May 19, 2024 • 21 mins
Great White Sharks. We need manly martini glasses. Country music star Lee Greenwood.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Bold, reverence and occasionally random. The Sunday Hang with Playin'
Buck podcast, it starts now. Off air, we were talking
about great white sharks. This is a lessen. You never
have any idea what the off air and sometimes they
sound very similar to the on air conversations. But you said,
oh my god, have you seen this video that you
(00:22):
sent me of the shark off Martha's Vineyard? Twenty five
to thirty feet great white, five thousand pounds. This shark
video is not like way under the water. You can
see the fin that is out of the water. I mean,
this is a monstrous animal. Can you imagine coming into it?
This is basically the Jaws size great white shark.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, I mean I think Jaws, the mechanical Jaws would
have been about a twenty footer. And there are great whites.
I think Deep Blue is the biggest great white ever
seen in the is ever seen as a name for it,
and he usually is off the coast of Hawaii's where
they've seen it, and that goes over twenty feet. But yeah,
a five pounds great white shark they estimate off of
(01:06):
Martha's Vineyard. And I'm just saying before I go to
the beach. You know, sharks man, you gotta keep an
eye out, you know, I'm always the chance of being
eaten by a shark is less than a chance of
being struck by lightning. And yet, ever since watching that movie,
which you know, in part was filmed on Martha's Vineyard,
there are few iconic scenes in Jaws, which is supposed
(01:30):
to take place in the fictional Amity. Yeah, but it
really is filmed largely in Martha's Vineyard, And I've been
to some of the sites. I was like, that looks familiar,
and it's oh yeah, it actually is where they film
this part of Jaws.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I would argue, and this would be a fun debate
sometime that Jaws is the most influential movie that's ever
been made. And some of you out there are rolling
your eyes when I say most influential movie that's ever
been made. I mean a a fictional movie, right. There
have been other movies. You could probably to some of
the Lenny Reef install crazy videos that she made for
(02:03):
the Nazis, things like that, historical films. I'm talking about
a fictional film. I think Jaws has influenced people's life
more than any other movie that's ever been made because
every time you go in the ocean, you think about
getting eaten by a shark if you've seen Jaws.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
And I know it's late and I'm about to go
on vacation for a few days. So maybe that's why
this is turning into like a bro podcast over here.
But it's also amazing to me that as fearsome and
large as great white sharks are, orca the killer whale
can make absolute mince meat of any great white shark,
and yet there has never once been in the wild
a killer whale attack on a human being?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Is that right? Isn't that there are killer whales here
where I am in Seattle?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Can you occasionally see them like just off the coast.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yes, they're I mean they're dolphins, not whales. They're giant
dolphins effectively, so they're as smart as dolphins, which people
don't often really think about.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
We did the killer whale enclosure at SeaWorld, which I
think is super like they did the whole movie about that.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It got all.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Controversial black fin or something. I think that's right, And
when went after SeaWorld a big way. I don't know
anything about the health of the sea worlds at of
the of the the animals there at Sea World. I
think it just got loose. By the way, you see
this too, I think an elephant just got loose.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I'm serious. Do you guys check this out before we
I think an elephant in Montana at a circus. Yes,
I just saw a full on elephant loose from the
circus in some town in Montana, running around in the streets.
True King of the Land animals. Elephant not even close.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Nothing even. You could have a grizzly bear elephant interaction
in Montana, which is like every kid's dream.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Elephant would absolutely destroy it, would would crush the grizzly
bear like a bug. Wouldn't even be close.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Sunday hang with Buck.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I'm pretty into coffee. I'm pretty into coffee. I'm not
I'm not gonna say that. Like, I mean, I've been
drinking coffee every day. I'm pretty sure. I started in
high school.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh really, all the way back. See, I've started here
the last few years because I love it now. This
is one where I listen to my wife. Listen to
your wives out there. I drink a lot of soda.
I love mountain dew. I still do.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
But I was like I'm getting. You know, I'm forty five. Now,
I don't know that I gain a lot by drinking soda,
and so this is way healthier. I drink black coffee,
usually throw ice in it. Uh. You can watch me
live drinking it throughout the course of this show. I
kind of love it. I like going to coffee shops now.
I feel like a little bit like of a.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
You're indoor scarf when you go to the coffee shop.
Very important, ever, gonna go star you belong. I have
to have some some measure of sanity, but I love it.
I even get this, maybe a downer. I even now
will get espresso martinis when I go into a into
a bar. Sometimes this guy's talking, the guy who loves
(05:07):
espresso martinis, and the British Royal family is talking. Man,
I understand, I understand if a lot of you can't
trust me anymore. I usually my standard I like beer, obviously,
but usually my standard liquor drink.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Is an old fashion. Big fan of old fashions, like
Buffalo Trace and all of their lineage of whiskeys, bourbons,
all that stuff. But I love a smoked old fashion.
Now I'm really kind of getting into the espresso Martini.
I don't know what percentage of men by espresso martinis
versus women. It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
It's not a lot, you think.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So here's the deal. I've been noticing a lot more
men drinking espresso martinis because of the coffee. You want
a little bit of a liquor, but you want some
caffeine and you don't want to go Red Bull, right,
red Bull vodka. Remember when Red Bull vodkas were really popular.
I don't know if anybody orders Red bulvoga anymore, but
it used to be the drink when you're like kind
(06:05):
of need a little bit of a pick me up.
The espresso martini. Actual coffee in it. It's really good,
but so Rocket coffee. Yes, Crockett Coffee dot com. It's
while you need that delicious, wonderful Crockett coffee. And yeah,
I I.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Want to do we have a few, call, I've lost them.
If we had them, I had them up a second ago.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
No, I'm getting lit up already by the espresso Martini.
It would help if the glass was more masculine. I
think the espresso martini would sell ten times as much
to men if they just put it in a whiskey
glass as opposed to the Martini glass. What's the point
you were talking earlier about the wineglass. What is the
point someone tell me of a Martini glass other than
(06:48):
the way it looks.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, one thing is they can they can actually pour
a lot less liquor into it. It looks like it
holds more volume than it does because of the shape.
It's a bit of an optical illusion. You have far
less booze in a Martini glass than you realize.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
That probably is true, But I mean, like, what would
is there is there a taste component that would make
it not work in a whiskey glass? No, definitely, So
maybe that's what I need to do. I need to
just order it in a whiskey glass as opposed to
a martine one.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Who's telling me that your wife gets hates when they
do the three dollars charge for ice at the bar?
Or is that somebody else telling me this? Or at
a restaurant some places?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Trying to know this occurred?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Oh yes, Oh I thought it was you, but must
have been one of my Miami people. Have you guys
ever heard of this? They will actually charge you extra
if you get a drink on the rocks for what
the ice. I had never heard of this either, but
I have asked around a little bit, and apparently this
is a thing. In some places. They charge you more
for the ice.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Oh that's that's just charge more for the drink. Like
that's how I always feel. Oh that I mean, first
of all, the ice has become fancier. I get it,
maybe a little bit, Like you know, the block of
ice is very cool. A lot of times now the
ice will have a logo in it or whatever. I
love I'm saying earlier the smoked old fashion that they
(08:12):
literally will light it. It feels like you're drinking basically a campfire, which,
believe it or not, is pretty incredible, like you're sitting
around having smores around the campfire. I love the smoked
old fashioned flavor and taste. But charging for ice is
frankly beyond the pale.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Well so that they claim now that it's actually because
if you get it on the rocks there's additional booze,
so that I think is a little bit more. Because yeah,
someone told me they got up charge for getting something
on the rocks. It was an extra three dollars charge.
But I guess that's it because there's more liquor involved
in it.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I don't drink very much, so I don't know these things.
I do drink a lot of coffee, however, So that's
the important thing. In case you're wondering, what do I drink?
Crocketcoffee dot com?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
How many that is what I drink? Crocketoffee dot com.
How many places do you think analyze Michigan school shooting,
Morgan Wallen throwing a chair offf talk to a sitting
senator in the space of three hours. I think the
range of this show has to exceed the range of
almost any show in America on a day to day basis.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
That's fair.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I mean, we're utility players here, you know what I mean.
You put us in any position and we'll deliver for
the coach and for the audience.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Do not throw chairs off the roofs of balconies. But
if you do, make sure that it's over a love dispute.
If you're a country music singer, Sundays with Clay and
Buck Lee.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Green, when everybody joins us now country music star and
he wants to talk to us about his God blessed
the USA partnership with Trump, Lee honored to have you
on the program. Sir, how did you come up with
this idea and how did it get started here where
you have these God Bless the USA Bibles in partnership
with the one and only Donald J.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Trump.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Thanks very much, guys, and nice to talk to you.
We've actually been promoting that God Bless the USA Bible
for three years and it sort of just came to
me after I had sang in New York for a
lot of immigrants who had became American citizens. They asked
if they could use my song, which I've sang for
ten different presidents in the Immigration film, and so a
(10:17):
new citizen who comes in this country and they're fifteen
hundred of those swearing in ceremonies a year in the
United States to bring legal immigrants into the country. And
after I started talking to some of them about America's history,
and they were very quick to tell me that they
knew a lot about America because they had to study
it for seven years before become a citizen. And I said, well, then,
(10:39):
are you a Christian? And I said about seventy percent
of them are. And so what's wrong then with putting
documents of our founded fathers with a Bible, and we
started that three years ago. Now, my association with the
president of because you know that he comes on stage
and uses my song as his entrance song, and I've
sang for him several times. I am not afraid to
(11:00):
tell you I'm a Christian and a conservative, so in
that regard, his entrance to the market selling the Bible
is actually not in a partnership with me, but with
the company that sells the Bible.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
We're talking to Lee Greenwood. I'm a big fan. I
want to ask you about some of your performances, but
i want to mention this one in particular because I'm
curious if people still bring it up to you. My
dad is a huge University of Tennessee fan. I am
as well. He was at the Sugar Bowl nineteen eighty
six when Tennessee played Miami, and you came out and
(11:35):
saying I believe at halftime during that game, and obviously
from the Hills of Tennessee is one of the lines
in your song. I'm curious if people still ask you
about that. That's been almost forty years ago now, and
that particular performance, and as the second part of that,
what performance to you and or performances. When you look
(11:56):
back on your career, do you consider to be the
most iconic, the most impressive, the most stuff from your perspective, enjoyable,
of all the many thousands that you've done.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Wow, that's a great question, and I will tell you
first of all, we yes, we are fans of ut Govald.
My wife actually was in the system at Chattanooga University
of Tennessee there and I've sang more times with the
University of Tennessee Proud of the Southland Band than anyone else,
like fourteen times. That particular performance at the Sugar Bowl
(12:27):
I remember like yesterday, and we didn't win the national
champion that year, championship that year, but we did beat
Miami thirty five to seven. I sang at the halftime.
That was probably the first time I'd ever sang God
Bless the usay in a stadium at a football game. Now,
when we move forward and talk about those moving moments
we've done, like fourteen USO tours, I can remember seeing
(12:50):
on the US's Nimics touring with Bob Hope and singing
for the military all over the world. There have been
places where I can't even tell you where we sang
for the military and it was a very moving moment.
But I will say this right after the terrorist attack
in America and they of course brought down the trade
towers and then the plane went down in Pennsylvania with
(13:10):
some wonderful brave Americans. And then they also ran a
plane into the Pentagon, which a lot of people don't
even know about or remember. I sang at Yankee Stadium
for the Fireman's Memorial. There were three hundred and thirty
firemen that died, and it was Bette Midler, myself and
Mark Anthony who were the performers there at Yankee Stadium.
That was a moving moment. And then we sang for
(13:31):
the Policeman's Memorial at Carnegie Hall, coordinated by then Police
Chief Menard Currig, who was still a friend of mine,
and there were over one hundred cops that were killed
as well. Then let's move to the fourth game of
the World Series. Now that was more important because it
had such a wide audience. One of the things Terrists
wanted to do was to stop our way of life,
(13:51):
and the first thing we wanted to do was say
you will not stop us from having sports events. It's
the what we entertain ourselves with It's good, healthy entertainment,
and the competition between cities and teams is something we
all look forward to. So I wore the red, white
and blue jacket, and you can google that find it
on YouTube. But the only time I ever wore that
jacket for a live performance. It is retired and will
(14:13):
probably go to the Hall of Fame, UH or the
or the Science Museum. But but I wore the colors
of America because I wanted to make sure the world
knew that me, particularly who wrote God Bless the USA,
wanted to let the worst rest of the world know
we would get up off our knees and we will
sing for American pride. And that that's why I wore
that jacket at that particular time.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
We're speaking of Lee Greenwood country music superstar right now,
and Lee, obviously your song has gotten this this new act,
to this new phase, if you will. God Blessed the
USA because Trump uses it, and so it is very
much associated in the minds of a lot of us
UH these days with Trump and the America First Movement
(14:56):
that that he is the center, the center of and
at the forefront of I'm wondering if you just tell
us how did you come up with this?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Originally? What spurred you.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
On to write it was what was in your mind?
I mean, how did you decide I'm just going to
write a truly patriotic anthem that would stand the test
of time for decades.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
It's yeah, you know, it's a long ride. I was
raised in California on a farm. My father joined the
Navy right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and I
mean right after days after. We were living in Los
Angeles at the time, so I was born in La Hospital.
My mother divorced my father because he was in the
Navy for four years and Merchant Marine for two years.
(15:37):
I did not even know Hi until I was almost twenty,
and that's not why I wrote the song. But let
me just say my way of life, being raised on
a farm by my grandparents was something very special. I
spent twenty more years before I had the opportunity to
find an audience for my career, and I spent those
twenty years in Nevada alongside many great entertainers, one of
(16:00):
whom was Elvis Presley. Worked in the same hotel as
I did. That was the Hilton in those days. Now
the Westgate Resort, and I always watched Elvis's show when
I had a moment, and he would sing the Trilogy,
which was ended with the Battle Him of the Republic. Now,
Elvis was very reverent. He probably could have been a preacher.
And if you ask TG Shepherd, he will tell you
(16:20):
he's one of the TCB recipients of that necklace taking
care of business that Elvis gd to those people who
were close to him. And when I heard him sing
that song, I said, if I ever get my own career,
I want to close my show with the Trilogy, just
like Elvis did. So fast forward I get my career.
We explode on the scene as a writer, singer, musician
(16:42):
and a touring artist, and we did every doghouse, outhouse
and roundhouse for three years, and after the release of
three or four albums that put us on the charts
consistently for five years, I wrote God Bless you usay
just because I'm in my bus one night leaving a
concert and I'd seen some military, some Marines who had
presented the flag that night and the national anthem, and
(17:05):
I'm like, you know what, maybe it's time. Instead of
doing someone else's song, I write my own song, and
I went ahead and did it, and I wrote the closer.
I took it home to my producer, Jared Crutchfield. It
was hard to do any demos because we're on the
road so very much, so I made the dem win
my bus. I had my own recording studio in the bus,
and he looked at me. He said, Lee, I don't
(17:26):
know that this is a good idea, but if you
want to do that, we'll put it on the album.
The album was called You've Got a Good Love Coming.
It was nineteen eighty five, released for summer. When I
took the album to Universal in Los Angeles, it was
Irving as Off, who ran Universal in all of MCA
Records and Movie Division, who actually made the call to
(17:48):
have God Bless the USA released as a single that
year in nineteen eighty five. Had they not done that,
I don't believe anyone would ever have heard it. It
would have been buried in the album. You Got a
Good Love Coming would have been a hit because we
had a video we filmed in the London train station
with a couple of this couple of people who made
cameo appearances. But Lo and Behold made the song on radio,
(18:11):
and the only mistake they made was it peaked before
July fourth and nineteen eighty five because they released it
a little too soon. So you know, there's the story
of it. Lee.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
How many presidents have you had the good fortune to
meet in your career? I bet the answer is a
bunch of them. And how would you assess Trump, who
I think it's fair to say you want to see
back in the White House in twenty twenty four, compared
to the other presidents that you've had the good fortune
to meet over the years.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Let's wind back when I was sixteen. I was a
drum major from my high school marching band in Sacramento, California,
when at that time Vice President Nixon made a visit
to Sacramento and I'm standing next to the airplane when
he stepped off the aircraft and shook hands with me.
That was the first dignitary I had ever met. I
(19:02):
then helped Ronald Reagan for his gluminatorial campaign in California,
and I was still a struggling musician. After I moved
to Tennessee, I get my career, and then USA begins
to be known as Ronald Reagan's song in his movie
and then I met Vice President Bush at the time
(19:23):
with a White House performance forty one. Became my very
close friend, and I still admire him and Barbara and
the way that they conducted their lives. Don't forget he
was a Navy flyer, He was a hero in the war,
was rescued by a submarine. He was the head of
the CIA, and he was very smart. And I believe
(19:45):
when those two Ritagan and Bush were together in the
White House, Reagan learned that Bush was smart. Bush learned
that Reagan knew how to entertain an audience. And I
think that's what this was so unique about it. All Right,
Reagan gets out of office, Bush becomes president, and we
open the Ronald Reagan Library in Shiney Valley, California. Johnny Grant,
(20:08):
the mayor of Hollywood, knows that I was a favorite
of Ronald Reagan's. He wants me to sing in front
of five presidents, and I will name them for you.
It was Nixon, carter Ford, Bush, and Reagan, all their
wives and Lady Birt Johnson, whose husband had already been deceased.
So I sang in front of those five. Forward another
ten years, we have Hurricane relief at Texas, A and
(20:30):
M and I sing again for five presidents. In this
particular instance, I've emceed the event as well, and I'm
singing for Presidents Obama, Clinton, Carter, and both Bush presidents,
all sitting in the front row. And I have that
picture on my website if you want to go look
at it, Lee Greenwood dot Com showing my wife and
I standing behind the five presidents who all posed for
(20:52):
pictures with the entire cast. But it's really interesting that
when you are around a president and secrets nervis gets
a handle on you and they understand who you are.
A visual contact, then it's not so strict. But at first,
of course, you have to clear all of the senses.
You have to go through all the identification procedures. Once
(21:13):
that's done, you're just kind of a member of the
family backstage. And I've had so many experiences and we
could talk a lot about that as we go along
with all of the presidents. Of course, you know, I
was in the National Downoan of the Arts Council, appointed
by President Bush forty three and I'm now a trustee
of the Kennedy Center appointed by President Trump.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Lee Greenwood Country music superstar of God Blessed the USA, Fame,
and so many other songs. Lee Greenwood dot com. Go
check out what is up to there. Lee, thank you
for being with us.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
You're welcome very much. God bless the USA Bible dot
com
Bold, reverence and occasionally random. The Sunday Hang with Playin'
Buck podcast, it starts now. Off air, we were talking
about great white sharks. This is a lessen. You never
have any idea what the off air and sometimes they
sound very similar to the on air conversations. But you said,
oh my god, have you seen this video that you
(00:22):
sent me of the shark off Martha's Vineyard? Twenty five
to thirty feet great white, five thousand pounds. This shark
video is not like way under the water. You can
see the fin that is out of the water. I mean,
this is a monstrous animal. Can you imagine coming into it?
This is basically the Jaws size great white shark.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, I mean I think Jaws, the mechanical Jaws would
have been about a twenty footer. And there are great whites.
I think Deep Blue is the biggest great white ever
seen in the is ever seen as a name for it,
and he usually is off the coast of Hawaii's where
they've seen it, and that goes over twenty feet. But yeah,
a five pounds great white shark they estimate off of
(01:06):
Martha's Vineyard. And I'm just saying before I go to
the beach. You know, sharks man, you gotta keep an
eye out, you know, I'm always the chance of being
eaten by a shark is less than a chance of
being struck by lightning. And yet, ever since watching that movie,
which you know, in part was filmed on Martha's Vineyard,
there are few iconic scenes in Jaws, which is supposed
(01:30):
to take place in the fictional Amity. Yeah, but it
really is filmed largely in Martha's Vineyard, And I've been
to some of the sites. I was like, that looks familiar,
and it's oh yeah, it actually is where they film
this part of Jaws.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
I would argue, and this would be a fun debate
sometime that Jaws is the most influential movie that's ever
been made. And some of you out there are rolling
your eyes when I say most influential movie that's ever
been made. I mean a a fictional movie, right. There
have been other movies. You could probably to some of
the Lenny Reef install crazy videos that she made for
(02:03):
the Nazis, things like that, historical films. I'm talking about
a fictional film. I think Jaws has influenced people's life
more than any other movie that's ever been made because
every time you go in the ocean, you think about
getting eaten by a shark if you've seen Jaws.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
And I know it's late and I'm about to go
on vacation for a few days. So maybe that's why
this is turning into like a bro podcast over here.
But it's also amazing to me that as fearsome and
large as great white sharks are, orca the killer whale
can make absolute mince meat of any great white shark,
and yet there has never once been in the wild
a killer whale attack on a human being?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Is that right? Isn't that there are killer whales here
where I am in Seattle?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Right?
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Can you occasionally see them like just off the coast.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yes, they're I mean they're dolphins, not whales. They're giant
dolphins effectively, so they're as smart as dolphins, which people
don't often really think about.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
We did the killer whale enclosure at SeaWorld, which I
think is super like they did the whole movie about that.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It got all.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Controversial black fin or something. I think that's right, And
when went after SeaWorld a big way. I don't know
anything about the health of the sea worlds at of
the of the the animals there at Sea World. I
think it just got loose. By the way, you see
this too, I think an elephant just got loose.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I'm serious. Do you guys check this out before we
I think an elephant in Montana at a circus. Yes,
I just saw a full on elephant loose from the
circus in some town in Montana, running around in the streets.
True King of the Land animals. Elephant not even close.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Nothing even. You could have a grizzly bear elephant interaction
in Montana, which is like every kid's dream.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Elephant would absolutely destroy it, would would crush the grizzly
bear like a bug. Wouldn't even be close.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Sunday hang with Buck.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I'm pretty into coffee. I'm pretty into coffee. I'm not
I'm not gonna say that. Like, I mean, I've been
drinking coffee every day. I'm pretty sure. I started in
high school.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Oh really, all the way back. See, I've started here
the last few years because I love it now. This
is one where I listen to my wife. Listen to
your wives out there. I drink a lot of soda.
I love mountain dew. I still do.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
But I was like I'm getting. You know, I'm forty five. Now,
I don't know that I gain a lot by drinking soda,
and so this is way healthier. I drink black coffee,
usually throw ice in it. Uh. You can watch me
live drinking it throughout the course of this show. I
kind of love it. I like going to coffee shops now.
I feel like a little bit like of a.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
You're indoor scarf when you go to the coffee shop.
Very important, ever, gonna go star you belong. I have
to have some some measure of sanity, but I love it.
I even get this, maybe a downer. I even now
will get espresso martinis when I go into a into
a bar. Sometimes this guy's talking, the guy who loves
(05:07):
espresso martinis, and the British Royal family is talking. Man,
I understand, I understand if a lot of you can't
trust me anymore. I usually my standard I like beer, obviously,
but usually my standard liquor drink.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Is an old fashion. Big fan of old fashions, like
Buffalo Trace and all of their lineage of whiskeys, bourbons,
all that stuff. But I love a smoked old fashion.
Now I'm really kind of getting into the espresso Martini.
I don't know what percentage of men by espresso martinis
versus women. It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
It's not a lot, you think.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So here's the deal. I've been noticing a lot more
men drinking espresso martinis because of the coffee. You want
a little bit of a liquor, but you want some
caffeine and you don't want to go Red Bull, right,
red Bull vodka. Remember when Red Bull vodkas were really popular.
I don't know if anybody orders Red bulvoga anymore, but
it used to be the drink when you're like kind
(06:05):
of need a little bit of a pick me up.
The espresso martini. Actual coffee in it. It's really good,
but so Rocket coffee. Yes, Crockett Coffee dot com. It's
while you need that delicious, wonderful Crockett coffee. And yeah,
I I.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Want to do we have a few, call, I've lost them.
If we had them, I had them up a second ago.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
No, I'm getting lit up already by the espresso Martini.
It would help if the glass was more masculine. I
think the espresso martini would sell ten times as much
to men if they just put it in a whiskey
glass as opposed to the Martini glass. What's the point
you were talking earlier about the wineglass. What is the
point someone tell me of a Martini glass other than
(06:48):
the way it looks.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Well, one thing is they can they can actually pour
a lot less liquor into it. It looks like it
holds more volume than it does because of the shape.
It's a bit of an optical illusion. You have far
less booze in a Martini glass than you realize.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
That probably is true, But I mean, like, what would
is there is there a taste component that would make
it not work in a whiskey glass? No, definitely, So
maybe that's what I need to do. I need to
just order it in a whiskey glass as opposed to
a martine one.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Who's telling me that your wife gets hates when they
do the three dollars charge for ice at the bar?
Or is that somebody else telling me this? Or at
a restaurant some places?
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Trying to know this occurred?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Oh yes, Oh I thought it was you, but must
have been one of my Miami people. Have you guys
ever heard of this? They will actually charge you extra
if you get a drink on the rocks for what
the ice. I had never heard of this either, but
I have asked around a little bit, and apparently this
is a thing. In some places. They charge you more
for the ice.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Oh that's that's just charge more for the drink. Like
that's how I always feel. Oh that I mean, first
of all, the ice has become fancier. I get it,
maybe a little bit, Like you know, the block of
ice is very cool. A lot of times now the
ice will have a logo in it or whatever. I
love I'm saying earlier the smoked old fashion that they
(08:12):
literally will light it. It feels like you're drinking basically a campfire, which,
believe it or not, is pretty incredible, like you're sitting
around having smores around the campfire. I love the smoked
old fashioned flavor and taste. But charging for ice is
frankly beyond the pale.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Well so that they claim now that it's actually because
if you get it on the rocks there's additional booze,
so that I think is a little bit more. Because yeah,
someone told me they got up charge for getting something
on the rocks. It was an extra three dollars charge.
But I guess that's it because there's more liquor involved
in it.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I don't drink very much, so I don't know these things.
I do drink a lot of coffee, however, So that's
the important thing. In case you're wondering, what do I drink?
Crocketcoffee dot com?
Speaker 1 (08:51):
How many that is what I drink? Crocketoffee dot com.
How many places do you think analyze Michigan school shooting,
Morgan Wallen throwing a chair offf talk to a sitting
senator in the space of three hours. I think the
range of this show has to exceed the range of
almost any show in America on a day to day basis.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
That's fair.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I mean, we're utility players here, you know what I mean.
You put us in any position and we'll deliver for
the coach and for the audience.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Do not throw chairs off the roofs of balconies. But
if you do, make sure that it's over a love dispute.
If you're a country music singer, Sundays with Clay and
Buck Lee.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Green, when everybody joins us now country music star and
he wants to talk to us about his God blessed
the USA partnership with Trump, Lee honored to have you
on the program. Sir, how did you come up with
this idea and how did it get started here where
you have these God Bless the USA Bibles in partnership
with the one and only Donald J.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Trump.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Thanks very much, guys, and nice to talk to you.
We've actually been promoting that God Bless the USA Bible
for three years and it sort of just came to
me after I had sang in New York for a
lot of immigrants who had became American citizens. They asked
if they could use my song, which I've sang for
ten different presidents in the Immigration film, and so a
(10:17):
new citizen who comes in this country and they're fifteen
hundred of those swearing in ceremonies a year in the
United States to bring legal immigrants into the country. And
after I started talking to some of them about America's history,
and they were very quick to tell me that they
knew a lot about America because they had to study
it for seven years before become a citizen. And I said, well, then,
(10:39):
are you a Christian? And I said about seventy percent
of them are. And so what's wrong then with putting
documents of our founded fathers with a Bible, and we
started that three years ago. Now, my association with the
president of because you know that he comes on stage
and uses my song as his entrance song, and I've
sang for him several times. I am not afraid to
(11:00):
tell you I'm a Christian and a conservative, so in
that regard, his entrance to the market selling the Bible
is actually not in a partnership with me, but with
the company that sells the Bible.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
We're talking to Lee Greenwood. I'm a big fan. I
want to ask you about some of your performances, but
i want to mention this one in particular because I'm
curious if people still bring it up to you. My
dad is a huge University of Tennessee fan. I am
as well. He was at the Sugar Bowl nineteen eighty
six when Tennessee played Miami, and you came out and
(11:35):
saying I believe at halftime during that game, and obviously
from the Hills of Tennessee is one of the lines
in your song. I'm curious if people still ask you
about that. That's been almost forty years ago now, and
that particular performance, and as the second part of that,
what performance to you and or performances. When you look
(11:56):
back on your career, do you consider to be the
most iconic, the most impressive, the most stuff from your perspective, enjoyable,
of all the many thousands that you've done.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Wow, that's a great question, and I will tell you
first of all, we yes, we are fans of ut Govald.
My wife actually was in the system at Chattanooga University
of Tennessee there and I've sang more times with the
University of Tennessee Proud of the Southland Band than anyone else,
like fourteen times. That particular performance at the Sugar Bowl
(12:27):
I remember like yesterday, and we didn't win the national
champion that year, championship that year, but we did beat
Miami thirty five to seven. I sang at the halftime.
That was probably the first time I'd ever sang God
Bless the usay in a stadium at a football game. Now,
when we move forward and talk about those moving moments
we've done, like fourteen USO tours, I can remember seeing
(12:50):
on the US's Nimics touring with Bob Hope and singing
for the military all over the world. There have been
places where I can't even tell you where we sang
for the military and it was a very moving moment.
But I will say this right after the terrorist attack
in America and they of course brought down the trade
towers and then the plane went down in Pennsylvania with
(13:10):
some wonderful brave Americans. And then they also ran a
plane into the Pentagon, which a lot of people don't
even know about or remember. I sang at Yankee Stadium
for the Fireman's Memorial. There were three hundred and thirty
firemen that died, and it was Bette Midler, myself and
Mark Anthony who were the performers there at Yankee Stadium.
That was a moving moment. And then we sang for
(13:31):
the Policeman's Memorial at Carnegie Hall, coordinated by then Police
Chief Menard Currig, who was still a friend of mine,
and there were over one hundred cops that were killed
as well. Then let's move to the fourth game of
the World Series. Now that was more important because it
had such a wide audience. One of the things Terrists
wanted to do was to stop our way of life,
(13:51):
and the first thing we wanted to do was say
you will not stop us from having sports events. It's
the what we entertain ourselves with It's good, healthy entertainment,
and the competition between cities and teams is something we
all look forward to. So I wore the red, white
and blue jacket, and you can google that find it
on YouTube. But the only time I ever wore that
jacket for a live performance. It is retired and will
(14:13):
probably go to the Hall of Fame, UH or the
or the Science Museum. But but I wore the colors
of America because I wanted to make sure the world
knew that me, particularly who wrote God Bless the USA,
wanted to let the worst rest of the world know
we would get up off our knees and we will
sing for American pride. And that that's why I wore
that jacket at that particular time.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
We're speaking of Lee Greenwood country music superstar right now,
and Lee, obviously your song has gotten this this new act,
to this new phase, if you will. God Blessed the
USA because Trump uses it, and so it is very
much associated in the minds of a lot of us
UH these days with Trump and the America First Movement
(14:56):
that that he is the center, the center of and
at the forefront of I'm wondering if you just tell
us how did you come up with this?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Originally? What spurred you.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
On to write it was what was in your mind?
I mean, how did you decide I'm just going to
write a truly patriotic anthem that would stand the test
of time for decades.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
It's yeah, you know, it's a long ride. I was
raised in California on a farm. My father joined the
Navy right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and I
mean right after days after. We were living in Los
Angeles at the time, so I was born in La Hospital.
My mother divorced my father because he was in the
Navy for four years and Merchant Marine for two years.
(15:37):
I did not even know Hi until I was almost twenty,
and that's not why I wrote the song. But let
me just say my way of life, being raised on
a farm by my grandparents was something very special. I
spent twenty more years before I had the opportunity to
find an audience for my career, and I spent those
twenty years in Nevada alongside many great entertainers, one of
(16:00):
whom was Elvis Presley. Worked in the same hotel as
I did. That was the Hilton in those days. Now
the Westgate Resort, and I always watched Elvis's show when
I had a moment, and he would sing the Trilogy,
which was ended with the Battle Him of the Republic. Now,
Elvis was very reverent. He probably could have been a preacher.
And if you ask TG Shepherd, he will tell you
(16:20):
he's one of the TCB recipients of that necklace taking
care of business that Elvis gd to those people who
were close to him. And when I heard him sing
that song, I said, if I ever get my own career,
I want to close my show with the Trilogy, just
like Elvis did. So fast forward I get my career.
We explode on the scene as a writer, singer, musician
(16:42):
and a touring artist, and we did every doghouse, outhouse
and roundhouse for three years, and after the release of
three or four albums that put us on the charts
consistently for five years, I wrote God Bless you usay
just because I'm in my bus one night leaving a
concert and I'd seen some military, some Marines who had
presented the flag that night and the national anthem, and
(17:05):
I'm like, you know what, maybe it's time. Instead of
doing someone else's song, I write my own song, and
I went ahead and did it, and I wrote the closer.
I took it home to my producer, Jared Crutchfield. It
was hard to do any demos because we're on the
road so very much, so I made the dem win
my bus. I had my own recording studio in the bus,
and he looked at me. He said, Lee, I don't
(17:26):
know that this is a good idea, but if you
want to do that, we'll put it on the album.
The album was called You've Got a Good Love Coming.
It was nineteen eighty five, released for summer. When I
took the album to Universal in Los Angeles, it was
Irving as Off, who ran Universal in all of MCA
Records and Movie Division, who actually made the call to
(17:48):
have God Bless the USA released as a single that
year in nineteen eighty five. Had they not done that,
I don't believe anyone would ever have heard it. It
would have been buried in the album. You Got a
Good Love Coming would have been a hit because we
had a video we filmed in the London train station
with a couple of this couple of people who made
cameo appearances. But Lo and Behold made the song on radio,
(18:11):
and the only mistake they made was it peaked before
July fourth and nineteen eighty five because they released it
a little too soon. So you know, there's the story
of it. Lee.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
How many presidents have you had the good fortune to
meet in your career? I bet the answer is a
bunch of them. And how would you assess Trump, who
I think it's fair to say you want to see
back in the White House in twenty twenty four, compared
to the other presidents that you've had the good fortune
to meet over the years.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Let's wind back when I was sixteen. I was a
drum major from my high school marching band in Sacramento, California,
when at that time Vice President Nixon made a visit
to Sacramento and I'm standing next to the airplane when
he stepped off the aircraft and shook hands with me.
That was the first dignitary I had ever met. I
(19:02):
then helped Ronald Reagan for his gluminatorial campaign in California,
and I was still a struggling musician. After I moved
to Tennessee, I get my career, and then USA begins
to be known as Ronald Reagan's song in his movie
and then I met Vice President Bush at the time
(19:23):
with a White House performance forty one. Became my very
close friend, and I still admire him and Barbara and
the way that they conducted their lives. Don't forget he
was a Navy flyer, He was a hero in the war,
was rescued by a submarine. He was the head of
the CIA, and he was very smart. And I believe
(19:45):
when those two Ritagan and Bush were together in the
White House, Reagan learned that Bush was smart. Bush learned
that Reagan knew how to entertain an audience. And I
think that's what this was so unique about it. All Right,
Reagan gets out of office, Bush becomes president, and we
open the Ronald Reagan Library in Shiney Valley, California. Johnny Grant,
(20:08):
the mayor of Hollywood, knows that I was a favorite
of Ronald Reagan's. He wants me to sing in front
of five presidents, and I will name them for you.
It was Nixon, carter Ford, Bush, and Reagan, all their
wives and Lady Birt Johnson, whose husband had already been deceased.
So I sang in front of those five. Forward another
ten years, we have Hurricane relief at Texas, A and
(20:30):
M and I sing again for five presidents. In this
particular instance, I've emceed the event as well, and I'm
singing for Presidents Obama, Clinton, Carter, and both Bush presidents,
all sitting in the front row. And I have that
picture on my website if you want to go look
at it, Lee Greenwood dot Com showing my wife and
I standing behind the five presidents who all posed for
(20:52):
pictures with the entire cast. But it's really interesting that
when you are around a president and secrets nervis gets
a handle on you and they understand who you are.
A visual contact, then it's not so strict. But at first,
of course, you have to clear all of the senses.
You have to go through all the identification procedures. Once
(21:13):
that's done, you're just kind of a member of the
family backstage. And I've had so many experiences and we
could talk a lot about that as we go along
with all of the presidents. Of course, you know, I
was in the National Downoan of the Arts Council, appointed
by President Bush forty three and I'm now a trustee
of the Kennedy Center appointed by President Trump.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Lee Greenwood Country music superstar of God Blessed the USA, Fame,
and so many other songs. Lee Greenwood dot com. Go
check out what is up to there. Lee, thank you
for being with us.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
You're welcome very much. God bless the USA Bible dot
com
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