Oh my gosh, Hello and welcome to Laura Kane after Dark. Oh boy,
do we have stuff to tell you tonight. I'm Laura Kane. This
is my co host Eric Rimmer. Hi. And then we have producer Brian
behind the screen. Okay, yes, there you go. Hello, Hi
Brian. Okay, so now this is exciting. We have a party and
it's official and it's going to be a blast. It's at Vajas Resort and
Casino. It's on May twenty fourth, which happens to be my birthday.
However, this is a party to celebrate Brian's two year anniversary with the show.
It just hot my little boys growing up. Now, just to be
clear, this isn't a party for Laura's birthday. This is for me,
but it just happens to be on her birthday. It is for both of
us. Oh wait, what it's for both of us? Because actually,
you guys, I'm not even kidding. This group called George Michael Reborn.
This guy, Robert Barko is the lead singer. He looks like George Michael,
he sounds just like George Michael. The band is great. I went
to see them about a year ago and I'm not that kind of girl that
like stands up at concerts and dances and stuff. I just I just don't.
I'm just not. I like to sit and just kind of like chill.
I was up at the front of the stage, like dancing, and
it was so fun. They are so good and so much. You leave
halfway through to go shop for merchandise. Hell no, I stayed the whole
entire time. I stayed so long, in fact, that I waited for
him to come out. I was the only one left in this came out
a long time ago. No singer. So the concert is on May twenty
fourth, which is Friday night. We have twenty tickets for twenty five pair
of tickets to give to you guys to come party with us at Via House
Casino. Doors open at six for us. We have prizes and surprises of
our own to give away, and then the show starts at eight o'clock.
It's outside VA House at the park at Va House, I think it's called,
and it's kind of like a cocktail type of thing. We have a
couple tables reserved for our listeners. So here's what you need to do to
get tickets. Free tickets to join us at this big party. Okay,
First, Judy Church, Judy Church, Anti Dudo just join us? Is
that Anti Dodoo? Yes? Oh my god, I'm so excited. Okay,
thought I. Here's how you get tickets. The first twenty five people
to do the following things. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok easy Laura Kane
after Dark super easy, comment on one of our posts or one of our
videos, and then tag a friend, only one friend, We're not having
you tag three, just one, and finally hit the subscribe button on our
YouTube channel. Yes. Three things, easy, peasy, so easy.
You don't have to repost anything. I'm not making run out, making you
buy anything. This is gonna be free the first twenty five people, and
we're gonna have an absolute blast. And we have the lead singer, Robert
Barco on the show tonight. He's calling us. We're gonna interview him.
He has an amazing story about his connection with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeway,
the guy Ridgely I forgot, I forgot, the guy that was also with
WAM. He has a story about him that is incredible. So you're gonna
love this now, I would suggest to you when we call him at seven
point thirty that you pop over to YouTube because you'll be able to hear the
interview on YouTube because it's over the phone. Because he is touring right now,
what's Matt Sae doesn't have TikTok. Matt, just get TikTok and then
we're trying to get our tiktokber up because I'm trying to like be current and
be on TikTok. Laura shows her feet on TikTok. I no, I
don't your toes nothing. That's a different again. It is on May twenty,
fourth, Friday night at Va House Resort and Casino, six o'clock through
doors open. The band is George Michael Reborn. It's a fun, fun
show. If you're our age, you're gonna absolutely know every single song.
You're gonna love everything. George Michael, shut up. I know if you're
my age, I still have gambling there. I know, right for those
of us, they're going to skip out the concert come back afterwards with a
couple of hundred bucks extra. You know what, I guarantee it. No,
I don't guarantee you because you know what, I don't think you.
I would love to see you dance. Actually, no, I just danced
recently, and I don't need to do it for a while. You did
at your sister's wedding. Yeah, like, full on, yeah, full
on. I'm actually not a bad dancer. Surprisingly, you have rhythm.
Yeah, I've read. I was a music kid. Of course I got
rhythm. Do you know what women say about guys who can dance, they
have big wieners. No, not big wieners that you can that you're good
in bed. Well that seems like the same thing. No, not the
same thing. Okay, different, but Laura would not know. But all
right, wait, wait, wait, wait, way to turn the show
racy anyway. So this is what we're gonna do May twenty four. So
that's all I have to do. Go to our website if you missed any
of that, Laura King after dark dot com. It's all on the main
page. If you're if you're going to be racy, like, I don't
think I can make it. You know, I'm very very I'm a Puritan,
so I know could you might be on your own. Let me just
say this right the hell now, if you even think about no showing on
my actual birthday, which is May twenty fourth, my actual birthday, day.
Then, well, I'm giving you your present early. So now okay,
well there's some like major thing that you got. He Eric claims that
he has never spent this much on a birthday present ever for anybody. Event.
This is incredible for you for me, Okay, okay, okay.
You did buy me like one hundred dollars gift cards at Nasty Gal one time.
Oh that's nothing. Oh my god. Okay, Well, let's talk
about our sponsors first and then we'll get into let's what's going on all right,
our fat Wurtzler Capital Growth, Inc. I got a little love note
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Okay, so you're using it now? Yeah, okay. So first of
all, Eric calls me. What time was it? Five o'clock? Maybe
now? About four thirty? Yeah, about four three, four thirty?
Eric calls and, uh, why don't you go ahead and tell the story.
Yeah, so I had to go back and pick up my car,
and I thought, why not why not just make why not just rattle the
cage while she was setting up the entire podcast studio. Wait, did you
get your original car back? I did? Wow. So the car that
you dropped off like nine months ago is like your car you're driving now.
Yes. Nice, But you have a story about that too, huh.
I do. But it's it's been resolved. So so nobody's gonna nobody has
to eat a bag of dicks. You already got a couple of people fired,
so oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah. Well I didn't get
them fired, but they didn't say who they are, so you know whatever.
So I decided to call Laura and say, hey, i was supposed
to pick up my car from the dealership today, but it's been delayed,
so I'm not going to have a car tonight, so I'm not gonna be
able to come. I'll just phone in. He goes, yeah, I'll
just do the I'm like, are you so that the pitch that your voice
reached? I had to turn down the volume in my car. Are you
that cheap? You cannot get an uber to my house? Yeah? That
makes sense, So I said, listen, I don't want to pay for
an uber. Just call Brian and ask him if he could pick me up
on the way home. She was absolutely, you were un as I'm like
unatt raveling, like cords, plugging things in, setting up lights, putting
your this there, You're putting your new little tray here, doing this,
doing that, thank you, and then you pull this. You do this
to me all the time because you know, I believe everything you say.
Everything. Now. At one time, my car actually was in the shop
on an emergency notice, and I told Laura I was like, I'm having
comp She's like, you have to come. I was like, oh,
she was, what did you get here for good? Here? My girlfriend
took me? Oh really? Oh yeah I made you come? Oh yeah
yeah that was yeah. Well that's well, Oh, don't make it nasty.
Okay, Oh I can't use my phone. The thing that I my
mind length. I was not prossing what Eric was saying. It caught up
to me and I was like, oh god, okay, so see what
happens when you're filthy? It just runs downhill. Now, look, the
only thing that wrungs are when we get to be like our age. A
lot of your age, well one, your our age and birthdays come around
a lot of times you just kind of want to, yeah, pass it
by. We don't want to acknowledge it. Da da da da. Not
Laura. No, I've decided this year I'm going to live like it's nineteen
ninety nine. No, like it's like the last birthday I'm ever going to
celebrate. Not that I think it is, because I think I'm going to
live a long time. Like, don't get me wrong, you better who
am I going to show out? I can fix that? This isn't like
a thing like I think I'm going to die or anything. But I decided
why not, why not go balls out and just like celebrate every single day
leading up to my birthday. We have to celebrate with you every single day.
Just no, look no, and it's not about spending money either.
So May first, I did a post saying it was my birthday month.
And in the post at work, uh, they always list like the monthly
birthdays, and so they listed the May birthdays and there was my name on
the little screen. So I posted that. So that was May. That's
how I celebrated on me first. May second, which I'll talk about on
Thursday. I may or may not have gotten a tattoo. Mm hmmm,
oh kind a tramp stamp. No, I'm going to reveal it on Thursday's
podcast and tell me all about it. I tell I'm not saying a word.
I'm going to take off all your clothes as soon as the podcast.
It's it's like one of those weird ones. It's like an inch below the
underwear line. Probably. May third, does it say like over your agil
and a like party time? No, it says party animal. Oh.
May third, I forgot what I May third I did something. Oh,
I think I bought myself a shirt. May fourth, I picked up Evan
at the airport. May fifth, Sinco de Mayo. Hung out with Evan
all day, went to ob, went to the beach, touched the ocean.
May sixth. Today we we went back to OB and got our nails
done, me and Evan and she leaves tomorrow. This is a really quick
trip because she has to get her wisdom teeth outs. So we had to
get a consultations, the whole thing. So that's why she even that's why
she came to San Diego to get this freaking consultation because one of her wisdom
teeth is like sideways. Oh I know, it is impacted. It's really
bad. Wow. So she used to come back in the summer. So
that so tomorrow, what am I gonna do? I have to figure out
something fun to do. It doesn't have to cost anything. Oh I know
what we're doing. Oh, yes, this is exciting. What time are
we? Seven? No? Eight? Okay? I was gonna say,
I don't know why my this on the podcast. Okay, so I'll tell
you so tomorrow. This is this is leading up. Oh, I forgot
to cars in the shop. Tomorrow. No, it's not. It's out
of the shop for good. What would you forget? Oh you're mad?
Probably not real. This is a real face. This is a real face.
I have a dinner tomorrow. No, you do, not too bad?
You know what? Too bad? You know what? Eric? No,
well it's before we'll make I told you it wasn't real. It's with
Karen. Karen's remember she's coming. Karen's coming. Yes, okay, well
you guys are coming after the dinner, right, you're going to cut the
dinner short. Probably we'll be there. Take your butt. I don't like
half an hour ago. I love you so much. I just you know.
When I was with Jeff and Jared, they called me Laura g Caine
because I thought they called you inter and Laura that was in your gin.
They called me Laura g kan because I'm gullible. My middle name is gullible.
I'm gullible. I believe everything. Oh my god, so tomorrow.
Well that's why I wrote gullible on the ceiling right above your head, and
when you were upstairs where if you look up, you'll see I wrote it
on the No, you didn't really like you can't. I'm renting this place.
Okay. So tomorrow, oh my god, we are going out with
Michael Brown, who runs San Diego ghost Tours. We've had him on the
show before, but he has some news stories for us, and we're going
to a place called Pioneer Park. Now, Pioneer Park used to be a
cemetery and what they did was they moved all the headstones kind of over and
they put grass down, so now it's a park, but there's bodies underneath
the grass. And he says it's very active. So he's bringing all of
his toys, all of his little buzzers and things, and we're going to
go ghost hunting on tomorrow. So that'll be my fun May seventh thing,
and then we're going to have him on the show on next Monday. Now
I might be very, very scared. So do you promise to hold my
hand the entire time? No, Karen can. Laura will be wearing a
GoPro so I know I'm strapped my forehead. Listen. I will hold your
hand, would you hold mine? Hold Karen's hand? No, I want
you to hold No, I want you to hold Karen's hand. I'll hold
Brian's. No, you won't. Eric, who's hand you going to hold
when she goes to her son's wedding without you, I know. Oh my
god. People were so mad at me. No. Look, I don't
think you need to make excuses for those excuses that Eric has a big trip
planned this summer and he was I believe. I don't think you need to
give an explanation. He was unable to take any more time on. It's
not like it's here, it's in Sportland. It's fine. I told you
I'm going to crash it. I know he's gonna crash it. He's going
to object and then puke on my shoes. I am ok. I'm going
to show up like the drunk relative and just be hammerd and be like no,
and then I'm going to walk over to you and I'm gonna have some
epicac before I get there. Oh god no, and then I'm going to
puke my mother of the groom shoes. Yep, you're gonna have to help
me with what to wear. Oh gosh, I'm not a part of the
wedding anymore. I don't think I can. Oh yeah, how rude.
Actually that was super rude of me. That was really rude. I didn't
invite you to the wedding. I'm asking you to help me. Sorry,
wow, Okay, now listen, okay, wait, back to what We're
going to be in a graveyard? Yes, well at a park. It
used to be a graveyard, used to be their body stillunderneath the ground,
and I'm just asking you. I may get scared, so I want you
to hold my hands. Okay, I will do that, thank you?
Is that all? Yes? Because I don't want you trying to push me
into an open grave. O grave? Okay, there's no open okay.
Okay, So tell us, did you have a story about your car or
is everything good? Everything? Everything was fine everything. I'm not going to
kill anybody. You're not going to kill anybody. Nobody has to suck a
back of day. Okay. Okay. Before we talked to uh Robert Barco,
who's the lead singer of George Michael Reborn, I think we need to
talk a little dirt action. Yes, like, what is up? I'm
worried. I'm really really super worried about my girl Brittany. Seriously, because
this latest incident happened where all the celebrities go to diye, that's Chateau Marmande
that's where John Belushi died. That's where, like all kinds of horrible things
happen at that hotel. So I don't I don't initially get why they were
there because she lives not that far away. But I guess she has a
boyfriend, a rumored boyfriend named Paul. Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait
okay, no, no, no, okay, re please, everything's fine,
okay, okay, can I just say what's happening? Okay, So
my roommate, I got her all dolled up for a date. You look
so cute, you looked so pretty. I did her hair, I did
her makeup. She left at six point thirty and she's back, so,
oh my god, did he not show up? He did show up,
and I wait, come here, this is no okay, okay, did
you not like him? You went, you literally went on a forty minute
date and he's like, bye, oh wow, this guy. Don't like
him. I don't like this guy. It's ridiculous. Question number two,
Is there any chance on the second date? No? No, no,
we're not no more. I don't like I don't like how he doesn't text
you right away. I like. I don't like how he oh see,
I'm getting them all confused. Laura, Laura is an expert on dating.
Oh no, she know, isn't you are? They're innocent, like fun
little dates. They are like dinner dates. Well anyway, sorry, anyway,
walk home. That's in my roommate. That I spent like a half
hour, forty five minutes getting ready and she's back already for her date.
Well, listen, every minute that you put into it worked because now every
minute it's true, it's true. Okay, So back to Brittany. Yes,
now she has a new boyfriend apparently, yes, Paul so Lee's Apparently
she went to the Chateau Marmond. M hmm. They got into some hillacious
yes. Fight started around ten thirty, okay, and I guess there was
a lot of alcohol involved. So that's what the paramedics said, is that
there was a lot of alcohol involved. But the guests started complaining on the
floor that there was a woman they didn't know it was her that was sounded
like she was in a lot of distress, that she was possibly having a
mental breakdown, because I guess she was screaming at everyone staff, other hotel
patrons, and then she was outside the room like running up and down the
hall, just freaking out, and then went back to the room. And
that's when the fight started between her and the rumored boyfriend. Because I know
the police recalled, paramedics recalled, and she heard her ankle. She wasn't
taken away right. But then the next day she went on Twitter, this
is so weird, so she this was bizarre, just to let people know
the news is fake. I would like to respect it this time for people
to understand. I'm getting stronger every day. Truth sucks, So can someone
teach me how to lie? Goddesses out there, I'm reaching my higher power
and furthermore, I hope you guys are too. I need a new toothbrush
right now. PS. I need an espresso pss. Not sure why I
feel the need to share this. I guess I'm just a girl and I'm
on my period, so I'm bitchy shit with a little shit emoji. I
also twisted my ankle last night and paramedic showed up at my door illegally.
They never came in my room, but I felt completely harassed. I'm moving
to Boston. Peace. That doesn't sound bitch is crazy. I know it
sounds. I just don't little long for this. I hope that's not the
case. I hope it is not the case either. Who does she have
in her corner? Well, you know, everybody was so including me,
was so anxious to get her out of that. I have the Britney t
shirt, and now that she's out, I kind of think maybe she should
be back in it. Let her be crazy. She can be crazy,
I mean, but she's not hurting herself. Well, she did well.
She hurt her ankle, and everyone hurts their ankle. No, that's I'm
not a Britney proponent or anything here, Like, I don't care either way,
but like, I mean, everyone has a right to be crazy,
Like conservative ships are pretty well, this is the thing. With all that
money and all these people, nobody's looking out for her. Brittany, come
and live with me. Come and live with me for like a month.
I will get you taken care of totally. Yeah. By the way,
your skin looks amazing, Thank you. What are you using well besides on
my products from Laoya Cosmetics, Yes, I'm using snail musing. Oh,
I have some of those those face h those masks. It's not a mask,
it's the actual So it's like the stuff that comes out of snails,
like the snail trail. They pick them up and just squeeze them till it
comes out. Oh gon, and not supposed to make you look like that,
like shiny, tight, taut sin pores. Wow. Yeah. And
so when I edit our pictures, I really am going to just be nose
holes. No, I know when you edit our pictures because they are so
crazy. Oh my god. So I got a call back from one of
my auditions. Oh no, yes, so the guy goes, I really
want you to first watch the pilot episode to see if you are interested of
what show. It's a mockumentary. Is this the one we discussed prior.
No, this is a whole new battle Axe and it's called Porn Stars,
and it's about porn stars that are redoing their life as like real people.
Now, wow, you are just perfect for that. So I watched the
pilot episode. Steve my cousin, who is that? Oh god? Oh
see, No, this guy has been harassing me, Steve, this guy's
been harassing Hey, I got one word for you me on what Steve?
I blocked him on Facebook. I'll tell you after the show. Don't We're
not even worth the time? Don't respond. I know, yeah, why
did you give him? No, don't you don't don't don't, don't don't.
I don't come from go ahead, don't give them don't don't you know
the reaction, Caroline talk about your porn stars. Okay, So anyway,
I watched the and it's you know, it's not the kind of thing I
need to be involved with. It's no nudity or anything. It's like porn
stars that are that are now like trying to live normal lives. But I
could never think that. You may have one point, though, I know
all these people in this episode were like they were young. I'm like,
just do they not know like how old I am, like, or do
they want somebody that's old. I don't know. The stars, I'm sure
I don't know. I wouldn't want to play a porn star right now.
A lot of them are dying of different diseases. I don't know. I
mean, just stuff I see in the news. Did you guys see that
there's some like legitimate footage of an alien? It was on Fox News and
they had like two guys that were like one guy was a crime scene investigator
analysis person and he was looking to see if the video was actually altered in
any way or if it was edited in any way to show these and he
says, no, this is this was not altered or anyway. I you
know what, I I watched it on my phone and it was really kind
of small and I was looking. I couldn't see the alien. There's like
it's dark. There are people that are with they have flashlights and they're in
their backyard and I was looking for like the alien head and I couldn't find
it. And then I had to get ready for the show. But apparently
this is like real deal. It was well, it was like on Fox
News. So well, look I am all for aliens being real. I
think that'd be dope. Yeah, I guarantee it. What about the tic
TACs, the flying tick tacks? Yeah, I'm still you know, there's
there's some funny things when you do with high speed cameras and you're dealing with
parallax. Maybe a high speed that can make things look like they're not what
things look like something else, but maybe they're real. But do you believe
in aliens? No, not at all, not at all at all.
No, you don't believe you do you think where you are the only living
form of No. Did you just hear that they found a bunch of spiders
on a planet? A planet of spiders? That was my worst nightmare.
Wow. Yeah, there was thousands of them on some So there's life.
I'll show you on YouTube. I thought I was gonna vomit. See you
should see my my netflix. Oh, spider like features have been spotted sprouting
through crowds cracks in Mars's surface. The European Space Agencies Mars Express orbiter captured
new images of small dark features that resemble spiders scuttling across the Martian region known
as the Inca city. That is awesome. Oh, we're trying to call
aize. I bring bug spray. All right, I think it's time that
we Okay, you guys, jump on over to YouTube our YouTube live.
It's Laura King after Dark. It's the name of our YouTube channel. Subscribe
while you're at it, do it. And uh, we are going to
call Robert Barco. He's the lead singer of George Michael Reborn. This is
the band that's going to be playing on May twenty fourth at Via Huff Resort
and Casino on my birthday and Brian's second year anniversary party. Yes, you
got those mixed up. Ye. Also coincidentally, it's coincidentally on my birthday.
But but it originally, originally it was spider stories fake. By the
way, if you read the full article, it goes, these aren't actual
spiders. These are just dust formations. No they were, No, they
were spiders. Now I'm reading so gross. There's so much out there about
aliens and spacecraft and maybe that they go in and out of the ocean,
and there's like there, our oceans are so miles and miles and miles deep.
They've got some kind of like crazy I don't well, giants square there
you go, giants. Can you imagine seeing one of those things? Yeah?
Oh, turn it out, Robert. Oh wait, hold on,
he's not your great Yeah, we got I can't hear him in my headphones.
You can't know there he is, Robert. Hi, Hey, Hey,
how are you? I'm great? Oh my god, I am so
just is so crazy that you are playing on my actual birthday. It's like
a present from above. So I really, oh, it is so cool
making extra special for me as well. So I was the freak that after
the show, so I was telling them Robert that at George Michael We'reborn,
the show that we saw at another casino about a year ago. I'm not
the kind of person that stands up and dances and like gets up front and
stuff at concerts normally, But when you guys were performing, when you were
singing, when you were dancing, I made I b lined to the front
of the stage. I was standing, I was dancing. It was the
most fun I think I've ever had at a concert. You sound just like
George Michael. You look just like George Michael. And I want you to
tell us a little bit more about how all of this came to be,
Like how did you form this tribute band? And how long have you sounded
like him and look like him and all this kind of stuff. Oh my
gosh, Well, I guess we'll go way back to the beginning. And
you know, when I was a young lad and I was in high school
and Wham was coming on the scene. Before I had actually heard of Wham,
I had so many people say to me, hey, have you you
ever heard of this group Wham? You look just like the singer named George
Michael. And I'm like, no, but I haven't heard, you know,
I haven't heard their music, but everybody's been saying this to me.
And then I'm you know, I was kind of an odd kid because I
played football, but I was also in the drama club, which were like
those were like yeah to a post worlds, you know, but I hung
out in both of those worlds. And then I remember the first production I
sang in. Everybody's like, oh my gosh, not only do you look
like George Michael, but you sound like him as well. And I'm like,
gosh, I've just been hearing this so much. And so my buddy
Frank had, you know, we'd made plans to hang out on a Saturday.
So I arrived at his house and he excitingly answered the door and he's
like, look at this, and he shoved a Wham record right up,
you know, so shows how old I am speaking of vinyl records. He
shoves a Vinyl record, you know, jacket up in my face. He's
like, look at this guy, you look exactly like him. I'm like,
oh my gosh, this is the first time I had laid eyes on
George Michael. I'm like, yeah, I kind of do you know,
this is kind of weird. I feel like I'm looking at my brother or
something. So he's like, well, you got to hear this record.
You sound just like him, and he had put the record on and I
had. You know, I'd always been a lover of music, you know,
being in drama club, I just loved music. And but for the
first time, when I heard George Michael's voice, something was different about his
voice. It was like, it's just everything clicked for me. I've said
before, I felt like I'd met my long lost musical brother. His voice
just captured my heart. And then, you know, from that moment on,
all I ever listened to was Swam Records. It was like I just
couldn't get enough of it. I'd listened the same record over and over and
over and see that's how it, you know. And then from that point
on, you know, it was kind of funny as I had some of
the older teachers at the time. You know, it was the strangest thing
because I could grow scruff by the age of sixteen. I mean, which,
oh, you're one of those guys. There are a few of those
guys, very few. Yeah, I'd had this full on beard at sixteen,
So you know, all these older like teachers like, oh, you're
so hot. You look like this George Michael guy. And so I was
kind of a I was relishing, and I was kind of enjoying it,
to be honest with you, and then you know, I would purposely organize
like school talent contests just to be able to sing Wham songs and George Michael
songs and then see that's you know, it's kind of where everything started.
As I always say that tributing George Michael chose me rather than me choosing it.
Well, yes, because you didn't even know who he was and people
were coming up to you saying, hey, you look like him, you
sound like him, and then boom, and I was gonna say, wham,
there you go. Yeah, you know, so, Sam, you
have like a really cool story. Did you wait, did you ever meet
George Michael? Did you ever like Encounterham? I never did, you know.
It's kind of one of my uh, kind of big heartbreaks of life
that I never got to meet him. I've been really fortunate to have met
and even performed for and performed with, you know, people who are very
neat and dear to him. I've had that honor, but never got to
meet him. And you have a really good story about Andrew Right, well,
deon Estes, who is the original bass player. Oh yeah, yeah,
So bring up a Wham video and you're going to see a really handsome
man with one of the biggest set of dreadlocks you've ever seen. He called
it his Platypus. That was Deon Estes, and the show back in twenty
nineteen had caught his attention, and his manager, who's such a sweetheart,
Maggie, reached out to me and said that he was a fan of the
show, and I was wondering, you know, he's following your schedules,
wondering if he could hop up on stage with you when you play your next
show in LA And so I mean, this is like, this is,
you know, one of the biggest honors of my life, you know,
because I was just so consumed with Wham and now all of a sudden one
of the original members wanted to be a part of the tribute band. It
was like, you got to be kidding me. And had the honor of,
you know, meeting playing with Dion, And if anybody who's listening to
has ever got to meet Dion, you know, you become fast friends with
Dion, right, There is nothing arrogant about him. I mean, his
talent is massive, his heart is even bigger, his kindness is personality.
I mean, just to show you what a talent he was. If you
go onto YouTube and Keyen nineteen eighty one Marvin Gay rehearsal, you're going to
see a young boy in his teens and guess who's playing for bass for Marvin
Gay as Dion Estes. So yeah, So had the honor of playing with
him, became fast friends, and then, of course, you know,
before we could get a lot of shows under our belt together, the stupid
COVID things shut everything down. And then but Dion and I stayed in touch
throughout COVID and we'd even you know, kicked around the idea like, hey,
maybe we could reboot Wham and get us forget Andrew visually on. Yes,
But you know, sadly, coming out of COVID, Dion had gone
into the hospital and he never made it out. Since that was that's quite
a heartbreak, you know, and it's so funny as I I you know,
maybe I just over spiritualize everything, which I think I tend to do
in my life. But when I got the call that Dion had passed away.
I was just finished a casino show in Arizona, and I'm looking out
the next morning after my show and beautiful casino hotel were staying and looking out
over the vastness of this desert. I'm my, gosh, this is really
beautiful. Look at this blue sky, look at the vastness. There's mountains
off in the distance. There's really nothing developed in my sight. There's no
buildings. It was just kind of on the edge. And the phone rings
and I pick up and it's Maggie, Dion's manager, and she said,
and she's just weeping, and she says, Robert, this is not you
know, for public consumption yet, but Dion has passed away. And during
the time of what she was passing, you he had said you were one
of the first people he wanted me to call if you were to pass and
yeah, so we just broke down and were crying together, and we're we're
just talking, you know, about just how incredible of a kind person Dion
was. And she says to me, you know, Robert, when Dion
was in the process of passing, she said to him, you know,
Dion, don't leave me. I want to and if you do, I
want to know what, you'd come back, as you know, you come
back and see me. And he said, I'll either come back as a
dolphin or a hawk. And right at that moment, as I'm looking out
over this desert, there's nothing in sight. It's so bloody hot out there's
not even a bug wanting to hang out in this heat. Right then it
breaks into view around you know, the edge of the building, and you
just swoop several times. In my sight is a beautiful hawk. Right at
that moment when she said that, and then it went up and out of
you, and I actually scrambled and got my phone and recorded a little bit.
I need to go back and find that video somewhere on my phone.
That was just one of those things though, you know. Circling back to
I say I over spiritualized anything. I kind of felt it was Dionne saying,
hey, Robert, you know, carry on, carry on with the
music of George, whom we both mutually loved, because I'm here with you
urging you on to do that, because you know, touring and stuff can
be quite tough at times. It can really they can really take you to
the limit. You know. Well, first of all, I was going
to say, you know what, the same thing happened to me when my
dad passed. He always said he wanted to be an eagle and fly so
the skies when he died, and wouldn't you know, the day of his
memorial there was a hawk or an eagle circling our house. I truly I'm
on your same spiritual vein. I totally feel you, and I completely want
hundred percent believe it was him. And oh my gosh, what a beautiful
story. It is just I love stuff like this, and I and and
I you That show requires so much energy, so much dancing, so much
singing. Are there times? I mean, how do you when you're not
feeling when you're not feeling it, there's gotta be sometimes when you're just not
feeling it? How do you get yourself like going to get on stage and
do it? You know, it's so funny you asked that you you would
think you and I rehearsed this question, which we did not, because what
you what you tapped into is a very It's it's an actual reality where you
know, sometimes you're you're on your third or fourth show in a row where
you've flown. You know, you do a show you head straight from the
stage to you know, be at the airport by four am. You know,
you catch another flight, you roll in, you sound check, you
do another show, repeat, you know, and by the third show you're
sometimes so exhausted. I mean it's literally one minute till showtime and you're like,
I can barely get up. I am so sticking exhausted. You're like,
and then all of a sudden you hear the roar of that crowd and
something just takes over, you know, once again. I just I've had
so many interesting spiritual things with the music of George Michael and stuff. You
just go. I think sometimes George is sitting there giving me just a little
kick in the pants, you know, a boost of energy. And I
can honestly say I've never actually walked out onto the stage where I'm like just
destroyed, exhausted. There's been sixty seconds before I'm to walk on where I
can't, you know, But somehow it always kicks in, you know.
You know, Laura and I experienced that same thing when we do this podcast.
Oh we once a week. This guy's like flying on an airplane going
go hotel, doing this. Yeah, I have a question for you.
Have you ever seen him live? Did you ever go to one of his
concerts or his performances? Yes, you know. So the same friend of
mine, Franks, who had introduced me to George Michael, you know,
put the jacket cover and everything. His sister at the time, way back
in nineteen eighty eight worked for I believe it was ticket Master. It was
one of the biggest ticket sellers of concert tours. And she was very kind
and she got us fifth Row Center for his Faith tour at both the meadow
Lands Arena and the Miami Orange Bowl. So here we are these little,
you know, just kids in high school, and we're hopping on jets,
you know, flying around to see George Michael. And you know, when
we hang up, or I could I could forward you a picture of me
at age eighteen. Oh my god, please, I looked just like him,
or you know, I I was seventeen, and so I'll never forget.
We went to the Miami Orange Bowl and people freaked out. I literally
got picked up and surfed around on the crowd. At some point I thought
I'm going to get it all here, you know. And I had another
friend of mine who's sadly passed away Javier, who had gone to the concert
and he had a ticket that he was way up in like the nosebleeders of
Miami Orange Bowl, and he told me afterwards, Robert, I looked down
and I could tell exactly where you were with the binoculars, because there's like
you were being passed around and they were just He's like thinking to myself,
that little bastard's really enjoying himself. Now do you do you still have people
stop you and say when you're at the grocery store or whatever, yeah,
you know, Oh my gosh, I've had this happen to me twice.
I mean, it happens all the time, but this one particular type of
thing has happened to me twice, and I just find it absolutely hilarious.
Is someone two separate occasions, two separate shows. I'm talking to someone and
they're like, oh my gosh, you got to see this plumps somebody put
up. I said, haha, I'm at Walmart and see George Michael.
One time I was looking at vitamins, and one time I was looking at
hair products and there's a stinking picture of me. Oh no, this happened
three times. I'm sorry. Twice is in a Walmart. One time was
at a restaurant, but somebody, some stranger posts a picture of me looking
shopping. And then I had another incident when I was in a restaurant enjoying
a lunch and a guitar player that plays in my shown mark super sweet guy.
He goes to file as taxes and his tax Guy's like, what's this
extra ten ninety nine for this George. My thing goes, I'm playing in
a George Michael shoes. Oh, I got to show you this picture.
I was in this restaurant. There's this guy looked just like George Michael and
there's a picture of me. You know, it was just like that.
My god, so funny. Oh. We are talking to Robert Bartko from
George Michael Reborn. They're going to be performing May twenty fourth, Va House
Resort and Casino. It's going to be outdoors. It's going to be so
fun. It is a blast. And I want to know, like what
is your what is your personal favorite song from George Michael And what's your favorite
song to sing? Are they the same? Are they different? You know?
I so this is a tough question. My favorite I love them all
and I know it's probably not the answer you want to hear, you know,
but I guess you know, one of my favorite songs to perform is
Everything She Wants, and that's, you know what we generally open the show
with. You've Gotta you know, great beat, and it's a blast to
perform. But I honestly I like them all for different reasons. You know,
when we play uh, wake me up before you go go there,
you know everybody knows that song. Oh yeah, you do. Do you
do something fun with the audience with one of the songs, like half to
like one thirty audience does one thing and then the middle part of the audience
is another thing and then the other part. Oh god, it was such
a It's such a fun show, you guys. This is gonna be such
a blast. Robert. Do you like praying for Time? I love praying
for Tim, all of them. You know, I just you know,
kind of like if I'm not you know, rehearsing or something in my own
spare time, just like listening to George for my own pleasure. He did
a it was I believe nineteen eighty eight. He performed for the Nelson Mandela
birthday. Oh yes, and there is several songs that he did there.
One was if You Were My Woman, It's like an old glass a night
and the Pips You Make. He did Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing. He did
Stevie Wonders of Village Ghetto Land. Those are probably my favorite performances of George
Michael. Yeah, he did it unplugged for MTV. Uh and yeah his
voice is it sounded better on the unplugged than it even does on a recorded
It was so good. Did you see the documentary that was just came out
about Wyam? Yeah, I've seen it multiple times. I know, of
course, that was a stupid question. Now I have I have an unusual
question. Well, maybe it's not that unusual. You probably get asked it
all the time. Where where were you born and raised? Okay? So
I was born in Youngstown, Ohio, Okay. And my dad worked for
IBM, and so I had moved, you know, he got transferred a
lot, you know IBM. I've been moved and we moved Florida, and
then we moved back to Ohio. And then we moved back to Florida.
And I had spent much of my informative years of growing up in book Raton,
Florida, and then I am now unfortunately living in Utah, which I'd
like to get out of. So if anybody's looking for a beautiful home up
in the mountains, call me. Is it just touring or is it just
like just not your jam? Would you rather be by the my jam?
You know, I'm at seventy one hundred feet above sea level. Just we
got, you know, like three inches of snow still last night. Yeah,
oh yeah, No, it's just you know, I flew in from
Chicago late last night after a show and it was a nice sunny day in
Chicago, and then you wake up here and you're just like it flips a
switch of like depression on you. Oh god, you seasonal season. It's
I know, why is there snow? May God? Oh my gosh.
Robert. I just thank you so much for taking so much time with us.
We really appreciate it. It's going to be such a blast to see
you. Four Via House Resort and Casino. The show starts at eight,
doors open at six for us. For our listeners, we have twenty five
pair of tickets. Go to Laura Kane after dark to find out how you
can get yourself a pair of tickets, and you guys are going to party
with us. It's my birthday, it's Brian's second year anniversary. It's going
to be an absolute blast. We're gonna have so much fun. Thank you,
Robert, so thank you. So exciting to meet you. I can't
wait to meet you all as well. And Laura, I'm so honored to
be celebrating your birthday with you. It's just it's going to make it that
much extra special. So in advanced Happy Birthday, I'm glad you burn,
glad you are my friend. Yes, and I can't wait to have a
great time with y'all. With the musica Georgian rahm. Oh so fun.
Thank you so much, A great night. Bye yeah, by bye.
Here let's play a little whim He's awesome. He is identical. He sounds
identical. I'm not kidding, it is it is. It's weird, and
it's so weird that he didn't do this, like try to do this.
It just happened and people were like, have you ever heard of Wham?
And he's like, no, like you look like just like the guy in
WAM. I can't wait to see the picture of him. I know,
I know, well anyway, I'll show it to you. After that that
concert that he did, I saw his Oh you saw George Michael. Yeah,
I saw him at the Staples Center, the last concert he ever did.
Oh my god, it was his like it was called like the twenty
five Tour or something like that, and it was incredible. He played for
like three hours. How did he die again? Heart disease? Yeah,
it was heart disease. I'm shreaming about guy, like because I am so
out of that generation. I know, because I believe his partner just found
him dead. He died, I think, yeah, yeah, he went
to a coma like a couple of years before from something or other. He
was the biggest thing in the eighties, mid late eighties. I mean,
wham George Michael. I mean, did you do you have a picture that
I sent you of him? It's not working. It's not working. I
just wanted to show you, guys what he looks like. But you know,
you can go to our Instagram because I posted a picture of like his,
like what his tour poster looks like? He does? He looks just
like George Michael. He does. Actually, yeah, I know. It's
awesome. Anyway, you guys so go online Laura Kane after dark dot com
and that's how you can win tickets to this show party with. All you
have to do is really follow us on Instagram, follow us on TikTok,
comment on one of our posts, tag your friend, and subscribe to our
YouTube channel. Boom done. First twenty five people to do that. I
will email you the tickets myself. Okay, and if you didn't get tickets,
come on out and party with us anyway. Please do awesome show you
guys, so thank you so much for watching on Instagram. Thank you so
much for watching on YouTube. And uh, get ready for Thursday, because
I have something to show you, something that's permanent on my body. God,
and I have a story and I need to say this right now.
What I have three words, No more tattoos. Oh this stop, I
know. Okay, we'll get into this whole thing. Oh we are getting
into it. I am putting my foot down. Love your podcast. I
love you. I love you too, I love you so much. I
love you too, so much. I love you, she says with gritted
teeth. So beautiful, stop trying to compliment me and just end the show
already. Oh this is not this lipstick. She love your podcast again.
Love you, My sweet baby's b