Meet Jake Gray, the maestro of rodeo entertainment. Jake pulls back the curtain on his life in the spotlight. He shares a journey paved with more than just cowboy hats and arena lights, revealing the intricate dance between bullfighters and entertainers. From his roots in the Southeast rodeo circuit to becoming a household name, Jake's tales are stitched with humor, heart, and a touch of danger. His candid reflections on the sacrifices made for the love of the show—time away from loved ones, the wear on his trusty travel rig—offer a glimpse into the dedication behind the glitz of rodeo life.
Jake opens up about the delicate art of reading an audience, where no script can match the thrill of an unrehearsed moment. Discover how he turns slip-ups into stand-up and molds his mishaps into memorable performances. It's all about authenticity for Jake, and he's no stranger to the competition either, sharing how he went from hustling for gigs to headlining events. This conversation isn't just about chasing the spotlight; it's a look at a performer's relentless pursuit of personal growth and excellence, both in and out of the arena.
Join us for a ride through the euphoria of a live event's crescendo—the All Out Bull Tour—a testament to Jake's vision coming to life. He may enjoy a simple PB&J, but his appetite for show production is anything but plain. As we barrel through stories of camaraderie among rodeo regulars and the annual joy of rekindling friendships, Jake's gratitude for his steadfast fiancé shines through. With his heartfelt New Year's wishes reverberating through the conversation, this episode is an ode to the hard-working entertainers and the communities that uplift them. Tune in, and you might just find yourself swept up in the dust, drama, and dynamism of the rodeo world.
Instagram:
@officialjakegray
https://www.instagram.com/officialjakegray?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/officialjakegray?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=715e1a65-b13b-4f03-8440-6a338968adcc
Shoutout to :
Jake Gray
The Gray Family
“Southeast Boys”
TJ Radosa
Riley Riddle
Trevor Wells
Alter Ego Ambassador: https://alteregorunning.com/
Miles & Mountains Promo Code: MMyr2
Meet Jake Gray, the maestro of rodeo entertainment. Jake pulls back the curtain on his life in the spotlight. He shares a journey paved with more than just cowboy hats and arena lights, revealing the intricate dance between bullfighters and entertainers. From his roots in the Southeast rodeo circuit to becoming a household name, Jake's tales are stitched with humor, heart, and a touch of danger. His candid reflections on the sacrifices made for the love of the show—time away from loved ones, the wear on his trusty travel rig—offer a glimpse into the dedication behind the glitz of rodeo life.
Jake opens up about the delicate art of reading an audience, where no script can match the thrill of an unrehearsed moment. Discover how he turns slip-ups into stand-up and molds his mishaps into memorable performances. It's all about authenticity for Jake, and he's no stranger to the competition either, sharing how he went from hustling for gigs to headlining events. This conversation isn't just about chasing the spotlight; it's a look at a performer's relentless pursuit of personal growth and excellence, both in and out of the arena.
Join us for a ride through the euphoria of a live event's crescendo—the All Out Bull Tour—a testament to Jake's vision coming to life. He may enjoy a simple PB&J, but his appetite for show production is anything but plain. As we barrel through stories of camaraderie among rodeo regulars and the annual joy of rekindling friendships, Jake's gratitude for his steadfast fiancé shines through. With his heartfelt New Year's wishes reverberating through the conversation, this episode is an ode to the hard-working entertainers and the communities that uplift them. Tune in, and you might just find yourself swept up in the dust, drama, and dynamism of the rodeo world.
Instagram:
@officialjakegray
https://www.instagram.com/officialjakegray?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/officialjakegray?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=715e1a65-b13b-4f03-8440-6a338968adcc
Shoutout to :
Jake Gray
The Gray Family
“Southeast Boys”
TJ Radosa
Riley Riddle
Trevor Wells
Alter Ego Ambassador: https://alteregorunning.com/
Miles & Mountains Promo Code: MMyr2
music, music. Jake Gray, how are you? I'm good man. How are you Doing? Alright, you're not just Jake Gray, you're Jake Gray, the entertainer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jake Gray rodeo entertainer. So I guess that would be. Everybody's got a stage name. Mine just adds a little bit more. It's kind of like how Prince knocked his down. I just lengthen mine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, he just went cymbal. Yeah, he just went cymbal, Maybe that's what I need.
Speaker 2:I need to go full cymbal. Maybe that's what it is.
Speaker 1:But your cymbal is rodeo entertainer. Oh yes, sir, Back when I was a young kid, right they were considered, you know, not too much entertainer, but the word clown.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yes, sir.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what is it about that word that you know just people has attended on saying? Because I had to ask you like, hey, can you explain clown entertainer. So which one do you prefer and why?
Speaker 2:So it's a weird. I go back and forth. So back in the day whenever rodeo first started, you had your bullfighters, who were your rodeo clowns, and then you had so at the same token, the bullfighters would do the same thing as what we do now. So your bullfighters would pull double duty and they would do both. So they would sit out there, they'd fight the bulls, then they'd go and crack the jokes and do the little skits and bits and things we see now. So back then it was always your rodeo clowns.
Speaker 2:Well, now as the sport has progressed and you see there's more, there's solid, just bullwrapping. Then you have rodeos, then you have. So now it's kind of split up, just as and it's a weird thing nowadays because, like I always go by entertainer, of course a lot of people call me rodeo clown. It's not I don't get offended by it, but like bullfighters always get you know and bullfighters get called rodeo clowns. Sometimes there's a little standoff. They're like no, I'm a bullfighter, I'm not, I don't make jokes. So nowadays it's to almost separate that as not it's. We're not one person. So like, my job is to simply entertain the crowd.
Speaker 2:So we had a lot of guys a few years back, turned it into you got guys like Flint Rasmussen, matt Merritt, that took it in the PBR level and went okay, these are the exclusive entertainers. And then now, so you've got your bullfighters, and then you've got your entertainers who are also your rodeo clowns. So it was just kind of I think it was one of those things that they decided I don't know who, I don't know what meeting we had to decide that you know what we're going to be called. But they switched it up and they're like you know we're just going to be entertainers, but I mean a lot of guys, you know it's rodeo clowns, entertainers, you know, whatever pops I feel like entertainer pops a little bit more and the same premise. Just, you know they're trying to. They're trying to narrow it down a little bit more, broaden the horizons, okay.
Speaker 1:Would you ever call Riley Riddle a clown? Every day, I actually just talked to him today.
Speaker 2:Talked to him about an hour ago, so inside the arena. No, I mean, that's, that's my buddy, the bullfighter outside the arena. A hundred percent dude, I mean, and that's one guy you know, love him to have and he is a goofball, he's a clown outside the arena, but inside that dude's he's a bullfighting athlete at the end of the day, yeah, he's like a mullet business in the front, parting the back right. For what we can talk about on here. Yes, we'll call him the mullet. We'll call him the mullet already.
Speaker 1:There you go, all right, so you are, I've seen you at Tucker. I've seen you at.
Speaker 2:Tucker McWilliams on here too, that he literally is the mullet. There you go.
Speaker 1:You go. So you were considered the Southeast rodeo entertainer, correct? You're pretty big around those parts, so yeah, it took me a while. I started doing this when I was like 12 years old man.
Speaker 2:So I mean it's over time, it's progressed, it really has, and I've been blessed enough to be putting this on. I've been blessed enough to be putting this on. It's progressed, it really has, and I've been blessed enough to be putting the situations that I am when. I mean last year I went all over the country, all of these coast, I went all the way up the, so as far as didn't quite crack into Canada, but got almost up to there. So I think, yeah, right now I'm known predominantly in the Southeast roots, which that's from, from some very blessed established and built a name down here. And yeah, it's just, it's crazy how far this has progressed. So, 12 years old yes sir.
Speaker 2:Now in other events, or straight up, like entertaining, Well, and I'm sure you probably going to end up asking this question, but I guess we can jump into the soap I always, the way I got into this, my dad did rodeo. He was a. He was a rodeo guy, he was a bullfighter, he read bulls. He was the first one in our family Nobody else had done, and that was what he did for years. Well then, when I ended up getting born, you know, my mom told him she's like hey, you know, yeah, that's not, we're done, so you need to figure out something else to do. You know, you got a kid. Now you can't be doing all that.
Speaker 2:And so once I got to about the right page, you know, and as a kid, for Halloween we'd always dress up as rodeo times the whole. But weirdly enough, our whole family would dress up like rodeo times from the time I was like three years old. Well then, as I got older and progressed, I'm like, you know, I want to rodeo, I want to ride is something cool. And you know, growing up, even if you have nothing to do with rodeo, you always see that I want to be a bull rider. Oh, I would love to be able to ride. That's so cool, and I said that to my parents and they said try again.
Speaker 1:No, we're not letting you do that.
Speaker 2:And I said, okay, I'll be a bull fighter from there. Like no, no, not going to happen. And then, when it finally come down to it, they're like you know you can be smart, We'll let you be a rodeo clown, rodeo entertainer. And that's actually how I got started. I got hooked up with some pretty cool people when I was 11. I learned how to trick, rope, spin guns, spin whips I can actually at the age of 12, I could take a target out of somebody's mouth with a whip and just pop it right out of their mouth like a cigarette, like it's nothing.
Speaker 1:No mistake.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no mistake, I didn't hit the first person that hard so we were okay. But yeah, so now, outside of that, yeah, so I got started in doing this and I thought on it 12. So that's how long I've been I've been. So I've definitely learned a lot and got to grow up inside, in and out the game to learn all of it. So now I'm 23 now, so I mean I've it's, that's 11 years I've been doing this.
Speaker 1:You're considered a veteran. So okay, yes, it's 23 and that's crazy, so does it? For you to have that job to be entertainer or the entertainer, you have to have special skills.
Speaker 2:Whether it's rope. What's that I said? I have a particular set of skills.
Speaker 1:There you go, yeah, so I mean all rodeo entertainers have their niche or their way of entertaining.
Speaker 2:For sure. Yeah, I've, you know I've got my. So my niche was obviously, you know, coming into it I'd learned how to do the trick ropes and the whip, so that was always kind of my not so much. So, yeah, niche or like nowadays I've progressed farther and I know how to do a lot more stuff, so I almost use it as a crutch. Sometimes that's my definite go to.
Speaker 2:If something goes wrong and we don't have that. If something goes wrong and we don't have space to do this or that, I know I can immediately go to the back, pick that up and we can roll right to that Like it's nothing and um, okay, so obviously, um, a lot of guys and that kind of goes back to our conversation with the clowns and entertainer. Do I consider myself an entertainer due to the fact that there's a lot of guys rodeo clowns, that they take these bigger acts, like you've seen the car acts and you've seen some people have the dog acts and they do this stuff and it's bigger and it takes more time to put together, whereas me I can take anything and I'll just pick it up and we can go out there so I can trick rope and we can make it last a minute and a half. We can make it last 10 minutes if we've got to. So, um, my niche is being able to do the walk and talk kind of comedy and interact with the crowd and the ropes and the whips.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, yeah, the comedy is funny, man, sometimes the comedy hits man. I'm just like, wow, they said that. Okay, hey, hey, hey, it's surprisingly. You know, just right off the shoulders and no complaints.
Speaker 2:You got, you got a sprints a little bit, got it just a little bit, just to, just enough. Because I've always they've always said you know you've got to entertain the kids, the kids are what you got to enter. But the thing is, you know, when you get to doing it more and more. I watched a document the other day, lisa Harris, one of the greatest rodeo clowns of all time. He had said something he was talking about. You know, people are like you know that's a little risque, you can't really say that. What about the kids? And he says, well, it goes right over the kids heads and I get to entertain the kids, but the parents are the ones bringing the kids. So you got to give them a little bit, you got to get in the whole show.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, oh yeah. So we already shot out one person, that's Riley Rarrow, but got a shot out TJ TJ Radoza for making this happen, man, I guess. I guess you ended up liking his episode and that's how we started talking. So shout out to him and everything else. All right, man, entertainer or clown? We already asked that. But what if somebody says man, you're just a clown, do you take offense to it?
Speaker 2:It's not going to hurt my feelings, I'll be OK. I'll go back and pry about it a little bit in the hotel, but no, yeah, no, it's not a. Some guys do Some guys take their job. I mean, it's very serious, they're very. I'm not a clown, but yeah, no me. It's all fun and games at the end of the day. So if somebody comes up and says, hey, you're a heck of a rodeo clown, you know it's a compliment. Either way, I don't take it back.
Speaker 1:No, no, are you? Do you understand the Southeast boys that that I call Southeast boys? Do you know who they are?
Speaker 2:Who, when you have your OK. So back to you. What is your Southeast Mount Rushmore right now? What, what do you know?
Speaker 1:like Smith, wesley, smith, mikey, mikey, macho, oh, no, macho, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and you know the, the one and only Mr Wells, trevor Wells, you know, and that game oh goodness.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I'm going to bring them up. So in friends, I was actually living over near Dothan, Alabama. I was living about an hour from them and we, we work together. I put on a bull riding down there at Wesley Smith's house back in May and we did that whole deal and that was a running around with that crowd. That's a gosh. You want to talk about clowns? That's a. That's a fun, goofy bunch. Man, Dude, they're there. I think West is actually back home now. They're doing a earn Bob Corsons bull riding school there right now, if I'm not mistaken, with a lot of people. But yeah, no, I was lucky enough to come friends with them in the past year and go over there and we did practice pins and stuff like that and that's dude, that's a fun bunch, I mean God.
Speaker 2:Love hanging out with us.
Speaker 1:Yes. So if they called you a clown, you just go with it. I don't know them.
Speaker 2:I'm going to get offended 100%.
Speaker 1:Ah, ok, all right, I'm just going to hit rapid questions kind of. But we can go as slow or fast as you can, or you want your schedule. How do you maintain the hectic schedule, man?
Speaker 2:You know it's. So the past couple of years it's really gotten to the point where I did it for so long and the weird thing was I got out of kind of doing it when I was about 18. I thought I was too cool. I thought I was. So. The weird thing is right now and everything slowed down at 18 because I just didn't care. I thought it was too cool. This is not this, not what I want to do.
Speaker 2:And then, about 21, I was like man, I need to get back to doing that. So I went from two years ago I was doing like five shows a year because I just didn't really care. And then now I was actually talking to somebody earlier today and I've got for next year. Already I've got over 35 shows on the books for next year. Along with, I have a full time job where I'm at now, so I work all week on.
Speaker 2:So it's definitely one of those. You have to not so much be choosy, but you have to definitely strategize how you're going to. Like, I've got shows next year when I've got. On a Friday night I'm in Pittsburgh, pennsylvania, then that Saturday I've got to go to the Outer Banks, north Carolina. So it's a.
Speaker 2:You got a map, you got to own a globe, you got to map it out. But anytime somebody calls, especially now with how packed my schedule is, if they're like, hey, what do you have going on July 22nd, I can't just be like, oh yeah, I've got to sit down, I've got to go. All right, give me a second, let me. And that also plays into the financial side of it as well. You know how much is it really worth me making this drive and, for great back, going this far and running myself, because I mean, you got to think you're putting miles not only on your vehicle but yourself and doing all this. So it's, it does take, and that's what I think a lot of people don't understand is you know, once you leave the arena it's not over.
Speaker 2:So, like right now, it's kind of our off season, but I'm still. I've worked super hard this week and I've been on the phone and we've been talking to different people on just constantly trying to it's. It's basically like somebody just gave you a random puzzle and you don't know the end picture of it, but you're just trying to put the corner pieces together and build to the middle. So it's, it's definitely, but it's a lot more work than people think it is keeping that schedule together. Yeah well, that's why I mentioned it first, because I mean, ok, 35 shows, that's pretty much 35 weekends.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Right now, and that's just to put it in perspective. So that's what had? Some stuff happen back fall and I decided to take some time off going into this next year. So that's just from right now. That's from March to October. Yeah, that's nuts, that's not even so. That's those amount of shows and I'm supposed to have somebody's best call me next week and we're supposed to get 10 more shows together, so I mean by the end of next year. As far as performances, I'll probably do over 100 performances next year alone.
Speaker 1:So with that said, you put a lot of stuff, especially family stuff, on hold.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I mean that's, that's a big part of it. It's like I've got a fiance now and you know, so we're going to get, we get married in 25. And then I've got some my family lives in Alabama, so I don't see them. I haven't seen them in a few months and I kind of see them when I'm passing through. And it's one of those deals where, you know, somebody will call me and be like, hey, guess what happened? And that goes with. I mean, all my friends are down in Florida now and I've moved to South Carolina and relocated.
Speaker 2:And yeah, it's one of the things where you there's there are times where I'm on the road and I miss stuff and I don't get to be around for stuff. That it really puts it back in perspective. And I mean, like you know, I love what I'm doing and gas ain't cheap, so you got to do what you got to do to pay the bills. But I mean, at the end of the day, yeah, there are times where you sit back and you know I mean, is this really? Is this really? Because I mean that's, that's cool bars, I'll go do these coliseums. And you're doing coliseums with three to five thousand people. But once you. Once you take the makeup off, once you unplug the mics, once you go back to the hotel, it's you, you're by yourself, that's. I mean that's. It's kind of. It's kind of like being a superhero. Nobody knows who you are Once you exit those gates and I mean it's over, you're, you're you, so it's, it's. It's definitely a catch 22 in that aspect.
Speaker 1:But it could also be. I mean, it's exhausting Just hearing you that. I mean I don't know how you do it. So how do you keep a full time job and then perform day in and day out during peak season?
Speaker 2:I'd love to say there's a secret to it, and so many guys will sit here and come on here and they'll tell you like, oh well, you know, I've got this insane program and this is how I do it and I meditate. Yeah, I just kind of I roll with the punches, man, I really do, and I've kind of, over the years, I've learned how to just kind of and it's and rodeo and bull riding and being on, so bull riders deal with all kinds of stuff. They've got to stay in shape. They've got to do this. On my aspect, I deal with not only going in, making sure all my equipment is going to work right, but I've also.
Speaker 2:Politics is such a huge thing in this side and it's so continuing to progress in this business. There's been plenty of times where I just wanted to throw my sucker in the dirt and be done, because I mean, it's a constant, the politics of this game and how everybody wants to play in and out, and you know everybody's, everybody's friends to your not around, right? So that's a weird and I and I and I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but I mean, right, a lot of that, sadly. That's the truth of that, I mean, and that's everywhere nowadays, in the current world that we live in, correct.
Speaker 1:So it's a.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's such a weird. I don't rodeo gives you such a weird feeling. At the end of the day, it's such a love relationship.
Speaker 1:Right, okay, I think you go.
Speaker 2:Knowing, you know, at the end of the day. So I always love I was always the class clown. I was always, you know, making other people smile, making other people feel good. That's what makes me happy at the end of the day. So, whether you know, when I get done with the show and I climb the fence and one kid wants to take a picture and that parent said that I made their night, you know, that's what that's the most fun about my job being able to go out there in a crowd of 5,000 people and be in the middle of the arena and never say a word and point at those people and they cheer. It's just like it's such a adrenaline rush. You know there's a lot of guys out there that everybody does something to get the rush, and I mean you got. I'm like you know this is way better than drugs. It's such a cool. You go out there and it's just like your body is so like filled with, like man. This is, this is such a cool feeling.
Speaker 1:You mentioned how it all started right. How do you know you had that? You know the knack or the niche for entertaining the masses I mean it's 3,000, 5,000, you know a seat, coliseums and entertaining that. It could be a little intimidating for you, not so much, but when did you know you had what it took?
Speaker 2:Well and it's I mean. So it's such a crazy thing. You know you get in front and you do shows that I mean you can do some shows where there's a hundred people there. You can do some shows where there's 1000 people there in the call of Sam. But at least the cool part of my job is it's such a brutally honest job. So you can get out there and you know the people are going to let you know if you're doing well or not.
Speaker 2:So I've done that before man, where I get out there and you know I kind of and that's how I learned, you know, my niche of comedy over time is where I would say stuff that was not really, it didn't fit me and it was felt so scripted and you'd go and say it and it'd fall flat. I mean, just all you'd hear is crickets and you're like dang dude, that was, that was bad. I, and I'm still guilty of doing that where I'll do certain stuff in a show and I'll keep the crowd going the whole show and then I'll be driving and I'm like man, I'm like that really like that bomb.
Speaker 2:What was I doing? What was I thinking? That was horrible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now, when you do mess up, do you make it obvious? Do you crack jokes on yourself? If you do, you know.
Speaker 2:And that's why I tried to so. So many guys nowadays they script everything. They want it to be, they want it.
Speaker 2:This is how it has to go, and I've seen guys go up to announcers and they turn in this sheet of paper and they're like here's what to say, when to say it, how to say it. And there's a buddy of mine that I love working with. He's an announcer, uh, brent Davenport, and I love working with him because me and him are just it's off the cuff. I'll never write in it. That may be one thing that you know. Kind of other people hold against me, but I feel like I wish you would do this. I'm like I don't write anything, I don't script nothing, because I and I also think the funniest things in rodeo is when something does not go over, cause you gotta think that's the purpose of my job is when things don't go right, though, or go off script, it's my job to come in and bring it back. So I think the same token is when I'm doing something. So say, I'm spending a rope and I get wrapped up in it and it fails.
Speaker 2:I was the first thing. The first person to make a joke about me is going to be me every time, cause I think it's hysterical, cause I mean you're in front of all of it. What else are you to do? They know you've messed up. At this point I mean yeah, this is the first thing I'm going to do. I mean, at the end of the day, whenever something happens, obviously the crowd can tell when something happened, and that was the biggest lie I think I ever heard throughout. Anything was that. Well, if you mess up, the crowd doesn't know. They don't know. I'm like nowadays with as much TV and phones in their hand. They know, dude, they know like you can't. So, yeah, the first thing, I'm going to be the first person to make fun of myself at the end of the day, just cause I mean and I think it's more relatable because people, you mean you do stuff all the time you can be, you know walking and stub your toe and you're just like, oh, I'm such an idiot and like people that's. That's laughable.
Speaker 1:So is it difficult to be top dog into the region? The entertainer.
Speaker 2:Shoot. I'm going to have so many people call me after this episode going what? What did you tell him? You were like what happened so fast? Man? You know I think it's cool.
Speaker 2:You know, I mean I'm right now I'm a finalist for a couple of different association entertainer of the years. So I mean it's, it's, you know, and I hate to be the one like you know I don't want to brag on myself or nothing, but I do take a lot of pride. So I mean, but it's yeah, and not to take anything away from other guys, but you know my dad did this, but at the same token, a lot of these guys have a lot of stuff handed to them nowadays and I've worked really hard on my career and making sure nothing. I've had certain guys, you know, if they couldn't do something, they'd throw me a show here and there to help them, fill in and help them out, but nobody is truly a lot of guys. You know, nobody's carried me into the position I am now.
Speaker 2:I had to scrape and claw just to even get where I'm at Right. So you know, when I hear certain stuff and you hear the drama over here and you hear that, you know I mean I work hard to be where I'm at and I continue. I mean I'm not even close to where I want to be. I mean there's so much more stuff I'd like to accomplish. At the end of the day, I do take the little victories, like right now I'm enjoying where I'm at right now, the fact that a few years ago I was having to call people just to get shows, and now you know that's not an issue. So I consider myself successful, as is, you know, being where I'm at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, just let you know. You made that comment. They're really going to mess with me. You didn't say anything. You didn't tell me anything outside the show. I do my research, man, so I just want you to know. This is not scripted and it is straight. Nick knows his stuff. So, uh, top dog in the end man Nick. Well, nick really likes you. What did you say to Nick? Well, I did see you got that.
Speaker 2:Uh got that check. I sent you right to say that stuff.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh. So what pumps you up for an event?
Speaker 2:Tequila? No, I'm counting. Ah, yeah, is it the?
Speaker 1:kids. Is it the, the ambiance, Is it the show? It's it all has to be.
Speaker 2:It's a mix of everything. You know the energy that whenever you show up to a rodeo arena, I mean it's just the fact that the feeling of showing up there, plugging everything in and then so, like you know, I mean there's sometimes we have locker rooms where we don't get to see all the people, and then there's other shows you got to, I mean where you're putting your makeup on your truck and you get to watch the people come in and it's so, it's such a cool feeling. Uh, just just that's what pumps me up. The other day, when you're sitting there, the national anthem's playing, there's bulls banging up against the back and all of a sudden you hear this crowd just go off and cheer.
Speaker 2:I mean that's just the same feeling as when I point at him. I mean it's just an infectious when you're in the back behind the bucket shoots and I'm back there with like guys like Riddle and me and him do a great job. You know, when I'm back there with guys that I know all the time and I mean we hype each other up so hard, going into it, and it's just uh, so I mean that's what hikes me up at the end of the day. It's just, it's a collection of everything. The feeling that rodeo gives people is just unmatched by it. Okay, when you're traveling, what's your go?
Speaker 1:to music, man. I've noticed and heard a lot of music. Uh is played in the car. There's there's a consensus there. Katy Perry has played too much in your guys's cars. Is that true? In yours it used to be Taylor Swift, but after here lately.
Speaker 2:I've had to, I've gotten tired of her. I mean, goodness gracious, you feel a little bit Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson action, and I've had to go back to the, to the nineties rap, because I couldn't do it no more. But I can say, dude, I mean it's such a. It's basically take every genre in the world, throw it in one playlist and hit, shuffle, and it's never. It doesn't matter if you're getting in the truck with a bareback rider, with a bull rider, with a team rubber, with a bullfighter. You never know what's it out to play next. And I think that's also something that's just we find hilarious, cause, yeah, you never know what's going to go on in there, right, but I heard, man, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are the the go to down there, man.
Speaker 1:No, I'll get down to firework.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to laugh, I'm going to photograph. Photograph is yeah, if it's a good thing, it's a good thing. I'm going to photograph Photograph is yeah, undertaking.
Speaker 1:what would you be doing in the arena?
Speaker 2:If I wasn't entertaining, what would I be doing in the arena? I'd probably, you know, to be fully honest with you, I'd probably be producing shows. I mean, I've started doing that within last year and we're looking to do more this year. I mean, I just love being on the production side. For as long as I have. I don't think I could ever go into. You know, I wrote a little bit and I did. You know stuff here and there, but I mean, all in all, I don't think I would.
Speaker 2:I find more joy in being on the production side of everything and, you know, getting to do stuff like that, putting it all together. So when you and we did that one last May down there and in Hope Florida, and it's stuff like that where you sit there for months on end and you put all that stuff together and you work with your sponsors, you get your personnel together and then you get to see this end result which is like a sell out show and it's just, it's such a cool feeling. So I don't think I'd ever step out of so much the production side. Even if I wasn't able to do this, I would just kind of take it. I would never want to come down. I'd just take it up a notch. We do. We would just keep building, no matter what we had to do.
Speaker 1:Now, would you produce multiple or one main events?
Speaker 2:We definitely. So right now I've got a thing building where it's going to be called the All Out Bull Tour.
Speaker 1:I saw that. I saw that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we're definitely going to. I want to do about five or six a year. We want to spread them out over the East Coast and I think you know well right now we have as a cool concept whenever we finally get, you know, all our ducks in a row, and but yeah, we would definitely. I'd want every show to be awesome. I mean, what my big thing is? I would never want one show to be less produced than another one, so we'd want to keep matching everything. We'd want to keep. So that would be my biggest thing is I wouldn't put on 30 a year, because I feel like I don't know if I'd have the stamina to do all that.
Speaker 1:So that's exhausting to think what you do now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, if I could do five killer events a year that people so like that deal. The panhandle bullbash that we did down there, ricky Ringer ended up winning it. We had Riley Riddle came up and fought bulls. So when we did stuff like that, you know that the production would put in that. What I love about that event that we put on is the fact that after the event you know every time you leave an event somebody has something negative to say. Right and over that event you know with what we did and how much effort like the blood, sweat, tears are put in that event. Nobody, I've not heard a single bad piece of criticism. And then I've still got guys today texting me going when's the next event we're doing? When's this? So I mean, yeah, that would definitely be the avenue I would venture back into.
Speaker 1:When you travel. What is your diet man? What's your intake?
Speaker 2:Not good. Okay, I mean fully honest with you. I try, I really do and I'm supposed to. You know I need to watch it, but it's so hard when you get on the road and a lot of these guys in my position, you know, struggle with their different health issues. Like I've got health issues myself non-related to that Right, but so there's stuff I'm supposed to be watching, but you know, when you get on the road and you're looking to pinch a penny, I mean a $2 McChicken never hurt nobody, I guess.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, a lot of these guys. You know, yeah, they're big on the proteins, they're big on the you know, making sure they're calorie intake. Me, I'd love to say that I worked hard on that but at this current point in time, you know, I kind of just float around, but they're always. But there's also cool situations, like we end up in Pennsylvania and up near New York and stuff, where you're like you know, there's like authentic pizza up here that I really want. So I mean, I can't help myself when it comes to so I get to try a lot of cool things and I do try to eat on the healthier end, yeah, but being on the road as much as you are, sometimes the quickest thing is the best thing at the time.
Speaker 1:Okay, so are you, since you are in South Carolina. When you go to Georgia, do you eat boiled peanuts?
Speaker 2:I do. I love boiled peanuts. Okay, I actually graduated from a high school in Georgia, outside of Savannah, so, yeah, yeah, I like any kind of Southern food. Man, it's there, I've got it.
Speaker 1:All right. Do you eat peanut butter jelly sandwiches?
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, how does Mr Gray build a peanut butter jelly sandwich?
Speaker 2:Typically, you know, I get my two pieces of bread and I go see a lot of people I know this is a hot debate I do one full slab of jelly, one full slab of peanut butter and then put them together and then you do triangles. You got to do triangles. It's not a the peanut butter and jelly game is not a square game. You got to be triangles all day long.
Speaker 1:That's a Southern thing, man. That triangle is a big, big part of this sandwich.
Speaker 2:For some reason it just tastes better. You can't have a rectangle piece of sandwich. It doesn't work.
Speaker 1:Now, when you put the slab, do you put more of peanut butter or is it just a 50-50 split?
Speaker 2:You know, I think it just depends on how I'm feeling that day. You know, I think the jelly has got to have a little bit. The jelly's got the texture to it and I think that, because I mean peanut butter is going to get stuck, stuck in your mouth no matter how you put it in. So I think you take that jelly, you put just a tad bit more jelly to outweigh it, so it's got an even mixture, Because I mean that's the jelly is just not as dense as the peanut butter, I think, because it becomes a scientological approach when you look at it. I think I made that word up or what that was, but scientologic is.
Speaker 1:Hey, but it makes sense. You knew it, I know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the kids at home.
Speaker 1:It's true, it's true, all right. So let's say you go out west a bit, you know, you go about Mississippi, louisiana, arkansas, and they only had frog legs or chitlins. Which one would it be?
Speaker 2:I'll do. I'll kill some frog legs. So yeah, I'm a lot man. I've done shows in Louisiana. I did, oh, so I did a show in Louisiana. We get done with this show and I'm not realizing that everybody there is, they're all cages, they're all deep cages, and we go out there and they're like after the show they're like you know, we gotta go get some cage pooh, we gotta go get some cage pooh. And we go to this restaurant it's on the water out there and they take me out. I mean, they bought probably $300 worth of cage and food and we're just sitting there and yeah, that's one thing. Your stomach gets used to eating all kinds of varieties because typically when Louisiana, you know, if you go out there, you don't say no to food. That's like saying no to an old Hispanic lady when she makes you dinner you don't say no you eat.
Speaker 1:Okay, so what was it that was breaking up a bit? What was it that? It was Creole food, Cajun food. Yeah, yeah, Favorite entertainer besides yourself right now.
Speaker 2:Besides myself right now. Yeah, I think Matt Merritt probably to be honest with you Matt Merritt's a super good one. He's just always he's kind of he's done his own thing man and I can respect that and I mean he's always been. He's very family oriented guy and me and him aren't the we aren't close. I've talked to him a few times in passing and but watching his career and how it's continued to transform he's and from a younger age that's always who I got compared to they're like man, you're like a younger Matt Merritt and doing stuff then because he's from North Carolina. So I did a lot of stuff. I started out my career up into North Carolina and stuff and started out with a lot of same people. He started out with working for us. So, yeah, right now definitely with with how he's progressing. That'd be my favorite dude. Not only just how versatile he is, but how he delivers and how he just carries himself. It's just unmatched to me right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, all time, all time.
Speaker 2:One. So when I look at it the all time spectrum a lot of people say Flynn Rasmussen, and I think from a bull riding aspect. If you're going to look at a bull riding, if you're looking for entertainer, flynn Rasmussen is your, he's it, he's done with no other guy. He paved the way he walks so the rest of us could run Right. You're looking at clown, I think. I don't think there's anybody better than Lisa Harris. I think that's one guy that I see.
Speaker 2:You know so many shows a year and I mean he's passed now. But I can go in and watch a YouTube video and the dude still they'll have me a chocolate and that takes a lot. When you got guys like us that sit here and we watch him. We're around rodeo all the time it doesn't. I can go watch a hundred guys and just sit there and go oh yeah, that was, that was good. But this is a dude that I mean used just how he played his character. I mean he still nowadays watching him on YouTube is to die. I can still laugh at what he does and still killer.
Speaker 1:And your region, or out of your region favorite bull rider or the one that you like to watch.
Speaker 2:I want to be honest with you right now. The one I love to watch and he's he's a good buddy of mine is a Ligagore. The kid is. I mean he lights out and he's PRCA. He's going to be coming up here in the next year. He went with me, him and another kid, rhett Willis, went, and we went on a road trip last year for about two weeks. But Lige is just. I've watched him grow up and he's 18 now. He's going to be, he's definitely going to be within the next two years. He'll be in FR bound, without a doubt. I mean he's the kid. The kid rides lights out, he listens, he's attentive and he understands the business. So right now, between him, if you look for PRCA, that'd be my number one, marko Rizzo in PBR out of Georgia. He's also a good buddies with John Crember, and I mean that kid rides lights out too. So it'll be long to look out for both of them.
Speaker 1:Besides Riley Riddle and Mr Wells favorite bullfighter.
Speaker 2:He didn't pay me to say this, but he's going to have to pay me after his. Riley McHatchrick is a God. He's a good buddy of mine. We worked together for a long time. I'm good friends with you, know his whole family and that dude multiple time BFO world finalists, multiple time UBF world finalists, prca permit challenge bullfighter I mean the dude is just and he killed it from the start of his career. And now I mean he's, he's doing great things, never, never left and has stayed consistently doing what he's doing. And I think you know now he's sat down this past year and I talked to him the other day and I mean he's he's revved up to have another great year and I think he's got over 25, 30 shows booked already for next year. So he's, that's dude, that's my top, one of my best friends, and that's that's what I'm going to go with for my top bullfighter right now.
Speaker 1:Favorite venue. Favorite venue yeah.
Speaker 2:That's a tough one. Um, dude, I'll be honest with you, gates North Carolina is pretty cool. That's one deal I actually said so. The reason that one's my favorites, cause I did it. That was one of the first shows that ever hired me to do a show.
Speaker 2:First ride, ride out the gate and then, um, last year, me and a buddy, brandon Chambers he's the one that, uh, he puts on the bull ride in there he, he called me back to come back last year and to see how far that place has progressed. And it's literally nothing against the great people of Gates North Carolina. But that's, some gun is out in the middle of nowhere. I mean it's, you're driving past and it's just cornfields and all of a sudden you come back there's, there's a house in the back and there's an arena right up front and I mean last year they sold that thing out. So I mean it's, it's incredible to see how far that place progressed, and not so much, you know, it's it's the quality of the people there and the quality of the time I have there. It's Gates North Carolina would go unmasked right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, Okay, makes sense, though it makes sense why you say that you know Favorite event to watch.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've always said, you know, bull riding is cool. I've really gotten into dude. I love watching good saddlebrook rides. I will say that, man, I mean, bull riding is great, but I do love saddlebrook is right now and in the past couple of years it's progressed so far.
Speaker 1:So it's, it's a dead time.
Speaker 2:I love watching good bull rides the same as I love watching good brook rides. I mean it's I stay on the rough stock side. Don't know I'm not going to catch me on the timey side, but between those two, those are two. I mean just so action packed and so high score into the past few years that I I watch it every time I see it.
Speaker 1:All right, fastest sport in the ring Breakaway or steer wrestling.
Speaker 2:I am over on the East coast right now. Nothing against the, nothing against the big boys, but steer wrestling is kind of declined. I think breakaways, the breakaways, the end, all be all. Right now I mean them girls are going out there and 1.72 seconds and you're like dude, there's no link, like dude, I can't even grab my shoelaces that fast and these girls are out here putting it on. I mean it's like, but, dude, there's no, there's no way. So I think right now the fastest event and I think the fastest growing event, as they've kept. You know that event keeps progressing, but breakaways, definitely a killer event to watch and it gets really tight and sometimes too it can be entertaining. It's crazy.
Speaker 1:It's crazy, right Gosh.
Speaker 2:Ultimate goal, man, Ultimate goal. And I've always said, you know, at the end of the day I want to make a difference, but the, the PBR, is definitely going to be, definitely going to be my route and I've tried that for years and I've stayed on it and it, it. You know, sometimes it's, you know, it's the give and take of the game. I've watched it and I have not yet to fall in front of the right people. I need to to get to that level, yeah, but once I get there, you know that'd be mine. I love rodeo with all my heart, but I mean I love entertainable riding more. So this is an end, all be all. I'd love to be, you know, PBR entertainer, whether it be velocity tour or whatever. I had to do Canada, Australia, and if I can branch out into that, that would definitely be the, definitely be the be the big cheese. That'd be so cool.
Speaker 1:Okay, If you had a walkup song right Every time you entered the arena, what would it be?
Speaker 2:I think here comes the hot stepper. Here comes, here comes the hot stepper. That's a. That's always my one. I always ask people, you know if you got that foot on, cause I don't know why that song is done. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Edged, I get hyped every time that. Or uh, do you play? Why me down? Why me down by little Lucy, that that was also a. I'm I'm bad about it, man, I'll get down, I'll cut her up, get list in the ring.
Speaker 1:you said PBR.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah for sure. Um, you know, getting to do those, getting to go in and out and do those call of seeing this man with those, the, their crew and everything their production is just top notch. You can go in there perform a lights out show and I mean they're from their advertising to their production, to just the cast and crew they have is just to me. And PRCA is going a real good job of turning it into that extreme sport. Kind of odd. But I think PBR they're just they're there right now and I don't think all I keep seeing is progression from them and it's always in the right direction and they keep staying in front of people. So that would definitely be the. I don't. I don't see them following out anytime soon.
Speaker 1:What about?
Speaker 2:out of the ring. You know, all in all, I think it's just to be to be mentally successful. You know to sit back and I'm such a hard critic on myself and I sit back. You know, whether it's in or out of the arena always think about stuff and I haven't always had it. My parents have always made sure I had a good. My parents have always supported me, they backed me, they made sure.
Speaker 2:But I have had health issues in the past and I've got a reoccurring syndrome that I have called a Evan syndrome, that that puts me down in some form of a blood disorders. So I actually just I was crushing last year because I got every four years it happens. I got it when I was seven and it was in the hospital for five out of the six months. I had it straight and I've got to do chemo every time. So when I was 11, I had a, had a 40-something units of blood in like 26 days, like it was insane.
Speaker 2:And then, you know, as I continued to get older, well, it wasn't supposed to happen until the spring and then last fall I had it lined up I was supposed to go work a Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, florida, with Riley Riddle and Riley McKetcher and I had to bow out because right before that, when we were moving to South Carolina, I was like you know, something's not right. So we, I decided to go to the hospital and I was like I got to go and I ended up getting put back into the hospital, readmitted and had to undergo chemo. So every time that knocks me down it's a hard. Now I deal with a lot of the PTSD and a lot of the trauma that's I think that's one thing that keeps me going in the rodeo stuff.
Speaker 2:It's just I've always felt, I've always carried that with me, that burden, and it's really hard to one of those things to shake and there's a lot of times where I haven't been happy with myself or how things are going.
Speaker 2:That's why I get so disappointed and then. So I think in all the time I think just to be more happy with myself and to continue to progress mentally and be okay with what I'm doing, because I always feel like there's something I need to be doing. This, I should be here, I should be there. I think we all deal with that. So I think if I can just get the feeling of satisfaction and I don't know if I'll ever get that full feeling of satisfaction and I'm happy with where I'm at and I'm very blessed to be where I'm at, but it's just one thing that just keeps getting. It's so close and then you can almost grab it and it's like so yeah, I think at the end of the day, once I can sit down and look back and go, yeah, I made a difference, that'll be the big kicker for me.
Speaker 1:Almost done. We are You're good. One thing you look forward to every year since starting the gig.
Speaker 2:You know, a lot of it now is seeing the same people that I've always been around going to hang out with my friends, you know. So that's not. You know, obviously the people are always going to come to the Bull Ridings and the rodeos, but the fact when I can go to these same companies and stuff and I get to see guys like TJ and I get to see guys like Riddle and McKetchor, can I get the you know go hang out with like Lige of riding bulls and stuff, when I get to be around my family, which is like I mean it's just friends that have just turned into family over time and it's such a huge family because I mean you can, I can't go to a rodeo or bull ride now where there isn't at least five or six people. I know on the East Coast, I mean it's every time I go somewhere.
Speaker 2:We went to one not too long ago and we were walking around and I was talking to my fiance here and she's like, she's like, yeah, she's like I don't think we know anybody here. And I'm listening to the announcer and I'm like oh, that's Kyle. And she's like what? And I'm like hold on, let's walk to the back. And we walked to the back and we got guys like my buddy, col Abbey and Cross Dunn, that does he does fighting bulls and rides bulls.
Speaker 2:And I walked back there and I'm talking to them and she's like what in the world? And I'm like, just anywhere I go I can find somebody and hang out with. So I think that's whenever I know we're about to go for the weekend and I know I'm about to go see all my friends and continue to grow and I think that's close like a riddle. I mean, I knew Riddle back when he was riding bulls. So it's the cool thing to watch his progress and see how far we're making it and just to be able to cheer each other on that's. That's my favorite part whenever the year gets going.
Speaker 1:Last. Shout out man, your fiance shout out to her man. Oh yeah she's being strong and with you through thick and thin man, with this traveling schedule. I don't know how you guys do it, but shout out to her man.
Speaker 2:I don't know what she did to get to get cursed, to have to deal with this, but yeah, she keeps being the. You know, I can't. She's. She's really blessed me as far as when, looking back on everything and before, whenever I got out of it and I thought I was too cool, I was in another situation and had stuff going on and I decided that the rodeo stuff wouldn't really give me my avenue.
Speaker 2:Well, when I got with her, she kind of the more and more she's back in me. She's like you need to do this. She got. I mean, she stays on top of me and make sure. She's like you know, if this is what you want to do, you got to make sure to do this, you got to make sure to do that. So I think that's almost when I get the buzzing around and getting floating around, she's like all right, pulls me back in. She's like all right, we got to keep it, keep it centered, keep rolling. So I credit my success a lot to her for keeping me even me saying at the end of the day Well, good man, shout out to her, man, shout out to you too.
Speaker 1:So anything you would like to add that I missed anything at all.
Speaker 2:I think we're good man. I mean yeah, I think we, I think we hit it all. I think that'll be, we'll be good, Is it?
Speaker 1:everything you thought it would be? Did you think it was just going to be, like you know, another TJ episode, or it's quite easy, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, but I actually called. That's why I called Riverland an hour ago and I was like hey. I was like hey, what, what, what, what, what, what, what did you do on your episode? And he's like what. And I'm like I was like, hey, what, what, what do you think? And then I talked to TJ too, which I'll talk about, and I ended up going back and listening to his and I'm like, yeah, I was like, oh, we could. This is just it's cool, which I've done a few. I mean, I was like it's just kind of a typical you know. You know, you lay out man. I was like, so it's a, but it's cool to talk. I like talking about stuff and continue to like. I told them I was like, you know, it's just another form of advertising and you get the, you know getting to meet you and awesome too.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, and I appreciate your time, dude, I really do. I appreciate you and what you do for the people. It takes a lot to perform day in, day out. I certainly don't know how you do it without a strong family and woman. But thank you, and have a wonderful new years and safe new years, man. Thank you so much. Bye, or.