#2123 - Gary Clark Jr.

Joe Rogan (0:12)

So how much of a relief is it to have the album done? You've been working on this for a while, huh?

Gary Clark Jr. (0:18)

Yeah, it would be a relief if I got a chance to chill out. I just kind of mixed it, mastered it, mastered it again, that took a little while.

And I was supposed to go on vacation. I was going to take a trip and go chill out and think about it. That didn't end up happening, so I just turned my phone off for two or three days. And then it was, let's go talk about it and break it all down.

So it's a relief. It's finally done, but it just kind of kept going. So I haven't had a chance to chill on it.

Joe Rogan (0:54)

Those breaks are important, right? Those just vacation breaks, just shut your brain off breaks.

Gary Clark Jr. (0:59)

Yeah, yeah, I really wanted that one.

Joe Rogan (1:06)

Looking forward to those margaritas. I needed it.

Gary Clark Jr. (1:08)

I just wanted to go be by myself, just camp out in the woods by myself. Oh, really? Yeah, just be completely solo.

And just chill out, you know? I just made 40 I just wanted to go chill out and go, wow, you know, reflect and be like, wow, this first 40's been pretty cool. What's gonna happen in the next?

And it was like, boom, New York City, Tonight Show, Questlove looking at me.

SPEAKER_5 (1:33)

I was like, this is not what the plan was.

Joe Rogan (1:37)

Yeah, sometimes you gotta force the plan and all those other people.

Gary Clark Jr. (1:43)

Yeah, absolutely.

Joe Rogan (1:43)

You have a lot of people that make happy.

Gary Clark Jr. (1:45)

Absolutely, but I'm also excited to do it. Sometimes if I get too comfortable, I get comfortable just being comfortable.

Joe Rogan (1:52)

Right, and then nothing gets made.

Gary Clark Jr. (1:54)

Yeah, I kinda like to get out there, get the nerves going, blood going a little bit.

Joe Rogan (1:59)

Yeah.

Gary Clark Jr. (2:00)

Get out in front of folks and figure it out.

Joe Rogan (2:02)

Yeah.

Well, that's a little bit of a vacation from the creative process of making it, right? Because the process of making it, you were, I mean, I know, you were locked up.

Gary Clark Jr. (2:13)

Yeah, yeah.

Joe Rogan (2:14)

You lock yourself up, dude. You do it, like when you do it, you go all in.

Gary Clark Jr. (2:18)

Well, I think I still care about this shit, you know?

I really care. Like, I, you know, people are like, what the hell are you making a whole album for? It's about singles. I'm like, I still like listening to a full record, putting a record down, you know, having the needle scratch the thing and playing it, and then, you know, flipping that other side and seeing what's happening. I still like listening to a record from top to bottom.

Joe Rogan (2:43)

If there's anything that I've ever learned, it's that do what you like to do. It doesn't matter what the trend of the business is, just fucking do what you like to do.

Gary Clark Jr. (2:52)

Yeah.

Joe Rogan (2:54)

Like albums make a fucking album.

Gary Clark Jr. (2:56)

Yeah, sure. And so yeah, that's what I did. I mean, I was locked in. A lot of it was by choice, too, you know? It was like, I just love being in a spot. I built a studio. I was like, well, why not fucking use it?

SPEAKER_5 (3:11)

Yeah.

Gary Clark Jr. (3:11)

You know?

So, that's what I did, kind of to a fault. My wife was like, you gotta get out of there.

SPEAKER_5 (3:20)

You know?

Gary Clark Jr. (3:20)

Trying to hang with you, get me out of the house, socialize me and stuff, but I was just locked in, you know? Just nerding out, trying to make noise, organize noise, you know?

Joe Rogan (3:31)

But the end is beautiful. The end result is beautiful.

Gary Clark Jr. (3:35)

Thank you.

Joe Rogan (3:36)

There's so many layers to the music, man. I got it last night. They sent me a link, but then the link needed a passcode, and I couldn't get a passcode, and then last night they sent me the link. So, while I was writing last night, when I came from the store, I listened to the whole album.

Man, there's so many, the music, the sounds, like right off the bat, there's so many layers.

Gary Clark Jr. (3:58)

Yeah.

Joe Rogan (3:58)