Hey guys it grow. This is the way I heard it episode number two. Oh two, it's called the blower stays in today's episodes. it's what the true story of a famous woman who vanished nearly a hundred years ago, a mysterious woman whose, Serious disappearance launched the greatest man Hunt in the history of great Britain, her inexplicable, vanishing is followed by another mysterious disappearance, specifically the desert and so my life's savings, which I'm which to lose over twenty years ago, circumstances that were altogether different from those surrounding the aforementioned vanishing lady, however, in both cases, the man best suited to unravel these mysteries is Travis Magee, a dear friend and brilliant sleuth, who lives on a houseboat in bay. He remarked

Florida and solves mysteries of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, as some of you No Travis Magee is a fictitious character. Drew doubt by the one and only John Dene Mcdonald. Consequently, Magee not be here today to share his thoughts on either mystery He is, however, the subject of the chapter you're about to hear and a big part of my conversation with Chuck classifier, the intrepid producer of this podcast who wants to know how and why a fictitious character had such a big impact on my professional and personal life. What follows is a conversation on the nature. Freelancing safety nets, work, ethic, authenticity, a code of honour and perhaps most import

leave the importance of leaving the leaf blower in the conversation that wasn't the plan. Of course, no one plans on being interrupted by a leaf blower, as we were midway through our very enlightening chat, but life, doesn't care about your plans and neither do leaf blowers, which is precise play why they should not be ignored. All of that will be made clear and episode to owe to the leaf blower stays in and it all starts. Right now and by right now, Amy right after I tell you about blue chew. Are you online service that delivers tablets directly to your home tablets, with the same active ingredients as Viagra and see Alice, but in jewel form and for a fraction of the car.

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They really do make it hard hard to imagine a better way to make a lasting impression or a product. That's more up and coming Bluetooth. Had come from Hope Code, Oro, W E for a free month, elevated satisfaction. This way I heard chapter twenty four. the mystery of the vanishing woman, the I'm checked into the resort alone. She arrived without reservations or luggage. She signed the guest book as Miss kneel and said she was visiting from Cape Town South Africa. Eighty five hundred miles to the south for the next twenty four hours Miss Neil, kept the low profile, then a sharp I'd. Banjo player recognized her from a photo in the paper, the ban two player knew that there was a reward for her apprehension.

Call the authorities immediately moments later detectives. on their way from London, hoping Neil might help them results of missing persons case, unlike any other the case it started two weeks earlier when a car was found on a steep incline near a former rock quarry called the silent pool the cars windshield was cracked. The headlights were still on inside the police found a suitcase a fur coat and a driver's license belonging to one of them? recognisable women in England. Given them when's wealth detectives had feared a possible kidnapping, but there was no ransom note. They had questioned dozens of people, including the woman's husband. He feared that his wife might have killed herself

she's been a terrible state. Archie said ever since her mothers, death she's been deeply depressed. It's been quite terrible. The police tossed pronged hooks on ropes into the silent pool and dragged for a body Bloodhounds were deployed. Fifteen thousand volunteers swept the countryside from Guildford to London. For the first time ever, aeroplanes were employed to search for a missing person Arthur Conan Doyle. The creator of Sherlock Holmes paid for the services of a medium, but no luck

Linz newspapers couldn't get enough of the mystery: a suicide with no corpse the headlines, blared a murder with no suspects, a kidnapping with no ransom across the pond in New York. The times covered the mystery on its front page with a headline that simply red who done it, but who done it? Wasn't the question not right, The real question was: what happened? How could a woman is famous? Is that just vanished from the face of the earth? Then Scotland Yard started to crack the cat ES detectives, their learned that Archie had asked for a divorce a month earlier, a rock asked. His missing wife had refused interests

They also learned that Archie stood to inherit a great deal of money if his wife never returned that was interesting to it gave them a motive, but, alas, Archie had an alibi on the night of his wife's vanishing he'd been at a dinner party with several people, all of whom vouched for his presence. Then there was another breaking the case. One of the witnesses turned out to be arches young secretary, a young secretary who it turned I was having an affair with Archie a young secretary named. That's right, Miss Neil Archie admitted the affair immediately, but even after prolonged cos,

joining, he insisted that he had no knowledge regarding the whereabouts of dismissing wife, at which point the detectives turned their attention to Miss Neil. What did the young secretary have to say to the detectives about the mysterious disappearance of the woman whose, has been she loved. Clearly this was a woman who needed to be interrogated, and so she was detectives converged on the quiet resort in North Yorkshire inside the band played. Is a stance than died. The banjo players saw them and nodded in the direction of the dining room and that's where they found Miss Neil chatting with a few other guests over a game of blue. judge. Only the Miss Neil they found was not arches, mistress, nor was she arches secretary. Nor was she from South Africa. This Miss Neil,

had no idea, no memory of how she got into the hotel and no idea why she had identified herself as Neil, but even though this Miss Neil didn't know who she was the detectives most assuredly did she was the woman on the front page of every newspaper in great book. She was the elusive subject of what had the largest man hunt in english history. Now she had finally been found safe and sound and happy as a lark to hunt forty miles from her home at a hotel where she had checked and under the name of her husbands, lover. But why thus began the real mystery of the vanishing woman for twenty four hours. The woman said I wandered in a dream and then found myself in arrogate as a well contented and perfectly happy

men who believed she had just come from South Africa. Doctors said that she had entered a feud state brought on by. dress in such a condition. They said a person could black out while remaining fully conscious, but when the story hit the papers, it begged more questions than it answered, How could the woman have gone unrecognised for so long when the entire country had been looking for her? She must have known about arches air with the real Miss Neil was her disappearance and attempt to shame, the philander. Her husband had the husband drugged here, perhaps to declare her and steal Oliver money or was it all a publicity stunt a promotion for her latest book. Every one had a theory, but no one had a clue once she had been brought back home arches soon to be ex wife quickly rig

and her senses. She divorced the husband who immediately married his secretary, the real Miss Neil. Then she left home once again, this time she left the car in her garage hopped on a train to Baghdad and had an exotic journey, she'd, never forget a trip where she found adventure, inspiration and new love by the time she died. Many years later, at the ripe old age of Five. The woman who had been at the Centre of England's largest man Hunt was happily married more famous than ever, and the best selling author of all time. But here's an odd thing of all the mysteries that surrounded this remarkable woman. The true tale of her strange fishing is largely forgotten. It might be because, after returning from her trip to Baghdad, she refused to discuss the matter

and even her autobiography makes no mention of the incident. In fact, her bizarre disappearance in nineteen, twenty six is the only unsolved mystery in her compendium of tantalizing, who done its sixty six in all written by a heart, broken wife who found a fresh start on the Orient Express bound for Baghdad, a woman known very briefly as Miss Neil who is best known today as a Dame named Agatha Christy. Twenty one mysteries of Georgia Farm reveal themselves to me all at once, and they to ninety one. While I was snowbound and trying to stay sane.

I stumbled across them in more Stroud study a stack of dog eared paperbacks by John D Mcdonald. Each one had a color in its title: bright orange for the shroud, a deadly shade of gold, pale gray for guilt, the quick Red Fox and so forth. The first in the series, the deep blue good bye, was the best pulp fiction. I'd ever read. More importantly, it was the book that introduced me to Travis me. Maggie is a combat veteran turned salvage expert, a man whose specializes in recovering that which has been condors swindled from people who can't turn to the police for help he's a good day: Knight Errant who lives Florida ANA Houseboat called the busted Flush Magee works when he wants to takes only the cases that interest him and answers to no one. He isn't cheap half of all he recovers. He keeps for himself, but

always delivers the always gets the girl. He always does something admirable along the way. To this day I talk about Magee in the present tense, I like to believe you still down there and by he Amar sleeping on the busted flush, sipping Boodles gin waiting for the next damaged soul in need of assistance. I'm looking for a guy living in a horrid mansion Magee was great company for a guy stuck on the graveyard shift at Cuvier see he was nothing short of inspirational I read every book in the serious and found myself yearning to live like my fictitious friend, not on a houseboat necessarily or as a salvage expert per se, but as an inveterate freelancer, unencumbered by unnecessary obligations, Thanks to Magee, I started to question the wisdom of working at any one place for any one boss, and so, when Kubi see fired me

once and for all. I began dishing only for those projects that seemed doomed to fail ones. That would not tie me up for more than a few months. At a time. To my delight, opportunities were everywhere Joan Rivers provided the first. With that Cubey C c b s hybrid. Can we shop a rhetorical question whose answered turned out to be a very?

literal, no, it was cancelled after three episodes, but no one blamed me. In fact, I was praised for my performance and quickly hired to host romantic escapes a discovery. Show that turned out to be neither one of those things it was cancelled after the first season. But again I wasn't blamed. I was hired to host New York expeditions for PBS the most for the history channel and body sense, a syndicated programme sponsored by prevention, magazine with a weekly audience of dozens. I also hosted worst case scenario. breathtakingly on watch able TB a show that lived up to its name in every conceivable way, but was concerned. I was not I'd a revelation. I could make real money by hosting shows that no one watched my favorite failure was an empty shell of a show that aired exclusively

Thirty seven thousand feet american airlines needed stuff that, in its words, looked like content on air tv. It was called as the host. I was given a pass that allowed me to fly first class to any destination. American served then make a show about that location. But when I say show I don't mean it tv show, I mean a piece of fluff designed to surround commercial specifically produced for Americans captive audiences. Basically, it was an airborne infomercial that took me all over the United States, but the pass also took me to Sydney, Capetown, Amsterdam and other exotic places, because, coincidentally or maybe not that

magic ticket state active for several years after on air tv had been cancelled. This happy oversight I neglected to bring to the airlines attention a scottish thrifty. After all point is all of those projects paid a fair wage for a few months of my time better. Yet they gave me the freedom to addiction for other kinds of work commercials, industrial films, narration voice overs, I even did some modeling work there. I was standing in my underwear and a boss, gobs catalogue holding a football pretending to throw it presumably to another thirty two year old man and his underwear standing on some other page. I didn't know if I was selling footballs or underpants, but I didn't care I get paid. I audition for dominoes, do they were

producing a new, deep dish pizza and wanted a low voice for the ad campaign. Looking for a James Earl Jones Quality, the agent said so I channeled Darth Vader. As I read the copy. What it's gotta be deepened, it's gotta be thick. It's gotta be dominoes. Basically, I got the gig and ended up with fifty thousand dollars and residuals. Can you imagine fifty grand for one silly line? The Czechs arrive that summer in aid hundred dollar increments filling my mailbox with thousands of dollars a week after week I had seen the light voice overs where my secret weapon residuals my salvation. Travis Magee kept his stash hidden in the bow of his boat, but I knew better I set my earnings to the trusted financial adviser. I'd come to think of as my friend and built up my nest, egg, a respectable

safety net that allow me to start taking my retirement in early installments. Just like Maggie. Do I sound proud of myself, while I was while most of my friends in the industry were swinging for the fences struggling to get that big hit? I concentrated on singles singles that paid off in spades. Two thousand two. I had a financial portfolio worth north of a million dollars. I didn't known much more than a toothbrush lived in hotels worked eight months of the year on projects. I didn't care about and took full and complete advantage of my magical amiss and airlines ticket. I was thirty. Seven years old and delightfully unencumbered so the day a letter arrived informing me that the trusted financial adviser I'd come to think of. As my friend had been running a massive ponzi scheme with his clients money. It was a betrayal,

unlike anything I have ever experienced overnight. I lost everything. The safety net I constructed was gone and Travis Maggie was no We are to be found yeah, it's drag to lose your life's savings, but you know what really stinks losing your life unfortunately nobody's getting out of this live, and the best we can do is to make sure people who depend on us in this life will be ok after we shovel off our mortal coil. That means life insurance. Sorry folks does not get around it. On the positive side, there is no better way to find the right life insurance policy than by visit. Policy genius Palace genius makes it right we really easy to compare quotes because over a dozen up. Insurers are all in one place when you compare With policy genius, she can say fifty percent or more because policy genius

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three two one and then the three two one came up on the screen and oh, I thought you were going to say in three two one or count me enter. Something now now remember how I pointed out to you that you can see the little three two one on the screen. I can't see anything you can do to time. Ticker all I sees you sitting in your bedroom with some really question, ART behind your head for him appears to be a microphone with a pink weinstock on it asked me where I got the pink weinstock yeah, ask me where mine went its. It was yours, you stolen from my home. I did yes Master I just for the record. This is not my bedroom. This is the guest bedroom. This is where Rico sleeps and then leaving his artwork when Rico's here Samuel that's vague enough to leave the casually interested listener, wondering who the Hell Rico is and what kind of relationship here here two here before we

and had a moment to jump into whatever it is you want to jump into. This is gonna, be a good one. I can tell already you too, who Rico is. I think we mention Rico in a previous episode. We did. I know we did Rica Enrico, calling Tony the actor from the other The alien and the Galaxy quest us Elliot in just shoot me he stigmata. He was all hope and Gloria. He was Gosh that where there is the matter, Culture, what was the medical show? I think you ve made your point. Rico gowns only I want is a working actor, who you ve known forever. I've known for a very long time as well, but here. It is a great example of what I think you might want to talk to me about today. I think freelancing that life I mean that guy's been working step, Rico is by working steadily, not just freelancing but with big gigs in big movies and big shows for

thirty years he's more like a serial monogamist or he was for a long period of time he did hoping Gloria for two years. He did just shoot. Me for, I think, seven or eight years something was over a hundred episodes at once indication. Then he did flash of flashpoint then Veronica, Mars or Veronica Mars, then flashpoint- that's right, is also Veronica dad if it was something like eighteen straight years where he was a series regular on a tv show. So that's. That was less of a freelance gig. Then cereal, monogamist type situation. But here's the point along with starring roles in a dozen tv shows he had his peered in many films, he's done. One man shows he's been in, plays right, he's done all of it, and now it is meant to late fifties this guy when he comes to town still sleeps in your back bedroom. he's a dear friend man here

he's like if there were a best friend off. I don't know who when I've, no, I didn't longer, you know let let me give you a hint, it's the guy who doesn't sleep in your house and actually pays you I do like a strong case for I love We need to stand up, but I added up you ve noticed which way the monies flowing should, but you might want to go in here, that entire friendship algorithm. Ah, you don't want to do duly noted that we should start this. I have many many questions, and none of them involve Rico, they all involve money. Well, actually, the first one is I want to ask you: how did you discover John D Mcdonald and the deep blue goodbye? Well, the first time I heard of them was from a guy named MIKE seizure MIKE seizure ran a telemarketing boiler room back in Baltimore and I were

for this company years ago, called Dial America Marketing and MIKE, and I became friends I Was I hated that job? Incidentally? But paradoxically, I was good at it and it was one of those first one of the four great lessons right. Just because you love something doesn't mean you can't suck at it, he had and just because you hate something doesn't mean you can't be great at it. Indeed, I was a good telephone salesman to my deep shit. And my sister was my boss and one evening over a beer. He told me about Travis Magee and recommended the deep blue goodbye. I did not follow up on his recommendation, but years later in Georgia Farm I serendipitous least stumbled across the entire collection of Travis Magee stories. I grabbed the deep blue good bye and entered a world from which I never fully escaped

and how long before you started to embrace the chronic freelancer idea that is exhibited by Travis Magee in the John D Mcdonald stories. I dont know I think was the frog in the boiling water. It was super where time for me, I was living in a hunted mansion, as we have discussed, writing shift work, so it's the middle it. I go to work in the middle of the night to fill three where's of live television. I come at home in this weird state of narcolepsy, Befuddle meant either fully awake or asleep, and I set out there on the giant. Front porch of this old georgian mansion and start reading these great we'll pieces of pop fiction about modern day Knight Errant named Travis Magee, who. you know, is a korean war veterans who helps people out of tight spots but lives off the grid, before. There was even really a grid. You know

nine wrote that first story deep, blue goodbye. Nineteen sixty four, And even then Magee was railing against the advent of big brother and credit card. and computers and what he called serve home mechanisms and in our own all the modern bits of technology that made him uneasy, and therefore unwilling to live in a fixed address. He lived in a houseboat at the he Amar Marina. He would Take these jobs for which he kept fifty per cent of whatever he poverty called himself salvage consulted, but woody he did was he went? into the world to help people who had been conned or swindled out of there honey and who had no legal recourse to recover it and he would, on their behalf, go get their money back or go get there. In many cases their their pride,

back in their decency right because once you ve been fleeced, if you ve ever been swindled, you're, just a hollow husk of a person and so Magee helped these people get there Ives back and for his trouble look. He was a mercenary with a heart, a gold. He kept fifty percent Jackie would take his money and he would put it in the bow of the boat in a super secret safe and he would live off that money for a few months. Till funds, Rand, low or an egg, you know the next opportunity presented itself, and so that's what these books are. There are two examples of this guy coming out of his prey mature retirement to go back to work to do what he was put on the planet to do that lifestyle. That is ridiculous as it sounds, I'm not live an eleven houseboat and solve crimes, but the idea I've taken you're. The idea taking your retirement early.

Then coming out of it from time to time to replenish the coffers. That appeal to me, Michael, did You're right, you're, not gonna, be the crime sovereign. You could barely figure out how to get your MIKE working, but I had to push back call the exodus happened. It's a great mystery, it's a great mystery. So, but yet Travis Magee, you know where he a real person and existing in today's world would just want to eat a bullet because is it so technologically Vance and all the things that he stood for this this this world, full of just the opposite. Let me say just by the way, the shameless plug. If you go looking for these books very there, easy to find and they they truly are the greatest examples. In my opinion, of of modern great pulp fiction, every every book has a color in the title, the deep blue good by a deadly

of gold, bright orange for the shroud, the lonely, silver rain and so forth. There just terrific examples of a time capsule as well you're right this Travis was a man out of time. He was way this time and it was also behind the time behind it, but he was easy to like easy, who admire guy got like an egg right, but never in an exploitative way, like Mcdonald. Never let him off the hook. Every time you had a dalliance, there was always a consequence. There was always a price to pay. You know. On a personal level, wasn't a cat. He wasn't a rake. There was honour to his code. had a cold, he lived by it. He was very mature. He was very masculine unapologetically. So that's right! So listen. I I don't think I've read all of them, but I read quite a few when you told me about it years ago. I I picked him up, ordered a few and and read them, and they are great

Tell me about your recent trip to, Ah he Amar Marina. So that's where Magee lived right, right, slip, F, eighteen but humour he lives on a boat called the busted flush which he wanted. A poker game. That's really were just about every one of the stories starts and after three or war stories and my mind's eye. I could see him there. I could Travis Magee sitting on the deck of the busted flush sipping, his boodles waiting for the next little broken bird to walk up the darkened with that story and so we're in four Lauderdale doing this. Iguanas control dirty job story an I walked out of the hotel one morning right down there on the on the coast and just looked around. Off in the distance. I see a giant signed the says, but he Amar unlike wait a minute, I'm close to be here more of course, salmon for Lauderdale oh it's about a mile and a half away, and I walked in

but he Amar Marina and it's there you know it. Now it's not exactly as I pictured my mind's eye, but there are a lot of big boats are houseboats their yachts, their pleasure craft everything's there. I start looking for slip. F, eighteen and it's not there. I find the F doc, but there's no it's just not there and I'm like that's too bad and I saw a dock workers on like hey, I'm looking for, and he says Slip F, eighteen yeah, because ok, what you do, You walked down there and you go inside that building. Ask them. They'll! Show you something: I walked out of the building and I go in there and I'm like. I am looking for slip F, eighteen, like gaps, manufacture and they said had never existed, but the closest thing. We had to it and they gave me Nobody was like slip. Six, oh two, but before I went looking for that, they showed me the plaque. And there's apply its literally a national literary landmark now so many people have trapped from all over the world. Looking

to see where the bastard flush was moored, and so there's a plaque to join the Mcdonald and Travis Magee in the main office at the Marina Envy Amar, and then, of course, I what can for six or two and found it. Then it was empty. I swear it's. So it's so funny the like the impact, this fictitious character had on me, can't even overstated. I stood there on the dark and I could see him I could see him sitting there with what what Mcdonald called and that was somewhere between inexcusable and vulgar. Well, I know exactly. I know how much he he had an effect on you and when I saw that post on Facebook, I was like wow was so excited for you, because I knew that that was here's a guy that you really looked up to his official character?

you- you really sort of model the bit of your life around him. Did you not? Did you read the comments now guide? I'd, I didn't said Knight, reed, I can't read it all just sold, picture. That was it. If you read it, medicine that post you'll see thousands of people who were similarly affected. He touched a lot of people like John John Dene Mcdonald changed a lot of people. This characterise it's really is the greatest, continuing character, one of the great characters right up there with you, no footman alone, all those other. Gum, shoes and private dicks right, I'm right, but Mickey was different than he really did effect a lot of people and I was really touched by the comments and you're right. It was not just a big fictitious escape it, is the combination of working as a tradesman with a code in our region, It's one thing came from my pop

really enamoured of that, but I didn't get his skills. I wound up in the entertainment business wondering if I could work like a tradesman in this stupid. history and as it turns out you can you just have to be willing to free lance, in the midst of that I find Travis Magee a guy the exact same attitude with a very different set of skill, who lives on a houseboat and solves crimes, but take his retirement and early installments here, so that was the big take away from me, at the time I left pvc was in nineteen. Eighty three, I had my new tool Box, I could feel three hours on live television, doing any number of things. I was right I was singing. I was doing all sorts of theater, and I was selling things in the middle of the night. I knew I could make a decent living auditioning and relaxing, and I also knew that I wanted to see the world and I wanted to travel, and I didn't want to wait to be sixty before I retired. That model existed in those books. written by Mcdonald and so forth?

eighteen, ninety three until two thousand and one I chair an old, my inner Travis Magee, I use the tools and my box to freelance ass best. I could, in our industry and I'll tell you for a long time. I will you you saw it sure I've dial. Did I had it figured out? I didn't need a lot of money. I just needed of money to be comfortable to get a nest stake to work when I felt like it and to enjoy the nineties, which I did you. but my house with a dark, dark tan and time to kill. You know, but What I'm curious to know it is a singular moment that you can point to wear it You decided, I'm gonna be a chronic freelancer, a utopia. I know that I know that, just by the nature of the business I you know, I did the same thing for twenty five years. Thirty years for I don't. How long did it but really up

till the time I started working for you, this the longest job. I've ever had I don't I don't look look if it's it's a really. Ricky algorithm, because everything changes, nothing static you're really saying is wended certainty and uncertainty get balanced right and its security and insecurity get balanced because real freelancers, real jobbers. They come in a lot of different variety some people, love freelancing, so much that they'll. Do it with nothing in the bank that that's what Magee did right yeah would he would bomb around until funds Rand low and then he went back to work I was not that inveterate in terms of my commitment being a job or I needed a cushion, and so for me, a couple things had happened. At the same time, I need to have a toolbar

that would allow me to get more than my fair share of additions, and I got that then I needed to get more than my fair share of work, and I got that but that still wasn't enough. I needed an egg and so I squirreled my my its away, you'll buy my dad taught me I was very frugal. I still Evans ways, but I was very, very tight. I didn't say much money on the island own really anything alive. I remember you distinctively telling me once that you got rid of everything because it use you know you, somebody you read on a fortune cookies or of a zoo could gum wrapper factor. We don't own our possessions, they own us where you know what do what happened that moment? That's a big one I came home from from a late night in Georgia, farm and I left the tv on underneath couple of dead animal heads in the main room- and it was a big in tv

And so when I let myself into that creepy old house, I could hear a voice and it was a tv that was still on and I walked back in their turn. It off and on the screen was tony Robins joy. Head with, whose giant teeth re write the guide teeth like some and on the giant screen everything like larger and it really. Maybe job I walked in their there's Tony ravaged giant head, and I walked in just in time to hear him say, and so the more things you own the more thing. his own you- and it was just one of those truth bombs that like went off in my I you know is a while, my god and I had been I just been fired for the third time from Cubey see some currently rehired by Joan Rivers who insisted they bring me back to work with her at a show called. Can we shop- and I was really can you know what enough enough it is? It's been three years I'm not going to get any better at this job. I know everything

need to know, and if I'm not careful, I'm gonna wind up living in Georgia Farm forever. Oh that's when I got rid of everything and left because I'd if my money, a cue b c and I started investing my money with the trusted financial adviser. Do I mentioned in the book and so tat to your question I needed the tools to pursue the jobs I wanted but also needed a cushion, because I took to react I just I didn't, have the balls to do it without a cushion so here's my question, which came for, first, the chronic freelancing or the lost NASDAQ o the chronic freelancing, because you know I wouldn't have become a chronic freelancer. Had I not saved enough money to be comfortable during those two or three months it's where I wasn't working at all and then I it even more. It wasn't enough to him of a nest egg. I needed to be an investor right. I mean

it looks like I really went through a phase where I was very terribly interested in understanding the markets ray and understanding risk, and I met my trusted. Financial adviser in the book. I'm sure we'll talk more about this later, because there's another chap that's it harder on ahead, but in the book I call him a he, but he wasn't. He was a sheep, and I did that because the settlement that ultimately followed. The fleecing came. They are based Finally, a non disclosure kind of you're not going to talk about this. You talk about it because stocking because twenty years ago, partly, but also I'm going to mention. Any names are not going to talk about the institution or the woman who was apple, part of it, but it was indeed a woman she's a man vases of baby

I needed the security of a robust nest egg. In order to fully embrace the romantic version of myself, which was a reflection freelancing, Travis Magee, who took his retirement in early installments. I needed both things to happen, and from nineteen. Ninety four, until nineteen, ninety nine they did so it to say then that you couldn't have you Couldn'T- have embraced the chronic freelancing lifestyle. If you and tat a nest egg. No, it's fair to say I couldn't have enjoyed it. I could have ray. I look. I know a lot of people talk to your next Ober driver. You know that probably embracing some kind of chronic freelance life, or at least their living a life where they have to do other things to make ends meet. I was used to that, I just didn't enjoy it.

Times that I say to you back in the old days God here we go it's August and I turned the pay and you know what August looks like thirty one leg, whereas before thirty one, whatever you know every single month for me, began with third, your thirty one, blank squares or twenty nine or twenty in Libya, and so my whole life was well how many of those do I have to fill in to feel ok and the ants was usually seven six or seven If I got six or seven gigs over the course of the month, I was more than fine. Now spend another fourteen days in the month. Looking for those gigs yeah right, but the toolbox, that's the audition process, and so we so. I got that in my head. I was more comfortable. I had enough money, from Cuvier to feel ok to take the leap,

I had enough weird muscles developed in that strange world to book a lot of what I audition for and once that all lined up all the boxes were checked. And I went on a seven year- walk about ordinary when I felt like it basically living something that was very opposite of micro works and very, very different from the life on living. Now. I know the freelance lifestyle and I know what it's like to not have the nest egg, while you're doing it, and I just fully expected that from the get go now, I sort of started off with a tiny, tiny intensity egg, and because I had my very first job at a school was a Broadway show, and I did that for a year and a half before fully embracing the freelance lifestyle but I didn't realize how anxious it made me until I he had a steady, gig yeah,

like I added it never occurred to me because I always expected that my life would be a chronic freelance gig just because of the nature of the business that I that I entered, but it was once I started working for you. I was about their doing some from construction work here or something I don't know, that's a tough one, obvious area, my with a leaf blower is there ever more useless tool, a leaf, blower might move my father called it. An urban fart we talk about? I mean I always thought of a leaf blower kind of terms great Leinen, Macbeth Life is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fear, signifying I nothing that's a leaf. Blower I mean all that noise on a ghastly all that power for what it is moves this here too there is a lot

it's a leaf and dust and just dared and useless. Imagine if everything that was ultimately responsible for cleaning anything made the same sound as a leaf blower. I would never clinic damn thing. You would never leave your house because the side would be an endless, relentless cacophony. This is the kind of thing Magee would rail about right. He would, if let me leave blowers didn't exist when we gave was doing this thing, but Mcdonald would have written pages about the looming end of western civilization based on the exam, dense and the application of a leaf blog will listen. I can't take this leaf lower any more, but I know we don't have time to like just put this on pause, so I want to ask you a question in mute myself. Can you tell me what just what I wanted was about yeah. But what are you do about the leaf blower. Are you gonna? What are you gonna go out and disable him

going to close the window or you going to relocate. People are going to want to know how you're going to deal with this. I'm going to do with it by meeting myself, and just only talking after you, ve talked her I'll and hopefully the leaf blower will be gone. I don't think you should do it. I ve now already established the leaf blower as a character in this exchange and to simply takes apps to eliminate it. Well, that's like sweet being the leaf under the rug. People now know he's out there, and, and so if they suddenly here, I'm gone Bell, think you're doing something on a production level to eliminate the leaf blower and that's it. That's. The mute button I am doing something to do it. If I do this, yes right, it's gone right, but look production Is the enemy of authenticity? If you really want people to believe on the tv or in a podcast, then you have to

or take them along for a very produced ride like Malcolm Gladwell, does right revisionist history, which is terrific everything is calculated, careful, deliberate and produce, or you did what we're doing, which I believe is technically called to do talking and in the two deeds talking format. Sometimes a leaf blower like two days Mckenna in a great play. The machine of the gods isn't assert itself, there's other you do not contributed out, but ultimately that's gonna effect, authenticity and people will then wonder what else your meeting and now No one believes anything, we're saying an anomaly little or leave blowup. Let the leaf blower play well, it's issue any more because your soliloquy went on so long he's done for the day. Exactly so too. About just what I wanted single worse is it tv I've ever guy that is saying something

just what I wanted really deserves its own chapter at some point in time, because it did connect me with a guy who became really really important in dirty jobs, critically important. In fact, dirty jobs would not have happened without this horrible bit of television Just what I wanted in eighteen. Ninety six may be seven. I got a call from a woman named Nicole Perry who happen to be the wife of an agent that you introduced me to way back and ninety ninety one young Sean, Perry, Nicole. all had run into a guy named Michael organ at some, kind of big broadcasting event and my name had come up and the coal parry. Said: oh, I know Micro, my husband used to represent him. And this guy Michael Organ, said well. I need to see this guy because you ago, we worked on this thing. I'll. Just what I wanted and I want to hire him now for

meaning magazine. This isn't like two thousand one so that just a backstory right, Just what I wanted was a thing said this guy organ he had seen my cue vc demo tape, which would you with just a collar? and of all the moments that led to my various dismissals. She right. It was. I dare you to hire me tape. Yup. Will you loved it and how flew me to Memphis to host what really out to a half hour, infomercial and sidebar. Michael organ picked me up at the airport. He's driving a petty cash Third Mustang, an old Ford Mustang with just the primer on it right it wasn't paint. It was just primer. The only thing on the hood aside from the ornament that's worth pointing out was an oil and oil based portrait of Elvis

sleep, what Michael Organ was obsessed with Elvis Presley, and he picked me up in this car. Elvis on the hood. Guy had a he get along ponytail. He was the opposite of a corporate dude and been hired to produce a thirty minute, infomercial called just what I wanted to air the three weeks prior to Christmas? the money for the infomercial was collected and put up why the merchants in a mall, on the run, side of West members from all that was, was one click away from being condemned. Half of the story had closed, but those who are still open were desperate to survive, and they wanted to produce a half hour Infomercial that really tugged on the heart strings the viewer and made them nostalgic for Christmas is gone by and think what people to come in Malta, by their Christmas press. As this is the idea and end my Morgan is in charge of this thing.

We go to the more I forgot, the mollusk where's cameramen with this got him rob Mayberry, and I just start talking to people to try and get their great Christmas memories right. We figure can get people talking to me on camera about their great Christmas memories. We can then enter cut it with sap small team, nostalgic footage of Christmas is gone by. So it's like a mix of Smith story that movie right. The way makes you feel with the shameless plug for a mall who's trying to stay solvent well it went horribly wrong. Every single interview princess so depressing that mean that these were poor people. in this very poor mall doing what shopping, they could and It was very depressing and it was so depressing that we didn't. We just didn't want it. Do we just? I couldn't get a single, meaningful, nostalgic exchange from anyone and it just got worse.

It got so bad. We all just started laughing, point, I remember, I walked up to a woman and organ set. You know, ask him about their favorite films. Their favorite Miss movies. That's I thought. Maybe you know we can have a nostalgia conversation about miracle on thirty fourth street or that's a wonderful life, so walk up to this woman I tapir on the shoulder. She jobs are footing the Arusha who I was a guy with a stick microphone as a camera face like I'm like and we're doing this show about our favorite Christmas memories like aha, aha, what do you want oh. I was just wondering you know. What's your favorite Christmas movie You have one there. So many great once. Don't you think if she looks at me and blanks and she thinks Remit and she says well, I guess I guess a favorite holiday film would have to be. No. Let me think I guess would have to be seven.

as in the seven deadly sins. Yes, as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman were piled, throws head wines up several and on a box, spoiler alert. I'm saying you! This is not a Christmas room, her mind. She was thickly. What's the last movie, you saw a holiday so, like my gun woman, you go home and you watch seven for Christmas and was so working and I just start laughing so bad long story short all this these horrible interviews or cut together, and they go on the air, the whole goes out of business. Of course nobody comes through the mollify anything. It is this. It was saying if you try to sell stuff to poor people, irish people need money to buy things, don't they? You would think you would say anyway. I I left Memphis, so I said

body hotel and make an eye that night went to an area concert. He had tickets to a local, throw local radio station and I well that meeting his girlfriend woman aim. Lisa Michael LISA Windup, getting married years late. and when my goes somehow he's annexed, literally promoted through the ranks and become The executive producer of evening magazine in and Francisco California right and when he goes to look for a host for that show that one circles back to Nicole Perry, and wait a minute. I remember micro. He was the worst best. I ever had. He would be great for evening magazine solar. Calls me and I come to San Francisco, and I wind up getting that job from a guy who no longer has a ponytail and no longer drives afford Mustang, with Elvis Presley painted on the hood. He hired me

to do evening magazine and its during that time then I go into the sewer. Andy come up with an idea called somebody's gotta do it which becomes dirty jobs. I remember you showing me? The tape you'd made and it wasn't about the sewer this is a real or whatever that you made- I guess too, to try and sell the thing. Was the artificial insemination of of a horse or a cow was a girl and my gosh. I just quit. You know when you're when you arm is shouldered deep, to the rectum of a cow and and pulling it out- and I rubber you sitting there smoking a cigar in talking about account as a quality. More than I thought who this is the weirdest, I've ever thought. I've never seen it was the funniest thing I've ever seen, and I thought there never gonna put this on tv Now we got it all on it. We got it all on Michael Organ turned out

be the guy who's who just said go for it. I didn't care and we we're doing a daily show evening magazine was daily shop riots, which is like that's a barking dog in the back yard. Yes, every day you have to get something on the air, so you know used to say to him oh that show and on its seven, be six forty five and we still be added by the fact that seen him cast news, were the Hunter running running through the building with tape. You didn't get it at the last. Second, it goes on the air. I called down there and say: hey: are you close use? Yeah yeah, we're we're close, and I said I: how does it looked like any good and he would say better than good, it's dont Jain. Yes, that's what he said that night that first first one went on the air. The sewer was the first one and then It was the artificial insemination and the other thing shock. You know evening magazine was so amazing because we were under the umbrella of news which

We didn't need permission weed, releases earlier anything we wouldn't have to clear music, while so, while I am artificially inseminated this cow, while I'm shoulder deep in womb injecting the sperm from a horse our at night. We wouldn't do that from a bull. Yet ever as a rule, you never want to put horse seamen and account now now it's this wrong. You'll know what you get now. You know a very ass of a very fast running, lactating creature. I dont Labour day he was so yeah. We were playing love, as are many splendid thing. You know never get the rights to do that and you right After the assimilation scene, I sat there covered in excrement and semen. Smoking a cigar talking to the cow.

like in the Warm Adler dial up hello talk anyway, I measured in English for a few years before I finally decided right. This all goes on the air. It all goes on the air and Oh that crazy, silly hot massive stuff became dirty jobs and never would have happened, but for a ponytail guy pick me up in a Ford staying with Elvis on the hood and ask me to interview desperate people in a desperate situation, nation at a wonderful time of the year, to learn that the great underrated holiday move we have all time turns to be set up well, actually, that's a pretty good place to wrap it up. I think you alluded to the fact the term. You lost your nest. Egg in this chapter that outcome about later? In future chapters, if you'd like to get all the chapters all at once, you can pick up by the way I heard

by micro at any bookstores asked you what nice that's me or that is you ass an utter failure to use me in this one. So, who knows there might be people who have forest dumped their way into this right now, in there Let me remind you that this is like you know that I mean this thing starts like ten. its into the podcast. The conversation does right. All I know is everyday. I get emails from people who have found them as for the first time, a desperately trying to understand what the actual hell is going on sometimes you're, reading mysteries than a very present. national deliberate way, as we had a really extent. Conversation on flageolets that nobody was really expecting now, but you know what I think but our liking. I don't know what you're reading, but people seem to like this hot massive don't let this go to your head, but I just read along. threat on Facebook. The other day of people saying you know your your guests are fun, but you really should

talk to chop because he seems to understand all the truly screwed up crap you ve done and that's that's all we want to hear from you. Well I'm flattered. My head is swollen, and I appreciate all that I've read nothing but great stuff a bit. You know that a lot of a great reviews on on Apple on Spotify and yeah. Leave us leave us review yeah good for us self praise stinks the reviews do help. If you of fuels Clyde. Yeah leave us review only if its a good one and if you we want to treat yourself- and this truly is a shameless plug, but the deep blue goodbye still holds up What movie did on a literary front? What Mcdonald did with Maggie was truly transformational Carl Heisman. In fact, another great writer wrote the four years ago, when all these came out and paper back and a new printing and he sums up better than any one. I think you know Mcdonald MG

had the same effect on him, as I did on me and a look. These are dated. Folks are politically incorrect, they I'd. I dont even know that you could get a lot of this on the shelf nowadays, but their wonderful time capsules of other Florida that a lot of people never knew existed, and it's just a terrific care to study. If you really want to wallow in the US cognitive dissonance of a man who is constantly war with his base images, but driven by a code of honor, that's just a great rumination and what it means to try and do the right thing in these uncertain times, and it's just so damn well written you'll find yourself going back and re reading paragraph simply because of the pros its echoed having sex

that's the way I heard it is also a fine red and available wherever books you. So I was wondering if his check day went down there. You know what what if his estate were to Call- and you know, cause John Died- in, like I think, ninety seven, ninety eight, if they were to call and endeavour to say obviously my grows, a fan and We would like to hear the Great Yonder Mcdonald's books on tape, as read by one of our greatest Vance, I'm just saying its autonomy, calling for work. But I would do that cultural for work. Let me read the stories and then you will play the voice of Travis Magee, so every time you his What are you, whatever he says, appears in quotes? We hear your voice instead of mine, while I do you know what

when we with afresh gentle listener, go go Google Travis Maggie quotes and just read some of the stuff that came out of like the quick Red, fox and deadly shade of gold. Look look for the quote where meat he talks about the things his most suspicious of the things is most wary of its a law. paragraph that touches on everything from credit cards to eye at birth certificates right virtually everything, but it ends with earnestness YAP Above all things I am wary of all earnestness and if you have the book. You know that that is one of the epigrams but kicks the whole thing off

a grand for days. You view not quite familiar is of low sentence in a beginning, a sky like a cloud or something that somebody else says it. You think he's really caught a good Ford bulk, and so you put it in their studies, show when Chuck bread felt the Baltimore accident. It probably is time to wrap it up. So Thank you again for listening. Thank you to our sponsor. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you and you know it this made me want to go back to Baltimore. Myself may have a couple national bohemie, bs, meaning Godaddy Ocean, get crack cake or too you know, I'm say just whatever you do on don't throw up in his egg. Nobody, just where you washed the dishes in a very few lunatic, I thought you next week and seen