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Full Spectrum Cycling
Full Spectrum Cycling #286 – Musician and Cyclist Mike McAbee – Castalia to Castalia, RAGBRAI – I Like to Pee Outside
Dec 26, 2024
Full Spectrum Cycling #286 – Musician and Cyclist Mike McAbee – Castalia to Castalia, RAGBRAI – I Like to Pee Outside
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30:11
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Transcript
0:00
All right. Well, let's kick it off. Cool.
0:06
[rock music] Hey, everybody.
0:23
It's Full Spectrum Cycling. Pretty sure this is show number 287. It's sort of an impromptu show. Just threw it together last night as an idea. Uh, with me today is, uh, Mike McCabe. How's it going, Mike? Hey, good, good.
0:40
Uh, Mike played a show at the Uptowner last night, and he's just on his way to do another show in Milwaukee at Vegas tonight. And figured what the heck, why don't we do a, a talkie, talkie thing.
0:50
[laughs] And, uh, Mike is a, is a cyclist too, so there's some tie-ins here with music and cycling and all sorts of stuff, plus he's just got some great stories. So, uh- [laughs]...
1:01
maybe, Mike, just, uh, introduce yourself a little bit and tell people, like, w- where you're from, what you're doing, why you're in Milwaukee, that kind of thing, and we'll start from there. Sure, okay.
1:10
Uh, [clears throat] my name's Mike Maccabee, and- Uh, did I say McCabe? Yeah, but then I went by- I keep doing... I keep going through that. I'm like, God damn it, I know it's Maccabee and then- Everybody... That's fine.
1:20
I went to Ireland. I've been to Ireland s- singing a few times, and people there call me Mike McCabe. Okay. Which is not even a name that exists in, like, the British Isles apparently. Um, but anyway, yeah. Maccabee.
1:30
Um, Maccabee, M-C-A-K-A, big A, you know. And, um, uh, I'm a musician for a living. I've been playing for a living for, like, 25 years as my sole source of income or almost my sole source of income.
1:41
And, um, before that I was a truck driver, drove semi. I'm a avid bicyclist. I've taken lots of long trips. I'm a bagger, like riding with bags and going far away and, uh- Excellent... yeah.
1:54
Um, and, uh, yeah, and I'm in Milwaukee. Played the Uptowner last night. Epic bar. Uh, love the vibe there, love the scene. I don't usually play urban places at all.
2:04
I mean, I guess I was in Wichita last week, but I mean, usually it's my... The p- I would say the towns that I play on average maybe, like, 2,000 people. All right.
2:13
Yeah, I mean, so I met you last time you were through Milwaukee, like, a year ago-ish probably.
2:18
Yeah, but we knew a bunch of people in common and so- Right, and that's what I was, uh, just kind of, like, serendipity thing is that, uh, y- you went to college in Decorah, Iowa. Uh-huh, yep.
2:28
And, um, a lot of, of my buddies, because when I was back on the road as a m- independent rep for a company that sold shit to bike shops- Mm-hmm...
2:38
Decorah was always a stop at the end of the day because it's such an awesome town to ride bikes in. Right, it's a big biking town.
2:44
Yeah, and so we have, we have some mutual friends there, and we kinda talked about that last time you were in town and, uh- Yeah... you know, it's just, like, one of those small world things.
2:52
I mean, in, you know, in a place like Milwaukee, as big as it is, as it is, you run into that kind of stuff all the time. But when it's a, a farther flung region, it's like, "Oh, it's pretty cool," you know?
3:01
Yeah, uh-huh. Right, yeah. Um, so you went, you went to Luther. I went to Luther in the '80s. Um, I grew up in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, which is up, uh, between, like, Wausau and Shawano on Highway 29.
3:13
And, uh, yeah, I went to Luther for four years. I got kicked out. [laughs] Just, I, just apathy. I mean, it wasn't aw- Didn't do anything awful, but, uh- Sort of an academic boot. Yeah, I just... You know your parents...
3:25
When you're young, your, your parents want you to go to college, and they were...
3:27
Usually, uh, you know, people my age or our age, a lot of times your parents are, like, the first generation of people to go to college, so it means a lot to them that you go to college, right? Right.
3:35
And you don't know dick from shit. You're just, you know, 18 years old. And I'm like, "Oh, okay. Well, yeah, sure," you know? And it just wasn't for me. I mean, I don't, I don't have a problem with higher education.
3:43
It was not my thing. I became a trucker and that was fine. You know, I, I made as much money as I w- needed to make, I guess, and it was okay until I became a musician, which is even better, you know? So...
3:54
So you're driving truck on the road. You did that for 10 years approximately? Yeah, about 10 years and now, like, um, uh, now I have a neighbor in Iowa that has a whole bunch of fields, and he harvests corn.
4:08
You know, he grows corn. And, uh, he needs somebody to drive it from the field back to his house to unload it- Okay... during harvest season. And, um, he loves me 'cause I c- I can drive a semi, and I don't...
4:17
I'm a musician, I don't work all week, so. [laughs] Right on. So, like, that's what I... In the fall just for, like, a few weeks I haul corn for that guy. Okay. I don't even have a license anymore, but nobody cares.
4:25
And it's just... I get to keep... I joke about keeping my man card, you know? Sure, sure. Um- So did you start playing music when you were young, or did you pick it up later on in life? Oh, it's funny.
4:36
You know, I didn't, I didn't really start a career until I was in my 30s of it, uh, you know, doing it f- for, you know, for a sole source of income, but... Sole source of income, sorry.
4:46
But, uh, when I was a kid up in Shawano, my dad and me went to the stock car races, and, uh, I won a ticket to Nashville, like a free trip, you know, at the races. [laughs] I didn't even know there was a contest.
4:56
And, uh, we went to Nashville and I was 13 years old. I got it in my head I needed to learn how to play the guitar 'cause I was gonna be- Okay... famous by the time I was, like, 18, you know? So- Nice...
5:03
so that's how I started. And then, uh, then I... You know, uh, y- growing up in the middle of nowhere, I wasn't exposed to much.
5:08
But then as soon as I started hearing, like, U2 and REM and stuff like that, you know, I, I started getting into really more interesting music, and I really wanted to start, like...
5:16
At the time you would just call it, like, a college band, which now would be, like, an alternative band- Okay... you know? Uh- Yeah...
5:21
and, uh, I knew people that were going to that college, uh, Luther, that w- wanted to do that, that were my age. And so that's why I chose that college was to b- start a band with these people. It wasn't because, uh...
5:31
Not because you're a big Lutheran guy? Yeah. I mean, we are. Mm. My dad was a minister and stuff. Okay. Oh, all right, uh.
5:36
I mean, I don't really practice it anymore, but yeah, we grew up that those are our people, you know? [laughs] Yep. Yeah, my family too to some extent, so. Uh-huh. Yeah. Um, right on. So you, um...
5:47
When you're, when you're playing in, i- at least in the current iteration, it's just you. You're a, you're a sole entertainer, whatever. Uh-huh. And- I d- do have a duo.
5:55
I have a, a fiddle player and we play together sometimes, but she lives up in Bayfield She did live in Decorah, but she moved and, and we still play together, but it just, it's getting a lot more sporadic because we're farther apart.
6:05
But yeah, m- it's n- you know, I'd say, like, 90% of the time almost it's me, so. Right on. Well, I know you had a, you had a, a, an accompanist last night, uh, un- [laughs] The guy with the accordion...
6:15
unbeknownst to you. The guy shows up with an accordion and, uh- Yeah, and I didn't know. Like- [laughs]... I thought he knew everybody, you know- [laughs]...
6:21
'cause I'm not from here, and this guy's like, "Hey, I wanna play the accordion. I'm gonna go to Milwaukee." I just figured everybody here is born with a fucking accordion in their hand, right? So- [laughs] Could be...
6:28
so I'm like, "Okay, sure. You know, I bet you're good." And he was, he was all right, but, you know, he just, he wanted to keep playing and stuff.
6:32
And I wanted to do some stuff that, like, when you're playing with other people and they don't know what you're gonna do, you're gonna make them sound bad because you're gonna stop suddenly, or you're gonna do something that, especially what I do, 'cause I'm,
6:44
'cause I do a lot of improv and stupid shit- Yeah... you know? Like- Yeah... and I, it's just gonna make that guy look bad, you know? And it was making me really uncomfortable.
6:50
Like, man, you're just gonna, you know, like... So I was like, "Hey," you know, I wanted to be nice. Like, "Good job, but I should move on," you know? I'm gonna take a break right now. Right.
6:58
And which do you normally play straight through? It seemed like if he hadn't been there, you would've just kept- I would've, yeah... kept, kept right on jamming right through. I don't know.
7:06
Yeah, I don't know, 'cause I think a lot of musicians, uh, I don't know why you take a break if you... If you have a drummer, it's one thing, 'cause usually the drummer could use a break, right? You know?
7:14
But if you don't have a drummer, I mean, why... If, as soon as you stop, like, you might've saw that last night. As soon as I stopped, like, a whole bunch of people left, right? You know?
7:22
And it's not because they were super listening to me. There's just something subconsciously about when the music stops, "Okay, well, it's time to move on," you know? Yeah. And- Yeah...
7:29
so I'm trying to keep people there as long as I can. So, and taking a break just, it's like you gotta start all over again. Yeah, okay. You know? And bu- and crescendo and stuff.
7:36
And, um, so that's why I don't usually do it. Yeah. And, uh, and then, you know, I'm just, I'm just standing there anyway. I mean, it's not like, you know.
7:43
[laughs] So- There were a couple cute women there w- though I wanted to talk to, but I don't really know- That's the-... how to even do that anymore, so.
7:49
[laughs] You, you let them come to you is kinda how it normally works sometimes, yeah. Well, they never do then, but that's- [laughs] Uh, so
7:58
I d- I t- I'm not a musician, but I do listen to a lot of music, and it just, like, you're, you're an entertainer, not just a musician. Because when you're doing your, your thing, you change words in songs.
8:11
You make s- weird breaks in songs. You have stories about songs, and it's like, it's not just I'm up here playing Luckenbach, Texas, and everybody knows the song. Uh-huh. It's there's some,
8:22
um, there's some story behind it, and I, I'd h- Like, like there's, like Luckenbach, Texas, like when I play that, I usually start out by saying, "When you experience my Willie, you'll be wailing." [laughs] Stupid.
8:34
It's just super stupid, but it's funny. Yeah, so are these things- [laughs]... you, you just randomly think these up when you're on the road?
8:38
You're like, "Hey, you know, I got the-" Well, there's obviously things that I do, you know, like I don't, I, I don't have a script of anything. I mean, I don't really like... I never have a certain order I do things in.
8:46
I don't, you know... There, there are generally songs that I'll play earlier and songs that I'll play later, depending on what the vibe is of the crowd.
8:51
You know, like, um, I don't start off the show with, uh, Fat Bottom Girls, you know? Um- Right, and, and last night, I know you had a problem with your wireless mic, and you just belted it full on with no- With no mic.
9:02
No, and it was like, yeah, you do have a loud [laughs] voice for sure- Yeah... if you want, if you want to. Uh-huh, yeah. Um, and it certainly carried well through that whole bar, so.
9:09
Well, and it, and it's fun to do that 'cause it's fun to have people see you and know that they're, you're not, uh, that you're not singing through some kinda box or you're not- Mm-hmm...
9:17
you know, that it's just a raw, this is just you and a guitar, right? You know? 'Cause I, they're, you know, a lot of people... I'm not dissing people that have effects, but, um,
9:26
but because of what I do, a lot of times I'm trying to like, you know, uh, I, I'm trying to accentuate the fact that I'm doing this just with myself, you know?
9:34
Like, to have any kind of thing like that just seems like a crutch for me. Yeah. You know? Yeah. So just a little reverb now and then I put on, you know? Right on.
9:41
Uh, I also noticed that, uh, a few of the songs that you, you play two parts. It might be a song where it's a, a woman and a man that sang the original song. Yeah, uh-huh.
9:50
And, and you got the low, the low guy voice and then the kinda [laughs]... ♫Ha de de de de la.♫ Oh, yeah. A little bit, uh-huh.
9:55
Um, it, those are really, I, I, those I find real entertaining because it's just like, it's unique. How, you don't see a ton of people doing it, or at least I don't, so. No, I don't know anybody else that does.
10:04
And, um, I don't have like a... I got a pretty big range. It's not like whatever, how many octaves you're supposed to have- Okay... if you're really good, but it's, it's, it's pretty big, so I can- David, David Draiman.
10:12
Yes. [laughs] So, so I can, so I can do that, and it's, and it's always, like, the shock of when the women c- woman comes in 'cause it's so shrill, you know? Yeah, yeah. [laughs] It's- Yeah, no...
10:21
it can be really, if you don't know the song, it'd be really fucking annoying to some people.
10:25
[laughs] You know, like you just hope that everybody kinda knows the song or knows what you're trying to do, so they're not like, "What the fuck is that?" You know? Yeah, yeah. Cool.
10:33
Well, uh, that's the musician side of, uh, of Mike anyway. Yeah. At least, at least a, a little bit of it. Um, a- as far as the cycling side, uh, we talked a little bit last night.
10:43
I don't think we talked the first time too much about cycling when I, I met you, but you've done a lot of, uh, longer rides, including some RAGBRAIs and around the lake and, you know, around Lake Michigan and, and- Yeah...
10:54
uh, what, what about, like, long distance cycling like that really resonates with you? I'm really fascinated by how far you can go, um,
11:04
under your own power, or under your own power and also just different modes of transportation. When I was a semi driver, that's what attracted me to driving semi, is I love, I love driving. I love traveling.
11:14
I love looking out the windows in- anywhere, anywhere, and, um, still do. I just drove around... I had some shows in Kansas last week. I just drove around Kansas- Yeah... for no reason.
11:23
[laughs] I mean, just like, just... And there's nothing there, but I loved it, you know?
11:27
But, uh, um, so yeah, when I was a semi driver and I'd see these guys biking and, you know, I'd see a guy on, like, what we c- what Iowans that ride with bags on, the derogatory term for somebody with, like, a race, road bike is a stick biker.
11:40
Sure. You've heard that? Yeah. Yeah, uh-huh. So yeah. So- Like Ra- like Ralph Anderson. Yeah, like Ralph Anderson.
11:45
[laughs] Yeah, so you see the stick bikers, and they're out there in the middle of nowhere, and they're, they got their head down looking at the handlebars, you know?
11:51
Or, or like my mother-in-law had a mirror so she could see the road when she looked straight down, you know, like, um, that went out to the front of the bike, um, so, you know, to, to cheat the wind kind of thing. Okay.
12:00
Obviously for aerodynamics, obviously, you know? But- To be fair, there's a fair amount of wind in Iowa. Sh- yeah, there is. [laughs] But, uh- But like, I'm like, "I don't wanna be that guy."
12:08
Then you see a guy with bags on just doing like five miles an hour and be like, "Yeah, this is what I wanna do," you know? So that's what got me into it, was just seeing them, and I didn't know that other people did it.
12:17
I didn't know it was a thing that was like a, a culture especially, especially in Iowa it's a culture, you know?
12:22
Um, I just started doing it on my own, and then through that, like playing shows and stuff, I wound up meeting people that are like older than me from Iowa City and around, uh, different places that, uh, yeah, that that's their whole thing.
12:33
They go out in groups, and especially on RAGBRAI, and they're never on the route. They never pay to ride RAGBRAI. They're just kind of RAGBRAI adjacent- Yeah...
12:40
and sleeping in ditches, and, you know, in little groups of like five or six, you know, and running into each other and splitting up and running back into each other again, and you're just kind of out there doing your own thing, you know?
12:51
Um, but, you know, with, with a loosely formed group of people. Yeah, and you might bounce into town and check it out and then bounce back out or- Yeah. Uh-huh, yeah. It's great. When...
12:59
And like, uh, especially on RAGBRAI, which if you're not familiar, the, uh, RAGBRAI's a, a ride across Iowa. It's the biggest bike ride in the world. Seven days, 500 miles-ish, give or take.
13:08
Uh-huh, yeah, about 15,000 people. Yeah. And it's this huge juggernaut, right?
13:14
But, and, um, but like for people that are l- a lot of people that are from Iowa and from people that, um, that just know, if you ride with bags on, you don't have to go to the, the s- designated towns or anything.
13:24
You don't have to really go. There's nothing that says that you have to be on that route.
13:28
And, um, and so a lot of times, like if you go like 10 miles south, there'll be like 100 people down there that are just kind of loosely riding kind of around there.
13:36
And what's great is, you know, like, uh, good for the people that make money o- on the vending for that. Um, you know, you, you bring your food truck in, you gotta pay RAGBRAI a bunch of money.
13:44
They tell you where to put up and everything, and you get these huge crowds coming through, but what's cooler is to roll into town with like 10 people in some little town that they didn't even know RAGBRAI was going on- Right...
13:55
and make some old lady at a bar like $3,000 that day. [laughs] Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
13:59
And she just loves you, and she's like- [laughs] She's like, "I heard RAGBRAI was somewhere," you know, and she's like sending her kid to the grocery store to buy more beer and stuff, you know, because- Yeah, right on...
14:06
like she didn't know she was gonna have a big party on a Monday, you know. So that's really fun, you know.
14:11
Yeah, so, uh, I mentioned before that I had been a, an outside rep, and a good chunk of my shops are the shops that support RAGBRAI. Yeah, uh-huh, you said.
14:20
And, you know, so I'd, I'd ride and then work the trailer at the end of the day. Mm-hmm.
14:25
And then sag in the, in the, uh, school bus maybe one day or something, but, uh, being a part of it is kind of awesome, but like, like you said, uh, doing it just a little north or south, I really like that too.
14:39
Um, we've even done it in the opposite direction, where we kind of just go [imitates bike riding] Oh, yeah. You know? A few friends have done that too, yeah.
14:45
Yeah, just kind of, you know, just goofing around and, uh- Uh-huh...
14:48
it's been, it's been a bunch of years since I've done it, but it's still on the bucket list, and both of my kids, uh, my son's 18, and my daughter is 20. She'll be 26 soon.
14:57
They're like, "We wanna do RAGBRAI with you someday, Dad." I'm like, "All right, well," you know. Uh-huh. It, it's something that I would do because- Oh, I- Yeah... I've done it with my kids, yeah. Yeah. Um, when...
15:07
So you s- you got, uh, a basically a touring bike. Yeah. What, what do you ride, and kinda how's it set up? Well, Deke, who you're familiar with- D- D- Deke, Dekey stuff here. Yeah.
15:17
Uh, Deke, who you're familiar with- Sure... um, he- One- Oneota River Cycles... yep, owns the bike shop in my town, good buddy of mine. He, um... I wanted a bike, but I had a Trek 800 forever, you know.
15:28
Great frame, you know, just, just durable and everything, and, um, bought it when I was living in Stevens Point, and, uh, rode that thing all over the pl- whatever, you know, took long rides on it. I used to have a...
15:38
I had a road bike too. I had a... I can't, I think of what it was. Oh, Specialized. It was Specialized aluminum frame road bike. It was nice.
15:46
It was really lightweight, but I worry 'cause I'm a heavier person, and with all that stuff on there, it just made me really nervous being on such a light bike, you know. Um, so yeah, he had this, uh, this frame.
15:56
It's an O- Origin8. Have you ever heard of that? Sure, yeah. Yeah, I'd never heard of it before. He had it in the window. He's like, "I can build this thing however you want it." I'm, "Okay. Well, I want disc brakes.
16:07
You know, I want a fat... I want extra spokes on my rear rim to accommodate..." 'Cause I used to bring my PA system on the back of the bike, like- Yeah, I was gonna mention that later, but yeah, let's- Yeah.
16:15
We'll, we'll, we'll talk about that- Sure, yeah... 'cause I think that's interesting, but yes. Yeah. Yeah. So, um, so yeah, you know, heavy rack.
16:20
Um, I just wanted 10 sp- you know, I don't, I don't believe in like a lot of sprockets. It just seems like overkill. I don't need 21 s- gears, you know?
16:29
Like, what the f- Yeah, most of them are overlapping anyway after about 10 or 11 of them, so. Yeah, and I don't understand why that's a thing, you know.
16:34
You're in this guy and this guy or this guy and that guy, and then- Uh-huh. Yeah, I don't even... The ma- I can't do the math, you know. Yeah.
16:39
[laughs] I've been, I've been riding bikes for 30 years, like, you know, steadily and I... Whatever, it just, it's overwhelming, right? So keep it simple, you know.
16:46
Um, and I never did get, uh, the bike, the, the frame is just not made for a rear disc brake on it, so I'll never have a rear disc brake sadly, but, but yeah, so it was great.
16:56
So he was supposed to build it for me, but he has always had problems with his ankle, and they finally, he went to Mayo in Rochester about, uh, God, seven, eight years ago, and he had a, he had his foot basically just removed from his body and then reattached, right?
17:08
Yeah, I remember that. So he was laid up for like a month at least. He was just sitting in a chair in his apartment, and we'd bring him food.
17:14
I r- I brought him like a casserole at one point, Christmas Day, I believe, um, whatever that year was. So, so he didn't wind up building my bike.
17:22
This guy, Pat Ryan, wound up building my bike, who's a really good friend of mine, you know, and was, like Deke's, was an assistant to Deke back then. Okay. Oh. And so he built it, but it's, it's...
17:29
And, uh, I ride with Pat sometimes, and we're, we're pretty good buds, and, uh, yeah, and they did a really good job, and I've had it all over the place, you know.
17:36
I rode it to Ohio a couple years ago, and- I, I, we talked, I think we talked about that the other night because, uh, Ralph Henderson was from Castalia- Castalia, Iowa... Iowa. Uh-huh. And there's also- Castalia, Ohio...
17:47
Castalia, Ohio, which I did not know. So I live, Castalia, Iowa is, it's incorporated, but it's like 200 people, and I live just north of there on gravel about four miles in a town of 80 people that's not incorporated.
17:58
So I basically live, Castalia's the nearest bar, right? Gotcha. But in the 1800s, I'm gonna bore you with some history. Well, it's kind of interesting history. I'll try to make it inter- fun, okay?
18:08
In the late 1800s, the postmaster from Castalia, Ohio, which is by Sandusky, where Cedar Point is, uh, traveled to Castalia, Iowa, to, as a pioneer, and started that and, you know, founded that town and changed the name of the town.
18:21
The town had been called Rattletrap. [laughs] It had been called Rattletrap because, um, the town is actually on Highway 18, the same 18 that runs into Milwaukee, if you just go west, west, west.
18:31
You know, you go into Iowa and there's Castalia. And, um, the town had been called Rattletrap because it was named after a prostitute that lived in a log cabin there. 'Cause this, this was the military trail.
18:41
You know, if you go past Madison, it says military trail. M- military ridge trail, yep... It was going out there to Fort Atkinson, Iowa to service, like, the Indian tribes there.
18:47
There's a, there's a tribe out there that got moved there, and they needed a fort to protect them from the lo- from the native tribes, right? So anyway, long story.
18:55
But anyway, there's, yeah, there's constantly soldiers back and forth across, so this prostitute set up this cabin and they called her Rattletrap because she wouldn't shut up.
19:03
[laughs] So the town got named Rattletrap, and then the guy, guy came from Ohio, he was like, "No, no, no. We're not doing that. No. We're gonna, you know..." Gonna change it to Castalia. Right.
19:11
Like, like the other one that I know. Oh, yeah, yep, yep. Yeah. So, um, see, I was like, what was it? 20... God, I'm so bad. When you get old and your years just kind of go together. I, I feel you.
19:21
Like, four years ago, my mother had died on Mother's Day, like, in tw- whatever, you know, uh, '21, I believe. And so the next year, '22, maybe, or I can't remember.
19:31
Anyway, uh, I rode my bike from Castalia, Iowa to Castalia, Ohio just to do it. It's like 600 miles. Almost dead nut 600 miles to her and my dad, where they're buried, you know, and took her flowers and stuff.
19:42
And it was more... It wasn't like... It was sentimental, but, but most of it was just 'cause I always, I just always wanted to do it. I always wanted to ride from Castel- you know?
19:50
Wanted to get an idea of how far this guy traveled, you know? 'Cause he probably walked it.
19:53
This is long enough ago that he probably didn't have a, you know, uh, that he might not have even had a train, or I don't know if that's really why. But I just, I just like the going really far.
20:02
You know, how far can you go on a bike? Yeah. You know? So doing all those, uh, doing all those long rides, uh, you must have come across some pretty interesting stuff.
20:11
Is there anything that kind of sticks in your mind as, like, "Oh my God, I never expected that to happen on this part of a ride," or?
20:18
That ride, um, when I used to drive semi, you know, like North Central Indiana is full of, like, Mennonites. Sure. And, um, and I knew that, but it wasn't a thing. I rolled into this town, right?
20:28
And there's almost zero cars there, but there are like, there's like 100 bikes, and it's all Mennonites, and they all have really nice shit. [laughs] They all, you know, they got recumbents, you know?
20:38
They got the, the, you know, they got burly, you know, they, they got like, uh, bob trailers and shit, you know? Like, it was, it was really great, and they're all, they all just look beautiful.
20:46
You know, they're all like, you know, Northern European. They're all hardworking, you know, young, whatever. It's just funny. And they're, like, checking me out in my bike. I'm like, "Hey, yeah, what's up?"
20:55
You know, like- Yeah... kind of funny. Yeah. We got, uh, some Mennonites in Wisconsin, too. We're on, uh, Mineral Point area, give or take, somewhere in there. Do you know what it takes to get a Amish lady pregnant? No.
21:04
A couple of Mennonite. [laughs] Uh... Do you, do you have any Hutterite, uh, Hutterite jokes?
21:10
[laughs] I run into those guys in South Dakota when I go out there and do another hobby, which is, uh, radio control airplanes- Oh, you said, yeah... stuff. Yeah.
21:17
And that, that, the, one of the big huge ranches, 3 or 4, 5,000, it's big, turkey farm, big ranch, and they had... They're right on the Missouri River, so they have a huge bluff, 500 feet. Oh, wow, nice.
21:29
And, uh, that's one of the things we need to do, the kind of flying we do. And, uh, it's owned by a Hutterite colony, and the- Oh... the guys come out there, and they, they hang out all day. Uh-huh.
21:39
It's like, "Do you guys have anything to do?" "Oh, no." No, they don't. [laughs] "Nope. We're, those guys are doing it back there, and we got the kids, and the..." Well, they're not watching TV. And the... Yeah.
21:47
[laughs] I was on a RAGBRAI one year when it was a s- a south route, so somewhere south of Des Mo- you know, whatever. Yeah, the city part. Midway between- [laughs]... the state line and, and I-80. Uh-huh.
21:58
And it was through, I, I think that they're Amish there, probably. Yeah, the Amana Colonies. Yeah, somewhere down there. Oh, yeah.
22:04
So, I mean, we're, like, riding, riding, and they're selling the muffins and stuff, and I was like, "Damn, you guys got a restroom?" And, and one, the lady goes, uh, "Well, yeah, just y- you go in the house. It's fine.
22:12
It, it's in the kitchen past the microwave." [laughs] I go in there, I'm looking around, I go, "Oh, Goddammit, she got me." [laughs] Nice.
22:21
Uh, the, the funny thing I learned about, uh, about Amish, and I think it was on that ride, is that, um, until you're 18, you're not in the church. You gotta make that decision when you're- Rumspringa... Y- yeah. Yeah.
22:33
And then, but before that, you can drive vans full of older people who can't drive. [laughs] So you can be a 15 or 16-year-old kid and drive. Uh-huh. Once you make the choice, you can't do it anymore. Oh, interesting.
22:47
Yeah. Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, 'cause I, I know guys that that's their job. Like, I know a bunch of old guys, their job is just hauling Amish people around, you know? Yeah.
22:54
Like, my house caught on fire about 12 years ago, and, uh, I had the Amish redo it. It was, I saved it. Got...
22:59
I saved it, didn't burn to the ground, but I had them come in and redo it, 'cause there, you know, the, there's a bunch of crews where I work and, or where I live, and they're g- they're like, uh, they told me, like, they're like, "We," like, "we listen to you on the radio."
23:11
I'm like, "You guys aren't supposed to have radios." [laughs] So you, you had or have at least a couple songs that have been somewhat, uh, we, we- Got traction here and there... traction here and there. Yeah. Yeah.
23:25
Uh-huh. One of them is on your, um, uh- Oh, the can't go-... Koozie. Koozie, there... Yeah, this is, uh, this is so stupid.
23:33
So, a lot of people won't even know my name, but they'll know that I'm the I Like To Pee Outside guy. [laughs] 'Cause I had a song, I wrote this song in, like, 10 minutes.
23:41
I was watching the Super Bowl in, like, '99 or something, and I went outside. I lived in the country.
23:46
Went outside to pee on a tree, 'cause you don't even wanna use your well water if you have a shitty well, you know, just to pee, right? Yeah. I'm like, "Man, I really like peeing outside."
23:53
So I wrote this song in, like, uh, 15 minutes, half an hour, you know, and it's defined my career. And it's not even, like, one of the... It's funny, but it's not, like, one of the f- fun...
24:03
I mean, it's not my favorite one, let's just say. But I started selling shit that said I like to pee outside on it, and it just took off.
24:09
And like, now- I own iliketopeoutside.com Okay If, if anybody out there is interested in I Like To Pee Outside wear- We'll put it in the show notes... yeah.
24:18
And, um, and I actually had to trademark it 'cause somebody stole it from me, and I actually legally own the phrase I Like To Pee Outside. Awesome. I have the document.
24:26
[laughs] Can we, uh, throw that song at the end of the show? You could, yeah. Um- Do you, do you mind? I mean, we, we can put it in there and say, "Here it is." Sure, yeah. That'd be great.
24:34
I'm trying to think if I have a file of that anywhere around. It- Somehow. Uh, if we can't find it, we'll fake it maybe. Oh, okay. I'll record you today when you're doing it at Vegas. Oh. [laughs] We could do that too.
24:45
There is a YouTube video of me- Okay. Or, or I could just embed the video too. I'll do that. I'll embed the video of- Well, this video is just... It's that whole album.
24:54
Um, it's just that whole album in, in one track, you know? Like, just to get it on YouTube, 'cause people were asking for it.
24:59
'Cause I, I don't have a lot of presence on s- on, you know, on, like, services, but I did just get a record label, and, uh, they're doing that right now. And all my stuff- Oh, cool...
25:08
well, um, is, is gonna be available real soon on, like, Spotify and- Awesome... and everything else, so. Let us know and we'll make sure people know about it, because, uh, I, you know, it's, it...
25:17
When somebody has their own unique stuff, it's, uh, I, I, I like that rather than... I mean, most of your show is covers because that's what people know, right? Right. Yeah, uh-huh. But- And... Yeah.
25:29
And, um, and I try not to do something funny, or do anything of mine unless I think it's funny enough that people laugh at it. But I wouldn't do...
25:34
I, I write serious songs, but, like, that's just not for a bar at, like, at, like, 11:00 at night, you know? Um- Right. Okay. Gotcha. So and I think a lot of people make that mistake, you know? This is what I wanna play.
25:44
Well, that's not what people wanna hear maybe, you know? Like, not, at least not in this environment. So, you know, just try to give the people what they want. That's why I hand out, um... You saw I have lists- Yeah...
25:53
that I hand out. I just give everybody in the bar, like, a list of everything I know how to play, and then they just tell me what they want me to play. Which I noticed yesterday that...
26:00
And so no, no show you do is, oh, it's the same as the one before. That's why it's funny, yeah. Yeah. And that's why you might do, like, Baby Got Back by certain mix a lot, and then, like, John Denver, you know?
26:08
Like, that's, this is kind of the, the funny part of it is they call... In, in, in broadcasting they call that a train wreck. [laughs] You're not supposed, you're not supposed to do...
26:16
You know, you're not supposed to radically go from one genre to the next on broad- when you're broadcasting. Right. But at, at a show, it's, it's funny to me. It, it works. You know? It, yeah. So.
26:24
So I, yeah, I saw, I saw your list. I picked a song or two off there and, uh, uh, w- so what do you... How, how many songs do you think you know? Do you have a ballpark? That list has 200 and f- I think 250 on it. Okay.
26:37
And then I know a whole bunch more, you know, but, like, um, but they're just not stuff that people would request, you know? They might be some obscure '80s track or something that I like, you know? Um, so, uh, yeah.
26:50
But, but, and then the thing too is, like, I sing... There's only, like, two songs on that whole list that I don't sing all the lyrics to, because they just get long. You know, one of them's My Ding-A-Ling.
26:59
Like, it's funny at first, but after, like, three verses, people are kind of done with it, you know? [laughs] So, so I don't sing all of that. And there's, like, one other one. So I usually get all the words in there.
27:09
Um, and it's just, like, me and guitar, you know? So, and I get most of the chords.
27:13
I don't play everything exactly on the guitar like it's supposed to be on the album, because a lotta times, you know, I could play the guitar part, but it's gonna sound really empty, 'cause it's just gonna be, like, three notes or something.
27:23
You know, like- Yeah... so you wanna kind amalgamate everything that's going on in that song into the guitar so it, it, it, so it s- sounds fuller, I guess, you know? But- Yeah. No, I understand what you're saying there.
27:34
Yeah. I know with it, uh, Mike requested Mule Skinner Blues. He was surprised you knew that a- Oh, shit. Yeah. [laughs] For some reason that's always, that's always on his mind. He's like, "Mule Skinner Blues."
27:43
He, uh, he goes- Did I really? I said, "It's on the list." He says he didn't see it on the list, but it w- it- I, I told him. He didn't seem like he knew this.
27:49
Um, I told him it was recorded by a band from Madison called The Fendermen. Okay. In the... They were a one-hit wonder in the '60s. I think it was the '60s. You know, that's a really old song.
27:58
I have a Jimmie Rodgers doing it. I think Jimmie Rodgers might've written it originally, uh, but it's very old song, right?
28:03
And, uh, but their version was in the '60s, and it was just, like, wacky, like Looney Tunes shit, right? And, uh, and yeah, I love singing it. You yodel a lot, and it just gets ridiculous.
28:12
And- And, and the version you do is pretty... It moves along pretty good. It's fast-paced. Yeah.
28:16
I go a little bit faster than they do, 'cause it's, I'm just trying to, like, uh, build on what they created [laughs] kind of thing. You know, like, like, how fucking stupid can we make this? [laughs] Yeah. It, it rips.
28:27
Yeah. It was a, it was a good show. I, I, I hope people that were there had a good time. I'm, it, I think they did, and- It, I, I got a lot of compliments and stuff, you know? Yeah. Good, good. Um- Right on. Yeah.
28:38
I think it went pretty good. The owner liked me. That was good. You know, I saw her this morning too. I went back in there for bloody, and she was there, so. Oh, yeah. Sarah's bloodies on Sunday morning. Oh, uh-huh. Yep.
28:45
Good stuff. Uh, right on. Well, I appreciate you being on the show. I mean, we- Yeah... we covered some ground. Um, next time you're in Milwaukee, maybe we'll hit some other highlights along the way. Okay.
28:57
Uh, I know that, uh, people here like having you in town, so I hope you make this a regular stop through here. Yeah.
29:03
It's funny, 'cause I played for 25 years for a living, and I never played Milwaukee until I did the Uptowner. And I mean, I've played, like, I think I was telling you last night, I played on Navy Pier once.
29:12
I've played, you know, all over the Midwest. All, you know, Florida, Outer Banks, you know, Denver and shit. But, like, Milwaukee's always just been, like...
29:21
It's weird, if you grow up in M- in Wisconsin, m- in northern Wisconsin, Milwaukee's so foreign to you in a lot of ways. Oh, yeah. You know? Like- I, I guess. So. Very cool. All right, everybody. Uh, Mike McAbee. Hey.
29:32
Thank you for being on the show. It's been an honor. Thanks for having me. It was great. And, uh, we're gonna go to Vegas and, and watch some more music. Fuck yeah. All right. All right. Thanks again.
29:43
[outro music]
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