Hayley Williams Is Not A Fan Of Morgan Wallen's Bar, Cam Ward Talks Routine & Is Buc-ees Racist?

August is my reset month.

If you've been reading my Nightcaps over the past two years (bless you), you might remember that I always do a "Dry August." It's not Sober October or Dry January like most people do. Those months don't work for me. My birthday is in January and, frankly — as a Miami Dolphins fan — not drinking during football season is simply not an option.

But I don't just abstain from booze in October. I go all out. I adhere to a strict diet, walk a minimum 12,000 steps a day, absolutely destroy myself in the gym, knock out some projects around the house, try to be in bed by 9 p.m. and, of course, listen to Mike McDaniel's motivational morning affirmations:

Actually, scratch that last one.

But really, I think August is the perfect month to get dialed in. It's an opportunity to reset from summer and prepare our bodies for a football season full of hot wings and beer. It's like doing your homework on Friday so you have the rest of the weekend to party.

So here I am, Nightcaps fam: dialed TF in. Let's get to it.

Cam Ward Talks To Only 5 People

You know who else is dialed in? Cam Ward.

The Titans rookie QB is so locked in on football this training camp that he doesn't even talk to anyone outside of his parents, his dog and his teammates. He's locked in on his routine.

"Phone on DND, wake up, watch film," Cam said. "I talk to five people a day. So, besides my teammates, I only talk to parents and then dog. That's really it."

Same, Cam. But not because I'm trying to become an elite NFL quarterback. I just don't want to talk to people.

"I just be chillin,'" he continued. "Go home. I don't really do too much. Eat and go to sleep. and I think the biggest thing was just — whether you're college or NFL — you just gotta have a routine."

Good call, CW. If you're going to lead the sh*tty Tennessee Titans, you need all the focus and the discipline you can get. 

Besides, Cam's not missing anything in Nashville anyway. Just ask GRAMMY-winning artist and certified wet blanket Hayley Williams.

Hayley Williams Is Not Down With The Broadway Bars

Hayley Williams — perhaps better known as the lead singer of Paramore — is a loud and proud liberal nutjob. And you know what? That's fine. This is America, and you're free to be a loon if you want to be. That doesn't change the fact that "Misery Business" is an absolute jam.

Her new stuff? Not so much.

Hayley just released 17 new songs, one of which is called "Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party." As a Nashville (suburb) resident and a hater of the Broadway bachelorette scene myself, I decided to give this song a listen. So I pulled up the YouTube video and gave it a go.

Spoiler alert: it's terrible.

In the first chorus, she hits us with the lyric "I’ll be the biggest star at this racist country singer’s bar." I assume she's talking about Morgan Wallen because of that n-word Ring doorbell camera incident from several years ago.

But even aside from that line, it's just not a good song. Certainly not something I'd voluntarily blast in my car with the windows down on a sunny afternoon.

Then I saw a clip of an interview about the song, and my suspicions were confirmed. In the interview, she explains that she doesn't like any of the bars named after country singers, but her least favorite is Morgan Wallen's. She also blasts the country singers for not coming up with more creative names for the bars they own.

This is where I have to step in and remind Hayley, the interviewer, everyone and their mamas that these singers don't actually own these bars. These bars on Broadway are owned by huge corporate entities that pay the stars for the right to plaster their names on the side of the building. Jason Aldean is not in there balancing books and making menu decisions.

And for the record, I don't like it, either. Downtown Nashville used to have character. It used to be so cool. But now, if you stroll down Broadway, you'll hear the cacophony of 40 different bands all singing "Don't Stop Believing" and "Wagon Wheel," you'll spend $12 for a Coors Light, and, if you're lucky, you won't step in any tourist vomit.

Hayley, make sure I get a writer's cred if you include that in your next crappy song.

I promise I love Nashville, y'all. Like most locals, I just don't love Broadway.

Hayley then goes on to credit one of her favorite Nashville bars — a lesbian bar on the east side called Lipstick Lounge. Hayley says she, too, has toyed with the idea of opening a lesbian bar, called Scissors (LOL), in Nashville, but she's not sure if that would be allowed because of "fascism."

And I'm still convinced that no one who uses that word actually knows what it means.

Anyway, go ahead and skedaddle on out of "fascist" Tennessee, Hayley, and be sure not to stop at Buc-ees on your way out. 

Ashley Eases My Fear Of Grizzly Bears

Over the past few weeks, my email inbox has been flooded with three topics and three topics only: bears, books and dogs. And honestly, I'm completely OK with that.

Ashley @ Bass Lake Writes: I live part of the year in the mountains south of Yosemite. Not long ago, I was taking my dogs on their evening constitutional and spotted a bear cub (btw, bear cubs are still HUGE) walking up the street from the lake about 50 yards in front of us. The dogs were off-leash, and I whisper-yelled at them to come to me. My sweet German Shepherd (who is my Shadow) came to me and said, "what’s up, Mom?" But my Pitt Chihuahua Staffie mix glared at me like I was crazy or too dictatorial, and then proceeded to spot the bear and chase after it… I stood there on the hill in the dusk and thought, "how am I going to explain to my husband that I let a bear eat his dog?" But pretty soon she was racing back up the hill towards me. She must’ve gotten close and totally understood why mommy was whisper-yelling at her! Now she won’t get too far away from me and always listens when I give commands. Winning.

Also, the bears mostly don’t care about us, eat lots of berries and routinely dump over our trash dumpsters and make a giant mess if some jackass campers leave them unlocked. Come on out! I’ll show you some hikes!

Amber:

First of all, don't tempt me with a good time. I'll be knocking on your door in Yosemite with bells on. (Both as a phrase to express my enthusiasm and as a mechanism to hopefully alert the bears I am coming and to scare them away.)

Like Ashley's, my German Shepherd also hikes (mostly) off-leash because he's my shadow and has excellent recall. That said, he's never seen a bear, and I'm not sure what he would do if he did. Hopefully exactly what Ashley's Shep did.

Because I can only imagine my panic if Rocky were with me and this happened:

And now some comic relief from Michael…

Michael M. Writes: A man went out deer hunting one morning. It was really early and he fell asleep up in the deer stand. Of course, he rolled over while sleeping and fell to the ground, breaking his leg. He dragged himself over to a tree to prop himself up while pondering what to do. Of course, what should come along but a big black bear. And it looked hungry. So being a Christian, he started to pray.

"Lord, please.. I know I haven't been the best Christian, but please have mercy. Please let this be a good Christian bear!"

He prayed this over and over, as the bear came closer and closer. He closed his eyes and kept praying. Soon he could hear each footstep and the bear's breathing. He could feel the bear's breath! And then... nothing. Finally he dared to peek out and saw the bear with its paws folded and heard:

"Lord, for this gift I am about to receive, let me be truly grateful! Amen!"

Nightcaps Book Club Weekly Meeting:

If you're not a nerd, feel free to skip this section.

But a few weeks ago, I explained that I refuse to buy an e-reader. I love, love, love to read, but I prefer physical books with actual covers and pages. Surprisingly enough, you all have A LOT of opinions about this. And it seems I'm in the minority.

Larry H. Writes: A little too late contribution to the eBook discussion. Being a 72 years old, I thought that I would never want to read a book on a Kindle or my phone. For years, I have bought used books on eBay that were first published a few years ago so the sweet spot price is below $5. Of course, having to wait for delivery is a hassle sometimes because the sellers aren't always great about mailing them out quickly.

I decided to give the Kindle app and an eBook a try one day when I found one I wanted for $4.99. It took some getting used to, but it is actually a great way to read books. When I read a paperback, I use a reading light clamped to the book which must be moved every few minutes as I progress through it, which gets cumbersome.  When reading an eBook on my phone or iPad that isn't necessary. I recently needed to pack as lightly as possible for a trip to the beach and I simply downloaded a couple of books to my Kindle account which I accessed on my iPhone, which of course I always have in my pocket or nearby. Also great to have an eBook on my phone when I waiting in a doctor or dentist office. Another aspect is the lack of clutter or "stuff" that is added to your house by having shelves full of books that my kids won't have to dispose of when I pass. Something I've had to think about as I age. Overall, I would rate it a great experience even though I still love having the actual books to read.

I started reading Tom Clancy books many years ago and now that I am retired, I have expanded to other action/thriller/assassin authors like Mark Greaney (Memphis resident), Jack Carr, Jack Slater, and Brad Thor. I donated most of my Tom Clancy books to Goodwill over the years to clear out some clutter, but I currently have 85 paperback and hardcover books for these authors and now 7 eBooks in my Kindle account (bought one today).

This from an old fart who vowed he would never own an electric yard tool, but when I could no longer get my gas-powered weed trimmer to start, I bought an electric one, and I love it.

I understand your reticence, but "don't knock it till you try it." Just my 2 cents.

Amber:

If anyone here is still using one of those clunky reading lights that clamps to the top of your book, I highly recommend hopping on Amazon and grabbing a bendable neck light. As the name suggests, you wear it around your neck, so there's no clamping and unclamping or fumbling around with a light. My husband laughs at me because I'm always wearing mine around the house in the evenings, but deep down I think he's jealous of how stylish and practical I am.

As for the shelves and shelves full of books that your kids will have to throw away when you pass, I don't keep books once I've already read them. I understand some people like to have trophies (my cousin is this way), but I do not. Once I finish a stack of books, I take them straight to the used bookstore here in town and trade them for another stack of books. Boom — no clutter, and I have an endless stream of credits so I never actually have to buy a book.

Drew in Katy, Texas, Writes: I buy a lot of books from AbeBooks online, which is a used book clearinghouse that connects to used bookstores all over the U.S. and some internationally. Check them out if you aren’t already familiar with them. They list the books that you search by price and also list their condition. I’ve only returned one book that was not in good to great condition. Someone had just underlined almost every sentence, and the bookstore didn’t catch that and cull it. 

I not only get to purchase more books cheaply this way, but I am able to give away books to friends who have similar interests and like to read. Instead of just telling them about a book that I read 30 years ago, I buy it for them. I can find endless numbers of old books that are no longer in print. Sometimes I can find a signed copy. An example was that I had a friend whose son was graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. I bought the young man a quality early hardback copy of "God Is My Co-Pilot" signed by the author, Robert L. Scott, who was one of the Flying Tiger Pilots in WWII.

And no, I don’t work for AbeBooks or any used bookseller. 

Attached is a recent photo of Nova, my oldest son and daughter-in-law’s awesome Belgian Malinois.

Amber:

This website would be super helpful if you're looking for specific titles, as the library and used bookstores don't always have everything available. So good call on that.

Also, Drew has learned a trick that if you attach a picture of your dog, I tend to read your email faster. Do with that information what you will.

Belgian Malinois are fascinating to me — the genius, athletic crackheads of the dog world. Maybe I'll adopt one someday, but having a Mal and a 1-year-old German Shepherd in my home at the same time sounds exhausting and a little psychotic. So we'll have to wait until Rocky gets older and a little less insane.

Ashley @ Bass Lake Writes: I was once a die-hard REAL BOOKS ONLY girl. Totally loyal to the bring some-take some paperback section at allllll the libraries. Now I have a collection of retired ebook readers in a box (that’s what they were called for us Gen-Xers) that date back to the kind you had to plug into a phone line. All courtesy of my Mom, who has always been more into tech than I am- the stuff makes me itchy. There is nothing more awesome than finishing a book and having a new one loaded up in 2 seconds with 2 clicks on Amazon. Nothing makes me more stressed than not having a book to read. I’m sorry:))

Amber:

I also cannot stand not to have a book to read. That's why I always have a stack on standby. Just takes a little planning ahead!

Jake W. Writes: I love a real book as much as the next person, but I'm a full-on convert to the eReader for the following reasons: 

1)You can put them in 'dark' mode (white text on a black background), and read them easily in bed without disturbing your partner.  This is key for me at night, because I'm now finding at my age that the most effective way to wind down and put myself to sleep nowadays is by reading a book for 15-20 minutes.

2) Now that I'm in my mid-40s, my eyes are unpredictable, and so being able to change the text size has been enormously helpful.

3) Much more compact and easier to travel with than a physical book. And the battery on my Kindle will last for a month at least, even with daily use.

Somebody wrote about scrolling.  They've clearly never used an eReader, as I've never seen one where you scroll.  You simply tap on a page to go to the next one.

Anyhoo, I have a feeling that as you get older, the eReader might have more appeal.

Amber:

If I'm still writing Nightcaps in 10 years, Jake, I'll report back on this theory of yours.

Todd Z. Has Someone He'd Like Us To Meet

Todd Writes: I've owned several labs over the years but this Mini-Aussie can't be beat. She is the center of attention everywhere we go.

Pour One Out For North American Couch Mastiff, Lagertha

Harvey D. Writes: It is with great sadness that I report that my love, Lagertha, has passed. She could have been a stand-in for Chomps or been a quality control dog for Scotchguard. Damn near 9 yrs. She was the best. Loved her plain cheeseburgers and an ice cold Bud heavy. You don't really care how many shoes, chairs, cabinets, hats, tables, and too much to list. But you get the point. 

No one realizes that they don't care what happened at work that day, you came thru the door and that is all that mattered to her. Cheeseburgers or no Cheeseburgers, have some slobber and I love you! All that matters to her. That's unconditional love you will rarely find in a spouse. If you do, you are lucky, like me.

Please hug your pooches and give them an extra bone. You have the best friend you will ever find. 

Pour one out and scratch an ear.

Stuff I Liked

OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.

Follow me on X / Twitter at @TheAmberHarding or email me at Amber.Harding@OutKick.com.