Ryan Bingham joins Joe Rogan to discuss his remarkable journey from professional bull rider to acclaimed musician and Yellowstone actor. Bingham rode bulls from age 10 to 23, learning guitar along the way and eventually transitioning to playing music in Texas bars.

The conversation explores Bingham's authentic cowboy background, including his time at Montana guide school learning wilderness survival and mule packing. They discuss his role on Yellowstone, discovered by Taylor Sheridan who wanted to incorporate Bingham's real ranching experience into the show.

Topics range from California wildfire evacuations and toxic ground contamination to hunting stories across America and Australia. Bingham shares insights on the music industry, the therapeutic nature of songwriting, and his advice to emerging artists like Oliver Anthony about avoiding predatory record deals.

From Bull Riding at 10 to Professional Rodeo Career

Bingham started riding steers at junior rodeos when he was 10 years old, with his uncle who rode bulls professionally serving as his mentor and inspiration.

The transition from steers to full-size bulls happened at a junior rodeo in Odessa, Texas, where despite being scared to tears, his uncle gave him time to decide: 'This is either for you or it's not for you.'

He rode bulls professionally until age 23, during the early days of the PBR when there were no helmets or protective vests - 'We were smoking cigarettes and drinking beer back behind the chutes.'

His worst injury occurred in Weatherford, Texas when a bull jerked him down and he head-butted the animal, tearing his lip off and knocking out his front teeth - all without health insurance.

Musical Origins Through Mexican Guitar and Texas Bars

Bingham's musical journey began in Laredo, Texas at age 16-17 when a Mexican man taught him 'La Malagueña' - 'I was just fascinated with it. I can't believe he made that guitar sound like that.'

At Tarleton State University in Stephenville, he discovered the Texas music scene through venues like City Limits where artists like Jason Boland and Pat Green performed regularly.

Working for Mac Altizer's Bad Company Rodeo, Bingham started playing after-parties on flatbed trailers, which led to bar gigs where he could make '$100 in tips within a couple of hours and get free beer and free food.'

His songwriting developed organically from making up songs about weekend adventures in the back of trucks, with no formal musical training beyond that first guitar lesson.

Montana Guide School and Wilderness Transformation

Bingham attended Royal Tyne Outfitters' six-week guide school in Montana, learning mule packing, wilderness first aid, leather work, horse shoeing, and fly fishing with only six students in the class.

The experience was 'life-changing' - sleeping under tarps, posting guards for horses at night, and waking up to snow falling on the horses' backs in June.

A critical fire-building exercise taught him the difference between dry-climate and wet-climate survival skills when an Alaskan student easily started a massive fire with dead pine needles while Bingham struggled with small twigs.

The school emphasized practical emergency skills: 'You better get a fire going and keep them warm real quick' if someone gets hurt in the backcountry during a snowstorm.

Yellowstone Casting and Taylor Sheridan Connection

Bingham met producer John Linson in Los Angeles, who introduced him to Taylor Sheridan initially for writing songs for Wind River.

When Yellowstone came up, Sheridan learned about Bingham's authentic rodeo and ranching background: 'Well, shoot, you can do a lot of this stuff. I've got to find a way to get you in the show.'

Sheridan's casting philosophy was direct: 'If you suck, I'll kill you off. If you do good, I'll keep you on' - despite Bingham having no formal acting training.

Bingham credits his experienced co-stars for creating the right environment: 'They're so good that they make you react in a certain way... they know how to get it out of you.'

California Wildfire Evacuations and Toxic Contamination

The Palisades fire forced multiple evacuations with Bingham loading horses, dogs, and equipment while 90 mile-per-hour winds snapped power lines and trees fell everywhere.

From his house, he could see the Palisades fire start as 'little flickers of flames' that suddenly 'shot up hundreds of feet into the air' like 'somebody dumped gasoline on this thing.'

The toxic ground contamination from burned electronics, treated lumber, and chemicals concerns him: 'What happens to the water? Is anybody checking the water out there?'

California's reservoir failures during the fires represented 'complete, total incompetence' - a predictable disaster that happens 'every few years' without proper preparation.

American Wildlife History and Hunting Regulations

Market hunting in the early 1800s nearly wiped out all deer and elk in America because 'people needed fresh meat every day' and were 'just shooting everything that existed.'

The first major federal game protection was the Lacey Act of 1900, which 'targeted commercial and market hunting and interstate trade in illegally taken wildlife.'

American bison were almost entirely eliminated, often killed just for their tongues which were 'pickled and sent back east' while the rest of the animal was wasted.

Steven Rinella's American Buffalo explores this history of bison near-extinction and the development of modern conservation efforts in America.

Axis Deer Hunting and Predator Evolution

Axis deer were introduced to Hawaii in the 1800s as 'a gift to King Kamehameha from India' and now number 30,000 on Lanai island with only 3,000 people.

These deer evolved around tigers in India, making them incredibly fast - they can dodge arrows traveling 275 feet per second within 10 yards of impact.

Despite 365 days of hunting pressure and professional snipers controlling the population, the deer remain abundant because they 'know the game' and move constantly.

Of 150 bow hunters who visited Lanai after Rogan's group, only one was successful, demonstrating how difficult these evolved prey animals are to hunt.

Music Industry Advice and Artistic Independence

Bingham advised Oliver Anthony against signing a $7 million record deal: 'They're giving you that because they're going to make $14 million. You don't need them.'

His philosophy on songwriting as therapy: 'What I get out of music is when I'm sitting at home all by myself and letting that stuff pour out of me - that's what's saved my life.'

The therapeutic value of songwriting allows artists to process emotions: 'I could get stuff off my chest, things I was uncomfortable talking about in conversation, I could put them into a song.'

Modern technology democratizes music learning - Bingham improved his guitar skills on tour using YouTube lessons: 'I went back to memorize all the notes on the fretboard... within three weeks it stepped it up so much.'