Interview with Pat Waters in Lampasas, TX, 2010

© 2010 / Bruno Michel; Fotos Bruno Michel

After I heard Pat Waters live for the first time, there was a chance for an interview just a few weeks later. At the V.F.W. post 8539 of Lampasas, just a few miles away from our home. Contrary to common belief, the posts of V.F.W. are not restricted to veterans but open to the public. Mostly buildings at the edge of town, with pool tables, a bar, a jukebox and a stage. And very reasonable prices, too. Often you can listen to local talent at these posts, but every now and then there are known names appearing on stage.

BM: Your first CD came out in 2003. What has changed for you in these seven years since?
PW: We picked up a lot of experience, doing several hundred shows a year. That may sound like madness but that’s kind of what I wanted to do. Learn how to entertain a crowd, pick songs on the fly and all these things you need to be able to do if you want to make a living from this job.

BM: You’ve been performing for almost twenty years now. The business has changed a lot since you started. What advice would you give to newcomers these days?
PW: First and foremost I’ll tell them that they need to have a passion for music and a passion for what they’re intending to do. It’s a long hard road to get to a point where you break even. You better have a business plan to follow strictly, because that’s in the end what it is. You can’t buy a book or recipes for success.

BM: Talking about break even: Do you still work a job beside your musical career?
PW: I own a company and have around 35 people working for me. Besides that, I have three children and a wife. To feed us all requires quite an amount of money. So far it has worked out pretty good for us.

BM: I read that you have a clear vision of where you want this road to take you. Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?
PW: Hopefully I see myself being able to make a living from doing what I love. I want to stay a traditional country musician that never failed in his business goals.

BM: Texas Music’s significantly different from today’s mainstream business. What offer would it take for you to give up traditionalism and join that mainstream?
PW: Not gonna happen. No way. I love what I do and I do it with passion. When it comes to that point, it’s no longer about the money for me. It’s about staying true to yourself. There’s still a large population out there that loves to listen to traditional country music.

BM: What inspires you most to write songs?
PW: Normal every day situations that I come across. Whether that be something fun or something tragic. If you write about real things then I believe you have the majority of the population being able to identify themselves with what you sing and relate to it.

BM: Apart from George Strait, which I think you would have picked first, who would be your favorite duet partner?
PW: I would love to do a duet with Merle Haggard. Or with George Jones.

BM: If you would meet an alien who just landed in Texas, what’s the first thing you’d warn him about?
PW: After I run (laughs)? Since I am from friendly Texas, I’d tell him: “Welcome, hope you love it.”

BM: What’s your pet peeve?
PW: People who want to profit without putting their share in. That drives me insane. No matter what you do, you need to put effort and time in. People who don’t do that irritate me a little bit.

BM: What’s the most stunning thing people don’t know about you?
PW: Probably that I am a home buddy, a family man. When you’re on stage and do things, people think whatever they may think, you know. That job requires connecting with your audience in different ways, but at the end of the day I am all about my wife and my kids.

BM: If you were to interview Pat Waters, which question do you ask him that I did not ask?
PW: What the hell are you doing in the music business (laughs)…no, seriously, I don’t know…Maybe something personal like: Run me through a normal Pat Waters day.
BM: Ok, please do.
PW: Well, with that business going it’s being ready at 6am, do some work for the company since several families depend from it’s success. Then working the music business, which we currently are still pushing hard. Try to improve, learn or write songs,listen to stuff that may fit the next album, get connected, all these things.
BM: That means you’re lucky to get 4-5 hours of sleep every night. How does that work in the long run?
PW: I get that much if I’m lucky. Well, you get used to it somehow. Look at me: I am a healthy guy (laughs).

BM: Thank you very much for the interview.
PW: You bet, I appreciate it.