Joe Nichols Takes a ‘Pop Quiz’

Joe Nichols is anything but shy. We caught up with the affable country star while he was relaxing in his new home state -- Texas -- and decided to give him a little impromptu pop quiz. He was a willing subject , to say the least!

Who would you like to say, 'How do you like me now?' to?

[Laughs] There's so many! Let's say: to all the doubters -- have you ever seen crabs in a barrel? You know how they pull each other down? Here's the one crab who made it out of the barrel.

If you could be cloned right now, what would you have your clone do that you don't have enough time to do?

I would have him on the golf course playing four rounds of golf per day to get good at golf. That's the best job in the world right there.

Would you like to be cloned?

I don't know. There's so many religious beliefs surrounding that. I don't know what to believe about that. I certainly think for medical reasons, we'd have some good opportunities there, but as far as cloning people, I don't know. I think God put one of me on this earth probably for a good reason, and I don't want to go messing with that too much.

Are you a person who lives totally in the moment or do you obsess about the future?

My wife's standing right here. [He asks her the question and laughs.] My wife said without hesitation: in the moment. I enjoy my life very much.

What lesson have you had to learn the hard way?



As far as the marriage goes, I've had to learn the hard way that birthdays are really important. It's really important that you are punctual with the birthday. Plan ahead. The birthday better be on time.

What's the most invasive thing about being a celebrity?

The things that go wrong in my life – the things that aren't so pretty, I think they're magnified by 12. They're pretty ugly, and of course it's just that much more embarrassing when you do something embarrassing. I think the other thing that's invasive is my family – my wife and my daughter – I think they really get sucked into who I am and what goes on in my professional life. That's a little bit invasive, but it's a good job ... wouldn't want to trade it.

When was the last time you were afraid of something and how did you overcome your fear?

I'm afraid of my wife's driving. [laughs] But seriously ... My in-laws have this compound down by the river. Recently it flooded pretty good out there, and there are alligators that live out there in the river beds. I had to go help rescue my father-in-law out of his house because the Texas Corp. of Engineers wouldn't lift a finger to help anybody. I had to go out there and help him out of the cabin, and I had to wade through this water that these alligators live in. That was a pretty scary moment knowing that there was a 14-foot alligator that lived just feet from where I was wading through.

What would your fans be surprised to find out about you that they don't know?

I think I'm pretty out there in the open. My wife says I love to cook. I don't know, I love to cuss.

When you and your wife have a little spat, can you tell the difference between a silly argument and a major argument and who's the first one to reach out to make things better?

I will answer that really quickly, and she's right here listening. I can always tell the difference between a silly argument and a big argument by the language she uses. She's a very nice person and if she says anything like at me, I know that we're in it. As far as making things better, she's always the first one to make things better.

Can you say 'I'm sorry,' or is that hard for you?

It's very hard for me to say I'm sorry ... but I do.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (one being not stubborn at all, and 10 being the most stubborn person in the world), what number would you be?



9.95 ... absolutely! Stubbornness and ignorance and determination are a very fine line from each other. I'm a very stubborn person, but not so stubborn that I can't learn new things and meet new people, but I have a one-track mind.

Joe Nichols released 'Old Things New'' earlier this year, earning a spot on The Boot's Top Country Abums of 2009.