Joe Security

03:38:61 - Contemporary Country

I knew I had something with this song when I found myself in a room full of Harley riding war veterans at the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, NV. It was just past noon and I was just getting started with an unplugged duo show. The drinks hadn't started flowing that heavy yet and it was very mellow so I asked them if they wanted to hear one that I was thinking about putting on my next album. At the end of the song it was dead quiet and one of the leather vested Marine Corps veterans got up and gave me a one hundred dollar bill.

How the song came about:

I was working a night job where all the security officers provided by the security company seemed 80'ish. None had guns (as far as I knew). I also noticed that nobody gave these old timers the time of day. They were in the background. They were mostly of pot bellied jovial characters who were happy to be out of the house. I was many times bored to tears at night so I got the chance to know all of them. Holy hell the stories. One thing I realized quickly was that I was in no danger. Some of these guys were ex Navy SEALS (although they weren't called SEALS back then). Some were ex FBI, ex Swat. D-Day vets, Viet Nam vets, Korea.

The character in the song is a compilation of all these guys. My guy Joe was at D-Day. He was on a riverboat in Saigon. He was saving the world. I love the contrast but also the parallels of the latter day Joe working at Disneyland. I came up with Disneyland because Disneyland is American freedom. In the first draft I had Joe Security carrying a gun "I've got a badge and a gun and I walk around" but then I went back to Disneyland and realized Disneyland security officers don’t carry guns. At least they didn't back then. But this guy does have a smile, he loves what he does, so I illuminated that instead. He has a completeness and pride that he and his boys bought the ride that we enjoy every day. The American Ride as the fella says. Their greatest generation bought it for us. Bought and paid for. "I wish the boys could only be here now. We bought this ride when we wouldn’t back down.”

Trivia ~ Joe Security
Disneyland Security officer Michael Dougherty was kind enough to give me the tour and pose for some shots one of which appears in the album insert in the physical album. Even though he has white hair and moustache, Michael is not quite old enough to be Joe but I found a shot that fit.

Andrea Zonn - Fiddle
John Gardner - Drums/Percussion
David Francis - Bass
Jeff Roach - Keyboards/Organ
Rob McNelley - Electric Guitars
Pat McGrath - Acoustic Guitars
Chris Heers - Lead Vocal/Background Vocals