Chuco Chuckle
Conversational podcast with guests that include local artisans, business owners, friends, musicians, and other different walks of life here in El Paso, Texas.
Chuco Chuckle
Nate Valenzuela Part 2: Uniting People with Music and Memories
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Nate Valenzuela's karaoke journey reveals the complexities of trust, ambition, and community in a competitive industry. From setbacks and betrayals to building supportive networks, his story is a compelling exploration of resilience and growth.
• The origins of Nate's karaoke journey
• The competitive atmosphere of karaoke wars
• Navigating friendships in a business context
• The importance of knowing your worth
• Shared experiences and community support
• Building a sustainable karaoke business
• Experiences of betrayal and its impact
• Future plans for the karaoke industry
hey folks, it's arnie with chucco chuckle. Once again, thanks for joining us. All right well, part two of Nathan Valenzuela. Sorry, nate Valenzuela.
Speaker 2It's okay, people don't even know my last name. So I mean we're already off to a good start.
Speaker 1Nate V.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Nate, what's going on, bud? How are you Good, good Second episode we're shooting it the same day, because we got this nice view going on. Yeah, momentum going, we got this nice view in the apartment. We're going to do the show downtown tonight at we're Shifty's, shifty's Bar. Yeah.
Speaker 2Right next to Church Bar on Mills. We're headed there right after this episode, after recording.
Speaker 1Yeah, we're going to be like on a guys. What's going on, oh man, so let me tell you. So the first time I met you was at Funkmire, and it was actually two years ago. I recorded Megan's episode here, right on the couch Right, and she was here and she says do you want to go do some karaoke?
Speaker 2And I'm like, I haven't done karaoke in years, probably decades, that's weird, some karaoke and I'm like I haven't done karaoke in years probably decades that's weird. Yeah, I, I didn't know that there was that drop off. Yeah, from when it aired to when you, when we recorded right versus when you recorded versus you guys came from that spot yeah we came from here.
Speaker 1Yeah, came from here to go to go there and I said yeah, you know what? What the heck? I don't go to work till 12 30 let's get my workout tomorrow, yeah, and so it's harmless it's harmless I'll never, see that guy again, and so we recorded the uh two episodes, uh, that we did and, um, we went out there and I met you and you're like standing behind your computer and you're like wait, nice to meet you. And then I started singing and stuff and I was like this is fun.
Speaker 2Right and that's where we met and I think it was like the second show.
Speaker 2I was like, hey, man, I was like you know, you can come around, like you know. We kind of have like a little you know people that'll say, hey, don't sit by yourself, or yeah, yeah, yeah, you know what I mean like you don't have to, you know, come with somebody you know every time, like just show up, and we try. And I'll credit, you know, to the people that do show up and they try to let let everybody kind of fit in or feel that you're not by yourself, or exactly.
Speaker 1I felt like the way immediately, yeah. So, yeah, I sat with deanna. I met her for the first time, yeah, and she's been on my show and I'm the last one on your show, sorry about that Well you're the busiest too, though yeah, I guess at night.
Speaker 2That's the thing Our schedules will never, You're like well Nate. I know you're not a morning guy. And then I was off today and I was like thank you that you said that, Because some people are like, hey, you want to do the morning and I'm like no, you should know me, I'm not a morning guy.
Speaker 1You're like learn me, yeah, but no, that's how it started. Now I know you had a story for us, so I'm just going to let you get right into it. This is how you got your start this is right.
Speaker 2Yeah, I so when. So this is right, yeah, so okay, like we said, I'm just gonna sit back, and there was karaoke wars, you know when?
Speaker 1when I first started oh yeah, you said it was.
Speaker 2It was very competitive, cutthroat you know, competitive, it'll always be competitive, right because but it was cutthroat, it was it was. You know there's just keyboard warriors. There's people that are like, and there still is, you know, that's never going to go away, and there are, there will always be, people that'll do it cheaper. Now it's, it's tough because you, you know people have to start off somewhere. You don't ever want somebody who has the you know like, the aspiration to do it but wants to charge what somebody's been doing it for 10 years. You know. Know what I mean. Yeah, so to find that balance it's really tough and plus, knowing your value, yeah and knowing what you're worth.
Speaker 2So now you know, for example yes, smaller bars, do we give them a discount, Absolutely. Bigger bars, they're going to draw more people, charge a little bit more and then, knowing your, worth Because they're making more at the bar. Right, and then you know, knowing your worth. You know, some people have asked me why do you charge so much? And I just, you know, I just flat out say, well, this is what I want to make to get out of bed.
Speaker 1Wow, you know, and I told you about that, we didn't like I was in the cake business with my ex-wife.
Speaker 2Right, right, add a zero to that. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1No, we deliver free.
Speaker 2No, no, I meant like out of town, yeah. Yeah, If you had to leave El Paso, you're like well, add a zero.
Speaker 1I took one to Laredo $800. You told me Delivery fee Riodoso $200. Delivery fee. Delivery fee 8 or 12 hours.
Speaker 2My butt would have been like Clinched the whole ride.
Speaker 1Yeah, having a cake in the back. They would have been so nervous, yeah. So, yeah, so you know.
Speaker 2I've had some. I've had some interesting conversations With people that I would consider Allies and colleagues and Okay, but in the beginning it wasn't like that. I mean, I had people like you know, people you thought you trusted Old timers. No, people I didn't know.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2People didn't know me, who had just maybe seen a picture of me on the internet. You know, on social media People that have heard of a name and they were just like running their mouth and I'm like I don't think you know how big of a guy I am Like I I don't think you know how big of a guy, I am, I'm not.
Speaker 1How tall are you? 62. I thought you were taller. No, I'm wider. I'm not taller.
Speaker 2No, no, you're a big dude, but you know what I mean. I've had old timers who would come in and be like you, better be licensed, and I'm like, or what? And the karaoke task force is going to come knock on the door. The karaoke SWAT team. Well, there was a thing what? There was a thing back in the day, and apparently there are licenses that bars have to pay for us to be able to operate under that umbrella.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2So there's a lot of stuff that is behind the scenes. So there's a lot of stuff that is behind the scenes, but there was, like some, I think, in the 90s, there was like a sting and they wouldn't find all these karaoke people that were operating Because, at the end of the day, you are playing music and the artist should be rewarded for it. All right, because it's licensed. You know what I mean. Like you sing Bobby Caldwell.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2That song. I paid a small fee. When I tell people a small fee $0.09, $0.12 or whatever it is, but the version that we have is paid for.
Speaker 1It's a great version.
Speaker 2It's copywritten and stuff like that. Now, some people that use YouTube and they do it off YouTube. You're playing with a little bit of fire there, but I do it off youtube. You know that's, you're playing with a little bit of fire there, but I don't care. More power to you. So, yes, um, there was some karaoke wars and there's people that under undercut you and there's people that'll start off lower prices because they they need a platform to start off with. They can't just walk in and be like oh yeah, you know, like they're just trying to get their foot in the door.
Speaker 2I think I'll be great one day, so I'm gonna charge you know 500 an hour. No so it's tough. It doesn't matter if it gets back to you like this person's, cheaper it through telephone. It's never gonna sound good you know letting you know how did they get it, how much were they charging?
Speaker 1and I'm like I was who get it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2Like all the time the same thing, yeah, you know like people come and sit my show and their other kjs and I'm like enjoy it and if you want it. By all means take it, give me a day off I'll find another one.
Speaker 2And I said that you know, to a bar owner, um, and I've told you this, around november I was like man, when I first started, you know, seven, eight years ago, I would have been like, well, no, I'll do cheaper, I'll do it for free. I'll started, you know, seven, eight years ago. I would have been like, well, no, I'll do cheaper, I'll do it for free, I'll do it, you know. And I looked at the bar owner, who was a friend of mine. I said you know what? I said, that's fine, I'll find another show. You know what I mean? Like we can call it, let's call it the Takeaway. I was like, I will find another show. And here we are Tuesdays we're in another show.
Speaker 1Closer to you, closer to me, thank God.
Speaker 2And then we got another Tuesday, so that door closed and two opened.
Speaker 1You're like Seinfeld, even Steven, yeah, I'm even.
Speaker 2Steven, so going back seven, eight years ago how did it start? It started out of spite. Yes, I had a business partner if you can imagine karaoke. What business partner? Yes, had a business partner. Um, we'll call him gavid, you know, like david, but with a g, okay, and um, let's just say that's his name. And. And then the other guy, he was my old roommate, we'll just call him Al Bundy, because he will not let it go, he still thinks hey, peg, I don't know what you're doing there Peg?
Speaker 2He still talks about karaoke like he invented it.
Speaker 1I was the king Peg. You got to understand this, peg.
Speaker 2I was the king Al Bundy always talks about Pokai football. Yeah, his glory days, all right. So those would be the two main characters. I'll be played by myself, but anyway, um, I dabbled in the bar industry when I left, like the theater business, and um, yeah, you know, gavi thought there was a, a vacancy, and he was like, hey, you know, let's do karaoke and'm like, but I don't like karaoke.
Speaker 1And.
Speaker 2I don't sing karaoke and I don't know anything about karaoke and my old roommate who had moved, al Bundy, he never showed me, you know what I mean, and I really didn't pay much attention to it.
Speaker 1Now he moved, Al moved where.
Speaker 2To Central Texas.
Speaker 1Yeah, central Texas it now he moved. El moved where, um? To uh, central texas.
Speaker 2Yeah, just say that okay so then, um, yeah, you know, months had passed and it sounded like a good idea because, uh, gavid was like Because you're talking about extra money. We won't be physically doing it. We'll be like the overseers.
Speaker 1Like managers, right Okay.
Speaker 2You know like we're regional managers. You know, we just point and you guys go, no offense to any regional managers out there. No, you know what regional managers?
Speaker 1All offense to you guys that point and do all the points.
Speaker 2Oh, no, right, right, you earned it, we get it. So it's, did they really did they, did they? So? Um, you know, he's kind of got a good, good point. I'm like all right, you know, let's get this going and um, we decide to rent, rent to buy I think was the was maybe the arrangement term okay, um, the equipment from my, from my old roommate, and the old karaoke you know, master out buddy master of debaters and so, when it came down to it, it wasn't a bad idea.
Speaker 2And it's still not a bad idea, you know, because now we've we've turned to that, or where there's a dj, um, who has about 13, 14 djs, you know, under him, and they all rock, they have great equipment, they all rule and stuff like that yeah so this idea wasn't far-fetched.
Speaker 2So we got the equipment um kind of like I think we're paying like four or five hundred bucks a month, and then I went out and got the shows you were the marketer. Right because okay oh I, I might have to mention that you did all the forward that my business partner. He didn't live here. Oh, he was in sin city, he never oh, he's in vegas.
Speaker 1He's in Vegas, we can mention it Okay.
Speaker 2Yeah, vegas, new Mexico, how's that? So he's not here, he's got no feet on the ground.
Speaker 1And, yeah, I'm doing all the lab work. I'm going to pass that on this episode, sir. Yeah, breathe, breathe.
Speaker 2I'm not, ms El Paso, I won't be kind on the eyes. When you wake up, arnie, you'll be like, oh, I'm in hell. This is this is.
Speaker 1It is this it.
Speaker 2Oh, I already see a fire.
Speaker 1That's my, that's my sense, that's fancy, yeah, sorry so, um, so, yeah.
Speaker 2So then you know the the idea gets put into motion. But yes, I went to the storage, I took the inventory, I pulled everything out, I put everything in my garage and I went. And, like you said, I went to the legwork, I got a couple of bars, because he said, hey, I already have two employees. So I was like, cool, well, I didn't know that I inherited these employees.
Speaker 1I didn't know that they had tried this out before and it didn't work. So you're thinking that you've got two employees and we're getting started here right.
Speaker 2I'm being like hey, you know, he's on one end, he's like the hr guy, he conducted interviews and you know what I mean he's background? Yeah, he did you know he did like a test study and you know crowd appreciation? No they like crashed and burned as spirit airlines and they throw a sticker on there. And now they're like hey, we're a American West Breathe.
Speaker 2And so I go, all right, and this is the story that you liked. So we start doing um a gig at one place and he's in Sin City and I'm taking the equipment out of my garage, I'm taking it there, I'm setting it up. She's doing the show this employee A is doing the show and you're not there no.
Speaker 1OK, I don't think I'm there. You're letting them go.
Speaker 2I really wasn't sure on what.
Speaker 1I was. So they picked up the equipment and then they took it to the store. No, I would. Okay, you said it.
Speaker 2Yeah, we never really gave them the equipment. I think that kind of kept our control and our management part of it Okay. So we would do the setup and we would do the teardown, and by we I mean me, me myself and I. You know, we, I mean me, me myself, and yeah, you know. So then, um we, so that was kind of. You know. The issue one is I was doing all the, all the work, but fine, you know, let's just say and this guy's not even in town.
Speaker 2I'm just getting in my head he tells the story like but I'm the brains and I'm the okay, you know, whatever you tell your story, we'll have you on the show.
Speaker 1There's his truth your truth.
Speaker 2And then there's the truth and you know, and even I'll be like, yeah, okay, you know what, I still did the brute work. But then the bar calls me that I got the gig at, and they're like, hey, nate, um the girl the girl that you sent us. We fired her a year ago and I was like, what do you what you know, because we all know what fired means, but you have to pretend, what do?
Speaker 1you mean by fired her?
Speaker 2uh, yeah she tried elaborate please. She tried doing karaoke a year ago and she sucked and we, you know, we fired her and I was like oh, you know what? Yeah, let me look at her, let me talk to my HR and, yes, and I tell her and I'm just like hey, like hey, you forgot to mention that a year ago you worked there and they fired you. And she was like yeah, go ahead yeah breathe or anything.
Speaker 2she was like uh, y'all gotta listen to missile pass up Passover episode. Oh my God, there's a little Easter egg there.
Speaker 1At eight minutes and 29 minutes into the show 29 seconds.
Speaker 2sorry, Arnie passed out.
Speaker 1Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2Well, like I said, we're going to put the chuckle.
Speaker 1Okay, so this is the chuckle.
Speaker 2So yeah, you know she had, I guess, tried it out there and it didn't work, and they fired her.
Speaker 1Did you fail to mention?
Speaker 2Yeah, and she was just like I mean I remember she was looking at me as confused as I was looking at her and I was like, okay, what's happening here?
Speaker 1So she's saying to you I'm just as surprised as you are.
Speaker 2She's like you know, a lot can happen in a year and I was like yeah, but no. So the bar was just like you know what Native you know, if you don't have anybody else, we're probably going to. You know, look somewhere else. And I said well, hold on.
Speaker 1You know what kind of Because you're not going to let that go. You know, me as far as my, you know I'm, that's your character, my character.
Speaker 2I'm not, you know, anybody else would probably, or not anybody else. I don't want to speak for anybody else, but you know, like it's, you make a decision. So I said, you know what, give me a little bit of time and, um, you know, they're like without we're getting you so um I did I hired an engineer because you sold yourself yeah yeah, but I told them, you know well, I don't do karaoke.
Speaker 2You guys know I don't even sing karaoke, much less. You know, like get behind there and like do, do, do, do. And I say once again, you know it's not that hard, you know, down the road a monkey will be able to do it.
Speaker 1Um, so um and you're just because good technology right starting off.
Speaker 2You know our brand. I really wanted it. I really wanted this because you know, I want you to put your name behind something. You want it to succeed. And my first bump in the road I was gonna be like okay, you know thanks, thanks for the opportunity. You know we'll just go suck somewhere else, yeah, so um, we uh go try somewhere. She hasn't been fired, yeah I'm like, could you give me a list of places you've been fired at? Sorry, I didn't ask that in the beginning that would be, yeah, the disclaimer you know, everyone raise their hand if you've already been fired from this bar.
Speaker 2So, um, you know, I hired an engineer, sound engineer and the guy was like, um, I charge 100 bucks an hour and I was like like, okay, I was like he's like what, what do you need to know? And I was like, okay, imagine you're going to teach me how to drive and I don't even know where the seatbelts are. And he was like, oh no. Oh no, he's like that's going to be like seven, eight hours and I's like, okay, you know, like good luck.
Speaker 1Crash course. Yeah, here we go.
Speaker 2You know, take a lot of notes, but you know what? Shout out to Bunny, if he's still out there doing it. He really cut me a deal. He didn't charge me much, he gave me a lot of knowledge, he went way past three hours and he really, really I think he probably stayed there, you know, all night. He gave me extra things that I needed and he was always on call. Wow yeah. And so I started doing this show and that was it, and I might have done like. My cousin had a bar and I think you know shout out to Joseph he had a bar and he was starting off and I did it for free, but it was like a trial and error. He wasn't really advertising me because I wasn't named and.
Speaker 2I wasn't really that good. So I think it was like a dead night and I would just go out there and kind of tinker around.
Speaker 1Well, I'm just starting this thing, yeah.
Speaker 2Like, tinker around and get to know where you're at and where you're supposed to be. You know and get to know and where you're at where you're supposed to be. So then other bars that I do know and I do have friends are like hey, we hear you're you're doing karaoke at this place and you know.
Speaker 2You told us you weren't doing karaoke and I'm like well, I'm not you know, but I'm trying to get familiar with it. And this is what happened. And this person had already previously worked there, so kind of puts in a spot, and I still felt down the road that I was going to replace myself. Because you just never think you're going to do this full time. So they're like well, you know, we also don't like her.
Speaker 2You know what I mean. Like she's very, you know. And the thing is, my HR department, he would hire singers thinking that they were great, going to be great hosts, and I'm like you know, budweiser's not hiring the best drunk at the bar thinking they're going to be great delivery people. You know like. Well, you know, the guy could chug a beer really good, you know so that's our marketing director.
Speaker 2I'm like no, you know what I mean, just because they sing great didn't mean they could host great or have that connection. And that was the issue is, he was hiring people that had the best voice. And I'm like, no, you gotta hire people that just look, they know they can be a people person yeah, they're running a business.
Speaker 1Gotta be people you. Gotta be a people person you gotta manage.
Speaker 2It has nothing to do with the fact that you can carry a tune. I still feel that if you can sing.
Speaker 1I could do both if you can sing and you're not a people person need not apply.
Speaker 2So that's kind of where it took off for me. I didn't want the business to fail, I didn't see myself doing it long term, and now my partner. I didn't want the business to fail. I didn't see myself doing it long term.
Speaker 1And now my partner out in Sin.
Speaker 2City was like well, we got to give these people shows and I'm like well, the feedback is they suck and so I'm keeping it afloat and this is just I'm buying his time and he's like well I think you're in cahoots, oh wow, with these bar managers and owners, and you want, without even knowing, and you want it all to yourself and I'm like what all?
Speaker 2what to myself? I'm splitting the check with you either way, I'm splitting the check with you. And after we pay our little, you know, rental buy-to-own speakers from Al Bundy. That's right, peg.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2So then one day, November, he just shows up to my show.
Speaker 1And he's just like, it's like a month into the yeah, I'd say about two, two months, two three three months somewhere in there um, he shows up, he shows up unannounced.
Speaker 2You know fresh off, fresh off of his, you know sin city, and I'm in the middle of the show and I'm like hey, partner, surprise. And he's like I need to talk to you outside and I'm like okay you know I'm kind of another show he? Well, you know you need to do whatever you need to do and we need to talk outside.
Speaker 1Play a video.
Speaker 2So you know I get a little temperamental sometimes and he's not the biggest guy, but I go out there and I enlighten him.
Speaker 1Well, I mean, come on, it's two guys going at it.
Navigating Friendship and Karaoke Business
Speaker 2And enlighten him. Well, I mean, come on, it's two guys going at it. Yeah, well, you're giving him a lot of credit, we won't go there. It's a different episode. So he pulls out a piece of paper and, yeah, he cut a check for my old roommate and who told me he would never you know, I would never get you know side swindled or he'd never do anything by my back. And you know, he'd been a friend of mine since, like middle school, and I moved him to Central Texas, you know, and did everything I could to help him get over his you know little heartbreak. And, yeah, he was like I'm now the sole owner of of 15 minutes of shame, or whatever it was called back then. Yeah and um, he was like so I'm the, I want all the equipment and so when you're done with the show, you know, deliver it to this place and this, this and this, and I'm gonna distribute. What were you feeling at that point? I was was.
Speaker 1Betrayed, of course.
Speaker 2You know so much went through my head. I had two friends that I knew I was going to lose and that's really tough.
Speaker 1You know what I mean, Because I take a lot Because you thought you trusted them. It's a lot.
Speaker 2It's a lot. You know I have great memories. You know, even if you have friends, that you don anymore and you know you've cut off, the memories are still there. I got some. Yeah, you know the good overlooks the bad sometimes and the bad overlooks good sometimes. But I knew the end result is I was going to lose two friends that was the hardest.
Speaker 1That's heartbreaking yeah, um because they're hard to come by.
Speaker 2Yeah, they, I mean they really are and um, so that I knew and then you know. So there's sadness, there's anger, there's disappointment. Disappointment Went into this conversation. When did you guys go behind my back?
Speaker 1God, how did you handle that? It's great.
Speaker 2Well, I grabbed him by the shirt and I threw him up against the car. But I won't get into that. But he, you know, he gave me like this ultimatum.
Speaker 2He said I'm now the sole owner You're going to this, you can do that, you can do this, you can do that. And if you choose to stick around, I'm going to distribute the shows evenly. And I looked at him. I said you know what? I'm going to put all this equipment on the curb at the end of the show and you can come get it. And if you want it, it's yours. He's like well, you have to. I can end your show right now if I wanted to, and I was like no, you can't you know I can't you call, call a cop.
Speaker 2Cop's going to be like take it to court. You know like I'm smarter than that. But I was like no, I'm going to put up the curb and you come get it. And I did. At the end of the show I just put up the curb and I was like I'm going to run you out of town. That's, I did it out of spite. I'm going to start another name, start another brand, going to buy my own, covid. I had to buy my own equipment and stuff like that. And I started and from there I was like I'm out. I mean, I think people kind of knew that I was out and I was very fortunate. That that's when things kind of turned.
Speaker 2We started to help each other out the karaoke music back then. Then they were selling it. I remember they were selling it for like a thousand dollars, you know, to copy a hard drive, um. And that was then um. I know I have some friends that were renting out you know the equipment, but again, I'm not docking them. You know what I mean. If that's what's precious to them and they invested so much money, they just couldn't give it up for free. And I see that I didn't want that.
Speaker 1As a matter of fact, you should go on Instagram live right now, as a matter of fact, I know, go ahead, no, no no Are you sure I'm positive Because we're about to do your show downtown. Yeah, we'll do another one.
Speaker 2I'll be honest with you. There's a girl tonight which you'll see. Her name is Maxine. She does karaoke.
Speaker 1Can't remember she's going to your show tonight.
Speaker 2Yeah, I stayed up the past two nights downloading her hard drive for free.
Speaker 1Wow, that's help.
Speaker 2Three terabytes worth of music and videos, 36 hours of download. And I told her I'll do it for free and I was like I just need you to buy the hard drive.
Speaker 1But um, and I'm giving it to her tonight and I don't even want to ask how much that would be so, uh, you don't have anything, yeah yeah, so I did it.
Speaker 2I did it for free. It said you just have to buy the hard drive. Make sure it's a 3 to 4 terabyte 4 terabyte. Yeah, and I did it to hold it all and I did it and because I know you know our new, one day I'm gonna need a favor from her, that's good and I did it for a couple of people.
Speaker 2I don't know won't be saying it, but I've done it for free. So now we have our music floating out there. That's collective, you know, and I gave it to them for free. But I can tell you this I've had my, my hard drive crash and those people have shown up like that and it brought me a laptop brought me a hard drive like here you go.
Speaker 1Now you got some good people. I've had some people that are like Nate you know, like.
Speaker 2I've got music. Even people that I didn't lend, you know, hard drive to, they've lent me speakers, mics, tvs, monitors, lights. You know, I've asked people like hey can I do your show?
Speaker 1You even hooked me up with a guy who's going to sell me a mixer. Yeah, Gil. For my podcast.
Speaker 2Gil, great guy. Um, shout out to gil. I've asked people to do their shows, which is brave, which I look back and I was like I never should have done that. But I had a friend who was having a birthday or graduation, I can't remember I didn't have a show that day or near it, I didn't have like a sunday show or friday show, and he wanted his celebration on saturday and he's like man, I really wish you could host it and I tried, I failed and I just told the guy who had the show.
Speaker 2I said, hey, can I do that show like, do you mind? And he was like, yeah, I'll take saturday off. You know what I mean, wasn't? Like that in the beginning no, um, wow, you couldn't turn the whole.
Speaker 1Thing around.
Speaker 2So I you know, I don't want to take credit for that.
Speaker 1I'm not saying, but I do want like this.
Speaker 2You know the circle that we have um there's, you know we, we start off rough and now, like these people, I can show up. No tension. I can ask, can ask them for something. No tension. You know trust and you know these are like the Catfish and the Jess and Daniel, and you know Pepe and Sean and Megan's and Maxine's, and you know Terry and you know.
Speaker 1Gabe's.
Speaker 2Yeah, Like these people, there's a lot of them and I'm sure I've left like a bunch out you're gonna mondo yeah um, they're the ones that have really helped me out. But we can go back and someone probably listen to this and laugh and be like, yeah, you know, I really didn't like nate in the beginning you know what I mean, or or you know, but um because they might think you're rough around the edges, but you're still yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, You're just a real person and I'll take that stamp.
Speaker 2Okay, but you know, but I won't lie about it, I won't be two-faced, you know, I won't spread rumors or talk behind your back. You know, in exchange I'll say it's your face. But yeah, that's the dirt, that's the little taste of the karaoke war that I think, like any brand.
Speaker 1Dude, that took the whole episode, but I'm cool about that.
Speaker 2I think any brand that you start off I was going to say People might look at you when you're like, oh, you're doing a podcast, Arnie.
Speaker 1I could do a podcast, yeah, and people think I'm making millions on this thing.
Speaker 2Oh my gosh. It's weird and you're like no People email.
Speaker 1hey, there's star Chuko Chukl. They see me on the street. Dude, sometimes I'll take a Lyft downtown, right, of course I take a Lyft and I'll take it.
Speaker 2And my Lyft driver would be like you mean your driver from the Chuko Chukl show doesn't shuttle you around.
Speaker 1No, exactly, I don't have a driver, so I take a Lyft downtown will say hey, aren't you the guy from true cold chuckle? Yeah, so they recognize me, nice, and they're like dude, I got a celebrity.
Speaker 2dude, I I'm not banking any money on this yet and people think I'm making millions yeah, I mean it's, and you're not even year one. You know what I mean? I'm one like you're like, you're like in the, you're like I'm learning how to walk.
Speaker 2Yeah, exactly, I mean my this is my first season, I mean dude and you're I mean you're going to be in the red probably the first two years, three years investing buying new stuff. Yeah, and trying to make it better, but I'm having fun. Yeah, and that's the way it was. Karaoke. I mean, just like I'm barely going to do my first contest and we're going to give away $1,000. Oh, I'm down. We're going to thousand bucks.
Speaker 1Oh I'm down we're gonna wait, we're gonna go a thousand bucks.
Speaker 2You know um where's it gonna stay tuned, oh you're having an ask that I can say. I can say it's gonna be a gringo theory. Okay, the dates will come as followed but it's gonna be a thousand dollars.
Speaker 1I don't know nick's gonna win with his frank sinatra oh, he can't, he can't come oh he, yeah, you gotta attend.
Speaker 2We don't know if we're gonna do six weeks, seven weeks, but you have to be there every Monday, kind of like a check in right. And Nick, I know you're out there, he can only do every other Monday, so it disqualifies yeah, okay thousand dollars. You know gotta follow the rules gotta follow the rules.
Speaker 1Well, dude, we're out of time again.
Speaker 2We're out of time. We got to get to the show.
Speaker 1I know that, but thanks for joining us on.
Speaker 2Chuckle, chuckle again. Appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1No, but dude of course, nate Of course.
Speaker 2We'll do another one, people.
Speaker 1You know Arnie's going to fit them, but we're going to do it we'll have a little circle, alright, a little kumoya.
Speaker 2Ok, start playing quarters, and then we'll show. Well cheers, buddy. Thank you for having me much success thank you, sir, to you as well.
Speaker 1Of course, I know it's a re-coming, you already have it, but thanks for joining me on Chuko Chuckle Tonight, and that's with Nate Valenzuela. I want to thank you. If you want to subscribe, you can go and do that on Apple Podcasts, and if you want to, you can send me a text through Apple Podcasts. It comes to me as fan mail. I read each and every one of them. But thanks for joining again and take care y'all. God bless, take care, bye-bye, thank you.