My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark - 261 - What's Cookin'?

Episode Date: February 11, 2021

On this week’s episode, Karen and Georgia cover the life of Eugene Bullard.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We at Wondery live, breathe, and downright obsess over true crime. And now we're launching the ultimate true crime fan experience, Exhibit C. Join now by following Wondery, Exhibit C on Facebook, and listen to True Crime on Wondery and Amazon Music. Exhibit C. It's truly criminal. Everybody, settle down. Hello, and welcome to my favorite murder. That's Georgia Hardstark.

That's Karen Kilgara. We're here to tell you a couple things. Yeah, for example. And then we'll get out of your hair. I'm just going to jump in real quick. And then the main... Just a quick two hour and 15 minute podcast real quick about a bunch of stuff that may or may not be accurate, but comes from the heart.

And we'll jump out of your hair. And then we'll just jump right back out of the hair. That's right. We won't, we're not here to bug you. How's your hair doing here in the month 14 of COVID? Well, I actually just used a product by one of our sponsors, and I'm not going to say which one because it's going to sound like I'm fucking doing an ad. But is it fucking smells so good?

Yes, it's a deep conditioner. This is terrible. We can't start off with a fake ad. We can't. We can't. Steven bleep all of this out. We just let it be a two minute bleep. Is it the vinegar one?

No, it's like a deep conditioner. So it's doing better. But yeah, it's the heat. I feel like I've been having the heat on in the house lately because I run fucking freezing, turns out. Sure. It's freezing here. It's so cold here in LA when it drops down to 71.

Cannot take it. Literally, people are shoveling feet of snow in their driveway. That's not on us. I mean, moved to LA. Everyone else is doing it. We did not cause this global warming that is. We might have added. We didn't.

We definitely didn't take away any global warming. Look, we can't say we didn't use a fuck ton of Aquanet all throughout the late 80s, early 90s. Oh, and I had the acony on my forehead, the little white heads on my forehead to prove it. Remember those? Because you just spray your bangs up. But of course, you get your forehead at the same time.

Oh, yeah. I actually, I had a look senior year, which is 88, not complimentary to my face or anything. But it was like, I thought I was being modern or something. So it was like I had a long bob. And then I wore it up in a clip. And I hair sprayed everything up and back. So it was like my bangs were going up and back.

I did that. And I think in the late 90s, that came back. Because I was like, all about that. We have to, let's find photos and put those on the Instagram. Because they're compare. No. Well, we'll take, let's find, draw a little picture. Let's take a stock photo of that kind of hairstyle.

So everyone knows what we're talking about. And then put our faces over. Or you could do yours. You could do yours. And then someone could photoshop my face with your hair. Because it's, I meant it. And that's what hurts me so bad. When I look back, I was like, God, this,

I thought this was such a good idea. All of it. I thought it was the height of fashion. You know what I did is like the chunky belt on, for no reason around like my, like that, like the white belt in the early 2000s. That was just like a belt sitting on my waist or my hips. Sure it wasn't holding anything up.

In fact, it was probably tugging my skirt down a little bit. It's heft. Probably. Well, in the mid 80s, that look you would do over a cable knit sweater, which defied logic and always it was like, in the 80s, we were bulking up in every possible way. It was just like shoulder pads, man. Shoulder pads, huge cable knit sweaters that like went over your butt,

right above your knees. Then you'd belt it with a gigantic oversized belt. It was the strangest. Like, yeah, I think we were all like, like they were crop dusting the government was crop dusting at the time and just kind of fucking with our brain putting these ideas into our head. Yeah. They're like, we're going to give you some really good throwback Thursday fodder.

That was our whole point is that they knew. Esprit is not a real company. We're just trying to humiliate you in the future. Chunky socks don't make your calves actually look good. And three layers of different chunky socks, especially chunky socks. Over white stirrup pants. I mean, unless you were an equestrian, stirrup pants didn't fucking look good on you. And they were cotton too.

So they would have just would have just chafed right off if you tried to ride a horse with them, which yeah, they weren't it. You're just sitting in homeroom. There's no reason to be wearing stirrup pants at all. Is there ever any reason to be wearing stirrup pants unless you were on top of a horse? Unless you read sassy magazine so many times, you just felt compelled. So unfair. What a horrible time.

Isn't it keep going? I thought you were going to say what's cooking. So it's cooking good looking. Yeah, I think I'm in the like a little while ago I read on, you know, social media or whatever there's a bunch of people talking about. I think I've hit a wall and I was like, shut up. Truly the last couple of days I was just like, hmm, I don't know how long I can do this. Here it is.

Yeah. What season of quarantine are you in right now? In your heart. The season of the witch for sure. Where it's like I'm doing a lot of weird, you know, like dancing and staring at the ceiling. You've gotten to the so like crystals and praying. Is there going to be a full moon? I don't know.

No, I talked about this on our new, the new addition to the exactly right media podcast corral lady to lady. I've become strangely obsessed with my horoscope in a way that is that I don't understand and I'm the one doing it. It's really weird. Like get up in the middle of the night and check it. Is it teaching you anything about yourself or like opening? Opening.

Well, the good thing is there's so many good horoscope people. I'm not sure what the actual term is. Kind of like, you know, there's I guess a count. Yeah. Readers and accounts on Twitter. Yeah. If you get into horoscope Twitter, there are some brilliant people, really cool, like giving good advice, just good overall things where it's like, well, right now we're in this

Aquarius season. So it's everything's a little weird and you need to be careful with things you say. Yeah. I really like the hilarious mean, the hilariously mean ones that are like you're this and nobody likes you. Yes. You should try it. Like Saroscopes.

Is that a thing? Followed Saroscopes on Twitter is hilarious. Will you read me mine? Sure. I'm not. I'll never seek my horoscope out, but if I see a horoscope thing somewhere, I'll definitely read it. It's I think it's fun.

Just really quick. The funny thing to me is that the avatar for Saroscopes and the bio just says things are terrible and the avatar is Julie Andrews and the sound of music spinning on the on the mountain. Love it. So it's really funny. Gemini, we connected the stars in your chart and it looks remarkably like a middle finger and mine is Taurus. The stars have swipe left on your lips.

Oh my God. Very true. Saroscopes, you fucking asshole. I love it. And they have to come up with those daily. That's like impressive. Whoever's doing those bravo. They're enjoying it.

I bet they're getting a lot of rage out. Yeah. Which I did recently. I was in the car alone for the first time in like a year and I started just yelling. And then I told my therapist like I got really angry and I had rage yesterday and like I'm worried about it. And she's like, no, that's good, Georgia. It's good.

And I was like, oh, shit. Here's the house to feel things. Absolutely. Like rage. I've been crying like crazy lately. Yeah. Drop the hat. Yeah.

It's good. Get it out. It's like get it out. FXOR is great when you just need a block. You're just too emotional and you just need a break. And I got off of it. And so now it's like, oh, I'm ready to, I'm doing therapy twice a week. I'm ready to deal with the emotions.

Good. But I'm so used to being like, well, I should up my meds. This isn't normal. Like I feel too many things. Feeling things is bad. I'm kind of depressed. That's not good. And it's like, no, that can be, unless you're in bed all day,

you know, from your depression, this can be good. Also, it's your, you can get into the practice. And this is, I am absolutely saying this is a person who has to, first of all, go to therapy three times a week. And my therapist has to remind me of this every single time and has for 14 years. Yeah. But it's that we don't have to quote unquote control our feelings. They're going to be there.

No matter what we do, there's no getting away from it. Even if you put pharmaceuticals over them, they're still, they're still there and they're festering, which is worse. They're accumulating. They're fuck, they're just going to wait. They'll hang out. The backseat of the car full of trash. It's just going to fill up.

So you might as well, and you can get the practice of this, what's happening to me right now happens to every single person. And the practice is let them come through, observe, allow, and don't make any decisions about like yourself or what you should be doing. No, no sudden moves as those feelings come and go. If possible, it's not always possible. And then, and then later on decide what those feelings were a little indicator. Ah, like, where were you in that moment?

Really? Like what it is instead of like criticizing. I feel so jealous. Well, then I must be jealous. And that means I must love that person and hate that person. No, no. Jealousy is like, it's just going like, oh, you must feel a lack of something. Right.

It's a mirror of your life back on you. Really? Jealousy. Oh, oh, it's all mirror work. It's all mirror work. We're in a fucking fun house of mirrors and stuck inside. Yeah. So it's like the feelings just keep coming.

I hate a maze. I hate a maze. A maze. I love being amazed, but being in a maze. Or even a corn maze. They're fun. Corn corn maze. No, that sounds like claustrophobia city to me.

I can't even go in fucking dressing rooms. So I feel like a corn maze. Do you know that? So a dressing room made of corn. If you made me change in that fucking corn maze, I would lose my shit. No, I legit wear like. Take off your dress really quick. I wear clothes so that I can go to like a weird corner of a store

with the weird mirror that no one's around and just like, I'm not flashing anyone. I'm just I just can't go in a fucking dressing room. They stress me out. Huh. Too small. Is that the situation? I think I have a little claustrophobia.

Uh, yeah. And I'm special. A lot. You know the thing. I'm like, I have claustrophobia. I have claustrophobia. Oh, that reminds me speaking of not being special, but in a really good way.

I listen to I know I mentioned this podcast a lot, but it's because it's like changed my life is the cure for chronic pain, which you don't have to have chronic pain. But it helps. That's the motto. That's the motto. Helps to have chronic pain. But chronic.

What it helps. What the point is, is that chronic pain is just you holding trauma and hold. And like how we say, like what we were just talking about is holding, instead of having rage. And if you don't let that rage out, if you don't let that sorrow out, if you don't let that trauma out, it's going to turn into back pain. It's going to, I'm not explaining this well, but. No, no, I think it's quite clear.

Yeah. So the issues is in the tissues, as they say. There was an episode. It's a thing that's for people with chronic, like who have chronic pain, is that you're keeping your issues in your body. You've got to make. I think that's bumper sticker. Okay.

This is episode 112 of the cure for chronic pain. And this is listener called in and was or like wrote in and was like, here's my situation. And, and who's the woman who's the host who's now become my friend, Nicole Sacks. Is. It's an incredible episode of how, how to heal trauma. And this woman had like Fibromyalgia and she cured her pain and then

suddenly was left with the actual emotions from her traumatic childhood. And essentially what it is, is like, you're not special, you know, like you're not any, you feel alone in your trauma. You're not. And that's what like Alan on is for, which I plan on going to. And I don't know. It's just a really great episode 112. Yeah.

That's great. Yeah. Yeah. All that is very true. And it's also, I think a lot of people really go way the fuck out of the way to not feel pain that they're afraid to feel. Yeah. And that was, I think we've talked about that before.

My therapist was saying, it already happened. Yeah. You actually already survived, you survived the hard part. It's your mind telling you no time has passed. You haven't grown, you're not an adult. You can't handle it. You can't handle it. You're still, you're still in danger.

Right. And you're, and you're, and you have to truly sit there with yourself, allow those feelings and go, is, is my life being threatened? No. Am I, can I take care of myself? Yes. Have I gotten myself here? Yes.

Like let it come on through. How long have you ever cried? Three days? No big deal. I thought you were going to say three minutes. And I was like, yes, that's, that's the longest time I've ever cried. Oh no. You do a long weekend of weeping.

It's almost though, like, and this is going to sound sappy, like Elvis has given me another gift and that I've been crying over missing him and what he meant to me a lot. But it's like a healing cry, you know? And that's been, and then I get a hug, a puppy. A cookie puppy while it's happening. So it's just a, yeah, it's like, as much as it hurts and it's hard, it's like another gift.

Well, also you're, that's just real life. Like you're in the game here when you're doing stuff like that and actually feeling it. It's like you, I remember you saying when I very first met you, if Elvis dies, I'm going to die. Yes. And then I was just like, shit, I already started this podcast with her. That was a bit extreme.

Really? I know. No, no, I'm making fun of you, but I knew, I knew, I knew what you were trying to tell me was this is like cause, cause it was when he was starting to go to the vent all the time. And it was this thing that I know that you were like pre-stressing. Yes. And that's what we do to ourselves.

I do it too. We all do it where you, you look at the thing and you go, I can't lose this. I, if I, if I lose this A, B, C, D and E and F will happen to me, which is you telling yourself scary stories because you think it's going to help you control the world. Right. And it doesn't.

And I did have, you know, my old therapist who ended up actually taking her life. So that was like what she told me, which I don't think she maybe under herself didn't understand was you've survived all these other things since then. Why? Because you have tenacity. And by the, and when you actually get there, you're, you just deal with it

and you're able to deal with it. And I think it was this thing of like, well, what I told us is I need 16 years. So back then at 11 years, I couldn't have handled it. You know, it was too soon. 16 years is a gift for a cat's life or an animal's life. And so I got through it. Yeah.

You, and you, he gave you enough time and then you kind of got to the thing I was talking to my therapist about this morning is it's like when you have a thing that means a lot to you that you can tell you have to let go of or you owe an idea of a thing, an idea of a person that you kind of have to let go of that it served you. The idea of this person served you for a little while, but you realizing holding onto it as this thing it actually isn't is not serving you. Yeah.

So allowing the other thing to have its own, to be its own being and to be what it is going to be. And you have no control and that's big and scary. Well, my point is that basically on your side of things, letting go of that, you don't just let go of it and like drop it and whatever. I said it's kind of like, it feels to me like that thing in Raiders of the Lost Ark where you have to replace the idol with a bag of sand. You have to like basically ease off this thing slowly and then have something

else better than a bag of sand to replace it with so that that, you know, so that little pedestal doesn't drop into the ground and release the giant boulder. So you kind of have like you have to go easy on yourself because you needed that thing for a reason. You projected onto that thing for a reason. Whatever your situation, you have to give yourself kind of like the love to go, okay, you just need something.

That's fine. Figure something else out. Well, I think that something for me now is just gratitude, which I think is a good place. I'm not good at it, but I'm striving to make it be gratitude. You know, I'm like reminding myself constantly that it's gratitude, that it's gratitude. It's like, and there's a reason that you're going through this shit.

You're going, no, there's not. There's no reason. It's all fucking crazy. You know, this world has no point and no meaning. So the best thing you can do is like, is take care of yourself and gratitude is a really great way to do that. You know, there's no meaning. If you're focusing on gratitude, there's plenty of meaning because the

meaning is what you give it. Yeah. It doesn't have to be some kind of like God's over here handing you a bunch of like a cornucopia of fruit. Right. It's just random shit that you can give meaning to by going, I appreciate that this random set of circumstances happened to me. Yeah.

It's just a hard thing to get to and there's a lot of grief to dig out, dig yourself out. I'm not talking about myself with a cat. I'm talking about people who lose children and people who go through monumental trauma and, and don't see an end to it, you know? Well, sure. Sure. That's, but that, I think that's like, that's what I'm saying.

Monumental trauma is, it is like the price of admission. Right. That's what we're here for. We're never going to escape it. Yeah. And it's, and contextually, yes, there are people who have lost it. We can't believe. That's what this podcast is about, telling stories of loss that you can't

believe. But contextually, we experience similar things in, in smaller ways, but to us in similar ways. Yes. So it is that kind of thing where you can't, you know, you can't get into a habit of comparing trauma. Right. Because there's, because the context means it's all big to the person that

it's happening to. Yeah. If there's nothing bigger happening. Yeah. You know, you can't, don't dismiss your experiences by going, oh, but this, there's this other thing and it's way worse. Right. It's like, hey, it's bad for everybody.

It's bad for everybody in lots of fucking ways. It really is. Steven's clapping. It really is. Amen. Oh, wait, let me cap that with something nice. I wish you would. Okay.

So here's something nice that'll, that'll cap this off just for talking about gratitude, talking about whatever. Cause I think we don't get, I forget this part of things of, of what we're doing. So this was a, this was a piece of mail that got dropped off along, along with a bunch of other mail cause we don't pick up our mail very often. I'm in office anymore. Here in quarantine.

We're all on our little weird islands. So I opened this box and there was a car. There's beautiful things in it. And there's two of everything. So you've got some cool shit coming your way. Yay. I love it. All right.

And I opened this card and it says Karen in Georgia, I want to thank you for literally changing my life after your shout out of this is actually happening in August. My audience quadrupled overnight after eight years producing this little show by myself with a microphone, with a microphone, a walk-in closet and a vision. You've allowed me to do the impossible. Quit my job. Become, become a wonder original and devote myself full time to my true passion

fulfilling a decade long dream. I never thought would come true at a time when everything was in flux. You can't imagine how much this is meant to me. Here is a very small token of my appreciation for your generous words and your pioneering talent with overwhelming gratitude. Thank you. And that's the host, Whit Missildine, the host of This Is Actually Happening. And he sent us some very fancy drinking chocolates and fancy biscuit things.

Oh my God. It's like a little gourmet box. And then some real cute This Is Actually Happening stickers. Love it. Love it. So I don't, Whit, I hope you're not offended that I just read that out loud, but it really, I opened it last night and then just laid on the bed staring at it because it made me so happy.

I thought it was so, so nice. Well, his being offended about you reading it will then equal and cancel out our offense that it's not on exactly right. And instead of a wonder, but that's okay. But hey, wonder is a great place and we get it. Yes. Yes, they are. That's lovely.

I love, right? It's been so weird because since we're not touring, we, I feel like that was, I didn't realize that that was our access to the audience and to the listeners and not just, you know, the live shows, but afterwards at the meet and greet where we meet a hundred fucking incredible people that we get to have interactions with and remember that we're talking to someone other than each other. Yeah. You know, and so I kind of miss out.

I think we miss out on that a lot, but, but it's there and we have to, you know, there has to be a point to all of this because it's very, it's a lot. It's more than just getting on the iTunes top 20. It's got, there's got to be something else or. Hey, listen, as we all know, uh, that's completely manipulative, manipulable. It is. It's a, that's a, that's an algorithm you can fuck with if you so choose to. And if you so choose to and want to rate review and subscribe to all your favorite

podcast. Speaking of which. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, well, if you do need something to take you out of your trauma and just like distract you, Vince and I have been like going back to the terrible, like early 2000, not politically correct anymore.

Movies legally blonde holds the fuck up. Does it really? I don't know if I've ever watched it. And I was like, do you want to watch something else? He's like, no, let's watch this. And then we started watching, we want to doesn't hold up, but, um, and then also McGroober, which I had never seen. Oh yeah.

Which is just, it's so, um, Leslie Nielsen style ridiculousness. I saw that. Definitely saw it in the theater. I may have gone to like a premier party. A break. Um, this is a bragging corner. Red carpet. Karen.

Karen on the red carpet. My best friend, McGroober. Um, it's really, it's really stupid, fun, funny, you know? Yes. And so there's truly no better person, like no cooler man and no funnier person than Will Forte. I mean, he genuinely, he is a good fucking, he's the best. He's genuinely nice and genuinely cool.

And the kind of person that, yeah, he's just, he's a, he's a true, uh, he's a true gentleman and talent. We love hearing that. Who's funnier than that? What about the, um, I think you should leave sketch where he's the old man on the airplane. Did you see that? No. Oh, oh.

From SNL? No, no. Have you watched Tim Robinson's sketch show? I think you should leave. Another whole thing. Oh, yeah. But I love Tim Robinson. I need you to get off the mic right now.

Tim Robinson. Get away. From Detroiters, which is one of the best shows on the planet. Yeah. And, uh, yes, please go. Can I tell you? Watch that sketch, like the second more done. I have a little.

It's one of the funniest sketches ever. Okay. I'll watch it. I have a little crush on Sam Richardson. Do you know that, um, from Detroiters? Oh yeah. He is a beautiful man. I saw him, sorry, another brag, but I saw him in like 2012, I think.

Oh, wow. When he was at Second City. Wow. In a show where he was so fucking good. Like he was such a standout in this show and everyone in the group was really good. Wow. Wow. Yeah.

Yeah. Long ago, Katie Rich was in it too. Who was a, uh, a very talented writer and a cool lady. Um, there was a bunch of, and I apparently Tim Robinson was also in that group that, but he just wasn't there that night. Um, but yeah. Well, he's a drag. He's a hot.

He's a hot piece. I saw him at, we were at, I was at a dance. It was the trilogy dance night of like the cure and like all these like that timey, you know, music. Yeah. But like, is it the current two years ago? That's, cause that's recent because the last year it doesn't count. Um, at a dance night and I was there with Emily and Kumail who are braggy, brag, who

are friends with him. And he walked up and I went and everyone was like, Oh, Sam's here. And I went, yay. Like we were friends. And then I was like, Oh fuck. He doesn't know who I am. Turn away. And I was so embarrassed.

I'm hot. What was his reaction? He must have laughed. I don't even think he acknowledged me. Yeah. Like we were like, Oh, he's here. Nope. You don't know him.

You don't know him. You don't know him. Shut up. Shut up. Hey, it's, I think it's cool to fan out on people. I'm hot right now. Yeah. That's pretty embarrassing.

Okay. I feel it. Okay. I was going to tell you about the, I just started this podcast. Um, it's called evil by design. It's yet another hit from the CBC. They don't give a fuck. They just keep making podcasts.

Love it. Um, and this was recommended to me by, uh, none other than letter Kenny's Jacob Tierney, who, uh, has very good taste has become my very best quarantine friend. Um, and, uh, I take his ideas and talk about them all the time on this podcast and never give him credit. And I know he listened. So I'm finally, I'm finally giving him credit.

Um, letter Kenny. Great show. Letter Kenny. Everyone's favorite show. It's season nine. I believe there is. Yeah.

Just their, their legendary Canadian comedy people. But this podcast, evil by design is about this designer named, I believe it's Peter Nygaard and this fucking guy is like the Canadian version of Jeffrey Epstein times a thousand. Oh, that's like way more victims. It's super crazy. And I think I'm on episode two right now. It's a super mind blowing story and really awful murder by design,

evil by design, evil by design. Yeah. All right. I'm into that cause. Yeah. I mean, I'm not into it. It's horrible, but I've never heard of him. That sounds cool.

Yeah. Did you. So there's euphoria is on a break. It seems like that incredible show on HBO, but they had two, a two part special and one is just about Rue. And then the other is just about jewels. And I think I haven't watched that one yet. She's in therapy just one on one.

And then the one with Rue with Zendaya. So it's her with her like AA sponsor Coleman Domingo, who's this incredible actor and deserves a fucking Emmy for this, both of them. It's one of the best hours of TV and it's so powerful. I had to stop because they're talking about addiction and depression and feeling worthless in that. And if you have those issues, I say you should watch it.

If you have, if you have those issues and family members who don't get it, which is such a, you know, a normal thing, which perpetuates this cycle because you feel worthless. So you might as well keep using. Yeah. It is so powerful and the, and it's so incredible. And it touched me in such an incredible way. So euphoria, this, this special episode one.

And I'm so excited. I mean, I needed a break before episode two. If it's, if it's just as fucking powerful, which I'm sure it is, because Hunter is such an incredible performer. So like, it's just, it's just so, it's so heavy and incredible. That whole, I mean, they put together an ensemble that can't be beat. Totally. I mean, it feels like it's supposed to be a teenager's show,

but it's fucking not. It's. I watched it because I just wanted to hang out with some teenagers. And, and here I am in the midst of very adult problems and situations. Yeah. This ain't, this ain't no fucking save by the bell. I don't know what's the equivalent these days. I think you nailed it.

I do love the makeup though. I really, it's like that kind of show that gives you in it. It's like, what do you want? An unbelievable, powerful and heart wrenching storyline. Okay. Here. Do you want really good visuals? Like just everybody being a little bit perfectly beautiful in their own flawed way.

But that also helps the narrative of the characters because you're like, Oh, this is the kind of person you are. I get it. Which make up, which everyone knows makeup can do. That's very true. Yeah. What do you got? I think that's all I got.

I'm listening to the audio book for American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which I've listened to before and I just, it's such a nice distraction. It's like a fairy tale. It's like a dark fairy tale almost. I highly recommend it. Yeah. I am actually reading a book that a friend of the show, Dave Anthony's wife, Heather gave me.

And hi, she's also a listener and friend of the show. Heather's a psychologist too. Isn't she? Yes, she is. So that's how she's married to Dave Anthony. I'm totally joking. She gave me this beautiful set of books as a, as a housewarming gift that was, I think you probably have seen them at my house.

They're from the fifties and it's murders from Los Angeles, murders from Chicago, murders from, remember that? Did you ever see that? And then they're like, is it a time life book? No, no, no, but it's almost like the 1952 version of that for almost like true, a true crime series. So they have the, almost like the library plastic wrap on the outside. Yeah.

I love that plastic wrap. I kind of, I didn't have a book around and I needed like actual book to fall asleep with. Yeah. Like I can't, I can't do audio cause then I have a very strange dream. So I pulled this book off the shelf. I was like, why am I not actually reading these? I'm just using them as like decoration. Oh, I have a hundred of those.

Yeah. So I pulled down the Los Angeles one and it's so good. It's just true crime stories and from, I think it's like the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties in Los Angeles. And it got, I was three chapters in and now it's on Charles Desmond. Yes. The director. Shot by, I did that for a live show in LA, right?

Yes. Yes. And it's Norma Desmond was at his house. Norma Desmond was named, Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard was named after these characters. So it's something Desmond, something. William Desmond Taylor. Yes. Thank you.

Shot by. William Desmond Taylor is his professional name, but that's not his actual real name. Did you know any of this part? Probably back then that I forgot. Now what? This, he basically had a mysterious life before he became a director in Hollywood in the twenties, that no one knew about. Wow.

That came to light when this thing came. It was, it's just the kind of thing where so the person who put the story together, it's just basically all the news stories. So it's almost like any theory, any whatever, what people said, it's on like gossip. Here, here's a, here's a thing that came out and people got all into, and then it just disappeared, blah, blah, blah. That his brother was actually his, his. Dad.

Butler. Oh. You know the stories where it's like his sister was actually his mom and raised and she got pregnant at young age. And so she was. Family. Secret. Yeah.

This has, I'm only like a little bit into it, but anyway, it's just kind of a real good. And I don't think anyone can buy this book because it seems like a fucking great. Yeah, it's one of the worst recommendations I've ever done. Thanks Heather. Thank you for the lovely gift. I love it. I love it. I think that's all right.

Oh, my new, my new meditation is just videos of people up close painting their nails. The most ASMR relaxing. OPI on Instagram, the lovely nail polish company has. We're trying to get free stuff. I'm trying to get free shit from OPI. They have these like close up nail polish. Polishing perfect within the lines. And it's just, it's just so relaxing.

Also, how do they do it? Because every time I go to paint my own nails, you look like a fucking 10 year old child. For real. It's sad. Except for like my old trick. I mean, everyone. Everybody, but my old trick when we would do live shows is I would just do silver because you can get away with silver.

Everywhere. You know, one can really tell and it looks a little bit fancy, but like if you actually can see up close, it's just like, I'm just basically painting the tops of my fingers. I actually, I hate no brag. I'm really good at it because it is one of my like anti stress things. And then I peel it off. And that's my other anti stress thing is peeling and nail polish. It's like my zip popping videos.

Now, but doesn't that mess up your nails? That's a fucking Lutely. So does, but stress messes up my brain. And so to pick one or the other. Okay. Yes. Those are your only two choices. And that's it.

And that's it. Okay. And I have nothing else. We're solving problems for everybody on this show. And then we'll get out of your hair. And then we're going to get out of your hair. Speaking of hair and getting out of it, should we do exactly right news? I thought you were going to do another plug.

Yes, we should absolutely do. Guys, just here's the thing. If you want to know what's going on the network, it's getting to the point now where you have so many podcasts that we would really love it if you'd go on to exactly right.com because there is where you will find most of the information. I think it's exactly right media.com. Is it media? Steven, have you ever gone on our website before?

Is it good? It's on my home page, actually. Oh. Is it pretty? It's beautiful. It's all the rainbow colors. It's on its home page, Steven. Yeah, exactly right media.com.

Great. Exactly right media. Yes. And so we, and then also like on iTunes, there's like a, you can click on networks. And so if you go to exactly right, the network, it shows, you know, how to work things. You're probably in your twenties. I'm the one that doesn't. But anyway, what we're saying is this part, we want, we want to make it fresh and fun

for you, but also just basically it's like reading the TV guide. That's right. That's not the TV guide. Well, on this podcast, we'll kill you, the fucking hit podcast, Aaron and Aaron cover. I think this is fascinating. The ins and outs of organ transplantation, which as a donor, as a potential donor one day, do you have the donor? Oh, did you mark that?

You marked that on your list? I did. Take whatever you need. Why do I fucking care? I think that's just a fascinating topic. How does it work? And then when you hear the stories of people, like, did you see the photo of the, the mom and dad listening to the heart of the person who got their son's heart when he passed away?

And they're crying and he just like, let them take a stethoscope and listen to their son's heart and his chest. Sorry. Did this just happen to you? No, it just touched me. I saw the video like, or like a photo of it. We should put it on the Instagram. It's so beautiful.

Does that make sense? Yes, it does. You look, you look. Well, I just don't, you're, we're talking about this podcast, but you're just talking about a thing you remembered of that happening. Huh? Oh, okay. Sorry.

I thought basically you'd listen to the podcast and then on it, they mentioned this thing. No. It just, I was confused. No, I was, I was too, clearly, but this podcast will kill you. Excellent podcast. Also, because it's Black History Month, Millie and Danielle on, I saw what you did are covering black directors, actors, other artists in the film industry. So this week they're doing the films to sleep with anger from 1990 and penitentiary, which

is from 1979. I saw what you did has a five star rating. Hey, it's like you guys really nice. Know how to rate your video and subscribe. Pretty nice. And then in the merch store on my favorite murder.com, fucking Denton and the merch team turned this shit around from last week and made unwashed and unabashed pre-sale merch. So it's a really cool design.

It's perfect for quarantine. There's t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, hoodies, and they're available for pre-sale. So fucking let the world know. Ain't no, there's no shame. Let the other people in your house know. That's right. That you're in quarantine. Yeah.

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Goodbye. Hey, I'm Mike Corey, the host of Wondery's podcast against the odds. In our next season, three masked men hijack a school bus full of children in the sleepy farm town of Chowchilla, California. They bury the children and their bus driver deep underground, planning to hold them for ransom. Local police and the FBI marshal a search effort, but the trail quickly runs dry. As the air supply for the trapped children dwindles, a pair of unlikely heroes emerges. Follow against the odds wherever you get your podcasts.

You can listen ad free on the Amazon music or Wondery app. Okay, so it was on February 1st at the beginning of Black History Month. I was, of course, on Twitter and I stumbled on this thread that was actually really pretty fascinating. It was started by a woman whose Twitter handle is at Tee Spoonie, TEE underscore Spoonie. Spoonie with an IE and her name's Tiana slash Crip Gossip Girl. And she wrote, when y'all inevitably talk about Harriet Tubman this month, let's not leave out the fact that she was disabled. And then goes on to explain how Harriet Tubman had epilepsy, possibly narcolepsy. So when she was moving people along the Underground Railroad, there were times where she would actually say,

and if I basically have one of my spells go on without me. Wow. And this was the thing she had to deal with basically all her life. And so as I got into this, into this thread, and basically, let me read the rest of these posts that this woman wrote, because it's pretty fascinating. She wrote, and if anyone questions you about it, ask them what they think having regular seizures as a result of head trauma that caused you to lose consciousness for any amount of time with no warning is. And then she wrote, and also please don't do that weird inspiration thing y'all do with disabled people.

She was amazing because of her achievements, not because she achieved it quote unquote in spite being disabled. So basically it opens this discussion, which is really cool because then it's a combination of people going, I had no idea how come we never get taught anything like this? What's wrong with the American school system? And then there's a bunch of other people who know about it and are adding to it. And so apparently from learning from this thread, which is pretty amazing, she was hit in the head with like a weight, some kind of a measuring weight by a slave owner who was trying to throw this weight at an escaping boy who was being slave traded. And she basically was trying to get in the middle so he could get away.

And she got hit in the head with this weight. And then she basically it was like brain trauma. And so for the rest of her life, she had seizures or and or narcolepsy, but often she would describe them as spells. And she interpreted what she would see and the things that would happen while she was out unconscious as messages from God. So it actually there's no in spite of her disability because it actually was, you know, the thing that kind of inspired her and guided her while she was doing all of this amazing work. Then people start talking about all this other stuff that she did and how she was in general. She's made a general and she won this battle like when the only women to win a battle. And it was just it's a really cool thread of a bunch of people who were the people who have the information are thrilled to share it.

And then there's a bunch of other people going, how come Twitter is the one place I learned, you know, black history the most? I mean, whatever. So in the middle of this thread, someone who's Twitter handle is at co pony. So CEO underscore pony wrote and it was a hashtag no coup 2021. They wrote, I learned about this guy today, epic beyond hero or injuries and still helped save France from the Nazis. And then she posted this a picture and like this little thing that was basically a post from Instagram. And so I looked at it and it was someone I have never seen before and never heard the name of before. So I figured it would be a good time to tell you about a man named Eugene Boulard, the world's first black fighter pilot.

Karen fucking killing it. It was, I mean, look, some good things happen on social media. We have to remember. And it still is, it's pretty mind blowing that too. I'm a 50 year old woman and still learning about things like this. So it's kind of exciting. And I appreciate all those people that participated in this insane epic thread that goes on and on. I mean, there's so there's a bunch of suggestions in here too of other people where I was just like, all right, this one down to love it.

So here's some of the sources is a book called All Blood Runs Red, The Legendary Life of Eugene Boulard Boxer Pilot Soldiers by Phil Keith and Tom Clavin. Clavin, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website, which is a legit.edu website called the Bitter Southerner. There was an article on that called The Vanishing Stories of the Boulard Brothers by a journalist named Jeremy Redman. The PBS series American Experience has an article on the PBS website called The Two Lies of Eugene Boulard. And of course, the Wikipedia and there is an article in the SAG Harbor Express journalist named Annette Hinkel called Meet the Amazing Eugene Boulard. Great. All right. So what's interesting is that if you took one of the elevators at Rockefeller Center at any point between 1954 and 1959, there was a chance that you could be standing

as a great American hero. But it was a secret. Nobody knew about it until December of 1959, when the producers at the Today Show that still had its original host, learned that just two months prior, on October 9, 1959, a local man named Eugene Boulard had just been named a chevalier de la Ligeant d'Honneur, which is France's highest award for military service. Wait, so are you saying he was the elevator operator? Yes, I am. Wow.

Yes, I am. Fuck. Okay. So the producers of the Today Show realize that not only does this man live in New York, but he's the elevator operator in the very building where the Today Show is filmed. Sorry. I spoiled that. It's okay. That's all right.

That's what everyone else is doing too. So it's fine. Okay. They go to Eugene Boulard and they ask him to be a guest on the Today Show. So on December 22, 1959, Eugene Boulard takes the stage wearing his elevator operator uniform. Wait, should I, I'm going to send you, I'm going to post this picture. Look at the picture because there's a beautiful black and white photo of him and the original host of the Today Show. Okay, let me look at that.

So he, so you see he wears his uniform on stage and he brings his military medals and all his military awards that he's ever won in a display case. And he sits down and begins to tell the host all about his life. And America finally meets a hero that no one's ever heard of before because it turns out that this man not, he not only fought in not one, but two world wars, but he is the world's first black fighter pilot. And this is almost 20 years after World War II ended. And so he's been under radar this whole time. Entirely and this piece of his life that's so incredible is truly a drop in the bucket to what I'm about to tell you. Okay. So let me tell you all about the life of Eugene Boulard.

So his father, William Boulard, is born into slavery in Columbus, Georgia in 1863. But two years later, the abolition of slavery happens in 1865. And so he becomes a free man, a free baby. And in 1882, at age 19, William Marys Josephine Yokoli Thomas, who's a 17 year old Indigenous woman who is from the Creek tribe who lives nearby. Together they have 10 children and Eugene is the seventh child. He's the seventh son. So his father always thought that he was lucky. He was lucky and special. And this family is very poor and the conditions at home make it hard to care for 10 kids. Three of the children don't make it past infancy.

But William is a very strong man. He's a very determined worker. He's six foot five, weighs about 250 pounds, takes any job that anyone will hire him for. And he starts working at the local docks and in the warehouses along the river. And he gets the nickname Big Ox for, of course, his stature, but also for his work ethic. In the 1890s, William gets steady work under a white cotton broker named William C. Bradley. And Bradley actually treats William well by 1890s standards, which causes the rest of the white workers to be very angry and to resent William because he's favored. And he makes the same wages that white workers make. And that makes these white men.

1890. That's like progressive for those standards. Yeah, it is. In 1901, young Eugene starts school at Columbus's 28th Street School, much like the rest of the community. This school suffers from a lack of money and supplies. Eugene spends five years there. He learns to read and write and do math. But he eventually he gets the equivalent of a second grade education. The year after he starts school in August of 1902, his mother dies suddenly at just 37 years old right before Eugene's seventh birthday. So the older Boulard children have to take on the household chores. They have to watch the younger kids and they all have to get jobs so they can help support support the family.

When he's young, Eugene describes himself as as trusting as a chickadee and friendly. And he loved everybody and thought everybody loved me. He plays with kids of all races in his neighborhood. But as they grow up, get older, he starts to realize not everyone is actually his friend. And soon the white kids stop playing with him and his father and his siblings have to teach him about the racial divides and injustices in this country. So because Eugene's father, William's background, his people are actually from Martinique. So they have a lot of exposure to French culture and his father has a utopian view of France. Even though he's never visited the country, he gives his kids the impression that in France all people are treated equally regardless of their race.

And Eugene, who craves equality and that idea of that very fair and just utopia, he longs to travel to France. So around this time, there's a man at Eugene's father, William's work named Billy Stevens. And he is the one that hates William the most. He gives him the worst and hardest tasks, hoping to break him. But William's spirit cannot be broken. He happily does his job. He carries his stoke wisdom home to his kids. He says, if I have to hit Stevens, I want you all to be good children, always show respect to each and everyone, white and black, and make them respect you. Go to school as long as you can.

Never look for a fight. I mean, never. But if you are attacked or your honor is attacked unjustly, you fight and you fight and you keep fighting even if you die for your rights. Because it will be a glorious death. So William's good attitude in the face of mistreatment just makes Billy Stevens even angrier. So on one day in 1904, Stevens approaches William, accusing him of basically tattling to the to the big boss about Stevens behavior. So William decides he's going to ignore Billy. Billy takes that as disrespect, grabs an iron hook that it's used for carrying cotton bales.

And he waxes William on the side of the head, leaving a huge bloody gash. William Ballard stumbles to his feet. He picks Stevens up over his head and throws him into a cellar. Stevens lands with such an intense thud that the surrounding workers think he's dead. But he's not. He's hurt. And of course, he's very badly embarrassed. So William goes to the big boss, Bradley tells him what happens.

Bradley tells William to go home, lay low. He's going to take care of it. And Bradley has a doctor check on Stevens to make sure he's okay. But and he tells Stevens that if he doesn't keep quiet about the situation, he'll lose his job. But there were too many witnesses. Word travels fast and soon an angry drunken lynch mob gathers at a nearby saloon and heads for the Ballard's home. So of course, William's anticipating this mob because this is standard fare in the Jim Crow south. He directs all the kids to hide under their bed while he keeps posts behind the front door with a loaded shotgun in his hand.

And this drunken mob surrounds the house. They're screaming. They're banging on the doors. And of course Eugene is scared to death. Eventually the family, the lights are off, the family's silent, so the mob eventually figures that the Ballards have run off and they leave. And this has this moment and this fear and witnessing such a hideous thing. Of course, Mark's Eugene forever. So he's hell bent now on finding a place where, quote, white people treated color people like human beings.

So he makes several attempts to run away, but his dad catches them almost every time. But in 1906, at age 11, he sells his goat and cart for $1.50, packs up some food and a few belongings and hikes his way along the train tracks headed east. Jesus. But before his dad can catch up with them, Eugene meets a kind family. They give him a dollar and that enables him to buy a train to get to Atlanta. Eleven. So he's 11 years old and he finally makes his getaway. So in Atlanta, he finds a number of odd jobs basically, you know, making himself some cash.

So he gets a job. He starts hanging around some stables because there's a lot of horse racing in Atlanta and he works there long enough and then he basically gets moved up to being a jockey. Because he's little and he can ride a horse. So he becomes a jockey and he's that young. Isn't that awesome? And he's good at it. He also helps out in a barber shop. He's very charming and smart young man.

So strangers like him and they're very kind to him. So basically on his father's advice, he makes people respect him with his friendly demeanor and his hard work and that helps him survive. And one day in his early teens, he has a chance meeting with a band of English travelers who are outcast wanderers themselves. So they welcome him into their band with open arms. And he's hopeful that these Englishmen will take him with them when they go back to England, which would bring him one step closer to getting to France. But then when they tell Eugene that they're planning to stay in America for another couple years, he's disappointed. He parts ways with them, wanders around Georgia a little while longer, working odd jobs. Then a friend tells him if he can get to Virginia, he can get on to a big ship that is that'll be traveling overseas.

So in 1912, he's now 16 years old and he stows away one night in the undercarriage of a dining car on the seaboard line passenger and freight train heading to Virginia. So he holds on to the underneath of the dining car, gets himself fucking insane. Oh my God. He's got a vision. Yeah. That's what's cool. Yeah. So he gets to Virginia.

He finds there's a black family by the name of Hughes, who he meets, who gives him a few bucks, tells him that he can find a ship in the city of Newport News. So he hops another train, rides underneath the car again, makes his way to Newport News, Virginia. When he gets to the docks, he finds a crew loading goods onto a large ship. And one of the crewmen mistake Eugene for being a worker. So Eugene uses that opportunity, pretends to be a worker, sneaks on board, hides between two bales of cotton for two hours until the ship departs. But three hours later, the ship docks again in another Virginia port. So he's like, oh God. He thinks he's going to get there and then he doesn't. He ends up telling one of the crewmen about that's what he's trying to do.

And the crewman decides to help him. So he points Eugene in the direction of a ship called the Martyr Russ. And he says that ship's crew is German, but they'll be making other stops on their way and they can use help on board. And sure enough, the crew on the Martyr Russ welcome Eugene's help. And on March 4th, 1912, Eugene finally set sail for Europe. So by law, the shipping crew has to drop stowaways off at the next port they reach, which in the Martyr Russes case is Aberdeen, Scotland. But in true Eugene fashion, he spends the two week voyage winning the hearts of the German crew. He's a hard worker and he's a quick learner and he ends up picking up the German language from his crewmates.

All right. So by the time they reach Scotland, members of the crew chip in to send him off with closed supplies and the captain pays him $25 in wages. Wow. Which is huge. And today's money? A lot. Couple hundred. I didn't look it up.

So the Scots receive him well. Of course they speak English, but their accent is very difficult for Eugene and everyone else on the planet to understand. Especially back then, I bet like the conversion rate of the Scottish accent was just incomprehensible. There was no outside world to kind of expose them to. Oh my God. Because most Scottish people had never met a black person before. They all called him Jack Johnson after the famous box. Yeah.

Yeah. Eugene takes it as a compliment and continues to charm his way from Aberdeen to Glasgow. And there he finds himself a cheap room and he befriends some con men who are running a three card money game outside on the street. And he gets a job as their lookout. So he whistles whenever the cops come around and basically he's just making friends. So in August of 1912, after five months of saving up cash, he gets himself to Liverpool because he heard he can make more money there. He eventually he tries to get some jobs. He eventually gets work unloading large slabs of frozen mutton off of incoming ships, which is really brutal work and really exhausting.

But he ends up being able to join the Steve Dorr Union, which is Steve Dorr's and Longshoremen are similar, but one involves a crane, I think. I looked it up and I was just like, sorry. What? And that's a disgrace because my grandfather was a Longshoreman. So I apologize to Longshoremen everywhere. But he was one of the two. I don't know if a crane was involved. But he is for this job.

He is in a union, which means he's making good money. And also he's just getting stronger and stronger because it's backbreaking labor. During the holiday season of 1912, Eugene goes to Birkenhead where Liverpool's main amusement park is and he spots a game where players throw a ball at someone who pops their head through different holes in the canvas. So it's basically human whack-a-mole facing the people throwing the ball. And if the person gets hit three times, the player wins. So Eugene gets an idea because knowing how white people are, he basically tells the guy running the game, they'll get more business if the person popping their head through the sheet is black. Wow. It's an upsetting suggestion.

But of course it's right. And many more people play the game. It brings in a lot more business for the attraction. And Eugene makes bank. So he basically is taking advantage of the racism and ignorance and making money off of it. He's actually able to quit his job on the docks and he makes triple at this game what he made just by working weekends at the amusement park. Wow. So he uses his new free time to explore Liverpool and his favorite place to go is Baldwin's boxing gym.

And he's taken in by the atmosphere captivated by the boxers who are training for their fights. He convinces the gym owner Chris Baldwin to let him work there during the week and telling him there's no task too small for him to do. He'll do whatever the guy needs him to do. By February of 1913 Baldwin is so impressed with Eugene's work ethic that he invites him to start training and sparring with the boxers. So Eugene trains as a lightweight under the name the sparrow because even though he's light he tells Baldwin he can fly like a bird. So Eugene wins his first 10 round fight and then he catches the eye of an actual pro boxer who's at the at the fight Aaron Lister Brown who's called Dixie Kid. So the Dixie Kid takes Eugene under his wing and has him join his touring company of boxers. So Eugene agrees and with Baldwin's blessing and also because Baldwin is Eugene's technical manager which means he gets a cut of Eugene's wages.

That means that Eugene gets to the sparrow gets to follow his team to London. He moves into the whole born neighborhood of London where many other black expatriates live and work in all facets of the art arts. Eugene's winning personality and ability to perform Ernst's spot in Belle Davis's Friedman's Piccininis which is a popular traveling slapstick troop of black performers. And this along with the boxing pays him well and the job enables him to travel all over the globe basically. He goes from St. Petersburg to Moscow to Berlin and finally he gets to go to Paris. So as he imagined he instantly falls in love with the city. It's late 1913 and the Dixie Kid arranges a boxing match for Eugene in Paris that enables him to officially move there. He continues boxing in Paris.

I think he moved up a couple weight classes and he also picks up a side gig working at a local music hall. So between the good wages, good friends, fewer run-ins with the racists, Eugene finds himself living the life he's always dreamed of. So when World War One begins in August of 1914, Eugene feels compelled to serve the country that's given him the life he dreamed of living. So on October 19, 1914 at the age of 19 years old, Eugene enlists in the French Foreign Legion which is a branch of the French military that non-citizens are permitted to join. He's assigned to the third marching regiment and serves as a machine gunner. This regiment is named the Swallows of Death and this is where he picks up his nickname, the Black Swallow of Death. In 1915, he fights in some of the worst and bloodiest battles in World War One. He's at the front at Somme, he's at Artois and he's in the second battle of Champagne.

And there's a couple places that list out, I was reading this but it was so much information, but some of these fights, there was like an 80% death rate. Like the death rates were all really high, he survived these horrible battles kind of against the odds. It's crazy. And he fights with such honor and such vigor that he's transferred from the Foreign Legion to one of the standard French army units, the 170th Infantry Regiment, so that he can fight at the Battle of Verdun in 1916. So in the Battle of Verdun, he is horribly wounded, some of the doctors think he might never be able to walk again. He's removed from ground combat permanently, but his courage in battle earns him his first military decoration, which is the Croix de Guerre. So he's sent to Lyon to recover from his injuries.

Then he takes his leave in Paris and when he's on leave, he's drinking with his friend. And his friend is saying, you can never fight, you can never be a foot soldier again. And he's like, I'm going to fight again. So his friend bets him $2,000 that he can't get into the French flying service. Oh my God. That's so much money. $2,000? Who the fuck has that?

Even like, especially during war? I know. Well, it was basically like he was saying, it doesn't matter. Eugene was like, if I can't fight, you know, be a foot soldier, then I'm going to be a pilot. And the guy's like, no, you're not going to. That'll never happen. And he's like, yes, it will. I bet you $2,000 it won't.

He thinks it's a good bet, but in actuality. Yes, he's a fucking idiot because he's talking to Eugene Boulard. Even though no black soldier had ever been admitted before, in November of 1916, Eugene Boulard wins the bet and joins the Aero-Nautique Militaire. He starts his training the same year and earns his wings on May 5th, 1917. Wow. He spends that night celebrating with his friends, later saying that, quote, by midnight every American in Paris knew that an American Negro by the name of Eugene Boulard, born in Georgia,

had obtained a military pilot's license. Eugene Boulard is now the world's first black combat pilot. Back in America, no one has a clue about this achievement. So in April of 1917, when America enters the war, Eugene applies to join the American Expeditionary Forces so he can serve as a pilot alongside his fellow Americans. But they basically tell him they're not accepting any more applications, but this is a blatant lie. He's denied admittance because he's black.

But Eugene keeps his head high. He states that he still takes, quote, some comfort knowing that I was to go on fighting on the same front and in the same cause as other citizens of the United States. So instead, he sticks with the French divisions and on June 28th, 1917, he's promoted to corporal. And in August of the same year, he's assigned to the French Eskidril Spa 93, then to a different Eskidril Spa 85 on September 13th, 1917. On the side of his plane, he paints an insignia of a heart with a dagger through it. And below it, he writes, all blood runs red.

So during his piloting career, he flies somewhere between 25 to 27 missions. He takes down two German planes. But in the battle against the second plane, he actually chases this German plane into territory and no one else sees him shoot the plane down. So he doesn't get credit for that kill. And in that, as he goes down to chase him, his plane gets shot and he crashes miraculously. He survives and afterwards his fellow soldiers come and they count the bullet holes in his plane. There are 78 bullet holes in his plane.

He's taken to a hospital. He makes a full recovery after his recovery. He serves a little bit longer and then he's discharged in October 24th, 1919. So then here's where it gets pretty interesting. So that wasn't enough for you. After World War I, Eugene is awarded French citizenship for his service. So he goes back to Paris. He goes back to boxing, but his war injuries make it kind of hard.

So he's not in as many matches. So what does he do? You guessed it. He learns to play the drums and he gets himself work as a jazz drummer in a nightclub called Zellies, which is located in Paris' March district. Yep. With the help of his lawyer friend, Robert Henri, Eugene scores a license for the nightclub to stay open past midnight, which is a privilege awarded to no other clubs in Paris at the time.

So keeping these late hours quickly makes Zellies a hotspot. And his popularity at Zellies gives him the opportunity to travel with a jazz band to Alexandria, Egypt, where he not only performs at the nightclub there, but he also boxes in two prizes. When he returns to Paris, he makes money hiring musicians for the social elites who have private parties. He also works as a masseuse, an athletic trainer. And he opens his own gym called Boulard's Athletic Club, where he trains boxers, boxers Panama, Al Brown, and Young Perez. I know your fans of both. In 1923, he marries.

In some, in some articles, she was described as a socialite. But in one article, I read that she was a countess. And so that's what I'm going with because it's a better story. Her name was Marcel Stroman. They had two daughters, Jacqueline and Lolita. And those young daughters were often babysat by Eugene's good friend, the great Josephine Baker. No. Yes.

That's his world. Those are the people around him. It's the most storied life I've ever heard. Insane. Okay. So when Eugene and Marcel break up in 1935, he ends up keeping custody of his daughters. So after four years, Eugene leaves Zellie's nightclub in 1923 to become the manager, the drummer, and the maitre d at another nightclub called Leska Drill, which is that's the word for squadron. I was saying it earlier pretty badly, but that's that's what it meant.

So this at this club, there's a cast of stars. A young Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald. Jesus. A young Langston Hughes, who Eugene actually hires as a dishwasher for a little while. Langston Hughes as a dishwasher. Okay. Yeah. Ernest Hemingway likes to hang out there.

Sure. He becomes so close with Eugene that Eugene also becomes the inspiration for a jazz drummer character in the novel The Sun Also Rises. Eugene doesn't just attract stars, he also makes them. One of his close singers and drummers is a man named Dooley Wilson, who ends up winning the role of Sam, the piano player in the movie Casablanca. No. Played against Sam. Yeah. This is like, as I was reading this, I was like, this is, this is like a real life, actually cool forest camp.

Like he's, he is the source. He's the beginning of everything. He is like living this and he's like constantly reinventing himself and adding. Oh my God. And just being like open and talented and clearly brilliant. I mean, clearly. Yeah. If you can just go like, I think now I'm going to be a jazz drummer.

Totally. That's a big deal. Yeah. That's not easy. No. Okay. So now it's the mid to late 1930s. Oh, sorry.

All of Eugene's hard work, good business sense, magnetism, friendship, connections pays off. And by 1928, he's able to buy Leska Drill for his own. So now he's the owner of this club. Jesus. So now it's the like mid to late thirties and their Germans start to frequent AKA Nazis start to frequent this club. So a friend of Eugene's who is a French policeman knows that Eugene can speak German from his days on the ship.

And so he asks them to help the French resistance to spy on the Germans who come to the club. So of course, a lifelong patriot of France, Eugene loads the German patrons up with champagne and of course, pretends he can't understand a word they're saying, listens in on their drunken conversations and reports everything back to the French resistance. Any info they can get on what the Nazis are doing, according to the authors, Phil Keith and Tom Clavin, who wrote Eugene's biography, All Blood Runs Red. One of many, by the way, there's probably about five out there. And Eugene was the first person to tip French authorities off about Germans, Germany's plan

to invade Poland. But the higher ups ignored the tip. Oh, guys. Okay. So in May of 1940, the Nazis invade France. Eugene answers the call of duty once again, joining the 51st Infantry Regiment. The man is 45 years old and he and he's like, if you if it were me, I'd be like, Hey, guess what?

I already fucking served. Right. I saw the worst. I saw some terrible shit. Oh, my God. Thanks anyway. Yeah. He's going back.

He fights in Orleans in June on June 15th, 1940, but he's wounded. He finds himself in the precarious position of being a black business owner in German-occupied France. He's forced to flee to neutral Spain with his daughters. And from there, he's put onto a steamship back to America with his war injuries to basically recover in in back in America after nearly three decades of being abroad. Wow. He winds up in a New York hospital where he finishes recuperating from his war injuries.

But after all of these accomplishments, all these sacrifices, all all of this bravery, no one in America knows about it. No one has any idea. No one cares. He maintains his friendships with big stars like Louis Armstrong, but he's it's he's just hanging out. I think they said for a little while, he was a translator, a translator for somebody. But for the most part, he would just take jobs he sold perfume.

He just took jobs as he could because it's still the late forties in America. He works security by the end of World War Two. He tries he tries to find out if he can go back to his nightclub only to find that it's been completely destroyed in the war. But the French government pays him a settlement. So he uses that money to buy himself and his daughters an apartment in Harlem. So then in 1949, the singer and performer Paul Robeson throws a concert to fundraise for the Civil Rights Congress in Peekskill, New York, a lover of both music and of course

a fighter for racial justice. Eugene goes on August 27th, 1949. But when he gets there, a mob of white supremacists, many of whom are veterans who fought on the same side of the war as Eugene did and many others who are police officers surround the concert goers and start beating them with baseball bats and throwing stones. Eugene's caught up in the chaos and beaten by these criminals so badly that he loses vision and his left eye. All in all, 13 people are seriously injured.

None of the attackers are prosecuted. Okay, so by the 1950s, Eugene's daughters have both married and so he lives alone in his apartment surrounded by framed photos of his famous friends as well as his 14 military medals. So in 1954, Eugene Boulard is invited back to Paris by the French government as one of three military heroes asked to relight the everlasting flame at Francis Tum of the unknown soldier. Oh my God.

And that same year, he takes the job as the elevator operator at 30 Rock. One of these things is not like the other. Four years later in October of 1959, when he's, he is given the honor of Chevalier, which is a knight of the Legion of Honor at the French consulate, Charles de Gaulle himself is there to bestow the honor and he calls Eugene Boulard a true French hero. So two months later on December 22nd, 1959, Eugene Boulard goes is a guest on the Today Show with the original host Dave Garroway. And at last, Eugene Boulard has his moment.

He wins the hearts of his fellow Americans as he chats with Garroway in his elevator operators uniform with his case of military medals and tells his stories of a life fully and beautifully lived. After that appearance, hundreds and hundreds of letters pour into the Today Show from viewers who are impressed, touched and moved by Mr. Boulard's story. And finally, Eugene Boulard is showered with just a fraction of the accolades he so richly deserves from his fellow Americans. The next day, Mr. Boulard returns to his post in the elevator at 30 Rock and he works there

until the pains in his stomach that he's been hiding force him to see a doctor and he's diagnosed with stomach cancer. Eugene Boulard passes away from this illness on October 12th, 1961, just three days after his 66th birthday. Oh my God, it took him so quick. This is an excerpt from the 1972 biography, The Black Swallow of Death, the incredible story of Eugene Jacques Boulard, the world's first black fighter pilot by PJ Carousel and James Ryan.

And it's about the day that Mr. Boulard died. So his friend, who's an author and activist named Louise Fox Connell, went to see him or Connell, sorry, went to see him. In the following quote, she's just referred to as the woman who had been helping him with his memoirs, but her name is Louise Fox Connell. So the quote is this quote, the woman who had been helping him with his memoirs. Visited him on the day he died. She was crying at the bedside where he lay, seemingly lost to the world.

He was leaving, peering her sobs, his consciousness returned from wherever it had been. And he pulled the tube out of his mouth. He had something to say to her. The old horseman, boxer, soldier, pilot, spy, club owner, musician, and father turned to his friend and smiled. Don't fret, honey. It's easy. In 1989, Eugene Boulard is posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the Georgia Aviation

Hall of Fame. On October 23, 1994, Eugene is posthumously commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, 1994. Wow. And on October 9, 2019, the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia, erects a statue in Eugene Boulard's honor. Oh my God, a hundred years after World War I ends, he finally gets a little crud. So this is from PBS's American Experience, the article about him.

It says, quote, the story of how Eugene Boulard became the first Black combat pilot and why his achievement stayed in the shadows for so long is a tale of alternate realities, of what happens when opportunity is offered or denied and ultimately seized regardless. So this is a beautiful, inspiring story, but it's also a true disgrace that Eugene Boulard is not a famous historical figure in America. But the good news is that one of Eugene's descendants, a man named Terrence Chester, has made it his mission to change that. He's been telling Eugene Boulard's life story and winning awards for it since he was in

middle school. Oh my God. So there's this really amazing article on a website called The Bitter Southerner that I found and it's written about Terrence by this journalist named Jeremy Redman. And in this article, and I really, really recommend you read it because it's really, it's a really good, very informative, fascinating article. In it, the two men discuss the contrasting story of Eugene Boulard and then Eugene Boulard's oldest brother, Hector.

Okay. So this is an excerpt from that article entitled The Vanishing Stories of the Boulard Brothers. When Eugene ran away, his older brother Hector was studying business administration at Morris Brown College, a historically Black college in Atlanta. Hector was preparing to run a peach farm in Fort Valley, one of the biggest in the region. He inherited it from his mother, who inherited it from her mother. A white family had cultivated the farm for years, serving as overseers. The overseers would send Hector's family money every year, but without any accounting of

how the farm was performing overall. And Eugene wrote in his memoirs, the family who ran it when Hector inherited it could not understand why he should not run the orchard to suit himself the way his father and grandfather had. But Hector was determined to manage his own property and was studying to do it right. Years later, his attempt to win control of it got him lynched. Short and direct, this last sentence lands like one of Eugene's left jabs. With it, Eugene punches his older brother's fate into history and leaves some clues about

what happened to Hector. To Terrence, that passage reminds him of the painful stories his grandmother told him about white landowners taking advantage of his sharecropping ancestors. And that is the story of the world's first Black combat pilot, an American hero, Eugene Belard, and his older brother, Hector Belard. It's Black History Month, Black Lives Matter, Black Excellence should be recognized and celebrated every day of the year. Great job.

Thank you. Great. Pretty amazing. Pretty fucking amazing that we don't know that story. I am not shocked, sadly, but great telling. Great telling of it. Thank you. Great.

Cool. Let's fucking look up these stories. They're out there waiting for us. We have to figure them out ourselves because. Well, then we can. It's not that hard. Yeah. And people should and, you know, and good.

That's right. Hey, stay sexy. Hey. And don't get murdered. Good. Bye. Bye.