“Just Say Yes” YouTube and Spotify
When you need a pep talk in how to get the most out of life, you always want to turn to a woman who grows food out of her own poop.
Okay, hear us out. Yes, it’s true that Goldy Locks, lead singer and mastermind of Nashville’s house-shaking Goldy lockS Band (yes, that’s how she spells it), recently appeared on a 2023 of TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates to explain how she uses her own feces as garden compost. She also mentioned that she collects stray socks from the laundromat to use as sanitary napkins and cuts down on her bar tab by finishing strangers’ discards. But before you dismiss her as some sort of crackpot, you owe it to yourself to take a listen to her band’s new single, “Just Say Yes,” a simply undeniable instant anthem that could convert just about anyone to her philosophy that the glass is always half full (especially when it isn’t yours).
Now, who could resist an entreaty that direct? Locks says she wrote the song specifically “to empower people to say ‘yes’ to quitting their deadbeat jobs,” and also as “a female empowerment song showing that women can ALSO be the boss.” But its appeal is as universal as the unexpected joy of finding a perfectly good sofa somebody left out on the curb.
Even the hoot-and-a-half of a music video Locks and her band have whipped up finds liberty in liberation: The vacuum cleaners and other household totems they wield as props were all rescued from the trash, and the kitsch-Americana costumes they’re wearing come from either thrift/secondhand stores or the nearest dumpster.
That’s pretty appropriate for a woman who was discovered while rifling through the refuse at Prince’s Paisley Park complex. (Clarification: She was discovered by the police.) What followed was a circuitous path to show-biz prominence: first as a seamstress to boy bands, then a pop chanteuse in her own right (she opened for Pink and others), and then, perhaps most famously, as a commentator/manager/wrestler for TNA Impact Wrestling. For years, she’s preached better living through frugality from a variety of media platforms, including her own TLC show, Call in the Cheapskates, and a podcast, Goldy’s Closet (a sub-cast of ex-WWE writer Vince Russo’s The Brand).
But there’s nothing cheap about the bang-for-your-buck reputation she’s simultaneously carved out as leader and frontwoman of The Goldy lockS Band, whose 100+-song repertoire of originals and covers has made the lineup of Locks, bassist Johnny Oro and drummer Rod Saylor a top draw throughout their region—and an in-demand opener for everyone from Saliva, Sevendust and Nickelback to Stevie Nicks, The Bret Michaels Band and Maroon 5. On record, their mastery of rock, pop and beyond has shifted over 65,000 CDs and EPs since 2008, plus more than 2,500 DVDs. Their 2019 collaboration with Smith & Hay x King Tech on a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Black” was the first single from an album that hit Number Two in Billboard—on the Jazz chart, yet!
And when it comes to charitable causes, this bunch are anything but stingy. Their 2021 single/video “All to You” aided suicide-prevention efforts, “Black” did the same for child abuse, and previous hit “Today I Won’t Be Afraid” has helped raise thousands of dollars for organizations like the YWCA and Soles4Souls, which helps get new shoes and clothing to people in crisis situations. Now that’s the kind of recycling anybody can get behind.
Asked to offer a thumbnail sketch of the Type-A personality that’s taken her so far down so many avenues, Locks describes herself as “driven, professional, a neat freak and an occasional hot mess.” Maybe so, but what a fabulous disaster it is. Now we can all “Just Say Yes” to the mess.
I had a chance to interview her to learn more.
Why do you go to some extreme lengths to save money and reuse things?
First off, thank you for this interview and Opportunity Motherhood Moment blog! I appreciate you.
I go to great lengths to save money and reuse things, and there are several reasons for this. First and foremost, it's the way I was brought up. My mother, who grew up during the Great Depression and had me in her late 40s, instilled in me the importance of cherishing everything you have and work for. That generation knew the value of things; they were lucky to have anything at all.
Today, it seems if something isn't absolutely perfect, it's discarded. Our grocery stores are filled with perfectly polished fruit covered in toxic wax and chemicals, which is ridiculous. In many other countries, dents, dings, bruises, and imperfections are perfectly acceptable.
For me, I take meticulous care of everything I own (except consumables) so I don't have to buy it twice.
Although not everyone might be as willing to go to such great lengths, what are some unexpected ways people might be able to save money?
One unexpected and super easy way to save money is to take a look around and see what you already have. I have to admit, I've headed to the store to buy something that was probably sitting at home in a cabinet or cupboard. We need to be more aware of what we already own and make lists to keep track.
My favorite way to save money is by keeping an "absolute need and want" list on my phone. If there's something I don't need right away, I'll pop into thrift and secondhand stores for a quick 5-minute browse. It's amazing what you can find—like that extra plastic bin for a dollar or a filing cabinet for five bucks that can really tidy up a space.
Besides saving money, what are the benefits of trying to reduce what you need to buy?
As I mentioned, my mother grew up during the Depression. While I don't need to paint a detailed picture of the household I grew up in, let's just say that while I was grateful for a roof over my head, I often wished for more organization and peace in the house. Sometimes, our possessions can start to take over our lives.
It's important to ask yourself, "Do I absolutely need this item?" Chances are, you don't. If things ever go sideways and we lose our worldly belongings, it's crucial to find happiness within ourselves rather than relying on material things to make us happy.
How does your frugality impact your music?
Just today, I was able to pay it forward to a few people in need because I had some extra money. There have been so many times when I've seen someone in line, counting change to pay for something they truly needed. I remember one time when a woman, clearly going through chemo or radiation, broke down at the pharmacist's counter because her insurance wasn't going through, and she needed the medication immediately. Without hesitation, I quietly walked up and handed the cashier my credit card. I didn't know the amount, but I couldn't bear to see someone in that much pain.
When I signed the bill, I was a bit shocked by the amount, but I'd already offered, so I followed through. It was a lot, and I wondered how I'd pay it off myself. Upon closer inspection of the receipt, I saw that the cashier had given me double the amount in Kroger fuel points. So, I basically had my fuel paid for for the next several years. The woman asked who I was and how she could find me. I simply told her, "My name is Goldy," smiled, and left.
Six months later, this act of kindness came full circle when we got booked for a huge opening act because she was friends with the promoter. Being frugal and having extra money to help others is a winning ticket for everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment