Joe Rogan Experience #1956 - Luke Combs

1. 0:00 – 0:29

   Meeting Luke Combs: craft, voice, and the fear of repeating yourself

   1. NANarrator0:00

      (drum roll) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience.

   2. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night. All day. (rock music) Cheers, sir.

   3. LCLuke Combs0:13

      Thank you, cheers.

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:14

      Pleasure to meet ya.

   5. LCLuke Combs0:15

      Yeah, and likewise, man. (liquid slurping)

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      Mm. Ah. I love your shit, dude.

   7. LCLuke Combs0:20

      Thanks, man. Appreciate that.

   8. JRJoe Rogan0:21

      You got a great voice and great songwriting.

   9. LCLuke Combs0:25

      (slurping) I try my best. I really do.

   10. JRJoe Rogan0:26

       It's great shit. S- solid country.

2. 0:29 – 6:16

   Building a fanbase before Nashville: Vine, internet leverage, and label power shifts

   1. LCLuke Combs0:29

      Yeah, I try, man. I really do, you know? It's ... You never know. A lot of, a lot of, uh ... I don't know. You al- ... I guess you always have doubts, something that comes with ... You know, at least I do. You know?

   2. JRJoe Rogan0:39

      Yeah.

   3. LCLuke Combs0:39

      Constantly, like, is this good enough or is it country enough or is it ... I don't know, it just always... I'd be lying if I said I didn't have-

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:49

      I think that's what makes you great. I think you have to have those doubts to e- m- ... You're- ... You have to ... I think every artist is always, like, s- self-analyzing and-

   5. LCLuke Combs0:57

      Always.

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:58

      You have to be.

   7. LCLuke Combs0:59

      Yeah, you have to, I mean, or else you're just ... You know, my biggest fear is, like, making the same record 100 times, you know?

   8. JRJoe Rogan1:06

      (inhaling through the nose) Yeah-

   9. LCLuke Combs1:06

      'Cause we-

   10. JRJoe Rogan1:06

       ... 'cause we all know people who've done that before.

   11. LCLuke Combs1:08

       Mm-hmm. And stuff.

   12. JRJoe Rogan1:08

       And when you're a fan of someone and they do that.

   13. LCLuke Combs1:11

       Mm-hmm.

   14. JRJoe Rogan1:12

       That's one of the things I love about Sturgill, is like every album, it's like he's a new artist.

   15. LCLuke Combs1:17

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan1:18

       It's like, "Who are you?"

   17. LCLuke Combs1:18

       It's very different. Yeah, everything's way different with him, man. I-

   18. JRJoe Rogan1:21

       Yeah.

   19. LCLuke Combs1:21

       I remember Turtles All The Way Down coming out and I was like, "Man, this is just such a departure from the last thing."

   20. JRJoe Rogan1:28

       Yeah.

   21. LCLuke Combs1:29

       And that can be scary as an artist too, 'cause you're like, "Well, all my fans that I have were the fan of this previous thing," right?

   22. JRJoe Rogan1:37

       Yeah.

   23. LCLuke Combs1:37

       So does the new thing alienate those people? It's just tough, man. It's weird.

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:44

       I think if you ... E- people have to do that, though. If you, you know, if that's what you feel, it's-

   25. LCLuke Combs1:49

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:49

       ... like I think they go along with you. Especially today, I think people are more willing than ever to let people take chances.

   27. LCLuke Combs1:56

       No doubt, and I mean, I think that comes with the artist now has the power in a lot of ways.

   28. JRJoe Rogan2:01

       Mm-hmm.

   29. LCLuke Combs2:01

       Right? With the rise of the internet.

   30. JRJoe Rogan2:02

       Yes.
3. 6:16 – 9:02

   “Boat music” and pop culture detours: when you know a song has truly landed

   1. JRJoe Rogan6:16

      They're more, you know, in- introverted. Yeah, I get it. It's a weird world, right? The world of, uh, taking your thoughts and putting them down and then sharing with people. And then, y- you know, like, I mean, what is it like for you when you're, like, at a red light and you hear some dude playing your music next to you?

   2. LCLuke Combs6:36

      (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan6:36

      Does that ever happen to you?

   4. LCLuke Combs6:37

      Yeah. It's, uh, it's even crazier. Like, um, like, the place that always gets me is, like, on, like, when someone's listening to it on a boat. To me, that's the ultimate test of a song.

   5. JRJoe Rogan6:48

      (laughs)

   6. LCLuke Combs6:48

      It's like if somebody's listening to you on a boat, dude, they love you, dude.

   7. JRJoe Rogan6:52

      (laughs)

   8. LCLuke Combs6:52

      They absolutely love your shit if they're listening to you on a boat, dude.

   9. JRJoe Rogan6:56

      That's so true. That's so true.

   10. LCLuke Combs6:57

       You know what I mean?

   11. JRJoe Rogan6:57

       Right.

   12. LCLuke Combs6:58

       I mean, how many artists that you listen to in your car you probably wouldn't listen to on a boat? It's a different thing.

   13. JRJoe Rogan7:04

       Yeah.

   14. LCLuke Combs7:04

       Right?

   15. JRJoe Rogan7:05

       Yeah.

   16. LCLuke Combs7:05

       Like to me, it's like if it's summer, the weather's nice, the drinks are flowing.

   17. JRJoe Rogan7:09

       Uh-huh. Yeah.

   18. LCLuke Combs7:10

       You know, and dude, your song's on the boat, that's the soundtrack to, like, the best time that someone could possibly be having.

   19. JRJoe Rogan7:18

       That's so true.

   20. LCLuke Combs7:19

       You know?

   21. JRJoe Rogan7:20

       That's so true.

   22. LCLuke Combs7:21

       You're the highlight of their weekend or their summer or whatever.

   23. JRJoe Rogan7:25

       Yeah.

   24. LCLuke Combs7:25

       Like that song is like a huge part of their life if they're playing it on a boat.

   25. JRJoe Rogan7:28

       I've never thought of it like that, but that's true. Like, boat music? (laughs)

   26. LCLuke Combs7:33

       It's, dude, it's a different-

   27. JRJoe Rogan7:34

       (laughs)

   28. LCLuke Combs7:34

       It's a different breed, dude, you know?

   29. JRJoe Rogan7:36

       It's the ultimate.

   30. LCLuke Combs7:37

       Yeah.
4. 9:02 – 14:21

   Wide-open places: Montana, Banff, and the mystery of old grand hotels

   1. LCLuke Combs9:02

      Yeah. I love Montana though.

   2. JRJoe Rogan9:04

      God, it's fucking beautiful.

   3. LCLuke Combs9:05

      Oh.

   4. JRJoe Rogan9:05

      Out where, uh, Rinella lives.

   5. LCLuke Combs9:07

      Yes. I just went to Banff last week-

   6. JRJoe Rogan9:09

      Yeah?

   7. LCLuke Combs9:09

      ... for the first time. Have you ever been there?

   8. JRJoe Rogan9:11

      No.

   9. LCLuke Combs9:13

      Dude, it, it's like even more Montana Montana.

   10. JRJoe Rogan9:18

       Really? How could it be?

   11. LCLuke Combs9:20

       It's hard to explain, man. I mean, it, it's just so, so, like, we had, me and my wife flew into Calgary, 'cause the closest you can get is Calgary. Even flying private-

   12. JRJoe Rogan9:31

       Really?

   13. LCLuke Combs9:31

       ... the closest you can get is Calgary.

   14. JRJoe Rogan9:32

       So it's a land in another country?

   15. LCLuke Combs9:34

       No. It's, they're both in Canada. They're both in Canada.

   16. JRJoe Rogan9:36

       Oh, okay.

   17. LCLuke Combs9:36

       So you go Calgary, and it's an hour and a half drive to Banff.

   18. JRJoe Rogan9:40

       Oh.

   19. LCLuke Combs9:40

       But it is like the sickest drive. Like 20 minutes outta Calgary, it turns into, like, the most Rocky Mountain thing you've ever seen.

   20. JRJoe Rogan9:50

       Really?

   21. LCLuke Combs9:50

       And it's ju- I mean, it's outta control, man. I mean, I'd never seen anything like it. We stayed in this hotel that was, like, built in 1889-

   22. JRJoe Rogan9:59

       Whoa.

   23. LCLuke Combs9:59

       ... up there. I'm like, I c- it's hard for me to get there now.

   24. JRJoe Rogan10:02

       Right.

   25. LCLuke Combs10:02

       What was it like in 1889 to try to get there?

   26. JRJoe Rogan10:05

       What's it made out? Is it made outta logs?

   27. LCLuke Combs10:07

       It's stone.

   28. JRJoe Rogan10:08

       Whoa.

   29. LCLuke Combs10:09

       Yeah. So I'm like, "How do you even get there?" It's, had to be, there's a railway that goes through there, but I imagine like...

   30. NANarrator10:14

       Is that it?
5. 14:21 – 17:41

   Asheville roots: the Biltmore, family ties, and moving parents closer to grandkids

   1. LCLuke Combs14:21

      It is. Yeah, I g- I moved there ... Me and my parents moved there when I was eight, from Charlotte. I was born in Charlotte and moved there, and we lived there ... I mean, I went to Appalachian State University-

   2. JRJoe Rogan14:30

      Oh, wow.

   3. LCLuke Combs14:31

      ... which is hour and a half away from Asheville. My parents actually just moved, um, two months ago to Nashville 'cause we had ... You know, I just had my first son, and so they wanted to be close to the grandkid and ... It was wild. It was like they didn't wanna ... They wanted to move, but they were really torn 'cause they've, they've loved that. We've been in that ... They've been in that same house since I was eight, you know? And so it was tough. I mean, we still have the house at the moment and stuff. We're trying to figure out, like, if we wanna keep it or, you know, sell it. It's ... I don't know. It's a w- ... It's tough, you know?

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:02

      Yeah, it's hard when you have roots in a place.

   5. LCLuke Combs15:05

      Yeah, my f- ... My dad, you know ... My dad's 69, and his two best friends live in, in Asheville. And you know, they drank beer every Friday and ... For 25 years, you know? And it's like, he moved to, to Nashville and it's like he doesn't know anybody, you know?

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:22

      Oh.

   7. LCLuke Combs15:22

      And it's like ... So I think he struggles with that a lot, which I ... You know, it's tough for me too 'cause I don't want him to, like, not be living-

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:30

      Right.

   9. LCLuke Combs15:30

      ... his best life either. You know what I mean? It's like I'm ... I love that he's close to, you know, my son, and my son's close with his grandparents, but I also want them to, like, enjoy their, enjoy their life too, right?

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:41

       Tell his friends to move.

   11. LCLuke Combs15:43

       I know, right?

   12. JRJoe Rogan15:43

       That's what you gotta do.

   13. LCLuke Combs15:44

       Yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan15:45

       (laughs)

   15. LCLuke Combs15:45

       Get them to move to Nashville.

   16. JRJoe Rogan15:46

       Tell 'em to move.

   17. LCLuke Combs15:46

       All right. All right.

   18. JRJoe Rogan15:48

       Yeah, you just gotta talk everybody into moving. Get that mass exodus going.

   19. LCLuke Combs15:51

       Yeah. It's a ... Dude, Nashville's like ... It's a, it's a hot, hot market too, man.

   20. JRJoe Rogan15:56

       It is.

   21. LCLuke Combs15:56

       It's-

   22. JRJoe Rogan15:57

       Well, it's like in Aust- ... It's like Austin in a lot of ways, where the, the pandemic opened it up.

   23. LCLuke Combs16:01

       Mm-hmm. Really did.

   24. JRJoe Rogan16:02

       A lot of people are like, "I'm getting the fuck out of wherever I am."

   25. LCLuke Combs16:04

       Yep.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:04

       "It sucks and I'm-"

   27. LCLuke Combs16:05

       You know?

   28. JRJoe Rogan16:05

       "... I'm gonna go somewhere that's a little freer and-"

   29. LCLuke Combs16:07

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan16:08

       Yeah.
6. 17:41 – 21:48

   Nashville then and now: grit vs. mainstream, and who gets to define ‘real country’

   1. JRJoe Rogan17:41

      Is the scene in Nashville ... The, the music scene, is it H- Hollywood-ized in any way, or is it still gritty? Like, what is it ... What's, like, the-

   2. LCLuke Combs17:51

      So there's, like, two sects of it, right? Like, there's ... There is still a very, like, gritty scene, and there always has been, right? So you've got ... Uh, you know, you've got, like, Black Keys type kinda thing-

   3. JRJoe Rogan18:05

      Mm-hmm.

   4. LCLuke Combs18:05

      ... you know, going on in East Nashville. Like, there's so many bands that have come out of East Nashville that are not part of, kinda, the mainstream Nashville thing, and that community still really exists. And a lot of, I think, artists ... Country artists that people love, that would kind of even two or three years ago have been considered, like, Americana-Like, that term, I'm not even sure what that means, right?

   5. JRJoe Rogan18:31

      Mm-hmm.

   6. LCLuke Combs18:31

      Like, to me that's just, like, country music that... You know, there's all these people on the internet that are like, "Well, it ain't, you know, Luke Combs, he ain't a real country singer." You know what I mean?

   7. JRJoe Rogan18:40

      (laughs)

   8. LCLuke Combs18:40

      'Cause he's not. You know what I mean?

   9. JRJoe Rogan18:42

      What does that mean?

   10. LCLuke Combs18:42

       He's not Sturgill Simpson or whatever it is, right? Like, there's always these people who are trying to discredit you. But there's these, definitely these two different sects of, like, mainstream and non-mainstream that exist in Nashville.

   11. JRJoe Rogan18:55

       Right.

   12. LCLuke Combs18:55

       And there's people that are trying to chase, kind of, those, those things separately.

   13. JRJoe Rogan19:01

       Hmm.

   14. LCLuke Combs19:02

       And sometimes when popularity on the not chasing that goes through the roof, then it kind of can transition into the major labels. Like, "Well, maybe, you know, we should sniff around this guy." You know? And I, I was always... I, I didn't move to Nashville to, like, be... necessarily be like, "I'm gonna be a country artist." I just wanted to do music for a living in any way, right? Like, I worked, you know, a bunch of jobs in high school and college. And, and I, you know, I went to college for five years, didn't graduate, which I'm sure my parents loved.

   15. JRJoe Rogan19:35

       (laughs)

   16. LCLuke Combs19:35

       You know, I was 21 hours away from getting my degree, and I was like, "I'm gonna do music." You know? And it was whatever that was, sweeping floors in a studio would have been great to me because I would be around music. I'd be trying to write music, publishing deal. I mean, realistically, I thought to myself, especially at the time I moved to town, is like, "Dude, everybody that was doing music when I moved to town was hot, dude. 6'5", abs, dude."

   17. JRJoe Rogan20:04

       (laughs)

   18. LCLuke Combs20:04

       I mean, I had, didn't have a chance, bro.

   19. JRJoe Rogan20:07

       (laughs)

   20. LCLuke Combs20:07

       You know, I didn't have a chance. And so I'm going, "Well, cool, I'll just write songs for these handsome cats."

   21. JRJoe Rogan20:13

       (laughs)

   22. LCLuke Combs20:13

       "And, like, it'll be whatever, dude. That'll be fine with me, you know." Um, but I just re- I really... Like, again, back to the luck thing, man. Like, I stumbled into it at the right time. I think Chris Stapleton singing Tennessee Whiskey with Justin Timberlake at the CMAs was a, an earth-shattering moment for country music.

   23. JRJoe Rogan20:30

       Hmm.

   24. LCLuke Combs20:30

       And that opened the door up for guys like myself to pursue a career, like, somebody who didn't look like every other guy-

   25. JRJoe Rogan20:37

       Hmm.

   26. LCLuke Combs20:38

       ... in town. And everyone knew about Chris Stapleton in town. That guy was a legend in town. Had been there for 12, 13, 14 something years at that time.

   27. JRJoe Rogan20:48

       Hmm.

   28. LCLuke Combs20:48

       He had 250 cuts as a songwriter when that performance happened.

   29. JRJoe Rogan20:52

       Wow.

   30. LCLuke Combs20:53

       So it wasn't, it was just no one gave him a chance 'cause he was a husky guy with a beard.
7. 21:48 – 25:09

   Chris Stapleton as a turning point: talent, timing, and a performance that shifted the genre

   1. LCLuke Combs21:48

      Oh, is this it? To honor America with the performance of the national anthem, eight-time Grammy Award winner- Dude, when- ... Chris Stapleton. When Nick Sirianni cries in this thing, I felt like a bald eagle was gonna fly over the stadium, dude.

   2. JRJoe Rogan22:06

      (laughs)

   3. LCLuke Combs22:06

      It was the most American thing I've ever seen in my entire life.

   4. JRJoe Rogan22:09

      Yeah.

   5. LCLuke Combs22:09

      Uh. ... ten.

   6. JRJoe Rogan22:10

      Look at him.

   7. NANarrator22:13

      Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light. What so proudly we hail. And the twilight last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight. O'er the ramparts we watched...

   8. LCLuke Combs23:00

      Oh, God. He's unreal.

   9. NANarrator23:02

      Were so gallantly streaming. And the rocket's red glare.

   10. LCLuke Combs23:14

       Whoo. (cheering)

   11. NANarrator23:16

       Of our friends still there.

   12. LCLuke Combs23:19

       Wow. That got me, dude.

   13. NANarrator23:23

       May their soul...

   14. LCLuke Combs23:25

       Whoo, whoo.

   15. NANarrator23:26

       ... through the night. And our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave.

   16. LCLuke Combs23:51

       Whoo. Dude. Whoo.

   17. NANarrator23:54

       For the land of the free and the home of the brave.

   18. LCLuke Combs24:08

       God, dang, dude. (cheering) Wow. That was electric, dude. I can't even-

   19. JRJoe Rogan24:18

       Whoo.

   20. LCLuke Combs24:18

       ... explain to you what being there in person was like for that.

   21. JRJoe Rogan24:20

       Wow.

   22. LCLuke Combs24:22

       It was unbelievable, man.

   23. JRJoe Rogan24:24

       Whoo.

   24. LCLuke Combs24:24

       And I remember when Sirianni came on, on the big jumbo screen in there with the tears coming down. I was like, "This is like all, this, this will never be a moment like this again." Like, "I'll never be, be present for a moment like that again."

   25. JRJoe Rogan24:37

       Wow.

   26. LCLuke Combs24:37

       And like felt the gravity of it in the moment too. It wasn't just like when you saw it on TV, it was cool, you know?

   27. NANarrator24:43

       Yeah.

   28. LCLuke Combs24:44

       It was like they were showing that same feed in the stadium and it was that like even more imp- I'd never been to the Super Bowl before, so it was like, I was already soaking it in, you know?

   29. NANarrator24:53

       Right. There's already something about a big event like that, but to have him sing it like that. Whoo.

   30. LCLuke Combs25:00

       Man.
8. 25:09 – 38:47

   Finding music late: choir teachers, not reading music, and the $200 gig that changed everything

   1. NANarrator25:09

      No, he's incredible. That's pretty fucking badass. When did you, when did you first think that you wanted to do music?

   2. LCLuke Combs25:18

      I mean, it honestly wasn't till I was... So I'm 33. It was when I was 22 probably.

   3. NANarrator25:25

      Yeah?

   4. LCLuke Combs25:25

      It was when I was really like, "I could do this." And it was-

   5. NANarrator25:28

      Did you enjoy it before? You just, like as a hobby?

   6. LCLuke Combs25:31

      Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I, I'd... It was beyond a hobby for me, but I didn't even realize that, you know? So, I was... So in sixth grade, right? So I'll p- paint the kind of how these things happen is like in sixth grade, the first year of middle school, right? What they did in my middle school was it was like these six-week grading periods. And so, in the first year of middle school, they made you take every elective. So you would take gym class for six weeks, and chorus for six weeks, and band for six weeks. Actually, I think you got to choose chorus or band, but you had to do one music, and then you took art, and you took home ec. And so a- a- and during that sixth grade year, you try out every elective they have in the school. And then seventh grade, you pick what elective you wanna take for like... So you get one elective per semester. So you could have two electives in your seventh grade year. So there was an option for chorus that was a one semester of chorus, or you could try out for like the advanced chorus, which would be both semesters. So I liked chorus a lot and so I was like, "Well, I'll do, I'll do the one semester chorus and then I'll do gym or whatever." You know? 'Cause like I like it, but I don't wanna take it that serious, right? So I do my first semester, I'm in chorus and my teacher, Miss Rayburn, she comes up to me like last week of school and she's like, "Will you please change your elective and be in advanced chorus with me?" And I was like, "Yeah, I mean, if you really want me to." Like, I liked it a lot and I was like, "Man, I wish I could do that in gym or whatever," you know? And so I did, I switched it. And so from seventh grade until I graduated high school, I was in chorus class every day of school for six years, you know? And then I got to high school, I get to high school my chorus teacher, Miss Bryant, was like, I mean, she was like my mom at school. She was like my school mom. Me and her became super tight, I mean, I was her teacher assistant my senior year, I was in her class a fourth of my entire high school career was spent in her classroom. And I was in every musical every year. So after school for half the year, I was doing the musical. And I just, I just liked it and I, I didn't realize I was even any good until like ninth grade when Miss Bryant was like, "Hey, you're like, you're, you're like good. You're really good." And I was like, "Oh, cool. That's nice." You know? 'Cause I like doing this, that's fun and remember I was transitioning to go to college and she said... I asked her, I was like, "Hey, should I do music in college?" You know? And she- I remember her telling me, "Don't do music in college if you can see your thing, self doing anything else."

   7. NANarrator28:15

      Wow.

   8. LCLuke Combs28:16

      So if you can imagine yourself doing anything else other than music, you shouldn't pursue music in college. So in my brain I'm thinking, "Okay, well I..." I only thought the only option was to be a music teacher. In my head I'm going, "Well, that's the only option is to be a music teacher," and I, I don't want to be a music teacher 'cause I'm really bad. Like, I, I can't read music. I, I, like, I'm, like I can't do math. Like I, I have some sort of like... I just can't learn it.

   9. NANarrator28:43

      So you can't read music?

   10. LCLuke Combs28:45

       Mm-mm.

   11. NANarrator28:45

       Wow.

   12. LCLuke Combs28:46

       Not at all. And like, I, like it's like probably some sort of form of like dyslexia probably, to, to truest extent, like barely pass math, like-

   13. NANarrator28:55

       Have you tried to read music?

   14. LCLuke Combs28:56

       Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean-

   15. NANarrator28:57

       What happened?

   16. LCLuke Combs28:58

       (clears throat) I was in, um... So her, so her husband was actually the band teacher. He taught advanced placement music theory, which was a new class my senior year. I took that class and got like a D because it was like all these, the kids that were the best at band and the best at chorus were who was in that class, there was only like eight students in the class. And it, all it is was advanced, like here's the notes, here's this. I tried out for all-state chorus three years in high school and didn't make it because you had to be able to read. You had to do a sight singing audition, which is where they would hand you a piece of sheet music and you had to sing it just by reading the notes on there.

   17. NANarrator29:37

       Ah.

   18. LCLuke Combs29:37

       Right? So it was a combination of what your voice sounded like and your ability to keep up with the all-state choir teacher, whoever that was picked out to be, and I never made it because I couldn't read the music. I just couldn't do it. I, I, I don't know why.

   19. NANarrator29:52

       Did you get coaching on it? Did you get like...

   20. LCLuke Combs29:55

       Yeah, I mean, I, I try, I mean, I busted to t- try it. It, it, it's just something about it doesn't, doesn't make sense to me, like to my brain. Like I get it, like if I sit there and like plink it out really, really slow, I mean, I could figure it out, right? But it just doesn't... It's just such, to me, it's such an instinctual thing.

   21. NANarrator30:15

       Mm.

   22. LCLuke Combs30:15

       You know? (clears throat) And so, I was in an acapella group my freshman year at college for a year. Um, I en- I enjoyed that, but again, it was just like an after school kind of activity thing with other people in college, you know? (clears throat) Excuse to have people to drink with really, you know? People with common ground or whatever. And gave that up...... my beginning of my sophomore year, really, um, and then didn't do music. I played rugby. I got into playing rugby in college. I did that, loved that. And I was just the guy that would, like, sing at parties or whatever. Like, my buddies that I played rugby with knew I sang. They'd be like, "Dude, sing for these chicks," or whatever, you know? It was kind of like, I was like party trick guy.

   23. JRJoe Rogan30:58

       Mm-hmm.

   24. LCLuke Combs30:59

       You know? And then after my junior year, I move home to Asheville. And I, we, I'd always moved home every summer up to that point. And then my mom goes... 'Cause I was sulking, because all my buddies that year, they all stayed in their college town for the summer. I was the only guy that moved back. So all my friends are gone. They're in Raleigh, they're in Charlotte, they're in Chapel Hill, they're in Boone, they're in, you know, Cullowhee at all these different schools. So I'm working at the same job I had when I was 16, at a go-kart place, with a bunch of high school kids. I'm 21 years old. I got nobody to hang out with, I'm living at my parents' house. I'm not doing well in school. I don't know what I want to do with my life, at all. And I'm sitting on the porch, I remember sitting on my parents' carport, and it was like, my mom come out. And she was like, "What's wrong with you?" Like, "What's, what's..." I'm an only child too, so she's like, "What's, what's going on?" And I was like, "Well, I don't know, Mom." I was like, "I don't have any friends here." Like, "I'm working at fucking go-karts," you know? Like, "What am I doing?" And she's like, "Well, you know, you know what, Luke? Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, they didn't even learn to play guitar til they were 21 years old." And I was 21, right? And so my parents had bought me a guitar in 7th grade that I never played. I did two guitar lessons and hated it, 'cause my parents wanted me to do it. You know what I mean?

   25. JRJoe Rogan32:21

       Yeah.

   26. LCLuke Combs32:21

       Like anything your parents want you to do, you don't want to do, really. And so I went in the closet and I got this old, it was like a Ibanez, like $50 acoustic guitar, you know? Just d- horrendous condition. But I didn't know that. Didn't know anything about guitar. Didn't know what a good guitar was. Didn't know nice guitars even existed. So I taught myself all summer. I just sat on the porch when I wasn't at work, playing, playing, playing. 'Cause I knew I loved to sing, and I was like, "Well, I'll just learn how to play, and then I can sing at like parties for my buddies or whatever," and taught myself all year, and then just kind of became obsessed with like learning how to play. And by the time I was 22, I'm back in school, I'm in Boone, hanging out with my buddies. I'm starting to dabble around with like writing my own songs, 'cause I was like, "Well, I could... You know, this would be cool. I like this." And then I wrote my first two or three songs, and I booked a gig down the street, just like at this bar my rugby team always hung out at. 'Cause I figured that guy would, you know... He was like the coke head, like wild card, like he'd give me a show or whatever, you know?

   27. JRJoe Rogan33:22

       (laughs)

   28. LCLuke Combs33:22

       That guy was awesome, you know? I was like, "This guy will give me a show if I want to do a show." So I borrowed my neighbor's guitar, 'cause mine wasn't even acoustic-electric, it was just a straight up acoustic, and sat on a stool. My other buddy let me borrow his PA speakers, and 200 of my friends came out and paid a dollar to see me. I made 200 bucks that night.

   29. JRJoe Rogan33:42

       (laughs)

   30. LCLuke Combs33:43

       That was more than I made at both my jobs that week. And I was hooked, man. I was like, "Dude, this is awesome." Like, "I love doing this-"
9. 38:47 – 42:15

   Life, work, and family timing: kids change everything—and so do demographics

   1. JRJoe Rogan38:47

      Yeah. It's, uh, it's always fascinating to me the, the roots of the kind of music that you enjoy.

   2. LCLuke Combs38:54

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan38:54

      Country music, 'cause its country is so, it's so ingrained in struggle, and, and life, and hardship-

   4. LCLuke Combs39:05

      Mm-hmm.

   5. JRJoe Rogan39:05

      ... and heartbreak, and-

   6. LCLuke Combs39:06

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan39:06

      ... you know? It's, it's such a, it, it, that, that music resonates with people.

   8. LCLuke Combs39:11

      Yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan39:12

      You know? There's a thing about th- you know, that, that k- that kind of life that comes through in that music that's so appealing to people.

   10. LCLuke Combs39:22

       Yeah, I remember, you know, I mean, I, I think back to, you know, my, my grandfather's favorite artist was Chet Atkins, and when he passed away in 2015, the thing that he, you know, gave me was every Chet Atkins record ever, on vinyl. And I remember thinking like, "What a cool thing," right?

   11. JRJoe Rogan39:41

       Mm-hmm.

   12. LCLuke Combs39:41

       Like he loved that guy so much. I mean, one of the best guitar players ever, not to mention, but he loved that guy so much that he bought every single, and I'm talking it's, those guys were putting fucking records out, dude, back then. I mean, they might put out two albums a year.

   13. JRJoe Rogan39:59

       Wow.

   14. LCLuke Combs40:00

       I mean, go look how many Merle Haggard records there are, or Waylon Jennings records. There's a bunch, dude. Willie Nelson records. There's 90 Willie Nelson records? (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan40:10

       Is it really?

   16. LCLuke Combs40:10

       It's 60 or 90.

   17. JRJoe Rogan40:12

       Wow.

   18. LCLuke Combs40:13

       So either way, it's not a low number, right?

   19. JRJoe Rogan40:15

       (laughs) That's so crazy.

   20. LCLuke Combs40:17

       But like, because those guys would, they just went, they just lived in the studio, man.

   21. JRJoe Rogan40:21

       Mm-hmm.

   22. LCLuke Combs40:21

       And they wrote, and they cut their buddies' songs that they loved. And it was like, it was quick, 'cause it was all one take. We'll go in with the band, get a take. We like the take. Done, print it. Now it's go in, do the thing, record the songs, get every part right, comp the vocals, comp the guitar parts, comp the drums. Like-

   23. JRJoe Rogan40:40

       Mm.

   24. LCLuke Combs40:40

       ... it could take days, and days, and weeks to get one song right now, because everything has to be perfect in everyone's mind.

   25. JRJoe Rogan40:49

       Mm-hmm.

   26. LCLuke Combs40:50

       Right? And I think that's the uniqueness of, of, I mean, Stapleton. He goes in and cuts records with a band.

   27. JRJoe Rogan40:56

       Yeah.

   28. LCLuke Combs40:57

       And they each cut it live to, to tape, and it's like, that's why it's different.

   29. JRJoe Rogan41:03

       Yeah, it's i- it's interesting what resonates too. You know, uh, I'm a big Colter Wall fan. And, uh-

   30. LCLuke Combs41:10

       Sleeping on the Blacktop.
10. 42:15 – 55:36

    Hunting as therapy and connection: discovering Rinella, rejecting machismo, and learning the craft

    1. JRJoe Rogan42:15

       How did you meet Rinella?

    2. LCLuke Combs42:17

       Okay, so I'm Rinella, uh, stan dude. I'm a Rinella stan. Meat eater. I've been watching it for years, man.

    3. JRJoe Rogan42:24

       Yeah.

    4. LCLuke Combs42:24

       And it's just like I've, and you probably feel the same way, man, like there's a lot of like machismo, bravado stuff in like h- the hunting-

    5. JRJoe Rogan42:35

       Mm-hmm.

    6. LCLuke Combs42:35

       ... like industry.

    7. JRJoe Rogan42:36

       Yeah.

    8. LCLuke Combs42:37

       That really, like, turns me off to it.

    9. JRJoe Rogan42:40

       Mm-hmm.

    10. LCLuke Combs42:40

        Because I feel like it's why so many people, like have a disdain for hunting. It's not-

    11. JRJoe Rogan42:47

        Right.

    12. LCLuke Combs42:47

        ... necessarily, obviously there's people that go, "You shouldn't kill animals. You shouldn't do this, shouldn't do that." Right? There's always gonna be those people.But there's the people that go, the type of people that hunt.

    13. JRJoe Rogan42:57

        Yeah.

    14. LCLuke Combs42:57

        It's almost a stereotype, right?

    15. JRJoe Rogan43:00

        Yeah. Yeah.

    16. LCLuke Combs43:00

        And I didn't get into hunting till I was, till I moved to Nashville. But I didn't grow up hunting. My dad's from the Rust Belt in Ohio, like steel mill, you know, his dad was a truck driver, like they didn't own land, you know, kinda thing. So he didn't hunt. That was just not a part of my upbringing, right? I used hunting and like inherently, the guys I started writing songs with and the guys I connected with all love to hunt, right? So started out as like, "Okay. Well, cool. These guys will take me out. That'll be super fun." And as I fell in love with it, as my care- because my career was taking off at the same time, right? And so life became more and more and more hectic. And it became this cathartic experience of like being able to process some of what was happening to me and just enjoying that hunting was the opposite of everything else I was doing in my life.

    17. JRJoe Rogan43:51

        Mm-hmm.

    18. LCLuke Combs43:51

        Right? It was like this pursuit of this thing that was so like pure, it's calm, like it's like I can, I'm in control of like what's going on out here. And it's like, uh, you know, obviously not the animal but just being here and being like present and not having my phone and not worrying about posting to Instagram or whatever it is.

    19. JRJoe Rogan44:11

        Yeah.

    20. LCLuke Combs44:11

        And I fell in love with that rapidly. And so as I begin to go, "Well, dude, I wanna watch this on television, you know? I wanna see this." So I start watching stuff and I'm like, "Dude, some of these guys are brutal on here." Like it's just not for me.

    21. JRJoe Rogan44:27

        Yeah.

    22. LCLuke Combs44:27

        Like this hunting, like, "Uh, we're going, if it's brown, it's down and fucking kill it," you know? And it's like this whole thing about it to me was odd.

    23. JRJoe Rogan44:36

        Yeah.

    24. LCLuke Combs44:36

        Like I just-

    25. JRJoe Rogan44:36

        Posing.

    26. LCLuke Combs44:37

        Right. Like it felt-

    27. JRJoe Rogan44:39

        Yeah.

    28. LCLuke Combs44:39

        ... like this fake-

    29. JRJoe Rogan44:40

        Uh-huh.

    30. LCLuke Combs44:40

        It felt fake to me, right?
11. 55:36 – 1:13:42

    Whitetail obsession and the deer that got away: a 230-inch heartbreak in Oklahoma

    1. LCLuke Combs55:36

       I had a heartbreaker this year, man, a whitetail trip. I went to Oklahoma for a week and it was like ...It was jam up, man. It was like, there's gonna be deer, like, you know, it just felt everything's right, right?

    2. NANarrator55:49

       (laughs)

    3. LCLuke Combs55:49

       We got this guy taking us out. He was awesome, man. He knew his stuff, like, killer guy, you know, and it's like, we're, like, we're going in. Me and my buddies, we're going in. So I went with Dan and Reed, same guys that I, I did meteor with. We went and we're like, "Dude, we're gonna do, we're tagging out first night, dude." Like, w- they're sending us all these deer pics, like, you know, and we're like, "Man, this is gonna be great." So first night, don't really see anything, right? It's like, "Oh, k- w- great. So morning, dude, we'll be tagged out," you know? Morning, and it's freezin'. It's just-

    4. NANarrator56:19

       (clears throat)

    5. LCLuke Combs56:19

       So it's archery only, you know. Oklahoma's only got, like, two-week rifle season, I think. So, we're doing archery. M- m- morning comes, nothing. We're like, "Man," like, not really seeing, like, a ton of deer and stuff and we're just like, "We're get, tonight's the night," you know? We got five days to be out there. And we were thinking we're gonna be going home early, dude. Like, we're gonna be here, w- the first night we're gonna tag out and be like, trying to spend two days just hanging out, you know, or something. And so about the third day, we're like, "Well, let's all switch." We'd all been in the same spots, you know, different stands, 'cause they had a f- a few different leases kind of around this area of Oklahoma. So we were all going to different spots and like, "Well, let's all switch up," right? So I get in this tree in the afternoon. I'm sitting there and my buddy Dan, he's like, he's probably 500 yards away from me in another tree. And the, the, the gr- and it's kind of, like, s- really soft, rolling hills. Like, it looks flat almost if you're in the car, and then you realize there's a little bit of elevation change going on. So there's, like, this draw in between me and Dan. (sighs) I'm there and it's freezing, dude. Wind's blowing 25 miles an hour. I mean, just hammering. But the wind's perfect for where I'm hunting at, right? 'Cause it's kind of like this, this grove of, like, cedars, you know, and that's where all the deer are 'cause everything else is just ag fields around. I'm sitting there. I got these three does. I watch 'em come, like, off this hill. They come through the cedars, hop this fence. Dude, they're 25 yards in me, like, right on me, dude, you know? So I'm already, like, kinda standing up 'cause I'm, I- I'm, I'm not, you know, we're not even hunting a doe at this point, you know? And all of a sudden, man, (clears throat) behind this kind of berm over to my left, there's, like, a little pond. Behind this berm walks out, dude, I'm talking, you're gonna think I'm lying, 230-inch deer, man.

    6. NANarrator58:11

       What?

    7. LCLuke Combs58:13

       No lie. Uh, everybody watching this is gonna be like, "You're lying. There's no, you didn't see a 230-inch deer." 230-inch deer comes out. He's at 60 yards broadside. I've got my arrow. I'm on the D-loop. I'm, I'm up, but I'm not drawing on him 'cause I, he's broadside at 60. The wind's going 25 miles an hour.

    8. NANarrator58:34

       Right, so it's-

    9. LCLuke Combs58:35

       So it's like that arrow's gonna go... (swooshing)

    10. NANarrator58:37

        Right.

    11. LCLuke Combs58:37

        Right? I'm not good enough to compensate for that kind of wind. I've also got does at 25 yards underneath my feet. And I'm going, "This buck's coming in, dude. He's walking right into this thing. There's no chance he doesn't walk in here. There's does in here feeding underneath my feet and he's looking right at 'em, broadside like this." So I'm hooked up. He kind of looks over. He's looking at the does and then he looks back really quick. And he takes off, like, s- dead sprint. Just, uh, stays at 60 and goes all the way. I watch him go all the way into the cedars.

    12. NANarrator59:11

        Did the wind swirl?

    13. LCLuke Combs59:13

        No, the wind didn't swirl. And I'm going, "What is going on?" I called Dan, D- I'm, like, shaking at this point. I've got my bow back on the thing because the b- the does spooked out and they followed him when they saw. They looked back at him and when he took off, they took off. I called Dan. I was like, "Dude, I saw d- j- uh, this once in a 10 lifetime deer just come out and spooked at 60 yards." Like, it can't be me. The, it, the wind's great. Like, nothing saw me, dude. It wasn't me. And then he's like, he's on the phone with me. He goes, "Dude, there's coyotes running through the draw right now."

    14. NANarrator59:44

        Oh...

    15. LCLuke Combs59:44

        I can see 'em. And I'm like, "Oh, gosh." So I sat in that stand for the next three days just every morning, three hours, night, three hours.

    16. NANarrator59:54

        (clears throat)

    17. LCLuke Combs59:54

        (coughing) So last morning, I'm up there. I look up back to where Dan was sitting at. There's kind of a, another ag fence into a cut. It's like a cut cotton field. So it's not even, like, even though it's cut, there's not even food in it, right? There's not beans in it or corn in it. It's a cut cotton field. So really, in theory, nothing that these deer would be eating in this field, really. So Dan's hunting somewhere else. So I call our guy. I see all these deer and I'm, I'm glassing, probably, like I said, 500-ish yards out. I'm glassing and I see all these does, all these does, and I see him, dude, just... I mean, you can see from 500 yards he's a giant without binoculars. You know what I mean? Like, just no doubt that this is the same deer and he's cruising and there's like, if you can imagine, there's this wheat grass on the fence row right there that's grown up probably four foot, five foot maybe. And there's a g- there's a gap in it where there's a fence and probably six feet there's another gap where there's a fence. So it's all grass the whole way around, except for where those two fences are. So I watch every doe pile pass the first fence, pass the second fence. He's behind them. He comes past the first fence, never goes past the second fence.

    18. NANarrator1:01:14

        (sighs)

    19. LCLuke Combs1:01:14

        And I go, I call my guy. I said, "Dude, come get me. This deer's bedded in this little tiny spot. I know exactly where he is." And he goes, "All right." He said, "We're going back tonight 'cause this deer's not gonna move." He said, "We're gonna do spot and stalk up to this spot 'cause I know he's laying right there." Stalk up, get probably 75 yards from that spot and we, we, pretty good feeling he's gonna jump this fence and come right across this field to where we're at and we're just gonna be right there, you know? I'm sitting criss-cross applesauce, like, ready.... he goes, "If we got 15 minutes of light left," he's like, "we're gonna creep up there and see if we can spook him up," kind of thing. We get up there. Dude, my heart is going a million miles an hour. It probably is right now just from being fat-

    20. JRJoe Rogan1:02:04

        (laughs)

    21. LCLuke Combs1:02:04

        ... but it was really going at that time, dude. You know what I mean? Like, I'm like-

    22. JRJoe Rogan1:02:09

        Yeah.

    23. LCLuke Combs1:02:09

        ... I'm, I'm w- one blood pressure point away from a stroke at this point.

    24. JRJoe Rogan1:02:13

        (laughs)

    25. LCLuke Combs1:02:13

        Like, hiking up this thing. We get up there and we're like, "No, he's not there." I'm like, "How can he not be there?" So we're looking, we look down the fence, and this property line right there is like... So it's like this fence. We have access to this fence here. There's an adjacent fence right here that's not, that they don't have access on. So we hop. Look, he's 100 yards in the cut cotton field just standing out in the cotton field.

    26. JRJoe Rogan1:02:45

        (sighs)

    27. LCLuke Combs1:02:45

        This is our last night. We're going to the plane after the hunt. And it was over, man. 230-inch deer. Never- I'll never see him again. Never seen anything like it. Wow, this is not a high fence. This is not a pen, pay to play, like, pick your deer thing. Like, I was hope- being excited to shoot a 145 on this trip. You know what I mean? Biggest deer I've ever killed is 155, you know. And so I'm like... I got pictures of him-

    28. JRJoe Rogan1:03:13

        Oh, let me see.

    29. LCLuke Combs1:03:13

        ... somewhere (clears throat) . Yeah.

    30. JRJoe Rogan1:03:14

        I wanna see it.

Episode duration: 3:02:55