THE HILLBILLY VAGABOND

Hey, folks, it's Lyle. Before we get into the episode, I wanted to talk to you guys about a new thing I'm doing where you can help support my lizard endeavors by becoming a premium member of this podcast over at Therapy Gecko dot supercast dot com. Premium members, or gek Legends, as I call them, we'll be able to get every new and existing episode of Therapy Gecko completely

Hey man? You got the real Worldwide Murdock the Hillbilly vagabond on with you right now?

I repeat repeat that.

For me, The real live Murdoch the Hillbilly Vagabond with you right now.

The real live Murdoch Hillbilly Vagabond. That's you.

That's right.

Uh, well, what's your story, Murdoch the Vagabond.

Well, that's what's probably mind blowing. Most of it sounds absolutely unbelievable, but I got pictures to prove it. Just pick a region of the world maybe and we can start there.

Or.

Any region of the world.

Yeah, yeah, pretty much. I've pretty much lived everywhere. I've a was kind of a crazy hillbilly entrepreneur back in the day.

Any region of the world, yeah.

Except and I'll go there one day.

But yeah, all right, all right. Ireland, Well, the.

Only place in Ireland I've been with Shannon. The green grass was super green and the beer was good. That was more of a transitory spot heading through, but definitely a place to visit. Afghanistan, Oh, got well, all over Afghanistan. I was there early in the Taliban Last Stan Phase three. Kandahar ran up the bag room quite a lot. It was hot than cold, lots of dust, of ten months of boredom, about ten seconds of terror on occasion. That's how that usually went down.

Alaska, Yeah, toodn't cold.

That was more of a transitory spot. I played with a bunch of things that fly, and there's a lot of flying folks up there in Alaska. The best memories there was not too many people and that made me happy.

Uganda, Jambo, Jambo.

I spent more of most of my Africa time on the West coast, but I did have a lot of Ugandans that work for me, and they do actually speak some Swahili and akunamatada is a real saying and it means exactly what Disney said.

Uh, I can't think of any other places. Oh wait, Greenland.

Well, I've gone through Greenland a few times and it's not green that's an absolute lie. Iceland's actually the cooler place. Greenland. It's just rocks and ice.

So what do you do? What's your deal?

Well, that's the weird thing is I live about four simple rules, but the fourth one is why not? And that has taken me all over the world. I started a kind of a gold diamond, aluminum or iron ore prospecting company in West Africa with some on demand air service. Was also got into air rescue and vip flying there. Before that, I did air shows and I played with war birds, old World War two aircraft, and I've just just crazy sailed across the Atlantic on a Polish tall

You're a glorified ambulance driver in the sky. What is What does that entail?

Well, I've got the easy job for poor guys in the back. Those are the ones that work. I basically just take people that's broken, you know, put band aids on them and send them to the booboo box.

Huh when did you start traveling?

Pretty much right out of high school? I was fortunate pre nine to eleven, so I'm kind of old. Got picked up for the Army high school to flight school program, but got hurt before finishing and went back to the work doing that government to stuff and they sent me around the world a few times. Got tired of that, went into my own contracting, tried to be an entrepreneurial type and that landed me by sheer luck and hill Billy Witt. Met the right people in the right places,

And you you did, you had a tuna field operation in Pinta Pey, Australia.

Pinta Pey, Micronesia. My support base was down not terribly far from Melbourne, Australia. It's just easy to get shipments in and out of there. But yeah, yeah, And my other place was in Guadalcanal, which is the Solomon Islands. But my territory went from South America, Central America, all the way to Indonesia, to Korea up towards Alaska down to New Zealand. I've pretty much been to most every island nation there is in the Pacific during that period of my life.

Montana, what about Montana.

Toune in cold and they got some wicked skeeters that you'd never believe. But man, when the skeeter season hits up there in that marshy stuff, I ain't about it. A lot of folks like it up there, just because it's sparsely populated. But I have this thing, it is absolutely against my religion to walk on water. If I can walk on water, I have to seek a latitude more inclined to my personal beliefs.

Oh.

By the way, I am Jewish by birth, but I'm also a duty priest. So that's been pretty handy going around the world because I've got to marry a couple of folks off you know, and the interesting places.

What do you what do you explain what you mean by it's against your religion to walk on water?

How so well, I figured there was only one guy religiously that was good enough to do that. So if water becomes solid, it is no longer a climate in which I can sustain myself. Therefore I seek something much more inclined to like Margarita's sunsets, you know, feet on the beach.

You're saying it, like, is it sacrilegious to walk on to like walk on ice?

Just for me, that's real number three. It's only my business if I can walk on water, not But if I can't stand on solid water, it's too dang cold.

So you started off Jewish and then you became you said a dudast priest. What is that?

Well, No, I was born Jewish. That that's that's kind of different. That's that's a whole genetic thing. I was never practicing, but I do have a yamaka and I can blend down on occasion. But yeah, no, I've been through a whole lot of religions trying to find my place. I've been through that wonderful Latter day Saints. They have

I thought that I thought that Mormons have like a lot of wives.

Well that's only one group of them. Uh, strangely enough, there is a group that is that way. And again rule number three, that ain't my business what they do. They're happy doing that that to them, But I found that it is awful dang hard for me to please want much less multiple women. So I have attempted and was unsuccessful. I've given that laugh.

Up alright, So what is a dudast priest?

Oh, well, dudas priests. We just kind of followed the morals and ideas and the ways of the dude, which came from a great movie which I shall not name just for copyright reasons, but the ideas to be too.

Oh, this is all from the Big Labet. Are you doing a bit right now? No?

Well, I'm not doing a bit right now. This is my actual real life. I'm telling you, I'm probably that most interested man in the world. Commercial was modeled after me and I just didn't know it.

I have a question, go ahead, how did you end up? Like? How did you find me on Twitch and call me? How did you end up here?

Actually? Enough, my coworker here, uh, probably the most educated and talented paramedic in the world. He's a whole lot more than that, but he just fixes busted up people that I fly him around. But that being said, he is an avid follower of you, and we've been talking here for almost a year since this new base opened up. He goes, man, you have got to tell your story to the therapy get go. I'm like what, he goes Yeah, I'm like, well put him on some time and I

So where are you at in your religious beliefs now?

I am once called a free agent. I've quite literally lived with every culture of the world. I mean, being American, the kind of default you grow up in the Christian faithhood. But I've had a hard time with that in my past because I've I've went to numerous from the guys you know, ha handling snakes and stuff a little bit too crazy for me, even the Mormons, like I was saying, I spent some time at the Jewish Temple trying to

What's your name again?

I'm Mike. My old call sign marmee call sign was Murdoch. That's that's the crazy.

Hell right murder? All right, well I'll call you Mike. Mike. What's your what's your family friends situation? Who's who's around you in your life? Uh?

Uh?

That that vagabond vagabond? Uh side of me? I stayed pretty much on the go. I have a couple of good close friends, but otherwise I just have a world full of acquaintances, if that makes sense.

Where are you now?

I am currently in a little town in south central Illinois, and I'm real, real hillbilly from Tennessee. That that's home bases, Tennessee.

And this guy that you are working with now is is listens to the podcast and showed you.

This because very religiously surely that's why. After he was hearing some of my stories, which again totally unbelievable, he goes, you have got to talk to the therapy. Get go. And I just tried call him to you. One hundred and fifty two times and finally it came through.

So all right, you have just acquaintances because of your vagabond life. Let me let me bring something up to you. I want to get your thoughts on it. Going anywhere in the world, anytime you want, doing whatever you want, all the time, no restrictions, nobody to tell you what you can and can't do, complete and other total freedom. Is that freedom or loneliness?

It depends if you're comfortable in your loneliness or comfortable being solitary and alone, then it's abso loot freedom. I'd say humans are born to be somewhat social. I think we're a little too socialized now with all the social media stuff, which I believe is causing problems. But out there, one of my favorite places is Micronesia. The island nation of Micronesia, sparsely populated rainforest out on little islands throughout

Well but well, so back to like the whole like social aspect of this. Do you not ever feel lonely or feel as though you want to have a recurring network of people in your life or is that something you've kind of abandoned.

Well, it's never abandoned. I just never considered it. I considered things more on a functional basis, and life for me, just following my four simple rules was made enough acquaintances and friends around the world that I never worried about it. But I was still perfectly content. I'd spent many months totally alone in an African jungle, all by myself, just waiting on a rescue call and totally supporting myself independently, nothing, no contact with the outside world other than a really

Ca'st how old you are?

I absolutely I am forty one.

And you've been doing this since you came into high school?

Yep, yep, pretty much since graduation. I've just had the travel bug, and simply keeping myself frugal and unattached to things has allowed me to go all over. And the whole key to that is is never saying, ooh, maybe I shouldn't. I never said that as long as it was within my means and I wasn't going into debt to do it. Why not? Real number four? And I struck out?

And how did you? I mean, basic stuff like the ability to eat and the ability to sleep in a place where you're not in danger.

Well, it was very dangerous areas. But another weird quirk, I guess in the psychology, psychiatry, whatever how people work is I always presented myself this very friendly but not

And who is who is Ron Tater Salad?

Oh he's a comedian Ron White. Yeah, but AnyWho, so about and got out of there, pretty much sold out of that business. When the po politics started getting real, well, and that's when I got into the tuna fish.

So what uh why then was the thinking, Oh, yeah, so like these places like uh, like like certain parts of Africa, and like the Afghanistan and uh, you know, anywhere else that maybe has a reputation of being like dangerous. What have you learned about that danger whether whether or not it is it is true to the rumor of itself, it is not.

There are places right here in the States that I would consider far more dangerous than most of the Third World nations I've been to, except for a few that are really politically heated right now, Uh, then you just use common sense.

Uh.

But yeah, I had a great time in Africa.

It was.

It was wonderful, great people. The number of times I would have a bad situation, I feel was far less than me being in a rough part of our own country. And you know, other than it being the Third World and not having Walmart and Sacksmith Avenue down the road or go to a McDonald's taco bell, you kind of got to learn how to survive on their means and their economy. But other than that, it was it was a great experience there. All over the Philippines was great.

So after having traveled everywhere in the worlds and having like meeting all these people and doing all these things, do you are you bored? Are you like I already did everything and talked to everyone, and it sounds like you've one hundred percent completed the game.

Strangely enough, I was just talking with us, all of my crew, because what I'm doing is pretty much in game of helicopter flying, and like, aren't you bored? I'm like, now you know again, I'm not a manly man, but I got way too many holes punched in the man car. I just really enjoy today. I'm also a cancer survivor. I almost died of cancer three years ago, ironically, from toxic exposure in Iraq, and that really changed my perspective.

Is your YouTube channel called the Hillbilly Vagabond.

No, it's Murdoch the Hillbilly Vagabond. That's the YouTube channel. But again, I'm not trying to plug my I'm legitimately just wanting to talk to you because my good buddy here that follows you religiously is just been blowing me up for at least six months to make this phone call.

So, Murdoch with the cancer thing, so you have all these doctors and nurses look you in the face and tell you that you need to make your peace with God, and you know that you're going to die. And then you said, no, that's not what's happening. I'm going to walk out it for in two weeks. And you said it very confidently. What what's going on there? What gave you so much confidence in that moment.

Let's go back to an earlier question, you know, where you were asking me, how how did all of this come. And I honestly believe there's something too speaking into existence or willing it to be, because I don't dwell on anything negative. It's everybody has it, you know. And you feel that little pit of anxiety in your stomach when something bad happens or something in the past that pops up, like that little voice in your head that just kind of pops up. I'd literally tell that little voice to

And you know, have you ever a lot of people would call what you would could call what you're talking about something like to be manifesting.

Yeah, that's but yeah.

So have you ever really tried to manifest something that didn't come true for you?

Yeah?

Yeah, And again it's all in the expectations. Previous to this job. Up until about twenty fifteen, I lived overseas

So you know, so, so you had you had this this business and you were setting up like uh uh, it sounds too complicated for me to understand what I'm gonna try to put in a place where I can understand it. You had this business where you were like setting up these arrow you were setting up planes. I'm gonna you were doing airplane stuff in many different countries. And eventually the tax collectors came and the tax collectors were like, hey, you owe us like a lot of money,

Real job? I mean, I'm getting paid to do some awesome stuff, so I can't complain. Uh, But that's pretty much how it went down. And to be known, it was my fault. I was ignorance of the tax laws. So it's not like I'm bashing stuff. I made a legit screw up, and and it's all all done in the past.

Moved on.

But since that point I kind of lost that ambitious drive. That makes sense. I'm super happy just existing today and not worrying about building that empire for tomorrow. And I think a lot of us get caught up in that drive to try to prove that we're valuable by showing that we've accumulated stuff and money and things, and I think that's really driving a lot of sadness in today's world.

So you had this business. It you've you fucked up with the tax thing, and the business was shut down, and at the time, you were a very ambitious focused like let me build my empire, let me build my status, let me build my wealth. Yes, and that all that got depleted and then that kind of started you on the path to where you are right now, where you feel as though you're living more more for every day itself.

Yep, sure enough, that's pretty much how it went. I mean, you know, it's a lot more complicated that, but that's the simple way. But still it's been a hell of a life seeing the whole world many times over. It just I don't know.

I don't either. How long ago did this happen with the tax thing.

I was twenty fifteen, Okay, that was when I was no longer the international man of Mystery, and then I just turned into good old Murder the ambulance driver.

And are you happier since that happens?

Yeah?

Yeah, there was. It was an unimaginable weight lifted off of man. I mean, when you have dozens and dozens of forward bases all over the world, handling hundreds of employees their visas, their paychecks, half of them at different countries, knowing what currency they want to get paid in. Uh, you know, having the high attrition rates because a lot of places I work, most people wouldn't want to be so, you know, you had to be real selective in hiring.

Uh.

Most wouldn't last six weeks, you know, out in the middle of the Pacific on a stinky old fish boat, or in West Africa. You know, most people are are very spoiled on their first world luxuries. We'll just say so. It was. It was a very stressful job. I did enjoy it because I felt I was contributing to the world. But now, you know, looking back on it, it was a heck of an adventure. But I'm just darn happy to be alive today and talking to the therapy get go m.

And I'm thinking a lot about what you're saying. It makes the hell of a lot of sense. I think about it in my own life, you know, because I feel like I lose, I lose. One thing I really try to think about all the time is the fact that that life is such a it's so short, and so even though fun imagined short.

Yeah, yeah, I've got great mentors in their nineties, you know, in their minds, they're still thirty years old, twenty years old, and they can't believe it happened so fast. So that's all. If I could impart anything is as sad as everybody is in today's hyper connected world, is to just slow down a minute, breathe, turn all of that stuff off, and just enjoy you and your immediate surroundings for at least an hour or two a day. Yeah, And it's

Yeah, yeah, like I was saying, I think about it in my own life. It's weird, you know, because I think what I do is has afforded me uh an opportunity to like go travel places and do things and live these these adventures. Because everything that you're talking about is important to you. It's important to me too, going

You know, way too many people don't don't and I mean by don't mean everything, They just don't because of that fear of well what if this or what if that? You know, and just lose out. I went my four simple rules. These are my rules. I didn't get them from anybody else. I just made them up about twenty years ago, as I live.

Offski is it.

No, this is my own, this is my own stuff. It was just something funny that I got into and anyway, that is a whole nother story. But live off of what you earn. If I did not earn it, I don't deserve it. That just basically means there's a lot of people that's been really well off out there. I just try never to be jealous of what they have, you know. And rule number three is the most important rule.

If you skip, you skipped rule number two.

Rule number two is if you didn't earn it, I don't deserve it. Rule number one is I live off of what I earned, so I try not to go into debt for things.

I didn't realized that That hard.

Rule three, that's the most important, most important rule is mind your business and demand those around your mind theirs. That is a hard one to do, but you know, the key to being yourself is don't get yourself tangled up in other people's business. You know, always try to do good, never do harm. But at the end of the day, don't go poke your nose in somebody else's stuff. The same way they you should tell others not to get involved in your business. And then number four is

I like that. I like that Belgium. You ever been to Belgium?

Yeah?

Yeah, I pretty much did the whole European tour, and honestly the best way to do it is by train. But I never lived there, so I can't give you the context of like culture other than that that edge of Europe you know.

Uh, go ahead.

Go ahead, Europe is everybody thinks here in America, you know, as America. The borderers around US. America is huge. You go to Europe from basically Saint Petersburg, Russia all the way to Lisbon, Portugal is not nearly as big as the US, and all it takes is a few hours transit time, and you're in a totally different country with totally different cultures, totally different languages, and they've been there

Train Murdoch the Hillbilly vagabonds as me, and that's your YouTube channel as well.

It is Ye, old Murdoch came up from my army days because I was a crazy kid that could fly everything. And what's funny was here years later. I read the bio for the character Murdoch from the A Team and it's literally me, even though I'm younger than you know. Eighteen was out in the eighties, which was my young childhood days, but the bio for Murdoch is ridiculously identical to who I am.

Well, I have a couple final questions. What do you feel like you learned learned about humanity through all of your trials, your travels.

All right, well this was going to get deep, all right, hit man. What I've learned about humanity is, no matter what race, what religion, what culture, where you've grown up, where you were born, where you've traveled to, for the most part, everybody laughs and cries to the same thing. Another thing I've learned about humanity is that as individuals, most people tend to be good. You know, if I was in any country of the world and I'm just one on one with somebody else, you know we immediately

And when you die, Murdoch, when your adventure comes to an end, what do you think happens?

That all depends. I'm probably going to go out like a legend. So when they put me in the box, if there's a box, if they could even find me, because who knows where I'm going to be when I finally check out. But I definitely want, if that's the situation, folks to come up look at me and absolutely shudder.

But do you do you have any thoughts about I don't know the like, did you believe in a life after death like a heaven or hell or a reincarnation or.

I can't tell you what it is what that's going to be, but just the scientists didn't be one hundred percent. You cannot create nor destroy energy, so we have to transmit from one something something to another. There is no way you can destroy any kind of memory. There's another word for it, but basically information can't be destroyed once it's created. Whatever your soul is, you know, just believe exactly what you want to believe that there is something else,

It is, you know, I've always I was talking to my friend about this. When I die, I kind of don't want to be put in like a box, like just throw me in the dirt, right because I do I agree with what you said. The energy like it has to go somewhere. And I think if I die in a box, I'm not leaving the box. Throw me in the dirt so the ants can eat me and then I can I can like become ants or something.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, anyways, you know who we are in my belief anyways, just the energy contained in the body. The body is just our robot that we control, you know, basically, so when you leave, the body quits work, and that was just you know, it's just now a used car that don't work anymore kind of if that makes sense, No.

It does, I I do. I do have that feeling about you know, we're just like renting our bodies. Yeah, that's why I have this big thing I'm going through and thinking about of like everyone being each other and like I'm all bad things and I'm all good things because we all come from the same whatever.

Oh, I know, we go scientifically, we are one hundred percent made in the supernova of a star. We all started as I'm not a believer in the Big Bang. That's a whole other thing I can go down, uh scientifically anyway. But everything we are, in every rock, every tree, everything around us, you me, everybody is made starting from hydrogen. It was fused and the helium fused in the heavier elements. That only came about through the death of a supernova star.

You know.

I can't fathom how many different things it came to be, how many coincidences for matter to start reproducing and turn into sentient life, you know. So that's the philosophical side. But that's what books me so much of everybody that can't get along. And I know that's been said to add nauseum, but we're literally built of the same crap. Why do we gotta fight?

Ah? Well, Murdoch the hillbilly vagabonds. This has been a nice Uh, it's been a nice time talking with you, man. I really do a prepreciate it. You're hitting on stuff that I've been, you know, thinking about in my personal life a lot. So it's it's good to get the chat with you. You've inspired me to, you know, look beyond my immediates, both look beyond my immediate surroundings for more adventure and also the the the opposite of, just

Nope, just live for today. Don't worry about everything going on around you. Live for today. Try to find one thing in your immediate surroundings every day that makes you happy, and instead of worrying about bills and taxes and medical problems, just for that little bit of time, just think of how lucky you are to have that one little piece of happiness and enjoy it, and then while doing that, try to think and manifest, as you'd say, what you would want to be better tomorrow. And that's it. Don't

I'm looking at a roll of paper towels right now, and hey, I've decided. I've decided that I'm not going to pay my taxes.

Well, I can tell you, uh, the outcome of that if you would like to know. It's probably not too pleasant.

I think I can. I think I think I can guess. Well, well, Murdock, thank you very much, man. I appreciate you talking to me for so long. And I'll have to check out your your YouTube channel. Thanks for sharing all this stuff with us.

Thanks for having me.

Take care man. Yes, sir, I liked I liked Murdoch and he made me think about a lot of things.

To me, Oh, hell, what I actually got connected you did?

What's up?

All right?

I've got a few things I want to talk to you though. First, what's your opinion on klondake.

Bars I used to be obsessed with Klondike bars Man. They used to have this, uh Reese's flavor, and I think it was like it was the actual No, dude, No, they used to have this like Reese's Klondike that was in the shape of a Reese's cup. That was bomb. I love Klondike bars. Are you about to ask me what I would do for one? Because if you do, I'm going to hang up on you.

No no, no, But like bro oh god, the other day I bought Reese's condyke bars.

You're out a Shako taco. I have heard of this, it's by It's part of the Klondike family.

I have not got to look for next time I go to work.

Well, now I think that I think they were discontinued. That might have actually just been a market that might have might have just been like a PR stunt. I'm pretty sure I've been in like uh, comedian stores and seeing them around recently. But I feel like there's a greater reason why you're asking me these questions. But I also now that now that that came out of my mouth, I'm realizing that there probably is not.

I've just been like realing the Klondike bars recently.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I had a Clondike bar face where I was going to the grocery store and buying them, and they were like a part of my life for a little bit. I don't remember when I came that all.

I work at a food line, right and one of my customers that I was serving has told me that there was like a two for six deal on like, uh like six packs of Colntac bars. I bought four packs. Well, I've been chowing down, so.

That was twelve.

Yeah.

What can you do? You have any Colondic bars with you right now?

No, but I do have a rapper next to me, because, like, I just want.

What's the most amount of Colntic bars you've been in one day?

Uh? Well probably the other day. I think I had like four all playing Overwatch.

It sounds like it would hurt.

No, I mean like it was like over like an hour. Mm hmmm.

What do you do? What do you do with your life outside of Colntaic bars.

Outside of Klondac bars. Well, I'm currently going to college, so there's that work. Well I'm not doing either of those. I really just play video games.

You want to hear my fucking diet freshman year of college is awful? It was. It was. I would take Ramen Chicken. What's the name of the brand, Mari Mara, Mari Shianna or Mara whatever the whatever, you know what I'm talking about. I would take that brand of Ramen Maru Chan Maru Chan ramen. Oh, I would put some butter in the noodles, and then for dessert, I would have sprinkled donut cap'n Crunch. It was ramen and sprinkled

Yeah. I really don't do cereal too much, and when I do, it's like Raisin brand.

Oh, so you're better than everyone else.

I wouldn't go that far. I just try to eat health.

But you thought, you know, you thought I was being sarcastic. Just now as being a completely and utterly genuine you are better than everyone else. For not eating eating sprinkle donut Captain crunch makes you less of a person. I will defend that statement. I fully believe that I did not feel.

Say that one time that every bowl a piece of your soul goes away.

What's your name?

Anthony?

Anthony? Anthony? How long do you think I have left to live?

Am I allowed to know your age?

Yeah? I'm twenty five?

All right, twenty five? Mm? I say you've got either twenty or forty years left in me, depending on your diet?

And do you think I only have?

Fuck?

You think I only have twenty years left to live? You know what the sad part is? You might be right? Would you really think I only have twenty yearslf to live?

But like I don't know, like your told daily routine, so I can't properly discern when you might croak.

If you do the answer, it'd probably go down to fifteen. How long do you think you have left to live?

I'm only nineteen, trying to have relatively healthy.

You should say you just told me you had four Klondike bars.

And yeah, but like I work out, I eat healthy far better than everybody else.

I mean, yeah, because you are, because eating healthy and working out and living a healthy lifestyle does make you better than everybody else. I'm not saying that to be a dick. I'm saying that fully sincerely. I think you are a better person than I am in certainly. But again, Anthony, Anthony. But before we go, it's your dream in life?

Man? Oh this would be kind of a say, But like, no matter where I am, I just want to feel like I'm at peace with my situation, stable, happy, contempt.

Oh, so you think you're better than everyone else, because you are, Because that's a great goal to have in life.

I actually have one more question for me.

Yeah, it's up, hivty.

So what do you do for like income outside of therapy eco or is that like your soul pursuit and life?

I beg for money onto the Brooklyn Bridge.

You know what. I can respect that.

Thank you very much for calling, sir, No problem. You have a good night, and I make a damn good living doing it. A week, goes on the line, making your phone calls.

Every night every week, and goes to drive staging you in your life.

Exper