The Talegate Podcast

Talegate Q&A - Jacob the Carpetbagger

December 08, 2020 Harrison the Florida Man & Aaron the Cheesehead Season 1 Episode 13
The Talegate Podcast
Talegate Q&A - Jacob the Carpetbagger
Show Notes Transcript

Florida Man and Cheesehead sit down with cryptid-enthusiast, urban explorer, and YouTuber, JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER. Jake discusses the sky anomalies he witnessed at during his nighttime exploration around AREA 51, his "Cryptid Hall of Fame" tattoo (which cryptid he might add next), and his prep work and inspirations behind his pro wrestling career with Supreme Wrestling .

The Carpetbagger is a youtube channel following Jacob as he travels all 48 contiguous Unites States to showcase every oddity and unique attraction dotting American roadsides. We encourage you to join Jacob on his adventures by clicking the link: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCarpetbagger

This episode was sponsored by CRYPTID CRATE, a monthly service delivering the latest and greatest cryprid-related merch! Get 15% off your first month's subscription by entering promo code: "TALEGATE"

https://boxmountainllc.com/pages/cryptid-crate

Background music is "Buscuit" prod. by lukrembo. Check out this track and more here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtZ2m2Zm3vY

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at TheTalegatePodcast@gmail.com.


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THE TALEGATE PODCAST

Interview w/ Jacob the Carpetbagger


FLORIDA MAN: Howdy folks, and welcome to The Talegate!


CHEESEHEAD: For those of you just joining us, we’re on a roadtrip across America to uncover the mysteries behind tall tales, fairy tales, folktales, fishtales, & urban legends, one interview at a time.


FM: Now, today’s interview is different, a side-note from the usual supernatural creature and what such. Today, we’re honored to have with us the youtuber and fellow lover of the strange and bizarre, Jacob the Carpetbagger!


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Hey you all, Carpetbagger here coming to you live, from the Talegate Podcast!


CH: So, I know you’ve explained it on your Youtube Channel, for our listeners who haven’t yet subscribed to it yet, why do you call yourself  “the Carpetbagger?”


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Originally, I am from the midwest. I grew up in northern Indiana and the Milwaukee Wisconsin area. I moved down South when I was about 18 years old and I was just absolutely taken aback about how different and unique the culture was down here. So “The Carpetbagger” was originally an insult to northerners who came down south after the Civil War, so I sort of adopted that tongue-and-cheek as my nickname. The original focus of my channel and blog was experiencing Southern Cultute.


FM: On a positive spin, Mary Poppins had a carpetbag.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: That’s true.


FM: So… take that, Southerners!


CH: Oh god.


FM: What drew you to cover sites relating to cryptids, extraterrestrials, and other curiosities as opposed to the more classic theme parks and museums? 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I was always interested in cryptids as a kid. Sasquatch, space aliens, Loch Ness monster, which are some of my favorites. But, as I moved to the South and kind of started being an observer, it really fascinated me to how the legends tied in to the locations, to the town, and into the local culture.


FM: As a kid, Harry and the Hendersons was one of my favorite films. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: YES!


FM: I feel like I’m biased ‘cause my name’s Harrison, so Harry is kinda similar. I feel like that was the start for me in terms of interest in cryptids. So who’s your favorite Cryptid?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I would say that my favorite cryptid is Mothman out of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. And the reason why I say that is that h is probably the only cryptid that ticks every box. Is he an alien, is he a demon, is he a crazy ghost? There are theories that put him in like every category. 


FM: And he’s got the Men in Black tied to his legend.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yeah, yeah!


FM: Plus natural disasters. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Mhmm.


FM: My grandpa actually lived near Point Pleasant during all of that. So my dad would always share stories of Papa Arky’s experiences there during that time.


CH: So you actually have a tattoo of Mothman, is that correct?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Oh yea! I have that tattoo.


CH: So who is on your cryptid tattoo Hall of Fame?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Ah, let me see. I have to look at my arm to… Okay, I have a Mothman, I have a Hodag, the Jackalope, Sasquatch…


CH: Jackalope! [laughs]


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: The Donkey-Woman from San Antonio Texas.


CH/FM [Laughs]


FM: I heard of the Donkey Woman from Red Dead Redemption. The Donkey Lady- the glitch where you can ride this woman with a donkey face.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: [Laughs]


FM: Okay, who would be next on your Cryptid Hall of Fame Tattoo? If you had to pick one?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Oh man. That’s a good one. I’m trying to think who might…


FM: The Flat… Flatland? What was that, the Flat Head? Flat Man?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! The Flatwoods Monster! 


FM: Flatwoods Monster, yeah! ‘Cause that guy always looked so cool to me. I read about him in a UFO book where people are all, “he’s not a real UFO [alien],” but he’s some weird experiment or something? Like okay, guess I got no idea who he is.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I love the Flatwood Monster because he doesn’t look like anything else. Like it’s a complete, like the design of it doesn’t… I mean, it’s-


FM: Looks like a glowworm toy from the ‘80s.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yeah! But still super spooky at the same time.


FM: You know, he reminds me of- you know that episode of The Simpsons with Mr. Burns where he’s like radioactive and glowing?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yeees!


FM: Alright alright. Next Question, what do we got?


CH: Alright, so you’ve been to Area 51 to the Everglades, Point Pleasant, and even ghost-hunted with John from Destinations Unknown. What are some of your real-deal, spookiest encounters?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Um, I would say actually Area 51, as you mentioned, was one of the weirdest personal encounters I had. We drove out- I don’t know if you’ve been out to Area 51, but it’s unsurprisingly out in the absolute middle of nowhere. It’s surrounded by free-roaming cattle land where cows can walk all over the roads and the streets; there’s no fences. 


FM: Oh man.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: So we were out there and we were going to go to the gate that night, but it started getting dark and it was actually raining which was pretty weird out there i the desert. And so we decided we were going to do that in the moring. But as we were driving through the desert, we could see the light coming off of Area 51. Nothing else is around there, so obviously that’s what it was: this big glowing light.


FM: That sounds so haunting.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yea, it really really was. So anyway, I was actually filming video and John was there with me, and while I was filming, we see these flashing red lights in front of us. You got to check out the video. It’s in the video. I don’t know what it was. We went back the next day and there was nothing in the field, we went to the exact same spot. And actually, why we were there looking into the field, a bunch of fighter jets flew out from behind the mountain. 


CH: Nope.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Pretty freaking crazy. 


FM: No, yea. Better you than me. When I think of Area 51, I just think like Paul. You know, the movie, Paul? They go during the day and it ain’t so bad. But man, going at night? 


CH: Yea, that would be a lot of nope.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yea, you see a lot of white, unmarked trucks. Again, it’s in the middle of nowhere. The white, unmarked trucks driving up and down the roads is eerie.


FM: What makes it even scariest to me, is that earlier this year [2020], the American government straight up confirmed UFOS.


CH: Oh yah!


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yeaaah! [laughs]


FM: Tom Delouge from Blink 182, leaks some of that footage years ago and now folks are all, “oh yea, he was right.” Like what?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: They waited until during a global pandemic and were like, “oh yea, by the way, UFOs are totally real. Moving on…” 


FM: But you know what’s scary is that nobody is talking about it!


CH: Yea, a lot of news just treated right over it. 


FM: Like, UFOS are confirmed by the government and none of my friends are posting about it. Maybe in the first week, people were talking about it like, “hey, UFOs!” Like, yea, why are we just leaving that news behind, like no?


CH: Yea, how about we delve into this?


FM: Oh my god, terrifying. So of all the strange and fantastic places you’ve been, one stands out to me: your prowrestling career at Supreme Wrestling. I’ve been a wrestlin’ fan since I’s a kid. Jericho has always been my favorite even back to his Liontamer days--now I’m probably more an Orange Cassidy fan. What wrestler inspired you most and how did you prepare for your matches against Mortemer Blankenship III?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Like you, I’ve been a fan ever since I was a kid and it had been a long dream of mine to be involved in professional wrestling. Morty, Mortemer Blankenship III, he reached out to me. He was a fan of my videos and invited me to come out and take part in Supreme Wrestling. We got to be good friends and we talked about basically him walking me through a wrestling match. We built it up for months; the whole premise behind it was that we both look somewhat similar. We both have mutton chops. So we fought over ownership of having mutton chops. 


CH/FM: [Laughs]


FM: It reminds me of Vince McMahon and Donald Trump storyline where loser had to shave their head.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: It was at Wrestlemania. But yea, wrestling was one of the best experiences of my life. The match was about a thousand people in attendance. 


FM: That’s pretty big.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Jerry “The King” Lawler actually wrestled in the main event. One of all time favorite story line was Jerry “The King” Lawler vs Andy Kaufman. So I definitely took inspiration from Andy Kaufman in the build-up to my wrestling match, trying to play up the whole, “I’m a Youtuber, I’m a big Youtuber, you small-town idiots!”


FM: Hamming it up! Now, you had a customized singlet and gear, too.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yeah! I got a custom singlet with my big face on it. 


FM: How do you even do that? Where do you even go customize wrestling gear? I wouldn’t even know where to start. The fabric stretches, you can’t just press that on.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I forget the company, but I found a company online where I just put in my own logo and they made that up for me.


CH: Dang, that’s awesome!


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: When I showed up with that, I got a good pop from the wrestlers. 


FM: Bucketlist, Cheeshead! Cheesehead. Florida Man. Custom singlets. 


JCB/CH: [Laughs]


FM: I feel like there’s already gotta be a wrestler out there called The Florida Man. COmes out with like an alligator and like, cut-off jorts. Probably missing a shoe.


CH: As a fun little sidenote. A couple of coworkers who played Ana and Elsa back when I worked at Frozen [Walt Disney World] received leggings with Ana and Elsa’s big ol’ face on each let. Only it was their real faces, not the cartoon. Just their big ol’ gave down the other leg. 


JCB/FM: [Laughs]


CH: Funniest gift I ever seen in my life.


FM: So not even the cartoon, like their actual faces? 


CH: Yea, the actresses from the Frozen Sing-A-Long. 


FM: We need those as well, along with out wrestling singlets. The britches to have our faces on it and the top to have our logo on it. And I want an alligator.


CH: I’m in, I’m in. You travel a whole heck of a lot. What is the hardest thing about being on the road and how do you keep yourself entertained?


FM: ... and why is it out podcast? I’m kidding, I’m kidding. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: No, I do, actually. Podcast are actually a really big thing for me when in the car driving. I’m trying to think of my record driving in one day; probably around sixteen hours? So a lot of time.


FM: And that’s by yourself?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Usually by myself, yea. So that’s the roughest part. Being away from my family and that time in the car. 


FM: Do you film like, giant chunks at a time? I just picture, like, if I had to do it, I’d bring like five shirts and rotate into all of them the same day and pretend I’ve recorded for a week. I mean, we record pretty consecutively, but we only distribute one episode a week, so. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I used to do it like that. I’ve actually tried to slow down quite a bit because I thought I was killing myself. But I would try--because time is money--try to film as many videos as I could in one day. And I think my record was when I was in Branson, Missouri, the kind of place where there are lots of attractions. I filmed ten videos in one day. I just went from door-to-door basically, from attraction to attraction, filming myself for ten videos straight. 


CH: Yah know, you get it done and you don’t have to worry about things for a while. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: But now I try to pace myself.


FM: Finally, are you working on any new creative projects, or perhaps making the leap to Hawaii and Alaska anytime soon for your channel? 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I definitely have Hawaii and Alaska in my sights. Because it was this year [2020] where I finally visited all 48 of the continental United States. So that’s the next natural step, but they’re really far away so I’m trying to figure that out. 


FM: You gotta pitch it like, “Aight, Sweetie, happy anniversary. Can’t think of anything more romantic than Hawaii. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: And my wife hates flying, which is one of the problems. 


FM: Even better! Well...nevermind. I was going to say to take a cruise, but you can’t do that right now. 


CH: No. Or just get one of those cars that turns into a boat.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Oh yea, those aquacars?


FM: Those amphibious cars, yea. They had those at Disney Springs. You can drive a car straight into the water. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: I think they’re called Amphicars there instead of Aquacars. 


FM: I wanted to do that, but they are actually really expensive to drive. And, as a veteran personality, what advice do you have for aspiring youtubers and podcasters?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: One of the main things I always tell people is to do it for the right reasons; do it because you love it. I mean, I never meant for this to be a fulltime job. I never had any intentions of that happening. Started as a hobby, just something I did. Something I paid to do. I didn’t have any return for years and it eventually just grew into becoming my full time job. 


FM: That’s awesome.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: So just do it because you love it! That’s the only way it’s going to go anywhere. 


CH: You have to gain traction over time, I imagine, right? You don’t just become famous right out of the gate with two-million subscribers. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: That’s what a lot of people think. And I think a lot of people do get discouraged, but it takes a lot of… what’s the expression? Don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want. Put out content ad if there are a hundred thousand people watching, even if there is only a couple hundred. 


CH: And someday it will be a couple hundred-thousand. Thank you so much for joining us at The Talegate. It’s been wonderful having you with us and we hope to have you on again sometime.


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Aw, thank you so much for having me. It’s been fun.


FM: It’s been a Ho-dang good time.


CH: Wow. 


FM: Whatever. But before we go, we’d like to just give you a moment to shout out your channel, projects, and anything else you’d like. 


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: My channel is “The Carpetbagger” on Youtube. Ways to support the channel are listed underneath every video if you’re interested in that. Yea, mostly just watch the channel!


FM: You got like pins, shirts and stuff?


JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER: Yea, shirts, enamel pins, Patreon where I send out postcards monthly. And for all that info, just go to any video and the information will be underneath it.


CH: And that wraps up our first special guest Interview here on the Talegate. For any questions or stories of your own, just drop us a line at TheTalegatePodcast@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast for photos, cast info, updates, and more!


FM: See ya later, Talegaters!