DALE EARNHARDT Jr. & BRAD ARNOLD
Dale Earnhardt Jr. grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac, 38 Special and Elvis. But the song he thinks fits racing best is "Duck and Run" by 3 Doors Down, the Mississippi boys known for hits like "Kryptonite," "When I'm Gone" and "Here Without You." The band's success means lead singer Brad Arnold is on the road almost as much as Junior But wherever he's laying his hat on February 20, he'll definitely be watching to see if Earnhardt guns his way to a second straight Daytona title.
Brad- It's amazing to watch you race. Some drivers just get pushed around on the track, but you're totally not that guy. And when you go by there's this thunderous roar from the crowd, and 70 percent of them are wearing Budweiser red. You have to see them sometimes and just be, like, Holy (expletive)!
Dale- It makes me feel good, but it used to make me feel worse. For a while, I didn't really listen when they announced my name. I didn't know whether people were cheering because of what I did on the track or cause of who my daddy was. That took a while to figure out. But your fans and my fans are real loyal. So you can take what they give you as pretty credible.
Brad- Yeah. The weird thing is, in between records all the attention kind of falls off. Then another record comes out and it's back again. The only day scarier than when it starts is when it stops, man.
Dale- That's the damn truth. That's the way it feels in the off-season. It's no fun. You feel useless. But I know what I can accomplish with my race car. I can't imagine what it's like to have to sit down and write 10 more "Kryptonites" That's gotta be pretty tough
Brad- That's the thing about writing songs: you just find something to be pissed off about! There's so many times on tour when you feel alone, it's just easy for those feelings to slip out on paper
Dale- Every song you guys sing I can relate to. It's a little bit of blue collar rock. I worked at dealerships and gas stations and stuff when I was growing up, and that's all they played on the radio. You had to get used to it. My grandmother was a big Elvis fanand I am, too, because she played Elvis and she would keep me all the time when my dad was out of town. There was this guy I used to work with and he listened to Patsy Cline all the time so I liked that after a while. But your stuff is good, basic stuff.
Brad- Just good, old rock songs. When I was growing up it was the '80s, so I was listening to a little bit of metal. I've always been a fan of Skynnard and stuff like that. Honestly, that's a little bit before my time but it's still N'awlins. It's great music and if there's any band I'd ever want to be like, it's those guys because they're just straight ahead and they just always write songs about life that I can relate to somehow. But the band that made me want to do it for a living was Def Leppard. That "Pour Some Sugar on Me" video? I was like, "Man I want to do that!"
Dale- The hooks in your songs are great. I'm just a typical fan. Actually, I already liked your music before we met. You guys had been out a couple months.
Brad- Yeah, yeah.
Dale- Best I remember, it was at this place in Charlotte where a lot of people come and play called Treemont. It's just a shack really, old worn out couches and a concrete floor -- it's like a basement. And you guys happened to be playing one night and this girl I knew, was like, "C'mon and see this band because I know one of the guys." I had a limo come and get me at my house and all my friends -- 'cause that's how we go out, we get a limo. So we ride over there and we're sittin' in the limo drinking beer and stuff in the parking lot, and I think that girl brought you over there to the limo just to say hey.
Brad- I remember when you pulled up, and ya'll parked on the side of our bus and it was like five feet shorter than our bus. I was like, "Damn, that's the biggest limo I've ever seen!" It was pretty cool. That's been a good four years ago. It was right after "Kryptonite" had just come out. I think that might have been our first time playing in Charlotte.
Dale- I know. We both meet people all the time and it's rare that I ever really spark up a friendship with people that I meet. But you were just getting started and you were just down to earth. You were like, "Yeah, I still live in my hometown and I ain't planning on moving anywhere and getting a big old house and whatnot." And I just thought that was pretty cool. Some people ain't approachable and some people are.
Brad- Yeah, yeah. That's true. It's like the more people you meet and stuff and it seems like the only people you meet who really act famous are the ones who really aint nobody. Actually, the last time I was in Europe somebody said, "You're friends with Dale Jr., huh?" I think it was in Germany or Holland. I went, "Damn!"
Dale- That's crazy. That blows me away. I had a Hispanic guy a couple weeks ago tell me he was a big fan and that they watched the races down there in Puerto Rico. He said they watch the races, him and his whole family. I'm like, "Wow." You think you've only got fans where you race.
Brad- I wonder about it sometimes ... what is it like for you to try to go out somewhere and try to just chill? It just seems like it would be impossible.
Dale- I tell people all the time that they'd be surprised as hell if they just spent a couple of days with me and saw how normal my life is. You go home and do the same stuff everybody else does when they go home ... watch TV or whatever. People get surprised when they see you out buying a DVD at Best Buy like somebody else should be doing it for you or something! They're like, "What are you doing your grocery shopping for?" Well, 'cause I'm starving! I only live two miles from the grocery store and every time I go in there, they're like, (gasps) "What are you doing here?" And I'm like, "It's close to my house!"
posted by ES84 @ 1:47 PM |
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