Jon Pardi doesn’t want to here the California slander.
The California cowboy – Jon Pardi – joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast this week to talk about his new album Honkytonk Hollywood, staying true to his traditional country roots and leaning into that style, his writing process, becoming a dad, interesting pre-show rituals, hangover cures and much more.
And speaking of Honkytonk Hollywood – Pardi’s new album that drops later this week – the name of the project works in two different ways. Sure, it’s somewhat of a reference to Pardi growing up in Dixon, California. But when we sat down with him for our interview, he actually told us that when he thinks “Honkytonk Hollywood,” he thinks Nashville.
So in a way, it’s the perfect name for an album that brings together two of the places that Jon Pardi has called home throughout his life. We asked if there’s any part of him that misses California, even though he’s lived in Tennessee for quite some time.
Here’s what he had to say:
“I’ve been here in Tennessee since 2008, so I’ve almost been here half of my life. I moved here at 22-years-old. It’s been a fun time, and I grew up as a young man in Tennessee and in Nashville and I grew up in the business. I’ve become more mature, but still immature. No one really grows up. No one grows up in the music business.
I’ve watched the town of Nashville become bigger and bigger and it really feels like home. But I never let go of California either. I always go back, and we tour so much and that feels like home too. And where I’m from, it is all farmers and construction workers and people out hustling – all walks of life.”
As an example, Pardi told a story about a friend of his that’s a trapper in California, and that he provides the service to the bigger cities. The country star shouted out a friend of his and dropped an interesting anecdote about catching a skunk that was bothering Paul McCartney. What an honor that must have been.
Pardi went on to defend his home state from the criticism that it often faces, saying that California is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented:
“Nobody knows that the state that I’m from is huge in agriculture and huge in business. It’s vibes of movies and songs that we sing about. Especially the west coast country of the 1970s, like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. Today’s standard, that’s straight up country. California is such an influence.”
The “Dirt On My Boots” singer eventually just got straight to the point in his defense against California getting a bad rap. He admitted that there’s some work that could be done, but for the most part, he feels as though people have the wrong idea of Cali… and that most people have a great time when they visit the Golden State:
“It’s a great state. It just needs some maintenance. That’s what I always say… needs a little bit of maintenance. Needs a little bit of cleanup. You can’t let three cities get in the way of a beautiful state… I bring friends out there that work with me from other areas, and they’re blown away that it’s California.
They think L.A., they think San Diego. They’re all great. Everybody puts a bad wrap on them, but you go there and you sure have a good time. We have great shows in San Francisco. We have great shows in Los Angeles. There are country fans there. I love California.”
@whiskeyriff Jon Pardi on being from California. // Listen to the full episode of The Whiskey Riff Raff podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #jonpardi #california @Jon Pardi ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
I was just waiting for the country star to either say “So what are you waiting for? Visit California” or “I’m Jon Pardi and I approve this message.” Pardi was being a great ambassador for his former home, and it’s clear that he still has a deep connection for the west coast state. You can hear even more about it by firing up the latest episode of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast.
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Cheers, y’all.
