0:00 And then so and so said something something and I went, "Oh, really?" And I go, "Yeah, this guy's saying this." And he goes, "Tell him so just tell him this." This guy says boo. And I'm like, "Really?" He goes, "Srop this name and say he says boo." Welcome back everybody to a super gnarly episode of the Careful Boys with Mr. Paul Gomez here. Hey, we're curious about your mob stories in Japan. Specifically Japan. Everywhere. Uh, specifically Japan, but honestly. Okay, but I'm going to summarize this for you. So, I have this really cool tattoo right here. It's from this Russian guy. Is that a lantern on top? It's a lantern and a compass. So, when you're lost, you
0:51 have light. Follow the light. His name is Mr. Troan. Very, very good tattoo artist. Unbelievable. And we were talking about So when you talk about the mob, so he was tattooing one day. I'm like, "Dude, you you you know, you grew up in Russia." And he's like, "Yeah." He goes, I go, "It's crazy like that." He goes, "Why? I'm all It's all run by the mob." And he goes, "No." He goes, "Everything is run by the mob." He goes, "America." He goes, "Russia, government mob. America government mob." He goes, "You guys are more mobike, like though." He goes, "You have blue ████ red blood." That's true. Very true. He goes, "It's the mob." Yeah. So when you look at it, so the Japan story, so in
1:42 Japan, it's if you go like into Haruku, Shinjuku, Shabuya, everything the whole fashion industry happens right there. It's it's it's very locked down. So, we were trying to open a store there through proper channels and um just couldn't get it done. Couldn't get it done. Couldn't get it done. And then um so I called my friend Cuts who's from Osaka and I said, "Hey, Cuts." He goes, "Oh, no problem." He goes, "Where do you want store?" Told him where I want. Next day he's go check store. You like Store? Good. He goes on. I Who? Who? He goes, "Taken care of." In Japan, they don't fire anybody. Yeah. So, and when you go to Japan, every taxi driver is somebody who's just retired. So, they just become taxi drivers, right? So, when you look at things like
2:35 if you go the city's the mob, it it's almost better to deal with the mob from the sheer standpoint, they're going to shoot straight with you and there's not going to be messing around. So if you look at so I have a friend like so people who own houses in Mexico they you have you you pay the cartel as you pay any taxes in commission. So if you're paying them they have your driver's license they have your car they have your house they have and and they're they protect you and you pay them a certain amount of money and you're just good. And if you don't pay them money, they're generally not going to hassle you, but the other people who would hassle you. You're not protected from them,
3:26 right? So, it's like I have guns. Do you have guns? Mhm. Most of us have. And so, when CO happened, my this is you could say I'm a mobster. my I I knew co I has some pretty powerful friends in high places and I well dude what's going on with this thing? He's like is it going to go down? He goes yeah it's going to go down. It's going to shut down. I'm like for how long? He goes it's going to be a minute. I'm like okay. So I went to Costco and I got all my stuff and loaded up my garage. I got everything for my kids and loaded up their garage and the guy at Costco's like, "Dude, you going on on a fishing trip?" I go, "I might be." And um and he's like, "Okay." So everything goes, sure enough, they shut it down, right? And then week happens, two weeks happen, then it's like getting real, right? And like I don't know why
4:16 people buy toilet paper. Every other country in the world, you wipe your ass with your hand, but whatever. So it's like the first thing that everyone buys, too. It's so weird. What about water and food? Right. So, um, so this guy walks by my house and he goes like this neighbor neighbor kind of know him, kind of don't know him, but he's like he looks in my garage. He's like, "Wow." He goes, "If it keeps getting worse, I I know which house to come rob." I'm all I'm all that would be a bad idea for you. He's all, "Do you have guns?" And I'm all lots of them. He goes, "You shoot me?" I go, "Just need to shoot at you." I don't know that I'm going to shoot you. My wife's like, "I can't believe you just told him to be shoot him." And I go, "No, I said I shoot at him. It's different. It's different." If you look at every kind of things, there's always going to be good and bad and
5:06 everything, right? Let's just be honest. California is run by the mob. The Pelosis, the Gettys, the Newsomes, they all are under They're all run by the mob, right? And this isn't something that it's it's they're all family. They've been hooking each other up. They've been hooking each other up. So it's And how do you break that down? Right. Like you used to you used to have like where the neighborhoods were run by gangs. Yeah. Right. So when where when I grew up, it's your neighborhood, right? You just don't get out of line in your neighborhood. And if people come to your neighborhood and get out of line, they're going to get checked. You go in somebody's neighborhood and you just mind your P's and Q's. It's all about respect, right? So, I think if I I know Bart, he's probably a
5:59 gangster in his neighborhood, right? Somebody gets out of line in your neighborhood, are you going to check them? Probably. Probably. Yeah. Right. And then if you have your friends in the neighborhood and they keep guys still keeps getting out of line, then all your neighbors are going to step up and go, "Hey, check this guy." So, when you need certain things done, that's where The government's the most corrupt thing on the planet. And so that's why cartels and all those type of things happen and they become corrupt as well because it becomes money in power. But when you need certain things done in certain places, you you have it taken care of. And that's why I go back to you should never have it should never get to the top. It's like if you're warned if you're warned once, you don't ever want to be warned. Just do that. Like my friend Frank, my friend Frank runs everything
6:50 down in Mexico and he has he has to deal with and he goes he goes you get it. I go, "Yeah, I don't tell me twice." Like if if don't do that, okay? And you do it again. It's like I'm going to give you one more warning. And that's why I say I'm your boss when I warn you. I'm your boss when I hire you. Then I'm my boss when I warn you. Then I'm just not your boss anymore cuz I don't want to deal with you. If it's getting on my like I'm paying you to do something I don't want to do. Right. So that so on cartels type of stuff everywhere is a cartel and if you really need things to get done quickly that's probably the best way to do it. I want to get them get things done but then I don't even know the right people so I have to play like a square and wait and I get screwed. Yeah. But you don't have to I Okay, so here's a really good
7:42 example. It's it's how much are you putting it out there? So, when we when we built the stores for Nike, I would just show up at midnight and work till 5:00 a.m. and bail. Nobody knew. And I didn't have to follow any city rules. Just blacked out the windows and freaking worked midnight till 5:00 a.m. got the stores done. People like, "Dude, how'd you get that store done so fast?" just went and did it when people people want to sleep. People are lazy. What if you have a square contractor that doesn't want to break any rules and then you're just like well you already you already broke the rules cuz you went to the city and get pulled the contracts. It's if you if you're going to not move that's that's the biggest problem that's happening in Altadena right now and that's the biggest problem that's
8:32 happened in Palades is people kept adding on to their houses without going to the city. Right. And now when the house is burnt down they go well no it had this this and this. They go not on the Yeah. Here, right? So, it's like it's Yeah, there's there's rules for everything, but every one of Tom Molly, best story ever. So, when I had my record label under Warner Brothers, at first we were struggling. And he's like, all I'm like, dude, he goes, I didn't give you a label to follow the rules. I gave you a label to break the rules. He goes, if you have to follow all the rules of Warner Brother, you're going to be out of business. He goes, "Break every single rule here rule here and I'll run protection for you." I'm like, "Okay." We just start breaking every rule. Right. You got you you everyone knows somebody. Yeah.
9:22 When um I was opening up my shop in Hawaii. Yeah. To get that going, the FBI came and wiped out the whole planning department. So, no one was getting anything done and nobody was building. And I was like, "Let's go. Oh, let's just build. Let's get it open and then we'll deal with all the stuff later. And I got a good architect. Like they're not going to do us dirty and do some Mickey Mouse stuff. So like we we'll pass everything, but nobody wanted to move forward. And then later I found out all this stuff that it's just a payoff state. Like everyone works with on in envelope money. And I was just like I was the square that's like well I'm the outsider right now. I know. But but if I would have like Hawaii's gangster. Yeah. And now I know that. But I got I got I got screwed for playing the playing
10:12 playing the the rules. Oh, he's gangster, dude. What up, guys? Come join our Patreon because there's hundreds of videos dating all the way back to 2019. That's right. If you click on the link down below, you can join our Patreon, join us on the Discord, come chat with us directly, have a fun conversation, and this will help support the channel's growth and new ideas. And also tap into our closer community by joining our Discord and get the opportunity to suggest video ideas like the ones you've seen. Thank you guys. Join our Patreon. Help us out. Thanks. See you guys there. Say hi to me. Like, I spent a lot of time in Hawaii and I knew some gnarly guys in Hawaii. And Nick, Hawaii is gangster. That's why there's Canefields. Yeah, it's it is I found out it's like, man, it's the mafia out there. Like, but everyone looks so friendly and they are, but the way that they play is like, wow.
11:03 Okay. So, so there's you have country and you have town. Yeah. Right. So, there's a couple situations that happen out in country and there was a couple things happen and one of my friends from So, you have the um long shoremen who work in town. Yeah. Those are the guys you do not want to mess with. And then so and so said something something and I went, "Oh, really?" And I go, "Yeah, this guy's saying this." And he goes, "Tell him." So just tell him this. This guy says boo. [Laughter] And I'm like, "Really?" He goes, "Drop this name and say he says boo." That'll suffice. Damn. That's all you need to say. He says boo. Yeah. Like boo. Like I'm ghost like a ghost like boot. And I'm going, "Hey, so and so says boo." And he's like, "Oh, all
11:54 right. It's good. It's all good." Wow. It's a long shoreman. Those are the dot guys. Dog guys. The dog guys are Yeah, they're gnarly. Cuz I have a bunch of friends who are doc guys who are now doc guys here. Yeah. And they're they're they're thing that's rad. The best thing about Hawaiians, the best thing about, no disrespect to cultures, but most indigenous cultures will scrap and hug. Yep. Most non-indigenous cultures like, "Dude, you hit me. You talk the most s███." And it's like, "Why you?" They run their mouth. Yeah. You hit me. I can't. You've scratched my
12:44 car. Like ho how if if I like the person who's doing the dirtiest stuff is getting zero repercussions. Like Kane Velasquez. Oh dear. Done dirty, right? Yeah. So dirty. Who's serving the sentence? Kane Velasquez. How long is the sentence? 5 years. We're trying to get him out faster. Hopefully. More questions. More questions. What was the most like badass in your opinion event that you've ever thrown? US Open Surfing. Oh, the Hurly Bong in a in Australia. The one in Huntington Beach with Aaron from that was the most riskiest. US Open a surfing Weezer cuz you said like half a million people. You'll see this picture and you'll go there's no freaking way. Yeah. Just pull up pull up images. Look at the crowd. Damn. That was terrifying. Oh man, I
13:38 need a bigger photo. So, how come you guys were successful and Firefest wasn't? I know they had jaw rule. Yeah. What's going on here? That's the beach. That's like the one the one with the band playing in the background. Like that one right there. Look at how terrifying that is. That's no sec. There's that is Holy ████ Dang. This is This is 14 acres. This is Is that the pier or that stage? That's This is No, we built that. Oh ████ That's the pier in the background. This is all the It was so It was so gnarly when it was going crazy. When it was going down, I was like, "Oh, cuz there was an event where the Rolling Stones played in Brazil and the tide was coming in and you can't even this." All these people are back to the sand and
14:29 the tide came and a bunch of people drowned. Oh shoot. So it was so it was so chaos. There was so much going on. But luckily, I've run events. So when you run a when you run a show, you stagger the barricades because if people get pushed so you can there's always an out. Dude, that was that was that that three years I did that, it was like it was it was really gnarly because the first year when I never had and then the day I stopped doing it, they had a riot and they never happened again cuz I knew how to not have a riot cuz I had everybody parked south of the city so they wouldn't go into the city. And then the first year everyone all the um all the vendors or all the uh companies on on Main Street were bummed because they had no parking. So, I shut all the parking down there and I would bus everyone in
15:19 and then if you had a a nail appointment or a hair salon appointment, you parked at the school. We took you in a limo to your appointment. Wow. And you could leave. So, nobody missed any appointments or anything like I had it dialed. Wow. But it was like that first year I was like, "Oh no." It was like, "Yes, this is amazing, but oh no, if this goes bad, there's this is five times the amount 10 times the amount of people they had when they had the first riot. This this the whole city will burn to the ground." But we pulled it off and then I just learned every year that that to me of all events, that was the one where I was like, "Dude, we I mean, we had God Weezer played, Switchfoot played." Wow. We had Switchfoot. heard. Dang, I've heard that name in a Those are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful humans. They do a really good thing called the Bro Brian
16:10 Prom Switchfoot event. So, you have to surf and then you have to surf Switch Foot. Oh, a lot of sense. It's super fun. It's a really good They're really good brothers. Did you have an idea of how many Did you have an estimate first of like, oh, we probably could get like 50,000 or something? I I I knew I could make it big. I just didn't realize because at that point like so there's a there's a certain point where Weezer was kind of like had fallen off and then they did the warp tour and we were like Rivers just said we should do the warp tour and they did the warp tour and it was like oh my gosh they have so many hits like Weez are like you'll just sing every one of their songs and then um they did it and it was like the whole world showed up to see Weezer and then another big crowning jewel for me that I think that was a total game changer was
17:00 um Pop Disaster Tour. So it was uh Green Day and Blink. Whoa. So Green Day was on Warner and Blink was on MC um MC I think it was. And um Rick managed Blink and Green Day was kind of just they were kind of not Blink was had stole their thunder like three-piece band huge you know when I got Tra I used to manage a band called the Aquabats and Travis was the drummer for them and then Rick called me and say can you get Travis and Blink so ended up getting Travis and Blink and that kind of really skyrocketed the band. So Green Blink's huge and Green Day is kind of just doing their thing. And I went to I went to Tom at War, hey, Blink
17:50 and Green Day should tour together. And Green Day is like, "Screw you. We're not going to we're not going to go support those guys." Blah blah blah. I was like, "It's no way. No way." I'm like, "Dude, it'll be huge. Trust me." And it was like I was like almost lost my job. My friends who were agents were calling getting mad at me. Like everyone was super mad at me. And that sounds huge. Just you saying Green Day and Blink sounds ████ crazy. Yeah. So, so I was like I ended up getting it pulled off. They went out on tour together and it was Green Day was supporting Blink and then Green Day so good live and Blink's pretty good live with Green Day's Green Day and then boom. It was like put Green Day right back on and then they wrote um American Idiot after that. Wow. So that was their that's why they came back. Wow. So that so that would say for that if I was to look at something where where I had an impact that was like in
18:41 music that was the one where I was like cuz Tom Molly we we used to have this thing called town hall where we'd go talk about the artists and stuff we were going to do and then it was like like I saw Madonna play right there and like Fleetwood Mac like we all the new bands were coming out and do stuff and then Tom W up and he goes hey I just want to give a shout out to Paul Gomez and like I still work at Hurley and Nike but I have my everything He goes, "That was one guy was willing to risk his job, risk every relationship to do the Pop Disaster Tour, and he pulled it off. And now Green Day's got American Idiot, the biggest freaking album in the on in the world." And it was one guy was willing to risk it all. Yeah. To make it happen. Dang, that's crazy. So you were part of their second win. Pop disaster. Yeah. Wow. That's cool. Yeah. That was that was that was that So that was a cool
19:31 event. And then um Oh, this is a really good one. You'll like this. So, My Chemical Romance. Mhm. Do you guys know who My Chemical Romance is? So, Gerard Way, awesome. Him and his brother Mikey, super good guys. They're all really good dudes. I My friend Brian Shakar was managing him. Then they would go out and tour with the used and I managed the Used. And I'm all This band's amazing. And I Tom's like, "I want him to sign to your label." I'm all my label is not big enough for this band. This band's going to be gigantic. And it was like all kept going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. I go, they will. So I I told Tom, I go, I will pay out of my own pocket. I will pay for all of it, but it's a 50/50 split with me on having I get 50% of my Chemical Romance, this it was like in the 11th hour, they ended up signing them. And then you had two two cheers of
20:22 sweet revenge, like that record. And then you had the Black Parade and like it was it was those things where you just knew it was going to happen, right? And it's like now my chemical goes out and plays and it's just gigantic. Like every every band like going out like seeing Olympics get tour again or corn, all these guys play their first records. It's cuz I'm old. So I see all these bands come out and play their first records and blow up. But that that was a cool one to like actually just go I'll put I'll pay my own money for this to happen. And then my cat blew
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