Oliver Anthony, who captured the nation last month as we battle record inflation, broke his silence Wednesday in an interview with Joe Rogan.
Anthony rose to fame when the video for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral on social media. The video, dubbed the “blue collar song of the year,” was released by RadioWV.
“When I first came across Oliver Anthony and his music, I was blown away to say the least,” Radio WV said in the Youtube description. “Oliver wants to give hope to the working class and your average hard working young man who may have lost hope in the grind of trying to get by.”
Anthony has all the makings of an unknown blue collar star. He described his love for the quirky shoe Crocs, changing his own oil before a road trip, buying outfits at Goodwill and driving an old truck with over 300,000 miles on the odometer while talking to Rogan. Anthony even kept his guitar strings from the song “Rich Men North of Richmond” just in case they become a valuable piece of memorabilia.
“I’ve tried to hold on to things that I think I could sell down the road,” Anthony joked on the Joe Rogan Experience. “I almost threw (the strings) away ‘I was like hold on a second’ in hard times I may have to sell those.”
Oliver Anthony’s Low Profile on Social Media
Anthony kept a low profile online before the RadioWV release. Weeks after the song went viral, his Youtube subscribers sit at a fourth of the size of their outlet. Three years ago Anthony uploaded his first content on Youtube, a cover of “Copycat” by Billie Eilish, a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover and a Tyler Childers cover. Last year Anthony started uploading his own songs, and some of the audio from those videos has been uploaded to streaming platforms. Anthony does not have a studio recording available. He introduced himself on his Youtube channel a day before the release of “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
“It’s going to be the first song to get out there that’s been recorded on a real microphone and a real camera and not just on my cell phone,” Anthony said in the video shot in his truck. “Lord willing, it’s going to get some traffic.”
Anthony said that he started writing his own music two years ago after struggling to find a purpose in life. He received messages from those videos of support and gratitude and that he had helped others cope with their own situations in life.
“It made me feel like I wasn’t just wasting my time,” Anthony said. “I have decided that this is going to be what I do. At all costs, no matter what, I’m going to write, create and produce as much original, authentic music as I can in the hopes that it’ll at least help somebody out there that needs it. I know we’re living in dark times, and I know that this is really just the beginning of what’s to come.”
Anthony said that his songs about “selling his soul” working in a factory were about inflation and taxation and how the hard working man needs a voice.
“I meet people from all across the country and the universal thing I see is that it’s like no matter how hard they push and how much effort they put into whatever it is they’re doing they just can’t quite get ahead because the dollar is not worth enough, it’s being overtaxed, people are just sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Anthony said. “I want to be a voice for those people.”
Anthony promised to upload positive songs to his channel as well. Though many find his songs a positive direction in uplifting the working class, the material also works to expose difficult subject matter.
“It talks about some people that live north of Richmond, Virginia, who I’m sure you’re very well aware of, who make life a little more difficult than it should be,” Anthony said.
Is Oliver Anthony Political?
Anthony describes himself as non-political and said that both parties tend to fall in line with each other. The song also addresses mental health.
“People talk about epidemics in this country, the homelessness and the drug use, the lack of skilled labor… those things aren’t problems, they are symptoms of a bigger universal problem” Anthony said. “We just don’t talk enough common sense anymore.”
Anthony said he hopes that his listeners can succeed through him.
“This life is a beautiful opportunity,” Anthony said. “I don’t care where you are or what you’ve done, where you think your life’s heading, everything can change in a moment. As long as you’re above the dirt, you’ve got a fighting chance.”
Anthony had no idea this video would be seen by so many. He touched on his belief in a divine creator and said that his struggles helped him connect with his faith. As the song took off, Anthony made an account on X.
Oliver Anthony Joins X
“I’m still in a state of shock at the outpouring of love I’ve seen in the comments, messages and emails. I’m working to respond to everyone as quickly as possible.” Anthony said in his first post on X.
Anthony said he started the X, formally known as Twitter, account to respond to fans after “Rich Men North of Richmond” was released.
“Anything social media related right now is coming from me,” Anthony said. “The internet is just such a rowdy place. People bring their best and their worst on the internet. I’ve always tried to stay off social media as much as possible.”
Anthony took a break from X after a handful of posts and reposts of songs to avoid endless scrolling. He made his last post on August 25th.
“Peoples crying bout burning coal, but not the poor souls whose digging it,” Anthony wrote. “I reckon there’s been a many good man in the grave trying to keep our houses lit. Down in the oil fields, the pipelines, the linemen, the coal mines. So we can sit at home and plug in new fangled bull****.”
Oliver Anthony’s Rise to Fame
Rogan said it was the fastest rise of a song from an unknown artist that he has ever seen. They joked about the AI versions some have made of other artists covering the song.
“I had no idea that that song would react the way it did,” Anthony said.
Rogan said he could tell that Anthony was authentic throughout the performance of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” and compared the power of Anthony’s voice to that of Janis Joplin.
Anthony said that the algorithm in popular music is becoming predictable, and that his unconventional approach to singing has hit a nerve. Because of the subject matter of the song, many have questioned his political motivations and the conversation has gone beyond the artwork online.
“Can’t they just accept that you made a great song and people enjoy it,” Rogan said. “Why do people have to attack it?”
Anthony said that people just want to know more about him because his online presence is so small. As the topics hit the political landscape, many have motivations to know his history.
“It’s a subject of discussion,” Rogan said, “so like everybody is getting involved. Somehow or another it became cultural.”
Oliver Anthony Fights Poverty
Anthony wanted to highlight poverty in the song, and said that the size of the federal government and disconnection to the public has led to worsening conditions for the working class.
“I do see a lot of people that are not taken care of,” Anthony said. “A lot of people I think go into government with good intentions, but it’s like anything else, once you get in the mix things change and you have to go with the flow and sort of agree on things that your heart doesn’t necessarily agree with. It’s kind of created this big disconnect between people like you and I.”
At 31, Anthony is wise beyond his years. Though many want to snatch him up and put him on the campaign trail like they attempted with Bob Dylan, he has resisted the temptation to pick a team in the political world.
Find out more about Oliver Anthony on his website:
Oliver Anthony Music – Official Website – Out of the Woods Tour
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