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Transcript

TMP316 MEET JONATHAN PRETUS · Troubled Men Podcast

• 0:15
  Speaker A: Greetings, troubled listeners. Welcome back to the Troubled Men podcast. I am Renee Komen, sitting once again in Snake and Jake's Christmas Club Lounge in the heart of the Clempire with my co host, the original troubled man for troubled times and future mayor of New Orleans, Mr. Manny Chevrolet. Welcome, Manny.
• 0:33
  Speaker B: Hey, what's happening, man? Yeah, the qualifying started today for mayor.
• 0:39
  Speaker A: I heard about that.
• 0:40
  Speaker B: Yeah. And seven people have already qualified. You know what's weird though? I. I sent out a press release to all the four network affiliates here in town. Abc, NBC, Fox and cbs that tell him. Announcing that I was gonna run.
• 1:00
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:01
  Speaker B: And none of them announced it.
• 1:03
  Speaker A: Huh? Really?
• 1:04
  Speaker B: Yeah, none of them. None of them put it on the news or anything like that. So I don't know what that's about.
• 1:09
  Speaker A: I was looking for it today. They had this other. They had like eight people lined up. There's a new guy, Scurlock. Who is that?
• 1:18
  Speaker B: He. He. Don't you remember him? Ronald.
• 1:21
  Speaker A: That name is familiar, but I couldn't place it.
• 1:24
  Speaker B: About eight years ago, he announced that he was running for mayor. On this whole business. He's all about business.
• 1:32
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:32
  Speaker B: And then about three months into the campaign, for some reason now, I can't remember the exact story, but for some reason he was in Los Angeles staying in a. Do you remember this?
• 1:43
  Speaker A: It's starting to come back to me. Go on.
• 1:45
  Speaker B: He. He was in Los Angeles, apparently on business.
• 1:49
  Speaker A: Monkey business.
• 1:50
  Speaker B: Yeah. And he was staying in a hotel in Santa Monica. But he caught a cab ride or an Uber. Sunset Strip.
• 2:02
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 2:03
  Speaker B: Back to his hotel.
• 2:04
  Speaker A: Right.
• 2:05
  Speaker B: And I can't remember the exact details. I probably have to Google it or something like that. But something happened where he dropped out of the race.
• 2:13
  Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, I do recall there.
• 2:15
  Speaker B: Remember that?
• 2:15
  Speaker A: Some funny business in the backseat. I'm not sure exactly what it was. I wasn't there. So, you know, I. I guess something happened.
• 2:23
  Speaker B: His name is Ronald Scurlock.
• 2:25
  Speaker A: That sounds right.
• 2:26
  Speaker B: Yeah. Frank Scurlock.
• 2:27
  Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
• 2:28
  Speaker B: I think he's all about business.
• 2:30
  Speaker A: Not politics, funny business.
• 2:33
  Speaker B: Yeah, but that's his slogan and stuff like that. But yeah, he. He's. You know, because when I heard that he was running again and I saw. I saw his little advertisement, I said, well, wait a minute. This guy. This guy. There's something I remember about this guy and it was something where he was in la, I didn't know what for business. And then he got into some. Something about being in the back seat of a cab or an Uber.
• 2:57
  Speaker A: Right.
• 2:58
  Speaker B: And he didn't. He didn't pay the Driver or something like that?
• 3:03
  Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know. I thought it was something a little bit dicier than that.
• 3:07
  Speaker B: And he blamed it on medication or something.
• 3:11
  Speaker A: Well, sure, I don't know.
• 3:13
  Speaker B: But yeah, he's running again.
• 3:14
  Speaker A: Okay, well, that's for him. So are you gonna qualify? Are you gonna. Are you gonna go ahead?
• 3:19
  Speaker B: Yeah, I can't qual started today, it ends on Friday, but I couldn't get today or tomorrow off. I got Friday off. So I'm gonna go down after Friday.
• 3:27
  Speaker A: Sneaking at the last minute, right.
• 3:28
  Speaker B: Under the last minute. And. But I was very kind of like, perplexed. Why? You know, all these other people, candidates have said we're not. They've announced we're running, but they hadn't qualified.
• 3:39
  Speaker A: Right.
• 3:39
  Speaker B: So I put the announcement out there that I'm running, but no one put it on the news. So maybe they just don't like me.
• 3:45
  Speaker A: They're waiting. Waiting to, to see you actually qualify?
• 3:49
  Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know.
• 3:51
  Speaker A: You know, I mean, if they're, if they're going to let this Frank Scurlock guy get up.
• 3:55
  Speaker B: There's another guy who I. I never heard of his. Who qualified today. His name is Frank Twiggy.
• 4:04
  Speaker A: No, no, no.
• 4:04
  Speaker B: Twiggy Franklin.
• 4:06
  Speaker A: Ricky Twigs.
• 4:06
  Speaker B: Oh, Ricky Twigs.
• 4:07
  Speaker A: We talked about him last time. I'm. I'm not certain that he's a real person until I see him in. Because.
• 4:13
  Speaker B: Cuz you think he's AI.
• 4:14
  Speaker A: Everything about him seems like AI. Yeah, the, the, the, the.
• 4:19
  Speaker B: But how can you qualify with. You know, you have to be there in person.
• 4:22
  Speaker A: Well, yeah, I'm saying until I see him, I'm. I'm. I'm suspending judgment until I see him.
• 4:26
  Speaker B: He looks like Hitler youth if you ask me.
• 4:29
  Speaker A: I know he's got that. Got that high and tight haircut, but. But he, he doesn't look particularly menacing to me.
• 4:34
  Speaker B: He looks, yeah, he looks like.
• 4:36
  Speaker A: He looks a little soft.
• 4:37
  Speaker B: He's trying to get laid or something.
• 4:39
  Speaker A: I don't know.
• 4:39
  Speaker B: He's never, never been laid. Yeah, I'm not sure ballot will get him laid or.
• 4:45
  Speaker A: He's a consultant. He has some kind of consulting business. Several consulting businesses. So a lot of these people, they, they want to run just to, to promote themselves.
• 4:54
  Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, Maybe he's gonna help Scurlock, you know, consult Scurlock.
• 5:00
  Speaker A: Maybe so, maybe so. But it'll be, it'll be a good field for you to run with, I think.
• 5:06
  Speaker B: I hope so.
• 5:07
  Speaker A: Now I'm. I'm glad. I mean, the last time you Ran the pandemic was still happening. A lot of those, those, those forums were on zoom.
• 5:16
  Speaker B: Yeah, it was. It was exciting.
• 5:18
  Speaker A: It wasn't any good. Yeah. You know, now hopefully, though, well, they'll have, you know, full panel kind of debates.
• 5:25
  Speaker B: Well, we'll see. But the thing is that we'll see who gets invited.
• 5:29
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 5:29
  Speaker B: You know, it's all about how much money you raise. That's these forms that go, well, he raised $2 million. We need to have him on this forum. He raised $8. We don't need him. You know, that kind of stuff. So we'll see what happens. But they can't. They can't. The press can't ignore you. You know, that's the thing about this. The print media has to give you your fair share. You know, and the thing is, here's the one thing that I, you know, since I'm a staff of basically one or two people, I don't really have a staff, is that once I qualify on Friday, I'm going to be inundated with emails and phone calls and mail about how I stand on this, how I stand on this. Do you want this? Do you want this? You know, all this kind of stuff and it's. It's really hard at times to deal with it. You can only because I'm work. I work for a living. So it's very hard for me to say I cannot. I can't be there at 10am on a Tuesday to talk about this because I've got to be at work. So I have to select and choose. So there's many organizations which are very good organizations that are trying to help the homeless, the housing, you know, the addicted, and I just can't give my time to them. I'll basically make a statement saying, whatever you want, I'll try.
• 6:56
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 6:56
  Speaker B: You know, you know, that kind of stuff. But we'll see what happens. Right now there's eight candidates who've qualified, and we'll see what happens between today and Friday.
• 7:05
  Speaker A: All right. Well, that's. That's exciting. Getting. You know, you've been keeping us on pins and needles. Which way you're gonna. You're gonna come.
• 7:13
  Speaker B: I do. I'm gonna say this probably right now to you. Reneg. This will probably be my last rodeo.
• 7:19
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 7:20
  Speaker B: Yeah. I don't think four years from now, if I'm elected, then maybe.
• 7:25
  Speaker A: Okay, you'll run again.
• 7:27
  Speaker B: You'll run again because that's when you make the money.
• 7:29
  Speaker A: Well, you.
• 7:30
  Speaker B: You.
• 7:30
  Speaker A: The second. The second term. Yeah. Yeah.
• 7:32
  Speaker B: Right, right. That's when you make the money, that second term, first term, you got to be honest. But if I win, you know, that second, I'm buying, basically. That's what it is. Well, you're buying.
• 7:47
  Speaker A: You give and you give and you give. And at some point, you know, you, you can't, you can't be a one way street.
• 7:53
  Speaker B: Well, at some point you got to give up too. Yeah. You know, anyway. What. That's my thing for Lent, right. Remember?
• 8:01
  Speaker A: Right, right, right. You know, many people give up drinking, give up smoking, and you.
• 8:06
  Speaker B: I just give up.
• 8:07
  Speaker A: Just give up. Yeah.
• 8:10
  Speaker B: But anyway, what else is going on?
• 8:12
  Speaker A: Well, so last week we were talking about when we were recording the podcast, the, the, the Diddy verdict was in, but they hadn't announced what it was yet. So the next day they announced, you know, the RICO charge was, was found not guilty. The two sex trafficking, I guess charges were, were he was found not guilty, but he was found guilty on two violations of the man act. That's a real old style law there. I always like the man act. Yeah, the man act is, is crossing a state line for the purpose of prostitution. So I think that might, the man act might go back to like the 20s or something. 20s or 30s, but it's, it's a felony. And, and I saw somebody speaking on, on television, local television the next day, a former federal prosecutor, and he was saying, well, with, with all the, you know, the guidelines, plus all the, the enhancing aspects of this particular case indicated that could be like a five year sentence for, for either one of those. So, you know, he could potentially be getting like, you know, 10 years now. He probably won't stack them up four.
• 9:26
  Speaker B: With good behavior and all.
• 9:27
  Speaker A: Man, I wouldn't want to spend four weeks in a, in a federal penitentiary of, of any type. So yeah, that's, it's, that's.
• 9:34
  Speaker B: But he'll make somebody his.
• 9:36
  Speaker A: Well, you know, we'll see, we'll see who's, who's, who's zooming who.
• 9:43
  Speaker B: Maybe he'll hang out with Sugie or Suge.
• 9:46
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 9:47
  Speaker B: If he's still alive. Is Suge.
• 9:48
  Speaker A: Sug is still alive.
• 9:50
  Speaker B: He runs. Oh. LAPD or OP whatever they call that prison down there. Or is he somewhere in Northern Cal? I don't know.
• 9:58
  Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know.
• 9:58
  Speaker B: But yeah, Diddy.
• 9:59
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 10:00
  Speaker B: He seemed like a good guy at the beginning, you know, but then I thought this guy's a jerk. Because I remember when he first hit. Hit it big. His big hit was basically sampling the Police song.
• 10:13
  Speaker C: Right.
• 10:14
  Speaker B: Remember that? And every thought Everyone thought he was a genius. It's like, well, fuck, man, you didn't write any of this music. You just, you know, it's just like. It's like Weirdo Yankovic, you know, just take the same music and just changes the lyrics.
• 10:29
  Speaker C: Right.
• 10:30
  Speaker A: Well, I had this music business attorney who at one time was also Biggie's attorney for some aspect of his career. And she was saying that by the time they put those records out, all the publishing was gone. All the publishing was gone on samples. So all they made was actual record sales. Because they. They now, whereas, like Dr. Dre, those guys out there on Death Row, they would say, oh, that's a cool song. I like that track. They go, bass player, can you play that line right there? Drummer, can you play that beat right there? So they just recut all those. Those things that they. Instead of doing a sample, they just make their own shit, man. Sample that smart guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 11:21
  Speaker B: Ice T smart that guy, too.
• 11:23
  Speaker A: Okay. He's had a tremendous acting career.
• 11:26
  Speaker B: Yeah. And Ice Cube.
• 11:30
  Speaker C: Yes.
• 11:31
  Speaker A: He as well, written a whole bunch of very successful movies.
• 11:34
  Speaker B: Yeah. Ice Cube, he seems like a good guy, too.
• 11:37
  Speaker A: I don't know. We'll see.
• 11:38
  Speaker B: I don't know.
• 11:41
  Speaker A: So what else. What else is going on?
• 11:43
  Speaker B: Well, I heard today, just today, because I. I've been kind of busy and I haven't really watched the news much, but I heard today that Mattel Toys have announced that they're gonna make a Barbie doll that has diabetes.
• 11:58
  Speaker A: Right?
• 11:59
  Speaker C: Huh.
• 11:59
  Speaker B: And they're gonna have all the stuff that a diabetic needs.
• 12:03
  Speaker A: Has a. An arm sensor thing on one arm and then a. Then a insulin pump on the other arm.
• 12:10
  Speaker B: Yeah. And the kids are excited about it, right? You know, especially, you know, I guess kids with diabetes. I don't know. But at the same time, you know, Mattel, they're. They're hip with society. You know, ever since that movie came out and all that. I never saw it. But you saw it, right?
• 12:27
  Speaker A: Oh, yeah, I did.
• 12:28
  Speaker B: Yeah. You enjoyed it. He masturbated.
• 12:30
  Speaker A: It's not my favorite. Yeah, but I didn't enjoy that. I was. I just did that because I felt obligated.
• 12:35
  Speaker B: But it was.
• 12:35
  Speaker A: It was not my favorite.
• 12:36
  Speaker B: Mattel now is coming with Crack Whore Barbie.
• 12:40
  Speaker A: Right?
• 12:41
  Speaker B: Crack Horror Barbie. Well, because they want to. Being with society, being with the people, the real people. And I'm sure I would buy that Crack Whore Barbie doll.
• 12:50
  Speaker C: Yeah, sure.
• 12:51
  Speaker A: Well, you know, I had kind of the same. The same notes written, except. Except mine was that, you know, another one so they. They're coming out with several models. They also coming out with the. With the Junkie Barbie.
• 13:02
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 13:03
  Speaker A: Which. With. With including track marks and rotten teeth. Oh, it's a whole new. A whole new branch that they're coming up with.
• 13:13
  Speaker B: They also coming out with Gonorrhea Barbie.
• 13:17
  Speaker C: Embracing the Darkness Barbie. I like this.
• 13:19
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 13:19
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 13:20
  Speaker A: Well, I might have to start collecting Barbies at the.
• 13:22
  Speaker B: You know, Ken is a pimp.
• 13:24
  Speaker A: There you go. Makes sense.
• 13:27
  Speaker C: Yes.
• 13:27
  Speaker B: Ken is a pimp who basically gives her sugar pills and say, it's all right, baby. This will cure it all. Don't.
• 13:35
  Speaker A: Don't make. Don't make me bring my goon hand down on you.
• 13:38
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Anyway, poor Barbie, she gets around.
• 13:44
  Speaker A: Yeah, well, you know, so at this point.
• 13:47
  Speaker B: Yeah, she gets around.
• 13:48
  Speaker A: It's funny. We have the same joke.
• 13:51
  Speaker B: Well, great minds think alike.
• 13:53
  Speaker C: Right?
• 13:53
  Speaker A: Right.
• 13:55
  Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, anyway, also, I. I don't have much notes. I'm just kind of improving, you know, I'm winging it, as they say, as always. But I heard today, or was it yesterday, that our fearless leader signed a thing where every. I don't understand this, but every newborn baby in America is going to get $1,000.
• 14:15
  Speaker A: Huh, I hadn't heard that.
• 14:16
  Speaker B: Yeah, it's some kind of thing where every baby born in America after today, because he signed it today or whatever, will get a trump account where it's going to be thousand dollars in this baby's name.
• 14:29
  Speaker A: Oh, geez.
• 14:30
  Speaker B: So I don't understand it whatsoever is. It sounds like boys from Brazil if you ask me.
• 14:37
  Speaker A: Free money for everybody. You know, it's like. Except. Well, on a related subject, the big beautiful bill that passed this week is going to kill my medical insurance.
• 14:49
  Speaker B: Oh, no.
• 14:49
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I finally got in a medical insurance situation that's actually affordable. You know, I've been paying through the nose for fucking. Fucking 30 years. It's ridiculous. Now my kids are adults and just me and my wife and we had it all. All sewn up one year and then now that's. It'll end at the end of this year.
• 15:09
  Speaker B: I mean, it's already happened.
• 15:10
  Speaker A: Or it's going to happen. I mean, it's. I, I think it. You know, the bill.
• 15:15
  Speaker B: You should talk to RFK Jr. He'll help you out.
• 15:18
  Speaker C: Sure.
• 15:19
  Speaker A: Speaking of junkies.
• 15:20
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 15:21
  Speaker A: And rotten teeth. Yeah, no, it. It'll. I think this. It will end at the end of this year.
• 15:27
  Speaker B: My.
• 15:27
  Speaker A: My current situation. I'll have to go back out there and hu. Ass on the street for. For some. Some medical Coverage.
• 15:34
  Speaker B: So he's killing Obamacare is what he's doing.
• 15:37
  Speaker A: Yeah. All the subsidies, the market subsidies, all the, all that stuff is.
• 15:41
  Speaker B: Well, you should have another kid and have a. Get a thousand dollars, you know.
• 15:47
  Speaker A: Yeah, I'll have to talk to my wife about that.
• 15:49
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 15:49
  Speaker C: Problems require big solutions.
• 15:50
  Speaker A: There you go. There you go.
• 15:52
  Speaker B: But yeah, I don't know what, I don't understand the game plan of this is like, is this just like him saying to all those white trash people that voted for him that I'm giving you $1,000 if you have another kid?
• 16:05
  Speaker A: Right. Well, it's, I would just, just guessing that it's something to distract away from all this negative stuff that they just did that people are going to. And now I saw somewhere where a lot of these, the most negative things, I don't think the ACA destruction that I'm going to, Affordable Care act for all you people. I don't read much Obamacare, as they call it, that's going to go into effect right away. But a lot of the things like the, the Medicare cuts and stuff, they delayed them until after the 2026 midterm elections. They don't kick in until then. It's passed now, but these things are on a. Yeah, yeah.
• 16:43
  Speaker C: So the buck after the midterm.
• 16:44
  Speaker A: Right, right. So. Man, oh man.
• 16:47
  Speaker B: Yeah. Well, hopefully by then, you know, some of those constituents of all those Republicans will realize, you know, you fucked me. No.
• 16:57
  Speaker A: Well, they won't realize it until after the midterm and they're getting that thousand dollars a kid, you know. I don't know. We do, we do apparently have a birth deficit in this country. They say.
• 17:09
  Speaker B: Good.
• 17:10
  Speaker A: You know, now at the same time we're putting all these people out who were occupying our country and doing a lot of work. So I don't know. Do you want more people? Do you not want more people?
• 17:20
  Speaker B: I don't know.
• 17:20
  Speaker A: You know, you're like working across cross purposes here.
• 17:23
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. It's, it's all going to hell. Yeah. That's why we got to elect me.
• 17:30
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 17:31
  Speaker B: Yes. You know, because I'm the only one who has truth.
• 17:36
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 17:36
  Speaker B: And I speak the truth, especially when I'm drunk and I'm one drink away from that.
• 17:41
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 17:44
  Speaker B: All right. So anything else?
• 17:46
  Speaker A: No, we could. But why don't we go on, get on to our guest.
• 17:49
  Speaker B: Get on to. I could talk.
• 17:51
  Speaker A: Yeah, I have plenty, plenty of stuff. But let's, let's, let's move. Get, get to our guest.
• 17:55
  Speaker B: Yeah. Cuz he's exciting to me.
• 17:56
  Speaker A: Yes, yes.
• 17:57
  Speaker B: And he. He's in shorts.
• 17:59
  Speaker C: It's hot outside.
• 18:00
  Speaker A: Yeah, no, Manny and I wear long pants. No matter what the.
• 18:04
  Speaker C: I try.
• 18:06
  Speaker B: I'm in a jacket cuz I'm cold.
• 18:10
  Speaker A: Okay, well, we have a. He's a terrific guitar player, songwriter, singer, with his own band, the Breton Sound. Also also plays in the terrific band the Walrus, a New Orleans Beatles experience. Also has the band big in the 90s. He's a former guitarist with cowboy mouth and also the host of his own very successful podcast, ranking the Beatles. He's been doing that for a number of years. Unlike many people we know who start a podcast and they. You go and they tell you they have a podcast and you go look it up and they have four episodes. And the last one was done three years ago.
• 18:49
  Speaker C: Right.
• 18:49
  Speaker A: Unlike that, he actually has more than an idea for a podcast. He produces podcasts. And we're going to get into all that and much more. But without further ado, the great Mr. Jonathan Prus. Welcome, Jonathan.
• 19:01
  Speaker C: Thank you, thank you. Happy to be here.
• 19:02
  Speaker B: Prus. What kind of name is Prius White?
• 19:07
  Speaker C: I think it's. It's Spanish and German. Yeah, I think leans more Spanish though.
• 19:12
  Speaker B: Pr.
• 19:13
  Speaker C: Yeah. Spain.
• 19:15
  Speaker B: All right. And you're from here?
• 19:16
  Speaker C: Yeah, born and raised here.
• 19:18
  Speaker B: What neighborhood?
• 19:19
  Speaker C: Grew up in I guess what is considered Lake Vista. Or is it Lake Terrace? I don't know. Basically, you know where the Greek church is on what's now Alan Toussaint and Saint Bernard. Yeah, no, right there.
• 19:32
  Speaker A: Hellenistic Culture Center. Yeah, whatever it's called.
• 19:35
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 19:35
  Speaker B: Where they have the Greek festival. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah.
• 19:38
  Speaker C: I grew up a block away.
• 19:39
  Speaker B: One of the worst festivals I've ever seen.
• 19:41
  Speaker C: It's so hot.
• 19:42
  Speaker B: So hot. Miserable. It's unorganized lines for everything. Yeah. And it's not worth it. I went there once and I was like eight minutes in, I'm like, I paid for this.
• 19:54
  Speaker C: Right?
• 19:54
  Speaker B: You know, and then, you know, there I wanted to break a dish and no one let me.
• 19:58
  Speaker C: When I, when we were, when I was growing up there, they would give us free passes cuz everybody would park in front of our house. So they gave all the neighbors passes. And When I was 18, I went and I had a fake ID and I got. They had this blue daiquiri and it was ouzo daiquiri. I didn't know what ouzo tasted like. And I learned that day I don't like ouzo.
• 20:16
  Speaker B: Yeah, it was pretty crazy.
• 20:18
  Speaker C: So. Yeah.
• 20:20
  Speaker A: You know, when I was a kid, I used to. My father and I played this Place, too. The Lake Vista Community Center.
• 20:25
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:26
  Speaker A: We used to carry the B3 organ up those stairs. It was before they had an elevator there.
• 20:32
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 20:32
  Speaker A: Now I early vote.
• 20:33
  Speaker C: That's where I early vote.
• 20:34
  Speaker A: Yeah, that's the place I always had to tell the story. Story every time. Nobody wants to hear it. Nobody wants to hear about me talking about playing for parents without partners.
• 20:42
  Speaker B: Oh, man.
• 20:44
  Speaker A: In the 70s there. So you grew up in the lakefront and you went to. To Newman School, correct?
• 20:53
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 20:53
  Speaker A: You went to Newman from the whole.
• 20:56
  Speaker C: Time, second grade on, I went to Gaines for Gaines. Gaines was the name of the school. Clifton L. Gainis School was on Paris Avenue where your daughter lives.
• 21:08
  Speaker A: Right.
• 21:08
  Speaker C: Just a couple blocks off of what is now Alan Tussant. And it was. I think. I think it got destroyed in Katrina and they didn't reopen.
• 21:18
  Speaker B: Now, who is Alan Toussaint? I don't know who that person he worked with.
• 21:23
  Speaker C: Paul McCartney.
• 21:24
  Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah.
• 21:26
  Speaker C: A couple people like that.
• 21:27
  Speaker B: Now, who is Paul McCartney?
• 21:29
  Speaker C: He's one of the Rolling Stones.
• 21:31
  Speaker B: Oh, I like Stone. Yeah.
• 21:33
  Speaker C: They're out with Oasis right now on a big uk.
• 21:36
  Speaker B: I love Oasis.
• 21:37
  Speaker A: Do you?
• 21:37
  Speaker B: Oh, I love. Oh, fabulous.
• 21:39
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 21:39
  Speaker B: We're getting ahead of a lot of heroin during Oasis.
• 21:42
  Speaker A: Yeah, you did.
• 21:43
  Speaker C: They did too, I think.
• 21:45
  Speaker B: Yeah. And they seem like good guys. They like each other and stuff like that.
• 21:51
  Speaker C: It's good family environment, a little bit.
• 21:52
  Speaker A: Of friction, you know.
• 21:54
  Speaker B: They remind me of the Kinks.
• 21:56
  Speaker C: Yes.
• 21:56
  Speaker B: Yeah, very much. And I'm not a big Kinks fan.
• 21:59
  Speaker A: You know, but I like the Kinks.
• 22:01
  Speaker B: Yeah, they're all right.
• 22:02
  Speaker C: Yeah. You know, Got a good singles catalog.
• 22:05
  Speaker B: They have Race. A lot of good. He was in the Kinks.
• 22:10
  Speaker A: Great records, too. Great record cuts. Well, so Newman, for all that time, your family must have had some dough, huh? Your dad robbed a bank or something.
• 22:20
  Speaker C: I've often wondered how I ended up there because we were just a pretty standard middle class family. And at one point there were three of us there and I know, I know we were getting financial aid. I don't know how they afforded it. My dad was notoriously cheap. Okay, that's probably part of it.
• 22:37
  Speaker A: That's why.
• 22:38
  Speaker C: But yeah, one day I was going to this school, Gaines, and then the next, after that summer, I was going to Newman.
• 22:45
  Speaker A: Now, Gene Gordon, wasn't that over there in that. That same. Maybe that was one. One district.
• 22:50
  Speaker C: Gordon was a couple of blocks over, I think, from where Gaines was.
• 22:53
  Speaker A: Where my wife went to school, she grew up right there off of, at the time, Robert E. Lee is the street.
• 22:58
  Speaker C: You keep.
• 22:59
  Speaker A: You keep avoiding that name at the time now.
• 23:02
  Speaker C: Trying to be au courant now.
• 23:04
  Speaker A: Now, Alan Toussaint. Well, yeah, I think you're the second guest that we've had on the show that. That went for his entire. Almost his entire school career to. To Newman, who was the other. So it's Charlie Colmeier.
• 23:18
  Speaker C: Okay.
• 23:18
  Speaker A: Drummer Charlie Colmeier. And I said, well, Charlie, your family must have had some dough. He goes, yeah, they did, but I'm also a Newman. That's the other side.
• 23:27
  Speaker C: My family discount.
• 23:28
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. When they have Founders Day, I have to show up. It's like, all right, well, that. That makes sense.
• 23:34
  Speaker C: I went back there for the first time in 25 years, like a month ago to spit.
• 23:40
  Speaker B: To spit on them.
• 23:41
  Speaker C: I did not go to spit. I thought about it. But no, A. A woman that my wife works with, her son was graduating, and we got invited to go. And it was weird because, like, it was in the gymnasium and nothing had changed in 25 years. Even when I was there in the 90s, it looked like it hadn't been updated in 25, 30 years. So it was just like walking into a time machine. It was very strange, right? So weird to go back.
• 24:08
  Speaker A: Well, that's how. Don't you find? Most of New Orleans is that way, Pretty much. I was driving some. Some people around from out of town today, and I was saying, oh, this happened there, and this happened there. And, like, wow, so you know this neighborhood, huh? Like, the whole town is like this for me. I can't drive down the street without memories on every fucking corner. You know, it's good and bad, but mostly good. They're mostly. Mostly positive memories. So that. That time and when you're there at Newman, are you involved in the band program? Are you already playing music of some fashion?
• 24:43
  Speaker C: A little bit of both. I started playing percussion. I don't know, like fourth grade band. Like, as a child, I wanted to play saxophone. For some reason, my first instrument was it. I think it was because I grew up loving the Blues Brothers. And I was like, oh, Lou Marini. That guy was cool. I'll play saxophone. And after the first week, I was gently told to go over here with the drummers and do something else.
• 25:05
  Speaker B: Who told you that?
• 25:07
  Speaker C: The band director.
• 25:08
  Speaker B: What's his name? Find him.
• 25:11
  Speaker C: I don't even know if he's alive anymore. Michael Guma was his name.
• 25:15
  Speaker A: Oh, Mike Guma. I know. Mike Goma.
• 25:17
  Speaker B: Is he alive?
• 25:18
  Speaker C: I don't know. I haven't seen him.
• 25:19
  Speaker A: I don't think Mike is still in a long time.
• 25:21
  Speaker B: I don't know that guy.
• 25:22
  Speaker A: Oh, no, this is. Mike's a good guy.
• 25:23
  Speaker C: Killed my saxophone dreams.
• 25:25
  Speaker B: Yeah, it killed your dreams, but I.
• 25:27
  Speaker C: Will say, you know, so I moved to percussion and became a drummer and ended up playing drums and bands and, you know, my high school years, but picked up guitar along the way. My uncle was a musician. My grandmother was a singer, so I kind of got it from them. And they were predecessors? No, on my mom's side. My uncle was Tommy McIntosh, who was a trombone player.
• 25:50
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 25:51
  Speaker C: Worked. He worked a lot in New Orleans in the 70s and early 80s, I think.
• 25:54
  Speaker B: Now. How many of them were dope fiends?
• 25:57
  Speaker C: Just him, as far as I know.
• 25:59
  Speaker B: Oh, yeah, I just.
• 26:01
  Speaker C: From what I From. From the stories I've heard. He used to be called. Used to be known as the Groove. And he would make his own hallucinogenics. You could go to his apartment and he'd have water bottles that were filled with liquid and. And highlighters that were all black, light responsive, and he'd have, like, tape loops.
• 26:17
  Speaker B: Now, where is this apartment today?
• 26:18
  Speaker C: I have no idea.
• 26:20
  Speaker B: Because we don't know where the show.
• 26:23
  Speaker C: No, I think he's. He's in Destrehand now. Yeah, I think he's. He's calmed down the Groove ways, as I understand. Yeah.
• 26:30
  Speaker B: Well, that's a shame.
• 26:31
  Speaker A: Yeah. So. So you're. You're playing drums in high school. You starting to play in bands there when you're still in high school?
• 26:37
  Speaker C: Yeah, I joined my first band in 10th grade, something like that. And we played at, like, you know, school fundraiser functions at high school and stuff. 10th grade, that'd be 97 or 98.
• 26:52
  Speaker B: Oh, God, you're young.
• 26:53
  Speaker C: Yeah, I'm 43.
• 26:54
  Speaker B: So what bands are influencing you besides New Orleans crap?
• 26:59
  Speaker C: Besides New Orleans crap. You know, like your Weezer Oasis was one. You know, a lot of the stuff that you hear on like, 1067 at the time was the kind of rock station, but also, like, I grew up really hard, like, as a Beatles nerd from like 10 on. That's always kind of been like, the thing for me was that and like 94. Three, like ticks FM.
• 27:25
  Speaker B: Oh, I love Ticks.
• 27:26
  Speaker C: Yeah. So, like, listening to, like, oldies radio was always my thing.
• 27:29
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 27:29
  Speaker A: Now. Now, how did the Beatles thing start? Last week we had. We're. We get into these. Not intentionally, but we had DRO Joe Adranya last week, who I know was. Was a guest on your Beatles podcast before, but he's you know, comes from that same place. So how did you. What. What did it for you as far as the Beatles? What really lit you up?
• 27:55
  Speaker C: It was a weird thing. I was sitting in a waiting room of an orthodontist's office with my mom waiting on my sister to get her braces tightened once. And the song I Should have Known Better came on the speakers. And something about it just struck something in me. And I asked my mom, what is that, Angela? That's the Beatles. And it was the best thing I'd ever heard. So we went home, and she said, well, I have a Beatles album. We can pull it out. And she had Abbey Road, which was totally different than what I just heard.
• 28:24
  Speaker A: Right.
• 28:25
  Speaker C: So then my aunt had a couple early Beatles albums. So I was. I didn't understand that, you know, bands had eras and, you know, existed for time periods and changed as humans and musicians. So it just was like I was just in from the moment I found that and just kind of dove in. And I could go to the library and check out records or, you know, cassettes. Yeah, I could go to. There was a. There was a video store on Harrison Avenue.
• 28:51
  Speaker B: Older siblings that handed stuff down to you.
• 28:53
  Speaker C: I have an older sister who's like, two years older than me and.
• 28:57
  Speaker A: But she didn't catch the Beatles the first time around.
• 29:00
  Speaker C: She didn't. And she was more into, like, electronic stuff in the 90s growing up. She's more into kind of like, darker electronic stuff.
• 29:08
  Speaker B: Oh, cool. Where is she today?
• 29:11
  Speaker C: She's here. She's out in River Ridge. She's interning. She's married with two kids.
• 29:15
  Speaker B: And she's doing good. She's dosing.
• 29:18
  Speaker C: Yeah. Microdosing, to get through the day. Probably.
• 29:22
  Speaker A: All of your family has stayed in New Orleans?
• 29:24
  Speaker C: No, my mom. So my parents split 15, 18 years ago.
• 29:31
  Speaker B: Good, right? Yeah.
• 29:33
  Speaker C: And my mom moved to Florida. My dad stayed here. He just passed away in October. Thank you. And, yeah, my sister's here. My brother. I have a younger brother who's eight years younger, and he lives in Algiers.
• 29:45
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 29:46
  Speaker C: Yeah. He's also a musician, so he and I kind of cut from that same cloth.
• 29:51
  Speaker A: Right on.
• 29:51
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 29:52
  Speaker A: So was it like the excitement of the. Of the. The sound of the Beatles? I mean, because when my father. I asked my father, you know, who's born in 1940 and came up playing in bands, New Orleans rhythm and blues and rock and roll and stuff, you know, and. And he said. When we first heard the Beatles, he said they sounded so primitive to us.
• 30:11
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 30:11
  Speaker A: He said, you know, the Music that we were playing and, and recording in New Orleans was far more sophisticated as far as the, the approach, the musicality, the groove and stuff, he said.
• 30:22
  Speaker B: But weren't they just doing black American music?
• 30:24
  Speaker A: Well, they were basically, yeah.
• 30:26
  Speaker B: Yeah, but so how is that primitive?
• 30:28
  Speaker A: Well, just the, the way they sounded, the same sound of them playing the instruments, the, the. The sound coming off the records. He said, you know, he.
• 30:36
  Speaker B: Because it was white people doing it, right.
• 30:38
  Speaker A: I. I don't know why it's that.
• 30:40
  Speaker C: I think it's the way it's recorded. Like, so, like, you know, like the engineers wore lab coats and they were so scientific.
• 30:46
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 30:46
  Speaker C: Like, George stuff here was just like, put a mic in the room and play.
• 30:50
  Speaker B: Right.
• 30:50
  Speaker C: Let it sound the way it sounds and that's what jumps out the speakers on that kind of stuff. Yeah, yeah.
• 30:55
  Speaker B: But now who is their producer? George Martin.
• 30:58
  Speaker C: Yes, yes.
• 30:59
  Speaker B: Yeah. Is he still around?
• 31:02
  Speaker C: No, he died.
• 31:03
  Speaker B: Let's get him on this show.
• 31:04
  Speaker A: He lived a long time.
• 31:08
  Speaker C: I think what, what caught me for it was, you know, I think the records were exciting because, you know, like, you were saying about the stuff here, like you grew up listening to all this amazing stuff that's recorded and written here and done here, and this was just something that was very different. And then when the visual was added to it, it just was like, these are the coolest looking dudes I've ever seen. Because I remember I would go to. There was a video rental store on Harrison Avenue, kind of by parlays, right? And they had VHS copies of all the Beatles movies. So I could go rent A Hard Day's Night and Help and then Magical Mystery Tour and just be like, these are the coolest looking dudes. Oh my. I want to be like these guys. And that just kind of sucks you in. And then you start realizing how different all this, all the records are and how. Just how good they are. And as somebody who wants to play music, you start thinking, well, how can I learn how to do that? And learning how to try to figure out a guitar lick or a drum beat and then just kind of grows from there.
• 32:05
  Speaker A: Right, right. You know, I heard someone like a musicologist talking about high quality melodies and talking. Comparing Lennon and McCartney to certain classical composers who are very well known. Certain, Certain of their. Their melodies are, you know, universally known. And he was, he was making the point that in his opinion, the Beatles had a much higher success rate than almost anyone else any other. You know, excepting a few.
• 32:40
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 32:41
  Speaker A: Composers.
• 32:41
  Speaker C: Big ones. Yeah.
• 32:42
  Speaker A: But so many of people who are very well known of the classical era. Said they wrote a lot of stuff. Most of it was not as good as, you know.
• 32:50
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 32:50
  Speaker A: As opposed to the Beatles, who, you know, like, most of the stuff that they put out is very high quality. The melodies are all great. They're very memorable. You know, they. They've stood. Stood up with time.
• 33:02
  Speaker C: And the more you study it, the more you find, like, really complicated, like, intricacies to them, like counter melodies and counter rhythms that you don't encounter for 20 years. You don't catch it. And then one day you're like, oh, he's doing his. This weird left hand thing on the piano. I've never noticed before. That's really cool. Or.
• 33:18
  Speaker B: Well, I heard an interview with McCartney, you know, years ago when they, you know, it seemed like since the early 80s to the late 90s, there was always a Beatles documentary. You know, ABC had one and all that. And. And I remember an interview with McCartney where he said that when he met Lennon and they got to start writing, they wanted to write show tunes. That was their dream. They didn't want to be in a skiffle band or rock band.
• 33:49
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 33:50
  Speaker B: They wanted to write Rogers and Hammerstein.
• 33:52
  Speaker C: Yeah. That was, you know, the only, like, duos that you knew that they knew.
• 33:56
  Speaker B: Too bad they didn't.
• 33:57
  Speaker C: Right? You know, I mean, they recorded.
• 33:59
  Speaker B: A couple stuck with their music. Yeah.
• 34:00
  Speaker C: They ended up with Sgt. Pepper's lonely hearts Club Band.
• 34:04
  Speaker A: Right, right, right.
• 34:04
  Speaker C: Abby Road.
• 34:06
  Speaker B: They seem like it.
• 34:07
  Speaker A: Everybody does what they can.
• 34:09
  Speaker C: Well, let's get that Lennon guy on the show.
• 34:11
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We've talked about him before.
• 34:14
  Speaker B: Well, Julian. Yeah, him or Sean. Yeah, him and Sean. They're good kids. We should get them on the show.
• 34:20
  Speaker A: We could run four microphones here. Yeah, well, let's move a little forward. So you, you graduate from Newman. I. I assume after all that all that money was spent.
• 34:30
  Speaker C: Barely.
• 34:31
  Speaker A: Better graduate. Fuck.
• 34:32
  Speaker C: Barely did it.
• 34:34
  Speaker A: So then you go to. You go to college. Lsu playing there. Okay. You're playing there in Baton Rouge.
• 34:41
  Speaker C: Playing in bands, playing cover bands up there. And.
• 34:45
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 34:45
  Speaker C: You know, was there for four and a half years. Graduated. And the guys I was in a cover band with there, I was, you know, I said, God, we should start an original band, guys. I feel like, you know, we could do it. And I wanted to do kind of like a rock thing and they wanted to do instrumental Prague music.
• 35:03
  Speaker A: Oh, God.
• 35:03
  Speaker C: Which is not anything that I have any interest in ever doing. Instrumental Prague music.
• 35:10
  Speaker B: What is that?
• 35:11
  Speaker C: Odd time signatures. Like Rush, but even, like, darker than Rush. Like, dream theater like that.
• 35:19
  Speaker A: So they. They hate money and pussy, I'm guessing.
• 35:22
  Speaker C: Bingo.
• 35:22
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 35:22
  Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So. So I moved back to New Orleans.
• 35:27
  Speaker B: Good.
• 35:28
  Speaker C: Pretty much right after I graduated. And. And this will date it, I. I met a dude on MySpace who was at Tulane and he was a songwriter, and we got together and started writing songs and started a band called the Garden District.
• 35:41
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 35:41
  Speaker C: And we were not very good in hindsight.
• 35:44
  Speaker B: At the time, I thought it was MySpace. I don't know what that is.
• 35:46
  Speaker C: It was a social media platform. Actually. Manny, I met you having. I was having coffee with this guy one time outside of Rudolock course. And I think you were campaigning. Oh, you can't introduce yourself. And your name struck me.
• 36:03
  Speaker B: Oh, and what year was this?
• 36:04
  Speaker C: This is going to be 05.
• 36:07
  Speaker B: Yeah. Probably second run. Yeah. Second time.
• 36:11
  Speaker C: I think I even had a bumper.
• 36:13
  Speaker B: Stage right after Katrina.
• 36:15
  Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
• 36:16
  Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. Those are good times.
• 36:18
  Speaker C: Yeah, man. The bygone days.
• 36:20
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 36:21
  Speaker A: Way back there. So you're playing in the Garden District. Is that how you wind up meeting Fred LeBlanc? Is that that your entree into cowboy mouth?
• 36:31
  Speaker C: You know, as 90s kids, I think them and better than Ezra were, like, on everybody's kind of radar for people my age. And just through going to shows, I somehow ended up talking to Fred one day and we exchanged email addresses. And then as we just started emailing, we found out we had a lot of the same musical tastes. He's a big Beatles nerd, too. And then I started this band and he said, look, I want to get into production. I want. You want to make a demo together? So we went over and recorded with him and did some tracks. And after a while, it was kind of like we could tell that. Like, I could tell that this band wasn't going to be my path forward. And Fred and I had gotten to be, you know, pretty good friends at the time. And I think Paul was toying with the idea of leaving, and Fred was toying with the idea of maybe doing his own thing if he didn't leave. And he said, well, if you ever. Would you be ever interested in playing guitar with me? I said, sure, why not? And then one day, I think this was like middle of, like, summer of 06, he called and he said, man, I don't know what to do. Paul just quit. I need a guitar player. And then I said, well, shit, I don't know anybody, man. Like, let me ask around. I can't think of anybody on top of my head. And it just went over my Head. And I was driving on the interstate with my wife and I hung up. And she was like, what happened? I said, well, Paul just quit cowboy mouth. And Fred's looking for a guitar player. I don't know who I could recommend. She was like, I think he meant you, dummy. So I called him back and I said, hey, you know I'd be interested. He goes, dude, I just got off the phone with Vance DeGeneres. He's gonna do it.
• 38:13
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 38:13
  Speaker C: I mean, it was a matter of 10 minutes. And he'd known Vance from, you know, backbeats days and sure. Doing the cold and all that.
• 38:21
  Speaker B: My brother in law was in the backbeat.
• 38:23
  Speaker C: Oh, who's your brother?
• 38:24
  Speaker B: John Herbert. Yeah. Yeah.
• 38:26
  Speaker C: Okay.
• 38:26
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 38:26
  Speaker C: Nice. It's a small world.
• 38:28
  Speaker B: He's in jail right now.
• 38:30
  Speaker C: It's no good.
• 38:31
  Speaker B: Yeah. He's in Bridge City.
• 38:32
  Speaker C: Okay.
• 38:33
  Speaker B: That's jail.
• 38:34
  Speaker C: That's.
• 38:34
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. Seems like a sentence. It's really just Bridge City.
• 38:40
  Speaker C: Yeah, fair enough.
• 38:40
  Speaker A: House.
• 38:41
  Speaker B: He lives right next door to the juvenile prison.
• 38:44
  Speaker C: Okay. So he's close.
• 38:45
  Speaker B: So he houses kids, jail adjacent. Yeah, foster kids. He's a foster parent.
• 38:50
  Speaker C: Okay.
• 38:50
  Speaker A: He's got a big heart.
• 38:51
  Speaker B: Yeah, he's a good guy.
• 38:53
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 38:54
  Speaker A: So Vance winds up playing guitar, but he doesn't play guitar in that band for too long.
• 38:58
  Speaker C: No, he's only there for. It was, I think under a year. And he took off for two weeks right before Mardi Gras 07 because Ellen was gonna host the Oscars and she wanted him to go write with him for that. So he took two weeks off. I got asked to go fill in for two weeks. So I went and filled in. And it was more or less kind of an audition. I don't think Vance was ever going to stay full time. And so finished that tour. And then in like June or July of 07, he called and said, hey, Vance is going to leave in August. Would you like to. To join to take his spot? So I said, yeah, okay. Yeah.
• 39:44
  Speaker A: So you're out of school. You didn't have a day job?
• 39:46
  Speaker C: I did, actually. I worked for a family business on my mom's side.
• 39:50
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 39:51
  Speaker C: It was a business that my great grandfather started. It was a building materials distribution company selling roofing and siding, which las was called. Same thing. It was called Crescent Materials. And it had been presented as, you know, my. My legacy for my whole life. One day you could run this, and I had no desire to run that one day and. But after Katrina, business was booming and they needed people, so I ended up out there and, you know, and in hindsight, like, it paid well. I could have driven that as a career. I just had no interest in doing it. And family businesses are so uncomfortable anyway because it's family.
• 40:31
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 40:31
  Speaker C: You know, and like my grandfather and my great uncle like split the ownership at some point. So then like my mom's cousin was the president at one point and my dad was the vice president, but then another uncle was like the treasurer and there was always drama and.
• 40:53
  Speaker A: Brennan family.
• 40:54
  Speaker C: Right, right, right, right. So it was funny when I got the call, my dad was out on vacation and so I was like, well, I, I can't tell him I'm quitting for like two weeks. I gotta just keep this to myself. And he was cool about it. He understood, which was interesting because I say that. But he had never been super supportive of the idea of music as a career. So when I told him I was leaving, I had to say, I'm gonna be put on a salary, I'll have a retainer, like I'll have health insurance. And he didn't believe it. Like, he just thought it was.
• 41:23
  Speaker A: Oh, with cowboy mouth.
• 41:24
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 41:25
  Speaker A: Oh, really?
• 41:25
  Speaker C: He just thought I was gonna just be in a van, you know, slugging it out.
• 41:29
  Speaker A: Right.
• 41:29
  Speaker C: And it wasn't until like I, months later was like just my health insurance card. Like, you're on the guest list for the House of Blues, like it's a sold out show. And he like saw the thing and he was like, oh, you actually can make a living playing music.
• 41:43
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 41:44
  Speaker C: So that kind of changed his tone on that a little bit.
• 41:46
  Speaker A: Nice.
• 41:47
  Speaker C: But yeah, so that, that's.
• 41:48
  Speaker B: So how come you can't get health insurance through music? Your band, he's getting health.
• 41:53
  Speaker C: You gotta get that 90s hit money.
• 41:55
  Speaker A: None of the bands I play in have, have that, that kind of infrastructure in place. It's all very ad hoc out there.
• 42:03
  Speaker C: This was also very much like the end of the of like those kind of days for them.
• 42:09
  Speaker A: Right.
• 42:09
  Speaker C: Like when I left in 2010 and I think like a year later they'd like gotten rid of their tour bus and they were in a van. And a couple of years later they didn't have a crew. And the guitar player that replaced me was the tour manager and stage manager.
• 42:26
  Speaker A: Now we, the Iguanas were. Had record company money and all that stuff flowing early on at probably the same timing before that period, but through then. But I was always very resistant when managers would start talking about, oh, we're going to put this money to the side and we'll do this. And I was Like, I could feel my scalp getting hot, you know, because to me, that's just. That's a way that they're going to see steal money from you. And my thought was, let's keep this as lean as possible and put all the money in our pockets.
• 42:59
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 42:59
  Speaker A: Because I went on a summer tour where we had a tour bus, and I was collecting all the cash fees, and they were quite high. And at the end of the summer, we had a huge pile of cash that I invited everybody to the back of the back of the bus and said, okay, this is all the money we made. This is the pile that's going to the bus company. This is the pile that's going to the driver. This is the pilot's going to the tour manager. This is going to the sound credit card. And then the smaller pile, we're going to split between us of the. The actual stakeholders in this thing now. So. But back.
• 43:34
  Speaker C: It's a heartbreaking moment.
• 43:35
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was the last time we did that. Next time, we're back in the van.
• 43:39
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 43:40
  Speaker A: And still collecting even bigger fees.
• 43:42
  Speaker C: But. Yeah.
• 43:42
  Speaker A: That's why we all have houses, right?
• 43:44
  Speaker C: Exactly.
• 43:45
  Speaker A: Oh, geez, we're running long. Oh, we should take a break now, Manny.
• 43:49
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 43:49
  Speaker B: All right. We're gonna take a break. We'll be right back.
• 43:53
  Speaker C: There's a certain something in the way you looked at me and said you'd stay there Let me know that I was out of line But I didn't know what else to do and like a fool I tested you by demanding things of you which were of mine and now I feel like such a fool for making you crawl back to.
• 44:24
  Speaker A: Me.
• 44:27
  Speaker C: But you did it with such love that you're standing far above me and all I did to you I'm sorry Now what can I I know.
• 44:41
  Speaker D: That never in the world could I.
• 44:44
  Speaker C: Have found me such a girl who's.
• 44:46
  Speaker A: There to pick me up before I.
• 44:49
  Speaker C: Fall so if in the end we should go both our separate ways I know the lesson I learned here is worth it all and now I feel like such a fool for making you crawl back to me but you did it with such love that you're standing far above me and all I did to you I'm sorry Now what can I do?
• 45:27
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 45:28
  Speaker A: And we're back.
• 45:29
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 45:30
  Speaker A: Back with Mr. Manny Chevrolet.
• 45:32
  Speaker B: That's me.
• 45:32
  Speaker A: I am Renee Coleman. You are back with our guest, Mr. Jonathan Prietus.
• 45:37
  Speaker C: Yes.
• 45:37
  Speaker B: Predus. And that's German, Irish. Right. We discovered that. Right. Spanish, German, Spanish, German.
• 45:43
  Speaker C: Maybe some Irish.
• 45:43
  Speaker B: What's the difference now?
• 45:46
  Speaker C: Scotch Irish on my mother's side.
• 45:49
  Speaker B: So it's a Scotch egg. So it's like black egg, isn't it? Or something like that?
• 45:55
  Speaker C: I know. Scotch egg is like. It's like a battered and fried egg. They're very good.
• 45:59
  Speaker B: Sounds good to me.
• 46:01
  Speaker A: Now, this week, Manny, we've received more mail at the bar.
• 46:05
  Speaker B: Oh, hate mail.
• 46:07
  Speaker A: Yeah, it could be. Could be. You know, we're gonna. I opened it up, but I'm now going to take the contents out. Hopefully it's not going to be more anthrax, but who knows?
• 46:16
  Speaker B: Oh, no. What is it?
• 46:18
  Speaker A: So it's. It says a note in here. It says, says, renee and Manny, best podcast around.
• 46:24
  Speaker B: Oh, okay.
• 46:27
  Speaker A: Have a couple of cocktails on me, Charlie. Oh, not so crisp. $20 bill, but thank you very much.
• 46:33
  Speaker B: Thank you, Charlie.
• 46:34
  Speaker A: Shout out to Charlie. Buying a round of drinks. Buying the. The drinks.
• 46:38
  Speaker B: He didn't give his last name or. We're not going to say it.
• 46:40
  Speaker A: Did not give his last name at all. No, he must not want us to say it.
• 46:43
  Speaker B: It's from North Vietnam, I guess. Right? Could be Charlie.
• 46:48
  Speaker A: Charlie.
• 46:49
  Speaker B: All right.
• 46:50
  Speaker A: Charlie don't surf.
• 46:51
  Speaker B: Yeah, but he.
• 46:52
  Speaker A: But he does.
• 46:53
  Speaker B: He's that guy who said, ugi the long bridge for hours on end. You gi. Charlie's a good guy.
• 47:05
  Speaker C: He's close.
• 47:05
  Speaker A: He's real close.
• 47:06
  Speaker B: Yeah, he's real close.
• 47:07
  Speaker A: He's real close. So, you know, if you want to follow Charlie's lead, you know, you can send mail to the bar here at Snake and Jake.
• 47:18
  Speaker B: What is. Does he have a return address or a zip code?
• 47:21
  Speaker A: He does at Tucson, Arizona.
• 47:24
  Speaker B: Oh.
• 47:26
  Speaker A: It'S not. Not a local.
• 47:27
  Speaker B: Spent a weekend one month there. And Tucson.
• 47:31
  Speaker A: I've been. Been to Tucson a number of times. They have that hotel that has the. Has the. The. The gig down in the lounge, and then right across the street is the theater.
• 47:42
  Speaker B: I did a gig. No, there's a theater in the Round. I think that's in Phoenix. Yeah, theater around where I opened for Howie Mandel.
• 47:51
  Speaker A: Howie Mandel.
• 47:52
  Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, he's a good guy. He's nuts.
• 47:55
  Speaker A: Yes, he is.
• 47:56
  Speaker B: He's a germaphobe.
• 47:57
  Speaker C: Yeah, that's right.
• 47:58
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 47:59
  Speaker A: Well, so. So you can send it to snake and Jake's 7612 oak.
• 48:04
  Speaker B: Thank you, Charlie.
• 48:05
  Speaker A: Thank you, Charlie. But usually people just use the. The. The Venmo and PayPal links that we have in the show notes of every show or in the Facebook posts about the show. And also we have a Patreon link right There we have a handful of patrons that support us week in, week out. I know your podcast probably has a lot of corporate sponsorship. Oh yeah, but you know, we don't have the, the popular, the popular me undies. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We don't have the popular draw of the Beatles. You know, we're just going on the strength of our personalities which are, you know, middling at best.
• 48:41
  Speaker C: There's a market for everything, man. Don't sell yourself short.
• 48:44
  Speaker A: Apparently so. But, so yes, we have the Patreon link right there in the notes. Also we have Troubled Men podcast T shirts that. The link right there and the, the notes as well. And also I always say follow us on social media, Instagram, Facebook and rate, review and subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening to it. Give us five stars. Helps us a lot. Cost you nothing. Also, let's see, I want to give a shout out to Chafalaya Restaurant. Had a wonderful meal there. Thanks to our former guest, Tony Tocco. Shout out to Tony Tocco. Thank you. It was a wonderful time over there. Everybody go out and, and support your local New Orleans restaurants. Especially during the summer. It's very slow time but the food's just as good in the summertime as, as it is all the rest of the time. And you know, you can find all my dates. The Iguanas will continue on our, our residency there at the Carousel bar every Sunday 7 to 10 at the hotel Montleyan right there. Beautiful French Quarter. And I'll be out with Sunny Landreth for this week and then the last week in July. So look for me out there. I think I'm gonna be somewhere in the northeast that last week in July. Alright, enough of that. Back to our guest, the great Mr. Jonathan Paritas. Now Jonathan, we're talking about your joining Cowboy Mouth and we're going to move a little bit faster at this point. Point. But you're out there for three years with Cowboy Mouth. That's a hard touring band. The, it's a lot of Fred. You know, the shows are sort of a cross between like a pep rally and a Nuremberg rally.
• 50:29
  Speaker C: Valid, valid.
• 50:31
  Speaker A: But you would know that better than me.
• 50:33
  Speaker C: On point, on point.
• 50:36
  Speaker A: But a lot of goose stepping. People seem to love it. You know, people show up a band that's still going strong. You played with it for three years. I'm, I'm imagining that after three years of that you thought this is a lot of touring, ready to move on.
• 50:52
  Speaker C: Yeah, we were doing like, I want to say we were gone for like 225, 240 days a year, something like that.
• 50:59
  Speaker B: Now I don't know who. I have never. I. What's the big hit? Why are they turing so many? You must have a hit.
• 51:05
  Speaker C: They had a hit in the late 90s called Jenny says.
• 51:07
  Speaker B: Oh, okay. I don't know what that is.
• 51:09
  Speaker C: And so, yeah, so that was in like 97, 98. And then I joined in 2007.
• 51:13
  Speaker B: So it was touring on that hit.
• 51:15
  Speaker C: Yes, yes.
• 51:16
  Speaker B: They're doing cruise ships now or, you.
• 51:18
  Speaker C: Know, I mean, they do everything.
• 51:19
  Speaker B: They do everything.
• 51:20
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 51:20
  Speaker B: Oh.
• 51:21
  Speaker C: But yeah, after, you know, after three years, you know, one of the things was I was going, well, you know, These guys are 20 something years older than me. What happens in 20 years if somebody drops dead from a heart attack, then I'm out of a job and you're.
• 51:37
  Speaker A: Already looking 20 years down the road.
• 51:39
  Speaker C: I'm trying to. And I was also watching like we were just repeating the same six month tour cycle for three years.
• 51:44
  Speaker A: Right.
• 51:45
  Speaker C: To diminishing numbers. And there was no talk of how do we grow. And I also wanted to not write any more songs. I wasn't, no, I didn't write anything with that band. My contributions were not welcome or encouraged, so. But I was also writing songs at the time and wanting to do something with them. So after three years I just kind of had my fill and came back and started the Breton sound at that point.
• 52:08
  Speaker A: The Breton sound. So the Breton sound, that was like your, your, your bread and butter. It's. You had all original material.
• 52:16
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 52:17
  Speaker A: You guys are, you know, making records, pitching, pitching them to labels and trying.
• 52:23
  Speaker C: To do the thing. Yeah, we were touring as much as we could and make, you know, we made, we only made eps because it was all we could really ever afford.
• 52:33
  Speaker A: Well, that's enough for somebody to figure out whether they want to sign you or not.
• 52:36
  Speaker B: No, EP is like basically two, two, like four songs. Four songs?
• 52:40
  Speaker C: Yeah. Three, four, five.
• 52:41
  Speaker B: Extended play. Yes, yes, yes.
• 52:44
  Speaker C: And so we did, we did four of those in our 10 or so years. And yeah, you know, we, we, we tried to do the thing and tried to make it a career and the music industry, you know, for like pop, rock music, whatever, it was just changing so much and there's so much now that you have to do to do that stuff where it's like you've gotta, you spend more time creating content than like writing and making music. And I just, I had no interest in doing that.
• 53:14
  Speaker A: I mean like social media content.
• 53:16
  Speaker C: Yeah, like having to make videos and, and all that shit.
• 53:20
  Speaker B: Play that Was a big thing.
• 53:21
  Speaker C: That's still a thing.
• 53:22
  Speaker B: Yeah. Pay to play.
• 53:24
  Speaker C: And. Yeah, if I had the money to pay, I would have. But, yeah, you know, I just. There was so much around it where I just. After 10 years, we felt like we were just kind of beating our head against the wall. And right before COVID hit, I kind of got to that point of like, you know, going, guys, I'm really burning out here. And I don't know that I want to do this anymore, but I still want to keep playing with you guys. Where do all of our kind of paths connect? And they all connect in the 90s. We all love the same 90s music and so had the idea of, what if we just pivoted to a 90s cover band?
• 53:59
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 53:59
  Speaker C: So we can all still keep hanging out, keep working together.
• 54:02
  Speaker A: Right.
• 54:02
  Speaker C: Because we know we work together. Well, it's silly to throw that away.
• 54:07
  Speaker A: And you have that sound already. Yeah, well.
• 54:09
  Speaker C: And the joke was, you know, when we finally got a manager, and that.
• 54:12
  Speaker B: Was a Hanson Brothers and Brothers.
• 54:15
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 54:16
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 54:16
  Speaker C: And once we, you know, we had a manager out of LA who was shopping us around to labels.
• 54:22
  Speaker B: Was his name Lindy?
• 54:23
  Speaker C: His name was not Lindy, it was John.
• 54:26
  Speaker B: All right.
• 54:26
  Speaker C: And he would come back and say, you know, they. They said they loved it, but you guys would have been big in the 90s. And we just kept hearing that same feedback. And one day I just. It kind of was like a ton of bricks. I was like, that's like the name of a 90s cover band.
• 54:41
  Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
• 54:42
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 54:42
  Speaker C: So when I called the guys, I was like, hey, I have an idea. And I pitched it. They all were like, that's too good to pass up.
• 54:48
  Speaker B: Yeah, there you go. Excellent.
• 54:50
  Speaker A: And. And talk about, you know, kismet or, you know, like, things that. Working out with the trend.
• 55:00
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 55:01
  Speaker A: When I go out and play with. With bands on the road, half of the bands that are on, you know, you look and see who's. Who's been here, who's coming here, what are the posters on the wall.
• 55:09
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 55:10
  Speaker A: Half of the. Of the groups are tribute acts and.
• 55:13
  Speaker C: And 90s bands that are having a resurgence. Yeah.
• 55:16
  Speaker A: Right. But I mean, like, a lot of stuff, you know, cover acts, but guys doing it very well. And so, you know, that has, like, even locally at, you know, Rock and Bowl, half the stuff that gets booked there is not.
• 55:30
  Speaker B: Yeah. Because nobody wants to play there.
• 55:32
  Speaker A: It's not clubs. It's not clubs booking people playing original music.
• 55:37
  Speaker C: Yes. Yeah.
• 55:37
  Speaker A: Because maybe, I don't know, tastes change, times change. People change, you know, as. As tough.
• 55:42
  Speaker C: I mean, people are.
• 55:44
  Speaker A: They don't have the patience, they don't have the, the, the, the.
• 55:47
  Speaker C: Well, they don't have to go out to find new music. They just find it on their phone, on Tick Tock or on Instagram. Like, you don't have to go see a band.
• 55:53
  Speaker B: Yeah, I don't like seeing live music. It's very loud and it's just. It's annoying to me.
• 55:59
  Speaker C: Yeah, I feel that.
• 56:00
  Speaker A: But, but you guys have. Are killing it as. As. And you have Kyle Meloss on now in the band. Former guest of ours.
• 56:08
  Speaker C: Yeah, Kyle joined. So our drummer in the Breton sound early in Covid moved to St. Louis and we had. Or was right before COVID So Kai, we asked Kyle to join and we did like one show. We did like a private, like a birthday party with Kyle and then Covid happened. So we did nothing for like a year.
• 56:30
  Speaker B: Was there a pinata at this birthday?
• 56:32
  Speaker C: There was in fact a pinata at that birthday. Nailed it.
• 56:39
  Speaker A: Psychic.
• 56:40
  Speaker C: Yeah. No, I've known Kyle for years. I met him through Fred, who he loves to rub in the fact that I met him for the first time at Jazz Fest and Kyle was. Fred was like, kyle, you gotta meet my buddy Jonathan. You guys are gonna get along so well. You're both Beatles nerds. Total music nerds. You're gonna love each other. And I kind of like blew him off. But in defense, I was like having a really shitty day because the band's manager at the time was there and he and I didn't get along. So I just left like an argument with him and then I'm trying to like be introduced to this guy and I just didn't have the fucking capacity. So I was like, hey, nice to meet you. And I split.
• 57:17
  Speaker A: Right, right, right.
• 57:17
  Speaker C: So he loves to rub that in my face. And I just, I big timed him the first time I met him. It was not intentional though.
• 57:23
  Speaker A: Sure, sure, sure. You know, he could take it. He's.
• 57:25
  Speaker C: Oh yeah, he's been around.
• 57:27
  Speaker A: He's got a good sense of humor. Yeah, absolutely. But a few years before that, you had already started the Walrus, right?
• 57:36
  Speaker C: Kind of, yeah. So the Walrus came about in. Let's see, this was 2014, I think Paul McCartney had a show scheduled here and he canceled it because he had gotten sick. And so all these people in town, all these musicians in town had tickets for the show and then a week out had no show to go to and had no gigs. So I think it was either Davis, Rogan, or Paul Sanchez was like, let's do a tribute thing. And so Paul knew that I was a big Beatles nerd, so he called me, asked if I would come do some songs. And so I went. And Andre Boren and Dave Pomerleau from Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, who are also in the Walrus, and Felix Wohlame, the guitar player, were like part of the house band. And we kind of all just quickly connected and realized we were all kind of equal nerds on that kind of thing. And so that show went really well. And then we did another one. Six or seven months later, we did like a George Harrison tribute. And after that, the they just were like, hey, we do this thing every now and then called the Walrus. Would you ever be interested in playing? And I said, sure. And so must have been like a year later, they're like, hey, we got asked that we got booked to play the opening of some hotel down in the cbd. You want to come play? And we did. We did one rehearsal and went and played. And it was really good. Like, everyone just did their homework, right? And so for the next five years, it was two to three gigs a year at like a private event or a corporate thing. And maybe we'd rehearse, maybe we wouldn't. Okay, just do your homework and show up and know your shit, right? And so that kind of went on for a while. And then when Covid happened, everybody in Johnny Sketch, I think, was kind of scattered around the country, and the Breton sound had just stopped back in the 90s, it kind of paused when Covid hit. And so the Walrus got asked to do a port show in like June of 2020 and Pork Show. A porch show on a porch?
• 59:37
  Speaker B: Yeah, on a porch.
• 59:38
  Speaker A: And now was that across from what's now Marcellus Harmony park on Sycamore Street? Because I saw that show.
• 59:47
  Speaker C: I was.
• 59:48
  Speaker A: I was at that show.
• 59:49
  Speaker C: Yes, that was.
• 59:50
  Speaker A: I was at that. I live on Sycamore Street.
• 59:52
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 59:53
  Speaker C: Funny, funny. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was one of the first ones. And from there it just kind of snowballed. And then people would say, hey, can you come play my porch? Because everyone wanted to see music or have interaction and you could do it outside and be socially distant and everybody could stay safe. So that kind of became the thing. And we went from doing two to three shows a year to doing like four to five shows a month, all of them outdoor porch concerts. And we became very self sufficient. Like we bought our own PA and could set up our own thing and just Kind of do it. And it just kind of snowballed from there.
• 1:00:28
  Speaker B: So which Beatle are you?
• 1:00:30
  Speaker C: So we kind of are all an amalgam. An amalgamous Beatle. Like, no one is, like a specific.
• 1:00:36
  Speaker B: So there's more than four guys in the band?
• 1:00:38
  Speaker A: There's only four. But it's not like Beatle mania, where.
• 1:00:41
  Speaker C: Right. No one dresses up. I play the John Lennon guitar parts, but I tend to sing more of the Paul McCartney vocal parts.
• 1:00:50
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 1:00:50
  Speaker C: And then, like, our drummer is also a classically trained pianist, so he plays drums and. And keys. Sometimes at the same time.
• 1:00:58
  Speaker A: Yeah, pretty.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker C: So we switch up different things. It's basically whoever would do the job the best. Like, who's gonna sing it best? You sing it, then that's fine, I guess. Yeah.
• 1:01:07
  Speaker B: So you're not a Phony Beetle Mania thing.
• 1:01:09
  Speaker C: No, no. Phony Beetle Mania is not bitten the task here.
• 1:01:13
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 1:01:13
  Speaker C: Yeah. No wigs.
• 1:01:15
  Speaker A: Right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:01:16
  Speaker C: None of that.
• 1:01:17
  Speaker A: But you do sometimes have the. The matching suits. I've seen your.
• 1:01:20
  Speaker C: We bought. We got the Shea Stadium jacket.
• 1:01:23
  Speaker A: Okay. That's what it is.
• 1:01:24
  Speaker C: One single item.
• 1:01:26
  Speaker A: The tan Nehru jacket.
• 1:01:27
  Speaker C: Yes. It lets us kind of step up the production value for the kind of nicer shows.
• 1:01:32
  Speaker A: Now, recently, I know at the new WWOZ studios, they have that beautiful outdoor rooftop kind of thing. It overlooks the French Quarter and the river. And when I was out there the first time, Beth Arroyo Utterback, the director there, was saying, oh, this would be so great to. To have like the Beatles rooftop concert. And we. We really, really would like to do that. Now, I know a month after that, they did have you guys out there and. And. And you kind of recreated that moment.
• 1:02:06
  Speaker C: Which was really fun because we had talked about wanting to do something like that for a long time because I think. What was it in 2020 was the anniversary. No, 2019 was the anniversary. And so 2024 anniversary of what? Of the Beatles rooftop concert. Yeah.
• 1:02:24
  Speaker B: 69.
• 1:02:25
  Speaker C: Yes. So we talked about doing it in 2024 because it would have been, what, the 55th or something like that? I'm not great at math and. So important. We just couldn't get together anywhere. They don't care.
• 1:02:38
  Speaker A: That's good.
• 1:02:39
  Speaker C: So, yeah, when they called and asked, we were like. We were ecstatic because we'd wanted to do it forever. And so we called up Josh Paxton to come be our Billy Preston.
• 1:02:49
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:02:49
  Speaker C: And then Ozzy wanted to bring a couple of guests on, so we brought in Alex McMurray and Susan Cowsell to kind of do guest Vocals on stuff. And yeah, it was, it was, it was really, really fun. It was a beautiful. The weather was great. It sounded great up there. And you know, when I got in the car, I was able to pull up the OZ app and hear it like almost. Almost immediately as soon as I got to the car.
• 1:03:10
  Speaker A: Right.
• 1:03:10
  Speaker C: And like, it sounded great and we played really well. Was really excited and see, that was. That was really fun. I was really glad we got to do that.
• 1:03:18
  Speaker B: Did anyone hear it, though?
• 1:03:19
  Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, it was.
• 1:03:21
  Speaker C: It was on the radio and they.
• 1:03:22
  Speaker B: Also showed it on there down on the street where the people.
• 1:03:25
  Speaker C: Some people could. Yeah, because they. There were videos of people that were down there that said that were listening, that could hear it. Okay, so. And it was streamed on their Facebook page and on YouTube and it had like 30,000 people watching or something. It was pretty cool.
• 1:03:38
  Speaker A: Yeah, there's still. Archived there.
• 1:03:39
  Speaker C: Yeah, it's still there.
• 1:03:40
  Speaker A: Look that up now. More recently, you know, we've. We've. We. We've had Darren Hill from the Red Rockers on a couple of times in. You know, right before, right after they did these Red Rockers reunions at Tipitina's. And the first one was terrific. It was, you know, like in Gathering of All the Tribes, you know, all the old punk rockers were there now and they did the set. It was so successful. They did a second one and on this one they had you as like utility guitar player, background vocalist. And you did a superb job. Such great vocals, such. Such great guitar playing. And we actually wound up coming over here after the. After the gig to Snake and Jake's. We were. We have a little bit of fellowship here. And I was. We were talking. I remember about. You had a. One of those Les Paul three humbucker Les Paul custom guitars, which we were talking about the mystery, the mystery of the middle pickup. Like, what does it even do?
• 1:04:45
  Speaker C: I can't tell you what it does. I don't think it does anything now.
• 1:04:48
  Speaker A: Now I can't. I remember that night we were talking about the SG model versus the regular traditional Les Paul single cutaway. Now which one do you have?
• 1:04:57
  Speaker B: You.
• 1:04:57
  Speaker A: You have the SG model?
• 1:04:59
  Speaker C: I've got the Les Paul.
• 1:05:00
  Speaker A: You have the Les Paul. Okay, okay. Right.
• 1:05:02
  Speaker C: The Les Paul custom three pickup.
• 1:05:05
  Speaker A: Right. Right. Now I happen to see this. This Netflix thing becoming Led Zeppelin.
• 1:05:11
  Speaker C: Yeah, I just watched that.
• 1:05:13
  Speaker A: Isn't that fantastic?
• 1:05:14
  Speaker C: Really, really good.
• 1:05:15
  Speaker A: So good.
• 1:05:15
  Speaker B: I was very disappointed with that.
• 1:05:18
  Speaker C: Were you?
• 1:05:19
  Speaker B: Yeah, because I just saw. I'd seen all this footage before. What's new yeah. And it just ended. Okay.
• 1:05:26
  Speaker C: It ends.
• 1:05:27
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. First two albums. So they're going to make more.
• 1:05:30
  Speaker C: I sure hope so.
• 1:05:32
  Speaker B: Yeah. You know, and I knew all this stuff, you know, it was like, you're great in America. You haven't hit your own fucking country. And Peter Grant said, you know, I knew all this.
• 1:05:44
  Speaker A: Right.
• 1:05:45
  Speaker B: I thought it was one of the most boring. Me and my wife watched it and we were bored the out of it cuz I knew all this stuff. Okay, well, it was horrible. I thought it was a horrible thing. The music's great.
• 1:05:55
  Speaker C: I love Z. I wouldn't say it was horrible.
• 1:05:57
  Speaker B: No. Well, I am saying it was horrible pretty well. It was.
• 1:06:04
  Speaker C: Are you, are you a big Led Zeppelin fan?
• 1:06:06
  Speaker A: Oh, who.
• 1:06:07
  Speaker B: Yeah, I grew up with Z. To me it was like nothing. I knew, I already knew all this stuff.
• 1:06:12
  Speaker C: See, I'm that way with like the, the last couple of Beatles documentaries that came out. Like there was the Beatles 64 one that came out.
• 1:06:18
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:06:19
  Speaker C: And it was like, well, there's nothing new here.
• 1:06:20
  Speaker B: I've seen nothing new here.
• 1:06:22
  Speaker C: I think the idea is just, it's.
• 1:06:23
  Speaker B: Something for becoming a new.
• 1:06:26
  Speaker A: It's for.
• 1:06:26
  Speaker B: Yeah. For the new generation. Maybe my daughter will get in the Zap.
• 1:06:29
  Speaker C: Z.
• 1:06:30
  Speaker A: They had some, some new interviews, you know, Jimmy Page and John Paul.
• 1:06:35
  Speaker B: I, I just, I just, I just thought it was, it was like this is it.
• 1:06:40
  Speaker C: Yeah, that was it.
• 1:06:40
  Speaker B: I was.
• 1:06:41
  Speaker A: Anyway, my wife and I were, were digging the. Out of it. Watching it.
• 1:06:44
  Speaker B: Because you were on heroin.
• 1:06:46
  Speaker A: No.
• 1:06:47
  Speaker B: Or you were sucking each other off?
• 1:06:49
  Speaker A: Baby, we were watching the television. Why would that even come up?
• 1:06:55
  Speaker B: Well, because that people, you know, get into things. You know, I, I got it, I got it. I got into Bold and the Beautiful the last few weeks because me and the wife were watching it, you know.
• 1:07:05
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:07:06
  Speaker B: You know. But no, I was very disappointed point in that becoming Zap. It was like, that's it.
• 1:07:11
  Speaker A: Well now, now you, you brought up the, the, the Beatles documentaries now. So you saw the one where they're doing the, the, the whatever that is right before, you know, building up to the.
• 1:07:22
  Speaker C: Oh, the get back.
• 1:07:23
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 1:07:23
  Speaker C: The eight Hour. Yeah.
• 1:07:26
  Speaker A: You loved it. Yes, loved it. I Love it.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker C: For 14 more hours.
• 1:07:29
  Speaker A: Right on. Now Manny had a very interesting take on that.
• 1:07:32
  Speaker C: Okay.
• 1:07:32
  Speaker A: And, and you've seen it before. So you've watched like all the action. Watch it again and just watch Yoko. Yeah, just watch her.
• 1:07:43
  Speaker C: Okay.
• 1:07:43
  Speaker A: Every.
• 1:07:44
  Speaker B: Yeah. Because to me, to me everyone says she broke up the band, but I'm watching her and she's like doing Anything. She's not doing anything.
• 1:07:52
  Speaker C: Exactly.
• 1:07:52
  Speaker B: And the one, you know, Linda McCarty, that pig is there constantly at the same time as Yoko. And the only one who's really not there is George's girl. What's her name?
• 1:08:04
  Speaker C: Patty.
• 1:08:05
  Speaker B: Yeah, she comes in and she's a hot fucking chick, man.
• 1:08:08
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:08:09
  Speaker B: And she, you know, she comes in, she says, hi, here's a cup of tea, I'll see you later. But Yoko's not doing anything.
• 1:08:16
  Speaker C: Yoko's like reading the Mail.
• 1:08:17
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:08:18
  Speaker C: Doing the crossword puzzle.
• 1:08:19
  Speaker B: And John is doing doses of dope.
• 1:08:22
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:08:22
  Speaker B: You know, they're both on fucking heroin and stuff like that. You could tell in that documentary, they're all high. It's Paul and Linda who are the worst. Yeah, they're the worst.
• 1:08:34
  Speaker C: They have, they have what the kids call main character energy.
• 1:08:37
  Speaker B: Yeah, okay. Yeah, exactly.
• 1:08:39
  Speaker A: Now, I, I, I seeing that particular documentary, I kind of finally got what the rest of the Beatles were irked about Paul for, which is that he's a much bigger dude.
• 1:08:54
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:08:55
  Speaker A: And like, just can't stop. He walks into the room, he looks big, he's got a big coat on. He just sucks up all the, all the air.
• 1:09:03
  Speaker C: Well, and he's just, he, music is just pouring out at that point. Like.
• 1:09:07
  Speaker A: Yes.
• 1:09:08
  Speaker C: He's writing classic after classic.
• 1:09:11
  Speaker A: He's not malicious, he's, no, he's just a lot of Paul.
• 1:09:14
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:09:14
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 1:09:15
  Speaker C: And, you know, I think, you know, I'm sure he's got a massive ego, but he's churning out the goods and just can't be stopped. And what do you do at that point? Like, you can't not take over the room you're in.
• 1:09:26
  Speaker B: You break up.
• 1:09:27
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 1:09:27
  Speaker C: You have to break up. Like, they have to, they have to.
• 1:09:30
  Speaker B: And you're not going to fire him?
• 1:09:32
  Speaker C: No. You're not kicking him out.
• 1:09:34
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:09:34
  Speaker C: You bring in, you know.
• 1:09:35
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:09:36
  Speaker C: He can fire somebody, like, right. He could fire anybody.
• 1:09:39
  Speaker B: The greatest part of that doc and I watch is when John Lennon is like, tuning his guitar and he reaches into a pocket, he pulls the bag out of his pocket, pulls out a bag of heroin. He goes.
• 1:09:51
  Speaker C: And he looks back at the camera like, oh, yeah, yeah. There's also a great scene on the rooftop when the cops finally come up there and Paul looks back and, and sees the cops and kind of gets Billy Preston's attention. And Billy turns around and sees him and does the kind of thing that you would do when you got caught looking at someone's paper where you kind of go like, oh, never mind. And this is really like, oh, don't look at me kind of move. It's really funny. I love that. I thought that was a great documentary.
• 1:10:20
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I really enjoyed that as well. I'll watch anything with even bands. I don't like anything because I'm so fascinated by band dynamics.
• 1:10:30
  Speaker C: Yes, exactly.
• 1:10:31
  Speaker A: And like, because it's, it's so familiar to me. But it's endlessly fascinating.
• 1:10:35
  Speaker C: Yes. Because you want to see like how everyone else. It's the same conversations that you have other musicians because you want to know what their shit's.
• 1:10:42
  Speaker B: Yeah. But don't you think, like, going back to that Zeppelin documentary, you're seeing all this footage from the late 60s, early 70s, and then you're seeing the interviews from like a year ago or within the last year. And these guys. Memories. Don't fucking know what happened then.
• 1:10:58
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:10:58
  Speaker B: You know, and they're just coming up with something. So it's, it's for sure. It's all.
• 1:11:04
  Speaker C: Yeah, well, that's why I think like the Bonham one is cool because that's in real time.
• 1:11:08
  Speaker B: John Bonham documentary.
• 1:11:10
  Speaker C: No, there's the, there's an interview with him in that documentary.
• 1:11:12
  Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
• 1:11:13
  Speaker C: Unheard interview.
• 1:11:14
  Speaker B: Yeah. Because he's dead.
• 1:11:15
  Speaker C: Yeah, because he's dead and. But that's, that's real time recollection.
• 1:11:18
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:11:18
  Speaker C: Which you don't get when you hear the, the interview 40 years later, 2025.
• 1:11:23
  Speaker B: It's like these guys can't remember. Jimmy Cage doesn't remember.
• 1:11:26
  Speaker C: Well, it's even Beatles ones like Paul and Ringo tell the same stories all the time.
• 1:11:30
  Speaker B: Right, Right.
• 1:11:31
  Speaker C: And the stories are nine times out of ten factually wrong and like easily.
• 1:11:36
  Speaker A: They've just told them so many times.
• 1:11:37
  Speaker C: That's what they know. The story.
• 1:11:39
  Speaker A: The story.
• 1:11:39
  Speaker B: And the oatmeal starts coming out of the mouth and stuff like that. Yeah, that kind of stuff I love runs down the face and I love oatmeal.
• 1:11:48
  Speaker A: So that, that brings us up to. To 2020.
• 1:11:52
  Speaker C: And.
• 1:11:53
  Speaker A: And we're all, you know, you have. The walrus isn't quite moving yet. We're all sitting at home.
• 1:12:00
  Speaker C: Right.
• 1:12:01
  Speaker A: And you come up with this idea ranking the Beatles. Tell us about that.
• 1:12:05
  Speaker C: That started really out of sheer boredom in like March or April of 2020. So like fresh Covid and just, you know, had the idea of like, I wonder if I could put the entire catalog of the band in order of least favorite to most favorite. And I sat in my kitchen for two or three days just drinking wine and doing fuck all else and made a spreadsheet and color coded it because I'm kind of a nerd about that kind of shit. So I color coded it and just sat there and just listened to songs and ab shit back and forth and then eventually came up with this list. So my idea initially was I was just gonna share every day a post on Facebook just to have communication with people. Because you weren't seeing anybody, you know?
• 1:12:52
  Speaker A: Right.
• 1:12:52
  Speaker C: And so I was posting things on Facebook every day of, you know, here's 223. Here's, you know, the 222. Just to have conversation.
• 1:13:02
  Speaker A: This is from least favorite to most.
• 1:13:04
  Speaker C: Least favorite to most favorite. So I started with album or song. Songs. Songs.
• 1:13:08
  Speaker A: So what was your least favorite?
• 1:13:09
  Speaker C: The least favorite? I started with the German version of I want to hold your hand.
• 1:13:14
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:13:15
  Speaker C: Followed by the German version of she loves you.
• 1:13:17
  Speaker A: Sure.
• 1:13:18
  Speaker C: And then you get to baby Mr. Moonlight off the Beatles for sale album. And then it kind of goes from there.
• 1:13:26
  Speaker B: What about number nine?
• 1:13:28
  Speaker C: I actually really like Revolution number nine.
• 1:13:30
  Speaker B: Really? I have that top 10.
• 1:13:32
  Speaker C: It's not top 10. It's. It's close to the hundreds.
• 1:13:37
  Speaker A: Close to 100.
• 1:13:38
  Speaker B: How many Beatles songs are there?
• 1:13:40
  Speaker C: So I've got 200 and 23 is my official count. That includes all the catalog, albums, singles, and B sides. And then stuff that they released on, like, their anthology that had been, like, prepared for release but then shelved.
• 1:13:55
  Speaker B: Are there any live tracks?
• 1:13:57
  Speaker C: No live tracks on this list. Yeah. But, yeah. So I was doing. Doing these Facebook posts, and then after about a month, three or four people said, you know, this could be a podcast. And Alex Rawls kind of pushed it and was like, this is really a smart idea. You should do it.
• 1:14:17
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:14:17
  Speaker C: And so I initially was kind of hesitant, but then eventually got into the idea and I was gonna just do it by myself, and I recorded, like, an intro, and it took me, like, five hours to try to record this monologue of what I was gonna do and why. And then Alex texted, you need a co host who's not a Beatles fan. Like, not a hardcore Beatles fan. And it was the night I was recording this intro thing, and I went and sat on the couch, and I was talking to my wife, and I was like, well, you know, Alex said it'd be smart to have somebody else who's not a hardcore Beatles fan. But I don't know who to get.
• 1:14:53
  Speaker B: Because you got Biggie Smalls.
• 1:14:55
  Speaker C: I get Biggie Smalls. I don't think you like the Beatles, but my wife goes, well, I got nothing to do. I'll do it.
• 1:15:00
  Speaker A: Okay.
• 1:15:01
  Speaker B: And so I was like, she doesn't like the Beatles.
• 1:15:03
  Speaker C: She does. She's just like, she's not a devotee. She's not a hardcore fan about it. She's just kind of like, yeah, it's fine. She's more levelheaded. Like, she'll tell me, like, no, Revolution 9 is actually garbage and you're being an idiot about this.
• 1:15:18
  Speaker B: Yeah. Ranking at 99.
• 1:15:20
  Speaker C: Yeah, exactly like that. So. Yes.
• 1:15:23
  Speaker B: Got kids?
• 1:15:23
  Speaker C: No, Just dogs. No kids. We have a podcast. Yeah.
• 1:15:28
  Speaker B: So, yeah.
• 1:15:29
  Speaker C: So I started it the summer of 2020. And it was interesting because at first I was, you know, I called a lot of musicians that I knew and people I could get on Zoom or get in the backyard, but then I started just kind of DMing musicians that I was a fan of on different social media platforms that I thought they might be a fan of the Beatles. And nobody was doing anything, so they were like, sure, stranger, I'll talk about the Beatles for an hour and a half with you.
• 1:15:55
  Speaker A: Right?
• 1:15:55
  Speaker C: Yeah. So like, I got Kyle Gass from Tenacious D. Right, Right. Because he posted a video playing Blackbird or something. He's a great finger picker.
• 1:16:05
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 1:16:06
  Speaker C: And so I just, DM was like, hey, I have this podcast. I think you're a Beatles fan.
• 1:16:09
  Speaker B: He's Jack, Jack Black's partner.
• 1:16:11
  Speaker C: Yeah. I was like, if you ever want to come do this podcast, love to have you. And he was like, sure, let's talk about it. So we DM'd a few times and got him. I got the guitar player from Death Cab for Cutie, and just like, people had nothing to do, so they were into the idea, so it kind of just took it to another place. Now, you know, four years later, everyone's back to work. So these people don't respond anymore, which is fine because it also lets me get to a more, like, level place with the show and kind of be more realistic, I think, now, now.
• 1:16:43
  Speaker A: And this is a great idea if, if any people out there that have wanted to be on the Troubled Men podcast and, and you probably possibly resentful that you, we haven't had you on the show yet. Jonathan has a great approach. Start your own podcast and don't invite me and Manny on as guests, and that, that will be your revenge.
• 1:17:02
  Speaker C: That's how you do it. So we. Do you want to come on?
• 1:17:07
  Speaker A: You know, I mean, I don't, I'm not, I'm not.
• 1:17:09
  Speaker C: Do you have the time?
• 1:17:10
  Speaker A: I, I, I, I, I'm not saying that to try. How to try to.
• 1:17:14
  Speaker C: What kind of Beatles fan Are you a hardcore Beatles fan?
• 1:17:16
  Speaker A: I'm not a hard. I mean, I like the Beatles, but I'm someone who has preserved his innocence.
• 1:17:22
  Speaker C: Sure.
• 1:17:23
  Speaker A: And so. So I have friends like my wife. Do you know Jack White? When, you know, he. He can play Name that Tune with the Beatles records in, like, a second.
• 1:17:36
  Speaker C: Yeah.
• 1:17:36
  Speaker A: So he knows that the catalog. So. Well, he can recognize the air on the recording before they play a note.
• 1:17:44
  Speaker C: They just.
• 1:17:45
  Speaker A: The thing starts, and you just know.
• 1:17:47
  Speaker C: That sound that gets.
• 1:17:48
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:17:48
  Speaker A: Yeah. That's how. So I. I'm not like that at all.
• 1:17:51
  Speaker C: Is your wife like that?
• 1:17:52
  Speaker A: She knows much more than me. She's pretty close.
• 1:17:55
  Speaker C: Okay. Interesting.
• 1:17:56
  Speaker B: I hate music, so I'll never be honest.
• 1:17:59
  Speaker C: Fair enough.
• 1:17:59
  Speaker A: Me and my wife on T together.
• 1:18:01
  Speaker C: See, I. I find that dynamic really interesting. Like, I think that would be cool.
• 1:18:05
  Speaker A: Now, I love the. You know, I. Plenty of stuff I love about the Beatles, but again, it's. You know.
• 1:18:11
  Speaker B: But I do listen. Every Sunday morning, I do listen breakfast.
• 1:18:15
  Speaker C: Breakfast with the Beatles on wtix.
• 1:18:17
  Speaker B: If I get up. If I get up.
• 1:18:19
  Speaker C: If you're up that early.
• 1:18:20
  Speaker B: Yeah. If I'm up that early, which I usually am, because I wake up screaming every morning.
• 1:18:25
  Speaker C: It is the time to wake up screaming every morning. We're. We're there as a society.
• 1:18:30
  Speaker B: But see, I don't. What I don't like about that show is. Is that they'll play, like, solo stuff by the Beatles.
• 1:18:38
  Speaker C: Yeah. You don't like the solo stuff?
• 1:18:41
  Speaker B: Paul. Some of Paul McCartney's solo stuff is, like, great. Some of it's awful.
• 1:18:46
  Speaker C: Sure.
• 1:18:47
  Speaker B: Just like Harrison.
• 1:18:48
  Speaker C: Yeah. And they've all got real peaks and valleys.
• 1:18:51
  Speaker B: Yeah. You know. So anyway, are we done?
• 1:18:57
  Speaker A: Well, we're kind of on the. On the. On the downslope of the podcast here, man. He's ready. I just want one more thing. I wanted to ask you about your opinion. The. The Giles Martin remixes of the Beatles records.
• 1:19:08
  Speaker C: I'm all for it.
• 1:19:09
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 1:19:09
  Speaker B: Who's Giles Martin?
• 1:19:11
  Speaker C: Giles Martin is the son of George Martin, their producer. He's also a producer in his own right.
• 1:19:16
  Speaker A: Terrific producer.
• 1:19:17
  Speaker C: They've kind of handed him the key keys to the kingdom to update and remix the catalog as it goes on.
• 1:19:23
  Speaker B: Well, why would they do that?
• 1:19:25
  Speaker C: Because they want to remix things to sound good on modern stereos and on phones and.
• 1:19:30
  Speaker A: And. And they don't have any phones relevant.
• 1:19:33
  Speaker C: Well, that's what kids listen to music.
• 1:19:34
  Speaker A: And they don't have any new Beatles music coming out, so if they can.
• 1:19:38
  Speaker C: Well, we had the last One.
• 1:19:38
  Speaker A: Well, yeah, yeah, yeah. But if, but if they can repackage it.
• 1:19:42
  Speaker B: So basically, they've given this kid a career. The Beatles have given.
• 1:19:45
  Speaker C: I mean, he had one, he, he'd already kind of earned his stripes.
• 1:19:48
  Speaker A: Very talented guy.
• 1:19:49
  Speaker C: He's very good at what he does, but they've given him, like, he's their guy, you know.
• 1:19:54
  Speaker B: George Martin's dead.
• 1:19:55
  Speaker C: George is dead.
• 1:19:56
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 1:19:57
  Speaker C: He had lost his hearing years before he died, so he brought his son in and kind of. He brought his son in and kind of taught him what he knew. So he's kind of the heir to that throne. Yes, but with those remixes, I, I, I'm fine with them. You know, some of them are very different, which I think is okay.
• 1:20:16
  Speaker A: They're interesting to hear. Yeah. It's not the original original, but what.
• 1:20:20
  Speaker C: I love is they're not withdrawing the original. The originals are still there.
• 1:20:24
  Speaker A: Sure.
• 1:20:24
  Speaker C: You can hear them all. It's just a new perspective, another take on it. I'm fine with it. You know, like, what if it keeps the band in the zeitgeist and helps maintain that generational rollover popular.
• 1:20:37
  Speaker B: They're going to live forever.
• 1:20:38
  Speaker A: Yeah, but I mean, new generation, you.
• 1:20:41
  Speaker C: Say, Just like Oasis.
• 1:20:42
  Speaker B: Yeah. Yes.
• 1:20:43
  Speaker C: Manny forever. But, like, you know, there was a period, I think, in the 70s and 80s where the Beatles were not super cool. Like, being a Beatles fan was not considered, like, cool, or they were very irrelevant, you know, and it took, it.
• 1:20:59
  Speaker B: Was a different culture.
• 1:21:00
  Speaker C: Yeah, it's a different culture. And, you know, and to bring it back.
• 1:21:03
  Speaker B: And there was a time when Elvis wasn't relevant for sure.
• 1:21:06
  Speaker A: For sure.
• 1:21:06
  Speaker B: And then he became relevant for sure, you know, and there's going to be a time where you're not going to be relevant.
• 1:21:10
  Speaker C: I'm not. Now is the time.
• 1:21:12
  Speaker A: Right? Now is the time.
• 1:21:14
  Speaker C: Now is the time.
• 1:21:15
  Speaker B: So who cares?
• 1:21:17
  Speaker C: Who cares? We're all worm food at some point.
• 1:21:19
  Speaker B: Exactly.
• 1:21:20
  Speaker A: Well, Jonathan, thank you so much for coming on the show. It's been really wonderful fun, man.
• 1:21:25
  Speaker C: Appreciate it. Yes.
• 1:21:27
  Speaker B: Oh, good luck, Luck with that.
• 1:21:29
  Speaker C: Thank you.
• 1:21:31
  Speaker A: Good luck to you.
• 1:21:32
  Speaker C: That has more of the, More of the soda in it.
• 1:21:35
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 1:21:35
  Speaker C: I'm good.
• 1:21:37
  Speaker B: Let me be the first one to say it's been nice knowing you. Okay.
• 1:21:40
  Speaker A: Nice knowing both of y'.
• 1:21:41
  Speaker B: All.
• 1:21:42
  Speaker C: I'm alive for the election. You got my vote.
• 1:21:44
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 1:21:44
  Speaker A: Yes, yes, yes. Everybody vote for Manny. And as always on the Trouble man podcast, we like to say trouble never ends.
• 1:21:51
  Speaker B: But you know what? The struggle continues. Good night.
• 1:21:55
  Speaker A: Good night.
• 1:22:04
  Speaker D: I know you better than the back of my own hand There is no winner Quickest of the sin so pain knowing losing when you're out there on your own if you never love me why did you take me home? I think I'm better off tonight.
• 1:22:44
  Speaker B: I.
• 1:22:44
  Speaker D: Think I'm better off Something's always wrong with me in the dark Something that you say gonna tear me apart Someone's always saying Wishing that this is gonna work I think I better off alone how did it feel to keep me crawling on on the floor Blacked out the windows will knock behind your door I'd hate your guts if you had some you'd spit them all but you got none so your words keep cutting.
• 1:23:32
  Speaker C: Right down to the.
• 1:23:41
  Speaker D: I think I'm better off alone I think I'm better off Something's always wrong when we meet in the dark Something that you said's going to tear me apart Someone's always saying we should let this go Whoa, whoa I think I better off no Ra Something that you said's gonna tear me apart Someone's always saying we should let this go Come on Something I don't already know Something's always wrong when we meet in the dark Something that you say's gonna tear me apart Someone's always saying we should let this go Whoa, whoa whoa, whoa I think I better off tomorrow I think I better off alone I think I'm better off alone Sa.