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Car
Volkswagen I
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a Volkswagen van that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s designed to carry people comfortably, similar to older “bus” style vehicles, but with a modern electric drivetrain. It comes up because it’s meant to feel like a throwback while being an EV.
Car
Volkswagen Beetle
A “Super Beetle” is a specific version of the classic Volkswagen Beetle. The speaker is basically saying if they want that exact kind of Beetle, they’d rather buy one than restore their current, badly damaged car.
Term
rusted
“Rusted” means the car’s metal has corroded. When it’s bad enough that the roof is caved in, it usually takes a lot of work (and money) to fix.
Term
caved in
“Caved in” means the roof is crushed or collapsed. That kind of damage is hard to repair and can make the car unsafe or not worth restoring.
Term
deck lid
The deck lid is the rear door that swings up to close the trunk area. If it’s missing or wrecked, you may need to find one from another car.
Term
tube chassis
A tube chassis is a car frame made from metal tubes welded together. Builders like it because it’s strong and easier to customize than many factory frames.
Term
sheet metal
Sheet metal is the thin metal used for the car’s outer panels. Sheet metal fabrication is the work of shaping and fitting those panels to make the body look right and fit properly.
Term
fenders
Fenders are the metal panels above the wheels on a car. The host is taking those off and using the metal to make something else.
Car
Super Beetle
“Super Beetle” is a specific Volkswagen Beetle version. The host is saying people use its fenders to build a custom little scooter.
Term
roll them out
“Roll them out” means reshaping bent metal so it’s closer to the original shape. The host wants it mostly straight, but still a little wrinkled.
Term
Kent Sugey gold
“Kent Sugey gold” sounds like a specific gold paint or coating product. The host is saying they’ll apply it over the wrinkled metal before sealing it.
Term
rust clear coat
A clear coat is a transparent protective layer on top of paint or metal. The host wants the rust to show, but protected by a clear layer.
Term
box rod
“Box rod” likely refers to a boxed-frame or rectangular-tube style rod/build material used for fabricating a small custom chassis or structure. In hot-rod and fabrication contexts, “box” commonly points to square/rectangular steel tubing rather than round stock.
Term
5.3
“5.3” is shorthand for a 5.3-liter engine. The host is talking about putting that kind of engine into the project they’re building.
Term
welds
“Welds” here refers to metal joints created by welding during bodywork or fabrication. In custom builds, leaving welds visible can be an intentional aesthetic choice, signaling the car has been modified rather than restored to look factory.
Concept
rats
“Rat” usually refers to “rat rod,” a car style that looks rough on purpose—like it’s been used and left with a worn, gritty finish. Some people love that look; others prefer cars to look perfectly restored.
Term
patent
They likely mean “patina,” which is the worn, aged look a car gets over time. Some builders keep that look because it looks cool and feels more authentic than a brand-new finish.
Term
air conditioner problems
This segment is about diagnosing an automotive HVAC (heating/ventilation/air conditioning) issue where the system can’t properly switch between cooling and heating modes. The host describes airflow being diverted to different areas of the dash and cold air seeping from seams, which is typical of a misdirected airflow path or a stuck/malfunctioning HVAC mode door. It’s a useful example of how “AC not working” can actually be an internal air-routing problem.
Term
evaporator
The evaporator is the part of your car’s AC that cools the air inside the cabin. Refrigerant passes through it and picks up heat from the air, making the air feel cold. If it’s not working right, the AC may not cool properly—so the host is addressing why that wasn’t the right diagnosis.
Term
condenser
The condenser is the part of the AC system that dumps heat outside the car. It helps turn the refrigerant back into a liquid so the AC can keep working. If the condenser is failing, the AC often won’t cool well, but the host’s symptoms sound more like the airflow is being directed incorrectly inside the dash.
Term
blend door
Your car’s climate system has a small flap that decides how much hot air and cold air get mixed together. If that flap gets stuck or doesn’t move correctly, the AC/heater can act weird—like blowing cold air when it shouldn’t, or sending air to the wrong vents. That’s why the host thinks the problem is the blend door.
Term
mode door
A mode door is a small flap in the car’s heating and air-conditioning system. It decides where the air comes out—like the windshield, your feet, or your face vents. If it’s stuck or not moving correctly, the airflow won’t match what you set.
Term
head unit
The head unit is the main screen and controls for your car’s audio and infotainment. It’s the part you use to change radio, music, and sometimes settings that affect the car. If it’s acting up, it can cause weird behavior in related systems.
Term
plugs
“Plugs” here are the spark plugs. They create the spark that lights the fuel in the engine. If they’re worn out, the engine can run rough or misfire, so replacing them can help the car run better.
Term
front end
“Front end” usually means the parts at the front of the car that help it steer and handle bumps—like suspension and steering components. If those parts are worn, the car can feel off or not track straight, so people often fix them together.
Term
shocks
Shocks are part of the suspension that help smooth out bumps. They keep the wheels from bouncing too much after hitting potholes or rough pavement. New shocks can make the car feel more stable and comfortable.
Car
Nissan truck
They’re talking about leaving in a Nissan pickup truck. It’s just the kind of vehicle people use for driving around and hauling things, not a special race car.
Car
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a large sedan made for everyday driving and comfort. If it “shudders” when someone gets out, that usually means the car is moving or vibrating more than expected, which can happen if the suspension or mounts are worn. It’s a common car to see on the road and in used-car listings.
LIVE
Rusted old memories buried in dust
Through the wreckage of dreams
I'm trying to trust each faded sign
Whisked stories of old, of laughter
And heartache of love that grew cold
Are you really digging for peace
Or is that just a lie
Tell to help you sleep
Sure that you really want
Truth behind all the stories they go
Welcome to the wrecking yard
I'm Jerry Wayne Longmar
Y'all, presumably still y'all
All welcome here in the church
of internal combustion
We just asked to show up with an open heart
This has become a safe haven
for those of us with dirty hands
and complicated hearts
Start my timer
I'm smiling when I walked in
Mama's car is here
Mama's Volkswagen is here
It's right on the other side of that wall
And I can see it every time I walk in the wrecking yard
And that car ain't worth nothing
and it's beat the piss
and it is miles beyond salvaging
as a Volkswagen
I'd have to cut off so many other parts
from so many other cars
it'd be theses as a Volkswagen
by the time of it
But having that connection
to her right outside my spot here
Well, it just makes me smile
in a way that not many things make me smile
And I'm happy it made
the most recent leg of its journey
to wherever it ends up
to me
Right?
Right
We got some new episode
The Wally Bottoms of Texas
We got my spectacles with me
So I can read it
Look at that
Mr. Boy Scout, be prepared
I got some good hot Jurgershift
That's hot Ethiopian coffee
That puts some hair on your ass in the morning
Oh, man
Yeah, my cousin Ricky
he broke his shoulder a while back
and he's been kind of recovering with that
And I was getting to worry
we're only going to get mom's car down here
because I'm leaving going to her
and I'm going to be...
my schedule's going to be really hectic
and I just didn't know if we're going to be able to get it down here
and he literally just called me up last Sunday
We were gaming, we game together all the time
We were gaming, he goes
Hey, I'm thinking about running down over that car tomorrow
I said, you sure you up too?
He's like, yeah, I'll get my son to help me
He said, sorry, loaded up
He said, you know, you too just had to do most unloading
And sure enough, boy, he showed up about
9 o'clock, 10 o'clock in the a.m.
And we managed to get his trailer back there behind the shop
and used a little portable winch
and some pry bars, get that car off the trailer
and then to get it in position
I was in, wanted it in
We turned it up on its side so I could pivot it
and walk it back there
and then I just dumped it over on some boards where I wanted it
and I can't stop fussing with it
I keep going out there, it's been pissing down rain
for like four days in Houston
I mean, my backyard looks like a lake
I'm glad we did it when
Mama brought the rain with her when she came down
But it feels like something
I don't know what, feels like something
I feel connected to it
And I've kind of made a plan, there's a lot of people like
oh, you gotta restore it back to a Volkswagen
I don't really want to do that
If I want a Volkswagen, I go buy me a Volkswagen
If I want a Super Beetle, the tool around it
or whatever, you can pick them up running for about three grand
You know, they're not crazy expensive
So, it's not really
I'm gonna do something special with it
And it's so far gone, the roof is rusted
and caved in
Almost every aspect of the roof line
except the back glass area
and the passenger door frame
are affected
It's bad, you know
Both front fenders are crumpled
Back fenders are trash
Missing its deck and its
deck lid and its fricking trunk lid
So that would be pieces I'd have to go find
off of the cars and that wouldn't
I don't want to do a lot of adding
I just want to make it something else
I've been looking into these little tube chassis
and there's a whole bunch of people making them
They're good little tube chassis, got
all the suspension, everything you need
Make that thing a little bulk rod
So, I think what I'm gonna do is concentrate on the body
and we're gonna just
beat it kind of all out best we can
and I'm gonna get some
knowledge from a good buddy, Mikey Brown
who's an expert at sheet metal
and sheet metal fabrication
Working sheet metal
and what I really want to do is
I want to take them fenders off as I crumpled up
I don't know if you've all seen them before
but there's people out there that make these little
scooters out of VW
out of Super Beetle Fenders
They make a perfect little scooter, it's pretty cool looking
You should search it, look it up, they're neater and shit
Most of them are glossy and beautiful
I'd like to take them fenders
roll them out
best we can
but still leave them a little crinkled
and then do the little Kent Sugey
gold
over the crinkles
leave the rust clear coat and make
two little scooters out of them
and then
I'll sign them and sell them
and use that money to do
to put towards the bug and what I want to do on the bug
because I don't need them fenders
I'm going to make a little box rod and put a little 5.3
little LS in it
It's going to be a crazy little thing
just for taking out car shows
and car meets or whatever
but I want to do that everywhere
we got a weld on it, I want to leave the welds
visible
and I want to do that Kent Sugey all over the car
and try to keep as much of the original
patent as I can
I think it's going to be cool looking
honestly it's not for everybody
everybody don't like rats and everybody don't like
old stuff and patenting cars
and that's alright but I'm not really asking
for anybody's opinion either
to tell you what I want to do with it
but it's going to take a bunch of money and a bunch of time
so
and I got a freaking avalanche
to finish at the minute
so the bug will probably have to wait till the tour is over
but that's what I think I'm going to try to do
I think I'm going to try to take a trip up to Wyoming
with those fenders and go see
or I can't remember where Mikey is
he might be in Indiana
go see Mikey at his shop and
that would be some good content
and good content for both of us
if I get Mikey teaching me how to fix some fenders
push them out
since I don't know crap about body work
I know how to hit shit with a hammer
but there's a little more to it than that
believe it or not
I've been told
I've certainly hit a lot of shit with hammers and never fixed it
I told you a little bit about the problems I had with the avalanche
I'm about to take the avalanche on a 3500 mile
round trip with my family
we're heading out in two weeks
to Colorado
I've got a show in Denver
four shows in Fort Collins
and
I'm going to put some miles on that avalanche
everything's driving good on it
not really concerned
about the drivability of it
I would like to hit the air conditioner problems straight now
a lot of people suggested
that the evaporator was free
or the condenser or the evaporator was free
it's not that I didn't
I didn't
I didn't accurately describe the problem
I think I screwed up there
it doesn't stop blowing cold
and it doesn't start blowing hot
it just all of a sudden
diverts the air to somewhere else in the
dash and it's just you can
feel cold air seeping out of every seam of the dash
it's like the air is being
routed the wrong place all of a sudden
I tried to put it on the
the ones that blow you
that blow straight out of the
dash the vents there
and it was freezing our feet
all the way to Friendswood the other day
so I definitely think it's a blend door
a combination
of one or more blend doors
not acting right I think it might be
the mode door and the blend door not acting right
now I don't know
that's a head unit problem
it's got a brand new head unit though
I don't know
those blend doors are cheap
I'm just going to go ahead and order them and change them out and see what happens
other than that I got to do plugs on it
and
probably wait and do the front end
after we get back because
honestly I got new shocks and stuff on it
it's driving okay
got good tires on it
I think it's going to be fine
I got another problem I'm wrestling with
because we were wanting to release the
book in September but
it became apparent to us yesterday going through
all the planning and bullshit
that
a stick has been thrown in that
because I can get the book out
I can drop the book in September
but there's no way
possible for me to have the audio book done
by then and the audio book still
wouldn't come out till March
also
we got to do a huge we're doing a huge book launch
and all that stuff we are trying to get it on the best
sellers list so we're trying to sell enough
units to make that happen so we
that's
what I'm having to decide do I want to put the
book out and rush it in September
maybe not get the sales I want
or do I drop it in spring
with the audio book right beside it
because the way I want to do it the way we're
trying to figure out how to do it right now and they've done it
with other books is I want everybody
to buy as a copy of my book also
to get a free copy of the audio book
like a capture
or whatever QR code
in the back of the book you scan and download
your audio book and I'd like those to come out
at the same time so if people want to listen
to it in the car whatever they do that
so anyways we're working on all that right now
so there's a good possibility the book may get
pushed to spring and
I'm disappointed about that
but I think I would be more disappointed
if I rushed it and didn't get the release
I really wanted from it
so
that's where we're at with all that
but mostly
today it might be short I just
want to talk about music
I was
going to do a whole episode about
Walt Whitman
and then I found some stuff out about
Walt Whitman and I just don't want to get into
all that because I just did an episode
like that and I just
not want to get into those dark places
right now I feel like there's been a little
much of that lately and I just
want to talk about something I want to talk about music
I was thinking about
the way I've experienced
music in my life and
the people I've received music from
when I say I want to talk about music
I don't want to talk about genres
or influences
or who's better than who
I want to talk about the way
music finds you because I don't
I don't 100% think I know
we can find music
but I think music finds us
and I think the conditions under which
it arrives determine
everything about how
it affects you
I've been thinking about this
so we in Rachel were talking about the porch last night
and I got three stories that I can't shake
it's Sunday by the way
and it's afternoon and I'm recording
this thing because I'm a crazy person
I like to put myself
I spent most of your day writing
the new Diwali Bottoms episode
I changed directions on it a couple
times because the story
the story wasn't clear to me and then
I realized what was happening
but
I mean
these three
there's three or four stories
and there's more than that
but there's moments where
a song got into me
and got into me so deep it never left
and none of these moments
did the music
arrive like the way you think it would
like oh
I like this type of music so I'm gonna listen
this guy and see if I like him and ooh
I like this song that happens
I found Noah
Khan a couple years ago
I heard one of his songs
and just fell in love with the guy he just put out a new
album I have been playing it on repeat
because it's so
it's just perfect for me
it's the album I was looking for right now
Rachel
turned me under this guy named
Jessie Murph she was a little tiktok
girl but
her debut album
she does classic country
hip hop
rock pop
I mean there's everything on that album you could want
it's an amazing album
that girl did
like a classic country song as good as anything
Loretta Lynn ever wrote or ever done
it's so good
like
nobody's written music like that in 50 years
this little tiktok girl just comes along
and just kills it
if you're into that check out Jesse
Murph
I think it's Sunday
kind of feeling or something like that
something lazy Sunday
but I think about
the time a music arrived
like sideways through the wrong voice
in the wrong bar exactly the right moment
what triggered all this
is we was listening to Bluetooth last night
I was just kind of scrambling through some music
listening to some different stuff
and a Tracy Chapman song
called The Promise Come On
and I just fell into it
and started singing it and Rachel was like
you know we know each other's music we've been together
so long she's like I've never heard you
listen to that song for us
and you know I forgot about it
I forgot how good that song was
but part of the reason is
is I don't know that song because of Tracy Chapman
and
so I was in my 20s
early 20s
and I was in this bar
in Morgan City, Louisiana that I used to hang out in
they always had some kind of live band
and they had this
local outfit in there playing
and
they had a gal singing
a dude singing and they had
of course Cajun accordion
a little Spanish fiddle going on
and they played
a cover
they started playing this song I've never heard before
and
it stopped me cold
I mean it ritched off into my chest
grabbed to hold me
wouldn't let go
melody, the words
way these two people
were singing it
this is a little local Cajun band
it was one of the most beautiful things I ever heard
up to that point in my life
they played it more
it was just so beautiful
and haunting and it just stuck with me
and I didn't know whose song it was
I just thought I assumed it was theirs
the way they sang it
didn't ask, didn't matter
years later it just stayed in me
years later
I
was hanging out with a girl
and she was listening to Tracy Chapman
and that song played
and I was like
I love Tracy Chapman
but I didn't like all her catalog
you know
I say I love Tracy Chapman
I love Fast Car
I wasn't really into give me one more reason
that thing missed me
give me one more reason to turn around
or whatever it is
that missed me when she did it
missed me when Bonnie Wright did it
but
I don't think I would have heard that
song the same way if I'd heard Tracy
Chapman sing it first
I think hearing it in that bar
with no associations
no context, no idea
what I was receiving
it just arrived
and soaked straight in
because I didn't have any
oh some more Tracy Chapman stuff
or anything like that
a little old band
in Morgan City delivered Tracy Chapman
song to me without any of the Tracy
Chapman rapping on it
and it got somewhere that I'm not sure it
could have gotten any other way
and I think that happens to a lot of us
I think it's more, I don't think it's just
me, you know
that these sort of things occur too
I think all of us have been somewhere
heard something a different way than we ever
heard for the first time
and didn't realize it blown somebody else
I grew up around
I grew up with George Jones' music
probably heard the grand tour
1500 times growing up
never gave two shits about that song
just never
it never touched me and never did anything
but man, about 30 years ago
I was living in Pasadena, Texas
we go hang out
there was this little dive bar
this is 146, this is before
but it was just a little
two-lane highway to Kima
this is before all the bridges
and the overpasses and all the crazy shit
they built down there is for
for Titta and
his minions got into the place
and Landry's took it over
I don't remember the name of this place
it was just a little blue plywood building
a little dive bar we went to
I had this friend Todd
he's a big old lanky fella
Todd was kind of
he was built kind of funny
his torso was real long
long as his legs
and he was tall
lanky
arms and elbows for days
he's a little older than me
we would go out drinking together
me and Todd, that was our thing
we'd get off work, we'd go get some drinks
and look for some women
but he didn't have a lot of success
with women in the traditional sense
so we go to these dive bars
and he
Todd would go after what I would describe
as a more mature
trailer adjacent demographic
mainly because that came
with a lot of yes
this is one particular night
we was over at that bar, they always had some live music
it was another little Cajun band
they were playing waltzes
and they were playing all kind of music
waltzes
and Cajun accordion
young man singing
had the most haunting
beautiful little voice you ever heard
in your life
and at some point
this young singer
stepped up
and they started
playing the grand tour by George Jones
as Cajun waltz
and genuinely
I know I've said haunting three times
but genuinely haunting
kind of voice makes you stop whatever you do
and just listen
and for the first time
maybe I was at the right place in my life
maturity wise I was kind of going through some shit
with another gal
I was going through most of shit at the time
actually
the words hit me
really just like punched me in the face
George Jones was right about this man
walking through the ruins
of his own relationship
pointing out where the TV sat
where the baby slept
that's where she cried
that's where I died
and this
19, 20 year old kid
singing it like he lived this shit
and it put that song in my head
in a way that it would never been in
before like I never was interested in it
and I'm talking at the same time
directly in my line of sight
this is what I always remember about hearing that song
my friend had located
his target for the evening
and she was a homely woman
she was not an attractive woman
she was short, frizzy hairs
probably
I would bet cash money ten years his senior
she had a tattoo of a blue pelican
I don't know what color it started out in
but it was faded blue pelican
on her exposed left
the type of her breast
but the pelican was wrinkly
and this big ol' lanky
my buddy was just making a fool
of himself about this gal
just kissing her on the neck
I imagine it tasted like Winston
cigarettes and
whatever trailer house carpet smells like
I mean he was just
he had her out on that little
shitty checkered dance floor
and he's watching her rail
but he's so tall, big, he's got his arms
fully extended and she just
looked like a drunk
trailer park marionette
being swung around this room
and I've listened to these kids sing this beautiful
song about loss and ruin
and I was watching old Todd swing his prize
around on the checkered dance floor
and I kept thinking, should I say
nah, I mean he knows what he wants
and old Todd looked like he was in love
for the evening and all I could think was
at least he'll be in a good mood tomorrow
and sure enough
boy he showed up work next morning
6am, threw it up twice
in the trash can and was in a chipper mood
all day
but that song stayed with me
George Jones was fine, great
but that Cajun kid
and Kemis told me that song
in a way George Jones never could have
because I wasn't ready
for George Jones, I was ready
for an anonymous boy on the checkered dance floor
while my friend
made a magnificent fool of himself
over a wrinkly pelican
that's when the song found me
that's the only version
of me finding that song
that works
I'm here, I was never
a Chris Cornell fan
never, I was never
I grew, I was a teenager
during the grunge
during the audio slave
or the late teens or whatever
but when all that happened
and it was the biggest thing in the world
I just wasn't into it
the song Black Hole Sun
if I never hear that song again
it'll be too soon
and a lot of that's because a buddy of mine
just got every time you got this truck
Black Hole Sun was playing
I did kind of like Spoon Man
I recognized that Chris had a voice
but I wasn't into it, wasn't into what he did
I'd heard that like a stone song
so many times
I just wasn't into it
one year me and Rachel
went to BuzzFest
it's a big music festival concert
down here one of the radio stations throws
and we used to go
Rachel would get tickets
Rachel ran the last stop
she'd get tickets from the radio people
and we would go just about every year
I seemed blocked over there a bunch of times
red jumpsuit apparatus
21 pilots
so it's a cool band
one band I saw there a lot
there was this little outfit
called Evans Blue
and Evans Blue
the lead singer had this voice
the original lead singer had this voice
that was out of this world
they were there that time
we went we took my sister
and Rachel's younger brother Dylan
which was the big mistake
sometime
when Evans Blue was on stage
Kimberly ran off and got lost
and I waited
Evans Blue had this cover of
Possession
by Sarah McLaughlin
that goes so hard in the paint
like I love the original
that song but their cover of it is insane
and they jammed
this cover just towards Cynthia Woods
Mitchell pavilion up
there were so many bands there
and then I went off
to go hunt my sister down to bring her back to the group
she was young
she was kind of my responsibility at the time
I remember what I was looking for
I ran into
the lead singer of Evans Blue
and man this is the moment
that sticks with me
he looked so depressed
he was sitting there
on a bench by himself
and nobody was talking to him
and I couldn't resist I had to go over it
I was like dude you're amazing
well you kill that song
I love so much your other music
I've been following you guys since I first saw you all here last year
your absolute your voice is insane
and he smiled he looked so excited
somebody was talking to him
and uh
then I walked off to go find my sister
and I eventually found her when I was coming back
I saw him sitting there sad again
and I didn't
I didn't get
I didn't understand that until
you know I reached a certain level as a performer
if people follow me around camera
they're gonna see me looking sad a lot
because when I'm away from Rachel
when I'm away from my home
when I'm away from things I get off in it
that's why I go do things all the time
you know
but you know if I'm left with my own devices
I probably sit on a park bench
and look sad and work on stuff in my head
and then
I get camera
I get her back over there
Rachel's big Chris Cornell fan
and he comes out
onto the stage
in a white
wife beater
or a button up shirt I can't remember
and his hair's all jacked up
like he didn't even comb it
and Rachel even made the comment she goes look at this douchebag
he's so good he doesn't even care
and he just come out there and sat down
with his guitar
and he was doing
a cover of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
and hearing that live was insane
all of a sudden that made a little more sense to me
but when he played
the live acoustic version
of Like a Stone
all of a sudden that song made 100%
sense to me
and that song's been about my father since that day
like I cannot hear that song
without thinking about my daddy
like that song hit me
all because Rachel knew
she knew if she'd get me sit still long enough here
this dude's seen his song the way he meant it
sound
that I'd have a different opinion
I was the number one Chris Cornell fan after that day
I was finding everything I could
of his I'm still not really into
the audio slave and sound garden
but Cornell by himself
by God I listen to that every time
I also remember that concert
because Dylan got lost too we had to go hunt this
a-hole down
and we're tired
we're ready to get out I'm over it I'm ready to leave
and
Billy Corrigan was
headlining he was the last performer
Dylan was a Billy Corrigan fanatic
and I like smashing pumpkins as much as the next guy
okay I think Billy Corrigan's
extremely talented human being
but then after all this time looking for Dylan
Billy Corrigan gets on stage
and we just watch him play around
in his garage for an hour
I'm done like he's not
playing the songs he's just
he's just fucking about with his guitar
and then don't get me wrong he's a great guitar player
but
bro you could have just put that on the internet
if you want people to watch you screw around in your garage
that's what I do
I wouldn't charge people money to come see this
but Cornell was amazing
I've told y'all the story
I've seen my Uncle Bobby play a hundred times
but there's one particular time
when I was in my early twenties
and I remember I was
I was on the phone fighting with this girl
she was arguing with her
it was Melissa I was arguing with her
and I was outside the bar
where I went with Uncle Bobby
he was going to play that night with his harmonica
and I remember
somebody walked by me said Bobby's about to play
and I just hung up on Melissa Midson
to walk back in the bar and I see
I see Uncle Bobby in all his glory
his shark skin cowboy boots
and his harmonica
and his little fedora hat
and striped shirt
and he steps up on this little stage
and this tiny shitty little bar
that doesn't exist anymore
and place is packed
and there are hollering
because they know him already
and when he takes the stage with the band
it's just beer joint stage
he walked up there
he pulled out of the harmonica out of his shirt pocket
and he grabbed that mic
and I remember he pointed at me from the stage
and he hollered at me and said
Poo Bear this is how you do it
he put that harmonica up to his lips
his little finger
that was screwed up from his ex-wife
shooting it
bullet finger sticking straight up off
the back of it had a little crooked
he had a
I have to hold y'all head that theory about that
he said boy you wear your hat straight forward
you probably know where he's going what you're trying to do
fellow wears his hat backwards
well hell he don't know whether he's coming or going
you know me Poo Bear
I wear my hat a little crooked because I am
he had that hat a little crooked
he grabbed hold of that mic
and he grabbed hold of that harmonica
and he pulled them up together and everybody got quiet
Uncle Bobby blew the first saxophone note
to turn the page by Bob Seeger
on that harmonica
he had such a high strong note that everybody
in that bar just lost their minds
they knew what song he was about to play
I told you he sang out a combination
Chris Staple and Smokey Robinson
the crowd was enraptured
while he and that harmonica spun
Bob's tale about the hard life of the road
finishes that song people are losing their mind
and he goes right he loved John Popper
he goes right in
John Popper
what were they called blues traveler
they had this song called Crash and Burn
it's a raucous honky-tonk game
and he goes into this
8 minute version of Crash and Burn
and when I tell you he tore that place down
I mean he tore it down to the studs
and before they was even done clapping
he stuck that harmonica in his pocket
and walked right off the stage
just stepped off the stage and walked through the crowd
everybody's still clapping people trying to buy and drink
people trying to talk to him
and he walked right up to me so let's go nephew
I remember we
we headed out to his little Nissan truck
like the last two gun slingers in Texas
when you're around somebody that cool
you feel that cool
we strutted out to that Nissan
and he said I always leave more and more nephew
they get too much
they won't want it no more
I always leave more and more
I ain't come off the stage since then
I ain't heard those words in my head
I
I
I wasn't really I was here there on Bob
Seeger before that
but turned the page means something different
me now
and know those moments
happened the way they
those moments
were supposed to happen the way they happened
Tracy Chapman didn't
tend for me to hear her song to a Cajun
band in Morgan City, Louisiana
George Jones didn't write the grand tour
so it could find me
over the sound of
my buddy chasing a wrinkly pelican
or a checkered dance floor in Kima
Uncle Bobby wasn't trying to teach me a lesson
about stagecraft that night
he was just being Uncle Bobby
this is exactly how it works
it's exactly how life works
music the things you're looking for
they don't wait for the right conditions
they find the crack and get in
and the crack is always
somewhere you didn't expect
a dive bar or the wrong boys
an uncle with a crooked hat
I think about the songs that mean to most of me
almost none of them arrived the way they were supposed to
they came through somebody else's
boys
somebody else's room
when I wasn't ready
and therefore was completely open
that's the way knowledge
that's the way life comes to you
the same way that music did
you can't manufacture that
can't curate your way into it
you just have to stay in the room
keep showing up
keep letting strangers sing you songs
you don't recognize yet
and I promise if you do one night
somebody's gonna stare up to a beer joint mic
and crack you open
something you didn't even know you needed to hear
and years later
you'll be carrying it around like a stone in your pocket
that's the way life, all of it is
I guess maybe the bigger
if there's a bigger point
is
sometimes the way
music finds you
matters as much as the music
sometimes the way knowledge
finds you matters as much as the knowledge
the vessel doesn't matter
the name on the marquee
doesn't matter
what matters is whether you walked in
with your arms open
or not
especially this day and age
we spend so much time curating our lives
deciding in advance
what's worth our attention
what bar is worth walking into
what singer is worth listening to
it gets harder as I age
to keep my receptors open
once you hear so much
a lot of it starts to get repetitive
but my favorite moments
are those where some wandering
divine schools my ears
that's the thing about art music
comedy life knowledge
it's been coming from dive bar doctors
of divinity and itinerant
profit since the first time one of
our ancestors hit two sticks together
the right way a few times in a row
it doesn't negotiate with your
defenses it climbs right off
into your mind like it's looking for catalytic
converters and copper
the only way you receive it
the only way it gets all the way down to the place
where the real shit lives
is if you stop deciding ahead of time
what it's allowed to be
where what voice it's
allowed to arrive in
I long for more of those moments in my life
those split seconds where a cajun band
in morgan city or a balding man
with shark skin boots and a harmonica
turn you on to some music you might have missed
if it hadn't been for their interpretation
them speaking the language your soul
understands and takes
new ideas in
I'm rooting for you
I tell you that every weekend I mean
I hope you keep an ear out
for your own unlikely teachers
they're freaking everywhere
I'm JW
and I love you
alright we're doing things in a little
different order today I'm sure you picked up on that
that's that's the episode
I I
I don't I wanted to do the closing
before I did
the Wally Bottoms in testimonial
so I could stay in my voice and stay
with that heat in me
I
don't want to slow it down and do these other things
and then go back to it
but let's let's
you know what time it is right now
it's time for us to return
to the Wally Bottoms Texas
get my spectacles on
that's my hair
that's my hair
it's magnificent
all as well
them spectacles are dirtier in hell
let's tackle them with the microfiber first
then
we will return
to do Wally Bottoms Texas
because boy we got a hump in here today
Sheriff Garza thumbed through the file
in front of him left by Dave Tilton
it was the greatest hits
of Officer Swindon's failures
in his career he hadn't known the man
long but when he was sworn
in the lead federal agent
handling the previous investigations
had warned him to pay attention
to Matt
the Fed was a good old boy from Muleshoe, Texas
and spoke slowly the way those
west of Austin tend to do
that biggin wasn't
involved in the death of that inmate
but only because
the other one didn't invite him
he's itching to do damage
and it's going to happen Sheriff
I wouldn't want it on my watch
after all this
Sheriff Garza taking the information
politely but they dumped a mess of it
on them in a few days
kind of a congratulations
here's your department finish cleaning it up
type of situation
the most surprising
thing aside from the domestic charges
against Swindon from his ex-wife Lisa
Swindon was the formal
complaint from his partner Derek McAfee
an excessive force complaint from that guy
was almost unbelievable
he wasn't a boy scout but he had written
a fully detailed report about
a DWI stop in
2004 on a man from Louisiana
that spit
on Officer Swindon during the arrest
According to McAfee
Matt had squeezed
the guy's testicles with his left hand
and shoved his service pistol
in the fella's mouth slide deep
while threatening to finish the job
this from the man
who spent most of his spare time with Matt
the gym
fishing
you name it
Garza put his right hand up
and massaged his temple with a callus thumb
he looked out in the parking lot to see the two
officers pull up in a squad car
when Officer Swindon
stepped out of the car the impala
visibly shuddered from his weight
he pulled his department straw hat
on his giant round head
adjusted his belt and started lumbering
to the department front door
McAfee was taller but no match
for the behemoth striding out front
towards the door
Garza watched Officer Swindon
and wondered why the God
his wife spent all her time praying to
had seen fit to install
a cruel streak and a creature that size
he couldn't help but notice McAfee
look around the parking lot furtively
before he walked through the same glass double doors
Carl Sr. had burst through
just a few days prior
Sheriff Garza drank from his coffee slowly
the heavy Masonic ring lying
against the handle of the ceramic mug
his eyes remained neutral and relaxed
while he studied the man before him
was it fair to call this just a man?
he was only 30 years old but he exuded
something older and meaner
even as he sat comically
in a chair that could
barely support or contain him
that dwarfed most of the men that had sat there
his straw hat rested on a great
round knee being held hostage
by the department issue slacks
the hat itself a distortion
of size it's four inch
brim resembling a fedora more than
a western hat because of the immense
crown it was stretched around
Swindon looked straight forward
his milky brown eyes
devoid of presence not looking
at the sheriff but not looking
away
the sheriff lowered his mug and rested
his vain hand across the open
file he spoke slowly
constrained
Officer Swindon
there's been a number of things
come to my attention this afternoon about
your track record
it's been the first time you've been
accused of excessive force
I gotta make a decision
I need to hear from you first though
Swindon tapped his hat crown
with meaty fingers
what you need me to tell you
sheriff that this is a rough county
that occasionally you got to slap
one of these mean old drunks around
to get them in the car and off the highway
hell how much time you got
I can tell you everything
you don't know about not sitting
in his office
Swindon grand as he delivered
the challenge before looking around
the room and saying
again
help me help you
sheriff Garza
accentuating the pronunciation
of the Hispanic surname
he held Garza's eyes now
the busted capillaries at the edge
of his own visible
Garza held the gaze
and kept his demeanor unchanged
refusing to rise to the
childish attempt to undermine
his lack of raw experience
it takes more than
that rattle of man who spent
nights crawling through a jungle
and sweat blood and pistain fatigues
that requires
sticking your pistol
in a man's mouth
trying to crush his genitalia
Swindon's temple flexed
Garza took something
Swindon scratched his ruddy cheek
while the gears turned slowly
and deliberately
am I being accused of that sheriff?
I should at least
get to speak to my accuser
that's in the bible with some shit ain't it
maybe call your wife and ask her
I see her up at the church all the time
only a few reasons women
spend that much time at church sheriff
Swindon's grand was far more
malevolent now
sheriff closed the folder
moved to the side and leaned back on his chair
relaxing his posture
if you're looking to insult me officer
you could have done that any time
we didn't need a formal meeting in the office for that
I'm just curious son
was your ex wife a mean old drunk
that needed to be slapped around?
Garza flexed his forearms nonchalantly
as he turned to look out the window
but not before seeing Swindon's
forehead crinkle
sheriff found the target
Swindon scratched his cheek again
before answering
she brought another man into my home
I admit I got a little hot
but I think it's just about any fellow who
unless of course he's the type of fella
that doesn't run his own household
the sneer was evident
in his voice Garza didn't have to
look at him to see it
Garza slowly turned back
to Swindon whose face was red
with a stinging betrayal
Officer Swindon you've repeatedly
demonstrated a pattern of behavior
that does not reflect the ideals
of the Russ County Sheriff's Department
Repeatedly
Effective immediately
you're relieved from your duties
without pay pending an investigation
of my discretion
Surrender your firearm badge
and exit the building we'll contact you
with further details
as of now you are a persona non grotto
on sheriff department property
Garza held his eyes on Swindon
the entire time he spoke
the big man's eyes went back
baking as he stood and put his hat on
he removed his badge
and service pistol from the leather holster
and set them down on the sheriff's desk
he opened the door
and walked in the hallway before looking back
see you round Mr. Garza
again with the pronunciation
of the sheriff's name
he shut the door gently
before striding off down the hallway
towards the locker room
sheriff picked up his phone
dialing an extension before speaking
sheriff I'm stepping out of the office
for a few hours uh-huh
that's right
he pushed down the disconnect with his thumb
before dialing the full phone number
hey honey
I'm taking afternoon off let's run over long
before you grab a late lunch
yeah I'll be there in a few
I love you too
Tony and Dusty sat at a table
in Elena's kitchen sipping her coffee
she was packing him some sandwiches
and cold drinks and napkins and foal
when Carl Sr. backed his pickup
on to the side yard where he kept his most
prized position
a 91 Skeeter SL
200 bass boat he had picked up
used after he'd closed the shop
he spent hours
returning it back to new and the 90
horse Johnson on the back ran better
than most folks cars
Tony hopped up to go out
and help him hook up with Dusty following suit
Elena smiled as the boys piled
out the door something was
off about her Carl and outside
of her embrace that grandson of theirs
was the only one who could bring the fun
loving man she'd married back out
Carl Sr. was sitting in the trucks
as the boys walked across the same Augustine
in the late evening sun
he grinned as they approached
I ain't got my spectacles on
which one of you is my grandson
I ain't seen in a year and which one of you is Dusty
Tony laughed
Papa was Dusty
you know who I am
Carl Sr. grinned and put his glasses back on
before stepping out of the pickup
hell do I, hell you disappear on me next thing
I know you out here fighting giant cops
on the side of the road
and running dope
Tony laughed again
before throwing his arms around the gnarled
older man Carl Sr.'s muscles
felt like cold cable beneath the thin
windbreaker he wore
I heard you got pretty redneck
at the sheriff's department Papa
Dusty laughed at this one
Carl Sr. pulled back
cast an eye on his grandson's companion
before looking back
to Tony he put up his dukes comically
I ain't nobody gonna hurt none of mine
I still got the moves
they all laughed together
then the boys picked up the tongue of the boat
and set the receiver down on the hitch
Tony set about hooking up the safety chains
and trailer lights
Tony straightened up and extended his hand
towards the older hands man
it's an honor to meet you sir
Tony's told me you're the best fisherman
in East Texas
the old man smiled and grasped Dusty's hand
I appreciate your manners
but you cut that sir shit out
that's for men sitting in the office all day
Carl would do just fine for now
I'm gonna step in that house kiss that pretty lady
I married and we'll get on the road
later on
in the still of the witching hours
the three men watched their lines Carl Sr.
wretched over and grabbed a full napkin wrap
Dr. Pepper from the insulated bag
and leaned back against his chair
on the bow of the boat
he snapped the top
took a long swig before looking at Dusty
on the other end of the boat
they'd caught a dozen catfish between them
but the clouds had slipped in
and covered the moon lulling the hungry fish to sleep
and the bites was coming fewer
and farther between now
Dusty, Tony tells me you're from Houston
where's your people at
ain't neither one of you boys called no one
when you got thrown in that pokey
Tony was a little surprised
at the vague suspicion he heard
in his grandfather's voice
but didn't want to speak for Dusty the whole time
they were home either
so he remained silent
Dusty tucked his head some
and spit out in the lake
I don't really have any people
listen count your grandson
never met my dad
my mom told me he was trash all my life
she died a little while back
didn't really take care of himself
hard living and all that
I only knew her dad
he used to come pick me up in his El Camino
every once in a while when she was bad off
and he'd take me to get a hamburger
he taught me to play music on an old upright piano
he had
he died when I was about 13 though
I guess he was my people
Tony was a little shocked he'd never heard about
Dusty's granddad
he looked at his own grandfather in the dark
his posture had relaxed
the old man didn't speak for a while
just let Dusty's words hang in there
when he finally spoke the suspicion was gone
well hell son he was definitely your people
passing along music to you
hell I taught this one everything he knows
about good music not that sad
screaming shit he likes
but the good stuff
Tony and Dusty both laughed along
with Carl Seniors half cough
wheezy laugh before he continued
Dusty boy a man needs people
that's what keeps a man here
sounds like he needs some
I reckon you got some
here in East Texas now
at least in my damn house you do
Dusty turned back towards the lake
Tony thought he could hear a little choke in his voice
thank you Mr. Carl
Carl Seniors laughed
the big ol' gaffal that echoed across
the dark waters of the lake of the pines
Jesus Mr. Carl
sounds like a damn history teacher
how bout you just call me
Papaw too
Dusty's voice definitely
was strangled this time
thank you Papaw
Carl Seniors laughed
and reeled his line in to check the bait
before casting it back out in a big
long arc that's right
I'm just Papaw these days
they pulled the line
tight before setting the rod and reel back
down and lifting his Dr. Pepper
he thought about what Danny Ware
would have thought of him being Papaw
and laughed again in the darkness as the clouds
continued slipping by the full moon
Derrick McAfee sat on his back porch
watching the clouds stream across that same moon
his wife already asleep in her bed
he took a pool from a cold Coors light
as he tried to relax
Matt hadn't even spoken to him when he got suspended
just stared at him while he changed into his street clothes
with his phallus dangling
as he stripped bare before pulling
a pair of gym shorts on
did he know about the report
he was often his own thoughts
when he felt the porch shift underneath
someone else's weight
he didn't have time to react before the can
he was put into his lips got smashed
against his teeth and face
by the meaty calloused hand of his former partner
beer splashing down his throat
the can tearing his lips
some of the rest of its remnants
dumping all over him
Matt grabbed him by the neck
and lifted him out of his chair
and bent him backwards over his porch railing
his big red face
pursed with anger in the moonlight
you think I can't get you
you gonna run off the teacher and cry about how mean Matt is
and I won't fucking find you boy
McAfee could taste the blood in his mouth
as his feet flopped around uselessly
Matt I was just trying to keep
us out of trouble man that dude was going to sue
Swindon released his grip on Derek
letting him fall to the splintered floorboards
of the porch choking and curling up
I always knew you had bitch in you
McAfee
say another word about me next time
I'll visit Sarah first
Derek's blood running cold
when Matt mentioned his wife's name
the big man lumbered off
into the dark without another word
leaving him there to cough
he felt the cold
spread of his own urine through the polyester
basketball shorts his wife had bought him
to work out in
tune in next week for more
from Diwali Bottoms, Texas
mmm that was a good one right there
told y'all sometimes I don't know where these things go
when I start writing
whew
let's do some testimonials how about that
see if I got them pulled up still
I thought I had them dammit
nope that's not it
that's not it that's not wrong
wrong tab wrong tab
oh here we go
at Wayne Hey
our old buddy Wayne Hey
was at least my old buddy
I was today years old
when I learned that not only was
Diamond Jim a real person but Edison was a monster
you're absolutely correct
that we need to teach all of history
the wins and the warts
Annie who loved the content as always
still waiting to find out who killed Tony
got tickets to the show at Hop Scholar
can't wait to see you there that's going to be a fun show
raising money for
Dr. H and his animal surgeries
gotta help to save Ophelia
I told you in a comment
Wayne but there's a playlist
called the Wally Bottoms I think you missed the last two episodes
we know who killed Tony
go watch them episodes
John Chinard
Chinard Chinard
I don't know how to say that every time
Dave Tilton was in his mid 60s
now and sharper for it
good writers can say a lot and very few words
some can even make you smile when they do it
because you met your own Dave Tilton
if you were lucky
that's the goal always is to put myself
put my words in a place
that when y'all hear them
it takes you somewhere else and puts you somewhere else
thank you
Spencer White 8704
he left me two comments
he said call the reference to Waylon and the Dukes
I'm glad somebody called that
that was just so cheeky and funny
what I was describing that AMG Mercedes
I could resist that
flattening the hills
and straightening the curves line
I'm glad somebody called it
Spencer
Spencer also went on to say
there's too many Americans suffering
because one side is pushing BS about one
and the other is focused on countering that BS
instead of fixing the dire
necessary
I 100% agree with you
100% agree with you
I'm so sick to death of all of it
I talked about monsters last week
and
when I said
somebody brought the fact that I said that's not for me to decide
what I mean by that
is that's not for me to decide in the grand scheme
your heart and everything else
I can only decide about my heart
my heart has no problem understanding
that Henry Ford was a twisted sick
old man
he was mean some of a bitch didn't have a lot of humanity
my heart
it doesn't waver when I decided
my heart at that time and said it's in
doesn't mean I want to cancel their contributions
just means that I don't think
they were good people
you know there's
there's that shit going on in Texas right now
there's a big election
one of these people
yeah I ain't gonna get in there
as a child
who was
molested
and sexually abused
you're never going to find me
on the side of somebody
involved
with doing harmful things to children
if you need to
find me on the side it ain't gonna be that one
ever
ever
that's always gonna be the deal breaker for me
deal with that as you will
oh my beard looks fabulous today
that's outlaws
and gents
doing their fabulous work
oh it feels good
I blow dried it when I got out of the shower
hair feels good too
because I'm using the same stuff
but it won't be long
got some more races coming up
I don't know if y'all been following
the dirt track races
lately but oh
Sheldon
Holland's Child just did it
to win it the other night
it was beautiful in the sprint car series
and Bobby Pierce just won the dream
and I'm not the
it's not to say I'm not a Bobby Pierce fan
but
you can't
even if you don't like the guy
and there's a lot of people don't because he's successful
you can hate on him all you want
but you can't take away the fact
he worked his ass off and be there
that boy's a hell of a driver
say what you will
my guy
Texas Tyler Herb
Turbo is killing it right now and I'm so happy
I'm gonna try to get him on the pod
I'm gonna try to interview him for the podcast
because I just love that dude
I think he would make an excellent guest
I'm about to have Clifford come be a guest
on the podcast too
we're gonna talk a little bit about the literature world
the literature realm
and all this crazy stuff
that goes on with publishers screwing people over
because I had no idea how big these problems were
and I want to talk to
somebody in the know about it
you know
closing all that
comments and stuff down
oh I love you guys thank you for sharing your Sunday with me
hope you didn't mind the new order
things I just wanted to
buckle in and get down and get through it
I didn't want to break off
in the genres
genres and music I say I work on
my favorite genre
music is I was born on a train track
and everything's been bullshit since
if you had to nail it down
that's my favorite genre of music
a lot of stuff falls into that category
I've been listening to a bunch of John Mortland lately
that man
and little Jason Isbell
thank God for the work boy that one's killing me lately
my own father's had a couple
they put a couple
stints in his
widowmaker
where the LAT
your vessel
your bane
was all clogged up pretty bad he's getting short of breath
and struggling
and he informed me
they won't do a heart
valve replacement on him sometime in July
of course I'm going to be on the road
that's all I think about
making work
I hope the rest of your week goes good
I hope you move around obstacles like Teflon
I love you guys
very good
that's right
About this episode
Welcome to the wrecking yard vibe, where a Volkswagen sits behind a wall and a project car is so far gone—“the roof is rusted and caved in”—that restoring it back to a Super Beetle doesn’t make sense. Instead, they talk about tube-chassis ideas, reshaping Super Beetle fenders into gold-clear-coated scooter art, and using the proceeds for a “bug” build. The crew also swaps practical notes on hauling, fender repair help, and even HVAC blend-door diagnosis, before pivoting into music and storytelling.
Original notes
A hundred episodes in and I’m still figuring it out in public. Tonight I talk about the way music finds you through a crack you didn’t know was open. Keep your receptors open.
In Duwali Bottoms Texas, Sheriff Garza gets his first real look at what he inherited in Rusk County, Carl Sr. takes the boys fishing on Lake of the Pines, and Matt Swindon reminds everybody exactly who he is.
The Reckon Yard Podcast
Jerry Wayne Longmire
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62:29