#172 - Lauren Jenkins, Harry Potter, Singing with Willie Nelson, Fake I.D.

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Speaker 1: About to hop into another episode of The Bobby Cast with Lauren Jenkins. Uh, before we go with that, let me recommend a couple of podcasts. If you listen to podcasts, which obviously you do and you figured it out. Get Real with Caroline Hobby is the newest podcast here on the Nashville Podcast Network. I saw she was pretty thrilled with how will her podcasts were doing, and it should do. It's a fantastic podcast. And I think that was when Caroline I started talking. I was like, your podcast is so good, we just don't have enough ears on it. And so she's now over on the Nashville Podcast Network. It's called Get Real with Caroline Hobby. And knowing Caroline for a long time, she was on Amazing Race. Knew her before that, I guess maybe and her after that, but she was in Stealing Angels. She is married to Michael Hobby from A Thousand Horses. Um is a pretty cool life. But she goes and she talks to now you know a lot of really strong women and a lot of them happened to be the wives of country stars who she kind of gets their story. And a lot of these country stars wouldn't be Star without these wives, and there's a great one with Caroline Bryan Luke Bryant's wife. You have the list up over there, Russell Dickerson's wife. Um, she has oh yes, separately. Yeah, so I've checked it out. It's gonna get real with Caroline Hobby. Um. Also, obviously, Amy has a podcast called Four Things with Amy Brown, which is on a whole wide range of topics. That podcast is doing fantastic. Uh, it's getting closer to catching us, it is, Yeah, and I think listen, if I'm to be honest. My recommendation of her doing the Week the Midweek mail Bag was heavy for her. I was like, Amy, people want it, they love you. You need to do another one that because her podcasts a lot of work she does for a whole different segments, she researches it, and Uh, I was like, you gotta do another one. You people want first of all, they want to hear you, and secondly give it to them and then get them, you know, get more people to subscribe. And it does well for her. So a little bit, I'm mostly I'm happy for her a little bit. We gotta like, like keep going here, getting closer to catching us here on the Bobycast, Um Lunchbox and Eddie and Raymundo. If you're into sports, or maybe if you listen to this and someone in your lives a big sports fan. They do a show called the Sore Losers Podcasts. They do that four or five times a week. Right. Uh. Kelly Henderson has the Velvet Edge podcast Fashion Style Tips. There's a lot there on the Nashville Podcast Network And always go to Nashville Podcast Network dot com and see all the shows that we have there. And we're really close to bringing on a new show. A is that done yet? Or no? Is that signed? I don't want I won't say what it is anyway, but it's not it's not. Listen if I were this person. They have a great podcast too, and we've been talking with them. Um, and because Carolin Hobby had a great podcast, we did nothing except give it yours. I'd go, huh, look at that that can be done because I think I think I think Caroline Hobby is finally getting like her just do for the great works. I think this person will get the same kind of pop, don't you definitely? Yeah? So, um, we're talking to anybody else about going on? Or are those all just kind of. I know, we had some conversation with people, but we we moved further with anybody else or no, not not yet. No, there's one country artists we were talking to. I had a good talk, but I felt like they weren't their heart wasn't quite in it yet. They didn't quite know what they wanted to say. That's always a thing. If you don't what you wanna say, don't say anything. That's the biggest part of it. Already. Get like, Okay, what is it going to be about? What do you want to say consistently? You know it's you got you need like a consistent message ish kind of thing. You know, you don't do sports one show and then talk about contemporary art the next show. Unless your podcast you kind of have a lane. You stay in finding that lane. But we're gonna bring on Lauren Jenkins, who is in my class of five artists. She was one of them, um, and she has a new record out called No Saint. And I know Lauren, and so we kind of just started and here we go episode of the Bodycast. Welcome to episode one two. Um, Lauren Beyonce on me a little bit right before we came on. She said, I don't think I want to wear headphones. Why do you get headphones? You're not playing? Well, I'll just do one on one off. Probably I'm gonna play clips from like songs and if you have headphones and you can't hear them, as you can tell we already know each other because we're bickering at the very beginning of and Laura walked and I was like, we're just gonna start talking because sometimes there's this whole part where is it a little awkward for me? And I had my radio show set up this way to where I do things where people come in and we just we'll go live. I don't want that having to fill small talk in between commercials and it's just like, yeah, well you did that to me. I didn't know we were lying and live. I was like, oh, we're okay, No, no heads up? Cool, it's well they should have given your heads up. Yeah, And thought I thought were going to do there, like hey, what's your middle name? To meet you. I'm just not that guy. I'm not good at it. I don't feel like I have to do it with you anymore because we've spent enough time together where it's like, all right, you're here, let's just roll and then it's like, anyone wear headphones. I was like, all right, have you seen the Beyonce documentary by the way, Oh my gosh, I'm gonna watch it tonight. It's long. That's okay, that's there's I'm sure it's good material. It's yeah, it's really good. You'll be inspired just from the might be seeing yet I haven't watched it. You know, it's her. How I'm confused is I don't I don't understand. You have two outfits on it. She played one show before because the yellow outfits is Coachella, but the pink outfits and you guys haven't seen this. You can't even answer this question. They're like smashing back and forth between two different shows or something for two days. That's what it is. Did you do it twice? I think so that makes sense two weekends. I've never been to Coachella. I feel like Instagram ruined it kind of. I should say that because I do want to play coachel I'm not a coach. I played stage coach. Yeah, and it's after it's like, um, Coachella just like did it with a dude for like three hours and then you get to go to get to do it with that person. It's like it's like, it's it's more. It's more because it's the weekend right after. Yeah, you're going to do stage coach after Coach has been there for two weeks. So that's a terrible analogy. Well, I don't know if people actually like listen to the music though. That's the thing. I feel like some people are like, oh, there's music festival happening. Well, they paid Arianna going to eight million dollars. That number came out, so they better be listening to something. They paid eight million dollars to play to be the headliner. She I think the youngest headline ever. Yeah, that's an astronomical amount of money. Yeah, for probably like million dollars five minutes or something or Yeah. But again, I don't think that that would be fair to base it on time. I think it would be fair to base on the amount of press that she gets to sell that festival. But I'm not you know, I'm going to Bondary this year. Have you ever been? You seem like a Bondarye girl because I don't shower sort of, I wouldn't have went exactly to not shower. But like you're comfortable with just rolling. Yeah, you gotta be. Yeah, that's a compliment. I used to be really comfortable. I've become a little pamper in the last couple of years. Yeah. You probably own a hair dryer, don't you know? I actually don't. I don't fix my hair in my life. That's just natural less on set and they're they're paying for it to be done. Nobody fixes my hair. That's good. And there have been times do I need to pick my hair and I have no idea what I'm doing. Yeah, I'm so in the same boat, so I'll just get a haircut. I don't. I don't even do that. I have your vinyl hair is um, if you have, you're so cool you have vinyl Now I know it is really neat. I was happy that I got to design it the way that I wanted to, and um, like scan thirty five mill photos and put it in there and handwritten lyrics all the little details that people probably don't really care about. But I'm like, please, can I do this in this You're such an artist and like all the all the respects. Yeah, yeah, no, like you definitely want control with me. My My thing is with having all the control comes some bad to it as well. But you know I've been a control freak my whole career. Yeah. Well, the thing is like, if you mess up or a decision that you make doesn't pan out, then it's your fault. Yeah, and then you don't get to make another one for a while in that same same little area. Um, I found you through this song and this is I give up the ghost. And I have about one, maybe two people that I'll listen to when they say that somebody's good, because everybody's giving music all the time, So I don't listen to anything. I kind of have to make that decision. And I have friends that go, hey, listen to new music, like real big artist friends. I like, I can't it slippery slope for me? And what do you mean to say, I listen to music? And what do you say? It's good? Right? Like you're you're elite. So how much time do you have to just listen to music? I mean, your schedule is so can. I listened to a lot of music. But I'll go on valley in my car and people will leave music in my seat, or it's just always a thing. Or I'll go to the show hand music. So I just go. But one of one of two people I trust, said, hey, you should hear this Lauren Jenkins, girl, I didn't know anything about you, and this is the song. It was, give Up the Ghost. I believe it was before it was even out. It was just on like it was a wave and this this is it right here, good, it's it's out and out. By the way, let's talk about this song for a second before we switch back and we'll bounce around a little bit. So talking about this song just in general, what in the world is to give Up the Ghost? Um, it's I wrote it with Emily Shackleton, and it was about this relationship that I was in where nothing was really bad except for his past was just getting in the way. And we've all got a past, but um, you know, some of us have a past that haunts more than others and it really just ruined the relationship. So it was kind of this moment of like, hey, either be in this with me and like let that go, let this other person, this ghost of this person go, or I guess I'll just be on my way. I'm always curious about what two parts one the person that you're writing the song about because if that songs written about me, and I've written songs that comedy songs about people, but it's still you're writing about somebody or I've talked on the radio about people and I'm talking about me, but other lives are a part of it. Yeah, So whenever you're making the decision, you sit in the room, is this fresh when you write this song? Like, are you in this dude breaking up? Or is it something you do around? Yeah? It was pretty It was pretty fresh. It was relatively fresh. It's not as fresh anymore. But the feeling I feel like, you know, within my acting background, I pull on my experience, says or other people's experiences, and that crosses over into songwriting too. So if the core emotion is something that I've felt, then the song still stays fresh when I play it on stage for the two hundredth time. Okay, so this guy, do you make the call after he decided to cut it? Hey, Frank, you know that Goes used to write a song about you, and that Goes have you know, he knows he's not in my life anymore, but in no way whatsoever, And I if I write it, I mean, the thing is if something happens to you. That's your experience that you kind of get to right about. Yeah, it's a slippery slope. I mean I don't I'm not gonna like put names out there or like put somebody on blast. You own your story, but you have to be delicate with your story when it includes others, do you. I don't know from my experiences. I've just incorporated blendo things at times telling my story that hurt them. And now I'm not saying this song is the example. Yeah, but I've I handle things a bit differently. Now I'll skew it's my rule. Well, I think there's always you know, can find it by the song? Can people figure who the dude is by hearing the song? I'm pretty private. We can't track it back on Instagram. Now that's good. I'm not hating at all. I just wonder how you do it because I have to deal with us all the time in my life. Well, I think the great thing about songwriting is part of it For me, it all comes from an autobiographical place, but it's not it's not my journal. It's not all the details. Like there's stuff that I keep to myself too. So you and this dude, did you break up before the song was written? No, you wrote the song. You take it back to him? Hey listen to this. No, because I I've always kept um sort of art and career, if you will, sort of separate from life. And so in terms of my art and my career, that's like, I do exactly what I want to do, and I don't really ask for permission. I used to do that. Yeah, I still do it. Probably I'm still single, Mike, I didn't do it. It might be that might be why I'm not on the radio too. I don't know. So I got into it, and I can tell this story now because it's been a bit because i've I've I can't talk about things when they super close happened because you can identify the people. So that's one of the rules that I've made in my life. Like now I'm gonna tell the story. But it's been long enough. It could be four months ago, it could be two years ago. Yeah, you don't know exactly. But I had a girl and we went out and we I took her and I was like, hey, we should go and do like, um, a spa We're called a spa day. Almost. I've just been. I was on the road, I was like, I really do want to do it for me and if you're around, well you know, hopping hopping there with me. Yeah, And the experience, the SPA experience, wasn't that good to me. And I was making jokes and um do what to do? It's been a while, but she heard it. I didn't think she even listened to the show. She heard it. It was really hurt by the fact that I had such a miserable experience because all I can think about was I forgot to get cash tipped to ballet. The massage lady kept whispering in my ear, like the dude from Lord of the Rings that what's the did's name? Yeah? Or did? It didn't feel good? It's all so I tell the story and she calls me just so upset that that's a miserable time. But um, yeah, it's hard to live a life up and tell stories about I guess. I guess that's why I That's why I do it. That's why she's not with me. I mean, that's why you ended up not dating, right, Well, that's a bummer, But at the same time, I feel like it's better just to be honest because then you know, you would think, Yeah, I mean, don't pretend like I'm listen. I'm honest, but I'm still sitting over here alone. Honestly, I don't think it's in trouble. Honestly, it's in trouble. Listen. I'm My point is I like that song, and that's how I found is a good one. I'm glad you listened. Yeah, me too, because I don't always this person I trusted. He was like, Hey, she's good, and I guess your story was, and you can kind of put some light on this. So she's kind of been and I don't know if he knew the term either, said she's kind of been shelved for a while, like she's been signed and they really haven't let her do anything in a while. But I think they're now they're kind of opening the door for her to make music. Yeah. I mean when I moved here from New York, where I actually got my deal started. While I was still living in New York, I didn't know anything about the music business. Where do you grow up? By the way, it was Texas for the first nine years, and then North Carolina until I was fifteen, and then I've left home when I was fifteen, and I've kind of been everywhere ever since. So you're in New York and you're trying to make it acting. Yeah, I was studying. I was studying acting and playing wherever I could, whenever I had any free moments, so, you know, playing in the Lower East Side and um, writing by myself and making trips to Nashville, UH to record. I was recording an EP at the time, and um, and then my music was sent to some labels and I got on a plane and met with labels and how long it was this that was in two and so signed with Big Machine at the end of and then moved to Nashville, and UM, there was a learning curve because I didn't know. I don't know about shit, I don't know whatever you want. UM. So yeah, there was a learning curve. And then I guess some people could see it as being shelved, and I think there were definitely moments where I felt that way. I was frustrated, But really I think the turning curve was when I just kind of said, Okay, well, if I wasn't signed to a label, what would I be doing. I'd be writing these songs, I'd be recording them. This way, i'd be making these video projects with my friends. And so I started doing that, and then I went to the label and was like, hey, I wrote this song and made this record, and um, I recorded in North Carolina, and they're like, these songs are really great, let's recording for real. And then I was like, oh, and here's music video that I shot, and that kind of UM. I think just me doing it and delivering, having the time to figure that out and to create all that and turn it over, they got really excited and that was sort of the turning curve. But it took me just doing exactly what I wanted and not being led by anybody else. So I don't know if that's how it's supposed to work. But because no one's ever much like you, I don't think anyone ever expected anything from me. So it's been like, well, if you have no expectations, let me kind of instead of asking you what I can make, let me show you my worth. Yeah. And I mean, you know, when I came to Big Machine, I didn't you know, I had maybe like a thousand followers and I was playing wherever I could. It's not like I was on some show nobody knew who I wasn't really still I'm kind of under a rock, like things are happening and tractions happening, but it's not like, you know, I've got some massive following, except for the following that you helped me get. Whenever you posted about those shows, did I post something like yeah, I think I think you looked at my Instagram numbers and we're like, what are your numbers? I don't know, and they're like the starter kit. By the way, I know Lauren from now you did. You did the show, and then I put you on some shows with me. Um, and then when you're on the road together, you just get to know each other because there's nobody else to talk to, nose, but you're the only one there. I was like, Wow, she's the warm body. Yeah, at least shouldn't kick me off. Let me shows talked to that one. UM. And so you spend time together and then you just are cool and we've been cool for a while now. UM. Yeah, so you you you make a record and this this No Saint so now many tracks on this and it's a record. It's not an EP, it's a full record. It's a record. It's a bit of a different record though, because, um, it's been interesting to hear people's feedback, because some people are like, well, this song doesn't sound anything like that song, and if you actually listen to it, Um, some of those songs are really recent and our recordings that I got to co produce and make them sound the way that I wanted them to sound, and some of them are sort of like from the first chapters of me being in Nashville. So I I love it because it kind of shows the journey of a few years ago and then today now, which is kind of perfect for a first record in my mind. And played something no Saint. Here's the title track here, it's yeah, not at all. If you like hearing yourself right now, I'm really proud of that song, are you. Are there any songs not that you don't like? But you're just like, you know what, you call him out. I just don't like. I can't listen to myself. Even if something I like it's fantastic, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it, not into it, not into me. I've had so much me, you know, it's not I don't think that it's that I'm into me. But like with that song in particular, it was a really hard one to write, and I wrote ended up writing it exactly what I needed to say, and the recording there's nothing that I would change on it, and I wouldn't change in any of the baselines. I wouldn't change in any of the guitar parts, And because I was so involved in in all of those aspects, it's just it's really sad satisfying to hear it and be like, oh, yeah, that's exactly what I wanted. You like hearing yourself sing? Uh? I don't. I don't. I don't hear myself saying I don't know what you're saying. I mean, you don't. I mean I'm here, I mean right now. See. But but it's you can listen to what you want to listen to. I'm not. When I'm listening to that song, I'm listening to all of the intricacies and and all the different parts. I'm not just let me hear myself. Yeah, but I mean, do you do you like hearing yourself sing? Uh? If it's not bad, I don't know. I don't like hearing myself talk. Yeah. And I talked for a living. That's why some people you know, don't. I would like it if you like to hear yourself saying I think that's the healthy thing. I don't pay it. I don't really pay attention to it. So you write it, sing it. It's all. It's all emotion. Yeah, yeah, I'm if I'm listening for something, I'm listening for the emotion, not necessarily my voice or the pitch or something. Today's technology makes it a lot easier for a lot of things because you're connected. 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But it's like one of those like Appalachian Trail backpacks that just fits your life in it, and I had put um my journals and song notebooks that because I write on paper and so all the stuff that I've been writing for this year a stuff you can't really replace. I brought it because I was flying to Texas for shows and I was like, oh, I'm gonna have a little window, so I'm gonna bring all of my hard drives, my backup hard drives and get this a little more organized. So it's like twelve years worth of um video footage and projects and journal it's all yeah. And I was just seeing you talk about your clothes, mostly because that's UM well, because I ran and grabbed like a duffel bag and I had nothing to put in it because I'm the person that has like two pairs of shoes and like one pair of black jeans, and I was like, oh, well, I guess I'm going to the report in my sweatpants and I've got no bra perfect So I was landing in Texas literally like okay, I don't I don't have a brush or anything. And I was hoping that if I posted it, like maybe it would turn up, because what are they going to do with a Tom Petty D shirt? I mean, unless it's their size, really it Yeah, so I was thinking like, well, maybe somebody will see it. Um, But I was pretty when a friends started a front of my manager started to go fund me page. I was like, I don't, I don't want to do that, and they were like, no, let us help you. And I've been pretty overwhelmed for the past week of how many kind people have helped me. Um. I'm not used to that that kind of support. It's is really overwhelming. I mean, there was a woman who came to my show in Houston with a bag of T shirts and a pair of headphones and a hard drive and she was waiting at Lowden to just gift me this, and I'm like, can I give you a poster? Kinna? No, I don't need anything. And I was like, great, okay. I can never repay any of these people. I think that's the thing. I don't think people are searching for repayment. And that's hard for me too. It's hard for to take. I know, I'm kind of like, can someone just cuss me out? Because the scales are so tipped right now, there's too much, so much tipped from your perspective right now. Imagine I mean, you've probably be done things for people, not expected anything back ever, just for the sake of your human and humans look out for humans. But then we started to feel where when it happens for us, Because for me it was always I was a charity case my whole life. I grew up super poor and PTA groups in church groups like they mad sure, I was fed in at Christmas President. So now it just triggers that feeling again where it's like I'm the charity and that's just me. I have to have to give up the ghost. And so for me, that's what it is, and that's why I struggle with it. Why do you think that is for you? Um? I think because I've been on my own for so long and never expected anyone to take care of me or do anything for me. And I feel I feel better if I earn something. Then if it's just given to me, whether it's an opportunity or a pair of socks, it's like I feel like I if I earn it, then it's okay, because that's how I've operated my whole life. So when something is just given and nothing is expected it in return, it's I don't know how to handle that so what do you say to her when she gives it to you. Well, I tried to give her merch and she would she would I was like, can I give you a button? I make these in my house, you do hand make them? And she wouldn't do it. She was like, no, I'll buy one. She was doing it for the sake of doing it. The say she was being a human for the sake of being a human. Yeah, I was really beautiful. Um, yeah, it was really beautiful. Kind of cool. Huh. Yeah, you were forced to live that. Yeah, a terrible thing happened and you wouldn't it sucks all You're like, creation was stolen, Like that part really sucks, But I guess on the not silver line, you know it is though, but you were forced to have to let an emotion in that you're not very comfortable dealing with, and it also gives you new perspective on it too. Yeah. I mean it was a really great reminder of how humans actually are really good and how people help other people and complete strangers. I mean it was, Um, it was a really beautiful thing to see. I wish I was witnessing that happened to somebody else and not me, right, I mean just from the terms of being so uncomfortable. Oh, I would say for the terms to all my crap was stolen like that suck too. But I'm gonna read here what you had stolen close shoes, makeup, guitar pedals, laptop hard drives, something called CDs in the show. Um, all the all the stuff that you mentioned that you wrote, you got none of it back so far right, So so you're not getting it back at this point. No, it's not coming out. They probably read my journal, laughed and then threw it down a fire. I beg having had my stuff, you know, taking a couple of times, you never see it again. They tried to pawn what they can quickly. I know I've been I've gone up. Yeah. I don't know what they're gonna do with the nexternal hard drive. Nothing nothing they can't take and turn it over super quick to get drugs, right, because what they're doing, they're just trying to find money quick so they can get their fixed quick then, because a lot of the thing now to do is to walk into hit door handles and if it's unlock taken like they're they're having to do warnings all the time, like Hey, the only your doors unlocked, you idiots. But this didn't happen. This is a bust in the window. Yeah, this is a crowbar. Did you go and look in and go? Wait? What happened? What? It's always that confusing moment where you like the window. Yeah, well the alarm car alarm went off. Oh it did, Yeah, about thirty minutes before my alarm alarm went off. M m. Well listen, you need anything. I got a whole closet downe there. You go into it and you know whatever you want. I'm good. I don't. I don't think I'm your shoe size like whatever you want. Uh, well that does that does stink? Um? Well? Her, here is all good things? Uh? This is a song from from Lawren's voice sounds like she does NPR. And so now I feel myself falling kind of the spot you have that real like welcome to NBR today. We'll be talking about the neuroscientists from Paduca, Kentucky has been spent seven years research. That's kind of has that voice, so you go into it. So now I'm feeling myself to kind of get dragged into it. Um, here's all good things, Here's all good things. Baby, we don't need we go rowing. It's looking at the draft with I don't remember what year it was, Um years, it's been a few years. That's actually, uh, that's that's the work tape from the day we wrote it. Oh yeah, I'm making them. You say work tape. So this isn't on the record, This is the vers so you just net the work tape on the record looking at you to be looking at week wrote that rough car run friend of mine. Yeah, Shane McNally, yeah, Blair Daily. It was fun. That's cool to get those big rights that long ago. It was fun. How did I set you up with those guys? I wrote? Um? I also wrote you'll never know which is on the record with Ross and so I think this was our second right together. And Shane just happened to be free. So Ross was like, hey, do you mind because we had started the song. He was like, do you mind if I bring Shane in? He's free right now. And I was like, yeah, come on, let's do it. We wrote it really fast. It was fun. You talk about acting, Uh, so you're fifteen years old? Is that what you want to do? You want to move away an act? Or? Why did why did you move so young. Um. I started getting opportunities in film and TV when I was fifteen in Memphis, and so I started crewing on some independent films and then got with an agency there and started booking work. Um but really, to me, it was all of it. I was writing at that point, I was playing in bars at that point, and I've just always loved storytelling. Where do you go at fifteen? Who do you go with me? Okay? But how do you if you don't have a driver's license or nor you know, do you hope that you don't get pulled over with your permit? Okay? And how but how do you are you just working cash? Um? No? I had you know, Dobe nines and stuff. How did you do adult things? Um? Good question? I got? I got good. I was scrappy. I figured out, I figured out a way, and I don't I don't recommend that people do that that young. But I was like ready to go when I was ten, and so fifteen was like the first time that I actually could and I figured out, Okay, how do I homeschool? And I had my swim team coach show me how to do it? And I would have to go back to North Carolina to like take tests and all that kind of stuff and show my lesson plans um and then funny enough, I probably shouldn't tell the story that means you. Well, when I was fifteen, I got booked on his Nashville music video and it was through CMT, sorry guys, and I. They needed a copy of my driver's license, so I had to photo shop. I was like, oh, I forgot it. Can I email it to you that long ago? You photo shopped it before? It was? Yeah, Well, because I was also doing photography, I was, you know, shooting weddings and so I had learned photoshop and all that kind of stuff. So I was able to photo shop my permit and send it over to a music video, which one it was called heart Like Memphis by the Carter Twins and what's your role? I was the girl and I didn't have any scenes with them, but the song is all about this girl and she's like kind of lonely and sad and whimsical but also full of life or whatever. And so I was like, yeah, that was funny. So you just figure it out. How old do they think you were? I think they thought I was one and you were fifteen sixteen years old and you obviously you don't say you're not. You just take the work. Yeah, I mean I still my whole life and not saying what I couldn't showing up and figuring it out. And so you photoshop a driver's license. You're fifteen, you look yeah, wait what are your so your parents are they live? Are they together? Yes? And you're fifteen and you want to leave? Yeah? And what do they say to that? I think I think they felt that they couldn't stop me, and so and I was I mean, I was really determined and I was like, is what I'm going to do? See you guys at Christmas? Where did you get the car? Um? I had saved up enough money to buy a Volvo from my second cousin, And so at fifteen, with no driver's license, you drove UM Charlotte Charlie, North Carolina to Memphis to do I was booked. I was a p A and set photographer on UM, an indie film The No. Wow. That's pretty crazy, And you know what, it reminds me of a as a kid version. Do you ever watch friends? Do you watch friends at all? I've seen friends? Yeah, I'm not You're pretty counterculture. There's a whole arc where Joey goes off to Las Vegas to act. You ever see Mike Your Friends where Joey runs up to be to be in the Las Vegas movie and he has to take all these other jobs as he's trying to act and anyway whatever. But so so it gets a system. So you're so punk rock. What is this system? Yeah? Right? You watch Game of Thrones? Did you watch that right now? That we were only through one episode of the last season? Who do you think ends up being? I just don't understand how they're going to wrap this up in five more episodes. Oh god, you found it. It's the video at the car No other dudes, Yeah, that's what they're dudes, that's you. So you're driving a car. They're playing the Carter twy. They look like to Nick Carter's from the Backstreet Boys. There's these two dudes. They've never heard of the Carter Twins. There you are at fifteen years old. They're a different name now they are. Yeah, uh is that Dan and Shake? And this is you in the video? Yeah driving that car. I was terrified to drive it, especially whimsical. And you're fifteen. If they one. Are there like adult men hitting on you thinking that they can since you're an adult as well, and you have to be like, don't because you will go to jail. No. No, it was like a two day, two day shoot. Um, everybody on set was professional. Doesn't even look like you just I mean I guess it does. Huh, yeah I can Okay. Still, well, you do look whimsical, super whimsical. Who do you let me ask you this that game with throw who do you want to take? If you get to pick? Who would you have? I? I love's a scrapper. She reminds me of me. Yeah, she's like fighting and clawing and figuring it out the whole time. That's who I would want to take over. This is probably not going to happen. She's too far away from Yeah, I mean unless everybody dies and she somehow survives, and yeah, I have so many questions. Would you be okay with the White Walkers just the end they have it all? I would really what a fantastic ending? Yeah, but bummer, it would just be you know, listen, life is not John Stark takes over it? You know maybe maybe you know he just found out Listen, spoiler we won't spoil and spoil anything, but I would like for a start to be yeah, probably doably. Probably John right, that would be if you're betting get a hundred bucks, would you put it on? Honestly? With those writers, there's so many twists and turns and shocks that and they throw the rules out. That's why I wish might be I mean it might be um Brand. I think he's a favorite because you don't know, really what's up with him? You've never seen is he the night King? Is he even? They could make that Night King look like anybody else, and they're going to make him look at that similar I don't know. Yeah, Michael, you you got yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't want to say to it. But it's a great show. I would love and I tell people this about Game of Thrones, don't get started right now. I love it. I think it's the best show of my life. Not my favorite show, one of my favorites, and not my absolute favorite, but it's the best show of my life. With the money, the writing, the production, and the thing is too now everybody, it's so hard to find original content, especially in a fantasy. Everybody's making adaptations of things that have already been made, so for this to be an original piece and original storyline is pretty fantastic. Only five episodes left and the one then again, we're only episode two of the last season. Um, and not to spoil anything, but the second episode not even an hour long either, how much the runtime, but in the world. So the good fun news is it's gotta move quick. It's super quick. So I rewatched it again because I was like, Okay, I need to things are happening so quickly now that I was like, I need to rewatch and make sure I'm downloading everything that just happened. What's kind of cool is the movies are now out running the books because they never finished writing the books. You know, he's all alive, but it isn't finished writing the books. And they're like, hey, dude, you get older and you're kind of overweight, so the heart is probably pumping a little hard, so and he's not right, you know, is he in on it as well? Like? Is he going to write the books based on what they decided? Mike? Do you know about that? I don't know. I mean, he just stopped writing them, and they're like, hey, we need to finish this last season he's like, I get to it. Does he after the season? But does he then write a longer version of what the show wrote own way? I feel, yeah, and we'll just have to read it. Did you read you ever read them though the game? I haven't haven't either. Did you read Harry Potter? I just started reading Harry Potter. I haven't read it. Do you like it? Yes? One of my friends said that I would love it, and yeah, and I think you would, actually you would. Yeah, you should read it. I'm not a hater of it at all. I just don't get it. It's a quick read. But the books are so thick. How are it quick? It's so quick? Okay? What do you think you would like him? Though? You don't think I would like because it's I mean, their kids. I think we'll back on it. You wouldn't get it at this point? Well, I disagree. I think that there's some similarities perhaps in Harry's story, or at least you can find some common ground that might remind you of yourself. And I think it's kind of fun to put yourself in his shoes, even though now you're all grown up up exactly so see, Yeah, you should read it. I think It was bigger for me because I grew up with them and I read him at the same time. It felt like I grew up with the characters. So I think, I don't know, going back and reading them would be the same effect. Read Hunger Games Hunger Games. I did read Hunger Games, love them or no? Yeah, they were again easy. I mean it's a quick, easy read. I really enjoyed the Hunger Games books. The movies are pretty good. Yeah, the first one is great. I always find people to go. The movie is not as as good as the book. Annoying because they can't be as good as a book. The books take us weeks and they're super filled with detail. Yeah, and if the book was so good that there's a movie, there's not really hardly ever a bad book. It's a movie made on it. So it's got to be a fantastic book for there to be a movie. Most of the time. Yeah, he just wasn't as good as a book. Well, No, correct is a different medium. I've spent three weeks with the book. It's totally a different medium. You want to cramp two hours into three. Um. I like the Harry Potter are not the the Hunger Games books did you do Lord of the Rings. I haven't seen the movies. Yes, what do you think? I like the films a lot. I watched them because I felt pressured by society. IMDb got me because they were like nine nine point eleven and I'm like, wow, they're not point eleven. That's not even a real number. Tomatoes and one impossible to live up to that, regardless of how good at it. And I thought it was fine. They're long, they are long. Yeah, you've got to be ready to buckle down. I buckled down over Christmas and we're just like, I'm just gonna watch them. They were fine, Mike, Did you like them? Nah? I wanted to really long. And it's a lot of walking. It's a lot of walking for a while. Yeah. What's the nerd what's the nerdiest thing about you were talking about this nerd stuff? What's the nerdiest thing about you? Nerdy? Is? I don't know, because I don't think it's nerdy, but I think the bad thing though, No, I do. I geek out. I geek out over all things storytelling, whether it's film, photography or like I watched all of the credits. You are a nerd about? Yeah? And I if we like, if I go to the movies, if I go to like Bell Court, I am the person that has to sit through the entire credits and read everything to get an understanding of how their crew worked and what size crew and look for names that I might know. So I'm that's kind of nerdy, I guess, so yeah, yeah, but again I don't think nerdy the bad thing. I'm already in a lot of weeks and um yeah, I mean like like like stats, encyclopedias. Do you own encyclopedia? Well, when I was a kid, that's what I would. I would save my money and buy it one encyclopedia the time and the grocery store until I can afford the next one. All I did was read that one encyclopedia. So I pretty much read a set of encyclopedias. But that's how I got out of my small town. Was just learning and crushing like standardized tests. I didn't move off at fifteen. I have to figure out why that way. Um, we're playing this song real quick. How about let's play let's do running out of road guess my hearts? Place your cheap cheap on this record here and you have anough photography background. Did you say that these pictures weren't retouched? Are they retouched? Not at all? So you just took the pictures and loaded them up. Why was that important to you? Uh, it's I think that there's a huge pressure right now on people to appear their quote unquote best and be filtered. And there's like I had somebody recently say something. They were training me for something, and they were talking about flyaways and having like scissors and like hair spray and stuff for flyaways, and I was like, okay, so like that picture, how my hair is kind of all over because it's probably not brushed, and we didn't like smooth it out, and I I just I think that your pores and your flyways and your laugh lines is kind of what makes us human. And so for the album artwork, I didn't want it to be retouched. Like I wanted you to be able to look at the skin and be like, oh, there's pores there because that's a person's face instead of smoothing everything over. And um, I think it would be nice if more people did that, especially for like you know, younger girls or even women my age or older women, to maybe just alleviate that pressure, just a little bit of trying to feel perfect or trying to look you know, like they don't look like a human. None of these pictures of retouched. H I demand every one pages retouched by multiple places. I have retouched here and then it's sent another place, then it's retouched and then maybe touch it again. That's fine. I mean for you know, everybody is different. That's why I appear a small Asian man and all my records. You know, everybody is different, and for me, I would like for all my photos to remain unretouched. Well, I demand all mine, don't. One of my one of my friends did. He did um Men's Fitness or one of those men's fitness magazines, and they took they chopped his head off and put another dude's body, whole body. Yeah, they can do that whole body. And he's famous, and I was like, what are they doing? I thought it was hilarious. It's kind of fine. Feel free anyone do that to me. You want to put me on Mark Wahlberg's body like letter rip man, Maybe I can do Sports Illustrated. Then if they're just like photoshop at taller, more fit, active person with my head when I did the dancing Dance with the Stars. They were like, do you want us to paint abs on you? Do? Is that weird thing for you? I was like, no, paint await, paint has in my back, paints on my calf. Yeah, I'm like, let me have it. Give me every every kind um, let me read some some of the places. Lauren's gonna be Gramsey Theater May second in New York, UM, Chattanooga, May six. St. Louis on June Louis bo, Kentucky. You're also playing another show with me in which tall Kansas is that? Is that next week week after? It's funny. No, no, it's not till the summer. Yeah, it's not till it's a I've had two Kansas things. I think. Yeah, that's kind. I know you're all over the place. Yeah, you know. I similarly we just kind of watch answers stories and see where people are. But you left me the last time and went overseas for the first time and to play to play, How was that? That was awesome? We did uh Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Amsterdam, London, and my German got better. I need to get some more in the vault before I go back over because well, yeah, I'm going in September. Oh yeah, going again. Yeah. I have to make money at those shows though, Um yeah, I have no idea if I made any money or not, but I do know that I met a lot of people, and um I have friends also that live in Europe. So that was really cool. Did you stay with him? What about making money? I mean survive? Yeah, well, I mean come a dollar ahead, it's right, right, I just try to, you know, eat catering and not by meals. How am I? How do I know? She's not fifteen right now? And this isn't all elaborate Rose Still, So you went over to your up and that was cool? Oh yeah, I love How did you find those crowds? They were amazing. They listened, Um, people had learned the entire record. Um, somebody requested blood off the record and I was like, oh wow, okay, they really actually listened to it and did their research. I guess I'm playing this song. We were playing run Out a Rooud a minute ago. That's the short film. Huh yeah, because I guess when we had talked last time, you had said it just got accepted to a film festival. Yeah, rosswell, film festival. So I'm going I'm in Kansas in two weeks for I think for radio show with your class. That's what it is. I'm not going to be there, okay, because I'm way too cool. Actually I'm not too cool. I'm doing American eyel and so I couldn't Okay, fine, I couldn't postpone that, fine, fine. So yeah, that's right. They booked the entire of my class and you're gonna go up there and play with the radio station and the principle is not even gonna be there. Great, I don't like being the principle maybe the popular kids. True, But then we're going to actually play a show show at an affair. Oh yes, yes, it's food and truck or something. Foodn't truck? Is that even a thing? Food truck? It's it's the raging idiots and the cole Galleant. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. That's gonna be fun. But yeah, doing the radio show and then going into Mexican and fly into Albuquerque and drive from Albuquerque to Rosswell, so what does that mean? When a film gets accepted? Like what happens? So that means it's in competition. Um, it's an official selection for that film festival, and UM, I'm gonna miss the awards ceremony, so you want me to get you win, so I won't be there to win. Um. But in order to qualify for um, since this is a short film for the Oscars, for the short film category, you have to be accepted into a certain number of OSCAR qualifying short film festivals. You don't necessarily have to win, but you have to be an official selection. So this is the first one that qualifies for that. How many of you? That's a good question. I should know that, but I don't. We talked last time. You were just driving over if I'm remembering right to either Chattanooga or Knoxville to play with Willie. What was that? It was in Kentucky and in Knoxville. How did that go? Amazing? Yeah? He had me come up on stage both nights to sing with him in the band, and I was just like, pinch me. We sang well the circle be unbroken. Um. We sang three songs. What were the other two? My favorite country song ever, which is in I talked Three Songs of All Time, is Willie Nelson blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. It's so good a cry all right. Oh yeah, that's that's cool to you get to go up and sing with Willie. Yeah, it was awesome. I love this song. My favorite songs, and I'm gonna have you do this too. I'm three no order this one, stop this train, John Mayor, and um Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Weathers. Those are my three favorite songs. Your turn. I can't do all time favorite it changes but right now, but if it changest, there's something right now your all time favorites right yeah, right now is uh John Mayor. I guess I just feel like that's so new. You're putting that into your right now all time favorites right now? Yeah, because my all time favorites, it's it depends on the day today, in the mood today. Yeah, John Mary is my favorite. I mean, he's just He's the first guy that I ever heard sing a song and go, oh, I that's me, that's me saying that, But it wasn't me. It was the first time I've ever experienced someone writing from my voice. Yeah, that's crazy, And so I was like, that's my favorite artist. He's so good on the same way, Okay, you can have this one. Give me something else that don't love Bruce Springstein do. Yeah. Actually, that's one on my all time right now is Secret Garden by Springsteen. Show Me the Money, Jerry the Human Head was that's that's yeah. Yeah, it isn't that yeah from there's a whole version of it with all the movie clips. I don't listen to that. You complete me. Yeah, they had the movie version. Don't ruin it, don't thing, because the whole thing back in the day was to take movie clips and put it. This song Becau was in the soundtrack. Is from the soundtrack. I don't know if it has it. Okay, no movie clo this, but this is a jam. It's so good. It's beautiful. Did you watch the Springsteen Netflix special. I've seen half of it. It's long. I started it. I was in New York and I just started crying within the first two minutes, and I had to be up super early, so I was like, I can't stay up and watch all of this. Well, it's still up. This is the Broadway show. I guess it's not going anymore. They stopped. It was just like one of his last shows. I know, I really wanted to go tickets where like eight Yeah, I couldn't do it. You ever got a Boadway show. Let me have a song of each other? Song? First ahead, um, third song, Uh, Rainbow Kitten's surprise, fever Pitch. Is that even a real thing? Are you just yelling words at this point? She's just it's a real thing. Yeah, I want to take Monster Key, Lime Pie Sunshine. What is this here? Rainbow Kittens surprise the band rain bout Kittens surprised. Yeah, okay, and it's the song is called fever Pitch. Okay, let me hear that. Carolina when it takes mom and get into this. What's uh? What's how you define them? Um? I found them through uh. I believe it was Jared Hogan, who's a director. UM did their music video and it's the bomb. It's so awesome. And so they're a band. They're a band out of North Carolina. Actually boom, really cool. It's like this weird blend of I don't know, like mountain music meets rock meets kind of country. Yeah, I can get into it. Lotle nozas all town road country or not? Is this the thing that everybody's talking about? The song? Everyone was talking I don't know about everyone, but it was trending on Twitter. It's still a massive song. It's uh yeah, here you go. Is this the Billy Ray's version? Here you go. Take a listen, Country so far, help me to it? Country so far? No, Yeah, take my I'm gonna right till I came no more. I'm gonna take mouse tell little banjo in there a little Billy Ray Cyrus sounds like a program banjo got the overseas in the bag. Horseto is man is mad black God? No boss black Man. I'm asking, what do you think this is? It's it's I'm sure the kids some kids like it. I don't know. I don't know. You have no answer. I don't know what it is. I'm on the side of when people tell me something's not country, I just go always short is. I hate you? I hate people assigning art. I get such a and what's what does the country music mean? What does it mean anyway? Except for me, it just means, hey, they're like being authentic about what they're saying. I almost don't care what the instrument is, because every instrument is used, even the most country guys are using, for example, programmed banjos. That happens a lot. Yeah to me to me, country is um, Really, the narrative has to be the core because pop does this really great job of kind of getting whatever the emotion is, but not really telling the narrative as much. It's more about the emotion and the field and you know, instrumentation obviously. But with a country song, it is a story. So that's that's sort of how I differentiate. Well, there's definitely a story told in that song. He's living alone, he's a cowboy hat, he's done the whole thing. Well, it's not the details. If they tell the whole stories, get lean this bladder. Yeah, yeah. For me, it's uh, people ask me this all the time. That's what everybody wants interview about what country My answers, I don't know. There's not an answer. That's whatever it is means to you. Yeah, Um, that's what I was just wondering how he felt about this song. That's the country song I've ever heard. For the record, you can't get any countrier than that. Can't tell me nothing. Yeah, let me let me hear this one. This is from Lauren. This is called my Bar. You wouldn't know this you Let's just take my barn A strong good film what's um. Well, you're playing shows in the road and idea. Do you have a band yet? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, I just did Tortuga Fest. How that's fun. Huh. It was really good. I played that one. It's fun. Swam in the ocean, you're right on the beach. Yeah, it's great, it's warm, there was sunshine. Yeah, that's um in Fort Laudado, right, yeah, yeah, it's a good one. Yeah, it was really fun. I would I would encourage people to go to that. Some festivals you go to and the sisters s Showman, Yes, that's a fun one. Um. Have you ever been to a couch music festival like Ben as a as a fan? Because I really haven't. No, I've never been as a fan. I don't. I'm not a big I'm not cool enough to go to a festival. I actually haven't been to that many festivals. I think I've only been to one that's not really a festival. I just go sleep in my bed. Yeah. I went to a c L A bunch. There was all kinds of music at a c L festival. I did a c L this year, too, did you well? I did a c L live during South By Its okay, so no, not the same a C like five different it's like five different creations. Um. A cl Festival is a massive festival at Zilker Park. Yeah, and it's two weekends now right, and the artists have to agree to come back both weekends. It was a part of it, and they can't play within the radius for two I guess most like these other ones, but that was one of the first double weekend. Yeah, they like sorry, like four years ago, I think. Yeah, well listen, I would do that, we bet. Yeah, it's great. Austin's the best Austin. You've been Austin? Yeah, I just I just told you. I just went to south By. Yeah, but I mean they've been to Austin. That's yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's when we would all roll our eyes. Okay, Yes, my friend Drago lives in Austin. That dear friend all of us got. We had that connection. Dango was in Amy my co host best Friends wedding party. She was one of his groomsman grooms may bridesman. Yeah, brides. How do you know Django? Uh? They met him through music music. Yeah, it's good to know. The fellow Texans. Well, look at you, you're you're out. We've we've talked for an hour? Has it been an hour? Wow, I'm a real treat talk to you. So they felt like ten minutes. It does seem like, yeah, starting away, you go. I would encourage you to check out Lawrence record called No Saint and this is give Up, the ghost song that we started talking about here. Mike, how do we feel abou Lauren Jenkins? Feel good? Yeah? A good one. Yeah, that's what happened. People leave and we go, how we feel about that one? I've just been heard of the person. You just can it if it's we put up immediately it goes up. There's some real turds, okay, because honestly, thinking there a sound, we go. It's a tough one. Um. The cool thing that was we've gotten some really great ones early and like people's career at this point, we've been This is episode one seventy two, and we did it for years, and we were doing it just a passion project because I just love songwriters and i'd like to and I love interviews where people want to listen for an hour they can, they don't, they can here twenty minutes and now this has a huge art. The listening of this podcast is so large that I would equate. I think that a podcast with with dedicated listeners at times is more powerful than my show, which has millions of people, where there's a big selection of passive listeners. Debian said, I do a talk show, so not super fair because I'm talking, and if people weren't staying, I wouldn't have ratings. But for a syndicated show, it's almost like you'd rather be on a podcast with a fifth because people that are in are all the way in. People right now I have their headphones in, they're running or they're too What do you what do you like? Any podcasts? Uh? W TF? I'm gonna recommend you one. This disgreat lamp podcast you never listen to that haven't yet. It may be the greatest podcast ever heard, not even on my network. And I have, like many podcasts have on the network five five, six, five or six. I've that's a podcast not even online. No benefit to me whatsoever. I love music. I love music history. And he he talks to people about He's not two people. He tells stories of these people in the crimes that they've kind of committed. It's like James Brown his life. It's like share. It's they're so good. Disgrace Lands. I can recommend, might do anything, any podcast you want to recommend. I just started listening to that a lot more. I went back and listened to like the Sam Cook One Man, That's crazy, It's so good. That's a good one, Disgrace Land. And then I listened to the dropout. I don't know what that is about. Um, the Thanos Lady. Oh, I watched that on an HBO. Did you see that the Sarren knows. Yeah, that's that's a bad guy. I was like, that's a that's the podcast. Um you watch Avengers? Have you seen those movies? Yeah? I think so. No, you're so cool. Um, maybe anyfo you're using the name products a name bar products would be familiar with everything I try out. I'm like, so, are you familiar with Apple? No? It still the Commodore sixty four? All right, listen. Lauren Jenkins on Instagram at Lauren Jenkins. I am, I am Lauren Jens. I am yeah, sure, I am. Well there you have it. You're you're a real treat. Thanks for having me. Thank God, you're you're a friend now as I've been to the house, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I guess mostly we have been on the road together. Yes, I'm glad to have you over the house, but I'm not scared that you're gonna come. You know, I'm totally crashing up and you know what, you know, when you're not here, have at it. I'm having to come a moral day party, I think not on Memorial Day, but like the Sunday. So because everybody just back in town. Yeah, why are you not on the road tonight? It's Friday night? I don't know. Oh, I was supposed to go. I was supposed to be out of town um to shoot a music video for a friend for that got moved. So I'm here this weekend here too, and we had to move something from last were supposed this last night and then I got moved. Did you know that I did? Not? Okay? Well the end, Lauren Jenkins, check out No Saint and we'll see you next time. Everybody, by bye.