“Yellowstone” star Ryan Bingham draws on honesty and truth as a source of inspiration for his songwriting. One subject that deeply impacted his creativity is his relationship with his father.
Overcoming a Pathological Liar Relationship
In an interview with The Off Camera Show, Bingham revealed that a lot of his raw, emotional, honest music comes as a result of struggling with his own father’s dishonesty.
“I think part of that’s maybe because my dad was such a bulls—–r and a bit of a con man and lied a lot. He was a pathological liar,” Bingham said.
The singer revealed that his father’s mistakes were something that taught him a lot in life. In a great deal, it told him that lying will get you nowhere in life.
Beyond just feeling influenced by his father, it just became how he communicates. His songs are a reflection of what he’s thinking and what he’s feeling in its most authentic form.
“I’ve always felt like you had to be honest with writing songs as if you’re having a conversation with somebody. How do you expect them to believe what you’re saying if you don’t believe what you’re saying?” Bingham said.
Even as he performs in front of different people, different groups, all with their own interests, he still feels like his music deserves respect for its honesty.
“Even if the person doesn’t like that kind of music … they can’t say that it’s not honest or that it’s not something that I really feel or have gone through,” Bingham said.
Bingham and ‘Wolves’
As a character in the Paramount Network show “Yellowstone,” Bingham got pretty familiar with hard labor again. He plays the role of Walker, who is a former prisoner getting a second chance at the Dutton ranch. He is the new ranch hand, but he frequently butts heads with Cole Hauser’s Rip Wheeler throughout the series.
Beyond just being a character on the show, Bingham is more known for his career as a songwriter and performer. On the show, Bingham gets the chance to show off his talent.
The singer’s newest album was “American Love Song” in which the song “Wolves” is from. The album was inspired by the March For Our Lives students, amongst other things. The album also continues to inspire the feeling and atmosphere in “Yellowstone.”
Bingham told Billboard just how much darkness and honesty is in the album.
“But the song was also inspired by the March for Our Lives students, in the wake of the Parkland school shooting, who were dealing with grown men and women questioning their integrity on social media…I was really taken aback by the kind of rhetoric people were using against these young people who were speaking out against gun violence. The courage of these kids was inspiring to me,” Bingham said.
