In Case You Missed It: #81 - Robert Deaton - Producer for the CMA Awards, Music Video Director and Interesting Guy,

It's CMA Week! So we thought you'd enjoy revisiting this conversation with Robert Deaton who is the executive producer of the CMA Awards. He stops by to talk about what he does as a producer. Robert is the one who put Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood together, Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton collaborations and more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey guys, it's Bobby here. The c m AS are
happening this week. It's Country Music's biggest award night, and
I wanted to share an episode that we did back
September with Robert Deaton. Now you may not know the name,
but he is the executive producer of the c m
AS the Awards show. So he talked about all the
goes into putting together the award show, from the performances

(00:21):
to picking the hosts. Just generally a pretty cool episode
because I always wondered how in the world does an
award show get put together like he? He picks it all.
He talks about how he was the one who put
Brad and Carry together for the first time. Also justin
Timberland Chris Stapleton that was on his watch. He also
talked about how he produced over four hundred music videos
that got him here. So because it's c M a week,

(00:42):
I thought this would be a fun one to share. Uh,
be sure to check out the Morgan wall On episode.
We did that one last, but this is from Back
in the Day Crazy. The Back in the Day was
episode eighty one, but Robert Deaton, the c m A producer.
Be sure to watch the show on Wednesday night. If
it's already passed Wednesday, how you missed it? But all good?
All enjoy. I welcome to episode one. So I guess

(01:05):
it's Robert Deaton, big time TV producer. I mean, he's
done so much. I don't even want to call you.
What do you call yourself? When is what do you
do for a living? I am in the entertainment business,
but that's what you say. I guess, so does that
do so many different things? Yeah? That's why I was like,
I was like, what do I even call Robert? So
um because I want to talk about a lot of stuff.

(01:26):
But like, you produce the c m A s, the
CMA Country Christmas, the Billboard Awards, the c m A,
the big show outside the c m A Festival. I've
done like hunt tons of music videos. I did The
Passion with Tyler Perry. You did that? I did that? Yeah?
That was that was in the last five years. That

(01:46):
was the year before last. Yeah that's recent. Yeah that
was fun. It was hard, but it was fun. That's
interesting to you because when I was growing up in Arkansas,
like I went to watch the Passion play and in
Northwest Arkansas a day I don't know, I know if
they still have it anymore. But it was such a
revered thing. Like every year it was our youth group.

(02:07):
We would go up and we would it was a
big deal to watch the Passion play. And people travel
from all over the all over the world to this
one tiny place in Arkansas to watch this this passion play.
And I remember whenever you guys, and it wasn't exactly
the same, but whenever you're taking on something like that
with Tyler Perry that has kind of a religious tone field,
I mean, that's what it's about. Like there's some weird
pressure to that, right, Yeah, you don't you know, the

(02:30):
most pressure I ever had because you don't want to
let Jesus down. Did it rain or something crazy? Like?
It rained every day during rehearsal when we rehearsed Trish Yearwood,
who played Mary, it was like we were in a hurricane.
It was completely raining. We never did one rehearsal. Uh,
all of it was in the rain until we did

(02:50):
the show. Now, let me ask you forill, Like, if
you if it's raining every day and you're doing something
with Jesus, do you a little bit go all right?
Jesus talking to me right now, the whole project, the
whole project, it was like it was a lot of pressure.
But you know what, Tyler Perry, the man can throw
down a prayer. He is, he's incredible. It was like

(03:14):
that when we get in the room and he'd throw
down a prayer, It's like, can you get into what room?
Like just going into his dressing room or just getting
ready for the show? Boy, he would he would pray
and he would. It was like, I wish I had
a script I had. I wish I had it written
down somewhere where I could go back and look at it.
He's just he's he's awesome. He's awesome. So as a producer,

(03:38):
what does a producer do? Because I think a lot
of people see it on TV pop up and go producer,
you know, Robert, They don't really know what that entails.
So like if we were to go talk to explain it,
like I'm five, what does a producer do? So every
creative decision goes through me? So set design, lighting design,

(03:58):
individual performance is who gets on the show, what are
they going to sing? Every single aspect of the show
goes through me. So now I have a great team.
Of course I've got great people of lighting designers, set designer.
I think that you know, a producer has to have
a good taste, you know, I think that's really important.

(04:21):
Um So yeah, everything goes through me, every creative decision.
Just I'm gonna veer around a bit. You talk about
creative decisions and at times you take risks as a producer,
and I don't know if there's a risk or not.
But I was watching the s c M a UM
Festival special and to me, I thought Brothers Osborne stole
the show, killed it. Now I'm biased because I love

(04:43):
those guys and I'm friends with those guys, but I
really thought they stole the show. And there was a
point where there was a really long John guitar solo
on Network TV in prime time seven minutes, and I'm
thinking to myself as it's happening, like I love this
and I enjoyed this. But that was a risk and
I think it paid off. But for you to put

(05:05):
that first of all, Brothers Osborne, who to the mainstream
aren't so known yet correct and guitar so low for
that long like, well, sometimes I feel like you have
to do do it because it's great, you know, you
sure I'm answered to the ratings, and I answered to
ABC and in the c m A. But sometimes didn't

(05:29):
the answer good enough that it's just great. And so
it was great, and there was you know, and I
didn't know them. I met them the day of That's
when I met them during rehearsal, and they I'm I'm
in the truck and I'm looking at going, oh man,
I'm gonna have to cut this down. It's like this

(05:50):
is going on and on and on. And then you
you watched how he it was genius, how he created
that guitar solo, that how movements worked in it and
how it progressed. And so we looked at it in
the edit and I was like, oh, I just gotta
do it. I was like, let's just put it in
and see if ABC says anything. That's such a like

(06:12):
that's such a big time commitment for such out of
the box thing it is. Did you think they were
gonna come back and say you need to kind I
did think they were gonna cut I thought I thought
they would call back. Luckily, Um, you know there's music guys.
You're a music guy, right, you get you know, growing up,
I was all growing up, I was about TV and

(06:34):
TV shows and music. That's all I was about. Just
I would look on the back of the album covers,
you know who played on this record and who did that?
And I just love music. And so luckily, uh, there's
a guy at ABC. He came over from Kimmel. He
was the music booker, Scott. Yeah, he's a great guy.

(06:56):
And so, uh, Scott called me and said, I love
the Brothers Osborne. I was like, great, we're gonna keep
it all right, He's like, absolutely, keep it all So
Scott was the guy that saw it and said this
is a good let's keep it. It's like the perfect team.
Like it's two music lovers. As he's in trouble now,

(07:16):
but no, Shelly, it is true two music lovers. And
and again I've put things again just because it's it's
the right thing to do. Like girl Crush. You know,
when I first booked it, I booked it for the
Billboard Awards and it wasn't the hit now that everybody
remembers in the award winning and uh, it was just
one of those things. Man, it's like, we should book

(07:39):
this because it's great. And uh, and we did talk
to me a second. We'll just stay on the CMA
Awards for a minute. There's a lot, but we're talking
about a risk, and I can the open. Last year's
CEMA Awards was a risk. Last year's oh in Dallas, No, No,
the fiftieth for me here in Nashville, the fiftieth anniversary

(07:59):
of this Emmy Awards. Oh, that's right, that's right. Because
all the acts it was a legendary that's right. Because
you had a lot of legends that some of them
were really older, older, older, like because what it was
I'm remembering now what it was is they all played
part of a song and at the beginning of the
c m as it was like this one song after

(08:21):
another of all different greats, but some of them were
really old. Well, you know, it was struggle. It was
a risk, and I will tell you I had calls
from people going wow if you were really wow, just
managers going by the way, we're for you, we want
you to do this. Uh. And when you get when

(08:46):
you see you know, when you get Charlie Daniels and
Roy A Cuff, I mean, I'm sorry, Charlie Daniels are
Roy Clark and they're thanking you for being there. It's
like you don't need to thank me. You've earned being here.
But it was it was a risk and it was
also the rehearsal was tough. Man, it was like it

(09:06):
was a nightmare. Okay, we had people you can fall
back on, like I remember if again, I'm just going
to memory, but like Paisley was Carrie Underwood and Alabama
and Roy Clark and and they were in it. So
it was almost like a balancing act where you kind
of had to stack someone who maybe it was older
and couldn't move as well as they used to against

(09:26):
someone who could. Just in case that's correct. It was funny.
We were, like I said, the night we never did
get one full rehearsal. I mean the first time you
saw it was on the air, and so it was
just like you know, because we were bouncing back and
forth between bands, between Brass band, Carrey's band, and it
was it was so important to me though, but so

(09:49):
it was a train wreck, nightmare the rehearsal. So I'm
walking across the stage, I got my head down and
I hear a voice look better on paper, didn't it?
And it was Vince Gill. I like it'll be fine,
and this is like, yeah, it'd be good, it'll be good.
Who was it that was struggling rehearsal when you're like, man,

(10:10):
you know what it was. It wasn't necessarily artists struggling.
It was the number of artists and the you know,
just the time period of going from one to the next,
because you know it transitions. It was the transitions. And
it wasn't any one particular artist. Um, we had a
hard time with of all things. We had a hard

(10:32):
time with Mountain Music, Alabama, Alabama, of all things. Just musically,
you know, we were playing the wrong chord or something
and only Randy could hear it, and it was like
so that took a minute. But it was just the
sheer number of artists back and forth. But I will
tell you it came off. I've looked at it five times.

(10:54):
It's like the proudest thing I've ever done. So once
you do that and it comes off early on in
a TV and that's the hardest thing. Were you able
to kind of go a little bit even though it
was early in the show. Yeah, Well, I will tell
you the first reaction is, uh, we could be men
in here, right, but I cried. It was like a

(11:14):
none of us are men in here world were not?
So I cried. It was when I knew by the
time we got to Alan, I knew we were through it,
and I knew it was great. And then because you
know what, growing up, I grew up in Welming to

(11:35):
North Carolina, and my dad worked. My father worked at
a television station. He had a Friday night country music show.
I was five, six, seven, eight, nine years old and
he had a and I was on the show. I
was a squared answer on the show. So and uh
so what he would do his book all the country

(11:57):
music Grand Old Lobry stars that were coming through buck Owens, right,
Pilla Jack Greene, Jenny Seely. So I was always around
this as a kid, So I felt pressure even in that.
I was like, I gotta get this right, not for me,
but for them and for the history and what we're

(12:19):
what we're trying to accomplish. So yeah, I cried at
the end of it. And then and I did feel
that way. I felt like we're gonna be because I
knew what I had coming up to. I knew I
had George Straight Alan Jackson. I knew I had this
great duet with Garth and Tricia you know, I had
Garth singing Don't Close your Eyes by Keith Whitley. I mean,

(12:41):
doesn't get any better than that. So I knew I
had those things that you kind of like the old
Al Jolson thing, you ain't seeing nothing yet. I felt
that way. Um, but it was a lot of pressure. Okay,
So staying with ms uh, let's talk about Brady Carey
for a second, because they've been doing it successfully for

(13:02):
a long time. This will be their tenth year, and
it's always the joke, Hey, this is the last year
we're gonna do it. That's Brad's like, as long as
I'll have as long as I'll have this, I mean
ten years and they're still funny. But when you started
ten years ago, like, was that who put them together?
Put them together? I did, Yes, the first year. This

(13:23):
would be my eleventh year. So the first year we
didn't have a host. Most people don't remember that there
was no host. The first year that I was that
named the executive producer, we had multiple different people from
from from TV, from movies, and then artists. I just
didn't I felt like that there wasn't a through line,

(13:45):
you know, there wasn't that I like a host. You know,
I like the host is that's taking you through the evening. UM.
And so I picked Brad and Carey. And did you
pick them separately or did you know that there was
a dynamic between the two that had already existed. I
did not know that there was a No. I had
worked with Carrie. I had had her do a couple

(14:10):
of intros for the festival and work with and she's
just like completely brightens and lightens up and on when
when on on television, it's incredible when that when that
light goes on, it's like crazy. And then I just
felt like Brad was modern day Uh yeah, oh gosh,

(14:31):
the artist Roger Miller. It's like clever and songs were funny,
and but he could also do whiskey lullaby at the
same time, and he was like you know, and also,
uh if it felt like Carrie was very contemporary and
you know, uh, I just I did not know that

(14:51):
they would connect the way they did. Did they connect
year one? No, Well they did, we didn't know. I say, no,
we just didn't. If you look back at the first year,
there's like two jokes in the whole monologue. It's like
literally four and a half minutes. I mean really, we
were just hoping they would not fall off the stage.
You know. It was that kind of thing. Everything that

(15:12):
we did, uh, it grew, everything grew. We started figuring
out who they were on stage, what their relationship was
on stage, because it is it's like playing characters, you know. Um,
for example, we decided she's going to be like more
like a sister to him. There's not gonna be any
um humor where she's trying to uh put him down.

(15:39):
What's the what's the writing room like the week of
whenever you're going in, Because the monologue it's nine to
ten minutes long. It's long, and it's very important because again,
whatever you put at the front of a show sets
the tone for a whole show. It does, and so
the monologue is very very important. So what's a writing
room like the week of? We and Bray and Braddye

(16:04):
Cary involved. Yeah, to back up just a little bit,
they're always involved, by the way, So we've already it's
it's September. Our first meeting we had was in August.
That's insane to have artists involved that early. Um, it's
a you know, we meet every day and there's a
lot of changes. We never get really locked in until

(16:26):
uh maybe the day of it is constant. We are.
We are in the room together. It's myself, Brad and
Carey uh and and build their management and David Wilde,
our writer, and myself and it is one outside writer.

(16:46):
There's one, just one for the most really. Yeah it's us.
That's a really that's really strong man. Yeah, it's really us. Uh. Yeah,
it's it's crazy. We feel like that, you know. And again,
just like anything else we get, we can get in rhythm.
It's like the first couple of times we meet. I mean,
we come up with a few things that are good,

(17:07):
but we're still not yet right in rhythm. You know.
It's you developed that you know, when you practice free
throws in basketball, it's becomes muscle memory. We had to
get that back, you know. Uh, And we do. And
it's because we're in a room together and we can
sit in a room and any we can say anything,
we can throw out anything. There's nothing off limits. You're

(17:30):
comfortable being vulnerable, which creates the best creative You can
create the best when you're vulnerable. And if you're in
a room where you trust everyone, it seems like you
guys have that. We do have. Yeah. In fact, we
have made people leave the room that have come in before,
Like we've had people like I remember the year we
had we went up remember when Carrie did the the

(17:54):
uh she did the musical The Sound of Music. So
those first meetings had to happen in New York, okay,
because she was up there, right, So we went up
there and uh had a Roger's meeting and Randy Goodman,
the head of the label, came into the room, and
that was great, it was we were all glad to
see him. But I told the nment for him to

(18:18):
be well, you've got to leave me. It's up. At
one point in time, I was and by the way,
I've known Randy since I was fifteen years old, so uh,
so I said, Randy is so good to see you,
but you got to go. You have to leave the room.
And he's like laughing, and I'm like, no, that's not really,
you really have to leave. And because we we have

(18:42):
to be in an environment that we can say anything
and make a fool out of ourselves or take a
joke too far, there's a lot of jokes that we
would never put on the air because they go too far,
but you've got to go there to be able to
get to the real joke or to whatever it is
we're trying to say. So, at what point in that
of the let's say ten years it was coming up, Uh,
did you realize, Okay, we have something here that can

(19:04):
maybe kind of be a staple of the show, Like
these two together, that's a this is a thing at
least for a bit. I think that the third year.
That the first year, again we're just all of us.
This is just my second year too, so it's like
we're all babies together, just trying to figure it out.
First year four and a half minutes to jokes. Second year,

(19:25):
what we hit upon that I felt it was very
important still today is the musical parodies when we when
when Brad came up with that, Hey, I got this idea.
I was like, nobody else can do that. That's something
we can own. Nobody, I mean, nobody else can do
that like that where they pick up a guitar, do

(19:47):
a parody, play like Brad, sing like Brad and carry
Nobody can do that. So but it was the third
year where we hit the stride. The third year where
it was the third year we opened with Hank Williams Jr.
And And the Barbie dolls with Tim and Faith. That
was the year where we're like, okay, now we're off

(20:09):
to the races. We know exactly what we're doing, we
know what we're trying to achieve, and you know, the
Barbie dollars. For example, that happened. I read it in
the paper that they were coming out with Barbie dolls,
called my assistant immediately, I don't know what we're gonna
do with them, but order to pairs of Barbie dolls.
Then at the same time, Carrie was texting Brad, have

(20:31):
you seen that that Tim and Faith have Barbie dollars?
We've got to do something. So by the time we
got into the room, it was just in rhythm. It
was like, well, how are we gonna how are we
gonna get into it? I think we should, you know,
I said, I think we should. This is your fourth year,
give each other gifts, presents, and and then Brad's like, oh,

(20:51):
and I can act like a two year old Tim
mcgarl barby Tim mcgral Barbie and so it was just
rolled like that. So we made something that's like a
one beat joke. Where it's just a visual into this
whole you know, two minutes of two minutes of monologue
or two minutes of content show that you know. And

(21:13):
then it was like, that was the years that you know,
Hank Williams and I did all the openings for Monday
Night Football. So for seven years I created, I worked
with Hank. So we came up with this whole bit,
this whole parody of Hank. And I said in the
writer's room, Hey, what if we did if we had
Hank come out? Brad didn't know Hank, neither did Carry,

(21:35):
and it was like, oh my god, are you kidding me?
You think we can get him. I'm like, I just
I've only worked on them for the past yet. So
when you talk about the jokes, has there been a
joke or two that actually went out when you're like,
oh that was not received well, like it went over
the line, even though you've read, you know, listen as

(21:58):
a stand up comic. There are jokes that I have
that I that I don't one that I only have
tried once because you know, I worked clean, so I
don't curse what all in my act, and so I did,
and so I'd have a joke, and I only did
it once and I kind of was like, and it
was about, I mean, we're I can tell the joke here, right,
You're not so the joke is, uh, there was this

(22:23):
dude that was whacking off in a movie theater watching
the emoji movie, right, and everyone was upset about this,
like disgusted by it, and the joke was I wasn't disgusted,
but I was wondering which emoji he was whacking it over.
And it was then I started to you know, was
it the dancing girl or was it the poop emoji?
It was that whole thing. But when you start talking

(22:43):
about whacking all your your act kind of goes from PG.
Thirteen ish too a little more than that. So I
did it once. I was like, oh, that didn't it
was funny and my I'm darking. I have a dctored humor,
but there's only certain things I can put on stage,
and some things I don't feel come while putting out there.
And after I did it, I was like, you know,
I probably should have held off on the whacking off joke,

(23:05):
like it didn't feel like until I did it, and
I was like, why king off went in a little
bit too far? And so has there been a joke
where it went out and you were like, oh, maybe
that was a bit too far. Yeah, it's hard for
me because I'm not out in the audience, So all
I can react off of is what I hear, you know,
on television, because what and also by the way, I'm

(23:28):
I'm backstage, right behind the stage, so there's so many
things going on. I think that, Um, there's been some
you know, there's been things where I thought, oh, you know,
I'm not sure or maybe going after people. Did you
ever think about that, like maybe we shouldn't go after
the situation. Well, here's the thing that we try to do.

(23:49):
We try, you know. We we hope that we're not
hurting anybody's feelings that they are that for example, Blake
is always a great sport. Tim and Faith, they're like
they love it. The first couple of years, I will
tell you the truth. Well, especially three four five, we

(24:09):
we had to stop doing the monologue and dress rehearsal
because I would get back. We do the dress rehearsal
the day of show, I get back to my office
and there be ten managers. You can't say that about them.
You can't say that you know, it's like really that
it's funny, you know what, And they would want me

(24:30):
to take it out of the opening monologue, like not
doing it, you know, this is this is what we're doing.
And so we stopped doing We don't do a rehearsal anymore. Uh.
The first time that Brad and Carey do it on
stage is the first time that they is. You see
it on network television. And now I will tell you

(24:51):
this that. Uh. So there's there have been a few
things where things took off, like, for example, well that
we didn't intend, you know. For example, the year um
Kerry said the line yeah, and I'm pretty sure that's
why the Democrats lost the Senate. It was whoa who

(25:15):
you know, and we're like, really that was a that
was a throwaway line that was you know, we weren't
even thinking that that was even anything that anybody would
even think about. Uh. And then there was oh Obamacare
by morning, where it was like we got all this
the next day, like we can't believe you said this

(25:36):
stuff about the president and blah blah blah, and we're
like no, no, no no, no, we just were making fun
of a slow website. We never you know, so things
like that that take on its own life. You know.
It was that we're surprised sometimes about people interpret some
of that thing. Those things I always wonder, for example,
the Blake and Random thing was so big. It was

(26:00):
such a big thing, and they have two different personalities.
Haven't gotten to know them. Blake, we'll talk, Branda doesn't
want to, but it's almost like an elephant in the room.
How do you well, you know, how we did it.
We didn't address it with Miranda. That exactly how you
just described it was how we handled it because we
knew there was no way it would hurt Miranda's feelings,

(26:25):
I feel like, and we wouldn't want to do that.
I mean, it was just you know, we kind of
gave it to Blake a little bit, you know, um,
but not not much. You know. We just weren't going
to make a big that would have been wrong for
us to do, um, you know, especially something that was again,

(26:50):
we're not there to hurt anyboy's feelings, and that was
not the right time or the place. This m A
Awards and where the we feel like, you know, where
the oscars of country music and too to do something
that was you know, obviously painful for both of them.
Uh just wouldn't have been the right thing to do,
but it's And I'm fascinated with jokes because I'm a

(27:10):
writer and a joke teller. So I think we could
probably do two hours on just the philosophy of of
writing a monologue. But it was such the current event,
and not even because it was good, but it's what
everybody was talking about. And when you get up and
you have to talk about what everybody's talking about, it
kind of puts you, guys in a bind because what
if you're saying what if saying nothing? Well, we talked

(27:32):
about if I remember correctly, we you know that we
talked about the breakup in the room, you know, and uh,
everybody knows what we're talking about. And just so the
misdirect is it was Kermit and MS Piggy, you know,
and then and everybody felt that got it was addressed
without it being addressed. Without it being addressed, I got

(27:54):
just some bloodz puckered like crazy, I mean out well,
and here's the thing. We just we felt like it
needed to be addressed, and we would but uh, and
then what we did was is there was a beat.
You know, we showed Kermit ms Piggy out in the
audience and then uh, and then the next beat was Brad, So,

(28:15):
how's it going, Blake? You know, and we cut to
Blake and he laughs, you know, and so you know,
again that was a touchy situation for everyone, for everybody,
for me, and I wasn't having to do the national
TV show. You know, I had both people. One of
them wanted to come on the radio and talk all
about it, and one of them was like, I don't

(28:37):
want anybody talking about it. And the thing about it
is they're both great artists, uh, you know, and have
been very important to the c m A Awards and
country music and what they've done and individually, uh, what
they've done. Just you know, I just had Blake on

(28:57):
the telethon last week, you know, uh for Hand in
Hand where we raised money, raised what forty million dollars
And then when I left, it was only like ten
and I woke up the next morning. I was the
next day it was like forty was crazy. And then
you know, Miranda has done so much with Mutt Nation
and it's like you just you can't you know what

(29:20):
that would have been another thing. Uh, as far as
writing the joke that would have been the easy way
is to The easy way would have been to go through,
you know, to do something off color. But we're more
clever than that. I feel like we try to be
clever and we tried not to hurt anybody's feelings. So
you know, to me, last year, the crazy part was

(29:41):
it was Game seven of the World Series of versus
the c m as. That was crazy first of all,
as like, I'm a die hard sports fan, I'm a
dire coach fan, and at when the couple on three one,
you had to be feeling pretty good that it wasn't
gonna go game seven, right, Like you had to be
feeling pretty good, correct, because that sports case scenario areo
that they come back and went three in a row. Yeah,

(30:05):
so game six, you gotta be like, come on, come on,
Indian like you but you're the biggest Indian fan ever.
Game six, Oh absolutely. I don't know. I was pulling
for the Cubs when it started. When it started, because
it was like no, then I had to switch. So yeah, yeah,
now that was it was um you know what. It
was demoralizing actually at first when we realized that they

(30:30):
were gonna Game seven it was terrible, but then you
know what, what am I gonna do? I mean I
stayed that way for like thirty minutes, and it was
like I still got a show to do, and you
know what, it's still going to live in the universe
forever and and so people are gonna be So it
was just like, you know what, We're just gonna do
the best we can. We still retain ninety percent of

(30:50):
our ain't uh seven percent of our audience, which is
amazing considering that the Cubs don't once is Night and
even the less than casual sports fan wanted to flip
over and see. That's why it was such a good
number for you guys, because that was that was a
huge victory, well exactly, and just think of what our
number would have been headed. I mean, we were attaining

(31:11):
nineties seven percent of our audience, So what would the
number of band if we hadn't have been against Game seven?
So I wanted did they come to you? Because I
remember the next day looking at it, and frankly, I
was like, man, everybody because I did the right carpet
for television and my girlfriend played with Carry. Lindsay l

(31:31):
played guitar for Carry that night, and so I was
told I was torn. I was like, oh, so I
watched and then I had to kind of diary Cubs fan,
and so I did. I was back if I went,
and then I came back and then I flipped and
I did it all back and forth, and I was like,
I wonder. The next day woke up, I was like,
I wonder what the rating is for the for your
Award show? And I was like, wow. Honestly, I was

(31:51):
a little blown away that it was that high. Not
because the show wasn't good because I let the show.
It was fantastic, but that that's a that was a
once in a lifetime sporting event and it's still did
so well. So does ABC go, hey man, great freaking job,
Like even like they had to write they did, Yes,
they did. They were they were ecstatic, Like what a victory,

(32:12):
even though, like you said, you retained almost all the
year before. But who what thought you go up against
the one time in baseball in our whole the biggest
baseball game of our entire life. Yeah, you're up against Yes,
it's crazy. Congratulations because that's a win. It is a win,
and I was very proud of the show. But you
know and you know what, do you know what? Um? Again,

(32:33):
the rating is important, it's the it is the important thing. Um.
But the other thing is for our our artist in
our genre and any show that I'm doing, And again
it is where it also lives in the universe. Think
about the uh, justin Timberlake Chris Stapleton moment. I mean
that following week it had been viewed by over twenty

(32:53):
million people. That's in addition to our audience that's watching
it live on television. So people are just like late
night television. You know, people are finding these things or
finding the performances, or finding the monologue or finding all
these all this content in different places. It's not the
same thing as it was five years even five years ago.

(33:22):
I have you to think for a big part of
my career that that some things that I get to
do as far as breaking artists. So I'll set you
up with the story and then you'll see where you
come into play here. Uh it's been now. I don't
even know the timeline, but I ken't. There was this
artist that lived in towny is a songwriter, and I
kept bringing him in and nobody knew it was I
can't bring him in and you never a record out

(33:42):
or anything. I called him the first time ever called him.
I called him my home heiess in the shower and
he was like, let me call you, let me go back.
I'm wet in the shower. I'm like cool. So it
came up. Nobody knew it was blew the root roof off.
Second time came up. No, I started getting in trouble
for bringing him in because my bosses who don't some
of them don't listen to the show because they're nash
or they're in New York or l A. And then okay,
people are reporting back that Bobby who has five million listeners,

(34:04):
So why is he playing this unknown artist on the
show that doesn't have any hits. So my direct boss said, hey,
what what are you playing this dude? I was like,
trust me, he's really good. And then thank you, Robert
Eaton Becauys you put Stapleton on with Justin Timberlake, and
it was it's that's the I think it's the biggest
moment in the in the last five years of the CMA.

(34:27):
I think that's the biggest moment that And I don't
know how you because I want to ask what that
what went into that decision, but you made me look brilliant,
like you putting that and creating that. That's what made
Stapleton what he is. The people he already was awesome,
people just hadn't. He would come to my studio pe
blow on a way, I'd be like, how is this
guy not something? But you're the one who put him on.

(34:48):
And because of you, I get to break artists like
crazy now, like my companies like you know what, I
quit you just do you. And because you put those
two together, they finally gave me the you go ahead, Okay,
well we'll leave you alone. So I gotta know, first
of all, thank you very much for that. Secondly, how
did that come together? Well? I had been already in

(35:10):
touch with Justin for several years and trying to figure
out a way to get him on the show. We
were close one year, we thought we were going to
do a remote from I think he was in New Jersey. Uh,
And then you know what, his manager call and said, listen,
he he definitely wants to do the c m A
Awards one day, but he wants when he does them,

(35:32):
he wants to do him in the room. He wants
to be there I'm like, I totally get it. You
know what, he should be here because this is a
great room. You know. It's like if if you're an
artist and you haven't done the the c m A Awards,
it's like I have people out a genre all the
time going. I had the best time. It was awesome.
I loved the people that there's writers and you know,

(35:55):
it's just great. So uh, I've I've found out through
Christapleton's management that they were friends that and uh and
and so I reached out and Chris reached out, but
we both reached out. When you got the yeah he'll
do it, it was on the phone with Justin. Yeah,

(36:17):
so this is what happened. So how much? So the
questions are from Justin, well, how much time do we have?
And I said, as much as you want. You know,
it's like, because well, first of all, let me back
up this one bit. My son. You know, he was

(36:40):
I guess junior in high school at the time. Like
I mean, I knew Christapleton's record backwards and forwards, like
every note because my son was such a huge fan
from the day the record came out. So I am
constantly hearing this record, right Traveler and it's a great record. Uh.

(37:03):
And so I knew everything about the record. Uh. And
then he comes out with all these nominations. That was
That was I will tell you that was a surprise.
He's so beloved in the industry that a lot of
people in Nashville are like, this is the underdog guy
who's so good, that's unknown, we're voting for him. Correct. Yeah,

(37:24):
So he gets all the nominations and you go, okay,
all right. So then we reach out to Chris. So
then we have a telephone call. It's myself, Chris Stapleton,
Justin Timberlake and management. So the questions are again, how
much time do we have? It's like how much do
you want? You can have whatever you want this this

(37:46):
is gonna be great. And then the other question was
where are we going to be in the show? And
I said, you know where you you know for most
people don't know. But the highest rated show, the highest
rated points of a television show are crossing the hours.
Joe I was like, let's cross the first hour, I said,

(38:08):
And then I said, are those the right answers? And
Justin started laughing and Chris and Justin's like, yeah, those
are the right answers. So then you have to decide
what to do. Now who gets because it was drinking
away and it was um the David Awa Cooke stable
and cover. Yes, um, help me out, myke d what's

(38:29):
the how do how do you guys decide on the song?
Tennessee was Hensey whiskey? Thank you very much. So they
decided on that. So they and they come to you
and say, hey, this will be like to this is
what we like to do. I say, of course you got,
of course you know, this is what we want to do.
And it But I'll tell you what was interesting though,
because you know, you know, uh, as far as the

(38:52):
look is concerned, you know a lot of artists, like
justin timber Lake, they bring in you know, tons of
people for Los Angeles or whatever, and uh, we got
on the phone and we're like, this is what we all,
the three of us to kind of decided what we
thought it ought to look like. And uh and then

(39:13):
we just did it. Did you feel like it was
special the first time they did it together on stage?
I did. I thought it was really great. Okay, there's
a lot of but I did not. Yes, I thought
it was great. I did not. I did not know that.
So we did the rehearsal. It's it's great, Okay, it's

(39:35):
obviously going to be a moment. Justin came up to
me at the producer's table and said, don't worry about it.
I'll really bring it up tonight. I was like, at
It's like, oh, okay, great, thanks. You know, I'm like,

(39:57):
I'm already onto the next rehearsal. You know what I'm saying.
It's like And it was very polite of him to
do that and very professional. Um, but yeah, but they
brought it up. Did you know it was the thing
when it was happening last when it was live? Yes,
I did know it was you could see even backstage,
you could feel the room changing. Uh. And then what

(40:17):
we also started doing was seeing the reaction of every
of the audience. I mean you can for me, it
was mind blind. It was crazy. I was like, this
is the greatest thing I've seen, this mix of all
of it. I just started telling the camera guys, start
shooting the audience, you know, because that was also the story.
Like you, I mean, you cut to anybody, you cut

(40:38):
to any artist, and you can it's it's there's no
It was genuine, genuine love, genuine genuine all. You know.
I think there was all for justin Timberlake and going,
oh my gosh, it's justin timber Lake. And I think
there was love for Chris Stapleton and a holy crap,

(41:01):
like how have we not known this guy until right now? Right? Well,
you know what it is a perfect storm too, right,
because it's like, okay, So we made sure that we
mentioned Chris Stapleton in the opening monologue because we felt
like it was important. I didn't know he's gonna win
any awards, but we we were like Brad and Iron Carreer, like, hey,

(41:22):
we need to mention this guy. This is one of
the greatest singers ever to be in the format. Let's
make sure that he gets some notice, you know. So
we thought, let's take care of that in the opening monologue,
and we did. Brad says, you know, Chris Stapleton, one
of the greatest singers it's ever been in the format.
Well then he wins and wins and wins, and then

(41:43):
the performance it's like it he was trending worldwide, you know,
on Twitter Chris Stapleton. It was like who is Chris Stapleton?
And the winds would have been a big deal. But
I don't know if you in your heart feel this way.
But had you not created that scenario and that performance,
the Chris Stapleton world that we live in now, where

(42:07):
he's a door because he deserves to be a door,
I don't think it would have happened. Well, I don't.
I can't. I can't say that, but I'm saying it though.
Like I'm saying, I think you created the environment. And
it's all like for me. I've had people do it
for me. I've had people that said, hey, I believe
in you're putting you here. I'm believing you're putting your
here like I think that you're putting Stapleton and creating

(42:27):
that environment is what has allowed Traveler to be hurt.
It was made wonderfully. That product is going to be fantastic,
regardless of There's so many things we don't get to
hear though, because we're not exposed to it, Like you
exposed Chris Stapleton to the freaking world. Well, I I
will say, I am really proud of that moment. I
was in l I was in Los Angeles at the

(42:49):
Soho House, the restaurant, it was there were like twelve
people at the table. I was the only person and
they had anything to do with country music, and uh.
They started talking about great performances and awards shows history,

(43:10):
not the same awards, all award shows. So they asked
me mine, mine. One of mine is Prince and Beyonce
opening the Grammys. I was there incredible. Uh, And it
was funny because four of the people were like, my
favorite moment is the Chris Stapleton justin timber Lange. They
didn't even know that I had produced it. I was like,

(43:34):
you know, I raised my hand, that's mine. You're talking
about other performances that because you produced the Billboard Awards too,
and the Florida Georgia line John Legend performance when when
they crossed over. Tell me how, Tell me how that?
Because I I thought that was awesome too. I love
the fact that Legend played Holy Yeah. And I know

(43:56):
John a bit and to go to how did that
come apart? And how receptive was he to doing that? Well?
He was really, John was really receptive because we're good friends.
I don't know if you remember this, but I did
a I did a one season of a show called Duets.
It was on ABC. It was John Legend, Robin Thicke,

(44:16):
Jennifer Nettles, and Kelly Clarkson. So John and I became
really good friends. And since we did duets, I called John.
I was like, hey, come do the Christmas show. I
know you don't have any Christmas music, but you know,
come in into the cm A Country Christmas show. So
he did, and we've worked together again, uh on the

(44:38):
Billboard Awards and we're stay in contact, and you know,
literally he went he won the Oscar. I texted him
and he responded like ten minutes later. I was like,
that's cool. You know, it's like you just won an Oscar,
and he's I thought maybe in a couple of days
I might hear from him. But he is one of

(45:01):
the most unique talented intellectual He's just a really good
human being. And I had and and he loves country music.
By the way, he's friends with Faith and Tim. Uh.
I knew that he had been in Nashville writing before
and and so I so a guy named Mark Schimmel,
and I came up with this idea and I just

(45:23):
called John and he got out of Uh. He actually
changed the date to come and be a part of it.
So when they do the rehearsal I had written out,
you know, different parts like the arrangement, you know, I'd like.
So he was like when we got there and we
were doing the rehearsal, um, they were each doing their

(45:43):
own song. And I was like, well, that doesn't work.
It's like, why are we doing this then? If you know? So?
I asked John. I said, John, I you know what,
this doesn't work unless you sing part of Holy. And
John's like, well, I'm alright with it if the guys are.
So the guys were around the corner for another rehearsal
around the other side of the set. So this was

(46:04):
so great and this is what's great about working with
musicians and great people. And so I went over to
the Florida Georgia line guys and I was like, hey, guys,
this doesn't work unless John sings part of Holy. And
they looked at me and they were like, oh my god,
do you think he would? And I'm like, no, he will.
I just talked to him and they're like, really, he

(46:27):
could sing the whole thing if we if he wanted to.
They were like, oh my gosh, you're kidding me. John
Legend's gonna sing our song, and I'm like, now, he
didn't need to sing the whole thing, but he's just
gotta be able that way the performance works. So they
were like thrilled that he would even consider doing it,
and so I thought it would really worked. I thought
I was really proud of that moment. And Chrissy hosted right,

(46:48):
she coach did the year before the year before, so
I know then. I love her too. By the way,
so how I know them is one of my best friends,
Andy Roddick is wats Brooklyn Decker, and Brooklyn and Chrissie
are really tied, okay, So I would know them through
hanging out all together. And Chris is awesome. Yes, she's awesome.
And now, yeah, I knew Crizzy before she became Crissy
Teague and you know she was she was still don't

(47:10):
get me wrong, she was still an s I swimsuit model,
so it was like nothing to go should But before
she was like the super influencer and became super famous. Well,
I didn't know. You know, this is sometimes my my
head's in the ground. But when I met her, I
didn't know. I didn't know any of that. She was
just John's girlfriend. We would go over like he would

(47:31):
have like cookouts and stuff while we were doing duets,
and so we would go over and have food and
hang out, and I just I didn't know, but and
that's how we became friends. And I was so thrilled
when she I did the Billboards with us because it
was just, you know, it was great just to be
with her. And then she got pregnant and coutt't do

(47:52):
the next year or so. I was like, why, Yeah,
that's why. Yeah, that's why she couldn't do it. So
you're you're background televisions. I mean, man, it's long since
you've been having memories. You've had memories of television and music.
It's like they're both your thing, which works perfectly with
a lot of what you do. But even like I

(48:13):
guess before we can go back to your childhood, Like
you've done a lot of music videos. Yes, like that,
a lot of music videos, Like we don't do any
anymore though, but looking back, like you do some flat
you did, some Flats I did, like I would say
the majority of all the Rascal Flats music videos I did,

(48:33):
save a Horse Ride a Cowboy by Big and Rich,
Independence Day by Martina Believe by Independence Day let's hold
on that one for a second, Like that was a
big video video, Like the video was vivid to me,
Like the song was a big deal for me listening
to the radio, Like Independence Day that was a big
deal for me. But I remember the video at a
time when videos were starting to not be as video

(48:55):
e if that makes sense, Like they were videos were
such a big deal, but Independence they cut through the
time for me whenever I was kind of getting off
the video thing. But it's I can still vividly see
it when I can't think of any more videos around
that time. Yeah, it's interesting how that whole thing, you know,
we we made that wasn't a number one record either,
by the way, that was I think really maybe maybe

(49:19):
top ten maybe. Uh it's the first time and about
the only time when I heard a record and I
called the label and asked to do the video. So
you actually pursued the video because you thought you were
that passionate about it. And I hadn't heard. I didn't
know Martina, and we had never worked. I had never

(49:40):
worked with her, you know. Uh my business partner George Flanning,
and I didn't know. We didn't know Martina, and uh
I called because I thought the song was just so
powerful and something that needed to be said. So I
wrote the idea, we sent it to Martina, talked to

(50:00):
her on the phone for about an hour. She still
couldn't decide whether we were doing or not, so then
she wanted to meet me. So I went down and
we met with her for like an hour and a half.
It was like therapy, crazy talking about everything, and I said,
at the end of it, I was like, what's so.
I mean, I had to get the gig and do

(50:21):
we do we get to do this and she's like, yeah,
so that's so we did it. And you know, um
it was at the time, you know of the o J,
the whole o J thing going on, and so there
was a lot of So what happened was is like
we had released the video and there wasn't much. It
was quiet actually at first, and then uh USA Today

(50:45):
did a story on it because of domestic abuse and
everything and reporting of what's what was going on in
the world at the time. And then once they did that,
did a story on it, front page story on it.
Then the song and and then in the video took off.
So it's too bad we had to have videos like that,

(51:05):
but hopefully that it contributed to uh to somebody or
help somebody somewhere, I hope. Do you remember the last
video you made before you start making easy videos? I
think I I'm pretty sure it was reminded me by
by Brad and Carry because what happened was is I
was really uh slowing that down and really uh getting

(51:31):
out of it and uh and it and Brad and
Carry had done this song together and it was they
were like, you have to do this because you worked
with Brad and you work with me, so you know,
so it was like that made sense to do. So
here's the funny ones. How so we shoot that opening
sequence of Carrie walking towards the camera, you know, and

(51:53):
it's Carrie Underwood. She looks pretty good, right. Brad's looking
at the cameras like, oh man, this is not going
to be good for me. I'm like, no, nobody's gonna
pay attention to you first. Oh yeah, He's like this
is not gonna be good for me. No really, I
started laughing. He's like, no, no, really this is And

(52:15):
I'm like, yeah, right, as soon as you got Carry
under one in this video, noways paying attention to you. Pal.
So so as a kid, who did you look at
on TV and go, man, that would be awesome. I
could be like that. You know, I've always thought that
it would be great two create these things. So you

(52:37):
were even in your mind as yeah, you weren't the
guy because for me, I like at David Letterman was
my hero because he looked funny and I looked funny
and he was said weird things and I was the
weird kid. Yeah, so I saw him as me. You
saw I want to make David Letterman happen. I want
to be the guy because I was always in a
TV station. She saw it when I was little, so
I would see the director of working and you know,

(52:59):
and it was funny because my dad was on air
talent he was you know. But I just never you know,
I always like I just like the movies I love, like,
for example, White Christmas. I gotta watch that movie every year.
And it's when I was little because it was behind
the scenes. You know. I loved all that behind the
scenes of the trunks and the clothes and the changing

(53:21):
and you know, you are you familiar with the movie,
so yeah, I love that, you know, all that stuff.
So I um and then you know, before my dad
was a TV station, it was a radio station. So
he would bring home the forty five and I love
my forty five. I love the the I love the

(53:42):
the the actual seeing the logos of the record labels
and all the different labels. You know, that was my collection.
He would bring home records and or or I would
go like he'd do remotes, you know, and I was
like six five six years old, and he would do
remote it like you know, hardware store or whatever, you know,

(54:05):
local thing, and you know, he would do an interview
with someone like on the street or something, and I'd
get and he would point at me when to push
the button to play the record. So you were basically
the producer engineer exactly. So he pointed to me and
I pushed the record to me. That was magic. I
love that, I said, I love everything about entertainment. Did

(54:29):
he want you to pursue a career in entertainment? Knowing
the entertainment sucks and it's awesome, but sucks a lot
more than it's awesome, Like it takes a special breed
to fail a lot, and that's what we have to
do in order to succeed. The entertainment. You have to fail.
You have to be okay with failing a lot. How
did he approach you? Well, you know, so honestly, that

(54:55):
part of my life was young, you know, when I
was around the TV station and that, and then when
I got into my teenage years, Honestly, I didn't say
him much. You know, he had a he had started
a band, and we're being honest and real here, so
you know, I he was on the road and it

(55:18):
wasn't around, you know, and so I, uh, you know,
there wasn't at that point much guidance, you know. So
you know, all the women in my life, my grandmother
and my mom, they were That's why to this day,
I you know, I love strong women, you know, like

(55:41):
Martina may Bride and Carrie Underwood and uh So at
the time, as a kid, you know, I was always
I was rushing to get out. You know. It was
like school in high school. I think if I'd go back,
if I went back, I would rather maybe take a

(56:03):
little bit more time and enjoy where I was. But
I was. I was ready to leave. I wanted to
be in this business so bad, in film television, but
now there wasn't that much Honestly, there wasn't that much
guidance at a certain point, and it was pretty painful there.
You know, I spent spent a lot of time with therapy, uh,

(56:24):
not having like I don't have a dad at all
growing up, and you know, my mom had a lot
of issues. But for me, you know, I was always
chasing the Hey, you did a good job. Do you
feel like definitely why because you you wanted his approval?
Because as you're saying those words, I'm like, I know
that exactly, feeling like I know exactly what you're saying

(56:44):
right now because that's how I felt my whole life. Absolutely,
I think, uh, definitely want approval um. And I think
that that absence of that, you know, growing up and
not having not having him, like here's the thing being
so close and so connected and then and then like

(57:07):
the door shut and it's like then not it was like,
I mean, we did everything together, horseback riding, I was
part of the TV show. I was always around the
TV station and then all of a sudden, eleven years old, nothing,
you know, And so I think you're right. I mean,
I think I am definitely that way, but I think

(57:27):
it serves me in a in a really good way.
You know. Um, I think that. You know, it's there's
nothing more important to me than to getting the performance
right and getting making sure that they're happy, making sure
that the artist and the music is is right. So
I think there is that wanting to make people happy,

(57:48):
that's part of it. But you know what, I think
that's what partly makes me successful. I might have been different.
I know me, like it's always been a that's where
I searched for love is going. We are getting deep
here like I would be in my therapis like this
is where this is where you go out to search
for love. Is You're going to a crowd, You're going
to do stand up, You're going to do for you
to play, you get on the radio and tell your stories,

(58:09):
you do your television show, and you this is your
search for love because you never got it as a kid.
My grandma, you know, raised me, adopted me. You know,
my mom was there on and off. You know, she
died in her forties. I never had a dad until
so it was just like that was my place that
I as. At the same time, I'm trying to piss
everybody off by being successful, Like I'll show you you

(58:31):
want to, don't support for me, I'll just go make
it myself and I'll show you exactly what you kind
of missed out on. But my approval was always trying
to find love from and still is what I'm not
talking about. Was like, that's still why I'm psychotic. I'm
trying to find love from this other place because I
never got what I've learned is we all nobody's whole

(58:51):
like that. I haven't met one person that we really
sit down and talk to them. They're like, I'm just good.
I used to think that I was just like a victim.
I just think man in my life, but I think,
as you said, it's made me stronger. And I didn't
ted talk where I was like, you know, for a
long time in my life, I was like, it really
sucks how I grew up. I was a food stamp kid.
I was a kid that had really bad teeth, that
was a poor kid. He couldn't But that's what made

(59:13):
me stronger. Like I used that now and like I'm
a fighter and I'm a grinder because of all of
that time where at like I'm conditioned now too. I'm
gonna work harder than anybody and this is how I
naturally work because I had to. And then well, I agree,

(59:34):
you know, it's what something that you said about I'll
show you. I've had that every single day in my life.
It's like, there's no doubt about it. I'm gonna show you.
I'm gonna here's the thing I tell people in classes
or you know, there's a lot of talented people out there,
they're sleeping like yeah, it's like that there. You gotta

(59:55):
get out, you gotta get you know, every day I'm
ready to compete. Uh. And that's but you know, and
that's what you gotta do to be successful. But it
is a part of I'll show you. It's a part
it's really funny, it's I will show you and it's
part um you know, serving people are wanting to do

(01:00:17):
good by people and wanting to people people to go, oh,
you did a good job, you know, And it is
that I would say those years, those formative years, definitely
plays into I will tell you the truth four years ago.
If we had done this interview three years ago, I
would have never mentioned that to you. I would have
never said it. What was to break through a point

(01:00:37):
in your life where you're like, I feel like I
could talk about this because I've had those. Yeah, where
was it? Where was it in your life that you
hit where You're like, I'm now okay with that. I
think that Uh. I think it's a conversation that uh
I had. I was married once before, I went through
a divorce, um, and that is painful. It was also

(01:01:03):
another situation where I don't think I, at least I
perceived never accepted by her father. So that was another
and I'll show you yeah. Uh, but I think it
was my mike. You know, I started, I got remarried,

(01:01:25):
and I was dating uh my who is now my wife,
and we were in a conversation and uh she said,
hold on, hold on a second, wait a minute. You know,
you're not like everybody else, right, And I'm like, what
She's like, You're not like, you're not like everybody else,
You're different, You're special. And she has made me believe that.

(01:01:54):
So I think she's the reason why I can tell
you that today, or tell that story, or go back
into something in my past that was painful. And now
you have a son that plays the crap out of
an instrument. Yes, I mean he he beats those things
he does, so he's a heck of a drummer. So

(01:02:17):
now you have a son and he's drumming, like like
he's fantastic. Yeah, he's really a good drummer. Like what
do you tell him? Because it's it's a cycle, like,
are you're able to see? The cool thing is you
can see the cycle, so you can break the cycle.
That's the wother thing about the cycles. If you don't
see it, you can't break it. I told him, Uh,
he asked me when he was eleven years old, do

(01:02:39):
you think I could be a professional drummer? And you know,
and he's still you know, struggling, He's had to development deals.
It's hard, you know, Um, I said, you know what,
then go for it. Don't worry about a backup. Don't
do a backup. Don't have a backup plan. Because you
have a backup plane, you'll use it. You'll use it absolutely.

(01:02:59):
That's I've had other parents that they literally think I'm crazy,
just think I'm crazy, But well you are. But it
takes crazy to be great, Like it takes crazy to
be great. That's exactly right. I'll go I'll go speak
and you know the same thing. I'll go talk to
these classes and I'll do a ted talk, I'll do it.

(01:03:19):
And it's like, hey, plan A is what you're dreaming.
Is a Plan B is go back to Plan A.
Otherwise you're just gonna go and work your your cousin's
accounting place because it's gonna be the easier thing to do. Yeah, exactly.
And you have to be crazy. You have to be crazy.
It is the thing about it is if if you
could be happy doing something else, then you should do it,

(01:03:40):
you know. But if I would not be happy, you know,
this is what I want to do. I don't have
any hobbies, by the way, this is it, you know.
I don't go play golf. I don't you know, you
know what I love seeing my son played drums. I
loved you know, seeing uh my daughters and film and television,

(01:04:01):
and I love seeing what she's doing. And and then
my son James was an athlete. I love being and
seeing what they're doing and being involved in their life
and and uh my wife is constantly you know, there's
when I'm with her, there's no place I'd rather be,
you know, because she's like the most interesting person that
I know and the kindest and so uh. But other

(01:04:25):
than that, this is what I want to be doing.
I want to be producing, directing. I want to do
another film, I want I love my shows, I love
the c m A Awards, I love the history. Um, yeah,
this is what I want to be doing. Do you
ever see step Brothers with I love that. I'll feel like,
do we just become best friends? That kind of what

(01:04:46):
I felt like that. I think we game best friends? Well, listen,
we we We spent an hour talking. It feels it
just flies by. But I felt like I went to
a masterclass a little bit. Dang, I appreciate it. All
the kids out there in there, you go call him
a home, give yourself on over. Okay, so I'll say,

(01:05:06):
because this thing lives forever. And uh, the c m
as are coming up in November. People will be listening
to this for a year or two years, but to
come in November. Right now, what is the date for today?
It is September of September. Um, So when you watch
this year, Robert, we've producing everything that's going on in

(01:05:26):
every decision that he's made. Because people wonder if they
don't know, like they don't they just that weren't produces it.
Nothink mus know what that means. And I don't say
that in the negative way. I didn't until I got
involved into the business in different ways. But that's the
guy who or the girl, just the person who's controlling all,
all all, and that's you, the creator, the creator. Man.

(01:05:48):
I can't wait to see what you got in store
this year. And the I of the c m A especially,
I thought the Brothers ally More moment was such a
cool moment. Like I was watching in a hotel because
I was on the road and I don't even go
do my set until like nine thirty because of a
couple of opening eggs and I we were watching Brothers
Osborne and going, man, next time I see al Right,

(01:06:08):
I tell him how great that I thought that was.
It was, it was. It felt like a risky move
that really paid off. Karen Fairchild texted me and she said, yeah,
she just said, thank you for Brothers Osborne. That's that's
that's all. She said, Yeah, I totally get it. Well,
thank you for being here. Thank you very much. I

(01:06:28):
appreciate it. Robert Deaton and uh, I don't know if
the ad we promote you don't sell a product or anything.
Episode eighty wanted the Bobby cast thank you, we'll see
you next time.