G-Eazy: Helium, Moving to New York & Maturing | Zane Lowe Interview

0:00

It's like wearing a uniform every single day just all black is like it it takes decisions out of your cluttered mind. You know what I mean? They say that right.

0:06

They say that it's one of the habits of highly successful people is to remove the decision- making process.

0:10

Clearly I missed the I mean but you you be dressing.

0:14

So I'm doing average work right now. But I look good. You look good. You look great, buddy. You look great.

0:21

[Music] I mean, they say that term hardest working person in show business, but you might actually have that. Oh, man.

0:28

I just it's it's it's not what's the cliche?

0:32

It's not work when you know when you love it, when you're having fun.

0:34

Uh just grateful to still be in this game, you know. How long's it been now?

0:38

Oh man, it depends when you start. That's a great answer. Yeah.

0:42

Longer than I'd care to admit. No, wear it proudly. Wear it proudly. When was the first hit?

0:46

What year was the first hit? I'm trying to remember.

0:48

I'm um Man, I mean, over a decade now. Incredible. Yeah, that's amazing. It is. It is. It's truly amazing.

0:55

And just to sustain, to get to do this thing.

0:58

Most people don't get a year, you know, a shot, a chance, you know, so to to to get several and to still be sustaining.

1:05

And it was really getting back on tour that put it all in perspective.

1:08

Just seeing your audience again. Yeah.

1:10

For the first time in six years in the States, uh, just a few months ago.

1:14

And, um, I just got back from Europe.

1:17

from Europe. and you know some of these places in Europe I went to you know meeting the fans before the show at the meet and greets they're like it's been 8 years since you last were here and I'm just like it's crazy and they all sold out the shows and they they still come and I would make a moment of

1:32

that you know a point of it on stage in this little bit you know to acknowledge you know thank you how sincerely I appreciate y'all being here because you know I I don't take it lightly or for granted and you know and times are hard right now you know so the fact that you you got these tickets. You you know what

1:47

You you know what I mean?

1:50

You you you maybe traveled here, you know what I mean, from from wherever you came from.

1:54

You you know, you you picked out an outfit, you know what I mean?

1:57

You you may have bought a drink or bought some merch.

1:59

You're hard earned money, you know what I mean?

2:01

And and the fact that you'd come and and spend that here after all these years especially, is just from my heart like, thank you.

2:06

I know you got a big heart when it comes to your music and how people respond to it.

2:11

I know that that is a a huge source of emotion for you.

2:13

That's what drives you to create music. How's the life? How's the life?

2:17

Oh man, life life is great.

2:20

I love living in New York.

2:20

Yeah, that was that was a big change for me like two years ago.

2:23

Um, you know, kind of just a reset and uh it just dawned on me that like, you know, most people don't get to really do that or don't do it. You know what I mean?

2:33

And I'm in the unique position of Yeah. What's home, you know? I mean, yeah. Yeah. What's home?

2:37

you know, and not being married or or having children, you know, you you can and and you don't have to feel bad for that selfishness of like I wanted to live in New York.

2:48

I want to just pick up and go.

2:49

I'm not that happy in LA.

2:49

You know, there's there's a certain like draining just toxicity that, you know, I found myself in here.

2:56

And I just wanted to reset.

2:59

And you feel like you're in a loop in LA at one point.

3:00

A loop, you know, and and it wasn't suiting me.

3:02

and I took a leap of faith, went to New York and and I've loved it.

3:06

You know, you get this anonymity there.

3:10

You just get to walk around and you know, no one really bothers you.

3:13

Well, it's move it or lose it, man.

3:15

I mean, at the end of the day in LA, you cannot move it and you will lose it really fast.

3:18

You can sit in your own head in your own room and eventually, you know, the blinds or the or the curtains get closer close, they close more and more and more and more.

3:28

you isolate and then but New York it's like you can do that but the city will spit you out eventually. Right. Right. Right. Yeah.

3:35

No, I I just found myself, you know, especially through the pandemic, but towards the end of living in LA, I you know, I could just isolate.

3:42

I'd stay up in a house in the hills and order all my food and and barely even leave or see another person even sometimes, you know.

3:49

And in New York, man, cuz I was in I was in Lori Side when I first got there.

3:53

You just walk right outside and you're in it.

3:54

It hasn't really changed much. I was there last week.

3:57

We were shooting in the Lower Isa alas and we went through it through a few bars.

4:01

Me and my producer wrecking location and the last one we had a beer at the end of of the job.

4:04

And I said, "Dude, it it's like it's like the mid to late 90s.

4:09

Like nothing has changed." Yeah.

4:11

Like these bars are the same. Long may that continue. No, it's beautiful, man.

4:15

It's just a the cliche word of the energy there, but you know what I mean? It is.

4:19

It's just it's vibrant and it's and it's and it's diverse.

4:22

You know what I And you walk a couple blocks this way in a whole different cultural universe, you know?

4:27

A couple blocks this way, you're in Chinatown.

4:28

Couple blocks this way, you're in Nolita.

4:30

A couple blocks this way, you're in Soho.

4:31

And where were you born again?

4:32

I grew up in the Bay Area. In the Bay Area. So, yeah. Okay.

4:35

So, live in California, man. You're East Coast now. Figuring it out. Yeah. Yeah. Helium, man. Helium. New album.

4:38

Getting into some really deep stuff as always.

4:42

We become accustomed to that.

4:42

I think a lot of people got introduced to you as someone who writes big records and and can and can handle that pressure.

4:47

Um, but the last couple of albums is we've starting to get to know each other a little bit more.

4:53

really cooler and unskeness of love and how how how you know how lifting it can be and euphoric of you know and it's not just love in terms of you know romantic relationships but also just you know love and lust of life but how fleeting it can feel sometimes too um and and you know the metaphor of helium and and it being It's like, you know, you associate it with bright colorful balloons of celebration.

5:26

You know, they fly, but there short period of time.

5:27

You know, sometimes a week later that that balloon looks less sexy all crumpled up and, you know, like just just barely like floating a little. Yeah.

5:35

Look, there it's one of the saddest images in the world is like 6 days after a birthday party, there's a balloon 3 in off the ground.

5:40

Looks like it needs to be put out of it misery. Yeah.

5:43

Ain't it, you know, to the dog and and that's why I wanted to, you know, to uh to to cover on this album.

5:47

Um, you know, where'd you have to go internally to get there?

5:51

Uh, move to New York, get your heart broken, you know what I mean?

5:56

Fall in love and get your heart broken and and you know, and so it hit your heart. Yeah. Yeah.

5:59

When did the record start?

6:01

When did you realize that music was going to save you?

6:02

Um, or heal you at least. Yeah.

6:05

Cuz because it's also that entandra of healing him is healing him kind of play on words, but no, it really, you know, uh, the best music just happens.

6:13

It just happens naturally. It just comes.

6:15

It's not forced or overthought or you know overstressed.

6:17

It just And it was really meeting the producer Radia McDonald and this was my first time locking in with you know with like one producer you know I mean in hip-hop it's kind of like speed dating. Yeah.

6:30

You're moving from one session to the next you know I mean one session to the next with all different producers and they come through and they just open a folder of beats and it's not as like involved and Rod and I just there's not as much of a conversation with yourself in that. Right. Right. Right.

6:42

And he I mean he like by the way just can I just say it's not just hip-hop that's pop too that's I mean my gosh I used to do that I mean I was a producer I used to I would be in that process of like who's the session today and I think it's a byproduct and and get this will get get us back on track.

6:55

I think it's a byproduct of um either not having the tools to know what you're really trying to say. Yeah.

7:02

Or the confidence or the courage to know where to go.

7:05

And you're right when you lock in with one team or one person it's really just you. Yeah.

7:13

those real honest brutal conversations with yourself with internally and we really did it.

7:18

I mean it was me him uh my engineer and producer Tain um Jesse A who's you know executive producer like done the last few albums with me um one of my best best friends and and Goody Grace um was there for a lot of it um who's incredible artist on his own and also plays guitar um in my band on and comes on tour with me.

7:37

Um, but it was just like this internal team and Rody and I were like, you know, agreed early on, okay, our voices were the two leaders and the captains, you know what I mean?

7:46

And the the but his seniority, I mean, you're talking about the guy who did like Adele's first album, you know what I mean?

7:52

Credits like the XX like real real real solid credits and and experience and um and he just so I I listened.

8:01

I was like, "All right, you have my you know what I mean?" And he was all in.

8:03

And I think when you get somebody's like full involvement that just amplifies everyone around you. You know what I mean?

8:11

You got to buy and that stature to really buy and give you 100% of their attention because it's like if I could give you a day on Tuesday but that's the only day I could do or something like Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm willing to try this.

8:24

I don't know if it's going to work. Blah blah blah. Yeah.

8:26

You know, but you're g easy.

8:28

You're an artist that people recognize who've had success and you have a career that's blossoming.

8:31

But it speaks to the vulnerability that every artist faces like, "Hey, if I really want to say something on this record, will this person back me? Will they ride with me?"

8:40

Man, and there was there was some brutal I mean, there was some honest conversations, man.

8:43

Get uncomfortable, you know, get uncomfortable, but that's where the greatness comes from is is under that uncomfortability.

8:47

under that uncomfortability. I mean it was one day in the session I was trying to sing this part and he says you know g um and I know you you want to sing you know you you've you know you you've taken vocal lessons you you know what I mean you've tried to pick this up you know you've been trying uh we we don't

9:05

want to hear you sing not on this one wow it was like you know what I mean and that's and we had that kind of rapport of like a real relationship where it was like what was missing what it wasn't and and then he goes but I've been thinking a lot about this through the process

9:18

this record and and you know whose voice you know when you have this lower register it reminds me of is I know that you're a fan of is Larry Cohen and and he goes like why don't why don't we try this attempt like you model like you do the hook in this register down here you know what I mean and then we'll have

9:33

other vocalists behind you and that approach that meet yourself somewhere authentic stop trying to be something else trying to be something else yeah and it was like wo and it like and and we tried that on a few records and it kind of unlocked and how was your reaction when okay there's that's too halves of the same conversation. The

9:47

The second half is is rewarding.

9:49

The first half could be demoralizing.

9:52

I don't know what it was.

9:54

It was maybe I'm just at a at an age, you know, or like it it I think one level is my age and maturity now at this point in my life.

10:01

My sense of self and confidence uh and and openness and willingness to try something and listen, you know, that comes with maturity.

10:10

M um and also just my respect for him, you know, cuz everybody can't tell me that. Yeah. You know what I mean?

10:18

Like if you don't know what you're talking about or if I don't, you know, in this capacity, tough love. That's tough love. It is tough love.

10:24

But it's like you got to have you got to have Okay.

10:27

Don't just say it's wrong or or this that the other. Have a have a solution.

10:31

You know, the the great artist steal thing.

10:33

You know, it's always helped me have a reference point for uh for for trying to so so say like, you know, using the Leonard Cohen example. Oh, yeah.

10:43

I could see myself taking that approach.

10:46

It's a perfect solution to the not just we don't want you to sing. Okay, then what? Yeah. Yeah. Where's the context? Where's the Yeah.

10:53

you you've been through some things in recent years that everyone will go through, you know, some loss, you know, not just in a relationship point of view, but like, you know, within your family. Mhm.

11:03

That I mean, it's never easy.

11:05

It's the order of things. Yeah.

11:07

That's the only positive aspect of that evolution is that as the order of things. Yeah.

11:12

And any parent would want that to be the order of things.

11:16

But still, you know, you're a young man who lost someone really special to you.

11:19

How did that, and I'm not trying to drag you through that again, but in the context of your music, how did that change the way you moved as an artist, as a human, because I'd imagine that was when you took a look at yourself and were like, "All right, yeah, I got to the lessons are going to come from somewhere else or they're going to come from what I learned already." Yeah. Yeah.

11:35

You you you dig deep and you remember those and and you find ways to to keep them with you, you know? Yeah.

11:43

There's there's the initial shock and and loneliness of oh my god the world just got lonier now.

11:48

You know it it it the room feels much more empty than it did before this you know and and my mother was you know my best friend.

11:55

I mean we you know what I mean?

11:58

mean we you know what I mean? She was my rock, my my hero, my my source, my you know and she was also she was an art professor and she was great at critique and although that you know music wasn't her medium but she understo I mean she was brilliant brilliant you know the way she would interpret you know things I would I

12:19

would be working on and you know what I was trying to say and you know ask me you know so but what's the thesis of what are you trying to you know what I mean and just and just pull things out of me and yeah so it's like at First it was like a wo I'm I'm all on my own now like this is kind of but then you get your bearings and you know and that's and that's maturing into an adult you know. Yeah. Yeah.

12:40

You got to let go at that point. Yep. Yep.

12:42

My therapist always like hits me in the face when he needs to.

12:44

He's like you know that's old thinking bro. Yeah. It's 45 years ago. Yeah.

12:49

But, you know, I mean, back circling back like my life got simpler moving to New York cuz I cut a lot of baggage out and then I'm like I remember being on the flight there once I finally committed to it and I had leave behind and and part of it was scary like wait who who do I even really know?

13:06

Like what's my life going to be like?

13:08

What do I you know what I mean?

13:09

But like I had I had a couple really close friends there luckily and you know and I've found and designed my own life but like moving from a big house in the hills with a whole lot of house you know what I mean into an apartment and refining it. You know what I mean?

13:22

It's like it's like wearing a uniform every single day just all black is like it takes decisions out of your cluttered mind. You know what I mean? They say that right.

13:29

They say that it's one of the habits of highly successful people is to remove the decision-m process.

13:34

Clearly I miss I mean but you you be dressing.

13:37

So I'm doing average work right now. But I look good.

13:40

You look you look great, buddy. You look great.

13:44

What's it like coming back to LA now as someone who's supplanted somewhere else? You know, you know what? But I get to enjoy it.

13:49

I I cuz I flew in last night.

13:51

I was at the All-Star game and before that I I literally I woke up in Dublin a couple days ago and then came to New York to unpack and repack my suitcase for like a day and then Allstar weekend, went to the game and then flew in last night and it was like soon as the plane was about to land, I got this like excitement.

14:08

I knew I was going to come see you, but it was like, you know, now I get to enjoy it.

14:11

You know, it's a nice place to visit.

14:13

Just don't want to live here. No, I get it.

14:15

Look, I mean, I think if you don't have a a real like a strong anchor, Yeah.

14:21

Los Angeles is like you're off in the ether somewhere.

14:24

Oh man, it's it's like this like you could design your LA.

14:29

I'm sure there's and and all of LA isn't the same. You know what I mean?

14:33

But I unfortunately I, you know, anchorlessly had found myself in in a version of LA that I didn't like and I didn't know how to get out of it without just dramatically removing myself.

14:43

And by the way, that's a fine answer when the drama is already there. Yeah. Yeah.

14:49

You know, I felt like there was all that drama.

14:51

We've talked about that in the past.

14:52

I mean, when did you feel when you that you were truly free of being that g easy, that identity that people would thrust upon you based on what they would read or see or hear.

15:04

And in fairness, the way that you would carry yourself, be out there and behaving.

15:09

When did you feel like, oh, like I'm not actually beholdened to that anymore, no matter what people think?

15:16

A number of things, I think.

15:18

think. uh one uh whatever like the the last few albums or projects, you know, I I put out like an experimental record and then I'll kind of wait left and then you know this that and the other and it kind of like kind of like cut me off the hook of like

15:34

you know just like I mean cuz it it can become like suffocating the pressure of like you know being on being on like and being on a schedule of like release tour release tour release tour and all of them expecting to be hits It's not just that, you know. It's like

15:49

It's like release, be highly visible. Mhm. Tour, be highly visible.

15:56

Release be highly visible. Yeah.

15:59

It's it's it's it gets claustrophobic.

16:02

It gets suffocating and and the expectation and pressure of, you know, because this is this is magic. It's not math.

16:10

There's mathematical elements to it, but ultimately, man, I mean, this is just a you know what I mean? Yes, I do. Come on, bro.

16:16

You know, and and that's art and commerce, you know, that's that's control and chaos and and you know, but it's a man, it's and it's a magical thing when you get them to meet, you know, and get them to to have harmony and and and flow together and and you know, and that's a beautiful thing.

16:33

I mean, look, I say this all the time.

16:35

The luckiest people on the planet find something they love in life because not everybody ever does, you know, and then the luckiest luckiest get to do what they love all the time.

16:46

And then the luckiest luckiest luckiest get to do it for a living and all the time.

16:50

You know, because say you love something but you, you know, all your time is consumed by what you have to do for a living.

16:55

You know, you're still lucky that you have something you got, you got a lane to be able to do it, but I hear you.

17:01

But when it's right, oh my god. Yeah.

17:04

So, what do you love the most about, man?

17:07

When a song comes together, it's like it's it's it's the it's the most euphoric high that, you know, I've ever, you know, out of all the things that I've tried.

17:15

It's just like watching an idea come together and then excruciating when it like when the when that like like stream of flow like suddenly shuts, but then when it opens again and the idea comes back to life. I know. I know. I know.

17:27

And and and and the amount of attempts you have to do it to get to get the good, it is just pure refinement.

17:33

And then that ride home, listen to it in the car. Oh my god. I like this. It's the greatest. God, man. Yeah, it's exciting.

17:40

Getting that monitor mix.

17:41

Ah, and only you have it. Yep. It's just yours, man.

17:44

My notes, my notes go crazy.

17:47

What song on the album was the one that was your favorite ride home that you just were like, man, I went somewhere unexpected and beautiful.

17:56

I'm so proud of myself on this song.

17:57

This song Naked um for me was like kind of like one of the most like visceral and and just like just cathartic and like revealing and vulnerable.

18:08

Um and still found a way to make it a but had to go there. Yeah.

18:12

Where do you have to be to go there?

18:13

Like because that's not something you wake up in the morning like I'm going there.

18:16

Where do you have to be in your life to be able to unlock that?

18:18

In a very long conversation with um one of my best friends. His name is Nate Turbo.

18:22

Um he's like my best friend in New York.

18:25

He live he lives in a whole different world. world. I mean, he's a painter.

18:27

painter. He lives in Brooklyn, Williamsburg, like, you know, cartoonist older than me, but like but he he's got a, you know, a brain out of this world in a in an encyclopedia of music in his head and um and he was playing me a bunch of stuff and and we were just had gotten this long long long conversation about pushing art to a brutal place of

18:46

honesty and truth and and there was, you know, there was one one uh one element and story inside I' I'd never really revealed as GE, you There must have been songs you've written or ideiated through or sessioned through in the past that dabble in this kind of unspoken truth that you decided not to release because maybe you weren't there yet in terms of like the courage required to reveal that. Is that true? Yeah. See, the thing Is that true? Yeah.

19:13

See, the thing is I think as artists we um we have a tendency to make we probably all made a lot of versions of the same song kind of like in a way it's like an attempt at a at whether that's a theme or whether that's like a drum pattern.

19:28

I see chipping away to perfection.

19:30

chipping away to perfection. chipping away literally and um you know and and um there's you see that in like you know Swiss Beats if you study the patterns of his drums you know what I mean you would find a lot of commonality of like yeah I would be able to to to pick that apart

19:46

and explain it like all right the halftime drums you know the the the pop similarity and commonality between the two but then it's like they're completely different songs but you know like that type of um like thematic resemblance is is what you know people like in an artist. You've always been open about

20:05

You've always been open about your relationships um from the frivolous to the to the to the very sort of strong and heartfelt in your music.

20:12

It seems to be a core of how you process certain things, but it's clear this album is a deep one for you.

20:19

So, where does it leave you in terms of who do you want to be in a relationship at this point being through what you've been through? You know what I mean?

20:27

like where do you think your strengths are and what are you leaving behind in order to find the right person and the right thing cuz it's clear to me that that's part of something that that you strive for. You can't change people.

20:35

Um you can change it's it's really hard.

20:39

Um but ultimately some self-love and self-acceptance and also accepting of others, you know, is we are who we are, you know, and and that type of Yeah.

20:50

Let's talk a little bit about this song. How can you sleep?

20:54

What was going on with that one?

20:54

Man, it's it's me owning up to my essentially, you know, and and and being being honest, being, you know, admitting and taking ownership. Yeah.

21:06

Um so it's like uh get a little jammed up because it's that real. It's hot. Um yeah. Yeah.

21:15

Things that I've things that I've done, things that I, you know, still eat at me.

21:19

Um, you know, I can be really, really hard on myself and, you know, really get in my head.

21:26

One of my favorite books is the the unbearable lightness of being and some people have a way of like living lightly and letting go and and to an extent that's, you know, that can be important sometimes, but some things weigh really really heavily on me.

21:40

Um, and you know, some of those are mistakes I've made in the past.

21:46

You know, I think it takes real courage to um to put those in a record because they help other people. Yeah.

21:55

Do they help you releasing them? Yeah.

21:59

There's a there's a cathartic aspect of, you know, writing records like that.

22:05

I mean, we're we're not alone here.

22:08

And you're not the only one, chances are who's done or had done to them, you know, like these, you know, hard things we go through.

22:17

So, so where do you find your comfort in your community?

22:20

I mean, and I hope this isn't too bold a question, you know, do you have a do you do therapy? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I do. Same. Yeah.

22:25

It really helped me find ways forward past some of these kind of blockades that were really holding me in place. Yeah.

22:32

And especially with the being hard on yourself thing.

22:35

I mean, I'm obsessivecompulsive as well, so the needle's on the record at all times. All times. Yeah.

22:40

It's like I I wish I could think less.

22:43

I wish I could turn my brain on, you know?

22:45

I wish I could just like But my mind is just always always going.

22:50

That explains why you travel and work so much. Yeah. Yeah. Right. A little bit. Yeah, for sure.

22:55

I mean, to see, always somewhere to go. Yeah.

22:57

It's it's it's it's really hard for me to sit still.

23:01

Um, you know, but then you know what happens is you you live this like extremely overstimulated life of, you know, go go go uh that's always on.

23:08

So is your therapist telling you to try to be present more? Yeah.

23:13

You know, you know what's crazy about therapy is therapyy's work, man.

23:16

It's like going to the gym. Oh my gosh.

23:19

You for your mind, you know what I mean? Yeah. Yeah.

23:22

Cuz you could go to therapy and just catch them up on how your week was, you know, paying for a friend, you know? Yeah. Yeah. If you got a good one. They'll get you though.

23:31

I mean, man, I mean, God, sometimes it takes them 6 weeks, 2, 3 months to get to the point, but cuz I'm so good at being moving around, but the Yeah.

23:39

I mean, look, that is real work, you know, sitting there going deep.

23:41

Music is obviously your outlet.

23:41

You're at album number eight. That's crazy.

23:43

Do you ever think about like, and this is Let's get away from the being hard on yourself, but like do you ever give yourself credit when you think about where you started versus where you are and what you're saying now as an artist and and the growth that you've just shown even just to yourself through your music? It's all there.

23:59

That's a timeline in itself.

24:00

A victory lapse in terms of like um you know, just patting yourself on the back a bit every now and then, remembering what you've done, thinking about that.

24:08

Uh you know, I don't I'm not somebody who like, you know, once my music's out, I never want to hear it again.

24:15

I don't I don't listen to my own music.

24:17

I mean I mean what I'm about to say is it's like, you know, I know that there's some rappers who they go to the club and they want to hear all their you know what I mean?

24:24

Or like they get in a car and they only want to hear all their, right?

24:27

Like don't get me wrong, like if I have a song that I just got a bounce of, you know, I just made like, oh yeah, like I want to up and like play it for my friends, you know what I mean?

24:37

But that's like something that's not out that I just did.

24:39

So you're process driven. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Process driven for sure.

24:42

But but um like like on this last tour, I put a bunch of songs in the set list that I hadn't performed in years, and I had to go back to the old music and relearn the lyrics.

24:52

I mean, that was, you know, like 500 verses ago. I don't know. You know what I mean?

24:57

Like I I I can't remember what I said on that.

25:00

So, I'm going back and I'm listening and then I kind of went down a rabbit hole of like and there's been enough time and separation now between the music and and it was almost like I was hearing it with fresh ears like like for a first time in a way.

25:12

And it was really um I don't know.

25:15

It it felt good because I can be so hard on myself and cringe like when I hear something, oh, I would have done that like this then.

25:22

I wish I could pull that back.

25:24

and but I was able to just be like, "Wow, that was really good."

25:27

Where do you want to go next with your growth?

25:28

I mean, how's your health?

25:30

How are you feeling about kind of your lifestyle and the way that you're moving?

25:33

Obviously, the road's no good for that. Yeah. Yes. And no.

25:34

Um, I would say that Well, the road is just crazy. Yes.

25:40

Do you take care of yourself on it or is you have to you have to and that's what I'm getting at.

25:44

It's like there's a discipline of like rest.

25:46

You know, you're on stage doing cardio for an hour and a half. So, there's that. You know what I mean?

25:51

But it's like you can't just go that hard.

25:53

Like you can't be out partying every single night.

25:56

You got to show the next day. You got you got press.

25:59

You got to meet and greet. You know what I mean?

26:00

Like for I I meet a hundred kids like before every show that paid like a substantial amount of money to like line up and get in early and and meet me and take a picture.

26:12

That's like And you hear these stories and it's like an hour. You spend an hour. Yeah, dude.

26:14

It's Yeah, it's an hour and that's like a mentally like that's and emotionally a lot to take on.

26:20

like, you know, people saying like, you know, your music has gotten me through, you know, losing my parents or like, you know what I mean?

26:26

Or I was close to suicide and your music is the only reason I'm alive. Thank you.

26:28

You know, I have this these tattoos of you all over me, blah, blah, blah.

26:33

It's like, you know, that's that's really really really substantial.

26:36

And there's a responsibility, you know, to them.

26:38

I feel like who are your heroes?

26:40

Who who did that for you?

26:42

It's complicated because I mean first person came to mind was Johnny Cash but there was a whole time where Johnny Cash was obviously a mess you know but I mean that's a life lived right think about Johnny Cash was like I get why you were inspired by him because he was someone else who was like I'm going to put my mistakes on the record. Yeah. Wow. Yeah.

27:01

That just that just struck me to the core because that's it's really true and and it's and it's him and his whole entire essence of being you know that kind of represents that story. The whole story.

27:12

I mean, gosh, his his biography is one of my favorite books.

27:15

And that was someone that your mom used to play in the house. Yeah. Yeah.

27:18

So, she had amazing taste of music.

27:20

She had amazing She had amazing She was just amazing. Just Man, yeah.

27:25

You, man, you and her would have been like that. Oh, yeah.

27:26

I'd love to have met her.

27:27

I'm sorry she passed too too soon, but what a blessing to have been raised by someone who had great taste. Great taste. Great taste. Right.

27:33

Cuz cuz great guidance is one thing.

27:34

Great taste is a whole other thing. A whole other thing. Whole other thing. Yeah.

27:37

She played a lot of Beatles.

27:39

A lot of Nina Simone, a lot of Dylan.

27:40

I loved the Bob Dylan movie, by the way. Yeah. Didn't Timmy crush it? Yeah.

27:44

I thought I thought Yeah.

27:45

Man, I I went straight to the studio. I felt inspired. Yeah.

27:48

Felt like it was incredible.

27:51

I love I Man, Johnny Cash's like entry in the Oh my god. What a scene, man.

27:55

What's going on with the acting for you, man?

27:58

I would I I've always wanted to, you know, this I've spoken about.

28:02

I'm surprised it hasn't been a credit.

28:04

Yeah, but it's it's with all due respect cuz I love film so much.

28:08

It's like with respect for that space, you get what you give, you know, and it's like until you're ready to dedicate, you know what I mean?

28:15

But it's like there's no parts on to that. Yeah.

28:18

There's no part there's no like there's no like like stick a toe in the water or think you can just jump in some water and think you can swim because it's, you know what I mean?

28:24

Like no, that's that's somebody else's whole entire world.

28:28

So it's like, you know, I'm just I'm I'm back in a really good place right now musically, feeling inspired, feeling energized.

28:35

inspired, feeling energized. You have also like a strong grasp on responsibility which is not something I think anybody coming through success really kind of displays at certain times right people take responsibility for you and allow you to keep being your best and that's not just in the performing arts that's in athletics yeah yeah that's in

28:54

anything where you required to perform at a high level we got you yeah yeah you know and that's something you got to think about your bandwidth and capacity you know and the opportunity cost of like you know if I do this then that takes away from the what I have space for for this, you know, and it's all in it's all in, you know, personal decisions and management of your time and energy. I always love seeing you,

29:14

I always love seeing you, you know, and I and you know, you take your music really seriously and you love to go into places that people don't expect.

29:24

You have all the hallmarks of a true artist cuz you are.

29:28

So, man, thanks for coming in again.

29:30

Yeah, I always enjoy talking with you.

29:32

Thanks for having the courage to answer the questions, even the tough ones. Yeah.

29:34

Hope that was okay for you. No, absolutely.

29:36

It's always We could We could go for hours every time up in here. I know.

29:40

But then we'd have nothing to talk about next time. [Music]