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Full Spectrum Cycling
Full Spectrum Cycling #63 – Protests in our Neighborhood – Jason has Stories!
Jun 5, 2020
Full Spectrum Cycling #63 – Protests in our Neighborhood – Jason has Stories!
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Transcript
0:00
Let's do it. [upbeat music] Right on, right on.
0:19
[upbeat music] Welcome to the radio program, people. It's Full Spectrum Cycling, show number 63. 63. We're nudging on retirement. Right? There may, there may be the- Geez, age. Aren't you that old? Silence.
0:34
[laughs] There, there may be the odd motorcycle sound or loud car going by. I got the doors open, 'cause it just, it just cooled off after a couple days of being- It's doors open Milwaukee... sweet ass hot.
0:46
[laughs] It has been sweet ass hot. Yeah. I'm taking a picture for the, for the podcast that can be posted, because I couldn't help but notice the latest Show Beer hams logo behind you. Oh, that's a nice one.
1:00
So, so it's, uh- It's, it's prominent in, in amongst all the good artwork. [laughs] It is a, that is a great picture. That's- A ham crown... proud.
1:04
Oh, that was the, um, on PBS NewsHour, like a month and a half ago, one of the people that normally contribute, like right at the beginning of broadcasting from home, she had like an old, uh, like serving platter.
1:20
Ham serving platter. Nice. Yeah. Like, and it was prominently on [laughs] on the bookshelves. I mean, it's like all, like political historian, you know, presidential historian- I-...
1:28
and then a big old platter of ham sitting there. I have a, uh- Oh, so rad...
1:32
I have a biweekly meeting with the owner of our company, and the first one I did at home I like have my laptop open and I've got my camera all ready to go, and first thing he says to me, he's like, "Is that an old-style sign behind you?"
1:43
I'm like, "Well, it's Pabst Blue Ribbon, actually." But- Uh-oh. You have a customer... whoa, we have a customer that's coming to the store here. [laughs] That is a- Hello, Maddy Poser. How are you?
1:50
There's a four-legged customer that just made his way into the door. She just ran right in here because she's that kinda dog. [laughs] Pardon me, li- view- view- viewers, listeners, while I take care of my doggy.
2:01
We're just viewing with the eyes. The ears. See ya, doggy. Damn. It's a dog. I lost her. There was no human. You like dags? There was no- You like dags? Dags. You like dags. There was no human with the dog.
2:10
Tony likes dag. Tony likes dags. Just the dag just came in the store by itself. Oh. [laughs] Got a lot. It's a loud dog. Oh, it is always- I think that's Tony's dog. Yes, it is. Oh, there you go.
2:19
It is always a, uh, yeah, an adventure. Arf, arf, arf. Arf. Tony, Tony plus dog equation- Yes... out in the world is always entertaining.
2:30
[laughs] Well, I don't know how many folks have seen the pictures of the store recently, but it's, it's been boarded up and, uh- Yeah... semi- Semi-bunkered. Yeah.
2:42
In, in, in case that the, uh, the protesting gets unruly in the area, but my point about that whole thing was even if the door was closed behind the plywood and a dog walked by- [laughs]...
2:55
Tony would feel it and run outside and pet, pet it. Arf. I resemble that statement an awful lot. Good dog. That's a good dog right there. What a good dog. That's a really good dog. K90 sense. Such a good dog.
3:05
Aren't they all? Trying to call up the Spidey sense, but- [laughs] Aren't they all? So, um- I had to do it on a one-second thought. How about these things here? I was wondering what those are.
3:13
Those look like they're gonna hurt. These are what they put on the road, these spikes. Oh, spike strips- Oh... to pop tires, huh? Which are lying all over the place.
3:21
Because- So they pop out of the machine th- or the f- It, it's like a gizmo that they throw underneath, you know, throw it in the road and the car runs over it- Yeah... and these things break off, and- Oh, wow...
3:32
normally just straight up, right? Yeah. They're all over. Um, apparently Rusty pulled a couple dozen of them out of the gutter on the bridge. I think they had Locust Street Bridge, uh, fortified, so to speak.
3:46
So what's, uh, what's going on in your neighborhood, folks out there? We got some, uh, protesting going on here. Oh, yes. Lots of protesting. So on day six today, as well it should be. Oh, yeah.
4:02
Uh, leave some comments about what's happening in your area and what you're witnessing with respect to the protests. Yeah, I was about three blocks from the [laughs] one of the we are holding the line
4:20
horseshit of the- Shorewood Police or...? [laughs] Yeah. If it was just them- Yeah, there'd be no one [laughs]... we'd be all, [laughs] No, that's what we were talking about the other day.
4:28
There would not, there would not be a, there would not be a fucking story at all. Yeah, there's- It'd be like Swallow- They're, they might have six squads- You know... maybe. They don't have that much of a- Yeah, yeah.
4:37
But- It's a one-square-mile town. They don't have that much going on. But there was, yeah, and I'm, I, I'm right by capital and that's also the thoroughfare to get down to the lake and whatever. So it's been- Right...
4:48
it's been, I, on different occasions it's been nine marked or, and/or m- unmarked ripping on through. 12 was the highest. And that was
5:01
not last night but the night before, which would've been, mm, seven nights ago? I don't know. [laughs] Oh, the, the math, the math from Friday is- Yeah... is hard to do. I know. I hate math.
5:12
[laughs] Um, but- There's not supposed to be any math in this program at all. Exactly.
5:17
So yeah, the, I mean, that, so where Mike lives is one thoroughfare over the river at, we're at, we're the next one down on Locust Street here, and then there's not another one until North Avenue, which is another mile south.
5:29
Yeah. So- It's, it's like, uh, the, uh, Gotham, Chris Nolan DC universe getting into Gotham, the bridg- you know. Yeah. You only got X amount of bridges. Right. There's- And Manhattan...
5:40
there's no way to get to the lake or the other- East Side's like Manhattan...
5:42
the other side of the river without going over one of these three bridges, so these, uh, the, but for the, by and large what I've seen, the protesting is peaceful and respectful and looking for justice.
5:55
And there are a few nefarious operators, whether they be just, you know, hooligans trying to just create havoc or actually p-... planted people trying to make the protests look bad. I'm not sure yet, but- Right. Right...
6:10
I'm kind of on the, I- I'm kind of on the fence on that one.
6:14
I've seen enough reporting now that- That which I wouldn't believe in the past, I can't deny in the future and present because- Especially with the, especially with the evidence and everybody live streaming this thing and, you know, you're able to take the mainstream media and the left wing media and the right wing media out of it and just see what's happening right on the street And make your own goddamn decision.
6:35
Right? Because- Yeah... the video evidence really doesn't lie. Right. Right. There's no way for it. [laughs] I mean, yeah. There's not... I mean, like I guess if you had a really good sound stage- Mm...
6:43
and some good actors, you could- If, if-... fabricate something, but I don't, that, not in this case. The picture's worth a thousand words. And a video- And a video's worth a million. [laughs] Oh, man. Yeah.
6:51
A wi- Oh, sorry. I didn't want to hijack you there. Yeah. I just about jumped all over that one. 1 million words. Mm.
6:57
So yeah, there's been some, uh, there's- there's been some shenaniganery from the cops here in Milwaukee. They're, I think, putting a little bit of a heavy hand on this thing. Yeah, they do.
7:07
It's, there, there isn't really a reason yet for there to have been any police action, but they've certainly made their presence known to the protesters, arresting,
7:18
even in broad daylight, people, and, uh, a really fucked up incident yesterday. S- um, I, I think the kid that got dropped, dropped a water bottle is what I think actually happened. I didn't see this one.
7:33
The guy on the bike. Yeah, he dropped a water bottle and they thought they... Now they're claiming it was a Molotov cocktail. Oh, I saw the post on that. But it's- Oh, and here's the video from JK. Yeah.
7:42
The, the, it, and a- actually, one of our local- So watch the little scrum in the background. I'm- Yeah.
7:47
One of our local, uh, TV stations actually caught it in high def, high res, and it's, uh, it's, it's pretty stunning. So, um, I don't know if James is gonna show up tonight or not.
7:57
He's been kind of following the protests on his bike, kind of running from front to rear and s- uh, semi helping them kind of corral and be a- Oh, that's BS... be an organizer. Yeah. Yep. Right? Wa- and watch that.
8:10
Look, and then, oh, roop, nope. Check. [laughs] They're watching live right now. What the hell? Okay. Yeah. That's what I'm saying. That's why I have a little fire in my belly right now.
8:22
Well, I, I noticed on the news tonight, too, watching the national news, that there's a bunch of unidentifiable soldiers in DC right now. Ha-ha. No name tags, no, they don't know what department these people work for.
8:35
There's also cops that have DEA status. Do they, do they even work for a department then? Right. Right. Exactly. Are they... Yeah.
8:42
There's these DEA cops that apparently attorney general just gave some pretty open laws for the next 14 days for these people. Like, they can spy on you. They can- They could do that anyway. Well. Yeah.
8:54
No, it's just gonna- They, but now they're just making it blatant. Now, now, yeah. Now, no, it's... Yes. It's like, yeah, here. Hello. Yes, and now we totally can. Yeah. Yeah.
9:01
I'm, I'm, I'm- Well, be safe out there, folks. Yeah. Please. I mean, I don't wanna make the whole show- Yeah... about- No. You'll, you'll make Tony angry. Nah. Well, and I noticed- Probably do need to bring his stuff...
9:09
I, 'cause I knew, I knew there were a, a, a lot of, uh, city of Milwaukee cops on bicycle. I didn't realize there were that many. 'Cause there's a, there's a shitload of them. That was a...
9:19
Yeah, that- Bringing, bringing bicycles back into this whole thing. That's what I'm doing, baby. Come on. Okay. Right on. Did you see the- [laughs]... the bikes as weapons police video? No. Yeah. Yeah, that was good.
9:30
Yeah. Have you ever seen them actually practicing though, down at the lakefront on bikes? No. Is that, is that badass? It's comical. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's not that badass. [laughs] Oh, it's not? No. No. It's entertaining?
9:39
No. If you're a fast- Video tape that shit too... if you're a fast runner, you can pretty much outrun most of them. Yeah. I mean, they just don't have the maneuverability.
9:45
I saw- And then when they throw the bike on the ground, they don't have the physical ability to chase, like- Yeah... anybody that has any kind of fitness.
9:51
I saw, I saw a meetup on Brady Street a couple years ago, and I'm just like... And, and, and to be, to be fair- To be fair... to be fair, it, well, the, the bike cop was kind of in infancy. There was, like, two,
10:04
two cops on bikes at the time. Oh, God. You know, so this was trying to, you know, get their- Figure shit out... armada together and whatever. And, uh, it was, it was entertaining to watch.
10:14
I, I'd like to point out that a friend of mine by the name of Kyle Capezzi, shouting him out here. Shoot.
10:19
He has a brilliant story where he came back from graduate school one night studying and sees a guy pulling his friend's bike out of a...
10:28
The guy lifted a pole out of the ground and picked up his friend's bike and was gonna walk away with it, and Kyle's like, "Hey, what are you doing with that bike?"
10:34
And the guy made this big sob story about how he lost his keys, and he's gonna take it home and unlock it there with his spare keys. And then, so Kyle was really cordial to him. Kyle's a pretty big dude.
10:45
And he says, "That's funny, 'cause that's my friend's bike." And the guy picked the bike up and wielded at him. In which case, Kyle caught him, caught it, and beat the shit out of him with it. [laughs] Yeah. On the bike.
10:57
So- Yeah. It's like a staff... that's like a staff. With the bike. With the bike. Yeah. Just back and forth. It's a staff with wheels. Right. Yeah. It's a double staff with wheels. Against a wall. The guy was hurting.
11:04
We need to find that video and- [laughs]... post a link to the- Yeah... actual, um, uh, as, bike as a weapon video. Mm-hmm. Um, so I, it's obvious that Milwaukee is not the only place where protestery is happening.
11:17
Protestery. Um, and it's certainly affecting people in the bike industry, both, uh, emotionally and physically in their, in their stores. And, uh, I got a couple things in the show notes if people wanna check them out.
11:29
Um, it's, it's been a sort of a struggle for me to put stuff into words. I just, you know, I've been staying off social media, not to stick my foot in my mouth, for one, and not to- Mm-hmm...
11:40
kind of say things without actually having really thought them through. But, um- Isn't that what social media's all about? [laughs] Well, yeah, for most of the... Yeah, I guess it, it kinda is. But, uh, um,
11:53
our friend, uh, Chris Daisy's wife, Cassie, she wrote a nice thing, which I'll have in the show notes. Um, Chris owns Zion Cyclery down there in Zion, Illinois.
12:02
Haven't, uh, heard anything direct from them, but I know there's stuff in Kenosha where they live. Mm-hmm. And, um, uh, it, it, it's worth reading, folks, in the show notes. And, uh- You know, um,
12:14
everybody's gonna form their own opinions, but I think the majority of us are on the same page with this. Yeah. This is not- It'd be hard for you not to be... this is not fair. This is not just,
12:23
and, uh, it, it's gotta, it's gotta change, man. Gotta change. Something's gotta give. Some- well, something's giving, giving in now, you know? Um, the folks at bikepacking.com had a, had a pretty good post too.
12:37
They're, they're... I think they recognize that they have a pretty big platform, relatively speaking. Mm-hmm. And not as big as our show, of course, 'cause- No...
12:45
you know, worldwide and all that, but, uh- We're freaking huge... huge. Huge, baby. Huge in Germany. Um, there's a b- bike- Careful. Careful, you're treading in a weird world there.
12:54
[laughs] My head just heard that badly. Badly. Um, bikepacking.com has a, a, a- Usually badly. [laughs] A...
13:02
They, they, [laughs] they have a Black Lives Matter, uh, post and they have made a point of trying to use their platform for, uh, more good- goodness' stuff. I mean- Yeah...
13:14
recognizing that bikepacking is pretty much a white privilege- Right, right... uh, endeavor.
13:19
You know, people out there with $10,000 of bike and gear playing out in the woods and, uh, you know, when you start to think about that you're like, "Hmm. While we're lucky we can do that, but not everyone is so lucky."
13:30
Mm-hmm. And, uh, so, you know, kinda keep up with your, your favorite media sites. I think the ones that are, are, are good are gonna start to bring the, uh, things more into focus hopefully. Hopefully. Indeed. Focus.
13:47
And most important- Top of the hill?... it's not that long till the n- It's not... [laughs] Oh. I was like, "Top of the hill?" [laughs] Is, is there a bell, is there a bell in our future?
13:56
[laughs] I, uh, I'll get to the most important thing after we top this hill. Yeah. We just got to the top. I thought you were saying it was the most important thing.
14:03
Oh, that- I was gonna have- I mean, the hill and having good beer... it was a long k- a long hill today, folks. You're gonna, you're gonna have to open up that six-pack in there, JK. Well.
14:11
Um, yeah, I mean, I guess white privilege goes along with having good beer potentially. Uh, but, um, yeah, yeah, so, um, I, I ha- [laughs] I lost my train of thought there, folks.
14:24
I didn't even know what I was gonna talk about next. I, I had a point and then I, I, and I- It was more importantly than the beer... now j- j- just 'cause I g- I got a point on my head does not mean I'm sharp.
14:34
[laughs] I like that. [laughs] I've never heard that. I wanna use that one. Um, yeah, so, uh, well, maybe we'll get back on track here when we have the beer. That might hap- Well- That might happen.
14:48
[laughs] Spea- speaking of great sayings, I heard a great one while I was on vacation. I'm coming, Archie. All right.
14:54
A, a great one I heard this we- when I was on vacation was, uh, regarding to plumbing as we were trying to fix a plumbing problem, and that was, "Water flows up, shit flows down, paycheck's on Friday."
15:06
[laughs] I'm like- Well... "That's all you need to know about plumbing," is what he said. [laughs] Yeah. Like, hmm. So I got, uh, today's beer over there to Otto's, uh, liquor store.
15:17
So far Otto's has, uh, escaped the window smashing episodes, but I think the place right next door got hit, I believe. Really? The, the- So they've only turned-... the vape shop. [laughs] They're stealing vapes?
15:29
Well, you know, I don't know about stealing. I think- Yeah... uh, it, it's more- It just, it, it's petty. Yeah. And it's more- Same with, uh, the filling station got a big window smashed out. Right.
15:38
And that's a big, expensive freaking window. Yep. Well- Oh, the restaurant?... Brian's kinda immature sometimes. It's the bar, the bar restaurant? [laughs] We're on air. He doesn't listen to our show. He hears us.
15:50
I'll call him out. Um- I will too. So- I thought you were, I thought you were just saying, like, a gas station old timey style. No, the, the filling station. Oh.
15:56
[laughs] One of their great big- Over there at that petrol filling station. That had to take, that had to be a pretty big brick or something because that took out a very large window and it shattered.
16:05
That's tempered glass, baby. Yeah, that's what it does. That's Rolling Stones. That's what it does. What Rolling Stones do, they perform songs like Shattered. So... Oh, wow. [sings] That was a deep, man. Wow, let's move.
16:16
Oh, man, JK. I'm on today, man. So our beer today is Sierra Nevada's Wild Little Thing, and with JK in mind, I got a slightly sour ale today. Slightly sour.
16:27
Because I, I s- It is slightly s- We sort of- I'm, uh, we got hooked into something. We're hooked in... yeah, we dipped our toe, uh, Tony and I, when we were working on this electric bike, uh, project here. Oh.
16:37
Uh, e-bikes are a gateway to sours. Saturday. Yeah. Josh brought us in some- At the lakefront... yeah, some s-... sour IPA, which was- It was kind of tasty actually. Yeah. Kind of shocking.
16:48
On a hot day- Yeah, it was good... I'm, I'm gonna- That's what I'm saying... I'm gonna reserve judgment on this one until right meow. Sierra Nevada Wild Little Thing. Slightly sour ale.
16:59
Uh, guava, hibiscus, and strawberry. Strawberries. No apricots. Well- No apricots. Well, I won't say this is necessarily what I would call beer- Now-... but I would say-... here's the thing... it's freaking delicious.
17:12
[laughs] Here's the thing. It's like the f- first impact sip I've noticed on any sour I ever do is like, "Oh, shit," or, "Hmm." And- No, that one's-... by about, like, three sips in, it's beer.
17:27
Yeah, and it, it- You know?... especially if you're coming off a different beer in advance of it. Mm-hmm. But when it's, when it's first out of the hopper there- Oh, yeah... you know.
17:35
I, I, I n- never trust that first taste. I'm, uh, I'm, I'm- That's why I always go to bu-... slightly changing my mind. This is- 5.5... We're, we're expanding our beer drinking ho- Our beer horizons, man...
17:45
5.5% ABV on this here s- Sierra Nevada beer. Yeah. This is damn tasty. It's, uh, it's, you know, I- And slideable at, you know, 5'5"... given the, the temperature it is right now, this is a fantastic beer for a hot day.
17:58
You gotcha. It's like a shandy- That is for sure... but not a shandy, thank God. Are shandies sours too? No. No. They're just shitty, right? They just b- they just become sour- They just suck...
18:09
because you put a lot of tart nonsense. You cut beer with juice. This is a little more refined. That's a, that's a terrible idea. [laughs] Terrible idea.
18:21
So, uh- As far as- So I think, I don't know how much cumulative time we have in on this electric bike thing, but it, it's quite the pro- Too much, but it works... it's quite the project.
18:30
Uh, he- The shocking thing is it works... he actually came by today and dropped off a bag for the battery, so I think we may have a solution- Ah... there that he had ordered and- How about a cable?
18:38
No, because the cable he ordered is the same type we already had, so we gotta get a right angle plug. But it, it, it will run. It does run, but this is, this- We had it running before. So this is an Amazon...
18:49
Th- this kid bought this contraption throu- through various resellers on Amazon, and folks, if you're not mechanically inclined, I do not recommend this method. Even if you are, I don't recommend this method.
18:59
Yeah, because there's too much, there's too much going on that- You'll be, you'll spend more time- Just-... messing with your bike than you will enjoying your bike... than riding your bike, you know?
19:07
So, um, Tony and I have been working diligently on a couple of kits that are gonna be turn-key and everything is, is basically... It's, it's as simple as it gets. Yes.
19:20
And, uh, you know, I, I came up with a new, uh, slogan for the shop: electric bike service station. [laughs] EBSS.
19:29
You know, if you're, if you're people of our age, basically, maybe not JK, but, um, you know- He's a halfer snapper... service stations obviously were a thing in the past- Yes...
19:38
which you don't really- Like filling stations... you don't really have them anymore. They're... Well, it could be a filling station, too, with the electricity. Yes. And now it could be electric.
19:46
We are an electricity filling station. Ta-da. I mean, unless you're in a small town, there are no more service stations really. Right, right.
19:51
There's maybe a couple, but mostly you're taking your car to a dealer or an independent repair shop, but not a gas station that also services cars. You need the little sensor that makes the cool ding, ding- Yeah...
20:02
for the full service pull-up. Well- Ding, ding... that would require the compressor to be running full time, so. Yeah. Well, something that... Ding, ding. We could simulate that with something. Yeah.
20:11
You know how much- Just a little saying... you know, do you know what the compressor here at the shop gets used most for? Huh. Taking- Refilling itself?
20:16
Taking off hand grips is, like, you know- 'Cause that's the greatest idea ever.
20:19
[laughs] Anyone that's struggled with a hand grip but doesn't know about the air compressor idea is just really impressed when you just- Yeah... pull that out. You're like, "Oh."
20:26
You're gonna want- Unless you, unless you- You're gonna wanna go ahead and do that... have the grips I have, which are a little feisty. They're, they, sometimes they're feisty, but- But they come off...
20:33
but they always acquiesce in the end. Yeah. And it's very limited physical... I mean, I have, I have had, like, handlebars between my legs trying to pry off a fucking grip once or twice. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah.
20:45
Then someone showed me the air compressor trick and shot the handle, the grip across the room. I'm like, "I will never- Where, where, where-... pull a hand grip off again."
20:54
Well, where do you pull the, the pants inside out? Oh, that's the worst. It's like, "All right, yeah." And then- And then o- now I gotta try to tuck you back- Back in... together. Shit. Yeah.
21:05
[laughs] Nope, that's, that's your huckleberry for that. I mean, I don't normally use a compressor unless it's to set a, a tubeless tire, but I really don't use them to fill tires.
21:13
I, I, first of all, I need all the exercise I can get, so I don't mind using a hand pump, and they're, they're just better. They do great. Yeah. And you get very precise and- Yep...
21:23
I don't even own a CO2 filler for a bike. I haven't owned a CO2 filler since I raced, which would've been about 1995 or something- Yeah... like that, so.
21:31
I won, I won a kit in the raffle and that was- And then you lost it and- And then I lost it... now you have [laughs]... Then I lost it at Victor's getting a fish fry, damn it. Oh, for crying out loud. Vic- victims.
21:42
Hey, it's Friday. It's not a bad day in fish fry for- I've heard that. I've heard that... what have you. I've heard that. Oh, wait, it is Friday, isn't it? Yeah. Nice.
21:50
I would like to point out- That was a good recovery from your earlier kerfuffle. Now, now that we're talking about- I have to make amends...
21:56
being Friday, I would like to point out that seeing as how we're on the food di- you know, divergent, whatever you want to call it, digression, the pizza of the month at Transfer. Mm-hmm. I'm intrigued.
22:10
It better not be white. It's elote. It needs to be bl- Oh, curious... it needs to be black pizza. Curious, curious, curious. Yeah. Does that not sound delicious? It sounds... Hmm. I have to look at that.
22:23
I, I don't even know what it is. Elote is, is Mexican corn with the- Me- Mexican street corn... street corn- Oh, all right... with the, like, mayo and Chihuahua cheese and the- Coteja... creme sauce. It's just- Coteja...
22:36
is fucking delicious... that sounds like an open-faced taco to me. Better. [laughs] Yeah. Elote- So elote would be- Here's something-... corn on the cob. Esquite is, is the off the cob.
22:45
Is that what it is when it's off the cob? Yeah. Yeah. It's like that. Here's something to try sometime if someone offers it to you, which I had the other day at a, at a, an outdoor, uh, deck
22:54
gathering at my friend Diane's house, who's a Native American. Uh, Indian tacos, they call them. Oh, shit. Mm-hmm. Fri- And they are- Oh, they're fried bread tacos? They are f- Oh, my God...
23:04
it's fried bread and, and her, and her partner Jenny makes the baddest-ass fried bread. Yeah. And then basically you slap a bunch of taco stuff on top of it. Well, I, I, I- But it is kickass. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Oh, yes.
23:14
Well. Oh, yeah. True that. True that. I am jealous. I am je- a- a- a- jealous of that. God, I lived next door to those women for, like, 40 years and they never made me damn- Fried breads?... tacos.
23:26
They threatened to, but they never did. Yeah. I, I think, um- Ugh... think I slid in there and was in the lucky spot at the lucky time. That was very, very tasty. Shit, yeah, you were. All right.
23:34
That doesn't mean it won't happen again, so. [laughs] I understand. I just- Hey, guess what else is going on out there? That pesky pandemic is still happening. [laughs] Yeah. You know, they're- I mean, I-...
23:44
they're talking about how that's gonna cause some problems with the protesters, you know? Oh, I don't have my, I don't have my keys to jingle because they're everywhere. Right. There are too many keys. Use these things.
23:53
Exactly. There. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Yeah. Um, yeah, so you know, the shop is still operating by appointment. By appointment only.
24:02
And, you know, now with the, the new fortifications, I mean, we're, we're impenetrable. Well, s- semi. Uh, but it, it certainly... It, uh, doesn't really look like a friendly place to come into. [laughs] Yeah. But it is.
24:15
You could come in and, uh, we'll be friendly once you're inside. Damn right....
24:19
uh, in a one or two person wearing mask sort of an arrangement You know, I'm gonna have to pick up a couple of cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon just in case people might wanna come in here and look at bikes and have a beer.
24:31
I'll tell you one thing, I'm realizing my dream almost, if you notice. I am- We're almost out of bikes... we're ridding the bike shop of bikes and, and- Mm-hmm... you know, one of my dreams- And the stereo's set up...
24:40
at some point is to- Sorry... basically eliminate superfluous bikes in the store. So, uh, you know, since we basically build custom and, you know, everything pretty much, so why have a bunch of bikes in the store?
24:55
[laughs] Because most of them are mine, that's why. [laughs] No, this is more of a place to gather and talk about bikes and, and, and- Why are you-...
25:04
and plan your bike and then, you know, pull the trigger on it down the road, you know? We're just, whoa, what are you doing over there with the pictures? Dang old extraterrestrials on there. You see those? Man.
25:15
Extraterrestrials. Yeah, those are nice tires on there. Obviously, they're so nice that they've caused his aluminum water bottle to implode on itself. Oh, no, that's from multi-impacts- I-...
25:26
in different zones of body That's going on the, the page notes- [laughs]... 'cause I can't believe that thing even holds water, let alone, what do you get, like, four ounces out of that now that it's collapsed aluminum?
25:36
Oh, probably long now. That's pretty epic. I, so, uh- I almost left that on a bus in- When you were getting a fish fryer? No, no, in, uh, Spain. Seville. Seville. I was so pissed off. I was like, "Oh, shit."
25:51
[laughs] And then I, like, double back and the guy was, like, in the bathr- like, the driver was in the bathroom with me at the same time. No, come on. [laughs] Jesus Christ. That's fake. You- Right.
26:01
[laughs] I was like- All right, Robinson Crusoe... I gotta dig out of this. I can't, I can't dig, I can't dig out of that hole quick, but whatever. Um, [laughs]
26:08
but then you're like, I go over this direction and I'm like, "Oh, shit, where's my water bottle?" And then I'm like, "Oh, I had da, da, da, da, da."
26:15
And he was just gearing up to get out of there, and I'm like, "Uh, don't, wah, don't take off without me." Hey, guess what? Ooh, we got a caller? [laughs] Welcome to the radio program, caller. Who do we have on the line?
26:28
Big Sexy, can you hear me okay? Oh, yeah. Big Sexy. Big Sexy. I can hear you fine. Can you hear me now? Um, I don't know how much time you have, but I have got a doozy of a story.
26:41
You just tell me if you want the small, medium, or large. Large. I, yeah, I've been following you on the Book Face, and um, I, I think there's a lot to tell, so if you wanna just rip right into it.
26:53
Big Sexy, by the way, folks, just, uh, for those of you who are not, uh, probably new to the program, otherwise you'd, you know who Jason is- You guys are, yeah...
27:00
is, is currently riding the country to state capitals and is in Minneapolis. Are you in Minneapolis now? I'm in, well, I'm in Chaska. There's a very big difference between Minneapolis and Chaska, especially right now.
27:14
Oh, I bet. Yeah, no doubt. So you've, you probably have more than one story, but let's hear about Heather first, and then, then I wanna get your, uh, your views of what's happening in the world with the protesting.
27:24
So maybe you could start with Heather, though. Uh, it, it runs right into it, actually. [laughs] Oh, right on. Well, that's- Yeah... when you can, when you can weave things together, that's a beautiful story. I,
27:37
I triumphantly crossed the Mississippi River for the third time this trip into Keokuk, Iowa. Ah, been there. Nice place. And, and, and it was actually a pretty cool town.
27:53
Some of the bars were starting to open, so I stopped by, got a shot of Jägermeister because I haven't been served a shot of Jägermeister in months. Mm-hmm. Um,
28:02
so and then I'm, I'm kind of, I'm, I've scoped out this park near the Walmart. You know,
28:07
I'm thinking everything, everything's rolling great on Heather because I just got everything replaced just in the past couple of weeks. I just got everything replaced. And I'm not kidding you,
28:19
I was going to cross the street, and my left axle broke, and my left wheel went sailing across the street, and- [laughs]... I bit the dust. Oh. And my stuff was all over the highway. I was all over the highway.
28:35
I'm standing up saying, "Where's my wheel?" [laughs] "Where's my wheel?" It was across the, the, the highway in the storm drain. Oh, wow. Jesus. And it, it was a clean break.
28:48
I, I, I don't know if you saw the pictures or if I posted them at all, but I'll, I'll send them to you. Yeah, please. It was a clean break, and there was no warning.
28:57
I mean, w- and I was going, like, 20 miles per hour down some of these hills going down the Mississippi River Valley- [laughs]... on a huge highway. Yikes.
29:06
And I'm, I'm, and I crossed the Mississippi River on this bridge that had plenty of room, but, and there was no warning. It wasn't wobbly. It wasn't, you know, it wa- it wasn't riding funny.
29:16
She was riding like a dream, and all of a sudden I went to cross the street and the axle broke. Hmm. Well, [laughs] yeah, I, I, I saw. Sh- It, it sheared right off.
29:26
So you're just, you're smiling and grinning and having a good old time, and suddenly you're sprawled out on the highway. Yeah. So I'm thinking game over at this point, but, but at the same time, come on, you know?
29:40
So a, a do-gooder, a, an Iowegian, as, as we call them here in Minnesota.
29:44
[laughs] I don't know about y'all Wisconsinites, but- Yeah, uh, yeah, we got Iowegian, we got Iowegians too Ah, damn, that's like the third time- Yep...
29:49
that I've heard that this month that I've never heard it before in the third time this month. You know- And it's awesome... several people had stopped by to see if I was okay, and I'm like, "No. No, I'm not okay."
30:04
[laughs] But this guy had a p- [laughs] this guy had a pickup truck, and he said, "Well, where were you heading?" I told him about this park. He's like, "He, I know that park.
30:10
I'll drop you off there, so at least you can be in that, be a knot on the side of the road." I'm like, "Okay, cool. Awesome fella," you know? And, uh, so, um, I, I just didn't know what to do.
30:24
Schwinn or Pacific Cycle was closed by then. And this is why I didn't call y'all last week, 'cause I got... I went to the Hy-Vee, I got some Jagermeister, and I got a six-pack of beer and I got drunk.
30:36
[laughs] And then I kinda got, and I kinda got sleepy. I knew I was gonna call Schwinn, or Pacific Cycle, I'm sorry, first thing in the morning
30:46
and figure it out, so I just, you know, so I set up camp at this park un- underneath a roof. It was raining.
30:52
Well, I guess not raining, but it was, like, really drizzly and rainy and, like, you know, kinda wet and goo- eely gooey. The shitty misties. So I just kinda... Like, I watched, I watched the Return of the Jedi- Yeah...
31:02
the Star Wars movie. And, and I fell right, fell right to sleep. Around midnight I got flashlights in my eyes. It's the Keokuk law enforcement.
31:15
Told them, told them my, um, told them my m- my story about what I'm doing and everything like that. And then, you know, I said to them, "Well, you know, I broke my wheel and I didn't know quite what to do.
31:23
I don't get paid till tomorrow, and I'm not, you know, I'm not trying to bother anybody." And he said, "Well, I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We're gonna voucher you in to, uh, uh, the motel right over there."
31:36
Oh, come on. And they go in... Hold on.
31:40
They, they went and, they went and got the police pickup truck to put Heather in, and gave us both a ride over to the, over to the hotel, took me to the front desk, checked me into the motel for $0.00, helped me carry Heather into the room, and said, "Have a good night."
32:00
Awesome. Wow. And I sat on my, I sat on the bed and I said, "Well, that's a fucking new one." [laughs] Wow. That's outstanding. Keokuk police, folks. Hey, you know, not every cop out there is bad. That's for damn sure.
32:16
But the ones that are, are horrible, so. I'm, I'm gonna send them a fucking fruit basket. [laughs] Yeah. Dude, that, that's, that's a great story, especially now. Yeah. For real.
32:28
With all the shit that's happening in this country right now, that is a fantastic story. It was right before... It was right during all of that too, which is where w- phase two of the story comes in.
32:41
Schwinn, for some reason, I keep on saying Schwinn, but Pacific Cycle, really. Right. Right. Who was, who have, who have been outstanding on my whole voyage. Nothing but, nothing but great things.
32:54
They, they've done nothing but help me and, and send me free parts. Sometimes I had to pay for them, but n- nothing but very helpful.
33:04
For some reason, on that Thursday, was the first day that they were sw- they, they went to this answering service, because the, the call volume was so high
33:15
that they had an answering service send over a message, and then the idea was that they would get the message and come and contact me. Ah. Right? Okay.
33:26
So I called first thing Thursday morning, and I didn't hear anything from them Thursday. So right about the end of business day I'm like, "Hey, I haven't heard anything from them today.
33:34
Do they have my, my message or what?" They're like, "Well, we'll, we'll put another message in for you." Same thing Friday. Sa- And then after the business day Friday, they're not answering till Monday.
33:45
So I had to go for, um... I had to do something else because I couldn't, you know, I couldn't afford to stay at that motel,
33:54
and camping out in another, a different park in Keokuk was not an option 'cause they, the cops were already really cool about that. I, I wasn't even gonna disrespect them like that.
34:03
Just, just as out of curio- So I- One, one quick question, uh, Jason, just because I think it's- Yeah, cool... it, it's important to, uh, bring it up.
34:14
Um, how do you, how do you perceive, 'cause I know you can't i- imagine, uh, you would've been treated if you had been a, a person of color in the same situation in the park?
34:26
Do you think that it would've gone as well for the, for you as, as a person of color as it did for you as a, as a strapping, uh, white man?
34:37
Well, I, I mean, it, I don't know if you've seen the recent picture of me, but I am a person of color. I'm red as fuck. [laughs] But, but, um, I, I, I don't, I don't know the answer to that question.
34:53
But I should certainly hope it... I should certainly hope, especially if I, if I had the same story. Yeah.
35:00
Just if I had the same story and I, and I talked the same way I talk now, and I have the experience with law enforcement I do have of just tell them the truth and don't, you know, don't be shifty with them, if...
35:16
I, I don't think it, it... The, the way I handle law enforcement, I don't think it matters what color my skin is. Oh, let's hope so. It ju- it just, it,
35:24
it, it ju- it, it's just a matter of, of, uh, my experience with law enforcement and knowing what the, know- knowing what a, a cop wants to hear. For sure.
35:34
And know- and knowing, you know, and kn- and what they don't wanna hear. Yeah.
35:39
Like, and, and like how to not act when the cop pulls you over, or when a cop, when the cop's in- inquiring into what you're doing or, or, or, or
35:46
a- as a lot of people say, "Well, why are they messing with you like that?" I'm like, "They're not messing with me. They're just checking me out." You know, a stranger in town. They've never seen me before.
35:54
Obviously I'm traveling through. They gotta check me out. What if I'm a serial killer wanted by the FBI or something? You know, I never take offense to that. Yeah. But I don't, you know...
36:04
I like to think that it didn't w- didn't matter what color my skin was, I might have still gotten that hotel room, which was, I, I, I still can't believe that shit. Yeah, that's, that's incredible. That's incredible.
36:13
That's, that is fantastic, dude. All right. So on with your story. I apologize for interrupting you. This is going swimmingly. So somehow, somehow I talked my friend in St.
36:24
Paul into coming to rescue me from Keokuk, Iowa. And thank God she was, she was unemploy- she's unemployed 'cause of the virus, and, uh, sitting at home.
36:34
She really didn't have nothing to do, and she's like, "Ah, h- a good excuse to get out of the, get out of the house and y- get some air, get some road."
36:41
And then I, we, we hadn't seen each other for years anyway, so she came and got me. But keep in mind, she's bringing me to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, where the race riots are going on [laughs].
36:51
I'm like, "Goddammit, I can't just, I can't buy a bucket." [laughs] Yeah.
36:57
Well, that's- But the, but she, she had, she had to get home before the curfew, and I had to be somewhere before the curfew, and my brother lives about an hour outside of town, so I had to stay the night in a hotel, and, um, and waiting for the, wait for the morning for my brother to come pick me up.
37:15
And, uh, finally got the chance and finally got my stuff laid down, and, uh, g- guess what? S- um, Pacific Cycle answered the phone on Tuesday,
37:24
and Heather's new ass, the new, uh, the new, uh, rear frame, complete with, um, unbreakable axle I've been told, um [laughs] [laughs]
37:35
"Will, will, will be here tomorrow, but un- unfortunately something has come, something's come up in New Orleans and I'm gonna have to, um, take a trip to New Orleans real quick via airplane.
37:47
Um, I've, uh, it's un- it's un-bike related, it's un-trip related, but I'm gonna have to go take care of a friend who m- has most likely passed away, so." Oh. Oh, bummer. Sorry to hear, brother. So
38:00
like I, like I said, I, uh, I, I can't seem to buy a bucket right, right about now, but I ca- I guess, I, like I said on Facebook, I'm the luckiest unluckiest motherfucker on the, on the planet right now.
38:10
Like, everything, everything good that happens, there's like three things bad that happen, but then there's like two things good that happen. It's, uh, it's just- It's a balancing act, uh- It's been kinda nuts. Yep. Yep.
38:21
Yeah. Well- Well, I mean- Well, and you know what? And I'll,
38:25
I'll, I'll fly any, I'll fly any colors off the, off the back or off the handlebars at Heather, 'cause this, this, uh, that nuts thing, bad thing with the George Floyd and the, the... I've seen the video a couple times.
38:36
I didn't quite watch it, you know. It, that's, oh my God, really? Yep.
38:40
Like, after, after everything that has been in the past, like let's say, let's say, let's say the past, uh, 30 years, even Rodney King and shit like that. Yep. And it's like what the, what in the world are you doing
38:54
putting your knee into that man's neck like that, and n- and the other cops are just sitting there watching you? Yeah. That is despicable, and I don't think,
39:02
I don't think we need to be burning down buildings about it, but, you know, what are we... You know? Well, y- you do know they used to work together too, right? They, they- Not, not clear that they knew each other, no.
39:12
Right. Yeah. No, I've, I've heard, I- I mean, there's a lot of st- there's a lot of stories. Yeah. I- they're all bad. You don't kneel on somebody's fucking neck, plain and simple. Right. Um, but yeah. Yeah. It, yeah.
39:24
It, I can't go into this. I'm just gonna get more pissed off, and I'm already fucking pissed off. Space Force. [laughs] Yeah. I, I, and I, and I'm, I'm p- it, I'm, I'm pretty pissed off about it too.
39:35
I don't know if I'm gonna go to the, go to the near, uh, nearby, uh, g- grocery store and start breaking windows about it, but I'm- Mm... you know, they, come on, man. Yeah. I th- And the, and you know, uh, the pe-
39:47
I think a lot of those, uh- Peaceful protests are m- Peaceful protests are great. I think a lot of the nefarious activity is plants. Yeah, totally.
39:53
I think there's a lot of people out there that are doing this to make the peaceful protests look bad. Look bad. Um, it's probably not everybody. Right. There certainly are, um, opportunists out there that- Right...
40:05
will just use any excuse to try and get something for nothing, but there are certainly a portion of the incidents that are perpetu- or perpetrated by people, uh, as a way to cast a bad light on the peaceful protesting.
40:21
Yep. And a lot of them are cops. Yep. Right. Well- Oh, did I say that out loud? [laughs] And this is the last show for Full Spectrum Cycling. Oh, wait, wait. [laughs] That's not a dog coming through the door, no?
40:34
[laughs] Well. It's okay. That's a pig. Oh, there it is. All right. All right. Uh, Jason, continue, and, uh, I gotta answer the phone apparently, so, uh, I'll be right back.
40:43
Tony and, uh, M- and JK will keep you, uh, um, company. [phone ringing] J- uh- That's pretty much it... B- Big Sexy, I kept an eye out for you- I-... on my trip to Missouri and back, but we did not see you.
40:55
We were all, all seven of us in the car were abreast to, you know. I said, "If you see anyone on a trike, we are turning around and seeing this guy." [laughs] Yeah.
41:07
[laughs] But yeah, and um, I th- I think, uh, we just kinda were like two shifts back into the night. I think I was on a different route and- Probably...
41:14
we just kinda- I was just on a mission to get to the south and back as fast as I could.
41:20
I'm, I've got this, I've got this trucker friend of mine that, um, that we keep on cro- uh, well, we keep on crossing paths, but we're not, you know, we've never, we haven't been in the same place yet. Nice. You will.
41:32
Yep. Well, um, I'm gonna be, like I said, I gotta go to New Orleans for the weekend, and I'll probably be back by next weekend.
41:40
I still have to spend some time with my brother up here, and I'm gonna head for Bismarck, North Dakota via the top of the Mississippi River. Nice. Um, probably closer to 4th of July, but I don't know.
41:53
It, it's, it, it really, um, depends on what's going on, uh, c- COVID wise and, and, uh, what- what- whatever, whatever 2020's got in store for us next. Right. Right. You feel good, though? I mean,
42:07
how do you feel compared to when you left on this trip? Do you feel better? Do you feel worse? Do you feel like a machine? When I, when I left from New Or-
42:16
D- from, from the st- When I left from New Orleans or when I left from- Fr- from the get-go... when I left from my brother's [audio cuts out] here? Yep.
42:25
Uh, either, either way, I, I, I can't believe the amount I've covered and how much fun, overall how much fun it, it's been. It's been challenging. Not get- Of course... not, you know, not saying nothing-
42:37
But, uh, it has been more fun than anything else You've, you've... Have you ever been- And scary though... have you ever not wanted to get on the bike?
42:47
There's been a couple o- times, especially this time, when I'm like, "I need a day." Yep. [laughs] You know? Like, I need a day off of this bike.
42:56
N- none, not only does my ass need a day off of that seat- [laughs] Mm-hmm... but m- I ne- I need to... But in, I'll tell you w- about Illinois. Illinois gets a D- for their road conditions.
43:09
[laughs] It's either, it's either a broken up, cracked up road, or there's a nice big shoulder completely ruined by a fucking rumble strip. Oh, yeah. That's the worst.
43:24
And, either I have to be on the road, because I can't ride on the rumble strip, and ru- which is somewhat of what, what I think might have caused my axle to break- Sure... is hitting them rumble strips so much. Oh, yeah.
43:36
Could that be something? I don't know. Yeah, that could totally be. Maybe. Um, but- Yeah, could be possible. But, um, m- but not...
43:43
And but then if there wasn't a rumble strip, it was just, it was just terrible, terrible textured road, and like holes and, and junk and stuff.
43:53
And like, and it looks like Billy Bob was sitting in the back of the pickup truck, throwing s- up the side, you know? It, it's just... Illinois's roads were awful.
44:03
And I didn't, I didn't really get a chance to ride Iowa's, 'cause [laughs] she, the axle broke first thing when I got in Iowa, so. Yeah. Wow. Well, I'm back. Um, thanks for calling in.
44:15
Uh, we're gonna wrap this puppy up today, but, um, kind of keep us, uh, keep us apprised when you get back on the road, and I hope everything in New Orleans is, uh, is copacetic. It's okay, yeah. Tha- thank you.
44:31
It's, it's, uh, it's challenging, because, uh, they, they don't know where she is, and I don't know where she is, and that's why I gotta go. I gotta go find her, so. Aw. Well, luck to you, sir. Yeah.
44:44
It, it's, it's, it's, uh, it's all good. Um, uh, if I, if, if I got any news, I'll call next Wednesday, but other than that I'll, I'll call, like, w- when I'm about to hit the road. Cool. Sounds good, man. All right.
44:55
Well, lovely sto- I, y- your stories are awesome. I love- Yep... hearing them. Keep them coming. Thanks for checking in. Talk to you soon. [clears throat] Bye.
45:04
I'd like it if I could one time call in, like, "Oh, I've got nothing to s- [laughs] Yeah, your experiences on the road are what we live for here in the old, uh, studio, so. Yeah. All right, man. All right. Right on.
45:16
Well, thank you guys for that. Yep, thank you. Talk to you soon. Bye. See ya. Safe travels. What time is it? Time for you to shut the hell up. [laughs] It'll never happen, you know that.
45:28
[laughs] Time for you to get a watch. All right, folks. Well, um, I don't know, I guess I got m... The only thing I got left to say is, uh,
45:38
a lot of what we talked about today is, is disturbing, and, um, I think I alluded it to it earlier at almost the beginning of the show, November's coming up. You're looting? We... Eluding. Oh. Not looting. You.
45:49
Elude, okay. We get the government we deserve. This is another way- So it's time to vote... to say, you know what? A- and here's the thing- Time to vote...
45:56
everybody looks at voting for the most powerful man in the nation or senators or congressmen, but really- It starts at home...
46:06
your local level is where all the difference is made, and if you're not paying attention to what's going on in your local, um, elected official's, uh, business, then you got a whole lot of nothing to complain about.
46:19
So make sure that you understand what's going on. You vote your conscience. I mean, you know- Yeah... not everybody agrees with what I say or what I think, and, and that's fine.
46:28
You're- But you, if you're not participating- But you gotta vote... and you're not, and you're not voting at, especially at the local level, then keep your mouth shut and, and, you know, don't rabble-rouse.
46:38
Or, as my f- my professor Gene Labarge said, "If you don't vote, don't bitch." [laughs] There you go. Perfectly in sync.
46:46
I've never forgotten those- I, I, I- He said that in school one day- I could've gotten through that in that many words... I will never forget of that.
46:51
I, I mean, that was so distinct, I, and I was a young guy, 19 years old, but I voted, and when he said that to me, I'm like, "Holy shit, I'm gonna vote every election." You betcha. All right, folks, Black Lives Matter.
47:05
Let's get to work on change. Yes, please. Be safe.
47:10
[upbeat rock music]
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