WEBVTT - Introducing Lost Hills: The Dark Prince

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, Alphabet boys listeners, I wanted to tell you about

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<v Speaker 1>another podcast from Western Sound. It's called Lost Hills, and

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<v Speaker 1>the third season premieres today. Host Dana Goodyear takes a

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<v Speaker 1>deep dive into the surf world to explore the legacy

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<v Speaker 1>of Malibu's dark prints. Mickey Dora, a surfer known for

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<v Speaker 1>his style, grace, and aggression. Dora ruled Malibu from the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen fifties to the nineteen seventies. He was celebrated for

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<v Speaker 1>his rebellious spirit. He was also a con man who

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<v Speaker 1>led the FBI on a seven year manhunt around the world.

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<v Speaker 1>Take a listen to a clip from the show, and

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<v Speaker 1>then go and subscribe. You can find the Lost Hills

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<v Speaker 1>podcast wherever you like to listen.

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<v Speaker 2>Mickey Dora was a born con man. He could talk

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<v Speaker 2>his way into anything and out of almost everything. His

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<v Speaker 2>alleged scams ranged from petty and kind of ridiculous, like

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<v Speaker 2>renting out surfboards that didn't belong to him, to blatantly

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<v Speaker 2>criminal credit card fraud, fake plane tickets, stolen ski equipment,

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<v Speaker 2>stolen antiques, stolen passports. Eventually, his schemes would land him

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<v Speaker 2>in federal prison. You associated with him at your own risk.

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<v Speaker 2>Denny Auberg has a story about this, the kind of

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<v Speaker 2>thing that would happen on a typical day hanging out

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<v Speaker 2>with Mickey in the early seventies, Denny was invited to

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<v Speaker 2>Kawai by a Hawaiian surfer named Joey Cabell. At the time,

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<v Speaker 2>Mickey was also in Hawaii. Cabell told Denny he'd like

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<v Speaker 2>to see Mickey too, So I.

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<v Speaker 3>Called up Mickey and told him, joe invited you to come,

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<v Speaker 3>and he came right over. He shut up. It was amazing.

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<v Speaker 2>Kabell, who was in peak physical shape, proposed the hike

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<v Speaker 2>to a beach to spend the night. It was an

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<v Speaker 2>eleven mile hike and not an easy one.

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<v Speaker 3>So I'm trudging along with Mickey Dora on this really

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<v Speaker 3>tough hike for us, and we'red like city slickers. Dora

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<v Speaker 3>had these leather boots on, really the wrong equipment, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>and I was kind of feeling a little sick myself,

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<v Speaker 3>and it got dark on us and we're going through

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<v Speaker 3>these canyons and pushing branches away. Micky was tortured.

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<v Speaker 2>Finally they arrived at the beach. They were exhausted and

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<v Speaker 2>Denny was starting to feel really bad.

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<v Speaker 3>He passed out in some cave, you know. He woke

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<v Speaker 3>up in the morning and Micky could see that I

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<v Speaker 3>was a little sick, so he is mine started working like,

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<v Speaker 3>I can't hike back. I got to figure something out.

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<v Speaker 3>He saw this helicopter go by, you know it was

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<v Speaker 3>they had a tourist, so Micky had an idea.

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<v Speaker 2>Mickey slipped away and went down to the shoreline where

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<v Speaker 2>he gathered up some rocks and used them to write

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<v Speaker 2>S O S in big letters.

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<v Speaker 3>The next thing I know, the helicopter lands on this

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<v Speaker 3>path down the beach and Mickey goes up and talks

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<v Speaker 3>to the guy. I don't know what he was saying,

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<v Speaker 3>but apparently he was telling the guy that my friends

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<v Speaker 3>died on the beach. We need help. And the guy said,

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<v Speaker 3>I can't come back right now, but you know, soon

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<v Speaker 3>did I take these people? And right before dark, this

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<v Speaker 3>guy came back and Micky says, come on, that's it,

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<v Speaker 3>let's go. Okay, start start doing the fifty yard dash

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<v Speaker 3>toward this helicopter down the beach, and Mickey says, slow down,

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<v Speaker 3>you got to act a little sicker, you know. We

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<v Speaker 3>walk up to the helicopter pilot and He kind of

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<v Speaker 3>looks at me, and I was trying to stick her,

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<v Speaker 3>and he opens the door. He let me in to

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<v Speaker 3>the helicopter and Mickey starts to get in behind him,

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<v Speaker 3>and the guy goes, oh, no, it's not you. It's

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<v Speaker 3>just a sick guy, you know, you know, no, Mickey

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<v Speaker 3>pulls out this little bottle. He said, having an asthma attack.

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<v Speaker 3>I can't breathe, you know, my feet are bleeding, I

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<v Speaker 3>can't walk, you know, just started crying the guy. You

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<v Speaker 3>could tell the guy wasn't buying it, but he let

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<v Speaker 3>him in so he got lifted off the pad. It

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<v Speaker 3>was the most beautiful majestic thing, I mean, the serrated mountains,

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<v Speaker 3>this colors, you know, and running this little bubble up

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<v Speaker 3>in the sky. And Mickey turns, he says, our magic carpet.

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<v Speaker 2>Right when the helicopter landed in town, there were news

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<v Speaker 2>reporters and cameras everywhere.

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<v Speaker 3>They thought someone they were bringing the dead guy. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>we land and all these people kind of crowded around me,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, and as soon as I get out and

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<v Speaker 3>they go, where's the sick guy? Oh, that was me,

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<v Speaker 3>And they're all disappointed, you know, and they leave. Mickey

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<v Speaker 3>was disappeared. He's nowhere. I'm around. He disappeared on me.

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<v Speaker 3>He left me holding the bag. So he pulled this

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<v Speaker 3>whole thing off, and I went through and got checked out.

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<v Speaker 3>I did have some little dysentery thing. The cops had

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<v Speaker 3>gone looking for Mickey and they found him trying to

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<v Speaker 3>rent a car at the airport, and they dragged him back,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, and they were trying to interview the guy,

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<v Speaker 3>and he showed him all these fake ideas, and one

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<v Speaker 3>said Chapin. And then then when said Dora, who are you?

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<v Speaker 3>Are you chapin our Dora? And he's laughing, I'm chaping Dora,

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<v Speaker 3>you know. And I don't know how it happened, but

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<v Speaker 3>he got out of the whole thing, and I was

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<v Speaker 3>the fall guy.

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<v Speaker 2>To Mickey, Dora, the highest value was freedom, and that

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<v Speaker 2>to him meant doing whatever served him best in any situation.

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<v Speaker 2>For Mickey, freedom took priority over any other moral or

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<v Speaker 2>ethical consideration, and he would do or say almost anything

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<v Speaker 2>to get what he wanted. In nineteen seventy four, Mickey

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<v Speaker 2>left Malibu and set out on an adventure that took

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<v Speaker 2>him all over the world searching for the perfect empty wave.

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<v Speaker 2>He didn't have the money to travel like this, but

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<v Speaker 2>he did it anyway, using blank airline tickets that he

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<v Speaker 2>filled out for whatever destination he wanted.

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<v Speaker 4>Mickey had a whole bunch from a woman who worked

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<v Speaker 4>at the Pan American office.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Linda Kai, Mickey's girlfriend, an accomplice for much

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<v Speaker 2>of the nineteen seventies.

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<v Speaker 4>You could actually write your own tickets back in those days.

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<v Speaker 4>They were paper tickets written on and all you needed

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<v Speaker 4>to know was the mile age, and he had all

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<v Speaker 4>the paraphernalia to work it out.

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<v Speaker 5>Now.

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<v Speaker 4>I don't know who the girl was to give him

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<v Speaker 4>the stuff. He must have made a sweet you know,

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<v Speaker 4>but you're flying on these sort of forged Everything was fake.

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<v Speaker 2>They shopped and dined and stayed in nice hotels, all

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<v Speaker 2>of it, according to Linda, on forged credit cards, and

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<v Speaker 2>all while being tracked from surf spot to surf spot

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<v Speaker 2>by baffled agents of the FBI and Interpol.

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<v Speaker 4>Back in the day, credit cards were plastic, of course,

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<v Speaker 4>but they didn't have the strips on the backs like

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<v Speaker 4>they do now. In the manutroup, they had numbers and dates.

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<v Speaker 4>I was assigned to take little razor blade and changed

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<v Speaker 4>some numbers and we did and make it good for

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<v Speaker 4>another month.

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<v Speaker 2>Mickey had a way of justifying all this theft and deception.

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<v Speaker 4>Micky described it once as he says, I'm not a criminal,

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<v Speaker 4>he says, I don't commit crimes. He says, I'm an outlaw,

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<v Speaker 4>he says, and there's a difference.

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<v Speaker 2>Did you buy it?

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<v Speaker 4>Yes, I still do.

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<v Speaker 5>One of the great accomplishments that Mickey set out and

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<v Speaker 5>probably was successful at was never working a day in

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<v Speaker 5>his life. That was his real goal, and he accomplished it.

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<v Speaker 5>I don't know if he ever actually had a job.

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<v Speaker 2>Jim Kempton used to be the editor of Surfer magazine,

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<v Speaker 2>and these days he runs the California Surf Museum. He

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<v Speaker 2>knew Mickey pretty well in the seventies when they were

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<v Speaker 2>both living in a surf town in the south of France.

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<v Speaker 2>In fact, he crashed at his place a lot, used

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<v Speaker 2>his shower and his kitchen. One day, Jim noticed his

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<v Speaker 2>passport was missing.

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<v Speaker 5>And then sitting on the beach, you know, maybe two

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<v Speaker 5>weeks later, I see this South African guy look sort

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<v Speaker 5>of like me, and there's my passport.

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<v Speaker 2>Micky sold it to him.

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<v Speaker 5>I'm sure he did. I don't have I mean, how

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<v Speaker 5>would you ever prove that right unless you arrested them both,

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<v Speaker 5>which I was not going to do in any event.

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<v Speaker 2>Did you ever say anything to Micky about it?

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<v Speaker 3>No.

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<v Speaker 2>In the surf world it was almost currency to be

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<v Speaker 2>scammed by Mickey. He'd come away from the experience with

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<v Speaker 2>a story to dine out on for years. Mickey's appeal

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<v Speaker 2>was not in spite of his criminality, but because of it.

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<v Speaker 5>There's a lot of people who love the outlaw, who

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<v Speaker 5>loved getting away with it is something that for many

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<v Speaker 5>people is a great satisfaction to them to see people

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<v Speaker 5>be able to accomplish that, and Mickey for a long

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<v Speaker 5>time was able to do that without payment. We tend

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<v Speaker 5>to idolize our outlaws. Jesse James, pretty boy Floyd. You know,

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<v Speaker 5>you hear those stories about them, you'd think that those

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<v Speaker 5>guys were somehow like heroic. They are sociopathic killers, every

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<v Speaker 5>one of them, you know, that murdered people in cold

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<v Speaker 5>blood and yet did they give to the poor. Yeah?

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<v Speaker 5>They did, mostly though, to say, to make sure that

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<v Speaker 5>they didn't tell the cops where they were. We definitely

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<v Speaker 5>idolize our outlaws. That's just something that is I think

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<v Speaker 5>baked into the American psyche.

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<v Speaker 2>And it's very prominent in surf culture.

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<v Speaker 5>Very few nice guys are as idolized as the bad boys.

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<v Speaker 2>Are, and as Mickey Dora the most idolized of the

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<v Speaker 2>bad boys.

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<v Speaker 5>He's not only the most idolized the bad boy, who's

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<v Speaker 5>also the most bad guys of the bad guys.

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<v Speaker 2>The darkest parts of Mickey Dora, though, don't have anything

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<v Speaker 2>to do with his hustles and his cons or even

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<v Speaker 2>with the more serious fraud for which he eventually served time.

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<v Speaker 2>The darkest parts of Mickey have to do with his

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<v Speaker 2>soul and the attitudes he harbored there of exclusion, racism,

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<v Speaker 2>and xenophobia, a pattern of hate that maps onto the white,

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<v Speaker 2>white world of mainland surfing, where he was Malibu's superstar

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<v Speaker 2>in his sunglasses, with his cheshire cat smile, showing all

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<v Speaker 2>the little sociopaths how it was done.

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<v Speaker 1>It's an amazing story. You'll love Lost Hills the Dark Prince.

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<v Speaker 1>Search for Lost Hills and follow all episodes wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>get your podcasts.