What happened in this episode?
Theo Von speaks with Grammy-winning bluegrass musician Billy Strings (William Apostol) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, ranging from childhood memories to addiction, grief, and touring life. Strings recounts a serious leg break he suffered after a backstage skateboard trick in Charlottesville, describing pain management, an intense ketamine dissociation used during treatment, and the steps he took to avoid misuse of prescribed medication while in recovery.
A central section deals with family loss. Strings says he learned while touring Australia that his mother died from methamphetamine intoxication, after receiving an autopsy and death certificate. He describes returning home, finding drugs and paraphernalia in her bedroom, and confronting the “addict” impulse to keep some; he says he instead asked a police officer friend to remove the stash because he did not trust himself to dispose of it safely. He also speaks about earlier trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, and alleges that his biological father’s overdose may have been a deliberate “hot shot”, describing newly found recordings of family phone calls that have pulled him back into revisiting the circumstances.
Strings discusses quitting cannabis after his young son became seriously ill and he felt ashamed of being high during a crisis, and he reflects on how fatherhood has changed his relationship to performance pressure. He also shares an extended story about meeting Bob Dylan on tour, being asked to sit in on “All Along the Watchtower”, and receiving encouragement afterwards. The interview closes with Strings performing “Groundhog” and a new song, “I’m One of Those”.
