As country music consumers, we always like to think that significant traumas, breakups, great loves, or losses inspired songs we deeply relate with. It's comforting in a weird way to believe that the artist or songwriter who penned the lyrics can empathize with feelings you might be experiencing in your own life, and their lyrics become therapy to you. While there is truth in the statement that lyrics are therapy, we often forget that songwriters are storytellers in their field, and not all songs are inspired by these profound, moving experiences. If they were...oof...that's a lot of therapy every artist needs to unpack the emotions portrayed through their songs. Zach Bryan is one of those artists who often writes deeply moving lyrics, but his backstories are not always as profound as one might think. ZB has opened up about what has inspired some of his lyrics, but recently, fans have picked up that his stories on stage during recent shows do not match what he's said has previously inspired their favorite songs. It first started when ZB told fans what inspired "28." After previously stating on Twitter that he and his ex-girlfriend, Brianna, were scared they might lose their puppy, Boston, and that terrifying experience inspired the track. “Boston, our puppy was going into surgery, and I told Brianna, “How lucky are we?” to have -had- a puppy so beautiful, and she came out of it just fine; I wrote it the next day because I felt like the luckiest man on the planet.” That story was far from what he told fans on the last leg of the Quittin' Time Tour: “I wrote this song because one night I and all the boys were bowling in New York City, and I felt lucky to have each and every one of them. And I was so glad to be alive, I wrote a song called ’28.'”  After going through a very public breakup with Brianna, I can't blame the man for wanting to re-brand a song that he has to sing every night on stage, but it's better to leave it as is than make up another story about what inspired the track. Or maybe you weren't telling the truth the first time, maybe it was a half-truth... either way, there's a well-documented record of everything you say on stage. While fans raised an eyebrow at his choice that night, they once again are cocking their heads as ZB shared a different story than what he's previously stated for what inspired "Something In The Orange." Bryan said the profound lyrics were not inspired by a significant life event when the song was released. He said a beautiful sunset he saw while staying in a Wisconsin cabin sparked his creativity to pen the beloved track. “‘Something In the Orange’ was a weird song because everyone thinks it was over some deep, dark thing. And it was just me in a cabin in Wisconsin. And I was like, I thought about the word orange, and I was watching the sunset, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a cool story to tell in a song,’ you know?” During a recent show, ZB is again changing the backstory. "Everyone thinks 'Something In The Orange' is some deeply rooted song. One time, I got stood up on a date, and I wrote it. That's the whole story."  While I understand that when explaining what might have inspired songs, the stories will not be word for word each time, but jumping from a sunset he saw from a cabin to a first date is too different to make these two stories feel connected in some way. @beccajoyy7 girl thank you ? #zachbryan #concert #fyp ♬ original sound - Becca ZB has been open about his personal struggles this year. However, this makes fans question his authenticity as an artist, and he keeps switching up the stories about where he draws inspiration. Check out some of the comments left on the post: "He is changing the backstories on his songs all the time." "'Cold Damn Vampires' is about a Verizon wireless bill, lol." "Wait he told a different story two years ago about this song? Lmao, confused." "I don’t think he even knows his own truth anymore." "Has he even had enough time between any relationship to go on a date?" "He’s changed the meaning of this song alone at least 3 times. Not to mention how many other times he’s changed the meaning behind his other songs." Who knows... maybe it's a little bit of both in some weird way. Regardless of what inspired the songs, fans connect with them unlike anything we've seen in recent memory. Zach's ability to resonate with the listener is why he's become the superstar that he has, in a relatively short amount of time. Despite his flaws and faults (we all have them), which he writes about a lot, he's a heart-on-his-sleeve kind of guy, and fans absolutely love him for it. Give the studio version a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA8F9sIhGdg&pp=ygUYbXpvbWV0aGluZyBpbiB0aGUgb3Jhbmdl

Simply inspiring. Several weeks ago during a tour stop in Indianapolis, Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for his Beautifully Broken Tour, Jelly Roll visited Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility to talk with the young men who are currently in custody there. He's been making stops at prisons and juvenile facilities all over the country during this tour, speaking with inmates and showing them that there's hope beyond the walls of prison, speaking from very personal experience and it's been really amazing to see. But up until now, we haven't really seen his full speech before, and the Indiana Department of Correction shared a video of it and it's really inspiring and a neat peak into this side of Jelly Roll and what's so important to him. He encouraged the boys to take their "fearlessness" and apply it to something they're really passionate about in order to stay out of trouble and turn their life around: "Two things I want y'all to know. The smartest kids I ever met in my life was in the juvenile with me. The smartest men I ever met was in prison. The most driven people ever ever met, the hardest working people I ever met, were stone cold drug addicts or stone cold drug dealers. To this day, I’ve never seen more talent, more songwriting, more spirit, more energy than I’ve ever seen in these walls, man. Because I know anybody that is fearless as y'all are to be in this facility, to live in this, and to have to wake up every day in the unknown in these kinds of environments, if you could apply that same kind of fearlessness to anything else in life... that's what I realized about me, man. I realized that this didn't make me f****d up, this made me special. That's what changed my perspective, y'all. Whenever I finally quit looking at myself like a victim of the system, and I started realizing that, man, I might be as smart as some of these dudes in here, I might be able to figure this out. I'll tell y'all what I know, I know that I went to jail and juvenile the first time, and I could barely read and write. To this day, I'm the most articulate person I know. You know why? I had to talk my way out of a bunch of sh*t, I had to figure my way through the system for 10 years as a kid... some of y'all are the most charismatic kids on earth." He also perform his song "The Hate Goes On" for them, and handled it brilliantly when one of the boys wasn't paying attention and talking to others rather than paying attention (obviously, he has a lot of experience, but still, it was amazing to watch): "Here's the deal, man. That is exactly how I expected that to go. And I expect if I sit here for 15 more minutes and let y'all talk to each other, five more kids would stand up with something to say. Because that's how it works, that's expression. Don't ever lose that, whether you try to do it for a living or not, man, being in a place like this and not being able to get the thoughts out of you is so special, man. Whether you want to rap it to me or not, that's cool, just keep writing it, though... tell y'all the truth man, I'm not no f****n' phony dude that comes in here to talk to y'all. I talk to y'all 'cuz I love y'all, I've been in this motherf****** for real, for real. Been through it three for four times, looked 50 years in the face and turned it over, been to the big prison, been stabbed, been shot, I'm a grown f****n' man in here dog. And I believe in y'all, and I love you. Period. I think y'all can turn this thing around, man." It's easy to think he's already inspired hundreds and even thousands of young men and grown men in juvenile facilities and real prison alike, and the fact that Jelly Roll takes the time out of his day at all of his tour stops is really impressive, and quite literally the definition of "putting your money where your mouth is." You can watch the full speech here, and I'd highly recommend it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppXajbwTkkM

Donald Trump announced Sunday his selection of Michael Anton to be the director of policy planning at the State Department under the prospective secretary, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). Anton held a position on the National Security Council during Trump’s first administration, and was also appointed by the president to the National Board for Education Sciences. Michael Anton will become Director of Policy Planning at the State Department. Michael served me loyally and effectively at the National Security Council in my First Term. He has an extensive background in Government, the private sector, and academia. He spent the last eight…— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) December 9, 2024 Anton is a notable thinker associated with the New Right. He studied at the Claremont Institute under Harry V. Jaffa and has written a number of notable pieces for Claremont publications over the years, including the famous essay “The Flight 93 Election.” The post Anton to Lead State Department Policy Planning appeared first on The American Conservative.

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