From JFK to the iPhone: 75 Years Through the Eyes of a Former Mob Boss

➡ The speaker reflects on his life as he approaches his 75th birthday, reminiscing about significant events and changes he’s witnessed, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the threat of World War Three, working in the World Trade Center, and the disco era. He also recalls the rise of color TV, the start of Elvis Presley’s career, and the opening of Disneyland. He expresses gratitude for his life and freedom, and shares his plans to celebrate his birthday with his followers on YouTube.
➡ The text is a nostalgic reflection on the 50s and 60s, highlighting the respect for men and fathers during the 50s, the impact of JFK’s assassination, the Beatles’ popularity, the moon landing, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Martin Luther King’s iconic speech, the Civil Rights Act, the Vietnam War, and the success of New York’s sports teams. The author also shares personal memories of watching iconic performers at the Copacabana and his love for the movie ‘The Sound of Music’.
➡ The speaker reminisces about significant events and personal experiences from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. They fondly recall the Rat Pack’s entertainment, iconic movies like Rocky and The Godfather, and their involvement in the Italian American Civil Rights League. They also mention working on the World Trade Center, the impact of Watergate, the death of Elvis, and the release of Star Wars. The speaker also reflects on the assassination attempts on Reagan and Pope John Paul II, the death of John Lennon, and their own induction into the Colombo family.
➡ The text recounts significant events from the 80s and 90s, including the Miracle on Ice, the rise of MTV, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the launch of the Corvette. It also mentions personal experiences like facing racketeering charges, going to prison, and becoming a Christian. The 90s brought the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Gulf War, the Rodney King riots, and the O.J. Simpson trial. The author also shares personal anecdotes about the movie Goodfellas, the death of Princess Diana, and the passing of Frank Sinatra.
➡ The speaker reflects on significant events from the past decades, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Hurricane Katrina, Obama’s presidency, and the launch of the iPhone. He also discusses the COVID-19 pandemic, the death of Queen Elizabeth, and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. He expresses disappointment in Obama’s presidency and the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and praises the impact of the iPhone.
➡ The speaker reflects on current global issues, expresses concern about social media’s negative impact, and emphasizes the importance of unity and kindness. They also share their love for their family and their hope for a long life. They encourage listeners to stay safe, healthy, and to take care of themselves, while expressing their faith in God and the afterlife. They end by thanking their audience and inviting them to join in celebrating their birthday.

I’ve been around for three quarters of a century. The 50s was probably one of the greatest times in the history of our country. Why? My mom was in tears. John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I am telling you this. I’ve never witnessed anything like that before and probably never again. You know, we were watching it all and it was very exciting. I remember that it was a big, you know, worldwide event. Friends of mine that were older than me were getting drafted at that time that people were worried. We were on the brink of World War Three.

Who did I see there? Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, Bobby Darren, you name it. Whoa. I remember working in the World Trade Center. Terrorism front and center. What happened later on? We’ll get to that. And then, of course, the disco era. I can’t explain it. I was laying in bed, I said, is he really gone? And he was, Pick it up. Who’s calling me now? Now? My mother. Michael, get out of bed. America’s being attacked. And here’s so and so and so and so. And there’s Mikey Francese. Mikey Francese. And she looks at me and says, come on, honey, let’s go.

It had a major impact, not only here in this country, but in the world. It really did. What really upsets me now is the thought that they could have prevented it. People still haven’t recovered from it. Businesses haven’t recovered from it. It was horrible. I’m so happy that I lived through that foreign. Welcome to another sit down with Michael Francis. Hope everybody is doing well. All is very good, very blessed on this end, my friends and always, I give all the praise, honor, glory and thanksgiving to our God. For that, you know, people, I want to thank all of you as I take this March to my 75th birthday on May 27th.

So many of you have subscribed to get me up to the 2 million. We’re very close there now. I think we’ll do it. And for all my loyal followers over the years, just know I appreciate it very much and I’m looking forward to many of you joining me with a glass of wine, a slice of pizza on my 75th birthday. We’re going to have a good time, I promise you that. We’re doing a YouTube live. I have a very important message that I want to put out and I’m saving it until that day last night. I was.

I was laying in bed and I was watching the news and I just went through YouTube and I started to listen to some of the old singers of my era. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, you know, all These iconic singer, entertainers. And I just started reflecting on my 75 years on this planet. And I’m saying, wow. I saw a lot, you know, starting out in the 50s. I was born in 51. And just seeing everything that I’ve seen throughout my life. First of all, I feel really blessed, you know, to be alive and. And to be free.

You know, when you’re locked up for a period of time, you realize how important your freedom is to you, how precious it is. And I was just. I got a little bit sad because people that are gone that, you know, that I loved and miss. But then I got a little bit, you know, just very nostalgic over everything. And I said, you know, I want to reflect on that. You know, it’s something. When I hit 60 years old, it was like, ah, 60, that sounds pretty old. I really felt good and no big deal, 65, 70.

I started to say, wow, seven decades. But 75, I mean, you know, I. I’ve been around for a quarter of the United states, the America, 250 years. We’re going to celebrate in July, 4th and 3/4 of a century, you know, on this planet. It’s a lot, you know, and I’m very thankful. So I want to reflect on everything that I’ve gone through. Not everything, but everything that means something to me that I remember really since birth as standing out and being important, the things that I’ve lived through. And I want to share it with all of you.

So. And that’s kind of, you know, in celebration of my 75th birthday. And hopefully many of you are going to be joining me, but I’m going to start out in the 50s and tell you about all the events that I’ve lived through. And obviously there are more and some maybe I miss, but these are the ones that stand out for me throughout my lifetime. So I’m going to start in the 50s. We’re going to go through each decade. All right, everyone, quick thing before we continue. You know what everyone tells me at events? They come up and they say, michael, I bought your wine just to support you.

And then they say, but I kept buying it because it’s so darn good. And that’s the best compliment I ever get. So enjoy it. Here it is. Let’s get back to it. I wrote it down so I don’t forget. And I did all this last night. But, you know, one of the things I really remember is the start of color TV, and that happened in the 50s. People I remember sitting in front of the television at my Grandparents house in Long island, they had moved out there. There was something going on with the Colombo war. And my dad had moved us out to my grandmother’s house out of Brooklyn while he was doing his thing during the war.

And I remember sitting in front of the television and we watching the peacock, the wonderful world of color. And all of a sudden from black and white, all of these colors came on the peacock. And it was exciting. It really was. Watch Bonanza, you know, back then and, and watch Disney, the wonderful world of color with Disney. It was just a, it was an exciting night. And I remember that even as, you know, being five, six, seven years old, whatever I was at the time was exciting. So that was a standout. Then I remember. This is crazy, but I remember a scene with Marilyn Monroe when she was walking over a, you know, a subway grading that you have in Manhattan, I think.

And the wind blew up and it blew up her dress, right? And that became an iconic thing at that time. And I. Some reason it stands out to me. I remember it, you know, Marilyn Monroe, big deal back then. So that stood out. Elvis Presley, the beginning of Elvis, I remember him coming on the Ed Sullivan show and he’s saying, don’t be cruel, you know, it was the first song that he sang. And of course everyone was in love with Elvis when he first started. He was iconic, brilliant guy. So sad to the way his life ended up.

But if you go and look at some of his movies and some of his performances back in the 50s 60s, Guy was just, you know, captivating, you have to say it. And he started a whole, you know, music revolution. So I remember that in the 50s then we have the Brooklyn Dodgers leaving Brooklyn, going out to la. Well, I’m a die hard Yankee fan, probably would have been a Dodger fan. But after they left and came out to la, all I ever heard was those effing Dodgers. You don’t leave Brooklyn, you know, people get upset with you.

At least many people did. Even though my partner Tony in the pizza business, he’s a diehard Dodger fan, grew up in Brooklyn also. But me, I switched to the Yankees right away and Mickey Mantle was my idol. But that was, that was something that stood out to me. And then, you know, Disneyland opened and man, I remember as a kid watching Disney and seeing all the things out in California. Boy, I wanted to go out there so bad. Every kid wanted to go to Disneyland. And of course I lived on the other side of the country.

Eventually I got there, but not with my, in my younger years. But it was so exciting to see Walt Disney and to see Disney and, you know, the rise of Mickey Mouse, which happened earlier, but now we’re watching it on television and we’re seeing things. It was very exciting. Those are the things that stand out in the 50s. And hopefully those of you my age remember that with me. Good stuff. And, you know, the 50s was probably one of the greatest times in the history of our country. Why? Because World War II had ended. Manufacturing started to pick up.

The 50s was a year when everybody seemed to love everybody, really. The country was so together. You know, they were so united. There was no animosity between Republicans and Democrats and all of that. People were just happy. It was a good time financially for people, and they were just happy. And I remember some of these old wholesome shows that began in the 50s and the 60s. We’ll get into, like, Father Knows Best and Donna Reed and My Three Sons, you know, where the father really meant something in the house, you know, really meant something. He was the parent.

He was the figure, the head of the household. Not the macho head of the household, but the head of the household that people respected. It was just a great time for television and for men. And of course, we know that, you know, that started to go downhill in the 70s with Archie Bunker and Married With Children later on and all of that, when men were looked at and fathers were looked at as buffoons and not in the 50s. You know, men held their place as good husbands, good fathers. It was just a great time. The 50s was probably the greatest time, you know, of that century and May and very possibly of any century.

It was just a good time. So Those were the 50s. Those are the things I remember. Now we get to the 60s, what really stands out? Well, obviously, the Kennedy assassination. You know, people. When John F. Kennedy got assassinated, I will never forget, I was sitting out on my patio and. And my mom came out. My mom was in tears. You know, John F. Kennedy was assassinated, you know, and for four days on television, four days, you saw nothing. On every network, we didn’t have cable every network, you saw nothing but Kennedy’s stuff. All about the funeral and all about his life.

Nothing else. Everything else was preempted, all Kennedy stuff. And it got annoying at time because I was, what, you know, 12 years old or something, but you didn’t want to see all of that. But I remember how, you know, important it was at that point in time. I don’t think we’d see that today, you know, Trump, how many times. They want a lot of People want him assassinated. Horrible to say that, but it’s true. But the whole country came together when Kennedy was assassinated. I remember the Beatles coming to Shea Stadium, first on Ed Sullivan, of course, and then they came to Shea Stadium.

And I want. I was a big Beetle fan, wanted my dad to get me tickets, and he got me tickets. And people, I’m going to tell you, the Shea Stadium where the Mets played, at that point, we had tickets pretty well right up front because they, they constructed the stage on the field. But I am telling you this, I’ve never witnessed anything like that before and probably never again. Everybody in that stadium, 50,000 plus people, screamed from the moment they came out on the stage until they left. You couldn’t hardly hear them sing. I mean it.

But just to be there and to be in their presence, it was iconic. I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget when they came on Ed Sullivan, they were really, you know, they. They started a sensation. It was unbelievable. So I remember that the moon landing, that was in 69. I remember that. I was out in Shelter Island, Long Island. I was with my girlfriend at the time. My name was Barbara DeVito. And we had gone out to Shelter Island. We were watching it on television, you know, the landing on the moon. And they really did land. People are saying today.

Well, it wasn’t true. It was true. They landed on the moon. It was so silly to talk, you know, and say something different. But it was exciting, landing on the moon. Could you imagine that? The man in the moon. You know, we’re watching it all and it was very exciting. I remember that it was a big, you know, worldwide event. I remember the Cuban Missile crisis, okay, that was important. You know, the world was breaking or getting ready. We were on the brink of World War Three and John F. Kennedy, the Bay of Pigs, the whole thing like that.

I remember that even as a young man, because people were worried, is this going to be the start of World War Three? So that was an iconic time. And the whole world got involved in that. I do remember that Martin Luther King, you know, when he got assassinated. Big deal. I have a dream. I remember that iconic speech, which was so brilliant. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by. By the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

You know, that was through the whole civil rights movement at that time. And it was. It was an amazing time, of course. And we know that Lyndon Johnson signed in the Civil Rights Act. You know, racism was on the decline in the country. I think that doesn’t really exist to any great degree. I think that the left builds that up right now. But this is not a racist country. I’m sorry. Racism will always exist in pockets and among certain people, but our country on a whole is not racist. And that’s just the left playing that up.

But it was a great iconic event when he signed, you know, the act of the Civil Rights act and what else saw did the Vietnam War. I remember that, you know, some of my friends were drafted. I had a high number at that point. I didn’t get drafted, I was still in school. But I remember friends of mine that were older than me were getting drafted at that time. The Vietnam War obviously was a big thing. It was reported every day on the news. Robert Kennedy assassination a couple of years after his brother, I remember that, that stood out.

I still can remember when he was at the D. Reyes in that hotel and what was his name? I think it might have been Hink. I don’t remember if I’m getting it right, but came up and shot him that day and obviously it resulted in his death. And then something that I, I really remember was very, very exciting to me was that year the Mets, the Knicks and the jets all became champions. Not the Yankees, my team, they didn’t make it, but the Mets, the Jets and the Knicks. It was New York’s time to shine that year.

And it was very exciting because I was a fan of the. You had to be a fan of the 69 Mets with Tommy AG and all those people, you had to be. And they were hapless for so many years that when they won the championship, it was a big deal. We say, you know, get there again. Even though I’m a Yankee fan, I’m still a New York fan in many ways. So that one other thing that stands out in my mind, I was young, I was probably maybe 13, 14 years old, I remember exactly. But the movie the Sound of Music came out and it was a big, big, big film.

And my mom wanted me to take my brothers and sisters. I didn’t want to go. I want to see the Sound of Music. You know, she made me go. I, I did a lot. I watched my younger brothers and sisters quite a bit. So I went and reluctantly. But I loved the movie. I still love one of my favorite movies ever. I love, I love the music, I love the romance. I just loved everything about that movie. It’s still one of my all time favorites, definitely in the top five. So that stood out for me, in the 60s, it was.

Was a big deal. Another thing that I remember during that time, and I started to, you know, at the. At the start of this video, I was saying it, the Copacabana. My dad was a big, big, big time guy at the Copacabana. Julie Padel, who ran and owned the place. He loved my dad. Every time we went, we had a ringside seat, front row and in the Copa. That was the biggest club in the world at that time, the most iconic club. Everybody who was anybody wanted to play the Copa and did. Who did I see there? Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, you name it, I saw him there.

My dad brought me there. I was there in 1969 when I graduated from high school. My dad had me and 40 of my friends ringside to see Dionne Warwick for my graduation deal for my prom or whatever it was. We had a great time. I went to the Copa so many times. I did go through the back with my. In the kitchen with my dad, Henry. Hell never did unless he was with somebody. Trust me on that. But I love the place and I loved all the people there. And I have to say this, my favorite actor that I saw there was Bobby Darin.

That guy was so talented. He played every instrument. He was such an entertainer. You know, I was watching these entertainers on YouTube, you know, the Rat Pack. Unbelievable. And it was so brilliant because they didn’t have all of this synthetic music. They all had a band behind them. They didn’t have any of these, you know, fires going up in the air and all this kind of stuff, you know, pyrotechnics, you know, none of that. They were just on the stage with a microphone in a tuxedo and. And they entertained you. They didn’t need to do anything else.

Their song, their dialogue between the two of them, you know, or four of them, whatever there was with the Rat Pack, it was just brilliant to watch them. It will never be duplicated again. Now, there’s some brilliant artists out there, but not the same. I am telling you, never going to be the same ever again. These people were just unbelievable. The way they entertained, the way they held your attention. You. You just love them. Sinatra, until he died, filled up, you know, Madison Square Garden and everything else. Even when he hardly could sing anymore. People just loved Old Blue Eyes.

It’s. I’m so happy that I lived through that. And I still love their music. I really do. Every time I hear it, it kind of brings me back, you know, I get a tear in my eye at times, because Sinatra really symbolized so much. Dean Martin, so talented. And man, I, I, I get nostalgic and I get kind of, you know, melancholy at times and then sometimes happy when I think, anyway, those were the, the 60s. Let’s get into the 70s. What stands out? Rocky, the Godfather, two iconic movies. You know, I’ll never forget when I went with all my friends to see Rocky.

It was unbelievable that we thought we were at a real, you know, heavyweight boxing match. Everybody in the theater was up and we were rooting for Rocky. At that time, it was like it was a real fight and we didn’t know what was going to happen. And when he won, the place went crazy. It was such a great time. Movies were so great. And then the Godfather, I saw that on Christmas day, if I can remember. I think I’m right. Christmas Day we went and. Brilliant, brilliant. I mean, one of the most, if not the most iconic, brilliant movie of all time.

Just brilliant. And it stands out. These were the seventies. Let’s keep going. Of course, for me, the Italian American civil rights lead. In 1970, my dad went off to prison for that 50 years. Joe Colombo, and this got worldwide attention, formed the Italian American Civil Rights League. And I played a major role in that, hoping to, to get my father out of prison. And then, of course, the, the shooting of Joe Colombo on our unity Day in 1971. I was 12 steps away from him when the shots rang out and Joey went down and he didn’t die that day, but he was basically in a coma for, you know, several years until he passed away from those gunshot wounds.

So I remember that, you know, and worldwide attention. That’s why I bring it up. Joe Colombo. Whoa. I remember working in the World Trade Center. I was a kid, you know, and my father got me, or my father’s friends got me a union job. I was a laborer and I worked on two buildings. One was the World Trade center and the other was 55 Water street and I worked there during the summer, made a lot of money. You know, I was a bell ringer, which means that I used to be on the hoist, you know, and whenever the, like the trash pans and everything would come on, all I had to do was ring the bell.

I put the trash bins on the hoist, I rang the bell and went up and down. That was the extent of my work. But the great thing about it is whenever anybody worked, I had to be there. So I got a lot of overtime and I was making, you know, a thousand twelve hundred a Week when I was a kid going to school. It was terrific. I loved it. So I remember that. And then of course working on the World Trade center, when it finally did get, go down, we’ll talk about that. It was like, whoa, realizing the, the enormity of that building and then seeing it crash down.

But I’ll get to that. Watergate, huge deal. Nixon, you know, resigning Watergate was huge. You know, it was all over the news every single day. It was major worldwide news. Remember that? The Shah of Iran, for some reason that stands out. I remember when he was overthrown and you know, he went out of, for exile and other places and then you know what got me? The Shah of Iran, who was one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest person on earth at that point, got cancer and couldn’t save himself with all his money and everything else.

He died of cancer. And for some reason that always stuck with me, you know, yeah, money works to a certain extent, extent. But there’s some things, many things that money just can’t buy. And for some reason that’s what stands out about that with me. Okay, Elvis, you know, Elvis death, huge and very, very sad to see. From his earlier years in the 50s to what he became in the 70s, it was very sad. He had a sad life. You know, when you get to that iconic stage in life, the drugs and everything else, like Michael Jackson, you know, just they wear on you.

And it was very sad when Elvis died. Even though I was a huge fan of Elvis movies more than of his music, I liked his movies. I just, they were light hearted. Him and Ann, Margaret and to see what he had become and you know, how he had let himself go is very sad. So that, that was big for me. Bruce Lee, when he died, that was big. I remember that Bruce Lee was an iconic, you know, martial arts guy. Loved him. Star wars, when Star wars came out, you know, that franchise, unbelievable. Until today, you know, so that was a big deal and I got to see that and live through that.

And it, it, you know, had a spot in my mind. Jaws, the movie Jaws, 1975 in the summer. I remember that’s the year I was married to my first wife. And we were, we went to that movie over the summer and wow, iconic movie. I mean, people didn’t want to go in the water after Jaws. I don’t know if you, if you look back and go and see and read about it, it really had an impact on people. And of course that was Steven Spielberg’s first big hit, but man, that was worldwide attention. Jaws because people didn’t want to go in the water after that.

And then the Exorcist, you know, I will never forget watching on television. Of course I saw the movie. It was frightening back then. It was frightening. You know, whenever you get into that supernatural and the devil and exorcism, which we believe is real, you know, demons can be in. In your body and in your mind. But I’ll never forget watching on television, people coming out of the theater shaking, crying, scared. It was like, whoa. Everybody went to see the Exorcist. And of course, Linda Blair paid that, played that part brilliantly. And I had Linda in a movie later on Savage Streets and got along with her pretty well.

But yeah, and that movie really affected people. So the Exorcist, that stands out to me. And that’s in the 70s, of course, for me, Halloween night, 1975, I’ve talked about this. That’s the night that I became a maid member. And I’m not doing, you know, any of the mob stuff here, but obviously for me, that was life changing experience when I took the oath and became a soldier in the Colombo family. So that was important. And then the other thing I remember is the Kent State shooting, you know, the massacre at Kent State. I don’t know if many people remember that, but it was big, you know, big news and obviously a travesty, a tragedy, I should say.

So many young people died during that rampage. So Those were my 70s. Live through it all, people. Now we get to the 80s. Well, the 80s were kind to me and not so kind. It was the year that I went into prison. But a lot of other good things happened. We’ll get to that. Okay, Reagan, you know, the attempted assassination on Reagan, I remember that. You know, he was getting into his car and somebody went up to him and shot him. Two people, Reagan and one of his assistants, Cabinet members, I think, was shot at that time.

I remember that. That was big news. Pope John Paul ii, he was shot. That was big news, Pope being shot. Remember that? It stands out to me. John Lennon, you know, I’ll never forget that. John Lennon being assassinated. Why would you want to shoot John Lennon? That was huge, you know, because the Beatles were so iconic and so huge. And that was a terrible thing. Stands out. And that happened during the 80s. Paul Castellano, okay, big news. You know, the whole thing with Gotti, we don’t have to get into that. Paul Castellano and Bellotti outside of Spark Steakhouse certainly had an impact on my life on old Cosa Nostra at that time I’ll never forget.

That happened in December. December 16 stands out. Why? Because on December 19, I was indicted on this whole gasoline RICO case and was held without bail. So that was the start of my really rough time during the 80s. Miracle on Ice, Remember that? Yeah. When America beat the Russians in the Olympics, Huge deal. And that had worldwide effect. You know, we finally beat the Russians and they were known to be great hockey players, and they are. But that was big. Another thing for me, you know, Rudy Giuliani and the rise of the RICO act, which devastated my former life, no question about it.

I had three racketeering indictments. So it was big news. And it was big news because of all the people that went down, remember the mob commission case and all that. And it was huge news. So it had a really. Had an impact. MTV launched. MTV was huge back then, and MTV studios are still doing a lot of. But they launched in the 80s and MTV was big, big, big, big. On cable TV back then. Michael Jackson’s Thriller, iconic. I’ll never forget, you know, watching that video. It was amazing. And I think that was the first video, first of all, got I don’t know how many views, you know, millions upon millions of views.

And really started that whole video craze. And it was huge. You know, back then, every. Well, they have it now too, obviously, but every singer had a video to match and it really helped them in their. In the industry. Berlin Wall fell. That was huge news. During Reagan’s administration, the Berlin Wall went down. You know, I remember him telling. Who was it? You know, take down that wall, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. Reagan was a great president. He really was a heck of a lot better president than he was an actor, I believe. I think Reagan was.

Was terrific. He did a lot for America. So I remember that it was also the anniversary of the Corvette. I remember that because I was selling them at the time, or just earlier than that. That was a big deal. Corvette was, you know, if you remember, way back when, Even in the 50s, we had all these commercials, you know, all the automobile dealers, the big ones, Chevrolet, Ford, they had a lot of commercials on television. And the Corvette was the standout. Everybody wanted a Corvette. I wanted one. I had a 68 Corvette. I loved it, but everybody wanted a Corvette.

So that was big. And then, of course, the disco era, Saturday Night Fever, that came in a bit earlier, but it was the whole disco era that really came out in the 80s, you know, I’ll never forget, you know, it was. It was a revolution. The Disco Revolution. And you really have to give it to Travolta. But it really materialized in the 80s. You really have to give it to Travolta. And Saturday Night Fever, that was the one that really kicked it off. You know, that. That club in Brooklyn where it all went down. And, man, I love the 80s.

I love the early part of the 80s. Not when I went to prison, but I remember that disco era. I had a club out in Long island that I used to frequent all the time, channel 80. I had my own place, Jupiter’s, at the time. And discos did so much for the club scene back then. So Those were the 80s. They were a good time to remember. And then in 85, I went off to prison and. And spent the rest of my 80s, the second half, in prison. That wasn’t fun. But the good part for me is, I have to mention it’s as big as.

Not a worldwide event, but I married my beautiful wife in 1985, and we’re married now 41 years. And it was a blessing for me, no doubt. It was also the. The 80s that I became, you know, introduced really to Christianity. I grew up as a Catholic, so I shouldn’t really say that that isn’t correct because Catholics are Christians, too, but started to think about practicing as a Christian. Was I fully committed? No, that didn’t happen till later on. But God was introduced to me in a different way. And obviously, you know, all these years later, it’s taken hold.

And I’m a strong follower of Jesus Christ. Not perfect, but I believe my faith in Jesus is unwavering. And I say that I’m not a perfect Christian, but my faith in Jesus is perfect in that nobody can tell me differently. So I’ll keep going. All right. 1990s, the collapse of the Soviet Union. I remember that. Big deal. Ussr, no more collapse of the Soviet Union. Yes, I’ve lived through that. The Gulf War, remember that? Live on television. We saw it a lot. It had an impact, obviously, worldwide. Lived through that. Another horrible thing that really had such an impact was the Rodney King riots.

Man, I’ll never forget watching that on television. And obviously it had a major impact not only here in this country, but in the world. It really did. Of course, O.J. simpson and the murder trial, that iconic murder trial. I watched that when I got home from prison. I watched the Nomas Daily. I was really intrigued by that trial, of course. Remember him in the Ford Bronco, I think it was. And the chase that they had before he surrendered himself or before they caught him, whatever it might have been at that time. But the whole O.J. simpson deal really captured the airwaves for as long as that trial went on.

And obviously, we know what happened afterwards. The movie Goodfellas came out. Iconic movie. Took my wife to see it. Mistake. Because, you know, up until that point, my wife lived through what she lived through. She lived through my eight years in prison. And, you know, it was funny, when I took her to see the movie, she didn’t want to know anything. She didn’t read my book at that time. She didn’t want to know about the life because she lived through enough of it, right? But I said to her, let’s go see Goodfellas. It’s kind of, you know, it’s nostalgic to me.

I knew all those guys, so let’s go. So she said, okay. So we’re in the movie theater. I’m eating my popcorn, right? I love popcorn in the theater. Full experience. And you know how it opens up very graphic, right? And she turns to me and she looks at me, and I’m getting a little nervous. And she said, is that what you really did? Did you do something like that? And I said, honey, it’s a movie. Come on, this is Hollywood. They make things up, right? I was on the spot. I didn’t know what to say. No, sooner I say that than what, within the next 10, 15 minutes or something? They’re naming people around the bar.

You people have seen Goodfellas. You know that. It’s lived with me ever since then. And here’s so and so and so and so. And there’s Mikey Francese. Mikey Francese. And she looks at me, I said, come on, honey, let’s go. I didn’t expect that. That was a whole different crew, even though I knew all those guys. And I said, let’s go. And we got up and left. I didn’t know what they were going to do or say about me or how much they were going to involve me in the film. Of course, it was only that, but I didn’t want her to see anything, you know.

And then I called up Nick Pileggi later on, who was a friend, and I said, nick, why’d you throw me in that movie? Different crew and everything else. Oh, come on, Michael. You knew all those guys. You had a big name. I threw you in the movie. I said, well, next time, can you warn me? And no, I didn’t get paid for that. But anyway, so Goodfellas was a big deal for me. Big deal for everybody. It’s one of the greatest mob movies ever made. Fairly accurate. We know that Princess Diana, when she died, huge, you know, in that car crash.

Horrible, horrible. And boy, that stands out in my head in, in that year, in those years, the Yankee dynasty began. And it was a dynasty. Three World Series in a row. They did a three peat. The core four loved the Yankees during that time. Joe Torrey, brilliant, obviously. Derek Jeter, first round, you know, hall of Famer, you know, just the whole team. It was the Yankee dynasty back then. And, you know, it just cemented, not that I needed it, it started with Mickey Mantle, but just cemented my love for the Yankees. And I watched them until today they’re playing the Mets, you know, and we’ll see how that goes.

Okay. This was, I’ll never forget this. This was a blow to me personally. And that was when Frank Sinatra died, I believe in 1998. I was laying in bed, it was early in the morning when it came over, the news that Sinatra had died. And, you know, for some reason, I, that just hit me and I said, man, my life in the mob, that era, it’s really over. Because I, Sinatra was kind of a symbol, even though he wasn’t mob connected in a way that we controlled him. That’s all nonsense. Yes, he did his favors and, yes, favors back and forth, but he didn’t pay us or we didn’t take money off of him.

That’s all nonsense. But he had a good relationship with us. I mean, Joe Colombo brought him to some of the events that we had, and he sang for, you know, he did favors. What’s the big deal? They made a whole big deal. Like he was mob connected. No, he, and yes, there is some truth, you know, about the Kennedy relationship, and, and there is some truth to that, but he wasn’t controlled by the mob, let’s put it that way. But, man, when he died, it was like, it was a personal blow. I, I can’t explain it.

I was laying in bed, I said, is he really gone? And he was and just meant a lot. And look, worldwide iconic singer. You got to say that. And, you know, I, I, I said it earlier, but unbelievable, okay? 1993, bombing of the World Trade center, huge. They wanted to bring the towers down. They absolutely did. Six people were killed, thousand more injured, Millions of dollars worth of damage. You saw my video that I did earlier, released on that. The government could have stopped it. They certainly had an opportunity to do so, and they let it go.

Okay, but that was huge news. Tried to blow up the World Trade center terrorism, front and center. What happened. Later on we’ll get to that terrible. The Oklahoma City bombing, huge news back then. Again, white American, but he was a terrorist. You know, you don’t have to come from overseas. You could be radicalized here. But that was big news too. So those are the things that stand out to me now. Remember, there’s more world events. I’m saying the ones that really stood out to me. Let’s get into the 2000s. We need to go no further than the tragedy of 9 11.

Tragedy. People I’ll never forget. I was out in California. I’m laying in bed now. Remember the enormity. I worked on the World Trade center as a kid in high school, as a laborer. I’m laying in bed early in the morning, probably 7am the phone is ringing. We still had phones, right? Pick it up. Who’s calling me now? My mother. Michael, get out of bed. America’s being attacked. I said, what? I thought my mother was, you know, you okay, Ma? Get out of bed. Turn the television on. America’s being attacked. I said, what? What? And I turned it on and wow, there it was.

No need to go any further, people. It was like, like all of us, we were stunned. And then the first thing I started to worry about my daughter from my first marriage, Maria, because I knew she worked close by and obviously cell phone service was out and everything. I was really worried about her. Was able to find out that she was okay, obviously, but I just couldn’t believe it. I mean, we would. I don’t have to go any further and repeat, we were stunned. What really upsets me now is the thought that they could have prevented it.

They could have prevented it. People. I don’t make this thing up. I researched it. My friend who you heard from, if you haven’t seen that video, go back and watch it. It could have been prevented, no question. But they let it happen. Not that they knew it was going to happen and they let it happen, but they could have prevented it from the scheme ever going forward. I want to be clear on that. I’m not saying they knew 911 was going to happen and they let it go. No, I’m saying they had the terrorists that were planning it and they could have stopped it planning something.

They didn’t know what. But the same guy that had bombed the World Trade center in 1993, that was doing life in prison, plus 240 years they had him in their midst. Thanks to my friend who is a patriot, who is working with the FBI to, to get the information from them and they killed the investigation. Not to let a few mob guys out of jail that they put in there wrongly. That was our FBI. Sometimes Weissman, Andrew Weissman, scum of the earth. Scum of the earth. And Lynn Del Vecchio, an FBI agent that caused murder, participating in murders, charged with four murders, God knows how many more he attributed to with Greg Scarper Senior.

Anyway, I don’t want to get off on that because we’re doing something nostalgic but horrible. Okay. The Iraq war, the Afghanistan war began then. Remember it like it was yesterday when we declared war. Not declared war, but we got involved in that war. Mistake as it seems. Hurricane Katrina, oh my gosh, what a tragedy. Tragedy, you know, and look at the after effects of that. They still, still not fully recovered from what happened in Katrina. Huge news. And of course the United States, I mean the FEMA failed in many ways, you know, to do what they should have done.

Terrible, terrible. Obama elected as president, the first black president. I was thrilled. I’ll be honest with you. I couldn’t vote back then, but I would have voted for Obama. He, he impressed me so much when he made the speech at the Democratic National Convention that I had turned to my wife and I said, you know, this guy is presidential material. Brilliant orator, brilliant speech and a huge disappointment. Huge disappointment. Here’s a man that could have unified this country because he was black and showed there is no racism. No black man was elected as president. He could have dispelled racism and said, I don’t want to hear it anymore.

Let’s bring this country together, let’s unify this country. But he didn’t do it. I believe he’s racist. I really, I don’t believe he loves America. He took advantage of America. He absolutely did. Of white America. The same people. He wants to demonize and his side wants to demonize now. He capitalized, became a wealthy man as a result of it. But he disappointed us. He pushed that garbage Obamacare across, lied to us straight out. You can keep your doctor, you can keep your hospital lie, total lie. We know that costs skyrocketed. He had an opportunity and he blew it.

And he should be ashamed of himself for it. I’m sorry. And who knows, who knows what we’re finding out with him and Hillary Clinton and how they created, created this whole Russiagate garbage that distracted from the presidency of Donald Trump and really, really took advantage of the American people because they, they distracted the president with all his garbage. Mueller investigation and who is the lead prosecutor? Scum of the earth, Andrew Weissman, scum of the earth. Tried to prosecute our president, put other people in jail innocently. My friend being one of them. Michael Cessa lied, suborned perjury.

Him and the agent De Vecchio put people, countless people in jail. The only guy that was overturned 9 to nothing in the Enron case because he was, he was horrible. Anyway, you know where I’m going with this. Let’s move on. IPhone launches wow. Steve Jobs, iPhone, what an impact it’s had on our lives. I’ll never forget that when the iPhone came out, it was amazing. The Sopranos finale, I was disappointed. I don’t like the way it ended. I’m sure many of you felt the same. But look, the Sopranos, brilliant series. It was the series that led the way to all the other brilliant series that we’ve had out there now.

And, and so many television, you know, they’ve really got it down better than movies now in most cases. Really, some of these series. I, I was just into the third season of Homeland. I was a late bloomer on Homeland, but wow, unbelievable series. So many of them are so brilliant out there, really. I mean, amazing. Anyway, those were the 2000s. Let’s go from 2010 to 2020. And again, these were standing out in my mind, you know, that I’ve lived through 2010 to 2020. Bin Laden finally killed big. We were all happy when we heard that COVID pandemic.

People, what can I say? You know, the sad part is all the fraud that went on, all the lies that were given to us, that’s what stands out. But you know what? Even more, all the people that died, many of them probably unnecessarily, you know, the lie about the vaccine, the lie about the origin, the COVID ups, the, the money that was made by people, the money that was lost as a result of COVID it changed America forever. People still haven’t recovered from it. Businesses haven’t recovered from it. It was horrible, that pandemic. And it was horrible the way our government acted through it and people took advantage of us.

It was horrible. A lot of people have blood on their hands because of COVID Telling you that right now, I don’t want to get into the politics. Queen Elizabeth died big. She was in, you know, ruled for many, many, many years. So it was big. She was iconic in many ways. I remember that Ukraine and Russia war, we’re still going through it. Thought it was going to end quickly. We thought Russia was going to dominate Ukraine. That would be the end of it? No. Still raging, what, four years now. Terrible. Wish it would end. I wish Trump can do something, you know, to, to make this war end.

But we’ll see what happens. And then a lot of school shootings that have occurred and you know, people, we’re living through a very tough time. I don’t want to bring this down because these were allegedly good memories and I’m going right up to current day, but the divisiveness in this country is at an all time high. You know, I think only through the Civil War, maybe I should say second to the Civil War. And God forbid it ever leads to something like that again in this country. We have a real division in this country of morality and ideals.

And on my birthday, I want to address this. I want to address it in a big way. So I hope you tune in, I really do, because I have an important message to give and I’ve really contemplated this and I’ve really thought about it and it’s been grading on me for a long time. Tune in. You would do me that favor and would be a privilege and honor to address all of you. So listen, 75 years, you know, and look, I love my kids, I love my grandchildren, I love my wife, I love people. You know, I’ve said this so many times, people.

I have traveled the world. I’ve been to every major city in this country, usually more than once. I’ve encountered good people, really good people. We have a lot of good people in this country, people we don’t read about. We don’t see it on the news. We don’t hear from many of them on social media, because social media has become a garbage pit for many. I’ve said this that want to spread bad stuff. It really has. It’s a shame with social media, how dishonest it’s become. Of course there’s good points there, and I’m not saying that, but so many people have taken advantage to capitalize on it by just putting garbage out there.

And it’s divisive. It’s really, it really is. And I just hope that it changes. I don’t know if it will, but I hope that it changes. But 75 years, you know, I hope to live a lot more because I want to see my kids, my grandchildren, maybe my great grandkids. My dad lived to 103, and I hope that God grants me as many years as he’s willing to grant me on Earth. I’m not in a hurry, even though, you know, I believe that God has forgiven me for my sins. I believe Jesus is our savior and I believe in heaven and I believe that those who believe in him and confess their sins sincerely to him, no scams on God, remember that he knows our hearts, that I’ll be reunited with people that I love and lost at some point in heaven and best of all, be united with Jesus Christ.

So I look forward to that. But I want to, I want as much time as I can here on planet earth, that’s for sure. So I hope you enjoyed this, you know, hope it brought back some good memories, maybe some difficult ones for some of you. But this is kind of a thank you for all of you who’ve been so loyal to me. Thank you for the, the newcomers that have come on. We’re going to continue to provide as good a content as we can, as we can all dig up and that comes into our heads.

I have a great team that works with me. So I just want to thank you and I hope to see all of you on May 27th and celebrate my birthday. For those of you that have got involved and got the bundle of, of wine and pizza, we’re going to have some special stuff for you, I can tell you that. But for all the rest of you on YouTube, I have that message and let’s just interact and have a good time. And thank you for celebrating with me. I appreciate it. How do I always leave you people? Never going to change.

Be safe and God, I mean that. I don’t want to see what I see so often. I just don’t want to see it. I want to see people being safe. So be safe, ladies, especially you just watch your surroundings, be healthy. I’m going to keep pushing some, you know, healthy products that I believe work. And I’m into this new tronics and I feel good taking this new tronics. I’m going to continue to talk about red light therapy. I believe in it. Going to continue to talk about that stem cells have done that. Do whatever you can possibly do and that’s within your power to do to take care of yourself.

Eat well, get some exercise, don’t drink to excess, don’t eat to excess. You know, do the things that give you the best shot in longevity. That’s all I can say. All right, Be safe, be healthy. And people, I mean this. God bless each and every one of you. God bless your families, God bless your community, your neighborhoods, your friends, your relatives. God bless America. God bless the entire world that we can unite and just become one in a good way. In a good way. So that we defeat Satan, we defeat the enemy. And I think there is a possibility that we can do that.

So that’s it. Thank you for tuning in, and I’ll see you next time, so stay tuned.
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