Episode Details

Eugene Morales is back for Part 3, and this conversation goes even deeper into the environment, decisions and people that shaped the person he eventually became.

We pick up talking about what poverty actually looked like for Eugene growing up on San Antonio’s West Side.

When Eugene shows homes today and hears kids complain that a bedroom or closet isn’t big enough, it sometimes takes him right back to his childhood — when his family lived in spaces where one room could serve as the bedroom, living room and kitchen.

From there, Eugene and Matt realize just how close to each other they actually grew up. They compare neighborhoods around General McMullen, Las Palmas and the West Side before remembering the different crews and neighborhood rivalries that surrounded them during that era.

That leads into Blood In Blood Out and American Me, the impact those movies had on their generation, and Eugene sharing the story he remembers hearing about Danny Trejo's connection to both films.

Then we get into Eugene’s teenage years.

Eugene says he was actually a pretty good student with real academic potential. But as high school progressed, the environment around him started pulling him in another direction.

He began partying, smoking weed and surrounding himself with people who actively looked for trouble. Eventually, he was caught smoking at school and sent to alternative school for nearly a year.

Then his life changed again.

Eugene went from Kennedy High School and the environment he knew on the West Side to Clark High School on San Antonio’s North Side — and the culture shock was massive.

He suddenly found himself around completely different people, lifestyles and expectations.

Looking back, Eugene can see how much growing up around poverty and violence affected his character — but he can also see something else:

He always had potential.

He entered high school with college credits. He played football. He was intelligent. But like a lot of young people, he didn't necessarily have a clear vision of what his life could become.

And sometimes all it takes is one person seeing something in you that you haven't learned to see in yourself yet.

Eugene remembers a football coach simply asking him if he wanted to play because he looked fast.

It sounds like a small moment.

But to Eugene, somebody recognizing potential in him mattered.

That leads Matt and Eugene into Mike Tyson, Cus D’Amato and the incredible power of having somebody genuinely tell you:

I believe in you.

⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS

00:00 What Poverty Looked Like Growing Up
 00:40 When One Room Was Almost the Entire House
 01:11 Growing Up Around General McMullen
 01:55 Matt & Eugene Realize How Close They Grew Up
 02:26 Remembering West Side Neighborhoods
 03:32 Blood In Blood Out Is a Perfect Movie
04:17 Blood In Blood Out vs. American Me
04:30 The Danny Trejo Story
06:52 Why Blood In Blood Out Still Holds Up
07:15 Why Casting Matters
07:46 Filming Inside San Quentin
08:43 What Kind of Student Was Eugene?
09:04 Going to Kennedy High School
09:22 Transferring to Clark High School
10:13 The Culture Shock of the North Side
10:34 Why Eugene Had to Change Schools
11:00 Growing Up Around Violence
12:16 Seeing Childhood Friends Change Their Lives
12:55 How That Environment Shaped Eugene
13:24 Growing Up in Poverty
13:48 Getting Caught Smoking Weed at School
14:06 Getting Sent to Alternative School
14:30 What Alternative School Was Really Like
16:42 Matt’s Own High School Experience
17:21 Different Schools, Same Problems
18:17 Why Eugene Moved to the North Side
18:57 Helping Families Buy Their First Home Today
19:38 Did Eugene Ever Think About College?
19