- 2 days ago
Riley Green joins Katie Neal in Las Vegas to talk about his new acting career, his honorary doctorate from Jacksonville State University, and his chance to turn the chair on the upcoming 30th season of 'The Voice.'
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00:00You've got all these things happening, right?
00:01You're an actor now, you've got a doctorate, you're a successful country artist.
00:06What do you think, like 20 years ago, which one of those accolades would have surprised you the most?
00:10Doctorate.
00:10That's still the craziest thing ever.
00:13You know how mad my sisters are?
00:14My sister Lindy went to school for like 12 years.
00:17Is she actually a doctor?
00:18She's an interior decorator.
00:18Oh, wow.
00:19Yeah.
00:21I didn't put a lot of effort into school.
00:24You certainly didn't.
00:25Which one of those new accolades do you think, because I know your grandma, she's on, right?
00:29Lola Jean.
00:29Lola Jean, what does she think about all of your doctorate, the acting, going to be a coach on The
00:34Voice?
00:37She came to my graduation and watched my commencement speech.
00:40I talked about my granddaddy Buford, who's her husband, because he was a big influence on me growing up and
00:46loved country music.
00:49He's the reason I sing country music now, so she thinks that's cool.
00:53She came to my show in Atlanta the other day, and she was saying that she wished she could sing
00:57and help while I made it in my music career.
00:59I bet she'll like The Voice.
01:00She told me the other day that if Snoop Dogg's on there to tell him, hey, she likes Snoop Dogg.
01:06She's a Snoop Dogg fan?
01:07Yeah.
01:07I don't think she's like his music.
01:09She just thinks he's funny.
01:10Well, she's like, he hangs out with Martha Stewart, so.
01:12Yeah, I got her a Snoop on a stoop for Christmas.
01:15Stop.
01:15Oh, my God.
01:16That's incredible.
01:16Let's talk about The Voice, though.
01:17This is really exciting.
01:18How are you feeling about it?
01:20About The Voice?
01:20Yeah.
01:21That's going to be cool.
01:22Yeah?
01:22Are you ready for this?
01:23I don't know.
01:24I feel like they think I'm just going to cut up, you know, which I will.
01:29You probably will.
01:30I'm excited about, I bet I'll enjoy like working with the artists a lot.
01:37Like I've never done anything like that, and I don't feel like I'm overly musically talented.
01:42You know, like I feel like there's people that are a lot better players and singers and
01:45know more about music than me, so my advice will probably be more in the, here's some
01:49things that I did.
01:50Don't do this.
01:51Yeah.
01:51You maybe shouldn't do.
01:53That's what it'll be.
01:54Just like, don't do this.
01:55Have you like talked to anybody about advice for something like this, or do you have a
01:58strategy going into it?
01:59Are you trying to win?
02:00I think I'm going to sit with Blake tomorrow, so I might ask him some stuff, but yeah, you
02:04got to try to win.
02:05I mean, I'm very competitive, so.
02:07Yeah.
02:07Yeah.
02:08I think it'll be fun to see what I'm drawn to musically, because I grew up, you know,
02:14in the Burnt CD era when, you know, it was like a Tim McGraw song and Tupac was the
02:18next one on there.
02:18You know, we listened to everything growing up.
02:21All right.
02:21And then who's on there with you?
02:22It's Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson.
02:23Is there a fourth?
02:24Queen Latifah.
02:25Stop it.
02:26The Queen.
02:27Oh my God.
02:28You guys are, have you met any of them before?
02:31No.
02:31I've talked to Kelly on the phone, but I haven't met any of them.
02:35I feel like you're going to have a lot of fun with this.
02:37I think so.
02:37It'll be good.
02:38All right.
02:38Well, what else is coming up that you're excited about?
02:40I feel like every five minutes, there's like a new Riley Green announcement.
02:43Is there, I know music, obviously, you've been working on that a lot.
02:45Yeah.
02:46I died on the show.
02:47You died on the show.
02:48I know.
02:48I have not seen that one yet.
02:49Wait a spoiler.
02:49Sorry, I didn't die.
02:51How was playing, like, what was-
02:53I'm really sick.
02:53What was it like?
02:55Like, well, I haven't seen it yet, obviously, but was it difficult to play dead?
03:00No, that would be the easiest thing to play, just-
03:02I don't know.
03:03Do you have to stop breathing?
03:04I did.
03:05It was difficult to play dying.
03:07Okay.
03:07That was-
03:08How do you die?
03:11No, but like, in the show-
03:13I thought you wanted me to show you.
03:14Play possum, quick.
03:15Quick, shoot me.
03:17No, I was saving a horse from a barn fire.
03:24Smoke inhalation got in my lungs.
03:26Oh, no.
03:27That's like that guy on This Is Us.
03:29I carried the horse out.
03:31On your shoulders?
03:32Yeah.
03:33That's incredible.
03:34All right, change my mind.
03:35We're going to sway up the chart.
03:36Talk about this song.
03:38It was a really fun song to write.
03:40I love the idea of like, hey, I'm not going to answer if you call.
03:43I'm not going to open the door if you show up, but you can change my mind.
03:46I thought that was something that should have been a song a long time ago.
03:49And probably the biggest difference between when I wrote a song and what the work tape
03:54sounded like and what the studio version was, Dan did a great job.
03:57That intro lick came out of nowhere, and it's always great when you've got something
04:00that's recognizable.
04:01Like, the fans start cheering as soon as you start playing it.
04:03Yeah.
04:04I know you're playing tons of shows this year.
04:05Talk about what have been some of the highlights of tour.
04:07So, Cowboys Against Tour, Justin Moore's on the road with me.
04:10Been a big fan of him for a long time.
04:11I feel like you guys are probably just having a fun time backstage giggling and messing
04:15with each other.
04:16It's a little bit, it's always a pinch me moment, too, when I get to take guys out that I
04:19grew
04:19up listening to, and they're going to come open for me on the road.
04:22Justin can play two hours of hits, and I'm only getting him to play 45 minutes, so I
04:26don't know how he's doing it, but it's been great.
04:28All the shows are selling out.
04:30Fans are showing up.
04:31It's just great when things are working, you know?
04:33I know.
04:34It's pretty wild.
04:35All right.
04:35So, new music, talk to me about where you're at with that.
04:37No, the album is done.
04:38The album is done.
04:39I'll put one song out off the album called My Way.
04:41We're going to announce the album pretty soon.
04:44I like it.
04:44I think it's good.
04:45Yeah?
04:46I'll send it to you.
04:47Okay.
04:47Sounds good.
04:47I'll love to listen to it.
04:48You put it right there on the list with watching the show that I'm acting on, and you can just,
04:52whenever you get to it.
04:52That's what I'm sorry.
04:53So, there must be a lot of other country music artists that are acting in major television
04:57shows.
04:57You had to watch theirs first.
04:59Wow.
04:59I didn't know that you were going to get all riled up about that.
05:02All right.
05:02Listen, I'll have a binge session when we get home from Las Vegas.
05:05I promise.
05:06You can quiz me next time you come in.
05:07I'm only on four episodes.
05:08Come on.
05:09I've got to get caught up.
05:10Okay.
05:11What else do I want to ask you about?
05:12Oh, I know.
05:13Listen.
05:13So, I was on your Wikipedia page earlier.
05:16Oh, God.
05:17Just making sure that I'm up to date on everything.
05:18Tell me something about myself.
05:19Your first name is Jonathan.
05:22Well, it's actually Yonathan.
05:23It's a soft name.
05:24Oh, okay.
05:24Got it.
05:25Does anyone call you Yonathan?
05:26Nobody's ever called me Jonathan.
05:28No.
05:29So, who are you?
05:29Like, why is it Jonathan Riley Green?
05:31Like, who are you named after?
05:32Why did they decide to go by middle name?
05:33I don't know.
05:34I know that I got the name Riley because my great-granddaddy Paul, who I didn't know,
05:39got a little dementia, and he started calling my dad Riley.
05:43My dad's name's Keevan.
05:45Really?
05:46And they were like?
05:47My parents are like, yep, we're going to name our first son Riley.
05:51So, your mom doesn't even say Jonathan, like, if you're in trouble.
05:53Nobody's ever called me Jonathan.
05:54No.
05:55Oh, that's so interesting.
05:56I don't even think I would turn if I heard it.
05:57See, I'm a Catherine, and, like, when I hear it, I know I'm in trouble.
06:02That's why I wondered if it was, like, if I get a Catherine.
06:05It is not.
06:06That's going to be fun.
06:07I'm 100% calling you Catherine from now on.
06:09All right.
06:09Fine.
06:10All right.
06:10Next question.
06:11So, we're doing most likely to Las Vegas edition for the ACMs, and I want you to answer with the
06:17names of country stars that you think would do these things.
06:19Most likely to get kicked out of the casino.
06:24Zach Top.
06:26Most likely to jump in the Bellagio fountain.
06:31Luke Ryan.
06:33Most likely to take their shirt off on the red carpet.
06:37Chili roll.
06:39Most likely to get arrested.
06:45John Party.
06:46For shits and giggles, I need you to give me a Gavin Adcock.
06:50Oh.
06:51Well, yeah.
06:52I'm looking around for people that I can think of.
06:54Gavin Adcock could probably fall into any of those.
06:57Exactly.
06:58All of those.
06:58So, that's the whole bit that we're doing, is that I started asking these, and everybody kept answering Gavin, so
07:02now I'm going to make the whole thing just Gavin.
07:04For future reference, if you're ever interviewing me and you want a certain answer, just tell me the answer before,
07:08so I don't have to go through this list of people.
07:10I honestly thought that maybe you would say it.
07:12What?
07:13I wanted it to happen naturally.
07:16Is there anything else you want me to say?
07:18I don't know.
07:18Is there anything else that we need from this guy?
07:21No?
07:22All right.
07:22Well, listen, thank you for your time.
07:23I'm going to ask you a question that I've already got a premeditated answer to.
07:27What is it?
07:27No, Gavin Adcock, that was the right answer.
07:30You're right.
07:31I'm just going to review my notes to make sure that we haven't missed anything.
07:34I'm dry.
07:34No.
07:35All right.
07:35We're good.
07:36Thank you for coming to see us.
07:37Appreciate it.
07:37Congratulations on your nominations.
07:39Thanks.
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