I wish I’d had a great business idea for the gentlemen of the West Texas Investors Club, Tuesdays, 10 p.m. on CNBC. Darn it.
I sure had a great time hanging with the hilarious, down-to-earth, and always surprising twosome comprised of self-made well-to-doers Mike “Rooster” McConaughey and Wayne “Butch” Gilliam, along with good buddy Gil Prather—the man from Rio Grande.
It’s all in the family
And if you’re wondering where you’ve seen Rooster’s surname before, yes, he’s the brother of Matthew McConaughey. Rarely without a cigar, or a beer nestled quietly in a koozie, he rises deftly to the occasion of testing entrepreneurs who want the dollar-wise duo to invest in their projects. As Rooster told Entertainment Weekly, “I’ve made a hell of a lot more better deals drinking beer than I did not drinking beers.”
Whatever you “think” about this docu-series, don’t—if you haven’t watched it yet. If you think it’s going to be like Shark Tank, well, you’re sort of right. Just sort of, for the former is fancy-schmancy compared to this club.
I find myself totally engaged from start to finish because the hosts are so real. They’re uncannily smart in such an unassuming manner, and it’s clear no one pulls any wool over these West Texas eyes.
They may have big wallets, but they have big hearts. “We’re all about helping the little guy. We were the little guy,” Rooster McConaughey told Deadline.
They’re quick to recognize a good heart in the potential investment partners who come to meet them and try their luck. Know-it-alls needn’t apply. These multimillionaire Texans—thank you, real estate and oil—have a lot to teach anyone who wants to get big in business.
At NBC Universal’s Fall Press Tour, the cast really held their own in a sea of youthful, nearly-perfect bodies in designer duds, and they delighted us with their humor, candor, and insights.
Hope you enjoy watching this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it.