The Scoop with Tanya Flanagan

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This is a k u NBC Studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

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Good morning, and thank you for joining me for the scoop with Tanya Flanagan. I'm so happy you decided to wake up and start your day with me. Here on the scoop, where we talk about life, joy, funny moments, trending topics, and so much more. We promise to keep you in the know and find out what you know. So let's get started.

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Good morning, Las Vegas and welcome to another Sunday morning with me Tanya Flanagan here on K u and v 91.5. Jazz and more. I am so delighted that you decided to wake up once again on a beautiful hot summer morning and spend a little time listening to the show. As always, I am excited about my guest on once again this week, I am delighted to have a very special guests in the studio with me. From time to time I've introduced what I like to call my man or woman on the street segment of this radio show. And so this morning, that's what we're doing. We're doing sort of a man on the streets piece. So just a little bit of an introduction of someone who lives here that you maybe should know more about don't know as much as you should know about. There's interesting and unique things too. That makes this person tick and so without further ado, I am excited to welcome Robert Taylor known to many as twigs Oh, good

Unknown Speaker 1:41
morning and amazing am everyone this is your guy Robert twigs Taylor Happy Sunday. Happy Sunday.

Unknown Speaker 1:48
Now you see what I like someone who was always full of energy unexpected surprising and full of life and zest. So may I may i Your name is Robert Taylor. May I have the privilege of occasionally calling you by your nickname your leafs?

Unknown Speaker 2:06
Love My friends. My my confidants all call me twigs. And you are all.

Unknown Speaker 2:11
Thank you. Thank you so much. I think I wanted to say that because I know you. And I might slip up every now and again and say twigs what I'm supposed to say, Robert. So if I get Clarence out, you know, you won't look at me like, Why is she not calling me by my name? You're good. But I wanted to have you on just because over the years, I've had the pleasure of getting to know you. I've watched you evolve and grow and do so many different things. And learn things every time. Some cool community event what come up and people would say, oh, have you called twigs? I didn't know he did that. And I think I walked around for a long time seeing you really busy buzzing about and having parties and just not knowing you know what you do? So to make sure everyone who's listening is on the same page as me. You are first of all a native? Yes, ma'am. You don't meet natives. I feel like I meet more lately than I used to write I'm beginning to just find more people who Las Vegas. They were born here. It's always been home. Same

Unknown Speaker 3:15
here, but they're usually younger. That's why maybe they'd

Unknown Speaker 3:20
be a little bit but sometimes I find that they are they're right in that groove while I want to be on two. So I would say they're my age, but they're right in that group with me. It's just to be truthful. But it's been really neat to meet people. What do you do? What makes you who you are?

Unknown Speaker 3:35
Awesome. Well, thank you for the introduction. And thank you for your time for allowing me to be here. I am a small business owner. I'm a serial entrepreneur. I don't fit them all barbershop franchise, which at its height consisted of six barber shops and five salons. But now I've sold a few of them off. And I have two barber shops in one salon. I read salon, and I'm working on a tavern as we speak.

Unknown Speaker 3:58
Wow, um, you know, I don't think I realized you had that many barbershop and Salon locations. I think I always thought you were a barber. And I did not realize there was a salon location. But I don't know what I'm thinking because you look at an idea and you like helium in a balloon, you just like, keep blowing until you get it to its maximum. Right. So I should have known that you weren't just servicing men who needed haircuts, per se, or the male gender who needed haircuts, or whoever wanted a haircut. Because now, you know, we do all kinds of things to fade our hair to and do stuff. So, but I should have known you also were providing a service to women in their own space somewhere for us to come and feel comfortable.

Unknown Speaker 4:40
And what I noticed out of my 30 Plus barber shop when I was 23 on three of the East Lake Mead, right. And when I opened that barbershop up, I noticed how so many single mothers would take their sons to the barber shop, and a lot of them had to their hair appointment dictated when they could bring their son So I'm really big with filling in voids. That's something my father told us about filling in voids. So because of that, I'm like allowing them to go to other shops or they drop their son off. How about I get a salon and a nail shop. So two years after my first barber shop opened up when I was the age of 25, I opened up for divas only hair salon and right next to that, but the for D was only male shop. So I had the barber shop on both sides. So I had two units had a salon in the front and a nail shop. So I have four units total at the age of 25. And ever since then, I've just would take the money that I make and get more shops and more shops and more salons and other businesses also. I've had a photography studio, a used clothing store. what else what else? A few few ventures and of course Twix entertainment, which is my bread and butter most of my life I've been doing party since fourth grade, literally I DJ CC Cox. I DJ TC Cox, my fourth grade,

Unknown Speaker 5:54
and good time is what you're telling me I have always been a good time to hang. That's what he said. I like that's a good time. Robert Taylor, you should get a t shirt that says that. But what I really liked what she said was, I saw an opportunity to expand to grow my business, but to give other people an opportunity to work in their own community. Yes. Because what you said to me was, I saw a void, so I filled a void, but I also gave people a place to be employed. Yes. So I'm employing people, people are coming to get goods and services. You're able to also use this to give back because you've done a lot of programs where you've just done hair cut events for kids, and I guess, beauty grooming events for family. Yes. I mean, tell me a little bit about that.

Unknown Speaker 6:40
Thank you for asking that. So it actually started with a certain elected official who asked me to do free haircuts for back to school. Now this is when my barbershop was only about a year open. Right, Michelle? Okay. Okay, so shout out to at the time he was Councilman Lawrence weekly. Okay. That was him. Yep. Our friend Dr. Lawrence. Yes. Shout out shout out my mentor, my mentor, right, Commissioner Lawrence weekly, there you go and presidency, Sen, etc. So, when he asked me to cut hair, he asked me and other barber shops. When I showed up, I think it was walnut recreational center. Okay, when I showed up, I was the only barber who attended, the rest of the barbers were no show. And there was a line of kids literally throughout the gym, it was over 60 kids. So I cut about 40, but barbers that they noticed a lot. And the rest of them, I just gave them a number and said, I will credit them for a haircut. And it felt so good at first, I'm not gonna lie, I was disappointed to other barbers and show. But after doing that many haircuts and least doing 75% of the crowd, I feel so good that every year I started doing it myself, to where I would cut hair. So for these last 20 plus years, I've been doing free haircuts for back to school, Homecoming, the MLK parade, etc, etc. Because it feels good to give back when you can. And speaking on the opportunity to employ people, something that's very important, about half of my male barbers are convicted felons, and not one of my barbers have been back to prison since they got the barbers license. And I believe it's not an anomaly on paper, it would be but in reality, this shows that we don't want a handout, we want a hand up, let us know where it is, we'll go get it. And we'd love most of us don't want to do cry. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 8:21
I think that's one of the cool things about the profession of becoming a barber. And it's, you know, it used to be, it's evolving. You know, the purpose. The barbershop is always represented a cornerstone in the community, especially in black communities. Let's just be honest, it may be in everyone's community, but, you know, being of African American descent, we know what we know. Right? So it's always been a cornerstone of the community where people will go for community. Camaraderie, yes. Information.

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Testimony,

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you know, you learn I have to when I first came here with 20, some years ago, and I was a reporter, and I was learning the community. I spent many Saturdays just stopping by hair Unlimited, because everybody was going to be there. Yes. And there were all these people that I could meet as a reporter, and get to know and get a sense of, what are the stories what's happening? What are the feelings? What's the vibe going on in the community. And so yet it was safe. It was family, I didn't. I had family, but people are busy with their lives. And I did not know a lot of people I was new. And so it was a way to become very familiar. To build friendships and relationships, yes, to get good feedback and in a barbershop is that but I think it's also really evolved in how we see now the need for self care, for mental health for safe spaces. And I think barbershops are an extension of some of those things in their own way. So your decision it says a lot about I think your character decision to without realizing it the long term impact of going into this space of work. And I think that it says a lot about how you can create a good foundation and a solid life for your family. Because you're right, a lot of people who love it, you can go into this profession, this line of work, and take yourself out of a bad situation, if you can just stay focused long enough to get the certification and the licenses. It's a pathway. It's a door that you can open and you can keep it open if you become good at your craft. And you can make a decent living and make a way for you and your family. Yes, you

Unknown Speaker 10:34
can make a decent living as far as I know, that is the only trade that takes nine months. And after that nine months, you can literally make the same as the psychiatrists your first year. I don't know another trade like that and you won't have any loan to pay. So soon as you get your barbers license are your cosmetology license, you can go right to a shop and start making money. And that's what I love. The big part about it is that I'm trying to teach my barbers and beauticians the financial literacy portion. You know, I don't like my barbers and beauticians to be next to me making a lot of money and they don't own a house. So I explained to them, you have to own a house, you need to own a house. And I've helped multiple barbers, you know, get in the mindset to purchase a house. And it helped a lot of them out, especially doing the pandemic, when people are dealing with rent hikes and everything else they own their

Unknown Speaker 11:23
house. Well, I guess if I were to say, since we're dealing with that of a man on the street segment, and we're finding out who you are from you if you were to, if I were to say, give me one to five words or things that you would say about yourself to describe you as a person. What would that be?

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I would say out of the box leader and vainglorious.

Unknown Speaker 11:51
Leader and vainglorious. Talk to me about that more.

Unknown Speaker 11:56
So van glories, the key word is vain, but not in the in the negative connotation of vain. But as in knowing who you are, and glorious being the best you could be. All I believe in is being the best person I possibly could be. And I don't compete against anyone else. I compete against me, I worked retail in my high school year in my 12th grade year. And next door, short story next door. I thought it was our competition. So I went from being the stock boy to being a salesman, and I asked the manager at the time, I said, Hey, are they our competition next door? Right? He said, No, that's who's our competition? And he said, we are. I said, How was that? He said, our objective is to make one more dollar we made in the same day last year, and he showed me the sheet. This is your objective. And when I saw that, I correlate that with my own life. So I always have to be better the day I was last year, the same day. As long as you keep doing that you end up being the best shoe. And I believe that's what I tried to be the best me I compete against anyone else. I tried to be the best me $1 better.

Unknown Speaker 12:52
I like that I'm role models for you. Because you are clearly a self motivated individual. community driven. With a great work ethic, a family oriented, community oriented, business minded role models for you because people around you have inspired you yet. You keep yourself motivated, and we have to be at the core, have a purpose for our lives. Some people are just self driven. Some people are inspired by others, some people are drawn to the request of them to do the request of them to act.

Unknown Speaker 13:37
I'll say this. I love that question, too. I received it honestly because you know how they say it takes a village. I'm the youngest. So my father was the most intelligent person I've ever known in my life he passed away now about seven years ago. Sorry, my father will watch Jeopardy two shows in a row and get every answer right. I haven't met anyone who could do that. My mother was the first black manager the PBX department at Flamingo Hilton's history, then became the very first black director Flamingo Hilton, right? And that's my mother. My sister is a mortgage mogul. Brogan always been on a roll, very talented, used to rap dance model, etc, etc. And my brother, he was my hero. He was everything I wanted to be, he could dance cut hair, he looked good. He was an electrician before he became an electrician. Like he made inventions like he made the car amp, the amplifier, people know the day before it became a thing. You know, just so just watching them emulating them. You know, I just copied them. And everybody came to our house. I'm from a neighborhood called the Regal estates neighborhood, which was a historical neighborhood in North Las Vegas. And everybody came to our house because my brother was popular. My sister was popular. My parents were cool. They call it the Cosby's, and that didn't really really didn't resonate to me until like about a few months ago now thought about my kids how they're doing good. And now because of that, my kids are the cool kids or other kids grab it. Hate to. And it's not because they're Dress cool is because they are arrays, right? And they're totally inspired. Our family is all about inspiration and doing the best and helping each other out. So, me being the youngest, I was privy to all these things. And me being the youngest all of them, I feel like I had two fathers and two mothers of older dad and younger dad, older mom and a younger mom, but my sister and my brother, my mother and my father, and they stay married until my dad passed away to death to a spark. So I just, I'm lucky, I really am lucky. And I'm blessed to be in that position.

Unknown Speaker 15:30
It's it's, I think it's really beautiful that you recognize the value because a lot of times, people take things like that for granted longer than they realize they're taking it for granted. Right? You just because it is your norm. It's just your norm. And I don't know if there's the recognition of how valuable it is to have a stable family life, your parents together good relationships with your siblings, because it can seem like a foreign concept to some but not everyone has healthy relationships within their families. True. And at the end of the day, what do you have if you don't have family, right? Like family is everything but not everyone can say that, that they have this family environment because I have two brothers. And so I can completely relate to the concept. I don't care what they do. They're mine. They're at the end of the day, they still belong. They belong to me. That's your tribe. And it's a really a different thing than because I was the youngest of three children like us. That's why we think our age difference between her siblings might be more significant because I don't know how much younger you are six and seven. How about you? Oh, seven and eight. See what to say

Unknown Speaker 16:49
with that, told to shut him down a little bit, but and then I'm girl your voice obviously only and I was the only girl. Yes, I was the only girl and the youngest. But I say that to say it's like being an only child when you come along that much later than the last the kid right? Exactly. As my parents thought they were done. Same Yeah, my mother decided she wanted a girl. And my dad said, you know, it's no guarantee you're gonna get that. My mother said, Yeah, I want a girl. Great prayer. Praying faithful women. Oh, yeah, I want a girl. So there came eventually. This girl Lucky

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guy like a guy

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with a whale wanting a whale. And so there I was. But many times it was like being an only kid. But at the same time it wasn't in the cool thing about it was they were older than me. So when one had a girlfriend, the other one didn't know when the you know, that floated. So I just went Whoever didn't have girlfriend at the time. Let me ask you a question. Even if you had a girlfriend yet. Hold on, give it up in a minute. If he did have girlfriend, he put it put her down because I didn't go wherever I needed to go. Because that's the boy. Right? You better take me with you. But it's just they belong to me no matter what. These are mine. And so there's a difference. What's your question? My

Unknown Speaker 18:12
question. Our lives are very similar in that way, because we are the youngest by far over five years. And because we were the kids of the play alone, because our siblings were too old to play with us pretty much. I ended up making my friends really close to me. So my close friends as a kid are pretty much my close friends now because those were kind of like my sister and brothers. Because at my age, did you do the same thing as a woman or doesn't work that way? As a woman?

Unknown Speaker 18:42
It's a similar thing. I think the dynamic of it is family and it's coming from the generational time when families were just close in a different way. Right? So whoever your mother's friends children, were a yo for period period. So my mother's best friend's daughter is my oldest friend. Nice. My mother's best friend's daughter is my oldest friend. And what I will say to that our community the you talks about a village raising a child in the community where we live it was similar to it was it was Phoenix it was somewhat grown up on the west side right so you can pick one Berkeley Reagan's days Valley View it didn't matter, right, that whole set. We all lived in this area. Black people weren't redline, you know, they ended up buying houses, they gravitate to the same area. Same thing went on in Phoenix, created these middle class black communities because really, your teachers, your principals, your pastors, whoever worked for the bank, hospital nurse, I don't care what you were you still lived in this neighborhood. So there was a work ethic. There was a standard to this day. That was same charter that my brothers played with grew up and became friends with them. are still his best friends as well. And I am like a little sister. So I have all these additional

Unknown Speaker 20:05
brothers right same here. My sister brothers friends I call my big sis on my big day are

Unknown Speaker 20:11
still like brothers to me. So it's so it's that value system that was set up in that structure because we were all in the same community. It's and we knew we really knew each other in a different way. Then I think sometimes what we find in our neighborhoods because it's not district Street is 23456 streets over right, you know, the neighborhood, I don't care how far around the corner, you got to ride your bike, you know,

Unknown Speaker 20:41
and when you found new kids, they were new kids like Mom, I found some new kids for streets down.

Unknown Speaker 20:48
You're funny. So I think I'm also I find interesting just how long you've been here your commitment to North Las Vegas to your and I say that because a lot of times people talk about Las Vegas because around the world people know there's Las Vegas because of the strip, right? They don't always realize there's a North Las Vegas, right? If you

Unknown Speaker 21:12
ask most people how many Las Vegas Nevada have they will say one no, we have two North Las Vegas and Las Vegas. That's the actual question people gonna ask and people get it wrong.

Unknown Speaker 21:21
Yeah, no one really. And I brought that up because you are a huge champion and cheerleader of North Las Vegas because you're born and raised in Las Vegas. And so all the businesses that you've had there what we talked about role models, but you did it I guess your parents were primarily the the major role models. I have more rules that that they instilled in you and then your community life. You're also part of

Unknown Speaker 21:46
a fraternity? Yes, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated. corporated.

Unknown Speaker 21:50
Congratulations on your commitment there as well. How many years have you been a member across

Unknown Speaker 21:54
an all the one to 1000 in one, and I will see my beta for four years. And as a high school and that's what even let me know. They expose me to fraternities. So instead of going right to college, I went to Barber College first, because a lot of my friends are older than me. And so a lot of my friends would go to college and then after the semester, come back home, I'm like, I'm gonna get my barber lessons first, then go to college. And that's what I did. Then I went to the process became a part of it is my attorney, corporate cin CD sigma. I

Unknown Speaker 22:25
say congratulations. Once you go to college, CSN

Unknown Speaker 22:29
okay. Yeah, sure. Okay, stay wide. So, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity was the very first statewide attorney at the DNI that I know of. And I remember at the time, a little flack for that, but we were like, this is, you know, I can't promote it. But each organization

Unknown Speaker 22:45
has different dynamics. I mean, I don't being a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. I don't, but I don't profess to know the rules of each one,

Unknown Speaker 22:54
right? Because we are on different true digital, we're the same and we're different. Yeah. So that's a fight. I took entrepreneurship and business when I was asked to do engineering while I was there. And the great thing is I learned a lot about me owning a business from taking college courses. So a lot of times when the younger adults see me speak, and it's like, yeah, I'm going to be a barber like you college isn't for me, I'm like, no, no, I still went to college. Because once again, you want to be the best you could be. So I want to know, the business terminology. I don't want to be saying these words that don't mean anything. It's

Unknown Speaker 23:27
about getting that degree, but it's also about life. I think, being in college is the life experience, right? It's exposure to it's one of the first places that you begin to become an individual and independent and you make your own decisions. And you begin to, to really think no one's gonna be there to wake you up or make you go, or they don't care if you do an assignment. It really is the place where you learn what do I like, what do I not like? What interests me what doesn't? What do I want to do? What do I not want to do? And you will begin to explore these freedoms, and you define yourself in many ways. And I think the college becomes is a good experience for that. And it's a safe, it should be a safe environment to have these explorations and make these discoveries. And so that's why I think it's so valuable for kids to go to college and to just enjoy that portion of live, don't forfeit it. If you don't have to write, you know, write, get everything out of it that you get in with the travel abroad programs, do two things that are different than are uncommon. Don't be afraid. Walk into it. Don't be so safe. Don't always stay home so you can be close to your parents, right? Get out, learn, get away and come back, get your wings and come back. Totally agree. I want to make sure people who want to learn more about whatever you've done with Barbara, Barbara college work with community advocacy and outreach, entrepreneurship, development of families, programs for youth and seniors and mental health you have touched so many things and you also talked about opening up a tavern Are speakeasy being talked about at one point? I want to I like to make sure social handles go out before we get too close to the end of the show so people can follow and find if they would like to just hey, he's an interesting cat and I want to know more about him. Amazing.

Unknown Speaker 25:14
Well, if you're on Instagram, you can follow me at Vegas tweaks with two exes. That's Vegas twigs with two x's on Facebook. I'm under Robert twigs Taylor. I haven't made a x account. Yes, called X, right.

Unknown Speaker 25:27
It's called x now what's Twitter? Okay, so

Unknown Speaker 25:29
this Sunday I might make it might make a Twitter account around two o'clock today that way. If you guys are listening right now, after to

Unknown Speaker 25:39
the new kid on the block vi x at this right? That's funny.

Unknown Speaker 25:43
Facebook, Facebook under Robert twigs Taylor, and feel free to email me at New twigs@gmail.com That's what 1x New twigs@gmail.com So

Unknown Speaker 25:53
where's this nickname? It's like the candy bar. Great. Why's it like layers? Like the candy bar has layers? me what's the store? Its layers it just because your chocolate? I mean, what is the reason that is a

Unknown Speaker 26:03
great segue for what we actually just mentioned. So when I joined the sigma beta club, my ninth grade year in high school. In junior high school, I must say I was trying to be hard. I was trying to be a nuisance. I was, you know, 80s was in gangbanging. wuzzy on the West Coast. And I was following that trend for a while. And when I went to Cheyenne High School ninth grade year, I realized that this isn't my life. I don't like doing this and that's when I joined the SEMA beta club now, when you join these high school groups, of course the word pledging is illegal but it right they have this type of initiation initiation ceremony whatnot to join these high school groups. And at the time, they would name you something that would be say derogatory or something negative. If you had a big nose, they will call you nosy. If you had a big head, they will call you you know, heavy monster. So with me, I knew it was the day that they would give me my name. That name stays with you during the process. After you cross and become a sigma beta, you could change your name. So at that time being I knew it was the day so I already cut my own hair. I've been cutting my hair since sixth grade so my hair was cut. My clothes were neat and I was eating a twigs trying to lose confidence. They walk around you and say all these funny names to something sticks. All the names they said were duds, and to a 1.1 said is that all you eat is Twixes. Now my other friends who plan on being some parents like me start laughing because they're my closest friends. And they blow up laughing because they said that's all he eats at lunch. I will only eat two twigs is an orange slice. And he's like, You look like a Twix you chocolate and skinny.

Unknown Speaker 27:37
So

Unknown Speaker 27:41
So because of that, I'm the half I'm the half full guy cup house. So I took that so called negative. I made the pot that I'm like I am twigs. I am chocolate. I am. I am gold.

Unknown Speaker 27:53
I was wondering twigs. Now we know well, man on the streets has uncovered the truth behind unwrap unwrap unveiled and reveal the truth behind why Robert Taylor is better known as Twix. Sweet see Robert Taylor of the great city of North Las Vegas because you are a native and native North Las Vegas to not just a native Las Vegas, Northland native North Las Vegas. So you grew up in real estate. Okay, and then

Unknown Speaker 28:26
I moved from there. I lived there for 10 years and then I moved from there by Community College. I lived there for another eight years. And I'm back there now for another nine years. I love North Las Vegas.

Unknown Speaker 28:35
That's awesome. Um, we are down to our last few seconds. That's why I wanted to make sure your social handle went out. I want to say thank you. I have learned a lot things that you're passionate about what matters to you your sibling structure I know we were twins in that regard. Why your call twigs, cool things about being in the entrepreneurship space why you did it how you came to do it I hope Las Vegas has in North Las Vegas and Henderson and anybody else listening for wide near and and far has found it interesting to to meet you will learn so much about you here on the show this morning. And I want to say thank you into our listening audience. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for another edition of the scoop here on K u and v 91.5. Jazz or more have a wonderful Sunday. It is hot stay hydrated and stay cool drink your agua peace

Unknown Speaker 29:31
I want to thank you for tuning into the scoop with me Tony Flanagan and I want to invite you to get social with me I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My name is my handle ta n YAFLA na GA N You can also find me on Instagram at Tanya almond eyes Flanagan and if you have a thought and opinion or a suggestion, don't hesitate to shoot me an email to tonya.flanagan@unlv.edu Thanks again for joining in. Stay safe and have a great week.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai