The Eric Metaxas Show - Barbara Cueto

Episode Date: July 13, 2021

Barbara Cueto has a fascinating tale that fits perfectly into Miracle Monday as she recounts the chapters of her life in "From Mafia Princess to God's Princess."

To the Eric Mettaxas show with your host, Eric Mettaxas. Hey there, folks, it's the Eric Mataxis show. As you know on this program, one of the things we like to do is talk to people about their lives, especially if those lives are particularly interesting with an emphasis on redemptive. I have a guest today, Barbara Quato, who's written a book called From Mafia Princess to God's Princess. I'm just thrilled to have you here, Barbara. Welcome. I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you. You lean a little forward because I want to make sure we catch every syllable.

Your story, I don't know where to start. You had a very, very tough life, maximum craziness. Where should we start? Where did you grow up? What city did you grow up in? I grew up in El Paso, Texas. and for the most part and a border town

my father is Irish my mother is Mexican so it was there was a lot of drinking and a lot of temper at seven years old I was born into an alcoholic family and it really was not it was terrible to grow up that way

and there was a lot of distractions there was a lot of chaos so that when I was seven years old I was hurt by a neighbor. I was sexually abused by a neighbor and it happened. You were seven. I was seven. I was playing on the sidewalk

writing words that I'd heard my father use frequently while other kids were drawing hopscotch sketches. I was I had figured out these four, there were only four letters long, so very easy to chalk.

Yeah, and so a neighbor came up and started asking me about it and then he invited me to his home where he stole everything from me and my innocence my purity my my eyes were opened like in the garden of eden adam and eaves were when they discovered the i mean at seven years old were you able to tell your parents about this no no sexual abuse is it's a crime and that's not too soft of a heart of a word not even close it is a crime and it is one of shame it's it's one that um you don't want to

tell anyone that you're not who you were before, that now you're seven years old and your eyes have been opened and you just want to cover yourself with fig leaves, you know, only you cover yourself with lies. I mean, it is an amazing thing, right, because the most normal thing would be to run and tell people, but something happens. I think this is why we know that the sexual abuse, particularly of children, is nothing less than evil itself because it does something as you just said it robs you of innocence

did this continue was this a one-time thing well interestingly enough and I don't know why that is it seems that you're tagged after that and you just or maybe it's just rampant that much but it seemed to me like I was somehow tagged it did continue with this neighbor a lot of that has been blocked out when I wrote my book I think God had his purpose for having me do it at the time I did

because those are things that you really try to forget. Your mind forgets those things. It doesn't want to go back and look at things, but I think that God gives you the ability to look back and use it for his glory and not hurt you anymore. It has no power anymore. You know, as a father of a daughter, just even hearing about this, it's just very tough.

And your daughter's beautiful. And this went on, thank you. So this went on for years, And it's hard to fathom what this would do to the heart and soul and mind of a little girl. I hardly want to think of it because it's so evil. No, it is. It is evil. And the fact is that that was introduced into my home through abuse, through alcohol abuse, and maybe some drug abuse.

But not through my mother's side, but through my father. And let me just say right now that my father changed. And that was a miracle. It's miracle Monday. He eventually changed. But before you go to that part, what do you mean you say? Yeah, I'm not going to rush ahead, but I'm going to say it was that evil was introduced to into our home because there was chaos. No one was looking out from me.

I mean, think about it. Why was this little girl out front and this neighbor approach invited me into his home and no one noticed? Okay, now I get it. So you're saying because there was alcoholism, you were not being parented and protected. Right, exactly. And I tell people today, watch your kids. Don't trust anybody. Because the enemy is just looking to invade your home and steal, steal, kill and destroy.

So how long did this go on and when did you leave home? What happened to you in your teen years? It was a passing off of sorts. I say in my book, I don't know when it ended, when the abuse ended. It was a passing off. I became a consensual collaborator at that point. And something insidious about childhood sexual abuse is that the abused always feels guilty. Like there's something that makes you feel like you were a part of it because there are physical things that accompany that.

Well, that's what's so particularly and clearly evil about it is that you're abused and then somehow you condemn yourself. I mean, it's the old story. Right. So what do you do? You just keep doing it. I just keep repeating that thing. So why is the book titled From Mafia Princess to God's Princess? At what point does Mafia become part of the story?

Well, if you look at it like a staircase, like the one I came up on, it's one step at a time down. And so there were many things. And let me just clarify, at 12 years old, I gave my life to Jesus, but then I strayed. So in the middle of all this madness, you had an opportunity to give you a life to Jesus. How did that happen? At a vacation Bible school. We live next door to a church. And there wasn't a lot of outreach, but these kids came from out of town to hold a vacation Bible school, and they invited us.

We were clearly a dysfunctional home. I mean, it was obvious. But they reached out to us and invited us, and I gave my life to Jesus, and I was baptized. And then there was no follow-up by anybody, so I just started going downhill from there. And I had, there's always predators. There's no lack of predators out there. And my father was also an entrepreneur. And so he had a car salesman and mechanic, and he had a lot of people over.

So I ended up, long story short, having a relationship with a married man. and much older, when I was 15. And they sent me off to live with a relative. And that relative started, that he was married to my aunt, and he used me to make money. And it was a horrible experience, difficult to talk about, as you can imagine. Because at that point, now I think, okay, I'm 15, so I'm a grown-up, right? And so I made this decision to allow myself to be used.

And so... You mean that this uncle prostituted you? Is that what you're saying? In a sense, I guess you would call it, like, my aunt and uncle divorced, and so we were traveling around with him. And that was one of the things that the Lord showed me when I rewrote my book. to that I need to get no longer let these memories have power over me. And it's so difficult to look back at things, especially when you were, and some people think 15, well, you're a woman, you know, you trafficked. We have the Jeffrey Epstein thing and all of that. And you think, oh, these are, and in my mind, I think, I thought I knew what I was doing.

Yeah. I thought I was really together. I was 15. You know, I have two sons. When they were 15, they were kids. Well, that's because 15-year-olds are kids, right? So you were trafficked by this uncle? On a small scale.

Nonetheless. And it was one of those memories I was telling you about that you tried to just forget. And so revisiting it was not easy. But I remember money changing hands. Oh, my goodness. It is just astonishing to me what people go through. The good news, though, the reason you're here is because this ends up having a beautiful, beautiful. I mean, I'm not ready to go there yet in the story because I want you to, you know, lay down this

foundation. But we'll be right back. Folks, I'm talking to Barbara C-U-E-T-O, from Mafia Princess to God's Princess. We'll be right back. Hey, folks, are you concerned about memory loss for you or a loved one? Viva Lord's founder prayed that God would show her the solution to memory loss because her mother had dementia. After many divine encounters combining faith and her back.

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promo code 20 for 20% off. Vivalor.com, V-I-V-O-R.com. Hey there, folks. How many years have I been telling you about relief factor? What, like, four? The truth is, I know there are millions of people. In fact, some say over 100 million people struggling with some kind of pain. Maybe from exercise, just getting older, that could do it, getting older, which is why I am so impressed with Pete and Seth Talbot. They are on a mission. You rarely see this kind of focus and commitment. Seriously, they recently shared with me that they are doubling down and want to literally double their total number of happy customers in the next year, and I believe they'll do it. So here's the deal. If you're struggling with back, neck,

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Am I pronouncing that correctly? Actually, it's queto. Queto. But you're good. Quito. Quo, quito. Quo. Quovo.

Yeah, quervo. Okay, so this is hard. The only good part about it is you're on the other side and we're talking on the other side. So what happened before you get involved in this mafia stuff? You were saying to me that even though you were going through this hell, God was showing up in your life? Yes, he was. And it's hard to imagine

because now, and I flash forward, I minister to people that are in drug and alcohol rehab and I hear my story a lot and worse. I mean, a lot. And so I know if you're speaking to a room of people, probably at least

a third or fourth of them have been hurt when they were children. So, watch your kids, watch your kids diligently. As I said, I gave my life to the Lord to Jesus when I was 12 years old. And so after that, there were miracles that happened in my life like God was saying, you may have left me, but I didn't leave you. And one of those was when I was lost in the forest in New Mexico.

I was in the mountains of New Mexico. I went camping with some friends, and I wandered off. It's all in my book, but this is the short. at this point or you're 20? I was a teenager. Teenager. And I got lost. That was after the traffic and came back. I started, the married older man got me addicted to drugs and alcohol. I was drinking when I went to school. I was in speech and drama. So I would go do the plays like toasted. And actually I won awards. So. Wow. So you were, you were acting. I was acting. And yet you were addicted. I would improvise my lines. I mean, it was crazy.

But you were addicted to, okay. So. So I don't know. He got on speed. He got me on speed. He got me on alcohol because, you know, when you're dating an older man who could get these things, obviously, it's easy for you to. And, of course, when I discovered drugs and alcohol, I was like, oh, yes. You know, relief. To dull the pain. Relief. And you don't remember now every second of your life. And you don't feel that nagging pain every minute of your life. And so obviously, I mean, if you have a toothache, what is the remedy? So this is a life ache that I had. And the remedy was at that time drugs and alcohol. But I mean, it's like you lived 100 lives.

I mean, so here you are, you're still a teenager. So you were saying that you were lost in the woods, you were camping and you were lost. Yeah. I went to the mountains camping. First time I'd ever been to the mountains, and it's vast, but I didn't have any knowledge. I mean, one tree looks like the other, right? and I got in an argument with a young man that I went with, and he left me there. So I was like, okay, I'm going to give him some time to cool off.

I surely have at least enough sense of direction to go back, but it was my first time in the mountains. Anyway, I ended up really lost, and I panicked at first like anybody does. You panic, and then you just start going in every direction, and you realize every tree looks exactly alike. Every hill looks exactly like. And at one point, I don't know how it happened. I just started relaxing. And I started remembering what it was like when my mother would sing me Christian songs or these songs that I grew up knowing.

And I started singing those to the Lord. And then he started conversing with me, just very, not like in an audible voice, but in my heart, it was like I'm in this huge forest. alone with God. And he just, like, he comforted me, he gave me peace. It was remarkable the sensation of being lost with God. And so nightfall came, though, and I say in my book, it was more like my real life, you know, with dark and a lot of creepy things.

I found a shelter, and I slept there, and I probably prayed. I didn't feel God then. Like, you don't feel God in the darkness, you know, when you're living in the darkness. But the next day, I kept following the stream because I thought, thought if I follow the stream, it'll lead me somewhere. I mean, I think you see that in movies. You know, the stream always leads to civilization. And I didn't run into anybody, but I kept sensing this fellowship with God in the forest.

And at one point, I started worrying about my parents, which Eric, after, I was a teenager. I think I was 18. And I never thought about my parents. I never cared or worried about them. My dad was sober at that point. It's miraculous, too. It's in the book. But when at that point, I just sent up a, you know, I was talking to him.

I was conversing like I'm conversing with you. So I said, I'm really worried about my parents. You know, I think I need to come home, as if I just come for a visit, you know. It's like, I think I better go home, God. We've had a great time, but it's time to go home. And in that minute, I heard a voice in my head. And this, I did hear, go up that hill. There was a mountain right there.

The stream was here. You heard an audible voice. I heard a voice say, go up that hill. And so I was like, if I go up that hill. Mountain, really. If I go up that mountain, I'm going to be really lost, Lord. But I obeyed. Because you heard God's voice. I just knew it wasn't me. I wouldn't have thought that. So I started going up this big mountain. And when I reached the top of the mountain, there was a clearing. A clearing, a big open clearing.

And in that minute, the minute my foot touched that clearing, there was a helicopter overhead. A helicopter. Helicopter. A helicopter. So you were so lost, they sent a helicopter? Yes. There was a search and rescue crew looking for me. And he said, on a loudspeaker, he said, are you Barbara Watkins? Are you serious? No, I'm Grizzly Adams. But think about it.

If you had just been in the woods, they couldn't see you and hear you on the top of it. Because I stepped on that clearing. And I'm telling you, Eric, the minute my foot touched that clearing, that helicopter was overhead. And you knew, obviously, that God was with you. And so this is, I mean, it's important to, you know, explain to people that things aren't, black and white. Here you are living this life of sin and pain and yet God is reaching out to you, especially during this moment. Right. And well, so that's a, that's a bright moment. But after this, of course, things don't go well. But it was pivotal. Yeah. It was pivotal in my heart, I think,

because I realized God was close by. That no matter how lost I got, he was with me. That he was that okay like we tend to look at God like okay this is it you've messed up enough you know that's like a parent might do you know that's that's it that's that I drew the line but God isn't like that he is so patient and I realized that and recognized it in my own life because he he went to that great effort to spend some time with me I mean that is amazing that out of you know everybody's nightmare being lost especially at that age you don't know anything and you're and you're I think it was familiar for me because I was terminally lost. Yeah.

But there was a search and rescue Native American men, women, and children that had gone to live in. They led me. They were pretty close. But I think I was headed in the opposite direction. So par for the course for me. Wow. Okay. So what happens?

How do we get to the mafia princess part? So after that, not long after that, I mean, you said it, well, my life was like a lot of life crammed into this space. Not long after that, I ended up married. a DJ and I won't go into why or how and we moved to Houston, Houston, Texas. He was a DJ, he was a pilot, but he had a terrible temper, abusive temper. He was not a nice person. And that's kind of the people you tend to gravitate toward. I don't know why it's warped because those are the people that hurt you and you just

seem to want to punish yourself and continue punishing yourself. I don't know why that is. was not involved in the mafia. He was not. He was Jewish. So he, although, I guess. There are Jewish mobsters, but... Yes, I met those two.

So what happened after that? We moved to Houston, Texas, and he lost his job because of his terrible temper. Then he told me, you're going to have to get a job. And I said, you know, I really never worked other than that, you know, that. But I had never worked at a real job, and I didn't know what. I could do and he said, I know where you can make a lot of money really fast. And you'll make tons of money. And I was like, well, why? This is my husband, right? So I'm trusting him. And he took me to this club. It was called, I call it New York, New York in the book. And it was a

topless club. So I was shocked. Your husband took you to work there. He said, he said, you need to do this to make money. You can make a lot of money. Nice guy. Yeah, and there's a lot of of money in pornography. And he took me there, and the man who interviewed me was a retired magician of all things. And nice guy, but you know, you feel like you're being looked out like, you know, someone ready to buy a car. Yeah, well, that's because you are. I couldn't even have thought of doing that as bad as I had been and the things had been

in my life. I was saved at 12. So even though I didn't see the little princess in there, God saw her. and he somehow gave me a sense that somewhere in there she still existed. So I ended up going ahead and doing it. Somehow, because you were so desperate. We didn't have a choice. And your husband's pushing you.

But I mean, I can't. And this leads to the mafia part. It was my choice. Well, yeah, sure. But yeah, it's like you get used to obeying men or suffering their wrath when you're raised as an alcoholic father. That's what I hear in a lot of these horrible stories. stories. We're going to go to a break. Folks, I'm talking to Barbara Quito. The book is from mafia princess to God's Princess. Don't go away. Welcome back, folks. I'm talking to the author

from Mafia Princess to God's Princess. So now Barbara Quito, we get to the mafia part. How did that happen? Well, I was working in this topless club, had to do enormous amounts of drugs to have the courage to do that, by the way. I mean, you hear this a lot, right? Right, that women who are in these things, they do drugs kind of to get through it. I think you've gotten used to it at that point, just using drugs as a crutch to do things that are impossible to think about. So I was working there, and this man used to come in regularly. Everyone respected, we called him Papa. And he was an older man, kind of salt and pepper hair like yours.

At that time, he was quite a bit older. very stocky, very large in life. Even if he wasn't that tall, he was big. And eventually I found out he was the owner. And his name was Tony. Tony Palermo is what I call him. And he was the owner of the club. I was in awe of him because of just the presence he cast.

He was in that sense awesome. that everyone had great respect for him. And he seemed like a nice man, and he would come in frequently. At one point, the manager that I spoke of convinced all of us. I don't know what happened, but he convinced all of us to go to another club to work, downtown Houston. And so we were all on board. We didn't think very much of it. And so we all went to this other club to work.

And he had had jobs all lined up for us. everything, then one night I see Tony sitting out there. In the new club. In the new club. The one he doesn't own. Right. And you never think you're doing this to somebody who has the power to have you removed from this planet.

Yeah. I mean, it's, and no morality that would stop him from doing it. But I don't, you know, I'm young and dumb and just, I just seem to bounce through life. So we were at that other club and he's just sitting there. and I was scared and I was like what can I do I went back and told one of the girls what should I do and they're like well see what he wants to drink and so I did and I was like Papa I'm really sorry about all of this and he's just like patted the seat and he's like sit here BJ he used to call me BJ and I sat down and he told me that well long story short he didn't come there to have us all killed he came there to woo me I guess he wanted to take me to take me I guess he wanted to take him take me out of the club. Isn't that ironic that the mobster took me out of the club? And he took me home and we eventually married. Wow. I thought I was in love with him. Wow. And you were so young, you're half his age. Right. I was 20. You were 20? Right. And he's what, 48? He was probably

in his 40s. I don't even remember. Maybe he was 48. I mean, I thought I read it. But anyway, the point is, this is, uh, I don't read my book. I don't read my book. This is an underworld figure. This is a criminal. I found, well, the girls always talked about, and the manager, Chris, they talked about the fact that he was mafioso, and you don't really have to tell someone who's mafioso. They just cast that presence. They have an aura around.

You get it. You know, everybody knows. It's not a halo. Right. So how long were you in this life with this person? Just a few years. His world was pornography. He owned bookstores, and back then it was like arcades and magazines and horrible, horrible stuff,

that people spend lots of money. It's a lie. It's a lie of the devil. So that's how he's making his dirty money. He made tons of money. And we counted it. We counted this money. And sometimes people would expire, you know, that you'd hear about.

And you know, it's funny how you can go to that world. and all of that becomes very natural to you. Second Nature, you hear, oh, so-and-so died in a mysterious car accident. It's kind of like politics today, you know, just like you hear about things that happen. So you're in this world and this becomes normal to you. It was very normal to me. I mean, I don't know. But there again, remember we talked about that staircase.

It was one step at a time to give me to the point where that could seem normal. Because now at this place that I'm at today in my life and in my walk with the Lord, it's impossible to believe I ever was that person. And if God had not asked me to write this book, and maybe not in the same voice to go up the mountain, but he did, I would have a hard time revisiting a lot of this. I mean, you want to tuck it away. It's too painful.

But you use it for his glory. But you're helping people by telling this story because there are people going through similar things now or they know people for sure. Well, it's why I wanted you on the program. And nobody is beyond. to know this stuff. People need to know what what God can do. What God can do. That's right.

So when does God enter the picture? Is that during this period or after? No, it's quite a ways after. We ended up getting divorced because I, and there are things in the, like I said, well, you can't talk about the entire book. There are things that happened and God showing up there, I believe, and miracles. You know, that I don't know why God has been so good to me. I can look back at my life and say, thank you, God, for everything you let go through. It's given me wisdom. It's given me hope. It's shown me what you can do. After that, I ended up moving back to El Paso after a divorce, and the FBI visited me there to ask about Tony and to tell me that this man had died that was murdered, Chris, the manager, that he was

murdered. And did I know who might have had reason to kill him? So I didn't tell him, actually I did tell him that's a God moment but you'll have to read the book or else we could go on forever long life Eric so and he was and God rest his soul I I you always hope that someone found the Lord before they before they were killed or died or whatever well we have to go to another break folks the book is from mafia princess to God's princess Barbara Quito my guest do not go away why would you one stories away get back I'm talking to Barbara Quito the book is from Mafia princess to God's princess. There's so much in the story. I know you covered all in the book, but so you leave the life of living with this, being married to this mafia criminal.

Yes. And then the FBI and then you find, well, sure. And then the FBI wants you to provide them information and you, I guess you spill your guts, you tell them all that you know, which I'm guessing is a lot. I think so. Like after we divorced, Tony would call me regularly and say, you know, or I, just to check on me. And now I thought it was because he was having second thoughts or whatever because I left him because he cheated all the time. It's like, that's what we do. You know, don't ever expect to just hold me faithful. You know, it's not going to happen.

Yeah, you have to share me. But I couldn't deal with that. So, yes, the FBI came. I had remarried. I have a chapter in my book called Serial Marrier because it just seemed like, I wanted to make things right. I wanted to do things right. And there was only marriage to make it legitimize it.

And so I was married to a veterinarian. That seems sort of funny. I know, isn't that weird? I know from mafia porn king to veterinarian. Okay. I know. It's crazy. I was crazy.

But I think I could fit into different circles, obviously. And so at one point, the FBI came to see me. Actually, several times. But one time they were like, did you know this man died? I told you all that. And do you know how? And I thought about it because they said, we'll come back. Think about it.

And I did think about it. I thought, you know, I've got to really come clean. I want to start fresh. I'm going to tell them everything I know about the businesses somewhere in my name, about the money counting, about all the stuff that we did, all the cash that flowed through, about the, you know, the beef he might have had with this guy. And then another guy they told me about that it died as well, but I didn't know anything about him. I knew him, but I didn't know how he might have passed away.

You knew it was not peacefully. And this is where God shows up again. Yeah, you kind of gathered that. God showed up again. There are other times, but this specifically, I told them everything they wanted to know. And they said, because you don't have to, I guess, do that if you were married. And I found out later.

At the time, at the veterinary clinic, there was an, intern working there that was going through veterinary school. He happened to be a tax attorney from New York City. Wait, wait, wait. See, this sounds like the comedy version. You're working, I know. You're married to a veterinarian. At the vet's office is an intern who happens to be a New York City attorney. Tax attorney. Tax attorney. I mean, of all places. That's not your typical veterinarian's intern. But I didn't even know that then. But they saw these men, coming in suits and talking to me for long periods of time. And so the second time they left when I decided, they said,

we're going to come back and record this. Do you mind recording what you just told us? Oh, sure, sure. Come back. I'll tell you everything you want to know. And I walked him out. And so Alan, he asked me, he's like, who is that? I mean, it obviously looked strange.

And I told him, well, I told him the whole story. And he said, are you crazy? I lived in New York City. And every day we saw headlines or whatever at that time. I don't know if it's still true today. And he said of people that just want to come clean about their past with the mafia. He's like, you don't have to say a word by law. You just tell them you don't know anything when they come back.

And I did. But to me, and I said at that point, I will never tell this story again unless God himself tells me to. And I didn't until he did. In fact, when I wrote my book, my husband, current husband, the one that God gave me, that I should have asked all along, because God knew exactly who I needed to be with. He didn't know about any of this, and it hurt us deeply. So I don't do this out of fun and games. It's been difficult and only to serve God that I've said it. So flash forward, I did get married.

I had a couple of kids, two sons, I'm very proud of. and I obviously got divorced again. I was a mess. I was also a rock and roll singer. I sang in clubs. I'm a professional singer. And so I was, you don't do that either, sober. So it was a mess, and I was a mess.

And so that marriage didn't survive either. And so at what point does God come into the picture where you are now? In other words, you're a dramatically different person. When did that happen? Well, thank you for that. That's what I hope that people will say when they've heard my story. Yeah. That you're a dramatically different person because that's what God does.

He makes someone like I was and he makes them new. He doesn't recycle. Well, that's how he sees it. There's certain people that don't believe that people can change that much, but that's not true. God does a we have to be blunt it is a supernatural miraculous work

and in some ways you're the same person and in some ways you are completely new and that's the part that God's interested in so yeah so how did that happen for you after all this and let me just say at this at this point I was addicted to cocaine

now too on top of everything else it was always uppers and Coke and Tony got me addicted to cocaine. I shouldn't say he got me. He introduced me to it, and I fell in love with cocaine. So I became a strong user of that. And somehow God gave me my babies still, despite how much I, and they were miracles for me.

They're miracles anyway. So at one point, in 1991, my mom, who was involved in the charismatic Catholic renewal, and I don't know if you've heard of that. Abs of course. Tenacost. I went to a charismatic conference in maybe it was 1990 in Indianapolis, and about half of the folks there were charismatic Catholics. It was an amazing thing.

It introduced the Holy Spirit. That movement introduced Jesus, the Bible. I mean, things that as a Catholic growing up I had never heard of. I never really knew. Well, most people haven't heard of it, and it's pretty important. So, yeah. So at this point, you. you hear about God again through your mother?

So I went there again. I mean, I'm cutting out parts that are significant in the story because I went to the Pekas Benedictine monastery where I had been as a girl and God had spoken to me very deeply there, very personally. And don't think I was this person looking for miracles on every corner. He knew what a hard sell I was. So the things he did were like huge, bigger than life. And so I went back at the time, I wanted to stay at the moment.

monastery when I was, I think, 15, no, it was right around that 18 lost in the forest period. And I wanted to stay at the monastery and the abbot wouldn't let me. I knew I had found where God was and I wanted to stay there. Can you imagine if I had? Oh my gosh. Well, this is the mystery. We'll be right back, folks, talking to Barbara Quito. Don't go away.

Whoa, Albin, it's just about the end of the show, but we've got some very exciting things before people go. I know. And it's got nothing to do with nutrometics.com, use the code Eric. Nothing to do with neutromedics.com, use the code Eric. Or my store.com, my pillor.com, use the code Eric. Nothing to do with that. I will not explicitly, I will not mention those things on this program today. Here's what I will mention.

Please. There's a couple of people sailing around the world. I won't mention their names. Don't. But Brown and Eileen Council. Really? Those are their initials. They're in the studio making me.

me nervous. Very old friends freaking me out by sitting here. I have no problem talking to an imaginary audience, folks. That's how I think of you. You're out there someplace, but when it's actual people that I know, it kind of freaks me out. I just want you to know that. All right, so let me say this. Last night, I watched the Sons of Katie Elder, the movie with John Wayne. People want to know, hey, Eric, what are you doing your sport? What do you do for fun? I collapse. I eat a meal. and sometimes I'll watch TV, but what has TV become? Finally, as I knew it would, TV and streaming and everything has morphed into one thing. So do I flip around rarely unless TBN, sorry TBN, Turner Classic Movies, TCM,

Turner Classic Movies is my go-to thing. But if they don't have something on, you know, I'll see what I can find on, you know, not flakes or Amazon or... We got a Brit Boxer. So, yeah, so now we go to Britbox. And we were watching Cranston. It's with Eileen. Who's the woman that I'm confusing with our guest in the studio?

It's the British actress. Is it Eileen Atkins? Eileen Atkins, Judy Dench. Anyway, they're in this thing. And I'm watching. It's entertaining. But you know it's skewed for a female audience. So I felt a little self-conscious.

And after two episodes, I said, I can't do this anymore. I need to watch like a Western or something. So Suzanne and I found... Get that testosterone going. So Suzanne and I found the sons of Katie Elder, 1965, Dean Martin, John Wayne. And it's not a great movie, but it's a very good movie. But there were a couple of lines in it.

First of all, I always read the opening credits, who's going to be in it. And there were a couple of names. What's his name? Kennedy, who always plays the bad guy. Oh, yeah, yeah. He was... He was a George Kennedy.

George Kennedy plays the bad guy. Man, he's just like a wicked monster. He's the bad guy. But there are all of these other character actors whose names I don't know. But then I noticed in the credits Strother Martin. Strother Martin is in all these. I can't even think, whatever. But there's a scene in the movie.

There were a couple of lines in the movie, and I thought the movie was worth it to me for these like three lines. One of them was John Wayne is kind of arguing with Dean Martin about when they were kids. and he used to always throw me out of the hayloft and whatever. And John Wayne says, that's because you, I think, he remember the exact line, but he says, he always threw me out of the hayloft, and he says, that's just because you bounce so good. Now, most people will think that's not funny.

I find it funny. And we just want to see you bounce. You know, it was just so stupid. By the way, your John Wayne is, is, it's freaking people out. If people listening on the radio, they think the Duke walked in here. They think. But then there was another one, another one was referring to their mother, Katie, Elder, and said she had more brass than a Kansas City fire engine.

I said, that's a keeper. I want to remember that line. And anyway, then there's a scene with Dean Martin where he's faking. He's a gambler and a con man, and he's trying to fool people. This is with Strother Martin. He's trying to fool people that he has a glass eye and he's raffling it off and he puts on an eye patch. So later on, he wins it back.

And they say, well, we want to see you put it back in. And then the big reveal, he takes off the eye patch, and he says, I don't think I can do that because it'd be awful crowded in there. And I just thought, that's a brilliant way of putting it. But anyway, sons of Katie Eldra, we love to watch these movies. I want to remind people before we leave you for the day, in all seriousness, go to the wine patch.org. Thewinepatch.org, my friend Keith Jinta, one of my dearest friends on the planet, does a lot of amazing writing. but he wrote about my experience at the Sean Foyt event the other day in the Bronx. Check it out, the wine patch.org.

We'll see tomorrow.