Unpacked & Naked Podcast
Mike Howard talking ....
Unpacked & Naked Podcast
Episode 41: Paul Locatelli, From The Challenges of Being The OG Zoolander, to Triumphs: A Personal Odyssey
What would you do if you found yourself at a crossroads, questioning everything you once held dear? Join us for an intimate conversation with Paul Locatelli as he shares his transformative journey, from growing up in the vibrant community of Santa Cruz to overcoming personal challenges like stuttering and learning disabilities. With honest reflections on his time as a youth in Santa Cruz, Paul opens up about the power of friendships and how social dynamics have shifted since the '70s and '80s. This episode promises a heartfelt exploration of resilience and the friendships that shaped a life.
Switching gears, we venture into the often-glamorous yet challenging world of modeling. We expose the industry's hidden realities, from the pressures to conform to its demands to the uncomfortable casting couch phenomenon. Through candid anecdotes and personal stories, we reveal how standing one's ground can alter a career trajectory. In reflecting on these experiences, we draw parallels to broader societal changes in marriage, parenting, and generational shifts, painting a vivid picture of a world where personal integrity is often tested.
Finally, we explore the ever-evolving socio-political landscape of Santa Cruz, a town rich in culture and community. We discuss the influence of the local university, shifting demographics, and the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit that defines the area. With stories of inspiring local figures like Reggie, who champions youth development, we highlight the unique cultural influences and community values that continue to shape Santa Cruz. Through personal anecdotes and broader reflections, we celebrate this dynamic town as a place where community support and diversity thrive.
Okay, I'm going to start this stupid thing. Paul, Are we back on again? Yeah, we're back on again. We're looking at pictures, people. I'm taking pictures Welcome to the Unpacked and Naked podcast. I'm your host, Michael Howard. This podcast is brought to you in part by Santa Cruz Vibes Magazine. Santa Cruz Vibes Magazine. Santa Cruz Vibes Magazine. Wow, Media library yes.
Speaker 2:They're coming out. Yeah, is Brian like full on now?
Speaker 1:Brian is full on.
Speaker 2:So no more landscaping. No, he's still doing stuff, he's going full out now. Huh, yes.
Speaker 1:Also brought to you by Pointside Beach Shack. It's a great.
Speaker 2:Great spot to hang out. It's a great spot. It's a great spot to hang out.
Speaker 1:It's a great spot. Paul's sitting here.
Speaker 2:We all know the Duhigg brothers, they're awesome.
Speaker 1:Anyways, you can look up on the interweb. Thank you, colin Brown, for the intro music. We're going to cut out here Paul Locatelli.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, michael, you're here, I'm here. Yes, you asked me to come.
Speaker 1:I did ask you to come. I was a little nervous of why you asked me to come. Why did I ask you to come?
Speaker 2:Because we've got a lot of podcasts coming up and you've got your Christian one or the Catholic one going on. I've got the Christian Catholic one. Are you trying to peg?
Speaker 1:me already. Are you a priest Pasture? I was a pastor. I formerly ordained Paul Formerly.
Speaker 2:I can christen you here you need to Catholic me I gave you the cross.
Speaker 1:Actually, Kim and I are talking about becoming Catholic.
Speaker 2:Have fun. A lot of rules.
Speaker 1:A lot of rules. I'm used to rules, Paul.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to sit there and listen to all the rules and what's going on, yeah you've got to sit there and listen to all the rules and what's going on. Yeah, you know I can't get baptized. You're too old now. There's that I can go to catechism, though you can go to catechism yeah, you can go to do that, and then you've got to go get confirmation, which is 18, so you're past 18. So I think you're okay. There, I can get confirmed?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think confirmed yeah, I think I could do that for you too, all right.
Speaker 2:Well, I, I'm actually gonna have a, a host. What, what do they call those dudes? Well, for your confirmation, yes, that's your.
Speaker 1:It's like a mentor kind of yeah, yeah, no, I had two, we'll get into that because you need to.
Speaker 2:Well, that's here, I'll put it out there. Yeah, I had to, because so, paul, why don't you tell us about yourself? Yeah, wow, we're going right at it. I had two of those mentors, because one was a. We found out he was molesting one of his daughter's friends, but he was still my mentor. I still went to kind of a jail place to see him. How good is that for the Catholic religion? And the other one I had to go to because he was out of jail. That is not cool. So you know, I had a big, and the only reason why I did this is because my mom said once you get confirmed, you can choose whatever religion you want. I said, fuck, I'm done, let's go yeah okay, so there you go.
Speaker 2:There's the beginning part.
Speaker 1:Paul Locatelli, we're restarting this whole thing. Okay, let's start over. Paul, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, other than the fact that you uh?
Speaker 2:I had two guys. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was rough. Oh, let's start when when you're growing up?
Speaker 1:Whatever you want to tell us, paul, you know at this point. Well, I will put a little parameters on it. You're going to guide me a little bit For those of you who haven't figured it out at all Paul and I know each other pretty well. Yes, sir, Paul is a character in the lexicon of Michael Howard's memories. He's also from a famous family, the Locatellis.
Speaker 2:The good side, yes, the Boulder Creek side, the Sanford side A little sketchy, but he's a realtor here in town.
Speaker 1:But, more importantly, he's been a very good friend to me, someone I love. He's part of a crew of guys that has been very good to each other and we've been through I think you guys have been through more than that.
Speaker 2:I've been through a lot of stuff Been through with them.
Speaker 1:Different experiences, but Paul's just this human that my wife and I adore, love him and his family. It's great, but you can go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 2:Okay, a little bit about myself, grew up and raised in Santa Cruz, born and raised here. The Locatelians came in the 1800s.
Speaker 1:Okay so what high school did you go to?
Speaker 2:So I started off at Brant's Forty Elementary where, if you want to get deep, I got teased a lot because I stuttered a lot back then and that was hard growing up. So what happened to me is I just started lifting weights in about fifth, sixth grade and I got mean and I got a little bit stronger. We got into elementary, junior high school and you know that was still a rough time, you know, when you have a learning disability from dyslexia to ADD and just freaking, just learning in general. So it was definitely a tough time growing up in the the 80s I guess 70s and 80s because back then there was, uh, you get teased a lot.
Speaker 1:Nowadays you get teased, everybody cries yeah well, you know I without you know we're not into the santa cruz part, but but this is a great segue, a bit of like how it really is different here. Also that that, growing up at that time, what was santa cruz like to you?
Speaker 2:santa cruz was very uh, it was tough here. You know, a lot of my friends, like michael, surfed. I really did not surf, even though that they all think I surfed. I never really did, even though they had pictures of you surfing?
Speaker 1:What was the name of our common modeling?
Speaker 2:Look, was it City. City Models, city Models.
Speaker 1:We had similar agents in San Francisco, paul actually made it, paul's actually. Good looking, I'm ugly. Oh, you're right.
Speaker 2:So that was a key thing where a lot of my friends surfed and the surfing world around here was tough and if you go out in the water, everybody's fighting with each other and yelling. That wasn't really a surfer. I was more of a swimmer. I could swim really well, but I was never really a surfer. But all my friends were surfers. So that's where you know the culture around here was either you're from the woods, like where my family is, slv area or you're down on the beach and those are those. Two didn't intertwine too much. But luckily I was in Midtown where I had friends on both east side and west side, so it was a good time. But, like I said, growing up here you had to be tough, your skin had to be thick and you just got to make sure you were friendly with everybody.
Speaker 3:Yes, and that's what I did. I smiled, I always smiled.
Speaker 2:I got the humor from my dad. Yes, and that's what I did I smiled. I always smiled. I got the humor from my dad. So that was a good thing is I could always joke with people and make them laugh and have a good time.
Speaker 1:Well, Paul's got that million-dollar smile Was it about that amount.
Speaker 2:Probably over the 10 years I probably made a million bucks off of it.
Speaker 1:Every year it was 100 grand.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I got to hit my audience a little bit with this so.
Speaker 1:So I got to hit my audience a little bit with this. So, top three at the time. Top three, what Male models.
Speaker 2:Top five. I was probably in the top five. It depended from 92 to 94, give or take around that time.
Speaker 1:So this is during the Elle Macpherson, Linda Evangelista days. Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford.
Speaker 2:It was right before George Michael came out with his Faith song or whatever. He didn't want to be a part of it all. It was right before George Michael came out with his Faith song or whatever. He didn't want to be a part of it all. It was all about models and that was 91. And that's when I got into it. I go that's a cool, freaking thing. I wanted to be in something like that I was only 18 at the time.
Speaker 1:Models. So let's stay here just for a minute, even though we're getting to know you. Yeah, you remember Dean Isidro, right? No, you don't remember. He worked for Giles Ben Simon, down Tabber's brother. No, I forget. So he graduated from Pepperdine. Anyways, he worked for Giles Ben Simon, that's who was building my book. Okay, so here's a story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is about you but I'm going to make it about me, it's always about you.
Speaker 3:Don't say that.
Speaker 1:I sound nice on this microphone. I know you do. You sound really good. Um, I'm a little nasally. So so I had just met Kim, like just met her like my wife two weeks before this moment. Wow, I'm going back from LA. You know you're in the grind, you're already doing it, yep, and Dean calls me up. He goes, michael, hey, I lost my stylist for the swimsuit issue of Elle 1991.
Speaker 3:Remember that one. Yes, yes, yes, you remember that. Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, and I'm like yeah, and he goes, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I want you to do the hair for it. And here's my promise Two editorial pictures he goes you're made. And I had just met Kim and you know me during that time I'm like yeah, she's 17.
Speaker 3:I'm like, ah, oh, come on now.
Speaker 1:But I tell Dean. I tell dean, I'm like, hey look, I met this girl. He goes you meet lots of girls, yeah, and he goes, let me play it out for you. So he tells me the lineup, yep, and he's like giving me the the status of all this because let me describe it for you. You're going to be the only straight guy there. There's beer and there's models and there's breakups. He goes, so I don't want to hear about a new girlfriend. Yeah, heck, no.
Speaker 1:He goes just get down here and I'm like you've got to give me 24 hours. He goes, michael, you're made.
Speaker 2:Just do it, come on down.
Speaker 1:The rest is history.
Speaker 2:I guess you didn't go down. I did not go down Because you've been married for over 30 years now yeah, 33.
Speaker 1:33 years. Now 33 years, but a real pivot point though in your life.
Speaker 2:Oh, what would that have changed your life dramatically. You know I have one though. Yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it was rough.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:Dean upset with. I'm sure he's pissed. Yeah, he's like. What are you thinking? You don't get a ticket like this dude, like this. Is it you're made like forever? Yeah, you know you had a different, lifestyle different lifestyle anyway. So so there's, there's my uh, that's my maid moment, and that I turned down, one of one, of one, of many, one of two or three, yeah yeah, no, it's.
Speaker 2:It's definitely interesting when you you change, when you're in this business and you can you go from one spectrum to the next. You're like if I would have stayed in that area, what would have happened?
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean because, if you think about it, at the time, river phoenix was the guy, yeah, and so I'm there's, he's a placeholder, you know. So. So that look is kind of the the lens, that that that all the photographers that were working with me at the time doing the measly shit I was doing up for city.
Speaker 3:That's so funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So can you describe what it's like to be a model, because you and I have a similar path with our particular agent at city that there are moments and I think people don't realize that the casting couch works for both genders.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, there's always a casting couch. Works for both genders. Oh yeah, there's always a casting couch. A lot of touchy-feely.
Speaker 1:I know that I lost my place at City because of a particular incident that may have involved me doing a wrist lock on a gentleman that had touched my wiener for the second time in a row.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they should like brushing up on it by accident.
Speaker 2:Hey, how you doing A little closer buddy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know that you have had similar incidents because of your good looks and your ability to transcend the boundaries of what City had influence on, because you were with some bigger people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was with some big people. I mean, you've got to remember I was 17 when I just got into the business, kind of I tried out for the look of the year and I won it. Because a girlfriend at the time told me it wasn't a girlfriend, it was just a friend. I said I should go try out for that. And I was modeling and went to Vegas, won the thing and yes, so I was like 17, turning 18 that year, and my very first fucking photo shoot ever. You know, I was comfortable because I played water polo, so I was in Speedos all the time. It wasn't a big deal to me.
Speaker 2:Alan Purcell I don't know if you remember Alan Purcell. He was probably one of the gayest photographers you would ever meet, but the nicest guy in the world. So I had to go do a photo shoot with him. And you're coming from Santa Cruz where you've got to be tough, strong, mean, I've never been around gay people my whole entire life and I never knew really what's going on. But I had to go to him because he was the guy at that time in San Francisco. A friend of mine brought me up there and she said I'll drop you off and come back later.
Speaker 2:So the first photo shoot was good, it was a suit and all that. Next one was shorts and a t-shirt Great. Then it was shorts. Then I said, ok, strip down. I go. What do you mean strip down? Strip down to nothing. I'm like like, what the fuck? And I, uh, we're going bruce weber yeah, I mean alan persill kind of shot like bruce weber and, um, I was comfortable, but it was a weird feeling and I'm like, okay, I guess this is what I want to do and you know, you just kind of go with it. And I stripped down, butt naked. I had a towel in front of me and it was a shot that was on a postcard. It was actually one of the best postcards he ever sold, because all the gay guys loved it.
Speaker 2:Living in the Castro, living in West Hollywood and it was a postcard that he did well with it got out there and it's just like my first experience in being a model was kind of like you get pushed into it. Oh, I do know.
Speaker 1:Did he shoot for Macy's too?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, so that's the the blondest. Yeah, yeah, no, no, he wanted to do one with me right after he did that one with you. Yeah, and we shot at my dad's shop with a couple British bikes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he was so mad at me. Yeah, he was like I was so tight.
Speaker 2:But he had. I looked at his book. He had a lot of the guys, because we're all you gotta remember, I'm 18 years old. No, yeah, yeah so after that I'm like no more if I'm fucking doing this, I'm getting paid for fucking, get stripping down and whatnot.
Speaker 1:It was funny for our shoot. He was driving behind me in his mercedes or whatever else. Yeah, as we're going to my dad's shop in capitol, I get pulled over because I'm moving one of the bikes. You know, one of john reddington's bikes, yeah, moving his Norton. I get pulled over by a cop, you know, explaining what's going on and Alan's just, you know he had never seen such a strong police presence as there was in Capitola at the time.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, and it was hilarious.
Speaker 1:Capitola. Cops are crazy. Oh yeah, it was hilarious the whole thing that he was so upset with how the thing turned out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, like if you told him no, we didn't like it. Oh, yeah, and that's what my, my Paul, my agent, told me. He's like you can't say no, you just got to go do it, You'll be fine, but see this, this is how I got introduced to you, right?
Speaker 1:So I'm up at his studio. God, I totally forgot about this, but you've that threw a picture of you at me and it was whatever surf one you had done. Oh, that surf one too, yeah, body glove.
Speaker 2:You're just smiling and I had the wetsuit on backwards.
Speaker 1:This is what I was looking at. He's throwing pictures of you at me and I'm just like fuck you, dude.
Speaker 2:He's like you're not even surf.
Speaker 1:That's what I told him. Like the guy doesn't even surf what. That's what I told him. Like the guy doesn't even surf.
Speaker 2:What are you talking about? Like I'm a surfer, you want to do surf stuff. I would have done it all day, yeah, and, by the way, that my west was on backwards at the time and he was so mad at me because I look gay, he goes.
Speaker 1:I want this thing to be straight. Like you, look gay. I'm not trying to put a gay calendar up. It's a straight calendar. It was so weird.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's so funny, that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right, oh, hilarious Anyway. So you grew up here in Santa Cruz. I grew up in Santa Cruz.
Speaker 2:I grew up here, like I was saying, from childhood to getting stronger, and it was a different time. It was more laid back, easy culture. Where I was growing up I had a good family. Mom and dad were at home, never got divorced. You know my dad worked nine five.
Speaker 2:My mom stayed home. But you know, besides that there is is a rough. You know san jose is a rough area. Yeah, it's not. As you know, everybody's sake is. Uh, because you gotta think about people thought it was a surf town, which which it, which it is. And you're coming in this town and you know, if you're not local, you go out, try to go out to those ways you get your ass beat yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:So you gotta understand, you gotta put yourself around people that you know and and I always did, and I still even do it to this day, if I ever go out anymore you always find the biggest guy at the bar and you hang out. They become friends with them and that's how it is. You find the biggest guy at the beach or your biggest buddy you got, and yeah, you hang out them and talk with them and smooth them over and do that yeah do that, do that but it's.
Speaker 2:You know, santa cruz is a. It's a great place and that's what's so funny, because I am real estate now and everybody asks you know everybody's moving here why are you moving to santa cruz? Yeah, they all say the same dang thing the culture, the lifestyle. Yeah, they want the feeling of santa cruz because it's easy going, laid back. But because it's easygoing laid back, but really it's not easygoing laid back, depending on what you want to do. I mean, all these people coming over now are freaking billionaires and they're taking over the whole coast and everything else which is good and bad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so how has that transition been for you? Because we're kind of segueing right through most of my questions here.
Speaker 2:Did we jump too far forward? No, it's good.
Speaker 1:I I like this. You know this more back and forth um. You know my perception of this town you know comes from small town capitol right I'm tiny town guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's freaking one by one mile, yeah. Yeah, there's no waves in capitol.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it was it was like all Republican when I grew up.
Speaker 1:It was just straight blue collar there was like one neighborhood, the Jewel Box, was really not even a bedroom community. It was mostly people from the Central Valley, people from San Jose, who had second homes there. You know, jp and I were the only two kids. You know, jeff, pauline and I were the only two kids that lived in the whole freaking neighborhood and I were the only two kids that live in the whole fricking neighborhood. So like it, it it's uh. You know not so much about my thing, but like from your end. How was it being on your side of town watching these transitions where we went from blue collar town all working class, to now we're kind of a bedroom community a little bit to the Valley. Money, money's starting to flow in. It's changing the landscape a lot, but Santa Cruz is still Santa Cruz. The university is really starting to get intact.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not too much in that university. I think you can go below myself, yeah, but it really changed the dynamic. Well, that's a swanky way to the university. My grandfather, my no-no was a supervisor for 30 years here in Santa Cruz and he voted against your family's in politics the Locatellis, the Locatellis Actually the Locatellis were in politics, go figure, no surprise.
Speaker 2:And see back then my grandfather. You think he was Republican? That was the way he acted and was about, but he was a Democrat. Yeah, because Democrats were different back then than they are now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and do you feel like I do about this, that one of the it's like you know I'm a liberal Democrat, but you know whatever, but I'm a liberal first. You know, yeah, party assignments, you know, due to whatever behavior is, but this region really truly is very, very liberal oh, it's very outlook and that we've had to remain open.
Speaker 2:You know, to and and because of people's association with politics, they don't realize that even the most conservative guys I know that I want nothing to do with their politics are still relatively open-minded people correct and that's and that's how he was, which you know he passed away when I was 10, but he was very, you know, he seemed like a Republican looking back but he's, you know, voted as a Democrat, ran as a Democrat and he voted against UCSC. He says, if you bring in UCSC which was kind of weird he thought and he's true all the hippies, the freaking trolls were going to come. We, all the hippies, the freaking trolls were going to come. We called them hippies back then, and he was right. All these liberal, because the peace level was going to roll in the 60s.
Speaker 2:He didn't like. So what, it sounds like Republican, but he wasn't a Democrat. So he lost, of course, because UCSC was voted in and got here, yeah, but, and that did change Santa Cruz. That's how Santa Cruz did change, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, it's certainly a turning point for the county in general, how voting rights and all these kids come in here and it changed the whole feeling of working class people.
Speaker 2:What built Santa Cruz? It was all the Chinese, the Italians, the Portuguese, they're all here working from fishing to lumber yeah.
Speaker 1:Japanese, japanese. We had an internment camp here, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's crazy. So if you, really look back at what San Francisco is. It's a melting pot.
Speaker 1:It really is. You know I joke around that if you took America, you know, tilted it left, everything loose would end up in California. If you took California and, like sandwiched it bending on both ends, everything loose in California ends up in Santa Cruz, yeah, right in the middle, and so it has this temperature. That's so unique because I don't know that anybody has really defined ideas about where they think things should be. You know, they, they, they live the way that they live, but but it is very open spot because everybody who moved here was really coming from somewhere else. You know.
Speaker 1:So it is this odd melting pot of all things good about our country, all things wrong about our country too, at the same time. You know whether whether it's now, you know, on my side of the fence these liberal policies that aren't fully funded that end up screwing the town up more, you know, because they don't spend the kind of money they need to if they're going to actually have a program like that To the other side of it. You know which. You know great. You know you can make cutbacks, but that doesn't fix our problem.
Speaker 2:No, you can't always cut everything back. It's called. You know, you got so much money in the bank. You only use that money.
Speaker 3:You don't go.
Speaker 2:Keep spending, spending and spending yeah, you know it's like government's the worst people to budget anything.
Speaker 3:Yeah look at where trillions in debt.
Speaker 2:Go figure, just print more money. Yeah, go or get some bitcoin.
Speaker 1:Call it good. Let's not talk about the complex currency models.
Speaker 2:Oh, he's that smart, no worry, look, he's been dumb, dumb, yeah. So.
Speaker 1:Let's keep it dumb, dumb. So you are married, though I've been married, yeah, yeah 27 years, 27 years.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, is it 27? It'll be 27 this year.
Speaker 1:How many kids?
Speaker 2:I got three kids Got a daughter who's 26, got a son who's 24, and then I got a 16-year-old. That motherfucker.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he freaking pushes it Playing football.
Speaker 2:Playing football, playing volleyball, hitting his head, trying to catch up with dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's already past me. He's 6'1" now, so he's getting bigger.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's definitely into sports.
Speaker 1:So how do you feel like Santa Cruz is different, raising your kids and the experience that you had I don't know what kind of measure of freedom you had growing up. It seemed to me that all of us were kind of running free, except for the Duik boys. Yeah, the Duik boys were always.
Speaker 2:they had a lot of they got kept in a little bubble a little bubble there. You know I, my freedom was pretty. I lived down off of market street, which I call it lower carbon arrow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know carbon arrows Back in the day it was the richy rich, it was the neighborhood it's like.
Speaker 2:We all want to live there but not us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pas-de-ampo Carbonado, yeah, pas-de-ampo Carbonado.
Speaker 2:Well, pas-de-ampo is a whole nether ballgame they wouldn't allow me there. But I had a ton of freedom, I mean literally. I think about it back then. I was 10. My parents and I could go on my bike and ride the beach. I could go to wherever I wanted and I had more freedom than you can imagine. I mean back then of course probably wasn't as many cars, maybe people out there, but I'm sure there was. You still don't pay attention when you're 10 years old.
Speaker 2:But yeah, we'd go to Tahoe and I had a 1982 Honda motorcycle where literally I drove out the back of our house in Tahoe and went out in the woods as far as I wanted all day long, because my parents didn't. They were watching my little brother over me and then my sister she was just sat in the corner. She didn't do shit anyway. But yeah, it was fun. We had tons of freedom. But my kids grew up. We actually had a house where I grew up, on Avalon Street. Then my wife found some hippies again sleeping in the back of one of my trailers and that set her off because she came from a very right wing white class.
Speaker 1:You know, up there in scotts valley area they came from las gadas, the flower dresses and oxycon.
Speaker 2:Yeah so once happened, my house became for sale that I loved so much, and I've come home from a modeling shoot and next thing you know, we're moving to Scotts Valley Because she didn't like the hippies down there on Avalon Street. Yeah, and Laura Cabrera again. So the freedom. She didn't have the freedom like I did, but then we moved into a coal sack and the kids had a lot of freedom until seven o'clock o'clock at night and they all had to come home yeah and it's funny.
Speaker 2:My daughter keeps telling me a story where all the other kids used to get to play outside past seven o'clock, and this is even the summertime, which you know it's like nine yeah excuse me, and they couldn't go play because kimmy was very strict. It's funny. Fast forward now. Our youngest is now grown up, grown up and he has more freedom. You know what to do it it's always we let the.
Speaker 2:We went to hawaii. We left him at 16 years old at our house by himself. You know my our grandparents around so they can come and watch him. But we never did that with our first two. We were more controlling with the first two than the last one.
Speaker 1:You know, kim, and I have this, yeah how's that? Debate about this. You know, because you know, as you know, my boys are back. You know, presently you know aiden back from the military and and caleb transitioning to to what's next for him. That's great and and you know we're recalibrating as a family right now, so so it's, it's really fun in there. But but the thing is, is well brennan's not like he's thinking about buying a house, you know, like the like of of of all of them, the young ones on this?
Speaker 1:full career path and just going for it. And it's not that the other boys aren't, they're just, you know, cause their trajectory what they did, you know, cause them to go down good roads. But you know those roads have ended. But the point being, you know that the animus with the older sons about how much different quote, unquote we were with Brennan and how strict they thought the house was, it was like it's because there was a little kid, like if those eyeballs weren't there, you don't really know us as this version of parents. This is who we've always been. It's just the view's different, because this kid's watching, you know. And now that the older kids are out and they know the world, it's like like, yeah, this is how we would have been with you, except there was another kid.
Speaker 1:There's no kid there so, no, not so much, yeah, and but, but it's weird how, how it totally shapes each kid, the you know your kids perception of who you are as people. And you know it's been fun getting to know my adult children, especially my oldest, who has not been in my house for 12 years. Oh, he's been out that long, yeah, and now he's back in it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and like but he would you know, like when he'd come back to visit you know that tension, that tension of like ah, you know, but now the tension Now the tension's starting, to leave the building because he's realizing like, oh, you guys were fully formed adults when you were raising me. I was just not a fully formed adult myself. Well, you got to think about it.
Speaker 2:We were young having kids. I mean, I had mine at 25.
Speaker 1:I think, you did too. Yeah, 25 was my first yeah.
Speaker 2:So, if you think about it, we were having kids as kids, our kids, my daughter's 26. Yeah, all of her friends are getting married. None of them are pregnant yet. She's not engaged, but you got to think we got married. I moved my wife across the country modeling, and we had her when I was 25 years old. So we got married and had a kid the same year. So it's like I couldn't imagine my kids doing that.
Speaker 2:I couldn't see my daughter doing it. I can't see my son's getting closer. You know he's 24. But you know he has a career path, that he wants to be a firefighter and set for that and he won't do anything until he gets his full-time job. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a fairly wise choice. Yeah, he's smart about that, yeah.
Speaker 2:But you got to think about it. We were kids having kids in today's world, because most today's world they're not getting married to what they're.
Speaker 1:27, 28, 30 you know, having kids later in life. So what's that generation going to look like, if it exists at all? You know there's. The reality is is that you know anybody who can do math? It doesn't take a strong mathematician to realize that boomers are the biggest generation to ever. Yeah, walk the face of the earth and all the once they all pass away, what happens the?
Speaker 1:environmental crisis, all the things that ensued because of that. I don't want to minimize any of that, but the reality is we're going to have less people in 50 years, and what I mean by less is a lot less it's. We're going to have a population probably cut in half yeah, you know which is really strange, because once the boomers pass, which is global, you, the whole world was at war. There was a big boom of sex post-war.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, you've got to have sex. That's those people.
Speaker 1:The next generation is the millennials.
Speaker 2:Is that us? That's us.
Speaker 1:Well, no, no, no, we're Gen X, oh, we're Gen X, yeah, yeah. What's a Gen X? Anyways no. Again we're not going to get into that we're in the 70s and 80s. No, we got. I like to joke around about it this way. We got the divorce, millennials got Disneyland. Daddy got his act together. Yeah, I didn't get to Disneyland. I got one time. Yeah, yeah, you too.
Speaker 2:I got one time Disneyland. My dad still has the fucking tickets from way back then. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, my dad Tickets.
Speaker 1:My dad kept the tickets, but he hated the whole moment. Oh yeah, I don't have any good memory of being a child at Disneyland.
Speaker 2:No, I hated it. We went down there, we went a couple rides Freaking.
Speaker 1:He liked the tiki tiki tiki room. Yeah, they all did. I got the Mai Tai glasses that my mom's yeah, fucking tiki tiki.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got the alcohol back then, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was yeah. That's so funny, it's crazy. So you have clearly decided to stay in Santa Cruz. What, what, what is it? I didn't want to.
Speaker 2:I wasn't going to. Okay, I you know we'll back years in modeling. I went to australia in 93, 94, give or take, and I wasn't coming back. I literally was not coming back from australia. I was gonna live in australia the rest of my life. You know, I've traveled the world. I've seen, I've been in europe, I've been to australia, people, italy, germany, france, um, you know, south america, uh, south africa, south af Africa looks like fucking Monterey just FYI, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean cold same thing. If you look at Monterey, you get that South Africa and I, you know, traveling around and I had a girlfriend at the time and I broke up and went to Australia and I didn't think after being there, I'm like this is my place, this is my people. You can be as Crazy as you want, as fun as you want, and it was great there and I was not coming back. Yeah, and that's your turning point. I was so crazy, so whacked out down there.
Speaker 2:I sat on the beach at Christmas time, christmas Eve. I was coming back because I had to, because my visa was up. I had to go back, redo it and come back again. My visa was up. I was sitting on the beach. I'm like'm like man, I need something more in life. I'm fucking going balls the wall. I'm doing well in modeling. Everything was fine, everything was perfect for money wise, but I'm like I, you know, I'm 23 years old, I go, I need something else in life. Like what the fuck am I gonna have? Yeah, and it's so funny. I came back and the girl I'm with now, kimmy I've known her since sixth grade. We've always been bed friends and I, you know it, and I ran into her at Christmastime and we started hanging out and shit. Next thing you know I'm not going back to Australia. Interesting. And I didn't think I was going to live in San Francisco because, still modeling at that time, I couldn't live here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, you're not close enough to airports, not close enough to the thing I'm, close enough and making money and all that because that's my job.
Speaker 2:And so Kimmy and I went to Florida and I love Miami, we had a great time there. But she got pregnant and she's like I can't live in Florida and I said, well, where else am I going to go? She said I want to go to New York. So I said, well, we're going to LA then, because that's another place you can model and act, and I thought I was going to be an actor. So it's like everybody else model, slash actor. So you go down there and I'm like, okay, I love it here, rented a great apartment there where'd you live down there?
Speaker 2:we actually lived on in bel air up on top. Okay, yeah, which was weird. Um, it was on top of bel air in these condos and these two doctor guys owned it and there it was. They were the nicest guys in the world. Um, they uh had it for us. I think we were spending like $2,000 a month, $2,200.
Speaker 2:That's a lot of money back then, yeah, it was a lot of money back then. And that's what? $97? Yeah, $97. And I'm like, this is it. We're going to stay here, because I'm like, okay, I can model, I can want to be acting, try to get acting. I'm like, okay, this is great. You know, I'll be a, I'll be a realtor actor model, best looking, everything.
Speaker 1:Whatever you do, you know you figure, yeah you figure, you know this4 million, fucking listing all those little schmucks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Excuse me, I had a lot of connections, a lot of friends, and then, you know, things change again. You're like, okay, I had an opportunity to buy our townhouse for $250,000 on top of Bel Air. Or a relative just passed away across the street from my parents, which I grew up on, avalon, a house, three bedroom, one bath house for $250,000. So I'm like, fuck, I can have a house or I can have a condo. What am I going to have? I'm like, let's go back to San Cruz, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1:And I was like that's. The only reason why we came back to Sanford is because I had a choice between a house or a condo, and I took a house. That's so interesting because that's about the time that Zoolander comes out. No, zoolander didn't come out until later, dude that was the funniest movie ever.
Speaker 3:Anyways, because that was a lot of fun. So we saw this together, yeah, with the Duics.
Speaker 1:This is a fun story. It's a fun story, it's worth hearing. Yeah, so this is you and I meeting for the first time.
Speaker 2:Right, I've only had pictures of you thrown at me to this point. We kind of knew each other a little bit, I guess, from the do it, did no I, we, we had.
Speaker 1:I had no transactions with you. I knew of you. You probably knew of me. As small as this town is, we never crossed paths. I'm just old enough that whatever cycle of teenage world that could have happened.
Speaker 2:You jumped out of it quick though.
Speaker 1:I was out. I was married young, too 21. I was in it early. That being said, it was going to see Zoolander and I remember the Dweck brothers were like, hey, so we're bringing Paul Locatelli. Yeah, are you cool with that? I'm like, well, why wouldn't I be cool with it? But yeah, that guy. You know you're hanging out with Paul you know and I'll never forget, in Zoolander you and I were laughing so loud and nobody was laughing, because we got the logistics.
Speaker 2:I mean, it was definitely, that movie is definitely. I've seen a lot of those people like that.
Speaker 1:Ben Stiller nailed it Like that. I mean not to bag on Tyson but you know that when Tyson walked out as a good guy, that's when you and I lost our shit.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know that was hilarious.
Speaker 1:That was hilarious and I remember the Duics looking at us going like and I remember the the dukes looking at us going like what are you laughing about? That's so funny. You don't get that like. That's hilarious. That guy's the biggest dick in the world. Oh, he's a good guy. He thinks he's a good guy.
Speaker 2:That was funny yeah, that movie was definitely right on. It was spot on. Oh god yeah it was definitely spot on. That was definitely funny. But yeah, no, just coming back is a different. You know, you're, you're. So I grew up and had a house where I grew up, I was, I was stoked. Yeah, you know how many freaking 25 year old, 27 year olds at that time yeah, house. Yeah. Then I'm like fuck, what, what do I do now?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah I've hit it now I gotta travel around so I've hit it, you know, and, and so you're pretty entrepreneurial too yeah, like I've always been an entrepreneur estate agent. What? What other kind of things are you doing right now? Have you done?
Speaker 2:I didn't go to college. I had to always hustle.
Speaker 2:And that's what I'm good at hustling. I mean, they didn't think I was going to make money in modeling. I made money in modeling. We had to come back to Santa Cruz. I swung the hammer a little bit, but not a lot. I'm like I'm not going to kill my back on this stuff. So I knew the rv business, which is, you know, people in the modeling world, in movie worlds, they need rvs to get dressed in, to do hair and makeup in. So I bought an rv, stripped it all down and I was subbing it out up to san francisco for mervins and macy's and jc pennies and eddie bowers of the world yeah and go on photo shoots for a week at a time where they rented it for 700 bucks a day, which was great money.
Speaker 2:The longer the shoots, the more money you make. Of course and I was hustling doing that I'm like, hey, this is the best thing in the world, because at the time I just got booked for a month and a half in Montana with Eddie Bauer, molly and having my RV.
Speaker 1:I'm like fuck, I'm double dipping on this motherfucker. This is great, Pulling the full Taylor Sheridan back in the 90s.
Speaker 2:This is great because we're set up and we're ready to go and fucking. Sure enough, 9-11 happened and it shut fucking everything down.
Speaker 3:Everything.
Speaker 2:So once again, now I'm back to what the fuck? I have a house, I have two kids. I freaking can't model. I mean I can still model, but we got to move again. You remember I said I was with fred sands trying to do my real estate. I never took my classes. So then I never took the real estate class. I took all the classes I didn't take.
Speaker 1:Take the test, okay well, I took all the classes, didn't take the test too, yeah, and did it. Well, I took all the classes and didn't take the test too, yeah, and then I said, fuck, I gotta do something.
Speaker 2:So I was like, well, I guess I gotta do real estate now. So that was in 2001 when, when 9-11 happened, I jumped in full head because the entrepreneur I had to take care of a family Didn't have college behind me. And so I, sure enough, I was lucky because all you talked about the Dukes, everybody else, they all gave me my shot. All of our friends at that time, the church when we all go into Twin Lakes Church at that time, we're all that age where we were going to step up in a house or buy a new house or get into a house. So luckily, they helped me out. I sold 19 houses my first year Wow.
Speaker 1:That was a lot back then. Fuck, it's a lot any time.
Speaker 2:You know people nowadays expect you to get hand-in listings, hand-in buyers hand-in because of Zillow and all the bullshit which we didn't have back then. Yeah, 19 houses was a lot of money and a lot of work, but I was thankful for all my friends and keep it going. So it was definitely that's how the entrepreneur. I always had to do something Because I had to take care of my family.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And what's funny of all my friends, they all went to college. They did all that. None of those motherfuckers are using the college education. Half of them are in real estate, half of them are selling some software program. So it's like you know, I saved money for not going. Yeah, that's funny.
Speaker 1:But you know, I think one of the things that at least makes you unique in the county is that you're not opposed to helping your clients move Like like you. You, you're a genuine helper person. Like like it's. You know, there's a hustle culture that's just hustling. Then there's people that are working and what makes you unique to almost any other realtor I've ever met and I know a lot, we all know all of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everybody's a filter realtor, you know. But but you're you. You're not willing to get your hands real dirty in the process and you don't make any money doing that.
Speaker 2:No, no, I mean you make the same commission.
Speaker 1:Everybody else does.
Speaker 2:You do the same thing as everybody else.
Speaker 1:You're out there busting your back for people that that it's just it's.
Speaker 2:It's, it's just kind you know, kindness, it's just giving it's. You know you get, you get brought up in a giving household and whatnot, and it's, it's just giving back.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:There's always something you give back to. If you can do one little thing for that person, hopefully they'll do something good for the next person. Yeah, you know, and that's why it's like our clients. Yes, I'll move stuff for our clients. You know now people. You know some of these agents hire people out to do it. I do it myself. You're gonna see me, you're gonna get me doing it, yeah, so I'm always here to help and it's just I love giving so so is that something you prescribe to personally, like just kind of everywhere?
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean always put putting a hand out I've always put in a handout.
Speaker 2:If anybody that needs help, I'm always there to to help out and get dirty and do whatever I can. I mean my buddy, reggie Stevens, which he's a wonderful human being, this guy. I knew him a little bit when my middle son played football. He was a coach up in Scotts Valley. I knew he had a program going on, but I really just wasn't in touch with him too much until this last two years actually, and my youngest son calls him Daddy. If anybody knows anything about Reggie, he's black and we're white, but it's the best thing in the world because my son loves Reggie more than anything in the world.
Speaker 3:It's so funny to watch Now.
Speaker 2:I'm crying Busy, you're good.
Speaker 3:They've heard me cry before.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but Reggie has the biggest heart because he helps kids and I've always wanted to help kids and Reggie has a platform. So my platform is to help him grow his business, his foundation, bigger. So my goal is to make $2 million by him and to figure out how to get $2 million into his foundation. So that's on my vision board that we just did. Last year we raised $20,000 in December for him to help out the girls flag football that just came out. I'll tell you, girls flag football is huge. They had KSBW, was there? Remember Randy Reed, rusty Reed.
Speaker 2:Rusty he was doing all the sports back in the day. He would videotape you, he'd do the commentary, bob Bogoski, and all that, but he was out there videotaping, I mean. So it was just good to see people out there giving. And Reggie's name get bigger and bigger and bigger.
Speaker 1:So why don't you tell us, about the Reggie Stevens Foundation, what they're up to?
Speaker 2:Yep, they're up to yep.
Speaker 2:So reggie came back from nfl. You know he went to school here in santa cruz. He's from louisiana. He was a big about kids. He's here to help kids get to the next level, first with sports. So he was helping train kids in football and helping them get to a school. Like he has connections, so if some kid wanted to go to a known you know brown university or you know. So if some kid wanted to go to a known name you know brown university or you know where, san jose state, he would help them, train them to get to that school.
Speaker 2:So he started off small. I mean he's been doing it for 15 years and he just kept growing it and growing it so it started. I first started off with sports but then he's done music. He's helping out musicians because he's big into music and he has art. His partner, jason Williams we call him Wills huge into art. So he's about getting kids into school. He's about training kids, helping them get better. He helps them with if they want to be an artist. He helps them in music. He's a well-rounded, genuine person that wants to help people get out of Santa Cruz, because in the sports world everybody thinks Santa Cruz is a bunch of surfers, potheads and can't do anything. He's proving to people that, hey, good athletes can come out of Santa Cruz, good musicians can come out of Santa Cruz and artists. So he's helping the kids grow from the middle school all the way up and he's just getting bigger about it.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about a couple threads that sit in there. So, thematically, let's talk about Santa Cruz. Yeah, because this is one of the things that when Brennan took over the junior guard program he was collecting a lot of research because he was finally getting the program insured from USLA.
Speaker 1:You know that they wanted to officially become lifeguards down there. So he was able to, for the first time in 30 years, get a new beach in the insurance service which is enough of a program to create licensure for people to become lifeguards. So that's the goal of that. But in his background content stuff, when he was doing research, he had come to realize that he was now in charge of what was the most successful by percentage junior guard program potentially in the world. There was more division one athletes, more CEOs, more seals Like you go down the list of the kinds of humans that went through this little town capitol.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you and I know, because we're around it a lot, you know probably you more than I that there are a tremendous amount of pro athletes that that are both from here who come here. Like somehow santa cruz has this reputation of like going nowhere and like it's so not the case that this has been a dynamic place almost from the beginning, that, whether it was on the entrepreneurial side in the seventies, eighties, you know most of the big tech magnets, of names you would know Hewlett Packard, intel. These guys lived here. You know they're like like this this has always been a hub of really great people. And you know this Stigma Stigma which is weird Like it's, yeah, it's a part of our town, but like it's not the town, you know, it's not really who we are. Like it used to irritate me because I, like you, just want to get the hell out yeah, I want to get out of here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't want to be here you know, because it felt that way yeah, as the stigma would would imply, but really it's not that way.
Speaker 2:And but people still think of it that way, and that's what's where we have to show people, keep people out there that it's not that way. It's not a bunch of fucking potheads.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And the people who are moving here are not moving to pothead world, they're not moving to this cruisy, cool town. You just actually have really highly effective mini Taipei. People who call this place home and this is a place where they feel peace. That's why it's home. Is that as much friction there is out and what they have to go do they settle here and it's it lives in this weird paradox. You know, I've never really known how to explain it to people like santa cruz is not at all what you think. Like it's a dynamic spot. Yes, people generally appear the same, you know, in that people are cruising, but this choice to be here is actually it's a very competitive environment.
Speaker 1:Like like these. These are people, people they're. They're not kind of people. Yeah, they're big people. You know, like the amount of spouses that are doctors. You like, like both spouses are, like like they're by percentage. You know. You know I've never asked. You know the people, I know that are the mucky mucky mucks, you know who who maybe are a little bit more control of the hospitals. You know what percentage there is of that dynamic, which is rare where we're both spouses or doctors or whatever else.
Speaker 2:But because it's so expensive to live here now.
Speaker 1:You both have to be a doctor to be able to afford a house here, and that's just a condo.
Speaker 3:That's just a condo now.
Speaker 1:But on the other side, when you say what Reggie's doing is helping these kids, what does that mean? Is he providing scholarship? Is he providing a plan for them to?
Speaker 2:Yeah, he actually sits down with the kids and asks them what their goal is, what their passion is, what do they want to do in life? And he'll listen to them. And some of them are like I want to be a pro athlete. He'll say he'll be honest.
Speaker 2:You're not going to make it. But here's a school you can go to Get a college education out of it. If they give you a ride, great. If they give you a ride, great. If they don't, it's okay. So he actually dives deep into what they each want to do. We're slowly giving foundations, you know not much 500 bucks here and there because he doesn't have the money yet, because that's a whole. You know how the whole I know it very well Giving world is and how much money you have to raise and get and all that and the grants and so forth. But his is just very genuine. He sits down with the kids and helps them out, he talks to them, he listens to them. Some want to be musicians. He has great connections in the music world in.
Speaker 2:Tennessee Artists if they want to go to art UCSC. I bagged about it but they have one of the best programs for art around, so he helps them get into colleges as well. He'll call the colleges up. Everybody thought he was just a Scotts Valley coach, where all these other typical freaking Santa Cruz. If you're thinking he just coaches kids in Scotts Valley, that's BS. Now All the kids have seen how much he does work for all these kids. They're coming from Soquel Aptos Harbor, santa Cruz, which he went. Now they realize what Reggie is giving to the kids. He'll actually call for a kid from Soquel for San Jose State, whatever. Hey, this kid needs some help, get him in. The other coaches around Santa Cruz don't do that. Yeah, they don't call, they don't pick up the phone and say, hey, take this guy, take this woman, take this son boy whatever and help him out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because he knows what it takes. He knows what it takes In their eyes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know he's been in the NFL, he's been to the championship, he's been in the Super Bowl, so he knows how to get to that next level, where some of these coaches there's a couple of other coaches here in town now that are in the NFL, we're in the NFL and they're helping out, but they won't pick up the phone yeah, like he's got to pick up the phone and help out that kid wherever they want to go. So that's where he definitely dives deep into their souls and ask them what they want to do in life.
Speaker 1:That's fantastic.
Speaker 2:Which is great because there's not a lot of coaches, not a lot of teachers. That I don't think that do that.
Speaker 1:That coaches not a lot of you know teachers that I don't think that do that. That's why I think my son loves himself so much. Well, I you know in defense of that a little bit. You know, as someone who's tried to develop a particular reputation, you know that. You know this is the risk that reggie takes by making that phone call. Yeah, whether he believes a kid is going to make it or not, yep, or whether he's willing to risk his reputation on just potential.
Speaker 1:And that is one of the one of the hard parts about being from Santa Cruz, cause it is so small and the kids that are talented are kind of big fish in small ponds. You know, once you get into club dynamics and get with the better teams, blah, blah, all that stuff that goes on, that that certainly college recruitment we've been a part of how that's dramatically changed. It was our kids that experienced the, that bullshit meter, that that happened, where money really really showed up, yeah, and started influencing the decisions. And if you're wondering why play is going down in sports, well you know you have to have to look back at at the amount of money that was being thrown on pool decks, at soccer fields, all that kind of thing that was buying influence, and so I'm presuming that Reggie's interrupting that flow.
Speaker 2:He's definitely interrupting it big time and that's where he's trying to figure out how to get these kids in a better spot. And now I think, finally, all that the coaches know that he's not a threat anymore. He's here to help. And now I think, finally, all of the coaches know that he's not a threat anymore.
Speaker 2:He's here to help. He'll train any athlete from any school anywhere for free. He does this for free and that's where I come in. I'm taking the money. I want to get the money because people need to start giving back to him, because he gives so much time and effort and he doesn't ask for a dollar. So that's where I come and go. Hey, I'm asking for that dollar, I'm asking for that grant money, you know, and we're gonna do it so it's been great.
Speaker 1:That's great. Yeah, you know it's. I think it points to an idea that that I subscribe by. You know about lending that hand. Yeah, you know, like, like, if you're in the space and you see someone with the potential to potentially operate in in these arenas, of how little of that dynamic actually exists in the world anymore, where people, just out of their heart, are going hey.
Speaker 2:I can help you up.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know I can help you up and and uh, I know through our interpersonal experiences how much that's a part of you. Do you feel like that was shaped by being from here, or just your family dynamic, or is that a culture that that you think is just a part of being from a town, the way that we are from this town?
Speaker 2:yeah, I mean the for about the giving part. It's definitely not the locatellis.
Speaker 3:They're not fucking giving at all those fucking guys are cheaper than hell you know.
Speaker 2:So it has to be from a different part of where it's part of the santa cruz area about the whole giving and I think I wanted to. It's so funny I'm going to go back. I wanted to be Mayor of Santa Cruz when I was growing up because I wanted to change certain things of it just the homelessness and just how to clean it up for where it was. Again it was safe to walk downtown, it was safe to. My wife won't go downtown.
Speaker 1:Yes, business people. Well, actually I will say to our politicians if you want tax dollars, fix it. You know, it's not about homelessness, it's about you know whether we can attract people to come down here and spend the money and do the work you know, but anyways.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a whole other issue. Everybody knows my feeling about that one so um, where were we again about giving?
Speaker 3:where to come from you know?
Speaker 2:I don't know, actually, but I could be from my uncle who was president santa clara university, who was very giving guy and very genuine guy, because he gave up. I mean, his friends are all the fucking billionaires over the hill. He could have been one of the billionaires easily because they all liked him. He was smart in all of them, he was the right crowd, the right place, the right time, but he chose a path of giving more than taking. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and that's important. That's very important, that's very important, that's very important. And you know again, as as much as I've kind of bemoaned the town, yep, I think what's apparent with our friendship group, not just our close-knit friends but the people that we're talking about, like there's lots of them, lots of stories, lots of good ones, lots of bad ones oh yeah, there is the strange reality that in santa cru you're a phone call away from an enemy that will come have your back and that's a very unique town.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, if something's wrong they'll be here for you and that is really what I've grown very endeared to in the last couple of years that I was raised in a good town. Like it's rough.
Speaker 2:It's rough, it's rough, it's, it's hard. But you know, we always figure. You know, what else are we going to do? And we always come back to santa cruz yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's.
Speaker 1:You know, I, I, I honestly I'm not sure if I hate myself because of it, but look at that, keep hitting the music mess with our music. I was supposed to cue.
Speaker 2:I you know the stupid buttons on this thing, but you gotta learn how to use that microphone or that, yeah, whatever will I ever learn.
Speaker 1:No, I'm still a 55 year old man dealing with technology. But but to the finality of that point, that, yeah, that the pleasure and privilege of having been here experiencing the culture the way that we have. It's good parts, it's bad parts. I mean, do you feel like me, like man, I'm just growing to love this town.
Speaker 2:We're lucky to live here. Like I said, we traveled the world and look where I came back to.
Speaker 3:You went around, you know, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:You come back to the place where everybody wants to move to, and that's why the San Santa Cruz was the most expensive place to live and buy a house. So it's like, holy shit, we're lucky. We're lucky when we got in. Okay, well, here's your plug, paul.
Speaker 1:All right. What are we doing? All of them So-.
Speaker 2:How many? You want all my businesses, hey entrepreneur are you getting ready?
Speaker 1:Yes, go.
Speaker 2:We'll start off with two guys in real estate. That podcast is coming out. That's the next little speech we got going for our real estate. Yes, we have Nick Marini and Paul Lucatelli, property management. That's another thing we got. We have Santa Cruz vodka. That's another one we got going on. We have Sireness. That is a THC drink which I told everybody to change to Delta 9, which you're doing now. What else do I got? Oh, and then I got, way back in the day we did silk screening too, so we got a little little little bit of that.
Speaker 1:So screen, hustle and then, and where can they find you?
Speaker 2:at Paul, they can always find me down here on 41st Avenue. One, zero, zero, three 41st Avenue.
Speaker 1:Paul, I love you, you love you. Mikey. Anyways, thanks so much for coming on.
Speaker 3:I appreciate it. I appreciate you a bunch. All right, thanks, brother, bye.