Hit Songs, Phil Valentine Memories, Trump Stories & “Arlington” w/Trace Adkins Pt. 2 :: Ep 44 Circling the Drain Podcast

In Part 2 of our deep-dive with country icon Trace Adkins, we get the stories behind his most emotional and controversial songs, from “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” to “You’re Gonna Miss This” and “Arlington.” Trace shares powerful memories from Arlington National Cemetery, his candid take on Donald Trump, and the radio days with Phil Valentine that almost got people fired.We also dig into his acting career, how he met his wife on a movie set, the wild origin of his dog “Gary Busey,” and why he believes live shows are now the only truly “real” part of the music business.0:43 – If Trace had to be in a tribute band forever, who would he choose? 1:36 – Waylon Jennings’ “Honky Tonk Heroes” and how it inspired Trace’s “Dangerous Man” album cover  3:25 – The grind of album photo shoots and making a real, gritty cover shot  4:12 – The Phil Valentine show, stepdad life, and getting sick of “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”  5:44 – Why “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” is cleverly written, not just a novelty hit  6:42 – How the song became the most-played country song in strip club history  7:44 – The backroom label deals behind certain cuts and how “You’re Gonna Miss This” started as a wedding song  9:00 – “I thought it was too sappy” – Trace misjudges a song that becomes a massive number one  10:26 – Ashley Gorley’s hit-making juggernaut and why everyone wants one of his songs  11:04 – Writing “American Made” for the country’s 250th anniversary  11:38 – “Arlington” and “An Empty Chair” – songs that choke him up on stage  12:04 – Performing “Arlington” at Arlington National Cemetery and barely getting through it  12:43 – Why Trace only does “Arlington” for the right audiences (and never for drunks or festivals)  14:04 – The true story behind “Arlington” and Lance Corporal Patrick Nixon  16:26 – Playing “Arlington” on air, Phil Valentine’s reaction, and the emotional weight of the song  17:04 – Remembering Phil Valentine: sparring on-air, sharp wit, and real friendship  18:34 – A hilarious voicemail from Trace and joking about “your little radio show”  19:22 – Rodeo memories, FCC close calls, and the infamous “hot and juicy” weather report  21:18 – Live radio chaos: open mics, cussing and thinking they’d be fired  22:16 – Trace’s new production company “Fifth Rodeo” and its cowboy-with-a-fifth-of-whiskey logo  23:14 – Why Trace doesn’t want the pressure of doing a podcast  24:07 – From tractors to Lululemon and voiceovers: “degradation” of the conversation  24:19 – “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” real cowboys and concern for the horses  25:25 – Why some ranch work still has to be done on horseback  26:08 – Trace’s Christmas show: Celtic vibes, stories behind songs and gospel roots  27:32 – Feeling good about the Christmas show vs. “I’m sorry, Lord” after “Badonkadonk”  28:08 – Is memorizing dialog hard? How years on stage made acting easier  28:58 – Directors who demand word-for-word delivery vs. those who allow improvisation  29:46 – Meeting his wife on the set of “The Virginian” in Vancouver  30:21 – How his wife writes, acts and why their dog is named Gary Busey  31:50 – The Christmas parade, a weird looking puppy and the Gary Busey hair and teeth  32:05 – Writing a song for the 250th and the Freedom 250 concert controversy  32:48 – PBS Fourth of July, Trump’s event, and shifting TV schedules  34:02 – The best Trump impressions Trace has heard and how Trump exaggerated his own persona  35:43 – Riding in Trump’s limo and getting asked: “Are you reasonably faithful to your wife?”  36:55 – Trump Jr. explains his job: “I follow him around and put fires out”  37:42 – Wanting to be Ambassador to Australia or the “Office of Hell No”  38:00 – How Trace judges Trump: “He’s a rich old asshole, not evil”  39:11 – New York real estate, DC politics, and why Trump didn’t need to run  40:00 – Meeting Trump on the plane: funny, warm, and totally different from the public caricature  40:31 – Touring Trump’s penthouse and offices: proud of what he’s built  41:04 – Negotiating through hyperbole: Greenland, Canada, and “shooting for the moon”  42:23 – Dave Chappelle’s take on Trump’s debate moment about tax loopholes  43:07 – Rand Paul vs. Trump on stage and how one debate moment flipped opinions  43:54 – Label history: Capitol, Show Dog, Broken Bow, Verge, and coming back “home” to MCA  45:22 – Why this next MCA album might be Trace’s last  45:32 – New artists he likes (Ella Langley) and why she “has every tool”  46:12 – Betting whether Ella Langley will stay country or go pop  46:42 – Not knowing many of today’s artists and thinking “Shaboozy” was a whiskey brand  47:32 – Loving traditional country and hopes for a pendulum swing (Zach Topp)  47:57 – Advice for new artists in the AI era and why live shows are the last “real” thing  48:54 – Getting fooled by an AI demo and how hard it is to tell what’s real  49:14 – Why you should never spend your own money if people truly believe in you  50:12 – Writing his book with twin collaborators and building the “roller coaster” story  52:33 – Immigration, politics and realizing parts of the book were prophetic  52:53 – Feeling uneasy before release and calling Charlie Daniels for advice  53:55 – Charlie Daniels’ wisdom: “People who don’t like you now aren’t going to read your book”  54:20 – Singing at Charlie Daniels’ funeral and what Charlie meant to him  54:51 – Why he probably didn’t sell enough books to worry in the first place  55:09 – Why there’s no audiobook yet and how a Trace-voiced edition could revive it  56:00 – Ideas for updating the book with new chapters and addendums  56:17 – Tease: Trace Adkins Part 3 is coming to Circling the Drain  Follow Johnny B:https://www.facebook.com/john.e.bozemanFollow Jay Harper:https://www.facebook.com/harperjeffFollow Jim:www.jmvos.comCircling The Drain is produced by It's Your Show dot Cowww.itsyourshow.co