Matt Connarton Unleashed 8-10-23

0:41 Hello everybody, Welcome, here we go. It is that time again, Matt Connerton Unleashed and we are live from the studios of w m n H ninety five point three FM in glorious downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, now also on Comcast Channel six on the cable. And of course hello to all of our online listeners across nation and around the globe. You can go to my website Matt Connerton dot com for all of your live streaming options, social media links, contact and folk show archives, etcetera, etcetera. Today is a Thursday, August ten, two twenty three, so nice to have you all with me.

1:17 By the way, the opening songs, I played a couple of the artists that we've had on the show this week so far as far as musical guests. Yesterday we had Charlie on the show, skyping in all the way from the UK. I played a track of her as Swindon Bathtub from her from her new album Anomaly, and then I also played kids from the band Best Not Broken, who were live with us in studio the other day. I love that song there. All their stuff is really super catchy, really good songwriters, and the production is great.

1:49 But that one in particular stands out to me, so I feared i'd feature a couple of the guests that we've had on the show this week. We don't have any musical guests today or any guests, but you can call us of course at six three two five zero six zero seven six ZHO three two five zero six zero seven. You can also text me at six one seven nine one seven four four seven six. I'm on social media at Matt Connerton. You can email me Matt at Matt Connerton dot com. And of course you can interact endo Pine in the Facebook live chat and we will say hello everybody, and there in just a moment for the best thing to do, so then we can hear and enjoy your dulcet tones is Give us a call at six o three two five zero six zoo seven six zero three two five zero six zero seven.

2:29 By the way, we do have a musical guest tomorrow. Tomorrow is a busy show. We have lynnwood Strange is the band joining us tomorrow. Really really good looking forward to that. And of course also tomorrow it is Friday, so we have Eric Pilcher's classic film review and this week the subject is Donnie Brasco, Ze Brasco or Brasco every said both ways. But of course al Pacino one of my easily one of my top five favorite actors in Johnny Depp. I remember seeing that in the theater actually with a friend of mine back in the day.

2:59 But that's going to be the classic film review for this week. So six O three two five O six zoo seven. If you would like to join us today on the program, uh, and I will tell you again right up front, I am. If you're just joining us for the first time this week, or maybe the show is new to you, I know, with the way things have been reconfigured a little bit, we probably have a lot of new listeners and welcome everybody. It's always nice to expand the audience, that's for sure. That's the name of the game.

3:31 But just so you know, if you don't know this already, I'm probably going to I'm not going to say that today yet again is going to be a Trump free zone, necessarily because I do like to defer to the audience, the callers and people in the chat room what you'd like to talk about when possible, when it's uh, you know, practical to do that sometimes if we have a musical guest or something, we can't do that. But but I do like to defer to the audience as much as I can, and so it's a maximally interactive show.

4:00 Having said that, I've been struggling this week, my friends, I have I have an illness, completely self diagnosed. I have a terrible fever that and the only cure is more cowbell. No, I'm kidding, that's a It'd be funnier if I said it in the voice of Christopher Walkin, but I can't. I can't do impressions very well. No, I am suffering from u t FS Trump fatigue syndrome. So you know, we really haven't talked about Trump much. Of course, the news is inundated with Trump. And by the way, this observation should not be taken as any sort of criticism or indictment, shall we say, pun fully intended of the media.

4:48 I understand. I mean, you have to cover it. It's a huge story. We've never had a former president with multiple indictments and all that comes with it, so I understand. And the constant coverage, because there is constant news on the matter. So I'm not complaining about that. And I'm not criticizing the media for focusing too much on it or anything like that. I think that it is appropriate to do that. I just I'm trying not to let it consume the show because I don't want it to consume my brain any more than it already has.

5:19 So I'm trying to make this a little bit of an oasis. You know. Obviously, if we're sitting here and there's big breaking news and you know, Georgia comes through with their indictment or something like that, then we will talk about it. But I'm not going out of my way for it. So again, I defer to the audience as much as I can, but I've I've got some other there are other things going on that I think are interesting as well, And so that's kind of just so you know where I am on that. I'm not going to go out of my way for that, or you know, with apologies to my conservative friends, I'm not gonna go out of my way to talk about Hunter Biden either, just so you know, fat about enough of that too.

5:58 I know some people think the media doesn't talk about Hunter Biden enough, but that's another story. H Shannon is on the line high Shannon, Hello, I'm sorry, I'm multitasking at the moment you are. Uh, there's a song Johnny Donny Brasco, John I was pronounced Brasco, okay, And I like it when they were in the when when Johnny Depp and al Pacino were in the kitchen and he says, uh, a punch of salt, and Johnny Depp says, did you say a punch or a pinch? Did you hear me say a pinch or a punch? So he was making he was making his his gravy there the Italian style spaghetti sauce.

6:44 Is that your favorite moment from the film, Shannon, Well, I use a punch of sugar and a pinch of salt. But no, no, I knew when he Uh, I had read book before anyway, I've not read the book. Yeah, there's a little bit more info in the book. I think, oh yeah, well, of course, I mean when you make a film based on a book, you know you have to have some composite characters and so forth, because obviously you can't fit it fit everything into the film. So the book. That's why the book is always been That's why the book is always better or at least almost always.

7:24 Yeah, because because Stephen King is right on set and making sure they do what the book says. You know, right, that is true? The same with them. Well, I don't know lately because I don't. John Grisham, yes, is, his books are very very very close. Now Robert Ludlam in the in the Born series not even close m movie to book. Well, that's an outrage. I'm outrage it is. I'm not really outraged. I actually fell. I'm at peace with it. I had to process. I was completely enraged for a moment. But I've processed at Shannon, I worked through it, and now I'm good.

8:09 All right. When you first mentioned that, I was very upset. You should look up when you have three seconds. But I don't think the internet works as fast as i'd liked it, too, because when I asked someone to check something, I'm waiting and I'm waiting, I'm waiting. I say, you can't put this, this, this in the search engine and get an answer. I don't know. Maybe they don't call them search engines anymore, but no, you can call it a search engine, or I call it the Google. And of course now we have chat gpt M. That's a a right, Yes, yeah, yes, it is.

8:48 Yeah, and it's your favorite day. You get to hang out with Polly C. That's tomorrow. Oh Jesus, today is Thursday, Shannon, mm hmm. Today I'm all by myself there myself. But yeah, well I'll call tomorrow about a retrospectrum because touchy feely was last week. That's right, that was the theme. And to me, uh, third two thirds were mushy, not touchy feely. They could kind of mushy, you know, romantic mushy. Some of those songs make me blush. Shannon, I'm sure they did. And if I make a list for Pauli CD to do a show on sexy, dirty or dirty sexy songs, you'll blush a lot.

9:45 No, that's quite likely. Yes, you know the good ones, Bullet Boys, Kingdom come, oh, you know those songs, good bands.

9:58 Yeah, Baton Rouget I'm pronouncing it's a French way, Baton Rouge. I know, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I don't know. Is there a band called that bat Yes, Baton Rouge and She's All Lips and Hips is the name of the song. I remember the song lips and Hips, but that is uh, the electric Boys unless they covered that. Did they cover that that? I don't have a way of checking, but you could because I remember the Electric Boys lips and didy Go lips and hips. She knows how to use them to make you flip Yep, that's the song.

10:41 Yeah, okay, then they somebody redid it to her, somebody else. I don't. I am nowhere near the intelligence and memory span of you policy DJ Steve, anybody on that show you know of music and who came out with the first and I mean when you guys give dates and it, you know, it's as mind blowing to me as me remembering and having in my brain as many phone numbers as I have, because I can't. I have a bad habit of writing a phone number down and not saying what it belongs to. Oh that's not good, no, no, but yeah, so all right, Chim, Yeah, So what about Johnny Donny Brasco, Well, Johnny Brasco, that's the film review tomorrow, Okay, he should do?

11:37 Is just a suggestion for two movies to do. Scent of a Woman who Ah and Trouble with the Curve with Clint Eastwood. I don't know if you saw that. I've never seen it. I've always been aware of it, but I've never seen it. Lovelin love Clint Eastwood though, Yeah, and he does a good job, and he develops age related Maculler degeneration. And that's the trouble with the curve the center vision. He can't spot it. You know, he has to. I'm sure mister Pilcher knows. I'm sure he does. I think he's a clinic Swood fan.

12:19 May be, mister Pilcher. Someday do Cent of a Woman might listen a Colonel Frank Slade needs a guide dogs rights And I want to pull did you see that movie? Where's movie? Cent of a Woman? Yes, I want to pull an Alpaccino. One day when they were at that after he drove the Ferrari, well, I'd love to do that part. Yeah, but when when they're waiting to cross the street after they leave the Ferrari shop and he's waiting at the lights and and Lieutenant Colonel Franks, it is taken too long and just tap tap tap tap.

13:04 I mean I tried to count once. I think I counted twelve lanes of traffic that I had to screeched their brakes not to hit him. Right, and then he fell down in the trash camp. But anyway, fun movie. Yes, it's and it's it's actually I know, I know you got other people talking and bitching about me. I'm sure, but it gives good insight on people, for people who have in their life, people who will develop uh vision problem like the age related macular. You know. It just it gives the things not to do and to do.

13:50 You know, you don't say to the waiter, you know, point to your glass and and and lip something to him, you know, because the I can't see, don't do that. And he said, don't do that. But right now I I will let you go. And I'm sorry it's not Friday. Hello, Jenny and everybody out there that I don't know that know me now. Yes, I have a good one, all right, Shannon, thank you for the call. Ye by bye bye. All right. Well that was Shannon. That does open up the line for you. Six zero three two five zero six zero seven six zero three two five zero six o seven.

14:32 Our friend Melanie law Liberty from the Great State of Vermont was just commenting in the chat room how much she enjoys Shannon's calls. But we will say hello to everybody in the Facebook live chat. Oh, by the way, I cannot find Lips and Hips by the band Baton Rouge. I can only find the Electric Boys. I do remember that song. It was like a minor hit for them. Would have been late eighties, maybe nineteen ninety. Easyg joins us in the Facebook live chat and says, good news, my sister is safe along with her husband.

15:03 Yes they are, I believe Eric had said on the island of Maui, which is an inferno, It's very frightening and very sad to see the destruction and the devastation. They're unbelievable. J Fett also joins us in the chat room from the great state of Vermont says, good afternoon everyone. DJ Steve is in the Facebook live chat. DJ Steve. Of course I get to see every Friday night for Retro Spectrum Radio with Paul Ec. DJ Steve and I have the honor and privilege of being two of Paul's co hosts on that show, along with Mike from Queen City Cabinetry, who's one of our great sponsors here at WMNH, and one of our co hosts on that program.

15:40 And let's see, Oh here's someone we haven't heard from in a while. Ron is on the line. Hi, Ron, hey man, how you doing good? How are you been a while? Listen? I heard you say a little while ago that you'd not put with impressions. Well, I listened to you on Friday night. If you are spot on and kneel and every single one of them, well, you know, as the night wore on, I was kind of getting into the groove. Would you like to would you like to request an impression? Ron? I could, I could try to do one right now, get ready for tomorrow night?

16:14 Yeah. Well, I enjoy your show immensely, and when Friday comes around, I'm hooked on that too. So for all your New Time listeners, if there were any else, you don't miss you the one of them, you know you miss it A good show. Well, thank you, Ron, I appreciate that, my friend. Hey Man, I guess I'm gonna have to let you go because so whatever reasons, I can't see me here you on my phone's coming in real quiet? Can't you turn up the volume? Oh yeah, no way to control that from here, unfortunately, So all right, well there we go.

16:47 All right, Well, that was our friend Ron. Always nice to hear from Ron, even if Ron apparently was unable to hear from me. I was hoping he was going to request one of my incredible impressions. But you know, anyway, six three two five six seven is a studio line six three two five six Z seven. But we will finish saying hello to everybody in the Facebook live chat. Jenny is in there, of course and says sildom peeps. Our friend Miriam Banish joins us in the chat room. Miriam says, somehow I keep missing Swindon Bathtub.

17:16 I've been to Swindon a few times, so I'm very curious about the song. If you're just joining us out, that's one of the tracks that I opened today's show with us Swindon Bathtub from Charlie great musical guests who joined us yesterday on the program. And we do have a call. Hi, welcome to Matt Connerton. Unleash. Who is this? Yeah, Mack, ask me any question? Just to ask me any question? What is the capital of Utah? Yo? Good man? So listen, You've got a great show with super duper and I love it. I'm gonna keep listening.

17:52 Go ahead, ask me another question. What did you eat for breakfast? Today. Yeah, Matt, so listen. I just wanted to let you know that I'm listening. I'm a big fan and you're the best. Both shows are the greatest. Yeah, well I do. I do appreciate compliments, Paul. So I understand Ron couldn't listen. If Ron couldn't hear what I was saying to him, and he decided to respond with compliments, that's not a bad deal. Actually that's not It's not a bad thing, but he lost the oppersite. I'm gonna give you one.

18:23 You're ready, Can you do an impression for me? All right? I'll do all right. Now, keep in mind I'm not a dancing bear, but I will do my best for you, sir. Go ahead. Yeah no, this is gonna be a tough one, I'll admit it, but I have faith. All right, all right, I'm right. I want to hear you do an impression of Robert Reid and an AA meeting. Okay, here we go. Hi. My name is Robert Reid and I'm an alcoholic. You might know me from the Brady Bunch. Oh my god, dude, are you kidding you when you say that you've never done that one before?

19:00 I've never done that one before. I have to admit that one was a little challenging. I had to really kind of I had to really kind of stretch to pull that one off. Nah, you're being modest. It was like Mike Brady was in the room. I know, right. Oh, I hope Peter's listening. I bet he enjoyed that. He's the biggest Brady Bye. I'm a super I'm a super duper fan. I'm gonna keep listening by all right, Paul bye bye. Yes. I did a number of impressions Friday night on Retrospection Radio. I'm not exactly rich little but you know, but hopefully if you were listening, you really did believe that I was Robert Reid for a moment there.

19:33 I hope. So six zero three two five zero six z seven six zero three two five six seven is the studio line. Let's see Jay Fed is requesting more airhorn. Okay, we can accommodate that. Ooh, that's not the one I was looking for, though I apologize. I'm sure that's the one, uh Jay Fed wanted. John Hopwood joins us in the Facebook live chatt and says, if you are going to live in the Pacific rim in a place like Hawaii with active volcano or volcanoes, you do have to you do have to do with the risk. It's sad though, well apparently too.

20:18 And I think we had talked about this yesterday on the show, just briefly. I think it was yesterday. It's an unusual situation. They have a because there's a hurricane. And when you think hurricane and wildfires, you think, oh, well, you know, that might be a good thing. The hurricane might do some damage, but it also will hopefully at least dump a lot of water on the wildfires. But apparently what's happened is the hurricane got close enough to just send a lot of wind into where the wildfires are, and that of course fans the flames.

20:54 Kind of like the other day when I stopped in at that dunkin Donuts and there was a kitchen fire, and uh I told that story on social media. I won't say which location, but there there was a kitchen fire and the one of the employees there turned to the manager and said, hey, we've got a fire over here. And the manager literally said to the employee, well, what do you expect me to do about it? And then the part I think I left out because you know, you want to be somewhat terse when you're doing a social media post or people will lose interest.

21:26 But one of the one of the employees actually started to fan the flame, thinking that that would put the fire out, and then, of course the other employee said no, no, no, don't do that, that won't work. They did put it out eventually, Apparently they aren't supplied with fire extinguishers. I don't know. It was very strange, but uh, but yeah, the manager literally said when the employees are like, oh, we've got a fire, she literally said, well, what do you expect me to do about it?

21:59 So I guess I guess that whole quiet quitting thing, you know, where people don't really work very hard at their jobs, apparently that's still going. That manager clearly had quiet would it be It wouldn't be quietly quit, right, because it's quiet quitting, so it'd be quiet quitted. Maybe I don't know all these new terms that the young people have. It's very confusing to me. But standing there in a dunkin Donuts where there's a kitchen fire and the manager seems completely disinterested, that was also confusing to me.

22:30 I have to admit that seems like something to me that you might respond to with some urgency, but apparently not in this instance. We have a call. Hi, welcome to Matt Connerton unleashed. Who's this? It's John C. Hopwood, John curmudgeonly, curmudgeonly, Wow, I feel curmudgingly, But I just want to say about the restaurant. Now, if you take a job as a restaurant manager, yes, when you're on you know that Pacific rim of fire of you know, well paying jobs, open fires, just they're part of the reality.

23:15 It's sad, but you know that's the way it is. I think what I was confused by was the lack of urgency and in fact clear apathy of the manager on duty as this was happening. It seems to me, and this is I wouldn't say necessarily. Look, I've never worked in fast food, but I think just as a general rule in life, if there is a fire in your presence, you know, unless it's a fire that's supposed to be there, like a camp fire, for example. But if there is a fire in your presence it is not supposed to be there, you probably want to see to putting it out, especially if you're in an establishment where you've got employees and customers, and you know that kind of thing.

23:59 You would think that that would be part of a restaurant energy's training, since oven fires are a sadly commonplace and they can be devastating. But this is you know, you live in the state of New Hampshire, live free or die. Even if the regulations are on the books, like campaign financing and such, they're not enforced because you know, this is a very libertarian state and who wants to you know, be a curmudgeon and insist on things like fire extinguishers or life saving equipment. That's true. It is much more exciting and adventurous if we don't have any rules or regulations.

24:44 But we do have rules and regulations because of those dastardly beds, at least till you know, we can pull ourselves out of this so called dis union, as long as we can keep our nooks. Of course, yes, you know, we don't want to be like Ukraine get caught with our bridges done. In case, Maine or I would think Vermont is a more likely candidate tries to, you know, like insist on fishing rights in the Connecticut River, which clearly belongs to the Granite Republic. You know, I didn't understand that Dave Ridley and the others decided to jettison the named New Hampshire when you know, creating this new country.

25:28 I think it's going to be New New Hampshire. Correct, No, it's going to be Granite Republic, according to the legislation that is introduced and so overwhelmingly failed about a couple of years ago. That's is that really what they want to call it? The Granite Republic, not the Granite Republic. Granite Republic. We don't want any of those pesky articles. You know that there are a great languages like Russians don't have articles. Oh oh yeah, well m mmmmm, well in the Granite Republic, there will be kitchen fires everywhere.

26:12 There should be. It'll be if that's a person's choice, there should be. Now. I once rented an office in New Hampshire, and the fire extinguishers in my office, you know, I'm supposed to be to there. It hadn't been inspected since twenty ten, which was like had twenty years before. And when I went to visit, you know, eventually you visit other people in the building, right and all of their fire extinguishers had been last inspected in twenty ten, so you know, but that's part of the greatness of the soon to be a born Granite Republic, right, it is exciting.

26:53 Once we are the Grant Republic, we don't have to do this hypocritical double speed. We just get rid of the regulations rather than just not enforce them, and in that in the river to keep Vermont out, we can put some booi's that can be very effective to both keeping the Vermonters from coming over into Granite Republic with their ideas like having giving out transitioning Ken Barbie dolls at our public schools, which was addressed yesterday on Kyle the Kyle Playton Chronicle, which got mislabeled as Kyle Clayton's QC Chronicles.

27:38 By the way, did you get a copy of the show to put up one IPM nation. No, you'll have to send me that, And no one sends me that anymore, and hasn't for probably the past six months. I don't know why I stopped receiving them, but bust my buttons. I did tell you that. I did tell you that before, but you've forgotten. But I would like to see that. Yes, he had a successful last show. Well, we had an interesting show of gonz All started out wearing a paper bag. We started out with an immemorium to the director William friedk and from that guy that used to peer on my show regularly that you poach does movie reviews for you another gibberish.

28:25 Yes, what's his name, Eric, Eric Pilcher. Yes, And then we talked about the big scandal, you know, with the transitioning Kendall which you know Gonzo bought, has one for his son, is bringing in next week because we're going to be the next week the show is the return of Manchester Famous. Oh, very exciting. So the other things we talked about we really can't talk about because of the FCC. You know, you have all those rules and regulations that we, being New Hampshire public a TV, we can just you know pay lip service to them.

29:05 Wow. Almost like you're already in the Granite Republic. That's true. That might be a good name for a segment on the w p YP portfolio. By the way, Andy Barker has joined us in the Facebook live chat and uh, John, you had a somewhat infamous appearance on Andy Barker's podcast that was a few years ago. Now, Oh, is that the guy that I melted down because of Trump? Yes, but you weren't. You weren't so much upset with Andy. It was the other two guys. Oh yeah, yeah. Something about a woman, the woman that she'd been raped or something, and I handle the rape when I was in the Oh, I'm gonna I'm gonna have flashbacks now, So I'm gonna let you go now when I have my flashback in private, Okay, but I would like to bring up possoon about what's going on at the Robert F. Kennedy headquarters in Manchester.

30:06 Oh. I saw a couple of people today. I was. I was at the post office getting the mail downtown here and I did see a couple of people wearing RFK shirts and they looked like they were with this campaign. Well, you know RFK Junior in the first time he came to New Hampshire, the only time I ever saw him, because he never tells anybody when he's coming. Oh, even on his Twitter feed, which is not act. Which got to get rid of it. This act. I just don't like it. I don't like it. I don't like it either. I'm not being serious.

30:36 I am boy, I am too. I don't like it either. It looks cheap too when it loads on the browser, it just looks it looks cheap. It does you pay forty four billion dollars for the goodwill that is the Twitter brand and then you get rid of it? I mean, you know, the whole thing about that's a whole nother thing happy, you know, come down, Andy Buck is waiting for you to, like, you know, have a spectacular man outs on. Like you know, It's like Paul Newman said about Marlon Brando. He said, you all expect me to be Maryland Brando and the Brando you're you're just awaiting to see him go berserk, you know, yeah, yeah, Oh, but what were you saying?

31:14 You were starting to say something. I'm sorry I had de railed you about RFK. But the Robert F. Kennedy it turns out that his campaign manager, and I haven't confirmed, this is the wife of a congressman named Roorbacker. Hold on for a second, Okay, Dana Roorbacker, who was a Republican congressman from Orange County, which was very very conservative, always conservative. Paul demographically changed the majority Hispanic, and a Democrat got elected and defeated him after nine terms. This was a guy, a maga guy that Trump considered as Secretary of State.

31:58 You know, you know, you know they have a long list. Yes, So his wife allegedly is the head of the New Hampshire campaign and she lives in Kittery, Maine. I mean here, rfk Jr. The first only time it came when he's at Saint Ansem College, we're all presidential candidates come said that he was here to defend the New Hampshire primary because candidates get close to the people. And indeed, like I told you, like you know, when I was with Bill Cashing, I spent an hour with the Joe Biden and that's not unusual.

32:33 But as you know, and so and you know, I was talking the other day about how Cash he was saying the problem with Hillary's campaign twenty sixteen, she's using these kids and and no local people that understood. But here Kennedy, he's got somebody from California. And it's not like the Hillary using these bright kids from like Yale or entire and you know, who are out of touch. Right, He's using a maga person. So being on thinks that what he's really up there is to be a Trump's running man. Well, well, conservatives have embraced him, they love him, but that's because he says, you know, he's and he buys an actually he buys a knowl the right wing conspiracy theories, I think.

33:21 And yeah, the stuff I don't agree with. The thing I am is the old Democrat, you know that corporate corruption and stuff like that, and all the stuff that I try to ignore.

33:35 You know, that's the stuff we do have. Know, we can talk about this another time. I've already talked too much. But remember how we were talking with Jenny how dealing with Trump and all the legal issues. Finally, it's just, you know, it's overwhelming, but it's just downright confusing. Trying to deal with Robert Kennedy. It's confusing, and it's like a I was talking to Timothy Horrigan was a Democratic state and he was just saying all sorts of nasty things about KA Junior on Twitter. So I called him out, but then he says to me, you know, I would have loved to have supported him.

34:12 But unlike even Mary Ann Williamson and Joe Budden, RFK Junior has not asked me to support him, and in fact, he's doing everything he can so that I won't support him exactly, like going and talking at Porkfest with the anarcho libertarians, or like foreign enemies to me. By the way, by the way, how do you deal with this stuff? You know? By the way, I don't know if you know, John. Mary Ann Williamson is going to be here on the show on the twenty second. Oh no kidding, yep, She's gonna be here with us in studio.

34:43 So that's cool. She's full of crap. I used to I saw her so during your New agge. You know, the new age stuff is fine, but she doesn't know anything about history or politics. But you know that. I don't know, I would say most congressmen either. I've watched a couple of interviews with her, long form interviews, not recently, but more more so the first time she ran, I thought she was kind of impressive. Actually, I don't know, I'm looking forward to me. It's a scripted I'm not I'm not saying. I'm not saying.

35:15 I'm talking about the first time. I sorry, and then I just tuned out. But you got to remember, I think of her as the new Age guru from La right. Well, that is part of that is part of I mean, the books that she writes and so forth, that is part of the deal with her. But I do think, I do think she knows more about history and about policy than you than you give her, than you give her credit for her I don't think she does at all, but we can disagree about that. We'll see when she's selectedly a hearty and a real Yana to her Rush staff.

35:48 I don't know. I don't know, yes, but I'm sure she'll be charming. She can be very charming. Yes, I look forward to meeting her. But that's that's cool. But I think, you know, it's like, uh, you know, it's like you, Peter, you know, im the radio you'd like to get, you know, you want to go to Rfk's and the people and say, hey, come and talk. These people would love to have you. But not only can you not talk to him, you can't talk to any of his people from the right wing, MAGA Republicans. They don't want a Democrat.

36:20 You know. I'm I'm fine, I'm fine with with not talking to RFK. No, I really am, I really am. I don't I need not have anything to do with him. But yeah, that's my view of it. Yeah, because see the other the other it's it's just a strange, strange, strange strange. Well some of what some of what he's putting out there, to me is legitimately dangerous, you know, the anti vax anti science stuff. I think that's why I don't believe he. To me, that's fascist type of thinking. Ideas aren't dangerous, that's the old the shipway.

36:59 But that's a whole different discussion. Yeah, but they're always they're always have to be. There, always have to be lines and boundaries don't don't there. I mean if I said to you, well, we've talked about it too, We've we've talked about it on the show. I got an email once, this not recently, this was a number of years ago. I got an email from a holocaust denier who wanted to be on the show. And of course I obviously I declined. But I mean I wouldn't would would I mean, what you wouldn't say to that?

37:24 Well, you know that's fascist, Matt. You know, ideas aren't dangerous. No, I'm not saying that's your personal choice. You have a right to do that. Right, I just don't see it that. I don't think that talking about the talking about the virus and the and uh yeah, but he makes stuff up. I mean if if you see him and some of these interviews, because there are people who have him on, he just makes stuff up. And uh no, the stuff about when you say that, you could have an argument from Seber and it would the FCC.

38:04 I'm just talking about principles and this is we can have that discussion another time, because anything we're gonna say is gonna get you banned. You know what they mean, well, we should, we should, that's basically my Well you're talking about, you know, the old vault pair type of thing. But you have a right who you put on and not put on. And as you know, we both you know, when I was on your show, there are things like I'm vaccinated, and I was saying, Carol vaccinate things. But then we talk about stuff.

38:35 But that's but that's you're people. People don't know what you're talking about. John is referring to YouTube. YouTube has very strict rules, right, It's it's not I've never never got me in any trouble here. As far as the radio show, of course, uh It's just what if I if I put that show on YouTube and there's a conversation about that, then then YouTube doesn't like it. By the way, Andy Barker in the room says, I would like to invite John to come back on the show. I'm no longer doing the show with Vinnie Anstizo.

39:06 Oh interesting, you should do that. You should do that, John, I'd have to be on value. Hey. But just one last thing is and you know, because that what we're just talking about, that I think that'd be a whole legit thing for a legitimate discussion. But yeah, because we're gonna talk. You know, when we talk before shows, we do talk about things, and there are things you aren't going to talk about, and there are things you're going to be responsible about. And like I've called my friends because you know, we're attracted to Kennedy's critique of both the party being on democratic our party and corporate, the corporate hold on government.

39:43 So sure, Lenny says these things. You know, it's like, oh, Cia killed my uncle and my father. I mean, this is the stuff of politic you know, a politician, an adult talks about it. Yeah, and then the stuff about you know, it's a bio weapon, they called it. It's like, I mean, you know, Trump made his fortune saying anything, every and everything. But Trump is a different type of person in the case, and you know talking you know, people don't say stuff like that. I mean, politicians might be the most balthesome people.

40:16 But you have to respect him because they do get out there. Joe Biden, for all I criticize him, he gets out there and he's trying, and he dust up and he puts his ass on the line, and you know, he evolved. He does good things, bad things, and you know, you love to hate politicians, but you have to respect him because they're like it's like an adult. You know, you have to behave in a certain way. You go out there and you do things. You just don't go and nun your mouth about everything. You know. Right well, he can afford to though, I mean rfk, he can afford to because isn't it right?

40:54 Yeah, I mean obviously he knows he's not going to it on the head. He knows he's not going to be the nominee, so he can. You know, that's the thing. When you know, when you know you're not going to actually win anything, you have no accountability because it's it's he's being irresponsible and he's telling like democrats like me, and so there are democrats that are looking and it's like Tim Morgan said, I would have liked to have supported them, but he's doing everything. He doesn't want my support and he's not doing and the things he is doing, I can't support him, you know, right, it's like, but you just hit it because that's what he's a person of privilege and from rich la and the entertainment industry La la Land, you know what, at least to call La la la Land.

41:42 Yeah, I still hear it, call and uh yeah and uh you did it though, you got it. Yeah, So I take it up too much of your time. But it's always good talking to you. Yes, you two, that's what discussions are abouts. He we're talking and we to a place. Yes, arf K Junior is irresponsible and he's not He doesn't act like an adult right right, or an adult but with some sort of issue. I don't know. I think I think something like I said, something's a little off. But he thinks he wants to be the running mate of Trump, which she sees Trump is just pure entertained At this point, oh, Trump has been very complimentary of RFK, but they all are conservatives love him.

42:34 They love him. It's like, I'll leave you on this. You know a person by their enemies, right. You gotta understand his father was my childhood hero. You know, I helped the wax head from the La Wax Museum. Yes, and I followed his campaign when I was in the third grade. And that's one of the big traumas what happened to his father. Yes, one of the America of the sixties, you know, brother father MLK. And you're and but you know a person by their enemies. Ours Kay's enemies were the Mafia, Jimmy Hoffa and Lyndon Johnson.

43:09 I mean, if you're gonna have the enemies, those are pretty good ones. Fab It shows you what kind of person he was. And I was talking to my friend Tom, who you know, he's been on the show before. He says, yes, Arris K would be drinking with these guys, you know, yeah, or having a line of cook You know, I'm just that satire or that party. But I mean, you don't associate with certain people. I mean, you could be friendly with him, like when Joe Biden is talking about well, I had the deal with these old race the senators because they controlled the Senate.

43:43 Yeah, it was truth in that, you know. Yeah, yeah, some of the criticism he took for that was not fair in my view. It's because some of it was justified in the sense that it was a moral outrage. But in the reality, Joe Biden could never have become one of the most powerful senators without having to deal with those people who controlled the Senate. It's like being in a dult. It's like being in a marriage or job. You have to or like you, I'm sure if you know, when you run your show, like you always saying when I'm nesting up or want to take it over to Matt Carnigan uncaught or whatever, set, I just have one thing that I want to have my job, Tomara.

44:31 Right, that's right. There are things as an adult you have to do. There's things you might want to do or say because we like you know, have fun and satires. We find that fun. Yes, yes, of course, Okay, Matt, take care, all right, John, I appreciate the call. Take care bye bye. Yeah, but oh I appreciate talking to you, but all right, bye bye. All right. That was our friend John Sea Hopwood and uh, he did indicate that today the CEE was for curmudgeon ly, although he was not particularly curmudgeonly today, actually quite affable.

45:04 But I do hope, Andy Barker, I do hope that John takes you up on that, and I assume you you are able to connect with him online. But I think that would be cool. And I'm not sure he completely understood because he made the valume joke. I'm not sure he completely understood. So just to reiterate, So, Andy, apparently you're no longer doing the show with Vinnie and Stizo, which is those are the two gentlemen. Oh? Actually, I think he really understood, So just do so like I'm time traveling, Andy, is that you?

45:34 Hello, Hey, how are you doing? I'll do a great How are you sir? Good? It's been a long time, Yes, sir? Can you hear me? Okay, yes, I can hear you. I'm pretty good because I mean, for whatever reason, I can not hear very loudly, but we'll get through. Yeah. Yeah, so you're you're you are still doing the show, but not with Vinnie and Stizo. Is that what's going on? Yeah? So you know it's about six months ago, so I kind of decided to kind of part ways. I didn't really like the direction of where we were going, and uh, you know, to be fair to John, I told you in the past, I did feel bad about the way the whole thing transpired.

46:20 Yeah, and that's why I'd like to give him another opportunity to come on. I have a new co host now. His name's Lou and we have changed the format of the show. Now we're we have it more set up to almost like what you're doing a radio show. We have different segments, we keep it in an hour, and we're trying to be more family friendly. Oh okay, okay. Now, so is it still called Nothing's Off the Table or is it a completely new thing? Nope, still Nothing's up the Table. Okay. See, if I'm really having a hard time hearing yet, I really have to call you back, buddy.

46:59 If that's okay, Yeah, yeah, it might be a bad connection. Yeah, go ahead, and yeah, give us a call back. Okay, okay, all right, so that's Andy Barker. He's gonna call us back. Yeah. So, for those who don't know, Andy does a podcast called Nothing's Off the Table. I've been on that. This was jeez, this was a few years ago. Now, it's hard to know exactly how long ago, because again, as I always like to talk about that, I feel like the pandemic caused this weird time distortion that many of us experienced, where it's hard to know exactly, you know, like if something happened before the pandemic, it's hard to know exactly when before the pandemic.

47:35 It wasn't anyway, but I've been on there, and then John Hopwood went on I think a week or two later, and I don't think that episode is still available online. But when John was on the show, they got into a political discussion and it didn't didn't go great. John got upset and very upset in a very animated fashion, and Jenny and I were actually watching it live and we were like, oh oh, but it's funny because and I remember we're watching it and I had a feeling this wasn't going to necessarily work out and then uh, and I'm just sitting there waiting for that that pin to get pulled on that grenade, and sure enough it happened.

48:25 Hey Andy, hello, sir, can you hear me better now? Or you hear you better? You you sound better. I could hear you before, but you sound more clear this time. How do I sound much better? Oh? Good? Good? Awesome? Awesome? All right, So so you're so you've still got the show, but you have a new co host. Correct? And well, my coach Lou is a gentleman that I served within the Navy. He's the combat veteran, he's a Purple Heart recipient, and uh, yeah, we just tried to stay away from the silliness that was the last the last group, if you will.

49:07 It just it started out great and then nothing personal against those guys at all whatsoever. I just didn't like the direction of the show and yeah, and decided we need to change things up a bit. Yeah, I think they I think they both unfriended me on social media after a while. I might have made comments. They were both very sort of I mean, I enjoyed talking with them the time that I was on with you guys. I had nothing against them either, but some of the some of the stuff they were posting during the pandemic, I really was you know how I am about that?

49:40 I was. I was not a fan of of some of what, uh what they were putting out there, And uh, I can only imagine what they were saying on the show. But uh no, that's that's cool. Now, How did I am? I am curious. I don't know how much you want to say about it, but how how did they react when you told them you wanted to change things up? You know? Surprisingly they were they were good with it, and like I, you know, I brought it up to them saying, listen, I made sure that they knew they had nothing to do with, if you know, any personal feelings.

50:14 It was just a business decision essentially. Yeah. Yeah, because you did that with them for a long time, right, Yeah, I did that with them for about two or three years maybe, And of course I had the show before they came on it, so and I wanted to get back closer to the original platform that we had, and John was one of the individuals that that was basically the starting point kind of the I don't want to say downfall, but just of the getting out of control, if you will. Yeah, because because I remember that.

50:50 I remember Jenny and I were watching that live and you know, uh, John's arguing with with the other eyes, and I remember you just kind of sat there looking concerned, and it was it was obvious from the look on your face that that was not what you wanted, that you wanted to have a more constructive conversation than what had unfolded. Absolutely, we can disagree all day long, but as long as we're cordial with each other, respectful, then it's okay. But when it gets out of hand like it did, I was embarrassed.

51:31 I thought I'd just lost control of the entire situation. And like I said, that was the beginning of the end, I think. And there were a couple other instances that happened that I was like, all right, that's it, but we have to change things up, like, like, what else happened? Did similar things happen with other guests like that? Do you mean? Yeah? Exactly? Really? We we had a gentleman on that

51:57 that uh says he experience a big foot sighting or something to that effect, and you know, we give everyone a platform, right, but the way they treated him was completely disrespectful, and that was the last draw for me. So, oh wow, is what it is? I guess? Yeah? Yeah, So now, so what is it more like now with your new co host lou What's I mean? You kind of told me about the format, but are you doing is it serious or there is there still a lot of humor or or how how is the show now? Oh yeah, we keep humor in it, but we're more structured now.

52:38 We actually have there's basically five different segments in the show. We're keeping it at an hour. We'll have guests. First segment is just a little bit of introduction. Second segment will be whatever topic we're going to talk about or our guest. Our third segment is a segment that we came up with and we call it Story of the Week, where both Lou and I will find a story, a short story and will share it. And then our second and last segment, which is something that I'm very very proud of all and to keep going, is we do a segment of Veterans Helping Veterans' If there's veteran organizations out there, they are doing some really good things and we want to highlight those and maybe give some people a chance to take advantage of if they've never heard of those organizations before.

53:27 That's really cool, that's excellent. And then lastly, we just wrapping up to kind of reiterate what we talked about wrapping up, and that's about it. You're now you're a veteran yourself at this point, right, You finished up with the military. I did. Yeah, I retired. Oh my god. We haven't talked in a while. Clearly. Yeah. I retired in two years ago, two thousand and twenty one, about a month and a half after I retired. And if I've told you to stop me, sure, I got COVID. I was hospitalized for it.

54:04 Oh my god. While in the hospital, I had a heart attack. Oh my god. I didn't realize. And I went in the hospital feel fairly healthy other than COVID. I came out post heart attack and a insulin to bend it type two diabetic. Wow. COVID did a did a number on me. You're not kidding. Wow, if you if you don't mind my my asking, Andy, were you vaccinated? I was not, okay, and so my memory is really really cloudy over that whole time frame. Yeah, I don't remember if they had the vaccine out yet, oh, just out and I got I got hammered with it.

54:56 Yeah. Wow. Well I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sorry you and through that. My god. Now, Now, how are how are you now? Physically? Actually, I'm I'm clearly I'm not where I was and I probably never will be. But you know, I'm doing pretty good now. I'm trying to stay stay on the insulin and watch my shugars and and all that. My cardiologist has just cleared me to go back to start training Brazil jiu jitsu again, so that's that's definitely a plus. Yeah, good, excellent, excellent. Wow, I'm excited about that.

55:35 The only downside is I he won't let me compete anymore. And that's okay because I'm I'm creeping up there in age. I probably don't need to be competing anyway. Well, I'm just glad you're okay. I didn't yeah, I didn't realize you. I think I remember now seeing something on social media about about you getting COVID and having a rough time with it, but I didn't realize you had on into the hospital and had a heart heart attack in the whole deal. I'm so sorry you went through that, but I'm glad you're okay.

56:06 That's uh. I'm glad you are better now. Jeez. Well, hopefully nothing like that happens again. My god. Well, you've really been through it, you know. I appreciate that, and there's no need to be sorry, you know, it's just another one of those life events that kind of war is your character and tells you a lot about who you are. Yeah, yeah, how did those I have to ask this though, I'm super curious, So how did how did this? Well, obviously, so you had to take a break from the show while this was all going on, right, So when you when you went back to doing the podcast with those guys, because those guys were not exactly they didn't take COVID seriously at all, right, Vinian's and Seso.

56:53 So, so how was I'm just I'm super curious, how was that dynamic on the podcast? You got you got two guys who call it a scam emick or whatever, and that was the kind of thing that they were putting out that really turned me off. And I might have unfriended them or they might have unfriended me, but but uh, but that was their attitude about it. So, so what was that dynamic like when you went back after having just gone through what you went through because of COVID, you know, being introspective and thinking about it just now, that was probably the catalyst of the beginning of the end, if you will.

57:34 Yeah, so, and it was much of the same. You know, yeah, you got it, okay, But I tell you what, man, I've I've been to combat, I've been shot at, I've been scared, But I was never more scared than I was laying in that hospital bed knowing. You know, because my my background thirty plus years in healthcare, I knew exactly what was happening. Yeah, and nothing I could do about it. I was so weak and I was the pain was so intense. I couldn't even get to the door to call somebody for help because I hit the call bell light.

58:11 And I'm not exaggerating. And people may may believe this, they may not whatever, but it is what happened. It took ten minutes for them to get to my room. Oh and then when I told him what was going on, they didn't believe me. They're like, no, you're not having a heart attack. And I say, we'll put give me a meat kg. At least, I'm telling you, I've got I've got every symptom that they're was and they put an et KG on me. They're like, oh my god, you're having a heart attack. Like yeah, oh yeah, I mean, I mean, I'm not surprised.

58:42 I'm not surprised it took him ten minutes to get to you because the hospitals were so overwhelmed, and that was that was one of the things that made me so angry, you know, especially you really at the height of the pandemic, so angry with with COVID deniers and people who just refused to take it seriously. As you know, look, our medical system is about to collapse under the weight of this thing. This is happening, you know in cities where there are some cities where they were bringing in refrigeration trucks because they were running out of room to stuff the dead bodies.

59:12 I mean, it really, and that happened in the United States of America, not that nobody really talks about that part of it anymore, but it happened, so so I'm not surprised, Dandy that it took them a while to get to you, just because everybody was so overwhelmed. You know, it doesn't surprise me at all, I believe it. And the scary part was that I was on a COVID floor. So those nurses, they did their job great doing what they did, but they didn't have experience in emergency medicine, cardiac care, so they didn't even have a doctor that was comfortable running a code on me.

59:51 They had to go to the er and get a doctor to come up from the ar. Oh wow. And so that was you know, being alone, being in that bed. I had family or visitors or anything. And that was probably the most scared I've ever been. Yeah. I don't blame you that lack of ability to control the situation. Even in combat, you trick yourself in your mind to think that you have some semblants of control because you can return fire. Yeah, but laying in that bed, there was there was nothing. Wow. How many days were you in the hospital, total of ten?

1:00:36 Ten? Yeah, uh wow, Yeah, that sounds brutal. I you know. I as as for myself, I mean, I luckily, I've I've dodged it right along as far as I know. I mean, you know, I'm fully vaccinated and everything. I've probably had it. I've probably had it more than once and just had no idea. I just was asymptomatic. But I do think I had it early though, because on Christmas night of twenty nineteen, before we even knew that COVID was in the United States, I ended up in the emergency room with trouble breathing and they die.

1:01:10 They diagnosed me with asthma, and it was weird because at least it seemed weird at the time because asthma is something you know, usually you find out when you're a kid, you know that you have asthma, not you don't usually find out at my age. And I remember the medical team that was in the er that night. They were a little bit perplexed, Like I remember one of the doctors. I remember the doctor saying to me, no one's ever told you before you have asthma, because you're clearly having an asthma attack, that that's clearly what the problem is here.

1:01:41 And I'm like, this is all new to me, you know, as I'm sitting there, as I'm sitting there trying to breathe, you know, I'm like, I don't know. But but anyway, so now, but we didn't know COVID was here, so but it was. We know now that it was here at that point. So looking back, I think I had COVID, and I think the COVID may have permanently damaged my lungs because I still today I use a maintenance and hailer once a day and I carry a rescue and hailer just in case. And so I that that's it's a theory, can't prove it, We'll never know.

1:02:14 But and when I saw my primary care physician, he said, yeah, it's it's a good possibility, but we'll never know, you know, But I think you're onto something there. I think a lot of people have had it before they really knew what it was right. In fact, they wanted to do a bypass. They wanted to do open heart surgery on me, and they refused to do with the anesthesiologist and the intern is refused to do it because they said, my lungs are so damaged from COVID that I probably would not survive the anesthesia.

1:02:48 Oh wow, So what we did? They end up putting in a stent. And since I've had the stent placed, you know, things things are better. I just I have to, you know, spending as much time as I did in the military, institutionalized at this point, and I have to make it an effort to say, hey, it's okay not to push, slow down, stop, because my whole adult life is you just suck it up and you drive on it's a pain or anything. But now I have to be smarter and realize that doing that could kill me. Yeah, exactly, Now I can imagine where that's That's not easy.

1:03:25 It was a very humbling experience. Strangely, I'm glad that it happened.

1:03:35 Really, it really it puts a lot of things into the proper context in your life. Yeah, get you, get you. I don't want to say on the straight and narrow, but it really makes you re evaluate either some of the choices you made in the past or some of the choices that you were thinking of making. And yeah, it's life altering for sure in many many ways. Yeah, well that that makes sense. Wow. Well, Andy, I really appreciate the call today. It's great to hear from you. And where, So where do we find the new version of Nothing's Off the Table?

1:04:17 Where can where can people get it? So we still have our YouTube channel, Nothing's Off the Table, Okay, So you can find the past episodes there. You can download it an episode if you don't want to watch, you can download just the audio version on any of the major platforms that post podcasting. Spotify lives in all of those. Yeah, and of course we are still attempting to do it live, but we've changed the day and the time. We are doing it live on Facebook on the not Facebook page and OTT and we're doing it Friday evenings at eight pm Central Standard time.

1:04:52 Excellent, excellent, very good. Well I will I will check it out, my friend. And I do hope, I sincerely, I hope John takes you up on your offer. I think he should. And you know, I'm gonna get with you offline and get his information because I don't have it, and I would really really like to have them back, just to kind of maybe make things right, because I really didn't like the way he was treated. Yeah, and you guys, I'm sure, I'm sure he'll appreciate that. And you know, and he's a veteran as well, and uh, you know, I'm sure I'm sure under the improved circumstances, you guys will have a really good discussion.

1:05:30 So we'll we'll make that happen. And yeah, we'll we'll we'll make sure that you're able to get in touch with him and uh and we'll let you go. Andy, But thank you so much, my friend. A great to hear from you, and uh, let's let's talk again soon and uh, and we'll talk offline obviously, Okay, thanks Matt, all right, you got it. Andy, take care all right, bye bye bye bye. Well that was a cool surprise. So that is Andy Barker from the Nothing's Off the Table podcast, and boy, I'm sorry to hear about what he went through.

1:06:01 I like I said, I remember seeing something on social media about him getting COVID and being sick, but I didn't know it was that bad. Wow. So I'm glad he's all right. Miriam is in the chat room. She said, you know, she's been dealing with COVID. She says, COVID sucks. I'm fortunate there are treatments. Yeah, I mean, fortunately, luckily, we're at a point now where with the packs leavid and other therapeutics. I heard one I don't know if it was an immunologist or a virologist or an epidemiologist one of those is saying that at this point, even with underlying conditions, at this point, no one should be dying, certainly from COVID with the treatments that are available, and obviously the virus itself is much weaker than it was with the newer variants are weaker.

1:06:53 I mean, it's still here, you know, we're My theory is that we're stuck with this for the rest of our laws. COVID will never be gone, but you know, it'll it'll continue to kind of recede into the background and be more of a nuisance than a well, a deadly pandemic. And hopefully we don't have to. You know, pandemics seem to roll around historically about once a century, so hopefully we don't have to go through that again in our lifetimes, but you never know. Yeah, Miriam says, uh, I have it right now.

1:07:29 And even with packs Lavid it is being a much less deadly variant, it's still scary and painful and awful. And Jenny says, boy, do I hear that sentiment, which I believe is in response to what Andy was saying about you know how what he went through really helped him to reevaluate and sort of reprioritize what matters in life and so forth. And you know, Jenny, of course herself a cancer survivor. Andy says, thanks for letting me chat, miss you guys. Yeah, I'm really glad you called us. Andy, Thank you call us anytime, all right?

1:08:05 We should. Oh, and I see somebody I think that's a new name in the Facebook live chat. Jason. Jason joins us in the Facebook live chat, and I want to see if there's anybody else in there I missed, and then we gotta get to him. Oh, Mike from Queen City Cabinetry is in there. Mike, of course, one of our great Queen City Cabinetry, one of our great sponsors here at w mnhey five point three FM, and of course Mike one of our co hosts. On Retrospectrum Radio on Friday nights. Uh, let's see. John Oppwood said Robert Reid won an Emmy for playing a cross dresser.

1:08:42 Didn't he did? He

1:08:45 as referring to my Robert Reid impression earlier. Okay, let's get to a break. We're going to be too. Actually, I'm gonna play a song and then we're gonna be and then we're going to show some love to our amazing sponsors, and then we'll be back with the balance of our show. But I haven't played this one in a while. This is uh song called Reconnection from Eons and Coded. They're from right up the road and conquered New Hampshire. But I was got a good, good positive response when I play this track, so let's give this a listen and then we'll be back with more Matt Connerton Unleashed.

1:09:12 Oh, Sue's Spencer from the UK is in the chat says disease x X is apparently the next pandemic and vaccines are being created to counteract it already. Oh my goodness, I've had enough of pandemics, that's for sure. All right, this is eons and coded reconnection and we'll be back. Don't go away. Welcome back everybody as we cruise into our final segment today of Matt Connerton Unleashed. And we are live from the studios of w m n H ninety five point three FM in glorious downtown Manchester, New Hampshire, also on Comcast now we're on channel six on the cable if you are in Manchester, and of course hello to all of our online listeners across the nation and around the globe.

1:10:36 You can go to my website Matt Connerton dot com for all of your live streaming options, social media links, contact info, show archives, et cetera, et cetera. Today is Thursday August ten, two thousand twenty three, so nice to have you all with me. Uh. The studio line is open six zero three two five zero six zero seven six ZHO three two five zero six zero seven. You can also text me at six one seven nine one seven four four seven six. I'm on social media at Matt Connerton. You can email me Matt at Matt Connerton dot com, and of course you can interact endo Pine in the Facebook live chat.

1:11:10 But the best thing to do so that we can hear and enjoy your dulcet tones is give us a call at six o three two five zero six zero seven, and I believe Ron is back on the line. Hi, Ron, Yes, Hi, Matt. Their caller that you had Candy. I would have liked to have his own. Was he on a ship and uh, you know, was the ship and I'm dated with cases of COVID because you know, we had problems in the military at that time with submarines and ships and all the above, you know, people working, uh i'm in, i'm or fine spaces, that kind of thing.

1:11:46 Soh yeah, yeah, I would like to have known how much if he was on a ship, how much of his the ship, how many people on the ship were diagnosed with it? Right right? Yeah? I would I would be curious to know that as well, I don't think. I don't think he was actively on a ship later in his career, but I could be wrong. Okay, and kudos, so that moved I don't know, you know, I mean, since I don't listen to the radio other than talk radio, I don't listen to musical a whole lot, especially hot rock, because I just, you know, it's just not one of the things.

1:12:20 Yeah, but I did really good. I couldn't have. I was asking myself, I wonder how big they are. I mean, did they just do vocals or the things on vinyl? Because that was really awesome the band I just played the song I just played. Yeah, Ian's encoded. Uh, it's actually just one guy, but he plays all the instruments himself. He's from Conquered And yeah, every time I we got to get him on the show. I've never had him on the show, but every time I play that song, I always get a positive response. People really dig it, which is interesting because it's kind of an unusual song in the sense that it's not something that you would hear on the radio normally.

1:12:57 It's a little it's a little different. It's unique, but it's so good and yeah, people really dig that track. He's got other music too on bandcamp dot com, but that's that song is my personal favorite. It's called uh uh, it's called Reconnection, and the band is or the artists eons encoded from Conquered. Yeah, well, you know, they really sounded like a veteran band. And you say it's a it's a solo guy. But yeah, you know some bands when they get together, you can you just hear the the inexperienced kind of sounds poor per se, you know, try to describe.

1:13:30 But sure, they sounded like deeping. He sounded like a couplet veterans like. So, I don't know, anyway, I really liked the song because I guess what I'm trying to say. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, well me too, all right, Buddy tells it. I who was just curious about that guy Andy Jazz and I just knowing, just knowing that how much it affected the military. You know what else I'd like to know because COVID doesn't even mentioned anymore. Globally, we're the still where are the hot spots? Is still? Or is everything pretty much?

1:14:03 I think? I think I think in China they're still having a pretty rough time with it, but they've they've done such a poor job of getting people vaccinated. They have their own vaccine in China. I think it's called sign of vax and apparently it's not very effective, and they were offered help, you know, with mRNA vaccines, but they wanted to do their own thing. And I think this sign of vax vax is uh has a very low efficacy rate, so they continue to struggle with it. At least last I knew that was the case.

1:14:36 All right, man, you know that was it one time? All right, Ron, I appreciate the call, thank you, bye bye. All right, that was our friend, Ron, and that does open up the line for you. Six zo three two five six seven six zo three two five six zero seven. Yeah, I know that. And China's economy has really taken a eating because of it. We've talked about it on the show. The incredible mishandling by the government there and Xijing ping of COVID. You know, they do these lockdowns there where they'll pretty much locked down an entire city and it's very very strict.

1:15:16 You know, we kind of when we use that term here in the United States at the height of the pandemic, you know, the term lockdown or phrases like shelter in place. We tended to use them a little bit loosely here no one was really lockdown per se. But but in China they take it very seriously. But see, what they should have done was if they were gonna do that and be super strict about it, they should have had a plan in place too. They should have accepted help with the vaccines instead of using their own vaccine, which apparently is garbage.

1:15:52 And when they had a massive lockdown, used that opportunity to get everybody vaccinated. You know, have some have people going around to everyone's home and getting them vaccinated, but they blew it. It's strange, how you know China they have you know, they have these long term plans, these fifty year plans, one hundred a year plans, and you know, they're really good long term planners, and yet they've consistently mismanaged well I mean, look, I mean, you know the virus getting out of China to begin with, They've they've just mismanaged it every step of the way, and their economy has really suffered because of it.

1:16:34 Oh, hello to Marco Mueller or Muller. I'm never sure how to say the last name another very talented musician. The band is a factory of art. I think, I hope I have the right band. Marco from Germany and we had them on the show. Another great band. Mike from Queen City Cabinetry says I heard they blamed it on a Godzilla. Uh No, that would be uh I think that would be the Japanese Godzilla is a Japanese right. I remember seeing those movies on Channel fifty six when I was a kid, like Godzilla versus Rodan.

1:17:09 I think Rodan was the one that flew around and breathed fire, and I never understood the appeal of those films. I find them tedious. Let's see, Eon Venom four is in the Facebook live chat now. I just played a song from the band Eons and Coded, and now Eon Venom four is in the Facebook live chat. A coincidence, I think not.

1:17:35 Jenny shared something in the chat two very very cool. This article that she wrote that just got published. So this just happened while we were on the air. This went up. Oh here we go. This is up at RSDA dot org. It's called Everyone Deserves Access to the Best. So Jenny wrote this for that for that site. Again, this just went up. She's got a lot of articles published. Uh, I think she has other things there, and of course she's she has articles that go up on the Mighty the mighty dot com all the time.

1:18:18 So she's she's done very well with that. Very proud of her and her ongoing you know, this is just another component of her ongoing activism for for healthcare. But yeah, check that out. So that is up right now at rs DS dot org.

1:18:40 Let's see. Yon Venom four will be performing for karaoke at Center City Park, downtown Greensboro, North Carolina. By the way, now we won't go back to that, Oh, Yan Venom four says, uh, yesterday hashtag Matt was Cholly on Skype. She is so talent. We said, yes, yes, let me give these studio line one more time and then we'll get into something. It's been a busy show, which is good. That's that's what we like. But six O three two five six six three two five six Z seven is a studio line. Oh, I should mention two Tonight is Trivia Night at the Hop.

1:19:21 Nut are amazing sponsor at one thousand ELM Street. I would strongly suggest, however, that you call ahead to reserve a spot if you are going to be participating in the trivia, because those spots do fill up quickly. Something that has been in the news that is only gets a little bit of attention because you know, so much of the oxygen is uh in terms of the media is taken up by Trump and his multiple indictments and all of that. And I've been kind of avoiding talking about that because if you're just joining us, I mentioned earlier in the show, and I've been mentioning in all week, I seem to speaking of sickness, I have a fever, and the fever I believe is caused by TFS Trump fatigue syndrome, and uh, I'm just tired of it all.

1:20:15 So I've been avoiding that a bit. And again it's not in any way intended as a criticism of the media. Obviously, it's a major story, so you know they're going to focus on it quite a bit, but I'm I'm kind of burned out on it. No what I wanted to talk about just a little bit, And this is something where I would love to get feedback from the listeners, either on the studio line or in the chat room, or of course you can also text me at six one seven nine one seven four four seven six, email me Matt at Matt Connerton.

1:20:47 Jay Fed says, you spent a lot of time not talking about it. I know

1:20:53 it's hard to avoid, but anyway, no, something that is has kind of been a bit of a background story, shall we say, But it's this has been discussed more online than in mainstream media. I think this particular subject. A lot of podcasts are talking about this. For example, New York Post has a story up the shoplifting epidemic taking over America with a one hundred billion dollar annual price tag. There are a lot of stories about shoplifting, big increases going on in shoplifting. And I have some insight on this partly because you know, I used to be a store manager at a retail chain, a major retail chain, and so you know, we call it loss prevention in retail.

1:21:45 That was a big That was always a big subject, especially you know, working in a store that's old DVDs and CDs, and you know, people would come in and steal from us. And actually the company that I worked for too, we all so not only did we have to contend with people coming in and stealing product, not just you know, people who would come in and stuff a DVD down their pants, but also what they call professional shoplifters, people who come in with what they call a booster bag. And what a booster bag is, and anyone who's ever worked in retail will know this.

1:22:19 A booster bag is a bag that you line with duct tape, so when you shove stuff into the bag, it doesn't set off, it doesn't set off the alarm when you leave the store, the sensors don't pick it up. I forget what that system is called. So we would have to contend with that. But also the company that I worked for, we would buy used product from customers. We would buy use CDs and DVDs, so we would also have to deal with customers bringing in stolen merchandise to sell to us that we would then resell as used, and that caused all kinds of problems.

1:22:58 You know, obvious, I'm sure the vast majority of the people who brought in items to sell to us that they didn't want anymore, We're perfectly honest, but clearly some of them were not, and some of them were really obvious about what they were up to. So anyway, so I know a little bit about this, but there seems to be an epidemic of shoplifting across the country, and in some places, like they've had this problem in San Francisco where stores have closed or they've had to put everything behind glass, or you know, even things like I don't know, toothpaste, you know, different things that you wouldn't normally expect to be certainly not high ticket items, but the shoplifting has got to be so out of control.

1:23:41 And different retailers too, have different rules of engagement. You know, can you confront the shoplifter? Should you confront the shoplifter? Are we actually paying you enough to even take the risk of confronting the shoplifter because what if they become violent? You know, there's it's a much more aren't complex issue than I think people probably realize. But also with inflation, everything costs more, so that increases shoplifting. I'm sure that's part of it. But what also has been really interesting to me about this it's not just the shoplifting problem itself, which seems to be gripping the country at this point, but also the way people have been reacting to it.

1:24:27 And this is the part where I really would like to get some feedback from listeners on this, because you know, you have you have what I refer to them simply as the online left, which are you know, liberal left leaning podcasters who some of them, some of them actually are very sympathetic to the shoplifters because what they argue is and again not all of them, some of them, there's there's a schism. There's a schism going on here. I like the word schism, big fan of a good schism with the online left, because you have some of them who have actually kind of justified all the shoplifting and said, look, these are people who clearly they're poor, they're desperate, they need basic things like toothpaste and toilet paper, and they don't have a choice.

1:25:27 So that's why they're shoplifting. They don't have a choice, or maybe for some it's even some sort of a statement against capitalism. And then you have the more moderate online left, you know, like the Young Turks, for example, Jank Huger and Ani Kasparian, who are saying, uh, no, stealing is not okay. I mean, obviously if you're desperate and you have no choice, you know, like that song Hunger Strike and remember that hunger strike. I don't mind stealing bread. You know, if you have to steal bread to feed yourself or your family, then you're gonna have to steal that bread.

1:26:04 I mean, obviously, you know, none of this is absolute, but but you know, the more moderate online left is saying, actually, no, this is not okay, and you can't just justify all this thievery. You know, yes, there are people who are in dire circumstances. But I think the people who are justifying it, part of what they don't realize is and I've I've realized that they don't get this just from some of the conversations that I've watched and listened to online about this. Some people don't understand that there are other reasons people shoplift.

1:26:44 It's not just out of desperation, you know, because the people who will justify it, they always say, well, obviously they're desperate, they don't want to be stealing, they're just desperate. Yes, that is the case, and probably for most of them. But there are also people who shoplift for the thrill of it. That is a thing. And there are also people who might shoplift because it's a game. You know, there's there you know, they they and there a group of friends. You know, Oh, I dare you to go steal that?

1:27:13 Okay, I'll go steal it. That goes on. But also there is and and the people who are justifying it seemed to be completely oblivious to this part. And again, if you haven't worked in retail, maybe you don't know. But there there are professional shoplifters. Like I said with the booster bags, there are people who steal things professionally with the sole intent of them because that's a pretty good profit margin. Right, you stole it, you got it for free, and then you resell it, sell it online, sell it on Amazon or eBay or whatever at a profit.

1:27:43 Right, not bad. There are professional shoplifting rings, groups of people who actually will go what they'll one thing that they'll do. And this is something that the company that I used to work for I had to deal with. Is they would go in this group of people, they go into a store and a couple of them say, say there's a group of five people. They all and they don't all necessarily walk in at once because that would be too obvious. So they might walk in one at a time, but space it out a little bit, so it's not obvious, you don't know that they're all together, but a couple of them might have booster bags to shove things into, and a couple others might be acting as decoys.

1:28:26 So you might have somebody approaching you asking you questions about, hey, where can I find data DA. Meanwhile, one of their partners, partners in crime specifically, is stuff and a booster bag full of merchandise while you're distracted helping this other customer. And we live in a time now where because nobody has enough help, there's I'm sure many instances where people are by themselves, or these stores are so understaffed they can't watch everybody, and they certainly, if, if only, if you've got a big store and there's only one person on duty or two people on duty because they can't hire anybody else, then a group of professional shoplifters going in there, they're gonna have their way with that place, because the fewer people who are working there, the easier it is to overwhelm them.

1:29:20 I don't mean overwhelmed them violently, I just mean overwhelmed them as as in, you know, one person distracts them while the other fills their booster back so that's something I don't think people understand, you know, obviously, I mean, I'm a very empathetic person and I'm certainly I have great sympathy for anyone who's in need, who's who is stealing, not that I'm justifying it. I would never justify it, but you also kind of have to do what you have to do. So somebody who's stealing something because they have no other option, well that's it's not okay.

1:29:54 But I'm not gonna make any judgment about it either. But I don't think people realize the people who would actually go and justify that, that there are professionals out there who do this specifically or or or they do the smash and grab where again, we've seen this with groups of people who go into a store all at the same time, and they create chaos, and meanwhile somebody's you know, literally smashing a display case or something and pulling out expensive items and running out with it. So this is really a problem.

1:30:28 But I've been I've been surprised at how many people online are are justifying this behavior and rationalizing it. It's it's been a bit stunning to me. But again, I have a specific point of view partly you know, who knows. Maybe if maybe if I hadn't worked in retail and hadn't dealt with this this kind of thing, maybe I would have Maybe I wouldn't have the perspective that I do. But this is from the New York Posts. A shoplifting epidemic taking over America with a one hundred billion dollars annual price tag.

1:31:03 It says here the stories are everywhere. Walmart store closures in Portland and Chicago. Assume Portland, Oregon, not Portland, Maine. An epidemic of drug store thefts in New York. In Baltimore, a Landmark grocery store shuts its stores after nearly twenty five years in a community desperate for fresh food. While in San Francisco, reports of big box chains abandoning it's downtown have become nearly daily occurrences. Yeah, in San Francisco, I think it's been the worst of anywhere. They also have an out of control homeless problem in San Francisco, So that might be in San Francisco, it might legitimately be just desperate people and not But then again, see that's the thing though, in that chaos as opportunity.

1:31:55 If you are a professional shoplifter or part of a professional shoplift ring. You might go to San Francisco because in all this mass of people who are genuinely desperate doing all this thieving, why not get in on some of that? Right, So it says here the cause rampant, often organized and seemingly consequence less shoplifting. Indeed, the US is deep and what many are calling an epidemic of thefts that cost retailers nearly one hundred billion dollars in twenty twenty one. Now, let's talk about the cost of this for a moment.

1:32:35 Okay, that's so, that's the number there they put on it here in twenty twenty, one hundred billion dollars. Again, there are those, and you'll particularly find this in the far left segment of the online left, who would say, well, who cares? Who cares about these companies losing money? You know, and I understand that if you know, if you hear, look, if you're a story about somebody shoplifting from Walmart, you're probably not going to feel You're probably not going to be nearly as bothered by that, for example, as if you hear a story of somebody shoplifting from a local mom and pop store that's just scraping by as they are, right, So I sort of understand the lack of sympathy to a degree.

1:33:17 But again, what I think people might not realize is that cost gets passed on. If you are if things are constantly being stolen. Yeah, you can say, oh, I don't have any sympathy for this major retail chain because I don't like capitalism or whatever your reason is. But that does inflate the prices, right. That actually contributes to inflation. Not as much as other factors, I'm sure, but the more thievery that goes on, the more things are going to cost, and that affects everybody, it says here, and this epidemic is impacting both the bottom lines and operation little strategies of massive companies ranging from Macy's to Alta.

1:34:05 From twenty fourteen to twenty fifteen, I lived on Los Angeles' skid row as a homeless drug addict. Again, this is from the article This isn't Me My daily heroin and crack cocaine Habit cost hundreds of dollars, which I primarily supported through professional shoplifting also known as boosting. Hence that's why they call it a booster bag that bag I was talking about earlier. The trade was lucrative and the threat of arrest was fairly minimal. Across the political spectrums, analysts and academics endlessly debate the causes of the scourge, but for me, the roots could not be clearer.

1:34:44 Working just a few hours a day working quote unquote, I would quote unquote earn up to three hundred fifty dollars in untaxed cash, which allowed me to maintain my drug habit for over a year. Items that are typically boosted and then sold to stolen merchandise deal also known as fences, are mostly health and beauty products, over the counter medications, and even food. Once a working relationship is set up with a fence, they'll typically provide grocery lists of the items they're seeking, and boosters like I once was or usually paid between ten to twenty percent of their retail value back Then, fences either resold the stolen goods to local corner stores or set up tables at unofficial flea markets to offload their items.

1:35:29 In recent years, however, fences have also turned to Amazon, eBay, and even Facebook, where they sell their stolen bounty with ease. This, in combination with lax enforcement policies in major cities like San Francisco and New York City, has created an economic boom for thievery ten years ago. During my criminal career, there was always the threat of arrest, even after passing a Prop. Forty seven. The passing of Prop. Forty seven and twenty fourteen, which made shoplifting items valued at more than nine hundred and fifty dollars a misdemeanor in California.

1:36:03 Prop forty seven ensured that I couldn't get sentenced to prison, but I often endured short stints in jail. There I would go through violent withdrawals from heroin, but still I continued to steal once I was released a few days later. But following the twenty twenty push to defund the police and subsequent loss of officers, professional shoplifters now operate in public and with clear impunity. Every day, videos emerge of robbers blithely lifting duffel bags I'm sorry, blithely filling duffel bags as store employees watch helplessly out of fear of violence or legal retribution, rather than try to prevent pilfering, which was once considered part of their jobs.

1:36:46 Workers have become impotent enablers of a new criminal class that functions seemingly without conscience or consequence. And by the way, again, if you're an employee at one of these stores, you know, first of all, you're at the mercy of whatever the company's employee. Company's policies are. When I worked for the company that I used to work with where we had to deal with this, uh quite a bit, we were told not to follow the shoplift. You know, if we caught somebody, we weren't supposed to follow them.

1:37:23 We weren't supposed to try to grab the bag away from them if they had a booster bag, none of that. If someone violated that rule and did try to grab product back from a shoplifter physically, there was never any real consequence. In other words, nobody got in trouble for doing that, right, No one ever got yelled at just you know, I would kind of know from personal experience. It was more just, hey, you're not supposed to do that. You're not supposed to follow them. You're you know, you're not supposed to try to get in their way.

1:37:59 It's not worth it. Don't put yourself at risk. It's not worth it, you know, for you to risk physical harm, what if they have a weapon, this or that. So the company policy was we weren't supposed to we were not supposed to try to physically intervene, but some of us would anyway, and we never got in trouble for it. It was just more like, hey, just reminding you, please don't do that. We don't want because we don't want you to get hurt. So the policy means, well, they didn't want us getting hurt.

1:38:30 I would still do it, though, I mean I would. I would follow somebody. I wouldn't necessarily because I wouldn't get physical with somebody, but I would follow somebody all the way to their car and U and I would tell them, you know, hey, just so you know, when we get to your vehicle, I'm going to take a picture of your license plate for the police. You know, I would be I would be pretty obnoxious because even if I wasn't going to get the product back from them, at least I would try to be obnoxious enough so that hopefully they wouldn't come back to my store.

1:39:02 But yeah, it's not cool. So I just you know, for people who are defending this behavior. I don't think you should, and I don't think you know, we talk a lot about criminal justice reform. We have talked a lot about criminal justice reform on the show, and I think a lot of criminal justice reform is important, and I think some of what's been done has been very important and helpful. But there is also you know, we also have to have some balance, and we shouldn't get to a point with it where, well, where we're just letting people steal without consequence.

1:39:41 But again, too, you know, it's hard to motivate your employees, even if it's not your even if it's not your company's policy to not intervene. Even if you're okay with your employees physically intervening, are you paying them enough so that they're going to be willing to put themselves in harm's way? And by the way, there were instances too when I worked for that company where I never saw it happen, and it never happened to me, but there were instances where somebody might try to physically get involved to try to get the product back, or even prevent somebody from leaving until the police got there.

1:40:14 Where you know where somebody might get you know where the shoplifter might retaliate by shoving or trying to start a fight or something to get away, so that can happen, although usually they just try to get away and they try to get away with the product. But but I would just I would vehemently disagree with anyone who would justify this, and I see a lot of that happening online these days. A lot of people are like, well, you know, that's the cost of doing business, and we should not be the police should not be wasting their time on this.

1:40:48 All right, we gotta go. We are out of time, but Ron is on the line, so we'll just we'll have to go quick Ron, very quickly, because we gotta go very quickly. Yes, I wonder if you could end the show a low budget by the cakes. Uh No, because I don't have it pulled up and it'll take me too long to find it. But I'll play it tomorrow though, it'd be cool. All right, run bye bye, All right, now I've got yeah, I've got something else lined up to play. All right, we gotta go. I am gonna play this. This is my favorite track from Charlie.

1:41:19 She was one of our while she was our musical guest yesterday. This is I dmy This has been stuck in my head all day. If you miss any part of today's show it we'll be up in just a little bit at WMH radio dot org and on my website Matt Connerton dot com. Oh j fed says in the chat room, you're lucky they didn't pull a slice of pineapple out and hurt you. I am lucky. Uh. And don't forget Trivia night tonight at the Hopknot. And if you are listening live on Thursday immediately after this show is through the Stage Store hosted by Rob d On.

1:41:52 And don't forget be back bright and early tomorrow morning seven am for the Morning Show with Peter White, and we gotta go. I'm out of time. I'll talk to y'all a little bit later. By everybody,