Tales From An Airport Bar
Tales From An Airport Bar
Ep 3: Brotherly Love featuring James
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Ever wondered what it's like to transition from flipping burgers to serving drinks in an airport bar right after 9/11? My brother James Brown joins us for a hilarious and eye-opening episode where he recounts his journey from working at McDonald’s to navigating the complex world of post-9/11 airport security as a bartender. From managing an unexpected surge in hot dog demand to cleverly handling a run-in with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, James gives us a candid look at the unique challenges and quirky moments that defined his early days behind the bar.
While the airport bar may seem like a mundane setting, it's anything but. We dive into celebrity encounters that range from the amusing antics of Steve-O in his converted van to the more frustrating demands of Emmett Smith and the prickly demeanor of Sean Penn. These stories offer a blend of humor and reality, highlighting the unpredictable nature of airport bar life. On a more serious note, we also touch on the critical issue of suicide awareness, urging listeners to engage in open conversations and support friends through tough times.
To wrap things up, we share some unforgettable stories from the airport restaurant scene. From the charisma of Jerry Jones to the down-to-earth interactions with sports legends like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Peja Stojakovic, we explore the highs and lows of meeting these icons. Plus, you'll hear about the rollercoaster experiences of working in an airport restaurant, including a wild tale involving a manager named Breezy and the colorful character Muhammad. And let's not forget the importance of good relationships with first responders, perfectly illustrated by a friendly encounter with Officer Crabapple. This episode promises a mix of laughter, poignant reflections, and unforgettable airport bar tales.
Hey, welcome back. Guys Tell Us From An Airport Bar, episode three. We're having our first guest on today. I'd like to introduce my brother of all people, James Brown. Welcome to Tell Us From An Airport Bar. James, Pull up a barstool, let's grab you something to drink. Let's go tell me. Tell me a little bit about your time at the airport and working in bars.
Speaker 2Well, I started was I was working in McDonald's and you gave me a call and said hey, you want a job for I was like six bucks more now and what I was making it was like eleven something an hour. So I went into McDonald's same day, turned into my shirt and the manager goes hey, you're on fries. I go no, sir, you're on fries. And went straight to the airport and started working. Uh, I mean before I even got badged, cause this is where I got after nine, 11. Yep, and I was getting escorted in every day and there had to be someone standing next to me all day just to work.
Speaker 3Didn't really make sense Even to go to the bathroom.
Speaker 2Yeah, no matter where you went, there was always somebody there.
Speaker 1Yeah, I have that super awesome privilege now.
Speaker 2Started at the art bar. I was almost 17 by the time.
Speaker 1Okay, so real quick, the art bar. We've mentioned this little bar that you had to be bussed out to because back in the day they had prop planes and even smaller regional jets than what they have now. So basically, they're sending you out to this oversized trailer, sending you out to this oversized trailer, and we had this little bar in there that had two four tops built into the wall and then it had a little four top Barstool bar, but in front of that you couldn't even see the bar until we put some neon signs back there. But in front of that we had a little deli case with a cashier and I believe that's how you started out as a cashier.
Speaker 2I started out as a cashier rolling dogs man, that hot dog roller. You can fit 36 things on. He's only supposed to fit 12. Like they're going out of style. Chili Chili cheese dogs. You want chili cheese on that.
Speaker 1It's only a dollar more. Yes, I do Thank you.
Speaker 2So I got to the point where we couldn't cook enough, so we were just stacking those things and you'd have to like, unstack them, rotate them as they were cooking.
Speaker 3Pick at the bottom 36 at once, and then we'd put them in a hot plate and then go and 36 more.
Speaker 2Jesus.
Speaker 3Jesus.
Speaker 1Oh, and there'd be a line all the way down the terminal out to where the bus lets you off. Because you're there and that's it Probably, or you could go across the hall and get a magazine and candy bar.
Speaker 3Like do I want to eat or not? I don't know.
Speaker 2When I first started, the cashiers weren't allowed to get tips. The bartenders were Back to. When I started, I was about to turn 17.
Speaker 3I'm like this is bullshit that guy's getting tips.
Speaker 2I'm getting tips.
Speaker 3I've kept putting a cup out. The GDN would come by like you can't have that.
Speaker 2I'm like yeah, cool, take it away as soon as we walk out. But another one you got $100 for selling hot dogs.
Speaker 3This is incredible.
Speaker 2This is the best thing that's ever happened in life.
Speaker 1This is a cheat code, and then when you turned 18, we made you a bartender.
Speaker 2Well, before that we had Dals Breeze and me working out there, because you'd already gone pretty much back to A16 or E12 or somewhere and we were going back and forth. But we were there and we would take out the van. It's a delivery van, yeah only supposed to be used to get deliveries and all that out there, but it was our smoking van. Whatever you wanted to do, I needed a cigarette, go out there and smoke in the van and come back inside and no one knew anything.
Speaker 3A multifaceted tool.
Speaker 2But one night, me and Kevin get in it and I mean, I'm not joking he floors it in reverse. We're doing like 30, 40 miles an hour like I was scared for my life and all of a sudden he was here, boom, and just murders. A mirror off the side of the van, oh shit, huge scratch down the side. And he's like oh, don't tell anybody. I was like what do you mean? Don't tell anybody? The van's brand new. And so he parks it. I come into work next day to a write-up from the GM saying hey, I heard you wrecked the van. I was like no, I didn't Kevin. He's like no, he already gave us a story. Wow, never with his, I did not know what did he hit?
Speaker 2oh, you're the tug, oh, okay okay, 10,000 pound piece of machinery, nice. And then didn't even like. They're like I don't know, say that but didn't record it. It's like let's not tell anybody.
Speaker 3Yeah literally don't tell a soul, because I'm going to.
Speaker 1Yeah so tell us a little more about this your time at the bar out there.
Speaker 2I got visited by. Tbac one time everybody's.
Speaker 3TABC our favorite.
Speaker 2I got visited by TBAC one time. Tabc, tabc came out, our favorite Alcohol Beverage Commission, and I'm not stupid, I'm pretty smart when it comes to rearranging what things say. So our tab on the bar it's 16 ounce Budweiser.
Speaker 3All of it's 16, but there's no.
Speaker 2OZ. After it it says 16. And you said 16?. Oh, on the actual receipt and that GM back to it was wanting to make some extra money, so he ordered 14-ounce glasses. So we're handing out 14-ounce glasses. I'm 18 years old. I'm not going to argue with anybody.
Speaker 3What am I supposed to do?
Speaker 2He's like, hey, this ticket says 16 ounce, sir, and the cup says 14 ounce. I go, actually your ticket just says 16, but light, where does it say ounce on there? And he goes I'm going to come around there, I'm going to show you in your system. I was like you come around this bar, I'm going to show you in your system. And that was the end of it. We never got investigated, he just walked away.
Speaker 3He's like I'm good.
Speaker 2People. They don't want to start shit at the airport, I'll say that, like they'll come in tough and then they shut it down real quick.
Speaker 3Second, there's any pushback, they're like I'm okay, I'm okay.
Speaker 1And so I remember something that may coincide with this, about you telling a guy you're going to shove a bottle of Grey Goose up his ass. I mean, what kind of confrontations did you get into out there?
Speaker 2well, my job's on the line with the police out there, tsa, all these people like I wasn't working at the art bar. I was at the main terminal, the A terminal At the larger restaurant.
Speaker 3Things were more serious.
Speaker 2Yes, 2005, 2006.
Speaker 3They were all over the place.
Speaker 2So I'm bartending, a couple comes in. They're super friendly the whole time. She's drinking Bloody Marys, he's drinking beer, he finishes his, she's all private, third or fourth one, and they're White's getting ready to leave and she starts pouring Bloody Mary in a cup. I'm like man, you can't take that with you Trying to be as polite as I can.
Speaker 2Husband starts saying is this how you treat patriots? I go, what do you mean patriots? He's like something that comes to your establishment. I go, you mean a patron? No, I mean I tell them that what they can and can't do, because this is my license and this is how I make money. And he kept running his mouth and he started coming around the bar and the bar was a big square, so like you had to walk around the whole thing and the office manager's there Kind of like the bar. And the bar was a big square, so like you had to walk around the whole thing and the office managers there Kind of like the bar we work in.
Speaker 2now You're going to like that.
Speaker 1It just in a different restaurant setting.
Speaker 2Guests are cut off at a certain point, right, like they're not allowed to come. You can't go, yeah, behind the bar and he starts coming around and threatening me and telling me he's going to beat my ass, and at that point I was born and bloody married with gray goose and I said you come back here, I'm gonna shove this bottle up your ass, and about that time it was back. Then he's like let's not name drop okay well, he confused the situation rather quickly and let's just say the guy walked out.
Speaker 3Well, okay well know the patriot that he was. Yeah, the patriot.
Speaker 2So how long did you work at the airport? Right after 9-11? Until 2013. That's a good story.
Speaker 1when I quit, too, so, okay, we worked at this little bar together. Do you remember the time when, um, okay, so we had the little sign on the wall that said, with the little old lady that says, yes, they ID'd me too and we had to? Do you remember that? Yes, okay, so do you remember the time? This, this lady must've been pushing 70, anyways, and you know, I'm in my twenties at this point and, um, I'm ID and everybody like I'm supposed to corporate guy, and uh, so this lady comes through the line and gets a Dr Pepper and a barbecue sandwich, and she comes over to me to get a beer and she paid out, you know, through the deli line or whatever, and comes over to the bar and and orders a beer or something like Coors Light, and I'm like, man, please see your ID. And she goes, excuse me. I said, yes, man, do you see the sign on the wall? And she goes, fuck you. And throws her barbecue sandwich at me.
Speaker 1No, and I'm just standing there like she should not be getting on a plane with other people, sure enough not even 20, 30 seconds later, after she walks out of the bar, she turns around, comes back in and throws her Dr Pepper on me. I'm like holy shit, lady, and you know what, I just let this lady walk. I it was the end of my shift and I was just like you know what, I'm not chasing after her, I'm not calling the police on this lady. You know what, just let it go. And that's one of the one times I let it go, and that's one of the one times I let it go Do you remember that?
Speaker 3Now, how accurate was she? You said she threw them at you. Did she hit you with both? She did, she did.
Speaker 1Wow, that's impressive.
Speaker 3Well, it was a little tiny place.
Speaker 1I mean she didn't have. I mean, if you had a small reach you would have gotten, that's impressive. A small reach you would have gotten, that's impressive. So, um, tell me, james, some of the celebrities and some of the people you've met over the years while you were out there. Um, I remember uh a bunch of you guys had uh told me a story about Steve-O coming in, so I was still at the art bar. The Steve-O from Jackass right yeah.
Celebrity Encounters and Personal Stories
Speaker 2Yeah, and John and JJ were the bartender at A16. And so I'm bartending and they're calling me like, hey, you closing up. I'm like, yeah, you know, we got a flight. And they're like, oh hey, steve-o's up, we're all going to go smoke. And I was like, cool, I'm pretty sure I closed the bar down about 30 minutes early, maybe, who knows and cashed out, brought all the money up and we went and got in my 93 F-150 and drove around the airport parking lot and I'll tell you what he's clean now. But man, he didn't let us have a drag off the joint, that's for damn sure. I think we all got one. But the coolest shit has some amazing stories to tell. Definitely back to Grey Goose. That's what he was drinking.
Speaker 2I don't know what the airport is in Grey Goose, but like everyone. Why don't we?
Speaker 1just go ahead and plug his podcast, so maybe he'll have us on steve-o's wild ride right. He actually films it in a van that he lives in oh seriously, yes, is it like one of those converted, it's like one of the, it's like kind of like a sprinter van, kind of thing where it's got.
Speaker 3It's very small. It's probably the size of this room or smaller, probably not even as wide, and he has a studio in there and that's where he lives yeah, no, I've heard these crazy stories about people converting these.
Speaker 1Uh, what are those mercedes? Yeah, the sprinter vans yeah yeah and um live in it, could we?
Speaker 3could do anything Roll across country.
Speaker 1So, Steve-O, who else have you bumped into out?
Speaker 2there, emmett, no Great cowboy legend Emmett Smith. He's a dick.
Speaker 1I heard he's got a good tip for it.
Speaker 3I.
Speaker 2He wants special treatment. Every time he came in I was at E32 or 31, whatever we used to call that, it was home team. Sports varsity Went through so many name changes. Yes, and we had a back room Was it the tennis court? And every time we'd come through that was closed off. We didn't set people back there.
Speaker 1This is a little sports bar. It's huge.
Speaker 3And you just didn't need that.
Speaker 1It had a tennis court room, and then we had a hockey rink room and then had all these college football memorabilia.
Speaker 3You just didn't need to open it, because then you've got to clean it. It's like we're not going to use it. Open it because then you've got to clean it and do all. It's like we're not going to use it.
Speaker 2It's like each of those rooms are another 15 tables. We've closed both back rooms and every time I come in you move the chairs, go back there and leave 10%, and it's just like dude, I'm going to have to clean this whole area because you don't want people to see you in this dead-ass terminal. Yeah, Like there's no one in there.
Speaker 3If, if you pay us to do that, that's fine, but if you're going to just be an average or below average traveler, yeah we never talked to him.
Speaker 2We'd ask how he was doing. Yeah, I've heard this about him, sean Penn, another guy, huge dick. We didn't want autographs, we just wanted like I forgot what movie it just came out, but it was really good and we're like hey man, congrats on the movie.
Speaker 1You know really good and we're like, hey man, congrats on the movie.
Speaker 3You know we all just went saw it, milk remember mike used to get the tick like we go see star wars and all that was like the oh, yeah, yeah, those uh opening like opening night show.
Speaker 1Thursday night or friday night, it was like uh early viewing.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there's one that we went and saw with him with chomping and like he was out there like, hey, man, that was a great movie. And he just leave me the fuck alone and we're like, oh okay, sounds good, cool story man. Um, I've got a real sad one about someone I met. Um, if you want to get serious for a minute, we can switch gears, baby, it's a podcast.
Speaker 1It's a bar tell a story. If you want to get serious for a minute, we can Switch gears. Baby, it's a podcast, it's a bar Tell a story.
Airport Bar Stories and Encounters
Speaker 2If you want to like suicide awareness. If you've got friends, talk to them. You never know what's going on in people's life.
Speaker 1Oh, you never know what's going on with people traveling to the airport or where they're going to a funeral or what may be going on.
Speaker 3So always be cool to everybody.
Speaker 2Yeah, but one guy I met I mean he's a Texas legend, unless they're shitty to you Texas legend Brian Longhar, the strong arm. Yeah, oh, yep. So he came to our bar this is back in E31. And had a bunch of drinks. He was taking his daughter on a safari. She was depressed at the time. It was pretty sad because he was taking her and trying to bring her back to spirits. They came back. She ended up committing suicide. Six months later he ended up committing suicide. One of the nicest people I've ever met in my life.
Speaker 3Really.
Speaker 2Like stand-up guy Back to like I said suicide.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's hard to tell from those commercials you cannot tell what people are going through.
Speaker 2Never know, never know. Talk to your friends.
Speaker 3Most people are hiding it. It's like the people that are like the most bubbly, like the most like Most people are hiding it.
Speaker 2It's like the people that are like the most bubbly like, the most like, and you'd be like, oh they're fine, but they're masking it. One of the best people I ever met was him and just the friendliest guy you'd ever meet in your life and he was trying to do anything he could for his daughter. I guess that's going to be sad for a second.
Speaker 1Yeah, so I was talking about on the last podcast, the last episode I had bumped into.
Speaker 2Jerry Jones Did something good, yeah, I'm having that Jerry.
Speaker 1So I think, haven't you bumped into him too?
Speaker 2Yeah, we had a drunk patriot, a guest, a drunk patron in the bar.
Speaker 3He probably had four beers from us, so yeah, under the limit, but I think he went to Friday's beforehand. Sometimes you just can't tell.
Speaker 1Man, some people can hold their own. You never know if they popped a pill or what they've done before they got to the bar.
Speaker 2Half a drink and they're plastered, but A16 was open all the way through. They had one little glass area and the rest was just open.
Speaker 1I was talking about those gates that came down at A16 last week.
Speaker 2And Jerry Jones goes walking by. This guy, like I said, he's not drunk but he's had a few and all of a sudden you just hear him go. Hey.
Speaker 1Jerry.
Speaker 2At the top of his lungs, like Jerry and. Jerry Jones. He's walking by the bar. He gets I don't know probably what, 60 foot maybe. Yeah, there's a little deli, kind of like Bar Bar. Right, imagine that a little to-go deli and you just see Jerry come running around the column full speed to the bar and goes I'll drink what he's drinking.
Speaker 1How long ago were we talking about?
Speaker 2This is 2016,. 2009 okay, okay um, and this is cowboys have a bud light deal. You know he's gonna drink bud light because I'll take wager. I'm like, well, he's drinking, courage like. He's like I can't drink. This is before they switch the miller light. Yeah, uh, and he's like I can't drink. Who is like, give me a miller light, I mean a. He's like I can't drink.
Speaker 3Cooper's like give me a Miller Lite I mean a Bud Light and I was like you got it. You're like you got it. Sorry, we don't have any blue label for you, sir.
Speaker 2Back to another cool dude. He started signing autographs for everyone in the restaurant. We had people leave and go to the golf store, which has sports stuff too, and that A32. It's a long walk. Go buy stuff, bring it back.
Speaker 3And then sign it for people. From what I've been told, jerry's just one of the greatest, but he just wants to entertain. He's like a marketing guy. He just wants to make people happy and just be that guy. And his stories, from what I've been told, are just the best stories of all time. He's such a salesman.
Speaker 2But he was probably one of the most entertaining because no one was told.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's like cool, let's do it for 30, 30, 40 minutes. Let's do it.
Speaker 2Assign an autograph. That sounds like Dirk Nowinski. That is awesome when I bumped into him and Steve Nash, and they were awesome.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, then we talked about this. I've met a few NBA guys Peja Stojakovic, siberian sniper Siberian sniper, yeah. So I saw him in the hallway and I was like, hey, you mind if I get a picture or anything. He's like, yeah, man Cool. He's like, yeah, man Cool. He's like, how about I come in and you find me a diet cook and I'll take pictures and sign autographs with anybody you want? Man, yep, I was like get in here, but no, who, uh, anybody else you bumped into out there?
Speaker 2Oh, man there's. It's been so long that left in 13. That's 11 years ago.
Speaker 1I remember the one time when what is it Remember? Big Al Ginkovich? No.
Speaker 2Not weird, al, no, al.
Speaker 1Big tall guy had gout and remember one time who was it. You're talking about the shoeshine guy. No, not the shoeshine guy. The big tall guy that was a manager at Varsity. Big tall guy. The big tall guy that was a manager at Varsity Big tall guy.
Speaker 2Anyways, it's coming to me.
Speaker 1Who was it? Who was it that walked in, played for the Cowboys? It's on the tip of my tongue. Al's behind the bar doing inventory or something. All I hear is hey, woody, it's from the Cowboys. Give us more, Are you?
Speaker 2talking about Woodson.
Speaker 3Yes.
Speaker 1Thank you. What does he do? He comes in and gives a big hug. I guess they grew up together, but he was super, super cool.
Speaker 3Dude, he was super cool. I met him at the burger joint that we worked at for a little bit. He just sat down at a table with the guy that said hi to him and he just sat there for his whole meal and just talked to him and I was like man, such a nice guy I forgot we worked at that little burger joint in the airport.
Speaker 3That was a cool little spot, not bad. That was where it was weird set up. It was kind of like what you were talking about, that little where there was a line up front and the bar was separate to the side so everyone would order their burgers up front and then come to the bar, which was really weird. But then they also had beer taps up front, so they were like double cutting into your money so like what chris would do is there'd be a line of 40 people.
Speaker 3He'd just go up there. Hey, you want to cut the line and you could just order your burger here, your burger with me and I'll send you over there to pick it up. Yeah, and we would get sales and tips like that and be like, hey, do you want to wait for 20 minutes?
Speaker 1And you could knock it out faster than the half-dead people they had at the cashier stand.
Speaker 2Well, those are the only people that don't have felonies that can work in the airport. The kitchen always has something to go against the cashier and love the bartenders and so on, so you're going to get it faster. Normally it's just going to happen.
Speaker 3And we're going to ring it in. Right, we're not going to mess it up, we're going to come get it.
Speaker 1So tell me a little bit about some other experiences you've had. I know spring break gets crazy out there. Think you have a story or two to tell about spring break.
Speaker 2That's JJ's show, but I was there for it, so spring break we had all of the southern flights. You're going to the beach. We had All of the Southern flights. You're going to the beach. We had it. Yeah, it was all the people Going to party, um, and probably some Mexico flights and yeah, anything. South we it was. That's where we were, and you can just imagine how many people were there.
Speaker 1So oh dude, it gets crazy here in spring, Right.
Speaker 3That's where they start the party at the airport bar.
Speaker 2You would have someone at the bar offer to buy shots for all the ladies if they had a little spring break fun and loped them out. So it was just uh, about every 30 minute ordeal there was just boobs out at the bar um.
Speaker 1I've I've seen, excuse me.
Speaker 2I'm speechless.
Speaker 1I remember a time at over at the varsity lady got up on top of the bar at closing and there's only. You know the terminal's dead over there during, I'd say, after 6, 37 and we would usually close around 7, 38. You know, earlier in the evening and I'm telling you there's like one or two people in the restaurant and there's nobody in the terminal and this lady just starts strip, gets up on top of the bar and starts stripping. We had to call security To no audience.
Speaker 3To no audience.
Speaker 2We had to call security. But oh yeah, spring break was and it was only. I think that was like 2005, 2006. That's before the corporate buyout. If you would happened and the fun was lost.
Speaker 3Man, I feel like spring break was crazier then too. You still had MTV, spring break and all this crazy it was.
Speaker 2I was already wearing nothing coming in the lady. I was 18 at age 16. Her mom had breast cancer and she was a candidate for breast cancer because her mom had breast cancer. Lady's probably 45, good looking. I'm back to them 18 because I've just started bartending. And she's like hey, come around here, sweetheart, and I'm like maybe she needs assistance. What do you need? How old is this lady? She's pushing 50. I'm pushing 50 now, so hush, I'm 18 at the time 18 to that you're like well. I'm very naive.
Speaker 3Older than your parents at the time.
Speaker 2I'm naive. She's been telling me the stories, older than our parents. She had huge jugs, um, and she turned around and then, like, grabbed my hand and wraps around her, pulled her shirt up, puts my hands on him, goes what do you think about those? I was like they feel like, uh, boobs, these feel like boobs, um, they feel like boobs. Are they built for speed?
Speaker 3or comfort.
Speaker 2I'm 18, naive, don't know what's going on. I have no years of experience underneath me to welcome to the airport.
Speaker 3That's just what I was about to say. What? Yes, very nice.
Speaker 2I've had people try to trade me yes, very nice. I've had people trade like try to trade me stuff from their luggage for drinks because they let's make a deal and it's always random like this is like CD players were still a thing back then, right.
Speaker 2So I had like a lady try to give me a CD player. I'm like my phone can do that, which back then wasn't as yeah. So I had a lady try to give me a CD player. I'm like my phone can do that, which back then wasn't as great. But this is not new technology.
Speaker 3Would you like a 1989 Walkman?
Speaker 2Yeah, I'll take a shot of vodka. The most random things you could think People would try to trade for a drink or something.
Speaker 1I don't know. So I'm going to shift gears here. So tell me from a different perspective, because I know there was a time or two that you got shit face wasted while either working and or at the airport bar that you worked at yeah, built through a table.
Speaker 2I heard yeah, I was maybe second year, first year in college, like I was out of high school. I know that because I was in college and cooler rules, man, if you're in the cooler, you got to drink beer before you walk out.
Speaker 3That's the rules we don't make the rules, we just have to follow them.
Speaker 1Why are we night and day? You drink, I can't touch the stuff, so I had quite a few drinks.
Speaker 2Breezy was the manager, and I think that's where most of my downfall happened. I didn't have great role models managing me, kevin. That's why I'm blaming on this. So back to the bar we talked about a minute ago. It's like a straight shot of a managed office. We call it the Texas T because that table was part of another area, but we walk straight to it. So I walk from the cooler straight to the table to get these people to order. I don't remember what I said to them. I do remember falling and collapsing through a table and then waking up in the manager's office six, seven hours later with Kevin telling me that I was a hero and they gave me a $100 tip. Me that I was a hero and they gave me a hundred dollar tip. And so the story he told them was I was you know living on my own.
Speaker 2I had all these bills to pay, you know. But I was also going to school. I don't remember what he told me. I was going to be Something amazing.
Speaker 3He's going to the Marines.
Speaker 2Anything you can imagine to make me look good, like I was just sleep deprived and like I just needed a chance from life, guys, he's terminally ill, but he's fighting. I guess he got a new table to eat and they left me $100 for being a stand-up citizen.
Speaker 3Or a lay-down citizen. I guess that was a good one. That's incredible.
Speaker 2They loved you.
Speaker 1They thought it was great Best service they've ever had. What so who was the cook that would drink back there in the office If you?
Speaker 2want a name.
Speaker 1I got a name for you, so to give you guys a little perspective of this airport restaurant that we're talking about. The bar right next to right when you exit this, the little area where you can exit and go behind the bar so when you exit to your left was the office and behind the actual bar was a cooler, so you could go into the office and then the actual bar was a cooler, so you could go into the office and then go into the beer cooler, and who was the cook that we would always find drinking?
Speaker 2I was drinking throughout the tunnel, dude. He even passed out at McDonald's. It was Muhammad, muhammad, so, but now, anywhere you go in that route, dude, no, no, I don't think he ever went home, let's put it that way.
Speaker 3He lived there, he was tom hanks.
Speaker 2Like 14 jobs, yeah, different terminal all time, always drinking. Um, we came in one morning and it you know, the truck comes in at like 3am and we walk into the office. He's passed out in a chair with cocaine and bottles of wine all over the place.
Speaker 2So like, so plenty of bottles that are just spent on the ground sounds like a pretty average day in the airport little bags of coke just all over, and so let's just say he was no longer allowed at the airport anymore. Oh Jesus, wow, so he lost all 14 jobs. Oh, wow, fantastic.
Speaker 1Well, 14 bottles of wine, 14 jobs, he worked out there for quite a long time Long time.
Speaker 2Yeah, that was a day, because he was the nicest guy you've ever met.
Speaker 1Man, probably anyone now, but what other interactions did you have with the police out there?
Speaker 2Pretty much. Whoever you give free coffee to like the police, they believe your story over anybody else, and so this guy's a nice guy, we know yeah we had a.
Speaker 1Well, you know you always want to establish a rapport with the police, especially when there's inebriated, because you never know patrons involved, because people come in, they'll come in wasted, like you have to call them like it's oh yeah, sometimes you have no choice and just they come in, they'll come in wasted, like you have to call them, like it's.
Speaker 2oh yeah, sometimes you have no choice. They just they come in firing yeah, any cop that ever came in. It was, you know, free coffee, drink, whatever you want, because they're taking care of us. But no, here's what happened. They don't ask questions, they go away.
Speaker 1Because, like, sometimes, like if you end up giving them a drink, right, they gotta go now take them to the police station and then you have to follow these reports. So that reminds me when I uh worked at the irish pub over in the international terminal years and years ago. Um, I was on my way to work one morning and I only lived 10 minutes from the airport and I was hauling ass and I'm going down. There's an access road around the airport that leads over to the terminals and at the time when I was a manager, I had free parking in the terminal and so I was hauling ass to work and past cop going like 55, 60 in a 45, pulls me over and, um, he goes, where are you heading? You know, sees my badge and I'm like man, I was hauling ass to work and, uh, I was like he's like where you work?
Speaker 1I was like the irish pub. I was like where, uh, you know, uh, so-and-so cop hangs out and he goes, oh, and I won't name drop, we'll just call him Crabapple and Officer Crabapple. I was like, oh, you know, officer Crabapple, and I was like, oh, yeah, he goes, hang on a second. He gets on his radio and goes hey, crabapple, I got Mr Brown here pulled over. And so what do you want for lunch? And I hear Crabapple go. Hey, I'll take a dozen of those wings, let's get some of those fish and chips. And sure enough, I called it in. I called the other manager on my way in late and had that order ready for those guys. But no, you always want to establish a good rapport with the police out there. They're amazing and love, love, love our first responders. They save our ass.
Speaker 3Yes, especially when people are half-cocked, like you said right when they get there and you've got a full bar and it's busy and you can't deal with it. You know, like officer hello and that's an easy way to make people when they're getting riled up, you know you cut somebody off. They're like I ought to punch you in the face or whatever.
Speaker 1And you're like you just go hello officer, then they, they turn around and chill out real quick. You know, and I say it all the time, I say it to our guests hey, this federal property, guys, all your misdemeanors turn into felonies also.
Speaker 3Do you like to fly? Yeah, it's a privilege. No flex, so yeah, they have to do daily like to fly?
Speaker 2Yeah, that's a privilege. No, the cops don't get credit back for that. No, flex zone yeah, they have to do daily audits on themselves. Like ARP roads, they have four minutes to get to a situation from the time it's called in. That's either if there are people on a plane landing, if it's at the terminal. So they run daily tests to make sure they can get somewhere.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, within four minutes, because it's not easy to navigate and they have to check in, even when they're on an emergency at the two-minute mark and tell them they're halfway.
Speaker 3Sheesh.
Speaker 2Like there's a lot.
Speaker 1Well, James, I appreciate you coming on. I don't want you to give all your stories away. We'd like to have you back on and thank you so much for being our first guest. I love you, brother. Guys, that's it for episode three. We will be back in two weeks with our next guest. Thanks for tuning in. Guys, Appreciate it.
Speaker 3Yes, and you can officially find us on Audible Spotify, Apple, Amazon, you name it. So anyways, Thanks y'all.
Speaker 2Good time.
