Chet Garner and Justin Hill attended Baylor Law School together. After law school, Chet went on to work for one of the biggest and most successful law firms in Texas. Feeling a little burned out, Chet took a swing at making a TV show highlighting all the wonderful things in Texas--including San Antonio. The rest is history.

Transcript:

[music]

Justin Hill: Hello. Bienvenidos San Antonio. Welcome to the Alamo Hour, discussing the people, places and passion that make our city. My name is Justin Hill, a local attorney, a proud San Antonion, and keeper of chickens and bees. On the Alamo Hour, you'll get to hear from the people that make San Antonio great and unique, and the best-kept secret in Texas. We're glad that you're here. All right. Welcome to this episode of the Alamo Hour. Today's guest is Chet Garner AKA the Daytripper. Previously known as the Texas Daytripper, right?

Chet Garner: Austin Daytripper, actually.

Justin: Okay. That's what it was. All right.

Chet: Austin Daytripper. That's OG. That's season one.

Justin: Okay. All right. The six-episode season.

Chet: Yes, it was. When we went to Waco, our stomping ground, because we were in Waco before Waco was cool.

Justin: I know. It's so different now.

Chet: Yes. Oh, man. So different.

Justin: The silos used to get shanked, and now you got to stand in line to get a sandwich.

Chet: [laughs] That's exactly right, man. We started off. I thought, "Man, if I can convince Austinites to want to go to Waco, I can convince them to want to go anywhere in the world". I started with the most difficult task first, so I like to take a lot of the credit for making Waco cool.

Justin: I think that's fair.

Chet: [crosstalk] may disagree, but I'll take 100% of the credit on that.

Justin: One of my good friends just became general counsel for Magnolia there, and I was thinking, "What a great gig".

Chet: You're kidding me. Really?

Justin: Yes. Chet is a graduate of Baylor Law School, where we met. He went on to work for one of the biggest and best law firms in Texas. After a few years, he made a pivot, created The Austin Daytripper to become The Daytripper. The Daytripper has won eight Lone Star Emmy awards. It's one of her multiple different categories. It's on PBS. It's hosted by Chet. It highlights the culture, outdoors, food, tacos, swimming holes, barbecue, all the wonderful things about Texas.

As it relates to San Antonio and South Texas, he has won Emmys for episodes covering Seguin, San Antonio twice, and New Braunfels. He's won outstanding program host. You have a brick and mortar store in Georgetown, and you just have a huge following. My old law partner one time, the coolest thing that his kids knew about me was that I knew you. They thought it was so cool that I knew who you were.

Chet: Hey, man. I've been very vocal. I tell all my friends, and this applies to you, that if you can use knowing me to any benefit in your life, do it frequently because it's not going to last forever.

Justin: I am right now. I have got you on my podcast.

Chet: Good. There we go.

Justin: I got the mayor on before you, which was probably harder to-- You're a bigger get than the mayor of San Antonio, I think at this point.

Chet: Yes. You're good at brow nosing. That's a lie but okay.

Justin: Okay. Chet, on all these episodes, I start with a top 10 just to get a little bit of information about people. The sort of thing we're going to go through, yours is a little bit different because you're not a San Antonian, but you have spent plenty of time here highlighting our wonderful city. So I thought it'd be great to talk to you as an outsider who has also really actually done a lot to display our city. To start, this is a hard one I think. It looks like you won outstanding program host every year except for 2017. What happened?

[laughter]

Chet: I wish I could tell you. Those were my dark years, my dark years. I was just eating barbecue and crying. I was mailing it in, thinking I could walk home with the award. I think that's the year I didn't get nominated at all.

Justin: Really? Who won it that year?

Chet: Gosh. In all honesty, they took what I did, which is a program host, and they combined it with what a lot of other people do into this one massive category. The traditional program hosts like us were kept outside, so I couldn't even tell you who won it, but it was an old-- Is it Mickey Rooney? The guy who had the crazy eyebrows and would go like, "What's the deal with typewriters? I don't need a typewriter". You know that-[crosstalk]

Justin: Yes, and also Seinfeld basically.

Chet: Yes, basically. Right. Those guys cleaned up that category that year, but we came back strong in '18. We got it. We got it again. Man, the awards are always-- They're fun to get, but man, if you did it for the awards, you'd be a wreck because they're so subjective, and they bounce around. So you can never do something for the recognition or else you'll burn out too quick.

Justin: One of the newscaster, a friend of mine, she won one a few years ago, and she took pictures of it in her bed with her and next to her in the bathtub. It was a big deal. It was funny.

Chet: [laughs] Now, they're like door stoppers. I bring them to things, and I let people pass them around because what good are they with me just collecting dust on the shelf.

Justin: There's some behind you right now I can see.

Chet: Oh gosh. Yes. That was not planned, I promise. We've got one in the store in Georgetown, and I'll let anybody once-- It's a fancy paperweight, essentially.

Justin: How heavy are they? Do they have some heft to them?

Chet: They're heavy. You can kill a man with them. You could definitely kill a man.

Justin: Okay. That's a good standard by which we should gauge things.

Chet: [laughs] Yes-[crosstalk]

Justin: I watched your episodes. I'd seen them previously about San Antonio. What were some of the neat things in San Antonio that you did not know prior to coming to doing these episodes?

Chet: Man, I love San Antonio. I know maybe I'm pandering to the audience. I promise I'm not. I'm not. I love San Antonio. San Antonio's got a patina that other towns in Texas don't. There's only one other town in Texas that I think comes close to having the same patina that San Antonio does, and that's El Paso. You know what I'm talking about?

Justin: I agree.

Chet: It can stop the crust on a cast iron. It's just got this richness to it. I'll say the more time I spend in San Antonio and South Texas and West Texas and even Central Texas to a certain degree, I start to identify more with being Spanish than-- I realize how much of our culture as a Texan, more of it came from Mexico than it did the 13 original colonies.

Justin: Yes, I think that's fair.

Chet: July 4th, we kind of inherited when we joined the union, but that's not really our story. Our story comes from the South. Our story comes up, cross the Rio Grande and through San Antonio. You go to San Antonio, you start to realize that the history is so much deeper, so much richer, so much more complex than you think it is. That's what I love.

You go to the [inaudible 00:06:53] gosh, the church right behind at the Spanish--

Justin: Market Square.

Chet: Yes, the [unintelligible 00:07:01], the Market Square and the governor's mansion down there and see the old layouts of the town. Oh, man, I love it. I love San Antonio. That's what stuck out to me is like, "Holy crap. I'm not in some city where the oldest thing was built in 1890". I'm in a city where it was like, "We're going way back 1700s and before".

Justin: 1600s. Yes. I had no idea I was going to love it like I did. I came for a law job. You left for Waco and went to a law job. Mine ended up being San Antonio, and I just fell in love with the city. That brings me into my next question. Have you been to any Fiesta events? Have you been here for Fiesta ever?

Chet: Never. No. Never been to Fiesta-[crosstalk]

Justin: That would be a fantastic whole episode. Fiesta is probably my favorite thing about San Antonio. I have made lifelong friends, just out meeting over a margarita at some Fiesta event.

Chet: That's cool.

Justin: It's so great.

Chet: I met Rey Feo one year. He came up and he-- It was a big ceremony where he gave me a coin, and I was like, "I don't know what's going on, but this is cool".

Justin: Do you remember who it was that year?

Chet: Gosh, it's written on the coin. I'll have to go and look. I'm disappointing all your podcast guys. Can y'all name the legacy going back--

Justin: About how many years ago?

Chet: Three.

Justin: Okay. There's a colorful history of Rey Feo's, and there was one some number of years ago. I don't remember, but I'll tell you off-air. Some of his events were very much spectacles.

Chet: Oh, really?

Justin: Yes.

Chet: He came to a conference I had to go to down there or something and was walking around in the white suit, the crown, the whole deal, and loved the attention, so I bet you it's the same guy. Loved the attention.

Justin: That group will raise $200,0000 to $500,000 in scholarships. Just that group, just that one group's fundraising efforts. Every single event is a fundraiser for something.

Chet: Holy moly. Wow.

Justin: Yes. I know it's fantastic. The weirdest thing you have seen on your travels?

Chet: Like all over Texas or in San Antonio?

Justin: If you can break them down on the fly, let's do it.

Chet: [laughs] Let me think about this. The weirdest thing I saw in San Antonio. One time I went to Henry's Tacos, and I saw the giant walking taco walking around shaking hands. I got a picture with the walking taco. That was pretty awesome.

Justin: That's fair.

Chet: Let me think of what else. What's the weirdest thing I've seen in San Antonio? Oh, man. I've had some weird stuff happen to me all around in San Antonio. Gosh, man, you're putting me on the spot. I need to think about this. I'd say the coolest place I've stayed in San Antonio is this-- Somehow we got pushed out of our regular room in the Crockett Hotel, and so we got the room that has the big wraparound balcony to where I spent all night drinking beer on my balcony overlooking the grounds of The Alamo. That was pretty awesome. I don't know how you swing that room. I think it was a mixup, and somehow we got that. But that's not necessarily weird.

Justin: You'd be the Daytripper?

Chet: No. This was right as no one knew who I was. I don't know if you've seen The Daytripper or not, and they're like, "No, I haven't". It's like, "Okay, moving on. Moving on".

Justin: If it comes to you, if you become inspired along this, go ahead and pop in. How do you keep your stomach from not getting sick, all the tacos and barbecue and beer?

Chet: Dude.

Justin: It's just got to be overwhelming occasionally [laughs].

Chet: It's a tough job. Someone's got to do it. It's funny. I eat copious amounts of food on the show. I'll go and film stuff with other people who will have me in on things and-- In my book, I'm just getting started, and they're tapping out. They're like, "How are you eating this much?" I'm like, "Whoa, bro, we haven't even gotten started". I realize some weird way, my stomach is conditioned just to pound down the food. I have to work out a lot too, and I can't eat like garbage when I'm off the road. As far as the quantity of food, I scare myself sometimes.

Justin: I don't think I've seen all hundred and something episodes, but somebody actually asked me today, do you ever do any of the food challenges in any of these cities you go to?

Chet: I've done the spice challenges like the ones where the ghost peppers and all that. Actually, I take it back. I've done two food challenges. One is I tried to eat the 72-ounce steak in Amarillo, failed miserably.

Justin: You got to eat the gristle and stuff too, don't you?

Chet: Dude. No, it's a sirloin. There's not much fat in it.

Justin: Okay, 72-ouches.

Chet: Dude, 4 1/2 pounds of beef, you're not playing around. We- let's see -got that. I tried to eat the Mega Mel burger in Tomball one time which is-- It's about a foot and a half of meat. They slice two full tomatoes, and they don't even bother putting the slices out. You just have two tomatoes with just kebab sticks. I don't even know if I can eat two tomatoes, but people pound those things down. I suck at the food challenges because there's usually a time on it too. I think I'm more of a marathon food eater. I can just eat all day, but if you want me to sprint through a 4 1/2 pound steak, I'm going to--

Justin: That's how I am with beer. People are like, "Let's chug a beer". I'm like, "No, I'm fine drinking beers for a while, but I'm not going to chug one".

Chet: Exactly.

Justin: What is your best recommendation for a day trip there and back for San Antonians? Something close to here where people could go out, get a full day worth and make it back in time for dinner.

Chet: Dude, I'm a big fan-- The Hill Country is well-traveled. There's plenty of places to go in the Hill Country. I'm going to throw out Seguin if you hadn't been to Seguin. People are dogging Seguin right now, but just give it 10 years. Seguin is about the blow-up.

Justin: You think?

Chet: I think. I'm seeing something all over the state that's true in San Antonio as well, that if you live within 30 miles of a major metropolitan area and you've got a historic square or historic assets somehow, the sky's the limit right now because people who are living on the outskirts of all these big cities don't feel like tripping down into the middle of the city just because it takes-- It's just maybe the stress of parking or traveling or whatever. So they're looking for entertainment on the outskirts, and they don't want to live in the big city necessarily either. A town like Seguin is in the same position a town like New Braunfels is, just New Braunfels got discovered a long time ago and Seguin isn't discovered yet.

Justin: I love Mason. I think Mason has that feel.

Chet: Oh, I love Mason. I love Mason, Texas, man.

Justin: That happened about five years ago, where it kind of started blowing up?

Chet: Yes. It's still pretty much under the radar. It's nowhere near a Fredericksburg.

Justin: It reminds me of Sonoma. The town of Sonoma and the town of Mason, their squares, and everything look very similar. It's a special place.

Chet: Yes, I could see that. I could totally see that. I would say, I'm always looking good barbecue, somewhere to jump in and get wet in a river. The Guadalupe Bay River goes right through Seguin. Awesome spot.

Justin: I'm a beekeeper, and I go buy all my bee supplies and my hives from Gretchen Bee Ranch out in Seguin.

Chet: Oh, do you really?

Justin: Yes.

Chet: Oh, cool.

Justin: It's fun. Have you had any interesting run-ins with the Texas Country Reporter guy, and are y'all friends?

Chet: One time, we met him at a Lone Star Emmy event, and I was like, "Oh man, is he--" He's been doing this 40 years. He's the grand patriarch of what I do. I was like, "Oh, man. I wonder how he feels about me or if he finds me threatening", or whatever. I look up to him a lot, so I was like, "I'm going to go and introduce myself". I was like, "Hi, I'm Chet. I do the Daytripper". He goes, "Ah, okay. Uh".

[laughter]

He didn't have any clue who I was.

Justin: Is that right?

Chet: None. I don't think so. He was so kind. He's like, "Hey, if you're coming up in the TV business, here's my cell phone. Give me a call. Come see me in Dallas".

Justin: That's great.

Chet: Super friendly. I don't think he knew who I was, honestly.

Justin: Y'all have very different shows though.

Chet: Yes, very different.

Justin: His is like the PBS of PBS show. It's so calming and sweet.

Chet: Oh, totally. It is, man. Hopefully, I don't have a show that you nap to. The other people in this like, "Oh yes, I put on Country Reporter and then sleep on the couch". That's not a compliment to people who make TV that you fall asleep watching our show. You know what, I'd say this, Laura, my wife, who you know from the law school days, she was gutsy and went up to him. She's like, "Hey, I just need you to do one thing. Would you do one thing for me?" [laughs] She got him to go "blizzard" like he used to do on the DQ commercials. I was like, "Oh, that's awesome". I think that video-[crosstalk]

Justin: I don't know if I remember him from the DQ commercials or from Texas Country Reporter. He was just kind of one in the same for a long time.

Chet: Oh, yes. For sure. He just "Hunger Buster Jr". Oh, man.

Justin: Are you a reader?

Chet: Do I read? Man, I got too many kids to read much these days.

Justin: Fair enough.

Chet: I read magazines. What were you going to ask? What's the question?

Justin: I was going