What Billy Strings has said about Fatherhood

Strings said he quit smoking cannabis in December after realizing he could not run a twenty-minute errand without his vape pen and after his son worsened while he was getting high upstairs.

“my son is sick, and I'm upstairs getting high”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:29:00

Strings said performing used to be driven by fear of returning to poverty, which caused him to strangle the music.

“I have strangled the life out of the music before because I'd been so concerned about playing well that I'm playing hard and I'm thinking and I'm trying to lead the band”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:38:12

Strings said having his son displaced music as the most important thing in his life, which paradoxically made him play better.

“I am a musician. That's what I do. That's my job. But it's not the biggest thing in life. My family is. And that actually makes me play better because I'm not squeezing it so hard”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:41:32

Strings said part of his motivation for quitting cannabis was wanting to be clear-eyed and present for his son.

“He looks at me with these big clear eyes. I want to be clear, you know?”

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von: #676 - Billy Strings (Aug 20, 2026) · Listen from 1:48:55