“I Don’t Really Enjoy It”: Chris Stapleton Is Grateful For His Career, But Doesn’t Care For The Fame That Comes With It

Dax Shepard evidently has a knack for getting some of the biggest country stars to really open up.

The actor is a household name thanks to some of his roles in TV shows like Parenthood and movies such as Without a Paddle and CHIPS. That being said, in recent years, the biggest thing he’s known for his undoubtedly his podcast, Armchair Expert, which he started in 2018.

Shepard mainly interviews celebrities, but he’s been dipping into the land of musicians and artists as of late. And the topics generally get pretty deep, with things like family, mental health, struggles and shortcomings, and other more vulnerable points of conversation always seeming to pop up.

The 51-year-old has previously shared that he has a passion for speaking with others, learning more about them, and hearing stories that could potentially help others in similar circumstances. He’s been at it for over six years, and Dax rarely ever passes on the opportunity to talk with someone interesting.

He’s been on somewhat of a roll as of late with country music artists as guests. Just last year, country music superstar Luke Combs sat down with Dax to talk about everything that’s going on in his life. And Jason Aldean was also a guest on the show, which ruffled the feathers of some conservative listeners. I guess Aldean will forever be a tad controversial because of the whole “Try That In A Small Town” thing, eh?

His latest artist interview was with country music superstar Chris Stapleton, and the “White Horse” singer shared a lot about his past, and what he sees for himself in the future (like maybe retiring sooner than you would think). But one of the big reveals was that Stapleton admitted to not being a huge fan of the fame that comes with being a country music star.

He did point out that he “got a lot of practice” before hitting it big, which helped with adjusting to the fame it a bit. Though it took a while for him to become the star he is today, he’s still not super comfortable with some of the inconveniences that being famous comes with:

“What I didn’t get to practice for was people driving up to your house or a tour bus coming by, and that was very hard for me… I don’t enjoy (the fame aspect of all of this). I don’t really enjoy it for my children.”

And he remembers it all starting around the time he released his breakout record, Traveller. Stapleton remembers that all he wanted out of that project was enough success to be able to keep doing what he was doing. He never imagined it being as big as it was, and wasn’t prepared for the blast of fame that came as a result of the album’s success:

“I did have anxiety around the amount of attention. My goal in making that record was to get to make another record.”

Dax Shepard noticed that the fame aspect had really gotten to him, and suggested that maybe Stapleton should have gone the “KISS route” and painted up before every show so that he could still be anonymous even though he was famous. The country star liked the idea:

“Those guys had it figured out. Those guys were marketing geniuses.”

Stapleton’s only disguise is his long hair and iconic beard. The singer was asked if he kept the long facial hair as a bit of a shield to the outside, and he admitted that it could be an “emotional beard” more than anything else. But he also said that the facial hair is vital to his eventual retirement:

“I’ve had the beard and the hair for a long time. I’m sure there is some shield aspect to it. (Shaving my beard), that’s my retirement plan.”

One haircut and shave away from anonymity. At least Stapleton has it figured out if he ever does decide to step away from the music and fame.

You can hear him talk more about it in the interview below:

“Nashville Tennessee,” the final song from Chris Stapleton’s 2020 Starting Over record, was written about this very topic… blowing up, becoming famous, and wanting to escape the kind of personal intrusion that comes with it.

He told NPR:

“The bus starts coming by with tourists twice a day — you know, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. — and you’re out in the front yard trying to kick a ball. A dude shows up in your driveway from North Carolina because he hunted you down someway. No one has ever done anything malicious to me, but it’s a little unnerving when you spend 38 years of your life in relative anonymity. We rented a house down the street, just to get away from the bus and figure out where we were gonna go. But in that rental house, 1 a.m., this song comes out.”

Check it out: