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Greeted by a handful of audible boos and jeers, Rick Perry was able to win over the audience when he took the stage during Jimmy Kimmel’s visit to Austin on Tuesday night. As part of a Kimmel’s week-long set of shows in association with South by Southwest, the longest-serving Texas governor chatted with the late-night host about his stance on marijuana legalization, his concealed-carry permit, and his future plans.


Perry attributed the Austin crowd’s initial harsh reception to the city’s unique character, one that differs from most of the rest of the state; he described Austin as “the blueberry in the tomato soup” that is the state of Texas. He managed to fall into the audience’s good graces later on by touting his support of minimizing penalties for minor drug offenses, his love for Willie Nelson, and recounting the time he jammed with ZZ Top on the drums in concert.


Kimmel later asked Perry about a reported story that he shot a coyote while jogging, which the governor confirmed. “You jog with a gun?” Kimmel asked. “I do interviews with a gun,” Perry slickly quipped.

As for 2016, Kimmel wondered why Perry would consider giving it another go after “it didn’t go that great last time.” “American is a great place for second chances — let’s just leave it at that,” Perry replied.