Tales From An Airport Bar
Tales From An Airport Bar
Ep 15: Johnny Be Goode Part I
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Meet John: 24 Years of Airport Stories
Speaker 1Hey guys, welcome back. Episode 15, tales from an Airport Bar. As usual, it's Chris, and I am with my esteemed co-host, your boy Blake. We're back, baby, yes, sir, and we have an excellent, excellent guest for you this week. Been anticipating him since we started this show. Number one storyteller, great friend commandant, welcome to the show, john. Thank you so much for coming on today.
Speaker 2Awesome. Thanks, man. This is freaking. I'm really excited what you guys got going on. When you told me about this back in the summertime. I was like hopped up about I mean seriously hopped up about really getting onto this and I was like want to do it and it's taken forever Freaking our schedules busy shit, jesus Lord.
Speaker 1But yeah, big time but yeah, super pumped.
Speaker 2I hopefully this, I want to see this thing go far for you guys because I'm super proud of both you guys. Just met Blake over. Yeah, cheers Got some Johnny Walker Blue going, Uh-oh.
Speaker 1Feel free to pour yourselves a drink. Yeah, so it's just a podcast about the bar.
Speaker 2Known Chris, for Get your drinks ready. Shit, 24 years man, oh wow. I'll get into that in A little bit more detail here.
Speaker 1Well, this is coming up the end of the summer. Yeah, 24 years.
Speaker 2Yeah, 24 years, oh, and I got a good story.
Speaker 1I bet you got a couple, but so, john, talk to me how, what year did you start At the?
Speaker 2airport. Okay, so let's start there. I'm very long-winded. I want to make this episode about five hours long. Just joking, I love it.
Speaker 2I love it so actually. So I never considered this my very first date of when I started. I usually my very first date is, and I'm big on dates, but May 28th 98 is when I say my first day I really started. But when I really started, but when I really started, because it's only for a glimpse I actually. So I was working, I had a job and I took off like summer 97. I saved up some money. I was having fun, I was 23 years old I was just like you know, just having a good time.
Speaker 1Swinging dick.
Speaker 2Well, I actually had a girlfriend at the time, my ex-girlfriend. I didn't go to school, I just worked my ass off, saved up some money. I had a good job, I had going on, but I left it in good terms and I sort of was wanting to move up there. It had nothing to do with airports a whole different kind of you know but I used up a lot of my money, a little bit more. Yeah, good background Used up my money a little bit more than I wanted to during that summer and I was like, hey, I need a little side job. I did not want to and I never really thought about waiting. People get it, waiting bartending, whatever, dude.
Speaker 2I found this back when Freaking found an ad in the paper Four-star telegram. I was just looking. It said Chili's 2, terminal C. You know freaking. You know you want to be part of the opening team. You know start a new. You know they already had Chili's B, which I didn't know Chili's 2, b Terminal. Actually, back then it was called 2W. Remember you go to 6W, youw, training at host and all that. So yeah, that was back when it was letter terminals and all that and whatever, or no, it was like number terminals. I think they call it like 2W. You know freaking, you know 2B yeah, so this is why, and they started changing it pretty much.
Speaker 2I guess 98, 99. I'm not sure on that day for sure, but so for sure I ended up found an ad in the paper. It said hey, come join our team. Blah, blah, blah. I was like, no, what? All this stuff? Be part of a great team, this have fun, all this stuff. We didn't know anything about what kind of money you made out there. I didn't know. I knew nobody. Everybody that's come on after me, because I've got a lot of people on. You're like, you know, for some of you. I was like, hey, why not do this guy, this guy, I mean even back, even the late 90s, you got to get out here. This is freaking good money. I didn't know anything about that. So I got on, did the training. Oh, it said at the bottom, it said call, ask for Frank Howell. I was like, who's this guy? Yeah, I'm like, oh shit, yeah. So I ended up, uh, yeah, dude, with Frank, a very odd guy, whatever you know.
Speaker 2but he was just you know. I mean now you know he's a mastermind for, for a millionaire, whatever.
Speaker 2uh did the training, as there are two weeks working. I was making some really good money, it was cool. So, as they're almost about four weeks, and I ended up leaving, leaving because my old job said, hey, we had this other position, it wasn't. You know, I did a lot of manual labor. Hey, we're going to, you know, self-service this and you can open up and do other things so sort of left them high and dry, but I still left them. I was like, hey, man, I got able to sort of had a shift. I was like, hey, man, I can't work. Also, I got this fucking horrible haircut. Also, I got this fucking horrible haircut and they fucked my hair.
Speaker 1I was like I'm not going to go wait tables on this shit, so it made it. Yeah, I was just like this person.
Speaker 2Sam's fucking, I don't know. Sam Summers fantastic Sam. Yeah, I don't know, she probably don't remember it. She fucked my hair up but whatever. So I was like whatever dude jack my hair up. I was like dude, yeah, I can't come in, but I did have a new opening at the Southern.
Speaker 1So I went and did that.
Speaker 2I was there all through 97, 98. Things didn't work out and I said fuck this, I was like checking out other things. I was like you know what, I'm going to go back to the airport. I was like I sort him. I said, hey, I'm sorry, I got this. And the main guy I was talking to, somebody named Mike, and he was just like hey, man, I understand he was cool. So I don't know how they wrote me down or wrote me off or whatever, but I was like man. Another thing is I never had experience, and so myself I told Frank in that interview he's like so, man, what about yourself?
Speaker 2Yeah, I was like no dude. I was like I'll freaking, I won't you know. I was like I won't let you down. Well, I was just like I'll get back to that in a minute. So.
Speaker 1I said I won't let you down Whatever Go into.
Speaker 2I called Terminal B Cause I was like dude, I ain't going to go to C, I didn't know whatB and I call and say hey, you guys hiring blah, blah, blah, blah.
Starting at Chili's: The Airport Journey Begins
Speaker 2And they were just like, because I knew nobody really over there. I didn't, you know, I had some people but I didn't hang out that whole short time at C, I didn't hang out with anybody, I didn't really know anybody. So go over to B, get hired, they have me in. They're like hey, blah, blah, blah. I was like, hey, I worked over here with a girl, Sandra, that was a manager of a C. I talked to her on the phone. She's like.
Speaker 2John, I remember you. No, yeah. Yeah, she's like dude, we need some people, go ahead and call on in. I was like, cool, yeah, so come in, I go in. It's May 20th. She's like well, hey, we already, you don't need no badge, you just walk in the damn airport and go in May 28th. I mean, it's so crazy. It's sort of May 28th of what year 98. May 28th 1998. So I'm walking in there and the first thing on the freaking TV I walk into and this I'm a SNL guy, phil Hartman just got him and his wife, she killed him Double suicide, whatever. I walk in and I see that I'm like dude. She's like are you okay? I was like Phil Hartman. She's like okay. She's like blah, blah, blah. This is B, it's a little bit different than C. She's like okay.
Speaker 2Moving right along. We're not worried about this. We're walking in the back, the way this kitchen is. So you walk back here and you go, and then here.
Speaker 1This is one thing you've got to say.
Speaker 2Corner, you're going to get bitch slashed.
Speaker 1Have you ever done this?
Speaker 2You're walking at your house, you're going around the corner, or I'm going to the bathroom in the terminal and some guy getting on my butt and he's like what Is this guy yelling at me? Corner is just in your blood. It's muscle memory, I'll do it at the mall or something.
Speaker 1Sometimes Do it in my damn sleep Kitchen out Behind behind.
Speaker 2Full hand, full out. So we're going around there and I was just like, okay, and do more, turn the corner to go in the back. She's like okay, so this is the kitchen, blah, blah, it's good, it was right here. Well, I hear this dude just in singing. I was like what's this guy? And he's going you're the best around, I'm just never going to get you down, just fucking singing. And she's like Colin, calm down. She's like hey guys, this is John. I was like this fucking karate kid. He's like what's up, bro, fucking chest bumps me.
Speaker 2Big girly dude Guy named Colin Arnold. Fucking dude, I'm sorry. Airport legend Rest in peace brother. I mean the dude passed away about two years ago. Awesome guy, anybody that's listening. If you know this guy, holy shit. I don't even have to say anything and you know, not even to make it less dude. Fucking Brent Archibald. I met those two guys right at the same time and that sort of I mean dude. These guys go on. I mean they were part of our group.
Speaker 2I mean and so met those guys there at Chili's. So Chili's was great, Great times, and just it all went.
Speaker 1you know all the time You're young. You're in your 20s.
Speaker 2Yeah, so that's just a little start there. I'll go back to that, go into maybe some other stories. But so I went to Chili's. I ended up sort of in 2000. So that's there about two years.
Speaker 1They left Another guy named Thomas left. They all went to Vintage Texas. They're like bro, you got to go to this place and I was like man, okay, whatever, different company.
Speaker 2Yeah yeah, different company. So I ended up finally doing both jobs. I was just like Frank Howe Back then. He would pull you out. He'd cop to you outside 45 minutes.
Speaker 1I was like Jesus, john, I don't mean to interrupt you but for our listeners' sake, Kevin talks about Frank busting his ass for closing the restaurant early and then going through the Red Book. He was coming through security. That's on. I think like episode five or six called.
Speaker 2The Little Red Legend with Kevin.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's.
Speaker 2Frank Howe. So Frank Howe, he was sort of I don't know GM partner.
Speaker 1Well, he was an owner slash proprietor slash GM yeah. He had his hands in everything from. Starbucks to what Hudson News. He owned 10 different news.
Speaker 2So this guy would be in my shit all the time like dude, this nitpicking, and I was like dude, get off my ass. He wouldn't be mean, he would just be man, john, you need to do this and that. Come on, let's go out and turn the world upside down.
Speaker 1So basically that company. He was the GM of that company, but he was also part owner, which is this huge conglomerate company now Back then he was actually opening every morning too. But that company. That particular company owned the Chili's yes, and you decided to go to work for this other company called Anton Air. Foods Anton Air Foods yes, which owned the vintage Texas concepts that you worked at?
Speaker 2Yes.
Speaker 1Okay, so the Chili's was in what terminal?
Speaker 2There's Chili's in C, but I was working at the Chili's in B.
Speaker 1Okay, and then you were working at the Vintage Texas. In what terminal?
Speaker 2Vintage Texas was E31. Okay, so there was one E31. And E12.
Speaker 1E12 and E31.
Speaker 2So there was one E31, E12, and E16. Where I started E12.
Speaker 1In the art bar and then I went back to it, that came on afterwards I was hired to go to the art bar, started at E12, went to the art bar, back to E12. Yeah, E16.
Speaker 2Yeah, I know it's like, did the jump jump this? This? Yeah, so, yeah, yeah, so, so, yeah. So I was working both. I ended up getting a job there, finally left. I'll never forget leaving. I think it's like march of 01 I started. I started vintage texas e31, november of 2000. So I was working both jobs, finally left march of 01. I remember walking out of 6w or whatever you call it, the, the office and I was like I'll never be at this place again. Shit Three more times on that motherfucker. I didn't have anything against Frank. I'll come back to Frank.
Speaker 1That was a hard company to work for, very micromanaged. Very micromanaged.
Speaker 2He was nitpicked Everything.
Speaker 1We're just selling burgers and beers and chilies, Give me a break.
Speaker 2He talked to mepicked everything. We're just selling burgers and beers at Chili's, Give me a break. But he would talk to me about 45 minutes and I was like that person's taking my tables now, what the hell? So ended up going over to Vintage. So Vintage got a lot of shit on you know. Talk about that. Great, that was my best job and I've met some of the best people that I'm still friends with, close friends with. They're like family and pretty much met.
Speaker 1I know one of those guys yeah.
Speaker 2Chris is right here and then actually also met a great girl. I work with Victoria. She's one of my best friends.
Speaker 1Oh, not to mention, you know, a great girl named Christy.
Speaker 2Through her I met Christy, which just happens to be my wife now Going on 23 years. So, yeah, I mean my family started all through the airport, A lot of great friends and all that which still today and we've got more. I can talk on that. So I was there, Then ended up going over with Varsity, so that shut in 03. I'm still going to jump back on that.
Speaker 1What shut in 03?
Speaker 2Vintage Texas E31 closed in 2003. July, by the way.
Speaker 1And then it reconcepted into Varsity.
Speaker 2But that didn't open back up until January of 04.
Speaker 1Yes, which I ended up going to and being the unit manager of that one.
Speaker 2So yeah, for a while we jumped over A16, the other vintage Texas. Then I ended up. When Varsity opened I went over to E12. We'll get into some good stories there.
Speaker 1When we say E12, A16, these are the flight gates going out of the DFW terminals.
Speaker 2I was there for a while. Host came back into our lives. Frank Howe host there. They bought all of those concepts from the Antons, all the vintage Texas's. You got away from them and then they bought it.
Speaker 1They bought out the company we worked for.
Speaker 2I know you and Kevin talked about where they were like hey, since we were bartender managers and it was great.
Speaker 1Yeah, we were bartending, getting paid tips and then we were managing getting paid a salary.
Speaker 2It was badass. It's cool, great, freaking great.
Speaker 1Yeah, when I was 23 and I just had a new baby, it sounded like a great gig and I was there for two weeks until September 11th.
Speaker 2Yes, but no, so I'll just jump in. So I was there when hosts came in. I ended up already had a plan, so we had to become a bartender.
Speaker 1Yeah, you had to go one way or the other. You had to be a bartender.
Speaker 2They took over in December of 05. I ended up. My wife was pregnant with my boy and he was due in June of 06.
Speaker 1Oh, it sounds like I'm going to put on a shirt and tie.
Speaker 2So, yeah. So thank you, host. Thank you, frank. They did pay for the whole pregnancy. I didn't get it, but I had a plan. I ended up getting back out of the airport. I got out of the airport for a little bit, went to a place called Air Chef over at Love Field it's outside. It was a catering for private jets.
Speaker 1What year did you go do the private catering for jets?
Speaker 2So that I left. I started in March of 06. So you were at the vintage texas concepts. Then it got bought out by hms and I stayed with hms till june of oh six. But I was already working airship so I already had a plan. I was like I ain't gonna be doing this shit forever. Remember dennis was on.
Speaker 1He said I can't take this stuff with you know dennis was our gm at vintage texas, who had to switch over to hms host too, who left right after yeah.
Moving Through Airport Concepts
Speaker 2He was like oh, you're doing this shit. Sorry for all this names around, you know, yeah so, but yeah, so did that. Then came back to tagines, which is, under different companies, an irish pub in the new, in the new international.
Speaker 1Yeah, that was new.
Speaker 2At the time, eternal d uh was there with you. We ended up.
Speaker 1Well, yeah, dennis ended up cherry picking us and bringing us over there. Dennis was over there.
Speaker 2We worked there, we managed Wait what this is like? Oh, so I started managing August 08. And we got you on about two, three months after, yeah, and we were both there. We both left in 2013. So I jumped over back to tequila. I was backtracking the tequila Ria, which used to be at the E12. And this was a host area HMS host.
Speaker 1They reconcepted it into the tequila, went back to bartending.
Speaker 2That was great. That shut down.
Speaker 1It's always something there's a shutdown, it's always fucking nothing that ever lasts forever or the lights move or something, and then crazy thing is I know this is on probably, or they build a new terminal.
Speaker 2The listeners are probably like what is it? But it ended up. I went back to Terminal B because people got shoved back around and I was already like man. I'm 41 years old and I'm like I got to do something. I was doing eBay.
Speaker 2I always had a side job, something going on, and so it was cool going back there because there's a lot of new people. But some of the old school people, that people that were in their 40s when I was there back in the late 90s, were still there about to retire and they knew that Terminal B was going to be closing as well. And so, remember, because that closed and I'll get to some of the other detailed stories with that but I ended up leaving, not wanting to leave yet I sort of had a plan, but I had some personal stuff happen and so I pretty much I say May 28th and 98th and my last day was June 20th 2015. So, and I remember the day, it's cause they're sort of detailed, crazy.
Speaker 1So you worked at the airport, a total of 17, 17 years a little, not a year in between.
Speaker 2Wait a second. Wait a second. Wait a second.
Speaker 1So you worked at DFW for 17 years. What about, so, after you left in you? So after you left in, you said May 28th of what year? June?
Speaker 220th 2015. Yeah, when I left there. That's the last day. I've never been back. I've never worked in a restaurant, bar, anything. I've been on my own working.
Speaker 1Oh, okay.
Speaker 2So you did not go back to SkyJet, that was cutting time. Yeah, okay, cool. When I left that day I did not know that was going to happen. There was some crazy turn of events, a lot of things that happened, but yeah, so that's my whole. Sorry took a freaking hour on that.
Speaker 2That's my fault so yeah, that's what happens we have a long history and you know a lot of these jobs. I didn't want to leave the first Chili's I did. I'm going to go back to my friends or vintage Texas school. I was like, oh, this is family, and it was and it still is. And that's the thing, man. It was like a big camaraderie and brotherhood. Yeah, exactly, you know of people that you work with.
Speaker 1Well, for I mean, you know, you still don't you commission the fantasy football league.
Speaker 2So all these people that keep coming on our podcast. So vintage on our podcast or in in vintage Texas. Um. So we were all talking there's. You know, back in 2002 we were talking.
Speaker 1You know, I've been doing that's where I started, at the airport myself.
Speaker 2So I've been doing fantasy football fucking back from 94 paper leagues, you know.
Speaker 1I still got to leave with some guys we've been going.
Speaker 2We're going on 32nd year. So back then you did it on paper and finally eventually got it on Yahoo. Jesus Lord. It was like I got to get on a computer and do this. Fuck yeah, you can sit there with your newspaper and take points. People are like, oh, this score's not the right thing. Well then, you got to remember who's been picked.
Speaker 2Oh he got picked in 2002, started the 2002 season. We sat there and it was, we were all talking and we were just like hey, let's do a fantasy league. And this is at Vintage Texas E31. And it was me, davey, jason, joe, joe, a guy named Billy and Brent, and so there's just six of us. We did our own little league. It's just that we were all in just that restaurant.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2So we did our draft at. You know how. Both of the restaurants it wraps around. We had a table that wrapped around.
Speaker 1So they were L-shaped and you would walk in and you would turn the corner to the left and go to the back and like nobody could see you back there.
Speaker 2No, but if you're sitting in the back you could see all the tarmac you could see the air.
Speaker 1Yeah, you could look out and see the air.
Speaker 2The purview and all that.
Speaker 1It was really cool.
Speaker 2Okay, let me switch it on.
Speaker 1Scotch, scotch, scotch.
Speaker 2It tastes so good when it hits my lips the scotch is going down good, so yeah. So we ended up. We had a draft we did it on. It's called Table 40. I remember Table 40.
Speaker 1We did a lot of stuff on Table 40.
Speaker 2Put it's going down. We played cards, we played two-card. Gut, we freaking. That was after hours.
Speaker 1Just freaking lost a lot of money. We would walk in and you guys would be back there gambling with people flying out. You guys would be back there taking everybody's money. We would play bar.
Speaker 2We would lose a lot of money. We got customers involved A lot of times. We'd shut the gate. We're done, sit there, we'd play cards. There'd be customers inside with the gate. So we did our draft on table 40. Reason I'm bringing that up when I talked to you yesterday, when I was talking to you, I still got table 40 in my garage. Oh wow, you have the actual table. When that place closed, I said I'm taking table 40.
Speaker 1There's cocaine.
Speaker 2On the god damn table. There's a lot of shit, a lot of smoke, a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff happened on that table. I didn't have sex, but other people did.
Speaker 1Oh, so I was going to ask any babies can see Any babies can see. So table 40, that all went down at Vintage Texas at gate. Okay, so the terminal was E at gate 31. Is that right, john? Yes, yes, okay.
Speaker 2So yeah, so that's a league that started and that's something that has gone on, and actually we're going on to freaking year 24, and it's called the Vintage Texas E31 Fantasy Football League, year 24 and it's called the vintage texas e31 fantasy football league and, uh, you know we've had so that those six were the original ogs and sadly there's three of us. You know, a couple of them moved on, one, you know, just sort of got out of it. Uh, actually, brent, if you want to call his a franchise, you know, james brown, your brother has carried on that so he, he didn't really come on till two years later, but and we, jumped up, kevin and I actually played that league.
Speaker 2Y'all played it one time. Uh, johnny Barback, there's a lot of people, yeah. So, um, now it's not everybody that's been at their port, but people. You know everybody it's friends of friends and you know that we've all. You know everybody it's friends of friends and you know that we've all you know have have the league now but, yeah, it's, it's been going strong since then and you know it's just a cool thing. So, and another thing, there's like Chuck Joe, brother Joe, we know a lot of Joe's, you know, and they they worked at the other concepts but they've been part of the league for now. They're going on like 22 years, but yeah, so, something that has come from the, you know, from the airport, you know, and we have a, you know, it's like a fraternity, like you know a brotherhood.
Speaker 1Well, that, and you know you've been through yes, it's like I think Justin and Spencer, on a couple of our episodes, mentioned it's like, well, okay, so I've moved on to a different concept. And you walk in on the first day and you're like oh shit, I know you, I know you.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah so, but but one thing I mean, I mean yeah, no, go right.
Speaker 2So you know I got a lot of crazy things that's happened. A lot of different people I've met, cool encounters, crazy sports stories, uh, personal stories I mean, um, but some of that sort of set the tone, go into everything. I know y'all probably experienced something like that, everybody sort of has. And this is sort of the whole vibe at the airport. And one of the crazy things about being out there is, like you know, and I've heard y'all talk about you never know what's going to happen. It's a new day. I mean, it ain't the same old. It's never a new moment. So something crazy, something new. And you know my first place. So at Terminal B waiting tables, chili's. At Chili's Terminal B back in 98.
Speaker 2So that summer I remember we were busy and there, see, and here's another thing you only had like six tables. You got the bar area. You'd have multiple. It got a little crazy over there, and I'm not saying bartending, there was like a cocktail area. So you had that area bartending the bartenders, and then you had four different sections. Each section had like five, six tables. But dude, I mean you were turning those quick.
Speaker 1You were busy.
Speaker 2You're. When you're busy, you're close to the kitchen. Yes, sometimes quicker is insane. One thing I'll never forget there's one table Thursday. Thursday is crazy. Friday is crazy. All day is crazy. I'd run around, head cut off, sweating, hot summer day. By the way, I had AC in my car that year. It was really bad. I'm sitting there. I had these light green chili shirts. I had AC in my car that year. It was really bad. I'm sitting there and I had these sort of light green chili shirts. I had to keep my arms sweating through my arms. It was a hot summer. I had this table. It was table four. It was a man and his wife and two kids, teenagers.
Speaker 2I'm like, hey guys, they're just like sitting there like sort of dead to the world and I was just like, oh jeez, I'm busy, you know busy, you know, sometimes people don't really communicate well. And I was like hey, and the lady's like I think we need a couple, and I was like, hey, no problem, no problem, I'll come back. I was like whatever, well, I just did the first. I just brought some water balls to the wall.
Speaker 1Busy in those restaurants.
Speaker 2And you got it and you know, when I was younger and I was 23 and I'm just like I didn't care. Here's the thing. I got really quick. Therefore, and I never this is one thing. It bugged me and I know everybody about it. I never really bitched about tips because the news is going to fucking make the money.
Speaker 1That's all I quit. I was like dude.
Speaker 2I'm making money, I'm happy.
Speaker 1You got to take the good with the bad.
Speaker 2Hey, this person didn't. I don't get mad about it, it stiffed me, someone else will sit down and tip.
Speaker 1You Never really got stiff.
Speaker 2But even I didn't give that girl a tip. Sometimes the conversation means more than anything, or sometimes people just not be an asshole. I've had people be told assholes give me the biggest ditch. Well, you know?
Speaker 1yeah, exactly so you never know, and sometimes people just don't want you to talk to them at all and just leave them alone.
Speaker 2And then they'll be like thanks for yeah, yeah, and we talk about that you have to be able to read the room people don't give you anything, but I'm like you know what, whatever, whatever. So these people, they're just like and dude, seriously, you know, it's one of those. It felt like it was an hour. I was just like. It's literally probably about 20 minutes, which is a long time.
Speaker 2Most people are gone at that point, yeah, so I brought them waters and I was like, hey guys, they're just like I don't. I was like, okay, and I was trying to be calm with them. I really don't feel I showed any kind of you know, like I was getting impatient, but I was just sitting there and other people like you know, when you're going, you're going, you're going quick, Because there's eight other guys.
Speaker 2Jesus Lord, I'm just sitting there and I say hey guys but I'm inside going Jesus Lord, can you just tell me what you want? But I've dropped them some waters, they're just still sitting there. They had straws and they're just sitting there, like you know, just drooping. And I was like, so I come back. And I didn't want to. And then I thought, you know, when you go and ask the table, I was like I don't want to ask anymore, I'll wait until they.
Speaker 2So, I go back and it's been a good 15 minutes. I was like, oh man. And I was like, hey guys. And I was like, man, something's up here. I was like, hey guys, the lady sort of grabs my arm. I'm like I'll touch you with it, blake, I just met you. I was like, yeah, oh dude, this is one of these things that just I'm going nuts. You know me, I got ADD. I'm freaking da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Certainly waiting tables. This is one of those moments. Stop you in your damn tracks. And she's like. She's like, hey, we're, I'm sorry, we're. I was like, oh, it's okay. And she's sort of grabbed my arm like this. She's like we're actually flying to go pick up her son's body. He just passed away at college. And I'm just like, and they were just like, had tears and they're like, yeah, they lost their older brother. And I was like, I'm just just like my legs are taken out of me.
Speaker 2I was just like I'm so sorry.
Speaker 1I was like oh, my God, I was like hey guys, okay, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 2They're like we're sorry. I was like hey, you know, let me bring some chips. I was like, what did I do? I was like totally just stopped me in my tracks and so I've had that.
Speaker 1I had that happen a couple weeks back, man, this lady well, you ask somebody where they're going, you're like hey, you're going somewhere fun. They're like oh, I'm going to this funeral to bury the and you're saying, yeah, bury your son, you know bury your kid.
Speaker 2You don't, you know, you don't want, you don't want to have no.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's almost the worst.
Speaker 2I I mean it's inevitable. Both of my parents have passed. I mean it sucks.
Speaker 1but yeah, but you're not supposed to go before.
Speaker 2Yeah, you know, and I was like God man, I was like whoa, and so pretty much just sort of set the tone.
Speaker 2So one thing that happened, so we had a very spiritual lady named Wanda, her host, and she caught wind of it. She prayed with everybody. So Sondra, the lady I talked about, my manager, she ended up and I told her and she even asked she's like hey, why don't we have any food? You know? Like why are these people? What's going on here? Yeah, so we ended up taking care of the whole meal and they were super nice. I don't even remember what they left me. I don't even remember what they left me, I don't even care. But Wanda came over there and I'm going to tie this in. It's weird because it's sort of the start of set the tone of you never know what everybody's going through, you never know what anybody's going through.
Speaker 2A lot of times I haven't been cool with everybody. I mean I've got into it people. I've never had a brisket sandwich thrown on me.
Speaker 1At least it was good brisket.
Speaker 2Or if you had a bottle of liquor thrown at you or you mixed water, like me. That happened to me. Yeah, I love that story, chris.
Speaker 1Well, didn't she throw the pepper at you. She came back Watch it down with this shit. She came back just to deliberately make sure.
Speaker 2Yeah, jesus, so yeah. So Wanda came over. We were like sitting there, me and my manager, and I was like wait what? I held hands, we freaking prayed God dang freaking busy shitting the weeds on a Thursday night and it was weird. She was like I need to pray for him. It was really sweet and all that Got something sort of the full circle I'll talk about later. All right, real weird thing that happened. That's later in my career, at the very end, actually the last day, which is crazy on that June 20th, I told about real weird but crazy things I have in the airport and I don't want to get into all the sad stuff, but what did you want me to talk about, chris?
Speaker 2Well okay, talking about not knowing what people are going through, we lived.
Speaker 1I mean, excuse me, we worked in the International Terminal Terminal, yeah, and we worked in this Irish pub concept and then, above it was a concept that was closed down and our company took it over, uh, along with the Irish pub, and they opened up, uh, a pizza and wine bar. Yeah, we, we had to walk upstairs to get to it like three flights of stairs.
Speaker 2And our office was upstairs right next to it.
Speaker 1Yeah and uh, when we managed the Irish pub together. Yeah, our man, our manager office, was always up there next to this closed down restaurant. Yeah, then eventually they turned it into the pizza and wine bar. Yes, well, I had left work one day and I had been gone for maybe about 10, 15 minutes tops.
Speaker 2I think you were off that day. It was me and Taryn. Remember, Taryn? For some reason I remember calling you that night about this story.
Speaker 1Oh, I thought I had. No, I had worked that morning, okay.
Speaker 2And I had just left when this went down.
Speaker 1So yeah, I remember leaving. You did call me later that evening I was like this happened right after I left, actually, so I'm leaving for the day. You're coming in for work and you're upstairs at the pizza well, I'd work there.
Speaker 2I think we all worked there together all day. You left early, I was there, because I was there all day that day. It was a long day, okay, so me, and there's other manager, taryn, that was there as well I forget because we remember we had three managers. I ended up working all together. Um so, taryn, cool, cool girl that worked there. Um so, uh, it was towards the end of the day. We usually close both concepts around nine ish, you know but that was pretty yeah.
Speaker 2Close around nine and this was upstairs. Uh so throw the date out. There it was. I remember very clearly it's December 1st 2011. And the Pizzavino was only open probably about four or five months, I think, and so we had that. I was taken.
Speaker 2Taryn was inside checking everything. I was getting paperwork ready. It was sort of slow. It was already slowing down for Thursday you shouldn't be all crazy and sometimes you can stay open to 10 on Thursday night. Thursday nights are very busy at the airport and this was leading up to Christmas time, so you know.
Table 40: The Legacy of Vintage Texas
Speaker 2So we ended up there was a table over, sort of by my office you know those tables and so I couldn't even even in my privy I get sort of behind the entrance. So I was eating. I was like freaking eating, I was freaking hungry, I was doing paperwork, getting ready to wrap up the night, getting everything you know, starting to get some people leaving early, doing checkouts and sort of my I don't want to say peripatetic, just sort of a little. Behind me was the entrance and all I hear. All of a sudden, taryn starts running out with it looked like a herd of just all these people started leaving yelling. She's like John, john run, and I'm just like what the? She's like run, run, he's got a bomb. And I'm like what the?
Speaker 2So I get up and I start like running. I'm like I don't know what the fuck's going on. I don't see anybody, what is happening. So I take off, I stop right at the office. She's like no, dude, all these people running by me, like all these customers and they were actually, it was actually pretty full for Pizzavino, so and I'm just sitting there, she's like John, they got a bomb, go, go. So we're running, run down and go down the escalator. So I call 911. You know our concept. Hey, this is manager pizza. You know, I don't even know what's going on, but someone saying there's a bomb, all these people running out, so we all run down and get on the escalator. I'm like I don't know what happened. And, dude, everybody said Patrick was in there. Uh, tanya, uh, that girl, becca, um, the cooks people and they just feel like a ghost and I was like what's going on?
Speaker 2they're just like. And then there was some other customer guy coming down the escalator, started yelling well, there's still people down there getting on flights. And I'm like, hey, don't make this whole airport freak out. I was like, so tears, like dude. There's a guy. He said he has a bomb. He's in his hand.
Speaker 2I was like so this all happened within a matter of something, I mean a of minutes. We're downstairs. Well, I'm like, well, nothing's gone off. I mean it's stupid. So I run back up there Cause I was like, well, why did I? Sort of stupid. I was like, and she's like John don't. And I was like, and I was like, I don't know, this is yeah, okay, so there's a side entrance, but where these people came out, we're out of the front entrance and it's sort of on the opposite side of the side entrance. Yeah, so I go and I sort of look back that way and then I run it back to the front. Well, all of our people, scott, scott, who worked downstairs at Tegin, uh, freaking. Um. Dion, who who was his? He was a cook. No, yeah, he was a cook at Tagine and that was our place downstairs from Pizzavino. All the people ran up like what the hell is going on. We heard them yelling. They came up to it instead of going away.
Speaker 1Yeah, so they ran out.
Speaker 2So I run behind them. When I run behind them, there's this dude sitting there. He's sitting there with a phone and this guy is looking off into the, looking off into the. He's going bomb, bomb and freaking uh, who's dion's god? Dang it. The other cook it was his, like his son-in-law, but they were. Yeah, I can't. Oh gosh, I feel horrible. Younger guy yeah, so he. He was just like man we're gonna kick your ass and the guys like and dion.
Speaker 2He's like from jamaica. He's like, hey, man, dude, just be cool. And this guy's like, and you saw from that side door cops like drop it. And he sort of drop it and dude, this guy's like you see, like I saw his eyes and they went and tackled him and, freaking, handcuffed him. So I was like holy shit, it's a fucking bomb threat. I was like holy shit, it's a fucking bomb threat. I was like this guy's going away. He's goddamn fucking in the airport.
Speaker 1So that's when you called me, no, no, but then you called me again later, that's just the first story.
Speaker 2Yeah, so go on. Oh, it's airport officials, all these people, because it's a bomb threat. So, dude, you got all these people, the cops, all these people they're questioners and all this stuff questioning everybody. So obviously we shut down.
Speaker 1Place is shut Pay your check and get out. Maybe not, we don't know where you are.
Speaker 2Some people are really nice and like, hey, here's my debt. Hey, we're so sorry, I just started giving. I just closed every fucking check and the guy being there, I think I told Tanner, tanner, just avoid every check, don't worry about it. Yeah, keep the cash. There were a lot of customers that came back up. We're so sorry, can we pay?
Speaker 1Yeah, what about my pizza?
Speaker 2Yeah, Is that extra well-done pepper? Yeah, it's still in the oven. So this guy, they have him handcuffed. Life flight's boring, well. So we're sort of standing in that he's lucky he got handcuffed. Oh, dude, he is. So there's cops up there so they're questioning, talking to everybody. You know, shut the place down for the night. I went ahead and told everybody hey, y'all, shut down your body. It sounds like 9 o'clock. Everybody's coming up for monsters, y'all. Okay, what the hell is going on? As I was talking about, bring back that little side door, we're standing sort of in the entrance. There's cops, there's some airport officials, people are questioning us, taking notes. Hey, what happened?
Speaker 2Investigators from the airport are already like.
Speaker 1They're on you know it's a federal airport, so yeah, I'm sure Most of the time these people don't have anything to do, oh shit, and they're like huge, huge.
Speaker 2So that side entrance is goes out and you can overlook one of the main like yeah, there's like a guardrail and you can look down to other concepts and down to the second floor. Yes, so they put this guy in handcuffs, set him in a chair.
Speaker 1Next to that back entrance.
Speaker 2Yes, there's a cop I forget his name, it was an older cop, he was about to retire, cop standing. He was just like on guard there and we could see him like we were. I forget his name, it was an older cop, he was about to retire, caught standing. He was just like on guard there and we could see him like we were looking around the corner. They're asking, they're asking everybody what they saw and I said, hey, I'm the one. I call 911. I show other people I didn't see anything in here, pretty much what the guy did. He was wandering around. I did see that guy earlier wandering around, earlier one in a round sort of loss. He said people do that and we pay attention. You're sort of like, okay, observe what's this guy doing. But there's a lot of people. When people get in the airport they're in a whole different world. Sometimes their brain just turns on.
Speaker 1Yeah, and when they start drinking?
Speaker 2any extra, whatever they want to take, because they're freaking out Xanax or whatever.
Speaker 1People just go on a whole different they're on a different planet once they come inside so this guy and he seemed a little like sort of lost.
Speaker 2I remember him walking over to the bathroom. I remember seeing him earlier and Taryn brought it up, said, hey, you remember that guy earlier and you know man, I was like, yeah, this is around 6 o'clock and she was like, yeah, well, I saw him sort of walk around but didn't think anything of it, but he didn't go in there. Well, he went in there. There was a girl named tanya first day she started. She was over towards that side entrance. He grabbed her, yeah, and she was trying to shake him off. Or patrick ran over and he just yelled bomb. I got a bomb and patrick didn't see it. He freaked out. He's like god damn. So he started running. She shook him off and ran and that's when he started. I guess he was yelling bomb. Taryn was in there. She started running out, everybody started running out.
Speaker 1I didn't know what the hell.
Speaker 2Yeah, I ran, I didn't know.
Speaker 2I'm like I didn't really think of it, I was just like but I ran back up there and I was just like dude, what the hell. So I saw that I was crazy seeing get taken down and so we're in there questioning, we're talking to, you know, these officials and I was over by. So you know I'm in the front entrance, I know the viewers can't see me, but I'm trying to show that it's a big open conch sections over here and so you can see through the kitchen, the kitchen ovens, but then over sort of behind, I could see over the corner where I was at, I was talking and you could see that guy sitting over there just outside that side entrance. Yeah, by that railing, by the railing upstairs, and dude, I'm talking to this lady and I just see out of my peripheral. I was like I just see out of my peripheral. I was like what? And I see these legs fly over this dude in his handcuffs. That cop just had his back to me for a split second. That dude, freaking, jumps and puts his waist on that side railing, flips over my dumb ass, just runs over there and everybody's like, and I run over there and it was not a pretty sight.
Speaker 2Thank God no one was under there because it was not a pretty sight. Yeah, thank god no one was under there because that was the entrance to like there's a little food court underneath that. Yeah, yeah, I know, so, okay, so I don't even know what was there. So I run over there and I see that and it I'm not trying to it was. It was looked like a pumpkin, yeah, busted on the ground now his head it was. There was blood everywhere it was. It was horrible because I saw people over there freaking out and you know the cops. So this changed the whole thing. It was sort of like they taped off everything like a crime scene and sad dude, this was sad, this is scary.
The Humanity Behind Each Traveler
Speaker 2So when I saw that and I ran over there, I was like one of the first ones over there. I was like the cop was like god damn. I ran over there, I was like one of the first ones over there and I was like, and the cop was like God damn, I saw that bathroom by Brookstone. Dion walked out and just froze and he thought it was someone. He thought it was one of us. Yeah, he's like. He was like oh my God, he thought he was one of his people and I was just like that. Fucked him up it Everybody. You know some of the cooks were gone. I was just sitting there. I was like what the? And it just sort of goes back to Well you're still in shock already from before.
Speaker 2Yeah, like bomb threat. And this guy, you know, commit suicide right in front of our eyes. He ended up. I found out he lived. He was like a vegetable. Sadly, he lived like another month. I found out he passed away.
Speaker 1But it just sort of goes to you never know.
Speaker 2Like a part of me was like man, this dude, what was this guy going through to do this? What was going on? It just really threw me off, threw us all off. They had PQ. We had the next day, like I called Jeff and I called you, told you know, I told you I think the story was 10 times longer because Chris was like what, what the fuck? I had to tell Jeff they had all these people come in. Do y'all need to talk? It was very traumatic for a lot of people. I've seen a lot of effed up shit that was pretty effed up. That's up there.
Speaker 1Yeah, man, that was a crazy story that is probably the craziest thing, one of the craziest things that I saw happen.
Speaker 2And again dude I mean yeah, Did he totally harm anybody? No, what he did, yeah, One right, what do you? I felt bad, like mental health. Like what the hell?
Speaker 1was this dude. This guy needs help.
Speaker 2And I found out that he was Filipino and I found out that his family like disowned him and he was at the airport that morning in the American Airlines terminal and other terminals trying to get a flight and people were like he got kicked off of the flight. He was roaming in the airport all day long and they just let him stay there.
Speaker 2Yes, and then he went to different terminals and ended up at our freaking concept. But yeah, sadly, I mean I feel bad. I mean part of me was like man, what a piece of shit. But at the other side I'm like dude, what did this guy?
Speaker 1What was going on to make this happen? Why did?
Speaker 2he have to go to that. What was he going through? Yeah, so I don't want to do all the sad stories.
Speaker 1Well, no, I'm glad you put that out there for our listeners. Man, it's just like we always talk about. You never know what people are going through and man, everything goes down inside the airport. Nothing's off limits. No, definitely, john. Let's move into something else A little bit more positive. You met any cool celebrities or anything?
Speaker 2Yeah so. I'm sure, okay, you've been out there a long time. You've been out there 24 years. That's okay for me to say You've been out there five, ten years. Dude, we've met a lot of celebrities.
Speaker 2I mean, there's people I forget who I met- yeah, exactly, and I say You've met so many and I say met, just maybe you waited on them or they came in the store or you saw them because they were there while you were working at a table, whatever. So I can't even. I usually remember, like my daughter was talking about some oh, chris talked the other day and I was like holy shit, I waited on him at Chili's. Totally forgot about that, you know, totally forgot about that, you know so. But the ones I want to bring up, the people that I actually had a conversation with or interacted, interacted with for a long time and it was like real people and that was one thing I've never. Now, back in the day, today, you take a picture back in the day, we have camera phones, we have phones.
Speaker 2I didn't know, kia, okay yeah, I mean there's times I didn't have a phone in the late 90s, so you know, luckily one time I had a disposable camera. I was going to say you got to have the Polaroid or something. Tony Dorsett came into Chili's. I was like man, I'm going to picture Tony Dorsett, one of my favorite running backs. Cool thing is I've had an interaction with Tony Dorsett Now that was just talking with him. He took a picture. That was it, me. And another guy that worked at Chili's, herschel Walker, was a regular. Oh, he's getting hot dog with Kraut. Come in big smile. Another you know cowboy running back.
Speaker 1I met Herschel, super nice guy.
Speaker 2Super nice guy. A lot of people have had interaction with him. One of the best running backs I ever saw in Emmet Bojack's was the best few running backs that I saw in college football Now I was little.
Speaker 1It was Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Speaker 2What about Adrian Peterson? I liked him better in college, but that was more of an imprint on me when, adrian Peterson, I was in like my 20s.
Speaker 1Okay, yeah, you're right, hey, reggie Bush though, was pretty freaking badass, badass. No doubt.
Speaker 2Adrian Peterson was an amazing college, but you know, barry Sanders was a pretty badass college, but you know. Now we're talking sports. I can't help it. I always get into sports.
Speaker 1Talking about those.
Speaker 2Dallas Cowboy running backs. Yeah, Emmitt has been up there a lot.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2Luckily I have a good one with Emmitt. He came into Tequene, talked to everybody, cool, you know whatever.
Speaker 1The Irish pub yeah.
Speaker 2So back in. So this was 2002.
Speaker 1Oh, wow. I could look it down so at this point you're at the vintage Texas concept.
Speaker 2It was late January 2002. It was right before he was actually heading to the Super Bowl. It was Super Bowl, gosh, hang on, I should know this. It was the 9-11 year, so it was the Super Bowl. It was actually on. I think it was February 3rd. It was my best friend's birthday, 2002. It was the Rams against highly freaking big. You know Rams had a 14-point you know favorite over freaking the New England Patriots. Yes, with no name, tom Brady, we didn't know anything about. Yet I was like if there was a bracket dude, I would always look at who's in the playoffs every year, and if there was one year that year I was like that motherfucking thing. I went to the Super Bowl. Tom who's? This guy Didn't know anything about the guy.
Speaker 1It's just a great. Nobody did he played at Michigan.
Speaker 2That's all we know. Bill Belichick great defense of mine. He was with the Giants way back in the day you know, freaking. Bill Parcells, you know great defense, you know all this stuff.
Speaker 1That's all I really knew about them.
Speaker 2Everybody got hurt. They're not going to win it.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2So funny thing is. So we're sitting there, you know, and this is leading up, I think it was like that Monday before the Super Bowl. Well, I was in the front section. My good friend Jason, he was in the back section. We were slow. We were slow in this towards the end.
Speaker 1Shout out Jason McGee. Yes.
Speaker 2And David Gwynn. He was bartending manager, so we're about to close the place now. Well, I said, and Jason said, hey, if you want to jet. Earlier I was like yeah, sure, he's. Like I'll just cover the front, which is really about a 30 minute difference, cause we were about shut anyway. He's like, hey, just clean all that. It's like cool, cause I was trying to get I forget what I had going on. So I was about to get Jason comes around that backside by table 40.
Speaker 1We were talking about that area.
Speaker 2Back in the corner, dude, guess who the fuck is that? I forget the table, table one, I don't know it's a table, it's just a little two-top table.
Speaker 1Jason's all geeking out, yeah.
Speaker 2Right in the front he's like dude, guess what? Jason's a big Chiefs fan. He's always been he just one of those I had friends I grew up with. They hated the Cowboys so they took someone else. They're like all right, what's else regionally? Yeah, so he was just a Chiefs fan.
Speaker 1He's always been a Chiefs fan way before they were decent.
Speaker 2Now he's happy, sort of Well, fuck, he's happy, who cares about this last one? Jason's like dude. I was like what the fuck? I just gave up my section for this shit. I was like holy shit, we walked by, I didn't want to bug him. Davey, great date. Davey's like we're closing the game. Davey's like we're closing this game. There's somebody trying to walk in. He's like we're closed. Emmett's like we're closing this gate. There's somebody trying to walk in. He's like we're closed. And Emmett's like hey, man, is it? He's like no, no, we got you. So Davey gave him a triple crown yeah, triple crown on the rocks, and he had a hot dog.
Speaker 1No, you're locked in now.
Speaker 2We shut the gate. We're keeping the peasants away.
Speaker 1So no one's coming in there.
Speaker 2There's a couple people walking by because he was up front but the gate shut down. Yeah, a couple people are like we're closed. So, dude, we all come up front, sort of sweeping this. We just start bullshitting, talking old school Cowboys football, talking about the night. I was like well man, I was like dude. One of my all-time favorite moments was freaking winning the Super Bowl. That one, that was awesome. Super Bowl 27 against the Bills, what? 52-17. I mean, my favorite was the freaking going into San Francisco beating, fucking the 49ers NFC Championship, you know, to get to the Super Bowl, that was the biggest one. Because I was a little shit. I remember the fucking catch with my dad. My dad did not let me go to school. The next day I was crying my eyes out, fucking Dwight Clark catches that, oh macular reception.
Speaker 2Yeah, so it's not 81, 82 season. We had a second grade or something. Yeah, I remember that shit. I was like let's go get children.
Speaker 1Just like the kids that I can give them.
Speaker 2Still, that was burning my brain too.
Speaker 1It's still too soon to talk about I'm sorry, we'll always be too soon. It's bullshit.
Speaker 2We could have gone on to Seattle, maybe, I don't know Whatever, but so yeah. So, dude, we sit with Emmett. He has three triple crown on the rocks. He was buzzed. He was talking about man. That night that we beat San Francisco, we had all that shit y'all had behind your bar, dude, we were lighting it up. So we just talked football, talked live. I said to you, like hey, where are you heading to? You're still with the Cowboys, because later that year I think it was fall of 2002.
Speaker 1When you went to Arizona.
Speaker 2You know, I think it was this last year with us where he got to beat Peyton's rushing title yeah, yeah here. I think it was against the Seahawks or something. And then I think the next year he did go to Arizona. I think I'd have to look that up, but that was his last year he was still with us.
Speaker 1I have a nice airport story about Emmitt's rushing title We'll get there, okay.
Speaker 2So he was on his way to the Super Bowl it was in New Orleans that year and I remember we said I was like dude, what I remember. We said I was like dude, what I was like dude, this is going to be a blowout. We were just like, yeah, he's like, what chances. And I'll never forget, he's like man. He was like, hey, bill Belichick's a great defense of mine, if he can stop that greatest show on turf of freaking the Rams, you know, kurt Warner, freaking Marshall Flaught, isaac Bruce, Torrey Holt a good defense, great cut Dick Vermeule, you know, they had a great team and you know, and he was just like, he's like I'll never forget, he put his hands out. He's like man. They got to start praying. He was pretty buzzed. He's like they got to start praying. And I'll never forget that.
Speaker 2Next Monday, back after the Super Bowl, freaking Jason's like I guess it was Motherfucker praying. I guess they listened to Emmett. Emmett gave them a job. But that was a cool story, just having that good intimate, you know intimate with Emmett talking with him. It was just sort of. You know, we didn't have stupid crazy fanboys, bullshit, we just talked to him for real.
Speaker 2Just talked to him like a bird, yeah, so that was a cool one. It was cool, like it's like dude a, he's a Texas legend. He's a cowboy, you know, so that was really cool. He's an NFL legend yeah, oh hell. Yeah, he's a football legend, so yeah, anyway, and of course it's here in his hometown. You know, well, it's not his hometown, I know it's from Pensacola, but you know he's, you know, oh yeah, homeboy Dallas, you know, and Davey and those guys I'm still great friends with to this day. I mean, we go on vacations, we do holidays together. We just went to Breckenridge, all three of our families, we all go out together and we always still talk about remember that time we shut the gate with them. So it's cool, you know, to get to talk about shit like that. Well, I mean, regular people don't get to have those moments.
Speaker 1You don't have the chances at a regular. Yeah, people will hop in, but, dude, if the airport is always open, the opportunity is just insane. At least celebrities are just my first year. I probably met 50 celebrities.
Speaker 2I was like what the fuck. And you couldn't name them all right now, until if I said Joe Schmoe, You're like? Oh yeah, I did wait on that guy. Well, it was like whenever we had Jose on.
Speaker 1he was like you remember when, with Sean Lee and trying to make him drink, I was like God damn it.
Speaker 2I forgot about that Cause he was just sitting at the well and Jose does like Chris, where people order a water. He's always like water at the bar and I'm like dude, it's Sean.
Speaker 1And then he just kept harassing him and harassing Be like, come on, you want to drink it? Dude, sean Lee's going. Oh shit, I didn't know that he was a giant. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was like oh.
Speaker 2That's a giant man. But yeah man, so him if you want to get into boy bands.
Speaker 1Adventist Texas freaking.
Speaker 2Jordan, nott and New Kids on the Block. They were sort of like this is 2005. He sits at the bar bar and I'm like that's the goddamn new kids on the block guys. What the fuck he says hey man, can I get a Heineken?
Speaker 1He sat down.
Speaker 2He had his sister and his nephews, his family. They sat out at the table. He sat there, dude. He sat there and we bullshitted. For about three hours he was on a layout, it for about three hours. He was on a layover. We had a big Boston flight and so he was in and out. But one of the coolest things that happened to me freaking, god dang freaking. Oh my gosh, what's her name? My brain's farting right now.
Speaker 1Um, ah, jesus, give me, give me some. Uh, one of her waitresses ended up.
Speaker 2He was like hey man, you got a lighter and you know she's like now, she's like early 40s. She was just like dude oh, I posted that guy, that's a little good and she was just like um Kim Tran.
Speaker 1Ah yeah, jesus' wife. No, no, no, that's Nancy. Nancy, excuse me.
Speaker 2I think Nancy and Kim are cousins, cousins, thank you Forget it. It's been a long time. So, kim, he's like hey, you go outside, you have a lighter. She's like I just went and fucking smoked outside with Jordan fucking Knight. She was like but it was Jordan fucking Knight, it was just cool. I was like dude. She was like oh my God, it was crazy. He came in. It was sort of lightly bullshit. He was just sort of dozing off at the bar. I was like I'm not fucking with you.
Speaker 2He was fucking like the Beatles. Back in the day that was when I was in high school I was like, yeah, whatever, I was in rock and roll.
Speaker 2I got into the grunge. I was in rock and roll. I got into the grunge. I wanted it, but it was cool having that. But cool thing I remember sitting and talking you know we're sort of BS in sports, talking about the Red Sox, you know baseball, this and then I said, hey, man, I got to ask you, you know, and I felt like you know, y'all just went nuts and just became celebrities overnight. And he said it's cool, it was like a junior reaction. He was just like man, it was crazy. He said it was, it was, it was, it was a curse and a blessing at the same time. He said, yeah, dude, I mean, he's like you know, these guys, we weren't like I'm put together. We were all from the same school. We grew up together. These, these boys, those guys, all from the same school. We grew up together. These boys, those guys, all those guys in that band, they grew up.
Speaker 1They didn't take us one by one yeah yeah, yeah, he was like.
Speaker 2We grew up together and so we were childhood, you know, and he's like you know we were popular around, we got popular around, you know. He's like dude, it was overnight, but we couldn't walk out of our damn house. We had to get bodyguards and he said it was cool. He's like yeah, dude, chicks, I was like man, like whoever, but he said, dude, we had to deal with that for five years. He's like driving crazy.
Speaker 2He's like living normally, he's like there's, you had 24 hours security. He said he just he didn't have a life. And I was like at the times I got into ma I had an agent at one time I was like I don't want to. That's why I ended up getting out of the job. I don't want, I don't even get on facebook. I want people to know what the fuck I'm doing. So you know it was crazy. So I'm getting that. You know, hearing that part of you know it's a lot. Certainly they were fucking crazy.
Speaker 2Nuts, yeah, popular at one time. I mean so, and I was just like, oh, that's cool, sort of talking, you know, sort of picking the brain of someone that got that popular. So I thought that was pretty cool. Um, the only other, brooke Burke. Ah, yes, brooke Burke. And I didn't know who she was when I was talking to her because she just started Wild On. Remember Wild On, oh geez. So at Chili's, my mom knows a hot chick's in my table. I don't know, I'm trying to make it so this chick, two girls are sitting there. You know, very nice tan complexion. They look like they just came from the beach. This was at Chili's. At Chili's Beach, it's like 2000. And I was waiting. You know, waiting on them and everything.
Speaker 1I've heard this story, Blake, but go on. Go on John.
A Terrifying Bomb Threat Incident
Speaker 2So these girls very good look. And they looked like they were very tired and you know, and they were having no makeup on, but just pure beauty. Anyway, they didn't need makeup, they were just wearing John. Were they beautiful? Oh, they were beautiful, but so I'm just sitting there talking to them, whatever. And they were very good, they were nice. And then Brooke was talking. She's like yeah, we, uh, we back from like Brazil and we were. And I was like, oh, okay, cool, I didn't have no clue, you know. She's like yeah, I know we're actually gonna be to take a little break. Uh, she's like I'm heading back home. I forget, I don't know Florida, I don't even know. She's like we're gonna be heading over to.
Speaker 1Europe and I was like wow, I was like man, that's freaking cool.
Speaker 2I was like this girl can't? She's only a couple years older than me and I was just like she. She can't be too much. I was like, what the hell does she do? I didn't really ask. She was just like yeah, we work at this company, tour around, visit beaches and all this stuff she's paying out. It was just normal talk, didn't know anything about it. I was like man, that's freaking cool.
Speaker 1When you talk to people, I'm like what am I doing here?
Speaker 2I need to do something else instead of freaking bartending. Wait, you know I'm always. You know it makes you goddamn damn, I need to get out of this, here I'm just not as hot as these chicks.
Speaker 2But you know, I don't know if people want to look at me. So she gives me her card and she and her, her, and I forget, man, dude, 25 years ago she was like hey, you know? Hey, what's your name, john? And I was like yeah, she shook my hand. She's really nice, just generally nice. I was like hey, you know. She's like hey, thanks for chatting with this, you know, hey, you know good luck with everything I said.
Speaker 2Oh, thanks. And she's like, hey, well, we need to head out. So it just said Brooke Burke E Entertainment. I was like, oh, I was like, oh, you work for E.
Speaker 2And she's like, well, hey, uh, my show comes on every like I don't know, tuesday night. Um, it's called wild on. And it's like, oh, I was like okay, I was like cool. She's like, yeah, check it out, it's on the e-channel, blah, blah, blah. I was like, okay, cool. So I'm with my ex-girlfriend and actually at this time joe wilson was living with my ex-girlfriend. They lived together, they were all friends way before yeah, so we all tell met her.
Speaker 1Yeah, well, sort of.
Speaker 2Actually, I met her and then I met Joe Wilson. Joe Wilson and I went to the same high school. He was four years younger than me but, joe, I got him into the airport. He did all this stuff. We're in there, me and Joe would have pizza night. We'd watch Friends, friends do this. Me and Joe were hanging out in one of the you know, and so we're sitting there hanging out my ex-girlfriend, we're all sitting there and, dude, I was like yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1Check. This thing called Wild On. We got to turn this off and Joe's like.
Speaker 2I think I know this show and I was like, yeah, this girl, I guess she's like the host, I don't know. She says she's going to be on it.
Speaker 2This chick comes out with a two piece freaking at a beach just talking about going out having fun, and and Mike's girlfriend was just looking at me and me and Joe were just Joe's, like dude, you waited on her. I was like holy shit, she's. So that was pretty cool, didn? So that was pretty cool. Didn't know who she was at the first, but I know who she is now. She just told me she's been to a lot of beaches. I don't know.
Speaker 1That's like I think it was like the first, like probably the first week I was there. The Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Team oh, you did.
Speaker 2I dropped everything.
Speaker 1I dropped everything and called my ex-wife and I'm like you won't believe who's in here and she's like who I was like, uh, the wide traffic bikini team.
Speaker 2She's like click and then that's when Chris, you know, got a divorce.
Speaker 1I wasn't told a decade later.
Speaker 2Don't get mad at me, sorry Anybody that affected me, but yeah, so, dude, a lot of things you know. Sports, love sports, crazy sports moments. Yeah, a lot of crazy. I would say crazy. I don't know biggest sports moments I ever encountered at the airport. Yeah, so, first off, I was just talking about games, anything that was on.
Speaker 2One thing that was huge. I have never worked a Super Bowl because that's my national holiday. Over Christmas I always watched it with my dad. That was our thing. Ever since, I've seen every Super Bowl in my whole life I don't remember until maybe the late 70s Davey Glynn and I would work the Super. Bowl. Everybody knew Everybody that knew that worked would be like hey, yeah, dylan doesn't fucking work Super Bowls.
Speaker 1Someone's like no, he's working Super Bowls.
Unforgettable Sports Moments in Terminal E
Speaker 2I'm like, oh, I'm fucking quitting. Okay, cool, I got my job back, Go ahead. I've never seen any Super Bowls at the airport. Three crazy, three crazy moments. I always love talking about telling people. One. So at Tagine 2010. The World Cup.
Speaker 1So in US when it landed Donovan everybody was into that, holy shit we still got remember we had the Tagine shirts, was that? The boo-boo zellas and all that?
Speaker 2I think I can't I forget where it was at.
Speaker 1I don't know, that was the one that everybody was in on.
Speaker 2Oh they.
Speaker 2Irish Pub printed out all these cool. We had all our shirts, usa Seagame shirts and, you know, usa Blue, and then we had a 10 for me in 2010, but that was Landon Don, I think. So, dude we're. I think the games were over in England or we were playing England, I cannot remember, but you know they were offset. You know, when they're somewhere else, I've never heard a freaking terminal, a roar, and you scored a goal against England. I think we tied the game up and you I was sitting. You know how to the inside, you walk out and there's tables, and then you're on the outside and you see everything.
Speaker 1It's a big open concert and you heard?
Speaker 2I saw that score and everybody's like ah, and I've never heard a roar in a whole terminal. You heard a roar, it was just a vibration. I was like that's a big terminal, that's very wide open.
Speaker 1So I closed in, like some of the whole terminals.
Speaker 2Each of those terminals are a mile long. Oh yes, and that was insane. I was like, oh my, you could hear. It's like it traveled. I mean, everybody was watching, insane. Um, in my other two moments were at e12. All with these were within a year of each other E-12 Terminal E at Vintage, texas, yeah, managing bartending, and we had a Boston flight. So this is 2004 World Series. Well, not the World Series yet. That whole freaking Boston coming back down three, yeah, so we had the game on it. One of those games went freaking, one in the morning, we didn't stay that late. But One of those games went freak, one in the morning, we didn't stay that late. But Big Poppy, that's pretty much what put him in the game, freaking, all the things Made a name for it.
Speaker 2He's already sort of a big name, but he came to Boston. I think it was in Minnesota. He came to Boston and freaking that World Series just put him on the map. And I remember there was a Boston flight. We had that game on Joe.
Speaker 2I was working with Joe freaking all the time over there and, holy shit, big Pop and freaking Jax at home were in that fucking place, napkins flowing, just fucking beers getting spit on, and that was a crazy world series because it's one of those where the only people going for the Yankees you could get a map of the fucking god damn whole world and the only people the people right there in New York, everybody was pulling for Boston. It was. It was fucking a great time, dude, and that was. I don't know if y'all seen the documentary of Boston Red Sox. It's just fucking awesome. But them coming back on the Yankees, that was the World Series itself. Of course they went on, played St Louis Cardinals, wiped them out and that the Yankees with the whole curse of the Bambino and all that shit. That was really cool. Now, that was over a couple of days, but that whole being in there at that time, well, just the energy of it.
Speaker 1Oh no, you're right, dude, you just feel it, yeah.
Speaker 2Definitely man. No, you're right, dude, the energy that's the right word for that, because the energy in there was insane, Probably the craziest. I don't know if it was the craziest moment, but it was just one instant. I'm not the biggest golf guy, but the Masters in 2005. Everybody tunes into the Masters.
Speaker 1They turn into nothing else there's nothing else going on that day.
Speaker 2I don't work Sundays, but I work that Sunday. I do, I work that Sunday.
Speaker 1Really yes.
Speaker 2I won't work, but it's not football season. Whatever, I worked it so I was managing bartending. You know, sitting there, the place is packed and dude, you know when Tiger's coming down the stretch and he's in the run, when he's got that Sunday red on the whole terminal stops, damn right Especially at his peak. Oh yeah, and that was right there at his peak. So you know you have people. He's one of those people who are coming off the plane going what's going on?
Speaker 1What's Tiger doing?
Speaker 2What hole is he on? So that place is packed but you couldn't watch it on the plane.
Speaker 1There's no.
Speaker 2Wi-Fi to watch it or anything. God dang, it was hole 16. The famous fucking chip in yeah, fucking, he chips that thing in that ball, rolls down the Nike symbols right there, slowly rolls in that ball dropped. It was a commercial and yeah, it wasn't a roar of a crowd like a whole terminal, but God damn, I've never felt the vibration. That place fucking erupted Fucking people are slapping my hand hard. I was like fuck that hurt and the dude over there.
Speaker 2I fucking dug the hole. I think Joe was working. He was just like what the fuck? It's Tiger Woods dude. That was a cool moment to be part of that. See that, I did see his comeback. He did in 19 when he won the match. I was at home fucking sitting there trying not to cry. That was emotional because like same spot he hugs his son or he hugs his dad when he first you know.
Speaker 1So you know I always like that was cool at the airport being part of that, the vibe, like you said yeah like the energy, the you know, and having all these people don't even know everybody's everybody hugging each other yeah, it's like yeah, you know people can from all walks of life can come together over you know special sports moments and things like that moments in history and yeah it's amazing.
