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
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 2:It's okay, people don't even know my last name. So I mean we're already off to a good start.
Speaker 1:Nate V.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Nate, 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 2:Right next to Church Bar on Mills. We're headed there right after this episode, after recording.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 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 2:And 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 1:Yeah, 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 2:Right and that's where we met and I think it was like the second show.
Speaker 2:I 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 1:I 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 2:That'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 1:You'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 2:Yeah, 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 1:when I first started oh yeah, you said it was.
Speaker 2:It 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 2:So 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 1:Wow, you know, and I told you about that, we didn't like I was in the cake business with my ex-wife.
Speaker 2:Right, right, add a zero to that. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:No, we deliver free.
Speaker 2:No, no, I meant like out of town, yeah. Yeah, If you had to leave El Paso, you're like well, add a zero.
Speaker 1:I took one to Laredo $800. You told me Delivery fee Riodoso $200. Delivery fee. Delivery fee 8 or 12 hours.
Speaker 2:My butt would have been like Clinched the whole ride.
Speaker 1:Yeah, having a cake in the back. They would have been so nervous, yeah. So, yeah, so you know.
Speaker 2:I'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 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:People 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 1:How tall are you? 62. I thought you were taller. No, I'm wider. I'm not taller.
Speaker 2:No, 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 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So 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 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:That 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 1:It's a great version.
Speaker 2:It'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 2:I 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 1:and I'm like I was who get it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like 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 2:And 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 1:Closer to you, closer to me, thank God.
Speaker 2:And then we got another Tuesday, so that door closed and two opened.
Speaker 1:You're like Seinfeld, even Steven, yeah, I'm even.
Speaker 2:Steven, 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 2:He still talks about karaoke like he invented it.
Speaker 1:I was the king Peg. You got to understand this, peg.
Speaker 2:I 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 1:And.
Speaker 2:I 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 1:Now he moved, Al moved where.
Speaker 2:To Central Texas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, central Texas it now he moved. El moved where, um? To uh, central texas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 1:Like managers, right Okay.
Speaker 2:You 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 1:All offense to you guys that point and do all the points.
Speaker 2:Oh, 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 2:And 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 2:So 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 1:He's in Vegas, we can mention it Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, vegas, new Mexico, how's that? So he's not here, he's got no feet on the ground.
Speaker 1:And, yeah, I'm doing all the lab work. I'm going to pass that on this episode, sir. Yeah, breathe, breathe.
Speaker 2:I'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 1:It is this it.
Speaker 2:Oh, I already see a fire.
Speaker 1:That's my, that's my sense, that's fancy, yeah, sorry so, um, so, yeah.
Speaker 2:So 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 1:I 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 2:I'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 2:And 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 1:OK, I don't think I'm there. You're letting them go.
Speaker 2:I really wasn't sure on what.
Speaker 1:I was. So they picked up the equipment and then they took it to the store. No, I would. Okay, you said it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 2:I'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 1:There's his truth your truth.
Speaker 2:And 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 1:you mean by fired her?
Speaker 2:uh, 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 2:she was like uh, y'all gotta listen to missile pass up Passover episode. Oh my God, there's a little Easter egg there.
Speaker 1:At eight minutes and 29 minutes into the show 29 seconds.
Speaker 2:sorry, Arnie passed out.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Well, like I said, we're going to put the chuckle.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this is the chuckle.
Speaker 2:So yeah, you know she had, I guess, tried it out there and it didn't work, and they fired her.
Speaker 1:Did you fail to mention?
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 1:So she's saying to you I'm just as surprised as you are.
Speaker 2:She'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 1:You 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 2:I'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 2:You 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 1:Um, so um and you're just because good technology right starting off.
Speaker 2:You 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 2:So, 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 1:Crash course. Yeah, here we go.
Speaker 2:You 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 2:I 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 1:Well, I'm just starting this thing, yeah.
Speaker 2:Like, 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 2:You 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 2:You 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 2:I'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 1:Gotta be people you. Gotta be a people person you gotta manage.
Speaker 2:It has nothing to do with the fact that you can carry a tune. I still feel that if you can sing.
Speaker 1:I could do both if you can sing and you're not a people person need not apply.
Speaker 2:So 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 1:And now my partner out in Sin.
Speaker 2:City 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 2:what 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 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So then one day, November, he just shows up to my show.
Speaker 1:And 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 2:You 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 1:Play a video.
Speaker 2:So 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 1:Well, I mean, come on, it's two guys going at it.
Speaker 2:And 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 1:Betrayed, of course.
Speaker 2:You 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 1:You know what I mean, Because I take a lot Because you thought you trusted them. It's a lot.
Speaker 2:It'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 1:That's heartbreaking yeah, um because they're hard to come by.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 1:God, how did you handle that? It's great.
Speaker 2:Well, 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 2:He 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 2:Cop'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 2:We 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 1:As 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 2:I'll be honest with you. There's a girl tonight which you'll see. Her name is Maxine. She does karaoke.
Speaker 1:Can't remember she's going to your show tonight.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I stayed up the past two nights downloading her hard drive for free.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's help.
Speaker 2:Three 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 1:But 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 2:I 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 2:I 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 1:Now you got some good people. I've had some people that are like Nate you know, like.
Speaker 2:I'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 1:You even hooked me up with a guy who's going to sell me a mixer. Yeah, Gil. For my podcast.
Speaker 2:Gil, 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 2:I 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 1:Thing around.
Speaker 2:So I you know, I don't want to take credit for that.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying, but I do want like this.
Speaker 2:You 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 1:Gabe's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 1:Yeah, You're just a real person and I'll take that stamp.
Speaker 2:Okay, 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 1:Dude, that took the whole episode, but I'm cool about that.
Speaker 2:I 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 1:I could do a podcast, yeah, and people think I'm making millions on this thing.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. It's weird and you're like no People email.
Speaker 1:hey, 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 2:And my Lyft driver would be like you mean your driver from the Chuko Chukl show doesn't shuttle you around.
Speaker 1:No, 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 2:dude, 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 2:Yeah, 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 1:Oh I'm down we're gonna wait, we're gonna go a thousand bucks.
Speaker 2:You 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 1:I 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 2:We 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 1:Well, dude, we're out of time again.
Speaker 2:We're out of time. We got to get to the show.
Speaker 1:I know that, but thanks for joining us on.
Speaker 2:Chuckle, chuckle again. Appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1:No, but dude of course, nate Of course.
Speaker 2:We'll do another one, people.
Speaker 1:You 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 2:Ok, 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 1:Of 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.