My heart rate driving by Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee

I was in Memphis the other day for some work, well, actually I’ll be more specific. I left Nashville at 415am en route to Southaven, Mississippi, then to Memphis, up to Osceola, Arkansas, then through Missouri on my way back to Nashville. All that to say, the route from Southaven to my destination in Memphis brought me right past Graceland. I’m a big Elvis Presley fan so I was darn excited to drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Fun fact: most intersections don’t have a street sign for Elvis Presley Blvd because they end up stolen as souvenirs

So yesterday I didn’t have time to stop and take it all in, but thanks to my Garmin VivoActive HR, we can see just how driving by had an effect on my heart rate. Screen Shot 2019-08-24 at 12.02.02 PM

The peak there in the middle was recorded as I drove near the famous home of Elvis Presley, Graceland, as it’s called. My heart rate went from 75 to 105. It’s hard to explain the feeling if you’ve never been there. During my time at my old job with CMT we actually shot a couple of shows inside the residence which was a real treat, but even driving by yesterday without stopping to go inside weighed heavy on me, in a good way. He’s just such a fascinating person and to be so close to his home was really cool… even for the 4th or 5th time in my life.

-Out of the Wilderness

A mustang and a green button in Keith Urban’s “We Were” video

Keith Urban’s latest music video looks smooth and easy, but I can assure you that any video you record as a continuous clip is anything but easy. I wonder how many takes they did before they had a keeper? Where did they record this, anyway? Well, I’m glad you stopped by because I have some answers!


Location…
This “one take” video was recorded south of downtown Nashville. It’s not Music Row, as some might think. There’s another trendy little spot called Berry Hill that’s home to quite a few recording studios. The one in this video is House of Blues. Around 1:45 into the video Keith walks in to “The Cave” as seen below in the music video and a picture from the HOB website.


And what do y’all think about Keith’s choice of drink?

Based on the light shining through and the way this particular cup is handled, I’m making a bet there wasn’t any liquid in the cup. Well, I take that back. Maybe on take 1 there was, but after doing this 50 times, Keith was like, “You know what guys, I’ve had enough water!” 🙂

Did anyone else notice something in this part of the video?

Screen Shot 2019-08-14 at 2.44.26 PM

Keith didn’t press that little button that says “push to exit.” I KNEW IT WAS ALL A SHAM!! After all the times I’ve pressed those buttons because I didn’t want to be the guy who doesn’t and then gets embarrassed when the door doesn’t open! If Keith doesn’t press it, I don’t press it. That’s my new motto.

I call this next part of the video, “true friends.” A true friend is someone who says, “Parking’s a bear? I’ll be here awhile, park behind me and we’re all good.” Good job, Mustang driver!

Screen Shot 2019-08-14 at 2.47.30 PM

The video was also shot in vertical format, and released mid-July. If you’re reading this on your phone, click here for vertical video through Spotify. Spoiler: it’s the exact same video, just edited for your phone, so if you aren’t able to see it through the link, you can scroll back up and watch it on YouTube 🙂

Overall, great song, great job by Keith, and kudos to the steadicam operator for all that work!

-Out of the Wilderness

Jeff Epstein: Murder or Suicide? Is he even dead?

If we can ever get past the fact that this guy was (or is) everything we (or I) hate about entitled (or arrogant) people, and the ugly (or monstrous) things he’s done, the story is quite fascinating regarding how his summer has gone (or is going). I mean, you thought you had a bad summer, but this guy, wow! Here’s a brief timeline…

July 6 – arrested in New Jersey. Getting arrested is bad, but he was in New Jersey, ewww!

July 23 – found unconscious in his jail cell after a botched suicide attempt, reportedly

August 9 – crap hits the fan as interviews are unsealed in civil cases against him

August 10 – found dead in his jail cell after a successful suicide attempt, reportedly

Conspiracy theorists finally have another one to dig into. For me, this is where it gets fascinating. Did he commit suicide with just a 100 thread count bed sheet or was he murdered by the Clinton gang? I’ve also heard it’s possible he’s not even dead! Why that idea is being floated out there is that it could work in the prosecutions favor if his friends/ new enemies/ co-conspiritors (people he’s “entertained” on his plane or boat or people who helped orchestrate things) relax a bit knowing he can’t name them, then boom! he shows up in court and all those nasty folks Bill Clinton who took part in his evil schemes will be up the creek, too.

His net worth was $550 million so I’m walking around now with my head held a bit higher knowing I’m worth more than a multi-millionaire because he’s dead (if he’s actually dead). Well, actually, even when he was alive, we were all worth more than him. Am I right???

So questions are swirling around the fact that he was on suicide watch and somehow still had access to things (bed sheets) that could assist his efforts to end his life. Where were the guards? Why didn’t cameras pick up any unusual behavior inside or outside the jail facilites? What does his brother Mark Epstein know and is he just as shady as Jeff?

Another person to keep an eye on is Ghislaine Maxwell, a close friend of Jeff Epstein. There is chatter she was in on his sex-trafficking schemes. If there’s any evidence proving this, she’ll be in a world of hurt, too. Or she may end up dead if the Clintons have anything to do with it.

So what do you think? Is he dead? If not, where is he and what will happen in the near future? Chime in below and thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

Stories behind Quintino’s “Make Believe” music video…plus Latin translations!

Producer Quintino is behind a really nice track called “Make Believe.” Check it out here…


After watching it, if you’re like me, you have questions. Where were all those beautiful locations? Who’s got that calm, welcoming voice singing the lyrics? Well, look no further!

Right off the bat there’s a skyline, and the architecture in the bottom left is a church (in construction since 1892, hence the cranes in the video) called Sagrada Familia.

Screen Shot 2019-08-13 at 6.29.20 PM

Other locations are the airport in Barcelona, as indicated by the train in the background, Rodalies de Catalunya, which services the greater Barcelona area.

Screen Shot 2019-08-13 at 6.47.11 PM

The video was directed by Day Garcia. She’s based in Mallorca/Madrid/Cuba.

Vocals are by Britt Pols, a Dutch singer/songwriter, and she’s also one of the writers of the song.

At one point in the video there’s a Latin phrase as the stage background.

Screen Shot 2019-08-13 at 6.06.17 PM

Translated from Latin to English is this: Amicorum- Friends; and Spectaculum- Show.

Social stuff…

DJ Quintino’s tour stops and Twitter @QUINTINOO

Day Garcia on the internets

Britt Pols Instagram

 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

My guilty pleasure: The Bachelor shows

I’m a 40-year old man and I’m an addict. Hi, my name is Ben.

This relationship I have with the Bachelor family of shows started over a decade ago and I’ve always said I can quit whenever I want. It’s not a problem.

But it IS a problem when I wake up Monday morning and think, “Ok, I need to plan my day around the goal of being home by 7pm to watch Bachelor in Paradise.” Or when I become the very proud commissioner of a Bachelor fantasy league at work. And it’s not even the fantasy game ABC created.

We created our own league with our own points and categories and a giant excel sheet. 

To be honest, it was awesome. I loved keeping stats on kisses, who cussed or said “here for the right reasons,” who shows up with a gimmick on episode 1, who gets the first impression rose, and on and on we would go with the circus.

But it’s not like there’s ever been a lot of real romance on the show, even dating back to the very first Bachelor couple, Adam and Eve. There is some romance, for sure. However, the romance we witness rarely leads to marriage. In fact, if I were a divorce lawyer, well, I’d be poor (because of that whole not getting married part) BUT I’d be waiting right behind Neil Lane with a packet of papers and a couple of pens.

Producers pressure you into a premature proposal? Fantasy suite got you all confused about stuff? Pump the brakes and put your trust in me. Hi, my name is Ben. I’ll be your lawyer friend.

…would be my way-too-long slogan. If there were a way to make money off engagement breakups, THEN I’d be more than a poor divorce lawyer. Because this is dating in real life. So why do I, and we, keep coming back? I guess it’s for entertainment value because there sure is a heck of a lot of that. And the drama. With the current cast of Jordan and Blake and Hannah G among others, my heart rate is equal to a brisk jog on a Planet Fitness treadmill.

I guess we could call this post “Confessions of a 40 year old man: Why I admit to watching The Bachelor.” My confession: I just do. I can’t really explain why. With the windmills and the Stagecoach and Jordan being the best cast member ever, we just can’t get enough, can we? 🙂

What are your thoughts about the show and if you’re willing to share, why do you watch? Comment below!

-Out of the Wilderness