massagers and stuff over the years for girls.

[Nick]

Yeah, you do it. Like the little thing that goes around.

[Riley Green]

Here, like, all kind of stuff. She's hooked up to all kind of stuff.

[Natalie]

Amazon is working for you.

[Riley Green]

All right.

[Nick]

Quality time. Do you like hanging out with the people you like or do you like being alone more? Are you introverted or extroverted?

[Natalie]

Definitely introverted.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

I think that I would have to have a little more in my normal lifestyle. I think I don't mind being around people. I think I'd have to have a little more of a regular schedule to be less introverted. But I think now I am a little bit.

[Nick]

I think he's an extra service guy.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

You like doing things for the people you like.

[Riley Green]

Yeah.

[Nick]

You love.

[Riley Green]

Okay. Yeah.

[Nick]

Like, that's how you show love.

[Riley Green]

I like doing show.

[Natalie]

Like you would, like, make her a cup of coffee and you'd bring it to her and like, that's how you're showing love.

[Riley Green]

You're not sitting down and not touch her.

[Nick]

You wouldn't.

[Riley Green]

As a matter of fact, I would make her the best cup of coffee and take it to a room that I was not going to be in.

[Nick]

Yeah.

[Riley Green]

Put it down. And I would try to coax her into that room.

[Nick]

And I go.

[Natalie]

And then you shut it behind me.

[Nick]

And not even say, One of my.

[Riley Green]

Favorite things would be the, like, turn on a movie that I know is gonna be kind of boring and then just like, coax them to sleep so I can watch whatever I want to watch.

[Nick]

There you go.

[Riley Green]

After they fall asleep, that's really fun for me.

[Natalie]

That's awful.

[Nick]

Riley, this has been a ton of fun, man.

[Riley Green]

Oh, surely you got, like, a good segue out. Do that. Better say oil, because.

[Nick]

Oil.

[Riley Green]

Oil.

[Nick]

See, he says it normal.

[Natalie]

Yeah. How does your. How does. How does your grandma say it?

[Riley Green]

Oil.

[Natalie]

No, she doesn't.

[Riley Green]

I bet she does.

[Natalie]

You should call her when you leave out.

[Riley Green]

Okay.

[Natalie]

No, there's no way.

[Riley Green]

You say it weird.

[Natalie]

I don't say it weird.

[Nick]

Yeah, you do.

[Natalie]

Well, everybody, Christmas to Me is out, and it is the best Christmas song of the year. Riley Green, everybody.

[Riley Green]

Thank you.

[Nick]

It's been a lot of fun, man. We appreciate you. Best of luck with everything. We're big fans and can't wait to see what's next for you, buddy.

[Riley Green]

Appreciate it, man.

[Nick]

All right, take care, man.