Landon talks… to me

On April 3, 2025, I enticed Carla and our friend Heather to join me in violating the no. 1 rule of our influencer-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture: Never meet your heroes.

Landon Bryant and his lovely wife, Kate, are the rare exception.

We were among the first to arrive at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur that night with our pre-ordered copies of “Bless Your Heart: A Field Guide to All Things Southern” waiting for us at the register. Preordering was the price of admission for an author talk and book signing by Landon, the Southern culture influencer and now author hailing from Laurel, Miss. (You may remember that I introduced you to his special internet content in a New South Essays post in July 2023.)

I hadn’t been that nervous to hear or meet someone I admire since attending a talk by Clyde Edgerton at the Decatur Book Festival in September of 2011. Like a teen quoting lyrics from the latest single while waiting in line at State Farm Arena to see Taylor Swift, I regaled Carla and Heather with the details of the latest episode of “Landon Talks with Kate,” the podcast he and his wife launched late last fall (subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.)

I have more podcasts than I can keep up with already, but Landon and Kate were worth adding to my rotation. Listening not only makes me laugh, it lowers my blood pressure. It’s like enjoying sweet tea on the front porch with two friends, and I need more of that in my life.

Make no mistake, I’m still up on the latest “Let’s Discuss” posts on Instagram (also available on YouTube and TikTok, as long as that platform lasts), but when you are driving in your car, it is not safe to consume visual social media content, though I have seen too many Atlanta commuters doing so.

I had to chuckle at myself that I felt nervous about the opportunity to meet Landon. We had pre-ordered our books and arrived early, securing our place in the first group for the meet-and-greet and signing.

I wracked my brain for a question to ask during the Q&A and what to say when it was my turn at the signing. But my usually quick wit failed me. As we waited for the event to start, all I could do was gush about my favorite posts and speculate about which stories he would tell. Carla laughed at my giddy nervousness. Heather shared similar anxieties.

We just like Landon SOOOOOO much!

And, y’all, I’m here to tell you, he did not disappoint.

When 7 p.m. finally rolled around, and he appeared from out of the racks of books to thunderous applause and whoops from the packed bookstore crowd, he was just as real and down-to-earth as always. We were on the third row, but just like ‘90s country music star Suzy Boggus did when she was blatantly flirting with me at the show we went to in 2023, Landon talked directly to me. (I don’t know what it is about me that this keeps happening.)

I was wearing a particularly sporty periwinkle sports coat picked up at Belk’s (where all nattily attired Southerners shop) last summer, so I was not hard to pick out of the crowd. I also am tall, and a dude, which made me an outlier among his adoring fans.

He explained the concept of the book, a “field guide” rather than a straightforward narrative. He shared his origin story, crediting his wife, Kate, with encouraging him to talk to the internet in the same way he liked to talk to her about his grandma, memories, foods and sayings and such things.

Because I have recently become a consumer of stand-up comedy, I can say his “talk” was just as funny as an act. He did say he had been doing stand-up recently, but his time with us didn’t feel like a performance. We had a conversation – a relatable, soothing conversation.

I admit I was primed to love it, and I did. Maybe too much. When the show ended after an hour-plus, he took questions. I just sat there grinning like an idiot. I couldn’t think of a single thing to ask, and I was afraid I would go all Randy and Ralphie on Santa’s lap from “A Christmas Story” if I raised my hand.

“Yes, sir, you in the very smart jacket, what insightful question can I answer for you?”

“Uh, uh, Landon… uh… uh… biscuits!”

“Oh, OK, well, it seems the cat got your tongue, there. Maybe we’ll come back to you in a minute. Anyone else have a REAL question?”

After blowing the Q&A, I had another shot when he signed our books and posed for a photo with us. Carla added to the pressure I was heaping on myself in line when she asked if I was going to tell him I was the guy who wrote the blog about him nearly two years ago.

“Not now, honey, I’m trying to focus,” I insensitively responded to Carla.

My brain was in overdrive:

I am not the only person in the world who has written about Landon. Southern Living, Mississippi Today and The New York Times, among others, have all informed their readers about his delightful content. I mean I probably am the best dressed, but I was hardly the only Southern culture blogger and internet sensation to lend my endorsement. He didn’t become famous because of me… alone. I mean, I’m sure I did my part, but it’s not really about me. It’s about Landon now, and he’s about to sign my book and say some words, and oh, no, it’s happening, I’m not thinking of anything memorable or pithy to say. This is going to be a train wreck…

“I’m the guy that wrote the blog about you!” I blurted out inarticulately.

Dang it.

I secretly blamed Carla for placing that thought in my head.

“Well, I mean, one of the blogs, I mean the New South Essay one…and thank you for all you do. Your content is so great. It gives joy to so many people. You are not the hero we deserve, but you are the hero we need…” (OK, I stole that last line from Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” movies and didn’t actually say it, but I should have.)

Fortunately, the lovely Kate, who was demurely and mindfully seated in the corner, saved me.

“Oh, yeah, I remember that. I thought you looked familiar,” she said.

I may or may not have clutched my pearls (figuratively) when she said that.

We posed for our pictures, beaming and blushing, and stood back while Heather got her book signed, too. She wore an expression that her husband Jared, the true love of her life, later described as “smitten” when he saw the photographic evidence.

Carla couldn’t stop raving about how gorgeous Kate was and wondering what kind of shampoo Landon uses. I guess we all had life-changing aspects of the evening to ponder.

If you read and like New South Essays, I encourage you to get a copy of “Bless Your Heart.” The first best way is to support local bookstores and head over to Eagle Eye Books in Decatur and buy a copy. You may want to check with them ahead of time to make sure they have them in stock. They are selling well.

Or, if you are an online shopper, you can find it directly from Landon’s publisher at Running Press in the Hachette Book Group, or, if you are all about the Amazon, it’s there, too, of course. I’d guess if you have a Southern mama, it might make for a good Mother’s Day gift.

Here’s a snippet from his intro that’s sure to hook you:

“This field guide is a deep dive into the diverse and intricate cultural fabric of the American South – a region rich in varying customs, languages, and perspectives. This place, with its vast differences in geography, traditions and, and community life, provides fertile ground for both storytelling and misunderstandings.”

I am grateful to Brian and Carra for introducing me to Landon’s content by forwarding that first Instagram to me two years ago. They knew about me what I know about you, New South Essays readers: there is something here of quality that you will enjoy.

Go buy the book. Follow them on their social platforms. Laugh. Nod. Tilt your head and question when such controversial ideas as pear salad and cracker crumbs on deviled eggs surface, and most of all appreciate what it means to be living in the New South.