December 27, 2025 • 35 mins
The best of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Hour 1.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Clay Travis with the Clay and Buck Show, wishing you
and your family of very mary Christmas and a happy
New Year.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Buck Sexton here, the entire Clay and Buck Show wish
you and your family a warm Christmas season and a
joyful New year.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Thank you for listening. This is the best of with
Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Subscribe to our YouTube everybody. We're gonna be doing more
and more video and hoping to even get closer and
closer to more exciting video projects that will launch next year.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That hope.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That was vague but exciting. That's right, Clay. That's the
way to do it.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
A little vague, vague but exciting is a great, great phrase.
That's the move.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
That's how you got to do it in a media
all the time. It's a little bit like my conspiracy
podcast that I want to start where I just say
the craziest stuff possible. When people ask me for my sources,
I'm just like, I just have a feeling I've heard
from somebody who heard from somebody who had a feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I'm sorry, I can't review my sources to you.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
You just just take people in wild directions.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
See what happens.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
But something else that is on my mind here.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
As we had.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
The designation of here, this actually happened today. The State Department,
from the official account, here you go. Anarchist militants have
waged terror campaigns in the United States and Europe, conspiring
to undermine the foundations of Western civilization through their brutal attacks.
The State Department will designate these four ANTIFA groups as
(01:30):
fto's Foreign Terrorist organizations. Antifa aust is a terrorist organization
based in Germany, wielding hammers on unsuspecting victims. They were
named a terrorist organization by Hungary after attacks in Budapest.
The International Revolutionary Front in Italy, Coalition of Violent Anarchists,
(01:51):
Armed Proletarian Justice, a Greek anarchist group, Revolutionary Class Self
Defense also in Greece. So they've named all these European
ANTIFA wings as Foreign Terrorist Organizations FTO. That's a that
means once you are at ft OH, the US government's
(02:13):
ability and tools to deal with you are considerable. They
are fearsome on the financial side, on the legal side,
and even on the kinetic side of things. Uh when
when the situation calls for it. So that is a
major escalation and the notion that Antifah Remember when the
FBI director under Biden said antifa was an idea. Yes,
(02:34):
that was a particularly low moment for a very brought
low FBI. FBI under under under Pattel and Bongino. Are
they're fixing things, Clay that's going on. Then there's also this.
Then I think it ties in because Antifah is a
bunch of anti civilization lunatics John Fetterman.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And and this has been true for a while. I'll
take a step back and say this.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Remember when Elon said that wokeness was really just an
excuse for nasty people to be cruel and feel self
righteous about it. You know, there was some version if
you guys can find that quote for me, but it
was I think he was That was his Babylon B
podcast appearance with Seth Dylan. I think that's where he
(03:20):
said it. And I'm and that to me was I
was like, this Elon guy, he gets it. That was Yeah,
he's a brilliant CEO.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Do you remember that exchange? Yeah, percent remember it, And
and I do think. Look, there are a lot of
mean people on the internet, and you and I both
made our livings on the internet, so U we are
quite nice to be fair.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Like, we we poke fun and we call it out
when we have to, but we don't get you know, so.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
We don't say anything publicly that we would.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
There, you're a little saltier Clay. Clay likes to mix
of the Clay likes to sometimes break the beer bottle
on the table and get into it with people.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
But you know, yeah, I don't mind when people are
owning what they say under their real name. But one
reason the Internet is so toxic is because so many
people have anonymous accounts and just pile it all on.
Having said that, I do think in the era that
we live in now, the left is way meaner because
(04:22):
there is a self righteousness that motivates their anger and
their antipathy, and their idea is we're so right that
we can be super mean to people. And Fetterman has
seen it from both sides, and I thought this was
a good clip.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
This is really interesting, CNN's Dana Bash saying that the left.
I'm sorry Fetterman telling CNN's Dana Bash saying that the
left is just crueler than people on the right in
America that I play eight.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
When I asked my digital team I said, you know,
you're we're on all the platforms, you know, really, what's
what's kind of the harshest, what's kind of the most personal.
And the answer was immediate. They said, oh, blue sky.
It's blue sky. And the difference is, I mean, the
right would say really rough things and names, you know,
some names I won't I won't repeat on TV. But
but but the the on the lift, it was like
(05:15):
they want me to die, or that we're cheering for
your next stroke, or that's terrible, that depression want why
couldn't it depression?
Speaker 5 (05:23):
Wan?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
And and I hope your kids find you, uh, I
mean they even have like the graphic a gift they
have like a stroke you know, you know in your head,
you know, cheering it.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Yeah, and and they said that.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I remember one they claimed the doctor let us down,
and why did they have to save his life? I
mean just really like I just can't imagine people are
are wishing, you know, I wish he dies or I
want him to die, you know, literally cheering for for
a stroke. And I don't know what the kind of
a place where that comes from. I mean, that's that's
(05:59):
much different than just calling me a name, you know,
And that's that's really been consistent, you know in that
community online.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Clay, the online left embraces and celebrates a demonic viciousness
that is reflected in the broader Democrat Party.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It's just reality, yes, And I think it has to
do with the belief that they are good. Right. It's
really scary sometimes, and I encourage people to think about it.
If you become convinced that you are one hundred percent
right on everything, then you are willing to dehumanize a
(06:37):
lot of people. And I think the left is more
like I question every day. I look at facts and
I say, boy, did I get that right? I'm open
to the idea that I'm wrong. I think partly that's
legal training, where you have to be willing to look
at the whole argument. You have to contemplate it, you
have to think about precedent. I would encourage everybody out
(06:58):
there be open to the possibility that you're wrong, because
then you will analyze things in a fresh way, as
opposed to constantly reinforcing yourself. Buck I read. Since we're
talking about Fetterman, I want to expand this conversation because
I do think this is important. Fetterman said the day
(07:18):
after he won the Senate race, that he thought about
throwing himself off the bridge because he was so depressed
as he was walking. And I do think for everybody
out there, who is you know, listening to us right now?
That was probably what most people would consider to be
(07:41):
the apex of John Fetterman's professional life. And on the
day that he won Senate reelection Senate election, he was
walking on a bridge and he significantly contemplated just throwing
himself off of it, and he said the only reason
he didn't do it was because ultimately he couldn't stop
thinking about his kids and that they were important in
(08:02):
helping him come through the dark place that he was.
There are a lot of people out there in very
very dark places. And I do think the conversation that
Fetterman has opened up of hey, try to get yourself
well mentally and physically. We talk a lot about the
MAHA movement, which is you've talked about this buck yourself
(08:23):
like you got a young kid, Hey, I want to
be in shape. I want to be able to help
raise that kid. I want to make sure that I'm
trying to be the best version of myself. And all
that stuff works from a physical perspective, everybody's got to
work on the mental too. And I do think that
a lot of people in the social media era, I
think we're going to go back. Everybody always thinks, you know,
(08:45):
when you look back and you see people smoking on airplanes,
or for those of us who grew up sometimes with
a mom or a dad, you know, just smoking in
a car with the windows rolled up, or we went
into restaurants and they were like, hey, this is the
smoking section and this is the non smoking section. Like
my kids look at that stuff and they think about
how silly it is. We assume that we're doing things
(09:06):
that are not toxic to ourselves because we get used
to them. I think social media. I think twenty years
from now, thirty years from now, people are going to
be looking back at what social media did to this
country and they're going to be saying, how in the
world did we let this happen? And I just think
if you use Fetterman as an example in this book
that he's got and we've invited him on the program,
(09:28):
but imagine you win a Senate race and because of
the toxicity surrounding you, your depression is such that you
think about throwing yourself off a bridge. I don't think
that his perspective in that way was different than a
lot of other people might be, even with success going
on in life.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And how can you not have a deep human sympathy
that completely supersedes politics for somebody who's going through that.
Anyone who's ever been around someone who is close to
them or they themselves have dealt with real depression, you
would think, and I think that's almost once you get
(10:05):
to a certain age, it's hard not to be in
that category. If somebody who's at least experienced someone who
is dealing with that, you would think that they would
understand that there's a basic human connection, that we all
have a sympathy for people, a revulsion at others suffering
and pain. And for someone to not like Fetterman's stand
(10:28):
on Israel and publicly wish him to have another stroke
or to die, or whatever these things are that he's
pointing out, it goes to a lack of humanity. It's
not about political disagreement anymore. It is you have traded
something from your soul. And this is why I went
on Blue Sky the night after Charlie or the night
(10:50):
of rather Charlie's assassination. I had to see it for myself.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
It was a.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Deeply dark and disturbing rummaging through the wreckage of people's souls.
It was really bad play. It was really ugly. And
that was people, a lot of them under their own
names publicly, some of them you know, have followings, have platforms.
I mean, to see what happened to Charlie, A father,
(11:20):
a husband, a son, an American, a patriot. And this
is the if there, God forbid, if there was a
high profile assassination of a prominent Democrat activist or a
prominent Democrat politician, and people of any note on the
right were saying, you know, celebrating it in some capacity,
(11:41):
I assure you, including on this program, their own side,
our side, would say, that's disgusting. You're you're a disgrace
to the movement. You know, don't ever do something like that. Again, Yes,
none of that on the left, none of it. They
pretend like it doesn't happen, or or they pretend that
they're on board, they're on board with it, not even
(12:01):
pretend they're on board with it.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
And Fedterman himself, I mean, I think I'm glad we
played that clip because I flagged that earlier this week.
I saw it. You can say, okay, he has uniquely
been in the crosshairs of criticism in both directions. I mean, look,
I've said this on the program. I thought, and I
said that he would be a completely ineffective senator and
(12:25):
doctor Oz should have won. I still think doctor Oz
would be a better representative for Pennsylvania. But I think
John Fetterman is a reasonable, rational Democrat voice. And when
he says even people who opposed him politically, that is
Republicans have treated him better than Democrats. I take his
word for it. I think it's true, and I do
(12:47):
think that for anybody out there, what is it buck
twenty one veterans kill themselves every day. I think much
of the story that Fetterman is telling in this book
is about how to deal with depression. Almost all those
people are men. You can criticize John Fetterman for a lot.
He seems like a normal dude in many respects, and
I think that's why he has the appeal that he
(13:09):
does in Pennsylvania. He almost threw himself off a bridge,
according to his own book, the day after he won
the Senate race, because of the immense cloud of depression
that descended upon him. You know, get help. We've got
a lot of resources out there. I think it's twenty
one veterans a day, almost all men. And look, I
(13:31):
mean there are people out there that will help you.
And if you're in that world right now listening to us,
get yourself, well, there's nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
One of the sacrifices that our veterans have made that
we all as Americans benefit from. Obviously our freedom, our civilization,
our way of life, our day to day lives. But
also no community has done more in our generation, Clay
to destigmatize mental health problems getting mental health assistance.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
Than the veterans.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah, no one has done, because if they need help
for what they saw, it's okay. You know, it's okay
for everybody to get help. It's okay for anyone to
have problems because the bravest and the best of us,
even they sometimes can require assistance. So it's one of
those things that I know the people have very strong
(14:25):
opinions about the g WAT and what we did in
Afghanistan and Rock and all the rest of it. But
one aspect of that sacrifice our veterans made that that
has been I think very very powerful and very positive
for all of us is that you can say I
need help and it's mental and that's okay, and you
should get it and it's not weakness and it's not
(14:46):
something that But that brings me back to the veteran
conversation where that's actually a mental manifestation of it. Well,
talking about the stroke, that's a mental manifestation of a
physical ailment. Yeah, and his own side is is saying
that wishing that he was dead.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Madness. Madness.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yeah, and the toxicity out there is real, So just
be conscious of that. And look, I give him credit
for speaking out as a somewhat voice of sanity and
the Democrat Party when there are very few of those.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Buck Sexton here, the entire Clan Bucks Show wish you
and your family a warm Christmas season and a joyful
New Year.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
You're listening to the best of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Ken who listens in Lincoln, Nebraska, d D on the
talkback hit.
Speaker 6 (15:37):
Don't be hating on people who sports the robe. Yes,
it is a lifestyle. I'm retiring, Well, I'm not a
retiring pastor. I'm still a pastor, but I'm about to retire.
I'm an avid fly fisherman, have built several poles, so
don't be hating good show. I have a blessed one.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You have a blessed one too. I don't usually think
of robe guys as also fly fishermen, but.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
That is a bit of a that is a bit
of an upset, like if he had been like and
I'm also into smoking pot and and you know, wearing
birkenstocks yours, smoking pot and orgies. That's kind of what
I think about for robe guy.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So I've also I've noticed something, probably because of all
the lot of all the young people walking around trick
or treating, there is this is very unk of me,
which is you wearing an unk T shirt.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I am Ali, got me an unk T shirt unk
and owning it. So that's a word that the youth uses.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
But I've noticed something that the kids like thirteen to sixteen,
they're wearing Crocs onun ironically. Oh yeah, the shoe was popular, Crocs.
And their hairstyle is this like poofy in the front thing,
like it's like unkempt, kind of like like wavy curly,
(16:56):
you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
This is the hairy boy. I think my boys have this.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I mean exactly what you're If you had them come
over to the camera, I could tell you. But I
can tell you they're all these kids walking around with
the same hair. It's a very unique hairstyle. Yes, and
if their rocket.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Crocs are and have been for several years now, insanely
popular with young kids, like teenage teenage kids. I thought
you were going to say, well, hold on, let's play
Renee in Kentucky who wanted to react to the idea
of all this candy being stolen.
Speaker 7 (17:28):
If my son had ever dumped a bowl of candy
and his bag, I would have busted his ass on
the spot. He would have had to apologize as well
as do community service work for that neighbor. That's how
that goes. Anyone else that would do something different is
(17:50):
low class.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Renee.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
You are You are someone who is holding a line
on civilization and I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Renee is very civilized. Buck. I love that. And yeah,
if you happen to see your kid on one of
those viral videos, I think you should make a video
of the kid apologizing and make them go knock on
the door and buy candy. Maybe do some yard work
to make up for the candy that he took.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
You're enjoying the Best of program with Clay Travis and
Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Welcome back in Everybody. We're joined by Jack Carr. He
is a former Navy seal turned best selling author of
the Terminal List book series and the streaming show, which
is an excellent show. Highly highly recommend the books and
the show usually Jack, you know you don't get both
to be great, Like you can write great books, but
they don't do a great show. You are in very
(18:43):
rarefied air my friend as somebody who has both great
books and great show.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Thank you, thank you so much. Yeah, both went to
number one on Prime Video, which is not that and
the first one that aired in twenty twenty two summer
of twenty twenty two pops back into that top five,
which is unusual as well, so after so many years.
So that was pretty pretty cool. And we'll find out
in the next couple of weeks if we get a
second season of Dark Wolf. It's looking good though everybody
(19:09):
wants to do it, so we shall see. And then
we just finished film and True Believer of the second
book over in Morocco and finished up. There been filming
that since February in South Africa, Morocco and Toronto, and
that should come out next summer, so there's a lot
in the works.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
I really appreciate you know, when you're in the first episode,
the first episode of Dark Wolf, which obviously I saw recently,
it to me there's so much really good content that
could be done about that gwatt Era and special operations,
but really very few people have done it or certainly
done it well, and I think you just nailed it
(19:45):
in the opening episode of Dark Wolf. I'm also Taylor
Kitch and Pratt are like two of my favorite actors.
So how did you manage did you get to pick?
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Were you like? You know what?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
I just want these two awesome guys to be playing
important roles in my series.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Well, Chris optioned it out of the gate. He's the
only person I wanted to option it and play the
character of James Reese, so he was he was my
pick and set from the beginning, and then in the
first season I wasn't involved in the casting process. I
was involved in it for the second season and for
Dark Wolf, but first season I wasn't, so it was
a not a surprise, but I guess a surprise, and
the fact that I didn't pick him. I didn't pick
(20:22):
anybody because I wasn't involved. But they said Taylor Kitsch
is playing Ben Edwards, and I said, oh my gosh,
that is the best pick.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
You got Riggs to play a navy that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Buck even recognizes the start from Friday Night Lights.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
Yeah, jack uh.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And so that's an incredible combo. What is it like
to balance writing obligations with making television show obligations because
I imagine you're on the road all the time, you're
promoting the book, uh, the books all the time, but
you have to continue to produce new books. How do
you balance it all out? Do you have a set,
regimented schedule. There's a lot of people out there in
(21:00):
creative space, I bet that are curious how you balance
all of that.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Yes, well, balance is a bit of a misnomer. I
hope to get to some balance one day. But there's
a reason we're talking here in October and not in
June when the book was supposed to come out, and
that is because I was juggling so much with both
the TV show, two TV shows, essentially Dark Wolf and
true believer and writing this book that I thought was
going to be the most efficiently written book yet, meaning
(21:26):
I thought I had a good understanding of Vietnam, lessons
learned from Vietnam, the sixties, overall the feel of that
period of time. And then I dove into the research
for this book, Cry Havoc that I'm on book tour
four right now, and I realized I'd really just scratched
the surface because every sentence in this book has to
be written through the lens of nineteen sixty eight. I
didn't want to have fifty plus years of hindsight applied
(21:49):
to any character's perspective on an event, a situation, or
part of a conversation. So that took a lot longer
than research for a contemporary thriller. And that's why we're
here in October. Point being the balance thing is something
I am still working on. Every morning I get up
and it's like being shot out of a cannon with kids, wife,
dog and all the rest of it. So it's just
(22:10):
mass chaos. But I feel extremely fortunate to be working
on multiple Hollywood projects, multiple books, and to have Cry
Havoc out there, which I think is my best book yet.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Ooh, that's saying something.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, And you know, my father in law is a
huge fan, huge fan of the series, so I.
Speaker 5 (22:25):
Think I said it one I directed by that.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
No, I think you did, thank you for that. And
he reads it like within you know, days of getting it,
so he's always very up to speed on it. I
want to ask you. The one thing that we get
here a lot, especially when I see people in person, Jack,
is they'll say, you know, I'm thinking about doing a podcast,
like I, do you have any advice, and I'll you know,
and we really do a radio show that's also a podcast.
(22:51):
But I just say, yeah, here's my advice. Do it,
and just start doing it, and just do it a lot,
and then go what if someone comes up to you
and says, you know, hey, and like you you really,
you know, you're the Tom Clancy of our era, like
you've become this huge phenomenon, so much success in writing.
How do I start to write a fiction book in
the most general terms, what do you say to them?
Speaker 5 (23:14):
I say, don't worry about anything else but writing that book, meaning,
don't worry about do I need to find an agent,
do I need to find a publisher? How does that happen.
Do I need a social media presence? Do I need
to build that up in order to sell books? I
need to get a website going when need to start. No,
all of that bandwidth is now bandwidth that is not
going into making that product, in this case, a book,
the best that it can possibly be. So focus those
(23:36):
efforts on making this book the best it can possibly be.
And then once it's done, or you get it to
a place where you think, hey, if I worked on
this for the next five to ten years, it would
get better, but it would get better by a degree
or two. And when you're at that stage, then it's
time to start thinking about those other things, thinking about
how to find an agent and a publisher and all
the rest of it. But the first thing you have
to do is have that product that.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
I got one follow up question for you, Jack, and sorry,
I may or may not be taking notes here, because
I think writing a fiction book would be fun. Do
you structure the whole thing out or do you start
writing based on the story you want to tell and
then create structure after you've gotten a chapter out or something.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
Yeah, I have the same exact process from the entire time,
and it's not based on anything that I read or
anyone's advice. It was just what I thought was common sense.
And I've come up with the title and a theme
for every book. And I've come up with a title
even if it's going to change, so I'm not wasting
bandwidth worried about coming up with a good title. So
I do that. I have a theme that's going to
guide the writing process. In the case of the first book,
(24:37):
it was Revenge without Constraint, and I had that on
a little yellow sticky on my computer as I typed away,
just to keep me on track. Then I read a
one page executive summary and I read it and I say,
is this worth the next year to the year and
a half of my life? And if the answer is yes,
I read it again and I say, if someone was
to walk by a Hudson News at the airport and
pull this book off the shelf and read something similar
to this that describes the book, would they be willing
(24:58):
to invest time in this story that they're never going
to get back? And if the answer is yes or
most likely, then that's my project. That's the next book.
And I take that one page executive summary, turn that
into the outline so I know where I'm going. So
I have that beginning of that middle of that end,
a few scenes that are going to happen along the way,
and I at least have a destination. And if there's
some things in that outline where I'm like, ah, oh,
(25:19):
is he ever going to get out of this situation?
Or well, I know I have a year to figure
it out. This isn't the battlefield in a rock at
Afghanistan where I have to make a split second decision
that's going to affect people to my right and left
forever and their families. Now I have time I can
sleep on or I can wake up. I can edit,
and in a year, I am confident that I'm creative
enough that I can figure this out. So get that
to that stage, and then I turn that outline into
(25:40):
the narrative.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
We're talking to Jack Carr. Cry Havoc is the latest
and best book that Jack Carr has ever written. According
to Jack Carr himself, I love those answers, by the way,
and I would encourage people out there to take that
advice and pursue your own writing desires. Let me ask
you this. The world is evolving and there's so much
crazy happening every day you write out those plot points,
(26:04):
and do you ever think, boy, there's no way anything
like this could happen. And then there's a plot point
that is very similar to what you have thought about before,
And to your point, you spend a year writing, but
it can end up looking very timely. How much do
you pay attention to current events? Buck just came back
from Taiwan, for instance. I'm not giving you ideas. You
(26:24):
probably haven't thought about a lot, but you know you
can kind of think of where the geopolitical flash points
might be. Are you conscious of that? Are you thinking
about it as you're writing, or are you trying to
divorce yourself from the current world in which you sit.
Speaker 5 (26:40):
I'm always ever since I was little kid, I'm always
interested in in currents, current events, also history, the merging
of those two. What lessons we can draw from history
and apply to the problem sets of the present as wisdom.
But I'm not thinking about I need to grab something
from the headlines, or I need to project into the future.
It happens naturally. I'm very aware of what's going on
(27:01):
around the world. That's just where my interests lie. Then,
But I'm not obsessed with trying to fit it into
a story. Instead, I am focused only on the story.
And if I'm only focused on this story without worrying
about the current event or a headline, or if I'm
gonna upset somebody with if I say X, Y or
Z or hey, are short chapters better than the long chapters? Now?
(27:22):
I don't consider any of that. I just focused on
the story, and in doing so, I honor I think
the readership and the listenership now that is going to
spend time with me that they're never getting back. So
I focus on that. But things have happened that I've
written about that I didn't. It looks like I'm projecting
something like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but that was
not a hard one. That was Zach came out in
(27:44):
twenty nineteen. That's the one we filmed True Believer that
we just finished up, and that storyline had to change
a little bit because the Russians actually did invade Ukraine.
So there's been that I talked about an AI quantum
computer well before anyone had heard of chat GPT. There
are certain things like that that have come up in
the novels. October seventh, something similar to that I wrote
(28:05):
about in Israel not too long ago before it happened.
So some of these things look like I'm projecting I
have a crystal ball, but I certainly do not. They
are just they just happen to correspond with some current events.
But I do like to weave a lot of things
that are our topical into the storylines, because at one
day people are going to go back maybe and read these.
(28:27):
It'll be like a time machine. It's me going back
and reading Hunt for Red October. Now, that's a time
machine that's in nineteen eighty four, And so I do
I am cognizant of that.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
You think Tom Clancy is the biggest inspiration you had,
Who would you say, as a writer for what you're doing,
if you had to pick one author would be the biggest?
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Pick one because I read so many growing up, and
they're all part of my foundation. So it's certainly Clancy.
It's David Morel, It's Nelson's Mill. It's A. J. Quinnell.
It's JC Pollock, it's Mark Old and it's Louis Lamore.
It's Jonny Caray, It's Ian Fleming, it's Robert Ludlamit's all
of those masters that I from the eighties all the
way through the nineties and continue to read today. David Morrell,
who created Rambo in nineteen seventy two with First Blood,
(29:08):
kicked off this book tour with me in Phoenix just
a few days ago. Such an honor to be on
stage with him. And all of those guys were so
instrumental during those very formative time in my life. Let's
say for most of us age ten to twenty, and
during that time I am reading all those masters, and
they're really becoming my professors in the art of storytelling.
But back then I didn't look at it that way.
(29:29):
I just looked at it as escaping into the magic
of those pages. But it created this foundation that I
then coupled with the academic study of warfare and my
experiences downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I can bring
the feelings and emotions behind certain events that I was
involved with.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
All right, all right, Jack, Jack, you're a best selling author,
you're an America page, You're a fantastic guy. You're being
far too diplomatic and humble, though, so I want to
put you on the hot seat with three best war
movies of all time. Then you don't have to give
it your author number one, but the three best war
movies for you.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Are all right, band of Brothers, even though it's a series,
I think it, you know, keep that one to the side,
but it's a series. But that is certainly up there.
I was just actually, right before we came on here,
I had to wrap up a podcast with Charlie Sheen
and we were talking, Oh wow, Platune. Yeah, we're talking
about Platoon and his experience on set with Apocalypse Now
when he was like nine or ten years old with
his dad because my book is probably havev like nineteen
(30:22):
seventy eight, and so I we're talking about that and
his experiences on set with Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper
and Robert Duval and just just a fascinating conversation with him.
So I would say band of Brothers. I would throw
a Platoon in there for sure. I love Uncommon Valor
for those who remember that one Apocalypse Now Longest Day,
(30:43):
those ones really stand out to me.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Last question for you, as we got a break here,
I've got one here who was a guy or gal
who has read your book that you were blown away?
Is a fan? Has there been somebody that you met,
and you just couldn't get over it, because, look, you
come from a background your busting your ass, you know,
doing what you do in the military before you end
up writing these books. Is there anybody that you were
(31:07):
just in disbelief was a reader or a big fan
of your work.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
It's yeah. David Morrell, who created Rambo. I can't believe
that he's he actually gave me a blurb when that
blurb ends with I'm a fan. Just that one blew
me away because discovering him through Rambo First Blood Part two,
a novelization, which is a book based on a screenplay
in the Summer of Rambo in nineteen eighty five, then
going back and reading First Blood, then reading Brother for
(31:31):
the Rose, for Turning the Stone, League of Night and Fogg,
and then having him one of my heroes in the
literary realm read my books and be a fan. That's
a little crazy. And then Charlie Sheen he was a
fan of the books before before he even came on
the podcast, and that was a little bit crazy too,
having grown up watching him in these movies to include
Navy Seals.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
No very cool.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Well, cry Havoc is the book. It's gonna be a
runaway bestseller. Get your copy today. Also check out I'm
Mid Series right now or Dark Wolf. Highly recommend it
to all of you. Our friend Jack Carr as always
congrats on all your success. Come back and hang out
with us anytime.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Oh man, Thank you guys so much. Love what you're doing.
Stay strong, it's important.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
We'll do. Thank you. Clay Travis with the Clay and
Buck Show, wishing you and your family a very merry
Christmas and a happy New Year.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
You're listening to the best of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
We'll start the noise here with Pam listens on k
E and I Up and Anchorage Alaska. I love our
Alaska contingent ce Se hit it.
Speaker 8 (32:37):
Hey, Buck, If Clay is going to tease you about
your TUTSI roll dance and not expecting to see that,
you could always counter with, well, I'm sure the construction
workers weren't expecting to see you streak across your room
and offer the suggestion Coach Earth does sell men's bathrobes.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Clay, there are you?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Are you a rogue guy?
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Our friend Jesse Kelly has been tweeting about how he's
become a robe guy now, and I feel like a
robe is more like a lifestyle, like it's for the spa.
If you start walking around your house in a robe.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Are you ever going to do anything? Yeah, the hotels
always have robes. No, I'm not a robe guy. I
don't think I've ever really kind of walked around in
a robe. Certainly, Yeah, I guess if you're at a
spa or something like that, maybe it makes sense. But
not a big time road guy. By the way, We've
got a good call. Chip and Brandon, Florida. We were
talking about culture, and I think we can have some
(33:30):
more fun with this when we come back because a
lot of these ring doorbell cameras. I get it, it's
a relatively new thing that we can always see. But
I would tie this in with what they call him
porch pirates, people who are constantly stealing the packages that
are delivered. Probably a lot of you out there in
neighborhoods have seen some of these videos. People say, hey,
do you know who this person is? They're waiting, they're
(33:52):
following the Amazon truck or the ups or whatever it is,
and they're grabbing things. This is a positive story. Chip
in Brandon, Florida tell us your story.
Speaker 9 (34:03):
Yes, I've accidentally left my wallet in a Sam's Club
and somebody turned it in. It had four hundred dollars
cash in it, and when when I went down there
the next day, all the cash is in it. I
think a red state you have much better chance of
having people do the right thing than in a blue So.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
This is great. You were just at a Sam's Club
store and you just accidentally forgot your wallet and somebody
turned it in and all the money was still in it. Correct,
that's awesome, Thank you. I do think red states tend
to have, as a general rule, better cultures than blue
states when it comes to and look, states is tough
(34:44):
because I just mentioned there, even whatever state you're in,
forty percent of people voted Trump. Even if you're in
a blue state, And even if you're in a red state,
around forty percent of people voted Kamala. So you're still
talking about in a group of ten people, there's a
huge substantial percentage that are going to agree with you
no matter what. But I do think the culture of uh,
(35:07):
look are you more likely.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
It would be fascinating to see an experiment they used
to do things like this of a wallet with you know,
one hundred dollars bill peeking out of it, left on
a New York City subway and someone operating a lost
and found counter. You know, within eyesight, how many people,
how many people turn it in? How many people take
one hundred? It would be and it would vote.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
It would be an interesting dynamic to then cross the
tab it. You know, Uh, how do they vote in elections?
Are they or are they not religious? What would the
percentages show? Who are the most likely to return, who
are the least likely? But again to your point, high
high trust societies, low trust societies,
Clay Travis with the Clay and Buck Show, wishing you
and your family of very mary Christmas and a happy
New Year.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Buck Sexton here, the entire Clay and Buck Show wish
you and your family a warm Christmas season and a
joyful New year.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Thank you for listening. This is the best of with
Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Subscribe to our YouTube everybody. We're gonna be doing more
and more video and hoping to even get closer and
closer to more exciting video projects that will launch next year.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
That hope.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That was vague but exciting. That's right, Clay. That's the
way to do it.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
A little vague, vague but exciting is a great, great phrase.
That's the move.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
That's how you got to do it in a media
all the time. It's a little bit like my conspiracy
podcast that I want to start where I just say
the craziest stuff possible. When people ask me for my sources,
I'm just like, I just have a feeling I've heard
from somebody who heard from somebody who had a feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I'm sorry, I can't review my sources to you.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
You just just take people in wild directions.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
See what happens.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
But something else that is on my mind here.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
As we had.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
The designation of here, this actually happened today. The State Department,
from the official account, here you go. Anarchist militants have
waged terror campaigns in the United States and Europe, conspiring
to undermine the foundations of Western civilization through their brutal attacks.
The State Department will designate these four ANTIFA groups as
(01:30):
fto's Foreign Terrorist organizations. Antifa aust is a terrorist organization
based in Germany, wielding hammers on unsuspecting victims. They were
named a terrorist organization by Hungary after attacks in Budapest.
The International Revolutionary Front in Italy, Coalition of Violent Anarchists,
(01:51):
Armed Proletarian Justice, a Greek anarchist group, Revolutionary Class Self
Defense also in Greece. So they've named all these European
ANTIFA wings as Foreign Terrorist Organizations FTO. That's a that
means once you are at ft OH, the US government's
(02:13):
ability and tools to deal with you are considerable. They
are fearsome on the financial side, on the legal side,
and even on the kinetic side of things. Uh when
when the situation calls for it. So that is a
major escalation and the notion that Antifah Remember when the
FBI director under Biden said antifa was an idea. Yes,
(02:34):
that was a particularly low moment for a very brought
low FBI. FBI under under under Pattel and Bongino. Are
they're fixing things, Clay that's going on. Then there's also this.
Then I think it ties in because Antifah is a
bunch of anti civilization lunatics John Fetterman.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
And and this has been true for a while. I'll
take a step back and say this.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Remember when Elon said that wokeness was really just an
excuse for nasty people to be cruel and feel self
righteous about it. You know, there was some version if
you guys can find that quote for me, but it
was I think he was That was his Babylon B
podcast appearance with Seth Dylan. I think that's where he
(03:20):
said it. And I'm and that to me was I
was like, this Elon guy, he gets it. That was Yeah,
he's a brilliant CEO.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Do you remember that exchange? Yeah, percent remember it, And
and I do think. Look, there are a lot of
mean people on the internet, and you and I both
made our livings on the internet, so U we are
quite nice to be fair.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
Like, we we poke fun and we call it out
when we have to, but we don't get you know, so.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
We don't say anything publicly that we would.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
There, you're a little saltier Clay. Clay likes to mix
of the Clay likes to sometimes break the beer bottle
on the table and get into it with people.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
But you know, yeah, I don't mind when people are
owning what they say under their real name. But one
reason the Internet is so toxic is because so many
people have anonymous accounts and just pile it all on.
Having said that, I do think in the era that
we live in now, the left is way meaner because
(04:22):
there is a self righteousness that motivates their anger and
their antipathy, and their idea is we're so right that
we can be super mean to people. And Fetterman has
seen it from both sides, and I thought this was
a good clip.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
This is really interesting, CNN's Dana Bash saying that the left.
I'm sorry Fetterman telling CNN's Dana Bash saying that the
left is just crueler than people on the right in
America that I play eight.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
When I asked my digital team I said, you know,
you're we're on all the platforms, you know, really, what's
what's kind of the harshest, what's kind of the most personal.
And the answer was immediate. They said, oh, blue sky.
It's blue sky. And the difference is, I mean, the
right would say really rough things and names, you know,
some names I won't I won't repeat on TV. But
but but the the on the lift, it was like
(05:15):
they want me to die, or that we're cheering for
your next stroke, or that's terrible, that depression want why
couldn't it depression?
Speaker 5 (05:23):
Wan?
Speaker 4 (05:24):
And and I hope your kids find you, uh, I
mean they even have like the graphic a gift they
have like a stroke you know, you know in your head,
you know, cheering it.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Yeah, and and they said that.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
I remember one they claimed the doctor let us down,
and why did they have to save his life? I
mean just really like I just can't imagine people are
are wishing, you know, I wish he dies or I
want him to die, you know, literally cheering for for
a stroke. And I don't know what the kind of
a place where that comes from. I mean, that's that's
(05:59):
much different than just calling me a name, you know,
And that's that's really been consistent, you know in that
community online.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Clay, the online left embraces and celebrates a demonic viciousness
that is reflected in the broader Democrat Party.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
It's just reality, yes, And I think it has to
do with the belief that they are good. Right. It's
really scary sometimes, and I encourage people to think about it.
If you become convinced that you are one hundred percent
right on everything, then you are willing to dehumanize a
(06:37):
lot of people. And I think the left is more
like I question every day. I look at facts and
I say, boy, did I get that right? I'm open
to the idea that I'm wrong. I think partly that's
legal training, where you have to be willing to look
at the whole argument. You have to contemplate it, you
have to think about precedent. I would encourage everybody out
(06:58):
there be open to the possibility that you're wrong, because
then you will analyze things in a fresh way, as
opposed to constantly reinforcing yourself. Buck I read. Since we're
talking about Fetterman, I want to expand this conversation because
I do think this is important. Fetterman said the day
(07:18):
after he won the Senate race, that he thought about
throwing himself off the bridge because he was so depressed
as he was walking. And I do think for everybody
out there, who is you know, listening to us right now?
That was probably what most people would consider to be
(07:41):
the apex of John Fetterman's professional life. And on the
day that he won Senate reelection Senate election, he was
walking on a bridge and he significantly contemplated just throwing
himself off of it, and he said the only reason
he didn't do it was because ultimately he couldn't stop
thinking about his kids and that they were important in
(08:02):
helping him come through the dark place that he was.
There are a lot of people out there in very
very dark places. And I do think the conversation that
Fetterman has opened up of hey, try to get yourself
well mentally and physically. We talk a lot about the
MAHA movement, which is you've talked about this buck yourself
(08:23):
like you got a young kid, Hey, I want to
be in shape. I want to be able to help
raise that kid. I want to make sure that I'm
trying to be the best version of myself. And all
that stuff works from a physical perspective, everybody's got to
work on the mental too. And I do think that
a lot of people in the social media era, I
think we're going to go back. Everybody always thinks, you know,
(08:45):
when you look back and you see people smoking on airplanes,
or for those of us who grew up sometimes with
a mom or a dad, you know, just smoking in
a car with the windows rolled up, or we went
into restaurants and they were like, hey, this is the
smoking section and this is the non smoking section. Like
my kids look at that stuff and they think about
how silly it is. We assume that we're doing things
(09:06):
that are not toxic to ourselves because we get used
to them. I think social media. I think twenty years
from now, thirty years from now, people are going to
be looking back at what social media did to this
country and they're going to be saying, how in the
world did we let this happen? And I just think
if you use Fetterman as an example in this book
that he's got and we've invited him on the program,
(09:28):
but imagine you win a Senate race and because of
the toxicity surrounding you, your depression is such that you
think about throwing yourself off a bridge. I don't think
that his perspective in that way was different than a
lot of other people might be, even with success going
on in life.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And how can you not have a deep human sympathy
that completely supersedes politics for somebody who's going through that.
Anyone who's ever been around someone who is close to
them or they themselves have dealt with real depression, you
would think, and I think that's almost once you get
(10:05):
to a certain age, it's hard not to be in
that category. If somebody who's at least experienced someone who
is dealing with that, you would think that they would
understand that there's a basic human connection, that we all
have a sympathy for people, a revulsion at others suffering
and pain. And for someone to not like Fetterman's stand
(10:28):
on Israel and publicly wish him to have another stroke
or to die, or whatever these things are that he's
pointing out, it goes to a lack of humanity. It's
not about political disagreement anymore. It is you have traded
something from your soul. And this is why I went
on Blue Sky the night after Charlie or the night
(10:50):
of rather Charlie's assassination. I had to see it for myself.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
It was a.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Deeply dark and disturbing rummaging through the wreckage of people's souls.
It was really bad play. It was really ugly. And
that was people, a lot of them under their own
names publicly, some of them you know, have followings, have platforms.
I mean, to see what happened to Charlie, A father,
(11:20):
a husband, a son, an American, a patriot. And this
is the if there, God forbid, if there was a
high profile assassination of a prominent Democrat activist or a
prominent Democrat politician, and people of any note on the
right were saying, you know, celebrating it in some capacity,
(11:41):
I assure you, including on this program, their own side,
our side, would say, that's disgusting. You're you're a disgrace
to the movement. You know, don't ever do something like that. Again, Yes,
none of that on the left, none of it. They
pretend like it doesn't happen, or or they pretend that
they're on board, they're on board with it, not even
(12:01):
pretend they're on board with it.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
And Fedterman himself, I mean, I think I'm glad we
played that clip because I flagged that earlier this week.
I saw it. You can say, okay, he has uniquely
been in the crosshairs of criticism in both directions. I mean, look,
I've said this on the program. I thought, and I
said that he would be a completely ineffective senator and
(12:25):
doctor Oz should have won. I still think doctor Oz
would be a better representative for Pennsylvania. But I think
John Fetterman is a reasonable, rational Democrat voice. And when
he says even people who opposed him politically, that is
Republicans have treated him better than Democrats. I take his
word for it. I think it's true, and I do
(12:47):
think that for anybody out there, what is it buck
twenty one veterans kill themselves every day. I think much
of the story that Fetterman is telling in this book
is about how to deal with depression. Almost all those
people are men. You can criticize John Fetterman for a lot.
He seems like a normal dude in many respects, and
I think that's why he has the appeal that he
(13:09):
does in Pennsylvania. He almost threw himself off a bridge,
according to his own book, the day after he won
the Senate race, because of the immense cloud of depression
that descended upon him. You know, get help. We've got
a lot of resources out there. I think it's twenty
one veterans a day, almost all men. And look, I
(13:31):
mean there are people out there that will help you.
And if you're in that world right now listening to us,
get yourself, well, there's nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
One of the sacrifices that our veterans have made that
we all as Americans benefit from. Obviously our freedom, our civilization,
our way of life, our day to day lives. But
also no community has done more in our generation, Clay
to destigmatize mental health problems getting mental health assistance.
Speaker 5 (14:03):
Than the veterans.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah, no one has done, because if they need help
for what they saw, it's okay. You know, it's okay
for everybody to get help. It's okay for anyone to
have problems because the bravest and the best of us,
even they sometimes can require assistance. So it's one of
those things that I know the people have very strong
(14:25):
opinions about the g WAT and what we did in
Afghanistan and Rock and all the rest of it. But
one aspect of that sacrifice our veterans made that that
has been I think very very powerful and very positive
for all of us is that you can say I
need help and it's mental and that's okay, and you
should get it and it's not weakness and it's not
(14:46):
something that But that brings me back to the veteran
conversation where that's actually a mental manifestation of it. Well,
talking about the stroke, that's a mental manifestation of a
physical ailment. Yeah, and his own side is is saying
that wishing that he was dead.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Madness. Madness.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yeah, and the toxicity out there is real, So just
be conscious of that. And look, I give him credit
for speaking out as a somewhat voice of sanity and
the Democrat Party when there are very few of those.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
Buck Sexton here, the entire Clan Bucks Show wish you
and your family a warm Christmas season and a joyful
New Year.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
You're listening to the best of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Ken who listens in Lincoln, Nebraska, d D on the
talkback hit.
Speaker 6 (15:37):
Don't be hating on people who sports the robe. Yes,
it is a lifestyle. I'm retiring, Well, I'm not a
retiring pastor. I'm still a pastor, but I'm about to retire.
I'm an avid fly fisherman, have built several poles, so
don't be hating good show. I have a blessed one.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
You have a blessed one too. I don't usually think
of robe guys as also fly fishermen, but.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
That is a bit of a that is a bit
of an upset, like if he had been like and
I'm also into smoking pot and and you know, wearing
birkenstocks yours, smoking pot and orgies. That's kind of what
I think about for robe guy.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
So I've also I've noticed something, probably because of all
the lot of all the young people walking around trick
or treating, there is this is very unk of me,
which is you wearing an unk T shirt.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I am Ali, got me an unk T shirt unk
and owning it. So that's a word that the youth uses.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
But I've noticed something that the kids like thirteen to sixteen,
they're wearing Crocs onun ironically. Oh yeah, the shoe was popular, Crocs.
And their hairstyle is this like poofy in the front thing,
like it's like unkempt, kind of like like wavy curly,
(16:56):
you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
This is the hairy boy. I think my boys have this.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I mean exactly what you're If you had them come
over to the camera, I could tell you. But I
can tell you they're all these kids walking around with
the same hair. It's a very unique hairstyle. Yes, and
if their rocket.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Crocs are and have been for several years now, insanely
popular with young kids, like teenage teenage kids. I thought
you were going to say, well, hold on, let's play
Renee in Kentucky who wanted to react to the idea
of all this candy being stolen.
Speaker 7 (17:28):
If my son had ever dumped a bowl of candy
and his bag, I would have busted his ass on
the spot. He would have had to apologize as well
as do community service work for that neighbor. That's how
that goes. Anyone else that would do something different is
(17:50):
low class.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Renee.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
You are You are someone who is holding a line
on civilization and I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Renee is very civilized. Buck. I love that. And yeah,
if you happen to see your kid on one of
those viral videos, I think you should make a video
of the kid apologizing and make them go knock on
the door and buy candy. Maybe do some yard work
to make up for the candy that he took.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
You're enjoying the Best of program with Clay Travis and
Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Welcome back in Everybody. We're joined by Jack Carr. He
is a former Navy seal turned best selling author of
the Terminal List book series and the streaming show, which
is an excellent show. Highly highly recommend the books and
the show usually Jack, you know you don't get both
to be great, Like you can write great books, but
they don't do a great show. You are in very
(18:43):
rarefied air my friend as somebody who has both great
books and great show.
Speaker 5 (18:49):
Thank you, thank you so much. Yeah, both went to
number one on Prime Video, which is not that and
the first one that aired in twenty twenty two summer
of twenty twenty two pops back into that top five,
which is unusual as well, so after so many years.
So that was pretty pretty cool. And we'll find out
in the next couple of weeks if we get a
second season of Dark Wolf. It's looking good though everybody
(19:09):
wants to do it, so we shall see. And then
we just finished film and True Believer of the second
book over in Morocco and finished up. There been filming
that since February in South Africa, Morocco and Toronto, and
that should come out next summer, so there's a lot
in the works.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
I really appreciate you know, when you're in the first episode,
the first episode of Dark Wolf, which obviously I saw recently,
it to me there's so much really good content that
could be done about that gwatt Era and special operations,
but really very few people have done it or certainly
done it well, and I think you just nailed it
(19:45):
in the opening episode of Dark Wolf. I'm also Taylor
Kitch and Pratt are like two of my favorite actors.
So how did you manage did you get to pick?
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Were you like? You know what?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
I just want these two awesome guys to be playing
important roles in my series.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Well, Chris optioned it out of the gate. He's the
only person I wanted to option it and play the
character of James Reese, so he was he was my
pick and set from the beginning, and then in the
first season I wasn't involved in the casting process. I
was involved in it for the second season and for
Dark Wolf, but first season I wasn't, so it was
a not a surprise, but I guess a surprise, and
the fact that I didn't pick him. I didn't pick
(20:22):
anybody because I wasn't involved. But they said Taylor Kitsch
is playing Ben Edwards, and I said, oh my gosh,
that is the best pick.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
You got Riggs to play a navy that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Buck even recognizes the start from Friday Night Lights.
Speaker 5 (20:36):
Yeah, jack uh.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
And so that's an incredible combo. What is it like
to balance writing obligations with making television show obligations because
I imagine you're on the road all the time, you're
promoting the book, uh, the books all the time, but
you have to continue to produce new books. How do
you balance it all out? Do you have a set,
regimented schedule. There's a lot of people out there in
(21:00):
creative space, I bet that are curious how you balance
all of that.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Yes, well, balance is a bit of a misnomer. I
hope to get to some balance one day. But there's
a reason we're talking here in October and not in
June when the book was supposed to come out, and
that is because I was juggling so much with both
the TV show, two TV shows, essentially Dark Wolf and
true believer and writing this book that I thought was
going to be the most efficiently written book yet, meaning
(21:26):
I thought I had a good understanding of Vietnam, lessons
learned from Vietnam, the sixties, overall the feel of that
period of time. And then I dove into the research
for this book, Cry Havoc that I'm on book tour
four right now, and I realized I'd really just scratched
the surface because every sentence in this book has to
be written through the lens of nineteen sixty eight. I
didn't want to have fifty plus years of hindsight applied
(21:49):
to any character's perspective on an event, a situation, or
part of a conversation. So that took a lot longer
than research for a contemporary thriller. And that's why we're
here in October. Point being the balance thing is something
I am still working on. Every morning I get up
and it's like being shot out of a cannon with kids, wife,
dog and all the rest of it. So it's just
(22:10):
mass chaos. But I feel extremely fortunate to be working
on multiple Hollywood projects, multiple books, and to have Cry
Havoc out there, which I think is my best book yet.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
Ooh, that's saying something.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Yeah, And you know, my father in law is a
huge fan, huge fan of the series, so I.
Speaker 5 (22:25):
Think I said it one I directed by that.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
No, I think you did, thank you for that. And
he reads it like within you know, days of getting it,
so he's always very up to speed on it. I
want to ask you. The one thing that we get
here a lot, especially when I see people in person, Jack,
is they'll say, you know, I'm thinking about doing a podcast,
like I, do you have any advice, and I'll you know,
and we really do a radio show that's also a podcast.
(22:51):
But I just say, yeah, here's my advice. Do it,
and just start doing it, and just do it a lot,
and then go what if someone comes up to you
and says, you know, hey, and like you you really,
you know, you're the Tom Clancy of our era, like
you've become this huge phenomenon, so much success in writing.
How do I start to write a fiction book in
the most general terms, what do you say to them?
Speaker 5 (23:14):
I say, don't worry about anything else but writing that book, meaning,
don't worry about do I need to find an agent,
do I need to find a publisher? How does that happen.
Do I need a social media presence? Do I need
to build that up in order to sell books? I
need to get a website going when need to start. No,
all of that bandwidth is now bandwidth that is not
going into making that product, in this case, a book,
the best that it can possibly be. So focus those
(23:36):
efforts on making this book the best it can possibly be.
And then once it's done, or you get it to
a place where you think, hey, if I worked on
this for the next five to ten years, it would
get better, but it would get better by a degree
or two. And when you're at that stage, then it's
time to start thinking about those other things, thinking about
how to find an agent and a publisher and all
the rest of it. But the first thing you have
to do is have that product that.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
I got one follow up question for you, Jack, and sorry,
I may or may not be taking notes here, because
I think writing a fiction book would be fun. Do
you structure the whole thing out or do you start
writing based on the story you want to tell and
then create structure after you've gotten a chapter out or something.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
Yeah, I have the same exact process from the entire time,
and it's not based on anything that I read or
anyone's advice. It was just what I thought was common sense.
And I've come up with the title and a theme
for every book. And I've come up with a title
even if it's going to change, so I'm not wasting
bandwidth worried about coming up with a good title. So
I do that. I have a theme that's going to
guide the writing process. In the case of the first book,
(24:37):
it was Revenge without Constraint, and I had that on
a little yellow sticky on my computer as I typed away,
just to keep me on track. Then I read a
one page executive summary and I read it and I say,
is this worth the next year to the year and
a half of my life? And if the answer is yes,
I read it again and I say, if someone was
to walk by a Hudson News at the airport and
pull this book off the shelf and read something similar
to this that describes the book, would they be willing
(24:58):
to invest time in this story that they're never going
to get back? And if the answer is yes or
most likely, then that's my project. That's the next book.
And I take that one page executive summary, turn that
into the outline so I know where I'm going. So
I have that beginning of that middle of that end,
a few scenes that are going to happen along the way,
and I at least have a destination. And if there's
some things in that outline where I'm like, ah, oh,
(25:19):
is he ever going to get out of this situation?
Or well, I know I have a year to figure
it out. This isn't the battlefield in a rock at
Afghanistan where I have to make a split second decision
that's going to affect people to my right and left
forever and their families. Now I have time I can
sleep on or I can wake up. I can edit,
and in a year, I am confident that I'm creative
enough that I can figure this out. So get that
to that stage, and then I turn that outline into
(25:40):
the narrative.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
We're talking to Jack Carr. Cry Havoc is the latest
and best book that Jack Carr has ever written. According
to Jack Carr himself, I love those answers, by the way,
and I would encourage people out there to take that
advice and pursue your own writing desires. Let me ask
you this. The world is evolving and there's so much
crazy happening every day you write out those plot points,
(26:04):
and do you ever think, boy, there's no way anything
like this could happen. And then there's a plot point
that is very similar to what you have thought about before,
And to your point, you spend a year writing, but
it can end up looking very timely. How much do
you pay attention to current events? Buck just came back
from Taiwan, for instance. I'm not giving you ideas. You
(26:24):
probably haven't thought about a lot, but you know you
can kind of think of where the geopolitical flash points
might be. Are you conscious of that? Are you thinking
about it as you're writing, or are you trying to
divorce yourself from the current world in which you sit.
Speaker 5 (26:40):
I'm always ever since I was little kid, I'm always
interested in in currents, current events, also history, the merging
of those two. What lessons we can draw from history
and apply to the problem sets of the present as wisdom.
But I'm not thinking about I need to grab something
from the headlines, or I need to project into the future.
It happens naturally. I'm very aware of what's going on
(27:01):
around the world. That's just where my interests lie. Then,
But I'm not obsessed with trying to fit it into
a story. Instead, I am focused only on the story.
And if I'm only focused on this story without worrying
about the current event or a headline, or if I'm
gonna upset somebody with if I say X, Y or
Z or hey, are short chapters better than the long chapters? Now?
(27:22):
I don't consider any of that. I just focused on
the story, and in doing so, I honor I think
the readership and the listenership now that is going to
spend time with me that they're never getting back. So
I focus on that. But things have happened that I've
written about that I didn't. It looks like I'm projecting
something like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but that was
not a hard one. That was Zach came out in
(27:44):
twenty nineteen. That's the one we filmed True Believer that
we just finished up, and that storyline had to change
a little bit because the Russians actually did invade Ukraine.
So there's been that I talked about an AI quantum
computer well before anyone had heard of chat GPT. There
are certain things like that that have come up in
the novels. October seventh, something similar to that I wrote
(28:05):
about in Israel not too long ago before it happened.
So some of these things look like I'm projecting I
have a crystal ball, but I certainly do not. They
are just they just happen to correspond with some current events.
But I do like to weave a lot of things
that are our topical into the storylines, because at one
day people are going to go back maybe and read these.
(28:27):
It'll be like a time machine. It's me going back
and reading Hunt for Red October. Now, that's a time
machine that's in nineteen eighty four, And so I do
I am cognizant of that.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
You think Tom Clancy is the biggest inspiration you had,
Who would you say, as a writer for what you're doing,
if you had to pick one author would be the biggest?
Speaker 5 (28:46):
Pick one because I read so many growing up, and
they're all part of my foundation. So it's certainly Clancy.
It's David Morel, It's Nelson's Mill. It's A. J. Quinnell.
It's JC Pollock, it's Mark Old and it's Louis Lamore.
It's Jonny Caray, It's Ian Fleming, it's Robert Ludlamit's all
of those masters that I from the eighties all the
way through the nineties and continue to read today. David Morrell,
who created Rambo in nineteen seventy two with First Blood,
(29:08):
kicked off this book tour with me in Phoenix just
a few days ago. Such an honor to be on
stage with him. And all of those guys were so
instrumental during those very formative time in my life. Let's
say for most of us age ten to twenty, and
during that time I am reading all those masters, and
they're really becoming my professors in the art of storytelling.
But back then I didn't look at it that way.
(29:29):
I just looked at it as escaping into the magic
of those pages. But it created this foundation that I
then coupled with the academic study of warfare and my
experiences downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I can bring
the feelings and emotions behind certain events that I was
involved with.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
All right, all right, Jack, Jack, you're a best selling author,
you're an America page, You're a fantastic guy. You're being
far too diplomatic and humble, though, so I want to
put you on the hot seat with three best war
movies of all time. Then you don't have to give
it your author number one, but the three best war
movies for you.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
Are all right, band of Brothers, even though it's a series,
I think it, you know, keep that one to the side,
but it's a series. But that is certainly up there.
I was just actually, right before we came on here,
I had to wrap up a podcast with Charlie Sheen
and we were talking, Oh wow, Platune. Yeah, we're talking
about Platoon and his experience on set with Apocalypse Now
when he was like nine or ten years old with
his dad because my book is probably havev like nineteen
(30:22):
seventy eight, and so I we're talking about that and
his experiences on set with Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper
and Robert Duval and just just a fascinating conversation with him.
So I would say band of Brothers. I would throw
a Platoon in there for sure. I love Uncommon Valor
for those who remember that one Apocalypse Now Longest Day,
(30:43):
those ones really stand out to me.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Last question for you, as we got a break here,
I've got one here who was a guy or gal
who has read your book that you were blown away?
Is a fan? Has there been somebody that you met,
and you just couldn't get over it, because, look, you
come from a background your busting your ass, you know,
doing what you do in the military before you end
up writing these books. Is there anybody that you were
(31:07):
just in disbelief was a reader or a big fan
of your work.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
It's yeah. David Morrell, who created Rambo. I can't believe
that he's he actually gave me a blurb when that
blurb ends with I'm a fan. Just that one blew
me away because discovering him through Rambo First Blood Part two,
a novelization, which is a book based on a screenplay
in the Summer of Rambo in nineteen eighty five, then
going back and reading First Blood, then reading Brother for
(31:31):
the Rose, for Turning the Stone, League of Night and Fogg,
and then having him one of my heroes in the
literary realm read my books and be a fan. That's
a little crazy. And then Charlie Sheen he was a
fan of the books before before he even came on
the podcast, and that was a little bit crazy too,
having grown up watching him in these movies to include
Navy Seals.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
No very cool.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
Well, cry Havoc is the book. It's gonna be a
runaway bestseller. Get your copy today. Also check out I'm
Mid Series right now or Dark Wolf. Highly recommend it
to all of you. Our friend Jack Carr as always
congrats on all your success. Come back and hang out
with us anytime.
Speaker 5 (32:08):
Oh man, Thank you guys so much. Love what you're doing.
Stay strong, it's important.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
We'll do. Thank you. Clay Travis with the Clay and
Buck Show, wishing you and your family a very merry
Christmas and a happy New Year.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
You're listening to the best of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
We'll start the noise here with Pam listens on k
E and I Up and Anchorage Alaska. I love our
Alaska contingent ce Se hit it.
Speaker 8 (32:37):
Hey, Buck, If Clay is going to tease you about
your TUTSI roll dance and not expecting to see that,
you could always counter with, well, I'm sure the construction
workers weren't expecting to see you streak across your room
and offer the suggestion Coach Earth does sell men's bathrobes.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Clay, there are you?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Are you a rogue guy?
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Our friend Jesse Kelly has been tweeting about how he's
become a robe guy now, and I feel like a
robe is more like a lifestyle, like it's for the spa.
If you start walking around your house in a robe.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Are you ever going to do anything? Yeah, the hotels
always have robes. No, I'm not a robe guy. I
don't think I've ever really kind of walked around in
a robe. Certainly, Yeah, I guess if you're at a
spa or something like that, maybe it makes sense. But
not a big time road guy. By the way, We've
got a good call. Chip and Brandon, Florida. We were
talking about culture, and I think we can have some
(33:30):
more fun with this when we come back because a
lot of these ring doorbell cameras. I get it, it's
a relatively new thing that we can always see. But
I would tie this in with what they call him
porch pirates, people who are constantly stealing the packages that
are delivered. Probably a lot of you out there in
neighborhoods have seen some of these videos. People say, hey,
do you know who this person is? They're waiting, they're
(33:52):
following the Amazon truck or the ups or whatever it is,
and they're grabbing things. This is a positive story. Chip
in Brandon, Florida tell us your story.
Speaker 9 (34:03):
Yes, I've accidentally left my wallet in a Sam's Club
and somebody turned it in. It had four hundred dollars
cash in it, and when when I went down there
the next day, all the cash is in it. I
think a red state you have much better chance of
having people do the right thing than in a blue So.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
This is great. You were just at a Sam's Club
store and you just accidentally forgot your wallet and somebody
turned it in and all the money was still in it. Correct,
that's awesome, Thank you. I do think red states tend
to have, as a general rule, better cultures than blue
states when it comes to and look, states is tough
(34:44):
because I just mentioned there, even whatever state you're in,
forty percent of people voted Trump. Even if you're in
a blue state, And even if you're in a red state,
around forty percent of people voted Kamala. So you're still
talking about in a group of ten people, there's a
huge substantial percentage that are going to agree with you
no matter what. But I do think the culture of uh,
(35:07):
look are you more likely.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
It would be fascinating to see an experiment they used
to do things like this of a wallet with you know,
one hundred dollars bill peeking out of it, left on
a New York City subway and someone operating a lost
and found counter. You know, within eyesight, how many people,
how many people turn it in? How many people take
one hundred? It would be and it would vote.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
It would be an interesting dynamic to then cross the
tab it. You know, Uh, how do they vote in elections?
Are they or are they not religious? What would the
percentages show? Who are the most likely to return, who
are the least likely? But again to your point, high
high trust societies, low trust societies,
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