Thomas Rhett “Overdrive” Music Video – The Pick-Up, the Puns, the Pet Peeves

I love the clips of the young lovebirds riding through the carwash in the back of the pick-up truck. You’d think someone would’ve thought of that by now for a music video but I can’t recall ever seeing it before. Of course, the reality is that those big rubber brushes would’ve knocked them out cold Wipeout-style and yes, I was secretly hoping for that. Cooler heads prevailed, though, because I guess no one wanted a trip to the hospital or you know, to get sued or anything. However tame, those scenes are a good addition to the video. Check out the entire thing then scroll down for more info and thoughts about the new video from Thomas Rhett for his song “Overdrive”…

The video stars Thomas Rhett’s younger brother Tyler Lankford and I appreciate the non-actor vibe throughout the video. A few of the clips really stand out as genuine moments between two normal people instead of a contrived script performed by actors. I especially noticed this when the couple was interacting in the back of the truck. Kudos for using people are aren’t already seasoned actors. The humanness really comes through.

Decades Late. I guess I can get over the fact that Thomas Rhett is 34-year-old singing about a high school Friday night because I’ll assume his upcoming album will have more age-appropriate songs on it, as well. Nothing wrong with a little nostalgia now and then even if high school was half a lifetime ago. The mention of Bacardi is unoriginal… a lot of country music tends to namedrop alcohol brands (Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Coors, etc) and Bacardi pops up in basically all genres of music. Except maybe Christian music? Hey, it’s hard to make “Going to Heaven I won’t be tardy, even if I don’t finish my Bacardi” sound church-friendly.

4x4s. The video also skids into one of my biggest pet peeves in music. Namedropping a truck (Ford, Chevy, etc) but showing something different in the video. In this song, Thomas sings about a 2004 Ford “F-One Five Oh,” but he’s not driving a ’04 Ford F-150. In fact, he’s not driving an F-150 at all. In the video, it’s a 1975 Ford F-100 (although the F-150 did make its debut in 1975). Because he at least used a Ford truck, I’m giving Thomas a pass on this but with a double side-eye. There’s another Ford from the 70s in Lainey Wilson’s new video “4x4xU” and later model Ford in the Lauren Watkins “Gatlinburg” video… so there must be a new Ford dealership in Nashville sponsoring these songs or something.

I don’t want to be too harsh because I admire anyone who can write, perform in front of thousands, all while being a spouse, parent, and just an all around great person. It seems like Thomas Rhett is all of those things. Like I said before, I’m sure his full album will have lots of music appealing to lots of music fans. But a song written by 4 people shouldn’t be as bland as it is. It’s also 10 years too late. It wreaks of 2010s bro-country instrumentation common to mainstream country music in the previous decade. I’ve been reading a book about the life of Roy Orbison. Among all of his hits there are periods where he’d be writing music to fit whatever trend is going on at the time. These were some of his worst songs (if that even can be said!). Maybe a better way to say it is that the songs where Roy wrote music with the paycheck as the endgame were some of his more forgettable offerings. Like a factory making gadgets that are passing fads. This song from Thomas reminds me of that, except that the bro-country or boyfriend-country fad passed years ago. Because of that, the best anyone can hope for is that “Overdrive” is part of the tour setlist this summer/fall and then it gets shuffled over to the dark and dusty room where songs that aren’t every played again are shelved. There’s no way it turns heads on any Billboard charts and honestly, it might only surprise people by how quickly it disappears without being a song that adds to country music’s legacy in any way.

Part of the reason for I rolled my eyes when I listened to it is the pun title. Thomas sings of putting the truck in overdrive but then also includes, “I’m coming overdrive” as in… I’m coming over… combined with overdrive… get it? So clever. 🥴

Lyrical twists in country music titles and lyrics go way, way back (anyone remember the witty Bellamy Brothers song from the late 70s, “If I Said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me”?) but I think its recent popularity in country music peaked in the early 2010s. One of my favorites was (and is) Eric Church’s “Homeboy.” But just like bro country, people were over it (or should I say overdrive it) after a couple of years of market saturation. In other words, this offering from Thomas is out of place in 2024.

Overall, the video is fun and makes the song come to life. It’s just going to be a short life. However, if anyone is talking about this forgettable song a year from now or even a month from now, I’ll gladly post another blog admitting I deserve a big, fat L for today’s post.

-Out of the Wilderness

Anyway… A Joe Biden Story

Everyone has phrases they’re in the habit of saying so it’s not like President Joe Biden is unique in that way. But because he’s busy campaigning and having to travel all over, we get the pleasure of hearing his catchphrases in every speech, interview, or, as in the case of his “big boy” press conference last night, his Q&As with reporters. Besides giving everyone the run-around (ie. lying) he sure has us all hooked with his gaffes. It’s like sweet pain, isn’t it? But Jill should be so happy… Joe answered every question! What a big boy.

When he campaigned for the 2020 election, two of his go-to phrases were “Let’s be clear…” and “Here’s the deal…” Actually, he still says both but one he added to the repertoire, and he used it about 3,419 times in the recent debate, is: “The idea that…” Well, just wait, it got way worse in the presser. It lasted about an hour and he must’ve said “Anyway…” at least 638 times. Here’s a montage.

You know what, I’ve got it. His new campaign rally song is the 1994 smash hit from Blues Traveler…

I hope John Popper can monetize the phrase “but anyway” the way Haliey Welch parlayed herself into fortune with just two words, not that Popper needs the money or anything.

-Out of the Wilderness

Lainey Wilson “4x4xU” Video – The Ford, Zach Top, and More…

Lainey Wilson is country music’s golden daughter (move over Kelsea Ballerini, I guess?) and she’s taking full advantage of her newfound status with more music, more music videos, and a big ol’ tour with opener Zach Top, another artist embracing a throwback style that fans seem to be eating up. It’s all happening and Lainey is handling it with graciousness and gratefulness as her new album is set to release in August. OK, that was sappy. But she’s not letting her fame go to her head is all I’m sayin’. Just recently she released 2 music videos almost simultaneously, and the second piggy-backs off the first. Here’s her latest, called “4x4xU” which continues from where “Hang Tight Honey” left off…

The Truck. I know what you’re thinking: “That there’s a nice sawng.” No! That’s not it. And your accent is that strong! Here’s what you’re really thinking: “Nice music and all, but how about that truck!?” Yes! That’s more like it. I’m more of a Chevy guy myself but kudos to Lainey (and Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere) for not specifically mentioning a truck brand at all. Kind of like Lainey’s style– don’t tell us you’re traditional country in the style of the 1990s, just be it. You don’t have to tell us what kind of truck you’re driving, just drive it… and that’s what she does. Nothing prickles my knickers more than a song with Chevy or Ford in the lyrics but in the music video, they’re driving a Dodge. What gives!? Yes, I’m talking to you Jason Aldean and Lauren Watkins. I’ve rattled on enough without getting to the point of this section of the post, huh? The truck in this video, as best I can tell, is a 1972 Ford F-100. The body style is indicative of the ’67-’72 model but the grill is unique to 1972. It’s a 4-rectangle design, slightly updated from the 6-rectangular grill of 1971. Feel free to change my mind if you know more about old Fords, though. I’m certainly no expert.

In Case You’re Bored. Here’s a quickly-thrown-together behind-the-scenes clip from the music video that basically serves no purpose other than that now they can say they have a behind-the-scenes video. 🥴 If I had my druthers, I’d create an official behind-the-scenes video actually give fans more from the video shoot. Not just a random hodgepodge of clips bundled together for more clicks. Interview the director, Lainey herself, or more about the horses, perhaps.

Here’s part 1 of the story as delivered in “Hang Tight Honey.”

-Out of the Wilderness

The Triathlon Secret Third Recap Post

I guess I’ll call this the secret third option because there’s always a secret third option, right? I posted a recap (part 1 and part 2) of my recent triathlon experience but left out a few important details (I blame the cold I caught over the July 4th weekend).

How could I write both parts of the recap without even mentioning how the race went this year compared to the same race last year!? Mostly all the equipment and gear I used in the 2023 sprint tri (finish time of 1:10:35) went by the wayside somewhere near the end of 2023. What is it they say? Triathlons are the most expensive sport… Something like that. An upgrade in bike and apparel SHOULD mean I improved my time. I’m still early enough in my triathlon life that chunks of time are coming off my overall clock. For this race, I was able to trim 7 minutes off my time which put me in the top 10% of racers (last year, top 23%) and #3 of 16 age group (last year #5 of 19).

I can see a little bit of a plateau forming as I keep participating in these races. Somewhere around the top 10%. That’s fine butI’d love to keep improving my strength and speed to see where the ceiling is for me. I am flirting with the idea of a half iron man in 2025 but for now, my next scheduled race is about 3 months away (October 2024). I’ve got time to rest a bit (get over this dang cold!) and put together a workout routine. Also, I might as well say it now… Monday I went to the doctor (and guess what he told me, guess what he told me)… he said boy, you better have fun no matter what you do. OK, no he didn’t say that. He said the pain I have in my shoulder is… drumroll please….

Arthritis.

Here I thought I had some sort of elite athlete injury that would require surgery and rehab. Ugh, I’m so disappointed! I’m just old. I’ll grapple with this diagnosis for longer than I should and then just do my best to be the best 45-year-old triathlete I can be. I’m getting to the age where I say things like: “It’s 8pm we can’t start a movie now,” and “My back hurts,” (after just getting out of bed) but truly the best is, “It’s a blessing to be this age because some people don’t get that luxury.”

Back to the race, though. It was nice not being surprised this time around. I knew about the cold water. I knew about swimming with the underwater vegetation wrapping around my hands with each paddle. I knew about running up and down the gravel hill twice… and the clay road. Knowing what to expect goes a long way!

There. I think I remembered everything I should’ve put in the other posts. 🥴 Now I’ve gotta go. It’s almost time for the 3pm early bird dinner.

-Out of the Wilderness

Sprint Triathlon Results – Slippery, Cold, and a Top 25 Finish!

Welcome to part 2 of my sprint triathlon recap (catch up with part 1 here). I left you with a little cliffhanger yesterday because there were a couple of things that happened that could’ve taken my brother-in-law or me out of the race entirely. The horror!! All the training and no race to compete in. The biggest hurdle was a flat tire…. BEFORE THE RACE EVEN STARTED. We were about an hour out of starting and needed a tire asap. This is one thing I’m learning about almost every single triathlete I meet: They’re team-oriented. Kind of odd, right, since it’s an individual sport! If you’re around a triathlete, ask them questions you have and 99 times out of 100 they’ll be happy to share what they can. This was the case with the case of the busted tube. The very first people we talked to not only gave us a tube, but they didn’t take reimbursement, just told us to pay it forward. A few minutes later the bike was good as new. So cool…

The next hurdle was a stinky one. Literally! From our 2-hour car ride, I was ready for a pit stop and another thing I’m learning about race morning: There’s inevitably always a line for the private stalls in the bathroom. This time also included the unfortunate circumstance of no toilet paper. Yeah, it was interesting. The line was long enough that my anxiety level was going up, up, up, because I still needed to prepare my transition area AND put my trisuit on. I had about 10 minutes before the transition area closed.

I ran out of time before I could stretch properly or get a short run in with shoes on but at least I didn’t have a DNF getting locked in the bathroom. We gathered together for the national anthem, a bit of comaraderie appreciated by the athletes and fans in attendance. It WAS the 4th of July after all. With opening remarks out of the way, it was time to go. The water was cold and flat. The athletes were lined up. Nervous anticipation. And then the first athlete jumped into the water.

A few minutes later it was my turn. Oh, before the race started I couldn’t decide if I should use my wetsuit (water temp was 68°)… and I ALREADY HAD IT ON! I’m so indecisive. I decided to use it, taking a chance on whatever time it might cost me taking it off in transition. So I jumped in and felt pretty good right away. No water in the goggles, temperature not unbearable. It was a straight swim out then turning back in at the halfway mark. This is where I started to feel short of breath but kept as calm as I could. I think my wetsuit might be too tight. A little struggle but I washed up on shore and took off for the transition area.

And yes, I almost fell as you can see in the picture! Because I was so indecisive about the wetsuit, I didn’t apply any Body Glide so taking the suit off was harder than it would’ve been. I’m so dang hard-headed. The cycling portion went fine. I passed some people and got passed by some people. That’s about par for the course. Cycling is the area I can improve in the most (in regards to timing because it’s the longest distance of the three). I never felt like I was overdoing it, just going hard when I could and bearing the uphills when they came. The transition to run went fine. I wasn’t super fast but I was steady and didn’t make any time-consuming mistakes. The run is my favorite part even though the switch from bike to run makes a funny sensation in the legs for the first half mile or so. By the time I finished the first mile I had caught my breath from the bike ride. Then it was just about focusing on the targets ahead of me, I really like picking out someone in front and using them as a marker to catch up to. This run course was mostly dirt and gravel (my least favorites) so I tried finding the most firm ground. It also has a steep dip in the middle of the 3 miles, down and up, then on the way back it’s the same… down and up.

I could’ve pushed more on the run, I think. But I crossed the finish line 19 seconds under my prediction. Wahoo!

I reached 2 of the goals I set for myself this race– finishing in the top 25 overall and top 3 in my age group. I even got a medal… (PS. everyone gets a medal 🤪)

There are some fast men and women in these races and as I was doing my bike and run, it was impressive to see all the folks out there overcoming the heat, the ups and downs of the course, and just generally totally rocking it. I love being part of these events!

Thanks to triathlon athletes Daniel and Keith for the race pics included in this post…

-Out of the Wilderness