002: John Baumann

On the second episode of New Slang, I'm joined by Texas singer-songwriter John Baumann. He stopped by one Saturday morning after playing a sold-out show at The Blue Light the night before. On the episode, we talk about his evolution as a songwriter, The Wallflowers, and some of his songs.

Interview Transcript

Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.

Thomas Mooney 0:03

Hey everyone, welcome to Episode Two of the new slang podcast. This week we're with Texas singer songwriter john Bauman, not to be confused with Led Zeppelin drummer john Bonham. Anyways, a couple months back I guess we met up on a Saturday morning both of us were nursing hangovers from the night before because john had played blue light. Anyways, we had like a, you know, I guess probably about a 40 minute conversation and then he was having to drive up to Amarillo. Anyways, if this is if this is your first time listening, I'd highly encourage you to go and check out the debut podcast episode. It's with Evan valgrind RC Edwards of Turnpike troubadours. That one's about like an hour long on it. Evan plays this new song called Mockingbird. We talk about a lot of music stuff. We go a little bit into the whole steamboat stuff. Just anyways, check that out. This week's episode is sponsored by the blue light. They're the epicenter of what we all call panhandle music. does all these different songwriters who have come up through the blue light, essentially, you know, I was up there last night, hanging out with Jerry Serrano, who's the the new host of songwriter night. And, you know, he's up there playing his new songs. And, you know, he's got his keyboard out right now, you know, usually there's a lot of guys playing guitar, but you know, he'll set up his keyboards up there. And every once in a while he'll bring his trumpet and play along with some people. You know, this is a place songwriter night is just the place where guys like Dalton Domino and Clara Cordero, flatland Calvary and Randall King. And, you know, you can go back to Brandon Adams and Kenneth O'Meara and red Shanahan all playing their music there, you know, and you really don't know who's gonna show up. And there's obviously a lot of new guys that you've never heard of before. But then every once in a while, there will be somebody that you have that just happened to stop by. Just the best place to see live and original music here in Lubbock, much like most weekends, this weekend, right here is a pretty stacked one. You can get started on Thursdays going up there and listening to the O's play. Friday is Mike and the moon pies. And Dolly, Shawn and Randall King are going to be playing Saturday. You know, dolly shot has been working on a new record called walkabout so I'm sure there's going to be playing a whole lot of new songs from that. I'm also pretty sure that will we will be probably giving away some tickets to probably every one of those shows this weekend. You can find us on Twitter at New slang underscore lbk which that's probably where we'll be giving away some some tickets to to the blue light this weekend. So be sure to follow us on that. All right, now on to the john Bauman conversation. I tweeted yesterday, wherever you're playing was about how, like, I guess in the the late 2000s or like the entire few 1000s a lot of people started doing this. Like Robert okene Jerry Jeff Walker kind of talking nicely croon thing. In my opinion, it came off a lot. Really, really fake. You've got to have like this natural kind of just tone in your voice that texts and draw. I guess like Where'd that come from? Like?

John Baumann 3:53

Yeah, my sister used to give me hell about she'd always say I sang kind of nasal Lee and it kind of drove me nuts when I was kind of playing guitar in the beginning. I don't you know, I I'm the first to tell people I don't have like a beautiful voice. I'm not gonna go on American Idol. I wouldn't go on there. If somebody pushed me into it. I just it's not me. You know, I'm from Amarillo, Texas. So maybe there's a little bit of a draw there. But man, I'm, I'm pretty much a San Antonio product in terms of the culture I was raised in. And it's funny to hear, you know, people from different parts of Texas have different drawls and yeah, it's just that's just kind of what is original and authentic to me to kind of, that's just my voice, just kind of what it is.

Thomas Mooney 4:41

Yeah, that's what like I've always thought when when I've heard you is that it's a genuine thing. It's not like you can tell like, it's your talking voice and your your vocals are. You know, you can tell that they're that they're more than the same. You know, it's not that you're trying To do something else, but I think it's such a weird thing that in the 2000s, there's a whole bunch of people who were, you know, trying to sound like Randy Rogers in that kind of that nicely. Vocal take, which it turned out to be a little bit like on the windy side, right, in my opinion.

John Baumann 5:23

Yeah, you know, I think people, especially for songwriters, you just need to do what you do. And you need to sing your songs. And, you know, I hope I come across as authentic. But I'm not gonna sit down and write a song unless it's something I'm excited about, or something I believe in or something that's happened to me, it's really, it's impossible for me to put myself in a situation where I have to fabricate a song, I just can't do it. So somebody has told me before that, you know, you sing the way you talk. And I think it's a compliment. But I I gotta admit, I hear guys that have killer voices. And there is there's some, I don't want to say jealousy. But you know, maybe a little bit, maybe a little bit of envy. Just I wish I could deliver it. But the truth is, I'm just I am who I am. And that's the way it's going to come out.

Thomas Mooney 6:12

I think like you, you write the way you talk? Yeah. Which is this like expansive? vocabulary? I think that not a lot of people want to even try doing because it doesn't for I think a lot of people. They don't give like the the audience enough credit for being I guess, like, not smart enough, necessarily, but that they don't think that you know, that people want to hear not necessarily big $5 words. Sure, but at least a varied vocabulary, you know?

John Baumann 6:49

Yeah, it's really funny in this in this business, especially trying to trying to come up and in the music business, and you know, a lot of the venues you play, I hate to say it, but there's a lot of bubblegum people out there, and there's a lot of people who want bubblegum stuff. And you know, don't lose my train of thought it was a long night. Yeah, vocabulary is so important to me. And it's good to know that there's people out there that that do kind of feed off of it. But I'm, I love words, I love language. You know, I'm, I'm the kind of guy who will hear a word that he doesn't know when to look it up immediately. And they'll say it over to himself a couple times. But it's just, it's fun. It's, it's, it's a growth kind of a thing.

Thomas Mooney 7:40

Where your parents, like one of those parents who, you know, had like the word of the day, to the mirror kind of thing.

John Baumann 7:48

Not so much. But my sisters are all guilty of this. We, we sometimes use a word out of context, and my father would always call us out on it. And, and he would always say that's, you know, something like that's so random. And he'd be like, that is not the right use of that word. We grew up in a house of books. Lots of reading, you know, my father was a good man. He read to us every night. That was a good thing. But you know, language words, it was just kind of the culture around our house.

Thomas Mooney 8:18

Yeah. So like you're originally from Amarillo, right? You're born. They're born there.

John Baumann 8:24

Yeah, I lived there till I was four years old. And then my father, he was a river district attorney, and Amarillo, Texas. And he lost to I think a guy named Danny white. He was running as a Democrat. So Bible Belt, that first stanza that song is the real that really happened. He lost the election by 11 votes, and got a job in San Antonio. And we moved to San Antonio, I was four or five years old.

Thomas Mooney 8:47

What was it though, that, like, pushed you back here as far as like, you know, writing about the area and a lot of ways.

John Baumann 8:55

Yeah, you know, I came back here for Community College, go South Plains. I, you know, I kind of embellish the story a little bit, but I had a girl far too. I followed her up here. And kind of got a taste in my mouth of just what it's there's geography is very cool. But I hate to say bleak. But as bleak as this part of the world can seem, sometimes there is a incredible beauty to it. I don't know if it's the sky or the way that the clouds look like to borrow your Kennedy phrase vapor trails, or whatever. But there's a real rugged beauty to it here. And so many great musicians and songwriters and storytellers come from this part of the world. And I don't know if it's from boredom, or if it's from inspiration in the landscape. But all of that was kind of a platform that I could build upon and was excited to build upon when I was first getting started writing songs.

Thomas Mooney 9:49

It's very, I guess, like it's a romanticized tale of like, you know, being from from Lubbock and being a songwriter kind of know like,

John Baumann 10:00

It really is, it's become a thing. It's like, almost like chic. You know? Yeah, it really is.

Thomas Mooney 10:05

It's just I don't know, it's weird. Because there for a while, like, I feel there for a while, it was a, it wasn't necessarily like a dead time here, but like it was, it was just wasn't like talked about in the rest of the state I felt as far as musicians and bands go. And now all of a sudden, it's back on, you know, it's rising. And now now we're talking about old guys in ways that, you know, we didn't before, like, now all of a sudden, you know, people are familiar with the mains brothers and the flatlanders in more ways than just, oh, I've heard of that band. Like, they're more familiar with just even the music. You know. Like, whenever you started writing songs, like I think like that first EP, especially your, and it goes back to the whole vocabulary thing. You're kind of a wordy writer, it felt like very much and I've compared it to like the early Springsteen of just like, you know, putting a whole lot of stuff in, in a short period of time. You've kind of like back off that in a way like, especially on this departures. What, what is it about, like, you know, learning to I guess, maybe slow down, control yourself, don't like, throw everything in at once. What, uh, how did you start, I guess, evolving?

John Baumann 11:39

You know, I think that's a battle. I'm still fighting. It was just yesterday, we were in the van. And I had a I came on we played sax pub in Austin on Thursday night, and I came I drove home from that show, and I was thinking, you know, just have some song ideas running through my head. And anyways, long story short, we wrote a song in the van. Yes, it was a cool thing. But as I was writing it, we ran out a soundcheck last night. And man, I was shoving so many words into that end of phrases. And it kind of felt like getting back into the old habits. It's a it's a real battle for me, because there's a lot I want to say. And I think every word is important. But in terms of the evolving with departures, I think it was just it was important to know, I don't know, you know, it's good to be a little more concise. It's it's a battle I'm gonna fight for further for as long as I'm doing this. It really is just, there's a lot I want to say. It's hard to control.

Thomas Mooney 12:43

Yeah, I mean, I, I can I feel like that's a very understandable thing.

John Baumann 12:48

Yeah, it's like a rider rider issue.

Thomas Mooney 12:50

Trying to put in like, no, I need to say more about this. Yeah. departures though, like it's this. I feel like it's gonna be like one of those stepping stone epcs where you I feel like people turn their heads even more, especially with like, like, vices that was very kind of guitar town moment for you as far as like, sound and being being an anthem in a way, you know, I feel like there's a little bit more anthem stuff going on this.

John Baumann 13:30

I think you're right. And a lot of that I got to give credit to my my producer, Justin Pollard. He kind of coached me up on a lot of the songs not with the writing but just in terms of the phrasing and the tone and you know, doing the vocal take as many times as we needed to get a good one. But yeah, I think I I appreciate that. I think vices is a little bit anthemion and the more I listen to songs, I start to hear other Anthony type songs now. I want to kind of go that direction like North Country zone for instance, that's, that's kind of in that wheelhouse.

Thomas Mooney 14:06

But I think like Bay City blues is even you know, in a way not Anthony, like in the, you know, heartland country or heartland rock kind of Born to Run kind of way, but it is very much a it captures a certain voice a certain thought that that a lot of people have

John Baumann 14:27

brought out you know, and even in that song I feel like I'm shoving some words in maybe on the chorus, you know, the right calls for ransom. There's a lot going on there. But I guess I guess it works. But, you know, back to back to the production I think that really helped alleviate a lot of the desire to kind of shove words and and things like that.

Thomas Mooney 14:49

So like, what what do you have coming up next week? What are you what are you kind of what's your next thing that you're looking forward to?

John Baumann 14:58

I'm I'm always writing you know, I think every songwriter in the modern era has a, you know, iPhone or whatever a notepad where they've got all their song ideas listed and you know, mine's 150 deep right now, kind of half finished ideas. But, you know, the next natural step is a full length record. And that's been a little bit of a funny spot for me, you know, I'm a guy with two VPS and one full length and, and I would argue that, you know, my full length, the High Plains aqui record, I really only like four or five songs off that record. But naturally, the next thing is a full length record. And it's, it's really got to be my best, it's an important time for me to really deliver the goods and and I'm really pushing myself to do that, and not so much in just what I'm talking about, but how the songs how the songs are sung, you know, so many songs, country music, their GED monitor, see their 141414 if you know, Nashville charts or whatever. But it's important for the phrasing to lift, and really carry so I'm really kind of pushing myself, but I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna get in bed on a project until I'm, like, sure far 100% confident, but I think I think I'm close. I think it'll be recorded the next couple months, but gotta do some work. And I'm realizing it's hard with the road right now. You know, we're not touring, per se, but we're doing runs, you know, three days at a time. And after three days of this boy, Monday and Tuesday, I get home and I'm, I need to sleep. So I'm trying to find a new balance here with with how the work ethic works with the touring. Or the gigs.

Thomas Mooney 16:36

Yeah, like how do you? How do you even start? Like that, that 150 song ID idea? Or like, how do you start even going in there and knowing like what I did, like, Are you are you afraid that you know? That one of them just like slips by and you don't realize you had it until goddamnit? Like, I wish I would have done something more with that.

John Baumann 17:07

You know, it's funny with with the songs so much so much of the time, I'll have like a line and I'll just be like, Man, this is so killer. This is creative. This is hilarious. This is nobody's doing this. But it's really hard to get past that first or second line. it's it's a it's a tough thing. And that's why there's so many unfinished songs. A lot of times I'll finish a song and I'll send it you know, I've got a couple guys helping me, Justin, one of the guys who produced that record. He's, he's managing, if you will. I sent him a lot of stuff. And his partner, john Selman, I send them a lot of stuff. And you know, sometimes they send something back and they say, sometimes I say nothing at all. And it's kind of like, Alright, well, maybe that's not a good idea. But to somebody else, it's a good idea. So it's a funny little kind of situation with what do I believe in? What is the team believe in? And then what are the people believe in, in terms of a fresh song idea and things like that? So I don't know. Sometimes Sometimes it hits and it's magic. And sometimes it's like, go back, go back to the drawing board.

Thomas Mooney 18:06

What, uh, last night, you mentioned, you know, you're gonna be on this Pat green tribute appellation. Yeah. Well, how did you get involved with that? And like, how did you pick through his songs and decide?

John Baumann 18:18

Yeah, so, um, it wasn't really my choice on the song. And it was really a stroke of luck. And, you know, it's not officially that we're, we're not supposed to say that we're on it. But, you know, I kind of plugged it on Twitter a week ago saying, you know, we're in studio today doing a tribute song and I was so excited man, I wanted to scream it from the rooftops that I was doing this but kind of for, I guess, public relations or whatever, you know, kind of had to hit the brakes, but they're doing a pat green tribute album. And I think Cody Johnson called power cord more what Wilkins are all on it and Justin back to him kind of said, Hey, man, bring your guys in. And let's cut a song let's cut nightmare. And you know, for diehard Pat fans, nightmare is one of those songs that harkens back to the early days, and you can go on YouTube or Spotify and listen to the live versions and people are going crazy. It's a beautiful, beautiful song. So I was so honored that, you know, he asked us if we wanted to do it. So we did it, and kind of made it our own. And, you know, oddly enough, it's the only studio version of that song. So it was it's really really cool for me, especially as a guy who would go see Pat green at 1314 years old and in here and play this song and just think, man, this is this is a gut rancher. So even if Pat doesn't like it, I might have to take it for my next record anyways, because we did a pretty good job on it. I have to say

Thomas Mooney 19:46

those those early it's one of those things where like everyone always says he's I like who blah blah. But I liked his first stuff better Yeah, like it's but in reality, like if you listen to those first pack Green records, the ones that are all produced by like Lloyd means those records, I think are are underrated, just by by average fans. And I think that may be because they came out, I guess, like 1520 years ago now. But those first records are just incredible.

John Baumann 20:22

It's so funny how an artist in their early years they can kind of, in a weird way, they're, it's, I haven't fully figured this out yet for myself. And I wonder if I'm going through it. But in a weird way, when they're young and naive, they kind of don't know everything, and they don't think everything through and sometimes they just spit out stuff when it's magic. And they kind of don't know what's happening maybe at the time. And maybe that's what was happening with Pat. Pat's thing, I think eventually starts spreading like wildfire, and people look back, and those were the glory days and whatnot. But, uh, and a lot of it's the production of a good producer. You know, Lloyd Maines is not gonna, he's not gonna make a bad record. But, uh, yeah, there's something about the beginning, in the early years, in the naivety of this whole thing, you can really make some beautiful stuff. Accidentally.

Thomas Mooney 21:07

Yeah. Yeah. I think it's one of those things where you yet, maybe you're too naive, you're too dumb to know any better. And also, I think it's also just sometimes, you know, when you first start out, you actually have something to say. And you have not just one thing to say you have, you know, three records worth of things to say that you need to get out. And, you know, sometimes it was just hit.

John Baumann 21:45

It's amazing with writing songs sometimes, like, it'll just come out. And it's, it's great. You know, the song I wrote middlin, I had a huge chip on my shoulder. And I still kind of do in a way I'm kind of, but that song came out in 20 minutes. And I played an open mic in Austin. And the crowd response was so positive that I was just completely jacked. And it came out quickly. And then, you know, here we are a few years later, and it's kind of take take some time to write a song. Yeah. So

Thomas Mooney 22:12

yeah, I can imagine like, what's what right, right now? Like, what's the the song that has taken the longest to, to actually finish?

John Baumann 22:21

Oh, that's a really good question. There's a lot of songs I'm working on right now that I feel are going to take some time, but I'm really pushing myself. You know, I guess off departures, maybe, you know, departures all came out kind of quick, actually. Because it was just like, we got to get a project, we got to get a project out. The song medicine man, you know, I wrote those first two verses, and I had the chorus. And then I was like, I have nothing else to say about the situation. So I just kind of the last two verses kind of slapped together. That one took some time. But, you know, in hindsight, departures is a pretty quick, pretty quick ride, I was kind of under some pressure to get get something out.

Thomas Mooney 23:05

Are you ever worried like, you know, you have this idea. You write and you maybe get like a verse chorus out or something like that. And you don't know how to finish it? Are you worried ever that, that you're, it's gonna take too long in the that original idea that original thought, is not what you think now? Like they you just not able? That it's just gonna be a last moment?

John Baumann 23:33

Yeah, there. There's some worry. In a lot of those. A lot of those ideas that don't come in fruition, they just kind of linger forever. And it's so funny, you'll have a conversation with somebody and they'll say a phrase that you use in a sorry, we're thinking about, and it is kind of a bummer. You know, realizing, oh man, I've got this idea, but I just can't get over the hump. So yeah, there is some worry. But the good thing about this is there's always another line or another idea out there. It's just a matter of does it hit you kind of at that magic moment?

Thomas Mooney 24:06

If you were if you had like a live show, and they were like, john, we want you to play your favorite record just in a row like all at once.

John Baumann 24:16

Yeah. Like, like cover songs or something.

Thomas Mooney 24:19

Yeah, like if you're just going to cover an album though. It's great. Like a full full length. What a would be on on that list at least have like the you would want to even attempt

John Baumann 24:30

I would uh, I would love to be able to recreate as best I could t bone Burnett's wallflowers bring it down the horse I mean that is in some ways I feels like the original Americana album pardon me for not knowing as much music as I should, you know, but it album is so well done. And I know every song on there lyrically, you know, the band and I were recovering the difference for a while but it was just hard for me to deliver the the chorus because it's so big Then we know we can play it I don't know if I did Jacob Dylan any justice singing it but bring it on the horse covered cover song song is would be it I think like what year did that come out like 90? Want to say 97 or 96? Yeah, I could be off

Thomas Mooney 25:17

I still think like the the wallflowers isn't that time where it's one of those where, you know now now you can just access music in get in anybody's discography at once. That's still like a time where whatever CD you had just like kind of became your favorite CD. Or there's so I like I'm in the minority. I'm always just like, like rebel sweetheart is my favorite. Just because like, that's the record I had forever, you know. underrated band, though. Yeah,

John Baumann 25:50

kind of a funny little history with them. You know, it's one thing to be Bob Dylan son, and then to be the frontman for this band. And I can't remember the first CD had Ashes to ashes on it. And they kind of had some changing parts in the band. But, you know, when one hidden one, one headlight came out, I remember him with Bruce Springsteen on MTV Music Awards, and I just, I think that was in the day where you could record something to VHS and I would record it and watch it over and over again, it just like that CD had I listened to it all the time. And then, you know, if you're the wallflowers in today's world, and I, you know, I wonder if it's tough sometimes because you made this masterpiece, and yes, you have rebel, sweetheart. But it's kind of like, that's the apex maybe, of where, where the career trajectory? I don't know. I sound like a fool. But well, I

Thomas Mooney 26:38

mean, like it I think it all could just goes back to just being Bob Dylan son. You know what I mean? Because I must say, saying that, like, the wallflowers isn't a genuine thing. But like, you have to know that. Jacob Dylan was probably thinking, Okay, I need to, I'm not gonna be a folk songwriter, which I obviously now he's doing more. Yeah. singer songwriter, kind of stuff limiting country. But you know, that, uh, at some point that he was like, No, I'm gonna I'm gonna make a, like a rock band. You know, I can't I can't be a songwriter like a singer songwriter. kind of thing.

John Baumann 27:20

I couldn't imagine being the son of like, the most iconic American songwriter, one of you know, it's just, that'd be a really, really a tough bit of baggage. But you know, I think he did. Well, I think he's doing well. Things bank account probably looks alright. Yeah,

Thomas Mooney 27:39

I'm sure. Have you heard of like, one of the one of Dylan's like grandson's is like a rapper. I can't think of his name or anything like this. I have no idea. But it's one of those just like what he says. I can't I he doesn't just go by bla bla bla Dylan. I don't know what his name is.

John Baumann 27:59

I think I know what the band and I are going to be googling on the way.

Thomas Mooney 28:03

I don't even know if he has an album. You may just have to like go on SoundCloud. And find these random

John Baumann 28:09

grandpa things. I don't know. He's probably like he's doing his thing. It's all good.

Thomas Mooney 28:16

Yeah, I don't know. That's funny. I'm sure Dylan's a fan of some hip hop.

John Baumann 28:22

I bet he is, you know, I bet he is. I don't know the guy. Yeah. But uh,

Thomas Mooney 28:29

I'm sure he has like some Kendrick Lamar. Or some. I bet like he's actually a big fan of Jay Z. Yeah, that's where I put my money on.

John Baumann 28:39

I, you know, I'm not opposed to Philip Dylan's coming around. I just saw him in an IBM commercial. You know, that one where he's talking to Watson or whoever the computer is, but he feels like he's, he's coming around. I heard a story, my friend tell me that Bob Dylan went to Bob Dylan Museum, like disguised as somebody else one time just to like, check it out. I don't know. It's weird.

Thomas Mooney 28:58

Yeah. There's this I guess like an essay that was done by Todd Snyder, about Bob Dylan that he had done for like this magazine. And I don't know how old it is probably like, maybe 15 years old, the essay. And it's about like, if if he was able to meet Bob Dylan, would he because he just you know, he loves Bob Dylan. Right? But like Bob Dylan's one of those guys where it's hard to meet the actual Bob Dylan without being

John Baumann 29:33

all the actual Bob Dylan is Robert Zimmerman. It's like, yeah, it's just funny how Yeah, I completely can understand that.

Thomas Mooney 29:38

But like, it's also it's it goes into this, like his little essay goes into the whole, like, do you want to meet your heroes? Because your heroes are always just gonna disappoint you. There's that aspect. There's the whole like, are you meeting like the actual Bob Dylan? Are you just meeting like one of these various, you know, characters that he's created with Yeah, these personas and then also just like the I there's like I guess another aspect of it but he goes into like these stories that his friends have told them about their their times meeting Bob Dylan in which they're really hilarious like, probably my favorite one is like East Nashville, this guy is walks out and sees this guy on the street and he's like, that's got to be Bob Dylan or that's a hobo. I can't, and he couldn't like, tell the difference. So he like kinda like, just stood there for about 510 minutes watching this guy. And the guy was standing there and like messing with his shoes or something like that. And he finally walks by and he just says, It's me in like, continues on.

John Baumann 30:51

Yeah, it's like, you got somebody looking at you trying to figure out, he was like, I know what this guy's thinking, you know, I'm just gonna tell him it's me. I heard a story about Steve Martin. Somebody was doing the same thing to Steve Martin. And he just handed me a business card says yes. You just met Steve Martin. I would think though, you know, after so much notoriety and press, fame or critical acclaim or whatever. anonymity is like a beautiful, beautiful thing you never thought she'd want. But it becomes like a prized possession. in a weird way.

Thomas Mooney 31:19

Yeah. That's like if you become president, you're like, you're never gonna have a

John Baumann 31:23

I couldn't imagine. It's amazing how great they get after for eight years in office, man, it's just it's it's tragic, in a way.

Thomas Mooney 31:29

Yeah. It's so weird like that, you know, they've aged like in, they've aged 20 years and eight years. I mean, they always show those pictures of Brock. And it's like, man, he had, you know,

John Baumann 31:43

he was a young man going in office, you know, and now he looks he's gray and wrinkled. He just the toll of the job. Yeah, it's just rough.

Thomas Mooney 31:52

And of course, Clinton now like, you see Clinton on these campaigns with Hillary, it's like man, Bill looks. He looks like he.

John Baumann 32:02

Oh, man, I'm working on a song called Bad bill. And it's about Bill Clinton. Yeah, I think it'll be we'll see if it ever gets finished. It's another kind of one liner in my iPhone but for some there's some comedy there I think yeah. Yeah, Bill Clinton man swinging dick Yeah,

Thomas Mooney 32:23

okay, so like what did you What did you listen to as a kid? Like what was your like your just go to record that you had

John Baumann 32:31

you know, it's funny like I always go to like Home Depot or Lowe's with my my dad when I was a kid and he always had like Randy Travis on cassette and George straight on cassette and you know, I'd never wanted to go in the store so I just said leave me in the car and I just listened to those tapes. Um, well the first CDs I ever bought was the Beatles just because I thought it was like a cool thing. But I actually like never really liked the record. It was like one of those anthology records. Like I said, the wallflowers was a big one. I was one of those guys who would like find one song off the record and just love that song. I didn't care for like, like Foo Fighters like they had the walking after you song and it was like the slow country song on that record. I think everlong was on on that record, but I just loved walking after you because I was just like, I was like, Americana country. kind of song. So you know, but but country music you know, you know also Allison's like on a lot of matchbox Tony and stuff like that.

Thomas Mooney 33:28

I think like okay, matchbox. 20 is one of those bands. That still still guilty pleasure. Oh, yeah, you know, I'll I have all three CDs just because I keep every CD. Okay, so me and Parker were talking one time, like what we're talking about like Panthera like what CD? Was it that like your parents just like you had and they took it away from me? Because they're like, No, you can't listen to this. Is there anything?

John Baumann 33:55

No, I really never was in like, Lincoln Park or tool or any like heavy stuff. I just wasn't my wasn't my bag. You know, one thing this is, this is not music related. But I was a kid I thought Tom Green was hilarious. So I like print. I print Tom Green, like transcripts from his skits and things like that I print them off on the home computer and not just like leaving around the house just because I was lackadaisical not thinking my parents would find that stuff and they'd read it and just be like, what the hell is wrong with this kid? You know? So? There wasn't really record but you know, stuff like that.

Thomas Mooney 34:31

Yes. Okay, so like, what what would you be schizo? Did you just like read them to yourself or did you

John Baumann 34:39

it's that's, you know, I'd see him on TV and think there were so hilarious and then I just, I print them off and I and I read them and I just, I thought it was kind of funny. Like my mom was on your What is it? My phone was on your hip or my phone was on your? Yeah,

Thomas Mooney 34:50

it's like on everything. I forgot about that song. Yeah, that's when like MTV had music videos and the music video was It

John Baumann 35:00

was a real, it was a relevant thing. Yeah, I guess just a weird teenager man. Just a weird guy.

Thomas Mooney 35:09

I think like, that's just a being a teenager. Yeah, kind of an idiot for

John Baumann 35:14

Oh, there's no question about

Thomas Mooney 35:18

one of the Okay, so this is like, one of the things I was talking with Ryan co about one time was, you know, we're from the generation especially like, if you, if your parents weren't like, in the art scene, they weren't always taken into music and stuff. You just were raised on like that top layer of culture. How was was that? Is that? Was that how it was grown up for you?

John Baumann 35:44

Not really, you know, we took a family trip to New York one time and all I cared about was going to see Yankees game, and I got two sisters. And they both like theater and stuff like that. And we were going to go see a Broadway show. And I was just livid about it. And I can't remember what we saw, you know, carousel or something. And, man, I walked out of there just like, what, you know, live theater is a beautiful, incredible thing. So, you know, we kind of we kind of would, we would never go to Disneyland. You know, my parents were always so proud of the fact that we were not a Disneyland vacation type. But you know, we go see DC and see the monuments and run an RV and drive on the Pacific Coast Highway. Just my parents always wanted us to see kind of internet My dad always emphasize remembering what you see and what you do. And but in terms of music, you know, my parents weren't really like music aficionados, but my dad loved Roy Orbison and things like that, but I just never. I don't know.

Thomas Mooney 36:44

Yeah, what what is your favorite like dad ism, that your dad just like, always would say,

John Baumann 36:50

Oh, man. Famous last words. He'd always say, you know, that was that was one of them. Just kind of like you say something, you're so confident about it. And then you know, all hell breaks loose. You didn't see coming, but you should see it coming because things happen. He had a lot of a lot of like phrases and things like that. But yeah,

Thomas Mooney 37:13

the one that always sticks in my head about my dad was anytime we were on vacation, you know, you they bought me a disposable camera, or like, he would have a camera, but his obviously at film and shit. And he would uh, I would always just be like, Hey, take a photo of that. Take a photo, you know, take a photo of me take a photo of this and his he wore out the line. You'd have to wait for a Kodak moment. And I thought it was the dumbest thing ever just like cuz obviously just taking it from the damn commercial. But he's like, you gotta wait for a Kodak moment. Yeah. And so at the end of the trip or whatever, he would always just have 10 fucking photos. Yeah, like, nothing

John Baumann 37:55

like that. Come on.

Thomas Mooney 37:58

I'd ease up that disposable. Like in one day. Yeah,

John Baumann 38:00

yeah. But it's Yeah, it's funny, you know, fathers and sons. It's funny what you what you glean from them. And it's weird. Because sometimes you see your dad you're like, man, I don't want to be that guy. You know, even if he's not a bad guy or anything. And then as you get older, you become that guy in some ways. Not not entirely, but kind of a funny. Yeah, funny thing.

Thomas Mooney 38:27

Hey, this is this is Danny right here.

John Baumann 38:30

Yeah, man, thank you so much for coming out. What's the pups name? writer, writer. That's an apropos Yeah. Right on Indiana Jones.

Thomas Mooney 38:42

But yeah, we're about like, 35 minutes. You want to play a song?

John Baumann 38:48

Yeah, I can play a song. I'll see if I can see. All right.

Thomas Mooney 38:52

Hey, just another little quick break for another sponsor of the new slang podcast. It's flatland Calvary symbol folks. Yeah, it's their their first full length record. And other than the very first CD release show for humble folks is going to be Friday, April first at the blue light. That's next weekend. You know, I'm probably gonna make everyone jealous by saying this, but I've actually had the record for like, like two weeks now. And you know, it's really really, really good. They recorded the record over at Scott versus amusement park Studios here in town. And you know, it's kind of like come may in the way that it pops. It just pops in the right spots it It sounds great. As they said with come may it's easy on the ears heavy on the heart in saying that there are some really really cool surprises that are going to be on this record. You know, it's a band that that we're seeing mature and grow right before our eyes. Like cleddau told me a few months back you know, he's not summertime love kid anymore. So He's He's, I guess developed all these different characters and personas that he's going to be able to go into and hopefully you'll be able to hear that on the record, you know, and next Wednesday, you'll have to drop what you're doing and head over to the new slang website because we'll be streaming the entire record all 11 tracks for Wednesday, Thursday Friday probably just the entire weekend. If you've not heard of flatland cavalry, go and check out their their first EP. If you have, be sure to go to new slang Lubbock calm and stream the new record whenever we have it out. Believe in the buzz, you know, the hype is real. It's all warranted and you know put a score on the board for the humble folks. Okay, now some more john Bauman.

John Baumann 40:54

play a song called goodbye whiskey the song don't know what's gonna go on the record. why you had a thing jury? No, that's shocked to hear. I wrote off read was not burned out. I go into liquor, or the Delta dog Cantina. I got lemon in my water. So but gigas and drinking man. You will miss me. Goodbye whiskey. Whiskey. Figured I'd had enough. Dre can solo in the dark. Too much jack on. Too much could he sorry. I won't even mention the morning. Hit pound and lack of bowling. Hell, I even lost some belly fat. Got a bit complex. She didn't drink it man. You will miss me. Goodbye whiskey. See I go through changes. Mad the killing of age. After some time, it's a simple choice. pastime pasttime turn page. It ain't hard dodge temptation. I don't mind standing tall. Something good or bad. The shakes and quakes. alcohol. Drinking man. You will miss me. Goodbye whiskey. Drake. You won't miss me. Goodbye, whiskey.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai