March 22, 2025 • 36 mins
Joining me for this episode multi-award winning singer/songwriter Skip Ewing. Skip has written 11 #1 country hits recorded by likes of Keith Urban, George Strait, Kenny Chesney and many of the biggest names in country music. Skip and I have a chat about his own recent hit Road Dog. Road Dog a fun, lively and heartfelt song that features his own dog Shotgun. Skip explains how after many years of writing songs to hit the charts, he is now writing about what moves him and others (Guess what? His songs are still hitting the charts!) Skip says “It’s all about hearts and not charts”. Skip provides insight to his writing style, his personal spiritual journey and how horses, dogs and all animals have helped shape his life. Skip Ewing is truly one of the best! Have a listen and enjoy!
EPISODE NOTES: Skip Ewing - Road Dog
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EPISODE NOTES: Skip Ewing - Road Dog
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/animal-writes-animal-writers-and-best-selling-authors-pets-animals--6666984/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
His Pet Life Radio. Let's Talk Pets. Welcome to Animal
Rights on pet Life Radio. This's your host, Tim Link,
and I'm so glad you're joining us. Today. We have
a wonderful, wonderful new twist to the show. We don't
always get these, because you know, this show Animal Rights.
We interview authors and writers and people that write about
(00:25):
animals or you know, have animals as part of their
characters and their books. But every once in a while
we get a fun and interesting twist on things. And
so now today we have a super duper singer songwriter
coming on board. Of course, we're talking about the world
famous Skip Ewing, and we're going to talk to Skip
about his latest release of a single, Road Dog, and
(00:46):
talk to him about animals. Of course, we'll talk about
dogs and horses and all that wonderful stuff. They want
to pick Skip's bring a little bit about writing, how
he crafts his writing, how he goes about doing his work,
how he's become one of the most famous songwriter out there.
So we're gonna have to pick us brain a little
bit about that as well. So it's a fun, an
interesting and exciting show. So everybody hang tight, we'll come
(01:07):
back right after this commercial break. You're listening to Animal
Rights on Petlife Radio.
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Let's talk pets on Petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Welcome back two Animal Rights on pet Life Radio. Joining
me now. He's a Grammy, Tony CMA and ACM, a
more Dominie. He's written eleven number one hit records for
legends such as Keith Urban, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Trip'll
Play Award Winner. Just the list goes on and on,
(02:19):
and of course he produces his own stuff as well.
You know, road Doc we're talking about some want to
pick about it because I love the song, love the track.
Of course we're talking about Skip eweing Skip.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Welcome to the show, and thank you very much. I
appreciate it. It's nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah, I'm super excited to have you here because, like
I said, I'm always looking for a little bit different
twist to things. I don't always get to you at
chat with the singer songwriters. And of course you know Mark,
our producer, and myself, we love music, country music in particular,
and I know that's your genre and we know you're
one of the best out there. So I guess we'll
first start talking about what you got going on right now,
(02:55):
because you've got a new single, new release and album.
I guess we call it an old school terms a
track coming out called road Dog. So tell us a
little bit about the music the road Dog and how
that all came about.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
For sure, road Dog is from the new album that's
out called road to California, So it had Albums are
still a thing, Tim, no worries about ball and this
was just a fun track that it just came to be.
I mean, I can tell you how I wrote it
and what have you, but maybe I should just back
up a tiny bit and let you know some of
what you talked about. You know, I lived in Nashville
(03:28):
for twenty something years and I wrote for all these wonderful,
incredible artists. I mean, you know, everybody from like Willy
to the Zach brownband. I mean, it's just but I
took a break because I had fallen in love with horses.
That's a longer story, but as a spiritual walk for me,
I sold everything in Nashville and went on the road
to study horsemanship. I did that for about eight years.
(03:51):
I met my wife, and that's pretty much all I
did that. I started traveling and we were doing clinics
and we ended up coming to Wyoming. And after we
to Wyoming, my wife took a job as a videographer
for another horseman and I grabbed my guitar and started
back writing some And after I played her those songs,
she said, Honey, I think it's time we put the
(04:13):
journeys together. And I said, I don't know, honey. If
I go back and do music full time again, this
is going to be comprehensive. I mean, it's just gonna
it's everything. I'm gone a lot, you know. And she said,
I just think people need to hear it. So that
is what led me back to now, which is why
we have, you know, a new album out. This is
second album in a row that we've produced since since
(04:33):
I made that choice, and Road Dog happened because of
our dog. I have a Pyrenees Australian Shepherd mix who's
a one hundred and well one hundred and fifteen pounds
maybe one hundred and twenty. Now he likes to eat,
but he thinks he's puppies and his favorite his favorite
seat in the truck is a shotgun seat, so that's
why he's called Shotgun. I don't even he can barely
(04:55):
fit in that seat anymore. But the song came about
because I walked out one day and looked at my
truck and Tim, you know, out here everyone's got a
white truck. It's just you don't always know it. So
sometimes the dirt lets me see it's white. Sometimes it doesn't.
Right right, I opened the door, and I mean, my
truck is absolutely filled with white hair and smudges all
(05:17):
over the windows. And I realized that, as crazy as
it is, I love it. I love our dogs. I
love the kind of life that we have. It very
close to us. There's got to be people who feel
that man everywhere, because all of our friends out here
have dogs, you know, like that, and they're just part
of their lives. I mean, you know, that's just it.
It's just their four laded family out here. I mean,
(05:38):
they're with us everywhere all the time. And I came
home and I said, Donny, I had this little bluegrass
rift thing, and I think it's fun. I said, it
takes a chance that you know, there's a lot of
other people who like to travel with their dogs. I said,
but I think we're talking about, oh, maybe a few
hundred million people, so we might be snaked with that.
And now we cut it, and it seems that a
(06:00):
lot of people really like it. So and look it's
led me to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, well we love it. Well, I mean I love
as you said to the riff, the tune and the video.
Now the video was that put together by your wife
or another source? Cause that everybody's got to go to
download the video take a look at it, because it's
it's brilliant.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Well, my wife is brilliant. I married one of the
greatest spirits on the planet. To be be true, I
don't know what she's doing with me, but she's brilliant,
and she's got the same kind of hard She's all
about animals, you know, as as well. And our idea was,
I said, honey, you know, with everything that you can
do with video and post production and all that, and
(06:41):
she's made many videos, just the two of us out here,
we've done you know, even multi camera shoots. Takes us forever.
But we you know, we have a lot of fun.
And I said, what would you think if we integrated
you know, pictures of dogs, but not just any dogs, Like,
why don't we ask our fans, you know, anybody who
to send of their dogs in that are relevant to
(07:02):
you know, to traveling. And so we did. We put
it out there and we got hundreds and on hundreds
of great pictures. I mean, dogs on motorcycles, dogs on boats, dogs,
you know, dogs dressed up, dogs asleep in the back seat.
And Linda said, oh my god, I'll never be able
to fit these in this video. But what she did
is she took and she integrated them. So there's one
(07:25):
hundred and fifty individuals, a lot of dogs at least
in this video and shotguns just riding with me, you know,
in the truck and I'm you know, I'm singing the
song and we kind of we kind of just had
some fun with the way that it looked, and then
put all these dogs in the way it worked out
was really fun and a lot of people were happy that.
And now that it's going out to radio, it looks
(07:47):
like there's gonna be some more things like that that
are gonna that are going to happen because everybody loves
their dogs. And I have this thing about championing other
people's joy and their successes, you know, so it makes
me happy to involve other people's So if we eat
another one, if we have another chance to do some
special video with a zillion dogs in it again, just
so people can see their dog in a in a
(08:07):
video and we can have fun. Oh man, I love it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I love it well.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
I always say, if you put a dog in there,
you're golden. Whatever it is. I don't care if it's
a book, I don't care if it's an album, I
don't care what you do. Put a dog on there.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
You know, let me say, don't let an animal act
open for you. Right.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
That's it, And you know the song's fantastic, it really is.
I mean it just touches me. Of course, not only
were we talking about dogs here, but just it hooked
me right away. You know, I listened to a lot
of different am using some of it takes me a
little while to catch on to, you know, really get
it and really enter me. And this one hit me
right away. Dogs of course being part of it hit
me right away. But the video is golden because I
(08:45):
love picking. I'm like, oh, yeah, that's a you know,
that's a just dog. I wonder if he has a
schnauzer in there. I'm a schnauzer guy. There schnauzer in there.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Well yeah, I mean it was just we had a ball,
We really did. And and the fun thing is it's
really road dog is a is A. It's the dog
who's actually singing this song. So and that's a that's
a little different too. And I thought that was kind
of taking the chance. But it's fun.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, absolutely, And that's the thing that you know, it
was a lot of fun. You know, immediately I had
to turn around the shirt with my wife as well,
saying you've got to listen to this. This is this
is the perfect song. And so yeah, we've got to
download it. Don't you worry about that, buddy.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
That's what led to me being on the show Tim
and I really appreciate it. And thank you for listening.
Anytime someone listens this day and age, it feels like
a gift to me. So thank you for taking the
time to do that.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Well, thanks for putting it together. We do appreciate it. Well,
list you touched a little bit about that the journey,
because going to Nashville, I'm sure was a dream, and
getting to work with all these fantastic people, seeing your
songs taking up by them writing. At what point did
you get to where you're saying, hey, I've got to
take a break from all this? I mean, was it
(09:52):
more of I've always loved horses, and here's an opportunity,
so I'm gonna go. Or I threw a dart at
the map and Wyoming one, so I'm packing up my
gear and I'm heading there. How was that interchange? And
then tell us a little bit about that spiritual journey
and connection you have with warses in particular.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Sure, well, you know, I ran away from home basically
right after high school and went to Nashville. I had
a job offer, and I had done a lot of
music before then, and I just never looked back. And
I got offered, you know, a publishing deal and then
a record deal. And it wasn't like I set out
and said, Hey, I'm going to be a country songwriter
or I'm going to be a country singer. Basically, Tim
(10:30):
followed where I could, you know, stay alive doing music,
and I worked on it and worked on it, and
I found that writing was a natural progression for me.
I played guitar since I was four years old, and
I didn't know what I was doing, so I just
made stuff up, so making up words to go with
the stuff I was making up. That made perfect sense
from the beginning, you know, I endeavored to hone my craft,
and then once I got a publishing deal and a
(10:52):
record deal, I had you know, my own songs on
the radio, and then I started getting songs recorded by
other artists and having you know, many many hit I mean,
twenty some hit records at least in that decade and
a half at least. And it was a really difficult
time as well. It's hard to write, you know, consistently
(11:14):
for ten, fifteen, twenty years, and a lot changes in
that amount of time. And I have always been someone
who comes to my writing more about those who are
listening than if a chart is an indication of whether
something is good. I have always said that it's more
about parts for me than it is about charts. There
(11:35):
are a lot of number one records that I don't
think are going to be remembered that much in twenty years.
But I have some songs I wrote thirty years ago
that are still getting played on the radio. Where I
can't go somewhere and have someone they'll know the words.
Any country I go to, anything that's amazing. And that connection,
that human connection, that lasting part connection is what I'm about.
(11:59):
And there was a time I'm where it was difficult
for me to write what I believed in and have
that be what was getting played on radio. And if
I'm not getting songs on the radio, a publishing company
is not gonna you know, That's what they do. They're
after the money, and money is money is great, but
it doesn't it doesn't drive me the way it does
(12:19):
some people. And in the interim, I had been coming
to Wyoming. I came in about nineteen ninety nine or
two thousand, something like that, just to ride. I just
went to a ranch. You know, I knew a bit
about horses. My grandfather was a thoroughbred rancher in California.
When I was a kid, but I didn't didn't ride,
and I didn't really know that much. I was just
a kid, you know, went out and threw hey in
the feeders and whatever, you know, but to kind of
(12:41):
speed along here. After I had been coming to Wyoming
for a number of years, I began recognizing in horses
what I would never have otherwise recognized had I not
spent time. I used to go down and just just
watch and just see how they moved, and you know
what kind of sound they made, how they interact with
one another, whether they were interested in me and my
(13:04):
relationship with any horse that I began riding. I began
realizing that I was the one who was significantly limited
in my understanding what was that offering me as a human.
And I began to realize, ye, yes, I was more sensitive,
and I could tell some things about horses that I
couldn't tell before, and I had learned. But more importantly,
I kept learning from them what I could do more skillfully.
(13:27):
Where I found myself where I would learn something with
a horse and I would invite that horse to do
that with me. And if I wasn't skillful, the horse
was still trying as very dust, and it was rarely
the horse who had the challenge. It was almost always me.
And this inspired me. And so when I was in
Nashville and I got to that place and riding where
I went, I don't know if I can make a
(13:47):
living the way that I really making the music, like
the music that I'm making now, getting to really be
the artist that I would like to be, and never
have been able to do that, and now I can.
But when I wasn't able to, I just looked at
my whole life and lent this feels spiritual to me.
This is about me becoming the kind of person that
I or allowing that to flower, if that's a way,
(14:09):
you know. And so I sold everything. I sold my house,
I sold all my furniture. I sold everything except my
guitars and my art, put those in a storage unit,
and you know, waved goodbye to Nashville for a while
and went out to basically to learn about me and
as much about horses as I could. And this changed
my whole life. It really changed my I feel it did.
I feel. It changed my understanding of relationships, It changed
(14:32):
how skillful I was, and quite importantly, it changed how
willing I was to look at how skillful I wasn't
if that makes any sense. Yeah, absolutely, well, I could say,
wait a minute, there are so many things that I'm
being given the opportunity to recognize. You know. That's the
old thing about the levels of learning. You know, in
the first thing is you don't know that you don't know,
(14:54):
and you know that you don't know. Well, I think
that that was a very important time in my life,
and that relationship with horses and what I still put
into practice from everything that I've learned is part of
my writing. It's part of my you know, part of
when I'm crafting songs and making records and especially when
I'm out doing a show. I mean, that's a right
(15:15):
now thing. That's an interaction that is just as it's
just as much a tapestry or breathing the same air.
I know that's a weird thing to say, but I
don't think of it as anything, but that is one
of some of the moments of our life where we're
taking breaths together and it can be amazing and hopefully
I'm offering the kind of you know, the kind of
music and art and now even my own heart a
(15:38):
bit a bit differently and thank goodness, you know I'm
with Linda, for instance, I don't I'm not sure I
could have been. I'm sure. I am sure that I
could not have been the man I am for her
and now under our circumstances. Had I not taken that journey,
and I wouldn't be writing the music, and I don't
know if I'd be having the same kind of success.
It's pretty crazy that, Wow, all of a sudden, you know,
(15:59):
I'm getting songs. You know, got a top forty song
on the radio with Lanny Wilson and Ernest to cut that.
This road Dog song is out to radio. I've got
this new album. It looks like we're going to cut
a new project. And they and hey, I'm I'm listening
if other people are listening, and they'll open the doors
for me. I'm all about it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I love it, and I love the fact that you
took that leap of faith to find your spiritual journey,
you know, to take that journey to find yourself make
that connection. Obviously, horses are a big part of that.
Animals always bring out the best in us. And I
would agree with you wholeheartedly. You know, I haven't walked
in your shoes. But from you know, what we've talked about,
why I know of you, I do believe it took
(16:41):
that journey to get back to who you are and
to uncover even more of who you are. And now
you have someone obviously side by side to take that
journey with you. That's that's got to be. It's got
to be a thrill, and it's got to be make
you feel good about the fact that, hey, I'm doing
the right thing.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Well, it does, and you know, I mean, I just
think as humans, the more times we go around the sun,
the more things we've learned, whether we wanted to or not,
you know, And so that does change. That does change things,
and horses weren't not you know, the entire spiritual element
of my walk, if that makes any sense. But the
reason when I say that it's spiritual is because you know,
(17:19):
it's more it's beyond the horsemanship what we might call
horsemanship skills as far as you know, I ride this
well or what you know, whatever however you want to
say that, but it is about recognizing our own growth
and development and offering that, for instance, to other humans
that were with and with horses that we're with. Sometimes knowing.
(17:41):
Sometimes just being aware and being present is like I
think it's one of the greatest gifts that we can give,
even with a horse. Sometimes I feel the greatest thing
you can do for a horse is nothing. Just give
them a minute. They've maybe they've been working, you know,
with you and really given it and maybe they were
under standing, maybe you're understanding. Maybe you're both not understanding,
(18:03):
or maybe you both are. But that feeling, I believe
it even translates to a horse. You know what. You
know what, buddy or sister, right now, you've got my
complete attention, You've got my ears, you've got my eyes, whatever,
we're just whatever. We're just here and it's awesome. That's
the same thing with humans. And so I guess those
efforts of going how can we be? How can I
(18:24):
do that for all the relationships of my life, including
the one inside my own head, you know. And this
is one of the reasons why I would say it's spiritual,
not because it's something that's magic between you know, a
person and a horse. I think things in that space
in my limited time, I mean a decade is not
a long time for some horseman, that's you know, But
(18:47):
in that time you know, to be able to say
I really feel there are some most of that is
just so concrete. It just is these are the things
that are, and the more we're aware of that, the
better we can be. That's just how it is, you
know what I mean, That's how it is. And and
what do we do with that? It inspired me. It's
(19:07):
thrilled me actually to be given those kinds of teachers
and then and then to move into the rest of
my life. And it continues, you know, it continues, but
it's all up in my writing, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
That's it. That's it. Well, I think it's a fantastic journey,
obviously a great story, and where now it's led you
almost full circle, but in a perhaps I will say,
in a better place, and your journey to get you
to where you are today, you know, has got to
attract more. You know, positive energy attracts positive energy. So
when you're in a good headspace, when you're in a
(19:39):
good place, good things are going to happen for you
as well as you're going to attract good people around you.
So good for you. I like it.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
I agree that I agree with that, you know, cultivating
the right kind of attitudes and the right kind of
energies is definitely something that manifests well in everyone's life. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
All right, Well, we're gonna take a quick commercial break.
We'll come back in chat a little bit more with
the skip youing and talk about writing. He sort of
led us into that. I want to know a little
bit more about how he goes about crafting his skills
in writing, as well as how he determines what he's
going to record and compared to what somebody else is
going to record. So everybody hang tight, we'll pick the
brain of the master when we come back. And you're
(20:17):
listening to Animal Rights on Pet Life Radio. Hi, this
is Tim Blake, animal communicator and pet expert and host
of Animal Rights on Pet Life Radio. Have you ever
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(20:38):
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Speaker 4 (21:19):
Let's talk past you.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Let's done pett Life Radio, Headline Radio, petlight radio dot com.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Welcome back to animal riots on pet Life Radio. Send
you our conversation with one of the best singers of
songwriters out there. Skip you ing, skip before the break.
We talked briefly or released. We introduced into the fact
of your writing in general. And these are things that
always fascinated me because you know, singing and songwriting. How
(21:50):
do you craft it? How do you do it? What
comes first? Does the music come before the lyrics? Lyrics
come for the music, or is there an another inspiration
such as a shotgun coming into play saying, hey Dad,
you gotta write this.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Song for me?
Speaker 1 (22:03):
How does that all work for you? Does one come
before the other.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
Well, that's a you know, obviously that's a huge, a
huge quest. You know. There's an old saying that that's like,
you know, writing is like fifteen percent inspiration and the
rest work, you know. And there's another saying that I
agree with that is basically it is hell to be
writing and heaven to have written, you know. So there's
(22:27):
and so most of those things come into play. It's
not like you just decide you're going to write a song,
or at least for me that you know, it sometimes
takes me days, days and days for certain songs i'll anymore.
And there was a time when I tried to finish
a song almost every day, but I found the percentage
of what I wrote was not as good as I
(22:47):
thought it could be. And you know, and so a
smaller percentage of things that we get cut as far
as whether they're for an artist or not. So let
me speak to where I am now, and that is
that I'm writing by my I don't co write. I
don't really co write at all. And in the you know,
in country music, it's really common for people to get
together sometimes four or five people. I don't I did
(23:09):
for a long time. And that's not to say that
I wouldn't ever, but my approach to it is different.
I think of songwriting a bit like like approaching a
canvas as an artist. It's because it's sometimes easier for
people to see visually imagine what I'm doing with a song.
And so as an artist, if I sit down out
of canvas, I've got to decide what I'm gonna You know, what,
(23:31):
what am I gonna do with it? It's it's it's blank.
I can do anything I want. So am I gonna
throw paint at it? Am I gonna take a charcoal
pencil and start a sketch down at the bottom corner.
Am I gonna look off at the mountains and say, Hm,
I'm gonna paint that whole mountain side? Or am I
gonna paint just the one flower that's right in front
of me off to the left and decide to make
(23:51):
that the entire painting. All those are decisions that you
know that as a songwriter I make. I think, similarly
to an artist, what is the most powerful, at least
for me, what's the most powerful images and feeling? Which
is very important in what we do because it's affected
by music. The way that we say things and what
(24:14):
we choose to say, and what happens with the music.
Now we've kind of got into where not only is
it artistry, but it's like cinema because in your own head,
hopefully in some ways, I'm painting some pictures and I
have to leave you room to put your own life
in it, you know. And So although I know that's
a little more in depth, and some songwriters will tell you,
(24:35):
I've found that, after writing many hundreds of songs, and
especially with what we've written recently, that I'm able to
write the kinds of songs that I really believe in.
And when I finish it, I look at it and
I go, did I say what I wanted to say
just the way I wanted to say it? Is there
a hole or not somewhere? Was I absolutely true to
(24:55):
what it's like to be human? Did I illuminate where
we are similarly human and therefore a really strong bond.
Was I able to tell that story in a way
so you didn't have to know everything I knew about
the characters. You just had to know what I told you,
you know, And what was going on with the music. Well,
I mean, this is something I've spent my life, my
(25:15):
life doing. But the other thing that you, you know,
you kind of ask is whether it comes up, whether
it's music or whether it's the look, the words, or
or what what is first? And truly what's first is
whatever's first, you know. So you know, so for instance,
road Dog's just a fun song. But even fun songs,
they've got to be still put together the right way
(25:36):
and they have to make sense. The music has to
make sense with the lyrics as far as how they
feel and you know, the voice of it. And so
I had just had that, like there's a kind of
a guitar riff that runs throughout that, And by riff
I mean like a you know, like a movement, a
certain thing that repeats with the groove of the song.
And this turns into a Nashville pickfest on this radio.
It's right. It is like every wonderful player in Ashville,
(26:00):
I mean really incredible players. Jenney Fleeener Is of ACN one,
I don't know how many times in a row fiddle player,
and Josh Betheni on dobro and Brent Mason on electric guitar,
just on and on, and you know, you can't know
that's going to happen. But you got to put it
together in a way that if that does happen, it's
going to hold up, you know. So here I had this,
(26:21):
All I had was a little bit of a musical movement.
Didn't know what I would do with it. Walked out
to my truck less a bit of a truck that
I loved so much because I realized how much I
loved my dog, and I didn't care if my truck
was full there, you know. And then it just as
I was driving home that you know, lick was kind
of in my mind and I started messing with it.
(26:43):
And I can do a lot of that. I played
guitar long enough that I can think through a lot
of things without actually having to play it. I can,
you know, put chords and movements and things in my head.
One so on the way home, I was writing it.
You know, it wasn't all the way finished by the
time I got home. But then I played it for,
you know, for Linda, and she made me play it
four or three times, and I didn't even have the
(27:03):
whole thing, you know, And so I still had quite
a bit of work to do on that song for
it to be for it to be finished as it
should have. But that's just one instance of the way
that it grew up. And whether or not there were
two choruses, two different courses in this song. There's actually
two different choruses, and then they're both sung the second
(27:23):
half of the song. I think there's only two verses.
But I got to, you know, I got to say
things like, you know, a backseat driver with a pedigree.
I mean that's that. You know, those kinds of things
are fun right right right for a writer, those you know,
those are the kind of things. Yeah. So, And I
have to say this only because Tim, I listened to
some of your previous podcasts and I really, I really,
(27:44):
you know, I just like your way and the way
you talk. But I was gonna jokingly say, you know,
one thing about the road Dog video is that I
think Shotgun may be the only dog in history who
has ever lifted his leg on Q in a video.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Nice. Well, I always say, our dogs and animals train us,
We never trained them. So he definitely brought that song
to you. And you know I mentioned earlier about the video.
Before I saw the video, I heard it, you know,
listen to the song even before I even broke it down.
In my little simple mind, I could feel myself driving
(28:19):
down a country road with my dog beside me, you know,
and it had to be a pickup truck. Was I
was sort of the words and the music and how
it moved along drove me to think of that, paint
that picture, as you said, in my mind. And then
later I turned on the video and I thought, wow,
I'm brilliant. That's exactly what I was envisioning, not maybe
one hundred and some dogs, but everything else was what
(28:40):
I was envisioning when I took a look at the videos.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Yeah, and you know how I say, like, like I
said earlier that I try to leave room for you
to put your own life into a song, you know,
so a song like road Dog, I don't want to
give such specific images that you can't put your own
life in it and your own dog in it, you know.
So for me, it was truck. And I do say
truck stop in there, I mean the big truck, but
(29:03):
I never said what kind of vehicle we're in. I
don't think I said that in the you know, in
the song. And to leave it with things that were
universal to you know, to dogs. I mean what dog
doesn't like, you know, a drive through. At some point,
at some point, everybody is given their dog or everybody
everybody we trust, right right, dog something from a drive through.
(29:25):
You know, I don't know. It's just life, as they said.
You know you've seen it. But truly life is better
with a dog or dogs. If you are someone who
is compassionate, you know enough to really have a good
relationship with a dog, then it can be one of
the most incredible relationships of your lives.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Absolutely, And if you're not compassionate in that way, you
better get yourself a dog. That dog will turn your
compassion out or cat.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Or whatever it may be.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
They'll bring it down in you, that's for sure. So
the big question, though, Skip, is when you're in that
old white truck with dirt all over it and you
got Shotgun right in there, and the missus side she
wants to go on down to the seven to eleven
with you, who gets the middle seat and who gets
to ride Shotgun? Well, I've got to tell you, I've
got a.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Thing about letting Shotgun ride in the shotgun seat when
we're not on the back roads. I just I'm one
who doesn't really think that's the safest thing to do.
So our driveway is almost a mile long. And we
you know, we live in northwestern Wyoming, and I mean,
honestly we live where there are rocky mountain sheep in
(30:30):
the driveway. That's wow. And then we've got another eight
miles at least to the main road that's all just
dirt and gravel, and you know, it's a two lane
road that nobody goes. You can't go fan. You just
can't go fast on it. You know, if he wants
to be in the front seat and stick his head
out the window roll he wants to ride in the
in the side by side with me out on the
(30:51):
trails or whatever, and then we'll do that. Not stuff
pillows down in front of the seat so he could
put his paws up on it enough, because otherwise is
way too big for that. But yeah, once it gets
past that, tim pretty much the back seat gets folded up.
He can live back there on his you know. And
because we have two dogs, we have Holly and and
Shotgun right now, and they're both big and there's no
(31:14):
question about whether Mom gets Mom or Dad depending on
which one of us is driving, is in the Shotgun seat.
So it's still his seat. He just doesn't get to
ride on it at those times. I love it. I
love it well.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I have to envision my life skip with my wife
and I have been together for almost forty years. Yeah
we were just infants when it all happened, but in
any case, we have two schnaus or so smaller dogs.
And the little princess white one has always sat in
the front seat next to me. She's harnessed in and secure,
everything's good. And then our boy who just passed away recently,
(31:45):
our chocolate Schnauzerer, Mama's boy, Kramer.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
He's always in the back seat with Mama.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
So now we don't have Kramer with us unfortunately, and
body he's with us the spirit, of course, Mama is
still in the back seat. So it's me and the
little ten pound white dog in the front seat and
I'm sitting in the back. So I think you're gonna
get away with that now.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
That healthy. That's the thing. If it makes you and
it makes them happy, it's sometimes the simplest, just the
simplest things that bring the right kind of joy, you know,
And man, if you've got that, just don't just don't
mess with it. Just you know, just have it. Just
take your breath and all that's going on and go, dang,
this is great. You know, that's it. That's it.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Well, join us in with We are one of the
many of the hundreds of thousands of your fans. And
also we're all the thousands that ride around everywhere we
go with our dogs, so we're in good company. And
the next time you put your wife puts together of
the next video and you need one of the one
hundred and twenty dogs or something, just to shoot me
a note.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
You know, I think some special things are coming, I
really do. So if you follow us on socials like
and we'll certainly follow you as well. But if you
if you will follow us on on socials and it's
just skip youing. I mean, every one of them is
just skip e W I n G. There are going
to be some special things that are going to happen.
I don't know all of them, but there are so
many different radio stations in different cities across the US
(33:07):
where there's going to be things happening with them doing
some videos with us, and you know, so there could
be some really fun stuff and gosh knows what kind
of you know, what kind of companies or situations might
want to do some fun things with us. So who knows, Tim,
maybe your dog will be a star.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
That's it. That's it. Just put it out there to
the universe. So everybody, download the songs, download the album,
follow skip skip youing on social media. We can go
to what skipueing dot com. I'm assuming to find out
about everything that you've done, your history, their life and
in a nutshell, as well as tour dates and things happening.
So if you get a chance to go out and
see skip, definitely do that for sure. And meanwhile, download
(33:50):
Road to California the whole thing, and definitely put Road
Dog at the top of your list because it's a
fun little jam. Man.
Speaker 4 (33:58):
There's actually and it's the first time we've ever put
anything on an album that had to do with dogs,
But there's literally a second song on this album that
is specifically about dogs.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
Tim. If you have the record, go to the I
don't know if it's the ninth cut or whatever, but
it's called wag More. You're gonna have to check it out.
It's fun. So that's another thing that might happen with dogs.
I don't know. It's just that so weight came down
this time. I just they those ideas just happened to
be hanging out there.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
Hey man, Once you put a song out about dogs
and you slap your brilliant one on the cover, for sure,
it's always going to be that way. They're always gonna
expect at least one dog sog from you.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Skip.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
So I'm just letting you know that right off the bat.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I'm not promising that, but I am promised with the
single Road Dog when we do concerts. That's for sure.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Absolutely absolutely, everybody go out and make sure you follow Skip.
Go to the website Skip uion dot com and following
see when he's going to be near you or in
your town. Download Road to California and take a listen
to wag Moore right in Road Dog and all the
I want to want. Skip, fantastic talking to you. I love,
I really do love love what you do, love the album.
(35:05):
I love your spirit. I love the fact that you
took a step back to find yourself and now you're
you're better and ever I'm swinging for the fences. So
just keep it up, brother, You're doing great job.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Thanks Tim. I hope I get a chance to talk
to you again.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Absolutely, we'll look forward. You got to write something about
a dog or a horse though, you know, to get
on this gig.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
So that's more to see there you go.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
All right, well we're coming in the show today. I
want to thank everyone for listening to Animal Rights on
pet Life Radio. I want to thank the producers and
sponsors for making this show possible. If you have any questions,
comments ideas for the show, drop us a line. You
can go to pet life radio dot com and we'll
definitely answer your questions, entertain your comments, and bring on
the people you want to hear from most you. While
(35:46):
you're there, check out all the other wonderful shows and
hosts and say Cornicopio barking fun. So it's pet life
Radio dot com. So until next time, write a great
story about the animals in your life and whodos you
may be the next guest on animal rights on pet
Life Radio. Have a great day.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
Let's talk pets every week on demand only on petlifradio
dot com
His Pet Life Radio. Let's Talk Pets. Welcome to Animal
Rights on pet Life Radio. This's your host, Tim Link,
and I'm so glad you're joining us. Today. We have
a wonderful, wonderful new twist to the show. We don't
always get these, because you know, this show Animal Rights.
We interview authors and writers and people that write about
(00:25):
animals or you know, have animals as part of their
characters and their books. But every once in a while
we get a fun and interesting twist on things. And
so now today we have a super duper singer songwriter
coming on board. Of course, we're talking about the world
famous Skip Ewing, and we're going to talk to Skip
about his latest release of a single, Road Dog, and
(00:46):
talk to him about animals. Of course, we'll talk about
dogs and horses and all that wonderful stuff. They want
to pick Skip's bring a little bit about writing, how
he crafts his writing, how he goes about doing his work,
how he's become one of the most famous songwriter out there.
So we're gonna have to pick us brain a little
bit about that as well. So it's a fun, an
interesting and exciting show. So everybody hang tight, we'll come
(01:07):
back right after this commercial break. You're listening to Animal
Rights on Petlife Radio.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
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Speaker 3 (01:53):
Let's talk pets on Petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Welcome back two Animal Rights on pet Life Radio. Joining
me now. He's a Grammy, Tony CMA and ACM, a
more Dominie. He's written eleven number one hit records for
legends such as Keith Urban, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Trip'll
Play Award Winner. Just the list goes on and on,
(02:19):
and of course he produces his own stuff as well.
You know, road Doc we're talking about some want to
pick about it because I love the song, love the track.
Of course we're talking about Skip eweing Skip.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
Welcome to the show, and thank you very much. I
appreciate it. It's nice to be here.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah, I'm super excited to have you here because, like
I said, I'm always looking for a little bit different
twist to things. I don't always get to you at
chat with the singer songwriters. And of course you know Mark,
our producer, and myself, we love music, country music in particular,
and I know that's your genre and we know you're
one of the best out there. So I guess we'll
first start talking about what you got going on right now,
(02:55):
because you've got a new single, new release and album.
I guess we call it an old school terms a
track coming out called road Dog. So tell us a
little bit about the music the road Dog and how
that all came about.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
For sure, road Dog is from the new album that's
out called road to California, So it had Albums are
still a thing, Tim, no worries about ball and this
was just a fun track that it just came to be.
I mean, I can tell you how I wrote it
and what have you, but maybe I should just back
up a tiny bit and let you know some of
what you talked about. You know, I lived in Nashville
(03:28):
for twenty something years and I wrote for all these wonderful,
incredible artists. I mean, you know, everybody from like Willy
to the Zach brownband. I mean, it's just but I
took a break because I had fallen in love with horses.
That's a longer story, but as a spiritual walk for me,
I sold everything in Nashville and went on the road
to study horsemanship. I did that for about eight years.
(03:51):
I met my wife, and that's pretty much all I
did that. I started traveling and we were doing clinics
and we ended up coming to Wyoming. And after we
to Wyoming, my wife took a job as a videographer
for another horseman and I grabbed my guitar and started
back writing some And after I played her those songs,
she said, Honey, I think it's time we put the
(04:13):
journeys together. And I said, I don't know, honey. If
I go back and do music full time again, this
is going to be comprehensive. I mean, it's just gonna
it's everything. I'm gone a lot, you know. And she said,
I just think people need to hear it. So that
is what led me back to now, which is why
we have, you know, a new album out. This is
second album in a row that we've produced since since
(04:33):
I made that choice, and Road Dog happened because of
our dog. I have a Pyrenees Australian Shepherd mix who's
a one hundred and well one hundred and fifteen pounds
maybe one hundred and twenty. Now he likes to eat,
but he thinks he's puppies and his favorite his favorite
seat in the truck is a shotgun seat, so that's
why he's called Shotgun. I don't even he can barely
(04:55):
fit in that seat anymore. But the song came about
because I walked out one day and looked at my
truck and Tim, you know, out here everyone's got a
white truck. It's just you don't always know it. So
sometimes the dirt lets me see it's white. Sometimes it doesn't.
Right right, I opened the door, and I mean, my
truck is absolutely filled with white hair and smudges all
(05:17):
over the windows. And I realized that, as crazy as
it is, I love it. I love our dogs. I
love the kind of life that we have. It very
close to us. There's got to be people who feel
that man everywhere, because all of our friends out here
have dogs, you know, like that, and they're just part
of their lives. I mean, you know, that's just it.
It's just their four laded family out here. I mean,
(05:38):
they're with us everywhere all the time. And I came
home and I said, Donny, I had this little bluegrass
rift thing, and I think it's fun. I said, it
takes a chance that you know, there's a lot of
other people who like to travel with their dogs. I said,
but I think we're talking about, oh, maybe a few
hundred million people, so we might be snaked with that.
And now we cut it, and it seems that a
(06:00):
lot of people really like it. So and look it's
led me to talk to you.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Yeah, well we love it. Well, I mean I love
as you said to the riff, the tune and the video.
Now the video was that put together by your wife
or another source? Cause that everybody's got to go to
download the video take a look at it, because it's
it's brilliant.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Well, my wife is brilliant. I married one of the
greatest spirits on the planet. To be be true, I
don't know what she's doing with me, but she's brilliant,
and she's got the same kind of hard She's all
about animals, you know, as as well. And our idea was,
I said, honey, you know, with everything that you can
do with video and post production and all that, and
(06:41):
she's made many videos, just the two of us out here,
we've done you know, even multi camera shoots. Takes us forever.
But we you know, we have a lot of fun.
And I said, what would you think if we integrated
you know, pictures of dogs, but not just any dogs, Like,
why don't we ask our fans, you know, anybody who
to send of their dogs in that are relevant to
(07:02):
you know, to traveling. And so we did. We put
it out there and we got hundreds and on hundreds
of great pictures. I mean, dogs on motorcycles, dogs on boats, dogs,
you know, dogs dressed up, dogs asleep in the back seat.
And Linda said, oh my god, I'll never be able
to fit these in this video. But what she did
is she took and she integrated them. So there's one
(07:25):
hundred and fifty individuals, a lot of dogs at least
in this video and shotguns just riding with me, you know,
in the truck and I'm you know, I'm singing the
song and we kind of we kind of just had
some fun with the way that it looked, and then
put all these dogs in the way it worked out
was really fun and a lot of people were happy that.
And now that it's going out to radio, it looks
(07:47):
like there's gonna be some more things like that that
are gonna that are going to happen because everybody loves
their dogs. And I have this thing about championing other
people's joy and their successes, you know, so it makes
me happy to involve other people's So if we eat
another one, if we have another chance to do some
special video with a zillion dogs in it again, just
so people can see their dog in a in a
(08:07):
video and we can have fun. Oh man, I love it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I love it well.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
I always say, if you put a dog in there,
you're golden. Whatever it is. I don't care if it's
a book, I don't care if it's an album, I
don't care what you do. Put a dog on there.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
You know, let me say, don't let an animal act
open for you. Right.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
That's it, And you know the song's fantastic, it really is.
I mean it just touches me. Of course, not only
were we talking about dogs here, but just it hooked
me right away. You know, I listened to a lot
of different am using some of it takes me a
little while to catch on to, you know, really get
it and really enter me. And this one hit me
right away. Dogs of course being part of it hit
me right away. But the video is golden because I
(08:45):
love picking. I'm like, oh, yeah, that's a you know,
that's a just dog. I wonder if he has a
schnauzer in there. I'm a schnauzer guy. There schnauzer in there.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Well yeah, I mean it was just we had a ball,
We really did. And and the fun thing is it's
really road dog is a is A. It's the dog
who's actually singing this song. So and that's a that's
a little different too. And I thought that was kind
of taking the chance. But it's fun.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Yeah, absolutely, And that's the thing that you know, it
was a lot of fun. You know, immediately I had
to turn around the shirt with my wife as well,
saying you've got to listen to this. This is this
is the perfect song. And so yeah, we've got to
download it. Don't you worry about that, buddy.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
That's what led to me being on the show Tim
and I really appreciate it. And thank you for listening.
Anytime someone listens this day and age, it feels like
a gift to me. So thank you for taking the
time to do that.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Well, thanks for putting it together. We do appreciate it. Well,
list you touched a little bit about that the journey,
because going to Nashville, I'm sure was a dream, and
getting to work with all these fantastic people, seeing your
songs taking up by them writing. At what point did
you get to where you're saying, hey, I've got to
take a break from all this? I mean, was it
(09:52):
more of I've always loved horses, and here's an opportunity,
so I'm gonna go. Or I threw a dart at
the map and Wyoming one, so I'm packing up my
gear and I'm heading there. How was that interchange? And
then tell us a little bit about that spiritual journey
and connection you have with warses in particular.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Sure, well, you know, I ran away from home basically
right after high school and went to Nashville. I had
a job offer, and I had done a lot of
music before then, and I just never looked back. And
I got offered, you know, a publishing deal and then
a record deal. And it wasn't like I set out
and said, Hey, I'm going to be a country songwriter
or I'm going to be a country singer. Basically, Tim
(10:30):
followed where I could, you know, stay alive doing music,
and I worked on it and worked on it, and
I found that writing was a natural progression for me.
I played guitar since I was four years old, and
I didn't know what I was doing, so I just
made stuff up, so making up words to go with
the stuff I was making up. That made perfect sense
from the beginning, you know, I endeavored to hone my craft,
and then once I got a publishing deal and a
(10:52):
record deal, I had you know, my own songs on
the radio, and then I started getting songs recorded by
other artists and having you know, many many hit I mean,
twenty some hit records at least in that decade and
a half at least. And it was a really difficult
time as well. It's hard to write, you know, consistently
(11:14):
for ten, fifteen, twenty years, and a lot changes in
that amount of time. And I have always been someone
who comes to my writing more about those who are
listening than if a chart is an indication of whether
something is good. I have always said that it's more
about parts for me than it is about charts. There
(11:35):
are a lot of number one records that I don't
think are going to be remembered that much in twenty years.
But I have some songs I wrote thirty years ago
that are still getting played on the radio. Where I
can't go somewhere and have someone they'll know the words.
Any country I go to, anything that's amazing. And that connection,
that human connection, that lasting part connection is what I'm about.
(11:59):
And there was a time I'm where it was difficult
for me to write what I believed in and have
that be what was getting played on radio. And if
I'm not getting songs on the radio, a publishing company
is not gonna you know, That's what they do. They're
after the money, and money is money is great, but
it doesn't it doesn't drive me the way it does
(12:19):
some people. And in the interim, I had been coming
to Wyoming. I came in about nineteen ninety nine or
two thousand, something like that, just to ride. I just
went to a ranch. You know, I knew a bit
about horses. My grandfather was a thoroughbred rancher in California.
When I was a kid, but I didn't didn't ride,
and I didn't really know that much. I was just
a kid, you know, went out and threw hey in
the feeders and whatever, you know, but to kind of
(12:41):
speed along here. After I had been coming to Wyoming
for a number of years, I began recognizing in horses
what I would never have otherwise recognized had I not
spent time. I used to go down and just just
watch and just see how they moved, and you know
what kind of sound they made, how they interact with
one another, whether they were interested in me and my
(13:04):
relationship with any horse that I began riding. I began
realizing that I was the one who was significantly limited
in my understanding what was that offering me as a human.
And I began to realize, ye, yes, I was more sensitive,
and I could tell some things about horses that I
couldn't tell before, and I had learned. But more importantly,
I kept learning from them what I could do more skillfully.
(13:27):
Where I found myself where I would learn something with
a horse and I would invite that horse to do
that with me. And if I wasn't skillful, the horse
was still trying as very dust, and it was rarely
the horse who had the challenge. It was almost always me.
And this inspired me. And so when I was in
Nashville and I got to that place and riding where
I went, I don't know if I can make a
(13:47):
living the way that I really making the music, like
the music that I'm making now, getting to really be
the artist that I would like to be, and never
have been able to do that, and now I can.
But when I wasn't able to, I just looked at
my whole life and lent this feels spiritual to me.
This is about me becoming the kind of person that
I or allowing that to flower, if that's a way,
(14:09):
you know. And so I sold everything. I sold my house,
I sold all my furniture. I sold everything except my
guitars and my art, put those in a storage unit,
and you know, waved goodbye to Nashville for a while
and went out to basically to learn about me and
as much about horses as I could. And this changed
my whole life. It really changed my I feel it did.
I feel. It changed my understanding of relationships, It changed
(14:32):
how skillful I was, and quite importantly, it changed how
willing I was to look at how skillful I wasn't
if that makes any sense. Yeah, absolutely, well, I could say,
wait a minute, there are so many things that I'm
being given the opportunity to recognize. You know. That's the
old thing about the levels of learning. You know, in
the first thing is you don't know that you don't know,
(14:54):
and you know that you don't know. Well, I think
that that was a very important time in my life,
and that relationship with horses and what I still put
into practice from everything that I've learned is part of
my writing. It's part of my you know, part of
when I'm crafting songs and making records and especially when
I'm out doing a show. I mean, that's a right
(15:15):
now thing. That's an interaction that is just as it's
just as much a tapestry or breathing the same air.
I know that's a weird thing to say, but I
don't think of it as anything, but that is one
of some of the moments of our life where we're
taking breaths together and it can be amazing and hopefully
I'm offering the kind of you know, the kind of
music and art and now even my own heart a
(15:38):
bit a bit differently and thank goodness, you know I'm
with Linda, for instance, I don't I'm not sure I
could have been. I'm sure. I am sure that I
could not have been the man I am for her
and now under our circumstances. Had I not taken that journey,
and I wouldn't be writing the music, and I don't
know if I'd be having the same kind of success.
It's pretty crazy that, Wow, all of a sudden, you know,
(15:59):
I'm getting songs. You know, got a top forty song
on the radio with Lanny Wilson and Ernest to cut that.
This road Dog song is out to radio. I've got
this new album. It looks like we're going to cut
a new project. And they and hey, I'm I'm listening
if other people are listening, and they'll open the doors
for me. I'm all about it. I love it.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
I love it, and I love the fact that you
took that leap of faith to find your spiritual journey,
you know, to take that journey to find yourself make
that connection. Obviously, horses are a big part of that.
Animals always bring out the best in us. And I
would agree with you wholeheartedly. You know, I haven't walked
in your shoes. But from you know, what we've talked about,
why I know of you, I do believe it took
(16:41):
that journey to get back to who you are and
to uncover even more of who you are. And now
you have someone obviously side by side to take that
journey with you. That's that's got to be. It's got
to be a thrill, and it's got to be make
you feel good about the fact that, hey, I'm doing
the right thing.
Speaker 4 (16:59):
Well, it does, and you know, I mean, I just
think as humans, the more times we go around the sun,
the more things we've learned, whether we wanted to or not,
you know, And so that does change. That does change things,
and horses weren't not you know, the entire spiritual element
of my walk, if that makes any sense. But the
reason when I say that it's spiritual is because you know,
(17:19):
it's more it's beyond the horsemanship what we might call
horsemanship skills as far as you know, I ride this
well or what you know, whatever however you want to
say that, but it is about recognizing our own growth
and development and offering that, for instance, to other humans
that were with and with horses that we're with. Sometimes knowing.
(17:41):
Sometimes just being aware and being present is like I
think it's one of the greatest gifts that we can give,
even with a horse. Sometimes I feel the greatest thing
you can do for a horse is nothing. Just give
them a minute. They've maybe they've been working, you know,
with you and really given it and maybe they were
under standing, maybe you're understanding. Maybe you're both not understanding,
(18:03):
or maybe you both are. But that feeling, I believe
it even translates to a horse. You know what. You
know what, buddy or sister, right now, you've got my
complete attention, You've got my ears, you've got my eyes, whatever,
we're just whatever. We're just here and it's awesome. That's
the same thing with humans. And so I guess those
efforts of going how can we be? How can I
(18:24):
do that for all the relationships of my life, including
the one inside my own head, you know. And this
is one of the reasons why I would say it's spiritual,
not because it's something that's magic between you know, a
person and a horse. I think things in that space
in my limited time, I mean a decade is not
a long time for some horseman, that's you know, But
(18:47):
in that time you know, to be able to say
I really feel there are some most of that is
just so concrete. It just is these are the things
that are, and the more we're aware of that, the
better we can be. That's just how it is, you
know what I mean, That's how it is. And and
what do we do with that? It inspired me. It's
(19:07):
thrilled me actually to be given those kinds of teachers
and then and then to move into the rest of
my life. And it continues, you know, it continues, but
it's all up in my writing, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
That's it. That's it. Well, I think it's a fantastic journey,
obviously a great story, and where now it's led you
almost full circle, but in a perhaps I will say,
in a better place, and your journey to get you
to where you are today, you know, has got to
attract more. You know, positive energy attracts positive energy. So
when you're in a good headspace, when you're in a
(19:39):
good place, good things are going to happen for you
as well as you're going to attract good people around you.
So good for you. I like it.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
I agree that I agree with that, you know, cultivating
the right kind of attitudes and the right kind of
energies is definitely something that manifests well in everyone's life. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
All right, Well, we're gonna take a quick commercial break.
We'll come back in chat a little bit more with
the skip youing and talk about writing. He sort of
led us into that. I want to know a little
bit more about how he goes about crafting his skills
in writing, as well as how he determines what he's
going to record and compared to what somebody else is
going to record. So everybody hang tight, we'll pick the
brain of the master when we come back. And you're
(20:17):
listening to Animal Rights on Pet Life Radio. Hi, this
is Tim Blake, animal communicator and pet expert and host
of Animal Rights on Pet Life Radio. Have you ever
wanted to know what your pet is really thinking? Do
you want to find out they truly understand what you're
trying to tell them, or wish you could build a
(20:38):
better understanding and closer relationship with your pet, Well now
you can. Learning to Communicate with Animals is a four
part on demand workshop. In the workshop, you'll learn the
essential techniques that are necessary to communicate with animals, including
what is animal communication, breathing, correctly to achieve the perfect
state to communicate with your animals at a deeper level
using guided meditation exercises and method to communicate with animals
(21:00):
and how to send and receive information from your animals.
So if you're wanting to learn how to communicate and
connect with your animals at a deeper level, visit petlifradio
dot com or slash workshop and purchase and download Learning
to Communicate with Animals. You'll be glad you did.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Let's talk past you.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Let's done pett Life Radio, Headline Radio, petlight radio dot com.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Welcome back to animal riots on pet Life Radio. Send
you our conversation with one of the best singers of
songwriters out there. Skip you ing, skip before the break.
We talked briefly or released. We introduced into the fact
of your writing in general. And these are things that
always fascinated me because you know, singing and songwriting. How
(21:50):
do you craft it? How do you do it? What
comes first? Does the music come before the lyrics? Lyrics
come for the music, or is there an another inspiration
such as a shotgun coming into play saying, hey Dad,
you gotta write this.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
Song for me?
Speaker 1 (22:03):
How does that all work for you? Does one come
before the other.
Speaker 4 (22:07):
Well, that's a you know, obviously that's a huge, a
huge quest. You know. There's an old saying that that's like,
you know, writing is like fifteen percent inspiration and the
rest work, you know. And there's another saying that I
agree with that is basically it is hell to be
writing and heaven to have written, you know. So there's
(22:27):
and so most of those things come into play. It's
not like you just decide you're going to write a song,
or at least for me that you know, it sometimes
takes me days, days and days for certain songs i'll anymore.
And there was a time when I tried to finish
a song almost every day, but I found the percentage
of what I wrote was not as good as I
(22:47):
thought it could be. And you know, and so a
smaller percentage of things that we get cut as far
as whether they're for an artist or not. So let
me speak to where I am now, and that is
that I'm writing by my I don't co write. I
don't really co write at all. And in the you know,
in country music, it's really common for people to get
together sometimes four or five people. I don't I did
(23:09):
for a long time. And that's not to say that
I wouldn't ever, but my approach to it is different.
I think of songwriting a bit like like approaching a
canvas as an artist. It's because it's sometimes easier for
people to see visually imagine what I'm doing with a song.
And so as an artist, if I sit down out
of canvas, I've got to decide what I'm gonna You know, what,
(23:31):
what am I gonna do with it? It's it's it's blank.
I can do anything I want. So am I gonna
throw paint at it? Am I gonna take a charcoal
pencil and start a sketch down at the bottom corner.
Am I gonna look off at the mountains and say, Hm,
I'm gonna paint that whole mountain side? Or am I
gonna paint just the one flower that's right in front
of me off to the left and decide to make
(23:51):
that the entire painting. All those are decisions that you
know that as a songwriter I make. I think, similarly
to an artist, what is the most powerful, at least
for me, what's the most powerful images and feeling? Which
is very important in what we do because it's affected
by music. The way that we say things and what
(24:14):
we choose to say, and what happens with the music.
Now we've kind of got into where not only is
it artistry, but it's like cinema because in your own head,
hopefully in some ways, I'm painting some pictures and I
have to leave you room to put your own life
in it, you know. And So although I know that's
a little more in depth, and some songwriters will tell you,
(24:35):
I've found that, after writing many hundreds of songs, and
especially with what we've written recently, that I'm able to
write the kinds of songs that I really believe in.
And when I finish it, I look at it and
I go, did I say what I wanted to say
just the way I wanted to say it? Is there
a hole or not somewhere? Was I absolutely true to
(24:55):
what it's like to be human? Did I illuminate where
we are similarly human and therefore a really strong bond.
Was I able to tell that story in a way
so you didn't have to know everything I knew about
the characters. You just had to know what I told you,
you know, And what was going on with the music. Well,
I mean, this is something I've spent my life, my
(25:15):
life doing. But the other thing that you, you know,
you kind of ask is whether it comes up, whether
it's music or whether it's the look, the words, or
or what what is first? And truly what's first is
whatever's first, you know. So you know, so for instance,
road Dog's just a fun song. But even fun songs,
they've got to be still put together the right way
(25:36):
and they have to make sense. The music has to
make sense with the lyrics as far as how they
feel and you know, the voice of it. And so
I had just had that, like there's a kind of
a guitar riff that runs throughout that, And by riff
I mean like a you know, like a movement, a
certain thing that repeats with the groove of the song.
And this turns into a Nashville pickfest on this radio.
It's right. It is like every wonderful player in Ashville,
(26:00):
I mean really incredible players. Jenney Fleeener Is of ACN one,
I don't know how many times in a row fiddle player,
and Josh Betheni on dobro and Brent Mason on electric guitar,
just on and on, and you know, you can't know
that's going to happen. But you got to put it
together in a way that if that does happen, it's
going to hold up, you know. So here I had this,
(26:21):
All I had was a little bit of a musical movement.
Didn't know what I would do with it. Walked out
to my truck less a bit of a truck that
I loved so much because I realized how much I
loved my dog, and I didn't care if my truck
was full there, you know. And then it just as
I was driving home that you know, lick was kind
of in my mind and I started messing with it.
(26:43):
And I can do a lot of that. I played
guitar long enough that I can think through a lot
of things without actually having to play it. I can,
you know, put chords and movements and things in my head.
One so on the way home, I was writing it.
You know, it wasn't all the way finished by the
time I got home. But then I played it for,
you know, for Linda, and she made me play it
four or three times, and I didn't even have the
(27:03):
whole thing, you know, And so I still had quite
a bit of work to do on that song for
it to be for it to be finished as it
should have. But that's just one instance of the way
that it grew up. And whether or not there were
two choruses, two different courses in this song. There's actually
two different choruses, and then they're both sung the second
(27:23):
half of the song. I think there's only two verses.
But I got to, you know, I got to say
things like, you know, a backseat driver with a pedigree.
I mean that's that. You know, those kinds of things
are fun right right right for a writer, those you know,
those are the kind of things. Yeah. So, And I
have to say this only because Tim, I listened to
some of your previous podcasts and I really, I really,
(27:44):
you know, I just like your way and the way
you talk. But I was gonna jokingly say, you know,
one thing about the road Dog video is that I
think Shotgun may be the only dog in history who
has ever lifted his leg on Q in a video.
Speaker 1 (27:59):
Nice. Well, I always say, our dogs and animals train us,
We never trained them. So he definitely brought that song
to you. And you know I mentioned earlier about the video.
Before I saw the video, I heard it, you know,
listen to the song even before I even broke it down.
In my little simple mind, I could feel myself driving
(28:19):
down a country road with my dog beside me, you know,
and it had to be a pickup truck. Was I
was sort of the words and the music and how
it moved along drove me to think of that, paint
that picture, as you said, in my mind. And then
later I turned on the video and I thought, wow,
I'm brilliant. That's exactly what I was envisioning, not maybe
one hundred and some dogs, but everything else was what
(28:40):
I was envisioning when I took a look at the videos.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Yeah, and you know how I say, like, like I
said earlier that I try to leave room for you
to put your own life into a song, you know,
so a song like road Dog, I don't want to
give such specific images that you can't put your own
life in it and your own dog in it, you know.
So for me, it was truck. And I do say
truck stop in there, I mean the big truck, but
(29:03):
I never said what kind of vehicle we're in. I
don't think I said that in the you know, in
the song. And to leave it with things that were
universal to you know, to dogs. I mean what dog
doesn't like, you know, a drive through. At some point,
at some point, everybody is given their dog or everybody
everybody we trust, right right, dog something from a drive through.
(29:25):
You know, I don't know. It's just life, as they said.
You know you've seen it. But truly life is better
with a dog or dogs. If you are someone who
is compassionate, you know enough to really have a good
relationship with a dog, then it can be one of
the most incredible relationships of your lives.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
Absolutely, And if you're not compassionate in that way, you
better get yourself a dog. That dog will turn your
compassion out or cat.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Or whatever it may be.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
They'll bring it down in you, that's for sure. So
the big question, though, Skip, is when you're in that
old white truck with dirt all over it and you
got Shotgun right in there, and the missus side she
wants to go on down to the seven to eleven
with you, who gets the middle seat and who gets
to ride Shotgun? Well, I've got to tell you, I've
got a.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Thing about letting Shotgun ride in the shotgun seat when
we're not on the back roads. I just I'm one
who doesn't really think that's the safest thing to do.
So our driveway is almost a mile long. And we
you know, we live in northwestern Wyoming, and I mean,
honestly we live where there are rocky mountain sheep in
(30:30):
the driveway. That's wow. And then we've got another eight
miles at least to the main road that's all just
dirt and gravel, and you know, it's a two lane
road that nobody goes. You can't go fan. You just
can't go fast on it. You know, if he wants
to be in the front seat and stick his head
out the window roll he wants to ride in the
in the side by side with me out on the
(30:51):
trails or whatever, and then we'll do that. Not stuff
pillows down in front of the seat so he could
put his paws up on it enough, because otherwise is
way too big for that. But yeah, once it gets
past that, tim pretty much the back seat gets folded up.
He can live back there on his you know. And
because we have two dogs, we have Holly and and
Shotgun right now, and they're both big and there's no
(31:14):
question about whether Mom gets Mom or Dad depending on
which one of us is driving, is in the Shotgun seat.
So it's still his seat. He just doesn't get to
ride on it at those times. I love it. I
love it well.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I have to envision my life skip with my wife
and I have been together for almost forty years. Yeah
we were just infants when it all happened, but in
any case, we have two schnaus or so smaller dogs.
And the little princess white one has always sat in
the front seat next to me. She's harnessed in and secure,
everything's good. And then our boy who just passed away recently,
(31:45):
our chocolate Schnauzerer, Mama's boy, Kramer.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
He's always in the back seat with Mama.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
So now we don't have Kramer with us unfortunately, and
body he's with us the spirit, of course, Mama is
still in the back seat. So it's me and the
little ten pound white dog in the front seat and
I'm sitting in the back. So I think you're gonna
get away with that now.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
That healthy. That's the thing. If it makes you and
it makes them happy, it's sometimes the simplest, just the
simplest things that bring the right kind of joy, you know,
And man, if you've got that, just don't just don't
mess with it. Just you know, just have it. Just
take your breath and all that's going on and go, dang,
this is great. You know, that's it. That's it.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Well, join us in with We are one of the
many of the hundreds of thousands of your fans. And
also we're all the thousands that ride around everywhere we
go with our dogs, so we're in good company. And
the next time you put your wife puts together of
the next video and you need one of the one
hundred and twenty dogs or something, just to shoot me
a note.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
You know, I think some special things are coming, I
really do. So if you follow us on socials like
and we'll certainly follow you as well. But if you
if you will follow us on on socials and it's
just skip youing. I mean, every one of them is
just skip e W I n G. There are going
to be some special things that are going to happen.
I don't know all of them, but there are so
many different radio stations in different cities across the US
(33:07):
where there's going to be things happening with them doing
some videos with us, and you know, so there could
be some really fun stuff and gosh knows what kind
of you know, what kind of companies or situations might
want to do some fun things with us. So who knows, Tim,
maybe your dog will be a star.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
That's it. That's it. Just put it out there to
the universe. So everybody, download the songs, download the album,
follow skip skip youing on social media. We can go
to what skipueing dot com. I'm assuming to find out
about everything that you've done, your history, their life and
in a nutshell, as well as tour dates and things happening.
So if you get a chance to go out and
see skip, definitely do that for sure. And meanwhile, download
(33:50):
Road to California the whole thing, and definitely put Road
Dog at the top of your list because it's a
fun little jam. Man.
Speaker 4 (33:58):
There's actually and it's the first time we've ever put
anything on an album that had to do with dogs,
But there's literally a second song on this album that
is specifically about dogs.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (34:10):
Tim. If you have the record, go to the I
don't know if it's the ninth cut or whatever, but
it's called wag More. You're gonna have to check it out.
It's fun. So that's another thing that might happen with dogs.
I don't know. It's just that so weight came down
this time. I just they those ideas just happened to
be hanging out there.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
Hey man, Once you put a song out about dogs
and you slap your brilliant one on the cover, for sure,
it's always going to be that way. They're always gonna
expect at least one dog sog from you.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Skip.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
So I'm just letting you know that right off the bat.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
I'm not promising that, but I am promised with the
single Road Dog when we do concerts. That's for sure.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
Absolutely absolutely, everybody go out and make sure you follow Skip.
Go to the website Skip uion dot com and following
see when he's going to be near you or in
your town. Download Road to California and take a listen
to wag Moore right in Road Dog and all the
I want to want. Skip, fantastic talking to you. I love,
I really do love love what you do, love the album.
(35:05):
I love your spirit. I love the fact that you
took a step back to find yourself and now you're
you're better and ever I'm swinging for the fences. So
just keep it up, brother, You're doing great job.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Thanks Tim. I hope I get a chance to talk
to you again.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
Absolutely, we'll look forward. You got to write something about
a dog or a horse though, you know, to get
on this gig.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
So that's more to see there you go.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
All right, well we're coming in the show today. I
want to thank everyone for listening to Animal Rights on
pet Life Radio. I want to thank the producers and
sponsors for making this show possible. If you have any questions,
comments ideas for the show, drop us a line. You
can go to pet life radio dot com and we'll
definitely answer your questions, entertain your comments, and bring on
the people you want to hear from most you. While
(35:46):
you're there, check out all the other wonderful shows and
hosts and say Cornicopio barking fun. So it's pet life
Radio dot com. So until next time, write a great
story about the animals in your life and whodos you
may be the next guest on animal rights on pet
Life Radio. Have a great day.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
Let's talk pets every week on demand only on petlifradio
dot com
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