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Full Spectrum Cycling
Full Spectrum Cycling #287 – Russ Maki – White or Green? – Cars, Bikes and Beer!
Jan 9, 2025
Full Spectrum Cycling #287 – Russ Maki – White or Green? – Cars, Bikes and Beer!
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Transcript
0:00
Get on your bikes and ride!
0:03
[upbeat music] Right on. Hell yeah. Get on, get on your bikes and ride.
0:21
[laughs] I guess. Yes. So- Yes, yes, yes... this is, uh, a, a... it's in the middle of Fat Bottomed Girls that Drager's band, Problem Child, did.
0:32
So I ran it through the copyright thing, and it doesn't trigger anything, so- Ta-da That's what you're using now? Well- Well, it's- I've got a bunch of them. I don't know. Yeah. It's, Jake Haley remembers- It, it-...
0:41
how many-... it's dancing between the raindrops. Oh, there you go. Right. Yeah. I remember that. You remember how many Chris Daisy did for us and stuff? Yeah. Yeah. I, I found all the old intros, so- Oh, yes, sir.
0:51
Using those... we'll be, we'll be debuting some of those. By the way, welcome to the program, everybody. This is Full Spectrum Cycling, show number 287. Yes. 287.
0:59
Have probably forgot what we were doing in the- First show of-... couple, couple weeks we had off over the- Yeah, no kidding... might as well get me a beer while, while you're setting all that up...
1:05
it is after, it's way after, uh, the new year, but happy New Year. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. So we got Jake Hale over there. He's fresh- It's already been said, you know-... fresh back from New Orleans...
1:14
you cannot say Happy New Year after January 7th. That, that's right. Oh. It's the epiphany. What is it? Epiphany? Apostrophe? That, something like that. We got Tony over there.
1:25
That's Tony with his- That one's looking at us. If it's red, looking at us. Yeah, it's red, it's looking at us. Uh, and in the s- in the studio, uh, via Tony, Russ. Hi, how you doing? Welcome, Russ. Thank you.
1:36
Um, not sure, we, we were kinda talking a little bit about how Russ knows Tony, and I'm not sure how we didn't hook up over the years- Right... because it's- This is weird that you guys don't know each other. Yeah.
1:46
And he knows Dan Kohler. Everybody knows everybody. It's small walkie here. It is small walkie. Yeah, it is. Small walkie. It is, yeah. Yeah. Good stuff. Uh, w- what- Let me, let me put him on the spot. How did we meet?
1:57
Well, I just remember you were driving a Quantum, a Volkswagen Quantum. I was driving a fucking Passat, okay? Oh, I thought- The Quantum showed up later. Oh, okay. Sorry.
2:07
[laughs] I just remember the Quantum, 'cause it was so weird. There- Well, 'cause you had an Audi 4000- That's right... which was the same car- That's right... but cooler. That's right. Well, there you go.
2:15
Well, it had the wheel, four wheels. Just like Eric Zen's. And he had heated seats in his, in his 4000- It was, it was pretty posh... when I never knew that even existed. That was a nice car. [laughs] Cool.
2:25
That was a nice car. All right. So car stuff, for sure. I mean, not, I was a car guy till I more became a bike guy- Became a bike guy... 'cause cars are really freaking expensive. Yeah.
2:34
'Cause every car I have is shit, and it always becomes shit, and that's why I'm scared that I bought- Well, a ki-... a piece of shit... that kinda happens with your bikes, though, too, dude. [laughs] Yes, I know. I do.
2:43
I, I am very, I, me- buying that fucking Charlie Brown shirt was not a bad idea, because I do have a cloud. I, I always like- Just stick figures...
2:51
how, uh, you know, you could spend, I don't know, maybe 10,000 or a little more these days, 15 maybe, and you're gonna have the best bike in the world. And you're gonna get a car that runs.
3:01
But you're not getting a car that runs for... You know, they just, they cost a lot of money, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And they make you fat. [laughs] Good stuff. But they kept me warm these- There is that...
3:13
chilly, chilly D- chilly days... there is that. So what's, uh, what's... You went to New Orleans there, JK. Yeah. Honeymoon. Honeymooning. Honeymooning. What was that, what was that all about?
3:22
Avoiding cars and tragedies, but- Uh-huh... hey, music saves lives. On New Year's Eve, we went to a doom metal show- Nice... in the, uh, Marigny, Seventh Ward area, and it was awesome. Mehenrit- I, uh-...
3:37
Totem with a umlaut, not umlaut, I think. I can't remember. But yeah. Good, good, like, stoners', uh, like, sleep kind of vibes to it. I, I should have sent you the article, but I read it, that was, "Is Dope Smoker still
3:53
the best- The heaviest... heaviest album?" Yeah. I'm like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [laughs] I mean, it probably is. It just is. And then that's a pretty heavy album. It's good and heavy.
4:02
I mean, it's, yeah, it's just tough to have it on vinyl, because you have to stop and flip it. Mm-hmm. You know, if you can just listen to one hour of it, but yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah, it was awesome.
4:13
Uh, saw a w- what, their bike share system? Was a l- I, I remember seeing this last time. It was, like, Bike Blue. It looks so much like Bublr. Hmm.
4:23
I mean, they have the same kind of color scheme and iconography, but it is a lot, like, just janky [laughs] locks, and, like, it, it, it, you wouldn't believe what they have, and they're all electric, apparently. Huh.
4:40
Huh. I didn't get to use it just 'cause- You were walking. Yeah, and, well, and shiny things everywhere. [laughs] I don't know. Joy Division tribute bands- Did you wee-wee there?... doom, doom rock.
4:52
[laughs] Most likely. Huh. Well, are some of those- I didn't piss. [laughs] Most likely. [laughs] Are some of those e-bike, you know, public e-bike, um, operations, uh, I th- is there a franchise?
5:07
I th- I think Madison had a franchise. Yeah. Well, some of them originally were sponsored by Trek. Some of them- Yeah... were, a lot of them were originally sponsored by big corporate interests. Uh- Yeah. Mm-hmm.
5:17
Uh- And that could be one of those. I mean, this one doesn't really have, like, any, like, fancy docking system or whatever. It's just essentially a bike rack- Mm-hmm... with, like, a cable lock- Interesting...
5:27
and a, and a QR code that will release it, which is kinda clever. I mean, it looks low rent, but it could be a little more hi-fi than I think it is. Yeah. Maybe. Maybe. I mean, I guess- I didn't... I don't know.
5:41
I like the system they have here, but- Yeah... that way, maybe you're a little more dispersed, because it's pretty- It's more like-... pretty centralized with the racks...
5:49
okay, it's more like the, uh, the scooters that you just, that they leave everywhere. Right. Scan, yep, yep. It has that same vibe, because you see these bikes just kinda laying everywhere. It's kinda- You know-...
5:59
rolls into a show note... or locked up lazily to whatever rack it is. Goes into a show note? It rolls into the show note that PebbleB is now coming out with, uh- Pebble Beach? Pebble Bee is a tracking system
6:10
that is now at CES, is talking about how they're coming out with, like, specific to bicycles, uh, golf carts. They're gonna build them in.
6:20
They'll be part of the production process and I, I ha- I have a link in the notes, but it's a- Hmm... pin-sized. That seems interesting. Right. I like. That's why I put it in the show notes.
6:28
So you can't, you can't scan it and take it out? Right. You can't remove it and get rid of it. Your bike is being tracked. Now, I mean, that might freak out people. It doesn't bother me at all.
6:38
[laughs] I don't care if you know I'm at the bar. [laughs] Sure. I might be there. [laughs] I'll have to f- I'll have to... Oh, yeah, smaller trackers coming. Yep. I see- They do pins and plates...
6:48
I see what happened there. I see what happened there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm telling you right now- I see what you're doing...
6:50
Pebble Bee is, is not really ready for primetime, as I have one sewn into my son's backpack so I don't have to wait in the cold when his bus arrives. And he's not in Portugal right now? Well, he was...
7:02
He ended up at the lakefront- Ooh... briefly today. Oh, there you go. In the middle. And then was suddenly outside my door. In the middle of the lake. I'm like, "Wait, what happened here?"
7:08
[laughs] I mean, how did he, like- What, hanging out at the breakwater? One second he's on Lakeshore Drive- Ah... the second, next second, he's pulling up in front of my house. I'm like, "Okay, that didn't work right."
7:17
There's a little, yeah, a little latency there. Right. Well, he also... Didn't he f- find one and lose it or some- He lost the first one immediately. [laughs] I, I would think he would just huck it in the crowd.
7:25
Yeah, I, I ended up- I ain't having no dad following me around. No. Wee. All right. Let's slam dance... he didn't know anything about it. I just, I ended up sewing it into his backpack. Yeah.
7:33
Like, the, uh- Which means I have to unsew it when I wanna charge it... it's like sewing it into, like, a bike packing bag or something- Right. Right... so it's, it's permanently in there.
7:41
Mine's in my side of my cargo bag. You're never gonna find it. I mean, it's- If you... Can't you scan it? I... Maybe. Oh. I don't know. I don't know. Oh, just like chipping a dog, right? Kinda.
7:52
[laughs] Now they make the collar chips now. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, I get you. Yeah. No. Yeah. Well- Oh, wait. Do you have a li- a little blue tattoo?
7:59
That's funny 'cause Tommy Thompson- You have a little blue tattoo on you? [laughs] Do, do you remember when Tommy Thompson was s- like, on the board of directors for that company?
8:05
They wanted to do RFIDs under the skin, and he was, like, the first. But he's like, "I'll do it." [laughs] And I'm like, what happens if you wake up in the morning and your arm's gone 'cause someone need...
8:15
I called NPR to talk about this. I'm like, "I think I've actually talked to some, like, MILFs already, too." But imagine waking up and you've been sedated and you're missing your forearm because- [laughs]...
8:24
y- you need, they needed your forearm to get through security clearance somewhere. Oh, yeah. I've seen that movie. Right? [laughs] Or- [laughs]... Sue Ann would find out where he'd been. And, uh, uh, right. Um. Yep.
8:34
You ain't tracking me, boy. Uh, uh, uh, uh. So Russ, are, are you at all a cyclist? You know, I used to be a great deal, but I've kind of... Uh, I live out in the country, and I'm, I'm afraid, honestly. Understood.
8:48
Yeah, no. You know, you know, on some of those town roads. I mean- Mm-hmm... it's, um... People are just not paying attention. I used to ride out on Highway 18 all the time, you know, fearless.
9:00
Back when there was eight cars on the road? Of course, I was, I was a child. [laughs] Yeah, eight cars on the road. Yeah. Right, right, right. An idiot.
9:05
I mean, I mean, I, I do appreciate that, like, some people just are, you know- Own it... h- out, yeah- They own it... unapologetic. I'm like- Yeah... "Hey, I'm out here and duh, duh, duh."
9:13
I'm, and you know, it's kits and carbon- I'm too young to die... that normally are doing that, like, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. This is a good run. And a pr- you know, hats off. It's just I, yeah, I'd freak out a bit.
9:24
I'd be so nervous. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Since I have a pr- propensity to be hit anyway. Yeah, you- [laughs] You know the feeling, yeah. [laughs] He's good at, he's good at riding in front of cars.
9:35
I appear to be very good at riding in front of cars. Yeah. I... No, I, I, I like, I, I... Well, and I'm not used to a nice, smooth terrain. I'm used to jank, jank, jank, hence my rhythm is I look like I'm- Jank...
9:48
yeah, I look like I'm just drunk as shit. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, ba-boom. Well, I do have, uh, some bicycle developments out.
9:56
I live out in, uh, j- eastern Jefferson County, um, and they are in the process of extending the bike trail out to Watertown between Oconomowoc and Watertown. I read that. Mm-hmm. On, on the old interurban line.
10:10
So that's, uh... They just put up a br- Yeah, yeah... the last bridge. So it's a rails to trails kind of thing? Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah. A little, little steps to integrate the entire- Yeah...
10:18
damn state, which would be awesome. Yeah. Well, yeah, exactly. So, uh, yeah, and I believe there's one coming, going out of Watertown if you wanna go up to Auricon, the Wild Goose.
10:27
So, uh- Yeah, there's a, there's a lot of interconnected... There were a lot of- Yeah... there were a lot of trail systems that were pretty long but weren't totally connected, and, uh, they're doing a lot of that now.
10:35
So you can actually- Yeah... go from here to the Mississippi or- Mm-hmm... you know, there's just a lot of, a lot of activity along that front. So yeah, you can... At least you're safe from motor vehicles- Yeah. Right...
10:46
which is nice. At least for a spell. Yeah. [laughs] You know, it's like, "Okay." Until you have to cross the road. It is like, okay, now you gotta cross the highway. Other than electric motor vehicles. Yeah.
10:53
That's right. There could be some guys on the bike trail that may not be- Yeah... supposed to- Or the side-by-sides. That's the big thing out, out in the boonies. You know, the Gators and...
11:03
They're like UTVs, they call them. Oh, yeah. Gators. Yep. In fact, two of them just went through the ice. I don't know if you- [laughs]... caught the news on that.
11:09
There was one guy in- That's an expensive thing to drive through the ice... Sinnissippi, Illa- on Lake Sinnissippi, in fact, and, uh- Well, that should be easy to get out. Yeah. Well, yeah. [laughs] But he was drunk.
11:19
[laughs] So he was in trouble, even though he escaped. The other guy, uh, Westfield, I think, up by, up in Marquette County, he didn't make it out. So- Oh, he died? No. Yeah, yeah. Oh. Wow.
11:30
So- Yeah, it, it was pretty thin early on. Yeah. I think that's been cold enough out there a lot more. Yeah, that's ambitious, trying to get out there. A lot of the lakes are more, more frozen these days. Yeah.
11:37
But Sinnissippi's, what, five at the deepest? Yeah. Yep. It's, it's not- Yep... not deep. Yep. [bell ringing] [laughs] We hit the top of the hill. Yeah, the top of the hill. Time to discuss beer. Oh. [laughs] Okay.
11:51
Time to discuss beer. Well, discuss or, you know- JK picked up today's beer. Oh. It is a Hazy Hearted IPA from The Bells. It's a heavy hitter, too. Mm-hmm. I'm surprised I've never had it before.
12:03
I think I've had it once. It's, it's- They-... really good... they've gone around and done a lot, like Two Hearted Ale and the dun, dun, dun, dun. A light one, a easy drinking, a heavy- Yeah... heavy, heavy one- Right...
12:16
and whatever. But they have always the same kind of logo-ish so you don't really know what you're, you know, if you're not paying attention. You know the two-hearted, the, the two-hearted- Mm-hmm...
12:26
label where it's from. Mm-hmm, yeah. From Hemingway. Oh, and the mis- I'm a, I'm a Yooper. My dad was a Yooper, so. Gotcha, gotcha. How'd he get to Chicago? We'll talk about that later. Work, work, work.
12:37
[laughs] World War II. Oh, wow. I've been drinking, uh, Black Top out of New Glarus. That's actually fantastic. That's a good beer. It was- I almost, I almost picked up a Moon Man from New Glarus. Nice session.
12:51
Which is a, yeah, it's a- It-... relaxing- It was on-... tasty beverage... tap at last time I went to Nessun Dorma. Nessun Dorma. And I was like, "Wait a minute, what is this?" And she didn't even know.
13:01
Actually, the last two times I was there she didn't know what Black Top was, 'cause it had just come in. And the second time I was there was, Greg. Mm. Foggy Geezer. Oh, right, yeah. They didn't know what, he...
13:12
I'm like, "Wait, what do you have on tap that's from these guys?" And she's like, "I don't know. Let me look." I'm like, "It's Foggy Geezer." I'm like, "I'll have that." No shit, yes. Yeah.
13:18
[laughs] We tried to go there after our New Year's Day ride. Yeah, but it was closed. A- and they were closed. Well, yeah, good on- Which was- Good for them...
13:24
kind of interesting 'cause we ended up at Uptowner and Marcus Doucette was doing a- A great set... DJ show and it turned out to be a pretty good food thing. And Steve smokes a mean random ham. Yep. Yeah.
13:35
Some good, some good eats. That was, that was some really neat, like just randomly show up there and he's pulling out a tray of smoked ham, cut- Mm-hmm... sliced, ready for buns. Wow. I'm like, wait, what? Yeah.
13:45
I showed up at the right time. They, they, yeah, they bought a new smoker and- He loves it... are using it. You know, it's not just- I-... buying something. Oh, dude, but the, the old smoker was awesome.
13:55
Steve's, Steve's a master at- No-... at smoking things... the old smoker was awesome because it was like a re- repurposed, uh, uh- Dave, no... bever- beverage.
14:06
Yeah, but that had a bunch of weird insulation and stuff in it. Don't think you wanted to smoke with that stuff in there. [laughs] No, they, they were pretty diligent about the scrub. Old- I'm...
14:15
No, I, I had good feelings. Eh, shit between the walls. You can't really get it out. Oh, goodness me. Yeah, old water heater or something? No, it was like a, a, a freezer, like a- Oh...
14:24
commercial tall freezer kind of an idea. Steve- Oh... Steven's a very enterprising middle-aged man now. He's not, none of us are young anymore, but he makes, he knows his meats. Mm-hmm.
14:36
He, and he, he definitely can step it up a game. He's, he's good. He's a good guy to know. So as, since we could go through a couple things on the list here, as, as either cyclists or drivers- Eh...
14:47
there, there's some kind of city council thing about green bike lanes versus white bike- Yeah... stripes. What, what the hell is going on there? Especially by the war memorial.
14:57
One of the aldermen is all upset that the, the green color on the road will take away from the appeal of the war memorial. [laughs] Who said that? And one of the better parts is- One of the idiots...
15:06
one of the other aldermen said, "I'm pretty sure blood would be more of a distraction." Oh, very... Yeah. Like they were, they were embattled on this. Good. Well done. I'm like, this is pretty serious. Yeah.
15:16
And, you know, I'm sorry, who cares- Yeah, Wa-... if the bike lane is green or white? Sheldon Wasserman- Right. Oh, yeah... is, is the clown- Is the, the clown... that came up with that stupid idea. Oh- Yeah...
15:24
our local clown... what an idiot. I forget- Yeah... all about that guy.
15:26
I personally as a driver, I think they're very noticeable and you're like, it's much better than just white lines because you know white lines- Are everywhere...
15:34
that's the side of the road out in the country- White lines... that's, it's, it's everything everywhere- Smooth... that's white... streams of sugar.
15:39
Theoretically if it's a solid white line you're not supposed to cross over it- Oh, but... 'cause it's supposed to be like a wall. Yeah... I, I, I do think that- I hear... Yep, no, yeah...
15:47
green is new and green means, you know- Go... go. It, yeah, but it also means- That's the ar-... pay the, pay the-... the counterargument is like, green means go, so it's counterintuitive. What the hell are you saying?
15:55
Yeah, there, it's, that is a- It's like-... the most baseless argument that you are wasting taxpayer dollars fighting about. It's... I know. Yeah, so apparently there's a big kerfuffle at the old, uh- [laughs]...
16:05
county supervisor zone there. At least they only are part-time now, aren't they? Right, yep. Did I tell you- That's right... uh, uh, the, they had the Shorewood, uh, bike plan, park plan- Oh, did they?... kind of thing.
16:20
Did you go? No, but they, they offered it up as a Zoom possibility, but they were ill-equipped. I mean, I was able to just, uh, like voyeur in and, uh, I don't know.
16:34
It's nothing, nothing different than anything. Kind of like, "Woo." Well, Shorewood, speaking of that, people are all upset about the shared lane on, um, Edgewood. Oh, nobody can bitch about it- Like, shut up...
16:48
because there's like- It's just another fucking- Not only is it a shared...
16:51
No, it's so, it, actually it makes the pr- it's so poetic because that entire thing, that is Edgewood, the edge of Shorewood and Milwaukee- Mm-hmm... and nobody wants to claim- Right.
17:03
[laughs] Nobody wants to claim responsibility for- It's just such a-... plowing it, doing, addressing it- Right... da, da, da, da, da.
17:09
So they got together, did this, and like bloop, and like, okay, and everybody- Now everyone's freaking out... you get a one, you get a one lane and you all fucking just Wild West and figure this out. Figure it out.
17:19
And it's awesome. I've, I've... It's not that hard to figure out. I, I ride- No, it's not... when I'm on it, I ride like this on purpose. I'm like, look, I have a whole lane. [laughs] I have my elbows out. Yeah.
17:28
I'm like all like casual. You blow up like a pufferfish. [laughs] But yeah. It's only your lane when you're in it, otherwise it's a car lane. Right, I know. They don't get that. I know. They don't get at all. Whatever.
17:35
It's the same as driving on a, a regular side street. Move over for the bicycle. Yeah. Move back when you're done. I mean- Right... but people have to find something to bitch about. I love it.
17:45
And apparently that's one of them. So- Yeah. Jingling of the keys... what you could do is you could ride on the new extension that goes out west past like Home Depot and stuff that they're working on.
17:56
Yeah, that'll be fun. Yeah, through the old jungle. Yeah. It actually goes through one of the ur- urban jungle cross areas. By Home Depot or the one downtown?
18:03
Yeah, it goes, it goes under the new freeway part where they just took all those bridges down and- For Washington. Really? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's cool. Yeah, and it heads west along one of the tracks.
18:11
We should plan that. Yeah. Go- Take a look on that... it goes past the cemetery out there, past Green Bay Avenue and all that stuff. Yeah. Another, another new bike infrastructure project in Milwaukee.
18:23
Soon we'll be at least tolerably bike-friendly Slightly civilized... tolerably. Well, I take Molly, to go to Molly's mom's, I take Walnut, and the amount of lane control they've done on that- Oh, my God...
18:34
is outstanding. [laughs] It is. I'm sure it pisses off drivers, but- Oh, yeah... man, I got- Oh, it does Well- I got, like- No, even as a cyclist-... 12 yards of grass- Even as a cyclist... two feet to the sidewalk.
18:45
I'm like, "This is awesome." Yeah, ex- except if you like, like, "Oh, I wanna... Oh, shit, I should, I wanna turn left," you're, actually as a cyclist, you're locked in as well. You're in the tube until you- Mm...
18:58
decide. Oh, yeah You know, you, it, it, I mean, your- Well, the- Your protection is on both sides of that one. On North Avenue it's a little bit challenging, 'cause you don't know- Like, "Oh, wait, I forgot my key"...
19:09
exactly where to go. You're like, "Yeah, yeah." "Oh, I forgot." No, no, you can't just do that or you're gonna do the same fate as a car would. [laughs] Right. Oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, here it comes. What?
19:22
It appears as though sports and leisure endurance race event, Riverwest 24, won the, uh, award this year at the... What's going on tonight at the- Shepherd- Oh, uh, Shepherd Express... Shepherd Express.
19:36
It won it for what? Community event or something? For community event, yep. Well, that's awesome. Yay. [clapping] Way to go. Yay. Have you seen something going on up in Green Bay with George? Some sort of 24-hour- No...
19:49
some sort of, but more in the winter? No. Yes. I'll get more information on it. So a shiver-wise? I, I thought I had it in here. GB 24? It's some sort of, uh, some sort of 24-hour race up there in Green Bay. Hmm.
20:04
I'll look into it more. Yeah. I thought I had a little note on it. Maybe you should call him. Look at you, you tease. I, uh- I haven't heard from George in years. [laughs] He could call in. What a tease.
20:11
We're talk- [laughs] Well, Dave and I are planning on talking to him on a- [laughs]... on a Fat Bike TV episode, so- Okay... hopefully we can get that in soon. Yeah, find out what's going on. That'd be good to see him.
20:21
Yes, it would. He's a good guy. He's a very good guy. Yeah. If his show- Even if he is living up in Manitowoc, you know? Manitowoc. Green Bay, Manitowoc. Does he live in Green Bay? Or I thought he lived in Manitowoc.
20:31
Eh, he kinda gets around up there. Only show in Green Bay. Twivers? Twivers. Twivers. Could be twivers. [lip smack] Um, also wanna mention that, uh, the old Brazen Dropouts Bike Swap is coming to- Yeah...
20:42
Madison on the Saturday the 18th, which would be next week. Mm. [laughs] Week after, right? Well, it's like the 10th this month, so- Oh, yeah, you're right. Yeah, we're getting there. We're getting there...
20:51
8th, 11th, whatever it is. Yeah, we're getting there. Christ, the year's almost over. So yeah, it's already mid- mid-January already we're talking about. Right. Jeez, happy 2026, everyone.
20:58
I, you know, if, if- In case they don't see it... if you've never been out there, it's, like, one of the biggest bike swaps- I-... I think in the country. It's huge... you know why I don't go?
21:06
Don't wanna buy a bunch of stuff? Right. I'm cheap. And I was thinking about taking stuff out there, but people are cheap. You'll come back with more.
21:13
But people are cheap, and then you'll just spend all the money you made on other stuff you don't need. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I may go out there just- You mean like a-... to, to spectate...
21:21
like an ostrich saddle that gets stolen? Hey, if I see it out there, I'll probably- Oh... hit the guy over the head with it, because- I'm gonna say, if you see that out there, you kill that man...
21:29
yeah, 'cause there can't be- Ostrich saddle? I had my ostrich Selle Anne anatomic stolen on my cargo bike. Anatomica. Anatomica. Selle. One of 50 made- And then...
21:39
and I traded a pretty- Mm, I thought the wound had healed... penny worth of hardware to get that saddle. No. No. It has not healed. That, that, that saddle is- No, it's a scab. It still hasn't scarred.
21:50
Oh, no, it's not gone. Oh, no, it's not- It's not gone yet... it's only scabbed over. Oh, fuckoi. [laughs] I'm so pissed. [laughs] It's the only thing I want back from that bike. Maybe- Oh...
22:01
maybe the Moloko bars, but that seat.
22:04
I would give the person that stole my fucking cargo bike that bike if I could get the seat and the titanium toolkit from the, from the pack that was- They already have- I do- They already have the bike. Yeah.
22:15
Well, I know that, but I- [laughs] I've had some shit rigged for- I, I, I won't kill them is what I'm getting at... um- The minutiae of what I needed- Russ?...
22:22
on the, it was like, "Goddammit" You got anything you wanna talk about? These guys are- Yeah, we just talk nonstop... blather, talk a lot nonstop. That's pretty much all we do at this thing anyway, so. Yeah.
22:30
Well, let's see. What can we talk about? Let's talk about music. We were just talking about some great bands coming to, uh, the Vivarium this spring. Have you done a show there yet? I have not.
22:40
Or seen, seen a show there? You know what? I wanted to see Nick Lowe there in November. Yeah, the leather jackets? Yeah. That, that is- That was-... a great pairing... awesome. You went to that show? Uh, not at Vivarium.
22:51
You've seen Nick Lowe, but you've- At- Yeah. Um- Yeah, I've, I've s- I've seen Nick- At Shank... over and over at Shank, yeah. But, uh, yeah. But The Mekons. Well, I don't know if you noticed 'cause he's sitting down,
23:03
Russ is tall. Russ is tall. I'm not that tall. Well, you're taller than the three of us. W- we're short. [laughs] And that- Maybe that's it... and that's my recommendation for going to a show at The Vivarium- Yeah...
23:12
is be a tall person. Yeah. Oh. That's the thing. Definitely. And the Silvie in Madison is another one like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know, man. Well, yeah. You stand up for, you know, a long time.
23:21
You saw Dopesmoker there, didn't you? Uh- No, you saw- No. Amyl and the Sniffers. Yeah. Amyl and the Sniff- We were just talking about that... we also, we also saw Boris there. Boris. Boris.
23:32
Well, no, we saw- Boris the Sprink? Boris. No, just Boris. Oh, just straight Boris. Yeah. Oh, at Vivarium, not at- Yeah... Silvie. Yeah, Vivarium. Silvie, I saw Amyl and the Sniffers. Boris I saw at Vivarium. Vivarium.
23:44
It, uh, Silvie does have a little tiered standing for the short of us. Mm. [laughs] Yeah. Vivarium does not. But it works out. Yeah. That's fine. Vivarium's flat.
23:55
Well, the, uh- With, it's a, with like a- There, there's no tier. But the two, like- Yeah, and the, and the stage is really short... two-foot stage maybe. Remember years ago, uh, the old, um...
24:03
My uncle used to live at State and 23rd Street, and there was a joint down the street called The Friendship Club- Uh-huh... for dancing 28 and over. I think- This was the early '60s Uh, it was The Palms.
24:17
It became The Palms. And- Oh, that was a good sh- place to see shows- Yeah, it was.... like, 30 years ago I, I saw Dave Edmunds there one, one y- uh, one year, probably early '80s.
24:25
What was the wonderful strip club right across the street? Yeah, Ricky's. Ricky's. Ricky's. That's where, uh- Oh, yeah. No, that's where I was like- Where, uh- Hey, we're at Ricky's.
24:31
[laughs] Yeah, Paul Henningsen, speaking of government officials, I think he used to hang out there a lot. And, uh- [laughs]... I think he got busted. Great buffet though. The late Paul. I think he's late. Really?
24:41
Danny Hay with a great buffet. Yeah. Oh, at Ricky's. Yeah. He always had, he always had a- No, he was, uh, The Palms. It's all about the buffet. But the, uh, Mekons. Mm-hmm.
24:50
Well, opening is a guy named Jake Labotte, who is this kind of elemental blues influenced guy, supposedly learned guitar craft from Dave Honeyboy Edwards- Mm... on Maxwell Street in Chicago.
25:05
[laughs] A good musician, really, and he's, he's, um, a fan, a fan... He has a couple fans, Steve Buscemi and- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm... Stallone, and he's in a couple of their movies- Frank?... with cameos. Uh, Sylvester.
25:20
[laughs] Frank. [laughs] But he's a good musician, worth, you know, worth, uh, worth seeing by himself, but with, with the Mekons- Mm... it's gonna be a great show. Yeah. Yeah. And so, uh- Yeah. I saw the Mekons coming.
25:35
But you had the greatest story about the Mekons and- Oh, the Gang of Four... the Gang of Four trading, like, equipment and stuff. Yeah. Oh, yeah. They were from Sheffield. They were from the same town.
25:45
And, uh, uh, at one point, I think the Mekons put out an early album, and the, uh, the publisher accidentally printed a picture of the Gang of Four on the back [laughs] of it. So, yeah. So another Vivarium show.
26:01
So I'm very excited about both of those. Yeah. Those are really gonna be good. I, I... The Mekons are just so fantastic. They have a... There's another band that
26:10
y- you hear, hear them, and they do something completely different. You know, that's like, they're so diverse and, you know, people come and go. It's like a... It's kind of a collective more than a band. Yeah.
26:21
We were talking before the show of, uh, King Gizzard & the Wizard Lizard, and how absolutely bizarre they can release four albums and sound completely different. 'Cause they're... Right. [laughs] It's just like...
26:36
But yeah- [laughs]... I'm excited about those shows. Yeah. They're gonna be good. It's gonna be a good... 2025's gonna be a good year for shows. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, I was just telling you, I saw Beat, the King Crimson.
26:46
There's another band that- Oh, shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... every, every, every- With Adrian Belew?... every five years, yeah, that it... they're completely different. Yeah. Yeah. Belew.
26:53
Fuck is, uh, Danny, uh, Carey on the drums. Danny Carey. Tool. Fuck yeah. Uh, Steve Vai on- Oh, I didn't know if Danny Carey was on the drums. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah.
27:02
Oh, dude, I was trying to win tickets on that shit, like- And-... oh... Tony Levin, of course, on the bass. Yeah. Yeah. That, that was a good show. Yeah. I saw him at the Orpheum in Madison.
27:10
Again, get to Madison a lot now. Yeah. I was in Madison- You know, six-... when they were playing, but I didn't have tickets to it, or like the next day. Mm-hmm.
27:19
Yeah, that's- And then, then I saw people with the shirts on in town. I'm just like, "Were you at the show?" [laughs] Do I, do I need to kill you now? Yeah. And they're like... I'm like, "Was it awesome?"
27:28
"Oh, it was great." I'm like, "Thank you. Okay." [laughs] You're my avatar. They were very good. Thank you. Yeah, yeah.
27:33
I remember one year we saw King Crimson, my brother-in-law and his, his brother and, and I, we went down to... They were playing at the Modjeska. Mm. Well, another good venue. Oh, boy.
27:44
[laughs] I have chairs if you need some. Yeah. [laughs] I bought- Widespread Panic? Really?... 14 Modjeska seats. Oh, man. Are they like the theater seats? Yeah. Where, where are they, in your garage? Uh, yeah. Huh.
27:54
Need one? Dude, fucking... Yeah. Are they like a rack of them, or are they- Widespread Panic, and there's people laid out by the concession stand. I have a few racks. Right. That's a wild place. Oh. Oh, yeah.
28:01
Should, should stick them along the back wall or something. Uh, fucking Marilyn Manson, whose birthday it was just yesterday or something like that. You can store them over here so I have more stuff in this place.
28:07
He was doing his Anti-Christ Superstar thing there. Mm-hmm. And [laughs] it was a fucking... the venue for that one. I think- I was like, "Are you kidding me?" Yeah. Yeah. Well, what, what... I know, um,
28:20
GG Allin used to play down in Walker's Point somewhere. Uh, I- Oh, the Odd Rock. Yeah. I used to work at the Journal Sentinel, and I remember, uh- Jack fucking Kashok. JFA.
28:31
I remember when they got busted for, I think, uh- Wendio. [laughs] I think he was... I think, uh, Allin was defecating on stage- Yep. Yeah... and hurling the feces into the crowd. Yeah. That sounds right. Oh, yeah. Yes.
28:44
Yes. That was the show. That's a Milwaukee, that's a Milwaukee thing to do. GG Allin says, "WMSD or die." [laughs] That's his promo- Exactly... for WMSD. It's just, like, hilarious. Oh, man. Are we...
28:56
How we doing on the beer over there, guys? You need a beer? I could have a beer. Oh. You guys, uh, pre-gamed over to The Amorphic. I had a, I had a session IPA, which I might add was delicious. Yes.
29:06
I had that the other day, and I thought, "Well, that's- I believe you bought me one of those. Oh, yeah. I believe that was pretty good. Sorry, Russ. Looks like you're short sticking it. Well, it's all right.
29:13
I'm, I'm working on the pilsner, which is an outstanding pilsner. We're basically- You know, we- We're basically done anyway. We can just go next time. [laughs] Right.
29:19
We can certainly plug Amorphic, that he does not mess around. Yeah. No. I mean, every one of his beers are outstanding. Quality stuff. Oh, yeah. When, when he was like, "Yeah, session IPA," and it clocks in at five.
29:31
Five. And I'm like, "Eh." That's close. That's pretty- Close. That's not bad. Yeah. Yeah. I think we-.5 more than the normal session, I would say. I'm kind of a- And that's- And 10% better. I mean... I mean- Yeah.
29:44
Oh, for s- yeah. I haven't tried it yet, of course, 'cause I didn't wanna. [laughs] All right. My go... My go-to is New Glarus at the Pick 'n Save. Yeah. Which one? Moon Man. Oh, Moon Man. Definitely.
29:57
You know, it's a good session. Yeah. Good on you.
30:00
But the, uh- Do you know, an- another fun fact about Russ' place, I went out there once to go hang with him, and I tried to buy a six-pack from the grocery store, and they made me put it in a bag. Bum.
30:11
Because they have to. [laughs] I'm like, "You have to put the beer in a bag?" That's, that's what they told him at the church. Is that right? I'm sure. Yeah. You know, they got the Wisconsin Lutherans up there.
30:24
They're- Oh, yeah. Goddammit. All right. Well- Goddammit... we, we kind of got through this. Uh, Russ, thanks for coming. Uh- Well, thanks for inviting me. Good. I appreciate it. You're welcome anytime.
30:32
So I'd love to come back. Certainly have more fun some other time. Yeah. And, uh- It's fun. Fun chat... that, that's about what we did for our welcome back to the show- We'll, uh-... week show...
30:41
we'll do an after Mekons show. Oh, that would be great. What is Mekons? The Mekons, the band. Oh. Yeah. Oh, right on. I, I don't... Not familiar. Yeah. So. Or we can do one after Gang of Four. Right on. Either way.
30:54
Either way. All right. Or both. We'll see. Well- This weekend, Go Pack Go. Uh, maybe see you down at Cactus Club, Lack of Reason doing the halftime show. Oh, yeah. Doing the halftime show. Oh, at the halftime show.
31:05
So- I think I have a- I'm gonna-... Lack of Reason koozie somewhere. I have one at home. I know. I have- Is that a, is that a Scotty Drummed band? It is a... Yes. [laughs] Scotty with a, the wrists of fury. Yeah.
31:15
[growls] It's amazing. As a dr- I, I... Yeah. Look at that. Look at that. Look at his fing- I want to be a percussionist when I have that. Look at his hand. Look at his hand go. All right, everybody.
31:25
Better than the drummer. But yeah, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, Go Pack Go. Next week. [growls] Next week. [rock music] See, this is what I mean. Oh, now I'm confused.
31:38
[rock music]
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