1 00:00:16,750 --> 00:00:18,150 Speaker 1: Hello. 2 00:00:19,030 --> 00:00:20,709 Speaker 2: And welcome to My Favorite Murder. 3 00:00:21,010 --> 00:00:21,970 Speaker 1: The mini-sode. 4 00:00:22,230 --> 00:00:25,050 Speaker 2: We read you your clapbacks. 5 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:26,459 Speaker 1: And your hot takes. 6 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 2: That's right. 7 00:00:28,220 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: Smash that like button. Ew. Yeah, we might as well. 8 00:00:33,900 --> 00:00:34,410 Speaker 1: Let's do it. 9 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:36,300 Speaker 2: Let's do it. Let's get horrible. 10 00:00:36,740 --> 00:00:40,210 Speaker 1: Let's... You want to go first? 11 00:00:40,290 --> 00:00:42,450 Speaker 2: Yeah, I have a follow-up, actually. 12 00:00:42,610 --> 00:00:43,930 Speaker 1: Oh, shit. Okay. For a kickoff? 13 00:00:44,130 --> 00:00:47,250 Speaker 2: For a kickoff, I have a follow-up to our Houston 14 00:00:47,370 --> 00:00:51,330 Speaker 2: Astros cheating scandal story. Oh, shit. That video, it's on 15 00:00:51,370 --> 00:00:53,190 Speaker 2: Instagram if you want to see what I'm talking about. 16 00:00:54,990 --> 00:00:56,690 Speaker 2: You guys had a lot of thoughts about it. It 17 00:00:57,010 --> 00:01:01,690 Speaker 2: was so much fun. So, the person who originally wrote 18 00:01:01,710 --> 00:01:05,910 Speaker 2: the email wrote back. Thank God. And said, I know, right? Hi, 19 00:01:05,910 --> 00:01:09,179 Speaker 2: Karen in Georgia. Yeah. Georgia read my story on Minnesota 20 00:01:09,180 --> 00:01:12,479 Speaker 2: 510 about my polygraph experience, and I genuinely didn't realize 21 00:01:12,580 --> 00:01:16,390 Speaker 2: how much I wrote about my dislike for the 2017 Astros. 22 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:17,270 Speaker 1: Oops. 23 00:01:18,569 --> 00:01:20,650 Speaker 2: And then we get into baseball. A quick summary of 24 00:01:20,670 --> 00:01:22,810 Speaker 2: the whole scandal. The story came to light in an 25 00:01:22,950 --> 00:01:27,390 Speaker 2: article from The Athletic in 2019. A former Astros pitcher, 26 00:01:27,590 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 2: Mike Fiers, Fiers? I don't know, blew the whistle on 27 00:01:31,220 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 2: the operation which involved an unauthorized camera in center field 28 00:01:35,220 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: at Astros Stadium in To film the opposing catcher's signs. 29 00:01:40,030 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 2: And then she explains baseball, although I have seen major 30 00:01:42,660 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 2: leagues clearly so many times in my life, so I 31 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:46,179 Speaker 2: know baseball. 32 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:46,500 Speaker 1: Okay. 33 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,260 Speaker 2: The story is catchers signal to pitchers which type of 34 00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:51,500 Speaker 2: pitch to throw, typically by holding down a certain number 35 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,230 Speaker 2: of fingers on their non-gloved hand. It's not as simple 36 00:01:54,380 --> 00:01:56,780 Speaker 2: as one finger for a fastball and two for a curve. 37 00:01:57,180 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 2: It's usually a lot more complicated. 38 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,900 Speaker 1: This is so condescending. I'm more furious than I was 39 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,860 Speaker 1: for the original conversation. 40 00:02:05,780 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 2: This is just like double shit list here. So basically 41 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,139 Speaker 2: they're saying a monitor was installed in the tunnel near 42 00:02:12,180 --> 00:02:15,500 Speaker 2: the dugout where staff and players watched the feed, decoded 43 00:02:15,540 --> 00:02:19,110 Speaker 2: the pitches and banged a trash can. Example, once for 44 00:02:19,190 --> 00:02:22,370 Speaker 2: off-speed pitch, silence for a fastball to signal the hitter. 45 00:02:22,550 --> 00:02:25,010 Speaker 1: So it's all provable and kind of out in the open. 46 00:02:25,150 --> 00:02:25,530 Speaker 2: Yeah. 47 00:02:25,889 --> 00:02:26,190 Speaker 1: Wow. 48 00:02:26,750 --> 00:02:29,570 Speaker 2: And it's like blatant. It's not like we got a 49 00:02:29,710 --> 00:02:31,890 Speaker 2: piece of paper that says like what this means or 50 00:02:31,910 --> 00:02:33,610 Speaker 2: that means, you know? 51 00:02:33,650 --> 00:02:36,070 Speaker 1: Yeah, they're banging a trash can. You can, it's playback 52 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:36,470 Speaker 1: the tape. 53 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:39,940 Speaker 2: Totally. As a result, Astros batters would know what type 54 00:02:39,970 --> 00:02:41,900 Speaker 2: of pitch was coming their way. This may not seem 55 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,380 Speaker 2: like a huge advantage. Hitting a 100 mile per hour 56 00:02:44,419 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 2: fastball is very difficult, even when you know it's coming, 57 00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:50,299 Speaker 2: but it makes a difference. Many pitchers across the league 58 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 2: have stated they would much rather face a batter on 59 00:02:52,980 --> 00:02:55,620 Speaker 2: steroids than a batter who knows what pitch is coming 60 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: because you can at least try to outthink the guy 61 00:02:57,940 --> 00:02:58,660 Speaker 2: on steroids. 62 00:02:59,180 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: Wow. 63 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:03,060 Speaker 2: Major League Baseball fined the franchise and handed down one-year 64 00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:05,850 Speaker 2: suspensions to the general manager and the manager of the team. 65 00:03:06,070 --> 00:03:08,790 Speaker 2: The players were granted immunity from discipline in exchange for 66 00:03:08,810 --> 00:03:13,130 Speaker 2: their cooperation with the investigation, meaning no players were individually suspended. 67 00:03:13,690 --> 00:03:17,230 Speaker 2: Whether or not the 2017 Astros cheated is not controversial. 68 00:03:17,389 --> 00:03:21,790 Speaker 2: It was investigated by MLB and confirmed. The controversy exists 69 00:03:21,830 --> 00:03:24,290 Speaker 2: between players and fans on either side of the scandal 70 00:03:24,330 --> 00:03:27,180 Speaker 2: who disagree on whether or not the punishments were sufficient. 71 00:03:27,780 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 2: Apologies for making you air all my grievances about baseball 72 00:03:31,220 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: on the podcast and now doing it a second time. 73 00:03:33,460 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 2: The story was really supposed to be about a polygraph 74 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,420 Speaker 2: at work. S-S-D-G-M, Sarah. 75 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:44,130 Speaker 1: Sarah- Thank you for participating in the content churn with us. 76 00:03:44,710 --> 00:03:48,010 Speaker 1: Whatever people intend, the way they're going to interact, we 77 00:03:48,050 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: can't control it. We just go with it. 78 00:03:49,770 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 2: No, and every view on Instagram counts. So technically, you've 79 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 2: helped us. So go smash that like button. 80 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: Smash that like button. We're doing a collab with MLB 81 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:03,310 Speaker 1: where people explain the most basic rules to us. Hello. 82 00:04:03,410 --> 00:04:07,490 Speaker 2: Hello. We're going to throw you a fastball of fucking hometowns. 83 00:04:07,590 --> 00:04:12,330 Speaker 1: They hold out fingers to represent plays and different types 84 00:04:12,370 --> 00:04:12,950 Speaker 1: of bitches. 85 00:04:13,010 --> 00:04:13,290 Speaker 2: Okay. 86 00:04:16,290 --> 00:04:17,730 Speaker 1: Well, we're keeping it hometown-y. 87 00:04:17,910 --> 00:04:18,100 Speaker 2: Okay. 88 00:04:18,190 --> 00:04:20,940 Speaker 1: The subject line of this email is trouble in flavor town. 89 00:04:21,260 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: So you know I had to pick it. And it starts, hey, 90 00:04:24,420 --> 00:04:27,620 Speaker 1: best friends. I'm from Marin County. And then a parentheses, 91 00:04:27,700 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: it says trailside killer territory and neighbors with Karen's hometown Petaluma. Hey. Hey. 92 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: closed parentheses, in high school, I was running with the 93 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: wrong crowds and loving every minute of it. One day 94 00:04:38,980 --> 00:04:40,790 Speaker 1: when I was 15, I was having dinner at a 95 00:04:40,820 --> 00:04:43,250 Speaker 1: friend's house with this guy I was super into at 96 00:04:43,290 --> 00:04:45,670 Speaker 1: the time. We were talking about the food when someone 97 00:04:45,710 --> 00:04:49,170 Speaker 1: brought up cooking shows. He turned to me and told 98 00:04:49,210 --> 00:04:50,950 Speaker 1: me that he had a great story for me. And 99 00:04:50,970 --> 00:04:53,710 Speaker 1: of course, I'm always down for a great story. He 100 00:04:53,770 --> 00:04:56,090 Speaker 1: told me that his good friend was planning to steal 101 00:04:56,110 --> 00:04:59,610 Speaker 1: a really expensive car from a famous chef in San Francisco. 102 00:05:00,140 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: Remember this? Yes, totally. 103 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:03,979 Speaker 2: This sounds familiar. Yeah. 104 00:05:04,060 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: This guy was older than me, 16 at the time, 105 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 1: and didn't strike me as a sexy James Bond grand 106 00:05:09,900 --> 00:05:13,109 Speaker 1: theft auto type, even though I was a blossoming murderino. 107 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,470 Speaker 1: And I didn't care about anything other than getting guys 108 00:05:16,490 --> 00:05:19,530 Speaker 1: to buy me cigarettes and getting my belly button pierced. 109 00:05:21,150 --> 00:05:23,170 Speaker 1: So some months later, I'm in the car with a 110 00:05:23,230 --> 00:05:26,130 Speaker 1: friend and she shows me an article her mom just 111 00:05:26,150 --> 00:05:29,150 Speaker 1: sent her with a headline saying, Celebrity chef Guy Fieri's 112 00:05:29,190 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: Lamborghini is stolen from dealership lot in San Francisco. 113 00:05:32,940 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 2: I remember this. 114 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: Yes. It was 2011. Just want to let that settle 115 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:42,940 Speaker 1: in for a moment. He stole Guy Fieri's Lamborghini. And 116 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,890 Speaker 1: then it says, Guy Fieri, restaurateur, author, and an Emmy 117 00:05:45,930 --> 00:05:50,730 Speaker 1: award-winning TV personality, Mr. Flavortown. My friend wasn't lying. This 118 00:05:50,790 --> 00:05:53,870 Speaker 1: kid literally rappelled off the roof to get down to 119 00:05:53,890 --> 00:05:57,650 Speaker 1: the car in the middle of the night. impersonated a worker, 120 00:05:58,050 --> 00:06:00,500 Speaker 1: and then drove that shit right off the lot. 121 00:06:00,650 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, let him keep it. At that point, you earned it. 122 00:06:03,700 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: And also, maybe he doesn't come off as like a 123 00:06:06,820 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 1: sexy James Bond type, but he just earned his James 124 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: Bond stripes by rappelling anywhere. I mean, if you went 125 00:06:14,339 --> 00:06:17,419 Speaker 1: to like a rock climbing place and you were rappelling, 126 00:06:17,460 --> 00:06:19,380 Speaker 1: it would be hot. But that's like where you need 127 00:06:19,420 --> 00:06:22,430 Speaker 1: it most. Okay, so it says, the thing was bright 128 00:06:22,470 --> 00:06:25,430 Speaker 1: fucking yellow and he drove it over the Golden Cape Bridge. 129 00:06:27,910 --> 00:06:30,550 Speaker 1: He was literally 16 years old. I honestly couldn't even 130 00:06:30,630 --> 00:06:33,050 Speaker 1: drive at that age. They hadn't found the car yet 131 00:06:33,210 --> 00:06:35,940 Speaker 1: and they didn't have a suspect in mind. I was like, 132 00:06:35,980 --> 00:06:38,159 Speaker 1: there's no way I can get involved in this, but 133 00:06:38,220 --> 00:06:40,580 Speaker 1: I know more than the cops about this crazy heist. 134 00:06:41,140 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: After a few months without running into him, though, I 135 00:06:43,420 --> 00:06:47,250 Speaker 1: once again started minding my own business. The bummer for 136 00:06:47,310 --> 00:06:49,790 Speaker 1: this kid is that he actually was kind of a 137 00:06:49,830 --> 00:06:53,510 Speaker 1: huge asshole sociopath. A year later, he caused a massive 138 00:06:53,570 --> 00:06:57,420 Speaker 1: scene by shooting at his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend 139 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,500 Speaker 1: from his motorcycle outside a bar. Oh, my God. That's insane. 140 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:05,010 Speaker 1: The police tracked him back to a storage unit and 141 00:07:05,110 --> 00:07:09,110 Speaker 1: then boom, there's the bright yellow Lambo waiting for them 142 00:07:09,370 --> 00:07:12,900 Speaker 1: along with a shit ton of fake IDs, drugs and guns. 143 00:07:13,180 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 2: Wow. 144 00:07:13,980 --> 00:07:16,180 Speaker 1: He stole that car and then went and parked it 145 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: at a rent-a-center or whatever, not a rent-a-center, at a. 146 00:07:19,850 --> 00:07:20,510 Speaker 2: Storage center. 147 00:07:21,170 --> 00:07:23,250 Speaker 1: Yes, storage center. Wow. 148 00:07:23,290 --> 00:07:25,830 Speaker 2: And just left it there. And his own stupidity got 149 00:07:25,870 --> 00:07:28,130 Speaker 2: him caught. Like, they wouldn't even have caught him. Yes. 150 00:07:28,470 --> 00:07:31,630 Speaker 1: But he's clearly, when you get away with stuff, you're 151 00:07:31,670 --> 00:07:32,940 Speaker 1: just like, I get away with stuff. 152 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:33,210 Speaker 2: Yeah. 153 00:07:33,770 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: When they caught him, Guy Fieri actually had to testify 154 00:07:36,300 --> 00:07:38,900 Speaker 1: against him in court. And I can't help but giggle 155 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,780 Speaker 1: when I think about that. In a news clip, Guy said, 156 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: brave kid, and laughed it off as he was walking 157 00:07:44,660 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: out of the courthouse. So badass. 158 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,850 Speaker 2: That's a straight up Gwen Paltrow. I hope you enjoy 159 00:07:49,870 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 2: your life. 160 00:07:50,230 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 1: Yes. Be blessed or whatever. The kid got 25 to 161 00:07:55,250 --> 00:07:58,590 Speaker 1: life for attempted murder and is in San Quentin as 162 00:07:58,630 --> 00:08:02,330 Speaker 1: we speak. Anyways, thanks for reading this, ladies. I hope 163 00:08:02,370 --> 00:08:05,910 Speaker 1: the facts are accurate because in true MFM form, it's 164 00:08:05,950 --> 00:08:09,620 Speaker 1: a little fuzzy. Well, hey, that's old us. Anyways, stay 165 00:08:09,630 --> 00:08:11,670 Speaker 1: sexy and don't fuck with Flavortown. C. 166 00:08:11,660 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 2: The initial C. That's one of those stories you, like, 167 00:08:17,740 --> 00:08:19,580 Speaker 2: have heard of. That's what I love about these hometowns. 168 00:08:19,620 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 2: It's like, I remember that. Yes. And then it's like, yeah, 169 00:08:22,140 --> 00:08:23,930 Speaker 2: that was my friend's buddy or whatever. 170 00:08:23,990 --> 00:08:26,890 Speaker 1: Just the idea of, like, you rappel in to steal 171 00:08:26,910 --> 00:08:31,870 Speaker 1: the most obvious car... And you get away with it. 172 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:33,300 Speaker 2: I had a lot of hope for this kid until 173 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 2: he became a fucking piece of shit. But like the 174 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,300 Speaker 2: kind of kid at school where you're like, the teachers 175 00:08:38,330 --> 00:08:39,950 Speaker 2: are so frustrated because they're like, this kid is so 176 00:08:39,990 --> 00:08:43,150 Speaker 2: freaking smart. And he refuses to, you know, he needs 177 00:08:43,170 --> 00:08:45,170 Speaker 2: to find the thing he loves and do it. Like 178 00:08:45,690 --> 00:08:46,350 Speaker 2: stealing cars. 179 00:08:46,710 --> 00:08:49,410 Speaker 1: I know it makes me go, did your dad start 180 00:08:49,450 --> 00:08:52,949 Speaker 1: a second family? What pain are you processing as a 181 00:08:52,929 --> 00:08:55,650 Speaker 1: 16 year old boy that's coming out in the way 182 00:08:55,690 --> 00:08:58,170 Speaker 1: where you're repelling in and stealing Lamborghinis? 183 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 2: Totally, totally. Send your story about that to My Favorite 184 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 2: Murderer at Gmail. Send us stories about second families. We 185 00:09:05,940 --> 00:09:07,420 Speaker 2: haven't had a lot of those, have we? What? 186 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:08,200 Speaker 1: Other families? 187 00:09:08,420 --> 00:09:10,500 Speaker 2: Second family stories. Secret families. 188 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,730 Speaker 1: Oh, secret families are good. Yeah. I think we've asked 189 00:09:13,750 --> 00:09:15,250 Speaker 1: for like Ancestry.com. 190 00:09:15,470 --> 00:09:17,990 Speaker 2: Yeah, but I want someone who's like Graham, who's like 191 00:09:18,350 --> 00:09:20,530 Speaker 2: closer to it than, you know. 192 00:09:20,850 --> 00:09:24,030 Speaker 1: Either that or repelling stories. But it has to be 193 00:09:24,070 --> 00:09:28,020 Speaker 1: over 30 feet. If you could combine the two, great. 194 00:09:28,500 --> 00:09:29,660 Speaker 1: That would be ideal. Yeah. 195 00:09:32,260 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 2: Okay, I have another follow-up, actually. This one's called Marfa 196 00:09:35,580 --> 00:09:36,179 Speaker 2: Ghost Lights. 197 00:09:36,460 --> 00:09:37,780 Speaker 1: Pick me, I know this one. 198 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:42,420 Speaker 2: Starts during Georgia's story about the Marfa Ghost Lights, episode 555, 199 00:09:42,420 --> 00:09:45,750 Speaker 2: live at Bass Concert Hall, Austin Night 2. I was 200 00:09:45,809 --> 00:09:47,910 Speaker 2: jumping up and down with my hand raised like the 201 00:09:47,970 --> 00:09:51,710 Speaker 2: insufferable know-it-all I have always proudly been. To tell this story, 202 00:09:51,730 --> 00:09:53,829 Speaker 2: I need to take you back to the early 1980s 203 00:09:53,910 --> 00:09:57,750 Speaker 2: in a suburban Milwaukee town of New Berlin. Not pronounced 204 00:09:57,770 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 2: like the German city Berlin, but rather Berlin. 205 00:10:00,860 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: Okay. 206 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 2: I was eight years old and my BFF Cheryl was 207 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:07,819 Speaker 2: sleeping over in my basement bedroom. I don't know why 208 00:10:07,860 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 2: my parents put the youngest child in a dark, damp 209 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,119 Speaker 2: basement that was filled with centipedes and spiders, but it 210 00:10:13,140 --> 00:10:15,380 Speaker 2: was the 80s and kids didn't matter. 211 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:15,500 Speaker 1: Right. 212 00:10:16,210 --> 00:10:19,010 Speaker 2: Also the name Cheryl with an S-H is so 80s. 213 00:10:19,230 --> 00:10:20,690 Speaker 1: It's so deeply 80s. Yeah. 214 00:10:21,470 --> 00:10:24,050 Speaker 2: Suddenly in the very wee hours of the morning, Cheryl 215 00:10:24,090 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 2: and I both woke up and sat bolt upright. Neither 216 00:10:27,010 --> 00:10:29,260 Speaker 2: of us spoke. Our eyes were drawn to some strange 217 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,140 Speaker 2: red lights in the far corner of my bedroom, hovering 218 00:10:32,220 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 2: just below the ceiling. They were small orbs, not illuminating 219 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:38,770 Speaker 2: the room, but glowing. There were five or six of 220 00:10:38,830 --> 00:10:40,740 Speaker 2: them and they were orbiting around each other in a 221 00:10:40,820 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 2: small circle for maybe a minute. Then one by one, 222 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:47,140 Speaker 2: they shot to the opposite corner of my bedroom and disappeared. Poof. 223 00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 2: Cheryl and I looked at each other and started freaking 224 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:52,370 Speaker 2: the fuck out. We jumped out of bed, ran upstairs 225 00:10:52,390 --> 00:10:54,790 Speaker 2: to tell the adults who immediately dismissed our screaming and 226 00:10:54,850 --> 00:10:57,890 Speaker 2: panic as overactive imaginations and told us to go back 227 00:10:57,929 --> 00:11:01,460 Speaker 2: to bed as it was still dark out. Childhood trauma unlocked. 228 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:04,300 Speaker 2: Cheryl and I never forgot. As we grew up, we 229 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:06,199 Speaker 2: grew apart to the point where we'd see each other 230 00:11:06,260 --> 00:11:08,970 Speaker 2: maybe once a decade, but every time we'd reconnect, we'd 231 00:11:08,990 --> 00:11:13,569 Speaker 2: talk about what we coined as the red ants. Today, 232 00:11:13,590 --> 00:11:17,210 Speaker 2: I'm a staunch atheist, a hard skeptic, and am pretty intolerant, 233 00:11:17,330 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 2: perhaps to a fault, some might say, of the supernatural. 234 00:11:20,140 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 2: I don't believe in ghosts or general mumbo jumbo or 235 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 2: essential oils as anything other than something that kind of 236 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:27,200 Speaker 2: smells good. 237 00:11:27,220 --> 00:11:30,900 Speaker 1: Wow. Essential oils taking the hit. 238 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:35,260 Speaker 2: I think we all dismiss those are not woo-woo anymore. 239 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:38,300 Speaker 2: Though I've said time and time again that I'd love 240 00:11:38,330 --> 00:11:40,809 Speaker 2: to be proven wrong because it's nice to believe in something. 241 00:11:40,970 --> 00:11:43,850 Speaker 2: But this one thing, these red ants had left that 242 00:11:43,910 --> 00:11:48,429 Speaker 2: door to the supernatural ever so slightly ajar. Intel. Flash 243 00:11:48,450 --> 00:11:51,090 Speaker 2: forward to several weeks ago when my forever curious and 244 00:11:51,190 --> 00:11:54,690 Speaker 2: science-minded 19-year-old son came to me and said two words. 245 00:11:55,230 --> 00:11:58,020 Speaker 2: Ball lightning. Ball lightning. He remembered the story that I 246 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 2: told him 15 years earlier when we visited New Berlin. 247 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 2: He said he had some extra time when he was 248 00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:06,020 Speaker 2: at the college library, so he decided to look into it. 249 00:12:06,260 --> 00:12:08,630 Speaker 2: And just like that, he solved the mystery that had 250 00:12:08,670 --> 00:12:12,390 Speaker 2: been dogging me for almost half a century. Ball lightning 251 00:12:12,530 --> 00:12:16,890 Speaker 2: is a rare and atmospheric phenomenon described as a glowing, 252 00:12:17,030 --> 00:12:20,820 Speaker 2: floating orb or spear that typically appears during thunderstorms, but 253 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,569 Speaker 2: not always. and lasts from a few seconds to a 254 00:12:23,630 --> 00:12:27,150 Speaker 2: few minutes. It can appear both indoors and outdoors. It's 255 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 2: also one of the theories behind the mysterious Marfa ghost lights, 256 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,140 Speaker 2: and I believe this to be the absolute and definitive truth. 257 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:38,059 Speaker 2: See above reference to Insufferable Know-It-All. Mystery solved. Science wins. 258 00:12:38,700 --> 00:12:40,100 Speaker 2: By the way, thank you for the shout out to 259 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,339 Speaker 2: the El Paso Times newspaper, where I worked as a 260 00:12:42,370 --> 00:12:44,449 Speaker 2: copy editor for several years, and it was one of 261 00:12:44,490 --> 00:12:47,569 Speaker 2: my favorite places I've lived and worked. You'll never find 262 00:12:47,590 --> 00:12:50,939 Speaker 2: a city with nicer people, better food, a more vibrant culture, 263 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,420 Speaker 2: and jaw-dropping landscapes. Love your show. Love you guys more 264 00:12:54,460 --> 00:12:56,319 Speaker 2: than you know. You've been the voices in my head 265 00:12:56,340 --> 00:12:58,750 Speaker 2: throughout the ups and downs of my life, and I 266 00:12:58,830 --> 00:13:02,260 Speaker 2: couldn't ask for better parasocial besties. Stay sexy and tell 267 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,140 Speaker 2: your kids all your mysteries because someday they might solve them. Sarah. 268 00:13:06,340 --> 00:13:09,699 Speaker 1: Ball lightning. Did you bring that up? I can't remember. 269 00:13:09,780 --> 00:13:16,829 Speaker 2: I don't think so, but doesn't that sound like... Bullshit? No, 270 00:13:16,850 --> 00:13:19,570 Speaker 2: what's the other one? Spontaneous human combustion. 271 00:13:19,809 --> 00:13:20,290 Speaker 1: Oh, yes. 272 00:13:20,370 --> 00:13:22,250 Speaker 2: Doesn't that could spark something? 273 00:13:22,630 --> 00:13:25,709 Speaker 1: Right. There's all kinds of... Yes, I... Here's what I 274 00:13:25,750 --> 00:13:28,270 Speaker 1: like about that email. I like a person who's like, 275 00:13:28,370 --> 00:13:31,270 Speaker 1: I'm a staunch atheist kind of nonbeliever, but I have 276 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:32,270 Speaker 1: to keep the door open. 277 00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:32,750 Speaker 2: Yeah. 278 00:13:33,130 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 1: And well, I guess until. But to me, I'm like, 279 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,540 Speaker 1: you also have to keep the door open because why 280 00:13:38,580 --> 00:13:40,740 Speaker 1: in the world would you have four balls of ball 281 00:13:40,780 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: lightning or whatever they call it in your basement? 282 00:13:43,980 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 2: Totally. Like the one time happened to like no one 283 00:13:46,820 --> 00:13:48,860 Speaker 2: else in your family, no one else you've ever spoken 284 00:13:48,900 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 2: to has seen it. This is like a fun, eerie 285 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:52,819 Speaker 2: thing that doesn't need to be. 286 00:13:53,140 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: Well, right, because there's other versions of it. 287 00:13:56,420 --> 00:13:59,230 Speaker 2: Also, the shit we don't know, like, yes. 288 00:13:59,750 --> 00:14:01,890 Speaker 1: Give it over. Give it over to the shit we 289 00:14:01,929 --> 00:14:02,270 Speaker 1: don't know. 290 00:14:02,290 --> 00:14:02,750 Speaker 2: Yeah. 291 00:14:02,870 --> 00:14:06,010 Speaker 1: For real. Okay. Sarah, I hope we haven't upset you terribly. 292 00:14:07,750 --> 00:14:07,990 Speaker 2: Okay. 293 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:12,470 Speaker 1: This story is insane. I'm not going to read you 294 00:14:12,510 --> 00:14:15,610 Speaker 1: the subject line. This is a great hero story. So 295 00:14:15,730 --> 00:14:18,569 Speaker 1: it says, Hi, ladies. Thoroughly enjoy the podcast. I've been 296 00:14:18,590 --> 00:14:21,110 Speaker 1: a loyal listener from the beginning. If you're reading this, 297 00:14:21,150 --> 00:14:24,890 Speaker 1: I'm probably listening on the NYC subway crying with happiness. 298 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,020 Speaker 1: I wanted to share a story about my father, who 299 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:30,740 Speaker 1: is a legit cowboy and was straight up in a 300 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 1: shootout in 2012. Sadly, this isn't a happy story for 301 00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: some involved, but I'm so proud of my dad and 302 00:14:37,750 --> 00:14:39,750 Speaker 1: And I think he's the most badass person alive. So 303 00:14:39,770 --> 00:14:41,540 Speaker 1: I wanted to share a story of the man who 304 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:46,500 Speaker 1: is my true hero. It was move-in weekend 2012 at 305 00:14:46,580 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: Texas A & M. And my dad was helping my 306 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,650 Speaker 1: stepsister move into her sorority house with my stepmom. As 307 00:14:52,710 --> 00:14:55,690 Speaker 1: they were pulling up to the house, my stepmom's car 308 00:14:55,930 --> 00:15:00,130 Speaker 1: is sprayed with bullets. Immediately, my dad springs into action. 309 00:15:00,530 --> 00:15:03,290 Speaker 1: He gets my stepsister into the house, tells her to 310 00:15:03,340 --> 00:15:06,500 Speaker 1: get everyone into the back, and calls 911. He then 311 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: pulls out his handgun and then a parentheses that says 312 00:15:09,620 --> 00:15:12,940 Speaker 1: he has a license. It's Texas. And then it says, 313 00:15:13,140 --> 00:15:16,140 Speaker 1: and gets my stepmom who has now been shot twice 314 00:15:16,340 --> 00:15:19,330 Speaker 1: in the back out of the car and onto the ground. 315 00:15:19,830 --> 00:15:22,730 Speaker 1: He runs down the block, gets behind a tree and 316 00:15:22,770 --> 00:15:26,410 Speaker 1: begins to fire back at the guy shooting. And he's 317 00:15:26,450 --> 00:15:29,090 Speaker 1: doing it to distract the shooter so that people on 318 00:15:29,110 --> 00:15:32,050 Speaker 1: the street can take cover as the police are showing up. 319 00:15:32,910 --> 00:15:35,790 Speaker 1: At the time I lived in New York, And I'm 320 00:15:36,050 --> 00:15:39,310 Speaker 1: reading live updates of this happening on the news, thinking 321 00:15:39,350 --> 00:15:41,780 Speaker 1: maybe I should call my family and make sure everyone 322 00:15:41,820 --> 00:15:45,860 Speaker 1: is okay. Naturally, no one answers. Finally, my brother calls 323 00:15:45,940 --> 00:15:47,900 Speaker 1: me and tells me what happened. And I'm on the 324 00:15:47,940 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: first plane to Texas. And so basically what happened was this. 325 00:15:52,380 --> 00:15:55,660 Speaker 1: Constable Brian Bachman had gone to the house of 35-year-old 326 00:15:55,680 --> 00:16:00,290 Speaker 1: Thomas Kefal to serve him with a notice to appear 327 00:16:00,310 --> 00:16:03,100 Speaker 1: in court due to his failure to pay rent. and 328 00:16:03,150 --> 00:16:07,239 Speaker 1: Kefal shot Bachman point blank and killed him. He then 329 00:16:07,340 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: takes Bachman's semi-automatic pistol and goes up and down the 330 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: block shooting people. All in all, he had three different 331 00:16:14,380 --> 00:16:20,140 Speaker 1: types of rifles plus Bachman's pistol. He discharged around 65 332 00:16:20,140 --> 00:16:23,700 Speaker 1: rounds of ammunition, and he did end up killing a 333 00:16:23,740 --> 00:16:27,900 Speaker 1: civilian and wounding three additional police officers before being shot 334 00:16:27,950 --> 00:16:31,610 Speaker 1: and killed by police. Thankfully, my stepmom was okay after 335 00:16:31,650 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: multiple surgeries, In parentheses, it says, she's also superwoman. And 336 00:16:35,860 --> 00:16:40,220 Speaker 1: then it says, sidebar, she's famously known for drinking Dr. Pepper. 337 00:16:40,260 --> 00:16:42,610 Speaker 1: And when she woke up after all of her surgeries, 338 00:16:42,670 --> 00:16:45,790 Speaker 1: the doctor asked what she needed. And she said, the 339 00:16:45,870 --> 00:16:47,510 Speaker 1: only doctor I need is Dr. 340 00:16:47,550 --> 00:16:51,350 Speaker 2: Pepper. Oh, man. The doctor quit right there. 341 00:16:51,370 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: Fuck this. I've been standing here for 18 hours. 342 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 2: I did a 29-hour surgery on you. 343 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: Only these hands. He goes right into the Alec Baldwin monologue. Oh, 344 00:17:04,140 --> 00:17:08,260 Speaker 1: these hands. Okay. But the final very important line of 345 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,030 Speaker 1: that paragraph is, she was also up and walking three 346 00:17:11,090 --> 00:17:14,869 Speaker 1: days after being shot. My dad was named Citizen of 347 00:17:14,910 --> 00:17:18,190 Speaker 1: the Year in College Station and multiple police officers came 348 00:17:18,210 --> 00:17:20,490 Speaker 1: to us in the hospital to shake his hand. Many 349 00:17:20,530 --> 00:17:22,810 Speaker 1: of them told us it could have been much worse 350 00:17:22,970 --> 00:17:25,379 Speaker 1: if he hadn't provided the distraction that he did. I 351 00:17:26,220 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 1: asked my dad what he was thinking when it happened. 352 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:30,609 Speaker 1: And he said, It was something I just knew I 353 00:17:30,650 --> 00:17:33,410 Speaker 1: had to do. There were college kids and people outside, 354 00:17:33,550 --> 00:17:36,300 Speaker 1: and I knew I needed to do something to distract 355 00:17:36,340 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: the gunman. End quote. Seriously, the most selfless thing I've 356 00:17:40,140 --> 00:17:43,159 Speaker 1: ever heard. Anyway, that's the story of my dad, a 357 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,940 Speaker 1: literal fucking Texas cowboy who no one should ever fuck with. Wow. 358 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:54,570 Speaker 1: And then it says, thankfully, I inherited that quality. SSDGM, Allison. Allison, wow. 359 00:17:54,930 --> 00:17:57,230 Speaker 2: That's, it wouldn't have crossed my mind to be like, 360 00:17:57,609 --> 00:18:02,460 Speaker 2: make him shoot this way. distract him from his target. Yes. 361 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,410 Speaker 1: Very like just random shooting into crowds and basically, yeah, 362 00:18:07,470 --> 00:18:09,530 Speaker 1: give him the gunfight he's asking for. 363 00:18:09,550 --> 00:18:13,070 Speaker 2: Right. And you're like, you're safe. You're not, maybe you're 364 00:18:13,090 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 2: not even aiming at him. It's just like, get his 365 00:18:15,710 --> 00:18:17,100 Speaker 2: attention away. That's incredible. 366 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 1: Okay. 367 00:18:20,180 --> 00:18:23,640 Speaker 2: My last one's called how a cat saved my bloodline. 368 00:18:24,390 --> 00:18:27,210 Speaker 2: This one's pretty crazy too. Hello, MFM team. I recently 369 00:18:27,260 --> 00:18:30,100 Speaker 2: discovered your podcast on Netflix and have been binge watching 370 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:31,160 Speaker 2: all your episodes. 371 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 1: What? We have so many questions to ask you. You're 372 00:18:33,619 --> 00:18:35,300 Speaker 1: a brand new demographic. I know. 373 00:18:35,340 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 2: I didn't know that was a thing that someone was 374 00:18:36,619 --> 00:18:38,240 Speaker 2: going to find us there. Were they like, hey, who 375 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 2: are those fucking hotties? I've got to watch that. 376 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:46,090 Speaker 1: What are they thinking? Going in from the eyeballs first. 377 00:18:46,830 --> 00:18:48,389 Speaker 1: Everybody else is like, what? 378 00:18:48,550 --> 00:18:51,189 Speaker 2: It's like going into the pool slowly head first. 379 00:18:51,270 --> 00:18:51,530 Speaker 1: What? 380 00:18:52,290 --> 00:18:57,969 Speaker 2: What? Well, we have a lot of un-eyeballed ones that 381 00:18:58,010 --> 00:19:00,210 Speaker 2: you can find on podcast apps. Yeah, that's right. 382 00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:02,420 Speaker 1: There's this whole thing called podcasting where your eyes aren't 383 00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:04,360 Speaker 1: involved and you can do it while you drive. You're 384 00:19:04,380 --> 00:19:04,899 Speaker 1: going to love it. 385 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,219 Speaker 2: It's easier for everyone involved. Especially us. 386 00:19:08,580 --> 00:19:09,260 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. 387 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 2: Thank you. I was born and raised in Edmonton, Canada, 388 00:19:12,060 --> 00:19:14,450 Speaker 2: and I'm of Chinese heritage. I live a good life 389 00:19:14,550 --> 00:19:16,850 Speaker 2: and I am lucky to be a descendant of badass immigrants, 390 00:19:16,890 --> 00:19:19,490 Speaker 2: but I am fortunate to realize that the unlikeliest of 391 00:19:19,570 --> 00:19:22,780 Speaker 2: scenarios ultimately led to where I am today. During the 392 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:29,100 Speaker 2: Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese imperialist forces occupied China. My paternal 393 00:19:29,140 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 2: grandfather was a doctor, having a successful medical clinic in 394 00:19:32,660 --> 00:19:37,110 Speaker 2: Zongshan in the Siquai residential district. He was secretly part 395 00:19:37,130 --> 00:19:40,869 Speaker 2: of the underground guerrilla resistance, fighting against the atrocities of 396 00:19:40,890 --> 00:19:44,710 Speaker 2: the Japanese forces. The commander of the Japanese imperialist forces 397 00:19:44,790 --> 00:19:48,290 Speaker 2: brought his son into the clinic, having exhausted other medical professionals, 398 00:19:48,770 --> 00:19:51,580 Speaker 2: and was still unable to have his son cured. Despite 399 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,180 Speaker 2: my grandfather's involvement with the guerrilla, he cured the commander's son. 400 00:19:55,700 --> 00:19:58,409 Speaker 2: The commander was so grateful that he posted a notice 401 00:19:58,530 --> 00:20:02,230 Speaker 2: outside the clinic ordering any imperialist soldiers passing the clinic 402 00:20:02,490 --> 00:20:06,379 Speaker 2: to salute. My grandfather used this newfound status to hide 403 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 2: a register of all the members of the guerrilla inside 404 00:20:09,500 --> 00:20:12,280 Speaker 2: the clinic. Wow. I know, because suddenly he's just like 405 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 2: on a different plane and he is a bug scrutiny. Yeah. 406 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 2: My grandmother, a badass army medic instructor, yelled at him, 407 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,770 Speaker 2: obviously because of the inherent danger of having this list 408 00:20:23,830 --> 00:20:27,830 Speaker 2: in their possession. If found, they would undoubtedly have been executed. 409 00:20:28,410 --> 00:20:31,429 Speaker 2: My grandfather ignored my grandmother and hid the register in 410 00:20:31,470 --> 00:20:35,050 Speaker 2: a pot of rice husks used for fuel under a 411 00:20:35,130 --> 00:20:39,370 Speaker 2: pile of dried husks. The family cat also used this 412 00:20:39,430 --> 00:20:44,919 Speaker 2: pot as a litter box. One day, the Japanese soldiers 413 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:46,940 Speaker 2: got wind of the list and went to the clinic 414 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,659 Speaker 2: to search for it. They tore the clinic apart in 415 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,220 Speaker 2: their search. A Japanese soldier put his hand in the 416 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 2: pot of husks and touched cat shit. He pulled his 417 00:20:55,900 --> 00:20:58,570 Speaker 2: hand out in disgust and abandoned any further search into 418 00:20:58,609 --> 00:21:01,020 Speaker 2: the pot. Had he gone past the cat poop, he 419 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:04,580 Speaker 2: would have found the register and had my grandparents executed. 420 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:05,900 Speaker 1: Holy shit. 421 00:21:06,020 --> 00:21:08,719 Speaker 2: Thanks to a pile of cat shit, my grandparents and 422 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,160 Speaker 2: all the members of the guerrilla survived the Japanese occupation 423 00:21:12,660 --> 00:21:16,020 Speaker 2: and had my dad shortly after the war. Wow. Stay 424 00:21:16,060 --> 00:21:18,540 Speaker 2: sexy and listen to grandmother and maybe look where you're 425 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 2: putting your hand. Priscilla. 426 00:21:21,900 --> 00:21:24,580 Speaker 1: Priscilla, incredible story. 427 00:21:24,619 --> 00:21:27,140 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's like one of those literal cat save my, 428 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:28,480 Speaker 2: the cat saved me. 429 00:21:29,410 --> 00:21:33,310 Speaker 1: Lives yes and i wonder did the grandfather it was 430 00:21:33,350 --> 00:21:37,030 Speaker 1: that the idea was it the ultimate perfect camouflage of 431 00:21:37,150 --> 00:21:39,450 Speaker 1: no one will go past this layer because it's so 432 00:21:39,550 --> 00:21:41,170 Speaker 1: disgusting or was that. 433 00:21:41,070 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 2: A great idea stance yeah if i had a plastic 434 00:21:44,060 --> 00:21:46,780 Speaker 2: baggie put a bunch of whatever in it sealed it 435 00:21:46,980 --> 00:21:49,400 Speaker 2: up yeah and you yeah no one's going to check 436 00:21:49,420 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 2: the fucking cat box. 437 00:21:50,700 --> 00:21:54,560 Speaker 1: No no it's pretty brilliant it's really good okay i 438 00:21:55,410 --> 00:21:57,270 Speaker 1: I hope you're ready for my last one because it's 439 00:21:57,330 --> 00:21:59,389 Speaker 1: kind of a mind bender. I'm not going to read 440 00:21:59,410 --> 00:22:02,830 Speaker 1: you the whole subject line, but it is a celebrity encounter, 441 00:22:03,030 --> 00:22:04,150 Speaker 1: which you know are my favorite. 442 00:22:04,170 --> 00:22:05,770 Speaker 2: I'm really excited. Okay, great. 443 00:22:07,109 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 1: It says, my very favorite podcasters. That's nice. There's millions, 444 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: millions out there. 445 00:22:11,900 --> 00:22:12,900 Speaker 2: So many to choose from. 446 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,919 Speaker 1: We made it. I've been listening since episode six or seven. 447 00:22:16,940 --> 00:22:20,660 Speaker 1: Holy shit. And have been patiently waiting years to have 448 00:22:20,700 --> 00:22:23,060 Speaker 1: a story worthy of one of your prompts. And I think... 449 00:22:23,310 --> 00:22:26,970 Speaker 1: Celebrity Encounters is just that opportunity. Buckle up because I 450 00:22:27,020 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: think I have one of the most MFM-coded celebrity encounters 451 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:37,060 Speaker 1: outside of those Hawaiians terrorized by Ezra Miller in 2022. 452 00:22:37,060 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: In 2017, my husband and I were in Paris with 453 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,100 Speaker 1: our two young children who were five and seven at 454 00:22:41,140 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 1: the time. We were coming from a nice dinner and 455 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:49,070 Speaker 1: stopped at a Le Mosqueteur is a guess of the pronunciation. 456 00:22:49,210 --> 00:22:52,770 Speaker 1: It says essentially a mini French grocery store. Oh, we 457 00:22:52,810 --> 00:22:54,810 Speaker 1: don't want to hear from French people about how bad 458 00:22:54,830 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: that pronunciation was, by the way. We understand how much 459 00:22:57,630 --> 00:23:00,080 Speaker 1: you hate us. There's nothing we know better. 460 00:23:00,100 --> 00:23:04,240 Speaker 2: I think they're a little busy defending their whole society. 461 00:23:04,540 --> 00:23:05,900 Speaker 1: Their freedoms. Yeah. 462 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 2: Against violent authorities. So hopefully they don't hear this. 463 00:23:08,460 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: We're for you. And my inability to speak foreign languages 464 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,790 Speaker 1: with any kind of grace has nothing to do with 465 00:23:14,810 --> 00:23:16,930 Speaker 1: the respect we have for you. 466 00:23:16,950 --> 00:23:18,850 Speaker 2: That's right. Now that we got that out of the way. 467 00:23:19,170 --> 00:23:23,770 Speaker 1: Anyhow, shut up. So they're at Le Muscatayac to grab 468 00:23:23,810 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: a six pack for my husband and some ice cream 469 00:23:25,820 --> 00:23:29,740 Speaker 1: for the kids. The line was insanely long, like 25 470 00:23:29,740 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: people easily. So I was waiting at the little table 471 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: by the window with the kids while my husband waited 472 00:23:34,780 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 1: in line. Out of nowhere, a completely unhinged screaming Frenchman 473 00:23:39,540 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: stormed in the door, pushed through the lines of people, 474 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,510 Speaker 1: jumped on the counter and started punching the ever loving 475 00:23:45,590 --> 00:23:48,810 Speaker 1: shit out of one of the cashiers. It devolved into 476 00:23:48,869 --> 00:23:52,460 Speaker 1: an insane brawl. And everyone was panicked. I was pushed 477 00:23:52,500 --> 00:23:55,260 Speaker 1: against the glass with both kids as people started backing 478 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,050 Speaker 1: away from the fight while my husband maintained his spot 479 00:23:58,090 --> 00:24:00,190 Speaker 1: in line because you can't just walk away after waiting 480 00:24:00,210 --> 00:24:03,750 Speaker 1: that long. Am I right? That's so genius. 481 00:24:04,950 --> 00:24:07,290 Speaker 2: I don't know if that's super American or super French. 482 00:24:07,330 --> 00:24:07,670 Speaker 2: I can't. 483 00:24:08,060 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: Or just like, yeah, you're, you froze in place, but 484 00:24:10,540 --> 00:24:13,669 Speaker 1: you also, this is my spot. I was terrified and 485 00:24:13,730 --> 00:24:15,990 Speaker 1: had zero idea what to do when all of a sudden, 486 00:24:16,090 --> 00:24:19,629 Speaker 1: two insanely tall, insanely hot beacons of safety marched in 487 00:24:19,670 --> 00:24:23,230 Speaker 1: the door. It was none other than Alexander Skarsgård and 488 00:24:23,270 --> 00:24:26,730 Speaker 1: his younger brother, Bill, swooping in to save the day. 489 00:24:26,750 --> 00:24:30,340 Speaker 2: Stop it right fucking now. Are you kidding me? 490 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 1: It's what the email says. Now, people are allowed to 491 00:24:33,220 --> 00:24:35,860 Speaker 1: lie to us in these emails. That's true. 492 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 2: This is not a lie. 493 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,659 Speaker 1: This isn't a lie. And here's how we know. And 494 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: I mean, this is the story. They stood... This is hilarious, 495 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:47,310 Speaker 1: and this is just for you. They stood Skarsgård at 496 00:24:47,350 --> 00:24:52,250 Speaker 1: the door. And it says in parentheses, sorry. At the door, 497 00:24:52,550 --> 00:24:54,469 Speaker 1: where it seemed like they would jump in and protect 498 00:24:54,550 --> 00:24:57,630 Speaker 1: us all if the fight moved into the crowd, like 499 00:24:57,690 --> 00:25:01,980 Speaker 1: two very handsome overdressed bouncers. So it says, very crappy 500 00:25:02,020 --> 00:25:04,180 Speaker 1: photo attached. I was trying not to be the dick 501 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,660 Speaker 1: snapping a picture during an act of crime. It's not 502 00:25:06,700 --> 00:25:08,920 Speaker 1: my finest work. So I'll show you that after. 503 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:09,780 Speaker 2: Oh, my God. 504 00:25:10,420 --> 00:25:12,990 Speaker 1: So basically... Like a fight breaks out where a guy 505 00:25:13,190 --> 00:25:16,459 Speaker 1: gets onto the counter. They're just watching the fight. The 506 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: scars guards run in to make sure no one gets hurt. 507 00:25:19,740 --> 00:25:20,020 Speaker 2: Right. 508 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,820 Speaker 1: And then we all thought that was the end. But 509 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:25,680 Speaker 1: just as they got the guy outside, the clerk literally 510 00:25:26,180 --> 00:25:29,070 Speaker 1: leapt over the counter, ran outside, and attacked the puncher, 511 00:25:29,450 --> 00:25:32,709 Speaker 1: eventually trying to choke him out on the ground. Holy shit. 512 00:25:33,470 --> 00:25:36,699 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure they also broke up that fight. And 513 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:38,860 Speaker 1: then it says, my memory's a little fuzzy. And then 514 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: Alexander ushered the rest of us out of the store 515 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,219 Speaker 1: to safety. As I was passing through the door, we 516 00:25:44,270 --> 00:25:47,690 Speaker 1: locked eyes. He was dazzled by my half-saf motherly instincts, 517 00:25:47,790 --> 00:25:49,590 Speaker 1: and we fell madly in love and ran away together 518 00:25:49,690 --> 00:25:53,409 Speaker 1: to live as one big blended family in southern France. Okay, 519 00:25:53,590 --> 00:25:58,570 Speaker 1: in reality, my husband paid for his beer. Okay. Hero. 520 00:25:59,070 --> 00:26:02,790 Speaker 1: Hero of the story. Stepped the landing, got that beer, 521 00:26:03,430 --> 00:26:05,330 Speaker 1: came outside to meet me and the kids, and we 522 00:26:05,390 --> 00:26:07,810 Speaker 1: walked back to our flat. But on the way, we 523 00:26:07,850 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 1: passed those very same Skards guards eating at an outdoor cafe, 524 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 1: and we all recognized each other and had an amazing 525 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 1: what the fuck actually just happened back there discussion for 526 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:18,790 Speaker 1: a few minutes before we went on our merry way. 527 00:26:19,310 --> 00:26:21,390 Speaker 1: It seems that they had heard the ruckus from their 528 00:26:21,450 --> 00:26:24,150 Speaker 1: restaurant and swooped in to help. I mean, could they 529 00:26:24,230 --> 00:26:27,109 Speaker 1: be any more dreamy? It was truly the highlight of 530 00:26:27,150 --> 00:26:29,830 Speaker 1: our trip and perhaps my life. I am also very 531 00:26:29,869 --> 00:26:33,119 Speaker 1: grateful that you all have given me the opportunity to share. 532 00:26:33,740 --> 00:26:36,760 Speaker 1: Also grateful for the many hours of entertainment and parasocial 533 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,340 Speaker 1: camaraderie that you've provided as we are totally best friends 534 00:26:40,380 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 1: in my head. You all bring so much joy into 535 00:26:42,780 --> 00:26:46,300 Speaker 1: the world and I hope you receive it back tenfold. Oh, 536 00:26:47,060 --> 00:26:49,899 Speaker 1: that's so lovely. Yeah. Stay sexy and don't go to 537 00:26:49,940 --> 00:26:51,280 Speaker 1: Paris without a scars guard. 538 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 2: Wow. 539 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:56,180 Speaker 1: I'm sweating. 540 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 2: I'm so excited. 541 00:26:57,220 --> 00:26:58,200 Speaker 1: Right? It's crazy. 542 00:26:58,420 --> 00:27:00,680 Speaker 2: Let me open it. Molly sent me the... Bill's the hot, 543 00:27:00,740 --> 00:27:03,650 Speaker 2: scary look. Kind of like scary looking in a hot way. 544 00:27:03,670 --> 00:27:05,370 Speaker 1: Bill's got a cowboy vibe to him. 545 00:27:05,550 --> 00:27:08,470 Speaker 2: Damn. Gentlemen. 546 00:27:08,830 --> 00:27:10,869 Speaker 1: Alexander back there just standing by. 547 00:27:11,090 --> 00:27:13,300 Speaker 2: Look at that furrowed brow. Oh, that is. 548 00:27:14,530 --> 00:27:17,470 Speaker 1: That's crazy. Here's the other thing. I would love to know, 549 00:27:17,490 --> 00:27:19,410 Speaker 1: because they're from Sweden? 550 00:27:19,730 --> 00:27:21,090 Speaker 2: I think so, or something like that, yeah. 551 00:27:21,330 --> 00:27:24,889 Speaker 1: I just wonder what the fist fight vibe is in Sweden, 552 00:27:24,910 --> 00:27:26,850 Speaker 1: where it's, you know what I mean? It has to 553 00:27:26,869 --> 00:27:30,430 Speaker 1: be polite. Right? Or they're not litigious, like they let 554 00:27:30,450 --> 00:27:35,730 Speaker 1: people fight it out. Obviously, that was like somebody's ex. 555 00:27:36,070 --> 00:27:37,650 Speaker 1: There was some sort of story. 556 00:27:37,670 --> 00:27:40,450 Speaker 2: I feel like it would be very gentlemanly, the fight 557 00:27:40,750 --> 00:27:42,540 Speaker 2: in Holland. Or Sweden. 558 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: I like to think so. Or it's like, you know, Petaluma, 559 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: where it's like, hey, if they start fighting when the 560 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:48,879 Speaker 1: bar closed, you just let them fight it out. No 561 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,620 Speaker 1: one calls the cops. Right. And there's no crying. Just 562 00:27:51,660 --> 00:27:53,940 Speaker 1: let people fight. You know what I mean? 563 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,130 Speaker 2: Well, that was incredible. 564 00:27:56,470 --> 00:27:56,730 Speaker 1: I mean. 565 00:27:56,750 --> 00:27:59,169 Speaker 2: I'm glad you saved that this long. It was totally 566 00:27:59,190 --> 00:27:59,590 Speaker 2: worth it. 567 00:27:59,790 --> 00:28:03,230 Speaker 1: Allison, thank you. Thank you for finally giving us this gift. 568 00:28:03,470 --> 00:28:05,950 Speaker 2: I love that. Yeah, the Skarsgård are now in MFM lore. 569 00:28:06,150 --> 00:28:07,850 Speaker 2: And like, what more could we want out of life? 570 00:28:07,869 --> 00:28:09,929 Speaker 2: We made it. She's basically like. 571 00:28:10,450 --> 00:28:12,510 Speaker 1: My dream happened and now it's your dream too. And 572 00:28:12,530 --> 00:28:15,330 Speaker 1: it's like, hell yes, it's our dream. Yeah. We're in. 573 00:28:16,270 --> 00:28:19,090 Speaker 2: Someday when someone makes an MFM Wikipedia, like a wiki, 574 00:28:19,250 --> 00:28:21,980 Speaker 2: they're in. All right. Well, thanks for sending those in. 575 00:28:21,990 --> 00:28:25,149 Speaker 2: You guys send us any fucking story you want or 576 00:28:25,790 --> 00:28:27,970 Speaker 2: don't want to tell us. Yeah. 577 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:30,699 Speaker 1: Just search your heart and stay sexy. 578 00:28:30,940 --> 00:28:34,700 Speaker 2: And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? 579 00:28:42,700 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 1: This has been an Exactly Right production. 580 00:28:44,700 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 2: Our managing producer is Molly Smith. 581 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,590 Speaker 1: Our consulting producer is Kate Schellenbach. 582 00:28:48,710 --> 00:28:50,430 Speaker 2: Our creative lead is Allison Agosti. 583 00:28:50,750 --> 00:28:53,490 Speaker 1: Our associate producer is Tessa Hughes, and our editor is 584 00:28:53,610 --> 00:28:54,790 Speaker 1: Aristotle Acevedo. 585 00:28:54,990 --> 00:28:57,110 Speaker 2: This episode was mixed by Liana Squalacci. 586 00:28:57,390 --> 00:29:00,910 Speaker 1: Email your hometowns to myfavoritemurder at gmail.com and follow the 587 00:29:00,950 --> 00:29:03,110 Speaker 1: show on Instagram at myfavoritemurder. 588 00:29:03,290 --> 00:29:06,490 Speaker 2: Listen to My Favorite Murder on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 589 00:29:06,570 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts. 590 00:29:08,380 --> 00:29:11,780 Speaker 1: Or watch new episodes every week on Netflix. Search for 591 00:29:11,820 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: My Favorite Murder... Add us to your list and hit 592 00:29:14,380 --> 00:29:15,610 Speaker 1: the double thumbs up button. 593 00:29:16,250 --> 00:29:16,930 Speaker 2: Goodbye.