#672 - Trace Adkins

Summary

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Podcast Summary: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Episode: #672 - Trace Adkins
Date: July 28, 2026
Guest: Trace Adkins, country music singer-songwriter and actor
Host: Theo Von

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Overview

In this lively, rootsy, and often hilarious conversation, comedian Theo Von sits down with country music legend Trace Adkins. The episode is a winding trip through Adkins’ Louisiana childhood, his wild family stories, his journey from oil rigs to country stardom, brushes with death (including being shot), creative inspiration, love and heartbreak, the quirks of small-town life, and plenty of reflections on 30 years in the music industry. True to both men’s down-home style, the dialogue is full of humor, heart, and stories that get to the grit and gratitude of an American original.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Southern Childhoods, Dangerous Toys & Nostalgia

• Discussion kicks off with a reflection on classic toys: pogo sticks, gas-powered toy cars, boxing gloves, lawn darts (“Yeah, them bitches got recalled”—Theo, 03:32).
  • [02:01] Trace Adkins reminisces about his childhood Christmas: receiving a gas-powered toy car that only ran on concrete (“That thing was dangerous...had a propeller and no guard, could cut your finger off.”)
• Boxing with brothers and his dad (“I was undefeated until my old man... I just remember crawling down the hall to my bedroom. I couldn't stand up, you know, he knocked me out so good.” — Trace, 05:39)

2. Life in Small-Town Louisiana & Mom as Mayor

• [08:46] Trace's mom is the mayor of Sarepta, LA, a fading mill town.
  • “Nobody else wants to do it...she just writes letters to folks to clean up their yard.”—Trace, 09:00
  • “It starts with that...making your bed or whatever.”—Theo, 09:49
  • Simplicity of local governance, loss of local traditions as the town shrank after the mill closed (13:21).
  • [12:01] Sarepta’s Name Origin: Named after a woman who donated a Bible to the church (“That’s all it took to get a town named after you.” ~Trace, 11:59)
  • [12:06] Wild small-town justice: His mom sentenced a girl to go to Sunday school for six months.

3. Old Louisiana Law & The Price of Limbs

• [16:07] Digression into Napoleonic law in Louisiana:
  • “Louisiana is the only state that practices forced heirship...if you die with kids under 23, you can’t write them out of the will.”—Theo, 16:54
  • (“I moved for that.” —Trace, 17:21)
  • Pricing body parts for worker injuries (“If you lose a leg, now we’re talking 80 grand...if you’re long-legged...per joint.”)

4. Near-Misses and Life-Altering Accidents

• [18:01] Trace seriously injured his finger offshore:
  • “I cut my finger off, but they put it back on and fused the joints... I asked to put it in the sus position for guitar playing.”—Trace, 18:11
  • Spent hours waiting for rescue (“I cut it off offshore...first thing I thought, I ain’t gonna be able to play guitar no more.” —Trace, 19:37-19:45)

5. Blue Collar Jobs Before Fame

• [20:04] Ten years in the oilfields:
  • “I worked offshore for six... loved it.”—Trace, 20:25
  • “Did people lose it when you hit oil?” –Theo, 20:35. Not like the movies—Trace says it’s very controlled now.
• [30:18] Early day jobs: Pipe fitter’s helper, construction; Theo worked door-to-door for an ‘Italian food’ guy (Donnie Ferrari).
  • “There’s no pro door-to-door food sellers.”—Trace, 32:30

6. Country Radio, First Hits, & Inspiration

• [35:34] Trace's winding path to Nashville: singing in cover bands, regional contests, working on rigs, meeting key mentors (“That gave me the fever. A few years later I moved up here...” —Trace, 37:23)
• [38:47] Songwriting process: Many hits started from casual, personal conversation (“‘Is there a girl in Texas?’...‘A bunch of ‘em.’...‘Let’s write that.’”)
• [39:02] Breakout single: “Every Light in the House is On” hit #5.
• [45:07] Personal songs & emotional stories: “Arlington” and involving the real-life family; “Welcome to Hell,” written in anger after 9/11.

7. Creative Process & Longevity in Songwriting

• [48:29] Inspiration gets rarer with time, but it still comes: “It’s like a gift, or a disease... when it shows up you have to deal with it.” —Trace, 49:05
  • “Like herpes – it just comes, and you have to deal with it!” —Theo, 49:23

8. Love, Marriages, and Heartbreak

• [51:40+] Trace on love: Four marriages, lessons learned (“I gave as good as I got... I'll quit loving you if you quit loving me.”)
  • “My fourth wife’s Canadian...my fifth will be an Eskimo.” —Trace, 73:01
• [67:44] Trace was shot by a wife: “She put it under my left arm—the bullet came out under my right arm, so it went straight through my heart and both lungs. Only reason I survived was because the bullet didn’t mushroom.” —Trace
  • Forgave her, didn’t believe she meant to do harm, and talked candidly about the recovery and trauma (70:33 onward)

9. Country Music’s Changing Landscape

• [75:23] On the steady popularity of country music: “I don’t think there’s ever been really a lull... it's been dominating since the 90s.”—Trace
• [77:01] Contentment with no longer ‘playing the game’ – “I’m not competing (for radio singles) anymore; just doing it for the joy of doing it.”
• [78:41] “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”: “After a year or so of Badonkadonk, I realized I could just ride that horse on into the sunset.”
• [81:22] The song “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow” flopped—too racy for country radio.

10. The Realities of Touring and Artistic Choices

• [83:19] Touring stories & turning down tours: “I never went on tours I didn’t want to. I did the Madonna tour... that's a lie, but I do ‘Like a Virgin’ at karaoke.”
  • [88:14] Playing with country legends: Haggard, Ronnie Milsap, Buck Owens (“He told me, you need to hit that low note on every song, that's all you got going for ya.” —Trace, 95:22)

11. Laughter & Vulnerability:

• Explosive diarrhea ("I shit my pants twice that day...all involuntary..." —Trace, 56:31), bodily mishaps, and the weird intimacy it brings to a marriage.

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Memorable Quotes

• On trusting kids with dangerous toys:
  “You don’t want to give drunk rednecks lawn darts.” —Trace Adkins, 03:34
• On small towns:
  “Nobody else wants to do it… she’s always writing people letters: ‘Your yard looks bad.’” —Trace, 09:00
• On being shot:
  “She put it under my left arm—the bullet came out under my right arm. ... It went through my heart and both my lungs.”—Trace, 68:59
• On country music career:
  “I’ve had a great run, it was a great ride, but things pass you by… I’m not playing competitively anymore. Just doing it for the joy.” —Trace, 76:06
• On songwriting:
  “It’s almost like it’s a gift… or a disease, like herpes!” —Trace & Theo, 49:12-49:27
• On lessons in love:
  “If I ain’t getting any back, I’ll quit loving you if you quit loving me.” —Trace, 51:53
• On career advice:
  “Dance with the one that brung you.”—Trace, 109:41 (Keep doing what made your fans love you)
• On humility:
  “The field’s full of those guys…that step up in talent, that was humbling.” —Trace, on playing college football, 100:15

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Notable & Funny Moments (with Timestamps)

• [05:39] Trace’s dad knocks him out in boxing gloves
• [12:06] Trace’s mom sentences someone to six months of Sunday school
• [18:11] Trace details the surgical request for his re-attached finger: “Put it in the sus position for guitar”
• [32:30] “There’s no professional door-to-door food sellers.”
• [39:21] Theo on heartbreak and “Every Light in the House”: “I ate a bunch of mushrooms… and was saying goodbye at the gas station.”
• [56:31] “I shit my pants twice that day…all involuntary.”
• [67:44] The full account of being shot by his wife, survival, and forgiveness
• [80:13] “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow” story and country radio’s boundary
• [95:22] Buck Owens’ advice: “That low note, that’s all you got going for you.”
• [121:15] Learning about compensation for lost limbs—Napoleonic code

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------|--------------| | Childhood toys & dangers | 00:00 - 06:46| | Town of Sarepta, LA & Mom’s duties| 08:46 - 14:33| | Louisiana/Napoleonic law | 16:07 - 19:24| | Oilfield work & music beginnings | 20:04 - 37:24| | Story behind first hit songs | 35:34 - 39:02| | Love, marriage, heartbreak stories| 51:40 - 77:01| | Being shot by ex-wife | 67:44 - 72:22| | Country music's evolution | 75:23 - 77:52| | Touring & working with legends | 88:14 - 93:54| | Advice on stardom & humility | 99:23 -104:54|

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Tone & Style

The episode is pure Southern storytelling, full of self-deprecating humor, warmth, and honest wisdom about family, music, and the wild curveballs of life and love. Both Theo and Trace keep the energy light, sometimes raucous, always genuine.

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Takeaways

• Trace Adkins is as much a witty, reflective storyteller as his songs suggest—his tales of survival, community, and love lost and found add depth and humor to his hard-won wisdom.
• The conversation weaves together nostalgia, the grit of blue-collar work, and the unpredictability of life and art, championing authenticity and resilience.
• Country music, at its best—and life itself, in these men’s eyes—is about holding on to tradition, loving hard, rolling with changes, and laughing at yourself along the way.

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For more: See Trace Adkins on his 30th Anniversary Tour or spin his new single “American Made.”
Recommended for: Fans of classic country, rural Americana, old-school storytelling, and a good laugh.

Transcript

[Comedian Theo Von]

Today's guest is a country music legend. He's got six gold and platinum albums. He's a Louisiana boy. He's got so many hits. Every light in the house. You're gonna miss this. That whole get home but don't get. He's on a special 30th anniversary tour right now. I've been a fan for a long time, man. I had a blast with the one and only Mr. Trace Adkins. I was just looking at. I was just. What was that? I was seeing a commercial the other day was for. Was it pogo stickers or something? See if you can find something. It's like a pogo.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I didn't have a pogo stick.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, this is it. Extreme pogo athletes. This was. What is it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Wow, that's insane.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's pogo stick. And do they have that? Y' all have pogo sticks when you were a kid? Any toy you remember?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Not like that. That's crazy. No, ours had like an old shock absorber spring on it. I mean, I didn't have one, but I remember seeing them when I was a kid. That's like supercharged.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah. That's for somebody that's trying to probably make their own power at home or whatever. You know, you got four kids out there in the yard just pogo sticking, you know. So you can watch an episode of as the world Turns.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Charging your batteries.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, dude. So you can be sitting inside watching Unsolved Mysteries or something. That would have been something you maybe would have seen nowhere. Yeah, I'm trying to think of toys they had when I was there. Any toy you remember growing up, Trace? I'm just trying to think.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I remember when I got a gas powered little car for Christmas one year and it had a little gas powered motor on it where you had to mix the gas and everything. It was like a tiny little motor on it and it had a propeller on the back of it where it would propel the car, you know. But I mean, I guess my old man didn't know you really needed to have like lot of concrete to have this car because it wouldn't run in the yard, you know what I'm saying? And we had a gravel driveway, so it didn't work at all. But I thought, man. Yeah, Nowadays, I mean, that thing was dangerous. It had a propeller on the back of it and there was no guard or anything.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And it took real gasoline.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, well, you had to mix it up with something else. Yeah, you crank that sucker up, man. You know, it cut your finger off.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It looked like it was like that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Just like that, man. That was the car. Is that green? I remember that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It says high performance prop driven racer.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Super action on free runs. Roars around on tether. Not sure what that means.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You had a string on it and you could just stand and it would just go in a circle. You'd stand still and then just go in a circle.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hell yeah. Damn. I can't believe you had to mix your own gas for that thing.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Just the fact that they in trouble, trusted kids. There was. There was definitely some things that they were too entrusting. There was one that had lawn darts. I remember in that day.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, lawn darts.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, them bitches got recalled.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, you don't want to give drunk rednecks long darts.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I think what happened. Was there a long. Was there a lawn dart recall?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, I think. I think the general public probably just at some point went, we're not buying our kids that anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, we got one. Yeah, you got a kid who's got.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

We got one kid left and we've lost two from lawn dart mishaps.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So, yeah, you got it. You got a daughter with two new dimples. All of a sudden, metal tipped lawn darts were found to present an unreasonable risk of death or serious injury. And that's on perplexity right here. About 6,100 people were sent to the emergency room in the 1980s. Wow. That was it, man. I remember also they had something. Was it called Tugger? This was an animal thing. This was. And you know, we're just going down memory road here a little bit. It was Tugger. Can you look it up? It was a dog. See if they have a. Oh, that's a dog there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, I see.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Look at this. I mean, that's.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's weird.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It's a bit much because, I mean, it's kind of crazy. Man, look at this. I mean, dude, look. You'd see some real creepers grabbing them. I think you'd see a guy walking, four of them. He doesn't have any children or whatever. That's when it's a bit much. Yeah, Tugger, that was it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I never saw that one.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Tug my sock. That was his motto or whatever. Yeah, play that. That's crazy.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I remember one year, the most ridiculous thing my mama did was bought us all three pair of boxing gloves. I had two younger brothers and so one Christmas we all got a pair of boxing gloves. And that was bad. Yeah, that just. Yeah, that didn't work out. Well.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What was your record?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I was undefeated until my old man. Yeah, I remember my old man came home from work one day and I was on my knees and I had one glove on. And then my younger, my baby brother, he was 10 years younger than me and he had on his little gloves. And so I'd let him hit me a few times and I'd knock him down, you know. And then my old man was like, he came to, walking down the hall and he had my other brother's pair of boxing gloves on. He said, get up, boy, and put that other glove on, you know, I was like, oh, yeah. I was like 18 years old in good shape, you know, and I was like, I'm about to wear you out. And I just remember crawling down the hall to my bedroom. I couldn't stand up, you know, he just, he knocked me out so good.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He had that man strength on him.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, man, he just. Yeah, because I was going to hit him in the gut because I knew he'd be soft. And so I went under and he just hit me right between the eyes. And I remember my mama screaming, aaron Doyle, you killed him. You killed him. Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Wow.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think that was it for the boxing glove.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. I'm trying to think of a good toy we had. Oh, I remember we grew up by this guy. He was like an Elvis impersonator, but he didn't really want to be. But he, he had broke his hip like in, like a, in some type of deal. He'd broken his hip or his leg and they'd set it in cement, you know, he'd had some locals set it and so when they broke the cast off of him, they broke it with like a ball peen hammer or something. They broke his leg in another place when they broke the off. So his leg was bad, man.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Elvis impersonator, but he didn't really want to be.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, yeah, and this is what happened.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Sorry.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think I started the story in the middle, but. So he ended up having that, like, he had that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, he was an Elvis impersonator after he broke.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, because he, he ended up getting this.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

At least he had that. He had that Forrest Gump thing.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, he had that like, you know the thing.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He didn't want to show Elvis how to dance, but he did.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I hadn't thought about it like that, but you ever know. Yeah. You ever see that thing like on a, like a rich guy's desk that moves back and forth and keeps time or whatever. He had that just. He ended up getting that tick tock in him a Little bit. And so he ended up. Everywhere he'd go, people started calling him Elvis. And so he started impersonating him. But I can't remember what that story was about.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, what was it? Where were we? Oh, Christmas stuff.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yes.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You want to talk about Christmas for some reason?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. One night, I went over to. I was walking by their house one night, and he was making his son. He was trying to make his son like a shirt out of wood. And I remember thinking this. They've really gone off, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It was just, like, different times. People are always using wood for different stuff in our town. But anyway, yeah, sorry, I got a little bit lost there, but Trace Atkins, man, thanks for coming by, man.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It was on my way. I didn't have to go. Far out of the way.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It's good to see you, man. I know we've been talking about it for a little while, man, so thank you very much.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Dude, one thing that we talked about last time I saw you, I think it was two times ago that your mom was a mayor. Your mom's a mayor. We're both from Louisiana. And your mom's a mayor in. Sarepta.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Sarepta.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, Sarepta.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She's still the mayor.

[Comedian Theo Von]

How's she faring as the mayor?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Nobody else wants to do it, and nobody else. I mean, it's one of those little towns that, you know, it's just not a lot going on around there anymore once the mill shut down and everything is just not a lot happening. So the population decreases every year, you know, so she's trying to hold it together best she can, but nobody else wants the job. It's nothing that. Not that much to do.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What kind of issues you feel like is she dealing with? Does she even relate any of that?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She just writes a lot of letters to people to clean their yards up, you know, that's what she does. I swear, man, she's always writing people letters. Your yard looks bad. You need to clean it. You know, she wants everybody to clean their yards up.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I mean, hey, it starts with that kind of. With making your bed or whatever. Dude, I got a fricking letter one day here from Neighborhood Watch. Or like, you haven't been doing your shift. I'm like, I didn't. I didn't even. I didn't know we had a neighborhood watch, you know? And I'm like, I haven't been doing my shift. And my shift was from Saturdays from, like, 1 to 4 in the afternoon. I'm like, that's. You know, I'm usually trying to enjoy. That's when I kind of will enjoy myself on the weekends. But I'm like, bitch, I don't even have. I didn't know we had a neighborhood watch. And I don't think y' all want me out there because I forget what team, what side I'm on, you know, I start going near people's houses or whatever. I forget what team I'm on, brother.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And that's a volunteer thing too, right?

[Comedian Theo Von]

So, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Or they just volunteered you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think that's just the way now.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I mean, if I'm. I don't recall volunteering to take a shift.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's what I said. And I was like, well, I don't even know, you know, I don't even know. And I was like, I wrote back, do we have a uniform or anything? And they. And they wrote back, haha, like in caps. I'm like, don't. You know? I don't know, it just kind of like.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think you're asking a serious question.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, yeah, I don't want.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Don't I get like an orange vest or something?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Don't I get a damn merit badge on a hat or something? Because what I don't want to be is wandering around somebody's yard saying I'm neighborhood watch. And they don't have any. You know what I'm saying? They've never heard about.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Sure you are. Yeah, yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And you get popped off. So how's that. How's Sarepta changed since you were there? Before you answer that, actually, what does sarepta mean? If you. Can you look that up for me or. Do you know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It's a. It was an old. It's a town in. It's an old biblical somewhere around Israel way back in the day, but they named it after an old woman named Sarepta Carter back in the late 1800s.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Sarepta, Louisiana. Yes. Has got its name for Sarepta Carter, an early benefactor who donated a large Bible to the community's first church around 1868.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's all it took to get the town named after you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That was it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It's the Bible.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Huh.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I wonder what it cost to get it renamed.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I could see it being two Bibles.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Maybe. That reminds me, one thing my mom did there was this girl got in trouble for something. I can't remember, something to do with drugs or. And so my mama was. She gets to play judge every now and then over these little, you know, misdemeanor type things, you know, and she sentenced the girl to Go to Sunday school for six months. And she. My daughter called me and she was like, dad, you're not going to believe what mama did. And I was like, what? She said, she sentenced this girl to go to Sunday school for six months. And I called my mom and I was like, you can't do that. You know, I'm pretty sure that's illegal. You can't make somebody go to church. And she said, well, I did.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Sj.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Okay. Oh, my God. That's her.

[Comedian Theo Von]

This is my jurisdiction.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I can't believe y' all have a picture of my mom.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, she's beautiful, lady. What's her first name?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Peggy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Peggy Atkins. Does she go by Peggy Atkins?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yep. She's the mayor.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Thank you for your service. Peggy over there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Keeping it together.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Somebody's got to keep it together. And that town's changed. You said a lot. Had a mill. Did it have a mill when you growing up?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, it had a mill about eight miles away. That's where everybody worked. Yeah. Oil field still doing pretty well around there. But that's the only game in town, and. But then, you know, the school was what really made that town special. I thought when I was growing up, it was K12 all on one campus. But then when they. You know, when they consolidated the schools, now all the kids have to go to another town, and they just made that. Took that campus and just made it a middle school. So it's not the same anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think that happened to a lot of places over the time. You know, I think that was kind of a popular thing.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

All the people moved away, and there just weren't enough kids to justify having a K through 12. There just weren't enough kids.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. I think when you start to lose little things like that, it takes away something, you know, it did. Takes away some tradition.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It did. It had that little charm about it because all the kids in town went to that school, you know, so it was just. So the whole community was always behind the school, supported the school at every ball game and all that. But then that just. That went away and there's, you know, sad.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, a lot of things started to kind of change like that. I wonder, do you think that was, like, a financial choice that they. That towns made, or was it like.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, there just weren't enough people, Man. Once the meal shut down, people started leaving. So, you know, it's been this decreased. The population has decreased pretty much every year since that happened. Yeah, you know, decades ago. It's just.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It's a lot of towns like that in this country, yeah. When a lot of business went away, man, we. When we go out touring, I'm sure you've seen it over the years. You go by places. Some places it's, you know, they're trying to redo the downtown, like Amarillo. I was surprised at downtown. Like, you know, I'd always heard about it in country music, you know, and I went there and there's some things that are coming back in it, you know, and it's a night. There's structure there, but it just doesn't have, you know, it's just missing like a. You can see like an energy that once was, you know, in a lot of places. You know, Shreveport's the same way.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, yeah, sure. I mean, I've never spent a lot of time in Amarillo, but yeah, Shreveport, you know, the casinos have helped, you know, on the river. Bossier City has really prospered more than Shreveport has. I think in the very beginning, I think Bossier Parish was a little more receptive to the casino stuff than Caddo Parish was.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, yeah, dude. I remember learning about the parishes growing up in Louisiana. That was fun, man. Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Louisiana still the only state in the country that's still under Napoleonic law. I mean, they practice Napoleonic law as much as they can.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I wonder what are some wild things that happen under. Under Napoleonic laws? You see if you can bring that up. I don't know, man, because it used to be I would hear a rumor, like if you lost a thumb or something, if during employment, that was 25 grand. There wasn't any lawsuiting and there wasn't any. You know what I'm saying?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Really?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Like you had a justifiable rate. If you lost a whole leg, now we're talking 80 grand. You know, I always thought it was. If you were long legged, per.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Did. Per joint, like a whole finger was like, maybe that. But then if just this, then it was not as much. If you just cut it off here.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, I see.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know what I mean?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Just per joint.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But then you'd have some drunk guy who was laid on his rent or something, just chopping one off just to catch it, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, I could see that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But I guess that's fair. Louisiana civil law system the most notable and practical highlights. Louisiana is the only state that practices forced airship, a concept rooted in Napoleonic code. If a person dies with children age 23 or younger, a specific portion of the estate must legally go to them.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, so you can't even write your kids out of the will in Louisiana? I guess Dang. I moved for that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. What?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, no. Buyer beware. Oh, wow.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What does that say? No buy. Where? In standard common law states, real estate sales operate under caveat emptor, which means buyer beware. Because Louisiana follows European civil law, the burden is strictly on the seller to disclose known defects and potential issues prior to the sale. I like that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, that ain't bad. Do that everywhere.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Feels fair. What about if you lose a limb or something? If you get a rebate on it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Get in.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I got that. You know, but they put it back on.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Are you missing something?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No. Like, I cut my little finger off, but they put it back on and just fused all the joints together because it didn't work anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So can you straighten it or not?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, no, it's fused like that. Because he asked me how I wanted it. He said, you want me to put it straight or. And I was like, no, man. I said, put it, like, in the sus position. Yeah. You know? And he's like, sus position? I said, yeah. Playing guitar. Because at least I can. If you put it straight, you might as well just cut it off. It's gonna be useless. But put it like that and I can still play, you know, play a little guitar. I can't reach up the neck with

[Comedian Theo Von]

it anymore, but a B sharp, it'll help, huh?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I just. I can't reach with it. But, you know, and piano playing, I mean, it's really bad.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah. I mean, maybe you could rattle off some Christmas carols with that. Bad deal. But. But is that true, though? You had it set up like that?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. He asked me how I wanted it before he. Before he fused the joints.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You, like, almost like a little. It's a little bit of Pinocchio, like a. That's wild, dude. Yeah. I wonder what I would get my hand save something if they had to have it. I'd probably get these down and this one up, to be honest with you. You know what I'm saying? Just in case they ever come around asking me to do that neighborhood watch again. But that's wild. That's one of the wildest stories I think I've ever heard, bro, that you thought about that in advance. You said, well, look, if I had

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

plenty of time to think about it. Because I cut it off. I was working offshore, so took them six hours to come get me and fly me back to the beach to go to the hospital.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So that was before you were doing music.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I was playing guitar, you know, because that was the first thing I thought when I cut it, it was like, oh, man, I ain't gonna be able to play guitar anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You're wrong.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, thank God I'm not very good, but at least I can still use it a little bit.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, you play? So you worked on oil rig. Was that, like. Because that's kind of a Louisiana job. That's something I forget about, dude. When I got out of school, you'd hear, like, some guy, if he was kind of lucky, he got a job out on the rigs. He was going to do two weeks on, two weeks off.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, that's kind of my. My first wife's uncle worked offshore. He was a superintendent for Texaco, and he got me a job working on drilling rig for Global Marine.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was that a pretty good gig? Like, do you remember enjoying it when you went out there? Like, what was that like?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I loved it. Yeah. I've worked in Oilfield for 10 years. Six years I worked offshore on drilling rig, and I enjoyed it.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And when y' all hit oil, would people lose it and just be, like, beating their hat against their knee and stuff like that?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Like, you said, that never happened. You know, it wasn't like that anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Were y' all having a good time out there? Like, were you guys. Would you play music at night for the gang?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I'd go up to the wheelhouse and, you know, try to write, and they would start coming up and wanting me to do Haggard tunes or whatever, you know, Hank Jr. And stuff like that. But by the time I was working out there, you know those Wildcat and things that you see from the movies back in the day when they'd hit oil and it just blow out, you know? Wasn't like that anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

People catch it in their mouths and shit.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

They had it dialed in, you know, so very, very seldom did we take a kick.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That sucks, man. It almost takes the fun out of it, because some of the fun would be running under and letting that shit hit you. I remember I used to work on. I worked on a soybean farm up near, like, Faraday, Louisiana, up near, like, right across the river from Natchez. And sometimes this fertilizing rig, I'd be sitting there filling up, like, one of those big balls that's on it with fertilizer. And I'd forget the fertilizer was going in there. And so I'd be sitting there just daydreaming or whatever, just kicking dirt or just, I don't know, listening to country music. I used to. It would just be top 40 out there all the time And I'd listen to it and that spray rig would just start. It would just right off the top, just geysering out. And it would be like bad chemicals, fertilizer and I mean just flying pretty high voltage shit pouring all on you, getting in you. And. And it was hot sun. So finally I'd get over there and turn it off. I'd be like oh damn. Because I was so absent minded. But then you're standing in the some with this fertilizer on you, man. And that shit would just. God, I couldn't get body hair to grow on my neck or anywhere near some of my glands for probably 18 months. I would bet I would. Thought I was. I thought I was going to turn into a damn turnip. You know they're going to put me in a little chair or something, a little baby seat.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I used to have dry spots on my hands from. Sometimes when we would complete a well, which was very seldom, usually we just drill one then move on to the next location, drill another one. But sometimes they'd want us to stay and complete it and test the well. And so when you completed one you'd have to displace all the mud and put calcium chloride or zinc bromide or something like that. And man, I worked Derek. So it was my job to make sure all that stuff was mixed up right. And if you got it on you, it was just. It was nasty, man. It eats you up. All your skin would peel off. Really.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Damn summer adds up fast. A trip here, a dinner there, couple concerts. Makes you wonder are you getting the most out of your money? That's where Chime comes in. Chime is changing the way people bank. They're not like traditional old banks who charge fees and gatekeep rewards. Nope, Chime offers the most rewarding fee. Free banking all with no overdraft fees, no monthly fees, no minimum balance fees. You get 5% cash back on Chime card in a category of choice like gas or groceries. All while building credit through regular everyday spending. With no credit check. Join the millions who are already banking fee free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.comtheo that's Chime C H I M E.comtheo Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services and CHIME card provided by Chimes Bank Partners. Qualifying direct deposits required terms and limits apply. Go to chime.com disclosures for details. Hey business owners. You didn't lose that client because of bad luck. You Lost them because nobody picked up. They called, it rang out, and 30 seconds later, they were talking to your competitor. Dang. Every unanswered call is money walking right out the door. At some point, you gotta stop leaving money on the table and say, let's quo. Today's episode is brought to you by Quo, spelled Q U O. The business phone system built so you never miss a call. With Quo, all your calls, texts, and voicemails live in one place. So anyone on your team can pick up a conversation, see the full history, and respond fast. Set up in minutes on any device, keep your existing number and add teammates as you grow. No it. No hassle. Money is on the line. Always Say hello with Quo. Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to Quo.com. theo that's Q-U.com T-H E O

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

what's up, Gary?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, is that's a little dog, huh?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yes. Victoria's dog.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's a beautiful dog.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

His name's Gary Busey.

[Comedian Theo Von]

His name's what?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Gary Busey, Is it? Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

How'd y' all choose it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Because I was pulling afloat in a Christmas parade in our little town we live in, and it was for pet shelter that she. That Victoria volunteers at. And she came running up to my truck, had this little bitty dog, and she held him up to the window and at the time he had like his baby teeth and his grown teeth had both because he had like two full sets of teeth. And she brought him up to the truck and his teeth were sticking out and he had that blonde thing sticking up on top his head. I said, that dog looks like Gary Busey. And so we. We took him home that day and that's his name.

[Comedian Theo Von]

They do have similar kind of hair structure or whatever.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, but he's lost all his teeth now, so he's doesn't look the same.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

As he.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I haven't seen Gary.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

If you put their picture side by side exactly like they should put a

[Comedian Theo Von]

dog collar on Gary Busey the man. Just so people.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Elise.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Or. Yeah, just. You know what I'm saying? I think at all of us at certain points in our lives should have a collar on with our. Our mother's information on it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

God, that's not a real picture of him, is it?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Is that Gary? Someone said he was delivering pizza somewhere.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's dad. Is that real? Oh, my God.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That could be him. Or that could just be any guy from Maine. So I think that could go either way.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Man, that's Unfortunate nobody.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think he looked pretty good. How old is Gary Busey, though?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's got to be late 70s. I'd say probably at least 82. 82, wow. Okay.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I got to go back and watch some of his work, man. He's of talent that I sometimes forget about.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

A lot of people have.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He's a talented guy. I know. He was doing like, a lot of, like, tick tock. He was doing like, a lot of, like, Christmas cards for some, like, audio verbal Christmas things. Yeah, I saw a couple of them. They were pretty cool. I thought one of them was kind of wild, though. What was it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think he'll do anything. If you'll send him some money, he'll read anything for you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Oh, this might be it. Let's see that. Is that a video that we can see?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I'll do that too, if people don't ever ask me to. Hey, it's Gary Busey, and I have

[Comedian Theo Von]

got a great Christmas present for you.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Listen to this. Honk, honk. That's what a goose sounds like when they're flying.

[Comedian Theo Von]

They let you know they're up there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Honk, honk. You get a bunch of geese together,

[Comedian Theo Von]

they're honking in the air.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Thanks.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's awesome, dude. But I'll tell you this.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He needs to be on, you know, National Geographic Channel, you know, with that kind of insight to the wildlife dude, that we didn't know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's more than I.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Thanks, Gary.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's more than I've learned in a while, I think, though. But at least he still has a great sense of humor, man. I'll say that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't think he was trying to be funny.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You don't think so?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't know. I hope he was.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, he might have been.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I've been around Gary a good bit.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, you have?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's legit crazy. Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, he is. I didn't even know that. Yeah, Yeah. I just see stuff and you always think it's just him being him, you know? Oh, we had a traumatic brain injury. I didn't even.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, he had motorcycle wreck.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, I didn't know this or I didn't remember it. He had a malignant tumor from a sinus cavity as well. It said in 97. In 88, he had a motorcycle crash. So there was kind of a before him and after him type of energy. Oh, wow.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's always been a little crazy, though.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But then after the motorcycle wreck, he went full blown.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah. That'll bake it in. That'll b. It Is. It's in the ingredients then.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I love him though. He's funny.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Entertaining guy. Did you have. Did you have any other jobs, man, before you really got kind of like for you took on music full time?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, when I moved here, I went out to. To dupont and worked out there on O Hickory Lake at that plan out there. I worked for BE&K Construction. I worked out there for a couple years before I got a record deal.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, and was that just like day to day? Like. Like what kind of stuff they have you doing?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I'm a movie pipe fitter's helper. Fitters helper.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, you worked with pipe fitting. Were you in the union?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, dude, my buddy freaking Corey was in the fricking union, dude. Yeah, he said he was. He was always over there just drinking. He'd bring a big firm thermos of milk and drink it all the time on the sidelines of work and then he'd get sick if they were out in the sun. And he was a damn liability. But my brother ended up hiring him because they were friends. But he's a gypsy. You know those types. Some of those guys can do whatever. They'll spray your house and you know, they'll spray your driveway and sell his asphalt, you know, I'm talking about if somebody show up with a truck full of nothing and be like, yeah, we got a truck full. And you don't even go look in the truck to see if anything's in it. Nothing's in it. It's just a spray rig, a little bit of paint, no painted on there. But anyway. Yeah, I'm trying to think. We talking about just jobs we had. Oh, I'll tell you one I remember I sold. They had door to door Italian going on in our area for a while. They had this guy, Donnie Ferrari or whatever, and he was selling door to door Italian food. And I got like. I got linked up with him somehow through some guy my mom was kind of dating or whatever. Some guy she met at a damn. Probably by a Xerox machine or something because it was in the 80s or whatever and. And I ended up doing. Working for him for a while and it was just door to door. We would take Italian food and try to get people to buy it. Dude. And that was probably.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, they weren't even calling you to bring it. You were trying. You were going to their house, trying to sell them.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, and I was apprentice assistant or whatever.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Sorry, dude, but I'm not buying any food. You come up, knock on my door, you know I'm gonna look at you. I'm just. No, man, I ain't buy no food from you, bro.

[Comedian Theo Von]

When I show up my little ravioli dance, bro, it would be popping out there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Come on, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But I will tell you this. It did help me because I was kind of an apprentice at first, and so it did help me, I think, get a little bit of that. I'm gonna do something I don't want to.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You were an apprentice for what? No, man. You don't you. Everybody that sells door to door is a fucking apprentice.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

There's no professional door to door selling food.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, this guy was good, brother. Donnie was pretty good. I mean, he was the best in our area. And yeah, I worked at him for almost. Probably almost 11 months, four months, probably about. Almost seven months. But yeah, I was out there, dude. I think it did help me a little bit because we get a new. You know, the big thing that all the ladies wanted at the time was garlic bread. And it's still what they want. It's. It's still what they want. But. But I remember that was kind of probably one of the wildest jobs that I had. But when I first started listening to country music was when I was working on that farm and I would put on top 40, they'd have like Casey Kasem or something at the time, but I think that was a little more like pop. But on one day they would do. I guess it was country top. I think it was probably top 40. It might even be a day where they would do a hundred songs or something, you know, And I'd cut the tractor off and I'd stand out there and just. Just sing the songs that I loved, man.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I remember every Sunday morning, it was always a countdown.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's what it was in.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But it wasn't. Casey. Casey. Oh my God.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Who was it? You're right.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Believe that. I don't remember his name. I did a bunch of interviews with him, now I can't think of his name. I'm getting to be that way though, man. Forgetting names and stuff.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Mixing them up. I do it. It's hard.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I know, Leo, it's terrible. I can't remember.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, dude, I can barely remember Donnie Ferrari, who I frickin apprenticed with.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No. Why can you remember something? Some insignificant Italian dude from back then and can't remember stuff from just a few days ago.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think it's just because you go through so many neighbors with the man, you're pulling the wagon, he's pulling the wagon. You're pissed. He's pissed. Y' all are right there. But when you get to the door, you got to work together. So I think.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But you know what I'm going to remember, though? Next time I'm trying to woo a lady, it's garlic bread. Oh, yeah. Gotta remember that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, fucking. I'd warm piece up in the microwave and just freaking dab it on the sides of my neck, brother. They know what's up. But that's when I fell in love with country music, man. That's when I felt. Because I would just be out there all day, and I think that's what a lot of the radio stations would play.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I used to put a cassette in and record the top 40 countdown. That's the way we always got our tunes. Like, because, you know, back in the mid-80s, I was playing in a cover band and, you know, you needed to know a certain number of songs from, you know, the. The current top 40. You know, it was a big deal. You needed to know a bunch of those songs because that's what everybody wanted to hear, was what they were hearing on the radio. So we cover all those tunes and. And that's how we learned them. We just record them on a cassette off the. Off the countdown, and that's how we learned them.

[Comedian Theo Von]

When did you put together, I mean, your first album, Dreaming Out Loud, was your first album. How did it get to the place where you're, you know, you're working on an oil rig, you're playing some and then you're playing covers, and then how do you get to that next step? Is that of your own volition fully, or did somebody come along and kind of give you an inspiration or let you, like, take me through a little bit of that, if you don't mind?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, God, it's just such a long story. I mean, I. Oh, is it? Yeah, I would. But it did start when I was working on drilling rig. I'd take my guitar out there and I'd try to write. And then I met this guy out there that knew these other guys in a band in Lafayette, Louisiana, and he said, man, this time when we're off for two weeks, come down, I'll introduce you to these guys. So I went down there and, you know, sang with them a little bit. And then they wanted me to go to Dallas. They had already won a local competition in Battle of the Country Bands, and they wanted me to go to Dallas with them for the regionals. And it was going to fall on a time when I was off for two weeks. So I went and we won the thing in Dallas, and then we came here for the finals. You know, we. We lost here, but that was my first taste. You know, I came off a drilling rig, and then I'm on stage at, you know, TPAC in front of all these industry people, and it freaked us all out.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You must have been nervous, huh? That's nerves.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, we choked. Yeah. So we didn't win. But anyway, that kind of. That kind of gave me the. You know, the fever, you know, so. And then a few years later, I moved up here, you know, and that's kind of how it started and met the right people and, you know, songwriters and some other music executives and.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And that's been it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That was it, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I saw you at the rhyming a few weeks ago, dude. You have. And I hate to say this, but I just was reminded of so many songs. You know, you just kind of, like when you go watch, you just. It kind of takes you through little parts of your life. You'll. You'll. You'll hear a song, you're like, oh, used to kind of that. That song is. Almost becomes a champagne at this. And then bubbles of, like, memories during that time start to come up through it, you know, there was a lot of.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

First single, 6-26-96, 30 years ago.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And you wrote it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I wrote it with Vivperman. Carl Vipperman. Everybody calls him vip.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And was there any story behind some of that? Was.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No. He was just. We were just sitting down, getting to know each other, because I'd never met Village before, but, you know, a guy I was working with, producer at the time, just hooked us up and said, I think you ought to write with VIP He's a good dude. You know, I think y' all get along. And we sat down together, and we were just kind of getting to know each other. And he was asking me questions and asked me where I'd come to Nashville from. I told him I'd been living in Texas and playing honky tonks out there for a while. And he asked me, said, well, is there a girl in Texas? And I was like, yeah, a bunch of them. And he said, well, let's write that. I was like, what? That's how y' all do this. So that's what happened, and we just wrote it.

[Comedian Theo Von]

One of my favorites is Every Light in the House. Man, that song, dude, I frickin.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, that was my. That. That was my first hit. I mean, girl in Texas, I think, got to 17 or 18 or something like that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

On the charts.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But then Every Light in the house is on got to number five.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Wow, man. Dude, that song.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And then the next thing I went to number one. And the next thing I went to number one. I was like, here we go.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That song. Because I was all brokenhearted because I'd separated. My girlfriend and I went separate ways because we.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

We were.

[Comedian Theo Von]

We were his boyfriend and girlfriend. And then I was going to school in Arizona. She was staying in Louisiana. Not to make your song about me, but. But that's what was going on. And I think. I think I. I think I ate a bunch of mushrooms or something. I was. And I was saying goodbye to her at this gas station. And I didn't know these mushrooms were really going to start hitting. And they had a lot of oil spots on the ground. And just from gas station. What's that?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It's a gas station.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Yeah. So it's a gas station in Louisiana. Yeah, yeah. So yeah. So a lot of oil spots. But the mushrooms was kind of getting my brain. It started massaging my brain a little bit and really touching my brain stem. And then I saw those. All those old spots started moving. I thought they were roaches. Because Louisiana, we also have a lot of roaches. And you'll see somebody, you know that's high, just stamp the hell out of a damn old spot. But yeah, I started freaking out and she got kind of scared and it was like this weird moment like. Anyway, anyway, that relationship ended. But I remember just. Just being heartbroken. I'll be out there in Arizona just listening to that song, dude. And it was just. Anyway, I'm sure a lot you want

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

to see oil spots, Pull up in front of an O'Reilly's or an Autozone.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, God.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh my God. It's like just all slicks out in front of those stores.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Pull up in front of my sister's house when she was married to ex husband too.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Pull up in front of my house until. Until I started making some money and got a car. Got a truck that didn't just pour oil out the bottom of it. I used to put as much oil in my trucks as I put gas in them.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, hell yeah, you did. You did it with your first toy as a kid. No wonder that made sense, bro. That was just a predecessor. What was going to go on. Dude, you remind me. I had this 86 Jimmy. Or something was called. Right? I think they're called. It was a Chevrolet. It was 86, maybe Chevy, something like that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

GMC Jimmy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yes, GMC Jimmy. Man, I would Always up. I would tell people was a Chevy and I get Chevy parts for it and it wouldn't fit or whatever, but something was broken on it. And about every 80 miles I had to pull over and I headed out to Arizona. Driving out west for my first semester of college. Dude, I must have stopped. I can't even tell you 90 times. I had to stop, let it cool down, and then keep it cruising. It was kind of like that brown one. It. No, it wasn't that nice. It was something different. Oh, it was a Blazer. It was a Chevy Blazer.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Blazer, yeah. Not the gmc, Jimmy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No. And the seats were flammable, but you

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

could use Chevy parts on gmc.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That was it right there, dude. And you had to hold us and chick magnet. Oh, dude, it was some chicks and that your.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Your girlfriend left you and you were driving that sweet ride. What's wrong with that?

[Comedian Theo Von]

You're right.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know what, she's probably with some low rent dude now, man, driving around in a Corolla or something. Yeah, she could have had that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I know. Well, look, every now and then I'll send her a mother her an email and say she missed out.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Toyota ain't one of y' all sponsors, are they?

[Comedian Theo Von]

No.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's good.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No, no big company like that would sponsor us. But yeah, dude, that vehicle right there to pull over and dude, the whole back of the vehicle, even for a while was hat was antifreeze because that's what I needed the whole time. So I couldn't even have guests come in the car because it was full. I'd probably have. I'd be sitting there. Sometimes I'd have 20 bottles of antifreeze in there and I'd have to use them all, pull over and use antifreeze and water. But if you just use water, it would burn off too quick. But man, sometimes the car got so hot I'd have to step away from it for a while, you know, and I go walk or go sit. Sit in the distance and write a poem or something. But that was. That was hot, dude. I don't know if they allow cars to get that hot anymore. But. But yeah, dude, that was unrequited love. I found out.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Where'd you go to college?

[Comedian Theo Von]

I went to University of Arizona at first.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh yeah? And how'd you do that? I mean, why? I just wanted way off and out

[Comedian Theo Von]

there in the desert I want to do something different.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, you went desert's different from Louisiana.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, just like I'm gonna do something different, but I came Back after one semester, went to lsu and then.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't like desert.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Do you. I don't like this.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You know what? There's a moment in the day. I really like it. You know, right around that. You know what I like? Yeah. Daylight. Yeah. Or even just. Right. Dust. Yeah. I like that there's something nice about it. There's something that. But there's something about it that. It doesn't really have much of a memory, but it's. But it has like a Wisdom or something. I don't know. There's something about it that I think is pretty interesting, but I didn't like it then, man. That was a tough time. But. But it was a good time, man. But that was when, you know, love was just. Your whole body was just damn. Made out of damn hormones or whatever. And you. You know, you tick. You know, you touch a. You'd pet a dog and it give birth, you know, it was just like you were just that agile, just that viral or whatever. You know, you'd spit on a tree and it grow fruit or whatever out of it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

How many puppies you had.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, that's true. I don't know what I'm talking about.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Gary, bro.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And Gary Busey just left the room. I will say that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What about. Is there a. Is there a story behind that song? Is there a story behind that song?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Which one?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Every Light in the House.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, dude. That's just. When I heard it, I was like, that sounds like a hit to me. You know, And Scott Hendricks, who was producing that first record, I mean, we just. There's some songs you hear and you just go, that's a hit. Yeah, just. There's no doubt, you know. So that was one of those no doubters.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was there a song you wrote that you felt like had a story to it? More like that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

More like what?

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's a great question, actually. I don't know what the end of my question was.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, all of them have a story.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was there one? Who was. There was one. Or somebody said, arlington has a cinema.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, yeah, of course, man. That was very personal. I didn't write that. But it was just such a personal thing that I knew who wrote it and I knew the story behind it and I knew who it was written about. And so before we released that song, I asked the family to come in and we played the song for him, and I said, look, this song's written about your son, so we want your blessing before we put this out. Yeah, it was a very personal thing. Everybody listened to it and cried, and we got their blessing, and so that was cool.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Wow.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And has that family come to some of your shows and stuff?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I haven't seen the Nixons in a while.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was it about their son?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, yeah, it was about Patrick Nixon. Lance Corporal Patrick Nixon. He was a Marine, and his dad was a Marine and his grandfather was a Marine, and so that's where that song came from.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Amen.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. But I've, you know, I've written some personal ones. They're all. They all come from that kind of place, you know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I was just wondering. I just didn't know because I think, you know, as a person who just, like, you know, I've written a lot of, you know, love letters and all of that and. Really? Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Love letters.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Apologies.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, I can imagine that, but, yeah, I don't know about the love poems.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I've written a lot of apologies.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think more apologies than love letters, probably.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

If you'd have written more love letters, you wouldn't have to write so many apologies.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's probably the truth.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You were better at the other one.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think there might be a song in that. In that little idea right there. That's something.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think probably one of the most personal songs I ever wrote to me was a song called welcome to Hell. And I was really, really pissed off when I wrote that, you know, So, I mean, of course, I wrote it in 2001, you know, sometime after the World Trade center thing. After 9, 11. No, it was personal. It was very personal to me.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You know, where did that angst come from? Was it just from that sort of thing? Just from, like, America? Like, just the. The devastation in our country and what it felt like it did to us.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. I wrote. I wrote it because I thought, you know, these guys, they think that they're going to do this kind of stuff and then they're going to end up in heaven with 72 virgins and all this. And I said, how surprised are they going to be, you know, when they end up, you know? And the guy says, welcome to hell. You know, it's you. Oh, you thought you were going there. Well, no, dude, you know, this is where you're gonna be. And so that's how I wrote that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

As your career's going on, has it been tougher to have inspiration for songs, or do you feel like certain songs kind of check a certain box as an artist moves through time, and then that has kind of been filled?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Man, I don't write as much anymore, but it's Because I don't. That inspiration that you're talking about, every now and then you'll hear something, you know, I'll hear a phrase or just a line that somebody said, and then I. And then it rings the bell and I'm like, oh, God, that's a song. I'm gonna have to write that, you know, and it's almost like it's a gift that's just given to you and you have to deal with it, you know, like having some kind of disease or something, you know, I might to deal with this now, you know, so.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's a good point, actually. Yeah, like having a disease. Because creativity is kind of a disease. I feel like if you want to tend to it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, you got to, you know, you have to deal with. Comes knocking and you just got to deal with it, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Dude, it's so funny. I forgot about that. I forgot that that's like how creativity happens a lot of times. Like.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Like herpes, you know? Yeah, I don't. I mean, you know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, neither one of us have it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, but I've heard that it's like, you know, it just comes. You got to deal with it.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, yeah, I've heard it shows up like a damn cousins. Like how it shows up like family. It shows up like door to door Italian food. Yeah, that's how it shows.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I gotta deal with this guy now. Oh, Trying to sell me food that his grandma cooked, you know, in her roachy kitchen.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hey, I'll say this. I will say this. I remember we had a manicotti in May special and that shit was popping, dude.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

What was it?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Manicotti in May. Because a lot of women, they get May. Well, they get so hot in the summer, they're like, I ain't cooking, you know. Well, you know, in our town, you give your damn kid a piece of ice or something, put a little sugar on the back of it, you know, give that to him or whatever, you know, or just sometimes a woman just spit cold water in your mouth or something and that's. That count as a side item. But yeah, it was just a different time. We had a beautiful manicotti. Bring manicotti up.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, it was a different time.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Now look at that Trey, he telling me.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, burritos.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You telling me a man named Donnie Ferrari with an 11 or 12 year old kid he doesn't know shows up at your door trying to sell you that you ain't gonna get you a couple for your lady?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't think so, man. Not today. You're not today, man. Not now. Not in this time. Maybe in that time, but not now. Yeah, you know, not now. That's some desperate. No, I'm not buying food from you, kid. Go away before I call social services to come get your ass.

[Comedian Theo Von]

We kept some of that. Some of it we kept in the warmer, and some of you had to warm yourself, but that was a good job. It was how I learned to just be approached, to go on ahead and approach people. What's the love life been like over the years, Tracy? You got some stories from it, and I hate to lead you in like that, but sometimes, you know, a creative person, they feel love kind of deep. I feel like, you know, if. If your brain is kind of deep, I feel like your heart can be kind of deep as well.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I reckon I gave as good as I got.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's fair.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know what I mean?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I love you as good as you love me, I guess.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It's got. Got to be that kind of deal, though.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Just love you. If I ain't getting any back, I'll quit. Yeah, I'll quit loving you if you quit loving me.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hey, dude, that sounds like a deal.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I mean, you know, but I love you as hard as you want to love me. I'll get down. I'll. Come on. I'll match you heartbeat for heartbeat.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, dude, whatever. I'm not joking, though. I swear to God, one of my past relationships, if we'd have just met one day in the kitchen and said, look, I'll quit loving you if you quit loving me, we would have both. And if we would, because we both. That's what we both wanted to do. We just didn't do it, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, it's happened. Of course. I mean, I'm on my fourth marriage now. So are you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Really?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Really? Dang.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What'd you learn about him?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think, really, because Blake married us, so we're not 100% sure if we're actually really married, but I think we are.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Who? Shelton did. Wow. Dude. Somebody said he has, like, a sandal collection. I heard a room. He has, like, a male footwear collection or something.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Sandals?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, men's sandals. Is that true? Have you heard anything?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I hope not. I'm gonna stop being friends with him if it's true, because Blake's always said you can't trust a guy wearing flip flops or sandals.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, maybe he's doing it on the side or, you know, or. I don't mean I. I just mean maybe he, you know, maybe he keeps a Pair under his bed. I don't have any idea. That's just something that I heard. Bring that up.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Bring that up. Bring a Blake Shelton sandal rumor that we just started.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, my God. See, he's anti.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, is he really?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, yeah. I was like, no, man. He. He said you can't ever trust a guy wearing flip flops or sandals because if you get stuck, he can't. He ain't gonna help push you out.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It's true.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He won't help push you out. He won't help do it. A guy wearing sandals is not hardly going to help you do anything. You know what I'm saying? Because he's gonna get his toes banged up and so he's not going to help you do anything. You know, he's not even wearing shoes.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So he can't help anybody. He's not going to run in a house and save children when the house is on fire. Ain't got shoes on.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, well, there go.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's worthless. He's a. Worthless. He's a worthless male, you know. Ain't got no shoes on. It's absolutely worthless.

[Comedian Theo Von]

There go half of the Sigma towels out there. Then I think probably those guys.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Shit.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, I don't care either. I'm just saying.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Shit.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. If somebody has sandals on me, it's

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

like soccer, you know? Come on, stop with that crap.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, if. If somebody has sandals on, it just like. Well, the worst is you. You. You. You will see someone. And I'll say this out loud right now, Trace, you'll see somebody with sandals on who have sunburn on their top of their feet.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

They wear sandals a lot.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. And they can't do nothing now. Like my buddy Bryce.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Shoes on. Cause you got sunburned on you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

If you can't put shoes on and go to work because your tops of your feet are sunburned, then you are not. Then you definitely.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You're not helping society at all.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, yeah. Then you're definitely. You should be selling damn door to door. Italian.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's from Johnny Farrago or whatever.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What his name was Donnie Ferrari.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Donnie Ferrari. Okay. That's made up. Anyways. Name. His name wasn't really Ferrari.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You know, I never saw any of his paperwork. I know he. I mean, I know he lived in city limits.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Okay, well, then he's legit, Bro.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Thank you so much for hanging out with me today, man. I know we've been trying to catch up for a while and I've been a fan for a long time and

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I Didn't know if I was going to be able to make it. I've got the explosive diarrhea. You hear about that going around, man?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Bring that up. What are they doing?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Some. Funny, isn't it? You ever had explosive diarrhea?

[Comedian Theo Von]

I have not. I've had like semi explosive or you know, something that you, you know, the dot would pull you over if you didn't have the right tags on your truck. You know, if you'd have the right placard showing. Oh, I've had that. Cyclospora?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, that's the new one. Yeah. Oh, explosive diarrhea. I've had it.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Have you really?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, if you had a colonoscopy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I haven't had one. I mean I've felt around the outside

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

have explosive diarrhea when you get that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Really?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, it's fun.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I don't want that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I shit my pants twice that day.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Nuh.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Same day, Same day twice. And it wasn't like, you know, it was involved. Totally involuntary. Of course it was involuntary. I just don't voluntarily shit myself, you know. Very rarely do I do that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, that's, that's when the Italian comes.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I probably have, but I can't remember last time.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh yeah. Oh, voluntarily shitting yourself. That's just a way to get out of a fight usually.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Or church.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even the Lord don't want you around at that point. But.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You really offering? Plates coming. I got to ship myself.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So you got this, you got this disease that happened or. What is this? Cyclo snore?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I didn't have that. I just took all that stuff the doctor gave me the day before I had a colonoscopy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And so you're saying you didn't have a choice if you wanted to go to the bathroom or not? It just went for you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, no, it was kind of a weird thing. I thought I kind of. I thought I felt fine. I was taking all the stuff, drinking the stuff, taking the pills, the whole thing. And I was at the farm and I was just like, well, I think I can go do some stuff. I don't feel bad, you know, at all. So I went and I had a, a little ten foot john boat in the pond and I was going to pull it up on the bank and I just reached down and grabbed it. Don't weigh very much, you know, just a little old aluminum boat. I reached out there and grabbed it and pulled it and just, you know,

[Comedian Theo Von]

it was like, damn.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I mean, really in my boots. Bad. You know what I'M saying to the

[Comedian Theo Von]

top of your hat.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And so of course, I, you know, just went on in the pond.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Would you. Oh, you just got in the water, cleaned that up. That's the way to do it. And I'll leave your clothes in there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And I thought, well, okay, that's not gonna happen again, you know, so that's got to be it, you know, so

[Comedian Theo Von]

what do you mean?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You don't think I went and changed clothes and then I went to try to do something else?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And I had a flat tire on one of my side by sides, and I had it on jack. And I was gonna take the jack out from under it because I'd already changed the wheel. So got up in there, took the jack out, and then I was going to get up off the ground, and I grabbed the tailgate on that thing and pulled myself up. And when I strained just that little bit, I call that explosive diarrhea. I mean, you can. If you make the least little, you know, exertion, it just come, you know. Oh, yeah, that's explosive.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, I've had some shit where you try to blow your nose.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And my wife thought it was the fun. Yes, that woman laughing at me all day long.

[Comedian Theo Von]

She's laughing right now.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She's laughing right now because she loved it. She thought it was the funniest thing in life, man, seeing me soiled like that, you know? God, and just.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That bums me out.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She professed a deeper love for me than ever before because I was, I guess I was at my most vulnerable, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's what they say.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She thought.

[Comedian Theo Von]

They say a vulnerable man attracts a woman.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I was attractive that day. Super attractive, man. I was drawing them like flies and flies. Dude. I remember.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I remember one time I was on something. I think I was on antibiotics. And I'd also been using a lot of Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot and Clap. Oh, no, I don't know. No, no, nothing. I was using it on food and I took a. Dude, I put. I've tried to blow my nose. Just blew my ass. I just. My ass. I didn't even want to.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I know. Well, of course you did. Well, maybe you did.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I didn't and I didn't want to either.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. And then that was it. I didn't go back outside. Yeah, that's it today. Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You didn't go back outside.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I didn't put clothes on again.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, that's when you're really bad off.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

My wife put, like four towels down on the couch, and I just laid There for the rest of the day. Naked.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, God. That's when the devil's got your ass.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

God. And so I've.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So I'm sympathizing with the explosive diarrhea. People that have had the misfortune of being. Yes, I think it's the lettuce. And so last night my wife made me just big old salad and I was like, huh, I know what you're doing.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Trying to make some vulnerability.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. And some more. She wants to love me hard again. So she wants me vulnerable, man. You know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

God, I think we put women through so much pain, they just need it. Sometimes they just have to poison us. That's what I think.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So. But I don't know. I'm alone. Anyway. This episode is brought to you by Facebook.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So you were scrolling on Marketplace and there it was, the bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kind of funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew. Well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for. From a browse to a bike ride this summer. Find more on Facebook.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Is pornography causing a problem in your life? Do you find yourself watching porno for longer periods of time and having trouble stopping? Is porn affecting your relationship or dating life? Well, you're certainly not alone. Watching pornography has become so commonplace today and oftentimes men use porn to numb the pain of loneliness, boredom, anxiety and depression. Shame and stigma prevent men from talking about these issues and getting help for them. I want to introduce you to my friend Steve. Steve is the founder of Valor Recovery, a program to help men overcome porn abuse and sexual compulsivity. Steve is a long term sexual recovery member and has personally overcame the emotional and spiritual despair of abusing pornography and has dedicated his life to empowering men to do the same. Steve is an amazing person and he is a close friend of mine. I mean that. Valor Recovery helps men to develop the tools necessary to have a healthier sex life. Their coaches are in long term recovery and will be your partner, mentor, and spiritual guide to transcend these problematic behaviors. To learn more about Valor Recovery, please Visit them at www.valorrecoverycoaching.com or email them at adminallor recovery coaching.com thank you. Dude, I'll tell you this story. So I got invited to a Randy Moss fishing tournament once and it was up in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. And the night before they took you out? Everybody went out and I got. I was out. And this was when Jagermeister was popping. Remember that? It was basically German motor oil or something that they'd fermented and they were selling here. Allegedly, that's what it was.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Tastes like robustin.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Tastes like robot Tussin, too, dude. Tasted horrible. Tasted like you. You know, it just made you so angry at everything when you ate it. You just. You just didn't even want to have anymore. And some people would put it on their skirt steak. They put it as a damn demi glaze, and that would blow my mind. But anyway, so I go out to this fishing tournament. I'd stayed up all night, dude. I'd slept maybe 40 minutes, and I was like, I'm not missing this fishing tournament. Roy Jones Jr. Was there. It was like. It's the first time I've been around any celebrities in my life. So I got out there invite you? I don't know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Were you a celebrity then? When was that?

[Comedian Theo Von]

No, I don't remember.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

A long time ago.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Long time ago.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, you probably went to their house selling that Ferrari stuff.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah, you mean the manicotti.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, yeah. Won them over with that. And they invited you to the fishing tournament?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yes, they invited me. Now, this is a true story now, Trace. And so I get over there and, dude, I definitely had adult diarrhea, right? Or you. Or young adult diarrhea is what I had. And so I get there, and we got to start catching fish. It's a fishing tournament. I've never been in a fishing tournament. I don't know what it was. I thought you go around, you see the fish or whatever. You go back and you wrote down how many you spotted or whatever. It was almost like a scavenger hunt. So anyway, the second I get a bite, man, the second I get a bite, I just. I get a tug on the front, brother. I got a tug on the back.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

There it went.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You know what I'm saying? It had. I don't care what I was getting on my line. I had a bunch in the live well, you feel me? And it was. Yeah, they ended up having to just troll me, hanging off the ladder on the back and with no shorts on and stuff, just to wash my body. I just couldn't fish anymore. But, like, you got a fish, man. And I didn't want to tell him. Like, I'm. You know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So you didn't tell him? I didn't tell them you bailed off into the water?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I said, I gotta hang off the back For a little bit. I gotta go to the toilet. Yeah, but it was just.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't think young adult explosive diarrhea is as bad as old man explosive. Oh, that's worse. Probably.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know, just. Just the fermentation.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah, the recipe.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, that recipe. Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Probably much worse because.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

As an older young adult, still kind of fresh.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, still. Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know, you're in. Your guts aren't rotten yet.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. But adult. You got that damn crock pot on you.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It's. Yeah. Stuff is aged in there.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah. That's a booyah base, baby. That's a French on your own right there. I know. I heard a story that I think. Well, you told me this. I'm saying I heard a story, but you told me this. How did things fare, like, with some of your first marriages? How did things. Like, when you look back on your love life, what do you think? Maybe could have been a little bit different. I know you said you That. I know you said that you kind of gave more maybe than you got. It felt like at times. Times or like you got to have both people loving just as much to make it work. But do you have any thoughts on it, looking back on love? Because having four marriages, that's a lot of experience, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, just it. But it certainly doesn't make me. Very good at it. I've got a pretty bad track record, you know, so don't take any advice from me, man. I'm no authority on what makes everything great.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But did you learn anything along the way, though? Like, really?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Sure. I mean, you learn what not to do, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, that didn't work. That was bad.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did you take any of it to heart, you think? I mean, I. You know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of the bad stuff that I used to do, I don't do anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Amen. Yeah, yeah,

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

but.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And I heard that one of your wives. I don't even know how to say this. Shot. That they shot you. Is that true?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, that took it a little far. I thought just that was uncalled for. That was totally uncalled for. Just leave. Yeah. You know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, that's a true story.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Let's just call it quits. We don't have to go that far.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Do you think she shot you with the intent to take.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't think so, man. I don't think she even had any idea what that gun was gonna do. I'd never seen her hold a gun. I'd never seen her shoot a gun. I knew she had one But I'd never seen her use it. I mean, yeah, I've. I had a bunch of guns. Still have a bunch of guns. And I shoot them, you know, pretty. Pretty often. But I'd never seen her do that. And I just. I don't think she knew what was about to happen when she pulled that trigger. She thought it was a toy, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was she saying anything as she was pulling it? Was she. Was it like. And was she pulling it, like in a fit of anger or was she just kind of.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She was mad. Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Okay.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Wanted me to leave and I wasn't gonna leave, so that's. That's how it went down.

[Comedian Theo Von]

How did it hit you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She put it under my left arm and the bullet came out under my right arm, so it went straight through.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did you have your hands up or something like that?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I had this hand out like that, reaching for that. I told her to give me the gun and she just shot me.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But what did it feel like? Like a beat. Like a bee biting you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Man. I think when one is that serious, your body protects you. You just go into shock. You don't really feel anything. I just remember getting up off the floor and then taking a few steps and then going back down. That's all I remember.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You blacked out?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No way.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. I mean, yeah. So, yeah, I didn't really feel like it really hurt me.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And where did it go through your body?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It went under this arm, came out this arm. So it went straight through? It went straight through my heart and both my lungs.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Nuh.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. It was kill shot. And the only reason that I survived was because the doctor said the only reason I survived was because the bullet went through at point blank velocity, at muzzle velocity. So it didn't have time to mushroom. It was just, you know, muzzle velocity. So it just went straight through.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, I see. So and after that it would have mushroom?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yes.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Damn, bro. Thank God she shot you so close then. Yeah, in a way. I mean, that's crazy to say. Sorry. God, I'm not. I have to. I'm just not good at supporting people, like verbally, you know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I don't need any support anymore. It was a long time ago.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was the healing. What's that like when you get shot right through the door?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, that was the hard part. That's the part that hurt, you know, the healing up and stuff. I mean. Cause when I went to Vanderbilt, they life flighted me to Vanderbilt. And so when they do the trauma surgery, they just cut you and just crack you open, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Could you feel any of it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, of course not. I was out. But so the recovery from something like that, though, man, that hurts, you know, because they don't care. They just. They struggle, stretch everything, and break stuff, and they're just trying to get you open to get to your heart to save your life, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, I see.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So. And thank God, you know, if hadn't been for that live flight in Vanderbilt Medical Center, I wouldn't be here, but. So it took a long time to recover from that. And then six months later, I had to have another open heart surgery because they had to put a Dacron patch over that hole in my septum because it. And heal up, because when they went in, in the beginning, they sealed the hole on this side of my heart and sealed the hole on the other side of my heart where the bullet went through, but they didn't seal the hole in my septum.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Damn.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So six months later, I had to go back. And that one was a lot easier, though, because they took their time and very careful.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Right. They're not. They're not. Yeah. It's not. Time isn't of the essence as much. Yeah, I'm sorry I said that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Walked out of the hospital the next day.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

One. That one wasn't so bad.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And did your. Did. Did she ever apologize to you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did you forgive her, you think?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think so. You know, I've just always felt like. I don't think she meant to do it, man. Yeah, I don't think. I just don't think that. That she thought it was going to hurt me. She. She thought I was indestructible, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Dang.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's wild, man. Anyway, did anything like that ever happen again or not?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, no. Never got shot again.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's a blessing, then. You got to see the blessings.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Nobody shot at me in a while. That's good.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. That's what I'm saying, man. That's the kind of. Yeah, that's the kind of stuff we need, man. And you're.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I guess you can always say that. How you doing? Well, ain't nobody shot at me today. That's good.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And your third wife's Canadian, right?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Fourth wife. Yeah, Canadian.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And your fourth wife's Canadian. Yeah. Which is. Maybe you got her.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So. My first wife was from Louisiana. My second wife's from Arkansas. My third wife's from Illinois. My fourth wife's from Canada. So I'm just like, my fifth wife's going to be an Eskimo. You Know, I just keep working on up, you know, gonna be a hot Eskimo chick.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know. You know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, you moving up to the. Yeah, you're moving up to the Arctic, man. Well, I guess. And at least you got a Canadian because they can't even own guns, you know, because they don't have any guns. That's probably a good.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I didn't even think about that. That's a plus.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, Canadians are good and they have great posture. Have you ever noticed that about Canadians?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And most of them are pretty polite. Not so much with my wife, but a lot of them are, you know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I've heard that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

All very, very polite. And they always saying, I'm sorry and.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, oh, I've had a Canadian come across the street. They didn't do anything. They just said, hey, sorry and then went back across the street, came over just to apologize in case they ever did anything. I guess that's pretty cool of them. Let's apologize.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think they were coming over just. And they looked at you and went, sorry.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, that probably.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think that's what you mistook that for. Maybe you had wronged them some way. I think they just felt sorry for you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

They probably could have, man. And that's what I get for buying some of those sandals from the dam. From the damn Blake Shelton sandals. Yeah, that's what did me.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Were you wearing them at the time? Yes, I was. That's why they came over.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, man.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Knew you weren't ever going to get laid.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Oh, there's nothing sadder than some woman invites you over and you. It's got to be sad. She opens it or see those sandals on, just bam.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Unless he's carrying the cannolis from Ferrari. Then she let him on in.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Now every now and then we did have a dessert.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No little cannoli action.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, it'll show up. Dude. If the women weren't interested, but they were semi interested interested, we'd leave half a cannoli in a little box here on the welcome mat. You know, if they little 11 year

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

old gigolo going around with a bunch of Italian food.

[Comedian Theo Von]

If, if they didn't have a pet because otherwise pets are getting into them. Oh, you'd see Gary Busey with his damn bus, a damn cannoli all over his chin.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know,

[Comedian Theo Von]

country music, it's. It's big right now. Have you felt through your career that it's went through a lull, that it's been like different? Like how have you seen it kind of.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Man, I don't think there's ever been really a lull, you know, I mean, it started blowing up, you know, right before I got signed. I think it really started blowing up in the 90s, and it's just continued to dominate as far as genres go, I think, ever since, and still going stronger than ever, you know, But, I mean, of course, you know, my career's stagnant, but the rest of it's doing great.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You've had a great career.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I have had a great career. Don't get me wrong. I'm totally content. I mean, I'm very happy and I'm, you know, I've had a great run. It was a great ride, but things pass you by, you know, People move on to different things, you know, and I'm cool with that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

When you say that, like, like, do you mean like, that, like, certain opportunities kind of come and go? Because, like. Yeah. What does that mean? Kind of a little bit. What, like when you say that, like, you know, that people come and they kind of go and.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, yeah. Well, I'm not competing really competitively anymore in the game. You know what I'm saying? I'm not releasing singles to radio and trying to get them to play my stuff, you know, whatever. That game that we used to play, I don't play that anymore. I'm, you know, I'm not playing it. I'm not playing the game competitively anymore. I'm just doing it for just the joy of doing it and because I still like to do it.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But I'm not in there crossing swords with the young guys anymore. I don't need to do that let you know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, for sure. I mean. Yeah, I don't think that you need to. Do you feel like, was there a part in your career where you felt, like, established enough? Because I think this is just interesting to talk about. It's like, like, you know, in my own career, even with comedy, it's like, you know, I've had some success and it's been my, like, for. For, like the gods of this career have been good to me. Right. They've been good to me, and I've been treated better, really, than I probably ever should have been. Maybe, you know, and. And then I guess, I wonder, like. Yeah, I guess it's like, I don't know. It's interesting because you can. You can try to still, like, be on the gas. You can look at, like, well, where am I and what'? What do I need? Like, I guess. Are you happy with your career? Because you've had a great career.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Very. Yes, Like I said, man, super happy with it. I mean, I've been able to do what I wanted to do. I recorded what I wanted to record, sang what I wanted to sing, said what I wanted to say. I've had an opportunity to do some acting stuff and had a lot of fun doing that. So, yeah, man, it's great. And to answer your question about was I ever. When did I felt like I was established enough? I think about probably a year or so after Badonkadonk came out, I realized I really probably don't have to put my saddle on another horse. I can just ride that one on off into the sunset, you know what I mean? I just kind of knew that that one was going to be around for a while.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did you know it from the beginning after you wrote it, or was it

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

just people saying, I didn't write that, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Okay, got it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But Jamie Johnson and Dallas Davidson and Randy Houser wrote that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Jamie Johnson's birthday's coming up, and Jamie

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

was singing the demo. And when I heard it, I was in Scott Henry's office, I'll never forget. And he played that song for me. And as soon as I heard Jamie's old cornbread mouth at the beginning of that Hustler She Night Ball, I just started laughing, you know, and it got worse from there, you know, with him singing, and it was so funny, I about pissed myself. And. And just to hear him do that, you know, and. And I just. And I told Scott, I said, oh, my God, I got to cut that. I was like, you know, probably, I. I don't care. We won't have to ever get it. It probably won't ever get played on the radio. But I'm gonna cut it because that's hilarious, you know, and it's cleverly written. Written is funny as hell. And so we cut it, you know, and didn't think any more about it.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's crazy. And it's crazy how much that really. That made it in, like, EDM places and everything. That made it into, like, a. There was a lot of, Like, a lot of remixes that I've heard over the years. There's been a lot of stuff. I was at a. I was at Jackpine this summer camp. He. Yeah, he played it that. He played it last year. We were at this summer camp together. Jimmy John has his summer camp. We go up there and he played that. And I had no idea that he had anything to do with writing that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, yeah, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But it was awesome, dude.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, that's funny.

[Comedian Theo Von]

God, he's a great artist, man. He's fun to be around. Him and his wife.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's funny.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He's a good dude.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He is a good dude. I lost a good old Marine bet to him on the Super Bowl, I think, or UFC fight, something. And we had to donate to a charity. I don't remember what his charity was or something. I think it was. Might have been helping Blake Shelton with that recover from that sandal thing he went through. But that's rumors. I don't know about all that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Jamie Johnson and his wife Brittany run the Give It Away foundation, named after his hit George Strait song.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

The foundation supports veteran family and crisis charities and funded by merch sales and a $1 donation from every concert ticket sold. Yeah, he just. Did you play at Gary Sinise's fundraiser? No, I know. He just had a fundraiser.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. I wish I could have been there, but I was out.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Me too.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I was on the road.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I'd just gone through some plant medicine and I couldn't make it out of an air. Has there been a song that was. Was Badonkadonk probably the most. Was that the biggest surprise for one that you cut and you were like, wow.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. I mean, I was surprised that it succeeded the way that it did, you know? But then I was equally shocked whenever I thought, okay, if that one worked, then this one will work. And that's when I put out. That was the horrible brown chicken, brown cow incident.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

When I put that out and I thought it was going to blow up like Donk. Donk did. And radio was like, no, you've gone too far here.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It just ended up like a porn meme, didn't it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, yeah. Brown chicken, brown cow. You know, that's a. Dude I don't

[Comedian Theo Von]

even know you started that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, I sang the song, you know, and then, you know that, bro, the radio people were like, no, ain't playing that. That's porn. You know, whatever. Yeah. And it was a nasty song, but I thought it was in the right spirit, you know, it was meant with love. So, I mean, it was. They were married, these two people I was singing about. They were married.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You know, doing it in the barn. That's not like illegal or anything? No, I don't think it is good clean fun there.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I mean, it's fine with me. I don't know them, you know, but now we'll say this. If I'm a neighborhood watch guy and I pull up and you're doing something.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Well, that's why we need you to wear the best, so we can see you coming. I mean, if you come up, you ain't got on your official, you know, neighborhood watch uniform. You know, you can't watch. You can't come walking up on me and Betty Lou in the barn doing our thing, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I agree. I'm just saying, if I pull up in your yard and you were doing something that goes against our charter, we're

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

doing something that goes with brown chicken, brown cow, you know, then that's probably against your charter.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, it's just. I don't know. It's so hard to keep.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Can't be doing that out in the yard.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, it's so hard to keep a neighborhood safe. That's what I'm trying to say out loud. Was there a tour that you almost went on over the years and that you didn't? What is that like? Like, how is it over the years, how you choose to tour and when not to tour? Because I'm at a point where it's like, you know, touring's great and stuff, but it takes up a lot of your time. And I feel like you'll get off of a tour and you realize, wow, while, you know, my life has been sort of just like little pictures, little moments here and there, and it hasn't been a real, like, a streamlined thing. Did that happen to you at times and you had to kind of slow it down to make things happen in your life that you wanted outside of work?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No. I mean, I've had to take some time off, you know, to maybe do a movie project or something like that. But as far as tours go, I never. I went on the tours that people wanted me to go on, and if somebody offered me a tour and I didn't like them, I didn't go. So, yeah, I did the tours I wanted to do. And was there any that I regretted? I probably should have done that Madonna tour when she asked way back when, because she heard me do my go to karaoke song is Like a Virgin, and she heard me do it once and wanted me to tour with her.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did she really?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's all a lie. I just made that. Oh, I do. I will sing that song, though, at karaoke.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I'll tell you a story.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You don't expect to hear that coming from me. When I get up and bust out Like a Virgin, it takes the audience

[Comedian Theo Von]

touch for the very first time.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, they like that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I bet that's probably the best part of it. Well, I'll Tell you this, man. I'll tell you this. So my grandparents would let us come up there sometimes in the summer. But I was probably after. I was about 5, they wouldn't let me come up there. But one time I went across the street to the park. They live in a small town, probably maybe 800 people in this town. I went across street. They had a nice park there. And I went across the street and some girl was over there and she had a radio. She plugged it into the little outlet under the. They had a couple picnic tables under a little. Like just a steel shed kind of top. And she plugged in that radio and she played Like a Virgin and danced on this picnic table. Some little kind of native looking girl. I'd never seen her before and I didn't even know. I didn't say anything. And she.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Native to the town or native. I don't know, Native looking? I mean, does that even mean.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I don't know. I could draw a picture of her, but I don't know that much about her. But she plugged in the radio and she played Like a Virgin. Like a Virgin and just dance to it. And it was just bizarre. I just remember being like. I don't know, I think it was the first time I felt anything towards a woman or whatever. I just didn't know what was going on, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Little Cocktail Wayne. He stood up on you.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Are you five? You were five.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I mean, I had, you know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Wow.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I can't remember that I had that wiener in me. I can remember, you know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I was a lot older than five, though.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I think I did. I don't know. Some of that could be in my imagination, Trace.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

But now I did plug it in and she sang that song. That was the first time I'd ever seen a woman kind of perform something like that, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And how many times now you pay for it. Yeah, now you pay to see it. That was the first freebie you got.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, they were.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Baby. Put money in their drawers.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That whole thing. That whole thing was a big bait and switch, man. That's what it was, man. You've gotten to play with a lot of legends over the years as a legend like yourself does, man. And are there some. Did you ever get to. Did you ever get to play with like. Or see Jerry Lee Lewis play?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Before your time. Well, he still plays some. Does he still play? He passed away. He finally passed away.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, but, man, he lived a lot longer. And he lived longer than Keith Richards.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, he kept on living, dude.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. No, I didn't see him. I never got to see Johnny Cash. I did a show with Waylon, and I actually got to sing with Haggard and Ronnie Millsap and Buck Owens and some of those guys that I just revered and just put on that pedestal. And I actually got to sing with them. And so, man, that. That was unbelievable. Just the surreal moments that I'll never forget performing with those guys. So, yeah, I've got to be a fan, and that's what I am. I've always been. I've been a country music fan. I still am, you know, and those opportunities that came along were just priceless.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Who's that photo right there?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

George Jones. Gosh, I love George. Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Was he pretty neat guy to be around?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

George was. George usually didn't have a whole lot to say, man. I'd go over to his house and watch tv and we'd sit and watch tv. Yeah, we weren't talking. Yeah, no, we just watched tv.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

George want to watch a ball game or a movie or something? That's what we do. We didn't talk about.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You remember doing some of those early mornings? Like, I remember I used to work as a tour manager for an artist for this guy, Josh Kelly, and his brother Charles is a musician as well. Charles Kelly and I worked with Josh for a while. He would go play at all the radio stations in the morning to push his single. So I was just working as just a tour support, you know, for him. So it was just me and him traveling around the country. He was pushing this single that he had that did well. And. And I just remember those mornings at those radio stations, you'd be like, we're bringing in lobster. And they'd have like, lobster. Like 5:50, 5 in the morning, dude. Which is like, not a good time to put lobster in your system. And also they'd have donuts. We got. It's like donuts and lobster on the. On the WAZ or something. That is like some crazy radio, you know, like we're giving away a free bass boat or whatever, you know, it's like, who can eat the most lobster, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Remember that kind of shit, those morning shows? Oh, my God. When you're trying to. It never ceased to amaze me. And I would bring it up every now and then and they would just blow it off because I'd be like, let me tell y' all something. Okay, Let me say this on behalf of everybody that sings. We can't do it well at six o' clock in the morning. It's just it's an impossible thing to do. And you expect us to come in here and do it and be good and it's not going to be good. I'm just telling you it's not going to be good and nobody's going to do it. Well, at 6:00 in the morning, I mean, you know, that's why we do shows at 9 o', clock, 10 o' clock at night. That's, you know, you got, man, got to wake up, you know, have a few cups of coffee.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Trey seconds goes good with lobster.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I never went and had lobster at a morning show. He must have been in Maine or somewhere.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No, dude, this was some place. We were like, we got 40. It was like we got 40 pounds of lobster coming in. And they would have, like, car washes and lobster. But it was always some, you know, I'm saying it was always some rigamarole, like we got hot air balloons and lobster or whatever, and it would always be some kind of shit. And you're like, what in the fuck am I getting involved in? Like, because comedians, we had to go there too. Like, so it'd be crazy that I went on the, this tour with Josh. We probably went to 100 radio stations around the country. Like, it was a couple months of him going. He'd play the single, I'd bring in some coffee, we'd sit there, you know, and then we'd drive to the next place. And it was great, man. I felt lucky to have the job. I was getting to travel around the country. But then 10 years later, I'd be there doing it with comedy, you know. Yeah, doing it with. As a comedian, going in to the radio station. You'd have to go in early, you know, you'd have to be in there and like, you know, you have to be funny on the radio at, at, you know, at 6:40am I know, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And, you know, it's like.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And we'd see y' all in the lobby.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I've always thought too, like, actors, like big movie stars, you know, I always thought if, okay, I want to go in, I want to talk to these people and, and, you know, tell them about my new project and, and how good it is and what the inspiration was and blah, blah, blah, and all that kind of stuff. But then, then just play the song. Play the song on the radio the way that I recorded it in the studio. That's what we want to hear. You don't want to hear me try to sing it at six o' clock in the morning and it's like actors with the go do talk shows, promoting a new movie or something. The guy sitting there interviewing him, at some point, he doesn't go, okay, well how about doing a scene for us from the movie? You know what I mean? Can you imagine that? Leo DiCaprio be going, excuse me. They should have do a scene from the movie.

[Comedian Theo Von]

They should have to.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, show the clip. No, we want you to do a scene. You do it here right now. Do it. And action. You know, And I mean, it's like, come on, man. But we have to go in at six o' clock in the morning and

[Comedian Theo Von]

sing and we have to go in, in there and be funny, tell jokes. Yeah. It is kind of unfair, isn't it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think so.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's why they bring in the lobster. That's why they add in the bullshit every time. It was always something every time. Well, ever with comedians, I'd be up there like, we're giving away a free creature Christmas tree to, you know, 8:30, be, you know, be on the jingle dial or whatever. And we'd be in there and it'd be somebody calling in asking if it's a damn Douglas fur or whatever. It's like, I don't give a what it is. Like I'm trying to get in here, you know, be funny if I can and help sell some tickets, you know, and get people to know I'm in town. But I just always remember those morning radios, man. That stuff was a, that I do too. That stuff was a hole.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And it was also great a bunch of times.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Same, man. Yeah, I did it so much. I did it so much, dude. But sometimes you did get to know a place a little bit better. Sometimes it would get me out of bed in the morning. I think there was blessings to it. What do you, do you think you've achieved all your goals with, with entertainment?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Like I, man, I, I, I, I did way more than I ever thought I would do, you know, I mean, this whole thing was like, I would never have allowed myself to dream that big, you know, I'm, I think I'm a, I'm a realist in that respect. I, I wouldn't have allowed myself to dream that, that I would have this kind of career and get to do this for as long as I've done it. No way. So everything's gravy now.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did that change any of your perspective about certain things or give you like, adjust, like kind of how you think about life or even how you like, like how you like things? You talk with your kids About. Because that's pretty interesting to think that life gave me more even than my dreams, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Or that God gave it. You know what? You know what? I'm not sure what your beliefs are, but. Or that's, you know, the entities of. Of the universe gave me more than even my dreams. That's pretty wild.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

More than you know, I think I took a. Just a very little bit of talent and just went way farther than I should have, you know, so. Yeah, I mean, Buck Owens told me one time I went to Buck's place and went to his radio station there in Bakersfield, and it was raining that day, and so Buck wasn't playing golf, and he was actually in the radio station, so he wanted me to go in his office. So he and I went in his big office there, and he locked the door and wouldn't let nobody else come in. I was sitting there with guitar, and he'd tell me to sing this, sing that. And he said, sing that new single you got. And so I did it. And he was like, son, let me tell you something. He said that low note that you can sing, you need to do that on every song because that's all you got going for you. That's what he told me. That's all you got going.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's what Buck Owen said to you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. And he was serious.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And I appreciated him for it. You know, it's like he was, you know, go with that. Do that all the time. Do that. Because that's kind of the one thing you got that nobody else has. So do that, you know? And was it good advice? I've done it in just about every song. Yeah. You know, hit that low note and rattle the subs. And, you know, chicks kind of get a little wiggly, but don't get. Don't. Yeah. Can't sit still.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, Look, I mean, you got a deep voice, you know. Look, I'm not even a woman, and it makes me, you know, want to at least make sure I have deodorant on, so.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Chicks dig the bass singers, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

They do, yeah. God, I should have done it, been a bass singer. Yeah. I couldn't have done it. I'd had to get more balls added to my bag. I think I'd need six balls, I think, to hit the notes you hit, man. I need probably eight balls or something. Dude. You might. You must have some. Yeah, I can't even imagine hitting those. You must have some damn balls on you. You gotta. It would take probably two hours to neuter you.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You shave Your balls. You get somebody else to do it. You don't know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Not sure.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, you're not sure? They just end up shaved. You don't know how the hell it happened. I mean, remember Nair, when people would rub that stuff on there? God, yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I freaking put it in my. I put it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That stuff was painful.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, that. When especially you put it all your. I remember doing my legs one year. I was trying to get ready for Christmas or whatever, and I was like, I thought I was getting ready for Christmas.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You didn't want to have hair on your legs for Christmas?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, I knew that. I knew that. I got in these cool velcro pants

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

my grandfather had died and sandals or. Yeah, I want to get that hair off your feet for.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

know, I mean, toenail fungus is okay, but hair, we can't have that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No, dude, I remember what happened was I got this pair. Velour, not velcro pants. My grandfather had died in them and I inherited them. And so I was so excited about it. And I said, but the hair on my legs.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He died in them.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He died in them. He died in him. He had smoker's foot or whatever, and they cut both of his toes off. Two of his ten toes.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Smoker's foot is not a thing.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yes, it is smoker's foot.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, it's not.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yes, it is smoker's foot. Bring up smoker's foot.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, my God. That's just straight up diabetes, man. It ain't smoker's foot.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, I know he got it from watching he. From smoking cigarettes and watching the damn St. Louis Cardinals play. Smoker's feet refers to various foot conditions.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, well, that's. I mean, look, that dude shouldn't wear sandals. That guy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Don't even. Don't even come close to a pair of sandals.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I agree. But yeah, granddad lost those toes and

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

he was wearing a pair of velour pants.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He won't have blue pants when he passed. And so I got. But I did my. But my leg hair would gather in them and it would come out the pants kind of. You know when your leg hair will come out like you threw it?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I don't know how that is at all.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It would shift through the fabric. It would kind of come. Come out through the textile or the tapestry of it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, no, I've had that happen. You know, putting on a pair of them tight, insulated underwear. But not just regular pants.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Why I think at the time.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, they were skin tight pants.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No, they were right. They Were pretty. No, they were. They were a little bit tight at the time. I'll be honest with you. I think I was using steroids or something. So my hair was growing fast, so I had. My body was. Damn. I mean, I'd give dang little Gary Busey a run for his money over there. You know, I was full. I had a lot of hair. And. And that's a true story. And I. It's. But anyway, I use narrow. My legs. But also. Yeah, that was painful, though. My legs got all kinds of, like, pimples and stuff on them, and just. It was horrible for them. That stuff was toxic.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So we got there talking about Nair or something.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That was toxic, man. What's one of the most humbling moments? Because, you know, in your career, was it or in your life kind of. Has it been a moment that's kind of like. I. I guess maybe more in your career, like what's been a part of your life or your career? I guess that's. That you've kind of felt humbled by.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, wow. That's a. That's an interesting question. The first time I really remember being humbled was when I. My first year of college, when, you know, I'd had a good, dominant senior year playing football, and then I went to college and I got out on the field with those guys, it was like, whoa, this is a different game right here, you know. Yeah. That step up in talent right there, that was humbling.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And you got to pretend that it's not, I guess, out there, you can't.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, yeah, but, I mean. And, you know, going from a year in high school when you kind of felt like the stud pretty much every Friday night, you know, and then didn't really run into anybody that I couldn't handle, you know, my senior year. And then the toughest guy. I always tell people like that toughest guy that I faced across the line of scrimmage my entire senior year. You get to college and the whole field's full of those guys. You know what I mean?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Especially down there. You played at Louisiana Tech?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's where Terry Bradshaw played. Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And Antonio Brown's dad played there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, well, and then you go into the field house at Louisiana Tech, and. And that. And it was just a big mural of Terry Bradshaw at the end of the building. You know, he was a. He's a God there, you know, so, yeah, that was really humbling.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did he ever come to one of your games?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't remember him coming.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He should. Y' all look alike. A little. I could see that.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And of course, I've been humbled since. I mean, you know, you get into this business, you gotta eat a little humble pie every now and then or you're not gonna stick around.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I think it's the same, probably in most things. I think it's like. I don't know. I think in most parts of, like, entertainment, probably comedy, there's always, like, somebody better or younger and different that comes along, you know? And I think, yeah, just make sure. Making sure I stay on the side of, like, oh, I think that's cool. Or that's awesome. Instead of getting on any begrudging side of it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, you get humbled. I mean, it's. You know, I had my. You have to wake up and realize, you know, like I said earlier, you know, I had my turn, somebody else's turn, you know, and you just got to accept that. And it can be a little humbling, but just deal with it and move on.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You said that Buck Owens probably gave you a decent piece of advice there. Was that probably the best advice you ever got, you think? Or what's a decent piece of advice that you've gotten in your life that's kind of stuck with you? Even if he didn't follow it at the time, in hindsight, you look back and be like,

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

yeah, my old man. Yeah, keep your knife sharp, your guns loaded.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Ain't the two things two useless things in this world, a dull knife and empty gun? Yeah, my old man told me that. And he also said, this Christmas, I'm going to get you an anvil and a rubber hammer and see how long it takes you to tear it up. Because I tore up everything poor man had. Trucks, tractors.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Did you do it for fun? You did it on purpose, you think?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I didn't do it on purpose. No. But I tore them all up.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm trying to think if I tore a lot of shit up. My buddy Jeffrey, he had some sort of issue, but he would. And we survived a gas leak at his house also, but I've talked about that. He would get upset and beat all the drywall out of the wall in his room at his house. And for Christmas, his parents would get the room redone every year and get him fresh drywall in there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Probably he's just sitting around smelling gas all the time.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I never thought about that. They thought he had a damn.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

It'll make you go crazy eventually. You just sit there and just keep smelling it and don't fix the leak. Yeah, they Thought he had survived the gas leak. Why did you just sit there in it and, you know. Okay, well, you get a new merit patch on your neighborhood watch vest for surviving gas leak.

[Comedian Theo Von]

For reporting him.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Doing an experiment to see how long a man could survive in a gas leak. Just sat there. You and your buddy. What was his name?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Jeffrey.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Jeffrey. Guy's name Jeffrey sound just a little.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's just, you know, he was doing some things.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I apologize to all the cool Jeffries. You know what? There ain't no cool Jeffries out there.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I mean, first of all. Yeah, Jeffrey. I think. Jeffrey. Your name is Jeffrey. You don't ever go by Jeff.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You shouldn't.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yes.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I mean, once you. Once you get hair on your nuts, you go, Jeff, right? Yeah, you go, Jeff jay. I'd go Dr. J. I wouldn't.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I go Dr. J. Boy, I'd go Big Jeff with them nuts. That's what I'd call myself. What else? Trace, what's new in your world right now? What's something that you're looking forward to, you know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, I'm gonna do another record. Another country record.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Because you're on your 30th. This is your 30th anniversary tour right now, Right? I came and saw, man. It was a great show, man.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Thanks.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It was really great. We sat there and I just didn't. You know, you just like. Yeah, you just kind of lose track of all the songs that are attached to certain people, and then you lose track of ones and. But just that you just. That you don't remember, you know, and it's nice to sit there. Just go through the anthology, man. It was awesome, dude.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, thank you. So, yeah, I'm gonna do another record. I didn't know if I was going to or not after I did that last one. We did that the Way I Wanna Go album. It had 25 songs on it. Cause that was. We did that during COVID when we didn't have anything else to do, so we just stayed in the studio all the time, you know, and ended up with 25 songs. And I thought, okay, that's it. You know, I don't have to do another record. And then when 30 years came along and. And my voice is still the way it is, I thought, you know, I guess I will do another record. And. And I've always been like that. You know, I was going, I'm gonna let this determine how long I keep doing this. As long as I can still sing those songs in the same key that I recorded them in. And I can still hit the licks and hit the notes and do all the things that I need to do. And I'm just. I guess I'll just keep doing it, you know. But it's kind of like. Though it's just the old jock in me, I guess. You know, I had to walk away from football when I just couldn't do it anymore. I was too tore up. Couldn't perform at the level that I was satisfied with. But as long as I'm satisfied with my performance and I think that I'm doing it okay, and, you know, then I guess I'll just keep doing it. So I might as well make another record.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Do you feel like a calling, almost a responsibility to do that, or is it just sort of a personal thing? Like, hey, if I can do this, and I do love doing it, I'm gonna keep at it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's kind of it, you know, just going to keep. I'm just going to do it because I feel like I'm still. I'm still good at this, you know, I feel like I've.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hell, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I've gotten better at my craft. I think I'm better at it now than I ever have been. I don't know. It's. My voice is still, you know, quit smoking and range got better. The bottom's gotten better over the years. I mean, I can go deeper than I ever could, and that's just to going get better. With age, your voice just gets lower and lower. But I haven't lost anything on the top either. I can still hit everything, you know, on the top end that I always could. So, hell, why not just keep doing it?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Was popping when we came, man. We didn't feel like, you know, sometimes you're there and you feel like the artist is kind of. It's not like what you've heard, you know, I know we didn't feel.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't want to be one of those guys. I've seen the. Those guys. I've been to those shows where they're still out doing it. It's like, dude, just quit.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And just please stop. We don't want to remember you like this, you know, I don't want anybody to say that about me ever, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

What was one of the. Has there been a. What was like one of the toughest points in your career? Do you feel like. I mean, obviously got shot?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, that wasn't. That was way before I got a record deal on it, you know? Toughest points of my career. I don't know. There was a period, you know, there after that sophomore album came out, you know, that sophomore jinx kind of thing, and it reared its ugly head and started biting me pretty hard, and things got, you know, got. They just slowed way down. And I thought. I mean, when I first came out, you know, that first album, you know, two number ones and platinum and, you know, yeah, this is gonna be easy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You're the hot cake in town. Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And then. And then reality sets in. Dang. When you put that sophomore record out. But I wouldn't say that it was hard times, just, you know, disappointing. I just thought that graph was going to keep going that way, you know,

[Comedian Theo Von]

when you look back on that, do you think, like, it's like that you. That you stuck to all your laurels, even though you were like a young artist at that time, or do you feel like. Because a lot of times with artists, you get it, like, after that first album, sometimes they'll try to attach a lot of other producers and things like that can happen and no blame or anything. I'm just thinking, like, what would you. Would there be any suggestions you would offer from your experience to an artist that had. Has had some early success as to what, like, you know, if there's any, like, thing you could share about that next experience, that maybe you would have known different?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't think you should ever try to change your game to fit into what's going on now, you know, don't do that. You know, just be who you are and dance with the one that brung you. You know, Keep doing that. And, you know, it's been my experience anyway that those fans that you had, those people that became fans of yours for what you did, if you keep doing that, they'll stay, you know, don't run them off.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. You have a farm, which are growing over there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Weeds and trees. Weeds, weeds and trees.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah. That's it, huh?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Not weed.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Okay.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Just regular old weeds.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I didn't know. I don't care if you smoke it. You smoke pot or. No.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I haven't in a long time.

[Comedian Theo Von]

It makes me kind of nervous. Turn me into a damn horn.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Made me so paranoid. The older I got, the worse the paranoia was that came with it. And it just finally got to a point where I can't do this anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. You know, that's how I am, dude.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And I mean, now that stuff, they're growing now. I mean, that's just like acid or something, you know, people having hallucinations.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That shit's like having a fucking Gas leak in your head?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, man, sitting in a gas leak all day long.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, that new shit will just turn me into a damn haunted house, dude. I'll be doing neighborhood watch inside of my own head, brother. It gets bad, you know.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Shit gets a little bit dark.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

No, I hadn't done it in a while.

[Comedian Theo Von]

What's in the news? Anything we want to look at, fellas? Semi truck spills nearly 40,000 pounds of Frank's Red Hot.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Boy. I'd pull my pickup truck there, start loading that.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh God, I'd fill my pockets with that, dude. I'd put up two handfuls in my little sister's mouth, make her bring it home, dude. We'd be. We would be storing that in our cheeks like damn. Just like damn recipe squirrels. Amid a brutal near nationwide heat wave. It seems strangely appropriate, the spill scene on an Ohio highway. Now I will say this. They could use a little bit of seasoning up there has been labeled red hot. A semi truck leaked a strange reddish liquid on a highway near Columbus. Frank's Red hot near a 40,000 pound shipment.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Now what I'm looking at here though is the Jeremy Roth there, the guy that wrote the story for CNN news source. You know, I mean, what do you think Jeremy's gig is there at the news station, right? It's like, okay, we got this shit spilled out here on the road. We need somebody to go right about it. Jeremy, you ain't doing nothing. Go write about this shit spilled out on the road out here. Poor old Jeremy. Jeremy. Jeremy's this far from getting fired, you know what I mean? So we got to find something for him to do until it comes into the month when we get rid of him.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Jeremy.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So we're going to send Jeremy out out there and he's going to write a thousand words about this red spilled on the highway.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He's probably drinking a morning coffee out of damn baby bottle or something over there because he's been through some stuff. He is. Yeah, maybe he has. PSTD from like he got a computer with bad spell check on it or something in college and he had he ever really processed it, but dude, I

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

can't even bought a bad Italian burrito from an 11 year old.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hey, man, we worked hard. Okay, I'll say this. Some of those driveways were uphill trace.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Okay, L.A. they weren't that far uphill.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Okay, you're right. Okay, that part I am. That part I've slightly made up. But there was some mild elevation in some of the sidewalks. And you know, that Okay. I know that you have a new single American made that I haven't gotten here yet. I'm going to check it out.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Good. Appreciate you preparing for this interview. You unprofessional son.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Bitch, dude, please put.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

You ain't worth a shit, you know, I've had better interviews on a small market radio station in the middle of Nebraska.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hey, we got some lobster coming in right after this, guys. Yeah. Shows coming up. Are you. Oh, a lot of these festivals. I love that, man. Do you like being at the festival? It seems like it's a good time because you get to be around other artists.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. Every now and then, you know.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And you got a short Raleigh Green coming up. I know that's happening.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Really?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, I heard he's doing pretty good.

[Comedian Theo Von]

He's doing all right. We just had him in here, man. It was fun chatting with him. This was actually really great too, though, man. I had a nice time.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, thanks. I did, too.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hey, look at that, huh? Dude, that's awesome, man. That makes you feel good?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Me excited? This is what I look like. Hey, look, man, this is orgasmic face.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hey, look. You know, now I know why some of them ladies said, I can't. I ain't sticking around through any more of this.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I'm obviously not doing them any good, man.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Hastings, New England. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Dude, I'm so excited to go up to Wisconsin. This. I'm gonna go take a. We're gonna rent some campers.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

She's curd.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, God. Yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I love cheese curds.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Is there a part of the country that surprised you? There's a few for me that have surprised me over the years of just places I've gone. Like lacrosse, Wisconsin. Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I want to go to Charlevoix, Michigan now. Grand Rapids, Michigan, I thought just little places that I've thought that I've gone to. And I've been like, oh, wow, this place is really unique. And I never would have got to go, is there a surprise or two? Clear Lake, Iowa, that's another place.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Why are you just coming up with these random places, man? That's like, wow. I've been to all those places, by the way. Played all those festivals in Wisconsin.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So cool.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

In Michigan. Yeah. I mean, they throw down in the summer because, you know, it only lasts for like a week. So they get it all in when they can, you know. Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Your husband's thawed out. You find you got to get him out in the yard, do shit.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So at least thawed out or whatever.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah. I've done all those festivals up there. I think the craziest and most surprising place I would have to say it's a place that I just played a couple of weeks ago, but it's like the third or fourth time I played there because I love to play there because it's the most unique county fair in America. And that's Neshoba County, Mississippi.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, Hardy talks about that. People talk about that place. Bring it up, because they got the beautiful homes that are all painted up over there and people rent them out.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Well, they're not homes, they're shacks. But yeah, they're.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, they are.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

They're nice. I mean. Yeah, you know, but they're very small because they're built on these little lease pieces of land that basically were meant to be where you would set up your vending tent, you know, to sell stuff at the fair like they usually do. You. You rent this little place and you come there and you set up your tent and sell, you know, turquoise or, you know, funnel cakes or whatever the hell it is you're selling.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But then these people started doing these long term leases on these places and just keeping them in the family for years and years. And so they bought these narrow. Built these narrow little houses that just go straight up for three stories.

[Comedian Theo Von]

So it's supposed to be wide enough just to sell a funnel cake out of. But then they end up making it. So stacking it up and making it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

And they started doing that years ago, 100 years ago, you know, and so that's what they do. And I mean, this picture right here just doesn't do it justice. I mean, because this fairground is, you know, hundreds of acres and these things are all over the place, man, it's huge.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I didn't know it. Well, this thing must be calling me because we were just talking about this last week. Week, you know, with Hardy.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, he's from there.

[Comedian Theo Von]

No, with Riley Green. We're just talking about it. Oh, yeah, yeah, he was bringing it up. I was just at that UFC event a few weeks ago. Did you watch any of that? You watch any of that UFC fighting?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

The one where Connor McGregor just. Yeah, just whatever he did, I don't know what that was.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I felt like he really did get hurt.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He was hurt before he got in the ring.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, I don't know if he was or not. Some things did. His energy going to the ring did feel suspect. It felt different and it made you be. Just because he's. He's been five years removed. Sometimes it's hard to, like, show up and fit into an older. To fit into a diff. Different you or you from a different time.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I think he was hurt.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You do? He might have been, dude, but, God, it just would have been. All the people in Ireland were cheering for him, and you're like, God, he's. But you have to show up in the ring because you have to get paid.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

But I don't know, man. I think he should have backed out. I think he was hurt.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Damn. I wonder if they'll do a lie detector test on him. You think they will?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I don't know. I just think that's funny. Allowed to take the test on Conor McGregor.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That'd be crazy, huh?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

If they did it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Because you can't press charge like. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. I don't know. I've never known.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I know, man. This thing everybody loves about you. You hardly ever know what the fuck you're talking about. Charming.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Thanks, man. Thanks. All right, man. Well,

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

okay.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I buy. I appreciate your time, man. I appreciate. Oh, Bob Kingsley. Is that him?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

That's him. Bob Kingsley. Thanks for bringing that up. Oh, man. And I knew him good, too. Bob was a great guy, man. He did that American country countdown show for decades, man. And he was the one I'd listen to if you hurried out of church. If the preacher quit right before noon, you could get out there and hear the number one song, you know? Always tried to get to the truck before Bob, you know, got to number one.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Can you play him? Just play his intro. I want to hear it for a minute. Just the beginning of his show. If you're on YouTube.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Classic.

[Comedian Theo Von]

You know what? I just bought Jerry Clower's suit from when he performed.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, no way.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Just got it. They knew I was a fan of his, and so they said, I love Jerry Clower. Did you?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, my God, man. We had his albums and Justin Wilson. You remember Justin Wilson? Yes.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Dude, I just got on a Justin Wilson not even too long ago, man.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He was funny, too. He was like the Louisiana Jerry Clower. He was Louisiana's Jerry Clower, you know?

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah, I got that red suit right there.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Oh, wow.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I can't even believe it, man. I got love, Jerry.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Clara.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I got inside. Oh, dude, he was the best. Still one of the best storytellers ever, I believe.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

I don't think they make him like him anymore.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

He talks about playing college football.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Oh, yeah, he does. Yazoo City, Mississippi. Marcel Ledbetter. Oh, dude, I love. I Love listening to Jerry. And there's a lot of great artists like that. They kind of disappeared is because they didn't have as much.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I wear my overalls the way Marcel wore his. Do you? Yeah. With nothing under them and the buttons not done together. My wife gets kick out of it when I wear my overalls. No drawers and nothing under them.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, look, I'm. I'm just glad you got a. I'm glad you got a wife that gets a kick out of you, man. You know?

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well, I'm glad you do. Yes. Right here it says yes. Under Napoleonic law, you can be compensated if you lose a limb. However, there is no fixed price. Huh. Instead of a flat fee, courts and insurance adjusters calculate damages using individualized categories known as heads of loss. Oh, I thought it was different. I thought a thumb was 14k. Right. I thought each one. I thought each body part had a little price attached to it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

So, mayhem back in the day.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Yeah. Things change, huh? You just gotta roll with it.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Yeah, buddy.

[Comedian Theo Von]

That's the only thing you can do. Trace Atkins, man. Thanks so much for your time, dude. Thanks for your music. It was nice to get to meet your daughters. In the past year or two, I've gotten to see them at a couple of shows. Thanks for always letting me feel welcome at your shows, man. And, yeah, thanks for your music, dude. Your stuff got me through some tough times in my life. And it's just been a. It's been a blessing to witness. The new tour is great if you guys get to go see him. The 30th anniversary tour. Go check it out. And I'll be back out at one.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

I'm a fan, man. Thanks still.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Thank you, brother.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Okay.

[Comedian Theo Von]

And your mom too. What's up, Peggy? Vote for. Vote for Peggy.

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

Nobody runs against her anymore.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Well,

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

she's run unopposed, I think, in the last two or three elections.

[Comedian Theo Von]

Now I'm just floating on the breeze

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone oh but

[Comedian Theo Von]

when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of my life out I

[Country Singer Trace Adkins]

can it in my bones but it's gonna take.