Digital Social Hour - Unbelievable Prison Survival Tactics You Never Knew | Garet Mclendon DSH #748

Episode Date: September 23, 2024

Prepare to have your mind blown as we dive into "Unbelievable Prison Survival Tactics You Never Knew" with Garet McLendon on the Digital Social Hour! 🚔 Discover the jaw-dropping stories of how a life of car theft and high-speed chases led to a 13-year stint behind bars. Garet shares his thrilling journey from stealing motorcycles to surviving the harsh realities of prison life, all while uncovering the surprising strategies that kept him safe. Hear his gripping tales of street racing, family reconnection, and ultimate redemption. 🎉 Don't miss out on these valuable insights—watch now and subscribe for more insider secrets. 📺 Join the conversation with Sean Kelly on Apple Podcasts & Spotify, and hit that subscribe button to stay tuned for more eye-opening stories. 🚀 CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 00:23 - Ticket Count and Experience 05:00 - Leveraging LinkedIn for Networking 08:20 - Journey into Racing 08:39 - Coping with a Friend's Death 13:11 - Cross-Country Racing: NY to LA 15:18 - Prison Time: Duration and Impact 17:40 - Influence of Environment on Behavior 18:57 - First Day Experience in Prison 22:20 - Prison Classification System Explained 27:37 - Family Relationship Repair Strategies 27:38 - Importance of Sobriety Date 27:39 - Mother's Role in Family Reconciliation 27:40 - Father's Social Media Presence 32:30 - Father-Son Relationship Rebuilding 34:00 - Reconnecting with Your Daughter 37:30 - Mending the Mother-Child Bond 44:23 - Recovery Rates: What You Should Know 45:50 - Finding Garet Online APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: [e-mail] GUEST: Garet Mclendon https://www.instagram.com/garetmclendon/ SPONSORS: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/social Deposyt Payment Processing: https://www.deposyt.com/seankelly LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I remember there was one that they left it. Like, it was just on the side of the road. And then it was for sale. And like, you know, just like... After the race? No, it was just like a random thing. I called a guy and met him there. Like, I was interested and watched how he, you know, killed the kill switch and all that stuff.

I went back the next day and took it. Wow. All right, guys. Garrett McClendon here you might have the most uh traffic tickets out of anyone i know i appreciate it yeah 160 right 168 i have a printout of all those tickets you know i went i went to the courthouse and you know and it was like let me get a printout and it was just like a sheet of paper just like unfolding like just you know that's hilarious i'm surprised they didn't arrest you when you went to the courthouse yeah me too did you ever pay any of them uh i ended up having to pay uh i had to pay for all that stuff all the restitution everything that um everything i mean

community service paying traffic times doing time for i mean you had to i have to because i wanted a driver's license and so damn i didn't get a driver's license until i was 34 holy crap yeah so you were driving around just in your 20s. I was all to my, I mean, from the age of 16 to 15, I was just like, I mean, first car at 15 years old and just started driving. And so I think in that first car, I probably got 50 tickets. Holy crap. Yeah. And what were they for mainly speeding?

For everything that you can think of, you know, turning, no blinkers, you know, expedition of speed, you know, everything. You know, after a time, I think that they just saw me coming in that car and they just pulled me over because they knew I didn't have a driver's license. They were like, oh, this guy? Yeah, let's get him. Easy money, right? Yeah, easy money. Did you end up going to jail for any of those? I ended up going to jail for, as the time spent up, I ended up going to jail for all that stuff.

After a while, I mean, it starts building up and building up, and those tickets become like a big old package. And so, like, you know, at first it was just like, to me, you're out there getting pulled over all the time. It's like just another ticket, just another ticket. But then all of a sudden it comes into a big old bundle when you're facing like, you know, 20, 30, 40 of them. of them and um yeah i went to jail that's how i felt with parking tickets i'm like i'm just gonna let these pile up yeah don't do it don't do it yeah i might still have some from

jersey yeah the fines i mean like the fines all of a sudden you get hit with these fines or you go to you know somewhere else i have ones i not only out there in like los angeles but in different counties too and like yeah and all of a sudden, it's a $1,000 or $1,500 ticket or more. You're like, how did that happen? And they're like, oh, yeah, I got that ticket out there, right? But the thing you got popped for was the stealing motorcycles, right? I got popped for lots of things, stealing know, stealing motorcycles, stealing cars, uh, uh, drugs. And, uh, and yeah, that's why another reason why I had so many tickets is because I kept on stealing cars and I, and I get, I get busted in the car and then, you know, and so it just

kept on going on a big old cycle. Yeah. What was the mindset behind that? Stealing the car stuff. You just needed money. Uh, needed money. Definitely. So I, I was in a, you know, you know, the Fast and the Furious comes out, and we're getting into all this racing car stuff.

And my mindset was that I wanted a fast car, and I couldn't afford it. So I wanted a steel car that had all the stuff that I needed so I can go race it on Saturday. Got it. So you were going after nice cars. I was going after decent ones, not really nice because their alarm systems and the stuff they have on those cars are something i couldn't get past you know but like on a you know on on ones you see out there at the races you'd be out there at the street races and you see these cars and uh and you sort

of just you know scope them out and follow them home follow them home right you know i remember there was one that they left it like um it was just on the side of the road and and it was for sale and like uh you know just like after the race no it was just like it was just on the side of the road and and it was for sale and like uh you know just like after the race no it was just like it was just like a random thing that was car it was you know tuned and it was nice and um i called a guy and met him there like i was interested and watched how he you know killed the kill switch and all that stuff and then i went back to the next day and took it you know so he had a kill switch in there yeah yeah kill so how do you combat that if you steal it um you can't i mean if you can find it you can find it but like a lot of times it's in the

common places i'll be under a bumper and a fender like you know or something like that you know so you find it you know or you don't so you know it's either you sit there and it's it's it turns over and over and over and over and over and over you know and you can maybe bypass it down there in ignition or something like that um or you just you know you got to find out you got to watch the car and find out where the person's hitting the switch at you know got it yeah and what was the technique you would go at night break the window open and then hotwire it um i would not break a window i go in there a lot of times i had shaved keys or i make i make keys and i have a kick i don't want i don't want to be driving a car stolen with a broken window.

I try to keep it intact as much as possible. So I do your homework on the car and look it up. And a shaved key, you know, filed, shaved, cut, intricate, you know, get in there, jiggler, you know, open the door, get inside the ignition. A lot of times I just... All right, guys, shout out to LinkedIn, today's sponsor. As a B2B marketer, you know how noisy the ad space can be. If your message isn't targeted to the right audience,

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Damn, that's crazy. Do those keys still work these days or not? I don't think so. Nowadays, I don't think. You know what? Possibly. But it's been so long. I mean, 10 years is a long time to, you know, technology and everything has probably advanced

so much that it definitely is different. Now I got a Tesla, there's no key. The key is my phone. But even if you steal my phone, you need a pin. You literally can't steal a Tesla. I mean, nowadays you walk up to your car and the door opens itself.

It's probably a lot harder to steal cars these days. 100%. It still happens, but I feel like most people do it now to sell the parts. I think nowadays they're just stealing Cadillac converters. Right. I don't think they're going after the cars.

No. Some guy just died actually in LA. Oh, really? Celebrity, yeah. They were stealing it and he pulled it off. He was stealing

his Cadillac converter. The guy from the hospital. Yeah. Yeah, that was crazy. Yeah, it was. How much are those worth? I mean, his life? His life?

I mean, what are you going to do if someone's stealing your Cadillac converter in a car? I mean, you're going to, if anybody, we're going to rush them or we're going to see, hey, that's my car.

It's just unfortunate that that happened to that guy. Just for a few thousand bucks. I don't even know if it's a few thousand. I'm thinking it's like a hundred. I could be wrong. That's crazy. All that for hundreds. It wasn't even his car.

It was some girl. Oh, man. He was just defending her. Man, that's crazy. Crazy, man. LA was just defending her. Man, that's crazy. Crazy, man. Yeah, LA, man. LA, it's crazy. That's how it is out there, right?

Right. They come packing with guns. They steal your Cadillac converters, you know? Yeah. And you see that with a lot more people out there and with teams or with a group. I was out there solo bono on it. Nowadays, they have people,

just a group of people going around stealing Cadillac converters and vans carrying guns and stuff, you know. They're rolling deep now. They're rolling deep. It's San Fran too. It's scary, right? It's scary, you know. Like places that we used to go out and park our cars and we think it'd be all safe. And now, you know, people are getting killed over some simple stuff, man.

Yeah. And protecting our own stuff, you know. So you were big in the race scene too? I loved, well, I just loved stuff, you know? So you were big in the race scene too. I loved, uh, well, I just, I just loved cars and, uh, you know, and I loved racing. I had a friend of mine that, um, you know, when I was, I was very young, we used to, he picked me up. I mean, very young. He picked me up.

We go racing all the time. I just, I loved it. And I, and I continue to go to the street races and, and get in the cars and all that stuff. And, um, but I never had a license. I never had a license i never had a driver's license you know and um and unfortunately my buddy uh he got hit by a drunk driver you know out there at the street races you know uh and um and that was hard you know someone was street

racing drunk um they were they run rows so it'd be like um five five races at a time you know you sit there on the side and then uh and a guy was drank i mean yeah there's there's always drugs and alcohol involved out there you know yeah more more you know alcohol maybe not a lot but you know some drinking going on and um and a guy was drinking and he and the five cars do a shootout or they shoot down race after race after race and then they drive back and a guy was coming back and i was talking to my buddy right there and uh with another friend of mine and um he's sort of i'm standing in the dirt my buddy's standing in the dirt he's standing on the street and as uh as he drives back up um you know like a guy goes to do like fish kills or or to you know circles not don't it's just

like sort of just to get on the gas he loses. And my friend steps out and sort of does like a 180 turn and got clipped by the car. Holy shit. Yeah. Broke his neck against the, you know, broke his neck. Damn. You know, a guy crashed at the end of the street. It was a big old scene, you know. Holy shit.

Yeah. Did he recover from that? He died. What? Yeah, he died. Passed away. He died right there on impact. Oh, my God.

Yeah, yeah. That's traumatic, man. Yeah. Jesus. It was dramatic. That was the first death you yeah it was dramatic it was the first death you witnessed that was the first that the first one and uh it really made me not want to drink you know alcohol really turned me against all that i feel that and but uh it you know yeah

it was hard and uh and like it was even harder like i was young and it was like uh man must have been you know five or seven you know years later you know later, I run into his mom in a random place. And I haven't seen her for years. But I used to hang out at his house. He picked me up from school. He was older than me. He was like an older brother. And yeah.

That's crazy. Did she know what happened? She knew by what everybody told her. But I mean, it was pretty obvious. Car lost control. He stepped out into the street. Car lost control. Hit him.

His head. He died on impact. Damn. The car must have been going fast then. I don't even think it was going that fast, dude. Oh, wow. Yeah. I think it was just some of the things that he got hit and just the angle of whatever

happened sort of. Yeah. If you land on your head, even if it's like 10, 20 miles an hour, it's probably a lot. Yeah. If you got hit. I mean, if you hit and if you land on it, it just it's like 10 20 miles an hour it's probably a lot yeah if you got hit i mean if you hit and if you land on it it just it just breaks your neck or head damage or whatever it is it was it was gone you know that's nuts how did the races work like how do you determine who you go up against and uh the races were fun you know this is you know

you go out there you have a fast car and everybody knows you're fast because um we used to go to the you know we we race on we race on uh on Friday nights out there at the racetrack. We keep our numbers on our car, you know, for the legal ones. And then you just know. Like, it's a competitive thing. So if you're out there and you're racing your car, like, you just know which one's fast and which one's not. But the thing is, is that, you know, people get to know that, hey, this race is right here and these races right here are the ones that were,

that, you know, are happening. And so people from like Los Angeles or from other places would come. So like the cops would come and break it up about 9.30, 10 o'clock, you know, and everybody would disperse. It'd be like at that time early, it'd be like just cars lined up in two different directions.

And, you know, some people racing, you know, like people, you people you know trying to show off but then i tend you know that the cops would show up and everybody would run away and then um and it seemed like maybe an hour after that like we go to in and out we eat a burger or something you know wow and then that was always a spot and fast and furious yeah and then we go back and uh and then people would bring in and and it'd be like a late night session like 11 go back and we go back 11 and then people would bring in, and it'd be like a late-night session. Oh, you'd go back? And we'd go back at 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, and it'd be more of the racers and not so much of just the people who just wanted to come and hang out. Wow, that's crazy.

Yeah, the cops probably can't get all you guys because there's so many. I think a lot of times they just don't want us grouping and hanging out because you get a lot of people in the groups like that. Stuff happens, drunk fights, all that stuff you don't want us grouping and hanging out because you know you get a lot of people in the groups like that stuff happens you know drunk fights people you know all that stuff you don't want to happen happens so i think the cops just come and try to to keep the peace yeah you know i feel the peace and uh and every now and then you know i'm gonna tell you those late night races uh that you know some of the sheriffs man they had some nice cars too and they bring them out there on the trailer and they race us you know so yeah so it was it was it was cool you know that's crazy you get people out there bringing their cars and and running them but it was it was good man it's interesting you've

been to speed vegas out here i'm going there today oh shit you're definitely gonna set some records yeah yeah you go like 200 miles per hour on that i know i can't wait what's the fastest you've gone uh i've probably done 180 damn yeah i i'm close close to 180 i mean usually on all that speedometers they they hit like 160 and something they stop so you don't know it's just it's just wrapping around you know and so my friend tony nino shout out to tony um he said there's a race across the country i forget what it's called but you start in like new york and you go to cali the first one there wins oh wow yeah wow. Yeah, he got arrested, though. Oh, and his car? Yeah, he was going 180. Oh, nice.

Yeah. I think they took his car and everything. Oh, yeah. I need to look up what that race is called because that sounds crazy. I heard of that race. It does ring bells from New York to L.A. I even think they did a movie, a couple movies about it and stuff like that. It's like two, three days.

Two, three days. You're driving day and night through every single city. That's nuts, right? That'd be so fun. I takes like two, three days. Two, three days. You're driving day and night through every single city. That's nuts, right? That'd be so fun. I mean, I think that would be so fun, you know, right? It'd be cool to see

who actually makes that one piece. Yeah, it would be. I don't think, I'd wonder what percentage of people get like arrested or give up. How many people lose their cars? I wonder how many people

actually finish, you know, and make it all the way through and what's their speed? Are they actually keeping it 180 or are they actually doing 150, you know and make it all the way through and like and what's their speed like are they actually keeping it 180 or are they actually doing 150 you know i mean when i drove from nj to la we were going like at least 120 at least yeah i mean 120 is accurate you know it's so boring i mean might as well speed yeah if you go 60 the whole time you're gonna take an extra day actually so yeah gotta gotta gamble a little bit.

We got pulled over in Cali, actually. Did you? Yeah, the cop was cracking up because all the trucks were honking as they were passing us, which means that guy's been speeding, I guess. The cop could not hold it in. He let us go. Oh, really? Yeah, we got lucky.

That's a good thing. It was a trooper, too. Oh, a trooper? State troopers don't mess around. They don't, man. They're real. In Jersey, I've never gotten out of a state trooper. For real, dude. I've never been pulled over by a state trooper. Really troopers don't mess around. They don't, man. They're real. In Jersey, I've never gotten out of a state trooper. For real, dude.

I've never been pulled over by a state trooper. Really? Yeah. That's surprising. Yeah, that's surprising. I never had a face-to-face or anything like that with a state trooper. Wow. So I hope I don't.

I hope I don't. How are they, man? So how long did you go to prison for? I was in prison in and out for at least 13 years. Damn. That's a lot of big sentences. In and out. I mean, 13 to 15 years.

I did a little county time. All those tickets started counting up. And all my tickets were counting up. And then I was getting in more trouble, stolen cars, getting caught in stolen cars. And I did a little bit of county time. And then the bigger stuff happened. I mean, drugs and gangs and all this stuff got involved, and I got caught up in this vicious cycle.

And for the next 15 years, man, it didn't matter. I was in prison. I was a lot less on the street and a whole bunch in prison. And then by this time, too, drugs and alcohol became a necessity instead of something just to chill back on. It was something I needed every single day. And so I'd just like to go in jail. I feel like prison saved me. I go into prison, and it felt like, man, I'm off the streets.

I'm safe. I'm getting some discipline of getting up and going to work and doing these things in there that I'm not used to on the streets. And then I get on the streets, and it was like all that stuff just left me. And I take a drink, and a drink leads me to a drug. And the next day I know I'm still in cars. And now it's not even about racing them on the Saturdays. I'm just everywhere I go, it's just like I'm drag racing everywhere. Damn.

So when you were in prison, you were completely sober. and when you get out you would i would immediately immediately right after i get out i would i would uh i would take it but it was like i would celebrate like they always talk about they would talk about freedom when you get out of when you get out of prison like oh man you're everybody's coming over oh you're you know you're getting freed tomorrow you know that's you know i wish you know it was happening to me and then i felt like every time i got out i was everything but free yeah because i had this disease in me you know like that that that that was just like neutralized because i got busted and my environment it wasn't around i was able to like self-control like you know yeah you know and then i get out and i immediately like the first day i that maybe a day or two before i start feeling like something like

uncomfortable on my insides because i I knew when I got out, I was going to take a drink no matter how much I thought or how much I, I was like, you know, it's not going to, it's going to be different. You know, I'm not going to do that.

I immediately would pick up a drink, man. And that drink will leave me to a drug. And that will leave me to another 10 or 15 more traffic tickets. Was that because of your environment, the people you were around mainly? Oh, absolutely.

I think that environment, you know, that's all I knew. people you're around mainly oh absolutely i i think that environment you know that's all i knew and so and so and being being that life and everybody i hung out with that's all they did they drank and they used and uh and that's and that's family members my mom everybody like it was it was there and and they'd be like oh you know that's um you know maybe they would like try to be a good example but uh but i would i would go out and you know like i would celebrate, man. I'd go and grab a 40 or I'd grab a – just for this two-hour bus ride, I'd take a 40. I never arrived home sober on any occasion.

That's crazy. Yeah. It's kind of ironic in jail. You're actually behaving and then when you get out, you're going wild. Yeah. It's crazy. I don't know if it's like something like getting out of your environment or, because, you know, here we are,

we're in this jail and everything's so monotone and like, you know, the times of everything, you know, chow and whether you're in a lockdown, you're working out in your cell, like you have a little job in there, you know, you're doing all this stuff, like you got this. It keeps you busy.

It keeps you busy, you know, and you get out and like all that's gone and like, you know, and for me, the first thing I did was drink and then I'd be like, all right, now I'm going to go check into parole or something like that. And then I say, no, I'm dirty and I can't even go do that. And so I'm just off and running and getting busted again. Yeah. What was that first day like in prison? Did they run your papers and everything? Oh, yeah.

First day in prison, man. I was a young kid. It was sort of like I knew that this was going to happen to me. Like I sort of like growing up and everything in my life, hanging out with the people I was hanging out with and doing the things I do. Like prison was seen in my future. Guaranteed to go.

Guaranteed this guy right here is going to go to prison, you know. And so when I arrived in the prison yard, I'll say that my first time even going into the county jail was scary. It was like, I'm a big guy, so it was cool. But I was tall. I'm skinny. I don't know what to expect. And people test you, man.

And I'll say when I arrived on a prison yard, you know, you have this fear in you, you know, because you hear about these stabbings and what you have to do. Like if someone calls you this name or, you know, you can't be weak. You know, you got to be strong from the start, you know. And so I was strong from the start. You got in a fight right away? I didn't get in a fight right away, but like I never backed down from no fight or any kind of squabble or anything like that like if it was if it was something going to happen whether it was punching somebody beating somebody up or

doing like that i i immediately was i was on it you know and so uh and uh that just gets you know like i think that's like your first test is sort of just seeing if you're going to be a person who's willing to back. If I have a cellie or other guys in there and you see a guy and he's not really sticking up for himself, how can I expect this guy to stick up for me if something happens? We're supposed to be like we're cellies. If we're lifelong partners, we're cellies. We got to have each other's back. And if you're not sticking up for yourself, how can I expect you to stick stick up for me so you want to know that this guy that you're with is actually

like down for a cause and that as that is like you know like he's going to have your back yeah you know and that just really makes like then it feels like when you when you're side by side with your celly or something like that you really feel like a strong connection to where like you know i feel a lot i feel a lot better that i can do the things I do here because I know this guy is watching my back and I'm watching his. Yeah, that's probably huge in prison to know you have someone that will ride or die with you. Yeah, ride or die with you, man. Someone's watching my back, dude, 24-7.

And on a higher level, that's how it is, man. We're watching over each other. Were you at a level four? I started off on a level four yard at the age of like 20 years old, you know? And, and it was, it was, man, that, that was like, to me, it was sort of like, it was like a, you know, like I was waiting for this day, you know? Wow.

You know, I thought, I thought I would get all blasted back with all these tattoos, you know? I thought that the life and the way I grew up in my life I was living, I thought my life was just going to be all, all prison. You know, I thought I was just waiting to catch more time and come back, you know i thought that the life and the way i grew up in my life i was living i thought my life was just going to be all all prison you know i thought i was just waiting to catch more time and come back you know like i i thought like you know i i go in there and people learn a lesson i'm going there and picking up new friends and and new ideas and and you know and uh and and new recipes that to take out into the real world but uh i i felt that, since I kind of control the drugs and alcohol when I was out there on the

streets. Yeah. And then when I come to jail and I, and I, and my mind was sober and, you know, and I, and I,

and I had like this neutrality of, uh, that I was a lot sharper of a person, you know, and, um, you know, and so,

yeah, I just kept on going with it. Yeah. We'll dive into the recovery stuff later. That's important. Um, how do they determine what level prison you go to when you get uh points about the about the crime you did you know so like you know um i mean not only was i still in cars i did i did a great ball of injury on a person

and i i stole all these cars and you know and i i had my hands in like around with messing around with methamphetamine and manufacturing it and so like you were making it a little bit you know yeah yeah i was making it you know i bit. Yeah, I was making it. I mean, I had my hands in it. And then I had an arsenal of weapons. And so all that stuff added up. The stuff that did stick was the weapons and the great bottle of injury, you know what I'm saying,

to a person and having a chop shop at my house. Holy shit. Yeah. And so, I mean, it's a lot of felonies and all ends up and so they just give you a strike so it's like a point system and it's all a point system and then if you get inside and if you're inside there and you get in a fight you know there's more points the more you misbehave in there the higher points go and you go from you go from a double to a single confinement into a hole. You're living in a dog cage to where you're locked down 23 hours a day. And then that's it.

That's your life. 23 hours a day in a six-by-eight cell, and you're just learning how to live inside there. That's tough. Do you think about if the fight is worth taking or not because it will add a couple months to your sentence or whatever. Never think about it. You just take it.

Oh, wow. I never thought about it. I got to a point when you're young and you're in jail like that, you want to fight. You're just like, I'll do it. I'll do it. I'll do it. And a lot of times when it was one-on-one, you're checking somebody. You can get away with that.

Like, when you're disciplining somebody in there, like, there's ways that, you know, you get away with all that stuff, you know. It's just like when a riot breaks out or when it's with another race that it gets a little different, you know. Because then it's like they're taking, you know, 10 to 15 of us out and 10 to 15 of them out. And they're changing the whole dynamics of the whole thing, trying to separate everybody. So we're not fighting no more. How common were those race wars? The hardest race wars I was in was in the county jail. And it seemed like the county jail was like your little ship

before you got to the big ship. And the politics inside the county were way like just really the the fine lines inside there are really really strong really you know yeah like it was like and it was scary and the thing is and and like the riots and all that stuff inside the county jail like were way more scarier because there was there was no control there was a lot less control from the from the the the sheriff's department would just let you fight you know and here and it seemed like it'd go on forever before they came in like they it'd be like a couple dogs fighting and you're just letting the dogs just like fight it out a little bit before you can pull them apart you know because that energy you know and so like being in the

county jails like when you're like the dorms that kick off or something like that man it was it was like the scariest thing man it was scary man it'd be like life or death like you you really would think man like my my life and inside some of those county jail riots were like i mean i thought man like i just i i seen the horrible stuff go down and uh and i uh and i just to think that i could have happened to me and so it was just like uh it was a lot more scary in there and In the prison, it seemed like the reaction would be like five or ten minutes. If you're on the yard, within two to three minutes of something happening, boom, they put the yard down. You get back up, and it would be like for a minute or something like that. In the county jail, it seemed like it was just like fighting for like five minutes straight.

That's a long time for a straight. That's a long time. It's a long time, bro. And it's like gladiators. You got a wall of people on one side and a wall. And it was like just going at it. Holy shit. And it was hectic, man. How common were weapons in the county one?

Weapons are, you know, you learned that you can make a weapon out of everything. And I got to say, the way they sculpt it and make all those weapons inside there is a level in genuineness of building and design that I'm like, God damn. There's videos of it now. Yeah. Like prison. I mean, literally how I wasn't one of those smart ones that was able to think this mop bucket handle could be shaved down and tied to a razor handle with some plastic bag to make a shank type things. I seen the craziest things, man, and turned into a piece of plastic. Just turned into the most worst weapon ever in your life, man.

And it blows my mind. Yeah, that's all it takes to the neck too. And that's all it takes. The neck, the gut. I mean, 15 times and that. It depends if they want to kill them or they want you to live. But when you're in a riot like that, yeah, it's crazy. Everything's off the table in situations like that.

Everything's off the table when it comes out. When you know you get a kite or something like that. And, you know, at four o'clock or on your, you know, at four o'clock it's going to start, it's, it's happening that you, you just know, man. And, um, and you know, that everybody's, everybody is, is this coming with their, with whatever they got, you know, I want to dive into the recovery side of things and also repairing the relationship with your family. Let's do it, man. Cause that took 20 years, right? Yeah. Um, well due to my addiction and everything that I had going on that you know um that uh i had bet the best of both worlds you know by the time you know i was raised by my mom my mom was boy at heart and i

stuck with my mom and um my sisters you know they were there was my dad and and for um and for 17 years you know uh i didn't talk to my dad or my sisters. I see him briefly once or twice. I get out from that prison term that I had, and I get a girl pregnant. I have a little girl, and my addiction to disease wouldn't allow me to – I didn't know how to care or love. I didn't know nothing. I was addicted to the streets and the drugs and all that stuff.

And I had this little girl, and I didn't even know how to be a dad. I thought maybe I did, but I didn't. You know, and on March 17th of 2013 is the day that is my sobriety date. Nice. And after that, like, at this point, I haven't talked to my dad. I had all those tickets.

I haven't talked to my dad. I haven't, you know, my mom is one of my best using partners. You know, like, it's a tragic life out there, you know. And, you know, I remember that after about six months of me being in a recovery home, I had my mom, and my mom always pushed me to get a relationship with my dad. Really? Yeah. But I was too ignorant to even, you know.

No. I was mad at him for things that were imagined, you know. For leaving her? No, I was mad at him for things that were imagined, you know, like, you know. For leaving her? No, not even leaving her. I was mad over a wheelbarrow, you know, honestly, over a wheelbarrow, man.

It was, you know, they said I stole it and I borrowed it, you know, and it caused some ruckus in the family and, you know, and they signed me off. I wouldn't change my ways

is the whole thing, dude. I was a liar, a cheat, I'm a snake, you know, I'm manipulative and anything that came out of my mouth was a liar, a cheat, I'm a snake, I'm manipulative. And anything that came out of my mouth was a lie because I write all these letters while I was locked up about how I was going to change my life,

but I would never change my life. And so they just get tired of hearing that sob story all the time, all the time, all the time. And I don't blame them. I see it from a different perception now. And that life of my dad is um is uh at about you know eight months or so i don't know how much time i had about i was early it was within a year and uh my dad said the first thing i you know i i reached out to him i i got a hold of him he says the first thing i have to do

is i have to get rid of all this hate and negativity on my on my socials you know in which uh i didn't see it at the time but it was full nothing but negative and hate you know, in which I didn't see it at the time, but it was full of nothing but negative and hate. Wow, so you were hating on him on social media? Not hating on him, not like that. Just like the people in my circles, you know? And I had to let go of a lot of stuff that I thought was like friendships and relationships, you know, but I did it.

I listened, you know? And then there was a visit. relationships you know and um and uh but i did it i listened you know and then um he's uh there was a visit my counselor worked out a visit and um i haven't seen my dad and probably i i seen him maybe once maybe twice he picked me up from jail one time and he asked me those questions he'd be like you know what you want to do with your life you know and once again i'm fresh out of jail right and so i'm talking all the time. I'm going to get a job. Everything's going to be good, Dad.

I'm going to come see you. And he's like, can you come over for my birthday this weekend? Are you able to come by? And I didn't make it, man. He dropped me off. I get drunk. I get loaded. And I wouldn't make it.

And my counselor mediated a little thing for us to get together. And my stepmom, he's been married. You know, my dad was married again for like 30 years, you know. And he comes through and, man, I got to tell you, I was sitting in the little room, you know, and I was thinking, you know, all this hatred and all this, all this negativity that was built up inside me that I had towards my father, because I felt like he should have been there in my life. You know, like I had all this stuff, all these mixed emotions

and, and, and stuff were going through. And, um, and when my dad walked through that door with my step-mom, man, like I stood up, man, I saw my dad as a, a uh i saw my dad as a whole different man he was just like man he was he was a lot older you know wow you know and the only thing i could do is i walked up over to a man and i and i gave him this big old hug and i and i just said dad man and i and it was a big hug man and i said i love you he says i love you too and i just said man i'm from this point on forward you know i'd like to be your son it's never it's never too late man for a son and a you know a dad and his son to start a relationship yeah and from that point on i started a relationship with my dad and um and um i would just um i showed up when i was supposed to show up

i i if i told him i was going to do something, I did it. If I was invited somewhere that concerned him, I was there. I go to his house. I didn't have a car. I still, you know, I'm still, early in my career, I don't have a car yet, a license yet or nothing. I'm still taking care of all that stuff, you know, and I just go to his house and I sit there with him and hang out with him. And I remember that I was sitting there one day watching a football game with a man.

And I remember he looked over at me, you know, because I'm still active in my recovery. And I go to his house and I'm like, Dad, you know, like it's fun sitting here with you and all this stuff, but I have to go to a meeting. Yeah. And he, you know, and every time, any time I was there, it didn't matter, holidays or whatever it was,

I always, like I went to a meeting, man. And I'll never forget the day he looked over, man. And he looked over at me and he said something, man. He said, I want you to know I love you. Wow. And there was something that was inside of me that was something that maybe that's the young kid in me, the young boy in me. That's what I wanted to hear, right? So it, like, filled me up with uh with this joy man and uh and um and uh i'm gonna tell you i had the best i had i had absolutely the

greatest relationship a son can have with his dad you know until the moment he passed away wow you know and uh and i love it man i'll tell you about that that little girl who was born and uh who i wasn't even i wasn't even in the hospital like when when she was born, I was, I'm, I'm full on in my disease of addiction. And, and like, and my disease was calling me as she was being, as she was being brought into this world. And I, and I took off. I didn't even there. I took off. I was there. Like I was there, you know, I took off, I took off like the drug started wearing off that everything starts wearing off. I'm feeling like I'm just, I'm not feeling like if I wasn't, if I wasn't like up here with drugs and alcohol, like I didn't want to do nothing.

Like as soon as that buzz starts to wear off or some level of me, like it starts getting slow. Like, dude, I have to go. I got to move. I got to go, go, go, got to go, got to go. You know, and I got to say that little girl, I took her around and I did everything wrong that a father should do with a little girl like as taken when she was three, when she

was five. She didn't even know. By the time she was four years old and I got out of prison, she didn't even know who I was. I wasn't there. I wasn't around. I was there maybe once or twice. I saw her maybe

once or twice, very briefly at any given time. This is the hard part, man. This is what's really sad, is that I came into this little girl's life in my disease, man. And I built all that trust back up with her, man. And I told her one day, and I think I'm doing good, but I'm still living that life out there. And I'll never forget, man. And she's like, Dad, you want to watch this movie with me? And I was like, you know what? Dad will be right back, man. I didn't come back for years later. I went, I left that

night. I got, I got arrested that day. You know, I, I went, I got arrested, you know, and I didn't see her for years, man. And, um, I wonder if she remembers that. I'm sure she does, man. I'm sure she would remind me, you know, but, um, but I'll tell you this is that I'm sure she does, man. I'm sure she would remind me. But I'll tell you this, is that at that same time I started building a relationship back up with my dad, that I started building

that relationship up with that girl. And all that trust I built up, man. I built all that trust up and I broke it, man. And I probably did that two or three times. And so by the time she's nine years old and she probably really needs her dad about this time in her life.

And I made sure that when I built it up, I wasn't going to break it. And I showed up and I did everything possible just to be present in her life. And to this day man that little girl man I'm proud of her in every single way possible man she's a she's in college well you know she's like you know we have a relationship she texted me you know this morning before I got here is like you know dad you know good to go on there you know kill it you know like you know and yeah and I love that man and man it puts me in tears man you know I'm tearing over that, dude. Man, she's like my pride and joy, man.

We started surfing together way when she was young. New channels of life, new hobbies. I can't be stealing and racing cars no more. I got into surfing. At the same time, my daughter got into surfing. Now, our greatest time is out there just sitting on a surfboard out in the ocean together yeah and uh and i tell you man there's lots of stuff that money could take you and buy you man but sitting out there in the ocean

whether there's waves or not with my daughter is one of the greatest things i you know that i could ever ask for man and that's a free thing you could do. It's a free man. Freedom, dude. Yeah. It doesn't cost a thing, dude. The conversations out there, the, the, you know, the life, you know, do you sit up?

It's beyond my, it's beyond man. Anything out of this world I ever could have imagined, you know? And I'll talk about that. Mom is sometimes the ones that we love the most are the ones we have to stay away from. I love my mom. I love my mom to death.

And my mom was boy at heart. All of us gangsters go home and get in trouble. Like she was just like the, the bread and butter of everything and and um i knew every time i got out man that and and i go i go live on mom's couch you know that uh i get loaded you know or i get drink or i take a hit of this to take a hit of that yeah and uh i had a lover for from a distance for you know for uh for from a for a couple years man yeah and uh i had a lover for from a distance for you know for uh for from a for a couple years man yeah and uh i remember i was i had maybe a year almost two my recovery i'm out of a treatment center i'm i'm renting a room i'm on my own you know like i'm i still i'm i'm

spending a lot of time with my dad and with my daughter and i'm deep down like i i felt like something's missing man and what i'm missing is i'm missing that relationship with my mom you know because I love her. I know she's still out there in the disease. I know that she ain't right. I know that she's, you know, but see, that's not her problem. Just because I get sober and clean doesn't mean the whole world has to get sober and clean. You know, I got to be strong enough in my own self to be able to be in her presence.

And what I did, man, is I got me a little trudging buddy, you know, and I told him the scenario. First of all, I was embarrassed and I was shameful of how my mom was living out there and where she was living and the things she was doing you know and uh and i and i got honest with this friend and i and i and i asked him i was like hey man can you can you just come with me because he was like what's wrong what's wrong i was like man i want to go see my mom but i don't want to go by myself yeah and uh i went out there and he went with me to go see my mom and dude and um i built a i built a relationship with my mom my mom might have been in the i don't i don't know man because i once i stopped paying attention to all that disease and that way of living that i just saw my mom as a human being and i make plans with my mom i made sure she saw all of her ground

kids her daughter i i i take her out to dinner if i didn't like where she was staying or where she was living or what she was doing i just pick her up and take her out to dinner. If I didn't like where she was staying or where she was living or what she was doing, I'd just pick her up and take her out of that environment, and I'd go spend time with her. And that's all I did, man. And I'll tell you this, man. My mom was in the hospital. She was getting a stint in her heart, man. And I went there to pick her up from the hospital and to bring her home. And I'll never forget, man.

And I brought her grandson with her, my son. And he ran out the room, and, and, uh, like I brought her a grandson with her and my, my son and, uh, and he ran out the room, you know, and I went and chased him. And, uh, and, uh, and, and this is where words, man, like words are a lot, words mean a lot, but I'm going to tell you when I, when I grabbed my son and I turned around and looked back, you know, I, I, my mom was peeking out the, the hospital room, the door right there, man. And like, it was like the, in a long time, like our eyes met and man, I'm going to tell you, man, And it was like in a long time, our eyes met. And man, I'm going to tell you, man,

all that, there was no words that you could put in the middle of all that eye contact, that she saw her son in a different perspective, man. Maybe she knew at that point that the program is working in my life and that she didn't have to worry about her son being locked up in prison, in debt, in the paper, or doing all this life, man. But I looked looked we caught

eye contact for the very first time i didn't make eye contact with many people a lot of people anybody when i was out there man but i made eye contact that day with my mom and that love man and it was like it felt it filled that void in me that she just knew man like her son is in a good spot man and uh and i thought man and i really thought what i really thought man is like i thought man like they talk about reservations and all this stuff. And I was thinking, man, if something ever happened to my mom, I don't know if I could hold it together, you know. And for many years, you know, and I always, man, I made sure that I was always present with my mom on the holidays, birthdays, Mother's Day, every day I spent. You know, I put the effort in, you know. And when my mom was, she got sick, man.

It was just a phone call one day, man. I get a call from my sister. Mom's not good. She's going to the hospital. And I got to say that this is what blows my mind is that I was surrounded by a group of men. And, you know, I was holding all this in. I didn't want everybody to be like, oh man, I didn't want all the empathy

from all these people around me. I sort of was just like running with it. I'm on my bike. I got tears coming down my eyes as I'm riding. I got my helmet on, so I'm like I'm shielding. Nobody could really see me.

I'm driving from A to B. I'm going to Havasu on my bike or to Laughlin. We stop here, and I got a phone call in Victorville or Barstow. Hey, she's going in for a surgery. By the time I get into Laughlin and I jump in the water, my mom was done. It was done, man. She was gone, dude. She was done. It was done, man. She was gone, dude.

She was gone. It was, and, you know, my sister was telling me, and I really felt this, man. Like, there was something, man, like losing your mom. Like, I lost my dad 11 months earlier, and now I'm losing my mom. I lost a couple friends. I just went through, like, some bad relationship stuff, and I really felt like, you know, like felt like, man, what's going on?

Do any of that stuff, man, did I feel like taking a Drake, hit her face and change the way I was feeling, man. I walked through all those emotions, man. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying that it didn't have a grip on you and it's pulling you down. I just try to self-sacrifice to others, man. I just try to help other people, man. Help other people without telling them about my problems, man. I just try to help other people. Help other people. Help other people.

It was the only thing that was keeping me alive, man. The only thing that was helping me not think about, oh, I should have did this. I should have done that. All this should have, would have, could have. The only thing that could help me was me just being like, you know what, man? That's it, man. I can't take a drunk hit or fix to deal with all this emotions and all this pain. A guy like me, I'm not used to emotions.

I'm not used to pain. I'm used to a neutral, monotone. I'm not used to emotions. I'm not used to pain. I'm used to a neutral, monotone. I'm either down or up. And I like to stay up. And usually down is like a week or two later. I'm used to staying up, man. And here I am, man. I'm just before my 10 years, and I'm sitting there.

And, man, I can't put nothing in my body to change the way I was feeling, man. And I have to walk through all these emotions. Like, I had to be sad. You know, I had to reflect about, man, all the good stuff, man, that went on with my mom's life. Man, who cares about all that bad stuff? That's how your perception is. Like, you got to figure out. Like, you can either hold on to all these bad memories and all this stuff that went wrong,

or you can just take all that good stuff out, man, and just hold on to all these bad memories and all this stuff that went wrong, or you can just take all that good stuff out, man, and just hold on. I choose to hang on to all this good stuff that happened between us, man, all the good stuff, man, like how loving and caring she really was despite all the stuff that went on. And then, man, and just walk through it, man,

and it just makes you like a, you know, to this day, I love my mom, man, it's to this day. Beautiful, dude. Dude, you are one of the best storytellers i've ever met you've had me tearing up the past 20 minutes oh my god man you have no you have no you have no tissues up here man and i don't have nothing to give you i've been holding them in your guys should have brought you some tissues i've been holding them in dude your story's so inspiring

i wonder like what percentage of the people you went to prison with recovered and are at your level now. You know what? I love it, man. And it's not about a level. It's either you're on this side. I was full on in. When I was out there living the way I was living and in disease of drug addiction and all that stuff, I was fully invested. It didn't matter.

I was fully invested. And I had to fully invest myself into this into this program like there are half measures availed us nothing that i got me as a human being for to work for me i'm a true alcoholic drug addict you know uh uh anything to be in the moment now you know and um man i i fully invested my whole life into this program, man, and every day. And it's not like something that you're like, oh, cool. That's all I can do. I can always do more. Yeah.

That's a 12-step program? A 12-step program. Correct. The AA stuff, right? Yeah. So it works. Yeah, it does, man, 100%. Recovery works, dude.

It's beautiful, man. Dude, we got to make a movie for you or something. Let's do it, man. Let's do it. I'm going to put you in touch with some producers. What else you got going on next, man? Where can people find you? If you're on social media, you can find me, Garrett McClendon,

on IG. Mindset Recovery, man, for the people who are out there who are struggling or need help, reach out to me and let me know if there's something I can do for you, man. I the people who are out there who are struggling or need help, man, reach out to me. Let me know if there's something I can do for you, man. I come from a place like this, and so I sort of, you know, want to bring a place together to help

people, you know? Helping others, man. Help others, help others, help others, man. That's the goal, man. Yeah, we'll link everything below. Thanks for coming on, Garrett. Thank you. Thanks for watching, guys. See you tomorrow.