Untitled Episode

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:16

On a street so evil, so bad that even hell disowned it. Every single step was trouble for the fool who stumbled on it. Eyes within was bright were watching. I felt the sudden chill of danger. Something told me keep on walking. Told me I should not have come there, baby. Cause you cut me like a knife. Without your love in my life. Alone I walk in the night. Y'all know what that is? It's torture. Huh?

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

It's torture. It's torture. Now, first of all, surprise, surprise, it's not Wednesday. And we're actually not at the black house. There is no Quincy here today. So you know, you won't hear me say Quincy! We have Gio. And Gio is Latino, so technically I guess this is the Brown House today. Okay. Kinda sort of.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

I sing that song that was Torture by the Jacksons. And if you know anything about the Jacksons, you know that they were sort of the spinoff of the Jackson 5. The whole Barry Gordy thing and whatever. But I chose that song because if you are a bandhead, you know that when the ocean of soul marches into the game, and then and then and then the motion be like y'all.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Yes, I am.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

He played baritone for the ocean of soul. I don't know. When was your crab year?

SPEAKER_00 2:29

2005.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

2005 was his crab year. If I was in the band, that would have been my crab year too.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

It would have been my crab year, but I didn't get to when I was working at the president.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Crab president, crab, the best crab class, all the things. All the things.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

All the things. So y'all are still trying to figure out who the who the guest is. Uh my aunt Tanya is watching. Ladies and gentlemen, y'all know this is kind of a political thing. We call it the Black House. When you think of politics, not only in Houston, not just in Texas, but I would say nationally. When you think of Barack Obama, when you think of Joe Biden, when you think of Kamala Harris, you think of the gentleman sitting right next to me. Y'all know how we do this. To my right, your left, can we say H N I C? Can we say H N I C?

SPEAKER_00 3:32

No, no, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

One of the most inspiring voices in politics today, the one and only Kamal Mandela Marshall. Welcome to the Brown House.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Thank you. Thank you. Now he's known me all these years. He said Camal is Camaya.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Camal. Kamaya. Camaya.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Yes. And I've known Darrell for some time. Yes. I give him a pass.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Yes. There we go. There we go. There we go. So y'all will notice he's in a DMV these days, but he is Texas-esque.

unknown 4:03

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Okay. A F today. So it's like he is ready for the rodeo. I guess when you when you don't live in Texas anymore and you visit, you have to do this.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

You have to do it.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

I mean, I'm in Texas more than I probably should be, but this is one of my homes. Absolutely. I can't seem to get away and shake Houston off. There you go. I've tried so many times.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

There you go. So we started this off. You were a bandhead. Tell us what it was like. Tell us about the or the origin story that starts at Texas Southern University.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Man, okay. So first, for transparency, I big band head. Okay. Since not even high school, since elementary school, I have older siblings, and out of my three older siblings, two of them were also in the band.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Which band?

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Uh my second eldest brother went to John C. Smith, so it was small. But when I was younger, we lived by Morgan State, so I used to hear their band. Uh, and my my brother before me, my third eldest brother, he was in Morris Brown College's band. Okay, this is at their peak, they were in drumline. All the I got a front row seat to all of that. Okay. And so I knew I was going to a black college, I knew I was gonna be in a band, and I told my brothers, I'm going to a swag band. Okay, the swack is where it's at. Yes, and that's why I used to tell them all the time. So I didn't, my family and parents did not have to sway me to go to HBCU. I knew I was gonna go to HBCU, I knew I was gonna be in a black college band, and I wanted to be in a good one. Okay, and I actually was looking at at the time, it was like, okay, Morris Brown actually had lost their accreditation a little bit before I graduated. And my original goal was okay, I'm gonna go to Morris Brown, then transfer and finish at Morehouse. And I was like, you know what? No, I'm not staying home in Georgia, absolutely not. So I looked at Howard, Howard's. I love Howard, I love you all a lot. But we're not on the list when it comes to the band. They have a great history. Yes. Uh, I looked at North Carolina A T. They were really good at the time, but it just wasn't enough for me. But I do like their band.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Yeah. Uh, I looked at Tennessee State. NCAT, I mean, they have a unique town. They have a very but what are they, Miyak? They're miak.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Now they're now they're in another yeah, they're in a different conference now. Uh, but at the time they were miak. Uh, I looked at Tennessee State, the aristocratic bands. I did not want Famu because I like I do like Famu and I respect their history and style, but I'm as a baritone player, I play very aggressive.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Yeah, and they're symphony, they're marching symphony.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yes, yeah, and the two bands that I was shout out to my my friends in school, they can back me on this, especially one of my best friends, uh Wilbert Williams, i.e., Will, he plays trombone for everybody. Um, I was my top schools was Jackson State and Southern University. And so I was pretty much headed to Jackson or Southern, but I knew I was going to major in communications. Now, granted, I was gonna be a double major and it was music education and communications, and I did start off at Tech Southern like that. But before I go get there, long story short, I said, you know what? If I go to Southern, I'm gonna have to shave my headball. Believe it at that time, I had a lot of hair on my head. I had locks. Okay, and I was like, and I had braces, and I was like, I was like, if I go to Southern, my life is just gonna be banned. Yeah, yeah, yes, and I mean I like that, but I don't know. Then I was like, Jackson, it was gonna be the same thing. Then it boiled down to me really truly being into communications and media, media markets. I'm like, okay, if I go to Jackson or Southern, I was like, Oprah had she kind of sold it for me because she went to Tennessee State, and I was like, I can probably play that in Nashville, but I was like, I don't know if I can play Jackson State, like if I'm trying to compete in LA or New York, I don't know if I could do that with Southern or Jackson come out of Baton, Baton Rouge, Louisiana or Jackson, Mississippi, Texas Southern. I said, You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Because of the media market, the media market.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Okay, I said I can go to college in a major city. I said, This will sharp me. You have, I didn't know much about University Houston or Rice at the time, but I was like, I'm in a competitive environment, I like competition. Yeah, I was like, this is probably the best choice. And I said, they brand their band has a lot of potential, and I was like, I'm gonna do Texas Southern. My mom and parents, they was like, What is a Texas Southern? I was like, I this is I think this is the this is my school. Yeah, long story short, got to Texas Southern, talked so much smack to my family, and when my parents drove off, gosh, they're gone, and I'm stuck out here in Texas. Guess what? What it was the best experience of my life. I'm still coming here.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Okay, okay. Okay, so who was band director back then?

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Uh Professor, no, Professor Richard F. Lee. Gibson was actually my uh freshman year, that was his second year on staff. So I was uh at the time we were very close. I I've always been close to my band directors. Um, but Professor uh Richard Lee, uh Prof. I am uh, as in the ocean we say, I am Kamaya Lee Ocean Marshal.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Okay, okay, Lee Ocean.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Uh so got here in 2005 and I I made the right decision. Uh my first year, we blew Jackson State out. So it was good to see them and like, yeah, I made the right decision.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Favorite, favorite, like your era ocean of soul like stand tunes. Like, like give me the top three.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

That's hard. That's hard to do.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Uh, I mean, for me, it's easy. I would say I love Texas Southern's neck. I think it is it is bar none. So let me tell you about that.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Like, first of all, Texas Southern is the first HBCU band, the first band to play neck. Really? It's a little room out there about Norfolk. It's a bad article that is not factually checked about Norfolk State being the first, but actually, Texas Southern University, Ocean of Soul, was the first band to play I started to sing that.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

That was gonna be the original song, but it was like, well, we cuss it and fuss. Right. But guess who struck? Because nobody, but then I was like, no, I wanted to do a little something. So okay, so Texas Some did it first.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

But my first, if I had to pick my three songs, it's hard. First of all, I crabbed an 05. My sophomore year was 06. I I had just crossed Kappa Kappa Sai, which is the band fraternity. Uh throwing K's. So I throw K's, I'm gonna push K's, we can't push K's. I haven't pushed them in a long time. People would be shocked to see me doing that like that. Um, but my sophomore year, I mean, we were aggressive, we were we were bullies, we ran the swat. Uh, my era, we were let me ask you something.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Absolutely. So you were were you did you go to the Houston Jamboree Ballet of Bands? There was a Delmar Stadium in 05. And 05 and 06. Yes, I did.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

Oh six. I performed at both of them. Okay, definitely 06.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

I remember that one. Guess what? What's up? That was my event. What the world?

SPEAKER_00 11:18

How did I not know him? That was my event. I know, so it was crazy. Did you know this guy named uh my god? Marchingsport.com. I mean, I know marching sport.com. No, Alex Boshe. Yes. Alex was like in my in that era of time, and he was one of my first friends. We met online, uh, and I was like, I'm coming to Texuther.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

He was like a Houston guru of the band scene in Houston, and he would be at Westbury. So I was in a band at Westbury. Oh wow, so he was at Westbury's band, I mean, at band hall, all the time. I'm trying to remember, I'm trying to remember Janae. He was with Janae. I forget Janae's name. I've heard that name. They were together for a little bit and they're not long. I remember that. I remember her. But he was because she played flute, and I remember him playing Boogie Wonderland on the piano. He's a talented guy. In in the band hall, in the in the in Mr. William Daryl Williams Lister was my band director. But my bandhead story starts at MB Smiley High School.

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Smiley.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Because my cousin played football.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

And my dad, you know, I was technically my dad's first son, but my cousin was really my dad's first. His nephew who played smile at Smiley, and he did too. So Mark Gordon was the band director. He just took over. And um, what's his name that's over there at Austin right now? Uh I know what you're talking about. Kivon Runnels. KP. Runnels. Keevon Runnels. Oh, in the band.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Oh, I know what you're talking about. Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

He played trombone in that band. That is the band that made me love band.

unknown 12:49

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

And so the next year is third grade. I play start playing the trumpet. So fast forward, I end up going to Westbury. I was in the band 10th, 11th, and 12th.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

But I really went to Westbury the 12th. So I would go to the high school for law enforcement and then be bust over and get there late. So I never got to March because if you're getting bussed, you're just playing. They should have made special rules for that. Right. They should have made they should have. Well, come on. March is my eighth grade year. I'm not having caught on. You know? So so then, you know, my brother sees me. So my brother takes it a step further. He's in the band at uh Hastings, and then he majors in music at Stephen F. Austin. Okay. He's now the band director at Elsick High School.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

So he's the band director at Elsick because Mark Gordon was the band director. I love that. Smiley. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

That is wild. I love that. Like I when I got to Houston, look, I went to high school in Georgia.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

In Columbus and Atlanta, Georgia.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

And how far is Columbus from Atlanta? Technically, just like compare it to Houston. Like if you're in Houston, is it Sugarland or is it Conroe? What is it? It's more, it's not how far is Beaumont from here. Like an hour and a half, 90 minutes. It's about like Beaumont. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

But it's it doesn't feel when I do that drive from Houston to Beaumont, it feels a little bit longer. Yeah. Beaumont, Columbus, Atlanta, it's it's not, it doesn't feel that long. It's about it's like 90 miles. I'll just say 100 miles.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

You just go through. We got Don Jones, he says, I like the setup. Deacon Robert Williams is in the room. Okay, okay. Um, Ivan Sanchez says, What's up, dude? That's my dad. That is my guy.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Love Ivan. We go back. Bring it back. That's bringing back memories. Those are my people. Yes. Uh, I'm so proud of who they are, who they become. Uh yes, like we were all like a whole thing running our universities and student government. Yes. Uh, those are all hey y'all. Yeah. I I'm sorry that I creep into town and I don't say anything. Do not beat me up. I love y'all. I'm still the same. I'm more refined, but I'm still the same, and that is a promise.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

There you go. More refined. That comes with age, right? It does. Like, you know, there are a lot of folks because like I moved away too. So I moved to Austin, Dallas, Seattle, Detroit. And so people Travis McGee said at one time, he was like, ah man, I want the version of Durham, you know, from 2015. It's like, that nigga dead. He gone. Right? I see him sparkling water now. You know what I'm saying? Right. My registration is up to date on my car, right? Right. We don't have to, we don't have to live there. It's a little different. Yeah. So you're in the van eventually in your comms major. Where does the connection to politics? And we have to talk about Shakira Dennis.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

Oh, Shakira Dennis. Top shelf. Top shelf. I call her Lady Dennis. That is my sister. Everyone thinks, uh, oh, that must be your girlfriend. Even when we're in college. I'm like, y'all, me and her, that's that's family. We are that is like we've ran Texas Southern University. Sometimes you're all at U of H. Y'all not gonna like that. Uh and and all things Houston politics, like way before the times that we're in now.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:13

Uh, but my connection to politics, one, I I knew I was gonna be in the band in college. I knew while in college, I I'm not gonna lie, I changed my major after my uh freshman year. I killed the whole music education thing. Oh, so you were gonna be a music education major. I I tell people right now to this day. Really? I was in music education and communications. You can't do those can you make those?

SPEAKER_01 16:39

Yeah, I did I did it for a year. I always thought that like if you were in the band, that was life.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

It was, it was, and the music department at the time at TSU, they weren't really graduating enough people, and I knew that I had a window. I was I'm an out-of-state student. Um, the band did pay. I had out-of-the-art.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

What do those what do those scholarships look like when you're in the band? I've always wondered.

SPEAKER_00 17:07

Yeah, so when I got the, I'll never forget my mother. She tried to find every way in the beginning, yeah, uh, for me not to go to Texas Southern. And I did not have the largest scholarship. When I got got to Texas Southern, I had a very small scholarship. I could have gone all these other places by the end of my freshman year that first semester, my scholarship tripled. Wow, it tripled. Uh, I had an out-of state fee waiver. Uh, the out of state, I just originally just had an out of state fee waiver in like a thousand dollars per semester, which is not really a lot of money.

SPEAKER_01 17:37

I mean, but a thousand dollars when you're in college is a lot of money, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:40

And that out-of-state fee waiver really helped because it's like I'm an in-state student. Got it. Um, essentially, I got up to having the out of state my out-of-the fees waived, and I had uh roughly like four or five thousand dollars a semester, okay. Um, which is pretty good. Yeah, yeah, you can stretch that. You can stretch that and and so with that, I essentially I had that pretty much all my years. I changed my major in my freshman year because I decided I really did want to be a band director. I arranged music, I did all the so you're for real for real. Oh, yeah, I'm for real for real. I mean, like I tell my close, my family, my closest friends, I have one. This is the one quirky thing I think is quirky. Uh, anyone I've dated, they they know this. Uh, I said, I have this one quirky thing about me. And they say, What is it? I said, I am still into HBCU bands. It's it's on my website. Yeah, I was like, I was listening to the Ocean of Soul today. Let me tell you.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Ring my bell at uh at uh Mardi Gras.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

Yeah, Mardi Gras. I need to unplug from the world. When I need to really unplug from the world, I have I work with all kinds of people. Yes, and I've not met anyone like me yet. I go and listen to March and Band music. I work out to marching band music. Um, it keeps me energized when I'm running, jogging, or walking. Sometimes I'll do a field of suicides and or I'll march a field just to like, and it's and I'm like, how long? I want to do this when I'm in my 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s. Yes, I want to electricity.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

It is that I remember coming out of my apartment building one day, and there was just a drum line across the street, and that downbeat hit, and I was like, Where? Yeah, where are they? Like, you know, I mean, it's I remember Elizabeth Johnson. I don't know if you know her, she's Elizabeth the Newman Lady now. She got married, she's uh part of H Bad, and we went to high school together. But she's the reason why I went to my first Southern game. I was always a fan of Southern, yeah, but I went to my first Southern game. Yep. Number one, I don't know if they hand those little car window things out at graduation, but everybody has them. But number two, standing in front of Southern's band, tears just rolled from my eyes. It was an emotional experience. It was like that was me.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

When it was like, wow, I was a huge Southern band head. Uh believe it or not, to all the jukes out there. Yes, all jukes are not created equal. I'll give I'll give some uh some little spice to that in the few.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Uh but I was headed, as I said earlier, Southern and Jackson were on my you were almost oh, yeah, your whole trajectory would have probably changed.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Yeah, I still tell I tell uh the current director at Texas Southern, who is a great friend of mine. I'm a huge supporter, huge ally. Um been knowing him since he's amazing. He is the celebrity HBCU band director. I have to remind folks at uh my university at TSU like who we have because he's like a big deal, and he's in his own world, and a lot of people don't understand that world is different, and so and he's a creative, and he's the youngest in his industry to be where imagine the longevity he's just getting started.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

That is, you know, uh uh car wash, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

You and you and you look at the motion, and it's just like wow, it's it's an art right now, it's an art, and that art of where the staff we have there, uh Director Simmons, uh uh uh Trent Hunter, uh Trenton Hunter, um uh Ranger who who he credited as like he's the chief of Ranger. Uh Trent Hunter is uh you have I'm blanking on the names. I'm saying they're all their faces right now. Um, you have Antonio. Uh now I will say I'm a little biased because Trent and Antonio, now they did go to Jackson State, okay, uh, but they're from Georgia. Wow. And so I Georgia, I lived a lot of places.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

And like you, I started out on Trumpet in second grade in Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

And so uh I played most of the instruments, but long story short, what Director Simmons is doing with the staff and where band is headed right now, even with the media team. I do talk to the media team and give them things. We're in a different space right now. Totally. And who is going to be the most innovative in this space and creating what now we people are have their phones or in the iPads and who is going to capture the audience and still be true to the craft of what it is, but also as a communications media person, I give them some like yeah, other areas. And the the young man who's the media director right now, I call him baby Spike Lee wow because he has a different vision and I like his visuals. And I'm like, okay, I don't like telling you what to do. Absolutely. Even though the director was like, oh, call Mr. Marshall. He get his thoughts on something. And his creativity is because there's no other.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

One of the things is like it's very hard to duplicate the feeling of a band because you can't feel the drum and you can't feel everything else. You can't feel the but what I love about the direction of their media team and and I was just watching Car Wash today. I was watching them do car wash the angles the the whatever the filter the color grading it's like this is is close to giving you that feeling and that brand very cinematic right and it's very like it's odd like the angle of up at the band director where there's nothing but the sky behind him. Correct. I mean that is wow. So side note uh Dr. Calwell is the interim uh dean at the school of communications at Texas Southern University.

SPEAKER_00 23:18

I've met him I love I mean the whole I met him during homecoming. Okay he was new he's still new he's still new yeah and um shout out to my professor Professor Standafer Walker yes okay the school of communications got me together I came there with locks wow braces a strong Georgia accent where is that it's gone and um I wanted to be a news anchor at one point wow and so uh and my other professor Professor Donica Jackson she also played a big role uh in my journalism upbringing communications upbringing now keep in mind at that time when I was in school I had band and stuff they was like they couldn't stand the band because you're like you're into it you're you're this is what you do.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

I didn't think that you could actually do something I guess because like my brother is kind of the guy and it was like that's his life it still is his life.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Yeah yeah yeah no it was a thing I think I feel like I have an upper hand because I had older siblings that went to college and they were in the band so I had a good example to see how things should be and how it should flow and seeing my brother at Morris Brown shout out to the band director there the past band director Mr. Eddie Ellis I really look up to him a lot um he was one of my favorites and I did a lot of modeling off of him also Dr. Isaac Greggs I was very wow I met Dr. Isaac Greggs when I was like in first grade and Southern came to Atlanta all the time even before I'm the last of my siblings and my family is originally from Atlanta but even though we lived on the northeast uh midwest Chicago we always made it down to Atlanta and at the time it was a heritage bowl the heritage bowl was normally swack and so now is what we have the cricket bowl um but back when I was young in the 90s in in Atlanta was a heritage bowl and normally southern make it they win for the swack and normally fam you would win for the miak and it would it would be in December and so I would look for my birthday is December 27th wow I'm like uh birthday present we're going to this this HBCU football game for the bands right exactly that's all I didn't care about none of that other stuff like let's go I want to see the game I want to meet the band director I would fan out over the band director and the band staff getting photos with everybody like back then we didn't have phones with our camera I had the regular cameras with the flash like I would uh fan out to that so that's how I knew I was gonna go my brother was like fam you and I was like Southern I'm like I'm going southern brass I want to fuck with it exactly and so to your point when you stood in front of Southern I had that same thing um and I saw when we lived in Birmingham uh that was the real introduction because Birmingham we have Magic City Classic that's Alabama State and Alabama and M. A M. Yes I grew up on all of that uh we had Miles College which was right down the street from my house when they first started their band in 1996 and so I saw I was into it yeah I and I and I tell I correct jokes with a lot of the band directors I'm like now look if I wasn't in politics with this comment stuff I'll be beating your behind right every weekend the best band right now is only two bands in my opinion that well I'm let me be honest I won't say two but my two of my favorites because I love all of them they all do great work yeah but I if I had to pick who is a director that is similar to me I say I I tell this to director Simmons quite often I said you mix you and you mix uh uh the the the Jackson State band director I talk to him every now and then um I'm seeing his face right now and I cannot think of his name to save my life and his name deserves to be said um I'm gonna come back anyway the Jackson State band director and director Simmons I said y'all put y'all two together that's me and and the the the book the book of music the book I mean Jackson State playing I need a hero yeah like where does that even come from and one of the things that I love about Simmons and he said this uh we did a podcast with Nathan Hamer and Hamer asked him he was like some of your bangers you never bring him back yeah and he said because that was a moment yeah and it's like wow like to think like you play this song one time yes and that was it Roger Little I was gonna say Little yeah yeah yeah Little okay okay uh he's a great guy but yeah I used to want to be a band director uh and now in my off time or in my downtime I love college football it's one of my favorite sports uh and I have a love for black college sports and black college football I just go for the band culture I remember clearly at the end of the day yeah go for the band and I tell them if you remove the band from the game you don't even know what the game when I was in the band at Westbury literally I would not even watch the game yeah I was watching Mr.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Williams right you know like that's what I was I would I didn't even pay attention but uh Nathan Hamer yeah so Nathan Hamer is in Houston now yeah I I I talked to he wrote this book uh Juked um and I was telling him I was like you know what needs to happen I would love to see this imagine if there was a community band not an alumni band of a specific institution but imagine if there was a community band where you have uh current folks that are in a band yeah you have alumni yeah you have people that are that are in middle or high school all coming together to to cross pollinate the craft and uh you know make that happen like over the summer for six weeks or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

Yeah it's it's happened before uh Hamer has done some great as a I consider myself uh not only a political historian but I'm a band historian it's it's something most people would not know his book I did read the book Juke um but a lot of people would not know this side of me it's very Joshua cousin my brothers he says right now listen uh what is it Chad GBT and these things got got he got book in a chokehole I've seen a few of his things on uh Facebook I actually commented the other day he shared a photo of director Simmons see this is the history of director simmons I met director simmons in 2008 2009 while I was still a student and I was on a recruiting trip with the assistant director at the time and I used to do a lot of recruiting trips with the band directors and I was always looking for the best talent wow now uh Professor Gibson knew of oh so they would take the like some of the top students with them on the thing yes we would go recruiting and I always would be on those recruiting trips most of them and so uh this particular trip it was Mardi Gras this was actually my first Mardi Gras uh yeah it was either oh eight or oh nine uh director now director Simmons he was a freshman at McDonald 35 in New Orleans and that is insane he was directing the band and I was like who is this who is this and he got on his horn and I was like yeah he coming to Texas Southern and so we I've known him that long fast forward my whole point to that is uh book I call him Book Joshua Cousin I call him Book he had a photo of director at the time just Brian K. Simmons in front of the band he used to come to Houston all the time uh he came to our summer high school band camps he came to he was like really into this and he that picture he posted it was him in front of the drum line he was like maybe a sophomore in high school so a lot of times when I have to push back and be his own his personal publicist I'm like no we got history here yeah this is an investment yes and like I again when I say all jukes are not created equal now I'm glad he went to southern yeah and a lot of southern people they have their they have their own little cult I almost went to southern I love southern I know them I've been brought it's kind of a listen yes listen it is I I I give them a hard time because they're not they the jukes I know they love and hate me because I give them the blues because a lot of them can't and they are master yes ish talkers oh let me tell you something and so uh with that I have like I shut them down because I can talk too and I can back it up right right what's crazy I remember being at a that that first southern game and it was like a first down or something and all of a sudden it was and I'm like wait a minute they do that for like yeah they just they just play a portion of the of the of the fights but let me tell you before this slips my mind on the record right now yeah all jukes are not created equal okay okay and at Texas Southern University we have the best juke oh we have the best juke brian k simmons is the best juke i'm putting that on the record okay and I tell them I was like well if all jukes you are reloading get off the TSU comment stop coming to TSU you got jukes at Valley P V All Corn Howard what I don't you want to talk about those juke you want to talk about one juke and that's the best and not the rest there you go Texas Southern got the best juke he's doing amazing things over there with that band i mean it it is just like top tier and I think he's still run he brought the uh the uh dance one of the uh miss stamper yeah from southern right and so amazing stuff that's going over there it's a great it's a great team it's a great squad i'm glad they're there i'm uh even uh professor pollard all of them great folks great team my thing is create some new tshu alums yes yes so we can now our thing is we have not the past previous previous directors did not have opportunity to um plant seeds into other directors yeah and it's a nice alumni base that's a little upset about that did not have their own southern they have their own yeah jackson they have their own family has their own unfortunately that's the thing as at Texas Southern we have we have some great directors out there we don't have any collegiate ones wow and the ones I tell the the folks I know and as a person who wanted to be a college band director who still understands the industry go get you a product yes I tell him I was like go get a band go get you a college band not Texas Southern right go prove a point yeah then try to come back home like what's his name mark gordon is somewhere in Oklahoma he's in Langston I mean it's so many schools my childhood best friend who went to Alabama State and his brother went to Alabama State he just became the band right there at Tuskegee wow and I'm like it's it's a lot of opportunity out here yeah go start something in my opinion mark gordon turned smiley into mini pv yeah they were the marching storm there was marching quake and then now if you listen to what Langston plays they play a lot of PV yeah so he he took it poor pv you know I love PV you know Texas Pride yeah but baby's only one TSU you know we've been giving it to y'all a long way before Simmons got to Texas other than this is we've been doing this for a while now you know I tell y'all keep producing productive people now yeah those games are not too productive though and so not on the band side and so and that football game y'all barely won that game I can't I can't let y'all make like the Labor Day classic I was there for that point oh my god it hurt yeah but I'm proud of PV and then they were hype they were I mean they were winning the whole game so the year before that when they were at PV and PV turned the lights out oh yeah and and and they were playing neck and they kept going I mean that was it's only a few things that will keep me away from my football games and that's mainly if it's a political year it's a campaign year but even on a campaign year I've made it to the game.

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Yes speaking of campaign years how did you how did you end up in politics and what was your first like foray so while at TSU I was doing the end of my band career was you know you you you you start maturing and you're starting to think about life after what did you think you were gonna do originally I was trying to be a news anchor um I was going to go to a smaller market uh and just kind of built myself up uh and I was looking at small and media markets and I really was setting myself up to be a news director.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Got it um but I was into politics I was heavy into politics that wasn't going anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

Because you would have graduated in 2009. 2000 I graduated in 10 in 10 so this is going through the Obama year.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

So 2008 happened so 08 happened I wanted to work on President Obama's campaign parents weren't having it clearly we supported Obama period but I couldn't leave school to do it the way I wanted to do it at that time I volunteered on his campaign in 08 uh but I will never forget while in Houston I first I became a student elected official and I ran for Senate and I used to have I don't know he's probably not watching this is this guy named Robert Mitchell I want to say oh Robert you were a thorn and you know what I needed that lesson to happen is my whole life is continu it's been like that continuously yeah and it's just like oh no I can't let this guy make it because if he makes it he's gonna blow up yes and I just the haters yeah you need haters you have to they they make you run that much faster you need haters I love haters I'm like come on I need some more haters uh get off my side don't be on my side yeah uh Rob I ran and they I won and I got disqualified it was I can't even remember why and I won my Senate seat yeah and they disqualified me wow then I became an election commissioner I oversaw a funny thing now I oversaw all the elections okay uh shout out to Natas uh Simon who was the SJ president at the time she had a crazy election too and then I became SJA executive vice president uh with Steven Champion and people are like you should just be president I pretty much was yeah uh and I was into that like I loved it I love serving people to this day I still do it to this day okay um I love working for people I love the accountability of the work I love messaging to people I love trying to at the time Facebook was just college students Twitter was Professor Walker made the class get on Twitter uh I did not want Twitter I didn't want any of that stuff Facebook at I'll never forget like I'll never forget my aunt joined Facebook I'm like what is my aunt doing on this is for the college students yeah yeah yeah and long story short I brought social media to a lot of the campaigns here in Houston back in 08 and 09 and it was new it was brand new it was brand new um and I was doing communications but no one teaches you political communications they don't teach you how to like get on a campaign how to message all this stuff the stuff I do now that is pure experience I I got some some solid foundational things from college but a lot of what I've done over the years it came from straight experience so I said it to say I was an elected uh student leader while on campus um and I still was doing communications and I was volunteer for all these different political state races city uh city council mayor's race at the time I'll never forget my first big race was um gene uh was it not gene green gene lock anise Parker uh it was like all these folks running and um I just wanted to get involved in just getting part of this campaign like this was after Obama and I was like I gotta get in I want to do it um and they saw opportunity because I was like we need the student voices right he's a student elected official like he gets it and Texas Southern is not a small HBCU and at that time we were huge we had like over 12000 students right and it's in a big media market is in the places that they all have to come national voices and so you were in the perfect yes spot to do it.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Yes similarly my very first uh I worked for Dr. Alma Allen oh she's okay amazing and so that year you know all the state state reps they get two committees so she knew she was getting public education and whatever the other one was was what I was going to advise her on and I had just quit at the prison so she was vice chair of corrections. Yeah wow so long story short she didn't really it wasn't something she really wanted but I was thrilled because it was like oh I know this so one of her bills makes it to the floor okay and I had done the bill analysis and I'd done the talking point. Okay good what I did not know was that she was going to read my I'm in the gallery she reads she's reading it verbatim your whole all your TPs I'm like oh my god because they were like I'm like I'm going ahead in the pages I'm like oh my god you know but um no that that was like a moment for me and it's like a lot of people don't understand there's one thing to meet the boss yeah but if you really want to get something done yeah you have to if they're the staffers that are gonna know how to get your message that's right the way you want it because they'll forget you yeah you may get the meeting but a week later they they because they meet so many people so it's really the staff right that are driving and directing this stuff and so those relationships really they really matter they don't go anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 41:23

I will say that was my intro uh to politics was in tech one being a student elected official running for office there getting that adrenaline and winning yeah and pushing back. Yeah this is before I even I didn't even know what I was doing at the time and now I look back at I'm like man you've been doing this for a long time and so with that I'll never forget after college I actually taught for two years here in Houston yes I did love it absolutely I was on the debate team I mean I did well first of all while I was in college at TSU the band was definitely a key highlight SGA was a key highlight and the debate team was a key highlight how could you do those three things those are three I feel like I did I lived my best life while I was a student at Texas Southern I did everything I it's because of my brothers they were great blueprints I mean but like how do you even do that like knowing the bandhead schedule yeah my last my last year I was not in the band I had to sacrifice I was like all SJ at that point it was SJ debate team yeah I would still go check on a band I still would help them on drills I was not there and it was it was different because I've been in band since elementary school so this was my first time breaking away like I'm I was still on the trips with them because I was an SJA and we traveled but it was like I am not in practice I am not in horn I even made alternate drum major I lost I lost like almost a hundred pounds like I could not master the backbend I'm not athletic like I mean I do a little bit but at Texas Southern at the time you had to know how to do a backbend. Wow and I my roommate was a drum major as well and he was my KK Salon brother uh he taught me the backband yeah and I kind of got the backband but look I went from being like almost a 300 pound guy to dropping down to 185 190 to trying to do a backbend that's crazy and I just could not nail the backbend but everything else you had it the best I absolutely love the drum major style of Texas Southern University.

SPEAKER_01 43:30

I would say it's a difficult it's a difficult style I would say and I love the mar I mean it is like very like high step like very aggressive I would put above Texas Southern I'll put Jackson State no I love Jackson State drum majors it is what it is I'm I'm I'm I'm not a hater.

SPEAKER_00 43:46

I have a favorite drum majors that they never got to their prime and that's Morris Brown's drum majors. Really Morris Brown drum majors have a unique style it's very clean it's very precise but it's not too much it's just enough just enough And um I uh if had I gone to Morris Mr. I definitely would have been a drum major period, or if I went to Alabama State or somewhere like that. But fast forward, I'm not I'm gonna I'm I'm going back to politics because that is my other piece there. But no, on the whole piece of like politics, yes, Houston, yes, college, that transition after teaching. I taught for two years at HISD, uh well, one year at a regular school and another year at a charter school. I don't know where these schools are at this moment. The students have resulted with me on social media, it is crazy. Um and I did something, I used to do something with Tex San M. I essentially was somewhat a PhD student at Tech San M at one point in time. Okay, uh, but I left Texas and I was still at TSU in my graduate school program, and I did Obama's uh re-election in 2012. So that was my first big national campaign.

SPEAKER_01 45:01

And where did you where where were you? Uh Nevada.

SPEAKER_00 45:04

Nevada. I was I had the opportunity that year to either be Congressional Black Caucus Fellow or be work on President Obama's campaign. I actually chose President Obama's campaign. Uh I really did want to do CBC, I did want to get to Capitol Hill. Um, I at the time it was like Tlip was really big. Yeah, uh, I didn't do T lip, and I went on President Obama's campaign, literally started from the bottom, was a field organizer uh in Nevada in 2012 for his re-election, which is a battleground state. Uh, and that was my intro to national politics. It's a whole different thing. And I wanted to do it his first term, but I couldn't do it the first election because he was yeah, I was still in school. Uh, but fast forward 2012. I told uh the school, I'm not coming back, I'm done teaching. These two years have been great. My I'll never forget the last. I was uh my students call me major pain. I was very because I was in a band, I was very disciplined. Right, I did not play about that discipline.

SPEAKER_01 46:07

I'm very kind of militant to a degree, like because everything rolls down like like the section leaders, the like all of that leadership, and there's consistency and there's discipline, and that's why certain bands are so good, and you can see, you can watch.

SPEAKER_00 46:24

It's very band comes from military, people don't understand that. And I have that in that that complex of like organization, yeah, and it comes that discipline, yes, comes from my experience in band, believe it or not. So I got in the classroom, I did not play any games with these students. I'll never forget the last day. I was very firm, I was a very firm teacher. They all break it down crying and all sorts, I was like, Oh no, what are y'all doing? And and the principal's like, No, you've brought structure, and it's not too many black men in the classroom, there's not playing. That is different for them. They really like that. I'm like, I was like, I was pretty firm.

SPEAKER_01 46:59

Oh well, they probably like like kids actually like that, yeah. They actually do. So, man, so from there, what out of all of your roles, other than that, Nevada president.

SPEAKER_00 47:11

So after Nevada, I just knew that I was going to everyone. It's funny when I talk to folks they're on a presidential campaign. I want to work in the White House. I'm like, okay, we all say that. We all say that that is uh that's everyone's dream. Not everyone, but a nice amount of people like, I want to do this, I want to get, I want to. I had that same vision as well. Well, it didn't work like that. And I'm glad it didn't. Yeah, uh, I came back after the came back after the campaign. I came back to Houston, finished my master's, only had one semester left. Um, and I continued, I I like hopped back in like I never left. Um, again, Houston's one of my homes and finished the master's, went back to uh being a debate coach. I even picked up teaching a little bit to finish out just to have, and I was a graduate assistant. Uh I'll never forget, I was I got into the PhD program at Texas AM. Uh the program was a curriculum instruction program, and I had to have a fellowship or internship. Uh one for my final class for my master's degree, and it was something for the PhD at Texas AM. Well, I started, I knew I was applying, I was always in college station, and I was like, I'm gonna I'm gonna get something on Capitol Hill. And so I'll never forget. This is a funny story. Uh, I got to Capitol Hill, and it's funny because I'm working with this this lady now, and I my friend set me up. He was like, Well, who whose office? You have a particular office? I was like, I don't care. You can go anywhere. Yeah, like anywhere. And I was like, so I said, Well, who's the youngest black uh member, black man in Congress? I want to I want to work for them, I want to intern for them. At that time, it was Congressman Cedric Richmond out of New Orleans. He was the youngest black man in Congress. This is 20 2013. Wow. Uh, he had just came in maybe the uh the term. I get there, I get set up with Congressman Cedric Richmond. Blew my mind. I got there today, being extra because Capitol Hill at that time was really hard to get on. It's a it's a tough place, it's very competitive. I like competition, I like competitiveness. I'm going to show, I'm gonna show my worth and why I'm here and why I deserve to be here, and I'm willing to put in the work. That's always been my attitude. Got there the day before my actual interview, met the team at the office. Everyone's like, Oh, it's his, he's gonna be great. The actual day of my interview, I got to my interview late. Let me tell you how I got to my interview late. I took the first Uber was new. The day before I took an Uber. At that time, Uber was just black cars, okay? It wasn't Uber X, white, none of that. Who it was no such thing as Lyft, right? It was just black cars. Yeah, so I was like, well, let me let me take the train to the hill to see if I can figure this thing out. I get to my interview 30 minutes late because I got on the wrong train. The train was going this way. I got I was devastated, okay? Completely devastated that I was late. And I was I we I went through the interview knowing, like, oh yeah, no. Interview was still good, but it was like you're late. And as you know, in man, we don't play about time. When you're on time, you're late. Yes, when you're early, you're on time. So I take those kind of things a little serious. Fast forward, I didn't get it. I came back into Houston just miserable. Like, I gotta find an internship, a fellowship, and I blew the one I had. Yeah, I'm uh excited because I got the whole Texas Anim acceptance. I know I'm about to start my PhD, all the things. I am one of my alpha fraternity brothers, um uh is he uh he owns a rental car place. He lets me come on and I'm like working there on the side on my very first day. Working there on the side. Uh while I was in DC, I did an interview, but I didn't expect to get the the fellowship. It was a it was a fellowship for a Senate committee. And I just happened to be there when I did the interview for uh Congressman Richmond's office, and I did the interview with them and didn't think anything of it because I really it was very sporadic. Yeah, yeah. My first day at that rental car place, and I just needed a gig to hold me over to start the PhD program. They called, and I'll never forget that day. I was I gotta tell this story. That day, my very first day at the rental car place. There he said, Look, you can run this branch, or you can hire someone to wash the cars. Yeah, but he just if you hire someone to wash the cars, that's gonna you, yeah, it's gonna come out of some of your check, or you can just wash them and you can keep more money. I said, All right, I'm gonna wash the cars too. So uh I'm washing first day, I'm washing the car. It's May. Um, I'm about to graduate from my master's in Houston. Um hot. I'm you know, I know I'm about to graduate with my master's, I'm about to start a PA. So I got all that in the back of my head, but I'm like, I'm I'm washing this car. I'm at this rental car place. I get a call washing the car, and it says, Hey, you've been accepted as a fellow in the United States Senate for the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Are you will you accept it? Are you gonna accept? I said, Yes, I'm accepting.

SPEAKER_02 52:37

I dropped that water holes, I said left the water open.

SPEAKER_00 52:41

All of that, literally. Think of a movie that was me running out, saying, I quit, I can't do this, I'm going to DC. Graduations next week. I'm just gonna figure this out. And I left that day after watching that car. I didn't even finish watching the car, I just left. I bounced out, uh, came home, and I was like, I'm going to the Senate. Like that was a big joy. Yeah, yeah. Uh fast forward, got to DC, started in the Senate, what was essentially supposed to be a two-month thing. Uh, I came there with $500 in my pocket. This is 2013. I left Houston with two bags, flew up to DC, uh, stayed on one of my TSU alums, uh couches, and he's from born and raised in DC. Uh, stayed on his couch the whole summer, came there with $500, and I was like, I'm going to because it wasn't paid at the time. I'm like, I'm about to stretch this $500. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I'm gonna figure it out. Um, got to DC, and then by the third month, I got hired on.

unknown 53:43

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 53:44

As a I said it was a fellow, I was a junior staffer. Yeah, and I was hooked. Yeah, it was the experience that I wanted. I'm on Capitol Hill, I'm working in leadership. My first boss was uh Senator Tom Carper out of Delaware. Wow, and so working for him uh and the committee, shout out to Miss Janet Burrell. Uh, she was over the interns. Uh at that time, I was I think I was one of the only black interns. I'm dealing with everyone from like Yale, Harvard, Stanford, all the things. I'm from a black college. I wasn't a CBC fellow. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 54:20

So you're you're you're not where being from black college would have been like cool. Right. Yeah. This is where they would have known they would CBC knows Texas Southern. Right. These other people are like, what is that?

SPEAKER_00 54:31

Who is that?

SPEAKER_01 54:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:32

And so get there, uh, got a lot to prove. You gotta be some people say twice as good. I'm like, you gotta be four times as good. Wow. Better. I talk a lot of smack too, so I gotta back it up. Yeah, yeah. So I came in and I just click with the staff, I click with my colleagues, the fellow fell other fellows and interns. They kind of put the interns and the fellows together, fellows a little bit more senior. That started my DC career. Wow. And I actually did not want to leave Houston. I did not, I did not go back to the PhD program. I stayed put. And I mean, I mean, that's when we're going to the next levels of I I literally did not turn my head back. I kept going.

SPEAKER_01 55:16

You know, that reminds me of Remington Belfort.

SPEAKER_00 55:19

Oh no, no, Remington.

SPEAKER_01 55:20

That's that's a he's Remington, yes, like who just went up there and just another great issue. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 55:28

And so like uh got there. I stayed in that role for about a year. Um, and I was trying trying to because the fellowship ended, and I was like, what am I gonna do? I can either go back to this PhD program, but I didn't want to go back to the I wanted to, yeah, but but you really didn't want to. Yeah, I don't I I that experience that I got there was you can't purchase that.

SPEAKER_01 55:55

Yeah, you can't buy that. And it doesn't compare, like you can't compare that experience to any level of education. Like it is two totally different things, right? You know, like I remember, you know, in that corrections committee, it was like I would listen to these people who studied criminology, and I will pull the rep to the side and be like, here's why that wouldn't work. Yeah, because the prisons do blah blah blah blah blah. And so like it sounds good, but operation-wise, that and here's why. And so so you end up with this unique experience. What's your first national like thing? What's your first big thing?

SPEAKER_00 56:33

Shout out to Rick, who was a staff director, he's amazing. Uh, my first big thing was the nomination hearing for Jed Johnson, who was the Homeland Security uh secretary. The secretary he was being nominated to be the President Obama's in his second term. Okay. To be that was my first big project, was working on his nomination hearing. And that's when I was hooked. Wow. You I mean, my writing, my the media pitching, all I mean, it was a whole nother skill that I just you we didn't get that in school. Didn't even exist. I was in school, yeah. My my first years in DC was school. Wow. That was true education.

SPEAKER_01 57:11

That was hard knock university for you. It was. I I remember working for Move On, which is like a super pack. And what was fascinating to me, and that started as like a temp thing. I was like, I just want to do a little something, and it ended up being, you know, we're like, you know, we're working on something, and they're like, here, here's Randy Weingarten's cell phone number, call her and I'm like, what? Or like I'm on Zoom with Nancy Pelosi. It's like, yes, calm down. Right? Like, okay, calm down. Don't, don't, don't, don't fan out. Right. It really is. You, you, you, you look at these moments and it's just like, wow.

SPEAKER_00 57:48

Yeah, it's very numbing now. When I look back at it, I'm very thankful uh for the experience I've had. It was not, it was not easy. Nothing was given to me. I literally had every role I've had, I was like, oh, it's gonna get easier.

SPEAKER_01 58:02

No, it doesn't get easier. And that's the and that's the part. You as soon as you feel these shoes, they will grow. You're constantly going to be stretched. So it's like it's like anybody who's out there that's like, oh, I'll do X when whatever. Like, I'll start this business, I'll start my firm, I'll blah blah blah. When the kids go to school, when I save up enough, no, no, no, no, no. Do it where you are now with what you have. Because the person that you look up to that you admire, part of what makes them tick, yeah, is that tenacity that's like I'm on E, but I'm still going to make it.

SPEAKER_00 58:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 58:40

And a lot of people want to do it in comfort, and it's like, no, you got to get out there and you got to do it. I'm looking at Dawn Jones. She's uh over the the the uh the courier, Texas courier. Is it Texas Courier? Don't uh Dawn, put it in there. Um, she's a journalist, she is great, she's great.

SPEAKER_00 58:56

I've seen her organizing skills with the just students. I love where she is now. Don, let's talk or whatever you need for me. I'll go on the record for you. I'm very covered with a lot of these reporters, national and local.

SPEAKER_01 59:10

Will you do will you do Media Week with Texas Southern University? They're putting it together now. It's in April.

SPEAKER_00 59:15

If they send it to me, uh they know I will. I absolutely would.

SPEAKER_01 59:17

Okay, so I'm I gotta I have to loop you in on that because I think, and I was just talking to I was talking to Jeff Siptek, yep, who's worked for right? I've talked uh Jeff Siptek, Shakira Dennis. Love Shakira, and I was talking to uh Sasha Legette about this too. Okay um like we need imagine there being a a dinner series or whatever where people can hear from people like you because people that want to be in this world they don't know what it looks like. It's a different thing, and there is no in this world and in a lot of places, right? It just like TEDx third war. There's some people uh I do a TEDx thing, I got a license from Ted to do it. There's some people who love that you're doing that.

SPEAKER_00 59:57

I followed a little bit. I love what you got going there, FYI.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:01

Thank you. Some people will just apply. We had 786 applicants. Wow. So if all you did was apply, yes, you're you're just a number. So it's the people who go that extra mile, yes, that really you notice you have to kind of do that with everything. You do, you do. I mean, because your competition, that is what they're doing.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:22

A lot of people, especially in this era, they want to take the elevator, take the stairs, take the stairs. I take the stairs, I do the hard things, I've mastered doing the hard things. Uh no, be strategic. People say, I believe in working hard. Yes, it's okay to work hard, work smart too.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:40

Yeah, you know, earlier today, but every Monday at 11, uh, my team meets. Um, and anybody who uh knows me on a friend level is one thing, but if you work with me, yeah, they think I'm crazy, and I am because it's just like what and it takes a while before people get used to it. It's kind of like a cult. Yeah, we don't let everybody in. There's a lot of people reach out, hey, I want to work with you. I'm like, you think so? Because you watch the podcast, you listen that. Let me tell you something.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:08

It's a lot that goes into and people don't get to see that part of it. That's true. I get it all the time. I have a lot of people that want me to be a mentor. People like, how can I just hop on something you've like? I've launched my own thing, and I have a lot of people like, hey, I you don't have to pay me. I just want to work with you. I'm like, guys, I am getting this thing off the ground, it's very aggressive, and the way I move, it may not be it's not, it's not what you think, right? And I I'm very anal and thorough, and so with that comes some sharpness, and like you gotta be, it's it's not because I'm I'm not always I'm not always and I learned this from uh Todd Graves, who's the CEO of uh Raising Canes.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:47

Yep, and I was watching it. I love to watch interviews, long form interviews of thought leaders, yes. Yes, so he's explaining the fact that there are some people that get to see that side of him. Yep, like in that meeting earlier today, I take the gloves off. Yep, I say things just as it is. Yep. If you didn't meet your goals, if we didn't do whatever, I'm calling you out in front of everybody, I'm gonna ask you what it was, and if you can't hang, you don't get to come back. Yeah, you get one, you get one time and you're out. This is varsity.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:18

People, I get this all the time. A lot of people want the spotlight, they want the shine, they don't want to do the work.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:27

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:27

I'm actually the do the work person. I'm actually terrible at the shine and spotlight piece. I really don't care about that part of it. It comes with the territory. I'm actually pretty terrible at it. I tell people if I was a celebrity, I would be a terrible celebration. I hate do you know what I hate?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:40

And so yeah, I we just did this fundraiser for Jasmine Crockett, and I actually don't like the oh congratul, you know, pat on the head, the oh, whatever, because I don't like applause because I don't want to get drunk with it. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:56

Some people lose, they they they get so caught up in the sauce.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:00

They get caught up in the sauce, and so it's like one day you're going to disagree with me, you're gonna boo me. And I want you to also understand that is not gonna have an impact either. Correct, you know, and so but I think about it like my brother, like he always wanted to be a band director, and whoever the band director was at Hastings, several of his students from that era are not band directors. Wow, and you just say, like, wow, how good of a band director were you where all your students want to do it? But one of the things that I realized with my brother now, there's the other side of the thing that you thought that you wanted, the side that you don't get to see. Yes, so you see most people conducting a UIL and uh blah blah. But there's also nice the administrative, right? The you know, budgeting and the this and all that. The mentoring they have to be some mamas and daddies and play role brothers and sisters, so it's a lot that goes into it. Or or in this world, all the stuff that people don't get to see the late nights, the on the band first on the band director piece.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:59

I every other every so often I get people like a lot of people would love to be in director Simmons shoes. I'm like, yo no, he gotta go through. He's a lot, it's a lot of politics in that too. Rewinding back, just seeing professor, my band director, Richard Lee. I was like, that's a lot. It's a lot. I think you all see Saturday night lights. Yeah, you see the game, you hear the arrangements, yeah, but you're not thinking about it's more of that work going into that that you don't, you're not calculating and in order to get that product, correct?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:27

In order to get that product, and a lot of people really don't see it. And you know, I I did my um my TED talk. I did a TED talk, TEDx talk on why you should break up with your friends. And I tell this story, uh, and I'm actually I'm working on a book now, so the book should be out by this summer. But I tell this story about how I blew my very first like big grant presentation. This is one of those multi-year you can quit your nine to five type of situations. But the night before, I'm out with five people at happy hour. Okay, 50 cent drinks. I have a blister, uh, have a horrible night. Yep. I have a blistering hangover the next morning. Yep. My the meeting was at nine, no, it was at 8 a.m. I woke up at 7:43. 7.43. I'm waking up. Oh my god, where are my keys? Where's my wallet? Where's my car? I get there. Luckily, the receptionist is like, oh, we're running a little behind, right? Right. So I go to the restroom, and I have a just insane bowel movement. Right. Okay. Come out of there, you know. I mean, that that that hungover number two is another. So I come out and I realize they have a break room over there. Yep. So I go in the break room and they have some leftover Shipleys donuts.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:56

I scarf down a couple.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:00

Drink some water, come out. The lady's like, oh, you know, here's whatever. So I go in there. I do okay with my elevator pitch, but then when they start asking questions, have you ever been in an interview where you can tell they're just like checking boxes now? Yeah. Like it's just they're no longer interested. You have bombs. Right. Right. I leave that interview thing, that that presentation. I go to the restroom. There is donut sugar all over my beard. Oh no! All over my lips, all over the thing. I I on the ride home, I am crying because I know I messed this up. Right. Hanging with these losers at happy hour. Right. None of those people had any aspirations. None of those people had something to worry about. None of those people had anything to lose. So now I only hang with people that have something to lose because they'll rub off on you and they will tell you to take your ass home because don't you have this meeting in the morning? And they ask you about the things that you're passionate about. And they pour into you like you pour into them. So, you know, I just think back when you were talking earlier about being late to the interview, I thought about that. Yeah. Because when I went back to look at the in the mirror and I'm like, you fool.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:22

Yeah, no, it's it's out that interview, I didn't do anything wrong minus being late. Uh, but that was enough for me to beat myself up because even though I was explored, I wasn't necessarily exploring, I should have did what I did the day before. Yes, and just to take Uber, yeah. But I was like, no, let me take this train, and I did it early, but I yeah, got a different result. Yeah, I think that did happen for a reason, and I didn't tell you endpoint on that. Is I ended up years later working with Cedar Richmond. Um very intimately, very close.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:57

Yeah, uh, weren't you like his his comms chief, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:08:00

I was essentially I was not his com's chief, I was I was not on his official staff, he was the chair, uh campaign co-chair for President Biden in 2020. And out of my work with the president and different folks in leadership, he was one of my main people. I had to, I was essentially like his chief of staff on the shout out to Quabinat, his real chief of staff. That's my guy. But on the campaign side, in the campaign, I ran Cedric Richmond. So anytime people saw him on TV, yeah, anytime I had him in press meetings, I was that was all me.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:32

And you're and you're also building those relationships and learning like what that's supposed to look like.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:36

And it's but it was so funny because I told him I said I came to DC to work for you. Now here I am, we're running for president, and I gotta talk to you every day. We're texting, we're emailing. I'm I'm Congressman, what you doing? I need you to do uh Sunday show today. I need you to do this. Hold up, we gotta do a prep. We're doing this, and this is it's just like it's so funny because I came there to work with the youngest black man in Congress. Fast forward, that was 2013, 2020. I'm with him every day. And that I'll never forget how that whole thing became a thing. Yeah, and so I have a lot of respect for Cedric Richmond, who he is. I love how authentic he is, he's truly himself, and he's good at what he does. And I have I have some some Richmond in me, yeah, a lot of Richmond in me. I'm I uh he's true New Orleans through and through.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:24

Yeah, I I remember in 2022, Mandela Barnes had won the the U.S. Senate nomination in Wisconsin. Yep. And I know Mandela very well, good guy. And and I got to go, uh Bernie Sanders was stomping for him in Wisconsin. And so through Move On, I got to introduce Bernie for three stops. Wow. And I made the silly decision because it was Eau Claire, Wisconsin was the first stop, then lacrosse, and then Madison. I made the silly decision to drive from Detroit to Eau Claire. Okay, bless you. Which was insane, and I'll never forget the morning of the thing. I'm on the call with all the people, and they're like, We never got your remarks to like put through legal and to blah blah blah. And I'm like, Oh, so I can't wing this. No, yes, it's a real thing, and so I'm like on the call in Google Docs, yeah, putting some stuff together. This is before ChatGPT came out, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:30

So I'm there just people cheat now because of Chat GPT. You know how many things I had to write, all the stuff, yes, chat GPT don't even like it, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:40

Because I have to, I was a human chat GPT, so I'm just like putting something together, so I send it that whole day. I was behind, I started off behind, right? I remember we got to because through Detroit, you go through Gary, you go through Chicago. I remember getting to Madison because Madison is on the east side of Wisconsin. I remember getting there, I was tired. My other friend who was driving was tired. My other friend, so I was like, okay, y'all not about to tear off my car.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:09

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:09

So I'm like, okay, here's what we can do. It's two in the morning. If we stop now, we can sleep until six, but we have to get up at six. Yep. Because if not, we're not gonna get to Eau Claire on time. So we sleep for four hours. I get to that first stop, and if you're ever backstage to some of these big things, they two things trip me out. One says on camera beyond this point, which I thought was fascinating because I guess it's like, oh, like people need to know that if you're past this, you're on camera, you're on camera, and the second thing that I thought was insane was today is blank and you're in Houston, Texas, or you're in Eau Claire, blah blah blah. Because people, you're moving, you're doing so much. Like, I would travel with move on, and B's one would be like, What is today? Where am I? This is a real thing, like what city is this? Yeah, because you will literally forget, yeah. But I remember that day, the the first stop. I don't know how these pastors do it back to back. Because like I did that, right? And then I was exhausted, and then I did number two, and I'm like, I don't know. And then we gotta drive to Madison, yeah, and I remember getting there and just being like, I don't have it in me, right? But something when they said, I went out of there, hello, Wisconsin. You know, you just gotta get it. Yes, but it's like it's only when you've been through all of this stuff that you can reach down and pull out, yeah, you know, because it's it's go time, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:40

That was a real thing. I I think I look back at the folks I was to work with um over the years and where I've been and where I've what I've been able to accomplish and do, and those things are great reminders, and then just who I am, the family, my ancestors, all that stuff makes me when I get into these rooms and to these different things, all that is in me. So I always dig down, dig deep. It's just like being a band. I dig deep, you gotta dig in, you gotta find this energy, you gotta find a second way.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:12

Yeah, when you're exhausted, you know, when you don't feel like you have to do the thing that you feel like doing because the future version of you will enjoy it, you know. I I saw um I saw Lion King in Broadway a few weeks ago, and that song, The Circle of Life, like really hit me because it's like that is literally what it is. Like the trees know to let go of the leaves, right? Let them die in the fall, let go of them in winter. Yep, because you have to do that to prepare for the spring. Like you have to do that thing in order to get to that next thing. And and a lot of times it's the hard part of everything that you do that make you that give you that that that um that gravitize that you need. State representative Ron Reynolds says, So proud of you both. Both you TSU brothers, tiger alums, rock. Love Ron Reynolds.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:07

Ron Reynolds has been uh he's my alpha frat brother, first of all, and from the same chapter, Delta Theta, yeah, uh 1906. Uh, but also Ron has like had a chance to see me grow from the early years, from me being a student leader to my adult first getting on Capitol Hill to becoming a whole thing on the hill, then doing it in uh a presidential campaign to administration. Also, yeah, I have lots of love and respect for Ron Reynolds. He's great, he's always been great. Uh, he's done some great things and he's always been there as needed.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:41

Yeah, and he'll always pour into somebody. Oh, yes, he will always put you on, he will always, if you prove yourself, he will he will get down for you.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:49

One of my uh uh little brothers, uh Anthony Collier, was with him and like another solid guy. And so, like, again, I have respect for Ron because he to that point he's poured into uh the next generation, making sure folks are like doing the things, and if you're good, you know, they reward that, making sure you you're helping getting things together. It's been a thing, and I'm glad we have leadership like him around here. Yes, it's needed.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:14

So let's do a uh as we as we bring it round the bend, yes, let's do a lightning round. Uh you're in Houston, top three restaurants to go to. Oh, that's hard now. Now you can't get any top three. So I'll go first. I'll say you gotta do papa dough. Hold up, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You live. Take them.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:33

I think no, no, no, no. You're not going to do that. But you went to TSU. I did. So you gotta hold up. Okay. I come when I come to Houston. This is really bad. I did really good this trip. Okay. Uh, because I have to hit my restaurants. Okay. And it's traditional at this point. Papado's is one. Yes. And people get mad because I like their, I love their gumbo. And my folks from the Frenchie's world like Frenchie's gumbo is better. I did have some Frenchie's gumbo the other day. Shout out to Percy Cruzo. Yesterday was his birthday. Happy birthday, PC. Um, and uh it was good. Yes, I don't eat pork though.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:08

Um that lemon cake of Frenchies is good, too. It's good. It gives you a headache.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:13

So, number two restaurant, Frenchies. Okay, I I am not, I've lived a lot of places, I've I've eaten a lot of different foods. When I come to Houston, I actually just come from real regular food. Yes, because everywhere else, like DC, my palate is a little bit different there. Everyone's a chef. You're going to the restaurant for the chef. I know that's here in Houston as well, but my pal, when I come to Houston, I want some real Creole food. I want some black food or some Creole food. Yes, period. It is what it is. That's not changing. That makes sense. Uh, my number three, and I had it. Shout out to Marcus Davis, Breakfast Club. Ah, yes. And so it's other restaurants here, it's really hard. I am somewhat a foodie. Yeah. Um, and Houston has a lot of good food. Like my folks in Georgia and Atlanta are not gonna like this, but the food is better in Houston.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:05

It is, it is. It's like Houston is becoming like the new Atlanta. Houston is the new Atlanta.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:11

No, I look, I'm a person that came from Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia, to Houston. Houston is Houston, Houston is the new Houston Houston. Houston is Houston, Houston's the fourth largest city in America. I have to remind it about people, like let them know. I was born in Chicago, the third largest city in America. Yeah, Houston is its own thing, and like this place is not like everybody, not other places in the world, period.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:33

Yes, yes, that is what's up. Okay, so what's on your playlist these days?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:39

What do you uh I have a wide taste in music? Um, because I'm a former musician and I come from a musical family. My brother is a whole physical therapist and doctor, and he still gigs on the side. He's a percussionist. Wow. Um, I said it to say, as a person that I still can read music, yes, I like real music. Yes. Uh on the way here, I was in the rental and I was listening to old school. I'm very I like RB. Okay. Uh I like old school RB. I like some of the new stuff too. Um, like uh, what's his name? Lucky Day.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:14

Yeah. Uh have you heard of El Mien or El Mian? I have he has that song, uh Reclusive. Yeah, yeah, reclusive.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:22

Um, but I'm pretty traditional. Like my favorite artist is Stevie Wonder. I was just listening to Stevie Wonder. And I it's timeless, it's real music. And I'm like, I don't I don't know if people realize this is a whole blind man and his creativity because of his blindness, yeah. Yeah, the color in his music is I I I I wonder, I ask myself, well, if you weren't a musician and if you know how to play music, what would be your take? Uh I listen to some rap, but when I listen to rap, I'm listening to really the lyrics. Yeah, I'm listening to I can never keep up. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:00

Maybe it's an ADHD thing, but I can't. I don't know half of the stuff.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:04

Someone tell me, I'm saying, yeah, I don't know who that is. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:06

You can you can just I can't hear, I can't hear the word. Whenever I listen to any music, I have to listen to it again to hear the words because I hear the music first. The music first.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:15

I'm the same way. I hear the music first before I get to the words, yeah. And that's what I like about Stevie. I want growing up on Stevie, I didn't know none of those were I was seeing the words, didn't really notice it. Now that I'm older and seasoned, I'm like, man, the words.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:27

You know, I was listening on the way over here, uh Uber everywhere. I like I was listening to one of Robin Thick's albums. You got some good stuff. I was listening to, and it's crazy, like the B sides, the ones that didn't become hits. I knew the words to it. So we know a lot of music that you just yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:44

I mean, again, I'm saying a lot here. When I was in middle school, uh, shout out to my mom, make she rest in peace. I was uh I sung. I I used to sing. I don't I just sing in the shower now. I'm a preacher's kid. Okay, and so I know you're a preacher's kid. I'm a preacher's kid. Okay, and so as you're when you're a preacher's kid, you do everything, you play all the instruments in church. Don't we have musicians for them, but I still know how to play them. Yeah. Uh and I I sing, yeah, and I got that gift from my mother for sure. And so I was on uh eighth grade, ninth grade, I think I stopped like 10th, like seventh, eighth, ninth. I was trying to get a record deal, had my demo, doing all the things, and I at one point I wanted to get into the music industry. It was a whole thing. That dream came and left uh over two, three times. I had a couple of family members that worked in the industry. Uh, and I said it to say I'm very crazy it's like the same being a preacher's kid, I'm very critical when I hear uh ministers because I'm like now.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:46

You can see through it, you can see through the thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:48

Yeah, I'm like, now you didn't do that sermon.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:51

It's similar similar with music arrangements. I'm like, okay, I hear those those quarter notes. Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:55

If I'm listening to it's my friends laugh at me because I'm like, yo, I can't listen to that. This is my ears are sensitive. Yeah, I was like, I I'm I'm not I'm picking up more than what you're gonna pick up.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:06

There was a there was a trumpeter at they have this place called Mo Better Bruce.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:11

I've heard about it, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:12

Okay, so on Fridays, this was a couple of years ago, they would have you know live music on Fridays. I play the trumpet. Okay, yeah, so it is physically painful to let you do that. Yep, yep. I'm like, oh yes, I'm like people are like, what's wrong? And I'm like, I just I can't cringy. I can't even hear the conversation because I'm like, cringy. How offensive you have there?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:39

I mean, whoever you are, maybe it was a bad night, maybe you just but no, it was music is a sensitive thing to me. Uh, and I I love music, I like all kinds of music. I I love live music, I love horns, I love I love instruments, yes, uh, I love some good singing. Yes, um, I'm even open to some of the new technology things, but I'm like, let me see what you do. It's like it's too much sampling going on. I'm like, what's your creativity?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:06

Right. Do you know uh Tang and the Bangus? I don't know Tangas. Okay, Tang and the Bangus, they're like a New Orleans. Um, I would compare her to like Jill Scott, but I'm trying to put together this thing. Okay. Imagine putting Tiny Desk, Showtime of the Apollo, okay, and a poetry slam in a blender.

unknown 1:22:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:24

At a really cool, chill venue, unassuming, you know, in Houston and doing it once a month. Okay. I want to use the same Ted X like uh sort of template. Yep. Where people send in their tapes. Yeah. Right? We choose what the lineup is gonna be. We have a house band. Yep. People invite their people out, but the value add is you're gonna walk away with a polished, like, live set that's on video.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:51

I love that, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:53

Because that's what'll make the artist want to come because now they have a product.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:56

Because I always do you remember Star Search? Yes. In fact, that video, like having that video footage of it all.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:01

Fun fact, my name is Darrell because Darrell Coleman Brown won Star Search, and my mom and my aunties were like, name him Daryl. Wow, and so Daryl Coleman Brown, I'm still friends, I'm friends with him to this day. Wow, on Facebook. I love that. I reached out, I'm like, hey, were you on Star Search? I'm named after you. And he was like, Yeah, he and believe it or not, he says several people have told him that. So I was like, it's wild.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:26

I love that. No, I was again, I was into that when I was young, and I at that time I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna be an artist. Uh, I was fine with, I'm glad I didn't go that route. Yes, I deal with a lot of artists in this current day and time with the work I do now, and so uh I respect the ones who have made it through, the ones that stop. It's a whole thing that was not my calling. There you go. There you go. So, any closing words to the folks? Uh one, I'll have to come back so we can go into more depth. Of we had a very great combo. Yeah, Darrell. We've I've known this man again since our our head, uh hey Heyday being student activists, student leaders, yeah, uh working for people in public service. So uh my ending words is one A son, I love you. I'm always gonna be here, always gonna be around, always gonna uh represent for you all, I'm always gonna put on for you all that it will never change. I've been trying to exit Houston and it just won't let you go. Yeah, they won't let me go in DC. Everyone's like, Oh, come on, it's from Texas. Yeah, I'm from a lot of places, yeah. And the Texas people are like, Yeah, he's from here, and they don't make it any better. Yes, and so I've accepted my invitation of being a Houstonian. I do claim you all, and I'm glad that you all claim me. Uh, I will just tell you all to pay attention to all the things that's happening right now. Uh, I I we didn't go too deep into the politics, but we have a lot happening right now, and I'm telling you as a as a strategist on the national scene to like pay attention right now is very, very important. Uh, a lot of things happen here politically in the state of Texas. Y'all keep your eyes on everything, it really matters. It is very consequential, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:08

Any hot takes? Any any endorsements you want to give?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:11

I mean, right now, I won't say any endorsements. It's a lot of first on Texas, it's a lot of runoffs happening. Yeah, keep your eyes on those runoffs. Uh, I tell folks as a person that's worked that started my real politics here in Houston. The voting base here is smart, they're loyal uh to their folks. If you're doing work for them, they will come deliver for you no matter how old or young you are. Uh, I will say one, I'm proud of the Senate race. Uh, I I think that I know people want me to get a little spicier. I do uh have love and know Congresswoman Crockett. She's great. Uh, I brought her to TSU at one point. She did uh one of the commencement speeches. Um, proud of what she was able to accomplish in such a short period of time. Uh and like she said, she is she's moved on. Uh, I would tell folks don't guess be emotional about it as you should be. This is our politics, this is our day-to-day lives. I love that we have way more engagement right now in the process, but we should not do any infighting. Yeah, be clear, it's a lot of infighting going on, and like that does not help the cause. That does not help. We you have to look at which one you want. Um, in Texas and the United States. Uh, I think it's great candidates throughout the state of Texas. Uh, I'm supporting uh Tel Rico for Senate, period. Uh, we gotta win, or you all can just keep keep it the same way you got pick and choose which one you want. Uh, I'm team Tel Rico at this point. I was very neutral, uh, but now I am all in for Tel Rico. I think right now it's a lot of great races happen in the state of Georgia with the governors. It's a lot of we need to flip this house to keep uh President Trump uh held accountable. Um, we have a lot of great 2028 presidential candidates. However, as I tell some of the candidates I've spoken to, um, some great governors out there, guys. We got to get through 2026. We got to get through this midterm. This is very, very important uh right now to get through 2026. So be on the ground, stay engaged, get active, learn uh who you're voting for, hold them accountable. I think it's okay to keep folks held accountable. It is what it is, but be strategic in that um and stay engaged. And remember, your politics is local. Local. It does it's not going anywhere, and I love that more people are paying attention to their local races. Yes, it's needed. I'm not saying don't pay attention to national, yeah, but it starts at home first. Yep. Um, any hot other hot takes? Uh I mean, it's some hot races happening right now. I know a lot of these candidates. I'm uh I've been very quiet. Uh I haven't decided if I'm gonna put my hands in some of these races and work with some of them. Uh, but I am they need you. I I I've gotten quite a few calls. Uh I am Kind of somewhat resting right now, preparing for 28, and I'm doing work in 26 as well with some select candidates and things. So right now I'm doing a lot of government, a lot of politics, a lot of campaign stuff, a lot of strategy when it comes to media and communications. Um, I'm even a publicist for some celebrities, so it's like I'm kind of my hands are in a lot of different things, but my favorite thing is definitely electeds and thought leaders, uh, doing very high-level media. And and like Houston is one of my homes.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:31

So huge market.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:33

Said again, huge market, huge market, it's not going anywhere. This market actually kind of shaped me. Uh, that's why I have this Southern Twain that's not going to go anywhere, but I can run this same game that I run in Texas, I can run in DC, New York, LA, Chicago, wherever else.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:47

And the fact that you have connections in so many different places makes a huge makes you a benefit to a lot of do the work, a lot of campaigns.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:56

Do the work. I don't have many L's. I pride myself on having a lot of W's. Okay, I have a lot of wins. Okay, I am a little cocky about it because I can back it up. There you go. And them stats at the end, like right now, I'm letting everybody talk. Yes, let them talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Yes, I'm results oriented. I like to show what has been done. I don't talk in the process, I don't, I won't let my emotions dictate. We all we're human, we all have emotions, but I move a little bit differently, and those wins speak for themselves.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:27

For themselves, yes, absolutely. So, this has been awesome. Um, I want y'all to put uh words uh in the comments what you thought about today and who should come on next. Next time you're in town, we have to do this again. Yeah, I'm coming. Next time you're in town, we have to do this again. This has been awesome, and this has been live from the black house. Hey, thank you and good night. Peace, everybody.