Gretchen Wilson Gets REAL Honest About Carrie Underwood [INTERVIEW]

Gretchen Wilson interview yeah I think every woman in country music probably had a little bit of fear when when that voice came out I sometimes feel like in country music we we were you know kind of like the Border a little too wide open you know we just everybody's everybody come on in you know take me back 20 years ago do you remember where you were the exact first time you heard Redneck Woman on the radio I do let's hear it they had repossessed my vehicle that First time hearing “Redneck Woman” morning the guy was nice enough though to because you know you don't get no money until you're out there ing so the song comes out and you're still sitting there pennil and so the car it was a little red rodeo and it was U yes and it was repossessed but the guy was nice enough he took it at 4:00 a.m. and he um he knocked on the door because there was a child seat in the back and he didn't want to take off with my car seat so he let me get the car seat out wasn't that nice of him um and when I started the car as he was getting ready to hook it up Redneck Woman was playing on the radio stop it yep for the first time you heard the first time I heard it on the radio and when my car was being repossessed and I was getting the child seat out of the back and I immediately called my brother uh back home in Illinois cuz he said it's you know pipe dream this is never going to happen for you get a real job what yeah and uh that's crazy he was in tears he's like I heard it I heard it too up here what did you say to the tow truck driver he's probably like whatever yeah yeah he didn't I don't think he believed me I was like that's me on the radio whatever uh I want to take you back to CMA Fest when you were on stage with Ashley McBride wow what was uh like did Gretchen Wilson’s First Impression of Ashley McBryde you enjoy that moment oh I mean who wouldn't first of all I had we Ashley and I had phone tag a couple of times talking about getting together to write uh we never did make that happen and so our first real experience around each other was that um C night and um she's exactly who I thought she was going to be uh I was I was so impressed with her she's funny she's got a just an amazing just presence being around her I I I love everything about her and I can't imagine having done that and reintroduce myself to that crowd with anyone but her and um so we're definitely going to get together and write and now that we've made that connection you know I think that We're Off to the Races as far as what we might be able to do together okay did you do you like see anything in her that you saw in another artist like say 20 years ago no I don't I I think she's very unique I think Ashley is uh is really uniquely herself she's she's um maybe Me Maybe me I I think I see a little bit of myself in her but like I I don't I don't know that I could say that there's anybody else that I think she's like she's uh well she's um a force to be reckoned with and and maybe people were saying that about me back in the day you know I I I really don't know I would say so I think the coolest thing about this 20 year later thing was just uh the media that I did at uh for the CMA Fest um watching some of the younger artists walk by me and whispering and going that's her that's the redneck one and that's scret and Wilson and then they would almost like bow to me you know and I I was looking over my shoulder who are they who's here you know who are they talking about and it took me a minute to realize oh they're talking about me you know and that was me 20 years ago walking around going oh my God you know there's so and so and there's so and so and it was like oh my that's that's they're talking about me and I remember saying in one of the interviews you know this is strange and it's kind of a new shoe to wear but I'm going to make it fit you know I mean I'm just so happy to be here and to still be relevant 20 years later there's not many of us that get to say that there was another artist that had something to say about you recently um that actually stopped by I She heard what Terri Clark said wanted to play that for you to be really honest it was like I kind of felt like I was just doing my own thing for the longest time we all compete for for radio AirPlay at that time you know we were all competing I remember hearing Redneck Woman for the first time and I went oh here we go yeah that one kind of got me a little bit I'm like damn it y yeah a what a hit though I love Gretch really happy for her but yeah that was that was kind of AO wow I better strap on my seat Bel here she comes interesting yeah um and I love Terry you know she's we hit it off right off the bat and that's really sweet of her to say that but I'm you know I had those moments I you know whenever Carrie Underwood came along oh boy you know and and we've had several of them but you know we all support each other Terry brought um my first time playing the ryen she brought me like four bottles of whiskey and a whole case of skull that's awesome so she must not have disliked me too much I want to talk about Carrie On Carrie Underwood Underwood so did you feel the way Terry felt about you toward Carrie Underwood um I think yeah I think every woman in country music probably had a little bit of fear when when that voice came out I mean she's also a force to be reckoned with just Powerhouse of a singer but I didn't I didn't have that I don't know that I had I was very fearful just because we're so different okay I felt like okay she's going to own that that uh Slicker side of country music and so that just kind of made me want to get rougher okay you know is it more difficult to be authentic in 2024 than it was 20 years ago I think it's difficult to be Political correctness anything it's more difficult to be anything in 2024 I'm not even sure what language I'm allowed to use anymore I I I just come from such a backwards sort of family you know Absol you know people like were there racists in your family yes of course there was you know I mean my grandpa hated everybody that wasn't exactly like him I mean so I don't even know if you call that racist he was just so completely closed off ignorance is what I call that because he never went anywhere he didn't know anybody he was not worldly you know so um yeah I I I don't know I I think uh this the times are pretty nuts right now um I try to be as politically correct as I can Everywhere I Go but I got to be honest the whole I don't know whether I'm calling you a they or a he or a she that part is just beyond me I'm fine with it but you're going to have to be consistent you're going to have to wake up every day and be the same person or else don't get upset with me when I don't get it right because you changed your mind from yesterday to today so yeah I mean I feel like it's I don't know how to be anything other than authentic that's fair and that's what I'm going to stay being and what I would I think if we lived in a world where we could just be a little bit nicer to each other if you make a mistake look if you want be called this I'm fine with that but if I make a mistake don't hate on me just say that's incorrect you know what mistakes would you say new artists are making nowadays like do you see like a common mistake woo um I mean for me and maybe The worst mistake new artists make it's because I'm an old lady I'm 51 years old I I feel like that they share too much I feel like everybody there's no exclusivity to to being um an artist anymore because everybody shares everything about themselves and and and maybe just feel like I'm too boring but you will not see me on my social I only say things when there's something to be said I'm not like getting up going well today I'm going to do this and you know I just it's like I am not that important you know and people have lives to live I mean I feel like yeah I feel like people share too much okay um now let's talk about like artists that come over the country there's been a lot of that recently like uh post Malone is one of “We’re kind of like the border. A little too wide open.” the newer ones how do you feel about that there's some that come over that make it like Darius Rucker there's some come over that don't make it right what's the difference and how do you feel about it I mean that's a really tough question um I sometimes feel like in country music we've we're you know kind of like the Border a little too wide open you we just everybody's everybody come on in you know we're going to I do I I get that feeling but then there's other moments where I'm like I'm so glad that country music is so all-encompassing and that we have so much of a variety for people to listen to I mean I feel like it's one of those things like if you don't like this song well you're you'll turn it off you'll find another one that you do like but country music has become so wide that there if you can't find some part of country music that you like well there's kind of something wrong with you I mean there's like sub genres now there is there is and and and I may fit into one little piece of that but as far as I can see there's still an audience for that one little sliver of country music it is Gretchen Wilson, Little Miss Runner-Up a song that I wrote with the same two Nashville amazing country songwriters that I wrote home wer with oh wow uh so it's it's a little bit of a continuation of that story I would say that it's definitely the same type of girl the same type of chick that we all love to hate um you know the one that just comes in just you know she just walks in the door ready to ruin your night she got she got dressed to ruin your night you know to to just to make your life just miserable and we all have a friend like that we all know sometimes it's us you know sometimes it's us that has to get mopped up off the floor and carried out to the cab so um we all know one um and she's a pain in the you know what but we all still love her and we all take care of her so it's it's it's that kind of a story getting ready to film a video on it um in a couple of weeks so um have that to look forward to and hopefully the video then will give more of a of a coloring and and a description of what really is going on in that song okay where are you headed like next musically like in this direction or what's like yeah I mean I think there's always been one direction for me I I love all kinds of music I think people would even be surprised if they knew what I listen to when I'm I mean sometimes I just turn on the Mellow mellow classic rock and roll you know and I listen to some old classic rock when I'm cleaning the house and that kind of stuff and other times I'll turn it on like you know big band and just you know and and I I live with my four dogs um and they know I'm crazy it's okay I you know I dance around and in my pajamas and sing to them i' I've got songs that I've made up just for them you know like stinky Doodle Dandy doggy puppy and um so yeah it's it's it's a regular it's a regular regular old crazy ladi's life you know but yeah so much going on I'm musically I think I'll stay you know even though I love all different genres of music when I open my mouth it comes out hillbilly so that's probably what so that's probably what I'll stick yeah