17 Random Questions With Brantley Gilbert

With a new album, The Devil Don’t Sleep, set for release in January 2017 and a headlining tour of the same name kicking off in February, Brantley Gilbert is going to be a busy man as the new year begins.

Before he gets down to business in 2017, Nash Country Daily caught up with “The Weekend” singer to find out 17 random things that you may not know about him, including the story behind some of his tattoos, what he’s binge watching on Netflix and what makes him happy. Check it out.

1. What’s your favorite animal to hunt?
White-tailed deer.

2. Last place you went on vacation?
Mexico. I took my wife to Mexico. That was fun.

3. What question do you hate to answer?
That one.

4. What’s your favorite movie or TV show?
Roadhouse. That’s a great movie. I do like that one. I like The Notebook. I like Rambo and Rocky.

5. Did you say The Notebook?
Yeah. I love that. You got to throw that in the mix, right?

6. What makes you happy?
My wife.

7. What makes you sad?
My wife, when I don’t get my way.

8. What’s your favorite word?
I can’t say it.

9. What’s your favorite item of clothing to wear?
I guess my hat.

10. What’s one vice that you have?
Cigarettes.

11. Are you usually late, early or right on time?
Early, which wasn’t the case today.

12. What’s your middle name?
Keith.

13. What are you binge watching right now?
Binge watching? I just set up a Netflix account yesterday, actually.

14. Just yesterday?
Yeah. I’m kind of behind the time. A lot of catching up to do.

15. Tell me one person you admire.
There’s a lot of people I admire. My mom, my dad. My grandfather. I admire my wife a lot. A lot of people I work with—a lot of guys in my band. I have a lot of admiration for a lot of people.

16. How many tattoos do you have?
I don’t know if I have a legitimate answer that’s very accurate because all of them kind of molded into one. They’re all kind of connected. This one goes up to my chest and then around to my back.

17. Do you have a favorite tattoo?
It kind of tells the story of my life. There are flames and skulls on the bottom part of my arm and my initials, which we also use for the logo of the organization, and that stands for the hell that I put myself and everybody else through for a little while. As you go up, you’ll see the flames dissipate. There’s a big cross on my arm. Modern Day Prodigal Son was the title of my first record. It’s right there on the front of my arm, because this was the transition spot. I do see myself as definitely a modern day prodigal son. As you go up, that’s the journey home. I got Jesus on my arm and I have three angels. I have one chubby angel, in particular. It has a pretty awesome spear, and they’re keeping the devil off my shoulder. The devil’s right there on the back. I have brass knuckles tattooed on the back of my elbow to symbolize the good fight, and then I have a hand here and a hand here, and it’s God’s hand reaching down and my hand reaching up. It says mama in the middle, because before my wife, my mom was always that connection there.


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Hear more of this conversation on our recent NCD The Writers Room podcast episode featuring Brantley Gilbert.

Photo by Jason Simanek

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