Brad Paisley recognizes that some of his fans and many in and out of the country music industry may be asking, "What the heck is a visual album?" On Friday (April 28), Love and War will be available visually, meaning ... well, we're not 100 percent sure either, but it sounds exciting!

It's an experiment for an artist who has been ahead of the game for over a decade. For years the "Today" singer has created his own visuals (including animation) for his live show. He even created his own music video for "Crushin' It" without his record label's knowledge (or approval). For the first time, he admits, everyone is on board with his vision.

"They let me run this time," Paisley tells Taste of Country. "They were like, 'Can you really do a video for everything?' And I was like 'Yeah, I think I can.'"

Ahead of the visual release, Paisley sat down with Taste of Country Nights and shared secrets of the making of the project, including what inspired a celebrity cameo, why his mom may need to get a new bed and how compressed his schedule to turn these clips around was in reality. Here are six things you probably didn't know about the visual release of Love and War.

As for, "What is a visual album?" Think of it as the opposite of an audio book.

1. It was David Hasselhoff's idea to make a cameo in "Last Time for Everything."

The scene was shot in a park in Los Angeles, and once the famous Knight Rider actor learned that Paisley's team was using KITT (the talking car from the 1980s action series), Hasselhoff wanted in.

"He reminds me of Shatner," Paisley says, speaking of actor and frequent collaborator William Shatner. "They’re cut from the same cloth, that sort of, ‘That sounds fun, I’ll do it’ kinda thinking."

David Hassellhoff Last Time for Everything
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2. Finally! Brad got to trash his parents house.

The video for "One Beer Can" was filmed at Paisley's parents' house in Tennessee. He sort of trashed the place. "They deserved it," Paisley says, "because I was too good a kid."

Look closely during the scene where the girl is crowd surfing. Not only are they jumping on his mom and dad's bed, but you can see Mrs. Paisley cringing in the background! During another scene an actor is seen snorting the ashes from an urn. That, Paisley proudly admits, was his idea. And the culprit is his drummer.

3. Paisley edited many of the videos himself.

Paisley confidently told his record label he could produce over a dozen music videos for the Love and War visual album, but quickly realized the project may have been bigger than he expected. During an album release event for media on April 23 he got emotional talking about the work that went into the project. He admits that he's not sure he'll be rewarded with commercial success, but that he followed through on a concept he believed in is what he wanted his kids to see.

Paisley edited the videos for "Today," "selfie#theinternetisforever" and "Last Time for Everything." And he uses Adobe Premiere, if you're curious.

4. Speaking of "Last Time for Everything" ...

Kim Paisley Last Time for Everything
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The footage of the kid in high school is all Brad's. You literally get to see him grow up during the clip, but more memorable is his wife's appearance below the treehouse. Kim Paisley is adorable in pigtails — you almost feel bad for her and her squad when Brad and company start launching water balloons. Once again, his drummer makes a cameo. Paisley says he was hesitant about the "No Girls Allowed" sign, but the singer told him to "Just imagine you're 12."

5. Three videos were filmed in one crazy day!

The audio album took priority before Paisley could begin focusing on the visual, which left very little time to shoot and edit. The singer recalls one crazy day during which he filmed "Gold All Over the Ground" at Johnny Cash's old cabin, rushed to Cool Springs Mall in Franklin, Tenn. to film "God to Bed Early" and ended at the Grand Ole Opry filming "Dying to See Her" with Whispering Bill Anderson.

6. Buyer beware.

Shopper reaction as Paisley walked through Cool Springs Mall is real, because no one knew he was coming. His crew posted signs letting shoppers know that by being present they were agreeing to participate in a music video. When Paisley showed up his film crew was ready, and they went storming through the mall. Look for one couple shopping for a bed as Paisley rips off a solo on "Go to Bed Early."

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