MY NEXT GUEST IS A GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING COUNTRY MUSICIAN

AND FRIEND OF THE SHOW.

PLEASE WELCOME, STURGILL SIMPSON!

STURNLGIL, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE TALKING TO US FROM A SECRET LAIR SOMEPLACE.

>> YOU CAN SAY THAT.

WE'LL LEAVE IT THERE.

>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD, THAT'S FINE.

YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE SHOW BACK IN APRIL, BUT WE HAD

TO POSTPONE THAT BECAUSE YOU HAD THE COVID, RIGHT?

>> YEAH, I GOT THE 'RONA.

>> Stephen: YOU GOT THE 'RONA?

WHEN DID YOU ACTUALLY GET IT, MARCH, APRIL?

>> HARD TO SAY, WE WERE ON THE ROAD IN EUROPE IN LATE FEBRUARY

IN EUROPE AND CAME BACK AND JUMPED RIGHT INTO A U.S. ARENA

TOUR IN MARCH, SO PLAYED THE LAST SHOW IN CHARLESTON ON THE

TENTH OF MARCH, AND THE NEXT DAY, I WOKE UP FEELING LIKE A

BUCK FULL OF BUTTHOLES, AND WE CANCELED ABOUT THREE SHOWS THAT

WEEKEND.

I WENT HOME, AND THE NEXT MORNING I WAS IN THE E.R.

>> Stephen: I ACTUALLY JUST TALKED TO HUGH GRANT AND HE HAD

CORONA ABOUT THE SAME TIME AND HE'S IN EUROPE SO MAYBE YOU GOT

IT FROM THE SAME PLACE, EUROPE.

>> ACCORDING TO THE DOCTOR I SAW, IT WASN'T IN EUROPE AT THAT

TIME, SO IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE I CONTRACTED IT.

BUT MY BLOOD PRESSURE SEEMED TO ARGUE.

>> Stephen: DID YOU LOSE THE SENSE OF TASTE AND ALL THAT KIND

OF STUFF?

>> I DIDN'T HAVE THAT.

I HAD AN INTENSE FRONTAL LOBE HEADACHE FOR THREE DAYS, EXTREME

FATIGUE, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS EXHAUSTION FOR ABOUT A WEEK

BEFORE I GOT REAL HEAVY.

WE WERE PLAYING SHOWS, AND CERTAIN NOTES WEREN'T COMING

THAT EASY.

I THOUGHT I WAS MAYBE A LITTLE OUT OF SLAP.

BUT, YEAH, WHEN I GOT-- AND ABOUT THE SAME WE GOT HOME, WHEN

IT REALLY HIT, I GUESS I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS IT FELT LIKE

SOMEBODY HAD A RATCHET STRAP AROUND MY CHEST, AROUND LOW,

MID-160s BLOOD PRESSURE.

>> Stephen: WOW.

SO HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR TO YOU RECOVER?

>> THOSE SYMPTOMS SEEMED TO ALMOST EVAPORATE AS SOON AS THEY

CAME ON, ABOUT A COUPLE OF DAYS, AND I HAD THREE WEEKS OF WHAT I

WOULD DESCRIBE AS EXTREMELY INTENSE FATIGUE.

AND AFTER THAT I FEEL LIKE I HAVE SUPER POWERS NOW, I GUESS.

>> Stephen: BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM, I WANT TO

REVISIT MY PERSONAL FAVORITE SONG OF YOURS, THE ONE YOU AND I

RECORDED TOGETHER, OBVIOUSLY ABOUT THE LAST HAPPY PLACE.

THE WATCH FELL HOUSE.

JIM, CAN WE HIT IT?

( CHEERING ) ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ WELL YOU WANT SOME GOOD FOOD WHEN YOUR NIGHT OUT ENDS

AND THE BIG YELLOW SIGN IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

♪ THEY GOT WAFF FELLS AND BACON, COFFEE, TOO

♪ BUT AN ALL-STAR BREAKFAST COMES WITH SOME RULES ♪

>> Stephen: WE LOOKED SO YOUNG, STIRNLGIL.

>> WHAT WAS THAT 10 YEARS AGO.

>> Stephen: THREE YEARS AGO, I WOULD SAY.

HAVE YOU HIT THE WATC WATCH FELL LATELY.

>> I HAVE THREE BOYS AND OCCASIONALLY ON THE WEEKEND I

GIVE MOM A BREAK AND TAKE THEM TO THE WAFFEL HOUSE.

NOT OFTEN, THOUGH, BECAUSE THAT ( BLEEP ) WILL LITERALLY KILL

YOU.

>> Stephen: YOU'LL GO DOWN HAPPY, THAT'S FOR SURE.

>> WHAT I MISSED THE MOST WAS THE DAYS OF YOUTH SPENT MANY A

LATE NIGHT IN THE WAFFEL HOUSE.

PROBABLY THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE I MET IN MY LIFE WAS IN A

WAFFFELL HOUSE AT 3:00 A.M.

>> ME AND CHIP ROLLED IN AT 2:00 A.M. AND SAY, "WE'LL TAKE THIS

HALF OF THE MENU."

YOU CAN JUST POINT TO THE PICTURES.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE FOCUSED ENOUGH TO READ.

WELL, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM.

IT'S FANTASTIC.

BLOWING UP.

EVERYBODY'S DIGGING IT.

STURGILL SIMPSON, CAN THE YOU "C GRASS."

THIS IS BLUEGRASS BUT YOUR SONGS RE-RECORDED IN BLUEGRASS.

HOW DID YOU FIRST ENCOUNTER BLUEGRASS?

>> MY PATERNAL GRANDFATHER WAS A BLUEGRASS FREAK, AND AT A VERY

YOUNG AGE, PROBABLY FAR TOO YOUNG, STARTED SHOVING IT DOWN

MY THROAT, WHETHER I WANTED HIM TO OR NOT, AND MY MUSICAL

PALETTE WASN'T READY TO RECEIVE IT.

AND YOU'RE SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS OLD.

IT'S VERY HEADY MUSIC.

A LOT OF PEOPLE DOWNPLAY IT AS HILL BILL STUFF.

YOU HAVE TO REALLY-- IT'S LIKE HILLBILLY JAZZ.

YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND AND IT'S WORK, I GUESS.

SO LATER ON, WHEN I REDISCOVERED IT, I SPENT ABOUT 10 YEARS IN MY

20s JUST UTTERLY OBSESSED.

AND I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS.

I'M PROBABLY CLOSER TO ANYTHING A BLUEGRASS MUSICIAN AT HEART.

BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO NASHVILLE.

YOU MAKE COUNTRY RECORDS.

AND I JUST WANTED TO GO BACK AND RE-RERECORD BY BACK CATEGORY THE

WA I THOUGHT THE SONGS SHOULD BE HEARD.

>> Stephen: YOU RECORDED THE ALBUM AT THE BUTCHER SHOP,

COOWNED BY JOHN PRYNE.

THIS IS A GREAT PHOTO OF YOU RIDING WITH JOHN PRYNE ON HIS

MOTORCYCLE THERE.

HOW DID YOU GET TO KNOW JOHN?

HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?

>> I RECORDED "A SAILOR'S GUIDE TO EARTH" AT THE BUTCHER SHOP

WITH DAVID FERGUSON WHO USED TO OWN THE STUDIO WITH JOHN.

THEY WERE GOOD FRIENDS.

WE FINISHED THE RECORD, AND I WAS IN THERE MIXING IT ONE DAY,

AND I WAS PRETTY IN THE ZONE, HEAD DOWN AT THE BOARD, AND I

GUESS I TOOK A BREAK, HIT THE SPACE BAR, AND WHEN I TURNED

AROUND, JOHN WAS SITTING IN A CHAIR IN THESE PLAID PANTS JUST

KIND OF LOOKING-- I HAD NO IDEA HOW LONG HE HAD BEEN SITTING

THERE.

I HIT VAPOR LOCK.

I KIND OF FREAKED OUT.

YOU COME FACE TO FACE WITH YOUR HERO.

AND HE WAS LIKE, "THAT'S PRETTY GOOD."

AND HE SAID, "DO YOU WANT TO GO GET SOME MEAT LOAF"

WE HAD LUNCH AND ANY TIME I CAME UP TO THE TOWN WE GRABBED LUNCH

AND I PICKED HIM UP.

I HAD A TUNED UP RACE CAR AND WE'D GET ON IT.

HE WAS KIND OF A CAR GUY.

ALONG WITH MYSELF AND MANY OTHERS, HE WAS A MENTOR AND VERY

GIVING WITH HIS TIME AND WISDOM.

AND WE WERE ALL GREATFUL TO GET TO KNOW HIM.

>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN JOHN PASSED, HE LEFT

SOMETHING FOR YOU, THAT YOU RECEIVED SOMETHING FROM THE JOHN

PRYNE ESTATE.

>> YEAH, I JUST RECENTLY BECAME THE NEW OWNER OF HIS 2008

PORSCHE 911 TURBO.

>> Stephen: NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHY IT SURPRISES ME THAT JOHN

PRYNE HAD A 911 TURBO.

>> OH, HE'S A TOTAL CAR GUY.

HE HAD A BURCH OF OLD CADILLACS.

THE 911 WAS HIS BUCKET LIST DREAM CAR.

I MEAN, IT'S ONLY GOT ABOUT 20,000 MILES ON IT, BUT IT'S

SHOWROOM.

>> Stephen: ARE YOU GIVING IT A WORKOUT?

>> OH, I LIKE MUSIC AND CARS THAT GO REAL FAST, MAN.

BUT I HAVE THREE CHILDREN.

I FEEL LIKE I JUST HAD A FOURTH WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT

COMES WITH THIS THING.

BUT I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU.

IT'S BITTERSWEET, BUT IT WILL BE SOMETHING I TREASURE THE REST OF

MY LIFE.

>> Stephen: WELL, YOU'RE ALSO GOING TO PLAY A SONG FOR US

TONIGHT.

WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING FOR US?

>> I THOUGHT WE'D PICK SOMETHING ON ALONG THE LINES OF HEALING,

IN TERMS OF LYRICAL CONTENT.

THIS IS CALLED "BREAKERS ROAR."

>> Stephen: "CUTTIN' GRASS VOLUME ONE" IS AVAILABLE NOW.

THE MAN IS STURGILL SIMPSON.

STICK AROUND FOR A PERFORMANCE.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.