Ramblings of a Restless Mind

Jen: [00:00:00] [00:00:15] [00:00:30] Mighty, mighty ramblers. We're back. What is up? Hi, deja.

Dejah: Hello,

Jen: I'm Jen Tia's always just so [00:00:45] in it, the eye contact she makes when she says her one word is, is great. It's great. Hi Joe.

Chris: Hello.

Jen: Alright, well we see who the, who the chatty Cathy is here in the studio. Welcome back guys. Thanks so much for joining us for [00:01:00] another hopefully laugh filled episode.

Yes. Of ramblings of a Restless Mind. We have got a great episode in store for you guys. I'm so excited. Yes, yes. For the guest that we have joining us today, I met this beloved gentleman. We've had [00:01:15] two male guests back to back.

Dejah: I'm proud of us.

Jen: I know, I think in one of our other episodes we joked about how we may never have males.

Now we have two. I'm gonna ask with you. I thought about that.

Dejah: I was like, I'm proud of me.

Jen: So this gentleman, which you will hear [00:01:30] from in just a moment I, funny story of how I met him, he does have a name. His name is Chris and his last name is Hendricks, which come on Great. Last name. Right? Right. Good name.

Good name. Thank you. So we met in the [00:01:45] networking circuit and I don't know if any of you listening have ever been a part of a BNI. It is a global networking. Colt called Business Networking International. And I was in a different group for several years and then Covid [00:02:00] happened, and so then B and I still stayed alive and it just switched to Zoom like the rest of the world.

And so I decided to visit another group. 'cause what else was I doing? And we were on Zoom. And so I hop onto this other group and as soon as I hop on, there's [00:02:15] music and the person, every, every meeting there's at least one person that presents. And so the person that presents, they're singing the whole, like the whole time.

And I'm just like, well, this is fun. This is the most interesting b and i chapter I've visited in a long time. So then fast forward to us being able to be in [00:02:30] person again. So I, I had left BNI decided to get back into it. Go visit this, this group in real life, IRL as the kids are saying. And the same thing happened.

I get there and the person presenting is singing and I'm like. [00:02:45] Is this just what happens every time? Is this, is this group just a musical every time? Love it.

Chris: Oh my God.

Jen: And that is how I met our wonderfully talented and just overall amazing human being. Mr. Chris Hendricks.[00:03:00]

There's so many great things about this man that I'm gonna let him share, but I am so grateful that the universe saw fit to bring us together. You have just always gonna be laugh and just [00:03:15] always had this from the first time we grabbed a coffee. There was just like this charisma there, right?

Like we fell in love with talking about music and we just left and we were both just like so jazzed up talking about all the different types of music. And after I had just spilled my venti coffee in my car, so I was late to the [00:03:30] meeting. I hadn't even taken a sip out of it. Anyway, I'm, I'm not hanging onto it at all.

But and then fast forward to last year and I, I sit on the non-profit the board for a nonprofit in the area. And Chris was so kind to, to donate his time and [00:03:45] talents to this event. They ended up raising like $1,500 buddy. So thank you so much. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's for safe child stop abuse for every child.

So it's a child abuse prevention and intervention agency in the area. So went to a good cause, but setting up at the brewery [00:04:00] there and playing and he was just so great interacting with the folks that were there, as well as the, the songs that he sang and everything. It just, it was a whole vibe and I, I seriously just can't thank you enough.

So thank you so, so much. Thank you.

Chris: That's beautiful. Yeah.

Jen: So [00:04:15]

Chris: we just started

Jen: that's it in the episode there. No, I'm just kidding. So Chris Hendricks, you were destined to be a musician with a last name like that. Spelled differently. I understand. It is. That's why

Chris: I'm still

Jen: alive. Yeah, fair

Chris: enough. Man, the curse doesn. It [00:04:30] got dark. Dark really quick. Didn't

Jen: So, Chris, know yourself better than the rest of us do here.

So, tell us a little bit, tell us in our listeners a little bit about who makes the man that is Chris Hendrick.

Chris: That's a good question. Singers, songwriters, [00:04:45] storyteller, and recording artists. And keynote speaker. Really mostly a father. I have the greatest 6-year-old going on, 36-year-old a guy could ask for and a wonderful partner.

And we're both artists. [00:05:00] I, I do music and play the guitar and all that fun stuff. And she is my partner, Heather is a brilliant painter, so she handles that aesthetic. I can barely draw a stick figure of anything. So we compliment each other really [00:05:15] well. And then our daughter, of course is gonna be, you know, future president of the United States.

Jen: God, a boy can all cross fingers come on. And my toes. And my toes, yes, yes. Awesome. And then DEI space advocate as well.

Chris: Yeah.

Jen: Okay.

Chris: So as [00:05:30] a, a keynote speaker, that's the area that I dance in. Really The forgotten D of DEI, which is disability. But I also focus on things like mindset and the value of vulnerability, right?

Because people are kind of scared to be vulnerable these days. [00:05:45] 'cause the more vulnerable you are, the more likely you are to cross the line, and then the more likely you are to get canceled. And everybody's kind of afraid of each other now. And social media was a, a failed human experiments. Right. You know, we all thought that it would bring us close together and now we're more divided [00:06:00] than ever.

So I'm trying to do what I can to step in the middle and bridge that gap.

Jen: Gosh. And music is agreed, not only your keynote speaking, but then to be able to marry the two, you know, your, your keynote speaking and motivational speaking and with music. 'cause I think music is such a beautiful tool [00:06:15] to. Help to bridge that gap as well and to bring people together.

Chris: , universal language is really cliche, but I think that of all the art forms, music is the one form that you can both keep to yourself and give away at the same time. Right? So what I mean by that is [00:06:30] if I write a song, it means something to me. But if I give it to my audience in that moment, whatever someone out there is experiencing, it's gonna mean something a little bit different to them.

So it's still my song and the reasons why I wrote the song are still like, held in my [00:06:45] heart. But as soon as they play it, it belongs to everybody else and they get to take it home and it means something different to them. And so no matter what you play and how you play and in what language you play, as long as you're telling a universal story, people can't help but sort of be [00:07:00] magnetized together 'cause it's such a carnal thing.

You know what I mean?

Jen: Yeah. No, very well said. And I, I, I actually love having that experience because I love to, I love to know. The piece and your, your, your heart that, that led to that song. Right. So if I listen to a song and then I have the [00:07:15] opportunity and whatever, you know, sometimes on different streaming platforms, they'll have the artist speak about as if it's a new album.

Every song and tell a little story about how that song came to be. So if I get to hear that story and hear what the artist, why they, you know, what made them write it or spoke to 'em about it, but then I had a different [00:07:30] interpretation, I always think that's the coolest thing. Mm-hmm. A really good example of that recently just popped in my mind is Eric Church's song that he basically gave to North Carolina because he's from Yes.

The Mountains.

Chris: Yeah.

Jen: Darkest Hour. And he had written it and was planning to have it on [00:07:45] his upcoming album. And then whenever we had the tragedy that happened in Western North Carolina in what October. Yeah. Yeah. Of last fall. Fall of last year. Yeah. Weird to say last year already, but oh God. He, he's from Western North Carolina [00:08:00] and so he basically just gave that he, you know, he wanted to do something to raise money, which he, he still did with Luke Combs and the concert for the Carolinas and Charlotte, which was massive, massively successful.

But he took that song, he was like, if I give it to North Carolina, which I didn't know you could like do that. I don't know exactly how that [00:08:15] works, but

Dejah: legal writing can allow damn near anything. Very indeed.

Jen: True, true. But, but that's awesome. So obviously when he wrote it originally, it was not the intent to ins inspire, you know, beyond tragedy for, you know, natural disaster and everything.

So very, very [00:08:30] cool. But, ah, that's

Chris: awesome. I love country music right now. I mean, like, you, you can find beauty in almost any genre really. But country music right now is something that all of us, I really think. [00:08:45] Need. And again, there's lyrical depth in other genres. Mm-hmm. But if you do your digging, you just, it's just a completely country has held onto a vibe.

Mm-hmm. And it's [00:09:00] a vibe that we're all sort of desperate for. And it's also somehow found a way to blend with pop and other genres while holding onto its roots. And I feel like a lot of other genres have done the [00:09:15] same thing, but disconnected from their roots. Hmm. And, and you see a lot of that with the sort of re popularization of blues.

Mm-hmm. Right? You're hearing blues singles [00:09:30] hit hit number one on the charts with, with people like, like teddy swims and and jelly roll, you know? Mm-hmm. You're, you're just finally starting to have this full circle thing happen where the origins of music, where you're [00:09:45] telling real stories are starting to sort of peak their way up to the surface.

Dejah: I have a theory. Tell me. So I myself back growing up in, in northern Wisconsin, [00:10:00] like I, yeah. I loved country there. Oh my god. Dolly Parton is my spirit animal. She's a queen. Oh, yes. I got her cookbook this for Christmas. Nice. Thank you very much. So [00:10:15] anyway I, I sincerely believe that growing up with the, the Garth Brooks, the lyrical genius, that was the age of going from the seventies, the eighties, and the early nineties of country.

Like Pop itself was [00:10:30] devolved by these massive production companies Oh yeah. Into just a, a, it was like a cookie cutter. All the country music being the same thing as pop, it was cookie cutter. Same thing as rap, because rap was God [00:10:45] in the early nineties. Yeah. Oh yeah. Like and so Well, and it's still bad today and that's where lyrical, that's what I'm saying.

Yeah. We have now recycled back to a point where artists have said, no, no, I'm gonna take my power back. And there's been a movement of going back to lyrical authenticity. Mm-hmm. And [00:11:00] not having control by the production company of saying, no, no, no, no. Everything on your album has to be in this cookie cutter.

Chris: Yeah.

Dejah: They're being able to make more choices. And we're seeing more of what you're saying that actual America, it, what is coming out of [00:11:15] country is truly America. I watch Beyonce's. Christmas, the Super Bowl, halftime Super Bowl table. I was like, my whole, my whole body was vibing. USA, like I [00:11:30] was having an existential.

I was like, yes,

Chris: yeah. This

Dejah: is what, this is what we need. Because country was supposed to be very unifying and it took a very, for me country now belonged to a certain demographic of people. Mm-hmm. Yeah. The late nineties, two [00:11:45] thousands. And it was, you know, I, and it became just very pro after nine 11, very like, mean, like it's all about kicking ass and fighting this just unknown enemy, you know?

And like I know, I just, I am very [00:12:00] pleased, like hanging out with her, getting drawn back into the country vibe. Yeah. We've kind of forced, I've been having a great time. Forced it to her. Yeah. I've been having a great time. Yeah. And I, it's because the lyrics, I think for me. Are far more, they're touching, they're, they're far more [00:12:15] authentic, authentic to the times.

Oh my Lord. Yeah.

Chris: Well, you know, it's funny that you say that, you mentioned that space in the musical world specifically because back in the, the, the mid [00:12:30] to late seventies, you could, you could be that lone songwriter that comes up with everything themselves, and it's just all magical in all different ways.

Like the James Taylors and such, the

Dejah: Bob Dylans, right. The Bob

Chris: Dylans which I'm excited to see that [00:12:45] movie yet. I, I haven't yet, but I want to. But that was such a small slim time in the overall, like musical timeline, and this is, I'm sort of regurgitating the obvious, but the moment [00:13:00] that music went from an album that cost you $10 to 99 cents.

To $10 a month of, of infinite, [00:13:15] you know, choices and decisions. Right. That could be made on the spot. Music lost its value overnight. Like overnight. 'cause it used to be if you wanted a record, you had to get a job [00:13:30] and go and like bag groceries and then buy. You had to be really, really intentional. I want this album and everything about this album matters to me.

So I'm gonna add it to my collection and when I wanna listen to it, I gotta take it outta the case [00:13:45] and put it in the CD player, the a track or whoever's out there listening, whatever your brand of playing the product was. And you tried really hard to listen to the whole album. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Even if you didn't like some songs.

'cause you [00:14:00] spent money on it.

Jen: Yeah. Yeah,

Chris: right.

Jen: Kids of today will never know the, the. Pleasure of taking the big CD case and flipping the page that had like four or five, you know, four, six books. Kids of Today Will Never Know. Books

Dejah: being taken advantage of by the Penny Club. [00:14:15] That's

Jen: right. Of those magazines.

That's right. Class. The Columbia House. Yes. Yes. But you're, you're very, very right about like, I mean, you did, I remember we were just talking about this hit the day. Like, I remember my first CD that I got was TLC. Crazy, [00:14:30] sexy Cool. Yes. And, and mine was Credence Clearwater Revival

Dejah: Greatest Hits.

Chris: Love it.

Love it. John Fogerty being John Fogerty before he was sued for being John Fogerty. Was John Fogerty? Yeah. What about you, Joe [00:14:45] Aerosmith's big ones.

Joe: Oh,

Dejah: nice, nice. Okay, so we can all hang out. We, we always hear first cd.

Chris: Oh man, I don't like back through

Dejah: time. Yeah. All

Chris: so. It wasn't, [00:15:00] it wasn't my first cd, but the, but the, the first tape.

Okay. That was, that was mine. And I'm so lucky that this is the, the case. My mom bought it for me. It was the Beach Boys [00:15:15] greatest Hits. So I was spoiled immediately by Brian Wilson. Awesome. And his brilliance. And just fell in love and, and, and became obsessed. Now I have a couple stragglers in there.

Like my first official concert when I was seven was [00:15:30] the Spin Doctors. Nice. Like, I was obsessed with them. Nice. Yeah. And because they had such a sick groove. Yeah. But they were, they were the, the epitome of, of rock pop at the time. Mm-hmm. And [00:15:45] so I don't. I don't have the, the courage to share that as often as I, as I should, but I'll tell you what it was.

So, but, but, but check this out. It was the [00:16:00] dune blossoms opening for Bush, opening for the spin doctors. Brilliant. Wow. So I got to see some great, awesome acts by accident as a result of going to that concert. Well,

Jen: speaking of, of opening, because [00:16:15] I just learned this about you early last year, I think we were talking about the, the non, the nonprofit gig that you were helping me out with.

Tell our listeners. Who you've opened for, sir? Oh

Chris: man. Okay. These were all, these were all [00:16:30] stroke of luck things right place at right time. But I have opened for for Amy Grant and Mercy, me and Chris Doche opened for him as part of his rattle the Cage tour. I think that was back in, in [00:16:45] 2017.

I've opened for Alanis Morrisette.

Jen: Kind of a big deal. And again,

Chris: like, I, it's sort, I I I'm in the perfect space because like I get to open up for all these amazing artists and, and no one knows who I [00:17:00] am and I'm not, I'm not saying that to be self-deprecating, but like, I get to go to the grocery store.

Yeah. You know, I open up for all the people that have a hard time going to the grocery store, and it's a perfect place to be. Nice

Jen: is so opening up for Alanis Morissette, did you get to meet her?

Chris: Okay. [00:17:15] So, very briefly this, so this is a funny story. This is a funny story. So, this is audio only, right?

So not every, all the listeners know. I also, I happened to be I have cerebral pals. I was diagnosed when I was four. What does that have to do with Alanis Morissette? [00:17:30] Well, so, so back in the day. When I was growing up trying to figure out who I was gonna be and, and how I was gonna spend my time and dedicate my life I, I, I really, really wanted do to do music full time.

Like find a way to do it [00:17:45] full time and on my, I'm gonna get the birthday wrong, like 21st or 22nd birthday. I, I went to my mom and I was like, I, I really want a, a pro tools rig so I can learn how to produce. And she said ba [00:18:00] in not so many words, she was like, so that sounds nice, but for your birthday, I'd like to help you apply for disability.

And like my heart like shattered into a million pieces. Yeah. And I was like, what are [00:18:15] you talking about? Like, I'm such a capable, I

Dejah: don't think we're talking about the same thing.

Chris: I'm, I'm such a capable per, so anyway, my mom and I did this back and forth and we went through this whole rollercoaster to a, my, my, my mom was like, made me apply essentially.

And [00:18:30] so we went through all the steps and applied and got rejected and applied and got rejected. And the third time it went all the way up to a, a Judge America. And this is, this is how it all circles back to Alanis Moset. So I'm sitting in front of the judge and the judge is listing off all the [00:18:45] jobs that I was capable of despite having cerebral palsy was like, you know, you can lick envelopes and like, like, seriously, like these, these were like these, you were like, this was like the examples that they were giving me.

[00:19:00] And then the judge like found an article. Online about how I had opened up for Alanis Mo said, and he goes, don't sit there and tell me that your life is hard when you waited and you [00:19:15] opened up for Alanis Morissette. And I flipped out at the judge and I was like, look, I don't even wanna be here. Okay. My mom made me apply for your stupid benefits.

And like, I'm not even saying like, I'm not capable of stuff. I'm just saying like, it hurts [00:19:30] Metimes. And I would like hurt and like, like I literally like flipped out at this judge at like, because it wasn't, we're not, when you, when you get to the judge, you're not in a, it's not in a court of law. Yeah.

Right. Yeah. [00:19:45] So you, you're given a little bit more lee leeway, leeway. He didn't in jail in terms terms of how you Right. Until you, like how you, you talk to him. And so I thought that I had lost, like, lost the benefits and then I got a, a letter in the mail a [00:20:00] couple weeks later. That said, I had gotten, I had received the, the insurance side of things and just not the, like, any sort of financial benefit.

And then I got a call a week later from somebody that said actually you, you've been awarded [00:20:15] a back pay benefit. So I flipped out at the judge. So usually when you flip out at a judge,

Jen: not good

Chris: over, you know, the Lati Morissette moment you don't, yeah. It doesn't end well, but there's no [00:20:30] benefit that comes of it.

But, but, but somehow I got dollars.

Jen: Well that's how you turn a frown upside down. I know, right. I guess, my God.

Chris: On the other end of the but our, our my interaction with her was, was very, very, very, she's very kind, but it was very brief. She's like, [00:20:45] she goes, I'm really glad you're here. That was it.

Cool. That was the I am too. That was, that was the whole thing. I do have a series of. I won't take up all your time with this, but I do have really funny, two really funny [00:21:00] artists, famous people that are not be interactions.

Jen: Okay. That I would

Chris: love to share with you. Yeah. Share this. Absolutely.

Jen: Let's hear it.

Absolutely.

Chris: Okay. So the first one was, there's this concert in San Francisco that happens every year called Concert for the Bridge School, and it's a really, really big deal. Neil Young and [00:21:15] his wife at the time, Peggy Young, put the whole thing together and it's raised money for people with cerebral palsy like me, but like much more severe complex circumstances.

Right. Well, it's a, it's a long story, but the short version is I somehow managed [00:21:30] to get backstage for a couple years at those concerts and I would just sort of, I got a chance to sort of wander around backstage and run into people randomly. And one time, um. Dave Matthews was there [00:21:45] and I ran into Dave and I said, Hey Mr.

Dave Matthews, because that's what you say when you're, when you're, when you're nervous, when you're run into Dave Matthews, that's what you say. It's like, Hey, Mr. Dave Matthews. I just wanted to say Mr. Dave Matthews that I am really just, I've always [00:22:00] been a, a student of your songwriting. You're so, talented.

What you've done for music is incredible. Mr. Day Matthews, thank you so much for inspiring me over the, the many, many years. I just wanna say I just really appreciate everything you've done for the industry. And [00:22:15] he said, fuck off. Oh my God. And I said, what? And he said, fuck off. That's too much pressure, kid.

I can't deal with that. And I was like, and

Jen: he's, he's South [00:22:30] African, right? Is South African African. And I was like,

Chris: and I was like, oh my God, so sorry. I like, I've just been cussed out by Dave Matthews. So I turned around and I was like, oh, I'm so sorry Dave Matthews for ruining your night, Mr. Dave Matthews.

I will leave you alone now Mr. Dave Matthews. And I start to walk away and he goes, [00:22:45] ah, I'm just fucking with you. Listen, I'm wasted and I have all this pizza in my trailer and I can't eat it because it has pineapple on it. Can you come and help me eat this pizza? Me and my friend Tim are [00:23:00] having a really hard time and I was like yes sir.

Mr. J Mads, I'll absolutely come hang out with you. So I got to hang out with him. And eat pizza.

Jen: That's awesome. That's awesome. With pineapple, all you hatters. I love. So pizza with [00:23:15] pineapple on it. So I'm here for it.

Chris: My, my man. It's, it's, it's a, my my guitarist who plays with me now, who also taught me how to play guitar.

Mr. Matt Breck Bale over at Bella Music in Wake Forest. Shameless plug. Shout out, Matt. It's like, it's a sin to like pizza [00:23:30] with pineapple on it. And so I, I like, I accidentally like let it slip during one of our concerts that I, that I liked it. And our relationship has never been the same. Oh. Since, like, he still loves me, but there's a rift that I don't think it'll ever be healed.

Jen: I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm used to [00:23:45] that as well. But listen, I live and die on that sword. Yeah. Oh, same man. I'll swallow it. Nice. Salty Canadian bacon. Right? Well now I'm hungry. So there's that. Now I think, did you tell me a story? 'cause I'm a huge Shinedown fan. And I [00:24:00] feel like we, over coffee and breakfast, we were chatting and something about Brent Smith ended up, he was like, pushing you in a wheelchair or something.

Is that or something? Am I misremembering that?

Chris: No. So you're quite correct. Okay. So I, we, I got a [00:24:15] chance a couple of times to go to like the, the big music technologies conference in LA every year. It's a nam Okay. Is what it's called. And don't ask me what it stands for 'cause I can't remember National

Jen: Association, I don't know

Chris: of, of music, of [00:24:30] Musical Madness or something.

But it's like mega distance, like it's just huge. And so it was one of those things where I had to swallow my, my pride and get, get myself a wheelchair in order to get around. And you, that's another place where again, you [00:24:45] just. You randomly just run into people. And I was wheeling around there one day just trying like separate from my band mates looking around and exploring, and all of a sudden these two hands are like, I'm realizing [00:25:00] that I'm not pushing my wheelchair.

And I was like, this is strange. I'm about to be put in a really strange van with candy that's not candy's. Right, right. Yeah, right. 'cause people often mistake me for a child. So I was like, okay. And it wasn't quite like it, it [00:25:15] was just early enough, two thousands that maybe that stuff still happened. So I was like, I kind of freaked out and then I turned around and I was like.

Aren't you in Shinedown? And he was like, yes, I am. And so, and so he pushed me around for a while. [00:25:30] That's cool. And that's, I wish there was more ex, I wish he was like, and then we, and then he put me on stage and then I made $200,000. But no, that was my shinedown experience.

Jen: I love one, I just, I love Shinedown.

And was it Brent Smith? That was, was it Brent? That Yeah. That is correct. [00:25:45] And Brent, he just has an so, such a recognizable, unique, amazing voice. Yep. And I've been to like, like eight of their concerts, I think. And so I'm, I'm a fan. And, but to know, he always just seems, comes across like on stage and stuff, just so [00:26:00] humble and makes you feel like you're in a small space, like just with the band, no matter how big it is.

And so to hear a story like that, it makes me so ha my heart so happy because it, it. Marries the two, you know, of like the, the human that he portrays himself to be on [00:26:15] stage as the artist, you know, even though he's very theatrical on stage. Yeah. But is the real person that he is as well. So huge

Dejah: plug to shine

Jen: down.

Chris: Right. Depending on how you look at it, you know, it could also be framed as like, you know what I, that's a person in a wheelchair. I think I'll just take [00:26:30] him.

Jen: Fair. Fair. Okay.

Chris: Image shattered.

But it was very cool.

Jen: That's awesome. Awesome man. Thanks so much for sharing those stories. Course your life sound is so much cooler than mine.

Chris: [00:26:45] So many random moments. We could, we we'd, we'd be here for a long time,

Jen: [00:27:00] [00:27:15] [00:27:30] [00:27:45] so, and I know I wanna hear more about your music 'cause you've. Obviously I've heard you sing and we are going to bless our listeners with your talent as well.

Make sure you're listening to the whole thing. But let's talk about your music. 'cause I know you're singer [00:28:00] songwriter. Yeah. So what you been working on, what you been doing? First of all, there's a song that plays on repeat on my YouTube playlist of yours. It's oh my gosh. The, the I'm something about like playing on the radio oh my gosh.

Chris: Playing on the [00:28:15] radio. Oh make it,

Jen: yes, yes. I make it love that song. When that song comes on, I'm always like damn right. Yes. Thank you. I love that song. Anyway, sorry, derailed that. But yes, please tell us about all the things that you've been doing.

Chris: Oh man. I don't know where to start. Okay. [00:28:30] So holidays just wrapped up for a lot of people.

So I wrote an original holiday song that came out. I. Like December 1st. And we did a pretty hefty social media campaign around that. I think it did pretty well. It's like 500,000 [00:28:45] views in India of all places. I don't know what that means in terms of, in terms of virality, but my my partner, my, my wife Heather did the music video for it.

And it's beau what, what she can do with like the most [00:29:00] mundane footage how she makes it. But she said she's an artist, right? But like, she has that visual, like, but like times a hundred, like it's, it's really, she's a, she's a painter who made me care about painting, and I'm not, and I'm not [00:29:15] just saying that because I, she lets me hug her at night.

Like, like I, if you take me to an art museum. I am, I'm just, I'm gonna fall asleep. I like, no offense to all you like visual artists out there, like, [00:29:30] congratulations for being able to do what you do. But like if I look at a painting and it's just a bunch of like lines and dots and I don't know what it is.

Like I can't like the abstract

Dejah: Jackson Pollock, I don't think is,

Chris: that's what I mean. That's what I mean. Like I don't, I don't get it. [00:29:45] Right. Almost

Dejah: everything else that's like me in like Norwegian death metal. Okay. And music. Like I have this one, right? One artist, one genre that I say, ah, I dunno,

Chris: I get, and that's the thing, like she, when I first saw [00:30:00] her, the magic that she is able to create on Canvas, I was like, that's what this like light bulb went off.

And I was like, oh, that's what painting. Can do. Yes. Like that's what you can do in a visual aesthetic. [00:30:15] And she's able to translate that into video was our first time actually working together. And she just took a bunch of home video basically, and a couple paid shots of a choir from something she bought off of one of those, like [00:30:30] what, like photo fly or whatever that website is.

Mm-hmm. And just made something magical. And it was incredible to, for us to be working in tandem. We've been together for almost 10 years and it's the first time we've actually done something together. Oh, that's cool. So I'm really excited about that. [00:30:45] And it must be like the season of Love and Hope.

'cause there was, that was a very, like, it was a very honest and gritty but hopeful holiday song. And now I'm, I'm about to write or about to release a a like a. [00:31:00] I, I can't, there's no other name for it. It's a wedding song. Okay. A love song called Fly Away, that we're actually just gonna call Wedding Song in the hopes that the SEO does wonders for us.

But it's a very, it's got like it's got some religious [00:31:15] undertones, but it's not religious. It should be broadly appealing because everything's a metaphor. Mm-hmm. And if somebody cancels me for it, so be it. You're the weirdest human in the world. We don't like you anyway, if that happens. But yeah.

And last [00:31:30] but not least building up a. Collection of new originals for a new seven song ep. And I'm working with a couple different producers, some hip hop producers some rock producers, and we're kind of [00:31:45] fusing all of our talents together. And a friend of mine calls what I do electro blues.

Okay. So I don't, I can't even really give you a, a sound. It's hard to describe, but I hope people dig it. It's much more mature, it's [00:32:00] dark, it's gritty. People have this view of persons with disabilities as sort of like these tiny Tim copycats and that's not me. Mm. It's, it's not the role that I play.

There's nothing wrong with people who play that role. But we're very, we're very [00:32:15] human. We're very gray. And so I explore some darker topics and I hope people appreciate it.

Jen: That's awesome. Yeah. So when does. You said you're gonna call it wedding song, right?

Chris: Yeah.

Jen: So when does wedding song come out?

Chris: I'm gonna give it I can't give you an official, official official [00:32:30] date.

Okay. But I'm gonna, I'm gonna try and market it for a month or so, if not a month and a half. Okay. Before I drop it officially and it'll be on all platforms and y'all be the first to know.

Jen: Awesome. Awesome. I was gonna say, is it far long enough that we could get a [00:32:45] teaser on here?

Chris: I wonder, I dunno how, I don't know how it's gonna sound like for me to play it over the, like hopefully this will come across.

[00:33:00] Well, I don't know what the audio land will think of this, but, oh,

Jen: I didn't know if you wanted to play it with your guitar.

Chris: Oh, you definitely want to hear the production.

Jen: Oh, okay. Okay.

Chris: Is it, you want me to hit play and give it a shot? Yeah, just hold it super close to the mic. Alright.[00:33:15] [00:33:30]

I can't.[00:33:45]

Everything[00:34:00]

devil.

I thought, oh my God, you[00:34:15]

now I'm praying you can stay with me. I can't explain everything about you.[00:34:30]

Jen: Man, that's awesome. Such radio quality right there. Thank you. Thank you. That's great. Shout out to my

Chris: man JD over in Roxborough. He's the producer of that one [00:34:45] Love. Very

Jen: cool. That sounded great and that guys, that was literally him holding his phone up to the mic. That's how good it already sounded, so, that's awesome.

Congrats. That sounds, that sounds great. And Margaret, for about a month drop maybe around Valentine ish.

Chris: Yeah.

Jen: Time. Exactly.

Chris: Exactly. [00:35:00] Very nice. Love, love. Month

Jen: time. That is awesome. Well I wish you success with that. Something you mentioned here in this wonderful question or questionnaire that you filled out with us, which, 'cause you said if time allows, sure.

We, we control the time on here, so yes. Because part of which we so [00:35:15] beautifully evolved into the time goddesses. Yes. It was, you know, we, you wanna talk about with where we are with music today, which I think we, we touched on a little bit there with you know, talking about Country two and just, I'm a big, I'm a big lyrics person, and so I love for a song to tell [00:35:30] a story.

Sometimes it can just be a bop, right? Like, yeah.

Chris: We

Jen: were talking about earlier, like, Lynn, if you stole My Sunshine, like, okay, that's just a bop. Oh, classic

Chris: 2000. Pretty sure it was either 1999 or 2000, but Abso all over that jam. Yes.

Jen: But not like super lyrically deep, [00:35:45] obviously. But that's one of the things that I have loved a lot about country is because it does usually, well, it, it's a big storytelling genre.

Chris: Mm-hmm.

Jen: Which I, I love it for that. And, and several other, I, I like deeper lyrics too, anyway, just to again, try to find that [00:36:00] meaning and, you know, relate to the song. Yes. Or, you know, any, anything like that. You mentioned Teddy swims earlier. Lemme tell you something. Oh.

Chris: I,

I just cannot get enough of that guy. Oh my

Jen: God. It [00:36:15] only I had voice. We are going to see him at Red Rocks in August and Yes, yes.

Chris: I hate you.

Jen: Yes.

Chris: But also I can't, so

Jen: yeah, it was, you know, he's coming to Raleigh in [00:36:30] May, so we could have just drawn down, you know, driven down the road. But no, we decided we would go out to Red Rocks and see him because, no,

Dejah: we had this full conversation.

'cause I had, I was supposed to go to a concert that got canceled during the pandemic. Right? Oh. So that was my first like, dream to go to Red Rocks. But then I went [00:36:45] and next, when I was finally able to go to Colorado and we could fly there, it was this hilarious like, experience of hiking through there and seeing some, I don't know.

I don't like techno weird

Jen: fucking people. Like dressed [00:37:00] in fuzzies or something. Yeah. Furries

Dejah: half. I don't know what was going on, but I was like, you know what, this hasn't scared me off. I, I still wanna, I still wanna come see something at Red Rocks. And yeah. So we had this full conversation. I was like, yep, I gotta, I gotta do it because from my childhood, watching PBS and Steely the Moody [00:37:15] Blues, the Moody Blues at Red Rocks is part of me who I am, and therefore I must be there.

Yeah. Just to see something live at my, I mean,

Chris: and what a band, dude. Oh, my

Dejah: right. But so to, for Teddy swims in that [00:37:30] acoustics,

Chris: ah,

Dejah: I can't wait. Well,

Chris: just FYI, August six is my 40th birthday, so if you so we just wanna

Jen: buy another ticket out, you know, just

Chris: thinking of swinging something my way, man.

Jen: He, we were we went to [00:37:45] ACL fest this past October and he was there, and so we got to see a blip.

Of him, you know, 30 minutes of him, and I cried twice. And I mean, it was, it was amazing. He just reached into our soul and just held our heart while he [00:38:00] sang as, as

Dejah: an, as an artist who presented an authentic show. So Awesome. Top notch. Yeah. Where you were like, he is so grateful for us. Oh, yeah. As much as we are grateful for him, it was like, the match vibe was [00:38:15] just amazing.

It was amazing.

Chris: I can't even, I can't even,

Dejah: yeah, yeah,

Jen: yeah. So we're, we're like, we gotta get ready. It's eight months away, but we gotta get ready. We're prepping. Yes. Yeah, no, so I'm super stoked and God, you have a great voice. I wish I could just bust out. [00:38:30] I mean, I guess I could bust it out. It just would not sound like that.

Chris: No, you're very kind. Thank you.

Jen: So from your perspective as an artist in the music industry, and you've been in the music, music industry for quite some time now, how has it been for [00:38:45] you, like the, the evolution of where music is today?

Chris: Well, it's sort of, here's where I'm at with it. There are things about music that you can be frustrated with, but you have to sort of go with the river.

You, you [00:39:00] don't really have a choice. It's kind of like the people that are like really mad about ai. Too bad.

Jen: Yeah. Right. It's there. Right? Yeah. Like that, like that's,

Chris: that's the world that we are swimming in. Yeah. Whether you like it or not. And it [00:39:15] from music is being hit from, from two different directions.

Right. We already talked about how the value, everything about music is, is devalued from a consumer standpoint. 'cause it's in infinitely and infinitesimally [00:39:30] accessible in both ways. Right. It's like, it's like turning on a faucet in your kitchen and then taking a, a dropper from that faucet and that drop represents one song.

That [00:39:45] plays over the course of a day to millions of years to millions of people. And at the same time, music is so much easier to make. Mm-hmm. Right. And I don't mean that the pursuit of making music has become [00:40:00] a foolish endeavor. I just mean with all of the tools and everything being like production, going from studios to bedrooms and people being able to make smash hits in their bedroom [00:40:15] overnight.

Right. Again, if, if you're able to do that, that's great, but because things are so much more accessible and there's all these tools that make editing and shaping songs so much easier and so much faster, [00:40:30] people are putting out thousands more songs. A day, a minute, a second than they ever were before.

And so,

Dejah: even people that shouldn't, even, even

Chris: people that shouldn't, right? And so [00:40:45] you have no choice but to, you, you have to work really, really hard, really, really hard to build a genuine community and environment around your sound. 'cause again, it used to [00:41:00] be like, okay, so you guys care enough about Teddy swims that you are willing to buy tickets and travel and sit there and watch him and experience.

That. Right, right, right. That [00:41:15] used to be all music, right. If anyone wanted to experience any of it again, they had to get up and go. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Or, or convince their parents or just all these, like, even, even in the earlier days of, of, of radio waves all the way up to the [00:41:30] nineties and, and, and two thousands.

But I think that when the pandemic hit, we were already in a super, super digital age, but it forced the entire industry to flip again. So we went to the, we had one like huge [00:41:45] dynamic event when all of music was worth 99 cents, and now even less thanks to Spotify. And then the pandemic happened, and all of artists, and all of producers and all of creators and all of businessmen overnight had to be like, oh [00:42:00] shit.

What happens if everyone's indoors forever now? And there's no such thing as venues and everything shuts down? What? What could we possibly do? We have to somehow take this digital experience and, [00:42:15] and build something as real as possible, but ultimately, it'll never be as real as if the person was sitting right there.

And so you have no choice. Nowadays. I say all that to say music. [00:42:30] Now you have to be your, you have to be obsessively yourself. Thanks. So, so constantly obsessively yourself at the, [00:42:45] at the risk of being canceled, at the risk of being a bother, at the risk of being an annoyance. Because we're in an industry of attention.

And, and addiction. And I'm, I am right now grappling with, and I, I [00:43:00] wish I had grappled with it earlier on, but like TikTok, Instagram, whatever platform you want to talk about. Like we musicians used to just have to be musicians. And now you have to be a content creator. Mm. [00:43:15] Mm-hmm. You, you and you, and you have to, and you're surrounded by people that say you have to pay for it.

Like they're trying to convince you that there are so many, there's millions and millions of eyes, and the only way to break through is [00:43:30] to pay for it. And you have to find that balance between being an artist and paying for the right stuff, but not paying out so much that you're no longer able to be an artist.

It's such a, it's such a [00:43:45] tightrope act. So much more so than, than it used to be. But there's the one thing that still rings true somehow. Like a above all, beyond all things, all this I actually was just talking about [00:44:00] an old music mentor of mine on the way here about this. All of this stuff has to be the caboose of the train.

That is your song and your music. Your music and your [00:44:15] story have to lead the charge or you're not gonna go anywhere. Even the most like cotton candy stuff that you hear on, on the, on the radio now. And I'm like, I'm not trying to insult anyone out there listening, but like, [00:44:30] like chapel r right? HOTO Hot, it's a go or whatever, however, that, I don't even, I don't know that I'm singing it wrong, but okay.

As cotton candy as it is. She's authentic. [00:44:45] Yeah. That really is her that I don't know if it's a her or a they, I, forgive me if I'm getting that wrong. But that she's, they're being themselves. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Like, like that's what brings her [00:45:00] joy and brings her happiness. And that's what that's what she wants to, to give to, to listeners.

And she's really unabashed about it. So I gotta, for all of that, it's, it's cotton candy to me, but I gotta [00:45:15] give her props 'cause it's her cotton candy, right? Yeah. You know what I mean?

Jen: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well said. Well said. Yeah. And I love this is. Which you were kind of touching on too. But in, in the questionnaire, the way that you said this, I was just like, Ugh, this is so good.

And [00:45:30] asked like what you wanted to ramble about and, and you said, you know, where we are with music today. How we value ourselves and others. The value of people with disabilities building a community, all these things are important and different today. As a society, I worry that we place less and less value on things that deserve it and [00:45:45] more and more value on things that don't.

We are far too cliche and safe. No one is allowed to be risky anymore because everyone's on a digital pedestal. Love that. Not that they are, but how you said that it's important we find a way to be risky and be ourselves [00:46:00] regardless of the electronic jungle. We have to dance in these days. That's, man, that so well said.

And you're right. I mean, you're, you're on point. I mean, we were just watching some standup

Dejah: Wait, you write songs?

Jen: Yeah. Right.[00:46:15]

Chris: Weird. Yeah.

Jen: Right. We were just watching some standup recently, and there the guy who was just like, he's a Malaysian immigrant and he was like, I love America. He was like, you guys, America puts showbiz [00:46:30] above. Yes. Everything else. Everything else, you know, and, you know, which

Dejah: allowed him to be successful.

Exactly. So

Jen: I mean, we, we laughed, you know, with, but he's also so accurate and that we do, and like we play so much emphasis on, you know, being entertained. [00:46:45] Immediately and constantly and at, at whatever cost.

Chris: Yeah. I think it's, I think it's so funny that we love celebrities so much that celebrities are sick of being loved.

Yep. Yeah. I never, I never thought that that would happen, but it's just [00:47:00] wild to, to watch and, and, and sort of sit in the back and, and drink a. Cylinder filled with something special and say, I told you so in a wi, in a whisper, you know?

Jen: Yeah. It's but you're right. And, [00:47:15] and there is that, that balance of, you know, being inclusive and wanting to be inclusive, not wanting to offend to, to the extent that all, you know, that's like, which I would love to have, have you speak on this more since you do speak in this [00:47:30] space.

And please tell our listeners too, like, I'm sorry, I'm getting wrapped up in courts down here

Chris: happens to me all the time.

Jen: Please tell our listeners about the speaking that you do and, and what sort of gigs you do speak at and, you know, just in case there's the someone listening that would [00:47:45] love to have you.

Chris: Well, you know, I do speak on the value of disability. I speak on the value of vulnerability and I speak on, on mindset, right? And it's either one or a combination. Of those [00:48:00] things, but we'll focus on disability for the moment. Like, I think so many people get disability wrong. I think even a lot of people with disabilities get disability wrong.

So for instance language, like a lot of [00:48:15] people in my world, my subculture of disability, and I say subculture not as a negative, but a culture within a culture, right? Mm-hmm. Right. The, the word disability is like, you, you wanna use person first language. So like, [00:48:30] some people prefer I'm a, I'm a person with a disability as opposed to a disabled person.

Mm-hmm. Right? Right. I thought everyone would want to be person with a disability, but turns out some people in, in my [00:48:45] culture are really empowered by the term disability. And I, I think that as a collective. And when I say collective, I mean persons with disabilities visible and invisible. We lean as a [00:49:00] culture on the mountains that we have to climb, and that is exhausting, right?

Mm-hmm. If you were constantly standing at the foot of Everest and constantly looking up and you never saw the top of the summit, you would eventually quit. Everyone quit. Everyone gets [00:49:15] sick of it. And every advocate does get sick of it, but there is so much value that we genuinely bring to the table beyond the, beyond this idea of like, Hey, I struggle with something.

Let me tell you about it. Hmm. [00:49:30] We're just, we're so much more than that. Right? So, for example this is a little cliche, but I'll, I'll take the cliche and bring it into a slice of reality. Okay. So I have to wear my scars on the outside. That's the cliche I show up here. People might not know what cerebral [00:49:45] palsy is, but it's obvious that I have a.

Something going on. Okay. How can I use that to my advantage? All right. I was in B and I with you. How easy do you think it was for me to get in that B and I group and get people to say [00:50:00] yes to me? Mm. Mm-hmm. And I'll say, with all to B and I, people listening, did you or did you not have a hard time looking at poor little me having a hard time walking in and doing his best?

Right? But you all said [00:50:15] yes. Yeah. All of you said yes. If I'm in a networking situation and I stand out in a room and it's my job to get somebody else's attention, why wouldn't I want to be me?

Dejah: Yeah. Yeah.

Chris: Fair enough. Right? [00:50:30] That's just, that is a, that is a fact. That is a fact. A attention can be both positive and negative.

But if I'm always gonna get it. Whether I want it or not as a result of the condition that I carry with me, then how can I sort of [00:50:45] use a mirror to deflect the laser in a way that benefits my life or reflect the lens in a way that's gonna gonna benefit my life. I'll never run out of stuff to stay. I'll always have a story to tell you because I have a condition.

'cause I can take [00:51:00] whatever stuff you give me and build it into a story and relate it back to to my, my condition. And I'm always gonna try really hard. It's built into my DNA to try really hard. It's built into my DNA to [00:51:15] adapt. It's building. And, and again, I'm not saying this to, to be sort of braggadocious, I'm, I'm talking about an entire culture here, an entire group of people who, if they only knew they were all these things, [00:51:30] could it, it would be so much easier for them in the grand scheme of things.

To move forward. And that, and I, I recognize the, the, the privilege that I have. I recognize that I, I have a [00:51:45] condition, but I am able to communicate in the way that you can interpret my communication. But don't, make no mistake, my messaging doesn't change for someone who this, this, this holds true for [00:52:00] someone who can only, um, you know, communicate with their eyes or, and they're confined to a chair or they're confined to a bed, all of these things still apply because at the end of the day, there's a certain amount of empathy that [00:52:15] we project.

Again, I'm, I'm, I'm lucky 'cause I'm projecting that empathy from birth, right? I was born fighting for oxygen. So that comes with a certain amount of empathy, but it also comes first with a certain amount of understanding of [00:52:30] empathy. And right now we live in such a disconnected world. The number one thing we need on the planet is empathy.

And there's nobody who has more empathy on the planet than persons with disabilities. Visible or invisible. Or invisible. So to me, the fact it's [00:52:45] not that we're this sort of group of outsiders that's misunderstood. It's a massive untapped market and you guys are fucking idiots for not grabbing a hold of it.

Like, I just don't get it. I'll, I'll put it down to brass tacks for you. Let's say I'm like, you're a [00:53:00] company out there and you need in-person sales to some degree. I. Like, whether it's like I gotta go door to door from business to business, or I gotta do digital sales and I gotta connect with the person over [00:53:15] Zoom.

I used to do insurance for a while, and I don't know, it was a combination of my condition and my love of people and my desperation to make it work. But it's some, like, I was somehow able to sort of climb to the top [00:53:30] tier of my company for a time. And I was like number one for the quarter and like number two for the year, like my first year of, of doing it.

But one thing that there was a lot of things and a lot of people that helped me, I didn't get there on my own. But one thing [00:53:45] that I was able to sort of hone in on was this idea that anytime I. Got the opportunity to connect with someone. The, the one thing that was different about me compared to every other sales person [00:54:00] in my company is that everyone else looked like the most generic sales person on the planet.

And to me, when I walked into a business or I connected to somebody that I already knew, that knew [00:54:15] a, a business person, whether they liked it or not, they immediately latched onto my condition. Now they either latched onto my condition because it was concerning for them, and they'd never interacted with someone who had a condition before or.[00:54:30]

They felt the empathy and we were magnetically drawn to one another because they've experienced something in their lives. Doesn't have to be my disability or my condition. It could have even just been a moment in their lives that resonated with them, that connected them to me [00:54:45] in that moment, and they gave me my window.

And if you have any other salesperson walk up to you and pitch you something, nine times outta 10, the salespeople do not get the window. People said no to me. I got rejected. I get [00:55:00] rejected all the time, but most salespeople have to tap like 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 people before the one person they find gives them the five, their their five minutes that they need to [00:55:15] pitch.

I got to pitch 100% of the time. What fucking company doesn't want those kind of numbers on their board. Yeah. You idiots. Yeah, you idiots. Like, I just [00:55:30] don't understand.

Jen: Yeah. It's

Chris: crazy,

Jen: man. Well, I, I'm just sitting here just completely dial dialed into everything that you're saying, and so I can only imagine how you are in a spa, in a space and when you're speaking to a group of, of people.

So what sort of spaces do [00:55:45] you speak in?

Chris: Any, any company that will have me. So, so I'm really a, I I, it's an, I'm an interesting dynamic because I'm a songwriter and a storyteller, so I, I love intimacy. Okay. So on all, [00:56:00] like, all the way on the left over here. I love house concerts. That's my, my favorite shows to play are people that just have a house.

Wanna bring their friends to their house and have me play for them for two hours and [00:56:15] tell you the stories between the songs. Those are my favorite things because you're locked in and I get to build a real community with you, and you get, you get to know me on a real deep, if I had my way, I'd play house concerts [00:56:30] every day un until I died, right?

And on the other end, on, on way on the other end, are these these corporate engagements like private or otherwise? We're in a really, really interesting world in 2024 [00:56:45] and 2025 because we, we, we still are sort of a slave to the existence of corporate. I mean, hell, the governments, the corporations, corporations everywhere.

And they're very necessary. I'm not hating on any corporations here, [00:57:00] right? They make the world go round, right? But. They're being run by people that are sick of corporate, right? Like, you know, there's still corporate stuff happening, [00:57:15] but there's people within corporate that realize that everything is about culture and that corporate will come if you build the culture.

And if you, if you bring people together in a real way, the corporate stuff will, [00:57:30] for lack of a better word, work itself out. And so on the other end, I go into corporations and inject them with like the, the dose of, of reality and, [00:57:45] and vulnerability that they need. Because what happens is I am able to, I'll, I'll create an environment where people are courageous enough to be vulnerable, and then all of a sudden the person sitting in front of you [00:58:00] isn't.

Jan from accounting it's Jan with a daughter named Michelle who had a really rough year last year and has just been able to turn around, turn it around, and she's been hiding this miracle from [00:58:15] everyone in the room. And everyone just figured out how awesome she is. And now they all care about what she does for the company.

And at the same time, she cares about everyone else for latching onto her story. [00:58:30] And now she's gonna bring every piece of who she is to the workplace and make that workplace better.

Jen: Nice. That's, that's awesome. Amazing. Please let me know the next time you're speaking somewhere. I'm just gonna come bust up under that corporation, be like, I [00:58:45] wanna be here.

Thank, thank you, man. So awesome. And, and the house concerts. Unfortunately every time that I've seen one, I've had a prior commitment, but

Chris: it's all good.

Jen: Speaking from when you came and played at the, the nonprofit thing, it [00:59:00] wasn't quite a house concert, but it wasn't too far off because it wasn't tons and tons of people and stuff.

It was still very intimate and it's great guys. I, I highly advocate for it. If you're looking at, at a fun way to get people together, that's just a little bit different than some, everybody just standing around talking in the kitchen. Yeah. C have Chris come. Yes. [00:59:15] Like you, I promise you, you will love it.

And everyone that will be there will as well. And more people need to hear this man's voice and his thoughts and the way that he, the views the world and wants it to be, because I damn sure do. Thank you. Very kind,

Chris: very, very kind. [00:59:30]

Jen: Chris, with all of that, if people, how do people get, and you're on all the things.

Chris: I'm on all, I'm on all the things and I'm easy to find as long as you spell my name correctly. Right. I'm a big believer in the power of, of I am the I am. And so [00:59:45] my website and my Instagram and my TikTok are at, I am Chris Hendricks. Okay. So I-A-M-C-H-R-I-S-H-E-N-D-R-I-C-K-S, right. So I am chris [01:00:00] hendricks.com And I am Chris Hendricks on Instagram, TikTok.

And Facebook. Facebook and all the, whatever new one comes tomorrow. I'm sure, you know, I don't know what the new TikTok will be, but whatever. All those.

Jen: So go follow him. [01:00:15] At the same time that you're following our podcast as well. That's right. Um, at ramblings of a Restless Mind pod on Instagram, we don't do all the things.

We're, we're not as cool as you. I can help. Hey,

Chris: that was a little more egotistical than I wanted it to be.

Jen: Hey, listen, [01:00:30] we'll take the help. So last few questions here 'cause we're asking everybody. Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Chris: God, what did I write for that? No, but it is delicious.

Dejah: It is. Give

Chris: [01:00:45] me all of them.

That

Dejah: is the correct answer. Give

Chris: give me all the hot dogs with all like give Joe five. I can't have I, if you give me a hot dog, it has to have all of it on it. Oh,

Jen: ketchup,

Chris: mustard, relish. [01:01:00] Weird stuff. Just give me all chili. Yes. Yeah.

Jen: Hot dog. All the way. All, all

Chris: over my face. All the fixins. Yeah, all the fixins.

I immediately become 12. I'm still standing

Jen: over here on this line by myself. I'm sorry. That's okay. That's alright. That's all

Dejah: [01:01:15] ecology required. You stand your ground. I stand by by this. It's right.

Jen: And you said the last thing that made you go Hmm. Was turning 39.

Chris: Yes.

Jen: When did that happen? August. Yes. Okay.

Chris: So, we as a, as [01:01:30] a family have experienced, Hmm. Different like other family members experiencing some really, really heavy health stuff. But it, that all sort of happened after [01:01:45] I turned 39, so it sort of felt like this universal message. And actually in October, really fun, quick anecdote. On October 21st of this past year, [01:02:00] I started, I needed a way to deal with what I can only describe as a midwife.

Crisis. I was just becoming more and more aware of my mortality and the fact that I didn't have everything that I wanted. And I had this [01:02:15] daughter that was growing up very, very quickly and I didn't want to be the dad that was like, if she was like, I want this prom, prom dress. I want to be like, yes. Like I don't want to be the person that says not her if she needs something you know, financially or emotionally or whatever.

And I was just [01:02:30] very, very aware of that, and very aware of my mortality. And I had a really, really hard time, like all at once. And the only way that I could deal with it was through songwriting. Hmm. So I have [01:02:45] written a song a day. Since that day. And so I'm experiencing this weird creative renaissance.

And so for all you artists out there, if you need, the way, the way to open the door is through just dark, [01:03:00] dark, deep, deep sadness. Holy shit.

Jen: That's a lot of songs. Batman. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm at,

Chris: I'm at 70 so far.

Jen: Okay. Taylor Swift. Jeez. Well,

Chris: I'm, that's the thing is like, and and that's the other one. I, I heard this thing.

Jelly Roll said that he in an [01:03:15] interview my guitarist told me this this is also what inspired my, my creativity. It said that he had written 170 songs for the year, and when my guitarist told me that I wanted to be him. Mm-hmm. So it was a combination of depression and my [01:03:30] competitive nature.

Mm-hmm. And so I'm gonna, I, I want to keep the, the, the channel open. So I'm gonna be writing a song a day until I. It doesn't hurt anymore.

Jen: There you go. Now, are you submitting these songs to, or, or will you be submitting these songs for maybe other [01:03:45] artists to pick up? Or you wanna do them all for albums or?

Well,

Chris: that's the thing. I, I, I don't know. And that's exciting to Yeah. Me now. I have all this stuff and I, and I'm surrounded by a wonderful team. You know, I have a a new social media team that's [01:04:00] starting with me in 2025. And I have some wonderful producers and a really, really talented guitarist and a great drummer.

And I have just wonder a wonderful people who believe in me as a person. And we're all gonna be able to kind of, again, as a community, look at [01:04:15] all this stuff and see what glass ceilings we can we can crack mm-hmm. With this with this material. 'cause, 'cause ultimately, I, I really just want to be a.

[01:04:30] Representation of and again, it's cliche, but hopefully I can do it in a different way. I, I want to be a representation of what's possible. If you happen to have a condition and you're an artist and you let your art do the talking because I think so many people with [01:04:45] disabilities, again, they, they, they lean into the, the disability.

They, they put the messaging around the disability first and their art, their talent and their value take a backseat. And I just think that's such [01:05:00] bullshit. I, I, as a matter of fact, I think that's what's wrong with basically every movie that's ever been made about disabilities. They, they tell the story wrong because the only value the person has in the picture is their condition [01:05:15] and what their condition has has.

I. Taught them. And so my message to any creators out there that are trying to tell these stories is, you, you need to, you need to swim in the gray. Like it's, again, we're, we're not like all [01:05:30] tiny Tim being like, everything will be fine. You know, we, we have, we have shitty days. Yeah. And, and we have, we have mean moments and we have, we have fights with our partners and we have, we have moments of [01:05:45] rage and moments of, of, of sadness and selfishness and all of these things that make everyone human.

And I think that it, at the end of the day, those things are what bring us all together. And it's, it's kind of like my, you know, a lot of parents out there are like, don't [01:06:00] let you know, I, I don't wanna be, I don't want, if you have a, if I have a son or a daughter and I have a disability, I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be picked on.

I don't wanna be bullied, eh. I don't know if I buy that. We're much stronger [01:06:15] than that. And when I learned how to and it's, it's not always easy. I'm not, I'm not here saying it is, but when I learned how to [01:06:30] again, reflect the, the, the laser in a different way, I, I, I built a, a network and I, and I made friends in, in the school yard when I learned how to [01:06:45] be okay with people thinking whatever it is that they wanted to, to think.

And I, it's how I learned how to be funny. It's how I learned how to be conver conversational. So I don't, I had some really, really rough moments, but I don't regret any of those those [01:07:00] things. I would say fast forward to 2025. The only change I would make is that if you're out there and you have a, a phone or an electronic device and you're, and you're being picked on or bullied or whatever, turn it off.

'cause it, it needs to be, [01:07:15] the only way you're gonna grow from that experience is unfortunately, if it's, if it's dirty and in person. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Is is the only way growth can, can happen. Anyway, I could ramble forever, so I'm sorry. Well, you're at the right place for that. [01:07:30]

Jen: So, well, Chris, I can't thank you enough.

I am gonna be selfish and ask you to pick up your guitar. Cool. And I'm also gonna put you on the spot because in the questionnaire we ask what's, what's the last song that got stuck in your head? But you, you already kind of sang a little bit of that song. [01:07:45]

Chris: Okay. So I, I love that song. I

Jen: can't play that song.

Okay. So, but I would love what I would pose to you instead, unless you have something you'd like. I was gonna say, what's your favorite song to do for karaoke? Because this is basically that. Ooh, yeah. Favorite

Dejah: karaoke [01:08:00] song, brother man. Yes.

Chris: Oh man. If I can remember all the words. You know what? You know what?

You mentioned a song, you mentioned a song earlier, and I'm going to do it for you. Oh. And I am, and you said you liked it, ,

[01:08:15] We interrupt this podcast with a special message, guys. I. Chris Hendricks is so amazing. We had so much fun talking to him. We just decided to hold him hostage. We couldn't let him go. We kept him longer than he was supposed to, but stick around.

We get to hear some of his [01:08:30] amazing talent and he blesses us with three songs you don't wanna miss. So be sure to stay tuned to the next episode of Part two with Chris Hendricks. [01:08:45] [01:09:00] [01:09:15]