Mess Haul

PD: I thought musicians didn’t wake up until noon.

JDM: Well, I usually get up way earlier than this [9 a.m.]. But I’m still getting used to a new time zone.

So you’re a morning person?

I guess I’m an all-day person.

If I were your lackey, what would you have me pick up at Starbucks?

A nonfat grande double-shot latte.

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?

I eat six times a day, so I guess breakfast is as important as any other meal.

You whipped up an omelet on Celebrity Kitchen. Is that your specialty?

Yeah, egg whites. I eat those to maintain my weight — not necessarily because they taste good.

You kicked off the CMA Music Festival with “Carry On Wayward Son,” and we love you for it.

[Laughs] Thanks. We tried to throw in something a little unexpected, but something that everybody knows, so that the boyfriends who got dragged to the show could have something they could appreciate.

Are you a big Kansas fan?

Ah, who isn’t?

You’re playing a casino in Kansas City. Are you a gambler?

No, definitely not. I work too hard for my money to throw it away.

Well, you did flip a coin for “Heads Carolina, Tails California.”

Yeah, but there wasn’t a whole lot at stake there. It was just a quarter.

Is it tough balancing being a country music star and a triathlete?

Like you said, not many people in the music business get up too early. I do my training before most people wake up.

What’s the best thing about playing the fair circuit in the summer? Elephant ears?

We love to do the fairs. You get to see so many people, and it’s really a big part of country music. Yeah, I do steal some of the fried dough every now and then.

Do you ever sneak to the Tilt-A-Whirl?

I did that once, but it wasn’t the best thing ever. The ride went a little too fast, a little too long.

Anybody on your wish list that you haven’t performed with yet?

Playing with Bonnie Raitt would be pretty stellar.

Redheads gotta stick together.

Yep.