1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: M what's up, San Diego? 2 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: Wow? Do you see. 3 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 3: Somebody way at the top of the third row of there? Hi, guys, 4 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 3: just a little a little camera light flashing back and forth. 5 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 4: God. 6 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 2: I always forget that's gonna happen until I walk out 7 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 2: on stage and then it happens, and I was like, oh, 8 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 2: I want to cry every time. I know. 9 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,759 Speaker 3: It's very moving. Kai, how's it going everybody? 10 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 2: There's a sign someone held up that said Karen Doer 11 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 2: what is it called herky? 12 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 3: First of all, First of all, not taking notes from 13 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 3: the audience, first and foremost, don't boss me the fuck around. 14 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 3: And also, yeah, as you know, there's some ex cheerleaders 15 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 3: in the house right now that are like police. Oh no, 16 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 3: that many? Oh oh oh shit. We're surrounded by ex 17 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 3: cheerleaders apparently. 18 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 2: You know they'll fight for you. 19 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,919 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'll throw down, I hope. So what's going on. 20 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 3: Well, we're on tour. Everybody. 21 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: It's very excited, it's very fun. 22 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 3: It's very exciting. I will tell a really quick airport story. Okay, 23 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:13,359 Speaker 3: you were there as well, Yeah, so, which isn't that common. 24 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 3: They don't let us fly at the same time a lot. 25 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 3: But we were at this airport and I walked in 26 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 3: and one of the first people I saw was the 27 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 3: act the British actress Jesse Buckley. 28 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 2: For some reason reason sorry nothing, she. 29 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 3: Has red hair. She has red hair. I don't think 30 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 3: that necessarily means she's Irish. It doesn't matter. If you 31 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 3: saw the recent Olivia Coleman movie Nasty Little Letters or 32 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 3: whatever it was called, it's hilarious, she is the redheaded 33 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 3: woman and that she's the young mother that is being 34 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 3: fucked over by everybody. So she's an amazing actress. 35 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: She's so good. 36 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 3: She's so good. She's been in a million things, but 37 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 3: she's she's my one of my favorites. And so when 38 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 3: I walked in, I almost walked straight up to her, 39 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 3: which is not my style at all. I'm really not 40 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 3: interested in celebrities of any kind of what they do 41 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 3: because it's all fake. But but she's one of those 42 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,679 Speaker 3: kind of people where she's like so legit and badass, 43 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 3: and I was like, I almost went up, like, oh 44 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 3: my god, it can't believe in like got in her face. 45 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 3: But instead I saw Georgia first, and I was like, 46 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 3: do you read? And I didn't have three words out. 47 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 3: George was like I know, I know, and I was. 48 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: Like, she never does that. It's so true, Like she 49 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 2: doesn't care about famous people, so it's like a big deal. 50 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 3: And I was like, you were, but you were definitely 51 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 3: like calm the fuck down and you are not going 52 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 3: over there. And I was like, yes, of course you 53 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 3: should have. 54 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 2: I would have pushed you. 55 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 3: Well, but here's what happened. So when we landed, I 56 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 3: was like, yeah, that's best that I didn't say anything 57 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 3: to her. And then I was walking out the door 58 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 3: and just by chance, she was walking this way, so 59 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 3: as I was moving, just never paused or anything. I 60 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 3: just went, you're the best, and she literally went like this, 61 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 3: thank you. Did not want to hear it at all. 62 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 3: It's so lucky season. 63 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: Ladies, and it's very I can't even see you. 64 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, there will be a three car pile up on 65 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 3: this stage tonight. Get ready. 66 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 5: What are you wearing? 67 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 2: Oh my god, that's cute. 68 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 3: I love those Oh my outfit. Oh this dress, it's 69 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 3: no big deal. 70 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 2: It's just. 71 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 3: It's yet another dress with pockets. Although let me just 72 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 3: say this. We were just in Oakland and I decided 73 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 3: I was going to wear a vintage dress because I 74 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 3: liked it it didn't have pockets. That audience turned on 75 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 3: me so fucking fast, so fast. 76 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 2: Tell them about the broach backstage. 77 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 3: On this brooch that's some a beautiful purple brooch that 78 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 3: someone gave us, maybe Salt Lake City. Maybe on this trip. 79 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 3: We get lovely gifts from people. And so I had 80 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 3: it in my bag and then George's like, this is 81 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 3: the dress I'm going to wear. And I'm like, oh 82 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,039 Speaker 3: my god. And I pulled the brooch out and I'm like, 83 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 3: you could wear this, and she's like we were. 84 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 2: Like admiring it. It was shimmery, it. 85 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,919 Speaker 3: Was just perfectly and then she's like okay, and she 86 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 3: turns around and it literally was as if the brooch 87 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,279 Speaker 3: jumped up out of my hand and slammed itself on 88 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 3: the ground, because it's like suddenly I dropped it and 89 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 3: the center gem from this brooch busted out and broke 90 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 3: into four pieces. 91 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 2: It was tragic. 92 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 3: It was bad. But now it's more of a like 93 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 3: a wreath shape with nothing in the center. 94 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 2: It still works. Yeah, it still works. 95 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 3: We could make it work. Yeah. I thought you had 96 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:54,480 Speaker 3: some anecdotes that you said you wanted to share. 97 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 2: Something about chin hair and how being on tour or 98 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 2: for some reason, every hotel we've stayed and has like 99 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:07,359 Speaker 2: terrible mirror lighting. So when I get home, it's just 100 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 2: hair city face. 101 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 3: Oh yes, and. 102 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 2: I run straight to that magnifying mirror and just zen out. 103 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 3: Got rid of it. Yeah, because there are those like 104 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 3: old witch in the woods hairs that sneak up on you. 105 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 3: And then you're just like, great, how many people have 106 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 3: I talked real close to with like a thing coming out? 107 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 3: Always the question you have to ask yourself, are you 108 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 3: going to do. 109 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 2: Your Oh you're wearing yes, thank you. I got it 110 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 2: a few days ago when we were in San Francisco 111 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 2: for shows nice, and I'm obsessed with it. Isn't it pretty? 112 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 2: There's some vintage stains on it? Sure, sure I could 113 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:52,239 Speaker 2: have washed those out. Well, look at that. 114 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 3: It's a big You did call this the dust cover earlier. 115 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 3: You're like, what do I do? It's a dust cover 116 00:06:58,040 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 3: of this? 117 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,720 Speaker 2: It does look like I'm a couch, Like hasn't been 118 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 2: sat on in twenty five years? 119 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 3: Hasn't been a butt on this couch twenty five years? 120 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 2: Should we sit at our tiny table? 121 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 3: Let's do it. 122 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 2: This is my favorite bird of the podcast. 123 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 3: That's right, and that's Georgia Hartstar, that's Karen Kilgera, and 124 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 3: we're very so pleased to be with you tonight. Sandy, 125 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 3: I go, oh, look at it tiny. 126 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 2: We got a text at like five o'clock being like, hey, 127 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 2: so we order the exact same table as we always do, 128 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 2: but for some reason it's tiny. Is that okay? As 129 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 2: if we were going to be like, now, put it 130 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 2: on a box or something. 131 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 3: Uh so I did yell four bricks just at the 132 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 3: top of my mind, full bricks. 133 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 2: I think it's better than if it was like too 134 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 2: tall and we looked like little children. 135 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 3: But I also like this, this is real Alice in 136 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 3: Wonderland situation where we're just like too big, too small. 137 00:07:58,600 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 3: We don't know. 138 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 5: I don't mind it. 139 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, it works right, sure, sure, it's fine. Do you 140 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 2: want to tell them why they're here? What's happening? 141 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 3: Absolutely, you're here because you really liked listening to two 142 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 3: people talk for reasons that you can't explain to your family, 143 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 3: our friends, except for those special ones that understand and 144 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 3: already we're listening. You came out at seven pm on 145 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 3: a Tuesday to support this talking, and we really appreciate it. 146 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 3: We know a Tuesday, this is time for Bible study. 147 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 3: You should not be here. But if you are here 148 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 3: and you don't listen to this podcast, you're going to 149 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 3: be very confused and probably upset. So we just want 150 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 3: to say this to you. Now, this is a true 151 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 3: crime comedy podcast. But George and I I don't think 152 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 3: murder is funny. We just think we're funny, and we 153 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:07,600 Speaker 3: are the types of people who have had the kind 154 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 3: of trauma in our early lives that we then learned 155 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 3: to cope with that trauma through the use of humor. 156 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 3: And so we also I think coped with it through 157 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 3: the obsession with true crime and those things that when 158 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 3: they come together only certain people understand. So if you're 159 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 3: a drag along and someone made you come here and 160 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 3: you don't like what's happening, you are welcome to get 161 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:43,839 Speaker 3: the fuck out. Thank you, good job, thank you. I'm 162 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 3: going to make this by the end of this store, 163 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,559 Speaker 3: that speech will be forty five minutes long, and then 164 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 3: we'll just mention two cases in passing and get the 165 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:54,719 Speaker 3: fuck out ourselves. 166 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 2: All right, Well, we don't know each other stories, right. 167 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 2: We also never tell people that, but it's true, which 168 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 2: makes everyone who works with us hate our guts. 169 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 3: Yes, but it's always a surprise. What Georgia is about 170 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 3: to tell me is a surprise. What I'm going to 171 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 3: tell her as a. 172 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 2: Surprise to her. Yeah, and I'm first, right, and you 173 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 2: are first. Let's get into it. 174 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 3: Thanks. Don't you feel like a proper Victorian lady's side 175 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 3: saddling this table? 176 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,479 Speaker 2: Does this feel very like? Quite? I should have a cigarette? 177 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 3: Ooh, okay, next time. 178 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 2: So you know, in Echo Park there is a huge 179 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 2: white domed mega church called Angelus Temple, you know, the 180 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 2: one I do. And there's always people walking around it 181 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 2: for some reason. 182 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, they've got a lot of pedestrian action over there, 183 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 3: they do. 184 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 5: It's a thing in Echo Park. 185 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 2: And so that building is actually one of the country's 186 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 2: oldest megachurches. 187 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 5: Did you know that? 188 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 2: And it was founded in nineteen twenty three by the 189 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 2: end a bad a character I'm going to be talking 190 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 2: about tonight, And she actually started amassing followers right here 191 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,079 Speaker 2: in San Diego. So it's a bit of the so 192 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 2: Cal story. I want to take a look at the temple. Nope, 193 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: that's her. 194 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:14,440 Speaker 3: There she is. 195 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 2: That's not a temple, that's her. Oops, there she is. 196 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 2: This is a story about an eccentric Pentecostal evangelist. Evangelistlists 197 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 2: thank you who at the height of'm Jewish who. 198 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 4: At the. 199 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 2: You don't have those who, at the height of her 200 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 2: popularity disappeared under mysterious circumstances. This is the story of 201 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 2: Sister Amy Semple McPherson. 202 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 3: Yes, I bet you bought that dress before. 203 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 2: Oh, I bet I have that amazing And I'm always 204 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 2: going like that, like I'm reading out of a Bible. Amen, 205 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 2: here ye is that how you? 206 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 3: Yep? A lot of hear ye, hear ye in the Bible. 207 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 3: Definitely cool. 208 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 2: So the main sources I use for the story are 209 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 2: Claire Hoffmann's book Sister Sinner, The Miraculous Life and Mysterious 210 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 2: Disappearance of Amy Simple McPherson, and the PBS American Experience 211 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 2: documentary Sister Amy. She got her own American Experience episode. 212 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 2: That's a day. It's bag. 213 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 3: Sorry really quick, Can we have a little more of 214 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 3: us and the monitors on stage? So sorry to say 215 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 3: something like that in front of them. 216 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 2: No, No, am I very I feel like I'm very 217 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 2: loud in my mic I just can only hear myself 218 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 2: and I don't like her. 219 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 3: Well we do, so shut up. How's that a little better? 220 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 4: Yeah? 221 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,319 Speaker 2: That works better. And here's the temple in Echo Park. 222 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 3: There it is. There used to be a really good diner, 223 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,480 Speaker 3: right spot, the fucking right spot, and they just kept 224 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 3: changing hands and now it's something totally different. Yeah, you 225 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:58,200 Speaker 3: can't go there anymore. Now you can't, I mean you can. 226 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 5: Maybe it's better in a while. 227 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 3: Yes, that's right. Chuck your yelp reviews. 228 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 2: Don't listen to us, don't ever listen to us. Okay, 229 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 2: so let's talk about Amy. She I mean Amy Kennedy 230 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 2: was born in eighteen ninety and raised in a devout 231 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 2: Methodist and Salvation Army household in rural Ontario, Canada. Do 232 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 2: you know they have a rural good job. As a teenager, 233 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 2: Amy starts questioning how religion and science co exist? How 234 00:13:27,679 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 2: does it work? No one's ever figured it out, Magnets, 235 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,319 Speaker 2: magnets right at this time. Boredom and curiosity leads her 236 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 2: to a local tent revival where a Pentecostal preacher is 237 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 2: wooing new believers. So imagine this young lady. She's like, 238 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 2: not sure what's what she wants out of life. She's 239 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 2: in a rural place and she comes in I've been there, yeah, 240 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 2: and she sees the very good looking preacher Robert Semple, 241 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 2: and she's like, that's my religion now, amen. 242 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:02,439 Speaker 3: I believe. 243 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 2: I believe. They get married into Nope in nineteen oh 244 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,439 Speaker 2: eight when name is just eighteen, and together they become 245 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 2: missionaries bringing God's word to China. They're very successful at it, 246 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:18,439 Speaker 2: particularly Amy, Like that picture I showed you, that's when 247 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 2: I wanted that I did it wrong. 248 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 3: It's okay. 249 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 2: She's a charismatic and powerful preacher, and oh, thank you 250 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 2: so much, thank you, appreciate you, thank you. She's like, say, 251 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 2: I'm right. 252 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 3: Here, look at the power you yourself are right now 253 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 3: believing whatever it is she's trying to espouse. 254 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 2: Amen. Amen, she's they went over a lot of converts 255 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 2: together because they're just charismatic and probably really good looking together. Unfortunately, 256 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 2: they both also contract malaria. Yeah, and so while pregnant 257 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 2: Amy survives and her new but her new husband dies 258 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 2: a fucking dysentery. Oh no, yeah, like what a bummer. 259 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 3: What I hate to question you this early in the story. 260 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, always do it. 261 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 3: He contracted malaria, but he died of dysentery. 262 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, really yeah, according to my to Alie, yeah 263 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 2: does one? Does one happen after the other? 264 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 6: Uh? 265 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 2: To me? 266 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 3: No? 267 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 7: Never? 268 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 2: Are you questioning religion and science again? And now they 269 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:27,880 Speaker 2: work together? 270 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 4: No? 271 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 2: No, no, Amy says no. But Amy gives birth to 272 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 2: a daughter and months after Robert's death and names her Roberta, 273 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 2: and the two of them sail back to America shortly 274 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 2: after Roberta's birth. 275 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 3: So her baby lives, her. 276 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,680 Speaker 2: Baby and her live, and her hot preacher husband dies 277 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 2: of dysentery. 278 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 3: Maybe Astrik look. 279 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 2: It up later. So Amy joins her mother back home, 280 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 2: who offered her name is Mildred, but she goes by 281 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 2: Minnie and she starts working with the Salvation Army in 282 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 2: New York City, and that's where she meets an accountant 283 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 2: named Harold Stewart McPherson, who she then marries in nineteen twelve. 284 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 2: At this point, Amy's still just in her early twenties, 285 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 2: and the newly Woods moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and 286 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 2: they have a son named Rolf. But Amy is not great. 287 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 2: She's not doing great. She has a big depressive episode 288 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 2: and pretty much the issue is that she doesn't want 289 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,040 Speaker 2: to be a housewife. She wants to be back on 290 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 2: the road preaching, and she thinks it's her calling, and 291 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 2: so she gets back to evan evangelicizing. Nope, evangelizing evangelizing, 292 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 2: that's a word gonna called me. That's a word doesn't assume, right, What. 293 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 3: A wonderful life you've led? Not happy to deal with 294 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 3: this shit. 295 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 2: So she gets back to it, and she holds tent revivals, 296 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 2: amassing such a sizeable falling that she's forced to go 297 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 2: to larger and larger venues. She becomes really popular, and 298 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 2: she's so passionate about her work that she starts putting 299 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 2: more and more production value into every appearance. So like 300 00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:16,480 Speaker 2: a little razzle dazzle. 301 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 3: The hand goes up a little higher, fans out a 302 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 3: little further. 303 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 2: Maybe there's some sequence. Does God like sequence? 304 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:23,920 Speaker 3: I don't know her does he invented them? 305 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 2: And so her servants are fully theatrical, with costumes and 306 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:33,440 Speaker 2: props and oh what I pay to see. 307 00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 5: That right now? 308 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:34,440 Speaker 2: Yeah? 309 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 5: You know, but I wouldn't actually pay to see it. 310 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:41,359 Speaker 2: Yeah. Amy performs faith healings, speaks in tongues, and describes 311 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 2: experiencing divine visions. She finds a way to strike that 312 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 2: perfect balance of fervor and spectacle, and she has this 313 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 2: really smart idea of keeping the super fanatical followers in 314 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 2: a different tent so they don't scare away. But like, not, 315 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 2: we're not there yet, people, but like maybe, oh, what's 316 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 2: check this out? Yeah, So she just keeps them apart. 317 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,520 Speaker 3: It's like, everybody chill in this tent, and if you 318 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 3: want to freak out about Jesus, you have to go 319 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:08,760 Speaker 3: over there. 320 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 2: Oh next door, Yeah, to freak out about Jesus. 321 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 3: And they're like, hey, you're the one that's making us 322 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,720 Speaker 3: freak out this much, and she's like, not my problem. 323 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 3: I can't can't control my charisma. 324 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 2: So Amy's great at what she does, but her new husband, Harold, 325 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 2: doesn't love that she's so married to her work. So 326 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 2: she gets sick from appendicitis and the experience, I guess 327 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 2: was so hardcore that it changes her. And through the suffering, 328 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 2: she hears a voice telling her to return to preaching 329 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:39,879 Speaker 2: on the road full time. 330 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 5: So she takes the kids and gets the fuck out 331 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 5: of there. 332 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 3: So she gets appendicitis and she's like, oh, oh God 333 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 3: speaking God is saying I shouldn't be a housewife anybody. 334 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:56,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, But she sends letters to Harold inviting him to 335 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 2: join her. 336 00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 5: She's like, I'm not breaking up with you, but you. 337 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:00,960 Speaker 3: Have to come to you do my thing. 338 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. He takes her up on it at first, hoping 339 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 2: to drag her back home. He sets up their tents 340 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 2: and he tries his own hand at preaching alongside her. Right, yeah, 341 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,239 Speaker 2: I can't do it. They sell their house and live 342 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 2: out of their so called gospel car, which what do you. 343 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 3: Think that was? 344 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 2: Edsel? Definitely with their two young kids. Oh those kids 345 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 2: were fucking miserable. So there's no air conditioning for sure anywhere. 346 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 3: But maybe no school. So yeah, yeah, hippie wonderland. 347 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 2: But Harold's super not into it. He's not nearly as 348 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 2: popular as his wife, which had to sting, so he 349 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 2: leaves her behind, returns to Rhode Island, and files for divorce. 350 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,640 Speaker 2: So she tours the amy tours the South with her 351 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 2: mother instead. 352 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 3: She's like, fuck you, you're cool, I'll get my mom. 353 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm killing my mom. 354 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,719 Speaker 2: She's not a sore loser, right and uh, they preached 355 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:58,400 Speaker 2: from a perch on the backseat of their convertible. She 356 00:19:58,520 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 2: just shouts. 357 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 5: Sermons through a mega phone, which. 358 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:04,880 Speaker 3: How they do it that's a real pretty standard. 359 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 2: God, can't hear you just talking? 360 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 3: No? 361 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 2: Wait, I'm on a microphone right now. What am I 362 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:09,440 Speaker 2: fucking talking about? 363 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 3: Can you hear us? 364 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 2: Lord, Kettle, et cetera. 365 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 3: It's us. Can you get me a new grouch? Is 366 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 3: this how this works? 367 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 2: We're podcaster. It's the highest form of believers, you know, 368 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 2: our religion podcasts. 369 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,639 Speaker 3: We're literally turning this audience against us so hard. You know, 370 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:34,479 Speaker 3: it's like what else can we make fun of? 371 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 2: All the cheerleaders hate us already. 372 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:39,520 Speaker 5: Any Pentecostals in the house. 373 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:45,920 Speaker 2: You're like bye, So they go out. The audiences are 374 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 2: like building. They're super odd by her public faith healing performances, 375 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 2: and word about her talents spreads across the country, and 376 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,080 Speaker 2: she works so hard. This might sound familiar. She makes 377 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 2: herself sick. 378 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, she says that she wipes knows. 379 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:03,879 Speaker 2: This is like I have a nervous I'm really not 380 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 2: happy about this nos thing that keeps happening. 381 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:08,719 Speaker 3: I think it's charming and people love it. 382 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 2: Maybe the first time. Thank you. We need to be 383 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 2: sponsored by an allergy medication. 384 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:18,679 Speaker 5: Promo code murder. 385 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 2: Yes, So she makes herself sick from exhaustion. A doctor 386 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 2: advises her to recuperate in warmer climate, because I think 387 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 2: that's what they do back then, is just go over there, 388 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:32,120 Speaker 2: they bleed you out. 389 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:32,720 Speaker 5: Pick one. 390 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 3: Yeah. 391 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,000 Speaker 2: So, but then her daughter comes down with the Spanish flu, 392 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 2: which is my favorite influenza. 393 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 5: Really honestly, and. 394 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:47,359 Speaker 2: While praying over her, she receives a yet another divine message. 395 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,040 Speaker 2: God says, you get to go. However, he says it, 396 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 2: you gotta go to California. 397 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 3: He says, here, you here, you here, you here. 398 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 2: God loves California. I guess that's right. 399 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 3: You know why the butter. 400 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 2: Are we known for our butter? 401 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 3: Such good butter. Oh that's your town, right, Pedaluma specific butter. 402 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 2: The orange fields that we don't have anymore, they're all gone. 403 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 3: We cut them all down. 404 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:19,080 Speaker 2: They were great. 405 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:20,920 Speaker 3: We cut them down, made them parking lots. You heard 406 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 3: the song. 407 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 2: So Amy Amy's skills are really profitable in southern California, 408 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 2: where she begins holding small revival meetings at local churches 409 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 2: and rented halls with her mother. Mini word spreads and 410 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 2: she starts drawing in larger crowds and tents and auditoriums. 411 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 2: Hey across southern California. 412 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 3: Stop comparing yourself to Amy's simple graph. 413 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 2: Podcasting and gospels the same thing. 414 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,400 Speaker 3: It is the same, very much. 415 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,280 Speaker 2: So she's the original podcaster. That's og podcast, that's true 416 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 2: spreading of the word. At one point, the city has 417 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 2: to call in the Marines in order to control a 418 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 2: crowd of thirty thousand people who show up to one 419 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:08,200 Speaker 2: of her revivals. 420 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 3: So that's no, that's Joe Rogan level. 421 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,680 Speaker 2: I wrote vintage viral. It's she went vintage viral. 422 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:18,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right. 423 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:22,120 Speaker 2: At this point in the early twenties, Amy is now 424 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 2: about thirty and the population of California is booming because 425 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 2: people are coming from the Midwest and the East Coast 426 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:33,160 Speaker 2: because it's cooler here. And so she starts focusing her 427 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 2: efforts up north in Los Angeles, and celebrities start attending 428 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 2: her services. Remember the show, No, I'm not gonna yep, 429 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:43,360 Speaker 2: you know what I'm talking about. Yes, And she's in 430 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 2: this Yes, what's it called? 431 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 3: Parry Mason said it first? I said it first, Perry Mason. 432 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 2: Roll the tape back. We want to hear it. 433 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 3: And the girl from Warps and Black plays her. Yes, 434 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:59,119 Speaker 3: And when you were talking about I would kill to 435 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 3: see that there are scenes inside that church for doing 436 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:04,360 Speaker 3: her thing totally. 437 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,880 Speaker 2: And I think this storyline is, you know, is made 438 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 2: for TV, but it's in there. But that's a great 439 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 2: show and she's part of it. So I don't even 440 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 2: need to read this to you, you know. 441 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:20,680 Speaker 3: And now we're going to watch it together every episode. 442 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,120 Speaker 2: So media celebrities start paying attention to her. She's getting 443 00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 2: a little famous. But remember she suffered a health set back, 444 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 2: because the whole point of her being in California is 445 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 2: to recuperate. But she is a vintage workaholic, and against 446 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 2: doctor's order, she continues her nightly services, which are so 447 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 2: popular that people have to wait hours just to get 448 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 2: inside to see her. That's how much they like her 449 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 2: and God, they ship her in God? Is that what 450 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 2: the kids say? Angelinas are so enraptured by her dramatic 451 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,639 Speaker 2: and theatrical style of worship. But some of them build 452 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 2: a house for her to live in. They're just like, 453 00:24:58,160 --> 00:24:58,840 Speaker 2: here's a house. 454 00:24:58,960 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 5: We like you so much. 455 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 2: Immediately, I don't know timeline there, they. 456 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 3: Like leave church and they're just like, go get some wood. 457 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 3: I have to express how I feel. 458 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 5: We must shelter her. 459 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 3: We must, So it's kind of amish of them to 460 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:15,400 Speaker 3: do that. 461 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 2: Actually, but maybe I mean there's so much land then 462 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 2: back then in southern California. 463 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 5: Yeah, you know, they just walk outside and you know. 464 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:28,160 Speaker 2: Throw one up right here, right and so, but there's 465 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 2: something even bigger that she wants than a house and 466 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 2: all these followers. Amy starts raising money to build her 467 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 2: very own venue. Congregants eagerly contribute, and in nineteen twenty three, 468 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 2: the fifty three hundred seat Angelus Temple opens, which in 469 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 2: today's seats. 470 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:50,840 Speaker 3: Is doesn't matter. I'd get it wrong. Fifty right. 471 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 2: It looks like a white colisseum in the middle of 472 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 2: Los Angeles. It's right by Echo Park Lake, and in 473 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,400 Speaker 2: its first seven years, more than forty million visitors walk 474 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 2: through its door to see this like biblical production. Every Sunday. 475 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:11,120 Speaker 2: Amy expands into radio. Hey, like podcasting on those. 476 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:12,680 Speaker 3: Theories coming true as you tell this. 477 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 2: Story, becoming one of the first women to have her 478 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 2: own broadcast license and found her own religious radio station, 479 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 2: and she starts being pictured with celebrities, and even Charlie 480 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 2: Chaplin comes to her service sometimes, Hey, I know. 481 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 3: Should I tell my story about Trump? 482 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 2: That's so good? 483 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:32,440 Speaker 3: You may have heard this art if you listen to 484 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 3: this podcast. Which is the problem with having a podcast 485 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 3: for a person like me. You love to tell the 486 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 3: same four anecdotes over and over, Like we heard this one, Karen. 487 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 3: When I bought the house I live in now, my cousin, 488 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:49,679 Speaker 3: my real estate agent, cousin, Pete Castro. Contact him. If 489 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 3: you're trying to buy real estate in Los Angeles. That's 490 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 3: a great person, very honest, really fun, good times. Anyhow, 491 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:03,199 Speaker 3: Pete Castro for all your real estate aids. Anyhow, he 492 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 3: went and had to go get some paperwork, finalized paperwork, whatever. 493 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 3: And when he was there in the in the official 494 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 3: city files, they found a certificate that said this house 495 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:18,159 Speaker 3: is owned by Charles Chaplin, and so they made a 496 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 3: copy of it, and then they gave it to me, 497 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 3: like framed in a frame as a housewarming yaft. And 498 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 3: I was like love what and they're like, yuh, it's 499 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:28,400 Speaker 3: we found it on the city thing. And we all 500 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 3: freaked out, and I hung it in my kitchen. I 501 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 3: would bring people. I would make people come and stand 502 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 3: near it just be like, did you see I don't 503 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,200 Speaker 3: know if we saw that he used to live here 504 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 3: and it's not that big of a house, and it's 505 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 3: actually was built in nineteen fifty, so it's kind of 506 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 3: modern comparatively, But I didn't care, and I never really 507 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 3: asked one question about it until mid COVID when my 508 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,159 Speaker 3: next door neighbor Joey came over and I met him 509 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 3: for the first time, and he'd lived there for like 510 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 3: thirty years, and I was and we were just talking 511 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 3: about everything and getting to know each other, and then 512 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 3: I then I said, oh, by the way, did you 513 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 3: know Charlie Chaplin used to live And before the sentence 514 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 3: was over, he was like, no, that's Chuck, that's check 515 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:13,919 Speaker 3: Miles neighbors. No relation, no fucking relation to Charlie Chaplin whatsoever. 516 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,520 Speaker 2: That's impossible. But here's the thing about that, though he 517 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 2: lived there for thirty years, which is only nineteen ninety five, Yeah, 518 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 2: so maybe he doesn't fucking know maybe ten years before that, 519 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:28,360 Speaker 2: Charlie fucking Chaplain. 520 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 3: It's like the oldest Charlie Chaplin of all times. Like, hey, no, 521 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:37,280 Speaker 3: I just say that. I went in and very quietly 522 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 3: took that framed thing down and stuck it in a drawer, 523 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 3: and anytime anyone asked me, I pretend like I don't 524 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 3: know what they're talking about I never said that. What 525 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 3: do you mean. 526 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 2: I love it. I think you should keep it up 527 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 2: because it's just Yeah, it's a great story. 528 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 5: Also, my cousin's here tonight too. I forgot Savannah. 529 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:55,880 Speaker 3: Hi, Savannah Hi. 530 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 2: She's the sweetest. She's a liar here in San Diego, 531 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 2: a real liar. So you guys better watch out. No 532 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 2: trip and falls in this theater tonight, No way, not 533 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 2: on my watch. 534 00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:12,400 Speaker 5: Radio it happened. 535 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 2: And then Charlie Chaplin happened yep, and then she just 536 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 2: and then. 537 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 3: I stopped your story cold. And now we're back. 538 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 2: In anyways, huge celebrity. She's working overtime, performing daily church services, 539 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 2: live radio broadcasts, fundraising, and nationwide revival tours. 540 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 5: You know, she wants to do it all. 541 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 2: But the more attention Amy receives, of course, the more 542 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 2: her haters want to bring her down. 543 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 5: As they do. 544 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,600 Speaker 2: There are plenty of there, trolls back then, been to. 545 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 3: Trolls always in humanity, man, since the dawn of Man. 546 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 2: I'm angry that you're successful. No, this is the. 547 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 3: Story of canaan Abel, is it. Guys. We're gonna fold 548 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 3: some scripture through this show tonight. Everyone's gonna leave happy. 549 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 3: I swear to God. 550 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 2: There are plenty of people who don't believe in her 551 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 2: particular brand of Christianity. They point out that she's a divorcee, 552 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 2: oh no, slut, and some of them think that the 553 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:13,720 Speaker 2: theatrics and flourishes are over the top, like meanwhile, people 554 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 2: are speaking in tongues and have snakes. You know, it's 555 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,840 Speaker 2: just but she had props. Okay, is that not normal 556 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 2: in church? You guys don't do prop. 557 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 3: Know really what it is is. But she's a woman, 558 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 3: oh right. 559 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:29,440 Speaker 2: Critics accuse her of acting in her own best interest 560 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 2: while she's pretending to be a modern day disciple, which 561 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 2: God forbidh literally, yeah, that's actually the rule. At the 562 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 2: same time, this is not quite the profit driven model 563 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 2: of televangelists that would later be adopted. It's her ministry 564 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:50,440 Speaker 2: actually does a fair amount of charity work and social 565 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 2: good They distribute food, they offer clothing banks, and they 566 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,440 Speaker 2: help local immigrants, particularly the working class and Hispanic populations 567 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 2: of Echo Park. So she does. 568 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 3: Go what I like that you said, she does a 569 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 3: fair amount, And it's like, as a church, shouldn't you 570 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 3: do like an unfair amount, like an insane over the 571 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,719 Speaker 3: top amount. Book with all that money, just an observation, 572 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 3: not a new one. Joel Allstein remember one and like 573 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 3: ten years ago, Texas flooded and Joel Allstein said his 574 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 3: megachurch doors were closed to the public. And then the 575 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 3: guy that had a mattress, Doore, opened his doors to 576 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 3: the public, and that solved everything in this country because 577 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 3: then people realized, no, you're right, you're right, you're right. 578 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 3: My mistake, that wasn't it. 579 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:50,360 Speaker 2: Not yet that did not happen. And then Amy disappears. 580 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 2: Oh okay, So on May eighteenth, nineteen twenty six, Amy 581 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 2: goes for a swim at Venice Beach along with her 582 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 2: secretary Emma, and that morning, Emma stays on the sand 583 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,520 Speaker 2: while Amy wades into the water. But after a while, 584 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 2: Emma loses sight of her and starts freaking out, and 585 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 2: so she assumes she's drowned. Emma unless lifeguards and bystanders 586 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 2: to join the search immediately, but there's no sign of 587 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:16,959 Speaker 2: Amy dead or alive. 588 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 5: Within what. 589 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 3: I'll go the whole thing. I'm just gonna listen the 590 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 3: whole thing. 591 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 2: First. I swear to God, no do it. 592 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 3: I interrupted you right before Amy disappears last time. I 593 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 3: don't want to do. 594 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:33,959 Speaker 2: That was it? That was the button. 595 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 3: So the last Emma saw was that she was. 596 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,200 Speaker 2: Out swimming out, yeah, and suddenly can't find her, doesn't 597 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 2: see her, she doesn't come back to shore. 598 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 5: Emma's freaking out. 599 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 2: She calls a bunch of people to try to help 600 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:45,280 Speaker 2: find her, thinking she drowned. 601 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 3: Are you seeing this fogg or is it. 602 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:50,840 Speaker 2: Just makes a lot of fucking fog. It's a fucking 603 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,800 Speaker 2: the fog budget for this tour. Fog got on the 604 00:32:54,960 --> 00:33:00,959 Speaker 2: astronomical It truly is. We're actually not even getting paid all, 605 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:03,760 Speaker 2: but all their money is going to perform straight to 606 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 2: straight to fog. 607 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 3: This hot ice machine or whatever the fuck it's called 608 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 3: at anyway over in foggy London town. What if that's 609 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 3: what it was. We're just changing locations now. So it 610 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:18,920 Speaker 3: was a foggy day at Venice Beach. 611 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:23,240 Speaker 2: Actually it probably was. Here's a picture of thousands of 612 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 2: church members gathered to pray for her on the beach 613 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 2: and to find her. They're praying, they're freaking out, there's 614 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 2: no sign of her. That's a lot of fucking people. 615 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 3: At the beach. How many of the people that were 616 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 3: like around twelve years old that their parents forced them 617 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 3: to go. Just kept staring at that roller coaster and 618 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,480 Speaker 3: they're just like, please, mommy, please, God. 619 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 2: Gave me a message that he wants me on that 620 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:45,880 Speaker 2: roller coaster. 621 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:53,360 Speaker 3: I'm feeling particularly called to the pier. Anyone else, thank you. 622 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 2: And so thousands of people go back to Angelus Temple 623 00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:00,160 Speaker 2: to pray for her safe return, and some even in 624 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 2: the morning process thinking she's probably fucking drowned. Her disappearance 625 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 2: is huge news. A massive search effort takes place. There's 626 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:12,960 Speaker 2: deep sea divers and hundreds of the officers calmbing the shore. 627 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:18,920 Speaker 2: Here's a picture of a newspaper headline, Amy Pherson, believe Brown. 628 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:21,440 Speaker 2: She's got that hand up again. 629 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:25,399 Speaker 3: She's It turns out she could never put it down. 630 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:31,799 Speaker 3: It's not a cam permanent cast. 631 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 2: Arm asleep in the ocean. What what broke that hold? 632 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:39,239 Speaker 3: On a second? You know, back then they could if 633 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,000 Speaker 3: your last name was Mick Pherson, they could just substitute 634 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:43,759 Speaker 3: the sea with an apostrophe. 635 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 2: Didn't know that, Amy, my person? 636 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:49,799 Speaker 5: Yeah I did, No, they did that. 637 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:52,520 Speaker 3: It's strange. What else is going on in Los Angeles? 638 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 3: Al Smith Brand's dry law retaliation dishonest? Okay that Al 639 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 3: Smith young Young suffers seven broken ribs. What okay, sorry, 640 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 3: sorry to read the newspaper in front of you, My mistake. 641 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:13,200 Speaker 2: The dragon along is like, what in the fuck am 642 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 2: I watching? 643 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 3: Why they're reading papers? Some of them they're reading things 644 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:23,880 Speaker 3: behind them. It's not podcasting, dude. 645 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 2: Blah blah blah. There is also uh speculation as to 646 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:33,000 Speaker 2: what really happened that day, particularly when Amy's radio engineer, 647 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 2: a handsome but married man named Kenneth or Ormiston, also 648 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:41,840 Speaker 2: turns out to be missing. Oh did you go swimming? 649 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:47,080 Speaker 2: It didn't go swimming, and Keith, Kenneth and Amy had 650 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:50,879 Speaker 2: actually been caught flirting is all that we have over 651 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 2: the church's inner intercom system. Like they didn't know they 652 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 2: had hot mics on. 653 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 3: Oh I know that's the best. 654 00:35:58,640 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 5: Hey, what kind of flirting? 655 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 2: Hey? Baby? Like they were not flirting, they were doing it, 656 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 2: and you fucking know it. They just like are too 657 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 2: proper to say that. 658 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 3: Back then you're in the main chapel dusting, Hey, what's 659 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 3: up with you? And then you're like everyone runs in 660 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:18,040 Speaker 3: the main chapel. 661 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 2: So good, best day of someone's life. 662 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 3: So that if that happened to you, you would want 663 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 3: to just walk into the sea, Right. 664 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:29,280 Speaker 2: That's true. Fucking yeah, there's that's not cool. That's that's horrible. 665 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:30,200 Speaker 3: So embarrassed. 666 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:34,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, and he's married. So what looks really bad for 667 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 2: this person who her saying she's really really religious but. 668 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 5: They're hand up in the air all the time. 669 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,160 Speaker 3: What if that's for flirting? What's up? 670 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 5: Right after that happened? 671 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:48,279 Speaker 2: Kind of? His wife shows up at the temple and 672 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:50,359 Speaker 2: makes a big scene about the whole thing. 673 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:52,959 Speaker 5: Good for her, fucking throw down? 674 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,239 Speaker 3: Oh because her husband's now disappeared. 675 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,240 Speaker 2: No, because someone caught them quote flirting. 676 00:36:58,280 --> 00:36:59,879 Speaker 3: Oh this is in between the two Yeah, yea, yeah, 677 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:00,160 Speaker 3: got you. 678 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:04,440 Speaker 2: And this was obviously really embarrassing and distressing to Amy, 679 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:07,720 Speaker 2: but it had been even more distressing to her mother, Minnie, 680 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:11,160 Speaker 2: who been involved at the church for years. She's really 681 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:15,160 Speaker 2: disappointed in her daughter, and then her daughter disappears. So 682 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 2: after five whole weeks, Amy's mother, Minnie, decides to proceed 683 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 2: with a memorial service at the temple for her daughter. 684 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,800 Speaker 2: She believes she's dead, but according to some reports, Minnie 685 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:28,560 Speaker 2: had actually pronounced Amy dead the day after her disappearance 686 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:32,640 Speaker 2: and suggested that her daughter, Roberta, who's now fifteen, should 687 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:33,800 Speaker 2: take over for her daughter. 688 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:35,680 Speaker 5: The next day, she's like, no. 689 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 3: What, my granddaughter's stepping in. 690 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 2: That's right. 691 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,320 Speaker 5: She listens to me. Now she don't listen to mena. 692 00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:45,919 Speaker 3: The fifteen year old should take over this megature Gee, 693 00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:49,720 Speaker 3: oh my god. You guys did you hear about Lotte's life? 694 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:51,920 Speaker 3: They not fifteen year olds. Don't talk like that. Me 695 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:55,600 Speaker 3: Moore Karen Well, I don't care. It's my new character. 696 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 2: And so people attend the service for what they believe 697 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 2: is Amy's memorial, but something strange is happening. 698 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:09,560 Speaker 5: In the meantime. 699 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 2: The police keep getting tips from people who believe they're 700 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 2: seeing Amy in and around the town of Carmel by 701 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,040 Speaker 2: the Sea, oh, about four hundred and fifty miles north 702 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:22,880 Speaker 2: of here. And it's just a bunch of non related 703 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 2: people being like, yep, we know what she looks like 704 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:28,359 Speaker 2: because she's always on the newspaper there she is. Oh no, 705 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:30,960 Speaker 2: so authorities. 706 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 4: So. 707 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:34,680 Speaker 2: On June twenty third, nineteen twenty six, one month after 708 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:39,080 Speaker 2: her disappearance into the ocean, Amy turns up in Agua 709 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:42,680 Speaker 2: Prida in Mexico, just across the border from Douglas, Arizona. 710 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 2: She claims, you've heard. 711 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:45,320 Speaker 5: This one before. 712 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:48,320 Speaker 2: She claims that she'd been held in a shack somewhere 713 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:56,320 Speaker 2: in the desert where kidnappers were holding her prisoner. Vintage Vintage, 714 00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:57,480 Speaker 2: Gone Girl. 715 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:01,359 Speaker 3: Right, they shacked in there. 716 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 2: She says that she had been out on the beach 717 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 2: that day and a couple had come up to her 718 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 2: and asked her to pray over their sick child, and 719 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 2: then when she went to the car with them, swoop 720 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:12,919 Speaker 2: they just kidnapped her. M you wink. 721 00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:16,000 Speaker 5: But she can't give a ton of details. 722 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 2: About her captors or the shack in the desert, which 723 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:18,760 Speaker 2: is never found. 724 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 3: But what details do you need of a shack in 725 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:21,920 Speaker 3: the desert? 726 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:22,400 Speaker 2: Shack? 727 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:27,879 Speaker 3: It's shitty wood, There was graffiti on the inside. There 728 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 3: was one small bench. 729 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:31,400 Speaker 2: Right, that's what do you mean? 730 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 3: We know what a shack in the desert looks like. 731 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,920 Speaker 2: And the media, of course, goes crazy. On her return, 732 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,480 Speaker 2: thongs of supporters celebrate the e the Angelus Temple, believing 733 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:45,799 Speaker 2: that she survived through the divine protection this ordeal, that 734 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:49,400 Speaker 2: she was kidnapped. When she arrives back in La by Training, 735 00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:51,640 Speaker 2: thousands of her fans and followers greet her at the 736 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:54,839 Speaker 2: station with flowers, songs, and chanting her name. 737 00:39:55,480 --> 00:39:59,720 Speaker 3: We oh, Amy, you were in a shack in the desert. 738 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,399 Speaker 3: Now y'are back. We're so proud of you. 739 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:08,719 Speaker 8: We love Jesus to Amy, Amy, Amy. 740 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:13,400 Speaker 3: Thank you so much, appreciate you. 741 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:14,320 Speaker 2: That was beautiful. 742 00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:16,600 Speaker 3: It's fun to imagine songs people would sing at this 743 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:17,680 Speaker 3: train station. 744 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,000 Speaker 2: Back because you don't know, you could be exactly right, 745 00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 2: you know, I could be dead on. Yeah, that's their something. 746 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:23,760 Speaker 5: They're all singing. 747 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:28,600 Speaker 3: It's Amy's training. And here she comes. Let me stand 748 00:40:28,680 --> 00:40:30,279 Speaker 3: over here, I'm a man. 749 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,920 Speaker 2: So she makes her triumphant return to the pulpit, and 750 00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:43,279 Speaker 2: the temple overflows and worshipers are convinced that she has 751 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:48,520 Speaker 2: a direct line to go o d okay. She's dramatically 752 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 2: escorted to thunderous applause, escorted and. 753 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:55,680 Speaker 3: Like James Brown, like she's all tired already, totally. 754 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:00,240 Speaker 2: People are overcoming droid. They faint at the sight of her, 755 00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:03,520 Speaker 2: like it's you know, are they faking it? That's a 756 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 2: little dramatic. 757 00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:06,680 Speaker 3: He's like, wait, watch her arms about to go up. 758 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:09,759 Speaker 5: I'm gonna lose it. 759 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 2: If her arm goes up, is how to go, I'm 760 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:15,359 Speaker 2: gonna lose it. 761 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:19,600 Speaker 3: I will lose it. We have a whole another one 762 00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:20,400 Speaker 3: of these after this. 763 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:21,760 Speaker 2: You gotta keep it. 764 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:24,520 Speaker 3: Fresh, keep it tight. 765 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:28,680 Speaker 2: That's right. So if Amy's followers had faith in her before, 766 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:32,719 Speaker 2: they're even more devout. The non believers are like, uh, yeah, right, 767 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 2: they're over it. This includes the LA District Attorney, a 768 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,799 Speaker 2: man named Asa Keys. He believes that this is either 769 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 2: a publicity stunt or a cover up for that romantic rendezvous, 770 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,319 Speaker 2: and so he convenes a grand jewelry to determine if 771 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:47,560 Speaker 2: fraud has taken place, which. 772 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,880 Speaker 3: I just thought a second ago. Okay again, what about 773 00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:53,960 Speaker 3: the intercom coming on? And then it's like, so, anyway, 774 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:55,640 Speaker 3: how many brothers and sisters do you have? 775 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,560 Speaker 2: Are your eyes green or blue? I can't? 776 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:02,960 Speaker 5: Oh no, oh no, we're Mike. 777 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:08,440 Speaker 2: Sorry, No, it's good. We need we need it. We 778 00:42:08,520 --> 00:42:11,440 Speaker 2: needed in today's economy. 779 00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:14,800 Speaker 3: Today's in twenty twentive. We need these terrible jokes. 780 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 2: So witnesses come forward. Hotel maids, neighbors, people just from 781 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:22,120 Speaker 2: Caramel by the Sea. 782 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:23,239 Speaker 5: Have you been there? 783 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:23,879 Speaker 3: Yes? 784 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's cute, right, They like, don't have house numbers 785 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:26,960 Speaker 2: or something. 786 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:32,600 Speaker 3: Right, no addresses and it's covered in caramel. It's so delicious. 787 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:35,200 Speaker 2: But it seems like a good place to hide out, 788 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:36,040 Speaker 2: especially back then. 789 00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:39,799 Speaker 3: Probably right, nobody could get up the one back then, right, 790 00:42:40,080 --> 00:42:41,480 Speaker 3: take days the one. 791 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:43,600 Speaker 5: There was no one, It was only a two. 792 00:42:46,239 --> 00:42:48,840 Speaker 2: And so all of them swore that they saw Amy 793 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:53,279 Speaker 2: and Kenneth together. Reporters came on the courthouse steps, they 794 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:58,160 Speaker 2: were filing daily stories, and her kidnap case becomes front 795 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:01,680 Speaker 2: page news across America. Let's ask your grandparents about that, 796 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:08,800 Speaker 2: our great grandparents. Yeah, everyone's young here. Yeah, prosecutor's paint 797 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:12,160 Speaker 2: this sensational picture that she had faked her an abduction 798 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:15,719 Speaker 2: to cover this illicit romance. Oh God, Kenneth's wife must 799 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:17,319 Speaker 2: have been so fucking pissed. 800 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 3: So pissed. And also it's such a weird idea where 801 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:23,000 Speaker 3: it's like blind insanely famous. 802 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:24,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, because of. 803 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 3: God, let me go ahead of this affair by drowning. 804 00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:31,760 Speaker 5: Right, It doesn't sound planned. 805 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,200 Speaker 3: That's just the beginning and we'll figure the rest out later. 806 00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:35,799 Speaker 3: Come on, Kenneth, that was. 807 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:36,560 Speaker 2: A rough draft. 808 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:37,560 Speaker 5: She went for it. 809 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:45,360 Speaker 2: So basically, if it's true, she lighted her congregation, obstructed justice, 810 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:48,799 Speaker 2: wasted the resources of police and the Coastguard who were 811 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 2: looking for her, all the volunteers who were looking for 812 00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:54,920 Speaker 2: her body. So indictments for perjury and conspiracy loom, but 813 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:57,920 Speaker 2: Amy maintains her story and she has the support of 814 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:01,120 Speaker 2: thousands of her followers. So the great winds up proving 815 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:04,800 Speaker 2: that Kenneth had rented a cottage in Carmel by the Sea, 816 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 2: but Kenneth claims he had actually been renting it with 817 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:09,680 Speaker 2: a different woman altogether, not even Amy. 818 00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:12,719 Speaker 3: That's a great excuse. No, hear him out, hear him out. 819 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:16,480 Speaker 2: He's got to be going somewhere with this, right, It 820 00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:18,480 Speaker 2: was not my side piece, your honor, it was my 821 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:19,400 Speaker 2: back piece. 822 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:22,880 Speaker 3: Don't worry about it. She's a different one. 823 00:44:23,080 --> 00:44:27,080 Speaker 2: But essentially because he says that the city's forced to 824 00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:29,440 Speaker 2: drop the case due to lack of evidence in nineteen 825 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 2: twenty seven, one year after the disappearance. So him saying 826 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:35,480 Speaker 2: he had a side piece that wasn't his side piece 827 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:36,319 Speaker 2: got her off. 828 00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, and the wife is still over there, like this 829 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:40,960 Speaker 3: isn't making it better, Kenneth. 830 00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:43,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, where's my redemption? 831 00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:46,480 Speaker 3: Sparc please please? Now, There's actually. 832 00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:48,920 Speaker 2: One more theory about Amy's disappearance that gets kicked around, 833 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:52,480 Speaker 2: and that is actually was a legitimate kidnapping, and that 834 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:56,640 Speaker 2: her Amy's mother arranged it because because remember, her mom 835 00:44:56,719 --> 00:45:01,120 Speaker 2: was in that Perry Mason too. Yes, there's very little 836 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:05,480 Speaker 2: evidence allegedly allegedly they're all dead that point to this, 837 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:09,240 Speaker 2: but some people do point out that Minnie was unhappy 838 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 2: with her daughter's behavior and possible affair. 839 00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:13,960 Speaker 5: And actually wanted her granddaughter. 840 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:16,719 Speaker 2: To take over. So she was like set up, set 841 00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:18,560 Speaker 2: up a kidnapping to get rid of her daughter. 842 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:22,440 Speaker 3: Joinked her off image sent her to the desert to 843 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:23,200 Speaker 3: that one. 844 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:24,719 Speaker 2: Shack that we all know and love. 845 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:27,360 Speaker 3: But it has a little chimney, but there's no fireplace. 846 00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:29,720 Speaker 3: It's just what they need. 847 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:32,680 Speaker 2: But yeah, not a lot to back this up. So 848 00:45:32,719 --> 00:45:35,799 Speaker 2: Amy returns to her regularly scheduled pulpit programming at the 849 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:41,120 Speaker 2: Angelist Temple, but rarely discusses the incident. It tarnishes her 850 00:45:41,120 --> 00:45:45,320 Speaker 2: image with non believers. But you know, she's media savvy. 851 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:49,120 Speaker 2: She knows how to make everyone excited about God and 852 00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:52,319 Speaker 2: her own self, and so people just keep coming to her. 853 00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:54,280 Speaker 3: The magic recipe right there. 854 00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:57,279 Speaker 2: God and me, Yeah, that's it. In the nineteen thirty 855 00:45:57,360 --> 00:46:00,319 Speaker 2: she marries and divorces again within a few years, but 856 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:04,080 Speaker 2: established works hard to establish her church, which she names 857 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:07,960 Speaker 2: the International Church of the Four Square Gospel. Is that 858 00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:08,359 Speaker 2: a thing? 859 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:08,719 Speaker 4: Yeah? 860 00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:11,920 Speaker 2: Four square? That's not just the game, truly. 861 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:13,600 Speaker 3: Well, it can be anything you want it to be. 862 00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:18,759 Speaker 2: Great, So the church now does go by the four 863 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:22,040 Speaker 2: Square Church, and it's actually still operational in the Angelus 864 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,600 Speaker 2: Temple today. Outside of the Temple, she has dozens of 865 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:29,640 Speaker 2: affiliated congregations spread across the US and makes use of 866 00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:32,920 Speaker 2: them during the Great Depression to distribute clothing, food, and 867 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:36,600 Speaker 2: assistance to tens of thousands of struggling families. So she's like, 868 00:46:36,719 --> 00:46:38,560 Speaker 2: sorry about that one thing, I'm going to make up 869 00:46:38,560 --> 00:46:38,880 Speaker 2: for it with. 870 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:39,399 Speaker 5: This other thing. 871 00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:41,160 Speaker 3: Great, and then we'll take it. 872 00:46:41,239 --> 00:46:45,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, her humanitarian work softens the public image. Behind the scenes, 873 00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:49,120 Speaker 2: she is still suffering from a lack of sleep and 874 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:52,360 Speaker 2: a dependence on pills. She's traveling with her sermons devoted 875 00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:52,960 Speaker 2: to the cause. 876 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:56,279 Speaker 5: I mean touring back then happens. 877 00:46:56,320 --> 00:47:00,319 Speaker 3: Suck, well, right, maybe except where don't forget that they 878 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:04,759 Speaker 3: used to put cocaine in soda. So that's true, you know, 879 00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:06,000 Speaker 3: depends on what you're into. 880 00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:11,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, driving around the country and your little un air 881 00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:14,799 Speaker 2: conditioned car, I mean out of your mind, teta your 882 00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 2: fucking mind. 883 00:47:16,200 --> 00:47:17,760 Speaker 3: Let's get the word out. 884 00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:22,719 Speaker 2: So in September nineteen forty four, she fails to show 885 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:24,799 Speaker 2: up at an appearance in Oakland. Oh my god, are 886 00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:27,480 Speaker 2: we just did that? Rich and people are immediately concerned. 887 00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:30,480 Speaker 2: So on September twenty seventh, nineteen forty four, hotel staff 888 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:32,719 Speaker 2: where she's staying, find in her room. Find her in 889 00:47:32,719 --> 00:47:36,600 Speaker 2: her room, alone, in her bed, unresponsive. Amy's declared dead 890 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,840 Speaker 2: at fifty three. The causes ruled an accidental overdose of 891 00:47:40,000 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 2: second all sedative that everyone loved back then. Her premature 892 00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:49,399 Speaker 2: passing shocks her followers. She's only fifty three, and the 893 00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:53,879 Speaker 2: public like toggles between her professional impact and her personal scandals. 894 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:57,080 Speaker 2: Her body's transported back to Los Angeles, where upwards of 895 00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:02,200 Speaker 2: fifty thousand mourners file past her cap How many touched her? 896 00:48:02,200 --> 00:48:04,840 Speaker 3: Do you think doesn't matter if she's dead? 897 00:48:05,040 --> 00:48:08,080 Speaker 2: Okay, well I was really like, I hope they had 898 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:11,240 Speaker 2: hand sanitizer. But that's weird. 899 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:12,080 Speaker 3: It is. 900 00:48:16,480 --> 00:48:20,640 Speaker 2: Finger prints. I'm talking like fingerprints, you know what I mean? No, no, inappropriate. 901 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:21,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. 902 00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:24,040 Speaker 2: The funeral is one of the largest Los Angeles has 903 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,719 Speaker 2: ever seen, with traffic jams reported for blocks around Echo Park. 904 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:31,280 Speaker 2: Reporters noted that the grandeur of the Angelus temple, filled 905 00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:35,160 Speaker 2: with flowers, white drapery, and music was more like a 906 00:48:35,239 --> 00:48:38,720 Speaker 2: pageant than a traditional funeral, and in true Amy spirit, 907 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:43,120 Speaker 2: the affair is a Hollywood type production with genuine religious devotion, 908 00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:46,880 Speaker 2: a fitting end for such a theatrical person. And that 909 00:48:47,040 --> 00:48:48,720 Speaker 2: is the story of Amy Semple. 910 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:49,360 Speaker 5: McPherson. 911 00:48:49,560 --> 00:49:00,400 Speaker 3: Wow, Wow, what do you think really happened? 912 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:02,480 Speaker 2: I think she took off with her lover and had 913 00:49:02,520 --> 00:49:05,280 Speaker 2: a fucking nice couple of weeks to herself. 914 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:07,879 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, what do you think? 915 00:49:08,239 --> 00:49:10,839 Speaker 3: I love the shack concept. I don't know if you're 916 00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:13,480 Speaker 3: really staying with that shack because it also makes it 917 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:15,279 Speaker 3: feel like if it's a shack in the desert, it's 918 00:49:15,320 --> 00:49:17,839 Speaker 3: really small. But then the kidnappers have to be in 919 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:22,120 Speaker 3: there with her, so they're all just shoved into nobody's happy, right, Yeah, 920 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:24,480 Speaker 3: just will all suffer out here until your mom says 921 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:30,280 Speaker 3: we can come back to town. Anything's possible, truly with God. 922 00:49:31,640 --> 00:49:32,240 Speaker 5: Not kidding. 923 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:35,160 Speaker 3: Amen. And that is the message that we're trying to 924 00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:38,880 Speaker 3: give to everyone tonight. Whatever God you would like that 925 00:49:38,960 --> 00:49:50,160 Speaker 3: to be very open, non denominational, but highly religious show. Okay, 926 00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:52,000 Speaker 3: we're gonna take a little bit of left turn let's 927 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:57,239 Speaker 3: do it my story. And I don't know if you've 928 00:49:57,239 --> 00:50:00,799 Speaker 3: ever seen there's a billboard that is on East Melrose, 929 00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:07,040 Speaker 3: almost like almost two virgil and a couple times a 930 00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:11,280 Speaker 3: year or I guess once a year, but I notice it. 931 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:16,080 Speaker 3: It doesn't matter. Oftentimes, once a year there will be 932 00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:19,360 Speaker 3: a billboard and it's a very small billboard. You wouldn't 933 00:50:19,400 --> 00:50:24,279 Speaker 3: notice it. For the La Bug Fair. Have you ever 934 00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:24,640 Speaker 3: seen this? 935 00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:28,840 Speaker 2: I've been to the La bug Frair. Yeah, I ate 936 00:50:28,880 --> 00:50:31,520 Speaker 2: a chocolate chirp cookie that had crickets in it. 937 00:50:31,640 --> 00:50:31,799 Speaker 4: Oh. 938 00:50:31,880 --> 00:50:36,560 Speaker 3: Hell yes, we begin this story. The two thousand and 939 00:50:36,600 --> 00:50:40,920 Speaker 3: three is Los Angeles' most prestigious Hollywood event, the Natural 940 00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:45,279 Speaker 3: History Museum's annual Bug Fair. That's right, this is a 941 00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:48,440 Speaker 3: fucking bug fair. Story of last Joel, I love that. 942 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:49,399 Speaker 3: You know the bug Fair. 943 00:50:49,520 --> 00:50:52,200 Speaker 5: Hell yeah, it's Rad's horrifying, but it's rad. 944 00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:52,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. 945 00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:55,640 Speaker 3: So every year, if you don't know, thousands of people 946 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:59,719 Speaker 3: nature enthusiasts and collectors alike flocked to the museum for 947 00:50:59,800 --> 00:51:04,719 Speaker 3: this event, featuring workshops, educational exhibits, and a marketplace where 948 00:51:04,719 --> 00:51:08,239 Speaker 3: you can buy pretty much any bug related thing imaginable, 949 00:51:08,840 --> 00:51:13,719 Speaker 3: including actual bugs. At this bug Fair market go, are 950 00:51:13,719 --> 00:51:16,319 Speaker 3: you looking for praying mantis? Why don't you going down 951 00:51:16,320 --> 00:51:19,799 Speaker 3: with bug fair? Get a good PRIs. Don't ever tell 952 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:22,239 Speaker 3: you about the fucking time I got a weird feel. 953 00:51:22,239 --> 00:51:24,400 Speaker 3: I was sitting in my house at the kitchen table, 954 00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:26,520 Speaker 3: and I got a weird feeling and I looked at 955 00:51:26,520 --> 00:51:29,359 Speaker 3: my shoulder and there was a fucking praying mantis. 956 00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:29,760 Speaker 5: On my shoulder. 957 00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:30,520 Speaker 2: Oh my god. 958 00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:33,560 Speaker 3: And this made the exaggeration because I'm a big liar. 959 00:51:33,719 --> 00:51:36,799 Speaker 3: But when I turned, when I turned and looked at 960 00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:39,759 Speaker 3: this praying mantis, it went its head went like this 961 00:51:42,719 --> 00:51:45,719 Speaker 3: like it was also gazing back at me. And then 962 00:51:45,719 --> 00:51:50,040 Speaker 3: I screamed and locked it off my shoulder. Oh my god, 963 00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:52,560 Speaker 3: it was so fucking scary. 964 00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:56,200 Speaker 2: Sounds like Uncanny Valley. Yes, just a stearing into the 965 00:51:56,200 --> 00:51:58,600 Speaker 2: fucking eyeballs. Yes of a fucking. 966 00:51:58,600 --> 00:52:02,040 Speaker 3: I'm like, perch, I feel weird. Why do I feel so? 967 00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:02,480 Speaker 4: You? 968 00:52:04,719 --> 00:52:07,600 Speaker 2: I mean, I love them, I just don't like surprise bugs. 969 00:52:07,640 --> 00:52:10,160 Speaker 2: I can deal with bugs, but not surprise bugs. 970 00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:12,760 Speaker 3: And what is a more surprising bug than a fucking 971 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:17,640 Speaker 3: praying mantis? For God's sakes, head, separate head, body looking 972 00:52:17,680 --> 00:52:21,560 Speaker 3: at you, I'm thinking, what it's weird? Praying hands more 973 00:52:21,600 --> 00:52:30,279 Speaker 3: religion stuff. Okay, you can buy live bugs and you 974 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:33,480 Speaker 3: can buy dead bugs that have been mounted and put 975 00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:38,360 Speaker 3: on display. Among the crowd at the seventeenth annual Bugfair 976 00:52:38,640 --> 00:52:43,040 Speaker 3: is a man named Ed Newcomer. Writer Jessica Spiert describes 977 00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:46,840 Speaker 3: him as quote your typical southern California beach boy end quote. 978 00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:50,160 Speaker 3: He's in his thirties. He's a self professed nature lover, 979 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:54,360 Speaker 3: but he's not here for Bugfair fun like everybody else 980 00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:58,239 Speaker 3: you see. Ed is a rookie special agent with US 981 00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:02,360 Speaker 3: Fish and Wildlife Service is tasked with fighting the illegal 982 00:53:02,560 --> 00:53:06,600 Speaker 3: wildlife trade. He sees his work is very important and 983 00:53:06,719 --> 00:53:10,879 Speaker 3: rightfully so. Special Agent Newcomer has said, quote, there's really 984 00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:14,200 Speaker 3: no more innocent victim than our natural environment. You know, 985 00:53:14,360 --> 00:53:16,440 Speaker 3: a bear can't call nine one one and say that 986 00:53:16,520 --> 00:53:25,239 Speaker 3: someone came and poached her cub. What if he could? Hello? 987 00:53:26,239 --> 00:53:28,280 Speaker 3: Who is this Is this a prank? 988 00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:28,560 Speaker 8: Call? 989 00:53:29,120 --> 00:53:30,840 Speaker 2: Wow? My baby? 990 00:53:32,320 --> 00:53:34,200 Speaker 3: You said a scene did it? 991 00:53:34,400 --> 00:53:34,759 Speaker 2: It's me? 992 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:36,320 Speaker 5: I'm the problem. 993 00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:39,120 Speaker 3: You immediately accept responsibility. 994 00:53:39,800 --> 00:53:41,880 Speaker 5: It's all on me. I'll take it. 995 00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:46,760 Speaker 3: We're still middle of the quote. So it's really important 996 00:53:46,800 --> 00:53:49,880 Speaker 3: to have law enforcement officers out there who are willing 997 00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:54,479 Speaker 3: to take the time to try to solve wildlife crime end. 998 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:56,560 Speaker 2: Quote is it hot too? Like, what's the deal? 999 00:53:56,680 --> 00:53:58,439 Speaker 3: We'll take it. Well, we're gonna look at him one 1000 00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:01,840 Speaker 3: second and one second. So Ed got into this game 1001 00:54:01,960 --> 00:54:04,600 Speaker 3: because he thought it he'd be investigating the poaching of 1002 00:54:04,640 --> 00:54:08,680 Speaker 3: big exotic animals like, of course, bears or elephants or 1003 00:54:08,719 --> 00:54:13,040 Speaker 3: jungle cats. He never knew there was a market for 1004 00:54:13,120 --> 00:54:16,080 Speaker 3: dead butterflies, but it turns out that there is, and 1005 00:54:16,160 --> 00:54:21,160 Speaker 3: it's a huge trade rare, pinned and mounted butterflies, including 1006 00:54:21,360 --> 00:54:27,080 Speaker 3: endangered and protected ones. Those trade for small fortunes in 1007 00:54:27,640 --> 00:54:31,440 Speaker 3: that quaint little corner of the black market. So Special 1008 00:54:31,480 --> 00:54:34,040 Speaker 3: Agent Newcomer has gotten a tip that one of the 1009 00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:39,920 Speaker 3: world's most notorious butterfly dealers, the quote Indiana Jones of butterflies. 1010 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:43,280 Speaker 2: Come on. He gave that to himself for sure. 1011 00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:49,239 Speaker 3: You know, the whole butterfly community they got together on 1012 00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:52,520 Speaker 3: a conference call and they said, we're naming this motherfucker 1013 00:54:54,120 --> 00:54:56,840 Speaker 3: that Indiana Jones of Butterflies has a booth at the 1014 00:54:56,880 --> 00:55:00,359 Speaker 3: Bugfair this year, and along with the legal specimen that 1015 00:55:00,400 --> 00:55:04,160 Speaker 3: he will have on sale, there may be some illegal 1016 00:55:04,239 --> 00:55:09,800 Speaker 3: insect contraband available for his most trusted patrons. For years, 1017 00:55:09,920 --> 00:55:13,000 Speaker 3: this smuggler has evaded authorities in the illegal bug and 1018 00:55:13,040 --> 00:55:17,000 Speaker 3: insect trade. But now Special Agent Newcomer is on the case, 1019 00:55:17,320 --> 00:55:21,680 Speaker 3: and he's determined to bring this entire, dirty, yet incandescently 1020 00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:29,080 Speaker 3: beautiful enterprise down town to China Town. This is the 1021 00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:34,279 Speaker 3: story of Special Agent Ed Newcomer's investigation into butterfly trafficker 1022 00:55:34,800 --> 00:55:36,239 Speaker 3: Yoshi Kojima. 1023 00:55:36,880 --> 00:55:39,839 Speaker 2: Whoa so this. 1024 00:55:39,960 --> 00:55:43,239 Speaker 3: Main sources used in this story today are the book 1025 00:55:43,320 --> 00:55:47,800 Speaker 3: Winged Obsession, The Pursuit of the World's most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler. 1026 00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:51,239 Speaker 2: Oh, a whole book by Jessica Speirt Great, she. 1027 00:55:51,200 --> 00:55:55,200 Speaker 3: Wrote a whole book on it. Also episode three oh 1028 00:55:55,360 --> 00:56:02,600 Speaker 3: five of My favorite podcast Criminal entitled The Butterfly Smuggler, 1029 00:56:03,120 --> 00:56:07,320 Speaker 3: and Ed Newcomer's own podcast series. Special Agent Ed Newcomber 1030 00:56:07,360 --> 00:56:10,040 Speaker 3: has a podcast and it's called Nature's Secret Service. 1031 00:56:11,640 --> 00:56:16,120 Speaker 2: Okay, everyone's got a podcast these days, the Nature Guy. 1032 00:56:16,239 --> 00:56:19,399 Speaker 3: And they were like, oh oh yeah, and this one 1033 00:56:19,400 --> 00:56:23,160 Speaker 3: big butterfly has a podcast too, so please listen to 1034 00:56:23,200 --> 00:56:27,799 Speaker 3: her side of the story. Okay, so we're back at 1035 00:56:27,800 --> 00:56:32,480 Speaker 3: the seventeenth the annual bugfairgent. Special Agent Newcomer is not 1036 00:56:32,719 --> 00:56:34,560 Speaker 3: just on the case. First of all, he's a rookie. 1037 00:56:34,560 --> 00:56:37,160 Speaker 3: This is is the first case, so it's his name 1038 00:56:37,200 --> 00:56:43,040 Speaker 3: is literal. He's a newcomer. He's not just on the case. 1039 00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:48,040 Speaker 3: He's working. He's in sorry left the page. 1040 00:56:48,760 --> 00:56:49,240 Speaker 2: Undercover. 1041 00:56:49,560 --> 00:56:53,000 Speaker 3: Yes, he's undercover, Thank you so much. God damn it. 1042 00:56:52,960 --> 00:56:54,480 Speaker 2: I can't believe I got that. I was. 1043 00:56:54,600 --> 00:56:56,880 Speaker 3: I just wanted to say in disguise so badly, and 1044 00:56:56,920 --> 00:56:59,160 Speaker 3: I'm like, that's not the correct term for the poet. 1045 00:56:59,320 --> 00:57:00,120 Speaker 5: Trench coat. 1046 00:57:02,200 --> 00:57:04,560 Speaker 3: Got a weird metal arm that comes out and grabs 1047 00:57:04,600 --> 00:57:05,919 Speaker 3: a bug, takes it back. 1048 00:57:06,320 --> 00:57:11,040 Speaker 2: Inspector gadget, the inspector gadget of the butterfly world. 1049 00:57:12,520 --> 00:57:17,680 Speaker 3: So so Ed is there to get eyes on fifty 1050 00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:21,640 Speaker 3: three year old Yoshi Kojuma. But he is not working alone. 1051 00:57:21,760 --> 00:57:24,760 Speaker 3: He also has a wired informant in the crowd today, 1052 00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:28,760 Speaker 3: who Ed hopes will catch Yoshi's saying something damning on tape. 1053 00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:32,960 Speaker 3: The US Fish and Wildlife Agency has had Yoshi on 1054 00:57:33,040 --> 00:57:35,880 Speaker 3: their radar for years, so Ed already knows a little 1055 00:57:35,880 --> 00:57:38,480 Speaker 3: bit about him. He knows Yoshi has homes in both 1056 00:57:38,600 --> 00:57:41,840 Speaker 3: Kyoto and Los Angeles. He's always traveling back and forth 1057 00:57:41,880 --> 00:57:44,360 Speaker 3: between them. He knows that in the decade or so 1058 00:57:44,400 --> 00:57:47,320 Speaker 3: that Yoshi's been legally active in this trade. He has 1059 00:57:47,360 --> 00:57:52,560 Speaker 3: also been suspected of some very unethical and outright illegal practices. 1060 00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:58,080 Speaker 3: For example, it's believed that Yoshi harvested butterfly species in 1061 00:57:58,160 --> 00:58:03,600 Speaker 3: such huge numbers in the Sierra Nevada Mountains that experts 1062 00:58:03,600 --> 00:58:08,280 Speaker 3: were afraid entire local populations of butterflies were wiped out. 1063 00:58:08,440 --> 00:58:11,760 Speaker 5: Dude, yeah wow, but he. 1064 00:58:11,800 --> 00:58:15,280 Speaker 3: Just loved them so much. How big is that net? 1065 00:58:15,440 --> 00:58:15,880 Speaker 2: For real? 1066 00:58:17,120 --> 00:58:20,880 Speaker 3: He's also suspected of targeting very rare protected butterflies in 1067 00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:24,120 Speaker 3: national parks around the US, but there's never been a 1068 00:58:24,160 --> 00:58:27,520 Speaker 3: serious enough investigation to lead into any to lead to 1069 00:58:27,560 --> 00:58:30,640 Speaker 3: any criminal charges for it. But that's all going to 1070 00:58:30,760 --> 00:58:33,080 Speaker 3: change at the two thousand and three bug fair? 1071 00:58:34,920 --> 00:58:36,400 Speaker 5: Right, what a fun job? 1072 00:58:36,720 --> 00:58:36,760 Speaker 4: Like? 1073 00:58:36,800 --> 00:58:38,400 Speaker 2: Why didn't they tell you out of high school that 1074 00:58:38,440 --> 00:58:40,880 Speaker 2: you could walk around a bug fair in disguise as 1075 00:58:40,920 --> 00:58:43,960 Speaker 2: your job? Like I maybe would have gone to college, yes. 1076 00:58:44,480 --> 00:58:48,040 Speaker 3: Instead of just oh, study homework, no science, it's like 1077 00:58:48,160 --> 00:58:49,840 Speaker 3: no communications. 1078 00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:52,800 Speaker 5: No, I would not think find a bug fief? 1079 00:58:52,920 --> 00:58:57,800 Speaker 3: How about bug disguises? How about the real shit? How 1080 00:58:57,840 --> 00:59:00,360 Speaker 3: about wired informants? Or the first time I've that I 1081 00:59:00,400 --> 00:59:03,200 Speaker 3: was like, was that wired informant like you're just a 1082 00:59:03,400 --> 00:59:06,320 Speaker 3: very curious second grader. That was like what kind of 1083 00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:09,640 Speaker 3: infect do you have? And it's like, got you, motherfucker. 1084 00:59:11,760 --> 00:59:18,040 Speaker 3: We'll get to that part, okay. So Special Agent Newcomer 1085 00:59:18,120 --> 00:59:22,400 Speaker 3: will later be quoted as saying, quote, when you arrest 1086 00:59:22,440 --> 00:59:24,720 Speaker 3: these people and they end up in front of a judge, 1087 00:59:24,920 --> 00:59:27,360 Speaker 3: they tell the judge I'm an animal lover. I just 1088 00:59:27,400 --> 00:59:30,800 Speaker 3: got a little carried away and nothing pisses me off more. 1089 00:59:31,680 --> 00:59:34,160 Speaker 3: They are not animal lovers. They are either in it 1090 00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:36,240 Speaker 3: for the money or they're in it for the obsession 1091 00:59:36,280 --> 00:59:38,960 Speaker 3: of collecting and owning and having and controlling. 1092 00:59:39,160 --> 00:59:41,000 Speaker 2: Whoa and hard boiled. 1093 00:59:41,200 --> 00:59:47,840 Speaker 3: Yes, this is his first case and he's fucking had it. 1094 00:59:47,840 --> 00:59:51,280 Speaker 3: It's like you love a man with passion, but butterfly passion. 1095 00:59:51,400 --> 00:59:56,520 Speaker 3: Oh my god. So Special Agent Newcomer is strolling through 1096 00:59:56,520 --> 01:00:03,400 Speaker 3: the bug fare incognito with whistling real loud because this 1097 01:00:03,440 --> 01:00:06,720 Speaker 3: is his first case. He's wearing his dockers and his 1098 01:00:07,080 --> 01:00:11,120 Speaker 3: braided belt and a nice golf shirt. He's not a cop. 1099 01:00:11,280 --> 01:00:16,680 Speaker 3: He's not a cop. And then he finally gets oh, sorry, 1100 01:00:16,680 --> 01:00:18,880 Speaker 3: I think we have a picture of ed newcomers, don't 1101 01:00:18,880 --> 01:00:22,960 Speaker 3: we eat oh. 1102 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:23,320 Speaker 2: Yes, what a hero. 1103 01:00:23,880 --> 01:00:28,560 Speaker 3: Right, and then Ed finally gets a visual of his target. 1104 01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:32,080 Speaker 3: It's Yoshi. He's at his booth and Ed doesn't think 1105 01:00:32,120 --> 01:00:36,240 Speaker 3: he looks particularly criminal, No, he doesn't. He's a dad. 1106 01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:39,200 Speaker 2: He's got a dad hat on Hawaiian shirt. 1107 01:00:39,320 --> 01:00:40,720 Speaker 3: He's just kind of a party dad. 1108 01:00:41,040 --> 01:00:45,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, with a couple of bugs. He loves bugs. It's 1109 01:00:45,560 --> 01:00:47,640 Speaker 2: all above table about the table, the. 1110 01:00:48,200 --> 01:00:53,200 Speaker 3: Above, a very very low table. Okay, So he gets 1111 01:00:53,200 --> 01:00:56,360 Speaker 3: his he sees, he puts eyes on, he realizes who 1112 01:00:56,400 --> 01:00:58,480 Speaker 3: he's dealing with. What are you laughing about? 1113 01:00:58,640 --> 01:00:59,320 Speaker 5: Puts eyes on? 1114 01:01:01,280 --> 01:01:09,520 Speaker 3: Does anyone have eyes on? So, As author Jessica Spiart reports, 1115 01:01:09,600 --> 01:01:14,440 Speaker 3: Yohi's staple outfit consists of a fanny pack, loose khaki pants, 1116 01:01:14,520 --> 01:01:18,080 Speaker 3: and either a Hawaiian shirt or a polo shirt. And 1117 01:01:18,120 --> 01:01:24,440 Speaker 3: this is this specifically usually stained out shut out shut. 1118 01:01:24,800 --> 01:01:26,880 Speaker 2: I mean that I would be like, that's a cop, 1119 01:01:27,320 --> 01:01:30,920 Speaker 2: for sure, you know, dressing like a cop a art. 1120 01:01:31,160 --> 01:01:33,280 Speaker 3: But also it's just so rough for your like known 1121 01:01:33,320 --> 01:01:37,160 Speaker 3: outfit to include the staining. It's just like she usually 1122 01:01:37,200 --> 01:01:39,560 Speaker 3: wore a black pants, black shirt, and a ton of 1123 01:01:39,600 --> 01:01:42,480 Speaker 3: white dog hair. Just like you didn't have to say 1124 01:01:42,520 --> 01:01:45,000 Speaker 3: the last part about me. You didn't have to say it. 1125 01:01:46,040 --> 01:01:50,400 Speaker 3: God damn it. She's always asking for a lip roller 1126 01:01:50,480 --> 01:01:51,200 Speaker 3: for some reason. 1127 01:01:51,360 --> 01:01:52,840 Speaker 2: It's a subtle dig, for sure. 1128 01:01:52,960 --> 01:01:59,720 Speaker 3: It hurts, just like a stain. So Special Agent Newcomer 1129 01:01:59,720 --> 01:02:02,000 Speaker 3: has a visual on the enemy. He keeps his distance. 1130 01:02:02,040 --> 01:02:04,600 Speaker 3: He plays a cool on the sidelines, but he watches 1131 01:02:04,640 --> 01:02:09,760 Speaker 3: intently as his informant approaches Yoshi's booth. Heym my thirt. 1132 01:02:11,680 --> 01:02:13,400 Speaker 5: Also, how subtle is this intent? 1133 01:02:13,520 --> 01:02:13,840 Speaker 2: Watch? 1134 01:02:13,920 --> 01:02:16,040 Speaker 5: Because I bet he's not good yet at it. 1135 01:02:16,280 --> 01:02:19,080 Speaker 3: Just like pacing back and for it, rubbing his chin. 1136 01:02:19,800 --> 01:02:22,200 Speaker 2: The only guy sweating at the bugfair. 1137 01:02:22,720 --> 01:02:25,600 Speaker 3: I just love bugs. Sorry, dude, I just love bugs. 1138 01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:30,320 Speaker 3: So Ed will say about the informant. I saw him 1139 01:02:30,360 --> 01:02:32,400 Speaker 3: go talk to Yoshi a few times, but every time 1140 01:02:32,440 --> 01:02:34,680 Speaker 3: I would check in with the informant, he would say 1141 01:02:34,880 --> 01:02:37,000 Speaker 3: he won't talk to me. He won't talk to me, 1142 01:02:37,320 --> 01:02:40,200 Speaker 3: He just won't say anything. And then the informant just 1143 01:02:40,240 --> 01:02:43,400 Speaker 3: got more and more jittery. It definitely was not going well. 1144 01:02:43,440 --> 01:02:45,680 Speaker 3: So I decided, what the hell, I'm going to go 1145 01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:50,320 Speaker 3: talk to this guy. So Special Agent is like out 1146 01:02:50,360 --> 01:02:52,640 Speaker 3: of my way, eight year old, I'm going to take 1147 01:02:52,680 --> 01:02:57,320 Speaker 3: care of this So Newcomer isn't exactly prepared for this moment. 1148 01:02:57,480 --> 01:02:59,640 Speaker 3: He's new to the case, he hasn't had the opportunity 1149 01:02:59,680 --> 01:03:02,920 Speaker 3: to learn much about butterflies, but he's quick on his feet. 1150 01:03:03,560 --> 01:03:06,640 Speaker 3: He strolls up to the booth and introduces himself as 1151 01:03:07,000 --> 01:03:13,280 Speaker 3: Ted Nelson. Okay, yes, someone's been taking UCB classes, Ted Nelson, 1152 01:03:13,320 --> 01:03:18,400 Speaker 3: you say? He then says he's a recently retired businessman 1153 01:03:18,720 --> 01:03:20,920 Speaker 3: who sold off his father's company and now has some 1154 01:03:20,960 --> 01:03:24,040 Speaker 3: money to burn, and he has a new fascination with 1155 01:03:24,240 --> 01:03:27,960 Speaker 3: rare insects, you know, that casual conversation you make at 1156 01:03:27,960 --> 01:03:33,560 Speaker 3: the bugfair Ed looks through Yoshi's display cases, all legal 1157 01:03:33,640 --> 01:03:38,120 Speaker 3: insects that are there to buy and sell. He pretends 1158 01:03:38,160 --> 01:03:42,080 Speaker 3: to be amazed, and this feeds Yoshi's egos so well 1159 01:03:42,280 --> 01:03:45,920 Speaker 3: that he can't help but show Ted Nelson something that 1160 01:03:46,000 --> 01:03:48,920 Speaker 3: he's been keeping in the back, so to speak. 1161 01:03:48,920 --> 01:03:49,400 Speaker 2: It is a. 1162 01:03:49,560 --> 01:03:57,120 Speaker 3: Massive since six inch horned dynasty beetle living a living 1163 01:03:57,200 --> 01:04:02,960 Speaker 3: look at it. Look at it, also known as the 1164 01:04:03,040 --> 01:04:04,160 Speaker 3: rhinoceros beetle. 1165 01:04:07,040 --> 01:04:09,720 Speaker 2: So what if that was on your shoulder and you 1166 01:04:09,760 --> 01:04:13,200 Speaker 2: looked over, you'd be like, what is it? 1167 01:04:13,240 --> 01:04:17,520 Speaker 3: What do you have to tell me? So because it's 1168 01:04:17,560 --> 01:04:19,400 Speaker 3: it said Marion rode in here that this was a 1169 01:04:19,840 --> 01:04:23,800 Speaker 3: six inch beetle. I immediately turned and googled what is six 1170 01:04:23,880 --> 01:04:24,640 Speaker 3: inches long? 1171 01:04:25,760 --> 01:04:29,040 Speaker 2: Okay, it's not a dick joke. 1172 01:04:29,360 --> 01:04:35,919 Speaker 3: It's so blame of you and cheap of you. It's 1173 01:04:35,960 --> 01:04:44,240 Speaker 3: not the first thing that came up in AI. We're fucked. 1174 01:04:44,360 --> 01:04:47,280 Speaker 3: I mean, we're fucked beyond belief. I don't have to 1175 01:04:47,280 --> 01:04:51,600 Speaker 3: tell you guys that this is instead of a dick joke, 1176 01:04:51,680 --> 01:04:54,200 Speaker 3: it's just about how fucked we are with AI. Because 1177 01:04:54,240 --> 01:04:57,520 Speaker 3: here's what the AI answer I got. There's a quad 1178 01:04:57,600 --> 01:05:01,360 Speaker 3: of like four pictures that's say, common things that are 1179 01:05:01,400 --> 01:05:04,800 Speaker 3: sink six inches long, and no joke. The first picture 1180 01:05:05,000 --> 01:05:09,600 Speaker 3: is a baseball. It's a base ball. It's a base ball. 1181 01:05:09,840 --> 01:05:10,600 Speaker 5: That's not right. 1182 01:05:11,040 --> 01:05:18,840 Speaker 3: That's the first fucking picture, an American base ball. And 1183 01:05:18,880 --> 01:05:22,320 Speaker 3: then it says under that quote, items around six inches 1184 01:05:22,360 --> 01:05:27,440 Speaker 3: long include the width of a dollar bill. The width 1185 01:05:27,440 --> 01:05:32,080 Speaker 3: of a dollar bill. There are companies using AI to 1186 01:05:32,480 --> 01:05:36,920 Speaker 3: build things like airplanes and rockets and engines and shit 1187 01:05:37,080 --> 01:05:43,680 Speaker 3: like that. The width of a dollar bill is six inches. 1188 01:05:45,400 --> 01:05:49,000 Speaker 2: Even we know that's not right, and we didn't go 1189 01:05:49,040 --> 01:05:49,520 Speaker 2: to college. 1190 01:05:49,600 --> 01:05:56,400 Speaker 3: Even math dipshits like ourselves. It literally says the width 1191 01:05:56,440 --> 01:06:02,280 Speaker 3: of a dollar bill, some pens, certain chefs noves, and 1192 01:06:02,400 --> 01:06:06,240 Speaker 3: half a standard twelve inch ruler. Thanks so much, thank you, 1193 01:06:07,320 --> 01:06:07,640 Speaker 3: thank you. 1194 01:06:08,320 --> 01:06:08,640 Speaker 4: Wow. 1195 01:06:08,920 --> 01:06:12,240 Speaker 3: Great, Now I know exactly what I'm dealing with. 1196 01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:16,600 Speaker 2: That was just rude. 1197 01:06:16,640 --> 01:06:17,280 Speaker 3: A baseball. 1198 01:06:19,120 --> 01:06:22,600 Speaker 2: Some chef nights to give you a six inch chef night, yes, 1199 01:06:23,040 --> 01:06:24,440 Speaker 2: not some. 1200 01:06:23,920 --> 01:06:31,680 Speaker 3: Some too bad. There's ones that are this long, some pens, 1201 01:06:31,720 --> 01:06:33,680 Speaker 3: but not those ones you get when you're a tourist 1202 01:06:33,720 --> 01:06:35,920 Speaker 3: that have they're real long because you went to New 1203 01:06:36,000 --> 01:06:37,600 Speaker 3: York City, the Big Apple. 1204 01:06:37,360 --> 01:06:39,240 Speaker 2: And turn it upside down and she's naked. 1205 01:06:40,920 --> 01:06:45,360 Speaker 3: Right, there's your six inches right there. You made me 1206 01:06:45,440 --> 01:06:48,960 Speaker 3: do that. You forced me to do it. I don't 1207 01:06:48,960 --> 01:06:53,360 Speaker 3: want to work blue, you want me to. Okay, We're 1208 01:06:53,360 --> 01:06:57,480 Speaker 3: done with that part. Never forget the six inch rhinoceros. 1209 01:06:57,920 --> 01:06:59,520 Speaker 2: Never will, okay. 1210 01:06:59,640 --> 01:07:04,280 Speaker 3: So, especially Agia Newcomer, suspects that this dollar bill wide 1211 01:07:04,280 --> 01:07:08,960 Speaker 3: beetle was smuggled into the US from its native South America, 1212 01:07:09,000 --> 01:07:12,360 Speaker 3: almost certainly without the necessary permits. But that's a minor 1213 01:07:12,440 --> 01:07:16,040 Speaker 3: violation of US Department of Agriculture rules. So ED doesn't 1214 01:07:16,040 --> 01:07:18,400 Speaker 3: think that that will be enough to take down a 1215 01:07:18,440 --> 01:07:21,320 Speaker 3: smuggler on the level of Yoshi, who is rumored to 1216 01:07:21,320 --> 01:07:24,760 Speaker 3: trade in much much rarer, more highly protected specimens. But 1217 01:07:24,920 --> 01:07:28,840 Speaker 3: Yoshi's showing Ed this beetle is huge for this investigation 1218 01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:32,560 Speaker 3: because it shows that that Yoshi has now made a 1219 01:07:32,600 --> 01:07:39,320 Speaker 3: connection with aspiring collector Ted Nelson. So so Ted Nelson 1220 01:07:39,320 --> 01:07:42,320 Speaker 3: thinks Yoshi for his time, does a casual loop around 1221 01:07:42,360 --> 01:07:48,280 Speaker 3: the bugfair do do do, and then when it's almost 1222 01:07:48,320 --> 01:07:51,840 Speaker 3: closing time, circles back to Yoshi's booth, only to find 1223 01:07:51,920 --> 01:07:54,720 Speaker 3: Yoshi waiting there with a box which he presents to 1224 01:07:54,840 --> 01:07:59,120 Speaker 3: his new friend Ted Nelson, and inside there are thirteen 1225 01:07:59,320 --> 01:08:03,880 Speaker 3: dead pins and mounted butterflies, which Yoshi says are to quote, 1226 01:08:04,160 --> 01:08:06,960 Speaker 3: start your collection. Whoa there you go. 1227 01:08:07,160 --> 01:08:10,320 Speaker 2: That's so insulting to do that in a natural history museum, 1228 01:08:10,480 --> 01:08:12,880 Speaker 2: like go to a cafe. You know what I mean? 1229 01:08:13,200 --> 01:08:14,640 Speaker 2: It's like double bad. 1230 01:08:14,800 --> 01:08:19,679 Speaker 3: Yes, it's pretty shitty. So now special Agent Newcomer knows 1231 01:08:19,720 --> 01:08:22,280 Speaker 3: for sure he has made a connection. And even better, 1232 01:08:22,720 --> 01:08:26,280 Speaker 3: Yoshi wrote his email address inside that box, and so 1233 01:08:26,760 --> 01:08:28,760 Speaker 3: Ed now has a direct line to him to one 1234 01:08:28,760 --> 01:08:31,840 Speaker 3: of the biggest insects smugglers that they know about. So 1235 01:08:33,479 --> 01:08:36,200 Speaker 3: Ed still plays a cool he doesn't reach out to 1236 01:08:36,280 --> 01:08:37,040 Speaker 3: Yoshi right away. 1237 01:08:37,120 --> 01:08:39,080 Speaker 2: Oh right, yeah, yeah, that's how you do it. 1238 01:08:39,439 --> 01:08:41,920 Speaker 3: You have to wait five days. 1239 01:08:41,280 --> 01:08:42,640 Speaker 2: Five I don't know. 1240 01:08:44,840 --> 01:08:49,320 Speaker 3: In smuggling, you have to wait for the quarantine. 1241 01:08:49,760 --> 01:08:50,080 Speaker 5: Okay. 1242 01:08:50,120 --> 01:08:52,320 Speaker 3: So then he doesn't reach out to him right away. 1243 01:08:52,360 --> 01:08:55,840 Speaker 3: He goes and listens to the recordings that the informant captured, 1244 01:08:56,360 --> 01:09:00,400 Speaker 3: and in them, Yoshi isn't revealing much, although there is 1245 01:09:00,479 --> 01:09:04,280 Speaker 3: one bombshell. Ed listens as Yoshi brags about how at 1246 01:09:04,320 --> 01:09:07,680 Speaker 3: the airport he pretends to work for National Geographic and 1247 01:09:07,720 --> 01:09:11,480 Speaker 3: tells customs agents that he provides bugs for their documentaries 1248 01:09:12,000 --> 01:09:16,120 Speaker 3: and they're all cast. It's like I had auditions. This 1249 01:09:16,280 --> 01:09:23,840 Speaker 3: rhinoceros feedle was incredible. Really got that it factor, Yoshi says, 1250 01:09:23,920 --> 01:09:26,160 Speaker 3: tells the informant this lie works like a charm, and 1251 01:09:26,200 --> 01:09:29,519 Speaker 3: the airport officials usually let him go without scrutinizing his collection. 1252 01:09:29,960 --> 01:09:33,519 Speaker 3: And then he also brags about out smarting US fish 1253 01:09:33,680 --> 01:09:38,519 Speaker 3: and wildlife investigators. And that's the part where Special Agent 1254 01:09:38,560 --> 01:09:42,320 Speaker 3: Newcomer just slides his headphones off and he eds hails, 1255 01:09:42,320 --> 01:09:47,680 Speaker 3: and then he goes, now it's personal. This is for 1256 01:09:47,840 --> 01:09:53,559 Speaker 3: my movie, Special Agent Ed Newcomer. Nobody gets to steal it. Okay. 1257 01:09:55,280 --> 01:09:57,680 Speaker 3: So he sits tight for about a week and then, 1258 01:09:57,840 --> 01:10:00,799 Speaker 3: acting as Ted Nelson, he sends Yoshi and email asking 1259 01:10:00,840 --> 01:10:03,439 Speaker 3: for help identifying some of the butterflies. Yo she gave 1260 01:10:03,479 --> 01:10:07,559 Speaker 3: him as a gift. The men exchange some emails. They 1261 01:10:07,720 --> 01:10:10,360 Speaker 3: then they talk on the phone, and then Yoshi sets 1262 01:10:10,439 --> 01:10:12,800 Speaker 3: up an in person meeting at the Starbucks near the 1263 01:10:12,840 --> 01:10:15,720 Speaker 3: intersection of Venice and Robertson in Los Angeles. 1264 01:10:15,760 --> 01:10:18,080 Speaker 2: They took my advice and went to a cafe. It's 1265 01:10:18,120 --> 01:10:18,880 Speaker 2: really sweirt. 1266 01:10:19,800 --> 01:10:21,800 Speaker 3: They literally what if this whole thing is just turns 1267 01:10:21,840 --> 01:10:24,479 Speaker 3: into you dictating what the story is. This is the 1268 01:10:24,520 --> 01:10:31,640 Speaker 3: newest version of AI. It's called self podcasting. So this 1269 01:10:31,760 --> 01:10:34,599 Speaker 3: is that Starbucks on Venice and Robertson that has very 1270 01:10:35,000 --> 01:10:38,080 Speaker 3: little parking. It's almost like a trader Joe's in that way. 1271 01:10:38,160 --> 01:10:38,479 Speaker 2: M hm. 1272 01:10:39,479 --> 01:10:40,760 Speaker 3: The vibe is off there. 1273 01:10:41,360 --> 01:10:41,679 Speaker 2: Okay. 1274 01:10:43,040 --> 01:10:46,639 Speaker 3: So Ed it is incredibly nervous for this meeting because 1275 01:10:47,640 --> 01:10:50,919 Speaker 3: he's wearing a wire this time, and he's doing everything 1276 01:10:51,000 --> 01:10:54,240 Speaker 3: that he can not to blow his cover. He needs 1277 01:10:54,280 --> 01:10:56,439 Speaker 3: to say all the right things that Ted Nelson would 1278 01:10:56,479 --> 01:11:02,040 Speaker 3: say while simultaneously pushing for you know, more information and 1279 01:11:02,120 --> 01:11:06,400 Speaker 3: incriminating information, but not so hard that Yoshi would become suspicious. 1280 01:11:07,400 --> 01:11:10,840 Speaker 3: But Yoshi immediately starts asking a ton of questions, and 1281 01:11:10,880 --> 01:11:14,360 Speaker 3: they're really prying questions, and they seem to be geared 1282 01:11:14,360 --> 01:11:16,920 Speaker 3: at suessing out whether or not Ted Nelson. 1283 01:11:16,760 --> 01:11:17,400 Speaker 2: Is a cop. 1284 01:11:18,800 --> 01:11:22,080 Speaker 3: ED has prepared for this though. He's got his full 1285 01:11:22,160 --> 01:11:25,880 Speaker 3: Ted Nelson backstory memorized, and he even has a Ted 1286 01:11:25,960 --> 01:11:29,760 Speaker 3: Nelson Costco card in his wallet just in case anybody 1287 01:11:29,800 --> 01:11:34,400 Speaker 3: looks in there. You gotta get the Costco card you 1288 01:11:34,439 --> 01:11:37,720 Speaker 3: want to prove something. Yeah, I actually have done that 1289 01:11:37,800 --> 01:11:40,000 Speaker 3: though when you like, I don't have my license, oh, 1290 01:11:40,600 --> 01:11:44,080 Speaker 3: just like, well, I do have this Costco card. I'm 1291 01:11:44,080 --> 01:11:47,720 Speaker 3: a Bold member. Will that get me through security? 1292 01:11:48,600 --> 01:11:48,960 Speaker 2: Okay? 1293 01:11:50,120 --> 01:11:55,240 Speaker 3: So ED newcomer will later say about this meetup quote, 1294 01:11:55,640 --> 01:11:57,560 Speaker 3: I was sweating like crazy. 1295 01:11:58,120 --> 01:11:58,679 Speaker 2: Real chill. 1296 01:11:59,160 --> 01:12:01,160 Speaker 5: That's the thing you don't want to do is sweat like. 1297 01:12:01,120 --> 01:12:02,759 Speaker 3: Crazy sweat while wearing a wire. 1298 01:12:02,880 --> 01:12:03,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. 1299 01:12:03,320 --> 01:12:07,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, But in the end, Yoshi seems to buy that 1300 01:12:07,240 --> 01:12:09,120 Speaker 3: was the whole quote. By the way, I just thought 1301 01:12:09,160 --> 01:12:11,040 Speaker 3: that was good to put that in there. In the end, 1302 01:12:11,120 --> 01:12:15,320 Speaker 3: Yoshi seems to buy Ted Nelson's whole story and offers 1303 01:12:15,360 --> 01:12:18,840 Speaker 3: to teach him all about identifying, mounting and collecting rare 1304 01:12:18,880 --> 01:12:22,479 Speaker 3: butterflies so that the two of them can get into 1305 01:12:22,560 --> 01:12:27,439 Speaker 3: business together. It's a lucrative business. Yoshi claims that he 1306 01:12:27,600 --> 01:12:32,799 Speaker 3: nets anywhere between eight hundred and ten thousand dollars per butterfly, 1307 01:12:33,040 --> 01:12:38,360 Speaker 3: depending on how rare they are. Damn yes, so Ed 1308 01:12:38,439 --> 01:12:42,040 Speaker 3: suspects Yoshi sees his new friend Ted Nelson as a 1309 01:12:42,160 --> 01:12:46,680 Speaker 3: useful fall guy in this very high stakes game of 1310 01:12:46,800 --> 01:12:51,080 Speaker 3: illegal insect trading. So basically, because the two men come 1311 01:12:51,120 --> 01:12:54,040 Speaker 3: up with this arrangement where Ted will post bugs and 1312 01:12:54,080 --> 01:12:57,200 Speaker 3: butterflies for sale on eBay and Yoshi will act as 1313 01:12:57,200 --> 01:13:00,719 Speaker 3: the supplier, which also enables Yoshi to keep his hands clean, 1314 01:13:00,960 --> 01:13:04,760 Speaker 3: and it'll all go on Ted if the ship goes down. 1315 01:13:06,600 --> 01:13:10,120 Speaker 3: So Ed tries to cement this relationship, but it's clear 1316 01:13:10,200 --> 01:13:14,160 Speaker 3: that Yoshi's trust is fragile because in one of their 1317 01:13:14,160 --> 01:13:17,640 Speaker 3: earlier meetings, Yoshi walks Ted out to his car, but 1318 01:13:17,720 --> 01:13:20,559 Speaker 3: then circles the car completely, looking into the windows and 1319 01:13:20,640 --> 01:13:23,840 Speaker 3: checking the license plate and even examining the front grill. 1320 01:13:23,960 --> 01:13:25,920 Speaker 2: Well, it's not going to say his real name on it. 1321 01:13:26,080 --> 01:13:27,880 Speaker 3: I was like, what if it's down here? 1322 01:13:28,080 --> 01:13:30,559 Speaker 5: Yeah, where do you put your name on your car? 1323 01:13:31,439 --> 01:13:35,080 Speaker 3: Way down under the front that's right. Yeah, just put 1324 01:13:35,120 --> 01:13:40,679 Speaker 3: my initials up under there. Uh so, Ed remembers quote, 1325 01:13:41,960 --> 01:13:43,840 Speaker 3: it would have been very unnatural for me not to 1326 01:13:43,920 --> 01:13:47,599 Speaker 3: have been like, what the hell are you doing? That's 1327 01:13:47,640 --> 01:13:49,680 Speaker 3: the whole quote. I did it again. Sorry that was 1328 01:13:49,720 --> 01:13:53,720 Speaker 3: too short. Sorry. So he asks Yoshi what's going on. 1329 01:13:53,800 --> 01:13:56,760 Speaker 3: Yoshi says he's looking for cameras, a police gun, or 1330 01:13:56,840 --> 01:14:00,600 Speaker 3: any other sign that Ted Nelson is working undercover. Ed 1331 01:14:00,680 --> 01:14:04,120 Speaker 3: laughs it off, but he can't deny that Yoshi is 1332 01:14:04,280 --> 01:14:08,479 Speaker 3: clearly a serious dealer. So soon after this, Yoshi returns 1333 01:14:08,479 --> 01:14:13,880 Speaker 3: to Japan. But he calls emails and skypes because it's 1334 01:14:13,920 --> 01:14:17,559 Speaker 3: two thousand and three with Ted Nelson regularly, and on 1335 01:14:17,720 --> 01:14:23,080 Speaker 3: these calls he feeds Ed's ongoing investigation by bragging about 1336 01:14:23,400 --> 01:14:26,559 Speaker 3: carrying an American passport under a name that's not his own. 1337 01:14:27,479 --> 01:14:30,280 Speaker 3: He's just chit chatting and incriminating the fuck out of 1338 01:14:30,360 --> 01:14:34,559 Speaker 3: himself left and right. He shares details on how he 1339 01:14:34,640 --> 01:14:38,280 Speaker 3: actually ships his butterflies to buyers, and he even boasts 1340 01:14:38,280 --> 01:14:40,519 Speaker 3: about how he has a network of collectors all around 1341 01:14:40,520 --> 01:14:44,120 Speaker 3: the world to capture specimens locally and send them to him. 1342 01:14:44,320 --> 01:14:46,360 Speaker 5: Dude, keep your mouth shut. 1343 01:14:46,439 --> 01:14:49,200 Speaker 3: No, he can't just like that. He's just he's having 1344 01:14:49,200 --> 01:14:52,479 Speaker 3: a great time. He even shares tips with Ted Nelson 1345 01:14:52,560 --> 01:14:55,479 Speaker 3: on how to avoid getting nabbed by the US Fish 1346 01:14:55,560 --> 01:15:01,719 Speaker 3: and Wildlife agents. But months are going by and Yoshi 1347 01:15:01,760 --> 01:15:05,799 Speaker 3: hasn't sent ted any endangered butterflies, which means it doesn't 1348 01:15:05,800 --> 01:15:09,080 Speaker 3: have any kind of evidence or any of the evidence 1349 01:15:09,120 --> 01:15:11,759 Speaker 3: that he needs. So he tries to push things along 1350 01:15:11,880 --> 01:15:15,360 Speaker 3: and build goodwill by posting flattering comments about Yoshi on 1351 01:15:15,439 --> 01:15:20,320 Speaker 3: various bug trading websites, and Ed thinks this will make 1352 01:15:20,360 --> 01:15:25,800 Speaker 3: it look like this is good policing. Yeah, he'll make 1353 01:15:25,840 --> 01:15:28,880 Speaker 3: it look like he's helping out Yoshi's business, because then 1354 01:15:28,920 --> 01:15:32,120 Speaker 3: that'll be good for his business. But actually it backfires 1355 01:15:32,280 --> 01:15:35,719 Speaker 3: and Yoshi cuts Ted off because he thinks the attention 1356 01:15:35,880 --> 01:15:37,599 Speaker 3: is going to put the heat on both of them. 1357 01:15:37,520 --> 01:15:40,640 Speaker 5: Right, and then connect them online. 1358 01:15:40,280 --> 01:15:44,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, on bug websites on all those parts, literally only 1359 01:15:44,960 --> 01:15:47,599 Speaker 3: that eight year old infeman and four of his friends. 1360 01:15:49,040 --> 01:15:51,680 Speaker 3: So now Ed tries to real Yoshi back in by 1361 01:15:51,760 --> 01:15:54,879 Speaker 3: creating fake eBay listings and having his fish and Wildlife 1362 01:15:54,920 --> 01:15:58,160 Speaker 3: service colleagues bid on them, hoping Yoshi will feel like 1363 01:15:58,200 --> 01:16:00,720 Speaker 3: he's missing out on all the sales. Ted Nelson is 1364 01:16:00,760 --> 01:16:05,880 Speaker 3: doing solo. Okay, that's smart, right, Fomo. Not only does 1365 01:16:05,960 --> 01:16:08,280 Speaker 3: Yoshi take the bait, Oh, not only does Yoshi not 1366 01:16:08,360 --> 01:16:11,280 Speaker 3: take the bait. He sees Ted's listings as direct and 1367 01:16:11,360 --> 01:16:15,439 Speaker 3: hostile competition, and he gets so angry that he reports 1368 01:16:15,479 --> 01:16:19,000 Speaker 3: Ted Nelson as a potential smuggler to the US Fish 1369 01:16:19,080 --> 01:16:27,040 Speaker 3: and Wildlife Service. Wow, yep, sall one big circle. M 1370 01:16:28,080 --> 01:16:31,720 Speaker 3: So now special agent, newcomer who's become known around the 1371 01:16:31,760 --> 01:16:33,479 Speaker 3: office as the butterfly Agent. 1372 01:16:33,640 --> 01:16:35,519 Speaker 5: Oh so mad. 1373 01:16:35,560 --> 01:16:38,960 Speaker 3: Feels like his case is just imploded because, as anyone 1374 01:16:38,960 --> 01:16:41,800 Speaker 3: who deals in the illegal insect trade knows, many of 1375 01:16:41,880 --> 01:16:46,480 Speaker 3: us do, once someone gets reported to the US FAWS, 1376 01:16:46,800 --> 01:16:51,960 Speaker 3: I'm assuming that's the that's the initials. The assumption is 1377 01:16:52,000 --> 01:16:54,559 Speaker 3: that an agent will then reach out and either bust 1378 01:16:54,560 --> 01:16:57,679 Speaker 3: them or try to flip them as an informant, which 1379 01:16:57,720 --> 01:17:01,440 Speaker 3: means that the extremely cautious Yosh she won't come anywhere 1380 01:17:01,640 --> 01:17:03,960 Speaker 3: near his fake friend Ted Nelson. 1381 01:17:04,040 --> 01:17:05,320 Speaker 5: Now right, oops. 1382 01:17:05,560 --> 01:17:07,559 Speaker 3: So Ed's bummed, but he is not going to give 1383 01:17:07,640 --> 01:17:12,759 Speaker 3: up completely. Instead, he reluctantly sets this butterfly case aside 1384 01:17:12,880 --> 01:17:15,400 Speaker 3: and he takes on a new case. He grows a 1385 01:17:15,439 --> 01:17:18,880 Speaker 3: handlebar mustache, and he goes undercover as a guy that 1386 01:17:19,000 --> 01:17:27,240 Speaker 3: gambles with domesticated pigeons. What you gotta move on, You 1387 01:17:27,360 --> 01:17:28,080 Speaker 3: just gotta move on. 1388 01:17:28,240 --> 01:17:29,200 Speaker 5: Okay, hold on? 1389 01:17:29,640 --> 01:17:31,439 Speaker 2: Are the gamblers the pigeons? 1390 01:17:31,520 --> 01:17:31,680 Speaker 4: Yes? 1391 01:17:31,800 --> 01:17:34,280 Speaker 2: Are the pigeons? The monetary. 1392 01:17:36,080 --> 01:17:36,760 Speaker 3: Foxcars. 1393 01:17:36,880 --> 01:17:39,880 Speaker 2: Maybe a little hat on that. 1394 01:17:39,880 --> 01:17:44,839 Speaker 3: Was supposed to be a pigeon sound, but I got excited. Wow, 1395 01:17:45,160 --> 01:17:47,440 Speaker 3: gotta handlebar mustache. 1396 01:17:47,560 --> 01:17:49,920 Speaker 2: You gotta have the handlebar mustache to be believed in 1397 01:17:49,960 --> 01:17:50,679 Speaker 2: the pigeon game. 1398 01:17:50,880 --> 01:17:53,919 Speaker 3: People are like, you are not here to bet on birds. 1399 01:17:54,720 --> 01:17:57,439 Speaker 3: Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see your mustache. Yes you are, Yes, 1400 01:17:57,520 --> 01:18:02,080 Speaker 3: you are. Uh. It's basically The Departed with animals at 1401 01:18:02,080 --> 01:18:05,400 Speaker 3: this point. So then a year later, in two thousand 1402 01:18:05,400 --> 01:18:09,639 Speaker 3: and six, it's time for the La Bugfair again eighteenth Annuel. 1403 01:18:11,280 --> 01:18:13,960 Speaker 3: That was the theme song, and Ed hears that Yoshi 1404 01:18:14,080 --> 01:18:16,040 Speaker 3: is going to be back in La again. So he 1405 01:18:16,160 --> 01:18:19,519 Speaker 3: remembers thinking, quote, heck, we got to give it one 1406 01:18:19,520 --> 01:18:23,320 Speaker 3: more try. Heck, oh, sorry, that's not the whole thing. 1407 01:18:24,320 --> 01:18:26,120 Speaker 3: Here's the whole quote. Heck, we got to give it 1408 01:18:26,160 --> 01:18:28,400 Speaker 3: one more try. Right, We're gonna give it our all 1409 01:18:29,320 --> 01:18:35,360 Speaker 3: end quote Heck yeah, man, heck yeah. So this year 1410 01:18:35,680 --> 01:18:38,439 Speaker 3: Ed's plan is very simple. He's just gonna quote bump 1411 01:18:38,479 --> 01:18:41,880 Speaker 3: into Yoshi at the bugfair as Ted Nelson. And then 1412 01:18:41,920 --> 01:18:46,040 Speaker 3: when he does and this really happens, Yoshi looks nervous 1413 01:18:46,120 --> 01:18:49,520 Speaker 3: because again he not only turned Ted Nelson into the authorities, 1414 01:18:49,920 --> 01:18:53,439 Speaker 3: but he also is worried, probably that Ted is now 1415 01:18:53,479 --> 01:18:57,320 Speaker 3: an informant himself. But Ed doesn't miss a beat. He 1416 01:18:57,360 --> 01:18:59,479 Speaker 3: tells Yoshi it's great to see him and that he 1417 01:18:59,560 --> 01:19:03,400 Speaker 3: really owe in because some quote asshole turned him into 1418 01:19:03,400 --> 01:19:07,680 Speaker 3: the US Fish and Wildlife Service agents even got a 1419 01:19:07,800 --> 01:19:11,519 Speaker 3: search warrant for his house, but thanks to Yoshi's advice, 1420 01:19:11,680 --> 01:19:15,599 Speaker 3: he'd already hidden everything incriminating, and the investigators walked away 1421 01:19:15,640 --> 01:19:20,880 Speaker 3: empty handed. Ed later remembers, quote Yoshi's whole demeanor changed instantly. 1422 01:19:21,160 --> 01:19:23,280 Speaker 3: He was so thrilled that he that he had given 1423 01:19:23,360 --> 01:19:27,280 Speaker 3: me advice that helped me end quote. So Yoshi asks 1424 01:19:27,400 --> 01:19:31,719 Speaker 3: Ted to lunch, and there he quizzes him on where 1425 01:19:31,760 --> 01:19:36,120 Speaker 3: he's been getting his butterflies lately. Ed explains, lying that 1426 01:19:36,160 --> 01:19:38,479 Speaker 3: he now has a German supplier, but that he's not 1427 01:19:38,600 --> 01:19:41,080 Speaker 3: happy with the condition of the butterflies he's been receiving. 1428 01:19:41,320 --> 01:19:44,840 Speaker 3: They often arrive with damaged wings and antenna. 1429 01:19:45,439 --> 01:19:46,000 Speaker 2: Can't have that. 1430 01:19:46,479 --> 01:19:53,120 Speaker 3: It's just so weird. It's just so weird. So Yoshi 1431 01:19:53,200 --> 01:19:56,000 Speaker 3: offers to step in and work with Ted once again. 1432 01:19:56,400 --> 01:20:00,720 Speaker 3: They make plans to skype when Yoshi's back in Japan, like, 1433 01:20:00,880 --> 01:20:03,760 Speaker 3: let's make plans for you to see a movie a 1434 01:20:03,760 --> 01:20:10,280 Speaker 3: picture that moves every four seconds of me month owner, 1435 01:20:14,960 --> 01:20:20,800 Speaker 3: and we are back so Ted can check out his 1436 01:20:20,880 --> 01:20:24,320 Speaker 3: stock and then they can go from there. So soon 1437 01:20:24,880 --> 01:20:28,880 Speaker 3: these two men fall back into constant communication. Yoshi offers 1438 01:20:28,920 --> 01:20:32,160 Speaker 3: to supply Ted with all the all kinds of rare butterflies. 1439 01:20:32,520 --> 01:20:36,679 Speaker 3: He claims to have access to some Queen Alexandra's bird wings. 1440 01:20:37,000 --> 01:20:39,920 Speaker 3: Those are the largest butterflies on Earth. 1441 01:20:40,600 --> 01:20:43,080 Speaker 2: That's right, six bigger than six inches there. 1442 01:20:45,240 --> 01:20:50,360 Speaker 3: The wingspan is afoot. It's two rhinoceros beetles wide no 1443 01:20:50,360 --> 01:20:52,479 Speaker 3: no, no no no, no a foot wide. 1444 01:20:53,000 --> 01:20:53,160 Speaker 2: Yes. 1445 01:20:54,200 --> 01:20:57,639 Speaker 3: They're native to Papua New Guinea. And that's the last 1446 01:20:57,640 --> 01:21:01,120 Speaker 3: fact I have about them, Queen. No, sorry, I have 1447 01:21:01,160 --> 01:21:04,720 Speaker 3: one more. They're so big that when these butterflies fly, 1448 01:21:04,840 --> 01:21:11,479 Speaker 3: they're often mistaken for birds. But they're also one of 1449 01:21:11,520 --> 01:21:14,240 Speaker 3: the rarest butterflies in the world, so they're on the 1450 01:21:14,360 --> 01:21:18,280 Speaker 3: endangered species list. And this makes capturing and selling them 1451 01:21:18,479 --> 01:21:23,480 Speaker 3: highly illegal. The Associated Press reports quote, there is protected 1452 01:21:23,600 --> 01:21:24,799 Speaker 3: as a snow leopard. 1453 01:21:25,120 --> 01:21:29,840 Speaker 2: Oh wow, right, who would you rather run into than 1454 01:21:29,880 --> 01:21:30,360 Speaker 2: the jungle? 1455 01:21:31,600 --> 01:21:34,719 Speaker 3: What would be great is if the bird wing butterfly 1456 01:21:34,920 --> 01:21:36,760 Speaker 3: landed on your head and then it looked like a hat. 1457 01:21:36,840 --> 01:21:44,479 Speaker 3: Oh my god, so modern? What there's any haberdashers in 1458 01:21:44,520 --> 01:21:48,840 Speaker 3: the audience tonight. I have a copyright on that idea, 1459 01:21:50,120 --> 01:21:53,080 Speaker 3: but I'll never make it. But you should, then I'll 1460 01:21:53,120 --> 01:22:00,720 Speaker 3: sue you. A single mounted Queen Alexander His bird wing 1461 01:22:00,760 --> 01:22:04,000 Speaker 3: butterfly sells for thousands of dollars on the black market. 1462 01:22:05,200 --> 01:22:10,280 Speaker 3: So obviously Yoshi now fully trusts Ted Nelson because over 1463 01:22:10,320 --> 01:22:14,000 Speaker 3: the next two months he express mails him around forty 1464 01:22:14,120 --> 01:22:20,799 Speaker 3: different butterflies, including two Queen Alexander's bird wings, and those 1465 01:22:20,840 --> 01:22:25,439 Speaker 3: cost him eighty five hundred dollars. And how much is 1466 01:22:25,439 --> 01:22:26,400 Speaker 3: that in today's money? 1467 01:22:26,680 --> 01:22:29,280 Speaker 2: Two thousand and six, two thousand, yes, okay, and. 1468 01:22:31,040 --> 01:22:33,720 Speaker 3: Twelve fourteen thousand dollars, so close. 1469 01:22:33,800 --> 01:22:35,000 Speaker 2: I'm never satisfying. 1470 01:22:35,479 --> 01:22:38,040 Speaker 3: You're getting a little bit of applaus for being kind 1471 01:22:38,040 --> 01:22:39,680 Speaker 3: of at. 1472 01:22:39,680 --> 01:22:42,040 Speaker 2: Least I'm not wasn't laughed at this time, because I 1473 01:22:42,040 --> 01:22:43,880 Speaker 2: have been laughed at by many audiences. 1474 01:22:44,000 --> 01:22:46,880 Speaker 3: Sometimes we go in the complete opposite direction as we 1475 01:22:46,960 --> 01:22:49,320 Speaker 3: go lower doesn't make sense. 1476 01:22:49,360 --> 01:22:55,320 Speaker 9: We should do just a whole like everybody vote yeah, 1477 01:22:55,680 --> 01:23:00,519 Speaker 9: because this show isn't long enough, all right, So the 1478 01:23:00,560 --> 01:23:06,400 Speaker 9: butterflies in total are all forty cost undercover ed somewhere 1479 01:23:06,439 --> 01:23:11,000 Speaker 9: between fort oh sorry no, fourteen the dashes for something else. 1480 01:23:11,760 --> 01:23:14,680 Speaker 3: They cost it fourteen thousand dollars, which is twenty two 1481 01:23:14,720 --> 01:23:18,519 Speaker 3: thousand dollars in today's money. You're welcome. So now Ed 1482 01:23:18,600 --> 01:23:21,520 Speaker 3: finally has the concrete evidence he needs for his investigation. 1483 01:23:23,360 --> 01:23:26,880 Speaker 3: He has those butterflies, He has endless recordings and skype 1484 01:23:26,920 --> 01:23:31,320 Speaker 3: conversations and phone calls that outline in rich detail, indisputable 1485 01:23:31,360 --> 01:23:35,880 Speaker 3: criminal activity. But Yoshi's in Japan, and to make an arrest, 1486 01:23:35,960 --> 01:23:38,400 Speaker 3: of course, Ed needs Yoshi to be on us soil, 1487 01:23:39,200 --> 01:23:41,840 Speaker 3: so he has a plan. It finally dawns on him 1488 01:23:41,920 --> 01:23:44,960 Speaker 3: that quote. And this is the part where the story 1489 01:23:45,040 --> 01:23:47,439 Speaker 3: changes for me, and I don't like it anymore. That's 1490 01:23:47,520 --> 01:23:52,920 Speaker 3: very sad, because it finally dawns on Ed newcomer, that quote. 1491 01:23:52,920 --> 01:23:56,519 Speaker 3: Sometime during those calls, I realized Yoshi's got some type 1492 01:23:56,560 --> 01:24:00,679 Speaker 3: of an attraction toward me. So at first he simply 1493 01:24:00,720 --> 01:24:04,960 Speaker 3: brushed off Yo's Yoshi's ace advances, but now he decides 1494 01:24:05,120 --> 01:24:08,479 Speaker 3: he's going to use them. Ed secures an arrest warrant 1495 01:24:08,520 --> 01:24:12,240 Speaker 3: without Yoshi knowing, and then, as Ted Nelson, he hints 1496 01:24:12,240 --> 01:24:13,960 Speaker 3: that the two of them should go on a date 1497 01:24:14,040 --> 01:24:17,880 Speaker 3: when Yoshi's back in California, and Yoshi takes the bait. 1498 01:24:18,080 --> 01:24:20,320 Speaker 3: So there is a little bit of like making a 1499 01:24:20,320 --> 01:24:23,519 Speaker 3: friend and talking about a mutual interest. Oh my god, 1500 01:24:23,600 --> 01:24:28,400 Speaker 3: I love dead bugs too. This is magical, But it's 1501 01:24:28,400 --> 01:24:33,000 Speaker 3: a fucking It's a special agent in disguise. 1502 01:24:33,120 --> 01:24:34,320 Speaker 5: No, what a bummer. 1503 01:24:34,840 --> 01:24:37,760 Speaker 3: It gets worse. On July thirty first, two thousand and six, 1504 01:24:37,800 --> 01:24:40,320 Speaker 3: three years after Ed and Yoshi first crosspaths at the 1505 01:24:40,360 --> 01:24:43,080 Speaker 3: two thousand and three Bug Fair, Yoshi flies into Los 1506 01:24:43,120 --> 01:24:49,639 Speaker 3: Angeles and is immediately arrested on federal wildlife smuggling charges. Well, 1507 01:24:49,760 --> 01:24:53,600 Speaker 3: it gets more heartbreaking because hours later, while he's in custody, 1508 01:24:53,880 --> 01:24:58,160 Speaker 3: Yoshi's eyes light up when he sees Ted Nelson arriving 1509 01:24:58,240 --> 01:25:01,719 Speaker 3: to bail him out of jail. No, but in fact 1510 01:25:01,760 --> 01:25:03,040 Speaker 3: it is special Agent. 1511 01:25:03,320 --> 01:25:06,519 Speaker 2: Ed newcomer took his mustache off. 1512 01:25:06,600 --> 01:25:12,320 Speaker 3: He's like rip and these sideburns are fake too. Motherfucker, 1513 01:25:13,880 --> 01:25:16,280 Speaker 3: Ed says, of this quote, and then he looked down 1514 01:25:16,320 --> 01:25:18,720 Speaker 3: and he saw the Special Agent badge attached to my 1515 01:25:18,800 --> 01:25:21,880 Speaker 3: belt right by my holster. He says, have you been 1516 01:25:21,920 --> 01:25:24,160 Speaker 3: with fish and wildlife the whole time I've known you? 1517 01:25:24,600 --> 01:25:26,720 Speaker 3: He kind of put his head down. He didn't say 1518 01:25:26,720 --> 01:25:29,559 Speaker 3: anything else. He never asked me any questions about how 1519 01:25:29,600 --> 01:25:32,520 Speaker 3: it all happened. It was weird. We had this relationship 1520 01:25:32,560 --> 01:25:35,519 Speaker 3: and then I arrested him and the relationship was over. 1521 01:25:36,560 --> 01:25:41,680 Speaker 3: End quote. 1522 01:25:42,960 --> 01:25:44,080 Speaker 2: That's sad. 1523 01:25:44,200 --> 01:25:51,880 Speaker 3: It sucks. Yeah, aside from the butterflies and the wildlife, 1524 01:25:52,000 --> 01:25:54,240 Speaker 3: I know guys that have done shit like this, separate 1525 01:25:54,280 --> 01:25:58,760 Speaker 3: from the insects, right like, Yeah, I didn't realize. I 1526 01:25:58,800 --> 01:26:00,360 Speaker 3: just skype with you every Now I. 1527 01:26:00,400 --> 01:26:02,280 Speaker 2: Have a girlfriend. What are you talking about? 1528 01:26:02,400 --> 01:26:07,800 Speaker 3: What? Okay, we'll talk about that later. In the end, 1529 01:26:08,080 --> 01:26:12,519 Speaker 3: Yoshi Kojuma pleads guilty to seventeen counts of selling and 1530 01:26:12,560 --> 01:26:15,439 Speaker 3: smuggling and dangered species and is sentenced to twenty one 1531 01:26:15,479 --> 01:26:19,479 Speaker 3: months in prison, and he's fined almost thirty nine thousand dollars, 1532 01:26:19,840 --> 01:26:22,680 Speaker 3: which Ed says has yet to be paid, and when 1533 01:26:22,720 --> 01:26:25,880 Speaker 3: he's released in two thousand and eight, Yoshi is sent 1534 01:26:25,920 --> 01:26:29,960 Speaker 3: back to Japan. It seems that Yoshi has never spoken 1535 01:26:30,040 --> 01:26:33,960 Speaker 3: publicly about his arrest or dealings in the butterfly smuggling business. 1536 01:26:34,280 --> 01:26:37,839 Speaker 3: But when Ed Newcomer is interviewed by our friend Phoebe 1537 01:26:37,880 --> 01:26:41,599 Speaker 3: Judge on criminal he tells her that in twenty fifteen, 1538 01:26:42,360 --> 01:26:45,439 Speaker 3: he busts a twenty five year old smuggler at Lax who, 1539 01:26:45,560 --> 01:26:49,439 Speaker 3: among many other species, is carrying bird wing butterflies in 1540 01:26:49,600 --> 01:26:54,719 Speaker 3: his suitcase. And Ed says, quote out of nowhere, he goes, hey, 1541 01:26:55,040 --> 01:26:58,040 Speaker 3: have you heard of Yoshi Kojuma? And I said, yeah, 1542 01:26:58,120 --> 01:27:01,840 Speaker 3: I've heard of Yoshi And he goes, he's my mentor. 1543 01:27:03,479 --> 01:27:03,960 Speaker 2: Fuck you? 1544 01:27:04,760 --> 01:27:06,360 Speaker 3: Double bird into your face? 1545 01:27:06,520 --> 01:27:06,800 Speaker 4: Is it? 1546 01:27:08,240 --> 01:27:15,760 Speaker 3: As he gets zip tied. That's bug smuggling. Man. You 1547 01:27:15,840 --> 01:27:17,960 Speaker 3: did not have to pretend it was love. It was 1548 01:27:18,120 --> 01:27:19,080 Speaker 3: just bug smuggling. 1549 01:27:19,200 --> 01:27:19,400 Speaker 5: Yeah. 1550 01:27:20,200 --> 01:27:24,120 Speaker 3: This is Ed Newcomer's very first case as a US 1551 01:27:24,200 --> 01:27:27,599 Speaker 3: Fish and Wildlife Service investigator, So maybe we can forgive 1552 01:27:27,720 --> 01:27:31,759 Speaker 3: his ungodly transgression against the human heart. Fast forward two 1553 01:27:31,800 --> 01:27:37,280 Speaker 3: decades now it's twenty twenty one. Special Agent Ed Newcomer 1554 01:27:37,360 --> 01:27:41,000 Speaker 3: is about to retire when he is handed one last assignment. 1555 01:27:41,080 --> 01:27:43,920 Speaker 2: Did you say? Fast forward two decades it's twenty twenty one. 1556 01:27:44,080 --> 01:27:47,759 Speaker 3: Don't you dare confront my map? 1557 01:27:48,800 --> 01:27:49,600 Speaker 2: I didn't. 1558 01:27:55,360 --> 01:27:58,320 Speaker 3: Listen. Why do we care about numbers? Now? 1559 01:27:58,720 --> 01:28:01,360 Speaker 2: So I don't care. I love it. 1560 01:28:03,400 --> 01:28:08,040 Speaker 3: Let's fast forward two decades minus four years plus one year. 1561 01:28:08,200 --> 01:28:13,000 Speaker 3: I think, sorry, who's good at math? So he's handed 1562 01:28:13,000 --> 01:28:16,559 Speaker 3: his final case, which and then in my movie Special 1563 01:28:16,560 --> 01:28:20,280 Speaker 3: Agent ed Newcomer, it gets slapped down on his desk 1564 01:28:20,840 --> 01:28:22,720 Speaker 3: and then he picks it up and he opens it, 1565 01:28:23,160 --> 01:28:26,839 Speaker 3: and then he takes some headphones off and he exhales, 1566 01:28:26,880 --> 01:28:33,720 Speaker 3: and he says, I'm too old for this shit, and 1567 01:28:33,760 --> 01:28:38,200 Speaker 3: then we get sued by Danny Glover. So this is 1568 01:28:38,240 --> 01:28:42,880 Speaker 3: a case that takes place in Alpine, California, where a Yes, 1569 01:28:44,120 --> 01:28:46,720 Speaker 3: so you guys you already know about this story. A 1570 01:28:46,800 --> 01:28:49,479 Speaker 3: construction worker named Eddie shows up to work one day 1571 01:28:49,600 --> 01:28:52,599 Speaker 3: and discovers a dog abandoned in a crate in the 1572 01:28:52,640 --> 01:28:55,400 Speaker 3: parking lot. But when he goes to check if the 1573 01:28:55,439 --> 01:28:58,360 Speaker 3: dog's okay, he looks inside and it's a baby jaguar. 1574 01:28:59,439 --> 01:29:07,360 Speaker 3: Why you know, Alpine shit? A six week old Alpine 1575 01:29:07,800 --> 01:29:13,639 Speaker 3: sorry jaguar cub Alpine born and bred jaguar cub. 1576 01:29:14,000 --> 01:29:17,160 Speaker 2: Oh Man, what a find like? I never find anything good? 1577 01:29:18,479 --> 01:29:19,320 Speaker 2: So good. 1578 01:29:19,600 --> 01:29:21,720 Speaker 3: What am I going to be on the jaguar distribution 1579 01:29:21,880 --> 01:29:23,600 Speaker 3: system exactly? 1580 01:29:24,160 --> 01:29:26,840 Speaker 2: Vince can't say no. If I accidentally stumble upon it, 1581 01:29:26,840 --> 01:29:28,400 Speaker 2: it looks it's ours. Now. 1582 01:29:28,520 --> 01:29:30,920 Speaker 3: We found a baby jaguar. We keep a baby jaguar. 1583 01:29:33,439 --> 01:29:37,479 Speaker 3: So it turns out someone left this baby jaguar in 1584 01:29:37,520 --> 01:29:41,479 Speaker 3: this exact spot, hoping that the nearby animal sanctuary lions, 1585 01:29:41,560 --> 01:29:48,120 Speaker 3: tigers and bears would come and find him and take 1586 01:29:48,160 --> 01:29:52,120 Speaker 3: him in. And that is exactly what happens. He's taken in, 1587 01:29:52,200 --> 01:29:55,200 Speaker 3: he's cleaned up, and they name him Eddie. And that's 1588 01:29:55,280 --> 01:29:59,840 Speaker 3: just a very cute, coincidental name. Because this is le 1589 01:30:00,240 --> 01:30:04,640 Speaker 3: case agent Ed newcomer is ever going to work, and 1590 01:30:04,680 --> 01:30:07,320 Speaker 3: he takes it very seriously. As we know he says 1591 01:30:07,360 --> 01:30:09,960 Speaker 3: about this case quote, whenever I had the chance to 1592 01:30:09,960 --> 01:30:13,360 Speaker 3: work on a case that involved live wildlife, particularly babies, 1593 01:30:13,400 --> 01:30:15,640 Speaker 3: I tried to make it a priority. So this was 1594 01:30:15,680 --> 01:30:18,560 Speaker 3: a case I was going to close before I retired, 1595 01:30:18,720 --> 01:30:24,479 Speaker 3: no question. So end quote. So Ed tracks down the 1596 01:30:24,560 --> 01:30:27,519 Speaker 3: dealer who first sold Eddie the baby jaguar. As it 1597 01:30:27,560 --> 01:30:30,519 Speaker 3: turns out she did it through her OnlyFans account. 1598 01:30:32,200 --> 01:30:33,120 Speaker 5: I didn't know they did that. 1599 01:30:33,880 --> 01:30:36,519 Speaker 3: You can, and you should and fucking power to all 1600 01:30:36,600 --> 01:30:45,479 Speaker 3: women everywhere. So look, get an OnlyFans account, sell illegal animals, 1601 01:30:45,880 --> 01:30:49,800 Speaker 3: exotic endangered animals on them. Get your bag, girl, do 1602 01:30:49,880 --> 01:30:52,920 Speaker 3: what you gotta do. Just make sure you're ahead of 1603 01:30:52,960 --> 01:30:56,080 Speaker 3: the games, Missy Elliott likes to say. In twenty twenty two, 1604 01:30:56,720 --> 01:30:59,759 Speaker 3: this woman is arrested and pleads guilty to one felony 1605 01:30:59,840 --> 01:31:03,120 Speaker 3: caut of trafficking and endangered species under the Endangered Species 1606 01:31:03,120 --> 01:31:06,479 Speaker 3: Act in California. You can be fined up to five 1607 01:31:06,680 --> 01:31:11,200 Speaker 3: hundred thousand dollars for this and given between five and 1608 01:31:11,439 --> 01:31:16,639 Speaker 3: twenty years jail time. Dude, depending on the law you break. 1609 01:31:17,240 --> 01:31:20,599 Speaker 3: But I did get that those numbers from the AI 1610 01:31:20,720 --> 01:31:23,360 Speaker 3: answer on Google, so take it with a grain assault. 1611 01:31:24,439 --> 01:31:27,679 Speaker 3: The good news is Eddie the Jaguars living his best 1612 01:31:27,760 --> 01:31:35,160 Speaker 3: life at the Lions, Tigers and Bears Sanctuary. Up, Oh, Eddie, 1613 01:31:36,360 --> 01:31:41,000 Speaker 3: You're so cute. And with this case closed, Special Agent 1614 01:31:41,160 --> 01:31:44,400 Speaker 3: Ed Newcomer, who kickstarted his career by catching the Indiana 1615 01:31:44,479 --> 01:31:47,920 Speaker 3: Jones of butterflies, closes it by bringing justice to a 1616 01:31:47,920 --> 01:31:51,479 Speaker 3: baby jag Yua. And that is the story of Special 1617 01:31:51,520 --> 01:31:56,719 Speaker 3: Agent Ed Newcomer's crusade to bring down butterfly smuggler Yoshi coaching. 1618 01:31:57,400 --> 01:32:08,960 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's we have time for a hometown. Yeah okay, oh. 1619 01:32:09,800 --> 01:32:16,280 Speaker 1: Article, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's up. 1620 01:32:16,360 --> 01:32:22,880 Speaker 3: What's up, savor, gentlemen, that's what I'm talking about. 1621 01:32:23,680 --> 01:32:25,320 Speaker 2: Travis Kelsey of podcasting. 1622 01:32:25,520 --> 01:32:26,720 Speaker 3: That's right about that. 1623 01:32:29,160 --> 01:32:31,800 Speaker 1: Uh, with that, I will stand right over there. 1624 01:32:32,000 --> 01:32:33,360 Speaker 3: Okay, So choose wisely. 1625 01:32:33,479 --> 01:32:35,839 Speaker 2: Okay, cheers, honestly, thank you. 1626 01:32:35,880 --> 01:32:39,080 Speaker 3: Oh you're gonna choose, so we've got so you can 1627 01:32:39,200 --> 01:32:42,639 Speaker 3: keep doing that. But we've got some rules to tell you, 1628 01:32:42,880 --> 01:32:45,479 Speaker 3: and these are important, and I think I'm going to 1629 01:32:45,560 --> 01:32:48,360 Speaker 3: move this rule up to number one. If you're too 1630 01:32:48,439 --> 01:32:52,479 Speaker 3: drunk to tell your story, just write it in and 1631 01:32:52,520 --> 01:32:54,920 Speaker 3: then say in the head in the subject line, I 1632 01:32:55,040 --> 01:32:57,320 Speaker 3: was too drunk to tell my story in San Diego, 1633 01:32:57,640 --> 01:32:59,400 Speaker 3: but I'd love for you to read it on the 1634 01:33:00,400 --> 01:33:03,719 Speaker 3: minniesot because we'll fucking do it. But if you're drunk, 1635 01:33:04,520 --> 01:33:09,360 Speaker 3: shut the fuck up, because there's a bunch of people 1636 01:33:09,360 --> 01:33:12,760 Speaker 3: who have really well rehearsed stories and hometowns and they 1637 01:33:13,200 --> 01:33:17,160 Speaker 3: got it going on. Okay. Also, your story has to 1638 01:33:17,200 --> 01:33:19,800 Speaker 3: have a beginning, middle, and end, and it needs to 1639 01:33:19,840 --> 01:33:22,120 Speaker 3: be local. San Diego would be beautiful. 1640 01:33:23,320 --> 01:33:27,599 Speaker 10: I don't know sounis Okay, rather than that, don't push 1641 01:33:27,640 --> 01:33:30,280 Speaker 10: it because and we're just telling you that as your friends, 1642 01:33:30,439 --> 01:33:33,400 Speaker 10: the audience will absolutely attack you and tear your part outside. 1643 01:33:34,400 --> 01:33:37,479 Speaker 3: And now it is time for a hometown. 1644 01:33:37,320 --> 01:33:40,680 Speaker 2: You're picking this time. Remember I gave it up? 1645 01:33:41,120 --> 01:33:43,519 Speaker 3: Did you really give it up? 1646 01:33:43,840 --> 01:33:44,479 Speaker 5: Doing it anymore? 1647 01:33:45,800 --> 01:33:52,200 Speaker 3: Well? How about right down the center, right there, the 1648 01:33:52,640 --> 01:33:53,439 Speaker 3: lone person. 1649 01:33:53,600 --> 01:33:56,880 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes, you're the only one. 1650 01:33:56,920 --> 01:33:58,960 Speaker 3: It's just you. 1651 01:33:57,800 --> 01:34:00,800 Speaker 2: Go, go, go go elevents. 1652 01:34:07,720 --> 01:34:11,879 Speaker 3: Yes, this is the walk of the hometown teller. 1653 01:34:12,600 --> 01:34:21,960 Speaker 8: It takes love, but it's worth Just keep it moving, 1654 01:34:22,160 --> 01:34:25,679 Speaker 8: keep it moving. Stand right over here. 1655 01:34:26,680 --> 01:34:33,680 Speaker 3: Jennifer's here, everyone, It's Jennifer. Everybody, Jennifer holld this. 1656 01:34:34,040 --> 01:34:35,080 Speaker 2: You can't have notes. 1657 01:34:35,120 --> 01:34:40,280 Speaker 3: Stand here, you don't need notes. Hold your notes. 1658 01:34:41,080 --> 01:34:43,519 Speaker 1: You can do it, Okay, Jennifer. 1659 01:34:44,040 --> 01:34:44,840 Speaker 3: Where are you from? 1660 01:34:45,280 --> 01:34:46,759 Speaker 2: I am from San Diego. 1661 01:34:46,840 --> 01:34:48,240 Speaker 4: I live in San Marcos. 1662 01:34:48,479 --> 01:34:49,800 Speaker 1: Okay you like that? 1663 01:34:49,840 --> 01:34:50,240 Speaker 3: All right? 1664 01:34:50,400 --> 01:34:50,639 Speaker 2: Great? 1665 01:34:50,680 --> 01:34:50,920 Speaker 4: Great? 1666 01:34:50,960 --> 01:34:51,240 Speaker 1: Great? 1667 01:34:51,479 --> 01:34:52,040 Speaker 3: Okay. 1668 01:34:52,439 --> 01:34:55,960 Speaker 4: Sadly, this is not a San Marcos story, Okay. It 1669 01:34:56,120 --> 01:35:00,960 Speaker 4: is uh southern California. I grew up in Upland, California, 1670 01:35:01,920 --> 01:35:06,759 Speaker 4: and this is a story of a young, sweet baby 1671 01:35:06,800 --> 01:35:11,400 Speaker 4: angel who was taken at the age of seventeen high school. 1672 01:35:11,640 --> 01:35:16,720 Speaker 4: I was a junior in nineteen eighty four. She was 1673 01:35:16,880 --> 01:35:23,200 Speaker 4: a class of nineteen eighty three, and she was lured 1674 01:35:23,320 --> 01:35:30,200 Speaker 4: by her friend's ex boyfriend into a garage where her 1675 01:35:30,280 --> 01:35:34,120 Speaker 4: name is Anna, Anna Marie, not going to give her 1676 01:35:34,160 --> 01:35:38,840 Speaker 4: last name, And she was lured in by a friend 1677 01:35:38,880 --> 01:35:42,800 Speaker 4: of her ex boyfriends into her garage where the ex boyfriend, 1678 01:35:42,800 --> 01:35:46,439 Speaker 4: who was also a senior in high school, strangled her 1679 01:35:47,000 --> 01:35:52,280 Speaker 4: with an extension court. Very sad, So keep an eye 1680 01:35:52,320 --> 01:35:55,320 Speaker 4: on your girls. Make sure they're not in bad relationships. 1681 01:35:57,439 --> 01:36:03,640 Speaker 4: She was buried three blocks from my home in what 1682 01:36:03,760 --> 01:36:07,400 Speaker 4: is now the two ten freeway that goes across Nineteenth 1683 01:36:07,439 --> 01:36:13,880 Speaker 4: and Mountain in Upland. And after about four or five 1684 01:36:14,120 --> 01:36:19,320 Speaker 4: six weeks, the guy that lured her into this felt 1685 01:36:19,600 --> 01:36:23,280 Speaker 4: guilty about the situation and that he was involved in 1686 01:36:23,439 --> 01:36:27,760 Speaker 4: and confessed to the police. Her body was exhumed and 1687 01:36:27,840 --> 01:36:33,360 Speaker 4: she was identified by her teeth, and I, just being 1688 01:36:33,560 --> 01:36:35,960 Speaker 4: the mother of a daughter, I can't even imagine what 1689 01:36:36,040 --> 01:36:40,800 Speaker 4: her parents went through. This happened in April of eighty three. 1690 01:36:41,160 --> 01:36:43,439 Speaker 4: She was supposed to graduate in June. 1691 01:36:43,840 --> 01:36:44,360 Speaker 2: Very sad. 1692 01:36:44,479 --> 01:36:48,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's very unfortunate. He the kid went to jail. 1693 01:36:48,320 --> 01:36:51,599 Speaker 4: I looked to figure out where he went. I how 1694 01:36:51,640 --> 01:36:55,400 Speaker 4: long he served, I don't know, but I'm not going 1695 01:36:55,479 --> 01:36:57,320 Speaker 4: to share his name because. 1696 01:36:57,600 --> 01:37:02,919 Speaker 2: You know, they don't deserve it. But thank god, amazing. 1697 01:37:03,479 --> 01:37:06,320 Speaker 4: But to Anna Marie, we still think of you. She 1698 01:37:06,479 --> 01:37:09,360 Speaker 4: was the year ahead of me. She still thought of 1699 01:37:09,600 --> 01:37:13,000 Speaker 4: a friend of mine. Did a blog matter, she's a writer, 1700 01:37:13,200 --> 01:37:16,160 Speaker 4: and she did a big tribute to her, which was wonderful. 1701 01:37:16,479 --> 01:37:16,719 Speaker 3: Nice. 1702 01:37:17,280 --> 01:37:18,840 Speaker 2: Oh my god, thank you beautiful. 1703 01:37:19,640 --> 01:37:22,400 Speaker 3: That's nice, Jennifer. Everybody, that's your report. 1704 01:37:26,640 --> 01:37:28,840 Speaker 2: Oh my god, like the best hug I've ever fucking 1705 01:37:28,880 --> 01:37:30,320 Speaker 2: had in my life. It's crazy. 1706 01:37:30,560 --> 01:37:31,040 Speaker 4: I m. 1707 01:37:33,080 --> 01:37:39,160 Speaker 3: Thank you so much for being here. Great job, San Diego. 1708 01:37:39,240 --> 01:37:42,759 Speaker 3: We've done it, you guys. We made it. We finally 1709 01:37:42,800 --> 01:37:43,240 Speaker 3: did it. 1710 01:37:43,640 --> 01:37:48,080 Speaker 2: And thank you for coming out to see us after 1711 01:37:48,160 --> 01:37:51,200 Speaker 2: all these years off the road. This has been so 1712 01:37:51,360 --> 01:37:54,559 Speaker 2: amazing and special to see so many, so many of 1713 01:37:54,560 --> 01:37:57,400 Speaker 2: our friends on this tour. So thank you guys so 1714 01:37:57,520 --> 01:37:58,960 Speaker 2: much for coming and supporting us. 1715 01:37:59,120 --> 01:38:02,439 Speaker 3: Yeah, we've been here for We've come to San Diego 1716 01:38:02,920 --> 01:38:05,920 Speaker 3: many a time on tour. We've always had an incredible 1717 01:38:05,960 --> 01:38:09,000 Speaker 3: time with you guys. It means the world that you 1718 01:38:09,080 --> 01:38:12,840 Speaker 3: show up and that you support this show. You guys 1719 01:38:12,840 --> 01:38:15,720 Speaker 3: have given us a dream life and we thank you 1720 01:38:15,880 --> 01:38:18,320 Speaker 3: so much from the bottom of our hearts for it. 1721 01:38:18,320 --> 01:38:22,559 Speaker 3: It's incredible and they do and it's because of you, guys, 1722 01:38:24,200 --> 01:38:27,040 Speaker 3: so thank you so much. Thank you for creating the 1723 01:38:27,120 --> 01:38:31,080 Speaker 3: Murderino community, which is such a beautiful thing. It's a 1724 01:38:31,160 --> 01:38:34,679 Speaker 3: time in this country where we need community more than everything, 1725 01:38:34,680 --> 01:38:37,760 Speaker 3: and you guys have it with each other and for 1726 01:38:37,920 --> 01:38:41,919 Speaker 3: each other, and please use it and please stay sexy. 1727 01:38:42,120 --> 01:38:46,280 Speaker 3: And thank you San Diego. 1728 01:38:46,640 --> 01:38:56,920 Speaker 7: Thank you to see Elvis, Do you Want a Cookie? 1729 01:38:57,479 --> 01:38:59,120 Speaker 3: This has been an exactly right production. 1730 01:38:59,320 --> 01:39:01,599 Speaker 2: Our senior produce sir is Molly Smith and our associate 1731 01:39:01,640 --> 01:39:02,840 Speaker 2: producer is Tessa Hughes. 1732 01:39:02,920 --> 01:39:04,840 Speaker 3: Our editor is Aristotle lass Vedo. 1733 01:39:05,000 --> 01:39:07,120 Speaker 2: This episode was mixed by Leona Squalacci. 1734 01:39:07,280 --> 01:39:09,880 Speaker 3: Our researchers are Mary McGlashan and Ali Elkin. 1735 01:39:10,040 --> 01:39:13,240 Speaker 2: Email your hometowns to My Favorite Murder at gmail dot com. 1736 01:39:13,040 --> 01:39:15,559 Speaker 3: And follow the show on Instagram at my Favorite Murder. 1737 01:39:15,600 --> 01:39:18,959 Speaker 2: Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 1738 01:39:19,080 --> 01:39:22,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts. Goodbye,