Charleston, NC - May 2006

Steven Van Zandt speaks to a room full of the Richard Childress Racing Team sponsors.

Introduction by Richard Childress

(Enthusiastic applause, shout-outs, etc.)

Steven speaks:
I got Good News, and I got Bad News – what do you want first?

(Various shout-outs)

Alright, let's get the Bad out of the way.

I don't know if you've noticed, but I looked around the other day and thought, where did America go? What happened to my country? It was right there my whole life. I got a little busy. You take your eye off it for a minute and when you look back, it's gone. The sense of adventure, the unlimited possibilities, the opportunity and encouragement of innovation.

I went looking for America the other day and in the place of the innovators, and adventurers, and values that made this country great, I found these weird alien creatures.

What are these creatures I asked? Somebody took me aside and whispered "those are the Bean Counters – be quiet or they might hear you."

That's right, those faceless, emotionless, little men in black with no personalities that used to count pennies in some back room and were basically ignored by the real businessmen, are suddenly running the world

And man are they screwing it up!

(Applause, Amen! Right on!)

The difference between businessmen of the past and the Bean Counters is that businessmen of the past might have been frugal – alright, cheap even – hell, most of 'em were thieves, scoundrels, and scallywags, but they had vision, and talent, and they built this country.

(Yeah! Applause)

A Bean Counter has no vision, no talent, they build nothing, they create nothing. All they know how to do is cut cost. There's no long-term thinking – how decisions will effect future generations. They see only as far as the next fiscal quarter. There's no interest in quality – it's not even discussed, it's whatever they can get away with. As long as they can point to the other guy and say it's as good as what they're doing!

There's no loyalty or compassion or gratitude to the work force, no love, no sense of family, because Bean Counters have no soul. Development? Patient, long-term, careful, methodical, disciplined development?

Forget it.

We're in the culture of the Exit Strategy.

Exit strategy, exit strategy, exit strategy.

That's all I hear.

Never heard the term until 10-15 years ago.

What is it? I'll tell you what it is.

The boys with the big bucks – the ones who control the planet – they buy a company, or merge two companies, and fire thousands of workers.

This makes the morons on Wall Street think the company is more profitable – they cut costs so therefore they're a better company – and the stock price goes up and the smart boys sell out and make even more money and that's their Exit Strategy.

Oh and by the way – they usually leave behind a hospital wing to make up for the 40,000 families and community they destroyed.

And as far as the company or its product? All of the company's most valued assets have been sold or compromised and our culture receives another example of greatness sacrificed on the alter of mediocrity.

So, to sum up the Bad News, the Bean Counters running the planet at the moment have no vision, no talent, they create nothing, there's no long-term thinking, there's no quality, no loyalty, no compassion, no development, no commitment, no dedication, nothing but Exit Strategy.

The Good News is –

The solution to this problem is right here in this room. Because in this room is a Racing Team and Rock and Roll and the sponsors that support us.

And that's all we need – let's get down to it.

Why do the sponsors support us?
First of all, because Rock and Roll and cars have something in common.

To start off, the relationship between an American and his car has always been important – a form of personal expression.

Foreigners don't get this, it's hard for them to understand. It's just a machine isn't it?

Au contrair mon frer!

Not to an American.

Just a machine? It's a symbol that communicates a freedom that is uniquely American. We go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go. Sometimes we don't even care where we're going, we just go! We kind of invented it, just like Rock and Roll was invented by Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry and when they opened their mouths, it didn't matter what words they said.

They communicated Freedom, and it ain't just freedom we feel strongly about – we believe in long-term thinking, vision, talent, the creative process, development, and quality.

Richard Childress puts those cars together one piece at a time. I spend 25 hours a week on a 2 hour radio show. And we're working together on something right now to remind America what it has to be proud of and we're going to roll that out in '07.

But what's important to remember is the Underground Garage is not about Little Steven, Richard Childress Racing is not about Richard Childress.

It's about organization.

It's about bands and the racing team.
We can do more together than we ever could apart.

And both bands and teams both communicate brotherhood, family, friendship, community.

And when it comes to expressing freedom, we inspire people, we motivate people, we create our own worlds.

We don't live in that Bean Counter world, we refuse to live in it – we create our own.

And from that I have no Exit Strategy.

Richard Childress has no Exit Strategy.

Jack Daniels has no Exit Strategy.

General Motors has no Exit Strategy.

Our honor, and integrity, and commitment are not for sale at any price.

Sponsors associate themselves with us ultimately because you're are as passionate as we are.

And you're communicating your personality through our passion and the public understands that.

We're not going anywhere.

We work for a living.

We will set an example for the future.

We've built our own worlds and we're here to live it everyday – to make sure it's the best it can be.

Because we are winners.

And there's no Exit Strategy from the truth of that.

(Wild applause, shout-outs, standing ovation)