In this episode, Mike and Mark offer a front-row seat to the excitement and challenges of a major media event. Discover the logistics behind their exclusive lunch gathering, hear personal stories about industry characters like Fast Eddie, and explore the political and personal sacrifices of figures like Dan Bongino and Sebastian Gorka. Engage with a conversation that blends political insights, personal anecdotes, and delightful humor.
00:00:16 Mike Gallagher and Mark Davis Conversation
00:00:43 Salem Media Group Event at the Convention
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SPEAKER 03 :
Mike Gallagher. Every day Mike visits with Mark Davis. Morning host on 660 AM The Answer in Dallas. Here’s today’s Eminem experience.
SPEAKER 05 :
Mike is here. Hello, Mike.
SPEAKER 04 :
Do you read us? I can read you, although it took me 35 minutes to get from the main entrance of the Gaylord into the lobby. This is the most massive. I forget how massive this convention space is. It is its own zip code.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is its own country. The reason for Here Comes the Sun, George Harrison would have been 82 today. Passed away back in 01. And in his lot in life, George Harrison was one of the great songwriters of the 60s and 70s. His fate was to operate in the shadow of those two other guys. Oh, yeah, Lennon and McCartney. Anyway, so God bless George. We’re playing some George. How are things going? I hear the wonderful murmur of background noise on the convention floor. It’s going to be a great time for you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, we’re right across from the Texas ballroom where Salem Media Group is hosting its giant breakfast. I said I’ve got to duck out because I’ve got a plan. I have a date with my buddy Mark Davis to talk about. First of all, I’m getting harassed. I couldn’t get through 10 feet through the lobby without people saying to me. Mike, what’s the location of your big lunch with Mark Davis?
SPEAKER 05 :
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
SPEAKER 04 :
Where is the restaurant? And I said, I can’t tell you. Mark has sworn me to secrecy. Of course. I did stumble across Mesa, because I know that’s right by here. It’s not Mesa, so I don’t want anybody to think it’s Mesa.
SPEAKER 05 :
Do you know what happened? Well, additionally to that, I had five people text me who said that Mike… accidentally blurted it out. Right, that’s what I mean. But they misread you blurting it out because there is a fairly famous franchise, I think it’s a franchise, called Blue Mesa. I don’t know if there’s one of those in Grapevine. And it’s not that either. No, no, there’s nothing with the word blue.
SPEAKER 04 :
But I am sworn to secrecy. I’m under oath. Mark has this goofy idea that we can’t tell anybody. Are we going to be able to tell people tomorrow? Of course. So let’s remind everybody. We’ve got eight listeners who donated $1,000 each. Sure did.
SPEAKER 05 :
And they deserve better than to be mobbed in the parking lot by other people.
SPEAKER 04 :
Did you tell me there’s a lady driving in from Waco? Yes. How cool is that? Isn’t that great? Well, I can’t wait. So we’ll do the show. We’ll head over to the location to be disclosed later. We’ll have our private lunch at a round table. This is King Arthur. And make no mistake, Mark is the king. Okay? I’m Voldemort. I have a logistics question for you.
SPEAKER 05 :
So it’s you and me and eight listeners at a table for ten. Yes, a round table. Because the long table would have been silly, because even if we are centrally placed, you know, you and me in the middle, the person over there at the left, the person at the right are a football field away.
SPEAKER 04 :
You understand nobody’s brain works the way your brain works. Well, there you go. I can’t find my shoes, but I can do stuff like this. But you’re right. You are right, though, because I’ve been at events before where there’s a long rectangular table and the people on the end are left out. Hello, remember me?
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly right. But here’s my question about the placement of you and me. Do we sit side by side as co-high priests of our domain? Don’t think so. I think you are opposite me so that we can yammer at each other across the expanse of the table. It also enables four people rather than two to enjoy the thrill of sitting at our shoulders.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well… First of all, it could be alleged that we’re probably putting a little bit too much thought into this. No, I want a deep dive on this. I have to know. But I’m your co-pilot. It’s pilot, co-pilot. I think we sit shoulder to shoulder and have the group around, but that’s okay. I don’t know. I mean, I don’t like being across the table from you. That’s dumb. First of all, I never get to see you in person very often, so let me enjoy my brief moment. We need proximity. Okay. Sit on my lap.
SPEAKER 05 :
We can invite another person. I kept telling you we should have two tables and go back and forth.
SPEAKER 04 :
My first cruise, we had 460 people. I’ll never forget this. And they said, Mike, we want you to say hi to the people at dinner. Well, you have to go from table to table. I never got to eat. I went hungry on that cruise because I always had to go from table to table. Hey, let’s talk a little bit about some breaking news. And you and I talked about this the day before yesterday, and it dawned on me that we never got to it. Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI. Yeah. First of all, can we take two seconds to acknowledge what kind of a sacrifice, a personal sacrifice that is for whether it’s Bongino. You said it best on X. Seb Gorka, these guys walk away. I don’t think it’s a mystery that those of us who have national platforms or in top ten markets or shows all over the country, we don’t exactly make minimum wage. We’re not eating dog food. We’re not eating dog food. So for Bongino, and Bongino has one of the top podcasts In the world. Oh, in the world. And do you know, that’s where all the money comes from.
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly. He makes more off the podcast than he does off the radio.
SPEAKER 04 :
Way more than he does on the radio. And so he’s taken a government job as the deputy director of the FBI to suffer the slings and arrows of the angry left. And they’re coming at him. Oh, he’s a ridiculously unqualified. And who the heck is he?
SPEAKER 05 :
Again with the qualifications.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, I know, I know, yeah, because Pete Buttigieg was eminently qualified. You know, Admiral Rachel Levine, now there’s a qualified figure in public service, okay? Spare us the histrionics about lack of qualifications. But the personal sacrifice these guys are making, Mark, to say, I’m going to walk away from a cushy, high-paying gig to serve my country, to be in this Trump administration, to clean up the mess, and boy, does the FBI need fixing. Mm-hmm. And golly, and incidentally, this opens up a whole different can of worms with broadcasters because Bongino’s got a big prominent spot in that broadcast.
SPEAKER 05 :
Westwood One is the big organization that sort of syndicates the Bongino show. So Rush Limbaugh passes away four years ago, just a couple of days ago. And who’s the big, the premier is the company that did that. And in the actual show that filled, nobody can fill his shoes, but the next show that company offered was Clay and Buck. Okay. And they’re doing fine too. Bongino and Westwood One occupied most of the rush stations, including here in DFW. And so it probably had a bigger platform than Clay and Buck. So that’s sort of the midday landscape of dominant midday national radio other than my friend Mike Gallagher. But you’ve asked the question exactly. Industry insiders are wondering, there’s going to be some lucky stiff who gets tapped to do that. Right. And let me take 30 seconds. Everybody’s been extremely, extremely kind that it ought to be me.
SPEAKER 04 :
That’s not going to happen.
SPEAKER 05 :
You better believe it. Well, number one, I would not be able to talk to you anymore. Are you high? Well, we can figure out a way to do it.
SPEAKER 04 :
I’ll ride your coattails. You’ll take off. You’ll be on all these thousands of stations. I’m good.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m good. I’m good. I’m totally good. But somebody, and I don’t… There is no Arab… It’s so…
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, there is, kind of. I mean, there’s a lot of people in the mix. Charlie Trick, of course, who has just got a meteoric rise, and he’s been doing great with us, and Salem is proud to host him.
SPEAKER 05 :
Go ahead, but Charlie is our property, and he’s obviously that mix for dominant midday shows, but he works for us, and this could be wonderful for us that maybe a lot of stations carrying Bongino would suddenly be carrying Charlie, but Westwood One still has to offer up a show. It’s complicated.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s wild.
SPEAKER 05 :
So there’s going to be some interesting midday listening options, but none of them.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 04 :
But good for Dan. Good for Seb. I talked to Seb again night before last. Chris DeGaulle and I had dinner last night. Chris is here as well. And Chris and Fast Eddie. And by the way, this is the funniest thing. I’ve got to share a personal story about Fast Eddie, his producer.
SPEAKER 05 :
He’s just a trip. I love these guys. I worked with him just for a day, filling in for Chris. I had them down after they finished doing the show. I said, come on down and hang out. So Chris and Fast Eddie came down, sat in the room with me.
SPEAKER 04 :
I just love these guys. I got to know Eddie, and I got to know Chris on the Alaska cruise. And that’s where I really became enamored with him and realized what a special guy he is. Well, Fast Eddie, who’s this amazing character, he texted one of the executives at Salem after he checked into the Gaylord. And I don’t know how many remotes that Eddie has done with Chris. Yeah. Now it’s a different spirit. I mean, you’re on a national stage and it’s a national show. And Eddie says, I got a big problem here. I don’t know what to do. And Tom says, what can I do, Fast Eddie? Fast Eddie says, I can’t afford anything on the Gaylord property. It’s $14 for a scoop of gelato. It’s $27 for a cheeseburger. I’m going to have to go off property in order to eat. Now, going off property is like leaving, like you said… Going to the next county. Exactly. Ten miles to get off from. And Phil Boyce, the big boss, said, well, Fast Eddie, you are on a business trip. Expense it. You can expense it. Well, then Chris Stegall tells me, yeah, but Fast Eddie doesn’t want to use his corporate card. So, look, these are a fun bunch of guys. They’re a little quirky, Mark. I mean… They’re a bit quirky. I don’t think I’ve ever.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s like hand me the piano, a sentence I’ve never heard in the English language. I don’t want to use the corporate card.
SPEAKER 04 :
I don’t want to use the corporate card. And, of course, the boss loves that. They’re like, good for you.
SPEAKER 05 :
And Chris needled him and said, are you trying to curry favor with the company by sparing them the cost of those $20 nuggets?
SPEAKER 04 :
So we go to dinner last night because they saw me when I was checking into the hotel. Yeah. And I had to take Fast Eddie to the Texaco in order to buy provisions because he didn’t want to buy provisions because he couldn’t afford the provisions on the Gaylord property. Oh, yeah, like trail mix and bananas. I’m like, Eddie, you know they have trail mix and bananas here at the Gaylord. Well, not at these prices. Exactly right. Well, so anyway, but I had a great time and I was talking to Chris about it, a lot of things last night and catching up with him. And you’re right. He loves you and we love him. And Chris said something that was so profound. We’ve never seen Sebastian Gorka so ecstatic. And I mean, he’s like, in fact, Chris thought he was drunk the night of the inauguration. And I said, that’s not drunk. That’s happiness. It’s sheer joy. He’s giddy. That’s not alcohol. That’s happiness. That’s giddiness. That’s wonderful. And I will admit, a giddy Seb Gorka is a little alarming. I mean, you’ve never really seen this big, imposing guy with the thick British accent. And he is. He can’t stop smiling and laughing. I can’t stop smiling, Mike. I’m beyond joyful. Dr. D is in spasms of ecstasy, and we are too, because every day, this kid yesterday, this hairy, what’s the kid, the influencer with the big bushy brown hair? His name is Harry Sisson, I think.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, he was like 27 and stupid.
SPEAKER 04 :
He’s a young kid, and well, I always try to give these kids grace. David Hogg. He’s dumb as a mouse. I know, but they’re out there and they’re slinging it around and they hate concern. He posted something. Well, I told you MAGA is turning on Trump. There’s buyer’s remorse. We tried to warn you. Buyer’s remorse every day. Well, he’s claiming MAGA is because of the federal workers who voted for Trump. They can’t believe they’ve got to be accountable.
SPEAKER 05 :
The people being laid off. Okay, can you find an occasional federal worker who might have just gotten axed, who voted for Trump, who’s going… Wait a minute. What’s going on here? Occasional.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right.
SPEAKER 05 :
As if that’s Teflon. I got a text yesterday that said, hey, Mark, we’re coming down way too hard on these federal workers. Some of them are veterans and some of them are family people. And I said, listen, this can’t matter. The government must be much smaller. And some of the people who are RIFT, reduction in force, are going to be Trump voters, are going to be veterans, are going to have kids. Because if we set up Teflon, we won’t get rid of anybody. We’ll never get rid of anybody.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, but the truth of the matter is we are Gorka like Giddy. We are ecstatic. We are thrilled. Every day is like Christmas morning. Every day. It’s like let the hits keep coming.
SPEAKER 05 :
But I’m afraid enjoy it while you can because, Mike, we have, I think, 26, 25, 26 days left.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, yeah, James Carville’s predictions. It’s all going to collapse.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, James Carville on the podcast. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen, Mac. It’s all going to collapse. Mary, give me something to eat. It’s all going to collapse. It’s just going to collapse. Public opinion, it’s all going to collapse. It’s going to come crashing down.
SPEAKER 04 :
What a moron. Well, he was the one that predicted that Kamala was going to beat Trump anyway. So you go with that, you know. By the way, final text on the MyPillow text line, which is working here at the Gaylord with our fancy equipment. And Barry, the engineer, your engineer here, Barry and the team.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, Barry’s the best.
SPEAKER 04 :
Barry is so good. Johnny Toy. It’s all working great. Johnny Toy is here. And Willie Nelson. If I get out of here without him giving me a rendition of On the Road Again, I’ll be disappointed. Yeah, we have Willie Nelson as one of the engineers on site. And Anna. So we’ve got a whole team here.
SPEAKER 05 :
Do we have a guy named Willie Nelson?
SPEAKER 04 :
We have a guy named Willie Nelson. I promise you. And he’s great. And he’s great. And I’m resisting teasing him because I’m sure his whole life, all he’s ever done has been teased about his name. So finally, Aaron in Southlake has a very good text. He doesn’t want to guess. He just said, for lunch, are you getting the lasagna, the tacos, the fried rice, or the chicken tenders? But I’m not asking location. I just want to know what you guys are going to eat.
SPEAKER 05 :
Are you telling me that there’s a restaurant that has all four of those things? If so, I’ll change the location today.
SPEAKER 04 :
He just wants to know, based on my answer, he wants to know which restaurant we’re going to. If it’s tacos, it’s probably Mesa.
SPEAKER 05 :
I thought it was like one place that had all of those.
SPEAKER 04 :
What’s the fare? Give them a hint. What’s the fare going to be?
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s too much of a clue.
SPEAKER 04 :
Come on. Look at the time. Got to go, got to go, got to go. If you text me at 800-655-MIKE, I’ll tell you.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, you won’t.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, I won’t. Can’t I text people?
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, yeah. A hundred people don’t have your text line.
SPEAKER 04 :
Thanks for telling us, Mike. I think people need to know. Stop it. I think this is an outrage that you’re keeping this a secret. I’m really resentful.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m a man of the people. I am a man of the people. You know who the people I’m looking out for today? The eight people who are going to hang out with us.
SPEAKER 04 :
I can’t wait. Well, we’ll tell everybody tomorrow. Have a great show. Happy Tuesday. Happy Tuesday.
SPEAKER 05 :
Mike at the Gaylord. Mark Davis, 660 AM ENT.
SPEAKER 03 :
Download the podcast and hear all of Mike and Mark’s conversations at MikeOnline.com for the Eminem experience.
SPEAKER 02 :
Keep up with the Trump administration when you subscribe to the Trump Report. This email brings you daily highlights from the Oval Office right to your inbox five days a week. Subscribe to the Trump Report.
Cracker Barrel Goes WOKE