Ear Biscuits with Rhett & Link - Ep. 10 Shay Carl Pt.1 - Ear Biscuits

Episode Date: November 29, 2013

Shay Carl, best known for his daily family vlogs on the wildly popular YouTube channel, Shaytards, joins Rhett & Link this week to share the candid details of his entire backstory; including growing up Mormon, getting kicked out of his house, and his near-death experience while on his Mormon mission in the West Indies. This is part one of a two part series with Shay Carl on Ear Biscuits. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Mythical. Welcome to Ear Biscuits. I'm Rhett. And I'm Link. This week at the round table of dim lighting, our guest is Shay Carl, the most famous family vlogger on the internet. And the interesting thing about Shay is that he has lived quite a life before he ever became a YouTuber, and we get into that on this week's episode, including his career as a bus driver. Also, the time when his parents kicked him out of the house. Get the dirt on that. And his beliefs as a Mormon, plus the

life and death side of being a Mormon missionary. It's good stuff. You're going to want to stick around. But I do want to tell you that I made a seriously boneheaded mistake this week that I'm still reeling from. And I am all ears. You know, I think it's good for you to confess any stupidity that you may have. You know, this is a forum for you to be real, for you to confess any stupidity that you may have. You know, this is a forum for you to be real, for you to be honest. Really? I didn't think that's what it was.

And if the real you is boneheaded, then that's what we need to get. You shouldn't be embarrassed by that. As my wife told me after I did this, she said, everyone is stupid. Everyone makes mistakes, right? Because I was really hard on myself. Well, she just wanted you to feel better.

Okay, here's what I did. I have become friends with Jay. You know Jay. You've gotten to know Jay a little bit. And Jay has season tickets to the Lakers and the Clippers. He's a Lakers fan, but he has season tickets to the Clippers. Now, is that why you became friends with him? That's one of the many reasons.

No, no. I became friends with him because he's a nice guy and I like him. We have a lot of common interests. But the fact that he has season tickets to both NBA teams here in town doesn't hurt. And so we went to, he gave us tickets to a Lakers game. Locke and I went, and then I went with him to a Clippers game. And then he said, hey, you know, there's a Saturday game. I can't make it to the Saturday game,

but this is a Clippers game, which he has even better seats for the Clippers game than he does the Lakers game. He says, you know, I'll give you both of the tickets for 80 bucks. So not a gift because his Clippers tickets are really an investment. He buys the tickets and then he goes to a couple of games, but he's not really a fan, so he sells them.

Okay, that's fair for him to sell them to you. And so it was like, yeah, sure. And I was like, yeah, this would be a fun father-son thing to do. The first thing I do is when he tells me earlier in the week, I say, okay, well, let me check and see when the game is during the day. And I just search, you know, the date and then Clippers versus whoever they were playing. And the game time comes up on the internet, on Google. It just has like the game time comes up and it says 3.30 p.m. Saturday. I'm like, okay, all right, I'm going to go to this game.

And I called Jessie. I'm like, hey, I got plans for Saturday. Locke and I are going to go to a Clippers game together. She says, great, you know, father-son bonding. That's great. So Saturday rolls around. Locke has a dive meet in the morning. And then we had to do a couple of other things.

And I'm like, okay, I'm trying to budget my time. Locke wants to go to GameStop first, and so I'm like, okay, I'm going to be the perfect dad today. I'm going to take him to GameStop. We're going to get a game, get back some of his old games, and then we're going to time it so that we get to the Staples Center, and then we get something to eat. We sit down, watch the game. But I check in on ESPN on a football game,

and they put the scores up there to other games that are going on in different sports, and I look and I see there's an update to the Clippers game score. Well, that must be the game before the game because you weren't there. Sometimes the Clippers play a game before they play the game. And I had planned to leave at like 2.30 to get to the 3.30 game, and it's like 1.30 or 1 o'clock, and it's like in the second quarter. I'm like, what in the world? I'm like, oh, my goodness, the game has already happened.

And then I look at the tickets that I had not looked at. I'd only looked at the internet. Of course, the tickets say 12.30 p.m. game time. Because when I googled it, I got Eastern Time. Now, I was... That pesky Eastern Time. I was devastated. I really beat myself. Well, I didn't

actually hit myself, but I was very upset. And a lot was upset. Not too upset, but... It's not too late to hit yourself, by the way. I was mostly upset at myself. But then, the question came I was like you know I know Jay is going to text me later because anytime we go to a game or he sent he let's go why didn't you just go late I mean you could have still seen the last quarter no go all the way down there to get potential like pay for parking get into the thing just to

potentially see the fourth quarter I mean I don't even think I could have made it at that point. You would have felt even worse showing up and it was totally over. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I say, well, what am I going to do when he texts me? Because I know he's going to text me. And sure enough, that night he texts me. He says, hey, heard it was a great game today. So glad you were able to go.

Ooh. And so then I'm like, what do I do now? Because... Well, you're like, I didn't go because I'm a bonehead. No, but here's the thing is that I knew that he was, if I told him that I didn't go to the game and I hadn't paid him for the tickets yet, he's such a nice guy, he'd be like,

listen, you don't have to pay me, you didn't end up going. I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm like, I'm gonna wait until I see him and I pay him and then that's when I'm gonna tell him. But I gotta text him back. So I text him back and I'm just like thanks again man oh you lied to him you basically lied well I didn't say like yeah it was a great game I heard I was just like thanks again man nothing else and and and I'm just like okay so when I see him I'll tell him that I didn't go

it wasn't dishonest it was just I don't want to break the guy's spirit. You know, he did something. He sold these tickets to me. I mean, I know he made some money and everything, but. So this has nothing to do with you looking like an idiot in front of your friend. You're going to tell him, right? Oh, yeah, I'm going to tell him.

And he may have some way to look and see whether or not the tickets have been redeemed because they're his season tickets and it's done electronically, he could have been testing me because I haven't talked to him yet. He could have just been testing me. He could be like, he didn't even go to the game. I'm going to text him and say, so glad you got to go.

Like he's texting in a sarcastic fashion hoping I'm going to be like, you know what, I didn't go. Well, if that's the case, then you've blown it. No more tickets for you, paying or no, man. Oh, no. I'm going to be like, you got to let me go next time too, man. And this time I'll go. You'll like to show up.

And this is not the first time that you've done this. Even on your honeymoon way back in the day, you ended up going to the airport a day late. You were like, you missed it by a whole day. Well, I didn't go to the airport a day late. You were like, you missed it by a whole day. Well, I didn't go to the airport. I was on the phone with the airline as my plane was flying off. I was in my bathing suit at the resort and the plane was leaving the ground. So I missed it by a day. And we had a Christmas party one time and you showed up a week early. That's not true, but...

No, my wife and I went to a Christmas party back in North Carolina a couple years ago. It is true. And we showed up... A week early. One hour late, but one week early. So we were, we got there at like 7 p.m. We were supposed to get there at 6. We made this dinner, we got out of there,

and then we go to the person's house, they're like, what are you guys doing here? And we're like, we're here for the Christmas party. Sorry we're late. That's next week. Ouch. My family, we're here for the Christmas party. Sorry we're late. That's next week. Ouch. My family, we make scheduling errors. And usually me.

I make scheduling errors. And I have such a fear of making scheduling errors that I never do it. Like, I'll be showing up at somebody's door and I'll be like, okay, before I knock on the door, is this the right day? Like, because I feel like I'm very prone to it and I overcorrect.

So, yeah. I guess I'm just not to it, and I overcorrect. So. Yeah, I guess I'm just not as boneheaded as you in this particular area. You know, the funny thing is, if you would have vlogged and videotaped this whole thing, you could put it on a channel with, like, you and your son, and it could be a whole family vlog thing, just like Shay Carl.

Yeah. But I'm not going to compete with him. A few hundred thousand views. I mean, this guy has over 700 million views on these daily family vlogs that he's been doing for almost five years. Over 1.7 million people subscribe to it. He's also got another channel, another little channel called Shay Carl with over a million subs.

Doing pretty well. So let's get the complete back story on the person of Shea Carl now. Thanks for coming in, man. Just had a baby. My dad, number five. By that point, you're just like, okay, the next day, you're just back to normal. Well, no, that's the thing. I thought it would be like that, and we're like, what's another one?

Let's have another baby. And then all of a sudden, there's another baby there, and you forget how much work they are. And then you have four other kids that have gymnastics and swimming and parent-teacher conference. And it's like we have to drag this helpless bag of bones around with us every day. I don't recommend dragging. I don't think that's a proper verb. I know. Well, I've learned that after kid five. Now, how does the job of being a dad compare to being a DJ?

Because that's what you used to do back in the day. When we first knew of you, you were a radio DJ. And you look like a DJ right now. I mean, with these headphones and this amazing microphone. I loved it, man. I remember the days when I was a DJ and a YouTuber, and people would ask me what I did for a living, and I was kind of embarrassed to say that I did YouTube, so I'd say, oh, I'm a radio DJ. Well, it's just because it was easier to explain.

There's something cool about being a radio DJ. It's like, oh, you're a radio DJ? That's awesome. And you would live stream. Yeah. I would do a blog TV show as I was doing my night show on Z103 in Idaho. This is like 2007? Yeah, as I was, I would record a YouTube video announcing that I was going to do a live show as I did my live radio show. Did you talk a little bit lower? Like, I've noticed that I do a little bit lower

sometimes. Oh yeah, you hear that voice. Z103 Idaho's number one hit music channel. Coming up next we got some Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber like in the next hour. I don't know. I guess you do. I think I talked lower when I was fat, too. I think it, like, was choking my vocal cord. It was just more to vibrate. Yeah, there was, like, I don't know.

But, yeah, people have said my voice has changed since I've lost weight. Now, you said the number one station in Idaho. Is that really saying much? Every radio station says that. You go to any city in the country, be like, K-96, Kansas is number one hip music channel.

Every radio station says that. Were you trained to have a DJ voice? No, no. In fact, my program director told me not to. He's like, just talk normal. But one thing my... One thing my program director did teach me is that your voice is like a muscle that you can, like, it can get stronger the more you use it and stuff. So he,

you know, he, there was never like, you would think like, as you go into be a DJ, they're going to teach you how to sound like a radio DJ, but he just says, no, just talk, you know, like you normally do. And then I think it just kind of comes because you're always speaking quickly and you're always like announcing things. So it's like, you feel like you have do. And then I think it just kind of comes because you're always speaking quickly and you're always announcing things, so you feel like you have to have this authoritative voice, I guess. But I think the best DJs are just DJs that just sound like you're talking to them.

Right, but if they're not good, the general manager does come in and he's like, you need to talk a little bit lower or something. Maybe. You've got a pretty good DJ voice. Oh, yeah. I like to go into it. Welcome to K991.

You would be a great DJ. Foxy 99. That's the station that I always wanted to be a DJ voice. Oh, yeah. Red's got it. I like to go into it. Welcome to K991. You would be a great DJ. 99, Foxy 99. That's the station that I always wanted to be a DJ for. Yeah. Foxy 99. 99. And you're, right. The number one station.

In Fayetteville. In Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville, North Carolina. There you go. I actually just sounded like an old crotchety man. I don't know. I just don't have it. Check out the country music at 99.90 in North Carolina. Raleigh. Raleigh's number. Check out the country music at 99.90 in North Carolina. Raleigh.

Raleigh's number one hit choice for country music. We got Clint Black and Travis Tritt. You guys are country boys. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah. I sounded like that. Yeah, exactly. Just like that.

Pretty much. Oh, man, Shay. Well, speaking of Idaho, isn't that where you were born? Yeah. No, I was born in Utah, Logan, Utah. Oh, really? Oh, all the way back to Utah? Yeah.

I mean, where I was born is only like an hour from Pocatello, Idaho, which is southeastern Idaho. We're like right across the border. But yeah, my mom's family's from Tremerton, Tremont in Utah. My dad's, my grandpa lived in Provo. So yeah, majority of them are in the Utah area. And we moved to Idaho to when my dad graduated from DeVry Institute of Higher Learning and got a job at a semiconductor plant in Idaho. DeVry is like, that's like the online university. It's like where you go and you have

two kids and you're poor and you're living in Phoenix, Arizona. And that's when my dad finished college is when, you know, me and my brother were born. And it was like he was working two jobs and going to school. I remember going to bed, kissing dad goodnight, and he had these little electronic boards because he got this electronic engineering degree

or whatever. And going to bed, and he would be doing his homework, building these little electronic whatever they are. And then he would come and get us in the morning when he like delivered ice so i just it's like you know those early days when they're just like working their fingers to the bone trying to go to college and delivering ice yeah he was delivering ice and then he worked at sears at like the call center because i remember we'd go

pick up my dad outside of the sears and we would wait for him to get off. Cause I think my parents only had one car. And so there was this like little bar, I had, this is like a weird memory, but there's this little bar that like stopped the door from like opening and like hitting the wall. And me and my brother would just play on that bar for like 30 minutes while we waited for my dad to come out of work. And then we would like go home and then he would do his homework and then he'd get up the next morning and go deliver ice again. And then I have very vivid memories being six years old, and my parents would think it was hilarious.

They would wake us up, and we'd be in our little whitey-tighty underwear, and he would put us in the back of the ice truck and shut the door. And we'd be like, no! They would laugh. This would not be a form of punishment? No. Just for fun. Yeah, I mean, it was just like, you know, weird things.

It was fun when we were growing up because it was like me and my brother against my mom and dad. And like, we would always like, you know, do things to like, we was more of like a friend's relationship than a parent-kids relationship sometimes. We'd like get in these crazy fights.

And I remember one time my mom and dad Were they like 16 and 17? Yeah, they got married when they were nine. I remember one time my mom and dad Were they like 16 and 17? Yeah, they got married when they were 9. I remember one time, this is weird I didn't think I was going to be talking about this. One time they tied me and my brother up together and left us out on the front porch while

it was raining. And it was like a fun thing it wasn't like we were being abused it was like, oh you think you're funny? Because me and my brother would always do things to antagonize them and so they thought, okay, we're going to teach you. And they tied us up together and put us out in the rain on the front step. And we were laughing the whole time, but it was like, no, no. We're fighting against them, but we were tied up.

I think the neighbors probably thought they were crazy. Or then after a while, you had to be like, okay. Yeah, I mean, after a while, it's like, I think we got untied. We untied ourselves. Not funny anymore. Let me out of the ice truck. Let me back in the house. We're five minutes into this podcast,

and child services are investigating my mom and dad. You've been tortured twice as a child. Check and check. It's funny. I mean, if YouTube was then, it sounds like. They'd have a great daily vlog. Yeah. It's like, wow. You know know it's like wow you know it's

all about timing right but it seems like you might be channeling some of that some of that now so what kind of area was this i mean uh is this a we live in phoenix actually uh when my dad was going to devry we lived in phoenix arizona so i from when i was like kindergarten to third grade grew up in phoenix arizona and so we lived in a pretty big city while he was going to DeVry and delivering ice and work at Sears. What did your mom do? My mom, she worked at American Express for a while. And then I think she was like a stay-at-home mom. But I think they both had jobs because I know me and my brother used to go to this daycare place called Mary Moppet's in Phoenix, Arizona.

And there was a lady there named Miss Corner, and she was mean. And she was notorious for putting kids in the corner. And I always thought it was like, is that really her name? Or is that like a nickname that the kids in the past have given her, Mrs. Corner? And I remember one time we had these cots where we would take naps. I had these little cars and I was playing with this little car and she was like, Shay, you need to go to sleep. Take a nap. I wouldn't. I just kept playing with these cars.

She came over and grabbed me and started shaking me. As she was shaking me, she was so mad. She started drooling because she was bending over because I was laying on this cot. She's like, I told you, you need to go to sleep. She started drooling out of her mouth. And I was like, ew,

she's drooling on me. I didn't even care that she was yelling at me, but I'm like, ew, Mrs. Corner's drooling on me. Now I have to point out that a pattern is emerging. You may be the problem. Everyone in your childhood is torturing you. Listen, I got tied up, put in ice trucks, and drooled on, and none of it was my fault.

But her name was really Mrs. Corner. I think the way that goes is that it truck to drool on, and none of it was my fault. But her name was really Miss Corn. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I think the way that goes is that, you know, this is probably her last name, and then she's taking care of kids, and she's like, well, I know what my name's going to be. It's like, got to live up to it. Yeah, right. So my dad graduated from DeVry, and then we moved. He got a job offer in Pocatello, Idaho,

which was close to where my mom and dad's family was from in Utah. So we're like, oh, well, let's take that job because then we'll be close to family. So we moved from Phoenix to Pocatello, Idaho. And my dad got a job, I think at the time it was called Gold Semiconductor. And then it became AMI Semiconductor. And now it's ON Semiconductor. And he's worked there for maybe 26 years. Wow, same place.

He's still working there? Yeah. I mean, whatever, what's 33 minus nine? Quick. 24. 24? He's worked there probably 25 years now. So he graduated DeVry, got his degree,

got a job offer in Pocatel, Idaho, and has worked there ever since. That doesn't happen anymore. I've had more jobs than my dad has. And I'm 33 and you know what's crazy a crazy statistic about myself

I literally have had at least 10 jobs give us a crazy statistic about yourself you know what I'm gonna give you a crazy statistic I'm a 33 year old man

that's had more than 10 jobs and being a full time YouTuber is the longest job I've ever had isn't that crazy probably for you guys too what's the second best job you've ever had

best or longest besides DJ um I used to drive school bus Probably for you guys too What's the second best job you've ever had? Best or longest? Besides DJ I used to drive school bus And I loved that Like public school? I drove third Like in the mornings I would go pick up Elementary school kids

Kindergarten to 6th grade And then in the afternoon I would take the junior high kids home 7th to 9th grade And when I would take the junior high kids home, seventh to ninth grade. And when I would take the junior high kids home, like during the winter, this is one cool thing I did, because as a kid I always wanted to throw snowballs at the bus. Like as the bus was leaving, it's like, oh, I want to hit that school bus so bad.

It's so big and yellow. It's easy. I could tag that thing so easy from like 50 yards away. I bet I could throw a football over that mountain. So I thought to myself, it would be cool if I let these kids hit the bus with snowballs. One day I got, I loved, and this was before I was a radio DJ.

This is how I knew I'd love being a radio DJ. I would always get on the microphone of the bus and just tell jokes. Kids at that age, they don't necessarily get sarcasm. Especially when it comes from an adult figure. From a bus driver. Right. Because they would always look at me like, is he being

serious right now? It's just a trap. Yeah, right. I was like, you guys, I have an announcement to make. All your parents called me and said they want me to drop you off at the swimming pool today. Just like weird things. And they'd be like, really? Like kind of excited, but I'm like, nah, I'm just kidding. You guys are going home.

You have to do your homework. Just like silly things like that, and they would just stare at me. So you're like, everybody file out. I want you to pelt the bus with snowballs? So it was snow, and it was like a huge snowstorm one day, and I got on the microphone. I said, hey, if any of you guys want to make snowballs and hit the bus when I drop you off, that's cool with me if you guys want to. And there was like three or four guys, you know,

that were like, really? Can we really? I'm like, yeah, do it. So they got off and they're like kind of testing. I think they thought like I was trying to like bait them or something like they're going to get in trouble. Entrapment. So they tagged the bus a few times and I honked and waved.

So then the next day it was like it was on. They, these kids who normally sat at the very back of the bus, they sat at the very front of the bus today. Because in their minds, you could see they'd worked it out where they're going to get off the bus first and they built this pile of snowballs. Because it takes, you know, a couple minutes for all the kids to like pile off the bus.

An arsenal. Yeah, so these three or four kids, they jump off the bus and they just start building snowballs. And I'm like, oh, I see what they're going to do. And so they probably had between the four of them like 50 snowballs like all rolled and ready to go by the time the last kid got off the bus and I started pulling away and it

was like I'm like oh they're going to break a window I'm going to have to pay for that oh and I was like floored like I gotta get out of here I'm like peeling out and so the next time like you guys you can't throw snowballs at the bus anymore. Right, because if they broke the window...

I would have to pay for it. Well, you would hate to have to throw them under the bus. Yeah, and tie them up and put them in an ice container. That's a euphemism for turn them in, Shay. It was a terrible pun. Right. I wouldn't hate to have to throw them under the bus. But you knew that.

Okay, so in lower grades growing up, you moved to Utah, which is where your family's from. Now, when you're in that area, you're either a mountaineer or a Mormon or both. Right. And I know you've got at least one of those covered. Yeah. So what was the environment like growing up? Was this like super Mormon plus super mountaineer not necessarily mountaineer i mean we love the mountains like my brother he spends months at a

time in the mountains like my dad is a big hunter i i'm not i never like caught that fire because i'm just too impatient i get bored like whenever i go hunting with my dad or my brothers it's just to like hang out with them because i like an hour, I'm like, I want to just shoot the gun. My brother gets mad at me. He looks at me and he's like, quiet! I'm like, this is so boring. Can we shoot something? Or throw a rock at something?

But I love skiing. So growing up, we skied a lot. But yeah, we live in a very Mormon area. The settlers, the Mormon settlers came across the plains in the 1800s and Brigham Young said, this is the place. And they settled in Salt Lake. And so like, you know, that's like the epicenter of Mormonism in Salt Lake City. And then it's just expanded out there. So, you know, anywhere within a 300 mile radius is like 90% Mormons, you know? And so

living in Southeastern Idaho in Pocatello, it wasn't as saturated because it was a college town. Idaho State University is there. Go Bengals. But, you know, so there was definitely some, you know, people that weren't Mormon. And it's almost like anti-Mormons because the people who grew up in this area where everybody's Mormon, it's like, oh,

like they're surrounded by Mormons. So it's like, you know, the culture in that thick of a Mormon area is sometimes, I got to choose my words wisely here. You know, it's sometimes like the worst of what religious people can be, you know, where it's like, I grew up kind of feeling like, because I went on a, I served, you know, a two-year mission for my church. And I remember going to the West Indies and being, you know, meeting people that like really believed in their faith and were really good people.

And I was like, Whoa, you can be a different religion and be a good person. You know, that, that was like a revelation to me kind of. And I'm like, that's horrible that I thought that, that it was like, whoa, this person really cares about God and really is a good person who is genuine and they're not Mormon. And that sucked that that I feel like that was like the culture kind of that I grew up. So I'm like, if you're not Mormon, then you're not right in a sense, you know, because I remember I dated a girl who wasn't Mormon and we would just like any, any, I was, I mean, we'd get in these religious debates and I think about them now. I'm like, oh, I was such an idiot, man. And this was like, how old? I mean, this girl that I dated pretty seriously till I like left on my mission, my Mormon mission when I was 19 years old.

So like, you know, we almost, we're going to get married, me and this girl. And was this like a scandalous thing? Oh, yeah. I got kicked out of my house for it. Really? Yeah. We better not get too much into that. I think we get to. Well, I mean, yeah. Okay, so when did, so you grew up, we're

going to come back to this girlfriend and getting kicked out of the house and then the mission and everything. So let's take a step back and then step back through this knowing that we're going. I feel like I'm on Oprah. Oprah of YouTube. Am I going to cry or jump on a table at any point here? I hope so. We're still waiting for the first guest to cry. I'm reading, well, Shane Dawson wrote here, thanks for letting me talk about my problems

and my dead grandma. Yeah. Did he cry? The funny thing is we laughed a lot about his dead grandma, which is weird. We laughed about Shane being tortured by his grandma. Yeah. It's just the way things work.

So it sounds like by virtue of geography, there being a lot of Mormons there, you grew up in a Mormon household. Your parents, I assume, were Mormons too, right? So it sounds like it was very insulated for those factors. What is life like growing up Mormon in that sense? I would say, because my parents, they're not like super strict Mormons, you know, like my mom and my mom and dad would swear, you know, like my parents were the cool parents. Like, like my friends would like, they like to come over to my house. Cause it wasn't like, you can't do this. You can't say that. Like we could talk about,

you know, Derek kissing three girls that weekend and my mom not freak out. And she'd be like, Derek, you, you're a womanizer, you know, like just tease him about it. Well, like some of the other in the ice truck, get to the ice truck, but you know, some of the other parents is like, we wouldn't dare talk about like girls we kissed or, you know, stuff like that, or, you know, dare swear or something. But my mom, she's a cowgirl. She grew up, she was a rodeo queen. So she kind of grew up in a tougher environment. And her dad was, he was Mormon,

but he definitely wasn't like, I think he went to church like three times in his whole life. So it wasn't like super strict Mormonism, but just growing up in the church, you have a lot of leaders and we went to church every week. Mormonism, but just growing up in the church, you have a lot of leaders. We went to church every week.

It's weird because I think a lot of people think of Mormonism as really weird, like strange. But to me, obviously, it's not strange because it's my life. That's what I've lived. But I think it taught a lot of good values. I attribute a majority of the success I have today and the happiness I have today because of my religious beliefs. And people don't like that on the internet.

They don't want to hear about that. But people, they'll say about our family, like, what, there's something different about you guys. You guys just seem happy. And like, what's the secret? It's like, well, it's what I believe. It's that I believe that my wife and I are married for eternity,

that our relationship will perpetuate past mortality, that once death does not do us part, that our relationship will continue on past these physical bodies. And, you know, that belief, which has been a decision, like I guess we can digress even further. Like since moving to LA, I've like evolved a ton as far as like, you know, cause when I first moved to Venice beach four years ago, it wasn't what church you belong to these. When I moved to Venice beach, it was like, Oh, you believe in God. You're stupid. And I had to go, that was a huge culture shock for me

because you know, one, I grew up in this very, you know, thick Mormon culture. And then I serve a mission in the West Indies, which is very religious. You know, I was in Barbados, Trinidad and Guyana, and it was, there was no atheists. It was, you're either Anglican, Catholic, Baptist. And then when I was in Trinidad and Guyana, it was either Hindu or Muslim. So everybody had a religion. It was just like, what religion did you follow? And then when I moved to Venice Beach, it was like, the majority of people were not

religious, didn't believe in God at all. So that was weird. I was like, oh, what? You don't even believe in God? And people are like, you're cute. That's cute. Do you believe in Santa too, Shay? You know, that, all that kind of stuff.

So I was like, and then, you know, just being on the internet, all that stuff has happened too. So that's where I've had to kind of like ask myself those questions, you know, like over time going on my mission, being adult, living in different, in different places and living in LA for the last year, it's like, wait a minute, do I believe in this? Like, I can't prove there's a God. I've never seen him. I've just, I have this, you know, these teachings from my parents and I have a few experiences where I feel like it was God that made me feel these way

or have these experiences. So honestly, it's come to a choice because I don't know. I mean, if we live, I don't think anybody knows, you know, if we actually live past this, you know, mortality, but I like the outcome of it better if we do.

So it's like, I've made the decision to believe in God and to be faithful to him and his commandments. And how do you deal with the, I mean, the perception that Mormonism is an odd religion? I mean, yeah, there's there's the okay you're married for eternity thing but then people talk about yeah there's also they wear holy underwear yeah and they're gonna populate their own planet that's kind of the point you're gonna take your wife and populate another planet right so then it starts to i mean people are gonna be googling mormonism after this no i mean the doctrine, it can be.

Like when I started to like look into it and like really research, it was like, this is a pretty crazy story. You know, like Joseph Smith claims that he saw God in Jesus Christ and that they were two separate people that looked like us. That were like, you know, a father and a son, that they're literally two separate people. And he said that he saw them and that he needed to start this new religion. It's like, oh, well, you know, how convenient, you know, that God and Jesus comes to you, Joseph Smith, and tells you to start this new religion. But, you know, with all of like the anti-Mormon literature and, you know, all that kind of stuff to me, and it says in the Bible, by their fruits, you shall know them. And the fruits of the gospel

that I follow have brought me more happiness than anything I've ever, you know, tried, you know, cause I haven't been faithful to my church my whole life. You know, I've experimented and done other things, uh, you know, that are anti or not anti, but, you know, counter what my religion teaches. But I have found that by obeying the things, see, I, my paradigm has shifted as far as how I define commandments. I think before commandments were like, don't do this and don't do this. These are fences. And if you cross these fences, boy, you were in trouble. Like to me, I think before that's what commandments were like, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this

or you're going to be in trouble. My paradigm has shifted in the fact that to me, commandments are just like, instead of fences, they're more of like steps that lead me to a higher ground that bring me to happiness that protect me honestly, because by obeying these commandments and doing the things, and I hate to even call them commandments because it's just like, I hate calling them, I hate saying obey the commandments because it just sounds so imposing, you know? To me, these quote unquote commandments are just God saying, hey, if you want to be safe and healthy and happy, these are the guidelines you should follow. And if you follow those things, you'll be a, you'll have, you'll feel peace. You'll feel a, you know, settlement,

you know, like just for instance, you know, Joseph Smith, uh, revealed a word of health that Mormons are well known for called the word of wisdom, which is, and he revealed this in, in the early 1800s, which at the time was no alcohol, no tobacco, and didn't have drugs weren't as prevalent back then. But that was crazy talk. I mean, also it goes, the word of wisdom goes as far as say, eat meat sparingly and eat fruits and vegetables

and whole grains, kind of like a vegan lifestyle, which is now in LA, like very popular and known as like a very healthy way to live. And Mormons, there's been multiple studies that show Mormons live on average 10% longer than the normal population because they abide by these health code, you know, no caffeine, anything. I'm not drinking a cola right now. Do not reveal my caffeine. Oh, thank you. It's gold. Yeah, it's the gold caffeine. We didn't push it on you. Do you guys got any caffeine?

I'm away from the house. My wife won't know. But, you know, so to me, there's things like that, that it's like, you know, how would Joseph Smith know in the early 1800s? You know, there's little like nuggets where it's like, okay, like that sounds like a hoax. Like he saw God in Jesus Christ, but then there's things it's like, wait a minute. Why would that would be very unpopular if you're, if you come to these people and say, Hey, God in Christ came to me and he wants you guys to stop drinking alcohol. Cause if you do research in the

early 1800s in America, everybody was an alcoholic. Like everybody drank. That's how like people got through the hard times is a lot of people drank alcohol. And for him to come to them and say, no more drinking, people were like, what are you stupid? Are you like, or no coffee? Like things like that, that were so like, why can't we have coffee? That seemed like a very, like in my mind, I think, why would he, if he made up the religion, why would he, why would that be a part of it? Cause that seems- But you got more wives. the religion, why would he, why would that be a part of it? Cause that seems more wives, right? Right. Right. Uh, which, uh, is see, that's been another question. Like what's up with the

polygamy thing, uh, in my mind. And I don't know what the truth is. I believe that this is going to really get into this. I believe God needed a sturdy people and he needed to perpetuate that, uh, the process of making more, you know, sturdy people to live in those times. And polygamy was a way to do it, you know, if, you know, and also polygamy wasn't cause you know, every time you hear about polygamy, it's like, Oh, these bunch of horny dudes just wanted to have sex with a lot of women, you know, to me at the time, you know, a lot of these men, there's a lot of women without husbands, you know, so it was also like kind of like a patriarchal thing where it's like they provided for these women and these children. And then I think, you know, and this is all just, you know, I don't know, you know, exactly why is, but, you know, these are questions that I've had to ask myself, but I think at the end of the day, I really like what the gospel teaches, uh, you know, as far as families, as far as, um, you know, abstaining from things like that. And, uh, I don't know, it's, it's just, it's brought me happiness. And I think that's at the end of the day, that's what I want. I just want to be happy. I always say to my kids, I'm like, you guys, why don't we go to church so we can be happy? Like,

that's the answer I want from them. Not so that, uh, God's not mad at us. Like, I really believe that there's a lot of good things. Even if you're not religious, just being part of a community,

being part of an organization of people who help. And, you know, we teach our kids, for instance, to pay their tithing, to pay 10% of their income. Uh, we have, uh, what's called fast offerings. Once a month, uh, we we teach our kids, for instance, to pay their tithing, to pay 10% of their income. We have what's called fast offerings once a month.

We go without two meals, like it's on Fast and Testimony Sunday. We don't eat for two meals and the money that we would have used to buy the food for those two meals, we give as a fast offering. So little things like that, I think, teach the kids really good principles. And, you know, ultimately, I think the most important thing is to follow Jesus Christ, his attributes, you know, uh, kindness, charity, love, patience. Um, I've just been listening to a tape in my truck and it talked about how Christ was friends with, you know, sinners, all these people that today a religious person was like, I'm wouldn't be caught dead with that person. Those are. All these people that today, a religious person would be like, I wouldn't be caught dead with that person.

Those are the kind of people that Christ hung out with. And that's, I feel like, is the ultimate goal is to just try to follow and be like him. And I think because I mentioned the holy underwear, now everyone just, yeah, well, honestly, I just want to know, is Shay wearing holy underwear? I do, yeah. What is that?

I'm wearing them right now. Just from a curiosity standpoint. It's a commitment. Okay, so there's temples. You guys, you see the temples. Those are like, so we believe that there's a lot of, there's a lot about the temples. So we believe in baptisms for the dead where Christ said you have to be baptized in order to get into heaven.

So, you know, Kazwanzi Kalangzo, I don't know, some guy that lived in Africa who'd never even heard of Christ. How would that be fair if Christ said everybody has to be baptized in order to get to heaven? How would that be fair if this guy who had never seen Western civilization or heard of Jesus Christ, how could he not get into heaven? So we believe that we can be baptized for and in behalf of these people in proxy. So that's one thing that we do in the temples is we're baptized for them. And then we make commitments. And the garments are kind of like a reminder of the commitment that we made to obey God, uh, you know, to follow the commandments and to, you know,

basically give, I think it's more about loyalty, you know, like, because we've been given so much, we believe that all that we have is because of, of our heavenly father. So it's a, it's a commitment to him and the garments are just like a reminder of that commitment that we have is because of our Heavenly Father. So it's a commitment to him. And the garments are just like a reminder of that commitment that you made. And it sounds like it's a private commitment because it's not underwear. Yeah, it's a very personal. No. It's underwear.

I can't see it right now. No. You guys want to see it? You guys want to see my moment of garments? Sure. I do. You know, it's just like they're not weird or anything. They're just like an undershirt.

Are they silk? Yeah. You can choose. There's like a lot of different fabrics. If anything. They're just, it's like an undershirt. Are they silk? Yeah. You can choose. There's like a lot of different fabrics. If you want to show it, yeah, I want to see it. You can, there's like different, like they can get cotton. My dad was in the army and he got green ones. Because you, I do want to see it.

I'm not going to show you right now. Okay. You seem too eager. I'm not going to show you right now. Can you sit down, please? I'm standing right now. Step away, step away from him. Well, it sounds like. And then we get married. My wife and know you were here right now. Can you sit down, please? I'm standing right now. Step away. Step away from him. Well, it sounds like.

And then we get married. My wife and I got married in the temple. And that's, you know, there's, you know, we didn't stand. We knelt across an altar together and we looked at each other in the eye and we were married in the Idaho Falls Temple, which I actually had a very embarrassing moment. That's a location. Yeah. An embarrassing moment?

which I actually had a very embarrassing moment. That's a location. Yeah. An embarrassing moment? When I got married, the guy who married us, after the ceremony was over and we were married, he said, why don't you go ahead and reach over and give Sister Butler a kiss? And growing up, Sister Butler was my mom, right? And so my mom and dad and all of our family are in the room.

And I was an Eagle Scout. So every court of honor, when I got a merit badge right and so my mom and dad and all of our family are in the room and i was an eagle scout so like every court of honor when i got you know like a merit badge or another gold star or whatever it's like hey go give sister butler a hug like because you know moms are helping the kids so we get married and he goes why don't you reach over and give sister butler a kiss and that was like uh that was like the moment where it's like you may now kiss the bride kind of moment yeah exactly so he says this and i'm like okay so in my mind i'm like oh it's another achievement in my life you know i just got married so this room is full of like 30 people like my close friends and family so i get up from

the altar where i'm kneeling across from my new bride and i look at my mom and start walking over towards her and she looks at me she She goes, not me, not me. And puts both her hands up. And I'm like, who's Sister Butler then? And she's like, your wife. And I'm like, oh, right. Because she's married to me now. And I'm Brother Butler. Oh, got it.

OK, let me kneel back down and kiss you, honey. You may be an Eagle Scout, but you're not a rocket scientist. No, I'm not. I'm not. But that was an embarrassing moment in the temple. And we all laughed. And it was, you know, we all laughed and it was fun. Now, I'm sure, okay, anybody who grows up in a, what you would consider a subculture of some kind, I mean, we're no different. You have your stories of crazy things that happen to you in this community.

And you, obviously, you go on this mission. things that happened to you in this community. And you, obviously, you go on this mission, but we should back up, though, because before you go on the mission, you get into a relationship with a girl who's not a Mormon. So at that time in your life, were you thinking,

okay, well... This is your opportunity to get out. I'm not all in, so I need to get a... Is there a specific name for a non-Mormon girl? Like the Amish column English kind of situation? No, I don't think so. I mean, it was just, no. I don't think there's like a term, apostate girlfriend.

My mom might have called her that bitch. I don't know. But we're actually friends with them now. No, it was, see, growing up, like, uh, my grandpa, like, I just always remember my grandpa, like going on a mission was a big deal. You know, like I remember my grandpa, he was a Colonel in the air force, Colonel Eugene Haynes Butler. He was a, you know, a very big influence on me in my life. And, uh, he, like I said, he was a Colonel in the air force. He had this giant house in Provo, Utah. It was like grandpa Butler. Like he was

just like this strong stalwart man who was, you know, a head Colonel in the air force. And it was like, you didn't mess with him. Every time we pulled up to his house, he had this giant American flag flying. And I always remember as a kid, he would like say, Shay, only 11 years till your mission. And like all throughout my life, it was like only six years till your mission, you know? So it was like, kind of like in my mind, it was like, I'm going to go on this mission, you know, I'm going to serve two years for my church. And so then it was like I was very well behaved until my senior year in high school. And then it was like I worked at this restaurant where everybody drank, and it was like everybody partied.

And I was the Mormon guy. And they would always be like, come on, dude, don't you want to drink? I'm like, no, no, I don't drink. And they're like, don't you want to say that you've tried it at least? I'm like, no, I would prefer that if I could say, no, I have never tried it because all of you losers do it. And it was like, it was so funny to me. I would hear these stories of like, oh, man, we got so wasted last night.

I can't remember what happened. I'm like, that doesn't sound fun. Like you don't even know what you did. But then, I remember the first beer I drank. It was like my senior year, and this kid named Jake Jones finally talked me into it. And it was this weird

thing, like, who was always trying to get me to drink. And it was like his mission. It was like, come on, dude, just try it. Just try it. And I'd always say no, always say no, always say no. And, you know, I started hanging out with him. Like, okay, I'll just come. I'll come to the party, but I'm not going to drink. He wore'd always say no, always say no, always say no. And I started hanging out with him. Like, okay, I'll just come. I'll come to the party, but I'm not going to drink.

He wore you down. Yeah, serious. So that's why you got kids out there. You got to be careful who you hang out with. Because it's true. What do they say? You're the most like the most four people that you hang out with all the time. So you become like those people.

So did you meet that girlfriend at the bottom of the beer bottle? I drank that beer. I was like, oh, I saw her from across the smoky room. I was like, I want to make some bad decisions.

No, I just knew her at school. I mean, she's a great girl. It wasn't like she was a bad person or anything. But you started to,

at that point in your life, you started to open up and say, okay, I'm going to rebel a little bit. I don't think it was like I wanted to rebel and like I was doing these things because I'm like, oh, I'm going to get back at my mom and dad. It was more like, oh, this is like, this is kind of fun. You know, this is like interesting. You know, I was in, I was a 17 year old guy and I was

like, chicks are hot and drinking beer is fun. And you know, it was more of like that. And I, in my mind, as I was doing these things, I always was going to go on my mission. Like I always, in my mind, I was like, okay, I'm doing this right now. I know I shouldn't be. And I don't want my parents to know about this because I don't want to disappoint them. And I'm still going to go on a mission because I've always wanted to be a missionary. That was something that I always wanted to do. It wasn't like I was being forced into it or being brainwashed to do it by my grandpa, even though some people might say that. I did. I wanted to be a missionary. I remember, you know, in church, missionaries would come home, like just guys from the ward who I like,

you know, went to scouts with and they would go on their mission and they would come home and I could just tell they were totally different people. Like they seemed like mature and smart. And, you know, if you go out as a 19-year-old into the world, into a different country for two years, a lot of them learn new languages. And you are on your own as a 19-year-old. I was like, I want that. That seemed like a freaking awesome experience

and like an adventure. So I always was going to do that. But it was just like, just wanna you know do these things just to like experiment with them now but like I'm gonna go on a mission and that's when like we go okay so me and this girl one time were kissing

very dramatically and her parents came home and kind of like walked in on us were you in their bed no ew we're on the couch downstairs and of like walked in on us. Were you in their bed? No. Ew. We're on the couch downstairs and her mom walked in and it was like, it was, you know, it was, I mean, we weren't having sex or anything, but it was like, it was getting to an intimate moment and her mom walked in and it was like, oh crap. Like, you know, like your girlfriend's mom just walks in and it was like and she's like

I don't know how much of these details I want to give anyways her dad came downstairs you want me to answer that? all of them I'm afraid that she's like listening to this podcast so I don't want to say too much well you don't want to say anything

this is the second most popular podcast on iTunes. Why wouldn't she be listening? I mean, at that point, you want to jump through a window. Oh, yeah, because her dad came down and grabbed me by the shirt and ripped my shirt, and I thought he was going to beat me up. It was that dramatic, yeah. And I remember my girlfriend and my girlfriend's mom yelling at their dad to stop

because they had seen the fire in his eyes and I, I didn't, I don't blame him. I would do the same thing. I, I would just beat the crap out of me. Yeah. What were you saying? So I was just like, uh, like nothing. Like, what do I say?

I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. You were trying to get out of the shirt. No, he like grabbed my shirt and I'm just like, it was like, you know how those moments happen where like everything's in slow motion. And then later on you're like, what just happened?'m just like it was like you know how those moments happen where like everything's in slow motion and then later on you're like what just happened you know it was like intense like there's your mom oh no put your shirt on oh no no and then he's like

grabbing by the shirt I'm like oh so I'm she's like get out of here and I remember going upstairs and like I had to go to work that day you ran upstairs oh yeah I ran upstairs I got my car and just peeled out of there and left. I was confused. You were in the basement. Yeah, in the basement.

That's where you make out. You gotta make out in the basement. Ran upstairs, got my car, drove to work, clocked into work, and I was like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. And the first thing I think of is, her mom's gonna call my mom. And knowing my mom, if she hears it from her mom,

I'll be in way more trouble than if she hears it from me. So I was like, I gotta call my mom and tell her. And I was like, oh no. So even though this girl's parents were not Mormon, they were obviously conservative. I mean, this was a- Yeah, they were Christian. And it was funny because they were one of the people

that weren't Mormon and didn't like Mormons. I think at one point she even like yelled at me. She's like, you Mormon hypocrite. Like yelled something like that to me. Like, you know, like I'm preaching all these things like you can't do, you can't have sex before you're married. And then she catches me like making out with her daughter in this hot and heavy situation. And so then anyways, I was. So when you call your mom.

Yeah. Did your mom know you were you were dating this girl yeah I mean she yeah definitely yeah she knew that we were dating and and they didn't want me to date her because they're like you need to get ready for your mission this girl you know it's like that's not what you need to be thinking about right now you know this girl wanted to get married and like it was a very serious thing so I was, I called my mom, like, Hey mom. Um, I was like so nervous, you know, I was like, uh, so what happened is me and so-and-so were making out and their mom and her mom walked in and, and this happened and blah, blah, blah. And she's like, okay,

well, I'm really glad. You know, it's always better to go to your parents and like humility and like, Hey, I'm really sorry. This is what happened. She appreciated that I was honest with her. And I just was afraid that if her mom called her, I would be in way bigger trouble. She's like, so-and-so's mom just called me. And I'd be like, what? No, I don't know what you're talking about. So the first thing your mom said was, I'm glad you told me,

but what's the second thing she told you? We're going to talk when you get home. And I was like, I hope tonight's a long shift at work. So then what happened? And then, so then it was like I hope tonight's a long shift at work you know so then what happened? so then it was like okay we're glad you told us we don't want you dating her anymore like you're not allowed to date her anymore and you were in love

yeah I mean as far as I knew as far as a 17 year old knows that they're in love you were thinking about marriage yeah I mean it was getting to the point where it's like maybe I shouldn't just and then it was like I wanted to go on a mission but then I was like well maybe I should just stay home and marry her you know almost like I don't know it's kind of hard to you know like recall these feelings and so anyways uh I was like kind of forbidden to like date her you know that was the meeting that night I was like hey you're not dating her anymore that's fine you need to get

ready for mission blah blah blah so I was like okay okay but then it was like you know I was like in love like I said as a 17 year old. So like we would still hang out. Now it's forbidden love. Right, exactly. And so then we got caught again, like me dating her. And then it was like. Did her dad rip your shirt off this time?

No, like it wasn't that. It was just like, were you hanging out with so-and-so? I was like, yeah. And it was like busted. And it was like turned into this big fight where we're like, they're yelling. And it was like, fine. Why don't you just move out then? And my mom, you know how like parents will say things, but they don't really mean them. So she's like, you know, started throwing boxes at me in my room. Like as we're in this fight,

like, why don't you just move out then here, I'll get some boxes. You can move out. I'm like, fine. I will. It's like call her bluff, you know? So I start packing stuff in the boxes. And then I think when they saw that I was really moving out, they're like, oh, well, no, I mean, we don't really don't need to move out. I'm like, I'm leaving. So, I mean, we don't really don't even move out. I'm like, I'm leaving. So I pack everything in my little car that I had and I left and I'm like, I'm out of here. So it was like, I got kicked out, but I also kind of left.

But like at the same time, they're like, well, you don't have to leave. Like they didn't want me to leave, but I'm like, no, you,

you said it. I'm calling your bluff. I'm leaving. I'm out of here. So I moved into my friend's house at the time. Who's, I didn't think we're going to get into all this. This is some,

some past memories. This is good, some past memories, maybe. Good stuff. That's what they call this. I'm leaving out a lot of details too. They call this an ear biscuit. That's what they call this. Don't tell me you're leaving out details. Rhett, I'm not taking my link. I can't, anyways. We're both here. Yeah, you're as well here. So I moved in my friend's house. And then there was these books.

So I was sleeping on their couch, basically. It was a weird situation. It was my friend's house, but his parents were gone on a mission. Older couples can go on missions too. And his dad was an orthodontist, and they had retired and all their kids. Their youngest kid was my friend who was 18. We were just graduating. So they left to go on a mission.

So my other friend's parents, who were in in between jobs moved into their house with the agreement that they would kind of watch this other kid until he went on his mission. It was like the six month interim. So I didn't have anywhere to go. So I'm like, hey, I'll just sleep on the couch with my two buddies that are there. And my one buddy whose parents moved in there

in the six month interim, he was in a different state. So it was just this one kid's mom and she was like hardly ever there. So it was almost like we had this little bachelor pad where I would meet my girlfriend, like she would come over there and stuff. But at this point I was like, okay, I'm on my own now. Like I just left. I have my own job. I have my own money. Then it was kind of like this moment of like, well, what am I going to do? Like I can do whatever I want now. Like mom and dad can't tell me what to do. Cause I left, you know, and I have money cause I was working and I have a car. I was like, I could do whatever I want. And that was the first moment where it was like, I'm free. Like I can do whatever I want to do. And so I started thinking about it. It's like,

well, what am I going to do? Like, am I going to stay here? Am I going to marry her? Like, what am I going to do with my life? You know? And I was like, I've always wanted to go on a mission, but you know, now this has happened. And it's like, I was finally free in a sense where it's like, whoa, this whole decision is on me now. You know, it wasn't like mom and dad and grandpa were there saying, you're going to go on a mission. It was like, I could do whatever I wanted. So I started, you know, I was just sleeping on the couch at my buddy's house, trying to decide what I was going to do. And my buddy's mom had all these like Mormon books on this bookshelf right next to this couch. So one night I'm laying there like thinking about my life and I'm like, Oh, what should I do? What should I do? So I just grabbed

one of these books off the shelf and I started reading it. And I was like, I like this. Like, I liked the way that it made me feel, you know, I wanted to be a missionary and I wanted to do that. And I'm like, I'm going to go on a mission. And so I went in and I talked to my Bishop and you know, that's like part of the process to fill out all your papers and everything. And I did all that on my own. And that felt good. Cause I'm like, my mom, you know, cause before that, when I got my Eagle Scout, it was like, my mom was there the whole time. Like, okay, you need to do this. There's three requirements to get this badge. And then you can do this and then this. And she was signing everything and filling everything out. And as, as a kid, you're like, okay, mom. Yeah, that's cool. Let's do it. But now it's like, this is all me, 100% me.

And it felt good because it's like, this is my choice. Like, I can do whatever I want. Because your girlfriend wasn't filling out the forms for you. No, no. She wanted me to stay. Like, she didn't want me to go at all. And then I went on my mission to the West Indies. So you dumped her as part of this process.

Yeah, I mean, it wasn't like, hey, I can't see you anymore. It was like, I'm going to go on a mission. And I didn't dump her because, you know, we still hung out and we're still friends. It wasn't, and I wasn't dating anybody else because it wasn't like I wanted to date anybody else. But I told her, I was like, you know, it's not like I'm breaking up with you, but I'm going to go on a mission, you know. I'm going to be gone for two years. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, whatever happens, I'm not going to like make a commitment to you because I'm going to be gone for two years.

And, you know, you'll probably marry somebody or I'll probably, you know, whatever happens, I'm not going to like make a commitment to you because I'm going to be gone for two years and you know, you'll probably marry somebody or I'll probably, you know, change. And that's because I was who I am now. Like the crazy shit. Like I, that's been my personality my whole life. I've always been like, you know, outspoken and like the class clown and I got voted most daring in junior high. And so I've always been like this crazy, like wild kind of guy.

And that was like, she was like, well, you're going to change. Like you're going to go on this Mormon mission. You're going to come home and you're going to be all serious and boring. And I was like, no, I'll never change. I'll never change, you know? And, but that was the, that was the deal. I was like, okay, I mean, we can hang out and we can go on dates and stuff, but like no more of this making out, you know,

I'm going to have your dad ripping my shirt off anymore. And I just got serious about it. And I just, you know, I started, you know, reading my scriptures and saying my prayers and doing all those things. And I got ready and I went on my mission. And I loved it. It was, you know. Now they assign where you're going to go. Yeah, you send out, like you fill out all the paperwork, you know, you send this big packet.

It's like you fill out all this information. You send it to Salt Lake City. And then they call you where the Lord needs you. And so you have no idea where you're going to go. So I got the mission call back and it comes in this big white envelope and it's like what every 19-year-old Mormon boy waits for is for this mission call to come in the mailbox.

And did you have a, like, I want to be in the U.S. or I want to be international? I wanted to be international. I did not want to have to take a Greyhound bus to my mission. I wanted to be in the U.S. I want to be international. I wanted to be international. I did not want to like have to take a Greyhound bus to my mission. I wanted to go somewhere like, cause to me adventure. Yeah, exactly.

Thank you, link. I wanted to go on an adventure and I always, cause like what I, when I talked about earlier about these missionaries coming back and giving their mission, you know, reports,

they would always bear their testimony in the language that they learned on their mission. And a majority of them were Spanish. So I was like, I want to learn Spanish. Like I thought that's what it meant. Like I'm going to go somewhere in South America. I'm going to learn Spanish. And so when I got my mission call, it was to the West Indies. And I had no idea where that was at. The first thing I thought was India. Like I remember my dad getting out the encyclopedia and it's like, we had to look up where the West Indies was. And so the irony- This is not Google territory.

No, yeah. there wasn't Google. We had those like little blue Encyclopedia Britannicas, you know, we had to find the W and pull out the West Indies. What year is this? This is 98, 99. And so then, I mean, the irony about that is that I wanted to speak Spanish really bad,

but the West Indies, the part that I got called to was an English speaking mission. But with an accent. Right, there's a thick accent. The funny thing is, is part that I got called to is an English speaking mission. But with an accent. Right. There's a thick accent. The funny thing is, is part of my mission was in Guyana, which is in South America. It's in between Suriname and French Guyana, and it's the only English speaking country in South America. So here I am in Guyana, in South America, where I thought I would go to learn Spanish, but I wasn't learning Spanish.

God knew you just didn't have it in you. You know I know Hablar Espanol. So now every time I see a pair of Mormon missionaries, it's a pair. Yeah, they're companions. You got paired with somebody that you did not know? No, no, absolutely not. I didn't know any.

I had probably 13 different companions over the two years. And it's funny. Okay, so you're not just with one guy the whole time. No, yeah, you rotate. There didn't know any. I had probably 13 different companions over the two years. And it's funny. Okay, so you're not just with one guy the whole time. No, yeah, you rotate. There's what's called transfers. Like you transfer to different areas within the mission. Like I said, I was in three different countries over the two years. I was in Barbados, Trinidad, and Guyana.

And you get with new companions. And talk about, you know, because they pair you with like dudes you would never be friends with back in school. You know what I mean? When you're growing up, a majority of my companions are never guys that I would have chose to hung out with growing up. It teaches you how to get along with different kinds of people. It was probably the best preparation for marriage ever. Learning how to live with somebody who has really weird traits.

Why do you do the toothpaste like that? Like all those things that most people experience the first time when they get married or when they live with somebody. I had that for two years, you know, I was companions with, you know, people from Antigua and St. Kitts. I had all different kinds of companions, just crazy story. I mean, there's, I have a million stories about, but you end up loving that person. Like the weirdo stories.

Weird, weird stuff. Let me think. Just like, it was always different living with companions that were from the West Indies. Like missionaries that weren't from the States that were, you know, they would cook weird. Like I had a companion who thought that if I, first thing, what I would do is I'd wake up in the morning

and I'd get a cold glass of water right out of the fridge. And he would get mad at me for that. He's like, you're going to get a cold. Like, what are you talking about? And he's like, you always call me because you go by elder when you're a missionary. You're going to catch cold now boy. And I'm like, what? Cause he thought like if you drank cold water, right? When you woke up, you would catch a cold. Like you would get sick. Yeah, that's true. I never did. I drink cold water every morning. Me too, it's not true. Just little things like that, or just little arguments, you know what I mean, that you would get in just because you're with them all the day. I mean, you're with your companion. That's one of

the rules is you can't be separated from your companion. Did you ever get in a fist fight with a companion? No, because I've always just been the kind of person that can get along with anybody. But, you know, there's definitely fights where it's like, you know, I remember like I was telling my little brother because my little brother is about to leave on a mission in three weeks. He's going to Buenos Aires, Argentina to learn Spanish. Jerk. And so I've been like talking to him about all this stuff, you know, but I remember my second companion, his name was Elder Greenwood. And he came into the area and I was the junior companion because there's always a junior

and a senior companion, like one who's kind of like in charge. And it was my area because my senior companion left and went home and he came into this area and didn't know the area, didn't know the neighborhood, didn't know the people that we were working with, but he was the senior companion. And so I remember one night I was riding my bike, kind of showing him the area. And I went one way and he's like, we're not going that way. What do you think you're doing? And we got in this like big fight. And I'm like, dude, I'm just like showing you around the areas. Like, why do you think you're in charge? I'm like, I don't think I'm in charge. And we got in this big fight. I'm like, dude,

I don't, why are you freaking out? And then later on, he's like, Hey, I want to apologize. That's just how my last companion treated me. So I thought that's how I had to treat you. I'm like, okay, whatever, dude. People are like looking through the windows of these two Mormons fighting. Like, why are these Mormons fighting? But, you know, I got a gun pulled on me. I got a knife pulled on me on my mission. Because you're talking the door to door.

Oh, yeah. I mean, we're knocking on doors, and people show up at their door with their guns. So what happened with the gun? The gun, we're knocking on doors. And it was a little later, I think, is why it maybe scared the guy. And in the West Indies, you don't knock on doors. You yell inside. You say, inside, inside.

If you knock on the doors, it means you're the police. And a lot of American missionaries didn't know that because only the police knock on doors. It seems like an important part of the orientation. Right. You should have told you that, right? It's a culture thing. Inside. Yeah, you yell. You go to the gate and you yell inside.

But we knocked on the door and this guy came to the window. He opens the window and points a gun right at us. He's like, what do you want? And a lot of people in the West Indies, they thought we were like FBI because it's like two white dudes in shirts and ties. We look like we're like CIA or something. But the short sleeves really throw it off. Yeah, right.

They're dressed really nice, but they got some nice farmer tans going on. And then another time I was walking through an area, twice I got pulled the knife on where a guy's like hated Mormons and he just like came at us with a knife. And I was like, we just put our heads down and kept walking.

And he was walking behind us for probably like a half a mile, just yelling obscenities with a knife. And my companion who was the senior companion, he's like, just keep walking, just keep walking. And I was like, we should run. We should run. He's like, don't run.

He's like, just keep, it's like a bear, you know, like don't run. Just like pretend you can't see him. And then another time we were walking through the area. For the record, that's not what you do with a bear. Right. Well, you get down, right? I want to protect everybody listening. If you're attacked by a bear.

It depends on the type of bear. Black bear. Were you shot with a gun? No, I never was shot with a gun. Or stabbed with a knife? Nope, but I was held up at knife point. This is a crazy story. The guy pulled out my wallet, took my wallet,

and took my companion's wallet. And I was like, oh, the first thing I thought of is my driver's license is in there, my social security card is in there. All those things that just suck to have to like go and get again. So I yell at the guy. I said, hey, I said, bring my wallet back and I'll give you the money in it. My hand to the Bible.

This guy comes back, opens my wallet. We're standing around the circle. He opens my wallet, grabs all the cash and like the cards that are in there. I'm like, wait, no, no, I need those cards. He gives me the cards back. I put in my wallet. He takes the cash and like the cards that are in there. And I'm like, wait, no, no, I need those cards. He gives me the cards back. I put in my wallet. He takes the cash and leaves. I'm like, okay, thank you.

Thank you. He like gave me my wallet back. And for the record, for everyone listening, you should not do that. Right. But in my mind, I'm like, oh, it's going to suck to have to get all those things. So I just yelled it. And like afterwards, after they left and the whole experience was over, I was like, holy crap, I can't believe that just happened.

He came back, gives me my driver's license. I mean, he was a very polite robber. He thought, ew, I'd hate to stand in the DMV line again. That's murder. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Still your cash, but not your driver's license. Yeah, that's nice. That's a good compromise.

Just let him go. He's a good guy. Wow, so two years of that. Moving around, I mean mean any other crazy stories come to mind any other because you're going door to door what is the what is is that the main task is going door to door to win people over to right i mean well we not i mean it's not that i guess that's kind of what it seems like but you know believe that the name of our church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that it is actually Jesus Christ's church.

It is the restored church on the earth that he initially established when he was on the earth and he had 12 apostles. And he created this church. called the apostasy, where because of the murder of these 12 apostles that Christ, you know, Peter, James, and John, these men, because they were killed, the power or the priesthood authority was taken off the earth because all of these men who Christ gave this power and authority to, they were killed. And so that was all lost. So we believe in the dark ages and that the power of God wasn't on the earth and that through Joseph Smith, it was restored. So we believe that we literally, this is the kingdom of God on earth. And so it's not like you got to get your numbers up elder. It's about bringing souls to Christ. It's about bringing people happiness through this relationship with Jesus Christ and about, you know, how he's atoned for our sins and about, you know, that's what it is. It's about bringing people to the savior, not to get the Mormon numbers up, get the Mormon population up. I feel like the biggest thing that

religious people don't get or people who get bad name for being religious is that God loves all of his children regardless, whether you're Mormon, black, white, gay, lesbian, whatever, our heavenly father, these were all of his children. And so you, okay. So you have this formative experience in the two years on your mission, then you get back and this is now you, you start to get married, what you're going to do with the rest of your life, including getting married. So I come home from a mission.

I loved it. Like there's a saying in our church, it's like, it's the best two years of my life, which isn't true, but I think it was the best two years for my life. Like serving that mission, you know, just taught me responsibility and I grew up a lot, but you know, I still kept my fun personality and stuff. Anyways, I came home from my mission and this is where I've like told all these stories a million times because I've made a video every single day for five years but i went to this play my my buddy derrick who kissed the two girls and this is the how you met story this is how my my wife's story yeah

you've told you've told this particular story i feel like i have you know it's like yeah because people want to know they always want to know how me and colette met you know so it's like so you got to give us the uh the seedy underbelly So you've got to give us the seedy underbelly of the story. Well, with Colette, there's never any seedy underbelly. She's like the most righteous, perfect person you'll ever meet, my wife is. I don't think people believe that, but she is seriously a saint, which bothers me sometimes, actually, because she's so good. But yeah, I came home.

My buddy's brother was in a play called Anything Goes it's like a musical or whatever and she played the role of Reno Sweeney sounds ironic for a Mormon group to be yeah exactly and I saw her on stage and I was like immediately in love

it was I don't know if I believe in love at first sight but it was like oh my gosh like the second she came on the stage I was in love with this girl one because I'm really attracted to girls who can sing and she could sing amazingly and she was just hot so beautiful and I kept trying to pick her apart the entire play I'm like what's wrong with her because like to me with the second she walked out I was like she's perfect and so I'm like I think her butt's big does she have a big butt you know I'm like was like, she's perfect. And so I'm like, I think her butt's big. Does she have a big butt? I'm like, no, because then there's a costume change.

I'm like, oh, it was just those pants. They just kind of made her butt look baggy. And I was like, does she have a big nose? Maybe she has a big nose. I'm like, no. That was just the prosthetic nose. Yeah. It was just the Pinocchio scene.

So then after the play, you know how after plays, usually the players will come out, and then everybody in the audience will go by and shake the hands? Ask them out on a date. Right. Well, because I had just come home from a two-year mission, I was afraid to even talk to her. So I stood like 30 yards away and just stared and stared at her.

And I was so nervous. And anyways, my friend ended up calling her and asking her to come out wakeboarding with us, and that was our first date. And it was like I kept trying to talk myself out of this girl like no this it won't work for this reason whatever anyways so we started dating and like after we went on the first date I'm like there's no use in trying to talk the first date was the wakeboarding yeah we went wakeboarding and I brought my little brother

with me and I was so embarrassed because I thought oh I don't have to bring my brother but my mom's like you need to take your brother and she ended up thinking that was so cute that I had brought my little brother so it it actually worked for my advantage. And we went to Subway. And I remember like, cause I was pretty religious and, you know, just came home for my mission and we went and ate at Subway and we got our food and we sat down and I was about to eat. And she's like, do you mind if we say a prayer? And I was like, whoa, this chick wants to say a prayer, like right in the middle of Subway. And I kind of liked it, but at the same time I was like, oh, this is a little weird. But we said a

prayer there in Subway on our very first date. And thanks the Lord for the food and for our many blessings. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. And from that moment, I was like, I'm going to marry this girl. Oh, and I've said this in the vlogs before, but I leaned over on the night of the play, when I saw her for the first time, I leaned over to my friend

and said, see that girl up there with the brown hair? He's like, yeah, yeah. I said, I'm going to marry her. Shay, just because you say it in your vlogs doesn't make it true. I know it's difficult. That's really what happened. You can ask my buddy Derek. Let's call him right now.

It's convenient. Let's get him on the line. Derek. You're going to create your own nonfiction. Siri, call Derek. Hey, guys. We're cutting the conversation short right now. Not because it was short, but because it was so long and so good that we actually continued talking to Shea about a whole host of other things

beyond his backstory. Right, and so that's going to come out next week as part two. Basically, we didn't want to short circuit hearing what you just heard from Shea, kind of learning everything that led up to his YouTube career. But there's a whole lot more that we ended up talking about once we started getting into the dynamics of becoming a YouTuber and also bringing his family into the mix. and shifting from just having his Shea Carl channel to having this family vlog that he's approaching five years of pretty much releasing a video every single day. What kind of toll does that take on you as a person? We ask him.

What kind of toll does that take on your family? What are all the dynamics associated with that? It's a great conversation where we really shift gears and go into the Shea Carl,, Shaytards world of YouTube. So we didn't want to short circuit or sell any of that short. So instead, that is part two in next week's episode. Yeah. So you got something to look forward to, a little two-parter here. We can promise it's not going to be a three-parter though. This is not going to just become Ear Biscuits with Shay Carl. I mean, he's a great guy we had a great conversation had a very

long conversation that's a two-parter but well he's got other things to do yeah he probably wouldn't even agree to it you know right i don't think we're the limiting factor i think he's kind of got to move on with his life right yeah he can't just spend hours and hours with us i mean if lionel richie, for instance, decided that he wanted to be here every week, I think we'd probably let that happen. Oh, my goodness. You know what?

Maybe let's make that a goal. Not to have him here every week, but let's just start with having him here once for one episode of Ear Biscuits. We want Lionel Richie on Ear Biscuits. That's gonna... Let's make that our goal. You know who else would be on Ear Biscuits? I would be so nervous, dude.

Merle Haggard. Should we set that lofty of a goal to have both of them? Oh my gosh. I mean, I'm willing to set Lionel Richie as a goal, but it's,

setting Merle Haggard as a goal to come in here, I think, I just think I would die if he came here. I don't wanna,

it's like, Well, he might die. He might die. Actually. He's kind of old. But I feel like that I might die. I don't want to Well, he might die. He might die. Actually. He's kind of old. But I feel like that I might die. I just couldn't even I couldn't even converse with the man. He's not a deity.

You know, I think we all know that. He's not a deity. But I feel like that I would just be bum-fuzzled. Well, there we have it. I can't even talk about it now. Yeah, I'm noticing that. But I'll tell you right now, we've just... But Lionel Richie, let's set that aled. Well, there we have it. I can't even talk about it now. Yeah, I'm noticing that. But I'll tell you right now, we've just... But Lionel Richie, let's set that a goal.

No, let's both, either. Both and either, or. Lionel Richie and or Merle Haggard need to be guests on Ear Biscuits before this thing is shut down. We could have them both here together. That would be stupid. Yeah, that would be...

Let's not do that. We do have that many microphones, though. Okay, so there you have it. If you have any connections to Liner Richie or Merle Hackard, those are our lifelong dreams. Thanks for listening to this Ear Biscuit. See you next week.