Ep 15.1: Johnny Be Goode Part Deux

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
it's like one time at Ling and Louie's.
What is that?
That foreigner song comes onand it's packed in there.
The foreigner song comes on.
I want to know what love is.
I put up my lighter and I startsinging it and all of a sudden
and I start moving my hand thewhole restaurant, the whole
restaurant's like moving theirarms and freaking singing.

(00:24):
Get out of here, I swear to.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
God.
But music it just has such anemotional connection to people.
That's another thing.
Definitely, you know what.
We're close now.
We're all connected in this.
I don't know how.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
We just are.
We talk about it all the time.
Blake, that's part of what wedo.
When you walk in the bar withus, is we?
The first thing we do is, youknow, we let you sit down and
get comfortable, we take yourorder and then we ask you what
your name is.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
OK, you know, just get on the personal side.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
But again, we just treat people like people, when
we actually are feeling the vibeand reading the room and
everybody's on the same page andwe can do the name game and go
around.
It puts this we do it all thetime.
I do the name game and then atthe end, after naming 23 people,
I'm like hey, you guys want toact like a real bar?

(01:17):
Maybe take some shots, interactwith each other.
That's awesome.
And everybody just erupts andstarts interacting with each
other and it does Well.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
even the tables get in and they start clapping.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
I want to be at the bar and people get up and move
from tables People are like.
I want to be a part of this,they'll get up and move from the
table.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
They're like we're up in the rafters man.
I had one of our regulars comein yesterday and he's like dude.
It's been a few months sinceI've even been able to find a
seat at this bar.
He's like I'm so glad that Iwas able to get in.
I was like it's a Friday.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
It's a popular place.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
It's like I just always have to sit at a table.
I'm like, well, I'm so glad youdid, but it's just funny, it's
like floor seats at the Lakers.
I wish we did more of that backin the day.
Just on that personal touch.
That's awesome that you knowy'all have that part.
You know it is, you know wedidn't do that with everybody.
I think you got to talk a lot.
Hey man, I'm John, you knowwhatever it only took me 20

(02:13):
years to figure it out, but itsucks, now more than ever.
I feel like that just means somuch to people where I don't
know, especially with thecancellations and the delays and
just well, that's crazy, yetlike I can't even imagine what
y'all all went through duringcovid.
I mean because that's a wholedifferent deal.

(02:34):
Like I was there for got a storyabout all that uh, for 9-11 or
not, I was there, yeah, so I'm apre-9-11 guy and you know we
didn't walk in dude, we hadfamily come in, people come into
the airport.
They just come see you like astreet side.
Family would come to theairport Friends would come to
the airport.
Yeah, you just walk in and soTaking a drink.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Get you, get you Scott.
Are we good, scott Sit, get you.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Scott, are we good?
Scott, sit break, are we good?
Can we keep on rolling?
Is it still going?

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Chris, yeah, it's still rolling.
You want me to?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
keep rolling, baby.
Yeah, okay, here we go.
We haven't even done the firstintermission, I'm just joking.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
So John, do you need a break?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
No, I don't need a break.
Okay, I'm just joking.
You want me to go into a little9-11 stuff.
I got a story about it.
It has to do with Chris Brown.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Oh well, maybe not your host.
Maybe we should save this foranother time.
Joe, no, go ahead.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
I met this guy right before 9-11.
You started.
What a week or two.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
I started August 29th of 2001.
So, and your birthday just sohappens to be September 11th,
yeah yeah, yeah, I'm born on.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah, my mom's birthday is September 11th.
No shit, holy crap, that'scrazy.
So yeah, that was crazy wakingup for a birthday so 2001,.
I was in.
That was the Delta terminal.
Delta was hopping.
Back then they were a major hub, yeah, Um and it was all, I
think after a while terminal Bit just Delta went down to so
many gates, probably about, Ithink it's 04.

(04:14):
But dude, that was a major hubback in the day, and then now
they're an ATL.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Yeah, yeah so.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Atlanta was their main.
I think that was theheadquarters.
Yeah, yeah, always beenheadquarters.
So, and that actually myex-girlfriend she was actually
was a flight attendant for Delta.
So, after you know, after youknow college and stuff, but yeah
, that was cool, companionflight pass and you know,
whatever, it wasn't just aboutyour best.
But when are we going thisweekend?

(04:42):
Yeah, so that was pretty cool.
Went up to New York quite a bit, yeah, so I actually had my
dude.
I was in New York on.
I was actually in the worldtrade center April 2001.
I walked in.
I walked in I think it was thefrequent world trade center one,
I don't know, I think they bothlooked the same in time.
But I went in, I took a piss,you know.

(05:05):
But, dude, that really hit bigtime when that happened, because
I was like, you know, when thathappened I was just fucking
what the hell?
Dude, that hit hard.
You're like what, if this isfour, this is five?

Speaker 1 (05:16):
So oh, I just that was crazy, thinking about that.
Just a few months back inoctober I went to new york for
the first time and I saw thememorial.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
You went there.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
Oh god, that was emotional oh yeah, man, uh, we,
my me and my son we toured allover, took the subway all over
here, wow, and yeah we did.
We kept just moving and seeingall these things because there's
so much we wanted to see and weonly had just the one day.
Oh yeah, you need a lot of timethere.
It's so hard to and um, I,actually, we, we both just kind

(05:54):
of stopped, and he'd seen itbefore, but I kind of stopped in
my tracks and we just checkedit out for a good five minutes.
We didn't even say a word toeach other and then, oh no, yeah
, you're right, I mean we evensay a word to each other, and
then, oh yeah, you're right.
I mean, we just had to look ateach other like all right time
to go on to the next one.
But, like normally, one of uswas like all right, let's go.
You know everything we came tothat we wanted to see, like

(06:17):
Times Square, this that got tothe memorial we stopped for a
little bit and really kind oftook it in.
Yeah, that's a big area.
There's a lot of names that goaround those memorials.
Man, unreal, unreal.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
The last time I was there they were doing the
cleanup, so I was there in Aprilof 01.
I ended up going back out thereand we visited that same area
and it was in may of 02, so theywere in the process.
It was just two big holesaround but they had like
tractors and they were stilldoing the cleanup and they we

(07:00):
walked up.
We were able to walk up to thislittle thing and just sort of
look over, there's people aroundand they had just boards around
all day.
I mean, there's all otherbuildings like destroy the
windows.
Well, yeah, yeah.
So you saw, we were in the areawhere I mean, the building was
there and I was like sittinghere.

(07:20):
I was like this is like wherewe walked in when we were here a
year ago and there was boardsall around all these buildings
and there was just freakingpictures of all the people and
people.
It was like a memorial.
And, dude, I'll never forgetthis kid.
He had a drawing.
Oh God, it kills me every timeI'm talking about it.
This kid had said Dad, you saidyou were going to come play

(07:42):
football with me tonight and youknow, I'm just waiting for you
to come home.
I'm just like, oh God, dude,that was not a drive, that place
.
But yeah, I do want to,hopefully sometime.
It's been a long time, but yeah, I'd love to go back and see
the memorial.
That was insane.
So, speaking of 9-11, rightbefore it happened that week,

(08:06):
before you started, that week,you started.
So I haven't met Chris, yet Iguess he met a couple of other
guys in our place.
So I'm sitting there and you'relike okay, who the hell is Chris
?
So he's manager bartender atE12.
We're at E31, we're coming offa freaking, huge like Delta was
pumping, freaking.
This was busy as shit this yearand they had a lot of vouchers,

(08:27):
extra vouchers.
We knew all the Delta people wehad hooked up Freaking the shoe
shine guy.
They need the shoe shine guy.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
I mean it was money.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
It was money, money, Like starting from back then.
And dude, so we go intoSeptember.
I don't know if it's still thisway, but and so we go in in
September.
I don't know if it's still thisway.
But you know, school starts, itseems like business traveling is
the only thing going on and itseems like it's a low.
But every time I was there inthat terminal September was one

(08:58):
of the slowest times already.
So right after summer, back toschool.
Back to school is a big thing.
Nobody's staying home for amonth probably.
So we're just.
You know God, I'll never forget.
So I'm working, we're dead.
Shit.
September 10th, I'm workingthat Monday You're used to full
speed.
And then it goes to.
You're like your skin iscrawling.
You're just like ah, yeah, wehave that little.

(09:19):
Yeah, yeah, so I remember me,jason.
We're sitting in there andwe're just slow, just hanging
out.
It's like we don't even havemoney.
We don't even have any money todo any shit.
So here comes this dude.
Here's Chris Chris coming in.

(09:44):
He's like hey, mcgee, youholding that wall up.
And you know, I'm sort of likelulled him.
I'm like who the fuck's thismotherfucker, who the fuck's
this?
Oh, good, fellow shit.
Who the fuck's this guy comingin, coming in and out?
Who the fuck are you?
I'm like who's this?
I'm the dude guy.
Yeah, how's this guy talkingshit?
What's happening?
Shit, yeah, it's slowing makingmoney.
And I was like and he's justlike, hey, chris Brown fucking

(10:11):
met him September 10, 2001,crazy.
And so I go hang out with somebuddies.
You know he hadn't sort of likethe family, all this stuff that
we can before.
You know, my 28th birthday,dude.
So I go into the football gameand I just Giants-Broncos First

(10:31):
game.
Ed McCaffrey, fucking homeboy,cmc's dad Receiver for the
Broncos, breaks his leg in thatgame, monday night game.
And I think the quarterbacks itwas.
I've got to say Greasy, yep,john Greasy, brian Greasy or
Brian Greasy, forget that.
Bob Greasy's the dad from theDolphins back then, and I think

(10:55):
Kerry Collins.
So, it was a big football gameMonday night football game.
I forget who, I just rememberthe freaking and it was in New
York and I think it was New York, how like.
And it was in New York and Ithink it was New York.
I don't even remember, but Ijust remember Ed McCaffrey
breaking his leg, whatever, gotdrunk that night.
I was like hey, birthday'stomorrow, dude.
I sleep in, I miss everything,and me and my roommate Lee when

(11:18):
he passed away, but we'refreaking, he wakes up.
He worked the night shift withhis job and I remember waking up
and I had all these texts on myphone like 13.
I was like, man, that's mybirthday, all right, everybody's
wishing you a happy birthday.
John, yeah, I was just like holyshit.

Speaker 1 (11:36):
So that was sort of crazy.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
It was just crazy.
It's tied into.
Thank you, matt man.

Speaker 1 (11:41):
I remember, I guess, that very next day after I met
you.
All I remember is we werehouse-sitting.
My ex-parents-in-law, myex-wife, was still pregnant with
our son.
She was about eight, ninemonths, she was about eight
months pregnant.
She had him in October.

(12:02):
So seven months pregnant,anyways, she was big, oh dude.
Anyways, I remember waking yeah, seven months pregnant, anyways
, she's big, oh dude.
Anyways, I remember waking upthat morning and she's like hey,
wake up.
Uh, a plane hit a building innorth in new york and I was like
, oh no, that kind of stuffhappens randomly, no big deal
and I went back to sleep.

(12:23):
She wakes me up probably 15-20minutes later and she goes.
Another plane hit the otherWorld Trade Center tower and I
sprung up out of bed.
I remember that like ithappened yesterday, john, but
wow, the day before that I metyou.

Speaker 2 (12:42):
It's nuts.
I was in seventh grade.
Oh wow, we're playing wall ballbefore school, Like we did
every day I had.
No, I mean, we're just we.
We get to school early.
You're either playingbasketball, you're playing wall
ball.

Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (12:58):
Just for school to start Exactly, and you know what
a World Trade Center is.
I'm like, what does that evenmean?
And I hear the teachers kind oflike talking about, because it
was starting to happen rightbefore, like the bell, I was
like and I just I'm like I don'tknow what that is we're just
playing wall ball hanging out,yeah, and then we go into class
and we're all sitting at ourdesk and the teacher turns on

(13:19):
the well, we're just like that'sscary and terrifying.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
I was like all I know is it's my mom's birthday when
I woke up, yeah, yeah, then I'dbe like they let you out of
school.

Speaker 2 (13:28):
They sent everybody home early they did.
Parents came and pickedeverybody up.

Speaker 1 (13:31):
Holy shit, I couldn't remember they shut it down.

Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah Well, because it's like dude, that was nuts,
it was crazy.
The next I lived there, rightin Bedford Planes, right, you
know, right by the airport.

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Yeah, right by the airport.

Speaker 2 (13:44):
You didn't see a fucking plane in the sky for
three days and that's what'sweird, just thinking being at
the airport and that's your joband you're like what's happening
.
And I'm sure y'all thought thatCOVID was probably even more,
because that lasted for a longtime.

Speaker 1 (14:00):
COVID was weird because I got kept on, so I had
just started at Magia.
I had moved from working at thewine bar at Lovefield at the
Dallas airport to DFW, workingat a new bar at Magia.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
That's where I met Dion.

Speaker 1 (14:13):
And Jesse was bartending there.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
Jesse was bartending there, dick Ritchie was
bartending there.
They hired me to bartend, butthen they let.

Speaker 1 (14:21):
Dick Ritchie, keep going Back with all the crew.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
They're like you're going to be a server.
I'm like it's fine, I'll getbehind them.

Speaker 1 (14:30):
It was weird, I started in February.

Speaker 2 (14:33):
Mind you, everything shut down in March.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
I started in February .
I already got cocktail.

Speaker 2 (14:38):
I got the best section.
It would always be.
They liked me so much.
One of the managers was likeyou're going to stay late
tonight.
I know you came at 11.
You're going to stay late.
You're going to take overcocktail.
You're going to close therestaurant.
Sometimes, when you want to gohome, you're like why do I have
to be so good?

Speaker 1 (14:53):
I would like to.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
So they furloughed and laid off 50 servers and
bartenders and kept me and I'vebeen there for like two weeks
and so we're down to us.
But it was so weird cuz we'redown to a skeleton crew.
There were like five of us thatstayed on, out of like 60 it
was so weird.
And then finally, like twoweeks later, like our, we're all
done, and that was so.
How long were y'all off fromthe airport?

Speaker 1 (15:22):
good, you month, and then they brought us back.
And then they shut us down,shit.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
Because I didn't work at the bar that we work now,
which kind of opened back upyeah.
I wasn't working.
They just, you know, they justthrow us.
I never heard from them againand it was like two years.
Dude, I remember one of the Joe, one of the Joes, he was like
two years.
I remember one of the Joes.
He was like he stayed on and hewas just like.
He was like man, you have to doit with the mask.

(15:52):
I was like talking to differentpeople, you got through like 23
.
I don't know how y'all did it.
Are you serious?

Speaker 1 (16:01):
Because federal mandate is different from Did
y'all get to take them off?

Speaker 2 (16:05):
when the flight attendants, or was that the same
time?
Once the federal mandate, itwas like 23,.

Speaker 1 (16:11):
August.
Yeah, are you serious?
It was like fall of 23,.
I think yeah, because we're onfederal property so the
restrictions are just so muchheavier.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
I couldn't have done that, but everybody had to do it
.
I that, but everybody has to doit.
You know, I get it if I justhad a job there you get used to
it.

Speaker 1 (16:29):
It just is what, and everybody's doing it.
You want to keep your job put amask on exactly.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
But again, it was so weird because it was always like
all right, once you sit down atthe bar as a guest, now you can
take it and chris is like no,it's fine.

Speaker 1 (16:37):
The really cool thing is, once you sit down, the
virus deactivates like a reallycool thing about it Actually
everybody would pull their maskoff as soon as they sit down at
the bar, cause it's the mask.
We're just super annoying andI'm like that was okay.
Yeah, you can't now that you'resitting down and you take your
mask off, you can't spread itanymore.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Good job Is that like free, was that like a great day
?
When you're like, oh, was thata great day?
When you're like, oh, let themask go, it was so nice Because
they're so hot, oh dude.
I couldn't even imagine.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
And it was so weird because Texas is the opposite.
You would go street side justoutside, no one has been wearing
them for two years.
Yeah, because no one in Texaswore them Almost no one.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
And at the airport, like we were just in a different
world Inside.
The airport was just adifferent world.
Yeah, it's just, I can't evenexplain it.
It was just so weird Because itwas just like, oh okay, man,
that's one thing.
My wife and I because she wasat the airport for a while too
we were just like again, if wewere working there, yeah, we

(17:44):
wouldn't have a choice.
But you know, not working there, I was just like I couldn't do
this shit.
I had a problem.
I did not have a problempolitical-wise.
I gave two shits about it.
I tried to go by everybody'srules.
That shit bugged me.
It was just like ah.
I just couldn't take it.
Some people could, I was justlike ah.

(18:05):
Wearing glasses and having amask too.
Oh yeah, you're different.
Shit fog up, walk around.
So I had to get like the N95that has the actual piece that
will shape to your nose, becausethat was the only way.
I could not have foggy glasses,because there's no way I was
going to bartend all day like Iwas opening a dishwasher with
fog it's like when you get outof your car you have like the
rainbow six mask and stuff see,I don't even mask and stuff, I

(18:26):
just had a fucking mask.
I mowed lawn then but that woulddrop.
Yeah, you said it right there,because I have glasses too and
the level of clean that youwould have to do things to like
literally have to clean, youhave to sanitize every so many
extra.
You are anyways, but it wasjust like different and you had

(18:46):
to have the disposable wipes.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
It was a whole thing.
They put these stupid plasticshields in front of our
registers.

Speaker 2 (18:59):
I remember a lot of that.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
It was just a crazy time.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
Now, looking back, it's a crazy thing.
It was five years ago, buty'all still had the After
Effects.
The weirdest thing to me was Iremember the day I was sitting
at home.
I was at David's house, I wassitting at home and I see on
SportsCenter the NBA season hasbeen canceled.
I was like what the fuck?

Speaker 1 (19:20):
I was like.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
the playoffs are in a month Spring break.

Speaker 1 (19:23):
It was around March 15.

Speaker 2 (19:24):
I was like the playoffs are in a month Spring
break of yeah, that was niceBecause it was around March 15th
was the day they sent me home,wow.
But yeah, it was like a weeklater like all right, the NBA.
And that's when I was like whatthe fuck?
Yeah, I'm going to say no,march Madness, I'm like fucking.
Oh, I'm sober.
And then the NBA bubblewatching the playoffs with
nobody in the stands.

Speaker 1 (19:46):
It was bubble watching the playoffs with
nobody in the stands.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
It was so weird, that was little, little way in the
background like and then miclobeultra would like do the thing
they're sponsoring people athome on zoom.
All that.

Speaker 1 (19:53):
It was just so weird I know that's what I'm talking
about.
They had little way.
You see him lean over and takea bong, rip and then blow smoke
back in the camera as well asall the scrubs from Zoom just
doing the same thing to theirbabe for their beer or whatever.

Speaker 2 (20:08):
It's just nuts.
You know thinking about twomajor things.
You know like 9-11 and all thiswhile back, but there wasn't
any major after.
Well, I mean yeah, there was alot from that obviously.
I mean that I mean I don't knowwhat to say.
I mean I don't know what to say.
I mean it's horrible.
But you know, like with theairport working there, you know,
we off for like a week and thenwe went you had to go get a

(20:31):
badge and do that.
I remember going.
So they made you do a badge.
Was it directly after boom?
You have to go get a badge.
Oh, you couldn't even get inthe airport.
Go get a badge.

Speaker 1 (20:40):
So we had to go wait.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
I went up to the bat and they're like go to this
office, you need to get a bat,Dude there was a whole airport
was in there.
You're just like the line.
It was like a mile long.

Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yeah, it was.
It was the most, and you'd haveto get fingerprinted background
checks.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
And there's some people that didn't pass
background checks.
That was it.
Some people are like, oh, thisguy's Well, you can't have the
streets, I guess yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:06):
All right, not going to work here anymore.

Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, so there was a lot of that.
So that was a crazy time.
But man, I always thought likedude, I couldn't believe,
because I left five years beforeCOVID and just thinking of, oh
my God, just what that was, buthang on, I got some more.
You God, just what that was,but hang on, I got some more.
You want to Cool?
Oh, we're going to keep rolling.

(21:29):
Yeah, well, we had a reallygood GM, dennis Gordon.

Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
He took care of people.
At our Vintage Texas conceptand then Chris and I had
together over at Sgames man.
Does that make things betterwhen you have someone who
supports you?

Speaker 1 (21:44):
Definitely.

Speaker 2 (21:45):
He was definitely on your side and you know he.
So my wife did a lot of officework for him with her and
claudia, yeah, and she waitedthere too and she was like you
know what, that guy, he wouldcome in and this, uh, he would
come in and freaking like, bringher a coffee, get a breakfast
sandwich for her, make sure shewas taken care of.

(22:08):
She was like he cared aboutevery minute he cared about you
as a person not just like hey,did you get he made sure all the
numbers overall were rightbecause sometimes you know I
made this story, watch this, youknow, you know what I'm getting
to.

Speaker 1 (22:22):
He knew how to play the numbers.

Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yeah, so another E31 vintage Texas story.
I was a waiter, dennis, andRandy Pitts or the Randy Pitts
was AGM cool guy.
So, oh, super cool, he was good, he tried to make everybody

(22:47):
happy.
That's fine, denison.
So this was Okay.
Jason and Victoria just startedthat's a whole other story
Worked together.
My buddy was just in love withVictoria forever.
She had a boyfriend and finallyhe was was leaving for LA.
And there's a lot more to thisstory.
I go in this there's a wholeother free.

(23:08):
Now they're married with kids.
Now they're married with kids.
But Victoria's where she's out.
How I met my wife, christie,but Jason, victoria, they were.
It was like God, god, thingswas probably about cause they.
We closed in July 2003 thatstore Because they were doing
the construction.
Eventually, yeah, that's whatthey came upon.
Yeah, reconcept, you're in allthe old history.

(23:30):
You know, you're just like Iknow everything.
Now, over the episodes, hearingall the different people, it's
like, oh, I know what this placeis.
Oh, I know what this place is.
I know Dennis.
I know Dennis and everything.
I can give a TED talk.
I know Dennis and everything Ican give a TED talk.
Yeah, so this is like.
I think it was March, just sayMarch 03.
They were going to New Orleans.

(23:50):
Well, there was only so manywaiters that worked there and
I'm just like, hey, the doublesthere, it wasn't really a double
.
You open A close an A, sosometimes you know the way their
shifts ran.
So they're like, hey, could youcover this?
So I would work.
Not a big deal, so I'd workfour days.
Four more hours.
You're like whatever Exactly.
So I worked four days.
Three of them were like eightto eight, eight to close, so

(24:13):
it's not like a five to ten atnight, you know not a true
freaking long ass, shit double.
So I ended up working four daysstraight.
Doubles say Well, that I go infor that fourth day and you know
my fucking horror stories.
And, oh boy, have we had thejust say it, the monkey butt

(24:34):
crotch-rotch stories.
Holy shit, it can get painful.

Speaker 1 (24:39):
Wait.
So how many hours a day are wetalking about on these doubles?

Speaker 2 (24:43):
So it was putting in 12 hours, no big deal, but I did
12 in a row, slamming busy.
You know balls to the wall.
Busy made a lot of money.
It was great picking up these.
At a certain point you're justgoing to be burnt out, but yeah,
so.
So, admittedly, I'm okay, I'mfucking gonna do the doubles.
I love them, but uh, physicallyI was in some pain, okay.

(25:04):
So this, this was rough, so Ihad some crotch rot crotch rot
and this is a story and I'mbringing people probably be like
why are you talking about thisshit?
Hey, it happens.
Everybody's dealt with it atthe airport.
It's a nightmare.
Sometimes it's some things thatdon't matter.
How you know, personal hygiene,whatever.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
So so it's a common thing in in a lot of concepts.
Waiters and waitresses arecalled dubs w and w dub dubs.
So uh, it's, it's a very commonthing and people call it dub
rub, which is basically chafingof the uh yeah, taint and ass,

(25:46):
so sorry to get into all this.

Speaker 2 (25:48):
but uh, our local little place around corner store
.
They're out of powder and mydumb ass didn't bring anything
or even hey, just so you know,the speed stick, the talc,
that's the best thing.
But I didn't know that then Iwas learning so vintage, they

(26:08):
had this.
You know you'd have shit instore and shit that would just
sit around.
You're like, have we eventouched that?
There was a lot of cornstarch.
Okay, so I was sitting there.
We're not using this.
We don't use this in thekitchen.
Juan Puga, jesus' brother,remember Juan Puga.

Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yes, kitchen man.
He's like hey man.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
Dude, just let my car start.
So I think I used that on thatthird day and I was like, oh,
you know what?
I made it through the rest ofthe day.
Well, that last day hey, Idon't want to give you the
details it was bad.
It was like so I go in theoffice and I think I was working
with Brent and Davey I don'tknow who was there that day so

(26:48):
I'm in the office and we had,remember, the office over there.

Speaker 1 (26:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:51):
So I shut the door.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
This is the same office that my brother passed
out in.
This is the same office thatKevin found Muhammad drunk in.

Speaker 2 (27:04):
So E31.
So I'm sitting there.

Speaker 1 (27:06):
I shut this door, oh, excuse me, e31.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
Oh, I thought this was A16.

Speaker 1 (27:10):
No, no, no, no.
Another different office too.
Excuse me, this is E31.
So E31.
Office you can't even seebecause it's off to the side.

Speaker 2 (27:20):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, in the kitchen.
That's true, because that oneyou sort of see off to the left.
So I'm in the office, freaking,I'm doing you know, we, we had,
we had a khakis and freaking ablack long sleeve shirt.
Yeah, so I had that out.
I had bad sinuses.
It's march, it's freaking.
I'm just like you know.
Well, I had this freakingcornstarch in a big bag because

(27:46):
I think I stuck it in thereyesterday and I brought it up to
work, yeah, so.
I had this big cornstarch andthere's shit over the floor.
I'm, like you know, doing allthis stuff taking care of myself
looking like LeBron James,fucking hear it knock on the
door and it's like police,fucking Brent, do that because
we shut door for other thingsback in the day.
And I was like, oh, brent, openthe door, like what's up?

(28:08):
And I was like holy shit, it'sfucking Dennis and Randy and I'm
like and Dennis is like, um,what are you doing?
And I was like you're freakingwhite shit on the floor.
I got powder, I got freaking.
I wore contacts, I didn't wearglasses and I'm like, hey, man,
what's up?
Don't worry about my nose.

(28:28):
Randy is just like you know,he's sort of like you know, sort
of just like you want to, sortof just good old guy.
I mean, he's a good guy.
He meant well, but he wasn'treally exposed to all these
things.
He was just like what the fuckis he doing?
I was like Dennis, hey, he'slike.

(28:49):
What's going on?
Dennis had this big grin on hisface.
I was like dude, listen, I'vebeen working, I just fucking lay
it out.
I've been working to double.
It's bad down there.
This is cornstarch.
You can fucking just smell it.
It's cornstarch.
It's not going to react the wayyou think it will.
He's like okay, I totallyunderstand.

(29:10):
And Randy's just like I can'tbelieve it.
I was like what do you think?
It's cocaine all over thegoddamn ground.
I was like dude.
I'm sorry it's been bad.
This is my fourth day, soDennis was like hey, that's cool
.
Oh my God, I heard that storyabout every week For the rest of
the work.
Remember he'd be like hey, john, you got quarter, so he'd still

(29:32):
talk about it.
So we worked with him laterabout shit, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
Years later, yeah, about almost 10 years.

Speaker 2 (29:38):
You know, I don't know, was that 2003?
So you know, we started workingtogether, Both of us, like in
08.
So when we worked with Dennisfrom like 08 to about 2011,.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
he would bring up.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
Hey, we got cornstarch in today.
Oh, he'd bring it up, freakingcornstarch, cornstarch.

Speaker 1 (29:52):
But hey, it helped me that last day I was off like
three days.

Speaker 2 (30:00):
Oh, bro, we all had those times, but that was the
most severe case.

Speaker 1 (30:04):
You made a couple thousand dollars thanks to porn
stars.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
I will not be back tomorrow.
Guys, you know we talk aboutthe money was great and it was
like one thing we would talkabout.
All of us had worked there fora long time.
It was like we called it theblack hole.
It was like you get sucked in,you cannot.
It's like I've tried.
I always had side jobs.
I had side something, somethinggoing on.

(30:26):
I did real estate, I did this.
I had my little, you know, ebaybusiness, which eventually I
ended up moving on with that.
And now what I do now.
But, dude, I just, I didn'tthink I was ever, you know, not
that I wanted to, I loved it.
Not that I wanted to, I lovedit.
I mean, that's one thing aboutthe airport, dude.
Dude, it's like I already said,you know, you get this.
It's like a fraternity, abrotherhood, it's like a
camaraderie of people.

(30:47):
And, dude, I'll say this, Itell this I talk to Scott Heat.
We named Brandon.
Everybody I've talked to overthe years after I's like some of
the best people I know now, andthere's a lot of people I know
there's so many people that haddegrees, that got out there and

(31:09):
they can't make it.
I mean I make better money doingthis.
You know, and there's a lot ofgreat people that I'm still
friends with today, I still keepin touch with.
And one of the best things, andI heard it this last fantasy
football draft we were.
And one of the best things, andI heard it this last fantasy
football draft we were on ouryear 23.
Chuck, you know Joe says it.
You know Jason Davey alwayssays we're always talking all
the time anyway, but you knowChuck's like hey man, you know

(31:30):
what this is so cool.
He's like.
I know you know everybody's.
You know everybody.
You know Chuck's won a coupleof titles and you know
everybody's got some.
You some and we, you know it'slike the bragging award don't
matter about the money in that,it's just like the, you know the
bragging rights and all that.
But you know, we're all into it, we're still into it.
But one of the main things issort of brings everybody

(31:50):
together.

Speaker 1 (31:50):
Still from that 27 years later?
Yeah, fantasy football,everybody looks forward to it,
absolutely so, and I try to youknow well, shit me and some of
my, some of us aren't even inthe league.
I'll be there.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
You know, chris make his interest.
There's other guys that will,you know, come and stop by.
But you know, chuck, it is justa really good comment.
He's like hey, man, this is coolthat you still do this, because
it still it brings us togetherand this is a really only time
like these are some specialpeople and I think chuck posted
something about three, fouryears ago when you came there's,
a lot of us were there, youknow, and this is yeah, it's

(32:30):
maybe three years ago.
He put he's like hey, he's likehey, these group, there's my
brothers right here, a lot ofgreat stories here.
He posted on facebook and I waslike, yeah, dude, it is that's
why you know, it's cool.
You know I like talking topeople.
It's cool, like me and you.
I just met you now but you knowyou have all this stories and
stuff and everybody you know,you know, your next generation,

(32:50):
all these people.
It's crazy and I think it'scool.
Listen to your podcast here andyou know, you know we have old
people talking about it.
I've made a million dollars.

Speaker 1 (33:03):
These kids don't even know what they're doing.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
I think it's cool listening to these new you know
new people because you knowhearing the COVID stories,
hearing what it's like now, I'mlike I can't even fucking hang
anymore.
I mean, I hang with what I donow, but I was like dude.
If I got up and working I'd belike I need a week off, John.

Speaker 1 (33:22):
It's called compression socks, but that
would be so freaking crazy Foryou viewers out there.
Blake just pulled his pant legup and has these really sweet
compression socks.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
I didn't think of this in my 20s, but I got it in
my 30s In.
When I got in my 30s, early 40s, before I left I was like shoes
matter.
This was the worst advice I'veever gotten.
Whenever I did the interview, Ihad no idea what I was doing.
I'd never worked at a barbefore.
I just bullshitted my way intoa bartending job at the airport.
I was like, okay, so as far asshoe goes and the GM who was

(34:04):
opening the rest of it goes,just get in shoes at Walmart.
That was the worst advice I'veever gotten in my fucking life.

Speaker 1 (34:12):
God damn did I not, and I was 25, and god damn did I
not have the biggest fuckingknots and shit in my after two
weeks.

Speaker 2 (34:20):
I was like my legs were numb.
I was like I can't feel my legsanymore.

Speaker 1 (34:25):
You better take your ass to the Red Wing store or
something man, and then I'veworn Skechers or a nice one.
That's the worst.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
Who would say that?
Because now you know you seethose shows or something they
get home.
They're like oh, you know, yousee those shows or someone they
get home.
They're like oh you know, kickoff their feet.
That's the airport when youkicked off those shoes.
When you get home, you're justlike your eyes roll back and
you're just like okay, I meanthat's why you drink a lot, or
you did back then.

Speaker 1 (34:57):
You know?
It says you've walked 16 milestoday.
That is insane what the hell.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
My days are typically 20,000 plus steps I wish.
That's why sometimes I'm like Iwish I had an Apple Watch back
then, because I was like easy20,000 steps someday.
It's only on those doubles.
They're doing a double atChili's back in the day.
Oh yeah, speaking of it, youare on your own.
I don't need Okay.

(35:23):
Okay, I do have a story and ifyou just sort of how, my whole
little career at the airport isjust a full circle.
Talk to me, john, tell it so itsort of goes back to when I
talked about earlier about thattable praying, which is crazy,
I'm not trying to be all thebiggest you know, religious
person you know.

Speaker 1 (35:37):
I do have faith.

Speaker 2 (35:38):
I believe in God, but I'm not like oh crazy let's
pray here together.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
You know, it was the family that lost their son.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Family lost their son , speed back up to so, you know,
to gains great times there.
All that me and you.
Yeah, one of my sad days therewas January of 2013.
When he walked out, he ended upleaving.
He was and I was like and I wasa stress ball back then I
freaking, was just like you know, and I was like trying to, I

(36:07):
was going to be a GM and thisdude I ain't trying to brag I
would have been a great GM forthose people, for I would have
been a great GM for any peoplethat I worked with.
I was a team manager.
When you say, yeah, I was ateam manager.
When you say I was for thepeople, oh, definitely.
That's what they call a player'scoach.
Yeah, blake keeps on comingwith the right words.

(36:29):
That's what you know.
He's just like pleasure, energy, this, that.
So every time he says a word,it's like you just summed it up.
You're damn right.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Yeah, good right here , so players go.
No, you're right, but that'snot what companies want.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
And we know that they don't want that.
And I knew that.
And I know and I look back Iwas like dude, I would have been
a great GM for them, but theyknew I was a.
You know I bust my ass.
I did what they said to themost part, but you know, like
Dennis is like hey, you know,here's the flagpole, it bends,
but don't break it.
Well, I've been with thatmotherfucker a lot.
Sometimes it breaks, but he'sgoing to go out and put it back
together.

(37:05):
But yeah, so one thing to touchon real quick before we get
into it Great compliment.
I heard and I think I heard acouple people I've talked to
over the years since I've beengone Chris and I left again as
managers and you left again asmanagers and you left in January
2013.
And I was pretty much like itain't going to work here.

(37:26):
I know I ain't going to be a GM.
We had a whole new GM over us.
He had his own personal shit.
I don't want to be mean andpersonal.
He was sort of an ass.
I mean, I get it.
He sort of wanted to do thingsa certain way, but I was like I
ain't going to be here anymore.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
Well, but I think and that's why I had to exit is
because everybody looked to usfor everything in that
restaurant because we had beendoing it for so long.
And they wouldn't go to himwith anything.
They would run to us with itand he had control issues.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
He had major control issues.
He also had some personalthings, things going on and it
carried on into there well, hedidn't last long after I left.
No, no, he didn't.
I mean, yeah, will you guyscome back?
Yeah, no, he couldn't.
He couldn't swallow his right,he couldn't.
He was just all serious.
And then he'd be like oh, youwant to go out and have a drink.

(38:20):
I'm like fuck you dude, you'vebeen a dick all day and now you
want to hang out.
Yeah, we were trying to helphim.
Besides that, one of the greatcompliments you left in January
2013.
I followed behind, I gave himmy two weeks notice and then I
was going to stay.
Then it was a good walkoutstory.
He sent me some personal textand this and that some bullshit.

(38:44):
I did payroll and I followed up.
I was like, hey, am I going toget paid here?
I already had a job lined upwith Kilaria, with hosts through
Lupe.
Going back, kilaria was thatold E12 in the Delta terminal
Now Delta, was shortened.
The amount of people that I knowthat have mentioned working at
the team.
I loved it.

(39:04):
It was insane.
Jesse worked there One of myfavorite people Holy shit, I
worked with that guy.
That's our boy.

Speaker 1 (39:14):
Jesse's a great dude.

Speaker 2 (39:17):
I worked with his mom at E31 back in the day.
Nishant, fuck yeah, nishant.
Nishant, fuck yeah Nishant.
Dude, nishant and Jesse aregreat people.
Me, joe, nishant, yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
I didn't even know those guys.
Yeah, I worked with him.

Speaker 2 (39:32):
I went over with Joe and Damien and when I went over
there, so that was June of 13.
I took like two, three weeksoff.
I worked it out.
So when I left, I left it wasMay 30th.
I'll never forget.
Thursday I walked in we wereactually Christy, me and the
kids and our dog.
We were house-sitting JohnMaloney, teresa Maloney's house.

(39:54):
They actually were rentingfreaking Jamie Shepard's house.

Speaker 1 (39:59):
Oh, wow, yeah great guy man.
We talked about him a fewepisodes back.
Rest in peace.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
Yes, Another guy.
I mean it's sad because there'sa lot of people we've lost, you
know, over the years.
So they were it's crazybringing up all these names.
So they went off to Vermont,which they live in Vermont now.
They went and got the bestbartenders I ever met.
I know that dude fucking made alot of money back then, making
over six figures.
That was crazy back thenbecause he had all the prime
shifts at Tegene's, all theprime shifts at freaking

(40:26):
Friday's TGI yeah.
So that dude was making somemoney.
It was insane For back then.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
I know you guys might be like you're fucking insane
now, yeah, we don't do quite aswell, so, but All our regulars
that are listening, tip, tip,tip, yeah, so, yeah, so we were
house sitting the Wednesdaynight.

Speaker 2 (40:50):
me and Christy were, you know, over there.
We're house sitting.
You know the dogs watching.
We had our you know, swimmingin their pool.
Kids were having fun.
It was at the end of school forkids and I remember that was
just sitting there.
Of course, I'd been stressedout forever.
I'd already gone to the doctor.
My blood pressure was at anall-time high.
I was like 38 at the time,something like that, 39, because
I've got to turn 40.

(41:11):
So, and you know that stuff,when you're getting near 40 and
you're, in certain ages, near 50, you know you're not.
Yeah, I was like what's goingon?
What am I doing?
I've got to watch mycholesterol.
There was some sign.
They had some like you know,like some inspirational photo,
something, and it just I wassitting there looking at it said
something about you know you.
And it said something about youknow you need to go make

(41:32):
yourself.
Forget the actual wording to it.
Like you know you know.
Like you said, whatever youneed to go, you know, find peace
in your life, whatever.
And I was like I'm quittingtomorrow.
I was sitting there thinkingthat and I wake up that morning
the next morning, thursday, wakeup to a text.

(41:52):
Chris Creed is just like sort ofbitching at me about stupid
shit.
I call the Mingo, annette Mingo.
I called all the freakingcorporate people and I said, hey
, I just want to make sure I'mgood with this.
I'm good with that.
Cool, if I leave today, I'llget paid here, I get paid there
and then I get my vacation.
Cool, I'm good for a month onthat.
Oh, other shit, cool, you knowthe management actually, cool,
Okay, awesome, hey, if I leavehere, I just want to let you

(42:13):
know what they're like?
Yeah, we know.
Okay, we just make sure you getthat letter in.
I'm fucking sent that morning,christy course new and that was
a sad day, but I went uh causedude hard.
After that, I know I droveChris crazy.
We drove each other crazy, butdude, we were there Sometimes we

(42:34):
grew up.
That's family.
I have my brotherhood and myclose friends.
I have several close friendsthat grew up in the early 80s.
I had good, solid friends.
Now I have lifelong friendsfrom the airport.
But, dude, sometimes I didn'ttalk to him about everything.
Me and Chris fucking relied oneach other.
Yeah, dude I mean we were like,and it's not like I was saying

(42:54):
I mean John, you were therethrough my divorce.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Oh my God, I wouldn't say I don't.
You were there through both ofmy kids being born.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
It was like the closest I could find it, and
shit, because we were therefucking in each other's ass 24-7
.

Speaker 1 (43:07):
Yeah, yeah and dude you know.

Speaker 2 (43:08):
so you don't think about that until you know.
Things happen and you gothrough things and I'm like,
damn, dude, chris is really.
I miss this guy.
You know what I'm trying to say.
I love you man, but you knowwhat you think of these things.
You don't think of how closesomebody was for you.
So he left, it did sort ofchange and I didn't think that

(43:29):
Chris is.
I was like, well, I've knownChris for a while.
But damn, this sucks, dude, andI wasn't happy.
And then I really wasn't happy.
And then dealing with ChrisCreeden and all that bullshit.

Speaker 1 (43:39):
Our new GM at the time.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
Yeah, yeah, management program, this, that,
whatever.
So I remember waking up thatmorning I lined everything up.
I told Chris, hey, I'm doing it, I'm doing it, I'm going to be
good getting all this.
I'll start tequila.
This is May 30th 2013.
I'm going to be startingtequila.
I already had it lined up.
I'll be starting about two,three weeks.

(44:01):
Good to go.
Lupe's going to get me lined upover there.
I'm going to be.
It was we really make fuckingshit.
I didn't want to talk about thepain.
We worked too many hours, toomany hours, too much stress.
It was stupid.
My work ethic there.
I was just like go, go, go.

(44:22):
I put too much on my shouldersand it was just stupid.
It was like why can't I just bea bartender?
And that's what I did.

Speaker 1 (44:28):
Why can't I?

Speaker 2 (44:29):
just make tips.

Speaker 1 (44:30):
Yes, when I walked away from the Irish pub, I went
straight back to bartending andit was the best thing I ever did
.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
Oh yeah, and he was just like dude.
He was like you're everybody, Ididn't you know, you were so
into the moment.
My wife was like dude, you were.
So you were a stress ball andI'll never forget something.
So I walked in that day.
I was sad.
I was sad, but I walked in.
I'll never forget Chris Creedonsitting there and that little
door stopped and I go, let thatdoor shut.

(45:00):
Hey man, he's like what's up?
Man, I was like first off, youknow, talked about the email.
I was like, in the grand schemeof things, that doesn't really
matter.
I was like in the grand schemeof things, that doesn't really
matter.
I was like some of thosepersonal things I'm not even
really going to take thempersonal, but you can think
you're right.
But you're not right, you'rewrong.
That's, besides, the point.
I was like hey man, I'vealready lined everything up, I'm

(45:22):
done today.
It's just he's like okay.
I was like he's like, on that,I ain't going to get tit for tat
, you're wrong.
Because I'd go balls to the wall, even when I said I didn't lose
when I said I was going to beon my two-week notice and then
you wanted me to give anothertwo weeks and then I was going

(45:42):
to stay, and it just went into.
I gave two weeks notice, likesix weeks before that and then I
was like you know.
So I was like so it was a good,like cool, I got to leave on a
good note.
And he was like okay, I didn'ttell him to go, fuck off, but I
was just like, hey, man, allright, I was like appreciate,
all you did Try to be here foryou to help you out, Whatever.
And I was like he's like okay,man, Well, cool.

(46:05):
And he started asking questions.
I was like I got, take care ofme.
I've already talked to all thepeople, I've handled it.
I don't need your help.
I know what the fuck to do.
I'm just letting you know.
So I walked out of that placeand I shook everybody's hands.
Dude Dion was fucking crying.

Speaker 1 (46:20):
Dion was like brother .

Speaker 2 (46:22):
I was like hey, sorry , I didn't tell you, it just
sort of came to naught.
Darius came up to me.
He's like hey, man.
I was like like hey, dude,you're an artist working up here
.
Man Went and said bye.
Everybody's just like, oh God,I'm going to log the coast
because I had to batch for somany things.
They were just like oh fuck,dude.
I went downstairs and that washard, john Maloney.
He said I'll never forget youleaving.

(46:45):
He's like I was so proud of you.
I was like fuck you, dude.
I had people call me.
I had so many texts that night.
Rich Andy's called me hard,like I just had, and it made me
feel so good.
But one of the best complimentsI heard, jd a couple years
later said Dude, you know what?
I've never had two managerscare so much as you and Chris.

(47:09):
I was like Well, you know, andI had a lot of people tell us
that they're like well, you know, and I had a lot of people tell
us that they're like no, no, no.

Speaker 1 (47:14):
I know y'all had just crazy times.

Speaker 2 (47:14):
I know you're great.
You know sometimes Chris waslike whatever, you're like
whatever and you fucking runaround with your head.
Chris is outside smoking.

Speaker 1 (47:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:26):
Y'all went to bat for us All.
Some managers get a bad name.
There's some piece of shit outthere.
There's people that will do youwrong.
My daughter will tell you aboutthis, me and Chris.
I'm trying to brag, but, dude,if anybody hears this, go vouch
for us.
I don't need anybody to vouchfor us.
I fucking know we went to vouchfor so many people, but people

(47:49):
knew we always had and that wasit.

Speaker 1 (47:51):
It's because we gave a damn about the people that
worked for us At the end of theday they knew they could count
on you, they could rely on you.

Speaker 2 (47:57):
We saved a lot of jobs for people getting bullshit
.
Shots that I don't know, peoplethat I was just like.

Speaker 1 (48:06):
Oh gosh, secret shops .
That would get peopleshit-canned immediately.
Knock on wood yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
Since COVID I have not seen a wine I haven't.
I didn't want to, I sort ofjumped onto that, but I'm glad I
wanted to add that about me andyou and our time together.
I appreciate it.
Jumped over to Keeleria yeahgreat time there.

(48:35):
They shut that down and I knew,going into it, they were going
to eventually shut it downbecause Terminal B, the
reconstruction and all that youknow, they're like hey, we're
shutting it in six months,another six months you know how
it's going, it's always, younever.
It's another three years.
So finally they were shut downand I knew I was already.
I had a little side gig goingand I was just happy all 2013
and 14.
I was like this is great,freedom.

(48:57):
People are like they'resupervisors for hosts.
They're like, oh, I didn't knowhow to deal with something.
They look to me and I'm like Idon't pay anymore.
It's like I make $2.
I don't do that.
I'm like you know, when you'rea manager or when you're a
waiter, you're your own manager,you sort of run your own shit.
I'm trying to take awayanything from them.
But that's what Frank Howellsort of put into me and said hey

(49:21):
, dude, you're your own manager,man, you go, you take care of
the situation.
But you told me that one time atChili's and I got mad and I
told a guy that we can do eggs acertain way, because Frank told
me to tell that guy that.
And the guy slung his freakingcreamer against the wall.
Dude, big dude, and I was likeChris Brown knew you can go over

(49:45):
to Friday's.
His wife was like the headhoncho of all the Friday's
freaking roadside and Frankpulls me aside.
Hey, man, you don't tell theguy.
Being husband, I was like youtold me to say that you
empowered me.
Yeah, so whatever, that'sanother side story, but hey, so
ended up going back to Chili's,started there right before, like
it was, we shut down.

(50:06):
Tequila area was Christmas of2014, so you're going back to
Chili's after all these yearsBack to Chili's.

Speaker 1 (50:12):
It's full circle.
This is what 2014?

Speaker 2 (50:15):
14 going into 15.
So I started Chili's, thenVintage, then sort of to Gein,
then back over to well sort ofVintage, but it was Kilaria, but
same area that I'm working in2012,.

Speaker 1 (50:27):
Same exact spot, so I got back to Chili's.

Speaker 2 (50:28):
So I did this whole full circle in 17 years, coming
back to Chili's and in my mind Iwas like dude and I was.
I remember I was times.
I was just like Chrissy I gottado something, I gotta change
something, I gotta get out ofthis, I gotta change something.
I'm back where I freakingstarted.

Speaker 1 (50:46):
God dang 17 years ago and it did a middle on me.

Speaker 2 (50:49):
I mean I know we've all probably gone through that,
you know, it makes you thinkabout things.
I'm here again.
What am I doing?
I'm almost this age.
I'm almost this age, you know,and whatever.
That's just how I felt.

Speaker 1 (51:01):
And I just wanted it.

Speaker 2 (51:02):
Nothing against that Cause I admire anybody that does
the business.
I haven't done it for so long.
So it's there working and Iremember so freaked out, back
with Joe Wilson.
I'm like Joe Wilson's managingover there, he's my manager.
I'm like, oh, you're lovingJanuary.
He's like, hey, man, tell meafter I move into Temple with

(51:25):
his wife.
And I'm like you asshole, goddamn, I was looking forward to
working back with you again.
So I was sort of bummed out andthen that's when he said hey,
so 2014,.
Joe Wilson was one of the OGs ofVenice, texas, of our fantasy
football league.
He's like, hey, man, I'm movinginto.
He's like don't get out of ourfantasy league.
I was like, whatever I saw onFacebook, the Joes, joe Luna,

(51:45):
joe Wilson, joe Luna's like man,why wrote you just out of her
fantasy league?
But that's a little side story.
But so work there is going good, you know, and I you know
freaking, I would pick up a lotof doubles, but still pretty
good money.
It was cool.
So June of 2015.

(52:10):
Thursday my EC goes out and Ihad it and I ended up fixing it
all on my own.
I had to freak because I hadfucking two $3,000 to pay and
this was in my house.
I don't you know, and you needit.
It's summer in Texas by the waymy eBay stuff I found a, thing,
a unit thing that fit into myfreaking system.
Found it from a warehousewarehouse in like I don't know
freaking West Virginia, I don'tknow Freaking some part was $300

(52:34):
.
Bought it this was after thefact, but yeah, I ended up
fixing my AC.
Just a little side note hasnothing to do with the airport.
I know you're great, so yeah,that was hard, but yeah.
But hey, youtube and you canlearn how to fix shit when you
don't have money.

Speaker 1 (52:52):
Google and YouTube, you will get resourceful.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
So I remember changing some schedules around.
Father's Day was June 21st thatyear, so Saturday June 20th I
picked up because I was like,hey, I can't work that.
They're like hey, will you worka double?
I was like, yeah, I'll work aDouble Saturday and I'll take
Father's Day off, cool, great.
So our AC was still out.
That's my three.

(53:19):
So our AC is still out.
So my wife and the kids theywere going to her cousin's over
in Fort Worth and then we weregoing to go to my dad's.
That was the plan on Sunday.
So I worked a double and I wasgoing to go home.
You know, just stay night bymyself with my dog, whatever.
So I work a freaking doublethat day.

(53:40):
So you know, working whatever.
Well, I'm trying to get.
I ended up that Thursday night.
The reason I brought itThursday my mom had an AC unit.
I brought it to the house.
Still doesn't matter, it'sfreaking hot, it helps a little,
but it's an old house.
Anything helps, but yeah, yeah,it's just like blowing more heat
at you.
Yes, so I went to my mom.
My mom wasn't feeling good andall that, and so Saturday, I

(54:04):
remember that morning, we had tobe there like five, you know,
doing the double thing.
That morning I texted my mom.
She wouldn't answer.
Whatever, it's not going to begood.
My mom was not out.
She was and my mom's dead, butshe was retired.
She was an old school teacher.
Mom was like mid 70s at thistime, so she didn't.

(54:24):
I didn't think anything bigabout it.
No big deal, because sometimesI would you know, I'd say, hey,
I love you mom, I was justtrying to get a hold of you but
I hadn't heard from her.
It was Friday morning so Ihadn't heard of her.
But still no big deal.
Sometimes we would miss eachother and she knew I was working
a double and all that.
So I had this table.
This guy seemed a littledifferent.
He was like hey, buddy, he wasreal touchy.

(54:45):
He touched my hand.
He's like hey, man, and he wasthere for a while.
And this is freaking nuts dude.
That table he was at at Julie'swas that same table, that same
one, yeah, same table where thefamily prayed and the guy he was
like I guess he ran like had acongregation or something, I

(55:06):
don't know.
At first he gave me some littlecult vibes.
I was like I don't know.

Speaker 1 (55:11):
I don't know.
I got to feel the same.

Speaker 2 (55:13):
But he was just like hey, and so we're talking, I
brought him.
He's like hey, john, thank youso much.
He was just very friendlyGenerally, just a nice guy, just
a nice dude.
And he was like John.
He just grabbed my hand.
He's like can I pray for youabout that thing?
Back then it didn't even crossmy mind at this time, didn't
even to that day.
It didn't really cross my minda couple months later.

(55:35):
So the guy's sitting there,he's like you know pretty sure,
and I'm just sitting there like,yeah, it's like okay, great,
can I get a new AC?
You know, because that was athing on my mind.
It's all the days they say sohe got, grab my handy printer,
this, look, not try, see, it wasweird, but I'm freaking working
.
He's like hey, john, you know,you know, dear lord, you know,

(55:56):
just please, you know, you know,put your hands on.
You know, god, put your handson john, make sure you know.
And I was like well, thank you,sir, that was very nice.
He's like well, dude, fuckingweird man.
He was just like I just feel Ijust really need to pray for you
, I need to do this.
Okay, well, thanks this.
I was like okay, well, thanksman.
So I told a couple of the waiterand then this one girl was like
hey, what was that?
I was like, hey, I wanted topray for him.

(56:17):
I was like that's sweet.
I was like yeah.
So day went on.
I get back home Late at night.
It was about 11.
Text my mom again.
I have my phone right beside meSleeping.

(56:38):
My wife and the kids.
They're over at her cousin'shouse over four, but they're
over there, stayed out becausewe were going to go swimming
over there.
Hang out and they go.
My dad lives over in Midburg byHaley Father's Day.
That was the plan.
Well, I get a text in themiddle of the night for
something I just remember, sortof you know where your does that
.

Speaker 1 (56:53):
Well, you're passed out.

Speaker 2 (56:54):
Yeah, and my mom is not out and I was like oh and I
just sort of woke up and Ididn't even look at the text.
I was like oh, that's my mom.
She probably was finding oh cool, thank you, and then I just
sort of rolled back over.
You said we I wake up at 7 thatmorning on Father's Day, june
21st, and I look at that textand it was some random nonsense.

(57:15):
I was like my heart dropped.
I was like I thought that wasmy mom.
I called my mom, called my mom,called my mom.
I'm like what the fuck?
Well, my mom had a house.
She had this other littleapartment house I grew up in.
But she went there.
She stayed in this littleapartment over in Bedford and

(57:36):
over in Bedford and called mydad.
My parents were divorced, beendivorced since the early 80s,
and my dad you know my dad.
I sat down really close to mymom and I was like, hey, dad, I
don't feel right about this, I'mgoing to head over there.
So I go over there and I can'tget in the apartment and talk
about a moment where your heartfreaking hits the floor.
I go to a window and it waslike you fall off this big ledge
and I was over there, people,probably in the morning.

(57:57):
What's this dude doing?
And I call her phone and I hearit ringing in the fucking room
and my heart just fucking wentto my.
I was just like.
So I had to call the people.
The apartment wasn't even openyet.
It was five, six in the morning.
They call the freaking the dude.
It's like, yeah, I was aboutit's on phone.
It was like 7 and so, dude, themaintenance guy comes over.

(58:21):
He couldn't get in, so I called.
They had already called 911.
I was like, hey, man, I thinksomeone had my mom.
So big cop fucking, just boots.
I was about to break the window.
But that window I was going tobreak down.
I was like my mom's bed's rightthere and I didn't want to last
on my mom.
So we go in there.
She had a massive stroke andshe was still freaking clean on

(58:43):
the life.
It was crazy.
But, dude, she was barelyhanging on.
So she ended up saving her.
But, dude, she was pretty badand we ended up getting.
She ended up going to thehospital, all this stuff.
She was a little out of it,lost a lot of memory.
That was, let's see, june of2005.

(59:04):
Thank God, my mom saved her,but she ended up.
We put her in a little home.
It wasn't like a dude.
We ended up.
My mom didn't have Medicaid oranything.
She had a good retirement.
So you know, I know shewouldn't want all that money to
go to us, but we ended up payingit because I was trying to do
everything to keep her going andwe did rehabilitation but she
had a lot of little mild strokes, but you know of 2017.

(59:29):
Now the great thing is, peopleare like man.
That's sad.
Hey, dude, I got to say mygoodbyes to mom.
I had that extra time.
I mean I could have walked inand she could have been gone.
But pretty much to bring thattie that back in the airport, I
stayed on with Chili's for threemonths but I never did work
another shift.
That was my last day and thatin my head when I left the bed,

(59:54):
I said I'm not, I'm not doing it.
So that was pretty much how Ijust stopped my career at the
airport, really, cause my momand I just had no idea at the
moment.
I did just about two, threemonths later I was like that
fucking praying at that thing,and then I praying at that same
fucking table, like, and then Icould pray on that same fucking
table.
It's like a full circle andit's just crazy and I just tied

(01:00:15):
into that my whole little career.
It's just sort of nuts how thatall tied in and I ain't trying
to get all sad and emotional youknow, but yeah, that was nuts
how that ended.
But the good thing about my momshe ended up coming to the last
two months of her life.
She, freaking, was as clear asday, talked to my kids.
We were Her body.

(01:00:35):
She didn't really do anything.
She was in a home over in Uless.
We didn't get her into one ofthese.
There's no way she would lastin a nursing home, it's not
enough.
Not there.
We got her.
She was in this lady's housewho took care of three or four
people at a time.
I'd go there and he'd come thelast.

(01:00:56):
So many days I stayed thereevery night with her.
I was there when she passed.
People are like man.
I'm so sorry.
Hey, you know what?
It's inevitable.
I hope everybody sees theirparents go.

Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
I know you don't want to say that they don't want to
see you go.

Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
You don't want to see your kids go ever.
I had a brother that passedaway.
I saw what my parents wentthrough watching their son die
when I was 18.
I remember Now, looking back,the worst thing was seeing my
parents what they went throughseeing their son die.
I'm like God dang.
No, at the time I was hurtbecause of my big brother.

(01:01:32):
But watching your parents, youdon't want to see your kids go.
So that with my mom was okayand, like I said, people say I
was like hey, man, I got to saymy goodbyes to her.
Luckily I had to say all mygoodbyes.
My father passed last year.
I got to say all my goodbyes tohim.

(01:01:53):
So not trying to get into allthe personal stuff, but you know
that sort of tied in and it'scrazy how it tied that in with
the airport and I was like dude,that guy, what the hell did
this dude see?
He was like I need to pray foryou and I was like holy shit.
It's like how did he know?
They say the grace of God andall this.
It's just crazy.

(01:02:14):
So so, yeah, that was it.
So June 20th, yeah, day beforeFather's Day, that was my last
day at the airport.
I didn't know.
It's okay.
I mean, I'd say, at least Ididn't get fired going up,
whatever you know and you neverlooked back until we made you
today.

Speaker 1 (01:02:26):
No look back what?

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
no?
So but yeah, it's just crazy.
And then that turned in.
You know, I started doing likeebay and I was like I got a boss
line and didn't make that muchmoney, made enough to get by,
and then that turned in and thenour business.
How it turned into that?
Because we started that wewanted to start a business but
sort of fell in our lap and ohyes, one of our new sponsors is

(01:02:50):
foodies catering out of Roanoke.

Speaker 1 (01:02:54):
Just want to get that in there for you.
Yeah, thank you, man.

Speaker 2 (01:02:57):
Yeah, we had some of that today If you guys need it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:01):
It was incredible.
The food was absolutelyphenomenal.

Speaker 2 (01:03:04):
I had to come and support.
John bring food anytime Ifanybody in the Metroplex needs
catering.
Get up Foodies.
And Roanoke, they're on 377 inKeller, texas, rono Rono, next
door neighbor, just kidding.
Just kidding, that's yourhometown, you got to say Keller.

Speaker 1 (01:03:22):
John, we'd like to thank you so much for coming on
the show and sharing all theseexperiences about the airport
with us, man, thank you, thankyou, it was awesome and I know
you've got more stories, but Iwant you to save them for
another time.

Speaker 2 (01:03:35):
Sorry for being so long winded, but I have a lot of
details to every story you cancome on and be long winded on
this show anytime you want, man.

Speaker 1 (01:03:43):
Thank you so so much.

Speaker 2 (01:03:44):
Well, I appreciate it , guys, and I wish the best luck
to you, man.
This is awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:03:48):
And to our listeners as always, scroll down to the
bottom when you're looking atthis on whatever podcast
platform and look at that buttonat the bottom where it's like
glowing at you.
It says support the show,Please support the show.
Click on that and send money.
No, thank you, guys forsupporting the show and

(01:04:13):
following us and liking us, andmake sure you download the
episodes if you really like us,and we will be back in a few
more weeks, guys.
Thanks again, until next time,peace.
Guys we love y'all.

Speaker 2 (01:04:28):
Thank y'all Peace.