On this show we talk with Gary Michaels out of Florida via Kentucky about his path from successful radio DJ to magician to comic/hypnotist...and all as a Biker!? Yes, Gary is a long time biker...Harley and all; and he entertains audiences around the country with his high quality comedy/Hypnotist show. Plus, there is a "Biker Rally Cruise" coming in Oct. 2024 where he will perform. Gary offers a $150 Ship Credit by using his name as Code when buying tickets....loads of good information on this show.
Learn more about Gary and his show: garymichaels.net Interest in Bike Rally Crusie: HighSeasRally.com
Gary Michaels, a renowned entertainer who has built a successful career in the world of entertainment offerings, started off his journey in radio, and over the years, he evolved into a hypnotist, a comedy hypnotist, and a magician. Born and raised in Kentucky, his early fascination with radio was inspired by his mother, which eventually turned into a successful career in radio. He later developed a knack for close-up magic, a craft that he admits requires proficiency and skill to captivate audiences. Through the years, his diverse experience in radio, magic, and hypnotism shaped his perspective on entertainment offerings. Michaels believes in engaging with audiences through his multi-faceted talents, showcasing his passion for entertaining in every performance he delivers.
00:03:11) Family's Role in Shaping Entertainment Careers
Standup Comedy Podcast Network.co www.StandupComedyPodcastNetwork.com Free APP on all Apple & Android phones....check it out, podcast, jokes, blogs, and More!
For short-form standup comedy sets, listen to: "Comedy Appeteasers" , available on all platforms.
Interested in Standup Comedy? Check out my books on Amazon... "20 Questions Answered about Being a Standup Comic" "Be a Standup Comic...or just look like one"
On this show we talk with Gary Michaels out of Florida via Kentucky about his path from successful radio DJ to magician to comic/hypnotist...and all as a Biker!? Yes, Gary is a long time biker...Harley and all; and he entertains audiences around the country with his high quality comedy/Hypnotist show. Plus, there is a "Biker Rally Cruise" coming in Oct. 2024 where he will perform. Gary offers a $150 Ship Credit by using his name as Code when buying tickets....loads of good information on this show.
Learn more about Gary and his show: garymichaels.net Interest in Bike Rally Crusie: HighSeasRally.com
Gary Michaels, a renowned entertainer who has built a successful career in the world of entertainment offerings, started off his journey in radio, and over the years, he evolved into a hypnotist, a comedy hypnotist, and a magician. Born and raised in Kentucky, his early fascination with radio was inspired by his mother, which eventually turned into a successful career in radio. He later developed a knack for close-up magic, a craft that he admits requires proficiency and skill to captivate audiences. Through the years, his diverse experience in radio, magic, and hypnotism shaped his perspective on entertainment offerings. Michaels believes in engaging with audiences through his multi-faceted talents, showcasing his passion for entertaining in every performance he delivers.
00:03:11) Family's Role in Shaping Entertainment Careers
Standup Comedy Podcast Network.co www.StandupComedyPodcastNetwork.com Free APP on all Apple & Android phones....check it out, podcast, jokes, blogs, and More!
For short-form standup comedy sets, listen to: "Comedy Appeteasers" , available on all platforms.
Interested in Standup Comedy? Check out my books on Amazon... "20 Questions Answered about Being a Standup Comic" "Be a Standup Comic...or just look like one"
Announcer:
This is another episode of stand up comedy. Your host and MC celebrating 40 plus years on the fringe of show business. Stories, interviews and comedy sets from the famous and not so famous. Here's your host and MC, Scott Edwards.
R. Scott Edwards:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the podcast. We have something fun and exciting for you. And again, I say this almost every show, but this time it's something totally unique. There's a very talented comic hypnotist. That's right. He does magic. He's been on radio. He's got a great career in show business. But he's here today on the podcast to talk about comedy and hypnotism, something totally different. A good friend of mine, Andy Gross, who you've heard before on the show, talk about, ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Lexington, Kentucky, it's Gary Michaels. Gary, so great to have you on the show.
Gary Michaels:
Thank you so much for having me on your program, brother. Andy Gross. What a great guy. I met Andy down in Panama City beach. I'm from Lexington, Kentucky, as Lexington is my home, but I live in Panama City beach. He and his wife April, they were doing a performance down there, and I was asked if I could open up for them. It didn't work out for us. I didn't get the chance to open up, but I did get the chance to go down and see Andy at the venue. And he and I talked, he and miss April, and my wife's name is April, too. So that was a lot of fun. But we were bouncing magic back and forth with each other and backing back and forth with comedy and stuff. So, and we just hit it off. What an incredible, credible human being Andy Gross is. And his wife, I love them both dearly.
R. Scott Edwards:
Yeah. They're longtime regulars at my club. I've known Andy for, I don't know, 30 something years. And he for those just that want to go back and check. He's done a couple interviews and in a few shows on this podcast, but he's a ventriloquist. He's a magician. He's a great comedy entertainer. But we're here to talk about Gary Michaels. And you've got such an interesting career because you pretty much started off in radio. You had a lot of success with your own radio show. I want to hear about that and how you transitioned into a hypnotist and then a comedy hypnotist and then mixing in there and kind of first was some magic. So that's fascinating. But, ladies and gentlemen, yes, there's more to encapsulate this whole package of entertainment you also are a biker. You come across on your show in the leathers, in the chaps. You're a biker that entertains. And I just think that's fascinating. I've seen your show. You're really good. But let's give everybody a start. When did you kind of figure out that you had a talent? I mean, we. We can already hear you have a voice for radio, but how did you get into radio?
Gary Michaels:
You know, I got a face for radio, too, just so you know. You know, I think my mother, God rest her soul, I miss my mother so much. I think she's the one who sort of programmed me to get into the radio business, because when I was younger, when I was a kid, she looked at me with the, you know, we're from Kentucky, so she had this little Kentucky accent, and she said, I won't, why don't you go to work at a radio station so I could turn you off? And I'm like, okay, that's what did it for me. No, when I was a kid, I used to actually play radio. I mean, that was. I lived in the backwoods of Kentucky. I was 25 miles out of town. My closest neighbor was 5 miles away. My best friend was a raccoon. But there was a radio station in Louisville, Kentucky, WQMF. And I just was enthralled by the talent on the radio stations. And I had every single song that the radio station would play, but I would have them in 45s. Remember the.
R. Scott Edwards:
Yeah, yeah.
Gary Michaels:
So I would have stacks and stacks of these forty five s, and I had a. I don't know if you remember these tweed looking 45 record players where, you know, open up the top. They looked like they were tweed. A little speaker in the front. So I had one of those, but I also had a little Mickey Mouse 45 record player. And I would listen to the radio, and I would literally write down as quickly as I could everything that the radio personality that this jockey back then would say. And when they would go into the next song, I turn the radio down, and I'd put the song that they played before, and I put the next song on my little record player, and then I would start being a radio personality.
R. Scott Edwards:
So you weren't just listening to the radio like most of us dumb kids. You were actually interested in how the dj was working his magic between the songs, keeping the energy up, keeping the information up. And you were paying attention to the art of being a radio personality. That's. That is something that's unique. How old were you? You were in your early teens, and when you were.
Gary Michaels:
No, it. Way before that. I mean, I. Yeah, it was. I was 8910 years old back when boomboxes came out for the very first time. Cassette players. I thought that was the shit, dude. Cassette players is a way to go. My brother actually gave me a boombox for Christmas one year, or, I'm sorry, my parents gave me the boombox, but my brother gave me blizzard of Oz. Ozzy Osbourne cassette tape. That's the first cassette tape I ever had, and I don't know what it was. I can tell you later what I've learned. Okay. But I was so enthralled with the music. Randy Rhodes was the greatest guitar player in the world as far as I was concerned, and even I didn't understand it back then as a child. But Ozzy had the best band in the world. Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge, and Randy Rhodes. They had the best band. They were so tight. They were so musically inclined. And that just inspired me, man. Oh, my God. It was amazing to listen to these people. And I was a huge fan for years, and still. Still a fan. And then I would listen to the radio. I knew every song that the radio station played. You could play one note, and I could tell you the name of the album, the year it came out, the band members names, how long it was. It was just instilled in me, and I didn't know until later. See, I was adopted, and it was. I was probably 25 years old when I found out who my real father was. And come to find out that my real father was a musician, his family were musicians, his parents were musicians. Their parents were actors. Their parents were in the silent movies. So it's kind of genetic. I mean, it's kind of weird how it all worked out, because the. My parents who raised me, they didn't know crap from Crisco when it came to entertainment at all. I used to actually get into trouble just because I listened to the radio so much and so loud. My first car was a 1973 grand Trino sport. I paid 15. I paid $1,500 for the car. It's the only car I've ever owned. I've owned trucks after that. And I paid $1,500 for the car. I paid $1,700 for the stereo system.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, that was the kind of way we rolled back in the day. But you took this knowledge of music and this genetic heritage, and you developed it into a personality that was able to get a job in radio, which isn't easy. How old were you when you got into an official job in on air.
Gary Michaels:
I was 18 years old, and I'll never forget the time. Yep. There's a gentleman. His name was Tim Smith, and I knew that he worked at the radio station, but I used to be a radio groupie. I would call the station. I would win everything I could. I would talk to the jocks. I mean, I was a radio groupie through and through, and I was working as, you know, 18 year old kid. I was cutting the grass at a place called Greenlies in Winchester, Kentucky, and Tim Smith had come in for lunch, you know, having a beer or whatever. I had a real ethnic backwood Hillbilly accent. I talked like this, but here in Kentucky, that's why everybody talk. But when Tim came in, I looked over at him and said, hey, Tim, three syllables if you do it properly. Hey, Tim, I would like to have a job in radio. He took a drink of his beer, and he cleared his throat. Well, Gary, what is it that you would like to do? Well, dad gum it. I want to talk just like that. And he gave me a shot. He actually had me come to the radio station that afternoon.
R. Scott Edwards:
Wow.
Gary Michaels:
Yeah. He wanted me to record a 32nd commercial, which was horrible. I mean, it was the most horrible thing you've ever heard in your life. I could see him in the production room. He's shaking his head, going, oh, my God, what am I going to do? But he actually took me under his wing and he taught me how to lose the accent, number one. And then it was up to me to learn how to develop the voice. And once I did that, I just kept practicing and practicing and practicing, and I've been number one on four different radio stations in four different states now. I got out of the radio business in 2008, but radio is still, it always will be the love of my life. I love radio, but I do a lot of voiceover work, too, as you can, obviously, as you can tell.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, I just think it's so important to one, you know, if you focus on something you love, which you did at an early age, and really learn about the industry and learn about music and prepare yourself that way, but finding a mentor to take you under his wing and help you with the accent and getting that, you know, more middle America baseline voice is so important in radio, but you've had huge success because to have that many decades of on air experience on the radio is so difficult. I've known many radio dj's, and it's such a transient business that I'm not surprised at all that you were on four different stations, but being able to make a career out of it and do it for as long as you did is a real tribute to your talent. Now, how does that shift into, you know, where did the magic come along? And I know the magic turned into hypnotism, but, you know, you're already an entertainer doing on air stuff where magic and hypnotism are more live visual art forms, and you're really a radio guy. So that transition interests me. What. How did that happen, Gary?
Gary Michaels:
So it's. That's a great question. When I got on radio, you know, of course, my ego went sky high. I thought I was a rock star, man. I thought I was bulletproof. And I learned quickly that my legs get cut out from underneath me very fast because of the ego, and I learned how to deal with that. But I've been doing magic, you know, first magic trick I ever learned when I was eight years old. And I still do that very same magic trick today because of the reactions that you get. And I dabbled in the magic, you know, throughout my life, you know, as a kid, my teenage years in school. Yeah, I just, no, I was actually interested in picking up chicks, and I thought this was the best way to do it, but, yeah, it was just more of a hobby. And there, believe this or not, brother, there's been people look me dead in the eye and say, you need to quit doing magic because it's never going to take you anywhere. And my reply to them now would be, thank you. Thank you for pushing me and, and giving me the motivation to do better.
R. Scott Edwards:
They challenged you. They.
Gary Michaels:
Oh, I love a good challenge, man.
R. Scott Edwards:
Yeah. I mean, I think that that brings out the best in all of us. When someone says you can't do something, those with the right personality and the right attitude take that challenge and use it as fuel to reach their goals. And magic being a hobby or something to pick up chicks is a great way to start. But you took that into the professional format. Now, I've seen your act as a comedy hypnotist. I've not seen you do any professional magic. Have you done any straight magic shows?
Gary Michaels:
I do. I do a lot of close up magic. Some people will hire me to walk around for an hour or so, you know, at their bar, their club, the Harley Davidson dealership or whatever. Just ask me to walk around and do some magic. And what? Magic. Everybody loves magic. Everybody loves magic. But I will tell you this, and Andy Gross will contest to this as well. You better be good at close up magic. Because if you suck, people will tear you apart. They have no problem cutting you down or telling you, oh, my God, he did it like this, or he did it like that, or you suck. They'll do that quicker. Then they'll say, oh, my God, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen. You did a great job. Isn't it weird how that works?
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, I think that all entertainment lends itself to be judged, but it is true that juggling and magic, two of the variety arts, can be easier to critique when done unprofessionally or improperly, because it is so visual that, you know, if you're caught doing a move and magic, or if you drop something when you're juggling, it's right there in front of the audience. They. They can react immediately, and because it's easy to judge, they can take that the wrong way in. I think in stand up comedy, I don't know. You're gonna have to tell me more about hypnotism. But in some of the other art forms, comedy music, for example, you could screw up the words in the song, but if you've got the audience already ramped up with the music and the energy of the entertainment value, those things get accepted more by audiences. Whereas magic and juggling, it's right there in front of them. But I think it's great, Gary, that you took this hobby, turned it into something more professional, and we're able to get past the criticism and keep building on your magic skills. Now, I know as a comedy hypnotist, there is kind of a magical thing to it, but I've seen the show, and to me, hypnotism is really a totally different. It's like ventriloquism. It's like juggling. It's like. It's a different art form. How did you transition from magic to hypnotism?
Gary Michaels:
Actually, Scott, hypnosis is more of a science. It truly is a science. You are literally in someone's subconscious mind. Okay, so I wish I had a sound effect for. I'll make a long story short. A few years ago, I was in a really, really bad place. I was literally suicidal, and it was coming. The depression had really taken over my body and my life, and I've been dealing with depression for many years. It was hypnosis that brought me out of the depression. And when I, you know, I've interviewed hypnotist on my radio show before. I've never seen a live hypnotist show ever. Still to this day, I have never seen someone else performing hypnosis, but I was in such a bad place, man. I was ready to pull the trigger. And I was doing some research online about how to deal with depression without using medication because I couldn't afford it. And hypnosis popped up, and I got intrigued by that, man. And I got so consumed with the hypnosis world that I couldn't stop studying and learning. I even reached out to a couple of hypnotists that have been doing it for 60 years, the both of them. There's 120 years between the both of them. And I reached out to them to ask them questions, and they were kind enough to help me. They were kind enough to push me in the right direction. And one of the things they told me is to get out there and practice. And I hypnotized my first person at a barbecue. We were somewhere in the backwoods, just red and egg, drink a beer, barbecue. And I hypnotized someone, and I was like, holy shit, what did I just do? It freaked me out more than it did them.
R. Scott Edwards:
That's. That's a funny reaction. That's. That's so real.
Gary Michaels:
It was. Oh, my gosh, it was. I was like, what the hell is going on right now? And I said to myself, I could do this. And there was a comedy hypnotist, and I want to give props to. His name is Mark Savard. I've never met him, never spoke to him. I've reached out to him before, but he has a residency out in Vegas, and he's phenomenal. And I've watched his comedy routines over and over and over and over and over and over and over. And I said to myself, I want to do that. So I got to thinking, how can I put this together to make it cool? Well, I've been in radio, so I'm going to use my voice, obviously. I was doing comedy for a little while, and I sucked as a stand up comedian. I mean, I've done several millions of shows, and some of them were good, some of them were horrible. So I was a little discouraged. And then I started doing the magic again and saw the reactions that all people were getting from the magic tricks I was doing. And when I watched hypnosis, it was very magical. To me, it looks magical. So I decided, okay, let's take the comedy the magic. Let's mix it with hypnosis. What's going to make this even better is I'm a, you know, I ride motorcycles. I love my motorcycles. I do a lot of bike rallies all over the world, all over the country, and I got to research and people don't see me coming. You wouldn't think for 1 minute a biker is going to walk out on stage and do magic tricks or going to make you laugh or going to do hypnosis. There's another comedian in the world, the world's funniest biker. Russ nagel is his name. He spends most of his career on a cruise ship. He's hysterically funny, but he's the closest person that I have found in the biker community that does what we do. I just step it up a notch.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, I'm going to interrupt Gary and just say that you've jumped ahead and brought in the whole biker aspect, and I want to go a little deeper into that, but let's go back a bit. First off, thank you for sharing your challenge with depression and how you found the variety arts as a tool to help you deal with your depression and how hypnosis can be beneficial to people. That's important to any listening audience. But I also.
Gary Michaels:
Here's. Here's a good thing about that, okay? Now that I know that my studies in hypnosis and the way the brain works, who would have thought of backwards Kentucky hillbilly would ever know how the fucking brain works, dude? However, I help people during the show with PTSD, with their depression. If I know they want to help, stop smoking or biting her ass or picking her nose or whatever. If I know ahead of time and they're on stage, I will help them with that. Now, I'm not a therapist. I'm a comedian. But PTSD and depression is very near and dear to my heart. And if I know that someone is dealing with that, I will use that skill. Of course, you're going to have to cluck like a chicken before you get there. But once I get you there, you know, I'm going to help you deal with that the best way I know how. So that is my part of giving back to someone to help them. Yes, of course we're going to. It's all funny. It's all funny games, and everybody's going to laugh and you're going to do some silly shit. But if I have that gift to help you with your depression or PTSD or whatever it is you're dealing with, I'm going to use that to help you. And I do that during the show.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, I think that's incredible. But I think also what I was trying to get to was that you were going through a personal battle and you found an answer. A path to take to, to get you out of that. And you're able to share that now with people. But I also wanted to point out to the audience that much like your love of music and your love of radio, you didn't just whimsy jump into it, you researched it, you focused, and again, you found mentors, those two gentlemen that do hypnosis. And you asked the right questions and you listened and you learned. And I think in any of the entertainment arts, it's so important to focus, to be really interested in knowledgeable about that art form, whatever it is, music or ventriloquism or comedy or magic, you have to really be engaged in that art form. And then finding mentors is so important that these are things that you take for granted. But, Gary, in your life, you've done the, you know, several things to get you to your success. But in this case, I wanted to point out that it's doing the work, being focused, and find mentors to help you in what you're interested in. And when it came to hypnosis, not only was it beneficial to you, but you've now taken that talent, that entertainment, that art form, and found a way to give back to your audience and help them with their piccadillies. And I think that that is something that bodes well to your personality and who you are as a person. But also in the entertainment world, it's so important to realize that it's not easy, that it takes focus, and that if you're really interested in something, you can do it. And finding a mentor is so helpful. Now you've gone from radio to magic to hypnosis. Then there's this crazy shell around it where you're a biker. When did you start riding, and what's your bike of choice?
Gary Michaels:
Harley, of course. I've got two. I've got a road glide. I have got to be a Harley. It's got to be a Harley. I love the new indian bikes. The Indians are really nice bikes. I've considered it. I've got two. I've got a road glide and a soft tail. And I love to ride. There's nothing more freedom than riding a motorcycle other than skydiving, which I've done many times. Yes, I'm an adrenaline junkie as much as I am an attention whore. Riding a bike, being around the biker community, the biker community is probably one of the most incredible people I have ever been around in my entire life. Just like my hunting and fishing buddies, just like my radio buddies. Some of them, some of them are a little bit wing nuts. But, you know, I have done so many things in my career and in my life with the martial arts and the radio, the skydiving and the bikes and the entertainment world. I've met so many wonderful people. And you're right, mentors are good to have. There's so many, maybe a handful of mentors in my life that I would bow down to if I were to ever see them again. I mean, they're just incredible human beings. However, the other side of that coin, there's more people that will cut you down and tell you, you can't do this, you can't do that, you're never going to amount to anything. You're never going to be great on stage, you're never going to be a good singer, you're never going to be a good comedian. And on and on and on. I want to thank those people because it's those people that cut me apart that motivated me to. My reply to them now would be, hold my beer and let me show you something.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, yeah, but I think you've mentioned this a couple times and it's obviously had a huge impact on your life. But I think it's important for all of us to realize that the negative people in our lives, even though they're trying to put us down, if you've got the right attitude and the right personality, you can use that force, that energy to carry you into success.
Gary Michaels:
Well, I was just saying there's people that are extremely negative.
R. Scott Edwards:
You turn it into a positive. And I think that's the message.
Gary Michaels:
That's the key. Yes. Positivity will always be the best rule of thumb in my house.
R. Scott Edwards:
Now, you brought up that you've really enjoyed the biker world and the people in it. And I have to say, as a non biker, that I think that there's an intimidation factor, that because of the Hells angels or whatever in our past, and I'm older than you, but I, you know, there's many stories of angry and violent bikers, and just the look can be intimidating because they're very macho, even the women. And what is so true, and I think that you alluded to, and I wanted to reiterate, is that I've emceed and done comedy shows just for biker groups and hosted some of their fundraising bike rides because they raise millions of dollars every year around the country for charities.
Gary Michaels:
Every year. Yes.
R. Scott Edwards:
These people can be tremendous. They're positive. They're living the life the way they want in the look and the attitude that they have, as bikers, men or women may seem intimidating, but actually it's freeing for them. And they're a happy group. And I think that you being a biker does surprise the audience because initially there might be an intimidation factor to your look. You're, you're like, you know, you look like the stereotypical biker with the others and all that. And yet you turn around and with your comedy and with your magic and with your hypnosis, you're immediately able to take them past the image or what we would say, the book cover. Don't judge the book by the COVID and find out that you're just a fun, happy guy that can entertain them. And I think that for the biker audience and regular audiences, that an entertainer like you is a real value. Congratulations on being able to pull that off.
Gary Michaels:
Well, thank you. And I've said this, the biker community is some of the most incredible humans ever, and they are very generous. We give. I'll give you an example. Last year, Port Smith, Arkansas, the steel horse rally raised $22 million in three days for charity. Dude, it was absolutely insane. Now, this is my thinking, and I'm probably going to give some feedback on this, because I do this on stage. This is what I say to people. I don't care what color you are. I don't care what your religious beliefs are. I don't care what your sexual beliefs are. If gays your way, that's okay. I'm not going to tell you that I haven't thought about it at a time or two. You know, being out in Vegas, little mexican midget, you know, whatever. As long as you're a kind person, that's all I care about. If you're a kind person, you are who I want to hang out with. Now, as far as the biker world goes, I believe this immensely. And again, I'm probably going to catch some slack. All these one percenters, the hells Angels, the outlaws, the banditos, whatever, motorcycle club. I do not believe for 1 minute there should be any type of rivalries in a motorcycle club. And here's why. We're all in the same family. We're all pushing for the same thing. And at the end of the day, when the world is falling apart, much like it is now, I'm going to need you brothers on my side. We're all going to have to pull together to help protect each other. So the rivalries between motorcycle clubs and the bad rap that a lot of bikers get because of those rivalries, I think they should not exist. I think we should all pull together as one big happy family, which is kind of what we are. I respect your wishes. I expect your thoughts. I respect your colors. Your colors. I respect your beliefs. I know what not to do. But, dude, at the end of the day, we're still brothers.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, and I think you bring that together in the cruise. You do. You are part of a isn't kind of a biker themed cruise.
Gary Michaels:
Oh, my gosh. Oh, I'm so glad you're bringing this up.
R. Scott Edwards:
And you do your magic and your hypnotism and you bring your comedy to that cruise that has been very successful, and it's happening later this year. Why don't you tell the audience a little bit about your special biker cruise?
Gary Michaels:
It's the world's only bike rally on a cruise ship. It's called high Seas rally. This will be my third year. Last year in 2023, there was 837 seats in the theater. And Lita Ford and the outlaws was the other headliners. Other than myself. On the cruise, I had 1200 people plus standing room only come to the show. There was people still trying to get in. Now, my show was usually 90 minutes long, but I had them there for 2 hours and no one left. And I had everyone's attention. And Scott, you know this as well as I do. It's very difficult to keep that attention span for that long. So this cruise is not just for bikers, but it is a bike rally. It is the most fun. I can't express the fun that you have on this ship. And it's for a good cause, too. We always give money back to the dialysis fund, which is on high seas rally. We bring on ten dialysis patients and we pay for their crews, and we pay for the doctors, we pay for the nurses, and we pay for all the machines that they have to have with through their dialysis. And we give that to them. That's what we do every year. But we also raise money for the Wounded Warrior project. And I want to say 90, probably 90% of the people on there are all veterans, and of course, we're all bikers. It is the most amazing time anyone will ever have high seas rally. And if you, anyone would like to come and join us, we would love to have you. Absolutely love to have you. Go to highseasralli.com. If you use promo code. Gary Michaels, I'm going to give you $150 in ship credit. Whatever you want.
R. Scott Edwards:
Ladies and gentlemen, it's a first. We got a discounted benefit of listening to this podcast. Who knew?
Gary Michaels:
Oh, it gets better. But wait, there's more. The minute. The minute you book your cruise, all you got to do is book your cruise. Last year, we gave away one custom built motorcycle. Xavier Muriel. Xavier Muriel, who is the drummer for Buck Cherries. An award winning drummer. He builds these motorcycles. Incredible guy. I'm just an incredible person, but he's an incredible builder. And he created a motorcycle in 2023 that was off the chain. Here's the good news. This year we're giving away four custom built motorcycles. Wow. We're giving away four in 24, thanks to wall tigers. And all you got to do is book your cruise. Yeah, right. All you got to do is book the cruise. And you don't have to do anything else. The minute you book, you're automatically registered to win. You could win all four. I mean, what are the odds?
R. Scott Edwards:
Yeah, it sounds amazing. And I think that I wanted to mention it because not only are you, you know, raising money for important things and taking care of sick people, but it is so exciting that bikers, who, again, if you don't see them standing next to a biker bar or next to their motorcycle, their ride, you, you, they seem out of place. And to have a shipload of them, just as a hilarious concept to me. And the fact that you guys do so many good things. Ladies and gentlemen, go to high seas rally.com. High seas rally.com and check it out. And if you want a different experience with some really nice, fun people that, that dress like bikers, get your tickets in and have this great experience. What time of year does that happen?
Gary Michaels:
We're leaving on October. I want to say October 29. This year. I want to say. I don't have it in front of me, but it's Halloween week this year. Yes. And Halloween is my favorite time of year. And I'm pretty sure I'm doing another Halloween show, which we did last year, which was phenomenal. Absolutely amazing, people. But this year we're going to the Bahamas. We're going to Bimini Freeport, Nassau, and we're going to make a stop at the Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco cay, which has some amazing bars, amazing water sports. We're just going to do some island hopping. The Bahamas this year on IC's rally. All I ask is use promo code Gary Michaels, and I'll give you that $150 shift credit. Well, ladies, the most amazing time. I can't express it enough, brother. The most. And you don't have to be a biker, okay? You can come and enjoy all the theme nights. You know, our party band on the ship is called Steelrod. They are absolutely amazing and they're somewhere in San Francisco. I think. You don't have to be a biker. You can wear whatever you want. There's no kids, there's no drama. There's no stress. Just biker attire, dress code, wear your shorts at a tank top and just enjoy yourself and forget about the world for a little while, man. Seven days. Well, let's Royal Caribbean's radiance of the seas. Extremely luxurious ship. It's absolutely amazing.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think you can hear the commercial side of Gary's radio background coming out with that Adam promo for the high seas rally.com. So be sure to check it out. Gary, we really appreciate you offering that special bonus and information on the cruise and sharing your life as a biker slash hypnotist slash magician radio expert. All the exciting things that have made your life such a success. Thanks so much for being on the podcast and sharing some of your story with my audience.
Gary Michaels:
I can't thank you enough for allowing me to be on your program and I can't thank Andy enough. Andy, I love Andy so much. But listen, brother, thank you very much for having me on your program. I truly, truly appreciate it.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, it's been a real pleasure and some great information. Thanks so much for sharing it. And Andy Gross at comic Ventriloquist helped put this together. So thank you to him, ladies and gentlemen. If you're cruising around, especially the east side of the country, Florida, Kentucky, those areas, keep an eye out for Gary Michaels. He's a comedy hypnotist that is very successful. And if you have any interest in learning about bikers or biker entertainment, be sure to check him out. He does have a website. It is garymichaels.net dot. If you get a chance, check it out. There's some great videos and information there.
Gary Michaels:
And don't forget, yeah, we're on all the socials as well. Facebook, I guess. I'm a big fan of Facebook because that's when I use the most. But there are some really, really cool reels and some really cool videos that I posted on Facebook that I can't post anywhere because they're a little risque, but they're a lot of fun to watch.
R. Scott Edwards:
Well, ladies and gentlemen, you've heard it straight from the horse's mouth. Gary Michaels, thank you so much for being on the show, ladies and gentlemen. We'll be back next week with another entertaining podcast for you. Thanks for listening. Bye.
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