July 29, 2025 • 26 mins
Join host Buzz Knight on this special episode of “Takin’ a Walk” as he talks with Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett. Together, they explore Lovett’s Texas roots, his unique blend of musical influences, and the stories behind his music. With a blend of humor, wisdom, and genuine connection, this episode invites listeners into the world of a true American original—making it a must-hear for fans of great music and storytelling.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Taking a walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
What happens when the Texas Prairie meets a well worn
melody and wit ride shotgun with every lyric I'm buzz
night and on today's taking a walk, we'll lace up
our boots with the legendary Lyle Lovett, a man who's
been taking listeners on extraordinary journeys for decades, one unforgettable
(00:22):
song at a time. Join me as we wander back
roads and backstage halls with the Grammy winning storyteller whose
music captures the heart of American life, whether he's spinning
tales about love, horses or the places he calls home.
Lovett's world is as wide as the Texas horizon itself.
(00:44):
So step outside with us, because you're going to take
a walk with Lyle Lovet. You never know what stories
you'll find around the next bend.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Taking a walk.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Hi, Lyle, hey buys by Harriet.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
I'm very well, Lyle.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
How are you right?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Thanks?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
You're very kind to having me.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
It's a pleasure having you on Taking a walk.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
We're going to talk about the large band and the
acoustic group. You got so many live shows to talk about.
But but I'm.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
A little disappointed that we're not actually taking a walk.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Let's go take a walk.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Have you have you have you ever done one of these?
Where you where you do it? Where you are? Do
you do you see Kevin Eland's podcast Just Hiking with Kevin.
It's it's we should do this, we should actually do
you walk?
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yes, I would love that. I've done it a few times.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I was out at your mcal Caenan's fur Piece ranch
and we got to uh take a walk over there,
and uh I was out at uh.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Peter Himmelman's place in upstate New York.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
So whenever possible, I like an in person walk, Lyle
and I would be honored one time to do it
wherever it worked for you.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
That'd be fun. Your what a what a great character
he is and man just so good. I opened for
him years ago at there was a there's a great
club in Houston called Rockefellers, and it was in the
It was in the Old Heights. State Heights was a
(02:27):
neighborhood in Houston Heights State Bank and the Criners turned
it into a three hundred seat listening room and they
used to have national touring acts. And I was back
in the in the early eighties. I was one of
the local opening acts that they would call regularly, and
(02:47):
I got to open for Gosha, you know, plethora of
different types of performers and and it was always fun.
But one time I got to open for for for
Yarma and uh and I had I hadn't seen a
picture of Yarma. I didn't know Yarma and and Uh.
There was there was There was a very little backstage area.
(03:10):
There's just sort of one green room that led onto
the stage. And I remember getting there early because I
was an opening act. And and I saw a guy
in blue jeans and a black T shirt carrying a
guitar and an amp coming coming you know, into the building.
And I said, are you with Yorma and and uh
(03:31):
because he looked like a crew person, you know, I said,
you're with Yarma and he looked, he kind of looked around,
he looked both ways, and you know, Zert to make sure,
just to make sure, you know, and he said, uh,
I am Yrma. He was. He was really nice.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I love it well other than you and I taking
a walk, which would be a dream come true. Is
there anybody else that you would love to take a
walk with, living or dead? That would be an experience
to cherish.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Oh gosh, you know, I get to take a walk, uh,
you know, figuratively and literally sometimes with people. Watch that
all the time. You know, people, people, It's all about
the people, isn't it. People are fascinating and everyone has
a story. Everyone, you know, everyone's lives unfolds in an
(04:27):
individual way. And I just, you know, find it really
interesting to talk to people. And and you know, especially
you know, as as I get older and I talk
to people who are my age, to hear their interpretation
of events and how events of the world and events
(04:51):
of their lives affect them, and and and then to
ask people, so what does that, you know, what does
that mean? Uh to them? You know, how does all that?
You know, how does all of that that's happened to
someone make them feel about life in general? And the
things that people talk about, the things that are important
(05:14):
to people always come back to the same basic things, uh,
you know, love and family, and I mean those those
are seem to be the most important things to people.
And and I you know, I find I find people
(05:35):
wonderfully consistent and and then wonderfully subtly different from one another.
And there's just I think talking to anyone is an education.
I think. I think every any anybody, anybody in this
(05:57):
world that you happen to talk too could be that
one person that gives you an insight that you'd never
had before.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
And the consistency is a really important thing that you mentioned.
And I find another piece of this I want to see,
if you agree with you also find where passion plays
in to what either the every person is thinking about
or an author, an artist, musician, their passion for their
(06:30):
work and their art, and then additionally the incredible resilience
that they have through ups and downs the way the
world goes.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Would you agree with that? Lyle?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Well, you know, I don't know whether it's resilience or
you know, this mindset that says, no, I have to
do this, this is what I have to do. It's
almost almost an inability to do anything else. And when
you see that quality in someone, When I see that
(07:10):
quality in someone, I am always inspired. I'm inspired by
their feeling compelled to do what they do. You know,
I think it's as much about that as it is
about a determination. In terms of navigating whatever obstacles the
(07:31):
world throws in your way. I think it's you know,
it's almost you know, rather than rather than being a
bulldozer going down the street knocking obstacles out of the way,
the artists that seem to be successful and well adjusted,
(07:52):
or more like a stream of water that simply flows
its way around obstacles to get to the end. So
it's I mean, there are different approaches, certainly, but you know,
the kind of person that I would rather be myself,
it would be more of that stream of water that
(08:13):
flows through and makes it makes it to the end
more effortlessly. Just thinking about water, I mean brings to
mind that, you know, the flooding that we've had down
in Texas and how devastating that is. So that can
you know, a stream of water is one thing, but
but a flood like that, man, I'm sorry, I'm just
(08:34):
kidding on tract. But that you know that that that
there is a quality of, you know, a persistence that
I think any artist of any type has to have.
You know, you don't really have to work at the
persistence because because what you're doing is important enough to
(08:59):
you to just never stop. It's not a matter of
saying saying I have to be persistent. It's more a
matter of you know, I don't know what's going to happen,
but I can't stop doing this.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I do want to touch on the conditions that you
and you know, friends and family are keenly aware of
in Texas these days. You know, the horrible story that
we see and visualize and know about is so terrible
and so just you know, frightening.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
What can you tell us about the condition of things now?
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Well, you know, people are are you know, trying trying
to It was just a memorial service on Monday in
our neighborhood. That was you know, it was so so
many people were there, It was so supported. My wife
April was able to go. I was we were playing
Grand Rapids Michigan, but for for an eight year old
(10:02):
girl who has swept away in her cabin. And she
was the granddaughter of neighbors of ours, and and who
we're close with, and and at you know, feeling that,
and and having eight year old children ourselves, you know,
you feel the impact of that especially, and and and
(10:25):
and you know, all I can all I can think
is how her father, her father spoke beautifully at service,
April said, And and you know, how he could even
speak at all is beyond my imagination and and you know,
you I can't help but think about how, you know,
(10:47):
how those families will never be the same, and yeah,
I and and think also, you know how I have
no idea how I would respond in that kind of situation.
I have no idea what that would do to me.
But so so so, you know, it's really thinking about
the tragedy, and you know, the the community in general,
(11:08):
you know, has been devastated, and it's wonderful to see
the support that the community is rallying to to help
help these folks. I'm my friend Robert Keene is doing
a fundraiser with some really wonderful artists on the twenty
(11:29):
eighth of August. I'm I'm part of I've been invited
to be part of four different fundraisers earlier in August.
George Strait has already done a fundraiser. You know, people started,
musicians and performers started wanting to help immediately, And I
(11:55):
haven't spoken to a single performer who hasn't just said sure,
account me in most performers are are in a better
position to to donate their time and and their performances
to to try to get people out. People people out
who can can actually financially support the organizations who are
(12:16):
trying to help they and they can, you know, financially
support themselves. But I don't know of a single musician
or performer who who hasn't said, yeah, just sign me up, look,
you know, whatever I can do. And and that's you know,
that's that's a wonderful thing to see. But but none,
none of that, none of that and none of that,
(12:37):
you know, wonderful humanity that comes from a tragedy makes
up for the loss that actually happened. And and uh,
you know, all I think all we can do as
people in the world is be sensitive to to the
people who've lost people or have lost their homes, lost
everything they had. We can all we can do is
(13:00):
be sensitive to them and be sympathetic to them and
to help them however we can. But nothing, nothing we
can do well you know, whatever, come close to making
up for their their loss in the first place.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
We'll be right back with more of the Taken a
Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Well, what of horses and your love of the countryside
taught you about patience and art and life.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I've learned so much from horses animals in general. You know,
I grew up on my grandfather's farm. My grandfather had
retired by the time I came along, but but his
sons ran a dairy farm on the on the place
(13:56):
and and also grew vegetables, and there was always something
to do, you know, there was always there was always
work to be done, and even as a little boy,
I and my cousins were offered, you know, offered jobs
to go and pick vegetables or helping the dairy barn,
you know, just to do anything. And I appreciate that
(14:20):
my uncle's and my extended family who all lived there
and part of the farm place. My mom was one
of seven children, and my grandparents offered each one of
their children, you know, an acre or two to build
homes on so that everyone would be close. And so
that's the sort of family environment I grew up in.
And I was an only child, but I was, you know,
(14:44):
three hundred yards from my grandparents and my aunts and
uncles and a dozen first cousins, and so I always
felt as if I was from a big family. But
there was there was always plenty to do and and
uh patients. I one of the one of the great
(15:06):
horsemen that I had the privilege of working with, but
not you know, not until I was in my gosh
and my my forties. But retired world champion BRONC writer
named Bill Smith, and he just passed away on the
first of June this year, Cody Bill Smith is he
was from Cody, Wyoming. Uh, and he got interested in
(15:30):
horsemanship after he retired from rodeo and started attending ray
Hunt clinics and uh, you know, just just the wisdom,
the wisdom he had in working with horses is so
afflicable to humanity as well. But but he used to say,
you asked me about what what uh you know, Uh,
(15:52):
what did I learn about patients? And what I learned
about patients? And one of Bill Smith always put it,
so succeed succeed He said, you know, people say that
you need to have patients in working with horses, he said,
but you know, he said, you only have to have
patience when nothing's happening. He said, with horses, there's always
(16:13):
something happening, you just have to notice it. And that
I thought it was so wise because in this world
in general, I mean, you really don't have to have
patience because there's always something happening. You just have to
see what it is. You just have to notice what's happening.
And if you pay attention to everything that's happening, you know,
(16:36):
you don't have time to be patient because there's always
something to do. That's that's what I learned from in
the farm life. I mean, there is always something to do.
There's always something you can do better. And you know,
in general, when you're when you're working with animals or
you're working with you know, crops, if you do the
(17:00):
right thing, you'll get the result you're looking for. If
you do the right thing, the right thing will happen.
I think that's the biggest lesson that I learned growing
up on the farm. Do things the right way. I
appreciate the process of what I do more than I
(17:23):
value the end result. I mean, I hope my goal
is to make a living for me and my family,
but it is also to work with people whose company
I enjoy every day, who I respect as people who
I look up to, and I am fortunate and blessed
(17:44):
to work with people I feel that way about on
stage and off. Members of the band are people that
I admire and look up to greatly, but also members
of our production crew who we count on every day
are people that I admire and look up to. How
they you know, the family people they are, How they
(18:08):
how they negotiate the difficulties as I do, you know,
having to be gone from home more than we'd like
to be. Uh and how how we you know, how
we have you know, we respect our jobs and what
we're doing and and they're they're people that I greatly
(18:28):
admire and and how and how you know how important
it is every day to to make sure we're doing
things the right way for the people who are showing
up at night for the show. You know, we depend
on and uh, you know, are grateful for those people
(18:50):
that come to support us, because that ultimately, that's that's
our only measure of whether or not we get to
keep our jobs. Those people that that show up at.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Night, when you think of the way their lives are,
through personal challenges in their life and the way the
world is today, tell me how it makes you feel
when you know this community has come together to come
to a show at night, to see either the acoustic
side of you or the large band side. What does
(19:24):
it mean seeing that community every night out when you're
on stage.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Well, you know, feeling the support of people that you know,
pay money to come to come hear what you do,
see what you do is a tremendous feeling. I mean,
is it's the permission to keep going. And no, it's
(19:51):
a wonderful feeling.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
You know.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
In my early days of performing, I started playing out
when I was eighteen years old in nineteen seventy six,
and I played anywhere that someone you know would let me,
At any any restaurant, hamburger joint, pizza joint that wanted
live music as a part of their atmosphere. I would
gladly play anywhere, and I had my own little pa
(20:17):
I could set up, and I was happy to be
to be playing anywhere, and you know, for any kind
of any kind of money. I mean, I played for
two years. I played two or three or four nights
a week at a Mister Gatty's Pizza in College Station,
Texas when I was you know, in school there. Live
(20:38):
music was part of the atmosphere, but live music was
not the point.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
You know.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
People didn't come there just to hear me. I mean
a few people may have in the old days, but
mainly people came there to have pizza, I mean, you know,
eventually you felt a little bit of a local audience.
But but you know, I played another place for for
a two year period. It was a hamburger joint. It
(21:04):
was my very favorite hamburger joint in college station, owned
by a fellow named Sircey Bond. It was called dead
solid perfect. He put two thirds of a pound of
meat on every hamburger and they were delicious, and he
had the only music he ever featured was was me
on Sunday nights from six to eight, and he paid
(21:26):
me actually in hamburgers. So I got eight eight hamburgers,
you know, for every gig that I played there. So
I you know, I had a hard time eating that
many myself. So I was I had I had a
you know, a tab built up of hamburgers available to me,
and and so I could you know, take my buddies
to lunch. I could go there kind of whenever I
(21:46):
wanted and treat my friends, which was, you know, which
was a great feeling. So I played places where music
was not the point early on, and I always thought about, Wow,
what would it be like, What would it be like
to play someplace where people, you know, they come to
(22:07):
hear you because they want to hear you. You know,
they're not just coming there for pizza, They're not just
coming there for a hamburger. They actually are coming there
on purpose to hear you. And I used to think
about that all the time and think about, well, what
a great feeling that must be, And all these years later,
(22:29):
I am able to realize what a great feeling that is.
And I appreciate it every time that the band and I,
whatever the band is with the band, anytime the band
and I step on stage, I appreciate those folks that come.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Well, folks can go to Lyle Lovett dot com to
see the multitude of dates that you are playing you
Rode Warrior, you and there's tickets available while looking on
your website and uh, you're You're on the road for
a long time, sir. So there's a lot of opportunities
(23:06):
for folks to get to see you.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
But this has been a thrill talking to you, Lyle.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
It's nice on to you. It's not shoing to you.
Buzz the you know, playing music. And I think most
recording musicians are, you know, in the in the same
state as as I am. You know, most most recording
artists make their living playing playing live shows. These days,
(23:39):
you know, the idea of making a record and having
a record sell enough to just support you without going out,
I mean, that's just you know, unless you're selling crazy,
crazy numbers that very few recording artists in this day
and time sell. Most performers make their living playing live
(24:00):
And I have consistently, you know, played ninety to one
hundred dates a year over the course of my career,
which which means that I'm home more than I'm gone,
and and and also when I'm home, you know, I'm
really home. I don't have to go to an office.
I don't have to be away from my family, which
(24:20):
is sort of how I measure value these days. Is
you know, is it is it? Is it worth? Is
it worth being away from my children, you know, who
are eight years old now, I means a day away
means I don't get to take them to school and
pick them up. So it's it's a you know, it's
a pretty high bar to have to be as important
(24:43):
as that, you know. But but but playing on the
road is how we make a living. And and I'm
grateful to the people who support us. Where where are
you calling from? Today us.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
I am in the suburb of Bossston known as Carlisle, Massachusetts.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Oh yeah, well, the and the and the Boston area
is has been, you know, in New England in general,
has been great to me over the course of my career.
I love. Boston's just one of the great cities in
the world, isn't it. I loved and I've gotten to
take a couple of summers ago I was there. My
family was with me on tour there and we we
(25:24):
walked around the Boston Common and had a wonderful time
walking them the old streets of Boston. But New England,
we'll be in the Lowell mass this summer in a
couple of weeks. But but we Boston, Boston, New England
is you know, we we get there once a year.
You know. It amazes me really because I spent most
(25:48):
of my my youth growing up. We didn't my parents
both worked, we didn't travel a lot. We had I
can think of only a couple of trips where we
flew somewhere when I was growing up to take a
family vacation. So I didn't start seeing a lot of
the country until I started traveling to perform. And I
(26:15):
always love coming to New England.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
You are a gem, mister Lovett.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
It's an honor to speak with you.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Thanks for having me on Buzz and I appreciate your
helping me get the word out to your audience. And
for any of you folks listening, Thanks, thanks for listening.
Come see us.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
Anything for you. Lyle, thank you so much, and thank
you Bud.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts
Taking a walk.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
What happens when the Texas Prairie meets a well worn
melody and wit ride shotgun with every lyric I'm buzz
night and on today's taking a walk, we'll lace up
our boots with the legendary Lyle Lovett, a man who's
been taking listeners on extraordinary journeys for decades, one unforgettable
(00:22):
song at a time. Join me as we wander back
roads and backstage halls with the Grammy winning storyteller whose
music captures the heart of American life, whether he's spinning
tales about love, horses or the places he calls home.
Lovett's world is as wide as the Texas horizon itself.
(00:44):
So step outside with us, because you're going to take
a walk with Lyle Lovet. You never know what stories
you'll find around the next bend.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Taking a walk.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Hi, Lyle, hey buys by Harriet.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
I'm very well, Lyle.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
How are you right?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Thanks?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
You're very kind to having me.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
It's a pleasure having you on Taking a walk.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
We're going to talk about the large band and the
acoustic group. You got so many live shows to talk about.
But but I'm.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
A little disappointed that we're not actually taking a walk.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Let's go take a walk.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Have you have you have you ever done one of these?
Where you where you do it? Where you are? Do
you do you see Kevin Eland's podcast Just Hiking with Kevin.
It's it's we should do this, we should actually do
you walk?
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yes, I would love that. I've done it a few times.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I was out at your mcal Caenan's fur Piece ranch
and we got to uh take a walk over there,
and uh I was out at uh.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Peter Himmelman's place in upstate New York.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
So whenever possible, I like an in person walk, Lyle
and I would be honored one time to do it
wherever it worked for you.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
That'd be fun. Your what a what a great character
he is and man just so good. I opened for
him years ago at there was a there's a great
club in Houston called Rockefellers, and it was in the
It was in the Old Heights. State Heights was a
(02:27):
neighborhood in Houston Heights State Bank and the Criners turned
it into a three hundred seat listening room and they
used to have national touring acts. And I was back
in the in the early eighties. I was one of
the local opening acts that they would call regularly, and
(02:47):
I got to open for Gosha, you know, plethora of
different types of performers and and it was always fun.
But one time I got to open for for for
Yarma and uh and I had I hadn't seen a
picture of Yarma. I didn't know Yarma and and Uh.
There was there was There was a very little backstage area.
(03:10):
There's just sort of one green room that led onto
the stage. And I remember getting there early because I
was an opening act. And and I saw a guy
in blue jeans and a black T shirt carrying a
guitar and an amp coming coming you know, into the building.
And I said, are you with Yorma and and uh
(03:31):
because he looked like a crew person, you know, I said,
you're with Yarma and he looked, he kind of looked around,
he looked both ways, and you know, Zert to make sure,
just to make sure, you know, and he said, uh,
I am Yrma. He was. He was really nice.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I love it well other than you and I taking
a walk, which would be a dream come true. Is
there anybody else that you would love to take a
walk with, living or dead? That would be an experience
to cherish.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Oh gosh, you know, I get to take a walk, uh,
you know, figuratively and literally sometimes with people. Watch that
all the time. You know, people, people, It's all about
the people, isn't it. People are fascinating and everyone has
a story. Everyone, you know, everyone's lives unfolds in an
(04:27):
individual way. And I just, you know, find it really
interesting to talk to people. And and you know, especially
you know, as as I get older and I talk
to people who are my age, to hear their interpretation
of events and how events of the world and events
(04:51):
of their lives affect them, and and and then to
ask people, so what does that, you know, what does
that mean? Uh to them? You know, how does all that?
You know, how does all of that that's happened to
someone make them feel about life in general? And the
things that people talk about, the things that are important
(05:14):
to people always come back to the same basic things, uh,
you know, love and family, and I mean those those
are seem to be the most important things to people.
And and I you know, I find I find people
(05:35):
wonderfully consistent and and then wonderfully subtly different from one another.
And there's just I think talking to anyone is an education.
I think. I think every any anybody, anybody in this
(05:57):
world that you happen to talk too could be that
one person that gives you an insight that you'd never
had before.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
And the consistency is a really important thing that you mentioned.
And I find another piece of this I want to see,
if you agree with you also find where passion plays
in to what either the every person is thinking about
or an author, an artist, musician, their passion for their
(06:30):
work and their art, and then additionally the incredible resilience
that they have through ups and downs the way the
world goes.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Would you agree with that? Lyle?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Well, you know, I don't know whether it's resilience or
you know, this mindset that says, no, I have to
do this, this is what I have to do. It's
almost almost an inability to do anything else. And when
you see that quality in someone, When I see that
(07:10):
quality in someone, I am always inspired. I'm inspired by
their feeling compelled to do what they do. You know,
I think it's as much about that as it is
about a determination. In terms of navigating whatever obstacles the
(07:31):
world throws in your way. I think it's you know,
it's almost you know, rather than rather than being a
bulldozer going down the street knocking obstacles out of the way,
the artists that seem to be successful and well adjusted,
(07:52):
or more like a stream of water that simply flows
its way around obstacles to get to the end. So
it's I mean, there are different approaches, certainly, but you know,
the kind of person that I would rather be myself,
it would be more of that stream of water that
(08:13):
flows through and makes it makes it to the end
more effortlessly. Just thinking about water, I mean brings to
mind that, you know, the flooding that we've had down
in Texas and how devastating that is. So that can
you know, a stream of water is one thing, but
but a flood like that, man, I'm sorry, I'm just
(08:34):
kidding on tract. But that you know that that that
there is a quality of, you know, a persistence that
I think any artist of any type has to have.
You know, you don't really have to work at the
persistence because because what you're doing is important enough to
(08:59):
you to just never stop. It's not a matter of
saying saying I have to be persistent. It's more a
matter of you know, I don't know what's going to happen,
but I can't stop doing this.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I do want to touch on the conditions that you
and you know, friends and family are keenly aware of
in Texas these days. You know, the horrible story that
we see and visualize and know about is so terrible
and so just you know, frightening.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
What can you tell us about the condition of things now?
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Well, you know, people are are you know, trying trying
to It was just a memorial service on Monday in
our neighborhood. That was you know, it was so so
many people were there, It was so supported. My wife
April was able to go. I was we were playing
Grand Rapids Michigan, but for for an eight year old
(10:02):
girl who has swept away in her cabin. And she
was the granddaughter of neighbors of ours, and and who
we're close with, and and at you know, feeling that,
and and having eight year old children ourselves, you know,
you feel the impact of that especially, and and and
(10:25):
and you know, all I can all I can think
is how her father, her father spoke beautifully at service,
April said, And and you know, how he could even
speak at all is beyond my imagination and and you know,
you I can't help but think about how, you know,
(10:47):
how those families will never be the same, and yeah,
I and and think also, you know how I have
no idea how I would respond in that kind of situation.
I have no idea what that would do to me.
But so so so, you know, it's really thinking about
the tragedy, and you know, the the community in general,
(11:08):
you know, has been devastated, and it's wonderful to see
the support that the community is rallying to to help
help these folks. I'm my friend Robert Keene is doing
a fundraiser with some really wonderful artists on the twenty
(11:29):
eighth of August. I'm I'm part of I've been invited
to be part of four different fundraisers earlier in August.
George Strait has already done a fundraiser. You know, people started,
musicians and performers started wanting to help immediately, And I
(11:55):
haven't spoken to a single performer who hasn't just said sure,
account me in most performers are are in a better
position to to donate their time and and their performances
to to try to get people out. People people out
who can can actually financially support the organizations who are
(12:16):
trying to help they and they can, you know, financially
support themselves. But I don't know of a single musician
or performer who who hasn't said, yeah, just sign me up, look,
you know, whatever I can do. And and that's you know,
that's that's a wonderful thing to see. But but none,
none of that, none of that and none of that,
(12:37):
you know, wonderful humanity that comes from a tragedy makes
up for the loss that actually happened. And and uh,
you know, all I think all we can do as
people in the world is be sensitive to to the
people who've lost people or have lost their homes, lost
everything they had. We can all we can do is
(13:00):
be sensitive to them and be sympathetic to them and
to help them however we can. But nothing, nothing we
can do well you know, whatever, come close to making
up for their their loss in the first place.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
We'll be right back with more of the Taken a
Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Well, what of horses and your love of the countryside
taught you about patience and art and life.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I've learned so much from horses animals in general. You know,
I grew up on my grandfather's farm. My grandfather had
retired by the time I came along, but but his
sons ran a dairy farm on the on the place
(13:56):
and and also grew vegetables, and there was always something
to do, you know, there was always there was always
work to be done, and even as a little boy,
I and my cousins were offered, you know, offered jobs
to go and pick vegetables or helping the dairy barn,
you know, just to do anything. And I appreciate that
(14:20):
my uncle's and my extended family who all lived there
and part of the farm place. My mom was one
of seven children, and my grandparents offered each one of
their children, you know, an acre or two to build
homes on so that everyone would be close. And so
that's the sort of family environment I grew up in.
And I was an only child, but I was, you know,
(14:44):
three hundred yards from my grandparents and my aunts and
uncles and a dozen first cousins, and so I always
felt as if I was from a big family. But
there was there was always plenty to do and and
uh patients. I one of the one of the great
(15:06):
horsemen that I had the privilege of working with, but
not you know, not until I was in my gosh
and my my forties. But retired world champion BRONC writer
named Bill Smith, and he just passed away on the
first of June this year, Cody Bill Smith is he
was from Cody, Wyoming. Uh, and he got interested in
(15:30):
horsemanship after he retired from rodeo and started attending ray
Hunt clinics and uh, you know, just just the wisdom,
the wisdom he had in working with horses is so
afflicable to humanity as well. But but he used to say,
you asked me about what what uh you know, Uh,
(15:52):
what did I learn about patients? And what I learned
about patients? And one of Bill Smith always put it,
so succeed succeed He said, you know, people say that
you need to have patients in working with horses, he said,
but you know, he said, you only have to have
patience when nothing's happening. He said, with horses, there's always
(16:13):
something happening, you just have to notice it. And that
I thought it was so wise because in this world
in general, I mean, you really don't have to have
patience because there's always something happening. You just have to
see what it is. You just have to notice what's happening.
And if you pay attention to everything that's happening, you know,
(16:36):
you don't have time to be patient because there's always
something to do. That's that's what I learned from in
the farm life. I mean, there is always something to do.
There's always something you can do better. And you know,
in general, when you're when you're working with animals or
you're working with you know, crops, if you do the
(17:00):
right thing, you'll get the result you're looking for. If
you do the right thing, the right thing will happen.
I think that's the biggest lesson that I learned growing
up on the farm. Do things the right way. I
appreciate the process of what I do more than I
(17:23):
value the end result. I mean, I hope my goal
is to make a living for me and my family,
but it is also to work with people whose company
I enjoy every day, who I respect as people who
I look up to, and I am fortunate and blessed
(17:44):
to work with people I feel that way about on
stage and off. Members of the band are people that
I admire and look up to greatly, but also members
of our production crew who we count on every day
are people that I admire and look up to. How
they you know, the family people they are, How they
(18:08):
how they negotiate the difficulties as I do, you know,
having to be gone from home more than we'd like
to be. Uh and how how we you know, how
we have you know, we respect our jobs and what
we're doing and and they're they're people that I greatly
(18:28):
admire and and how and how you know how important
it is every day to to make sure we're doing
things the right way for the people who are showing
up at night for the show. You know, we depend
on and uh, you know, are grateful for those people
(18:50):
that come to support us, because that ultimately, that's that's
our only measure of whether or not we get to
keep our jobs. Those people that that show up at.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Night, when you think of the way their lives are,
through personal challenges in their life and the way the
world is today, tell me how it makes you feel
when you know this community has come together to come
to a show at night, to see either the acoustic
side of you or the large band side. What does
(19:24):
it mean seeing that community every night out when you're
on stage.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Well, you know, feeling the support of people that you know,
pay money to come to come hear what you do,
see what you do is a tremendous feeling. I mean,
is it's the permission to keep going. And no, it's
(19:51):
a wonderful feeling.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
You know.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
In my early days of performing, I started playing out
when I was eighteen years old in nineteen seventy six,
and I played anywhere that someone you know would let me,
At any any restaurant, hamburger joint, pizza joint that wanted
live music as a part of their atmosphere. I would
gladly play anywhere, and I had my own little pa
(20:17):
I could set up, and I was happy to be
to be playing anywhere, and you know, for any kind
of any kind of money. I mean, I played for
two years. I played two or three or four nights
a week at a Mister Gatty's Pizza in College Station,
Texas when I was you know, in school there. Live
(20:38):
music was part of the atmosphere, but live music was
not the point.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
You know.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
People didn't come there just to hear me. I mean
a few people may have in the old days, but
mainly people came there to have pizza, I mean, you know,
eventually you felt a little bit of a local audience.
But but you know, I played another place for for
a two year period. It was a hamburger joint. It
(21:04):
was my very favorite hamburger joint in college station, owned
by a fellow named Sircey Bond. It was called dead
solid perfect. He put two thirds of a pound of
meat on every hamburger and they were delicious, and he
had the only music he ever featured was was me
on Sunday nights from six to eight, and he paid
(21:26):
me actually in hamburgers. So I got eight eight hamburgers,
you know, for every gig that I played there. So
I you know, I had a hard time eating that
many myself. So I was I had I had a
you know, a tab built up of hamburgers available to me,
and and so I could you know, take my buddies
to lunch. I could go there kind of whenever I
(21:46):
wanted and treat my friends, which was, you know, which
was a great feeling. So I played places where music
was not the point early on, and I always thought about, Wow,
what would it be like, What would it be like
to play someplace where people, you know, they come to
(22:07):
hear you because they want to hear you. You know,
they're not just coming there for pizza, They're not just
coming there for a hamburger. They actually are coming there
on purpose to hear you. And I used to think
about that all the time and think about, well, what
a great feeling that must be, And all these years later,
(22:29):
I am able to realize what a great feeling that is.
And I appreciate it every time that the band and I,
whatever the band is with the band, anytime the band
and I step on stage, I appreciate those folks that come.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Well, folks can go to Lyle Lovett dot com to
see the multitude of dates that you are playing you
Rode Warrior, you and there's tickets available while looking on
your website and uh, you're You're on the road for
a long time, sir. So there's a lot of opportunities
(23:06):
for folks to get to see you.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
But this has been a thrill talking to you, Lyle.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
It's nice on to you. It's not shoing to you.
Buzz the you know, playing music. And I think most
recording musicians are, you know, in the in the same
state as as I am. You know, most most recording
artists make their living playing playing live shows. These days,
(23:39):
you know, the idea of making a record and having
a record sell enough to just support you without going out,
I mean, that's just you know, unless you're selling crazy,
crazy numbers that very few recording artists in this day
and time sell. Most performers make their living playing live
(24:00):
And I have consistently, you know, played ninety to one
hundred dates a year over the course of my career,
which which means that I'm home more than I'm gone,
and and and also when I'm home, you know, I'm
really home. I don't have to go to an office.
I don't have to be away from my family, which
(24:20):
is sort of how I measure value these days. Is
you know, is it is it? Is it worth? Is
it worth being away from my children, you know, who
are eight years old now, I means a day away
means I don't get to take them to school and
pick them up. So it's it's a you know, it's
a pretty high bar to have to be as important
(24:43):
as that, you know. But but but playing on the
road is how we make a living. And and I'm
grateful to the people who support us. Where where are
you calling from? Today us.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
I am in the suburb of Bossston known as Carlisle, Massachusetts.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Oh yeah, well, the and the and the Boston area
is has been, you know, in New England in general,
has been great to me over the course of my career.
I love. Boston's just one of the great cities in
the world, isn't it. I loved and I've gotten to
take a couple of summers ago I was there. My
family was with me on tour there and we we
(25:24):
walked around the Boston Common and had a wonderful time
walking them the old streets of Boston. But New England,
we'll be in the Lowell mass this summer in a
couple of weeks. But but we Boston, Boston, New England
is you know, we we get there once a year.
You know. It amazes me really because I spent most
(25:48):
of my my youth growing up. We didn't my parents
both worked, we didn't travel a lot. We had I
can think of only a couple of trips where we
flew somewhere when I was growing up to take a
family vacation. So I didn't start seeing a lot of
the country until I started traveling to perform. And I
(26:15):
always love coming to New England.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
You are a gem, mister Lovett.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
It's an honor to speak with you.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Thanks for having me on Buzz and I appreciate your
helping me get the word out to your audience. And
for any of you folks listening, Thanks, thanks for listening.
Come see us.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
Anything for you. Lyle, thank you so much, and thank
you Bud.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a
Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends
and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking
a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
and wherever you get your podcasts
Host
Lynn Hoffman
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