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Hot Ones - Season 29 - Episode 09: Luke Combs Feels a Heat Hurricane While Eating Spicy Wings
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00:00If it's like someone's in your house and you don't know it yet, I just heard something in the kitchen.
00:15Hey, what's going on everybody? For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones.
00:19It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wigs.
00:21And today we're joined by Luke Combs.
00:23He's an eight-time Grammy Award nominated artist and mainstay at the top of the Billboard country charts for a
00:28half decade straight.
00:28He also has a brand new album on the way as well.
00:31It's called The Way I Am, which is scheduled for release on March 20th, followed by the My Kind of
00:34Saturday Night Tour.
00:35Check it out. But first things first, the wings of death. Luke Combs, welcome to the show.
00:39Thanks for having me. I'm excited to be here. Excited.
00:42What's going through your head as you prepare to take on the Hot Ones gauntlet?
00:45Are you a spicy food fan by chance?
00:47I'm a spicy food fan, but I'm not going to over-promise and under-deliver.
00:52So this will be hot. This will destroy me. There's no doubt.
00:56But I'm at least mentally prepared. I'm not sure about physically, but we're about to find out, I feel like.
01:25The smell is the first thing you notice.
01:28Oh boy, here we go. All right.
01:34That's a good, it's a good wing. That's a good wing.
01:42That's good, man. That's a good flavor on that one.
01:44My favorite song on the new album is Daytona 499, which features this funny, clever metaphor about a relationship falling
01:52just one lap short.
01:54Yes. Out of my own curiosity, can you give me the origin story of that song?
01:57Yeah, so one of my dear friends, Drew Parker, sent me that song and it was kind of like a
02:04half-written thing when he sent it to me.
02:06It was like, is there anything to this? I was like, I love this. I love it.
02:10I grew up a NASCAR fan. My grandfather was a courier and he would actually deliver paychecks to the drivers
02:17like after races.
02:18I spent a lot of Sundays with my grandfather watching races.
02:22Obviously, I gravitated to the idea for that reason, but then again, I'm a sucker for a good hook, a
02:27clever hook, and that one to me doesn't get more clever than that.
02:30In the country space, in my opinion, those are like, that's like this super niche country music thing of like
02:36these tongue-in-cheek, like catchy songs that are, I don't know, that just grab people's attention.
02:43And that was one of those for me.
02:49Okay, we got a flat, dude.
02:51But should I do the push here?
02:52There you go.
02:53Did the push go on?
02:54This guy's been around some wings.
02:55Oh, buddy.
02:57I don't think anyone watching this had any thoughts otherwise, I would imagine.
03:03Clean pull?
03:05Damn!
03:07Yeah.
03:08Textbook, that's how you do it.
03:10You have an amazing quote where you talk about how you learn to sing from listening to the Backstreet Boys.
03:15What is an album like Millennium?
03:17Like, how is that a master class for a young singer?
03:20Like, what did you learn from them?
03:21I mean, obviously, there's, you know, there's five different singers in the group, right?
03:25And they all kind of get turns to showcase their particular style.
03:30And everybody's kind of got different ranges and different natural tendencies that they try to use.
03:35And they're incredibly singable verses and choruses.
03:39Those songs were engineered to be, like, musical drugs.
03:43Like, you hear them and it's just like, I want to hear this again.
03:46I need to hear this again.
03:48And, you know, as you kind of study those things, learning to write songs, you realize that was done intentionally.
03:54Like, there is a science to writing those kind of songs.
03:57And there needs to be a hook every 20 seconds that people remember and moments that people want to come
04:02back to.
04:03And you learn that.
04:05You also learn how to do the same chorus melody, maybe in a different style.
04:10Because if Nick Carter's singing it and, you know, Kevin's singing the next one, it's like they just have these
04:16little differences and inflections that ultimately matter and lead to the success of a group like that.
04:23And help a young singer who's learning to find their voice and hone their talent.
04:28It helps them learn five different things at one time instead of hearing one singer do something.
04:34You get to hear how five singers would sing the same chorus instead of one.
04:37So it's really interesting.
04:44That's my favorite one.
04:47So far.
04:48And I feel like the least hot, maybe.
04:51I think there's some sweetness.
04:53I think the mustard cuts it.
04:54Yeah.
04:54Just a little bit.
04:55There's kind of a lingering hit and a little bit of a cumulative effect that I'm starting to pick up.
05:00But you're right.
05:01There's a sweetness almost to this one.
05:03That kind of vinegar in there probably helps cut the heat a lot, I would imagine.
05:07So I was reading an interesting story about how early on in your career, you didn't have enough money to
05:12master an entire six-track EP.
05:14So instead, you put your entire budget on one song, which turned out to be Hurricane.
05:19Yeah.
05:20What was it about that song that made it the one that you put all your chips on?
05:23Well, interestingly and luckily enough, it was the only song that was in any state close enough to putting out.
05:32So it was basically a Hail Mary of like, well, this is all we got.
05:36It's either this or nothing.
05:37So I spent the last $200 that I had.
05:40I hadn't done that previously.
05:42So I hadn't put that in my budget as an expense that I needed to be aware of.
05:47And it comes down, I'm like, well, dude, I don't have enough money to master these.
05:51Like, which one is good enough?
05:52And he's like, this one.
05:54I'm like, perfect.
05:55Let's do it.
05:55Put it out.
05:56Sells 10,000 units the first week, which I thought was like, cool.
06:02That's probably what everyone's doing.
06:03Or that's less than everyone's doing.
06:05Because again, I don't know.
06:08And it turns out, apparently it wasn't what everyone was doing.
06:11And it was a lot more for an independent kid who's dropped out of college and moved to town and
06:17doesn't have anything going on.
06:19And that's kind of what led to 100 other dominoes falling in my favor.
06:24So I'm very thankful for that moment.
06:26And obviously, it was supposed to work out that way.
06:34It just immediately has that, like, taste of, like, this is hotter than I would have.
06:40The habanero in particular.
06:42It's a particular.
06:42It really announces its presence right up front.
06:45You know, you just get that smokiness.
06:47It goes right to the chest.
06:50I feel like that's the one I was smelling when they put that.
06:53When the people came over in the hazmat suits with the wings.
06:58I feel like that's the one you're getting.
07:00As someone who's steeped in the genre and seems intent on making music that you want to hear as a
07:05fan, what do you make of phrases like gentleman country or bro country to define particular subgenres?
07:12There's a huge contingency of people.
07:14I'm probably guilty of it at some time as well.
07:17But going, well, that's not country or this is too country or that's this or whatever.
07:21It's like, I think country music is enjoying a moment of relevancy that it maybe has never had, you know,
07:29outside of that early 90s era.
07:32The Shania Twain, Garth, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, like Brooks and Dunn.
07:36That was a huge moment, too.
07:39But I feel like we've crossed over, like, into the pop culture zeitgeist.
07:44I mean, there's three country artists selling out multiple nights at stadiums right now.
07:48That's as many as have ever done it in the history of country music, and it's all happening at the
07:53same time.
07:54So that's really cool to me to feel like I'm a part of.
07:59I think that conversation is maybe a little unwarranted, but I think ultimately it benefits the genre.
08:11I'm really worried about the next half.
08:16I don't know that it's happening now.
08:22I was just about to say, I think I'm good.
08:25And then I think it's getting there.
08:27A shoe drops.
08:28But it's not as bad as the last one to me.
08:31It's not as hot as the last one.
08:33The habanero, like we talked about.
08:36It comes out punching, dude.
08:37Something different.
08:38It comes out punching, dude.
08:39Yeah.
08:40And punches above its weight class.
08:43For sure.
08:44What stands out as the rowdiest room that you've ever had to win over with just a microphone and a
08:49guitar?
08:50Oh, gosh.
08:52There was a place we used to play in East Tennessee called the Dew Drop-In.
08:58The guy who I was playing shows with at the time, Adam Church, dear friend of mine, owe a ton
09:03of my success to him.
09:04And I remember telling his dad.
09:06He was actually from Boone.
09:07He grew up in Boone.
09:08I remember telling his dad.
09:09He's like, where are you all playing tonight?
09:11And I was like, I'm playing the Dew Drop-In.
09:12He goes, oh, the Knife and Gun Club?
09:14He's like, you're going to love that place.
09:15So, it was like, you're still smoking there at that time.
09:20And the stage was about this high.
09:22So, you get on stage and it was like a quarter step up onto the stage.
09:27People like dancing in front of you.
09:29But, yeah, I've been in a few rooms like that, you know, middle of nowhere, South Carolina, and it's a
09:34little bit intimidating because people are like, this fucking better be good.
09:38You know what I mean?
09:38Like, that was the idea.
09:39It's like, if I'm in here, I paid $10 to get in here, better be good.
09:42I have no idea who you are, and I'm going to be pissed if I didn't get my $10 out
09:46of you.
09:47Yeah.
09:47So, I've had many of those nights.
09:54Homegrown Hill.
09:55I like that one.
09:58Oh, that's hot.
09:59Yeah.
10:00And this one a little bit hotter than the White Hot Mustard, personally speaking.
10:05Definitely.
10:07The White Hot Mustard, that bottle might be walking out the door with me and everybody.
10:10You know what?
10:11All the bottles are walking out the door with you today.
10:14Even better.
10:15You don't leave here empty-handed.
10:17Okay.
10:18So, I've interviewed a lot of comedians over the years who will always talk about the importance of doing a
10:23thousand shows in a basement club or at an open mic before ever stepping on stage in front of an
10:28arena.
10:29Does that at all resonate with you and your history of playing dive bars to crowds as small as five
10:34to then playing Beaver Stadium in a sold-out crowd of 80,000 people?
10:38Yeah, there's definitely some disparity there in those shows.
10:42Because the small shows can be really difficult.
10:45If you're having a bad show, it's amplified by a thousand if there's ten people in there and everyone's kind
10:51of like, ugh.
10:52Like, you can really tell.
10:53You feel that energy?
10:54Yeah.
10:54The guy that's sitting two feet away from you, it's like, man, this guy's pretty rough, huh?
11:00You know, like, you hear that guy say that in the small room.
11:03You know what I mean?
11:03It's like you can—people don't wear it well when the show's not going well in a room of this size.
11:08I think in today's social media age, people's careers take off faster and faster.
11:14I don't think that's all bad, but you welcome in the criticisms of the world.
11:20And if you're a 14-year-old kid and people online are going, hey, man, your ass, don't play this
11:27anymore.
11:28Don't ever do this.
11:29Well, does that stop the next Bob Dylan from writing songs?
11:34Like, that would be devastating to find out that some kid who's inherently talented and has just hasn't had enough
11:41time yet is exposed to the cruelty of the world or the internet or people's opinions.
11:48Right, and so that, I feel like, is the big downside of not going and just playing those little shows
11:54and figuring yourself out on this stage that's like, it's okay to fail or feel like it's okay to fail.
12:02It's still okay to fail, but now you just have to fail in front of millions of people, potentially, instead
12:07of failing in your dive bar in your hometown where there's 10 people and it's not a big deal.
12:13You know, so it's an interesting time.
12:20Yeah, it's got some heat.
12:24Yeah, it's hot.
12:25Some violence on this one.
12:27This is the, this is like the gnarliest one since the habanero one.
12:31And.
12:32First one that has the initial, like, jab.
12:34And we're on the gnarly wave.
12:36Yeah.
12:36From here on out.
12:38It's just more, for me, the thing is more like the nose running.
12:42It's the thing that drives me crazy when you have to, like, sniffle and talk.
12:45Yeah, it starts to squeeze you like a sponge the deeper you go.
12:49The milk's making more sense.
12:52It's there for you.
12:53Yeah, that one's hot.
12:54So there's an ad lib at the end of One Too Many, Banger, by the way, where you say, come
13:00on, that's a country song.
13:01What does that mean to you exactly?
13:03That something's a proper tribute to the genre of country music.
13:07Yeah, I just think, I don't know, it's like, because that moment at the end of that song is like,
13:11was just truly me in the studio.
13:13Like, running it down with the band, I'm hearing it through the headphones, they're hearing it through the headphones, I'm
13:19singing it, full breath, full volume.
13:22Like, you're feeling the vibe of that song come to life for the very first time.
13:29And that was the moment of, like, finishing it, putting it in the frame and going, this is exactly what
13:34I wanted this song to be like.
13:35Come on, that's a country song.
13:36And it happened, yeah, for sure.
13:38I think I said, I think I'm, there's an expletive in there that was muted out.
13:43Actually, if you listen to it.
13:44Come on, that's a motherfucking country song.
13:47It's literally, that was it, yeah.
13:49Yeah.
13:54Here we go.
13:55The bomb.
14:02I'm not there yet, which is still really freaking me out.
14:05Because I know, I know it's going to be there.
14:09How about, it's like, someone's in your house and you don't know it yet.
14:13And then we just heard, I just heard something in the kitchen.
14:17Oh, now I'm going to check it out.
14:19Oh, no.
14:21There's somebody there.
14:24There's definitely somebody there.
14:25And he's masked in arms.
14:27Yeah, dude, he's, he's not.
14:28Friendly.
14:29Oh, yeah.
14:30Yeah.
14:32Oh, yeah, that sucks, dude.
14:34Yeah.
14:36Still good, though.
14:37Nice wing.
14:39Not something I would want at the house to, you know, have for dinner.
14:43Well, for better or worse, you will be going, you know, as I promised.
14:47There's, there's a throat.
14:49That's the worst because then you can't really talk.
14:51I'm going milk.
14:52Is this worse to go milk?
14:53Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:54Go.
14:54No, no, no.
14:54It's not at all.
14:55No.
14:56Not at all.
14:57Because you said yes.
14:58I know you didn't mean to say yes, but.
15:02It's a point of pride now.
15:03All right.
15:04Then I'm right there with you.
15:05I'm right there with you.
15:07For the uninitiated, what is cookout?
15:09And do you have a go-to tray order and fancy shake flavor?
15:13When I go to cookout, no one else is allowed to order.
15:18Char, grilled, hamburgers, the whole nine.
15:20Like, you can get a corndog as a side, which is fire.
15:24Quesadilla as a side, by the way.
15:26You can add a milkshake for, like, $1.50.
15:28It's unbelievable.
15:30Imagine, like, Chick-fil-A without all the, like, helpful camp counselors that stand outside.
15:37And, like, you come up and it's just a guy that's, like, he's from the South, but his attitude is
15:42giving Philly.
15:43In your window.
15:45And he's like, cookout, what do you want?
15:47You know, and you're like, um, I think.
15:50And it's like you can hear him being, like, come on.
15:54Like, you can feel the guy in the thing.
15:57Oh, God.
15:58Be careful.
16:00Right when I touched it, I was like, uh-oh.
16:02Okay, let's find.
16:03And there's also fresh ones over there.
16:05Okay.
16:06I was like, I need a safe space.
16:07Yeah.
16:10Um, it's like, big double tray, cheese, bacon, mayo, ketchup, corn dog, Cajun cheese fries, sweet tea.
16:18Like, I can fire it off like that.
16:20And people hear me order it that quick and they're like, what did you just order?
16:24I'm like, I ordered a double cheeseburger with bacon and ketchup.
16:27I just said it really fast.
16:29And the guy is going to know.
16:31When I pull up through the window, he's like, this guy knows ball.
16:33He's a veteran, yeah.
16:35This guy has spent 401Ks worth on cooking in his day.
16:42And they're going to be thankful for that.
16:43Yep.
16:44They're going to be thankful.
16:45Oh, man, I'm ready for this.
16:47Here we go.
16:48These last two are going to be something, aren't they?
16:50If you're ready.
16:51I'm ready, baby.
16:52Bring the pain.
16:53This one is a smoked Serrano, squash, reaper, X.
16:58Oh, man.
17:00It's like your X.
17:01Like, it's already bad.
17:02That reads like your order from cookout, you know?
17:04It really does.
17:06I love how they put Serrano in there.
17:08Like, it's going to have any flavor at all.
17:12Butterfly Bakery.
17:13Yeah, they make that sound nice, don't they?
17:15Mm-hmm.
17:22This one already has more flavor.
17:27There we go.
17:29It's got some flavor, though.
17:30Mm-hmm.
17:31I'm liking that.
17:33So I understand that when you were rejected for the singing competition series, The Voice,
17:38they gave you a piece of feedback that read,
17:40you're a great singer but lacking in TV entertainment value.
17:44Athletes are often motivated by perceived slights.
17:47I'm curious if it's the same for a musician.
17:49Like, in what way did early rejection, what kind of role did it play in your motivation as an artist?
17:55That situation gave me so much confidence because I'm like, okay, if I'm taking this at face value,
18:03which I did, it could have very easily been like, well, we can't tell this guy he's a terrible singer.
18:08Like, just tell me he's not interesting.
18:10Maybe that will make him less sad, you know?
18:13Which it did.
18:14It worked, by the way.
18:15So I'm like, so you're saying I'm a good singer is what you're saying.
18:18You're saying I'm good.
18:20All I was looking for at that time was some sort of validation, like, hey, I am an above-average
18:25singer.
18:26I feel that way in my soul.
18:28So that was a big moment for me.
18:30I'm really honestly thankful for that experience.
18:32You have a glass half-full perspective on the whole thing,
18:35but when it comes to your actual milk glass, totally full to the brim.
18:38Totally full, baby.
18:39I feel like that's about to change.
18:47I'm not going to be the first country singer on the Knot.
18:51Oh, man, that's scary.
18:53Okay.
18:54Got to get it all here.
18:56Okay.
18:57You got to get it all.
18:58Cheers, dude.
18:58Cheers.
19:01Oh, that went right on my tongue, too.
19:03Mm-hmm.
19:04Direct hip.
19:06Yeah.
19:06Nowhere to hide.
19:07Target.
19:08Target.
19:09Engage.
19:12Yeah.
19:13Yeah.
19:15Ooh.
19:16But the good news is, Luke Combs, we've reached the end of the line.
19:21We're at the summit of Spice Mountain.
19:24And as we've learned today, you know, you're somebody whose music has taken you to Nashville
19:28and then around the world and back.
19:31But I know at the end of the day, you'll always be a North Carolina boy.
19:36The outdoors, it's served like an escape from the blinding lights of fame.
19:40And with that in mind, I was wondering if you could give us a turkey call tutorial on
19:49Wing 10.
19:50Do you have some mouth calls?
19:52I have some mouth calls.
19:53No one ever put these mouth calls in after we put them in with this hot sauce, by the way.
19:57That's what I'm saying.
19:58We're breaking new ground over here.
20:01Where did you find these?
20:02I mean, I guess you can find anything in New York.
20:04I'm surprised that these are available.
20:07These little guys in here.
20:08It's the New York version of the turkey call over here.
20:12It's like the cool hair clip to wear while you're calling turkeys, you know?
20:17I don't know that I'm going to be the best teacher because it took me, it was just years
20:21of struggle and annoyance to everyone around me to get any kind of good at this.
20:26And I'm still, I'm not good at all.
20:28If you hear a good turkey caller after this, look up good turkey calls.
20:32This video is not going to show up, by the way.
20:34I don't want any of the turkey hunters out there to think I'm claiming to be like any
20:39kind of expert at this.
20:40So you're going to, this way front.
20:42So this reed here, like this, the diaphragm is actually going to be in the front of your
20:47mouth like this.
20:49So you're going to sit at, like in the roof of your mouth up here, press your tongue against
20:55it.
20:55And you want to force air between those reeds.
20:59Give a shot.
21:00Let's hear it.
21:02Pretty, pretty good.
21:03Pretty good.
21:16With some style on it.
21:19And look at you.
21:20Yeah.
21:21Luke Combs taking on the wings of death, living to tell the tale of now there's nothing left
21:24to do, but roll out the red carpet for you.
21:26A hundred percent.
21:27This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know what you have going on in
21:30your life.
21:30Luke Combs, can't wait for turkey season, new album season, March 20th, the way I am.
21:36This is the only PR thing I've ever wanted to do in like my 10 years of forever.
21:42So thank you for having me on.
21:43Thanks for letting me be the first country artist.
21:45The wings were insane.
21:46Very good.
21:47Hot sauce.
21:48Very hot.
21:49Thank you guys so much.
22:00I've been dreaming of that, dude.
22:02I remember asking years ago, like asking Carl, I was like, how do we get on Hot Ones?
22:06She was like, I don't know.
22:07Like, I don't know.
22:08I don't know for everything else.
22:09Thanks for coming in, man.
22:10Oh my God.
22:11You did great.
22:11It was fun, dude.
22:12Thanks for having us.
22:13That was a blast, dude.
22:14Come on.
22:14That's a motherfucking country song.
22:16Yeah.
22:19People think Hot Ones is chaos, but this table runs on precision.
22:23Every bottle has a job.
22:25And right now, Los Calientes Verde is missing.
22:31Bill, we have a situation.
22:34Relax, Sean.
22:35Hot Ones hot sauces are available in over 10,000 grocery stores nationwide.
22:39I have an extra for you.
22:40Thanks so much, Bill.
22:41Crisis averted.
22:43Now let's roll.
22:45Find Hot Ones hot sauces at major retailers and grocery stores near you.
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