November 23, 2020 • 12 mins
Granger Smith, leader of the rowdy #YeeYee Nation, joins Cody Alan to talk about how his influencer and YouTube buddies are holding him more accountable in 2020 than ever before.
Plus: How cringy was it for Granger to watch his brother and manager Tyler take the spotlight on The Bachelorette? Listen to find out.
The “I Kill Spiders” singer also gives an update on his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., and reveals how 2020 has impacted country music’s favorite redneck hype man.
This CodyCast is sure to leave you smiling and will most likely turn you into an avid Granger Smith fan. Listen now and let us know your thoughts by joining us on Facebook or Twitter.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Podcasting. Welcome to Cody Allen's podcast. Right here, Laurence Snap
is with me and Grang Smith on this next podcast.
He'll be calling us here in just a second. But
I want to talk about Granger before he dials in,
because he's a great guy. He's a dad. We know
him as a hit singer, songwriter, Texan Yee apparel. Of course,
(00:24):
his clothing line the hats, the T shirts, the hoodies,
and Earl Dibbel's Jr. His alter ego very popular on
social media. He's been with me to Alaska. Yeah, we
went on a huge CMT shoot there. I guess it
was two years ago. Was it two years ago? Yeah?
Two years ago? Flies when you're having fun, we were
in the snow driving a bulldozer up a mountain. Believe
(00:45):
it or not, we did that, And I don't know
why they allowed us to do that because we were
both certainly I was unqualified. Great probably has more experience
experience behind the will of a bulldozer than I do.
But um, nonetheless, they let us do that. And then
I remember turning to him as the snow was just
pouring down and we can hardly see the camera man
in front of us. I was like, I don't think
we're in Texas anymore. We're definitely in Alaska. And then
(01:10):
we had like a helicopter ride one time Lauren in Florida. Uh,
like a real army helicopter where it took us like
you know, you know, ten guys it fits and we
were all like with the doors wide open, like an
army helicopter would be. Yeah, it was awesome and yet
incredibly frightening. Um. His new album is Country Things, Volume
(01:33):
one and a personal story about Granger before we get
him on the line here. So when I was in Texas,
I was the music director at the radio station there
in Dallas Fort Worth, the Wolf, and UM, there was
this guy who used to always call me and he
would be like, I want you to hear my son's
(01:53):
c D. And he was just super persistent, and so
eventually I gave in and said, come on, I let
I'll meet you here at the station and we'll listen
to your son's music. Of course, back when there were CDs,
they might actually put it in the CD player. And
he sat there and we listened together and it was
(02:13):
really good. And I thought to myself, we're gonna play this.
I'm gonna put this on the air, and we did,
and that dad was Granger Smith's dad. And Granger of
course went on to be a huge Texas star and
then get his own record deal in Nashville, and of
course he's a huge star today. So and what a
great guy as well. And his dad was awesome as well.
It's just good people. We have a history, is what
(02:36):
I'm saying. So let's see. Is Granger ready? Okay, let's
go to the line here now Grangers standing by Granger?
How are you? How are you? I'm doing well? I
mean seriously, like, how are you actually? Is what I
feel like we need to ask if everyone just say
(02:57):
they're doing good and they're doing well, and I think
so actually living through and just dealing with whatever they
can find yet, yeah, I get it, it's all. We'll
put this way. We'll put it this way. It's a
new it's a new well, it's a new doing good.
But you know, it's like, relatively speaking, there's always like
an asterisk right by doing well. Yep, I'm good, but
(03:19):
yeah I'm good for I'm not good, but I'm good for. Um.
How how is life going with the craziness and slowing down?
And have you found some sort of silver linings and
all this definitely definitely now, you know in October if
you would ask me that in March, I never thought
you're crazy, but um, and ultimately I think probably you
(03:43):
I know, you could say the same thing that it
feels like we've really sped up work wise, and you
know right now, because so many things are virtual that
you just have more opportunities to continue to work. And
although we don't travel as much, but we're just always
working on something. And we filled the calendar with on
(04:07):
so much content that we're just we got swamped with it.
But for instance, we're doing a an old truck restoration
series on YouTube, a house building series on YouTube. We
have a family of law, we're putting on an album.
So um, there's always something going on. But relatively speaking,
we're good. Actually, I saw the the YouTube family of
(04:30):
vlog and it's it's so well done. Um, I wondered,
is it hard for you at all with the cameras
bringing them into the family situation or you guarded about that.
A lot of artists are, but you guys seem like
kind of open to just sort of letting it out there.
I've gotten more and more open, and I used to
think that same thing, like maybe I shouldn't even put
the kids on Instagram, you know, I used to think that.
(04:51):
And then as this, as this process went along and
I became more open to the idea of it. I
had a bunch of influencer slash YouTuber buddies that encouraged
me to start this back in twenty nineteen, and looking
back on that, I'm so glad that they did. Because
then it bringing the camera in the house, I can can,
(05:12):
first of all, control the narrative. UM. So I so,
for instance, like your to your question, I don't have
to if the kid's having a bad day and crying,
I don't have to film that if I don't want to. UM.
But it also and it keeps us accountable to UM
two try to be better parents, to try to be
as honest as we can, Like we can't we put
(05:33):
out episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. We can't hide anything
from the people because if we get a new refrigerator,
they're gonna notice, Hey, what happened in the new refrigerator
in the background, you didn't tell us about that. So
it keeps us accountable in a good way. I want
to ask about the music, but hang on, Um, since
you brought it up kind of talking about this a
reality show thing, I have to mention Tyler and the
(05:53):
bats Arette and he's obviously on there this season. So
did you encourage him to apply? And UM, I know
you've performed on the show in the past. You Um,
were you part of that at all? Um, in a way,
in a small way, I was. Because of that show
you're talking about we played. Tyler met the producers there
and so started a relationship with those producers, which ultimately
(06:14):
led to him being invited on the show. So yeah,
I absolutely encouraged him. He didn't need much because he
already wanted to do it. Um and Tyler, we're just
very different personalities, him and I, and he's much more introverted,
uh and it's probably more driven, but more introverted, if
that makes sense. So this one was say he wanted
(06:37):
to push himself out of his comfort zone and become
part of something like this. And so it was the
first time really in our careers, because he's my manager
and my brother, is the first time that he was
in the spotlight. And I was helping encourage and try
to manage the you know, the whole publicity side of it.
(06:58):
So it's been really on flip for sure. I think
if you're watching it and you're seeing your brother on screen,
it could get awkward just because he's a family member. Yeah.
So it it aired um this week, the first episode,
and I watched it and it was just cringing the
whole time. And and I think it's more just just
(07:19):
kind of that sibling. You wanna protect your sibling. And
I would see somebody make a face and I was like, well,
what that guy, what do you look at? What was
that face for? Man? You know? So I was very
sensitive about it, and I know his true value and
it's hard to see that in a quick reality show episode.
So I don't supportive. Okay, let's switch gears here to
(07:40):
the new music Country Things. Part one is the album?
Why part one? I guess is a part two coming? Right?
Is there like a theme to each part? Yeah? So
there's not. There's definitely not a theme. But the reason
I made that distinction is I just felt like sixteen
songs total, which is what the project was, was a
little little bit too much for the average consumer to digest,
(08:04):
and without skipping over some of the deeper thinking songs,
and and that's always troubling for an artist. When you
put out a project you're so passionate about and then
you focus, you end up focusing on three or four
of the big bangers, and then you completely wash over
the ones that are meaningful to you. And so I thought, well,
(08:27):
what if we split this up? But we don't have
much time go by in between, So we're gonna put
the second volume out at the end of November on
Black Friday. Actually, so um, there's not much time in between,
and I hope that this will give every song an
equal chance to at least be heard and consumed. Um,
thank you for bringing the term banger into a country
(08:48):
music conversation. I appreciate that. Yeah, you know what I mean.
In fact, the best banger I think on this album is, uh,
my favorite song on here is I Kill Spiders. I
feel like that. Man, It's so well written and this
every dad, you know, I just went back to my
kids growing up and it made me tear up. I mean,
it's so good. So um, I hope at some point
(09:11):
you'll get to release that and more people can hear it. Man.
I hope so too. That song speaks exactly to what
I was saying about. There's certain songs that could possibly
get skipped over because there may be a little bit
more sentimental than the party songs, and that's one of them.
I love that song too, and I hope you're right,
hop it does get its chance to be heard. Obviously,
(09:33):
some of this music was impacted, and you've talked a
little bit about this about the passing of your son
last year, and you know, our hearts go out to
you and your family and have for months and over
the past year and a half or so, So, um,
how did sort of that event impact the music on
this album and what's to come? Well, um, it's impacted it.
(09:55):
First of all, just right off the bat, it impacted
it because I didn't write any thing or do anything
musically for a long time. So this album probably should
have came out in on a normal schedule, but I
just I wasn't doing anything, so that first of all,
I just pushed the whole thing back. And then second secondly,
(10:17):
I I just uh, I was deeper thinking in this
whole project, at least the back half of it. And
although there's not going to be specific lyrical references to
so that, Um, you could probably feel it in my
heart that things are things are a little different with me,
(10:37):
and I felt like that's why I love Dirt. Rhodes
sort of took a took a major rewrite as well,
somewhat because of all those events, right, yeah, yeah, And
and there's a couple of others that song that Heroes did, um,
that Heroes didn't have the nurses in the second verse. Um.
So there was several things that I went back and said, Hey,
(10:58):
I'm thinking a little differently on this now in my
new my new life, and so I changed words here
and there. Yeah, for sure. Before we wrap here, I've
got to ask about Earl uh and how he's dealing
with the COVID situation. I mean, is his is his
mask game strong or like, where is he head on
all this? Well? Yeah, as far as social distancing, Earl
(11:21):
has kind of just made a lifestyle of social distancing.
So it's not that big a deal. He doesn't have
very many friends or neighbors or anyone that joins him
on the porch. But what I can't say about Earl
is that he has had a great resurgence because of
uh COVID. Without me touring We've had a lot more
time to think about Earl and his videos, and so
(11:42):
Earl was saved by I would say that looking ahead
here finished this sentence. I want more blank and less blank.
I want more touring and less furloughing. In one they
grange listen you the death, buddy, Thank you for thank
you for the call. I really appreciate it. And uh,
(12:04):
thanks for your friendship over the years, from Alaska to
Texas two, that helicopter ride in Florida that time, all
the things we've done. Um, and you're just such a
good person. I just love having you on the show always.
So thanks again, man, and have a great holiday season.
You and your family appreciate you, buddy, always saying back
to you and always get it. Thanks for listening to
(12:26):
Cody Cast. Follow Cody right now at Cody Allen on Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook. Care Cody on hundreds of radio stations
every day, and watch Cody on twenty this weekend Saturday
and Sunday and Might Central on CMT. Bye for now,
Podcasting. Welcome to Cody Allen's podcast. Right here, Laurence Snap
is with me and Grang Smith on this next podcast.
He'll be calling us here in just a second. But
I want to talk about Granger before he dials in,
because he's a great guy. He's a dad. We know
him as a hit singer, songwriter, Texan Yee apparel. Of course,
(00:24):
his clothing line the hats, the T shirts, the hoodies,
and Earl Dibbel's Jr. His alter ego very popular on
social media. He's been with me to Alaska. Yeah, we
went on a huge CMT shoot there. I guess it
was two years ago. Was it two years ago? Yeah?
Two years ago? Flies when you're having fun, we were
in the snow driving a bulldozer up a mountain. Believe
(00:45):
it or not, we did that, And I don't know
why they allowed us to do that because we were
both certainly I was unqualified. Great probably has more experience
experience behind the will of a bulldozer than I do.
But um, nonetheless, they let us do that. And then
I remember turning to him as the snow was just
pouring down and we can hardly see the camera man
in front of us. I was like, I don't think
we're in Texas anymore. We're definitely in Alaska. And then
(01:10):
we had like a helicopter ride one time Lauren in Florida. Uh,
like a real army helicopter where it took us like
you know, you know, ten guys it fits and we
were all like with the doors wide open, like an
army helicopter would be. Yeah, it was awesome and yet
incredibly frightening. Um. His new album is Country Things, Volume
(01:33):
one and a personal story about Granger before we get
him on the line here. So when I was in Texas,
I was the music director at the radio station there
in Dallas Fort Worth, the Wolf, and UM, there was
this guy who used to always call me and he
would be like, I want you to hear my son's
(01:53):
c D. And he was just super persistent, and so
eventually I gave in and said, come on, I let
I'll meet you here at the station and we'll listen
to your son's music. Of course, back when there were CDs,
they might actually put it in the CD player. And
he sat there and we listened together and it was
(02:13):
really good. And I thought to myself, we're gonna play this.
I'm gonna put this on the air, and we did,
and that dad was Granger Smith's dad. And Granger of
course went on to be a huge Texas star and
then get his own record deal in Nashville, and of
course he's a huge star today. So and what a
great guy as well. And his dad was awesome as well.
It's just good people. We have a history, is what
(02:36):
I'm saying. So let's see. Is Granger ready? Okay, let's
go to the line here now Grangers standing by Granger?
How are you? How are you? I'm doing well? I
mean seriously, like, how are you actually? Is what I
feel like we need to ask if everyone just say
(02:57):
they're doing good and they're doing well, and I think
so actually living through and just dealing with whatever they
can find yet, yeah, I get it, it's all. We'll
put this way. We'll put it this way. It's a
new it's a new well, it's a new doing good.
But you know, it's like, relatively speaking, there's always like
an asterisk right by doing well. Yep, I'm good, but
(03:19):
yeah I'm good for I'm not good, but I'm good for. Um.
How how is life going with the craziness and slowing down?
And have you found some sort of silver linings and
all this definitely definitely now, you know in October if
you would ask me that in March, I never thought
you're crazy, but um, and ultimately I think probably you
(03:43):
I know, you could say the same thing that it
feels like we've really sped up work wise, and you
know right now, because so many things are virtual that
you just have more opportunities to continue to work. And
although we don't travel as much, but we're just always
working on something. And we filled the calendar with on
(04:07):
so much content that we're just we got swamped with it.
But for instance, we're doing a an old truck restoration
series on YouTube, a house building series on YouTube. We
have a family of law, we're putting on an album.
So um, there's always something going on. But relatively speaking,
we're good. Actually, I saw the the YouTube family of
(04:30):
vlog and it's it's so well done. Um, I wondered,
is it hard for you at all with the cameras
bringing them into the family situation or you guarded about that.
A lot of artists are, but you guys seem like
kind of open to just sort of letting it out there.
I've gotten more and more open, and I used to
think that same thing, like maybe I shouldn't even put
the kids on Instagram, you know, I used to think that.
(04:51):
And then as this, as this process went along and
I became more open to the idea of it. I
had a bunch of influencer slash YouTuber buddies that encouraged
me to start this back in twenty nineteen, and looking
back on that, I'm so glad that they did. Because
then it bringing the camera in the house, I can can,
(05:12):
first of all, control the narrative. UM. So I so,
for instance, like your to your question, I don't have
to if the kid's having a bad day and crying,
I don't have to film that if I don't want to. UM.
But it also and it keeps us accountable to UM
two try to be better parents, to try to be
as honest as we can, Like we can't we put
(05:33):
out episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. We can't hide anything
from the people because if we get a new refrigerator,
they're gonna notice, Hey, what happened in the new refrigerator
in the background, you didn't tell us about that. So
it keeps us accountable in a good way. I want
to ask about the music, but hang on, Um, since
you brought it up kind of talking about this a
reality show thing, I have to mention Tyler and the
(05:53):
bats Arette and he's obviously on there this season. So
did you encourage him to apply? And UM, I know
you've performed on the show in the past. You Um,
were you part of that at all? Um, in a way,
in a small way, I was. Because of that show
you're talking about we played. Tyler met the producers there
and so started a relationship with those producers, which ultimately
(06:14):
led to him being invited on the show. So yeah,
I absolutely encouraged him. He didn't need much because he
already wanted to do it. Um and Tyler, we're just
very different personalities, him and I, and he's much more introverted,
uh and it's probably more driven, but more introverted, if
that makes sense. So this one was say he wanted
(06:37):
to push himself out of his comfort zone and become
part of something like this. And so it was the
first time really in our careers, because he's my manager
and my brother, is the first time that he was
in the spotlight. And I was helping encourage and try
to manage the you know, the whole publicity side of it.
(06:58):
So it's been really on flip for sure. I think
if you're watching it and you're seeing your brother on screen,
it could get awkward just because he's a family member. Yeah.
So it it aired um this week, the first episode,
and I watched it and it was just cringing the
whole time. And and I think it's more just just
(07:19):
kind of that sibling. You wanna protect your sibling. And
I would see somebody make a face and I was like, well,
what that guy, what do you look at? What was
that face for? Man? You know? So I was very
sensitive about it, and I know his true value and
it's hard to see that in a quick reality show episode.
So I don't supportive. Okay, let's switch gears here to
(07:40):
the new music Country Things. Part one is the album?
Why part one? I guess is a part two coming? Right?
Is there like a theme to each part? Yeah? So
there's not. There's definitely not a theme. But the reason
I made that distinction is I just felt like sixteen
songs total, which is what the project was, was a
little little bit too much for the average consumer to digest,
(08:04):
and without skipping over some of the deeper thinking songs,
and and that's always troubling for an artist. When you
put out a project you're so passionate about and then
you focus, you end up focusing on three or four
of the big bangers, and then you completely wash over
the ones that are meaningful to you. And so I thought, well,
(08:27):
what if we split this up? But we don't have
much time go by in between, So we're gonna put
the second volume out at the end of November on
Black Friday. Actually, so um, there's not much time in between,
and I hope that this will give every song an
equal chance to at least be heard and consumed. Um,
thank you for bringing the term banger into a country
(08:48):
music conversation. I appreciate that. Yeah, you know what I mean.
In fact, the best banger I think on this album is, uh,
my favorite song on here is I Kill Spiders. I
feel like that. Man, It's so well written and this
every dad, you know, I just went back to my
kids growing up and it made me tear up. I mean,
it's so good. So um, I hope at some point
(09:11):
you'll get to release that and more people can hear it. Man.
I hope so too. That song speaks exactly to what
I was saying about. There's certain songs that could possibly
get skipped over because there may be a little bit
more sentimental than the party songs, and that's one of them.
I love that song too, and I hope you're right,
hop it does get its chance to be heard. Obviously,
(09:33):
some of this music was impacted, and you've talked a
little bit about this about the passing of your son
last year, and you know, our hearts go out to
you and your family and have for months and over
the past year and a half or so, So, um,
how did sort of that event impact the music on
this album and what's to come? Well, um, it's impacted it.
(09:55):
First of all, just right off the bat, it impacted
it because I didn't write any thing or do anything
musically for a long time. So this album probably should
have came out in on a normal schedule, but I
just I wasn't doing anything, so that first of all,
I just pushed the whole thing back. And then second secondly,
(10:17):
I I just uh, I was deeper thinking in this
whole project, at least the back half of it. And
although there's not going to be specific lyrical references to
so that, Um, you could probably feel it in my
heart that things are things are a little different with me,
(10:37):
and I felt like that's why I love Dirt. Rhodes
sort of took a took a major rewrite as well,
somewhat because of all those events, right, yeah, yeah, And
and there's a couple of others that song that Heroes did, um,
that Heroes didn't have the nurses in the second verse. Um.
So there was several things that I went back and said, Hey,
(10:58):
I'm thinking a little differently on this now in my
new my new life, and so I changed words here
and there. Yeah, for sure. Before we wrap here, I've
got to ask about Earl uh and how he's dealing
with the COVID situation. I mean, is his is his
mask game strong or like, where is he head on
all this? Well? Yeah, as far as social distancing, Earl
(11:21):
has kind of just made a lifestyle of social distancing.
So it's not that big a deal. He doesn't have
very many friends or neighbors or anyone that joins him
on the porch. But what I can't say about Earl
is that he has had a great resurgence because of
uh COVID. Without me touring We've had a lot more
time to think about Earl and his videos, and so
(11:42):
Earl was saved by I would say that looking ahead
here finished this sentence. I want more blank and less blank.
I want more touring and less furloughing. In one they
grange listen you the death, buddy, Thank you for thank
you for the call. I really appreciate it. And uh,
(12:04):
thanks for your friendship over the years, from Alaska to
Texas two, that helicopter ride in Florida that time, all
the things we've done. Um, and you're just such a
good person. I just love having you on the show always.
So thanks again, man, and have a great holiday season.
You and your family appreciate you, buddy, always saying back
to you and always get it. Thanks for listening to
(12:26):
Cody Cast. Follow Cody right now at Cody Allen on Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook. Care Cody on hundreds of radio stations
every day, and watch Cody on twenty this weekend Saturday
and Sunday and Might Central on CMT. Bye for now,
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