People of Northwest Arkansas
The People of Northwest Arkansas is a podcast celebrating the power of storytelling by providing a platform for individuals living in Northwest Arkansas to share their unique and inspiring life experiences. We believe that every person has a story worth telling, and through our podcast, we aim to amplify these voices through thoughtful interviews and engaging storytelling.
People of Northwest Arkansas
Life's Surprises and Radio Vibes with DJ & Entertainer, Brock Short
Brock Short, a man whose career reads like a "choose your own adventure" novel, finally steps into the limelight as this week's guest. He's the dynamo behind the scenes, spinning the decks, hosting Airbnbs, and even donning a festive hat as a dad. What makes Brock tick? We've got the inside scoop!
Brock pulls back the curtain on the challenges faced and the ingenuity required to navigate the choppy waters of the entertainment industry, from embracing the 'fake it till you make it' mindset to balancing newfound fame with enduring friendships.
Brock's life outside the studio is as colorful as his on-air personality. And as we delve into his approach to parenting, health, and life in bustling Northwest Arkansas, it's clear that whether he's fostering a legacy or shaping his kids with humor and wisdom, Brock's zest for life is as infectious as his playlists.
@people_of_nwa
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Welcome to the people of Northwest Arkansas. I'm your host, danielle Schaum.
Speaker 2:I'm Danielle Keller, and today we are getting down and dirty and we're interviewing Brock Short.
Speaker 3:And I'm Brock Short, your other co-host, the behind-the-scenes character of this amazing podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Brock is our producer and we thought that it was time to interview Brock and have him tell us all about his story.
Speaker 3:Well, here's the deal. You said when we started this podcast that I was gonna be your first interview ever, and that didn't happen.
Speaker 2:And we interviewed ourselves. So what took so long?
Speaker 3:All of your listeners are wondering what took so long.
Speaker 1:Honestly, it's Brock's busy schedule. He's so busy and important we just couldn't get him on the mic.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't sit here every day with your other guests, just listening and record Geez.
Speaker 1:Here's why we wanted to practice our interviewing skills for the pro.
Speaker 3:We knew we had to fine tune our skills.
Speaker 1:Danielle had to stop saying absolutely I had to stop mouth breathing.
Speaker 2:We're still mastering our skills.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:However, we are excited to interview you, brock, because we've gotten to know you through the radio show, through the podcast, now through your DJ services and all of the things that you're doing. Airbnb host, airbnb host. You're awesome studio in your house. You're great decorations for every season. That's probably more, ashton all year.
Speaker 1:every year, dad vegan entertainer.
Speaker 2:We're just giving you everything. I don't need to say anything. Thank you for listening.
Speaker 3:Let me interview you about me.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about. So one of the promises, as you know, with this podcast is we like to hear how people ended up in Northwest Arkansas. So how did you end up in Northwest Arkansas?
Speaker 3:It was a work release program. What?
Speaker 1:was the crime. Don't want to talk about it.
Speaker 3:I grew up in Southwest Missouri, so just over the border, in McDonald County. I know Everybody listen in McDonald County.
Speaker 2:So you ate?
Speaker 3:a lot of McDonald's.
Speaker 2:That's what I was thinking.
Speaker 3:There's no McDonald's in McDonald County, oh for real.
Speaker 1:Stop it no.
Speaker 3:So it's just right up the street. So most people know McDonald County as Mcadoodles. Oh, that's where Mcadoodles is, because before Benton County you could drink. You know you could get alcohol on Sundays People would drive to the border and get it and, you know, just outside Bella Vista. So that's McDonald County. My dad was a pastor there. I grew up in Southwest City, missouri, where the border of Arkansas, oklahoma and Missouri meet 30 seconds from my house, so you could be in three states at once.
Speaker 2:I've said to that spot there's a little, isn't there like a little monument? Yes, there is, yeah.
Speaker 3:So you could, so I could Broc Grape. So growing up we either went to Joplin to shop or we came to Fayetteville, Because there was really nothing in Bentonville besides a Walmart. We would come eat at AQ Chicken House and there was nothing on the way to AQ Chicken House. There was no lull like it is now. There was nothing on that main road and the highway wasn't here, so it was all 71 business, which was just you know, old 71. And we go to AQ Chicken House. My dad would go to some baseball card shops that were there. We'd drive by the Popeye guy I remember that as a kid and then we'd go to the mall. That was about it. There was not a whole lot in North West Arkansas back in the 90s so we went to Joplin more than we came down to Fayetteville, unless we wanted a change of scenery or we were coming to see the Razorback basketball team play or something like that.
Speaker 3:So I never thought I would end up in North West Arkansas. That was not on my radar even a little bit. I always thought, oh, probably end up anywhere, but here where I grew up. So I went to school in Springfield, Missouri, lived with my grandparents for a little bit in Joplin, Missouri. The only reason I ended up in Northwest Arkansas is I got my first job here out of college. So I you know I was a radio guy and stuff. It's hard to get into radio unless you know somebody.
Speaker 3:Well, I didn't want to stay in Springfield, I didn't really want to live in Joplin, I didn't want to live here in North, in middle America in general, but I didn't know anybody outside of this area. So I put in a bunch of applications, got a job at Arves Bank no way Stop. I worked at store number one Walmart in Rogers, as it is called an FSR full service. I don't know what the title is, but I was a teller. We did a little bit of everything, not just one thing, and that was like the number one place people banked was store number one inside the Walmart In Rogers In Rogers, and this was early 2000. And that was my first job. I'm like okay. So I lived with my parents in South West city, Missouri, and make the drive for a few months until I moved to Bella Vista. I got my first house with my friend in Bella Vista and I never imagined living in Bella Vista of all places.
Speaker 2:And back then it was a really a retirement.
Speaker 3:It was oh yeah, oh yeah, there wasn't a lot happening.
Speaker 2:Hanging out, paying those POAs and going to the police. This was 2000.
Speaker 3:Retirees Four this was 2004. There wasn't a lot happening in Northwest Arkansas in general.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 3:And so the you know living where I live now, where the studio is, my buddy got married right out of after high school and lived right down the street. And I remember us coming to see him right here off of A street and be like, dude, why do you live here? He lived in a duplex or something, cause there was nothing downtown, it was the harps and nothing else. It was like why do you live in Benville? That place stinks. And then we went to. We played a three on three basketball tournament in Sinterton. I'm like where the heck is Sinterton? That's what I live. I don't know what Sinterton is. I had no because of main road. It was not just like a straight shot, like it is now.
Speaker 3:The only thing there was the basketball court that we played at, which was outside the right behind in the park, where the Mars places right there. Never had been to Sinterton. No idea how to get to Sinterton Now. Sinterton's like a mecca of Northwest Arkansas where people live. Wasn't the case 20 plus years ago. So yeah, that's how I ended up here, kind of just happened, and I've lived in Bella Vista, lowell, rogers and now Bittenville All right, so all of the cities here in Bitten County right.
Speaker 2:That's wild. So you started out with Arvest yeah, we're here at Arvest here in Northwest Arkansas. And how did you transition out of Arvest into radio and into being a DJ?
Speaker 3:and owning your own business.
Speaker 2:That's a great story.
Speaker 3:I know I'm so excited, so I was gonna probably end up being in banking forever.
Speaker 1:I can't even imagine that. I cannot imagine you as a banker.
Speaker 2:Although I could imagine him as a teller, like talking to everybody, interacting with people, I still see people that I know they're like remember I used to come to your line.
Speaker 3:I'm like, yeah, that was 20 years ago. Like yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was on the fast track. I found out a hole in the system with.
Speaker 2:Arvest. This does not surprise me. Oh yeah, I'm really glad.
Speaker 3:And if we made our quarterly goal of what they call cells which a cell at Arvest is like upgrading somebody's account or opening an account, stuff like that then you got points and that equal to the goal, and once you got that, we got like a 3% bonus on our cells, whatever we had made. Well, I found a hole in the system. I'm not going to explain that hole.
Speaker 3:And I got I made a huge bonus huge, the biggest in company history and got employee of the quarter and the award was given to me by the Walton brothers Awesome, and then they found out the hole and they hired you.
Speaker 3:So I only worked there maybe six months. In that time I got promoted to an assistant manager and was about to move to the new Walmart in Jane, missouri. When that was opening they put Arvest there. I was going to be the assistant manager there, but with luck, luck would have it I got fired. So did you really get?
Speaker 2:fired. I got fired. How did you get fired?
Speaker 3:Right before the end of the year. So they they didn't have to give me my next bonus. Well, they checked the cameras and we each had a set of codes for the vault. Like one person had three numbers, the other person had three numbers, we all had the numbers. They just were doing a routine check on the cameras and saw that I went to the vault by myself to get money for the teller because I was the assistant manager. Nothing was missing, but you're not supposed to do that. So instead of giving me a warning, they just let me go.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, which turned out to be the biggest blessing of my life. You know, wow? Because during that time I was working at Arvest, I was on American Idol, so I tried out, made it to Hollywood, and so that happened and the show was about to start when I was let go. So I was doing the circuits of radio stations, met somebody and he goes yeah, I own a DJ company. I was like I would love to DJ. He's like, really, and that's how I got into the DJ business as far as.
Speaker 3:DJ events and stuff, and I was dating a girl and was going to move out to California and he goes I'll introduce you to this guy from Hotmix 101.9 if you'll stay, and maybe we can get you a job. Well, that worked out. The relationship didn't work out and I got a job at Hotmix as a part-time guy doing their websites, because I told them I knew how to do websites, which was a lie, and I just figured it out.
Speaker 1:I didn't tell you make it folks, I figured it out.
Speaker 3:I literally just figured it out, you know, yeah, it wasn't hard, but I figured it out got brought into the office in that next October of 2005. No, it was probably August of 2005. And the boss was like he started cussing oh, the blog is making these websites. I'm like what are you talking about? And I stood up to kind of look at his computer what are you talking about? He's like don't worry about it. And started berating me and the other guy who was my boss. They just started busing up laughing.
Speaker 3:I go what's the deal? They go we're just messing with you. Do you want to be the co-host on the morning show? I go what? Yes, 100% yes. They're like yeah, the websites look great. We're just messing with you. We'll pay you $17,000 a year to be the morning show co-host. I'm like I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm rich. Whoa. No, I knew it. It wasn't enough money, so I had to continue to DJ on the side. That's the only reason I DJed on the side is I knew I needed one DJ in a month to be able to pay my bills. And I'm like well, I'm in. I'm not just a night guy, which is where you start, or afternoon, I'm on the morning show. That's a big deal.
Speaker 3:And so from 2005 to 2008,. It was Jay and Brock in the morning. Do you remember that Were you?
Speaker 2:around then? No, I was around then, but I was over at JBU. Okay, you were listening to the JBU radio over there. Listening to KLRC, klrc.
Speaker 3:So we did the morning show and I was just the sidekick, I was the side guy, and then we got not demoted, but the company overall were like we got Elvis Durand, we got to put him on stations. We choose this one, this one, this one, this one. So Jay went to the afternoons which he's still on there and I went to nights, but it was Jay was on from like 2 to 6. And I was on with him from 4 to 6. And then I was on from 6 to midnight, so I was on eight hours of the day.
Speaker 3:My voice was at least on the radio until 2011, when I came into work and just randomly got laid off. Oh, wow, which was weird, because I was not only on air. I did all the websites for all four stations. I was the graphics guy, I did everything. So I'm like, well, I'm safe because I don't just do one thing.
Speaker 3:But the higher ups sent out a disc, a couple names, and they just laid off those people on the disc, which also turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me, because in that time on the radio, I started my own company, brock Entertainment, which is what I do now, and that became way bigger than what I was making at the radio station.
Speaker 3:So two weeks worth of work I was making one night, and now the radio was just for fun Brock Entertainment was what I was doing. So, being laid off, I was like all right, now I'm just going to put all my efforts into this because I don't have to ask off work, I don't have to see if I'm working. And then another event for the radio station, which it all worked out well, because I don't think I ever would have grown outside of myself as a DJ had it not been for scheduling conflicts with the radio. That was my number one thing. I had obligations there. I overbooked myself like dang it. So I trained my best friend at the time to DJ. For me he turned out to be my first ever DJ was amazing, and the rest is history.
Speaker 3:And now we got up to 20 guys on Brock Entertainment. So I put all my eggs in that basket because I was already busy and already making good money. But I'm like I can continue to grow this and, from 2011 up, brock Entertainment's been the number one thing. That doesn't mean I haven't done other things, but I like to be busy. I like to do as many things as possible. So yes, you do. Brock Entertainment turned into doing social media for Sam's furniture and being the spokesperson for Sam's furniture, which is what I still do today. I also got a job at Sam's club and worked there on their marketing team for about two years, which that opened up lots of different doors for me in the Brock Entertainment Avenue.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and then, after my time there, ran up, I'm like I don't like this corporate thing. I don't like sitting at a desk all day. I don't like people telling me where I have to be and when I have to be there and when I need to take a lunch break and all that kind of stuff. So I'm like, eh, I'm not going to do that. They can just pay me to do their events and pay me more money than just coming and hanging out all day. So I'm like I gave it a shot. I'm not into that. I don't like the desk work. If I'm going to do it, I'm more motivated by doing it myself. You know what I mean? Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like get the work done in your own pace. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:So you know I'd been out of radio several years. I ran into a lady at the mall one random day and it turned out to be my friend Candace.
Speaker 3:And she's like hey, I'm running this radio station. I'm looking for a star on the station called Star1015. Would you be interested? I'm like, ah, I always told myself I'd love to get back into radio, but only on my terms and do it the way I wanted to do it, Because the first time around I was in sidekick, didn't love the show. Wasn't that fun to me? I wanted to do something that was fun. Yeah, that was like I don't know. We talked for like three hours. She's a big talker and that show turned into Brock and Marcy in the morning on 115. That lasted. It would have lasted forever. And then COVID hit and everyone was laid off and yeah, yeah, yeah, so, yeah. So that's how I got back into radio and that was.
Speaker 3:You know, I tell people, yeah, I get paid for it, but it's my passion project, it's something that I just love to do and I love to entertain and it's different than weddings and events. It's just a different feeling. You know much more personal. I guess you could say, yeah, and now I do Sam's Furniture Radio. Through getting laid off, Joe was like, hey, I want to start a radio station. I said, let's do it. And we came up with the digital station, Sam's Furniture Radio, which plays in all the stores. It's got an app. After the show I put on a podcast in case people can't listen live. But it's a radio show, but just a digital show. So, getting to do what I love, you girls are on the show every week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we enjoy it.
Speaker 3:It's fun, I mean I get to do that in my house. Yeah, you know, COVID gave us a lot of crappy things, but out of it I got this house, I got this studio. What had never happened I mean, I would have never not been with Marcy had COVID happened, because our Candice was going to buy the station and she's like you got jobs for the rest of your life as long as you want them, and then she didn't buy the station and that's sold and all that things. Yeah, that's how everything happened, but it all happens for a reason.
Speaker 2:So I love that perspective that you have to and that you know this happened, I got laid off here, I got fired here, but it was a good thing for my life and that you look at it as perspective. And I think sometimes when we go through experiences like that, it can be hard, it can be, it can, it can well it sucks in the moment. Yeah, it totally sucks in the moment, but when you are able to look at it as this was a good opportunity for my life, on your screen, right here on your desk, right when you were talking a little bit about that, it said struggling means you're learning, right, and I thought that was really awesome. But as you were talking about this, that pops up on the screen and I mean, what are some of the things that you've learned through owning a business, as a DJ and through having been on the radio? Like, what are some of those key takeaways for you that you've learned and grown from as a person, as a business owner?
Speaker 3:Well, I learned that I didn't need to go to college to do what I do. You know, yeah, I went to college for communications broadcast communications but this industry changes so quick and so fast that as soon as I got out of school, within a year or two, everything was pretty much obsolete. So you learn by doing, and that's probably in most fields. So what I've learned through everything is I should have taken business classes, because when I started business I didn't know what I was doing. Still don't really know what I'm doing. You know Same, but fake it till you make it.
Speaker 2:I always tell my guys, if you don't know what you're doing.
Speaker 3:you don't tell people you don't know what you're doing, you just pretend like you know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:You know, just pretend absolute, absolute, freaking lute right Keyword is absolutely.
Speaker 2:And if you don't know what you're doing and you don't know what to say to somebody, you should tell them hey, I'm going to figure that out for you, Right? So?
Speaker 3:I didn't know how to do a lot of stuff in my industry and in life. I just learned it. You go out, you have the incentive to learn it, and I'm the type of person, like I said earlier, I don't like working for other people. So I don't think that will ever be the case. I like working for myself because I'm more motivated to succeed, and if I don't succeed it's my own fault. You know what I mean? Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, it's just easy to say, isn't it? It is so easy to say. I think it's really fitting in this moment though is that? Do you?
Speaker 3:Yes, I do you say that every time it is, it's absolutely fitting we need the source the source but yeah, my life has had so many random moments that I could have never expected that I'm just, I feel, super blessed to have. I'm a people person. I love being around people. I remember when I was a kid I got interviewed by a radio guy at a parade in our town and he's like what do you want to do? I'm like I want to be on the radio when I grow up and TV. Well, I've done both of those things. Like that's what I've gotten to do.
Speaker 2:Yes, you have.
Speaker 3:I get to live what I love. I've had people in my life before that have told me they don't get or understand why I have so much freedom in my life. As far as my job, it must be nice to be able to be at home all day and be able to do whatever you want when you want. 100%, it's the best. And guess what? I've worked my butt off for that opportunity and I don't take it for granted. And it is a blessing if my daughter called right now and said Dad, I need you to come get me from school. I don't have to be like hey, uh, hey, boss, can I go get and just go outside and get my car and go get my daughter. And that is what I love the most.
Speaker 1:I want to rewind. Yes, go for it. Yes, I want to know a little bit more about American Idol.
Speaker 3:Okay, what do you want to?
Speaker 1:know Well. First of all, why haven't you sent us the audition?
Speaker 3:They didn't show it. Yeah, I don't have it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you made a best friend on American Idol.
Speaker 3:I did until she won.
Speaker 1:Who was that?
Speaker 3:Let's carry on the wood. So we met in line in St Louis. My parents were with me and we met in line. My dad has a picture of us together, because she was nobody, I mean, she was just a girl in line and she made it that day. And then the next time I saw her was at the airport in Tulsa and we're like hey, I had my girlfriend at the time with me and she had her mom, and so we met. She was like hey, I remember you, I'm like hey, what's going on? So her first plane ride was with me, which she talked about on Oprah except she didn't talk about me and she let me have the window seat because she was scared and so I pretended like I was hyperventilating the whole time to scare you know. And yeah, we became friends. I was like her buddy when we were in Hollywood, when I got cut, she came up and hugged me and she was crying and saying what do I do now?
Speaker 1:She cried tears for you?
Speaker 3:Yes, for me I go. Why are you crying?
Speaker 2:You made it, I go, you made it.
Speaker 3:She's like, yeah, but I'm going to miss you. So we kept in contact and we talked a lot before you know the show. When she did make it past the Hollywood around, she called me, after she called her parents and let me know hey, I made it. Oh my gosh, I made it.
Speaker 3:And so we're friends and then she was stopped returning my texts and calls and I got an email from her after she won the show saying we couldn't be friends. Really I was saying stuff about her on message boards is what the producers told her and I emailed her back. I'm like that's not true, because I don't know anything like personal, like what am I going to say, and she just never got back to me.
Speaker 3:Oh, so I got the email of her saying you know, I can't believe a friend would talk about me behind my back. I'm like, what are you talking about? Because that was before my space and all that kind of stuff. Right and early American Idol days contestants couldn't be online because they thought you would skew the vote, which now they promote that.
Speaker 3:But she thought you were but the producers were saying I was using her for publicity and stuff. I'm like I've done the interviews saying we were friends and that we went on the show together, but I don't know, anything Like I don't know information about your life that I'm just sharing. So now.
Speaker 2:We need to remedy this.
Speaker 3:Carrie Underwood, if you are listening she has said hi to me through friends of mine that are in the country music business.
Speaker 2:She knows who I am, but I have an audio clip of her.
Speaker 3:This is when you could talk to somebody on the phone and record them.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And she recorded her saying hey, Brock, it's your airplane. Buddy, pick up the phone. Oh, I still have that.
Speaker 2:Hey, Brock, take off your phone and your airplane buddy.
Speaker 3:It's cool to think oh my gosh, that's Carrie Underwood. Yeah, and my daughter loves Carrie Underwood, so it'd be nice to reconnect and introduce my daughter to her. I'm like this is my friend. You know Carrie Underwood, yeah, but we haven't talked in years.
Speaker 2:That's too bad. It's really sad when people do things that they do like the producers did, and I've heard about that and just kind of television and I was like Carrie, just call me, let's talk it, talk about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's just talk about it. Let me explain what happened. Yes, you know that it was a whirlwind for her. Yeah, like I was supposed to be there, she had a ticket for me and then pulled the ticket to the final show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's really disappointing and discouraging.
Speaker 3:I'm sure yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what did you learn from that experience?
Speaker 3:Just I mean that kind of just set me up for where I am today. Yeah, it set me up for the avenue that I took, because I wasn't even in that mindset of I want to be this person. I was a banker. I was kind of set on all right, this is cool, I'm just a everyday guy, nobody knows who I am and it doesn't really matter, and so I was fine with that. And then that happened and that just turned my life around and made it where I wanted to go, but I didn't know how to get there, kind of the catalyst to kind of just shoot me off into this direction. Had it not been for that, I would have never been on those radio shows to meet those people, to dj, to get in the radio business. You know, it's all about who you know and I would have never met those people yeah, so that makes sense.
Speaker 2:I think a lot of people think it's just about hard work or talent, or talent plus hard work gets you to where you are.
Speaker 3:But it's all about who you know right place at the right time yeah, there is a little bit of luck involved, or?
Speaker 2:yeah or however you want to phrase, that you need to know people. You need to, you need to connect with people. You need to right to know people and you're a really great connector. You love people. It's very obvious, and all the things that you do, and I think that that's really cool that you're doing what you're doing and doing it so well no, I love it, it's it's.
Speaker 3:It's a blast having people in the studio. My wife doesn't love it as much. She's like this is our house, like I know, but it's awesome my job here this little. If we could have built some stairs out the side here and have people just walk up the stairs, it'd be so much easier for her. She's like what if our house isn't clean? Yeah what if this or what if I'm like, just know we're make when people are here, we're making money you're like.
Speaker 2:You just need to have that entry way clear. Shut all the doors we can help.
Speaker 1:We can help with the baby when the since the nursery oh my gosh there you go you should interview the baby.
Speaker 2:Interview the baby, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 3:So yeah, I've. I've gotten some great opportunities that you know I tell people. With dj you lose your weekends. You don't get to go out on saturday nights and a lot of friday nights, but I'm going to those events that people are either paying to go to or are invited to go to I'm getting to go there and eat their food and you know, get to have fun.
Speaker 3:That's my whole job, is we? You know, I tell my new djs we get to have fun. Like your whole job is having fun and getting to go to places where people wish they could be. You know, I've got to host four walmart and sam's club and call out these multi-millionaires up on stage and I'm like I got the mic, I'm in charge. You know, doug macmillan. Whenever I see him now I'm like what up, dougie fresh? He's like I'm not dancing, brock, don't even ask me I'm not dancing like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:If I say you're dancing, you're dancing I got the mic, I don't care how much money you have or how much you make mic I love that you do that too, because it kind of gets people out of that comfort zone or out of that I have to be this certain way or this business person and it kind of helps them. You know, loosen up a little bit and get a little bit of a person and not just a real person I think that's great. I think that's good that you draw that out of people. Tell us about some of your favorite memories from dj'ing. Events like what? What are some events that stand out to you?
Speaker 3:uh-huh, um, whether it's like a crazy story or something that was just really fun so, starting off early in my career, when I was just doing radio stuff, we, you know, we would always have different concerts with artists and I remember once it was one republic and I have a picture of us taking a picture with the band and ryan tedder is behind me. We're kind of covering him up. You can barely see his face. It was like there like, oh sorry, ryan.
Speaker 3:The lead singer of the group uh, another time my host and I uh j we got to meet taylor swift. This was after her first or second album. She was at the randall tyson track center and she was that teeny bumper like 2008 maybe. So we got to meet her backstage, we got a picture. She was super nice, super friendly, and then we got to introduce her. And then I'm standing and walking in front of the stage and she's playing. I'm like I'm good and I went home. So when I tell my daughter that she's like what I go, you gotta remember taylor swift wasn't taylor swift then, you know she wasn't.
Speaker 3:She didn't have all these awesome songs. There's all teeny bumper type.
Speaker 2:You know stuff like that you still introduce teardrops on my guitar. Yeah, and I didn't care.
Speaker 3:I mean, I was in my mid 20s. She's a you know, 14, 15, 16 year old girl who plays country. I don't love country, so meh, so I did not care on that. And then you know I've done a lot of cool weddings for you know, some celebrities, some sports people, stuff like that. Those are cool. And some of the best memories are hosting sam's club, your beginning meetings. Those are so much fun.
Speaker 1:Why and that had never been done by just an associate before which- no, my husband works for sam's and he told me when I started, when you, when you started coming on your show, he's like he used to host all our meetings. He was great.
Speaker 3:So I got to host. And I not only hosted, I hyped up the crowd beforehand and got to do it three or four times, to the point where I became the sam's club celebrity. I love it like. Anywhere I went, people were buying my food, my drinks, everything that's really nice and it was great, it was awesome and I got free trips out of it and it was my element. I love hosting like that. First year I got to do it it was in orlando and they had their, their associate like party for the managers at hollywood studios and I got to go in the back entrance to a private event for the leadership and before that the leadership had come to me and been like so you better not mess this up. They didn't really know who I was. Better not mess this up. What do you get? A play and I'm like I don't know and I'm like don't worry I'm gonna be awesome, don't?
Speaker 3:and so at that event that was after the first night I went up to him. I go, told you, because I brought the crowd in and it worked and I knew I did and it, you know, I wouldn't be in khaki but I killed it, you know. And so I went up to these leaders, these leadership guys who most of the managers are scared of, but I don't care who they are. I'm like, told you guys, told you, told you, told you, told you, told you. And yeah, it was awesome, I've got to introduce bands for walmart and mostly, mostly country bands, like man I had.
Speaker 3:I had, uh, leigh-an, leigh-an rimes, leigh-an rimes come up to me. Oh, I went in the green room after I had done a, done some hosting and she was sitting there. She's like, oh, my gosh, you are amazing. I go, leigh-an rimes, what it was like, that was looked so much fun because they could see it on the monitors, like wow, and she took a picture with me. We tweeted it out and then she commented on it and talked back and forth. I'm like, me and rimes, I don't like your music, but cool, oh my god, I don't like your music.
Speaker 3:This is a cool feeling, yeah yeah, I've got to travel all these places that I never would have gotten to if it had not been for these opportunities through rock entertainment and hosting and and stuff like that. So it's been. It's been really neat.
Speaker 3:I got to hang out with mc hammer at dinner and stop him a time, talk with him and I'm like whatever happened to the guy with the cool hair and your music videos that danced? Remember the guy with the big hair? And they're like, oh, he's still dancing, you know. So we we had dinner, found out he was vegan, so we connected over that and then we went.
Speaker 3:This was another party for sam's. They had blocked off part of the city walk of universal, and we got to go into there and did live band karaoke and I jumped on stage and did uptown funk with one of the guys, and so I came down and, mc goes, pick a song. I want to do a song with you. I could watch you perform all day. I go what, mc hammer, I got a video of me as a little kid standing in front of the tv with can't touch this on the tv, me dancing around as a little kid to your song, and now you want to perform with me. So we picked a song and then he ended up dj'ing in the back. I got him set up with the guy and because he used to be a dj right, so he dj'd from his phone, but he wouldn't play any of the old stuff only new stuff, only new stuff like I can't touch this play too legit, you know I got some new stuff.
Speaker 1:We don't care.
Speaker 3:We don't care about the new stuff, we don't care yeah so, yeah, just truly blessed on the opportunities I've gotten through doing what I'm doing, and I love it. My, my philosophy is if I'm not having fun, you're not having fun, so let's have some fun. Not just you know an entertainer that stands there and pushes play and there's like all right, have a good, good event everybody.
Speaker 2:I've definitely enjoyed the events I've gone to, that you've been dj at, and those are some actually really memorable times.
Speaker 3:They're fun, I I want I, that's what I want to create for people. Hey, we went to this event and maybe you dance one song and that's it. But any other event you want to dance any songs. So you remember, hey, we went to that event, remember we dance. You're like, yeah, you danced like one song. Yeah, it was a blast. You know weddings that we do where, where the bride's like my grandma is 90 and she's never danced in her life and you got her to dance. I'm like, yeah, that's what we do you know what we do?
Speaker 2:that's what we do. Yeah, grandma is busting a move she's cutting a rug oh my goodness, look at grandma.
Speaker 3:Do the worm oh my.
Speaker 2:Do you bring brimley to your events ever?
Speaker 3:um, from time to time not like weddings or anything like that, but some other events I will and she, if I'm meeting with a new dj or something and interviewing or taking them to train, she'd be like dad, do they have it? I'm like, what do you think it is? And she'd be like you know the personality and the charisma and they're fun. I'm like that is what it is. Yeah, do they have it, dad? I'm like I don't know, I still need more time. She goes. Dad, do I have it?
Speaker 2:I'm like you absolutely do oh, she does I was on the show only when she wants to have it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, only when she wants, like she hasn't, and then she'll get shy for ten but, like the other night, we went on a daddy daughter date and she wore a banana costume.
Speaker 1:Oh my god I saw your stories. I was wondering about that so it was.
Speaker 3:It was our son's Halloween costume and she saw it and put it on and wore it all day. I love it, you know, on a Sunday. And then we went to dinner. She's like I'm wearing this, but when we go inside I'm going to tell people you made me wear it so I'm not embarrassed.
Speaker 3:So we walk in and we played a little. Yes, and you know the, the, you know in comedy, you never shut it down, you always build on it. So we walk in and she's like dad, I can't believe you made me wear this. I'm like well, I told you you would have to wear it. Why, dad? Why go? Well, what happens when you get in trouble and you don't do what I told you to do? It just went on and on and I'm like brimley, nobody's in here, they don't care, you know. So she, uh, sometimes she gets super embarrassed, unless it's her making the, the choices herself, but she's got the it factor.
Speaker 3:I'm like brimley, do you want to work for me when you go? I don't know, dad, I might work at the mall. I'm like do you want to make pennies on the dollar or do you want to make real money? Well, let me think about it, dad, I might be hanging out with my friends. I might I go hanging out with your friends or making money, because your dad's not going to pay for you to hang out with your friends. And she's like well, maybe, maybe. So that's why I wanted to name our newborn son Brock, so he could take over the business Brock entertainment If I could do anything again, I would not name my business after myself Brock entertainment. But I only did it because I didn't think it would be anybody but me and I never thought it would be a business for longer than you know. Five, nine a minute amount of time Brock junior huh.
Speaker 3:That's what I want.
Speaker 1:Brock junior. How, how's that going, is it?
Speaker 3:It's not it's it's named Bray. Bray slick short.
Speaker 1:Bray slick short. Yeah, I like that. I like it too.
Speaker 3:Not Brock, I wish. Who am I going to give the business to Bray Bray? Oh my God, wow, it doesn't work. You can't change the name Bray entertainment. I don't think so. Does he have the it factor? I don't know.
Speaker 2:I need more time, hopefully, hopefully it's to be, determined I need more time.
Speaker 3:But yeah, bramley goes to events with me sometimes and she likes to get on the microphone and she loves singing. She's real big into singing and you know she's got that, that gene that I do. She loves music. She loves performing at her school. This year they have where she could try out for announcements. You give daily announcements and you have to write them yourself and all this and she chickened out and I go.
Speaker 3:Bram, I'm not going to lie, I'm a little disappointed, not that you chickened out, but that you know how good you are and you could have made it, but you convinced yourself that you weren't and that you would fail at it. I go, you'll never know until you try, and I know you know how to do it. She's like I, just I go. Bram, you've been on the radio with me so many times. We used to do Bram's joke of the day every day. That would play in Sam's furniture at noon. Hey, everybody, it's burnt time for Bram's joke of the day. I go, you're a performer, so don't doubt yourself If you mess up, just you'll figure it out and I go, I could help you. Well, dad, they won't let you help. I go, I would help you and if your teachers have a problem with that, I'll talk to them because you want to be great at it. They want you to be great at it, so let your dad, who does it for a living I can help you and teach you and show you how it's done.
Speaker 3:And she didn't try out. I go. I really wish you would have, because I know how good you are at it and you have so much more experience than your friends at school who did do it and go. You've been doing radio and been recording stuff with me for so long. It's like I know I was just nervous I go. Okay, I understand. We'll try again in the new year, hopefully.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I hope she tries out again, me too I know you can do this.
Speaker 3:You're great at it, Don't doubt yourself. And if you mess up, I go. I mess up all the time. You just laugh it off and move on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but as a kid I guess it's tough. They don't have the wisdom of the decades Right, the many, many decades of wisdom Okay. I have to ask a question how long have you been a vegan?
Speaker 3:I've been a vegan since 2011. I became a vegan like a week before I got laid off from the radio station 2011.
Speaker 1:And have you cheated?
Speaker 3:No, I don't cheat. No, why would I do that?
Speaker 1:I'm just saying the occasion. You said I ate and Q chicken earlier, so I thought you do have a taste for fried chicken.
Speaker 3:Oh, I have a taste for meat. I didn't go vegan because I didn't like meat. Yeah, so before I went vegan, all you can eat shrimp at Red Lobster. How many shrimp did I eat? How do you? I bet you ate 40. Shrimp scampi's the big skewered shrimp, all that.
Speaker 2:I was thinking like 33.
Speaker 3:225.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, what 225 shrimp plus sides You've forged yourself on shrimp, oh, yeah, yeah, and then never ate meat again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I didn't know I was going vegan at that point. Oh, I just loved meat, like I was the type of guy that we did when I was on with Jay and Brock Show. We did the homecoming for the U of A and they have a portion where the sororities and paternities get together and they cook a meat and a side and a dessert and they serve it. There was 21 of them, I believe, and they're making ribs and stay. I'm like, yeah, I'm eating it all, instead of just taking a bite, judging it and moving on. I'm like eating all of it and Jay goes dude, there's a lot more of these you don't have to eat.
Speaker 3:I go nope, give me those ribs, you know what I mean off other plates. And Then it got to like number 12 and I'm like ugh, finished it up, went home and just bleh everywhere. Oh, I believe it.
Speaker 3:And then I felt so much better. Then I had a softball game that night and I'm like I'm at Santa at the play. I'm like I'm not gonna even swing the bat, so either walk me or strike me out. They walked me. I'm like dang it, I got run now. Yeah, so I loved meat. I just it was a help thing, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, but what happened with the shrimp? I need to know.
Speaker 3:I tried to throw up, but I couldn't, you couldn't.
Speaker 2:So what did it do to you that made you cause? It sounded like that was kind of a turning point for you.
Speaker 3:No, no, no no, no, no, we had. I had just done a bunch of research and I was taking cholesterol medicine at the age of how old was I then? 28? Wow.
Speaker 1:And I'm like I'm not doing that.
Speaker 3:So I reversed it by diet changes. I'm like, okay, and once I have my mind set to something, I'm good. I don't think, oh, I gotta have meat. And it was a lot harder back then because there weren't all these convenience foods on the vegan side. You had to create everything, and going out to eat was really hard cause there weren't that many places. So I did it before, it was cool, and then just it just kind of stuck. I felt better, I looked better, I didn't have to take that medicine anymore, and so now it's just the thing I don't even think about. You know, I don't after I eat I don't feel bleh. You know, with dairy and meat and stuff you kind of feel if you overeat, especially bleh and gluten too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't feel that way.
Speaker 3:I mean, it's not like I eat healthy all the time. A few years ago I started working out as a joke for the radio show because my co-host, she, was a big, she loved working out. She would do body shows and stuff. Like let's see if I can. I started in August. I said the goal was to buy November to have a six pack before my niece's birthday party, did you? That was the joke, right? So Brimley had her birthday party at the Bittenville Community Center and I looked one way and then she was having her. My niece was at the same place with a lot of the same people. So I'm like by this time I'm gonna have a six pack. I'm gonna take off my shirt, it's gonna be a thing, and I did so. My buddy Adam filmed me coming out of the water and we slow mowed it and I got this six pack, but it was for like a eight or nine year old birthday party. So that was the joke. I'm trying to get ripped for my niece's birthday party.
Speaker 2:Oh my God.
Speaker 3:It worked and I haven't like, I haven't stopped working out since You're just showing those kids what it means to live a healthy life. Well, now I have to. I'm starting all over. I got another kid I gotta keep up with, so I gotta keep working out. I gotta be healthy and you know, tell my wife the same thing we gotta be healthy so we can continue trying to keep up with our active kids.
Speaker 2:Yes, these coming in real soon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're gonna be chasing a toddler out of the weirs.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's not talk about it. We're gonna talk about it, yeah.
Speaker 2:You're excited.
Speaker 3:Even the older I get, I wanna feel younger, so yeah, just trying to be healthy.
Speaker 2:You are what you eat.
Speaker 3:I am.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you have a daughter who is brimly 10 or 11 now.
Speaker 3:She's 10.
Speaker 2:She's 10. And you're about to have a newborn in the house. What are some things that you've learned about parenting that you're going to do differently with this new child? Like, as a dad, what are you gonna do different?
Speaker 3:I think all parents know and realize we have no idea what we're doing. Right, correct, we're flying by the seat of our pants. The first thing is I'm not gonna get divorced.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:That was a not a good parenting strategy, that's fair. That wasn't fun, not fun. But We'll do that I mean it's a boy. So I don't. I'm in the girl mode Right, even with Ashton's boys and my bonus boys. It's hard for me to know how to act because I'm used to a girl. And doing what girl? Let's go shopping. That's what I like to do too.
Speaker 1:You know, the boys play sports all the time.
Speaker 3:I was a sports boy as well, but I'm out of that. I could care less about sports. I like doing other things. So it will be another learning curve to figure out what to do and how to do it. Well, I tell Ashton, I'm like we got to get this one right, this one right here. We got to train this one in our image to be the ultimate kid of ours.
Speaker 2:Remember what I said earlier? That was on your sign Struggle, struggle.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Whatever, he's gonna be like Elon Musk with his son X, where he brings him to everything. He's like his protege.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh, I can't wait. Oh my gosh, you're gonna have a baby carrier and take him to events.
Speaker 1:That's gonna be the best ever. Every radio show his first word's gonna be like radio or DJ or something.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be something Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
Speaker 3:Just crossed. Yeah, that's a little bit about me. North West Arkansas. I love this area because of the way it's grown and it's cool to look back and see where we've come from. Bittenville, downtown Bittenville's gotten so crazy and it's gonna get even crazier and more awesome, and it's cool to see, yeah, this whole area in general. Yeah, I tell people it's a bubble that's not affected by anything from the outside. You hear Arkansas and you're like man, I don't want to go to Arkansas. And they're like well, how about you come to this bubble where people from all over the world live and there's really cool things and it's like a big city, but it's not a big city. And it has all the amenities, but it doesn't. It's got an amazing museum and it's got this and that and all these artists come here, but it's not like Dallas or Kansas City or anything like that. It's way cooler.
Speaker 1:True, I would agree with that. It is like a bubble, because people say, oh, like Arkansas, I'm like just forget everything.
Speaker 3:Just come to Northwest Arkansas. Once you go through the tunnel, go south. That's Arkansas. Everything else you can go to the tunnel.
Speaker 2:Everything is different, yeah.
Speaker 3:I never thought I would stay here for longer than a few years and now I'm trying to get my parents to move back here and living in my forever home and it's just a great place to raise your family and to build a business. I've looked at moving several times. I'm like at this point, why?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm established.
Speaker 3:I have so much going on here, I don't want to start over. You know, and I just love this area, so what's next for Brock radio, Brock entertainment, Brock sure. That's a great question. We'll see what God has for me.
Speaker 3:I don't know what door opens and what door closes. That's how it's been my whole life. So I remember driving one day and being like man life is really good. And within a week or two, my life flipped upside down and a lot of stuff happened. I'm like, well, I did not see that coming, and then it ended up. You know, as always it ends up being the catalyst for the next adventure in your life. So while things suck for a moment, they don't suck forever.
Speaker 2:I think that's great.
Speaker 3:And then you know, my belief is God always has something better.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we have to go through the valleys. I mean a lot of wisdom, yeah, to end up on the mountains.
Speaker 3:He's full of wisdom.
Speaker 2:He's full of wisdom. So much wisdom, wise words.
Speaker 3:Well, they call me a very wise man sometimes, the Gandalf of North West Arkansas, the Gandalf I like it.
Speaker 2:Where can people find you on social?
Speaker 3:media.
Speaker 2:Brock.
Speaker 3:Well, I don't do social media I only write letters, so no Snail mail.
Speaker 1:My space, just go to myspacecom.
Speaker 3:Go to the message board. So I'm all over social media. I have so many social media accounts. You can look the Brock short on any platform. Brock radio show, brock entertainment, all of them. I have Airbnb in my basement. Oh yeah, oh yeah. Enjoy short stay. Bittenville adventure. I love enjoy short stay, I come up with a lot of. That's great. A lot of different businesses Like, if you want to start a podcast, civil republic productions right here, always looking to add to the podcast portfolio.
Speaker 2:So I highly recommend I do too.
Speaker 3:So a lot of stuff. You can just search Brock short easy, pull up my FBI most wanted picture, court records, all the court stuff. So yeah, I'm easy to find, all in good fun, and I love this podcast, people of NWA. Well, thank you, brock, for being on the show.
Speaker 1:Danielle, let's have a toast. All right, let's have a toast.
Speaker 2:What are we drinking today?
Speaker 3:Water, because that's what I drink Water. We're drinking the water.
Speaker 2:Brock always has water, he always has water.
Speaker 1:He always has water. Are we drinking out of Stanley?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're drinking confident coffee, Okay.
Speaker 1:Coffee today. I like it All right, let's have a cheers, cheers. Hey, thanks so much for listening today. If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing to the podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also follow us on Instagram at peopleofnwa. Thanks so much.
Speaker 3:People of Northwest Arkansas with the two Danielle's produced by me. Brock short of civil republic productions. Please rate, review and like us on any podcast platform where you listen. For more information about today's guests and the show, please check the show notes. Thanks for listening. I'll see you next time.