Amanda Ott: Frankie NineLives

April sits down with Amanda aka "Frankie NineLives" bartender by trade comedian by true passion. Great conversation with real down-to-earth bar talk!   

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I'm your host, April Dish. Welcome to Mad Tom Bar Talk, the podcast showcasing how the heart of Madison, Wisconsin comes alive through the clinking of glasses and lively chatter of its vibrant bar scene. I got a PhD in bartending. Don't hate on me. I'm here to serve drinks, give a great atmosphere, and allow people to have the best time imaginable with all walks of life. My very special guest today, Amanda Ott, bartender at Dive In at 521 Cottage Grove Road in Madison, Wisconsin. Welcome. Hi. How are you, sweetheart? Good. Glad to be here with you. Thank you for coming today. I really, really appreciate it. No problem, dude. I was looking forward to it. It's definitely a good way to start May. Yeah. Just to roll in right in there. Yeah. Yeah. You um have been a bartender um how many years in total? Three months? Three months and two days. Yeah. Yeah, pretty much three months and two days, which is crazy. I've done uh I've done like like biker events and rallies and stuff like that, where you're doing like the three ingredient drinks and slinging bars, but it's been pretty well just sitting in the tattoo shops the last 15 years, and I got really burnt out of it. Um not burnt out, but I guess yeah, I just wasn't enjoying it anymore. And I wanted a more consistent, positive environment. And then I got offered a dive bar job, which I love dye bars because I've been doing comedy in them for years and drinking in them for before I should have been, you know. But yeah, when they offered me the job, I was like, I want it. I've had a couple other dye bars that offered it to me, but it wasn't the energy I wanted. And like the environment is kind of sketchy, and when they offered me this, I jumped on it because it's a safe environment, it's beautiful. I don't have to run a kitchen, also. Nice, you know, and they got great pizzas from the you know, Italian place up the street and they support locals, so yeah. It uh it's a really nice, it's a nice uh it makes me fucking happy. It makes me really happy. I didn't expect to be excited to go to work, but hearing the stories every day and having just the positive energy around, and also like the bullshit's funny too, because the trash, you know, is it's always entertaining because who the fuck doesn't watch Jerry Springer when we were growing up and skipping school, you know? Hell yeah. But yeah, it's uh it's a fun fucking time. It was the comedy that I've been doing for a few years at the dive bars, um, bouncing around Wisconsin, and then uh yeah, the dive in just kinda it hooked me. The environment, the people, the bartenders, the fact that it is a dive bar, but like it's clean, like I'm not sticking to the floor or the toilet. Like there's really good drinks, the patios are gorgeous, and yeah. A dive bar is seasoned, it's aged, um, but it's a beautiful place. People are always like, dive bars are gross and they're gringy and this and that. And I'm like, you have no you have no taste, you have no style. Yeah. If you don't know what a dive is. Yeah. So I appreciate that. Yeah, I really feel the dive in is the epitome of a dive bar. Like, it's small, it smells like home. Grandpa's Christmas lights are on the ceiling. Like, we're not, I'm not gonna make you a three-course meal and back, but I'll serve you a frozen pizza. Yeah. But like, we do have some fancy cocktails and stuff like that. Like we just brought in a strawberry margarita one, and I'll say that because I drank a lot of them yesterday for my birthday. But it was it was good. It was good. Well, customers are always always asking, you know, like what's good, what what are you good at making, or what's popular here? So Yeah, I fucking hate that question. I know everybody's different, dude. You ever walk down a food aisle? If everybody liked the same thing, we wouldn't have 60 boxes of fucking shredded wheats, you know. Yeah, yeah, right. Oh man, and it's just like when you go in and you order a bloody Mary and they give you a rail vodka. Like, I don't want rail vodka, I'm already hung over. Give me Tito's. Oh yeah, you get that Tito's, we want you. That's a huge reason why I wanted to do the interview with you today. One, um when I first met you like two years ago, uh, first impressions are everything to me. Like when I meet someone, and instantly when I met you, I was like, this chick is a badass. I I love her. Like you're honest, you're down to earth, but you are no bullshit. And I I knew that right away, just because of how you represent yourself, your character, how you are. It is badass. So I want to bow to you. Oh, don't bow. I cry during Disney movies. I'm afraid of the dark. The spider on my ceiling's been tormenting me for months. He thought we were friends apparently his whole life. I threw a flip-flop at him. They're not aerodynamic, it didn't get him. Now he knows I want him dead, and I have this creature that I'm terrified of knowing that I tried to kill him living in my kitchen. I'm I'm no badass. I just talked too fucking fast for my own good. No, I uh thank you though. Thank you. Because I I have dealt with a lot of shit. I'm just really not good at taking compliments. Yeah. But uh no, I've been looking forward to this and getting together with you and talking with you about this for a long time and watching everything you've been doing growing and expanding and stuff like that. Like I'm really fucking proud of you because doing that also as a mom and running a business, it's a lot. It takes a lot out of you on so many different levels that people just don't get, don't see, and appreciate because they sit there in their little cycles all day, and I can't sit there in that shit. I can't go in circles all day. I'll bang my head into a fucking wall. Like, I want to keep building and growing, and that's a big thing of why I'm so glad that I got to be a part of this with you today, and we'll be building with you in the future and working with everyone else, and working with Josh and Ryan, and Anna, and Angel, and Anna East, and everyone else down there at the fucking dive in. Like, I absolutely love them because they're it's been a it's been a good while since I just sat around people that also wanted to grow and do better and see the positive in the future and not just like shmeh shme every day, like it doesn't work like that, and like to be able to sit there and like they support what I do. Like I asked, I asked, I was like, is it okay if I'm making content in the bar and doing these things? Because I don't want to step on anyone's toes. And like I don't think people are hard enough on themselves these days, and uh, and then I also say that people are too hard on themselves because it's just not in the right way. Like, you're not pushing yourself to get further, but you're being hard on yourself for sitting in the cycle, like push yourself to be further and fuck off on that cycle, like stop giving it energy, and to be able to deal with some of the things that I've dealt with in my life and be able to heal from it and grow from it, and to get out of survival mode and to go into thriving and building that is a huge thing. And when I met you originally that's that was a turning point where I was, you know, putting my foot down and making my fucking, you know, I'm done taking the shit. So it's uh it's nice to have you fucking see that and it's hard to hear it because I I'm not good at hearing that shit. You're like, you're a tough guy. I'm like, I'm about to cry, dude. You're making me emotional. Oh fuck. You you have that that aura about you though. You um you're you are putting that that your footprint in that pathway, and it's it's it's uh healing and and energetically like just magnetizing for for especially a woman like me, and I'm vibing with it, and I think it's really badass. I'm real fucking proud of you. Yeah, I think everything you're doing is badass, and I look up to you and I admire you on all this. Like, this is what I've been working towards, and to see you sitting here and to get invited into your fucking home and to be a part of everything you're doing, like that's a lot. That's it's a lot. Like, I'm really proud of you. Like, I appreciate it. The energy, the love, the beautiful stones sitting out here. I was like, look, she's even got stones out for my anxiety. She's got me. I got you. I got you in so many ways. Um, so I I'm uh very appreciative of not only today, but our future and just getting to know you more. I I I'm loving it. So I look I look for the future in uh our friendship growing more. I love that. I support you 100%. Um the first question I wanted to ask you today is um what if you how do you handle a patron who is unhappy with their drink or has a a negative experience when they're sitting at your bar? I just assume that they're automatically having the worst day possible and they're just looking for a punch and bag. Yeah. And like I've dealt with enough people that are just unhappy with the situation that they're going on that that's what they're looking for. And it's okay, well, what do I need to do to make it better? What can I do to make you happy? And at the other point, it's that's fucking nice, dude. Yeah, you know, just smile. Like, I uh I'm probably more gentle about it than a lot of people, and you'll probably watch that change over the next few years as I get more vetted into it, and I've already been told I'm almost too nice. But I'm like, I just assume everybody's having the worst fucking day because I know how I've been at certain times in my life when I go out and I just you don't want to go home. You feel like you're about to fucking break down, and you're like, I just want to go somewhere where I feel comfortable and could fucking just relax. And it's whether it's the grocery bag ripping, you know, and your groceries going everywhere, or you just wanted this one good fucking bloody Mary, and I didn't realize, you know, I accidentally grabbed the lime juice instead of the lemon, you know, or you you're just not happy with anything you get. But trying to just understand that and see through that is a big thing because I think a lot of people just in this world don't really do that. So whether it's a drink or a piercing or a tattoo, like having to deal with them, it's just trying to figure out what's actually bothering them versus the situation that's happening. Because if you can address how to actually help that person feel better on the inside, like they're having a shit day. If you can make them smile and laugh and turn that around, and that can make them feel better for a longer extended time, then you know you really made a fucking mark. Because, like, just like with piercing and tattoos, when someone would come in and want something, they're nervous already, they could already be having a shitty fucking day. It's making them feel comfortable, dude. Like, I look like a big scary dude, but nobody expects me to literally be afraid of the dark and to cry at like everything. I have fucking feelings. Yeah, like if there's too many people in the serial aisle, I will walk around and come back because I won't go through them. Like I'm 5'10, 230 pounds, muscle meat, and tattoos. Like, I'm chunky, not a junky dude, but like I'm delicate. Yeah, I'm so delicate. Yeah, but I'm alright with that. But like trying to acknowledge people and just to see through the bullshit is a big fucking thing because once when you have the cranky old lady in that's everybody's like, watch out, she's really mean. And I'm like, nah, she fucking loves me, dude. Like, they're like, what? And I'm like, Yeah, we just vibe. Yeah, you just gotta hear people sometimes, and people that usually seem the roughest have probably been through the most shit. And to just try to get them through that is can make their whole fucking day, and that's what gets regulars to come back, that's what brings new regulars in, that's what keeps the bar full instead of it being fucking empty. Because if you can truly connect with the asshole of the day and turn their day around, kick everybody out. No, right? No, don't how the fuck will we get paid? We're at a fucking die bar. I'm not in a gown, I know, you know, like I probably didn't shower that fucking day. Like, you're lucky if I showered and put on eyebrows. Like I'm here. I'm here. Here's a drink. I appreciate you. And that's another thing that I try to always fucking say is like as soon as I hand you your drink, before you even fucking tip me, I tell you, thank you, and that I appreciate you. Because people don't hear that enough. And I know why my tip bucket is the way it is, you know, and why people come back the way they fucking come back when they stop going to the bars that they've been at and now are coming here every day. Like, I know why. I always tell uh the staff or just anyone in the bar industry, I'm like, the bar provides the space that we make the drinks, right? Yep. The rest is all up to you. Yep. The bar can't bring all the people in all the time, right? So you're gonna have to get a following and you're gonna have to figure that out. And some sometimes people are terrified of it, right? And it takes baby steps, and either you can find it or you can't you just you can't, right? Like I'll show you how to bartend, I can show you how to make drinks, but you're gonna have to figure out how you're gonna bartend. Yep. It's all part of the game. You can't teach energy. Like, I can't have somebody that's a you know, nervous to fucking talk to everybody people go and talk to everybody. You gotta find the person that's built for that shit. And I'm built for that shit. Yeah. Yeah. Like I get told I'm fat, you know, why do you have so many tattoos? Well, I sneezed one day and they showed up and they're like, what? They're there. Yeah, and then they just shut the fuck up about it, you know, and like that's fine. You know, it is what it is. Like I love it though, because uh in this bar industry for sure, especially after COVID, a lot of people just got out of it or they chose to get out of it, come back, what have you. But uh to see the volume of badass women that are bartending today, it just it gives me goosebumps. It makes me so so so fucking proud that um people still just still to make this a career. It's still a job. I still make great fucking money and I probably make more money bartending than I would a nine to five. I've been taking care okay, so I went from tattoo shops to taking care of people with disabilities because I wanted to get out of tattoo shops, and I love taking care of people with disabilities. I've never felt I've never done anything harder and I've never done anything that filled my heart more. But then when I fucked my back up, I was like, I can't go back to that. And then they offered me the job at the dive in, and I was just like, this is such an inter interesting industry with the dynamic because I have so many other female friends that are bartending, and I've you know, like had other places offer, and I'm like, I don't want to go work up, you know, fucking 45 minutes away every day in the winter. Like, I want to find something close, and then I found something off or close, and I was like, I don't want to do that and run a full fuck kitchen and cook all at the same time because I just don't fucking want to, like, I don't, and then the dive in popped up, and I was like, I fucking love this place. Like to find the type of people that keep coming back because of the energy, and they tell you that to have um my boss randomly messaged me the other day, and he had showed up on a Monday, which I was told Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays are the slow days of the week, which they are. It's never dead. Like, I have such a good fucking time, and like the good banter, and something that I've learned is with these, and I'm gonna gear towards the men for a second, is like the grumpy old men. Like, you guys are the funniest little motherfuckers ever. Like, but you're not people that are gonna go and talk to a therapist. You guys weren't, you know, they weren't geared towards that. It's just not what it was back then. It wasn't looked at like that. So when all of a sudden they have someone sitting there and they want to talk about their day, and you know, you are slow, so you have that extra few minutes. You could sit with them and listen to them about their day and talk about their past wife and how they're not really doing okay, but they just didn't want to go home. And now you could bring a smile to their face and make them feel like they fucking matter, and you know, have them in a good energy, and now they stayed for an extra hour, you know, and enjoyed themselves and bullshitted with the other guys, and now they're in a good mood. Like, I know why they come back, and then like with the the older ladies too, like they're so smart, like the wonderful stories, the gardening tips and stuff like that that I learned. Also the fact that they make me blush like a fucking sailor. I'm like, I can't believe you just said that, you know, like with their jokes and the humor, and and it's the stories that are gonna be lost someday because someday they're not gonna be able to tell these stories anymore or share this knowledge, and when you can get that out of adopted grandmas and grandpas that swing in every week, like you hold that, and it's the shit that hits the heart. Like when you have a random fucking birthday party and people show up that you can't even remember their name because I've only been there a few months. But I know what you drink, yes, double Tito Cranberry Splash. I got you, you know, but like I can't remember her name, but like they they fucking care. It's that uh it's that small town environment that you get at a dive bar that a lot of places don't find anymore. Or they just remember certain things that you've said, right? Or the color that you like, or what your kid's birthday is. They show up with nasal spray because they know your allergies are bad and it's never even been opened. Like they're like, I get a special deal at Walgreens. I got this for you. That's what really melts my heart. Uh, because I definitely, you know, I spend time with my family and friends when I fucking can, but a a lot of my time and energy I put into my home bar. And that's my the the people that come into the paradise are my family. Like they're the paradise fam. Like we're all just one big fucking happy fucking dysfunctional family. Yeah, and it's welcome to dysfunction junction. It's lovable, right? But we all get to show up who we are, and that's what I love about bartending and managing and just being in this industry is that I get to I'm able to do that. And that's fucking awesome. Yeah. I wasn't able to do that in some of the industries that I put myself in before. I tried to fit in this box, and I was like, I don't want to be in that box anymore. I wanna like look outside the fucking box. What's outside the box? Fuck cages! This box is a cage of sin and I fucking hate it. But I didn't realize that that was part of my growth as I've gotten older to be a comfortable mice in my skin. So yeah, I had to realize that I'm not letting other people down. I'm just not letting myself down anymore. I don't give a fuck about anybody's opinion. And I and when I say that, I do. There's a lot of people, if I ask your opinion, I care about it, I value it. But a lot of these people, I'm like, I don't know how you guys get to vote. Like, I don't wanna I don't wanna listen to you. Uh your opinion doesn't matter to me. And how are you gonna tell me I shouldn't be eating this deep fried pound of bacon when you just smoked meth, dude? Shut the fuck up. Like don't talk to me about that. Yeah, so like, no, but like uh dealing with that, and then also going back to what you originally asked me, it was like how you deal with the asshole client. It's like everybody's gonna have their bad fucking day, but like when you can get them to realize that like it's their dysfunctional home and like you're there, like that's a huge fucking thing. When you can let them feel seen, even when they're being a prick and you're like, all right, Rob, I understand. You know, you fucking dick. I just totally used my brother's name. That's alright, you're a dick, and I still fucking love you. I'm sorry, we'll can we'll we'll reconnect someday. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. Um, so do you this the saying that I'm about to say is the customer is always right. Do you think that's true or false? This isn't fast food, this is a die bar. Are you fuck kidding me? Like, dealer's choice at that point. I'm giving you Marlo. Like, I'm I'm done with you. Like, we're not playing this game. No, the the no, you're drunk. You're drinking. I'm sorry. At this point, a bartender, as far as I'm concerned, is an adult babysitter who serves you booze. That's it. Because you guys aren't controlled enough to serve yourself booze. That's why you come here. Right. Otherwise, you'd be drunk in your basement. No one wants to be drunk with you in your basement, so you have to come to where we are. So no, I uh I before I will threaten to take your drink and I will tell you to calm down, I will threaten timeout. I love that. Like, I don't know if anybody else out there is doing this, but I Yeah, it's my thing. I like it. I don't care if you're an adult. This is my space to handle. It's either get the fuck on timeout and then I'll let you finish your drink and you could chill out. Or I'm gonna keep you drinking, you can get the fuck out. Yeah. Yeah. And they'll stand on timeout and then apologize. At least they understand it, right? Well, like, don't make me don't make I'm on day shift. I barely work nights. Like, I'll cover nights, but I'm day shift Monday through Friday, except Thursdays. Okay. And uh those are your rules during day shift. Yeah. I'm fucking done at 5 30, dude. Like, it's fucking two o'clock in the afternoon. I get it's your fucking Monday fun day, but like, no, you're not WWE wrestling in here. Get on timeout, and then you're buying everyone a shot, and then you're calming the fuck down. Yes, Frank. So, okay, let's talk about this. So, with comedy, yeah. That that is your your comedy name. Yeah. Is Frank Frankie fucking nine lives. Yeah, Frankie Nine Lives. It started out as Frankie, and then uh at some point I was that's gonna sound so weird. I was partying with a bunch of clowns. Yeah, uh, I was partying with a bunch of clowns, and uh we just they trashed this bar with clitter glitter. Uh sorry, Hannah. At the Whistle, we love you very much. This was years back. I think I heard about it. Yeah, they glittered the fucking bar. I was not one of them, I'm not one of them, but they they attempted to initiate me. Thank you, Tristan. I still love you. Uh but this whole like clown gang in Madison, adult, like they're I fucking love them. But they they were like, we fucking adopt you, you're nine lives now. And I was like, Yeah, alright. And I fucking painted my face and went out and glitter and was like, woo, right? Just Ric Flair wooed that shit all night. And uh they were like, if you don't they looked at him, they're like, if you don't stop throwing fuck glitter, you gotta get the fuck out. And they're like, oh no. I was like, you guys, what the fuck is happening? I was like, that's what I get for hanging out with clowns, right? Literally. Thank you, Madison, Wisconsin. But yeah, that's uh that's where nine lives came from. It's not a fucking cat thing. I was thinking that. I was like, is this a cat thing? No, I made a joke that I just wasn't fucking dead yet, and the clowns started calling me nine lives, which it could be referred to a cat, whatever, but I don't give a fuck. I wasn't called a cat, and they were clowns that name me, and it wasn't kitty nine lives, it's fucking Frank. So, like, no, sure, you want to put a cat thing on it, but it's not a cute one, dude. It's like maybe it's like the cute kitty, and then when you get too close, I just scratch fucking eyes out, like yeah, it just kind of fucking fell into my lap, and then uh that's that's how comedy fell in my lap too. Yeah, like uh, because Frank Frank didn't come from comedy, Frank came from back in the day and then uh modified into the tattoo shops because I'm not really a Mandy or an Am or an Amanda, you know, but in the tattoo shops, if you're a female, everyone's it's you've seen those t-shirt cannons, right? Where they shoot a t-shirt cannon off into the stairs, yeah, whatever, where all the fucking people are sitting, and then uh, but now you fill it full of dicks and all those dicks are unsolicited, shot at your fucking face every day. That's how it is being a female working in a tattoo shop. Like everybody's trying to throw you your their dick, and I'm like, it's crazy how you guys can send me pictures so easily, but you should probably send that to your doctor because your dick looks like braille, bro. I'm not blind and I can read that shit over here. Like, fuck. But like I just got sick of it and I went by Frank out there, so then Frankie just stuck, and then I went to the fire dancing um and hung out with uh I got to hang out with the Wisconsin Burning Man fire, like the Wisconsin Burning Man group and met up with them, and I was able to perform uh like LED live performance art at Obreck Gardens when they opened for Gleam. Okay. So I got to be a part of that on opening night, which was amazing. First time I've ever performed in front of 5,000 fucking people. Not nervous at all. No, no, I I was like, I'm sweating. I'm so glad it was dark out because I painted my whole fucking face black and like I mean, like had pretty purple eye shit on, but like I just wore all black. I blacked my entire self out and was like, I'm just gonna cover myself in LEDs and no one will know it's me. And I'm just sat there with these wings and LED shit and fucking danced around and was like, No one knows. I blended. Fuck, it was so much fun though. But yeah, then Frankie just drug over and then it just stuck. And then when the comedy stuff happened, I was uh out at a fucking die bar and I got a call, and they were like, uh, you need to come in and do comedy. And I was like, I don't fucking do comedy. And Greg Delman, bless his heart, rest in peace. He passed away this last year uh in a horrible car accident. Um sorry to hear that. I love his family, Desi and his kids uh plugged their band real quick, grind, absolutely fucking amazing. Female metal singers, phenomenal. Um, but yeah, he uh he called me up and he was like, So I got this venue up in Portage called Studio 301, which is now no longer there. They recently closed, but he's like, We're doing comedy up here, come up. And I was like, I don't do comedy. And he's like, Have you ever had a fucking beer with you, Frank? I was like, Well, I have drank with myself, so yes, I have. He's like, just get the fuck up here. And I was like, Dude, I I can't right now. And the people I were with were like, Yeah, I know we're fucking going. And I was like, No, they're like, We're fucking going. And I was like, Alright, like, here we go. Let's go! Yeah, and we fucking take off in our Mario Karts and head up to Portage and they throw me on stage, and apparently I fucking killed it. Uh, not apparently, everybody fucking died, dude. It was it was fucking awesome, and then they just started booking me and asking me to run events, and then all these other people that I've drank with and own bars were like, You're doing comedy now? You need to come do comedy here because you're fucking funny. And I'm like, Okay, so you guys are laughing with me, not at me. That's great, but also like fuck, dude, like what the fuck am I? I don't want to just show up. How am I supposed to like fill all this time? Because like you want like a stint of time. So that's when I started reaching out to other comedians. Uh fucking saved up, busted ass, got all my own fucking equipment, and now I have a great group of comedians that we bounce around the state and do a dive bar tour with. The first one was my morally bankrupt die bar tour. I got I got told I couldn't be dated because I was morally bankrupt, so I coined it into a comedy thing. I was like, oh, that's funny. We're great. It's my comedy, dude. I'm not really fucking people's grandpas, you know. Like, I'm not eating people, I don't have skin suits, like, yes, I pee outside, but that's only because I'm a unicorn and we're majestic, you know, like the fuck. So, like, yeah, that's just I coined it. And then this last year, it's my morally bankrupt sorry, not sorry edition. I love that. Yeah, because fuck you guys. Sorry, not sorry, sorry, yeah, fucking run with that shit all day, dude. It holds. And uh he actually this me and this guy ended up reconnecting, right? My relate my long term fell apart, and me and this guy fucking ran back together because mutual friends and blah blah blah. It doesn't fucking matter. So he ends up like, I'm totally going into adult things. He ends up back at my house and uh we're in the it's in the morning and I'm you know well trained broad. Like I liked you enough to have you over. I wake you up with coffee, you know, and a little adult activity. So I walk in and I was like, So before I hand you this coffee mug, I have to tell you, remember how you told me you could never do this with me because I'm the most morally bankrupt person you ever met? And he goes, Yeah, and he's laying there naked in my bed, like just looking at me, just yeah, like it's out, you know. And I'm like, so I coined it. He's like, What? I was like, it's what I made milk comedy tour as. And he's like, what? And I move my hand and my mugs as morally bankrupt just over it as I hand him the coffee, and I'm like, just standing there, tits out, coffee in hand, like, here you go. Fucking, there you go. Fucking A. Like, yeah, yeah. That didn't last again either. It's okay. No sympathy for the weak. Right. Oh god, no. It's uh no, like the comedy stuff, it's all been blowing up the morally bankrupt. I went up there, just started doing events, started getting all the equipment together, pulling the comedians together, and now we bop around the fucking state, pulling in, uh, getting supported by PBR, Lunar. Uh I think PBR was about three years ago now. Lunar has been about two, and then also uh THC social, which you know, fun things today. But uh yeah, yeah, like just big things, being fucking recognized, yeah. And like I have some people that have invited me like out of state to do stuff, but I'm like, pay me. Yeah, just fucking pay me, and I'm good. And like um, I have another friend that I absolutely love. He's really been blowing up in like the country rock scene. I'll I'll plug him real quick. Big Buck BZ. Um, my good friend Brandon, who is absolutely amazing, who has grown up in this area by Portage and stuff like that, um, has been opening up uh with like Yellow Wolf and Struggle Jennings and that whole fucking crew out there, and he's definitely talked to me about collaborating on some things and being parts of things, but nothing's been put in stone, so I'm not gonna brag about that too much. But to just be able to support and see how there are so many people like you and him, and I have other friends, you know, like Amanda from THC Social and Lucas from Lunar and Ben Nicholas from fucking PBR to have so many amazing people in my life that are willing to support this and just to not even to know where it's going, but they're like, we fucking believe in you and like we see where you want to take this and we're fucking on board. Yeah, it's fucking huge. And in reality, I want to do all of this just so I can get a chunk of land to move into the middle of nowhere and be by myself. Yes, period. Yeah, yeah. Just let me be in the middle of nowhere. I'll be fine. That's where I want to be someday too. We'll be there. We'll be there on my campground and it'll be fucking majestic as fuck. I'm so excited. We'll do this for a living. Yeah, it'll be great. Yes. Yeah, it's only been getting bigger and better every fucking year, so why not keep doing it? No one else is. Like I love it. I love it when I see other people doing it and getting it and fucking chasing their dreams. I get really fucking depressed when I walk into a dive bar that I haven't been in in five years, or you know, a good stint of time, and everybody is still sitting there staring at little glasses that take away big dreams. And I say that like that because I do work in a dive bar, but like that's to facilitate my happiness. It is not the end goal is to be sitting there every day. I mean, maybe when I'm retired. Yeah. But then I still just want to be in the woods, drunk in the woods on a golf cart. Yeah. I don't know why I whispered it. I just keep pushing the positive manifestations and it'll all happen. Just like this with you today. I'm so proud of you. I'm a firm believer of what you believe and what you put out there coming back for us. Where do you like to go for the good cocktail when you are for it? Fuck, I stay at work. Never leave. Clock in, clock out, and don't leave. Um, I can't say just that. Uh, I love North of the Bay. I definitely have to plug them while I'm here. Uh, it's where I do my comedy nights every single Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. We do an open mic. That open mic is pretty much the slingshot into getting booked in upcoming paid events because they fucking pay and they pay nicely for comedians. Um, you know, and you get the photos and you get to say you're in a fucking PBR sponsored event with the other fucking sponsors and like your you know, just get out there. But yeah, I know every fucking Tuesday and then the third Friday of every month. But like uh yeah, no, if I'm not sitting down at the dive, I love to go down to north of the bayou. They got great foot too. I love their beignets. Uh they gotta it's it's a multi-level bar. Like their parking lot is so huge that even when it looks it's so fucking big. It's huge. Like the basement is big and beautiful. That's where we do the comedies. They also do like uh DJ nights. Uh, what is it? Like they're with me Tuesdays, Wednesdays it's trivia, Thursdays it's karaoke, Friday. They have like house and EDM DJs come in. Um, and then what is it? Uh Saturdays they do their Latin Club nights, but on the main level, they have new specials going on. They got like on Tuesday nights now, they have free pool wing specials going on, drink specials going on with PBR and Lunar. They have great house drinks, good fun cocktails. You can go sit outside on the patio, multiple like wraparound patio, different areas at night. They have the little fireplaces you can light up and sit out there. But like, yeah, like those are like my definitely little niches. I used to really like going downtown a lot more, but I thought I'm fucking 40. Like, I'm pushing 40 this month. Like, it's downtown's gotten a little more uh I don't know, nice. I'm not mad about it, but like I like my and that's another thing is like I do like my trashy dye bars, and the two bars that I'm plugging are not trashy right now, but they feel like home and they're comfortable when you're sitting in them. I don't like having to look over my shoulder or constantly being bumped into or having some weird guy try to smell my fucking hair, you know, like you're purred. I'm like, sorry, sir, let me tuck my penis back real quick, and they're like, What? And I'm like, mm-mm, yes, sir. They're like, fuck. I'm like, it's cool. Are you into anal? And they're like, what? And I'm like, ah, struggle, snuggles. They're like, no. No, it sucks when that doesn't get them away. And then you're like, fuck. But no, I think it's I think it's good for what to to have your home bar that you work at, right? And then just have like one or two spots that you your go-tos. Yeah, no, I uh God, I fucking I hate that it's drama. Um, yeah, no, I used to love to get done and like I'm uh and it's not even like like I'm in fucking sweatpants, dude. Like I'm not you know, and I hate the term like shoes asking for it. I'm like, you're right, you're right. I was wearing a dress and my hoo-hoos were jacked up like dog the bounty hunter. Like, no, I'm not playing these games. But no, there was a bar that I really like to fucking go to. So I just started going down to like Dutch Mill again, Chiefs, Jade Monkey is nice. I really like the little cottage grove strip right there, like it's really fucking nice, and there's it's a good strip of dive bars that isn't like even the jade, like you can get fancy ass fucking drinks there, but like it's not like it's fancy, but it's not uncomfortable fancy. Yeah, it's a really good fucking vibe. Yeah, but like I don't know, I like I like my CD places, uh you know, Chiefs, yeah, chiefs. Like the horseshoe, and then I'll fancy it up and go to off Broadway right there, you know, and sit out on the patio. And um they've been bringing in more of like a younger group and stuff like that. It's really nice to have a good place to hang out and dance and have fun that isn't just downtown. Yeah, and it's so big, like there is that space, and it's nice when you have bars that if you do get too drunk or you feel like you need to leave your car, it's not getting towed overnight. Right. So to have cute little parking lots where you're not coming back and your tires are gone and your windows are smashed in, you're like, fuck, I didn't even have any cigarettes in there, you know? Like, was the 75 cents in the ashtray worth it? Like, I don't I don't miss those things about downtown, but I you know, downtown is not the way it was 20 years ago when I started drinking down there. I love going down to the paradise and hanging out down there, and uh like gamma rays really nice, and you know what is it, the fucking tornado rooms got good food and everything, but I don't think I've actually drank on State Street. You can't even remember. It's been a minute. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think it was the point ten.10K or whatever, fucking JJO a few years ago. I didn't know it was a run. Or like I thought it was like a real run. I didn't know it was a quarter of a block. So like I showed up in gym shoes and sober, and I was like, All right, let's do it. Yeah, are you are you ready? And my girlfriend's looking at me and she's like, the fuck? I was like, we're doing a run, and she's like, from here to there, and then we drink, and I was like, Oh, thank God, thank god, I thought I was gonna die. I was just really trying to stay positive. But no, I'm uh I'm actively open right now looking for a new favorite dive bar after work because I know I don't want to lose my job for getting shitty afterwards and I don't like being touched. So, like, there are nights where I want to get off work and go and have a fucking drink and not worry about it. Yeah. And you know, if something happens, I'm not worried about getting fired and getting into a fucking fight because I don't know why, but it just happened. Yeah, I I think I need to get like shirts or signs that say friendly, don't touch. Yeah. Like good person, not friendly. Just not friendly, not friendly, not friendly, don't fucking approach, don't touch. Yeah. Everyone's like, no, you look like we're friends, and I'm like, no. Like, uh, what is it? I was joking the other day. My my on-shift voice. Oh my god, hi guys. What can I get you to drink? That's great. Do you want light ice, heavy ice? What kind of vodka do you want? Meh, meh, meh, meh, meh, meh. My off voice is like, that's great. Meh, meh, shh mehh. Like, I'm not fucking friendly. I sound like I smoke too many cigarettes. I know why I don't use this voice at work. Everyone thinks I'm mean. You know, I know. As I go home and watch Disney movies by myself. I know. I do the same. I love me a Disney movie. Oh, it's so good. It's my go-to. You ever watch the band Disney shows? No. Old school band Disney cartoons. You can watch them fight Nazis and fucking all types of racist shit. Dude, I was like, how the fuck? I got it somewhere downstairs on VHS. Like, I fucking saved these things. I was like, huh. Yeah, we're going. Oh yeah. Down a fucking black and white tunnel hole of what the fuck did I just watch? And these were the morning cartoons. Now I know why Grandpa turned out how grandpa turned out. Disney's just been conditioning us for the last 80 fucking years. It's fine. I know, right? What uh is your the strangest drink request you've ever received from a customer? Um sound effects and I love it. Um I don't know how oh god. It's not even a weird drink. I don't know how people can drink Merlot. No. Well the fuck, I'm not saying it right. It tastes like burnt tires and orange peels. It's not fucking wine. It's a fucking Illinois shit. Oh my god. Not Merlot. I know what it is. I don't have my phone on me to Google it. I don't either. Oh, it's so bad. I don't know how anyone could order it. I smelled it once. A girlfriend made it into a mar like a drink, and she had me try it, and I was like, mm-hmm. I don't understand how you guys could do this. Um M-A Marlot. M-A-R-L-O-T. No. How the fuck do you spell it? I don't know. I couldn't spell I can't spell shit. I mean I could spell shit, but S-H-I-T, but I can't spell much else. It's not a wine. No. Oh. What is that? How do you pronounce it? Yeah. Marlot? No. Fucking god damn it. Melort. Melot! What? That's how hungover I am. Mallort. Fucking Malort. I don't I don't know how people it's not even a fucking mixed rink. It's a shot. If anyone's like, I like some Melort, I'm like, why do you hate yourself? Like people ask for it though all the fucking time. Nope. All the time. I'm like, you want just gasoline and the shot glass? You just want to eat trash and burnt orange peeled? Like just drink it out of a dirty tire. Like, I don't f yeah. Oh my god. Yeah, you have to special palate for it. Jepson's Malort is a nutritious, 70-proof, Swedish style wormwood liqueur. Or I can't pronounce that. We're gonna blame that on public school. Famously based in Chicago. Thanks, Chicago. Hi town. Your liquor sucks, the bear sucks. I get it, you got the pulp, but the bears still suck. The bears still suck. Fuck. I wish I had my Chris Farley broad fucking skirt. Oh, I love Chris Farley. We should do a Chris Farley edition. We should. I'm down. I'll just start having a heart attack. We can get Amanda from THC Social to be Ditka. It's fine. Perfect. We're doing it. It's happening. So speaking of hangovers, what would Amanda's hangover cure be? Oh god. What helps cure your hangover? A bloody Mary white bread with butter and weed. It's a perfect combination. I've recently become more of a bloody Mary snob. Um lots of hot sauce, lots of horseradish. Mild on the hot sauce and horseradish. Good amounts of Worcestershire Shire sauce. You use A1. Yes, a little bit. And then uh I really like I used to use Yeah, a pinch, but that can get very overwhelming. I like a lot of pickle juice. I don't even uh I tap it into my hand and then go like that and put it in it. Because otherwise it's always too much. Um a lot of pickle juice, and then recently I fell in love with uh filthy. Oh fuck, filthy, please pick me up. I would love for you to sponsor me in April. That would be amazing. We could just have cute little bloodies here, it's great. Wink wink and nudge nudge. Do it. Um no, filthy is fucking amazing, and it comes in a bag, which threw me off. But uh, like zigzag and stuff like that's good for pre-made. But filthy, I didn't have to add anything, nothing, like absolutely nothing. It was fucking delicious. Um yeah, yeah, just pick your favorite vodka or I go with Tito. Yeah, yeah. Filthy, uh bloody mix, uh extra squeeze of pickle juice, uh. It revives you, it brings you back to life. Electrolytes, it's what Frank craves. Yeah, no, uh, I'll fucking I'll bring some, dude. It's fucking, it's fire. And then uh I just have to have not like no no alcohol. So we'll have to make virgins for me. That's alright. I'm always good with fucking around with a virgin. Okay, I like it. Yes. Yeah. Um, actually, we don't have to have virgins. Um, I have liquid THC from uh Lunar, which is a non-flavored liquid THC, so we could add five to ten milligrams of that to our fucking bloodies and just do that. Yeah. Fuck yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we'll have some uh what uh we gotta have a different name though. Yeah. Nobody's talked about this yet. How are we gonna coin this new bloody? Cause it's not a it could be a bloody Mary Jane. There we go. Versus just a bloody Mary. Yeah. A blare a bloody Jane. Yeah. Yeah. Bloody MJ? MJ. Yeah. It looks like we're gonna have some bloody MJs. Yeah! Yes! Fuck yeah. Um, what is Amanda's year looking like? What's your goals? What's uh any vacations? What's what's life look? What what's what's going on? Uh let's get through May first. Okay. Uh no, every month is kind of looking the way this month is ending up right now. Um this weekend we did the the sundress party yesterday at the dive for it to support body positivity, and we brought in a taco truck for that because tacos and you know, body love is great. And then uh next weekend I have a show out in West Bend. I'm doing stand-up comedy out there. Fuck um, I should have the name of that place on me right now, and I'm spacing on it. Um I'll fucking I'll grab it in a second. And then I have what is it, the following weekend? I got another comedy show at North of the Bayou. The next weekend after that is Auto Motion. So we're going up there after the comedy event, I'll be heading straight up to Auto Motion and then be plugging THC social and doing comedy up there for that. You sleep? Yeah. Yeah. I sleep a lot. I love sleep. It's my favorite fucking thing is to cuddle up with my cats and my pillows. Um, and then the following weekend we're going out Memorial Weekend, floating down the sugar river. We got a group site at Mini Hur. Yeah, taking my son floating down the river with his best friend and staying and camping and doing food all weekend. And yeah. Yeah, fuck. Uh I gotta I gotta grab it. I gotta plug West Bank. Yep. You grab that girl. Floating down the sugar river. Oh my god. It's uh I fucking love it. Uh have you ever I love going up there too. Have you ever been up to the Kickapoo River? No, no Kickapoo. Ontario, Wisconsin. Fucking beautiful. Uh world's twistiest river. Okay. Um I like being outside. Same. Like if I'm not working, I'm outside. We should do this on the road too. Yeah. Go hit up state parks and do banter. That'd be cool. Fuck yeah. Um, okay, who am I looking for? I'm looking for Pete. So uh I'll talk about Peter for a second. I work with Peter Roberts down in West Bend. He is a wonderful comedian. Um, I got to meet him when I first started. Okay. Alright, guys. God damn it. They do these fucking group chat things, and I am so digi-dumb. Like group chats are challenging for me. I finally got a little groove down with the group chats. I'm in so many of them. And then we get a new one for every comedy event that's going on. So you have to go back to older ones. Yeah, and I'm like, where the fuck is the group event? God damn it. Yeah, no, I'm down in West Bend. Um, oh, bogeys. Here we go. Oh, bogeys. May 9th. Saturday, May 9th. Ooh, it's a Saturday show. That'll be fucking fun. Usually I'm down there Friday night. Saturday night? Yeah, so Saturday night, bogeys on Main Street down in West Bend. Uh 160th. 160 South Main Street, West Bend, Wisconsin, May 9th, starting at 8 p.m. This will be fucking good. I uh Peter's hosting. I got Grizzy coming up, and Kate, who I recently had down in my fucking shows down here. Um, just great fuck comedy. I'm gonna assume it's a ten dollar cover. I'm not gonna open the event page. You'll just show up and pay for it if you want to be there. If not, too fucking bad. You'll pay anyways. You already drove. It's happening. Yeah, yeah. So it's just ridiculous amounts. I'm I'm trying to stick to just my open mics on Tuesdays. I have the show the third Friday of every month. That's booked in for out. And then I travel and do the other shows, not including the dive bar tours that I'm working on and setting up. So it just gets full really quick. And I'm trying to keep the summer a little more open because I want more time with my son and going out to state parks and doing all of that family things. And then once you know, summer starts to lull again, it'll be back to that. So this summer it'll be breaking into the podcast, more shit at home, uh taking it on the road, which is everything that I have also, so we can like bop around and go and do the shit and it's all travelable. Yeah, we get to travel with what we our equipment have. We got it. Yeah, we have all the things. Yeah, fucking just building and building and support. Yeah. Uh I want you are very inspiring. Um it's very cool what you're doing, what you're gonna be doing. I I say keep doing it. You're you're doing amazing things, Amanda. It's very, very cool to see. Thank you. Very cool to see. I like to usually end my interview with just like an inspirational quote just for good ending with vibes. And I saw this the other day. It says, uh, vulnerability is a is a moment. Authenticity is a decision you make every day to not shrink. One is courage, the other is character. Oh, I love that. Yeah, so I wanted to share that with you. So I uh look for our future, and I hope we can keep doing this. And thank you for coming today. All about it. All about it. I love you so much, April, and I really appreciate being a part of it, and I'm really excited to see how uh how we're gonna make this shit just continue to grow. Yeah, thanks, bruh. I love you. Fuck yeah, all the positive support. I'd like to give a special thanks to Chloe Louise Webster for music, social media, and everything she does. Charlie Monroe Kane, amazing human being. Thank you for helping me get this podcast up and going again. And to my amazing, amazing supportive family. As always, be safe. Tip your bartender and server.