Unassuming and down-to-earth: Two qualities you wouldn't expect to be attributed to one of country music's hottest stars, but Dierks Bentley isn't your typical superstar. Shocked that Glamour would want to interview him, he not only thanked us for spending time talking with him, but the following day at the ACMs he stopped by to tell us he really enjoyed the conversation. And at 39 years old, we don't expect the married father of three to change. He was recently nominated for two CMT Music Awards (and performed at CMT Fest on June 11 in Nashville)—Dierks' star will only continue to rise—as will our appreciation for him. Here he opens up about his about the story behind his unusual (but awesome) name, how he knew his wife was The One, and pushing past the pain of his father's passing.
Glamour: I'm pretty sure every female is crushing on you right now.
Dierks Bentley: What?!
Glamour: Do you not know this? Any time I mention your name, girls flip out.
Dierks: Wow. My daughter just wrote me after I sent her a scary bedtime video, and her response was, "Dad, I'm going to toot on your face when you get home." So if that's crushing on me...I don't know about it, but I appreciate it. I just stay focused on the music and my band and putting out records that have an impact on people. Hey, if someone is crushing on me and it brings them out to the show, so be it!
Glamour: What does your wife think about all this?
Dierks: Well, first, she loves Glamour. She was so excited when I told her I was going to do this interview.
Glamour: Aww, I love that. Tell her thank you!
Dierks: I will. She is always complimentary of me no matter what I'm wearing or looking like. She's a big supporter. People always ask her that if she's freaked out that her husband is on the road and girls are freaking out, but I've been doing this a long time and she knows who I am.
Glamour: Dierks is your middle name. What's your first name?
Dierks: Frederick. It's Frederick Dierks Bentley, but my whole family goes by their middle name—my sister, my brother. So from day one, I've always been called Dierks. My mom was really upset when I named my son properly. I told her that his first name was actually going to be his first name! That's how normal people do it, so I don't know why she did it that way! People wonder if Dierks is a stage name.
Glamour: You do have the perfect country name.
Dierks: People tell me it's a horrible name! Like maybe I should have gone by Buck Bentley? But if you say so. [Laughs] I've seen it spelled and pronounced wrong so many times.
Glamour: OK, so "Drunk on a Plane." How many times have you indeed been drunk on a plane? And has everyone asked you that?
Dierks: Everyone always assumes I'll be drunk on a plane now, but I'm like, "No, it's 9 in the morning!" [Laughs] As professional musicians, we spend a lot of time on airplanes and have many Southwest drink coupons. We have actually drank a plane out of beer an hour into the flight. The crew was like, "Folks, due to a certain band on the plane, we're out of beer."[Laughs]
Glamour: So I shouldn't at all be terrified that you have your pilot's license!
Dierks: Ha! I love flying, and I fly long distances. I was going to fly down [to Dallas], but the weather wasn't cooperating. I really love flying, but it's really nice to jump on a plane, sit back, and let someone else do the heavy lifting, but flying is my main passion for sure.
Glamour: On a more serious note, I know how personal "Riser" is to you after the loss of your dad. How did you rise up after that incredibly difficult time?
Dierks: It comes down to perspective. I just met a Make-a-Wish kid and that helps keep things in perspective. My dad was 88 years old, and that's a pretty good number to check out on. I'm also realistic that it's a dull pain that just never goes away and that's normal, but natural. You still need to recognize it. When my dad passed away, Bono actually wrote me a letter...
Glamour: The Bono? Do you know Bono?
Dierks: Yeah, I do. He said, "I don't know how close or far away you were, but it's just a stinker." That's a great word for it. It's just a stinker. There are so many worse things happening in the world right now, so your dad passing away in his 80s? But still, it's just a stinker. My dad was with me for my first ACM win, and now I'm nominated for seven and the song "Riser," but in the end my son was born, so it's this full-circle-of-life thing. I think perspective is the key because if you're lucky, that's the order it happens in.
Glamour: You're coming up on 10 years of marriage. What sealed the deal for you and Cassidy when you were dating?
Dierks: I've known my wife since we were 13 years old in eighth grade, and we kinda dated each other's best friends. The four of us always hung out, but I really wanted her. We dated around 17, but I was no way mature enough for her. We always kept in touch and would see each other when friends got married or home for summers. Then she was out in San Francisco doing advertising, and I was in Nashville, and we could just never make it work, so we moved on. But then she came to a show I played in Vegas in 2005, and we were opening for George Strait on February 5, and I just knew right away. We eloped in Mexico at the end of the year.
Glamour: What qualities do you love about her?
Dierks: She always has had this great smile and laugh, and I just find her to be really cute, confident. She can be very stubborn like me, but she's just a really compassionate person, always thinking about others. She has a great smile, and she finds me funny.
Glamour: Kip Moore played a horrible, yet hilarious practical joke on you recently. He knows you're going to get him back, but have you put much thought into this?
Dierks: Yeah, we have him all summer [on tour], so he's trapped, and I know where he's going to be for 60 minutes. He'll be in a box onstage, so I have ample time to come up with some dumb things. [Laughs] He does love to work out, so we've had small ideas, like sticking his microphone inside a 50-pound dumbbell and then he has to lift that all night to sing. He'd probably love it because he can get his workout and his singing in at the same time! [Laughs] So, small things I'm thinking about. Not just one big thing. Gotta keep him on his toes!
What's your favorite song of Dierks, and what do you love most about him?
See what happened when we caught up with Dierks at the ACMs last month!
