It's Great to Be Alive: 2025 in Review

Happy holidays from Mundane Mayhem!

Christmas, Mississippi, 1948. Photo courtesy of Nan Einhart

2025 was a very, very long year. If 2025 were a song, it would be longer than "Freebird." It would be longer than Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick." It would feel longer than when "Stairway to Heaven" plays at middle school dances.

But 2025 had some bright spots, not least of which was launching Mundane Mayhem 11 weeks ago. I came up with the idea in July, right after seeing Drive-By Truckers at Pier 17, a truly awesome venue with sunset views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge. A few months earlier — on April Fool's Day, if you can believe it — I was laid off from my media job.

When I say that the media industry is in a state of critical, chaotic, existential crisis, it is without hyperbole. I have been a journalist (in some form or another) for more than 20 years, and it's been a long time since I have felt so invigorated by writing. The fact that my fellow DBT fans are reading Mundane Mayhem every week brings me so much joy and satisfaction. It's fucking great to be alive.

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Below, you'll find a recap of everything I've published so far — including four fantastic Fan Mail interviews. Thank you for being here, and please continue to share the love. See y'all next year, and I hope you have a happy, healthy holiday.

Old Enough to Know Better: "The Deeper In"

I started listening to Drive-By Truckers in 2003 after purchasing Decoration Day on CD, which means the first song I ever heard was “The Deeper In.” Opening your album with a song about incest feels like the musical equivalent of organic chemistry. It’s designed to be challenging and weed out the weak.

Read my full essay about "The Deeper In"

Quote It Like It's Scripture: "Made Up English Oceans"

“Made Up English Oceans” came out in 2014, two years before the first election of President Tr*mp. In hindsight, the song feels politically prescient. But Mike Cooley doesn’t have a crystal ball; he just did what more folks should do, which is to look back at history and try to figure out how it’s going to repeat itself.

Read my full essay about "Made Up English Oceans"

Fan Mail Interview With Courtney Francesca

Courtney Francesca does the lord's work every day as the administrator of the Drive-By Truckers group on Facebook. In the first edition of Fan Mail, Courtney shares the book that "ruined her life" (but she does recommend) and her theory about the four types of Patterson songs.

Read my full interview with Courtney Francesca

20 Best DBT Daddy Lyrics

I embarked on a very frivolous mission to count all of the Drive-By Truckers songs with the word “daddy” in the lyrics. In verses both funny and poignant, DBT sing about themselves as daddies, about their own daddies, or about fictional and historical daddies.

Read my list of the 20 best DBT "daddy" lyrics

Fan Mail Interview With Josh Simpson

In this edition of Fan Mail, Josh Simpson (who recently celebrated four years of sobriety) chats about the rich history of yellow balloon groups, his most cherished piece of memorabilia, and the "superpower of going through a security checkpoint and knowing for sure that I don’t have anything that would get me in trouble."

Read my full interview with Josh Simpson

Maybe You're Just a Destination: "Zip City"

“Zip City” is probably the Drive-By Truckers song I’ve listened to more than any other. It's a singalong song — despite having no chorus, just verses, and a casual commitment to rhyme. The song just builds and barrels toward its destination like the narrator’s fuel-inefficient car.

Read my full essay about "Zip City"

Fan Mail Interview With Ashley Berry

The geography of Ashley’s life shares the Drive-By Truckers’ terroir, and her experience growing up in North Alabama almost eerily aligns with DBT’s lyrics. Here she talks about how her upbringing shaped her values and the rare documentary that all music fans should watch.

Read my full interview with Ashley Berry

Give Your Hard Times Some Vacation: "Mercy Buckets"

Turning “mercy buckets” into “buckets of mercy,” DBT transforms a lighthearted fun-uncle wordplay into a deep, sincere song that captures the authentic experience of friendship. Although “Mercy Buckets” has a big, triumphant energy, it’s about showing up even when shit gets difficult or dark.

Read my full essay about "Mercy Buckets"

A Loaded Shotgun in the Closet: 2 Songs That Reckon With Death by Suicide

In 1963, my great-grandfather took off his sock and fired his shotgun — at home, in a closet, on his wife’s birthday. When someone dies by suicide, the living are left trying to understand what happened. My family chose not to discuss it. Drive-By Truckers faced the aftermath by writing songs: Patterson Hood’s “Do It Yourself” and Mike Cooley’s “When the Pin Hits the Shell.”

Read my full essay, "A Loaded Shotgun in the Closet"

Fan Mail Interview With Sean Hofherr

Sean has a talent for showing up to some truly remarkable Drive-By Truckers shows. Here he talks about his wildest DBT experiences and the outrageous, one-of-a-kind artwork he owns and how he got it.

Read my full interview with Sean Hofherr

Drive-By Truckers Songs That Sound Like a Dive Bar

While the Truckers only have a few lyrics that explicitly reference bars, they do have songs that capture the dive bar’s essence. Fix a drink, have a seat, and enjoy this list of DBT songs that capture the dive-bar spirit.