Welcome to the Kindness Chronicles, where once again we hope to inject the world with a dose of the Minnesota Nice that it desperately needs. Today, we are going to be having a program that I've been hoping to do for a couple of months now. We are going to celebrate Vince Flynn. I knew him as Vinny. I've got on the, uh, the horn with us. We got, uh, KG, KG, and then we've got who I have always believed to be Vinny's best friend, JB Lloyd. JB, welcome.
Thank you, John. Uh, I don't know if I go that far, but I go way back with, uh, Vinny. So I'm looking forward to the conversation. Well, it's funny because, you know, Vinny was one and we're going to call him Vinny. Cause that's what he was to us. I, uh, I mentioned before on this call that for some reason when I would see him at the Barnes and Noble in Harmar, I felt compelled to call him Vince. It just, he just seemed so professional and he would look at me like, I'm Vince now?
I'll get over it. JB, uh, Small world, I was at a homecoming event at Tiff's. My wife asked me to go over to RF Moeller Jewelers to get her ring, uh, polished up. I'm good friends with Bobby. And Bobby introduced me to this woman Amy Lloyd, And it turns out, uh, you might be related to her. Yes, Amy, uh, my wife of, uh, we just celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary. Wow. Wow, that's awesome. Yeah, she just started at, RF Moeller for Bobby here recently.
She had never, good story, she'd never been into tips before. She actually went to St. Kate. She went to St. Kate's. I didn't know her in college. We met after school. She grew up in White Bear Lake. And then we've been living on the west side, so she's never been in there until this last week, so, uh, It doesn't look anything like I remember it, but, uh, it's still the place to go over there. It certainly was. There were a whole, now you were a football player at St. Thomas, weren't you?
That is correct. What position did you play? if you've seen me at all, I didn't play linebacker, I didn't play defensive line. I played quarterback. Okay. That's what I thought. I thought you were a QB. And wasn't, Vinny a quarterback once upon a time? met Vinny at school. Uh, we all showed up there three weeks ahead of time, freshman year for, football training camp. Yeah. And Vinnie and I were both incoming freshmen.
And, one of his classmates from the academy, St. Thomas Academy, Nick Flood, Oh yeah. Was also, uh, was also on the team, and Nick is, uh, you know, You mentioned I'm one of Vinnie's good friends, well, so is Nick, and they go back even further. And Nick and I were both in the quarterback room freshman year, so I got to know Nick right away, and then certainly, uh, got introduced to, uh, to Vinnie once, uh, you know, once camp started. And Nick's dad was, Coach Flood, right? That's right.
Okay. Santa Claus. Yeah, the legend. He was a legend. I played, uh, I played golf, and, uh, one of the, and the Floods are, I mean, they're everywhere, right? In St. Paul, I went to college with Tom Flood and, and know Nick and. Uh, it's funny, his dad was an institution there, and if you had any classes in the Phi Ed department, if you had any sports that you played, you'd bump into Coach Flood and he was just the throwback. Yeah, a couple, couple things there.
Coach Flood, you're right, was still, uh, teaching, uh, by Ed, and actually two of the coaches on our football team in, in 1980, uh, well, actually, yeah, it was 1984, the fall of 84 when I joined, uh, both Tommy and Michael Flood. We're coaching for Mark Deanhart. Oh, wow. On that team. So yeah, I think, and if Nick, when he hears this, he'll correct me, but I think there were 13 floods in the family. No kidding. And was Nick a punter? I swear he was a punter in high school.
Well, he was as good an athlete. Probably come out of the academy. He was a, a, a really good quarterback. He, he was a, he was a big kid, um, very athletic. Um, I saw him kick the ball a few times. He didn't punt for us, but I'm sure he could do that. He actually played, I think one year of football and then he went on and played, uh, for the basketball team there at the college. So he was a, he was a hell of a basketball player too. those floods were quite athletic.
I, um, marvel at their abilities and there were so damn many of them. my freshman year at St. Thomas, you guys would have been juniors, there was a guy on my floor who, absolutely admired Vinnie Flynn. And he was a kid from Buffalo Grove Illinois and I wish I could remember his name but he did the greatest Vinnie Flynn impersonation.
And at that point I really didn't know Vinnie but he would come in and he would do this thing where he would slap himself on the on the thighs and he was like being Vinnie Flynn. And, uh, Jim Griffin and some of those guys just lost their minds because it was such a spot on impersonation event, so. Yeah, the funniest impersonation of Vinny I ever saw was from his younger brother, Tim. Yep. And Timmy just had him down like there was no tomorrow.
And, you know, being the younger brother, he would do it and Vinny really didn't appreciate it. But we were all rolling, laughing. And, uh, he was, uh, you know, he was the best one. They had such a great family. Um. I think there are five of them in the family. I think there were four or five boys, five boys and two girls. Uh, his mom and dad, Terry and Kathy, um, unbelievable people. I had the chance many times to go out to their house in apple Valley.
And, uh, Vinnie would, you know, invite me back every now and then for like a Sunday dinner during college. So I can get a home cooked meal every now and then, and, you know, really appreciated and enjoyed them. A couple of them played on the team with me. Pat did, uh, Vinnie's younger brother, Kevin went on, was a hell of a basketball player too, I think he played at South Dakota state, Timmy ended up playing for the college as well.
Um, I actually stuck around for a couple of years after I graduated in 88 and coached and I had the opportunity to coach Tim. Uh, but just, you know, what a great family. And, uh, they, they were all Flynn's and a lot of them called them Flinner. You know, everybody's calling him Flinner. Hey, Flinner, Flinner. We never called, uh, Vince Flinner. It was always Vinny. Vinny and KG, you know, uh, uh, what is he? Senior commander, Tim Flynn. Oh, yeah, that's a great story.
So I was closer with Timmy. Uh, Flynn in college. I knew Vince, but, uh, Timmy was the guy that I knew. And so I, you know, I spent a lot of my winters at the Excel center in St. Paul and a couple of years ago, I was wandering around there. And of course there's a very strong St. Paul police presence in that building running security. And I don't know, it's just five, six years ago. I, I, I bump into my guy, Timmy and I, Hey, officer Flynn. And he's got a group of cops around me stops.
And he goes, Corgi it's master commander Flynn to you. And I could not, I couldn't hold it in. I wanted to show the respect. That, you know, that he deserves, especially in front of his guards, but I, I burst out laughing and now every time I see him, it's just master commander. How are you? And he's at every home game. So I eventually will at some point bump into him and he's just an absolute character. I love that guy.
Yeah, he's been in law enforcement a long time and, uh, it was the perfect place for him to land. I think it's a great, great fit for Tim. Well, I ran into, he was down, uh, at a, at a wild game and he was with, uh, Axel Henry, who is now the, the chief of police. And I remember Tim had on, you know, his, he had on his uniform and he had a short sleeved shirt on. And he clearly has been doing more, uh, dumbbell curls than I have.
And I, I said to Chief Henry, he wasn't the chief at the time, I said, Do they care? Do these shirts come in men's sizes? And, uh, I don't think Tim ever heard that, but if he listens to this, he'll probably, uh, wonder what the hell is wrong with me. as this is the Kindness Chronicles, the reason I wanted to, celebrate Vince was I remember long ago, I was one of the people that had the privilege of reading. One of his original manuscripts. I have it in my safe in the basement.
And I think that, the reason he picked me, to read it is at the time, among this group of gals that, uh, Kevin's, uh, long time companion and my wife, there's a group of gals that, uh, I'm guessing Vince dated several of them and several others wish that Vince would have dated them, but let's not go there. Vinny never had any problems with the gals, he asked me if I would read this manuscript because at the time I read a book.
Like I was probably the only guy of that group that actually read a book that wasn't assigned to him. And I was a big fan of, Ludlum and Tom Clancy and those kind of things. And I'll never forget, I sat down, I read the thing, I was blown away by the storytelling, just the way that he, he wove this together. The only critique I had for him was I don't get the title, and the title is something like the right to rise up.
And, uh, he said, oh, I'm not in charge of the title anyways, you know, if I get a publisher they'll change the title anyways, and the title was absolutely brilliant, but... After all of his fame, I would, I would still go and, you know, get the book signed and stuff. And he'd always make a point of, waving to me, waving me up. And I'm like, I'm not going to walk to the front of the line in front of all these people. And, uh, just, he never changed. He was always Vinny.
And, uh, I was just always amazed with the fact that, he's friends with Rush Limbaugh and he's friends with George Brett and the King of Jordan and, uh, he was still just a regular guy. And it's remarkable to me. Yeah, he was riding in, uh, The car with George Bush, right? Whatever they call that vehicle, right? I mean, he just jumps in the car, and Bush says, yeah, get in. Come on.
I mean, you know, the thing about Vince, and it's been true ever since I first met him, uh, he just, he's one of those guys, you know, there's a lot of us when we walk into a room, you know, people don't really notice, but when Vinnie walks in a room, everybody notices. And there's a lot of reasons for that, right? He can be a little loud, he can be a little boisterous. Um, tall guy, well put together, um, but he's really captivating, right?
I mean, if, if, if you guys ever had the opportunity, I mean, he could tell, he could make the most mundane, boring story into the greatest escapade of all time. And you'd be just, you'd be just hanging on every word. And, you know, sometimes, you know, he would also, you know, he also liked to have fun with you or fun with other people.
And, you know, he could get in your face a little bit, and he wouldn't really tear you down, but he could, you know, he could rip you upside down a little bit, but at the end, he always found a way to bring it back around, and he always put his arm around you, or you'd always have a smile on your face, and he always made you feel good.
At the end of that conversation, and it was a, and we noticed that, you know, the guys that, um, had the opportunity to live with Vince and I, and we had a whole bunch of them, um, you know, could really tell that he had a unique ability. He was so, I mean, he was so proud of his St. Thomas Academy days. He was such a, he was such a fan and admirer, I think, of history. And, uh, you know, military history and battles and things.
And he, I don't, I, I, I, I was just so impressed always with his just ability to captivate people. And, uh, um, it was just all, he was always fun to be around. You wanted to be in the room next to him. Uh, every chance you got. Absolutely. And do you recall, um, the, uh, you know, he was also an extremely patriotic guy. And I believe that his original intention was to be a naval aviator of some sort. Is that accurate? Do I recall that right? Yes. And what happened though?
I remember him telling me the story. I don't know if he had flat feet or how he got DQ'd, but, um, and that was a joke. Um, but he, he had something though. He did, he had a disqualifier. He, uh, he looked at the air force in the, in the air force academy and something disqualified him. I don't, I can't remember exactly what it was, but yes, he, he was very, uh, patriotic. Um, like I said, I think a lot of that came from his history, right?
He was very proud, um, you know, proud American and certainly he, uh, you know, kind of had aspirations to do whatever he could. His part and, um, you know, support our country. Yeah, maybe it was excessive handsomeness. That's probably what, uh, my wife and some of her pals would say about, uh, about Vinny's, uh, shortcomings, if he ever had any. I don't think there were many. I just, what I really admired about Vinny the most is, you know, we were also proud.
That a St. Thomas guy had gone and made it big, right? I mean it was a really cool deal to see how big Vince got and you know, he was a regular guest on Dan Barrero's show on the fan and and so what I was so impressed with as he got bigger and bigger and bigger to have these successes and these books and these relationships you guys have referenced with all the The big stars out there, he never seemed to change.
And when, when he'd be on a Ferrero and the conversation would be about how he would research, um, and, and how the access he got, and he really could have used that as a platform to pump his own tires. But for, for me, what was so impressive is he always brought it back to the book and the story and the characters in the book. It wasn't about him.
And to me, it just summed up when you hear people use the adjective humble, that to me is what I admired the most about, about Vinny, especially later in his career and just the way he handled the last couple of years when, um, certainly that had to be an extraordinarily difficult time for himself and his family. Um, he just stayed so grounded, still so much about others than himself. Um, and that's why, you know, John and I have talked about doing this JV for a while.
And when you think of Kindness Chronicles and shining a light on somebody that deserves it, I think of a guy like Vinny and the way he handled himself. And I just, I thought it would fit exactly to what this podcast is all about. Yeah, go ahead, Kevin. Yeah, I was just gonna say, I mean, that was well said. He, um, yeah, the end was, was certainly very tough. And he always had time, um, for people. I went to a number of, um, you know, all those early book signings.
And he would always kind of point me out. I'd stand in the back of the room, right? And everyone was asking questions about he's traveling here. He's traveling there. He's meeting all these people. You know, what's life like? And he'd turn around. He'd point to some of us in the back and he'd say, Hey. You know, I've got some good friends here that have been married for 10 or 15 years, and Vince really worked on his, you know, his craft.
I mean, he was, he was, you know, head down, working his tail off, um, to make it, and he gave up a lot, you know, early on in his life after, uh, after college, and it was a commitment that he had, and I, I, you know, I've been trying to, you know, for many times, I've tried to think back, what was the moment, right? Because we were living together after college, and... We came home one day from work and being at a good job. He had a good job at general foods.
He got a nice job right out of college and he was doing fine, but he could just tell something really wasn't right. And he really didn't like it. And he came home and he said, Hey, I quit my job today. Um, I'm going to go back to bartending at O'Gara's. And I'm going to write a book and my roommate and I literally fell off the couch. Who was the roommate, J. B.? Uh, his name was Dave Santoni. Okay. Uh, Dave was from Omaha and, uh, worked, um, in town here with Mike McFadden.
We lived with Mike, uh, a bunch as well, too. But, uh, it was Dave and I. And... That thing came so far out of a Twins reference, Left Field, you know, we didn't see that coming at all. And, um, he kind of toyed around with it for a while, bartended for about a year or so, and then he came home again and he said, hey, I quit my job at O'Gara's, I'm moving to Denver, to Colorado, to finish my book. Wow. And again, we're, we're just like, what is, what is going on?
And we never really saw it coming. I mean, obviously, you knew he had a, um, you know, very unique and talented ability as an order, you know, somebody that could tell a great story. Um, but he really dove in and nobody, I don't think many people really gave him a chance. And, and, you know, the more I think about it, I'm sure knowing the type of person that Vince was. You know, that really motivated him and he found something he was passionate about. Um, I think he was making some progress.
It sounds like John, he got some good feedback from people like you. Um, I was one of those guys that didn't read a book unless I was required to. So he never asked me, he never asked me to read anything, uh, um, or Dave Santoni. So it was, it was. As you look back on, or you know, as I look back, I questioned it at the time, but as I look back, it, you know, the type of guts and nerve that it took to put really everything on the line. And he wasn't going to let it fail. And he obviously didn't.
And, as I understand it, he self published that first book. Like, he got a few bucks from some local guys. And, uh, I mean, I've got, obviously, one of his, the original books, with the green cover that's apparently, you know, a collector's item. Yeah, yeah, I do as well. Cloak and Dagger Press, or something like that. Yeah, I think it was, I think one of the guys was Mike Andrews. It was, yes. Who owned a few establishments, uh, in town. And I think there were a few guys behind it.
Um, but, uh, Yeah, it was quite a story. Tom Bernard was an early adapter, and he was a big cheerleader for Vince. And, you know, I think what drew people to Vince, you know, you mentioned that he was such a great storyteller. And he, you know, KG, you mentioned, you know, just the, the humility that the guy had, but really more than anything is he just made the people around them, around him feel like they matter.
I mean, he really, when you were with him, I remember running into him at the state fair. And I can, and this was, this was deep into his success. And I was shocked that he was at the state fair and KG was kind of like, you would walk, you know, he was walking around with his hat way down, you know? So, so nobody, you know, what's the term used? Clumps? No, I'm teasing. It's the great Minnesota clump together.
So, yeah, but, uh, You know, I, I just went up and said hello and I was with Becky and, you know, I didn't, I kind of felt like this guy has become such a big deal that I'm just going to say hi and he's like, well, where are you going? I'm like, well, I figured that you got people to see things to do.
And he's like, well, let's, I mean, and it was just like what, you know, and I consider myself sort of like third tier, the third ring of friends, but he treated me like I was, you know, right up there on Mount Rushmore with you, JB. Hey, you know, I attribute a lot of that to his family. He came from a home of, you know, five brothers, two strong, you know, strong willed sisters. His mom and dad were exceptional people. You know, that stuff, it doesn't leave you.
And he had a real solid foundation there. I'm sure growing up in a family of that size, I didn't have that many brothers and sisters, but I'm sure you had that. You know, you had to make a name for yourself and you had to, um, certainly understand what it took, you know, to be successful and, and to support and to love your family. And, uh, he, he certainly, I think. Carried that forward in everything that he did. And J. B., where did you grow up? I grew up in Mankato. Oh!
So, uh, I was born and raised there and then, uh, came up here to go to the, to go to the college in, uh, in 1984. West or east? I went to west. Oh, God, I hate those guys. Yeah. My, my, uh, my kids, uh, played football for Mata Midi. We'd always make it to the first round of the state tournament. And for whatever reason, we'd always get stuck playing Mankato West and they would just crush us. And, uh, yeah. So not a fan. Not a fan. Sorry.
If anybody asks, I laid the, I, my class helped lay the foundation for all the success that they're having. It started, yes. That's where it all started. Yeah. I love it. Um, the, uh, the, tell me, do, do you have a family, JB. I do, yeah, with, uh, as I mentioned, my wife Amy and I have been married for 29 years. I've got a son, uh, who's going to be 27 here coming up in about a month. All right. And I've got a daughter who's, a daughter who's 26 and they both live in town. Oh, nice.
Uh, we get, we get to see them a lot and, uh, and, and spend a lot of time with them. So, um, you know, born and raised here in Minnesota and, uh, certainly have, uh, my mother still lives in Mankato. So, uh, I get down to see her, uh, frequently and, uh. Well, I'm heading down. KG, I just got to tell you, I'm heading to Mankato on Friday. And I'm having lunch with my, uh, 99 year old, uh, girlfriend down there. And, uh, she's excited because she's got a 20 percent off coupon for the Perkins.
Uh, so, we're gonna, we're going wild. We're probably gonna get an appetizer. And, uh, she eats. Well, you get a discount, John, if you're 55 plus. Are you there yet? I am. I am. John is there. You get a coupon too. It's called Old Age. It's finally happened. I'm going to start hitting from the gold T's too. Exactly. Well, no, I, I was going to ask JB. I know the kids were fairly young, uh, when Vinnie passed back in 2013, but did they have?
A decent relationship with Vinny and did they get to know him a little bit? Uh, you know, as you guys stayed in touch and we're good friends. Yeah. I, you know, a little bit KG it, um, It, you know, it's, it's hard, right? Your life comes up and people are doing, you know, different things. And, um, Vince was actually in, in Amy and my wedding. Um, so another, uh, interesting fact, he was the life of the party at that reception as well, too. I felt. Kind of like the third wheel.
Well, coincidentally, JB, he wasn't in my wedding, but he was at my wedding. And, uh, KG, I'll have to tell you about the gals from the crew that, uh, were giving Vinny the eye at the time. It was, uh, that was back in 96 and he was unattached. So he was... Oh boy, I bet they were howling at him. He was very popular, let's just say that. Oh, goodness, yeah. So, so I will tell you, John, all my kids have his books. Um, Amy, Amy obviously knew him very well.
And, um, he couldn't have been, um, you know, nicer and more loving of her and what she means to me and how we kind of progressed. And as I mentioned, you know, he, he kind of put on this, he kind of put off, you know, starting his own family to, you know, kind of fulfill the dream that he had of, of, of getting these books off, uh, off the ground. And, um, and I know it was always something that he would get to, um, but he was always a huge supporter and a great friend of mine.
Do you have any, uh, any stories from your, your early days with Vince that are especially memorable that, uh, might entertain the, uh, the listeners? Well, you know, when I came up from Mankato, um, I think one of the only reasons Vince kind of latched on to me is because I had a car at college and Vinny, uh, Vinny didn't.
So, Nicky Flood didn't have a car either, I, you can imagine with his size of his family fighting over, you know, getting some wheels was tough, but, um, so I would, he would give me the tour of St. Paul, I quite honestly, you know, knew some, some things about Minneapolis and from, from Mankato, you go to Edina and, you know, you used to go to Bloomington, you know, where they go into Met Stadium or whatever, but I didn't know that much about St. Paul and he was the greatest tour guide, right?
Imagine, um. Having a tour guide like that and the places that we saw and the things that we did, whether it was Grand Old Days and you mentioned it, John, or it was, um, you know, going down to, you know, St. Patrick's Day, oh my gosh, I mean, the stories about getting up early and, uh, getting on that bus and taking it down Grand Avenue, downtown St. Paul for St. Patrick's Day, um, just a number of things, but he really got me to understand, appreciate, and fall in love with St. Paul.
And what are you doing living on the west side of town? Well, that's a good question. It is. I get asked that as a St. Paul guy, you know, from, from a lot of my friends. So, um, you know, when you get married, those decisions aren't always your own. Oh, yes, yes. Yes. I'll just leave it there. Forgive me. Sorry. Um, are you, you know, Vince would often, you know, use the names of, uh, of people that he knew in his books. Was there a... Was there a Colonel Lloyd? I don't recall.
Did you make it into any of his books? No, there wasn't, but there's kind of a, kind of a interesting story. Um, I sent you a picture earlier this week, John, of Vince, and it was at a tournament, a golf tournament, down in Mankato. It was actually at Mankato Golf Club. Okay. And I guess, whether this is good or bad, I really, I introduced... Vinny to golf. He hadn't ever played. Um, when we were in college, I actually played on the golf team.
So I actually played KG as well for Coach Flood in the spring. Yeah. Um, and so, you know, most of the stuff was in the fall, but I played a little bit in the spring. But, um, so I was still playing some competitive golf in the state. Vinny kind of said, well, you know, let's go out and play. I mean, he was as bad as you could get, right? And, uh, but he, he kind of got Pat pretty passionate about it. And I know, uh, towards the end he was very passionate about it and he had gotten a lot better.
But we, we would go to this tournament. I invited these guys, all these college guys, Nick Flood would come down. Tom Tracy, Tom Tracy, former from, he was at Notre Dame, but when he'd come home, he'd, he'd come down and I'd bring all these guys down to this tournament. You know, there was a kind of a first or championship flight that I would play in, but they had flights for everybody.
It didn't matter what you shot, you'd get put in the flight with similar guys, and these guys would come down, and you saw the scores that were on that scoreboard that I showed you. I mean, it was... It wasn't good. No, it was well in excess of a hundred and these guys had so much fun and then they do a Calcutta on, you know, one of the nights and so it was, it was a big party and, um, we'd stay at my late cabin down there and just play cards all night and it turned out to be great.
But one of the guys from Mankato that, um, would play in the tournament all the time. His name was Andy rep. Oh, and if you know, you know, anything about the books, yes, it's a rather prominent name. So, um, yeah, so although my name is nowhere to be found in any of those books, which is just fine. Um, Andy Rapp's name, I think is probably a pretty prominent.
It's interesting because I know several people with the name Rapp who claim that they're the reason that the Mitch Rapp name, you know, do you know Eric Rapp? I do not. Okay, so he was a St. Thomas Academy grad. He probably would have been a freshman the year you graduated. And really athletic guy. And I was always under the impression that it was named for him. But it was Andy Rapp. That's hilarious. I never got a confirmation from Vince. I never really asked him.
But that dates back to about 1989. Okay. Or 1988. So if someone can go back before that, then, um, certainly they could link. They could lay claim to it. Well, I may, I just may have started a controversy that's gonna get the people talking, so. I love it. We had, uh, uh, the rookie from the, the GarageLogic, uh, show on a couple of, couple of months ago. And he mentioned that he was proud that he, uh, that he got into the book, um, as a dog.
Uh, one of the, uh, one of the character's dog was named Rookie. And, you know, you, you mentioned that he was, uh, KG, you mentioned that he was always on the, the Dan Barrero show, but he always was first on Soushire's show. And, you know, Soushire, his interviews with, uh, with, uh, Vinny are played. All the time when they take a day off, they play a best of show.
And, you know, every fourth show is one of the, the Vince interviews and that was a guy that, you know, obviously his charisma was, was incredible, but he was, that's so good. But such a great communicator. Yeah, I mean, honestly, and I got to know him through the Borrello show because I'm kind of a fanaholic and I just, he was so comfortable, such a good storyteller. I know JV's touched on that as well.
Um, and, and obviously he's world famous, one of the best, you know, all time when it comes to his, uh, his style of, you know, being an author. But I mean, just on the radio, some guys don't have that translate. Some guys that are writers are real stiff in that setting. He was the opposite of that. He was, he could have had a radio show and, and, and could have just crushed it. Could have been syndicated the whole thing. I mean, he had that way about him. I mean, what a talented human being.
Yeah. I encourage he on, yeah. Wasn't he on a few Fox episodes as well? Um, on some of their news, new show, I have a feeling he was, I can't remember exactly, but KG, you know, it's funny because when, when you say that, how comfortable he was, I didn't know until, I don't know when it was, it was years after he published his first book that he was, uh, that he had dyslexia. I had no idea. He never told, he never told anybody.
at college, he, um, I will tell you, he was not very proficient when it came to English at the, at the college. He struggled. And, um, it was, you know, we used to kind of make fun of it. Um, cause he would, you know, we, we, we were just puzzled, right. Cause he was so into. And he could tell a story, but getting it kind of down on paper, he, he struggled.
And we did, we, you know, I was still mature at the time and I wasn't really paying attention that, you know, nothing like that ever crossed my mind. And I learned years later that he was, you know, he had dyslexia and he, and really challenged him immensely. And it, it obviously impacted him. Right. And to fight through that.
And to choose a profession to go, you know, go right into the headwind of something that's probably your biggest challenge in life and overcome that, uh, to me is just, you know, a testament of. You know, who Vinny was, uh, and who Vinny still is. KG, that would be, that would be like you and I deciding we're going to become aerobic constructors. Or no, nutritionists. Yeah, there you go. Nutritionists.
It's remarkable that he was able to land where he was, he had the passion for that, and overcame so much just to even get started. Like, how do you get to that place where you say, alright, I've got this, I've got this issue, you know, requires me, it's going to be extra difficult if I go this route, but this is my passion and this is what I want to do.
And then when you, when you told the story about how he just came home and said, I'm going to be a bartender, I'm going to write a book and had no worry whatsoever. You guys probably were like, this guy's nuts. He's insane. But, and then to see the whole thing play out the way it did, it is, I mean, I, there has to be at some point a movie, uh, that gets done.
To tell his wife's story, because it's, you know, that, that to me is the, uh, the icing or the cherry on top of the Sunday, because it already is such a long shot, right. To make it as big as he did, to have the relationships he had with the, you know, the, the, the president and the people that Really make the big decisions on that side of things. And, uh, you know, to know that he overcame, uh, everything he did just to get started, I, I just find it to be one hell of a story.
What is, uh, what I think is, is really fascinating, you know, is, you know, is the fact that he knew so much about, you know, the world, world politics. And I would love right now. For Vinny to be around to truly explain what's going on in Israel with Hamas and to the North Hezbollah. And I mean, he could get into the weeds on those type of topics and actually know what he's talking about.
And to your, to your point, JB, if you go to YouTube and you, you, you, you put in Vince Flynn, there are so many videos of him and I've watched every one of them. Many, many times I just, I, I find the guy so entertaining and I've watched, he was on with Bill O'Reilly, I mean he's been on with, you know, some of the biggest names, uh, in entertainment and the guy just slayed every time that he was on. And he did, just, to your point KG, the humility just came through.
One last kind of funny story and then we can wrap this up. He talked about the time that he met Bill Clinton. Do you remember that story? J. B.? I do not. Okay. I don't.
So, he, and I, the only reason I know it is because, uh, he talked about it on the, uh, the Garage Logic show, and he said he had met Bill Clinton a while back, and he was just impressed with how Bill Clinton was just so attentive, and it was, it was, it wasn't a surprise that he was a successful politician, because when he talked to you, you really felt like he was talking to you.
He said, until Okay. The second time I met him and my wife Lisa was, was with me and he said, he said, Bill came up to me and he goes, Hey, I know you. And he said he didn't look him in the eye. All he could do is look at his wife and Vince in the, in the interview, Vince is like, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, I'm here. I'm the one that you know. the ex president had his way with things as well, but But can you just see him? Hey, I know you. Yeah, uh, that's a good story.
And by the way, I don't blame Bill Clinton at all for that. And I, a lovely person. John, I'm, I'm so appreciative and thankful that you, that you called. Um, I, I can't believe it's 10 years either. Um, it's, it's, you know, you mentioned how Vinny was very humble. It's humbling for me to, you know, Think about him again. I think about him every day and that's not cliche. Something happens in my life that reminds me of him or makes me think about him.
Um, the influence he had on me, the, you know, how lucky I feel to have spent the time that I did. Um, I am not Vinny's best friend. Um, there are people that are certainly closer to him than me, but, um. I consider him my best friend. that's quite a compliment. It really is. And that's kind of how I feel about KG. KG's got, no, I mean, seriously, I mean, KG, I'm not kidding. That we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna get out the tissues people.
But, but there are people like Vince who have such a magnanimous personality that there are a lot of people that that just would love to be best friends with Vince. And Vince just, he, he oozed that kind of kindness to everybody that was around him. And I, I, the reason I Called you is because I recalled you being his best friend in college. So I'm going to check that box. And as we grow old, we, you know, move different directions and life gets in the way of, uh, of your friendships.
But KG, in many ways, you're kind of that guy. Like, I know that that guy that runs the golf course down in, at the casino says he's your best friend. I don't, I don't buy it. Yeah, kudos to Mike Lovecraft. We love Lucky, but uh, we don't do a podcast together. That's right. I just, I just think of the people that I, like John, like Mark McAfee, that I was There you go. tight with in college that I am still tight with today.
And I just think, listening to you tell those stories, the The one down to Apple Valley for a family dinner that had to be just priceless to see those goofballs all together. Vinny's, you know, sister was one of our athletic trainers uh, when I played hockey at St. Thomas and I just, awesome. As you said, strong personality, great personality, wonderful people. Um, and I, I just love that I still bump into Master Commander Flynn at every single wild game because you have that connection.
You know, when you go to school with these guys and you play sports together and you're, you're in that same network, it's a small circle. I mean, I know St. Thomas has gotten so big, but if you go back to the eighties and, and, and look at what we had and, and some of us into the early nineties, it took the seven year plan, um, it was a much smaller setting and I, and I bumped into people that we all hung out with. To this day, it takes me back to one of my favorite times in my life.
So I really appreciate you sharing these stories and, and, and just bringing us back into Vinny before he was Vince Flynn, the author, just Vinny at St. Thomas, those were good times. And as this is the Kindness Chronicles, we'll end on that note. But thank you, J. B. Thank you, K. G. Um, just, uh, was really looking forward to, uh, to putting this together. I, uh, hope to run into you sometime. You got it. Thank you, John. And thank you, Kevin. All right. Thank you guys. It'd be awesome.
And off we go.