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00:00:03.359Thanks for tuning in to the conks of Bring Joy Podcast.
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00:00:05.519I'm your host, Joy Newlish.
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00:00:08.720I'm a first generation conk raised by a fourth.
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00:00:10.320What's that add up to?
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00:00:11.919A whole lot of conk pride.
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00:00:13.839And that's what this show is all about.
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00:00:20.000Celebrating the incredible people of Key West and their stories from every corner of our conk community.
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00:00:21.839So sit back and relax, cuz.
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00:00:23.120Let's do this thing.
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00:00:29.120The sponsor of this episode is Mike Stack and Stacked Weekend.
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00:00:35.600The three-day music festival runs October 9th through the 11th, featuring hip hop, country, reggae, and more.
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00:00:36.560And it's free.
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00:00:37.840Well should you wanna be.
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00:01:15.760This is an awesome show.
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00:01:19.599Hey, this show is all about characters like you.
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00:01:23.760You've got stories to tell, and I want to capture all of them.
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00:01:25.280So let's start right there.
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00:01:30.640You grew up in what I believe were the glory days of Key West, the 70s, the 80s.
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00:01:33.680Will you share some of those stories with us?
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00:01:35.280Well, I'd love to.
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00:01:36.719I don't know where to start, but you're right.
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00:01:40.239It really was kind of the golden, you know, one of the golden ages of Key West.
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00:01:43.680Key West has had such a long and mixed history.
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00:01:48.079You know, we've been the richest city in the country per capita.
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00:01:51.519We've been the poorest uh city in the country per capita.
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00:01:57.840We've always been, you know, people coming and going, lots of transient people, you know.
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00:02:06.640Um, you know, I mean, the Indians, the only people that really were there originally, but yeah, I think even the Indians didn't really live in Key West full-time.
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00:02:09.680They were coming and going from across from Cuba and from other places.
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00:02:15.680So, you know, there's uh Key West has more stories, I think, than any place I've ever heard of.
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00:02:25.759And it's gotta be, you know, one of the most cosmopolitan, maybe the most cosmopolitan community of 25,000 people anywhere in the world.
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00:02:26.719I agree.
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00:02:27.919That's a great way to put it.
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00:02:36.639But that but that period we were talking about, you know, it really, you know, that the 1970s and early 80s in Key West really was kind of a golden period.
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00:02:43.439You know, uh, you know, when the Navy pulled out, we had we had the oil embargo and that recession in the early 70s.
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00:02:54.240I mean, I was barely born, you were just a little kid, but they really changed the makeup of the town and the community when all those, when the Navy pulled so much of the resources out, they're really back now.
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00:02:57.280There's a lot of military in Key West now, but they pulled it out.
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00:03:02.879You know, we had the um the sonar school there, and they had submarines there, and a lot more going on.
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00:03:13.919When that pulled out, you know, remember when we were little kids, the Wall Street in the in the early uh and mid-70s was was 50% shut down, closed up, boarded up.
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00:03:23.120You know, that's when that's really when uh you know uh Ed Swift and Mo and those guys got in there and uh everything was empty.
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00:03:33.120They went in there and kind of and picked up all those properties and built what became HTA and and um and location three and all that really came out of that slow time.
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00:03:39.039But it also was a time when you had all these artists showing up in Key West and writers, and it was cheap.
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00:03:52.479You know, you could rent a house for 300 bucks a month and uh not really have to work too hard and spend a lot of time at the beach or just kind of riding your bike around or at the bar, and those times have change, you know.
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00:03:55.039You never know, they could come back, things could come and go in cycles.
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00:04:03.840I'm gonna say I'll never say never, but we're on the other end of the of the spectrum from uh$300 a month for a for a three-bedroom house in Key West.
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00:04:05.599Yeah, it's funny you say that.
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00:04:17.120I was talking to someone recently, and my first apartment was over on Eliza Street, and it was$375 uh a month, and it took everything I was making at the school district.
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00:04:19.279I had just started there as a teacher aid.
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00:04:26.639But$375 a month, I had an upstairs apartment, and I thought I was, you know, I was it was everything.
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00:04:28.160Life couldn't be any better.
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00:04:30.720And you weren't not you weren't working at HOB, were you?
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00:04:32.639I had just started at HOB.
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00:04:39.040I graduated in June, and I just started at HOB Um in August of 1986.
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00:04:41.040So that's so you live right there.
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00:04:42.480Yeah, yeah, I was right there.
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00:04:45.759Eliza Street is one day I want to own a house there.
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00:04:49.759I went to kindergarten school at the little school kindergarten on Eliza.
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00:04:50.160Yeah.
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00:04:53.439My first apartment was there, and I walked to my first job there.
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00:04:55.439So lots of history in those.
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00:04:56.959I'll give you a heads up.
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00:05:00.079I saw there's a house for sale on Eliza right there, right now.
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00:05:01.600They just dropped the price.
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00:05:04.959It's it's probably one of the least expensive houses on the market.
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00:05:11.920Um, but you know, I grew up on Eisenhower, you know, right there, Eisenhower and Olivia.
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00:05:16.879And uh those King Ties, that water comes right up in there.
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00:05:21.040So yeah, it's a little different.
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00:05:27.279And even the cheapest house um on the market is um, you know, out of my price range for sure.
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00:05:35.360I was I was fortunate enough to get my townhouse that I have here in 2009 uh when the market had crashed.
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00:05:41.759And um, we've got a unit listed over here now that's um well, I just can't imagine.
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00:05:43.839That's that's somebody's retirement right now.
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00:05:45.199Yeah, it is, yeah.
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00:05:47.040It's it's big time money.
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00:05:49.680But you talk about growing up on Eisenhower Street.
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00:05:52.319I I read an article that you did recently.
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00:06:00.560Uh, not not this, this is an older version of your magazine, but uh the latest version that I gotta get my hands on.
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00:06:03.360You're talking about you talking about this one right here?
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00:06:07.839Just like we planned it.
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00:06:08.480Uh-huh.
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00:06:09.040Yeah.
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00:06:11.120This is the latest version, yeah.
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00:06:13.279Yeah, where can where can I pick that up?
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00:06:16.319Because I I went by the gallery, but they were closed already.
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00:06:18.240Yeah, it's probably lunchtime.
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00:06:19.040Yeah.
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00:06:27.519Uh yeah, you can get them down there, down at uh the OKW boutique, you know, and galleria down at 613 Simonton.
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00:06:32.639We uh we carry our magazines there, but we got all kinds of other, you know, local art.
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00:06:39.279And uh, you know, it's kind of a gift shop, but but uh no no chain items, no corporate items in there.
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00:06:44.560It's all kind of homemade, handcrafted, original stuff, and a lot of a lot of Cuban art, as you know.
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00:07:06.800Yes, because I always know think about you and that killer painting of El Duque, and I was hanging it in advance of a party, and I invited you, and I just hung it outside on the exterior of the building, right on Silenton Street, and I see you walking down the parking lot looking at it, and I that thing only hung on the building for 10 minutes, and you bought that painting.
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00:07:08.079That's a great painting, too.
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00:07:10.319It is a great painting, and I still have it.
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00:07:14.639Unfortunately, I had it hanging in my office there at the school district for years.
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00:07:17.519I had a nice big wall to hang it on because it's huge.
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00:07:21.279Um, but I haven't found a place here in the house to hang it yet.
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00:07:29.759I've got to get um, I'm gonna redo this room into a studio, and it should hang right behind me because it is it is that's a great place for it.
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00:07:32.000It could be the backdrop for your podcast.
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00:07:32.800Absolutely.
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00:07:35.199I just need to make those walls don't match.
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00:07:38.160I need to get Marky to redesign this room for me.
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00:07:40.160Make it a little more stylish.
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00:07:43.680But but yeah, that is uh a great piece for sure.
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00:07:46.000Yeah, a conversation piece.
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00:08:01.279Well, and that's what that's one of the that's one of my favorite Cuban uh pieces of art that we ever you know brought back over from Havana, and I was so glad you got it, not only because we're we're friends, but also because your love of baseball and because you're because you're a conk.
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00:08:04.399You know, that was the right, you're the right person to pick up that piece.
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00:08:08.079Well, and on top of that, a big, big Yankee fan.
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00:08:12.319So and El Duque, to me, that's the great American story, right?
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00:08:24.959To come from from Cuba, you know, to s um, you know, play ball there, leave leave the team and end up pitching for the New York Yankees in the World Series.
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00:08:26.720It doesn't get much better than that.
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00:08:27.519That's true.
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00:08:28.879It's true.
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00:08:36.720You know, since since we since we started, went took the conversation in this direction, let's let's go ahead and talk about Cuba.
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00:08:42.960Um 90 miles away, sometimes it feels like they may as well be a million miles away.
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00:08:43.679Yeah.
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00:08:50.799You you had the opportunity through your work to be able to visit the island and meet some of the artists.
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00:08:52.399Tell me about Cuba.
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00:09:01.200What what you know, we hear the headlines, the horrific conditions and the embargo and all these things that are happening now, very relevant in the news.
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00:09:04.399But tell me about the Cuban people and the culture there.
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00:09:10.159Man, the Cuban people are some of the best, some of the warmest, most generous people you'll ever meet.
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00:09:13.440And um, you know, I think it's probably always been that way.
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00:09:22.080The politics get in the way, but you know, politics is usually has to do with money and who's got the money, who wants the money, who's trying to get the money.
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00:09:30.559Um, but you know, they've had a rough go, and it you always think it can't get any worse, and it just seems to get worse, and the people are having a hard time down there.
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00:09:43.759You know, the the power plant that powers half the island, you know, mysteriously blew up last year, and uh so they've been having power outages and problems, you know, getting basic medicines and foods and stuff like that.
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00:09:50.960But they persist, and you know, it's an interesting uh, you know, I'm no I'm no fan of communism.
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00:10:26.879Um, you know, I'm an entrepreneur and I own a handful of small businesses, but I will say that their value set, the things they value in life, um, you know, it it definitely allows for, despite the hardship, to maintain a positive attitude and some joy in life, you know, it's funny, like the more money you got and the more things you you buy, the more shit you gotta manage and keep the hold of, and you're worried about somebody taking it from you, and you gotta pay the taxes on it, and you gotta maintain it and all this stuff.
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00:10:28.639And man, they don't got anything down there.
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00:10:29.600They got nothing.
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00:10:30.720They got nothing.
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00:10:35.840But uh all that time, you know what they spend their time doing?
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00:10:44.080Eating, cooking food and eating, dancing, playing music, fucking and fighting.
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00:10:47.919The simple, beautiful things.
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00:11:09.840And they do, and they find joy, you know, and they spend a lot of time with their family, you know, and they spend a lot of time having fun with their family, playing music, playing dominoes, playing cards, you know, working on stuff, and a lot of time with their friends, and and friends and family and loyalty, you know, are important and valuable and always have been throughout human history.
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00:11:30.159You know, you really get in the last, you know, kind of 50, 80 years, where especially in the modern world, United States, things kind of, you know, families broke apart, people move across the country, you don't see your family as much, you know, friendships and loyalties maybe aren't as strong as they used to be, people looking out for themselves and how they get ahead.
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00:11:59.759And, you know, that's you know, talking about the the conk culture, you know, that's the beautiful thing about growing up in Key West really has been your friends, your family around, those loyalties, those common experiences that we that we grew up with, you know, whether it's playing baseball or or climbing trees for for Spanish Limes or fishing for grunts or you know, whatever it was, or getting in trouble downtown, you know.
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00:12:05.759But we had those common experiences, and I think some Key West kids still do, but it's different.
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00:12:10.080There's a lot more people in town, you know, there's a lot more traffic.
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00:12:16.639Um, there's a lot of people you don't know, there's a lot of part-time people, and so it's made for a different kind of community.
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00:12:19.600But like I said, things go in cycles, it could cycle back.
00:12:19.759 -->
00:12:24.000But going back to Cuba, I think, you know, Key West has a lot of roots in Cuba.
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00:12:35.039Originally, you know, the the first Europeans to to really set up shop in Key West were Spanish, and uh and Key West was like a fishing grounds for the for the people in Havana.
00:12:35.120 -->
00:12:45.440It was a fishing grounds for the for the native uh uh Taina Indians down there, and then the Spanish started coming up and fishing the keys, and then they you know created an outpost.
00:12:45.679 -->
00:12:51.360And um, even when the English took over Key West, it still had these Spanish roots.
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00:13:08.960And you remember growing up, you know, we had Fourth of July and El Cacique, and and um now we got Sibonet, you know, and and these were you know, Cuban culture, Cuban food, Cuban music, Spanish, certainly cafe con leche, and bucks and Cuban bread.
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00:13:11.759This is all part of the big part of growing up in Key West.
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00:13:37.600And, you know, uh, you know, we've had many Cuban leaders in our government in Key West and business leaders over the years, but in the early 80s when we had the Mario boat lift, that really changed everything because it went from like maybe, you know, maybe 10 or 15 percent Cuban in Key West to like maybe 40% overnight with with you know kids in school.
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00:13:46.000I was in second grade, and uh, you know, all of a sudden 30 for 40% of the kids were came over from Cuba, couldn't speak English.
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00:13:52.080You know, I remember when I got to HOB in sixth grade, um, you know, and I was 11.
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00:13:53.759We had kids in H.O.B.
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00:14:03.440who had been you know in Key West two or three years straight from Marielle, and they were like 15 and had a mustache and a beard, you know, and uh and could fight.
00:14:03.519 -->
00:14:04.879I remember that too, boy.
00:14:05.039 -->
00:14:07.360There were some crazy fights in the HOB.
00:14:07.440 -->
00:14:17.440I remember, you know, you know, everybody'd circle up and and try to keep the teachers out, you know, and and uh and those Cuban boys were like 15, you know, they had some moves.
00:14:18.320 -->
00:14:20.080But that's part of it.
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00:14:21.679Yeah, no, that was good.
00:14:22.080 -->
00:14:23.919I was in I was in H.O.B.
00:14:24.080 -->
00:14:34.799seventh grade during Mario Boatlift, and you're talking about in a matter of days, our whole daily life experiences changed.
00:14:34.879 -->
00:14:49.679You know, our our classrooms were there were so many kids in the room, you know, the the classrooms were packed and the teachers trying to communicate and everybody waiting our way through it, so to speak, uh, was was really interesting.
00:14:49.759 -->
00:14:59.679And my that was the first time that I realized there was a lot more to the world than than Key West and what I had known.
00:14:59.919 -->
00:15:13.919And it was a really interesting experience that that uh I'll I'll never forget one of my neighbors here um lives two doors down from me, came over during that time and was recently sharing um his experience.
00:15:14.000 -->
00:15:20.559And like you said, he was he was a couple years older than where they put him and and just trying to navigate and make make his way.
00:15:20.720 -->
00:15:24.960So um really interesting and life-changing times for for all of us.
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00:15:43.360That's when you know Dennis Wardlow was the mayor and and proclaimed the secession from the United Estados Unidos, you know, and uh and and and the conk republic here was uh was uh officially recognized for 48 hours or so, and you know, and that's part of our story too.
00:15:43.440 -->
00:15:46.639I mean, we got some unique stories in Key West, I will say.
00:15:46.879 -->
00:15:52.960But to wrap up on Cuba, I think that um, you know, I'm hopeful it can only get better from here.
00:15:53.120 -->
00:16:05.120I think that, you know, the uh the dinosaurs um that have held this this battle and this war are passing and eventually get back to people to people.
00:16:05.440 -->
00:16:07.519They're great people, we're great people.
00:16:07.759 -->
00:16:14.480You know, we just have some different ways of looking at things, but you know, uh we can learn a lot from them and they can learn a lot from us.
00:16:14.559 -->
00:16:32.480And really, um, you know, I think, you know, to be honest, when Obama started opening it up and um and allowing, you know, uh some business interaction down there, you saw Cuban entrepreneurialism sprout.
00:16:32.639 -->
00:16:37.039You know, you saw people starting restaurants down there, you saw people starting boutiques, you know.
00:16:37.200 -->
00:16:41.759I can see it right away because a ride from the airport went from like 10 bucks to 35 bucks.
00:16:41.840 -->
00:16:44.080And you're like, okay, you see what's happening.
00:16:44.799 -->
00:16:44.879Right?
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00:16:46.159Yeah, people started hustling.
00:16:46.320 -->
00:16:51.600And that's you know, I always, you know, people say, oh, you know, the embargo, the embargo, this is what we got to do.
00:16:51.679 -->
00:16:55.440And you know, the embargo is cruel to the masses of people.
00:16:55.600 -->
00:17:01.120If we want to change what goes on in Cuba, open up the economy, send spring break to Cuba.
00:17:01.200 -->
00:17:03.679You send spring break to Cuba, it's all gonna change.
00:17:03.759 -->
00:17:12.559People are gonna learn about hustling, running the business, making money, and then they're gonna say they're gonna want more for themselves and they're gonna change the government themselves.
00:17:13.279 -->
00:17:19.759Let's hope, let's hope that that goes from your mouth to the right people's ears and that we can make it so.
00:17:20.480 -->
00:17:20.960It'll happen.
00:17:21.039 -->
00:17:23.680Yeah, I just hope the best for the people down there and our people too.
00:17:23.839 -->
00:17:26.400And key West is, you know, we're kind of caught in the middle of it.
00:17:26.480 -->
00:17:32.000We have this relate this special relationship, and we're closer to Havana than we are to Miami, you know.
00:17:32.160 -->
00:17:36.799And so uh and and who knows, you know, that might be part of it too, you know.
00:17:36.880 -->
00:17:44.960Uh uh, it might not be great for Florida real estate if Cuba opens up and people like, oh man, I can get a sweet spot on the beach down there for nothing.
00:17:47.279 -->
00:17:52.079Yeah, yeah, those those uh the rich people will find a way to make it work for for them.
00:17:52.240 -->
00:17:52.559Oh yeah.
00:17:52.960 -->
00:17:58.079To say the well well-invested, yeah, you know, will find a way, and and that's okay too, right?
00:17:58.160 -->
00:18:03.759That's all part of the the economy and the way things move and and shake.
00:18:03.839 -->
00:18:10.559And Cuba was certainly uh paradise and it's it's a lost paradise, and it's it's so close, so close.
00:18:10.720 -->
00:18:14.640Maybe one of these days, maybe the first time I go to Cuba, I'll be able to go with you.
00:18:14.880 -->
00:18:15.519Let's do it.
00:18:15.680 -->
00:18:18.079Well, we were, you know, we were close before COVID.
00:18:18.160 -->
00:18:25.440We were uh, you know, because we were running the Havana day trips for a while down there for about seven years, taking people down for the day from Key West.
00:18:25.759 -->
00:18:33.519And then we were we were launching really a locals program to go down for like a long weekend, go down on Thursday, come back on Sunday.
00:18:33.680 -->
00:18:42.319That was going to include some fishing and getting to know, hang out with some of the Cuban locals, playing some music, going to some people's houses for for dinner and stuff like that.
00:18:42.480 -->
00:18:46.480And uh, we were just about to launch it uh when COVID happened.
00:18:46.559 -->
00:18:59.680We were down there working on it, and we were we went to the airport to come back to Key West, and all the folks working in the airport in Havana had masks on and had thermometers going and all this, and we're like, what the hell is this?
00:18:59.839 -->
00:19:01.200And we got back to the United States.
00:19:01.279 -->
00:19:04.559It was it was two months later before we started doing all that.
00:19:06.480 -->
00:19:08.559So we weren't the first ones to know.
00:19:09.039 -->
00:19:10.559They know about disease vectors.
00:19:10.640 -->
00:19:11.119They're very good.
00:19:11.200 -->
00:19:13.920They gotta be much more practical than we are.
00:19:14.240 -->
00:19:21.519Well, I would love to see a day where we could see our Key West boys play a baseball game with the Cuban kids there.
00:19:21.680 -->
00:19:27.359I know that um there have been times when we've sent equipment over and and things like that.
00:19:27.519 -->
00:19:30.720Um so hopefully that'll be something that that I can see.
00:19:31.039 -->
00:19:32.079I say let's make a plan.
00:19:32.160 -->
00:19:36.480We'll make it happen as soon as they let as soon as they they give us the green light.
00:19:36.799 -->
00:19:37.279I'm in.
00:19:37.599 -->
00:19:38.000I'm in.
00:19:38.079 -->
00:19:39.440We'll do we'll do that.
00:19:39.680 -->
00:19:53.039So let's let's work our way back a little bit and um talk about you growing up because like I say, you grew up in the glory days around some of the most colorful characters and locations in Key West.
00:19:53.279 -->
00:19:57.200I just recently read your article about learning to swim at the pier house.
00:19:57.279 -->
00:19:57.759Yeah, it is.
00:19:58.000 -->
00:20:03.440Um you share some of that stories and and drop some names and some of those characters in good times.
00:20:03.680 -->
00:20:04.480Yep, yeah, yep.
00:20:04.640 -->
00:20:11.599So uh so it's actually called Learning to Swim at the Chart Room, only because you know that's where my dad was hanging out.
00:20:12.079 -->
00:20:14.880And um, and you can go online and check it out.
00:20:15.119 -->
00:20:18.079You Google Learning to Swim at the Chart Room, it'll it'll it'll show up.
00:20:18.319 -->
00:20:26.000But uh it's actually interestingly, you know, I have a weird memory where like it's it's it's more than photographic.
00:20:26.079 -->
00:20:34.960Like I can remember the I can remember more like a video memory and the smells of where I was at different times when I was a kid.
00:20:35.119 -->
00:20:44.319And I spent a lot of time on that beach uh down there at the pier house, and uh, and a lot of time in the pool, and I learned how to swim in that pool when I was two years old.
00:20:44.559 -->
00:20:52.240And uh we lived at that time at 425 Caroline Street, which is kind of across from General Horseplay, right?
00:20:52.400 -->
00:20:54.079Next door to the Porter House.
00:20:54.319 -->
00:21:03.920And uh, you know, my dad was in the ganja business, you know, back and forth from Jamaica, and I think he bought that house with the with the suitcase full of cash.
00:21:04.240 -->
00:21:04.960Straight cash.
00:21:05.119 -->
00:21:05.759Uh I'm on main.
00:21:06.880 -->
00:21:10.000I'm gonna made the bank because I think the bank's still around.
00:21:12.400 -->
00:21:20.079And we all know the people with all the board members, but uh, but we lived there for, I don't know, four or five years, right across from the bull.
00:21:20.319 -->
00:21:24.079And uh, you know, my dad uh kind of held court down at the chart room.
00:21:24.160 -->
00:21:26.720This was 19 you know, '76.
00:21:27.519 -->
00:21:30.960And um, and so I learned how to swim in the pool there.
00:21:31.200 -->
00:21:45.200And um, and the story kind of chronicles that, you know, and and um and interestingly, I actually wrote the story for a fifth grade creative writing contest.
00:21:45.759 -->
00:21:50.720I was at Point Sienna, and they said, Oh, you know, write a paragraph about a story, something remember.
00:21:50.960 -->
00:21:51.519So I wrote something.
00:21:51.680 -->
00:21:56.319They said, Okay, you're gonna represent Point Sienna for the creative writing contest for fifth grade.
00:21:56.400 -->
00:21:59.839So they sent all the representatives, there's probably three of us from Point Sienna.
00:22:00.400 -->
00:22:03.599You know, and then and uh Gerald Adams and Glenn Archer.
00:22:03.759 -->
00:22:20.000And so they sent us all over to Glen Archer, and uh and we met over there and spent you know an afternoon writing our stories, and uh and I, you know, you know, I always had a little bit of chip on my shoulder when I came to school and authority figures and stuff.
00:22:20.079 -->
00:22:33.200So I kind of handed them my story and uh and then they come back about 20 minutes later and and and the teacher said, Rob, this is one of the best stories I've ever read.
00:22:33.680 -->
00:22:35.599But you can't show it to anybody.
00:22:35.680 -->
00:22:37.359It's totally inappropriate.
00:22:37.599 -->
00:22:39.119You'll get in a lot of trouble.
00:22:39.279 -->
00:22:41.279I'm not even gonna give the story back to you.
00:22:41.440 -->
00:22:42.160And that was it.
00:22:42.240 -->
00:22:43.920And I'm like, okay, whatever.
00:22:44.000 -->
00:22:45.119Can I go home now?
00:22:47.279 -->
00:22:52.960And and and and look at you now, you publish in your own magazine and printing your own stories.
00:22:53.200 -->
00:22:56.559Yeah, so uh so it's always been back in the back of my brain.
00:22:56.640 -->
00:23:04.480So I had that version I wrote back in fifth grade, and then um, you know, I just I think about those times a lot and growing up there and spending time.
00:23:04.559 -->
00:23:13.119And so, you know, basically that story just chronicles learn how to swim in the in the pool while my dad hung out the chart room and would, you know, sometimes forget about me.
00:23:13.200 -->
00:23:16.799And he'd hand me off to a couple of ladies in the pool and then disappear.
00:23:16.880 -->
00:23:19.440And, you know, I'd go in the chart room, where's my dad?
00:23:19.519 -->
00:23:21.920And maybe like, oh, I think we went back to your house for a minute.
00:23:22.000 -->
00:23:48.880He'll be back in a minute, you know, and and uh and then when we got a little older, you know, my buddies had a couple a crew we hung out together, uh Corey Robinson and Jed Tenney and Travis Cochran, and um all our parents were buddies, and um, you know, after we learned how to swim in the pool, then it was down to the beach, and it was, you know, who was brave enough to swim out to the floating dock in the harbor, you know, and that was like super spooky.
00:23:48.960 -->
00:23:50.559You look, you open your eyes under there.
00:23:50.640 -->
00:23:52.559We all learned to swim with our eyes open, you know.
00:23:52.720 -->
00:24:00.799And you open your eyes and you look down in the Kiwas Harbor, and you're, you know, three, four, five years old, you're like, no, it's the abyss.
00:24:01.119 -->
00:24:01.279Yeah.
00:24:01.440 -->
00:24:03.920You know, and the currents ripping through there.
00:24:04.000 -->
00:24:15.039And you already heard the stories of who drowned, you know, got drunk and drowned out there, and you see a couple of barracudas come through, you know, and your parents always warn you about the Portuguese man of wars.
00:24:15.119 -->
00:24:30.000And yeah, and so it took a couple of years of playing in the in the in the sand down there and snorkeling around the rocks and stuff to finally get the nerve to for us, you know, egging each other on, you know, and and the older guys over there, oh, just do it, you know, the swim out to the dock.
00:24:30.079 -->
00:24:32.400And so that was a big milestone.
00:24:32.480 -->
00:24:50.880And then and then the story kind of ends with um they had built the new suites over there, which are you know not new anymore, but it was kind of the first expansion of the Pier House Wolkowski did, and they built it uh right about the time of the first uh offshore powerboat championships.
00:24:51.599 -->
00:24:54.799First time that was totally organized and it was, you know, in Key West Harbor.
00:24:55.039 -->
00:25:01.279And so there was a party that went on up there in that suite for like four nights, four days and nights, you know, went on and on.
00:25:01.440 -->
00:25:06.400And uh, and our dads were all up in there, you know, and it was Buffett and Hunter S.
00:25:06.559 -->
00:25:08.559Thompson, and Bill Murray was in town.
00:25:08.640 -->
00:25:14.880He was hanging with Hunter because he was doing a film where the Buffalo Rome about Hunter, so they were getting to know each other.
00:25:15.119 -->
00:25:19.440And uh so they got all got held up in there for, you know, four or five days.
00:25:19.599 -->
00:25:23.519And our mom said, do not go up there, you're not allowed to go to that party up there.
00:25:23.680 -->
00:25:31.119But of course, you tell some Kong boys you can't do something, that means we're probably gonna want to keep trying to do it.
00:25:31.279 -->
00:25:31.440Right.
00:25:31.599 -->
00:25:40.319So we ended up up there, and uh, you know, it's you'll have to read about it in the in the in the in the magazine story, uh, learning to swim at the chart room.
00:25:40.400 -->
00:25:44.640You check it out, Google it, or check out our website, ourkeywest.com, and search for it.
00:25:44.799 -->
00:26:07.200But, you know, one of many stories I really, you know, I like telling stories about being a little kid in Kiy West, because that period was so interesting and rich, again, like you said, with characters and locations and and history, that a lot of my stories I'm I'm writing are things that happened when I was three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, you know.
00:26:07.279 -->
00:26:12.079And um, I guess I gotta write some adult stories at some point, but this is way more fun.
00:26:12.799 -->
00:26:17.279Yeah, no, because you're you're one of a few that can still tell those stories.
00:26:17.440 -->
00:26:23.759And I know when I'm around Key West, driving around, um, I still see Key West that way.
00:26:24.480 -->
00:26:29.759I I I also remember the first time I swam out to that dock.
00:26:29.839 -->
00:26:30.799That was a big deal.
00:26:30.960 -->
00:26:31.119Yeah.
00:26:31.279 -->
00:26:35.200My sister Jeannie and my brother-in-law, they were probably just dating at the time.
00:26:35.519 -->
00:26:44.480And, you know, that was the cool spot to go to the pier house and, you know, swim in the pool, and it was a beautiful resort, and the water was good like it still is.
00:26:44.640 -->
00:26:53.759But yeah, I remember my first time swimming out there and and, you know, um talking about still seeing Key West in that way.
00:26:53.839 -->
00:26:59.119And it's hard to even see the water now when you ride around, you can barely get a peek here or there.
00:26:59.279 -->
00:27:08.160It it's sad, but there's only a few of us that are left to tell those stories and to be able to see it the the way that it it once was.
00:27:08.319 -->
00:27:15.119You mentioned uh David Wokoski, he certainly had a big impact on the growth of Key West as well.
00:27:15.279 -->
00:27:19.119And now I just read recently the peer house has sold yet again.
00:27:19.359 -->
00:27:19.680Yeah.
00:27:20.079 -->
00:27:23.200You have to wonder what what what's next.
00:27:24.240 -->
00:27:25.839Well, that's a big question.
00:27:26.000 -->
00:27:42.720I mean, uh, you know, uh Key West has had a good run, you know, since you know about really the mid-90s, it's been nothing but kind of 45 degrees up in revenue and and uh you know cost of living, price of homes and everything else.
00:27:42.880 -->
00:28:02.400Um, but that same time period, we had really a, you know, a 30-year constant decline in bond yields, not to go into the down the macro uh circuit here, but you know, the basically interest rates steadily decline slowly and steadily over that 30-year period.
00:28:02.559 -->
00:28:09.440And when you have that kind of consistent decline in interest rates, then asset valuations go up, house prices go up.
00:28:09.680 -->
00:28:18.960Um so it seems like we've turned that corner in the last uh since COVID when interest rates almost went negative, and so now they're on the march higher.
00:28:19.119 -->
00:28:28.480So, you know, um, you know, if you got a lot of uh a lot of assets, they might, you know, that that might could be get painful in the next couple of years.
00:28:28.640 -->
00:28:34.960But if you're just looking to live your life and uh have a sense of community in Key West, could be could be better.
00:28:35.119 -->
00:28:36.799Things could be getting better.
00:28:37.920 -->
00:28:42.880And you you you say key West and community, those two things really do go together, don't they?
00:28:43.119 -->
00:28:43.519Yeah.
00:28:43.920 -->
00:28:44.400They do.
00:28:44.640 -->
00:28:45.359They certainly do.
00:28:46.319 -->
00:28:54.559You know, and as much as um we've both seen Key West change over the years, um that's one thing that I I hope will never change.
00:28:55.200 -->
00:28:55.359Yeah.
00:28:55.680 -->
00:28:57.920Is our community and sense of connection.
00:28:58.000 -->
00:29:04.000You talk about the people in Cuba not having all the things to distract them and and and worry them.
00:29:04.160 -->
00:29:05.519What they have is each other.
00:29:06.000 -->
00:29:06.160Yeah.
00:29:06.319 -->
00:29:20.160And music and and hopefully food and and just, you know, uh learn learning from from them and and not getting too too caught up in the silliness and remembering that that we do have each other.
00:29:20.240 -->
00:29:25.440And as small as this island is, you know, you can't not be connected to one another.
00:29:25.680 -->
00:29:30.880No, well, you know, as as Captain Tony says, I don't know if you've ever seen my dad's film, the QS Picture Show.
00:29:30.960 -->
00:29:31.839Have you ever seen that?
00:29:32.000 -->
00:29:32.799I have not.
00:29:33.039 -->
00:29:35.359Oh man, you never seen the QS Picture Show?
00:29:35.440 -->
00:29:36.079Hold on a second.
00:29:36.240 -->
00:29:37.359I know what I was thinking.
00:29:38.079 -->
00:29:38.559I see.
00:29:39.440 -->
00:29:41.680We had to do a special screening.
00:29:42.319 -->
00:29:45.759I'm certainly familiar with the QS picture, you gotta check it out.
00:29:45.839 -->
00:29:47.440So my dad produced this film.
00:29:47.599 -->
00:29:51.119Well, this is actually in the current issue of the magazine.
00:29:51.279 -->
00:29:55.839I also tell the story of my mom and dad in the 70s, the same period.
00:29:56.079 -->
00:29:58.559Yeah, your mom and dad, Sunshine and BJ.
00:29:58.880 -->
00:30:00.079Sunshine and BJ, yep.
00:30:00.240 -->
00:30:21.920They uh this same period in the early, early mid-70s, late 70s, they own an art house cinema on Duvall Street called the Picture Show on the 600 block of DVA Street, kind of over by where um uh Scott Taylor's Emporium is, you know, down that zone 600 block um between there and and and Angela.
00:30:22.079 -->
00:30:30.000And they had a little art house theater, and uh all the locals would come, and especially the you know, the the creative types.
00:30:30.079 -->
00:30:34.079And there's a story about that in this issue as well, uh Key West Picture Show.
00:30:34.319 -->
00:30:52.240And um, and it was, you know, I mean that was, you know, Tr Truman Capote was there, and Shill Silverstein, and all the actors in town, and all the writers and musicians, and um, especially like on Saturday night, they had uh they had uh Rocky Hard Picture Show every Saturday night at midnight.
00:30:52.319 -->
00:30:56.160And so people would come after everybody'd go to Mallory Square, right?
00:30:56.319 -->
00:30:59.200And uh, you know, smoke their dubies and watch the sunset.
00:30:59.359 -->
00:31:02.160And then they'd slowly make their way down Duvall Street.
00:31:02.240 -->
00:31:06.960This is when it was a tighter community because everybody had their hangout spot on Duvall Street.
00:31:07.200 -->
00:31:11.599Remember, they used to have, they took them down, they used to have the brick planters.
00:31:11.759 -->
00:31:14.000Remember those brick planters on the sidewalks?
00:31:14.160 -->
00:31:24.559And people would hang out and sit there, and people would bring their own, you know, brown bag of beer and you know, food and stuff and hang out on this on a Saturday night just to see who was out and about.
00:31:24.799 -->
00:31:31.359And then people would come in costume dressed up for Rocky R a Picture Show to go to my parents' theater, you know, in the 70s.
00:31:31.519 -->
00:31:45.039And so that was a trip growing up there, and that's where I learned my first kind of exposure to being an entrepreneur and learn how to count change and you know, sell tickets and sell popcorn and stuff like that when I was like five and six years old.
00:31:45.279 -->
00:32:06.880But my dad ended up uh making a film because he was, you know, he was shown all these art films, and uh so he ended up in 1977, hired a director and a crew, and they and they produced a uh satirical tramologue about Key West called the Key West Picture Show, that is an excellent time capsule of that period.
00:32:07.119 -->
00:32:09.759Um and so, and you can see that, you can Google it.
00:32:09.839 -->
00:32:12.319We got it on our website, rkeywest.com.
00:32:12.480 -->
00:32:26.480But uh it's a killer film, and right now, because there's so much nostalgia for that period in Key West, um we've we've actually sold the rights for other people to use parts of the film in feature films.
00:32:26.720 -->
00:32:37.039So uh Yeti did a project with Buffett and Tom McGuine and these guys a couple few years ago, right before Jimmy died, and uh they used a bunch of the B-roll to set the stage.
00:32:37.200 -->
00:32:45.279And then there's a new film that's being released this month about uh Buffett's first band called Occupational Hazard.
00:32:46.000 -->
00:32:46.559I've heard about this.
00:32:46.960 -->
00:32:47.759It's a killer film.
00:32:47.839 -->
00:32:50.079They did a they did a preview in Key West this spring.
00:32:50.240 -->
00:32:51.519It's really, really well done.
00:32:51.680 -->
00:32:58.240My friend John and Cunningham produced it and wrote it, and um and he was looking for some B-roll.
00:32:58.400 -->
00:33:04.000So they use about almost three minutes, the QS Picture Show, in this new film called Occupational Hazard.
00:33:04.240 -->
00:33:08.559So check both those films out, Occupational Hazards in Theaters uh this month.
00:33:08.720 -->
00:33:10.880I think it'll be streaming in December.
00:33:11.119 -->
00:33:14.880And then QS Picture Show is streaming every day on ourQS.com.
00:33:14.960 -->
00:33:22.160You can check it out on YouTube, and uh, and I think we'll be talking more about the picture show here in the in the months ahead.
00:33:22.480 -->
00:33:26.559Yeah, it seems like it's a good time to revive that, bring bring it back.
00:33:26.640 -->
00:33:39.359I I know I've seen clips of it and heard of it, but I've never seen it's in its entire reason I brought it up is because what made me think about it is because my dad has some great interviews with Captain Tony in there.
00:33:39.599 -->
00:33:42.079Right, and you were and and to quotes.
00:33:42.160 -->
00:33:47.440And so one of his quotes is um, you know, this is a small island.
00:33:47.680 -->
00:33:50.240You cannot not be sincere.
00:33:50.880 -->
00:33:53.920You know, it's too small, and you bump into everybody.
00:33:54.079 -->
00:34:05.519So, you know, basically what he's saying is you got to be a sincere person because you know, you're gonna bump into that person the next day or or getting a cup of coffee or at the beach or something.
00:34:05.680 -->
00:34:12.960And it used to be much more that way when it was a smaller town, you know, and everybody really did know each other, everybody had a nickname, right?
00:34:13.440 -->
00:34:18.639Um, and now, you know, people come and go, you got part-time people, you got a lot of tourists, all that stuff.
00:34:18.719 -->
00:34:29.599So it's not exactly the same, but you know, that idea that on and when you live on an island, you know, you really do have to be sincere if you're not that everybody knows oh, that's that that's that person's full of shit.
00:34:29.679 -->
00:34:30.639So everybody knows that.
00:34:30.800 -->
00:34:33.599And you got those people too, but you don't want to be one of those people.
00:34:33.840 -->
00:34:34.639Right, right.
00:34:34.960 -->
00:34:35.920Exactly.
00:34:36.320 -->
00:34:37.199Oh man.
00:34:37.360 -->
00:34:38.480Yeah, good times.
00:34:38.559 -->
00:34:40.480You you dropped several names there.
00:34:40.559 -->
00:34:42.159You said Shell Silverstein.
00:34:42.400 -->
00:34:42.719Yeah.
00:34:43.199 -->
00:34:43.920Great author.
00:34:44.480 -->
00:34:47.840I always thought Shell was a homeless guy because he came to all my dad's parties.
00:34:47.920 -->
00:35:03.199You know, my uh we had a killer house after Caroline Street, which was an awesome house, but you know, uh with the bull across the street and on Duvall Street, it wasn't the best location to raise two two little kids.
00:35:03.360 -->
00:35:08.719And uh one Christmas morning, um, my dad woke up and and came down.
00:35:08.800 -->
00:35:19.679It was early Christmas, you know, and uh he found me on the couch watching TV with a homeless guy on the couch inside the house and uh chased him out with a two by four, you know.
00:35:19.920 -->
00:35:25.440And it and that was like, all right, all right, we gotta move to Newtown.
00:35:25.599 -->
00:35:26.320We gotta sow.
00:35:26.480 -->
00:35:29.760We didn't actually, you know, it's funny, the older I get, the further into Newtown I get.
00:35:29.920 -->
00:35:34.239But um, but we ended up at eight at uh 900 Eisenhower.
00:35:34.480 -->
00:35:35.920Okay, right on the edge.
00:35:36.159 -->
00:35:43.199Yep, yep, and that was is and that that was a killer spot as a full um full city block.
00:35:43.360 -->
00:35:47.599Uh Eisenhower, Olivia, Pearl, and Alberry.
00:35:48.159 -->
00:35:50.559It's the only house in Key West is a full city block.
00:35:50.639 -->
00:35:55.280And and my dad put in the biggest uh private pool at the time.
00:35:55.440 -->
00:36:09.760So we had this big pool, and it became the party pad, and uh, and you know, we had we we had all kinds of crazy late night parties, but Shell was there a bunch, and he always, as a kid, I just thought he was some old old homeless guy, you know.
00:36:10.000 -->
00:36:12.480Um we had a bunch of cool stuff at that house.
00:36:12.559 -->
00:36:32.159We we uh, you know, through whatever connections my dad had, we did a a Playboy Miss uh September and I think it's 1983 was shot there at the house, you know, in the in the tool shed and out in the pool, and um, and then that got another gig where they shot a feature film there called Ruski's.
00:36:32.320 -->
00:36:33.039You remember Ruski's?
00:36:33.280 -->
00:36:34.480Yes, absolutely.
00:36:34.719 -->
00:36:34.960Right?
00:36:35.119 -->
00:36:36.800Which never kind of went anywhere.
00:36:36.880 -->
00:36:48.079But the cool thing about Ruski's was it was a kind of a stand-by me story about three little kids who find a Russian submariner who washes up in Key West, who's injured, and they take them in.
00:36:48.239 -->
00:36:50.400And the kids were our age, same age as us.
00:36:50.559 -->
00:36:58.559So because they're the same age as my crew, when they were in town for the six weeks or whatever shooting, we they we all got connected and hung out the whole time.
00:36:58.639 -->
00:37:06.400We're out playing football and doing barbecues, and and the lead actor was uh Peter Billingsley, which was who was Messi Marvin.
00:37:06.880 -->
00:37:07.519Yes, right?
00:37:07.679 -->
00:37:09.679And and uh a Christmas story, right?
00:37:09.840 -->
00:37:12.079She tried all out with uh BB gun.
00:37:12.239 -->
00:37:17.280So he was the lead, and and my house in the film was the lead's house.
00:37:17.440 -->
00:37:19.679So most of the action took place there.
00:37:19.920 -->
00:37:35.199But a really interesting aspect of that film, because we were hanging with this crew, was one of the other kids that was an actor in that film was um Leaf Phoenix, who at that time was known as Leaf, who's now known as Joaquin Phoenix.
00:37:35.679 -->
00:37:36.239Right?
00:37:36.480 -->
00:37:44.559And uh, and so that whole whole Phoenix family was in town, that crew, River and Leaf, and I think there was like Liberty was a sister, maybe.
00:37:44.800 -->
00:37:46.719Yeah, I forgot he was in that.
00:37:46.880 -->
00:37:47.199Yeah.
00:37:47.440 -->
00:37:49.440I watched it a few years ago.
00:37:49.760 -->
00:37:51.440Yeah, so that was pretty wild.
00:37:51.519 -->
00:37:58.239And that came about, that whole gig my dad got that came about from the play from the Playboy Centerfold sheet.
00:38:00.239 -->
00:38:01.760He was a visionary.
00:38:02.000 -->
00:38:04.800Well, you know, he was he was hustling.
00:38:06.000 -->
00:38:13.280He he knew a good thing when he saw it, and so that's where you end up uh spending in your teenage years there.
00:38:13.599 -->
00:38:14.239Yeah, yeah.
00:38:14.320 -->
00:38:17.840That was uh that was through, you know, middle school and high school.
00:38:18.159 -->
00:38:23.920And um, you know, it was uh it was uh we had some good parties there.
00:38:24.159 -->
00:38:32.159And uh all the way through through about midway through college, and my dad sold it, and and we kept moving east, further in the new town.
00:38:33.920 -->
00:38:36.639Yeah, now you're like like me behind Kmart.
00:38:36.960 -->
00:38:38.960Yep, exactly, exactly.
00:38:39.199 -->
00:38:40.639Uh, that's good stuff.
00:38:40.880 -->
00:38:43.039You mentioned uh Jimmy Buffett.
00:38:43.199 -->
00:38:44.960Um you talked a lot about your dad.
00:38:45.119 -->
00:38:49.280Um your mom also really interesting connection there.
00:38:49.360 -->
00:38:54.559Um Jimmy Buffett, adopted son of Key West, uh just his past Labor Day.
00:38:54.960 -->
00:38:57.840Uh been three years since his passing.
00:38:58.000 -->
00:39:04.239Um, would you do you mind sharing your the connection with your mom and and Jimmy and and all of you?
00:39:05.199 -->
00:39:13.679Yeah, you know, well, Jimmy was a family friend, and um, you know, uh I mean I I I've told the story a couple of different ways.
00:39:13.840 -->
00:39:19.360I mean, I wrote a story called Remember When Margaritaville was a mom and pop shop.
00:39:19.760 -->
00:39:27.039And that kind of tells the origin story of the Margaritaville brand and when my mom and Jimmy got together and launched the business.
00:39:27.280 -->
00:39:44.000But well before that, before Jimmy got famous, you know, he um came to Key West with Jerry Jeff Walker and uh fell in love with Key West and at some point kind of ended up, you know, hanging around downtown and hanging out the chart room where my dad was already kind of set up.
00:39:44.239 -->
00:39:59.280And so they um they got to know each other, and then um Jane Slagswall moved to Key West, who ended up marrying Jimmy, and Jane grew up in the same neighborhood as my mom in South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina.
00:39:59.360 -->
00:40:01.599So they knew each other from the neighborhood there.
00:40:02.079 -->
00:40:05.840And um, and so you know, they're all just friends and doing their thing.
00:40:06.000 -->
00:40:23.360And, you know, at the time, I don't think, you know, you had all these kind of smuggler cats hanging out in South America and the Caribbean and running, you know, boats at night and planes and stuff, and so I think most of them didn't really probably take Jimmy that seriously at the time.
00:40:23.840 -->
00:40:39.920You know, he's just another guy kind of drinking beer and playing music and doing his thing, but um, you know, they ended up uh Jane and Jimmy ended up moving to um Aspen and left town, and I was just a little kid then.
00:40:40.239 -->
00:40:52.239And um and you know, my dad ended up basically getting busted for smuggling and ended up going to a federal prison in West Texas for a few years.
00:40:52.719 -->
00:40:55.039And so he went off to West Texas.
00:40:55.199 -->
00:41:10.880My mom was left raising two boys on her own in the big house on Eisenhower, and uh, you know, we were causing some trouble and and we were a handful, and she actually took a job uh at the half-shell raw bar.
00:41:11.119 -->
00:41:22.880My cousin, Sidney Snellgrove, who um came to Key West on a shrimp boat in 1968 from South Carolina, he started the Half Shell Raw bar.
00:41:22.960 -->
00:41:30.239It was just a packing house, and he said, Oh, you know, let's get some kegged beer and and some shrimp, we'll just do boiled shrimp and popcorn and kegged beer.
00:41:30.320 -->
00:41:31.599So he kind of got that going.
00:41:31.760 -->
00:41:35.920My dad designed the first Edith Raw uh icon.
00:41:36.159 -->
00:41:36.320Right.
00:41:36.960 -->
00:41:37.360Yep.
00:41:37.519 -->
00:41:38.239He drew that.
00:41:38.400 -->
00:41:42.320My dad was a graphic designer and artist, went to art school, both my parents went to art school.
00:41:42.559 -->
00:41:47.360And um, and so I think when my dad went off to prison, my mom was, you know, she needed to have a job.
00:41:47.440 -->
00:41:48.480She'd basically just been a mom.
00:41:48.559 -->
00:41:52.320They ran the, they had the theater at cinema, but that had closed.
00:41:52.480 -->
00:41:54.480And so she went over to Half Shell Raw Bar.
00:41:54.559 -->
00:41:58.480And at that time, Paul Tripp uh had bought it and was running it.
00:41:58.719 -->
00:42:10.639And she got a job there, and uh, you know, she's a she's a bright lady, so she went from hostess to uh bookkeeper and uh retail developer within six months.
00:42:10.880 -->
00:42:13.760And then uh at that time there's nothing going on at Land Zen.
00:42:13.840 -->
00:42:15.840You know, you had to dive shop in the raw bar.
00:42:16.079 -->
00:42:16.639That was it.
00:42:16.880 -->
00:42:23.679And so um, and Paul had the lease on it from the city, so he tasked my mom with let's get some more businesses in there.
00:42:23.760 -->
00:42:28.960So she helped, you know, really develop little Land Zen in there and get all the other businesses in.
00:42:29.119 -->
00:42:37.039She she helped launch uh Turtle Crawls and my mom drew the original uh Turtle Crawls logo and got it branded and up and going.
00:42:37.599 -->
00:42:41.119And um, and then Jimmy came back to town.
00:42:41.280 -->
00:42:49.840He he he you know, I think he and his wife were separated at the time, maybe, and he was kind of over aspen and partying too much.
00:42:50.000 -->
00:43:08.960And you'll have to watch the film Occupational Hazard, because really the end of the film, the film ends, and he's heading back to Key West and you know, connects with my mom and says, you know, uh, you know, tour sales are down, I don't know where this whole thing is going.
00:43:09.039 -->
00:43:16.480I need to, I need to have a backup plan and um and pitched her to to open up Margaritaville with them.
00:43:16.559 -->
00:43:26.000So they went in 50-50 and uh started with just a little t-shirt shop at Land Zen right next to the shrimp boats, when there's still shrimp boats there.
00:43:26.320 -->
00:43:39.840And um, you know, and the rest is history, and I think within you know 18 months of uh you know growing that business, uh, you know, people were calling the phone saying, I was just down there and I I didn't get this hat I wanted.
00:43:40.159 -->
00:43:40.960Do you have a mail order?
00:43:41.039 -->
00:43:43.679And my mom would be like, I'll just I'll just mail you the hat.
00:43:43.760 -->
00:43:45.360When you get it, send me a check.
00:43:45.599 -->
00:43:52.400You know, and uh, you know, 10 years after that, they were doing I think a couple million a year in mail order business.
00:43:52.639 -->
00:43:55.199And uh the first e commerce.
00:43:55.679 -->
00:43:59.119Yeah, and and then Jimmy uh said, you know, Sunshine, how about this?
00:43:59.199 -->
00:44:02.480How about you run my Life and help manage my be my personal assistant.
00:44:02.559 -->
00:44:09.920So she not only was his 50-50 business partner, but went on to be his really his personal assistant for almost 10 years.
00:44:10.079 -->
00:44:21.280And uh she didn't go on the road with him do the tour, but it was kind of everything else, and you know, filtering through uh people trying to get to him, you know, and all the promises he'd make late night.
00:44:21.360 -->
00:44:30.719She had a rule she instilled called the two-week rule, where somebody'd call and say, Oh, Jimmy and I were out partying last night and he said we're gonna do this new business, we're gonna do this thing.
00:44:30.800 -->
00:44:34.880And she's like, Well, if he brings it up again in the next two weeks, I'll call you back.
00:44:35.039 -->
00:44:38.320If he doesn't, then that was just him bullshitting you.
00:44:38.639 -->
00:44:44.719And so she did that for a while, and then uh, you know, it was it was it was interesting.
00:44:44.800 -->
00:44:51.599It was probably a little tough, me and kids, because she, because Jimmy was pretty demanding, and and she spent a lot of time out working with Jimmy and traveling with him.
00:44:51.679 -->
00:44:54.800And we got to, you know, enjoy some of that too and do some cool stuff with him.
00:44:54.960 -->
00:45:08.880My brother in particular is you know really close to Jimmy's daughter's age, so came and uh spent a bunch of you know, Christmases and New Year's and Aspen with the Buffets and uh skiing with Savannah and stuff like that, which is kind of cool.
00:45:09.039 -->
00:45:14.400But it was a uh it was definitely a big part of my childhood and growing up.
00:45:14.480 -->
00:45:20.880I know you know I kind of chose never to engage in the business side and just stick to being friends and family friends.
00:45:20.960 -->
00:45:30.719And uh, you know, I thank Jimmy for everything he's done for our family because it really uh, you know, it it helped us out a lot, and he was a good friend and all the way to the end.
00:45:30.800 -->
00:45:37.360And it was, you know, he was just a normal guy, and it was uh he and I had a lot of common interests in Cuba.
00:45:37.440 -->
00:45:49.199He was always super interested in what's going on in Cuba, and we talk about that, and I I helped arrange uh, you know, his coordination and flights down and back to go do an album cover sheet uh down there.
00:45:49.360 -->
00:45:55.760I think it was it wasn't Beach House on the Moon, I can't remember which one, but he shot an album cover down there, and we helped him with that.
00:45:56.880 -->
00:46:07.039But for the most part, we were just friends and we just chat, and every now and then he'd call me up to go do some crazy project or task that was a personal favor to him, but not really a business thing.
00:46:07.199 -->
00:46:08.639And it was cool.
00:46:08.719 -->
00:46:14.159You know, he was uh I saw him, you know, I don't know, six months before he passed away.
00:46:14.239 -->
00:46:35.519He was in Key West and uh and we went to the shows and I went and visited with him a bit, and um and he was talking about the Key West Picture Show because he was involved in that Yeti production uh and they had already used some of the Key West Picture Show into production, and he said they hadn't called you, and I said, No, they can I said, Man, my dad's broke as a joke, man.
00:46:35.599 -->
00:46:40.400They can, you know, and and uh and he said, Well, I'll just buy it from you.
00:46:40.480 -->
00:46:42.960I'll just buy I'll buy the film from you that way, you know.
00:46:43.119 -->
00:46:45.280And I'm like, no, man, you're not gonna buy this.
00:46:45.360 -->
00:46:46.719This is me and my brother singing that.
00:46:47.760 -->
00:46:51.199So just have the director call me and he can just pay a licensing fee.
00:46:51.280 -->
00:46:51.599And he did.
00:46:51.679 -->
00:46:56.639A week later, the director called me and said, Hey man, Jimmy said I need to pay you for using that film.
00:46:57.199 -->
00:46:57.519Yeah.
00:46:58.320 -->
00:47:01.599So uh he was a great guy and we all miss him.
00:47:01.679 -->
00:47:10.800And uh, and and you know, I'm a musician too, and write music and you know, writing songs is hard, writing good songs is really hard.
00:47:11.039 -->
00:47:16.239Um, and you know, Jimmy wrote hundreds and hundreds of songs, which is just amazing.
00:47:16.480 -->
00:47:36.079Um, I'll tell you a funny thing, I was never, you know, as a kid, Jimmy would release a new album, and I was always like, ah, you know, and uh and I, you know, I like again, I kind of had a chip my shoulder and and uh you know was complaining to my mom, you're never around, you know, you're always off with Jimmy doing stuff.
00:47:36.239 -->
00:47:41.920And and uh so one day I come home from I think it was probably sixth grade, HOB.
00:47:42.159 -->
00:47:44.639I come home from school, you know, we live two blocks from HOB.
00:47:45.039 -->
00:47:48.960And I come home and there's Jimmy sitting in the by the pool in the pool chair, you know.
00:47:49.760 -->
00:47:51.119Hey Rob, how's it going?
00:47:51.199 -->
00:47:52.320Oh, it's good, good.
00:47:52.559 -->
00:47:56.000So uh I hear you don't like my music.
00:47:56.159 -->
00:47:57.679Your mom told me you don't like my music.
00:47:57.920 -->
00:47:59.440I said, no, it sucks.
00:48:00.239 -->
00:48:02.079And he's like, oh, okay.
00:48:02.400 -->
00:48:04.480Well, uh, what kind of music are you into?
00:48:04.639 -->
00:48:06.239And I was like, two live crew.
00:48:11.280 -->
00:48:12.719And his eyes got big.
00:48:12.880 -->
00:48:14.800He's like, okay, okay.
00:48:15.280 -->
00:48:19.519And uh he called me back a few days later and it took me flying.
00:48:19.679 -->
00:48:24.000He'd just gotten his pilot's license and had a seaplane, took me flying, and that was that was pretty cool.
00:48:24.159 -->
00:48:26.480But you know, Jimmy's music is funny.
00:48:26.559 -->
00:48:32.320It's uh as a musician, it it tends to it takes me about five or ten years, I think.
00:48:32.880 -->
00:48:37.679And then and then maybe I just mature and evolve and I start to appreciate the songs.
00:48:37.840 -->
00:48:39.440But you know, I play a lot of them now.
00:48:39.519 -->
00:48:45.599I probably played 30 of his songs, and um like I said, great part of growing up, great part of old Key West.
00:48:45.840 -->
00:48:47.519He was right there in the thick of it.
00:48:47.679 -->
00:48:48.079You know what?
00:48:48.320 -->
00:48:58.960The coolest part too is you know, that that really golden period in Key West, he was right in the middle of it, but he wasn't important at that time.
00:48:59.039 -->
00:49:12.639You know, I mean he wasn't famous, he was just another one of the, you know, he was like these old smuggler guys, they were the guys that were like having the parties you wanted to go to, you know, and they were the, you know, he wasn't uh a central figure.
00:49:12.800 -->
00:49:21.760It's only afterwards, as history evolves, that then, you know, he kind of gets framed up as being such a central figure to that time in Key West.
00:49:22.159 -->
00:49:23.440Really, really interesting.
00:49:23.599 -->
00:49:28.719And you have um, you know, because everybody's got their own stories and most of them are made up.
00:49:28.800 -->
00:49:30.239Thanks, thanks for sharing that.
00:49:30.559 -->
00:49:42.320You mentioned your brother came and uh both both of you are so talented and you know can do can do everything from from welding to to singing to writing songs to uh telling stories.
00:49:42.559 -->
00:49:43.440I do welding now.
00:49:43.519 -->
00:49:44.480I don't do welding.
00:49:44.719 -->
00:49:46.400Well, he he does, he does.
00:49:47.199 -->
00:49:51.119I gotta give him a shout out because he took care of the Glen Archer Tiger.
00:49:51.280 -->
00:49:51.679Oh man.
00:49:51.760 -->
00:49:52.880Well, we we should talk about that.
00:49:52.960 -->
00:49:55.519But the Glen Archer Tiger, now that story's gotta be told.
00:49:55.599 -->
00:49:56.239What time is it?
00:49:56.320 -->
00:49:57.840Because it's
11:30.
00:49:57.920 -->
00:50:02.639We can tell this one quickly because I've got a very important tennis match.
00:50:02.960 -->
00:50:03.280Okay.
00:50:03.440 -->
00:50:05.760Oh, and tennis is happening right now.
00:50:06.000 -->
00:50:06.559The U.S.
00:50:06.719 -->
00:50:08.159Open has been fantastic.
00:50:08.400 -->
00:50:10.960I gotta get my exercise and watch my girlish figures.
00:50:11.199 -->
00:50:12.719This has been so much fun.
00:50:12.960 -->
00:50:13.280Yeah.
00:50:13.519 -->
00:50:14.800That we gotta do it again.
00:50:15.280 -->
00:50:16.800We'll do we'll tell that story again.
00:50:16.880 -->
00:50:21.679And we need to start with how'd that tiger get in front of City Hall anyway?
00:50:22.079 -->
00:50:23.039That sounds good.
00:50:23.280 -->
00:50:24.559That sounds real good, Rob.
00:50:24.639 -->
00:50:25.920I've enjoyed talking to you.
00:50:26.000 -->
00:50:28.880Thanks for sharing all the stories and go win that match.
00:50:29.039 -->
00:50:30.320Hey, thanks for having me, Joy.
00:50:30.400 -->
00:50:34.719I love your podcast, and thank you for bringing joy to everybody every day.
00:50:34.960 -->
00:50:35.760Thank you so much.
00:50:35.920 -->
00:50:36.800Have a great day.
00:50:37.039 -->
00:50:37.679Sounds good.
00:50:37.840 -->
00:50:41.360I'm Joy Newlis, and I appreciate you tuning into my podcast.
00:50:41.599 -->
00:50:44.880My purpose is to bring joy into my life and the lives of others.
00:50:45.039 -->
00:50:50.000If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share, and subscribe because there's a lot of good stuff on tap.
00:50:50.320 -->
00:50:56.000You can also follow Bring Joy on YouTube and Instagram, or check my website at joynoolish.com.
00:50:56.159 -->
00:50:58.320Now go bring joy to the people in your world.
00:50:58.480 -->
00:51:00.000Until next time, much.
