it would sell more records. >> for a while he went by john cougar mellencamp. political. mellencamp songs about freedom, struggling farmers, the working man led fans to make assumptions. >> quite honestly within of my biggest disappointments you would think with all the people in the world that somebody would have taken and listen to the lyrics of my song. >> pink houses for instance. pays the thrills, the bills, and the pills that kill. >> is not a red white and blue anthem. ♪ for you and me ♪ ain't that america something to see ♪ baby ♪ >> your fans are probably way, way, way on the spectrum to the right of you. >> oh, i have been booed. when the iraq war started i was so against that. $51 billion more to continue his war in iraq. if john mellencamp sound like oneself assured son of a gun -- she is the reason why. >> here's the trick if you want a kid that has confidence. my grandmother told me every day of my life. buddy, don't forget, you are the handsomest, luckiest, talented boy in the world. the flip side of that is, it is really hard for girlfriends to c

but i like to be in the category of john prime and emmylou harris and john cougar and sturgill simpsonyou were his hero. >> i don't know about all that. i never met a man from kentucky who had another man as his hero. but i like sturgill a whole lot and i like what he does. he opened a lot of shows for us. early on in his career, anyway. i think he's authentic. i think he makes music that he wants to make. that's something i think the americana genre probably has not i've are genre has. we're not targeting an audience, really. i think, for the most part, people who you would call americana musicians are trying to make good, honest roots-based music, and that's real will you about the best you can hope for. >> rose: is there or is it made of great conflicts in nashville between pop and country and whatever other genre there is? >> i think in a lot of ways it's made up. but it's fun to think about it that way, isn't it? is it's nice to think we're winning and they're losing. i enjoy that. gives me something to do when i'm riding down the road in a tour bus. >> rose: but you are winning?