In this interview, Casey James talks about his music career, the blues, how he got involved with Rebuilding Together and how he’s an actually DIY man with MyFixitUpLife.
Mark: You’re inside MyFixitUpLife with my wife Theresa and we’re here in Nashville, Tennessee with Rebuilding Together and a cast of characters, talent, volunteers, volunteams, individuals …
Theresa: Volunteams. Yeah.
Mark: And homeowners who are literally in front of our eyes, building a healthier neighborhood.
Theresa: We are joined by …
Mark: Someone who has two first names.
Theresa: Yeah. What is up with that?
Mark: I don’t know what to call you, Casey James.
Casey James: That’s right. You know what? I was just talking about that with Ayla. When somebody says, “Put your last name first and then your first name last.”
Mark: It doesn’t matter for you?
Casey James: Then they always-
Theresa: They call you James.
Casey James: Boom. Every time I’m like-
Theresa: Hey, Jimmy! How you doing?
Casey James: All day long they read the last name first and then you get to mine and ready my first name last. It’s okay.
Theresa: They think you filled out the form wrong, Jimmy.
Casey James: That’s right, yeah.
Theresa: I just wish he’d know how to fill out the form.
Mark: I have been seriously looking at it and paralyzed because I can’t remember which one’s first.
Theresa: Is your middle name like a last name then? What’s another first name?
Casey James: No, my middle name is Everett.
Theresa: Everett, okay.
Casey James: Casey Everett James.
Mark: That’s all first names.
Casey James: I guess it can be.
Theresa: Wait, wait, wait. Casey E. James. That’s hard to say. Why did they do that?
Casey James: You know what? That’s so funny. My Twitter used to be Casey E. James.
Theresa: Yes.
Casey James: I had to change it to Casey James because nobody every got it.
Theresa: It was like Case E.
Mark: Yeah.
Casey James: Casey E. James and I would have to stop and be like Casey stop E James and that just takes way too long.
Theresa: It’s confusing.
Mark: Now if you’ve got to explain that to Twitter. That was more than 140 characters.
Casey James: That’s right.
Theresa: Yes.
Casey James: That’s exactly right.
The people are out. If I can’t say it in about 3 words, nobody want to hear it.
Mark: Now, that’s sad. People do want to hear your music.
Theresa: Yes.
Mark: American Idol. You’ve got the suitcase song which has about-
Casey James: Yeah.
Mark: 400 trillion views on YouTube.
Theresa: How did you get 400 trillion views?
Casey James: Well, you know what? I was excited when we hit a trillion. I just called all those people. I said “Please just watch this 4 more times.” And we … Boom.
Theresa: Yes, and just started …
Casey James: Boom.
Theresa: Acted out. It’s incredible. It’s amazing that you were able to beat all those cat videos too.
Casey James: I know, right?
Theresa: I know. How hard is that?
Casey James: I just heard about the new one where the cat saves the kid. Have you heard about it?
Theresa: No.
Casey James: It probably happened an hour ago. I don’t know.
Mark: No seriously, this is the generation that we live in though. That if you out-pace a cat video-
Theresa: You’re doing really well.
Casey James: You’re huge.
Mark: You’re like: Next step Academy Awards.
Casey James: Pretty huge. It’s cat video and then Grammys and then Oscars and then you’re president.
Theresa: Now I have a plan.
Casey James: That’s the way.
Theresa: My life’s plan.
Casey James: That’s how you do it.
Theresa: Before I met you I didn’t have it.
Mark: We weren’t recording that. Can I jot that down?
Casey James: Go ahead and write that down. We got it on video so we’re good.
Theresa: We’ll rewind. We’ll write it down.
Casey James: Yeah.
Theresa: We’ll put it up. I’ll needlepoint it onto a pillow.
Casey James: It may not be accurate by then because thing will have changed.
Theresa: Damn. We have to follow Casey James on Twitter so we can find out what the plan is.
Mark: We do.
Theresa: I think we follow him already.
Mark: @CaseyJames boom. Your music is described as a blend of country and blues. You’ve got some rock in there.
Casey James: Yeah.
Mark: I don’t mean to put you on the spot but-
Casey James: But I’m going to put you on the spot.
Mark: Here is comes. I gave it some thought, then I realized I have no idea what the blues really are. What is it?
Casey James: That’s horrible. What do you mean you don’t know what the blues are?
Mark: I think I know. I know blues artists.
Casey James: Okay.
Mark: I know that rock ‘n roll developed out of the blues, but I don’t know what-
Theresa: Oh Lord. How much time do you have?
Mark: A musician means by the blues.
Casey James: That’s true. Well, you know what? Oh man, it goes back … It goes so far back. Have you ever heard of Robert Johnson?
Mark: No but I know they’re all named T-Bone and Sidecar.
Casey James: Well, so true but no. It starts a way, way long time ago and the truth is that back in the day country western and blues weren’t really that far apart. If you go back to the early days of both of them and listen it’s almost like you had this … There was a western movement of country western music and then you had this thing that was happening in … It was like a black culture type thing and it was the blues. It was them singing about what they knew and you got these guys over here singing about what they knew but it was very very close sonically and the way that it was approached. I just love … It evolved over time. Then you got guys like I guarantee you’ve heard of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Right?
Mark: Of course.
Casey James: That would be classified as blues music. He did a lot of covers of songs that were much older and people … It’s fine because …
Mark: That he invented it?
Casey James: Boom. That’s exactly it. It’s always that way, especially in blues. You’ll go back and listen and go “I really love that” and then you realize that’s just a cover of somebody doing a cover of a cover.
Mark: The song is 30, 40 years old.
Casey James: Yeah.
Theresa: I have to say that my husband, Mark is going to get two things out of talking to you. What blues is and boom. You’re going to start answering everybody like that. Boom.
Mark: I invented that.
Theresa: Okay, sorry.
Mark: I know about that.
Theresa: Yes. There you go.
Casey James: Boom, boom.
Mark: That’s awesome. John Lee Hooker?
Casey James: Absolutely, absolutely.
Mark: You know what John Lee Hooker’s big song is, right?
Theresa: What?
Mark: No, you don’t. Boom Boom.
Casey James: Yep.
Theresa: Oh my goodness.
Mark: You can’t make that up.
Casey James: And you said didn’t know the blues.
Mark: Well, I didn’t know what is was. I don’t know. I do know that I don’t know.
Theresa: It’s making you feel really sad.
Mark: Why are you here?
Casey James: Man, I’m here to help. I’m here to help in a nutshell. I was so excited. I got the call from my manager and he told me … Because he knows everything about my life. That’s the way you have to be when you have a manager and he says … I rebuilt my very first house and he knows that whole thing and he said … When he told me about this charity because I’m very, very picky about who I choose to work with. He said “You’re going to love this.” He sent me a link to check out Rebuilding Together and as soon as I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. I started researching everything. The whole idea of … I mean first of all, who can’t get behind helping people? I mean it’s good people doing good things for other good people. They’re going into neighborhoods that need the help and they’re building playgrounds. Who doesn’t want to be a part of that? The more I read about it and I found out it’s an amazing amount of work that gets done for a very small amount of money that’s donated. That puts them in a super, super high rating. Essentially as far as charities go, it’s very highly rated.
Mark: Yeah, the money that moves right to benefit the homeowner.
Theresa: Yes.
Casey James: That’s exactly right. In other words if you a dollar in a certain charity you might get 50 cents of work done or it might go to whatever cause that you donate for. Rebuilding Together, you donated dollar and three dollars work is done. It’s huge.
Mark: Yeah.
Casey James: You can make a big difference for a small amount of … The reason that happens is because as we look around there’s a lot of people here and the shocking thing is is that I had no idea that this was going on. I’m here and from now on I plan on really being a voice, really telling people, hey this is happening. I know tons of people that would want to be involved.
Mark: Wow.
Theresa: Amazing.
Mark: So, you’re a DIY guy, too.
Casey James: Absolutely, yeah.
Mark: Love it.
Casey James: Yeah.
Mark: Rebuild your first house in the 30 seconds that we have left.
Theresa: Yeah.
Mark: Please describe that entire project.
Casey James: It was brutal. There was issues with the house. As you know once you begin to tear things apart, you find something else that needs to get fixed. One thing led to another and by the end of the situation I had re-roofed it, put new rafters, new floor joints, new floors–
Theresa: Wow.
Casey James: New doors, new electric, new plumbing, new everything. New hot water heater, new fans, new-
Theresa: Wow!
Casey James: Windows, new everything. I mean literally did every single bit of it. Thank God I’ve got friends that would help me, come over. It was a brutal and long process.
Mark: Wow. Well, new reason to get behind, listen to and buy the music of James Casey!
Theresa: Jimmy, Jimmy.
Mark: @James Casey on Twitter. Follow, listen.
Casey James: Casey James everybody.
Theresa: Follow him on Twitter because we do.
Mark: And we’ll be back with more Rebuilding Together at MyFixitUpLife.
[…] Theresa: Oh, I’ve missed you all these years. I’m so glad that we’ve been reunited in Nashville. […]