Hank Watson's Garage Hour - Cars, Trucks, Beers & Guns

Well, some episodes don't stay gearhead for long, and this one went decidedly cartoon in about five minutes. Join us for an hour (one of the last hour-only Garage Hours) of unrelenting comic book action, with none other than SuperMeg (before the nickname), Jesse Caverly, author and zombie expert, and .45 Phil, a walking, talking comic book hero in his own right.

It's not like we didn't try - there were gun stores, shooting events, big Buicks, an attack on hipsters (because they're there) and an attack on mayors (because Failner), but we kept winding up talking ComicCon, Batman, Superman, bad guys, Aquaman, Han Solo, Brock Sampson (just because), geek VS nerd and the Venn diagram necessary so it all makes sense.

There will be cars and trucks and beers and guns in the next episode. Promise.

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How about something completely different? The Garage Hour goons (and the vice mayor of La Mesa) had a really involved conversation about the environment, with none other than a real environmentalist! Apparently, nature tastes like steak.

Sure, cohosts .45 Phil and Crag Maxwell happily joined Justin Fort to chat off-roading and shotguns (sounds like we're ready for a Sasquatch Run!), but they were also educated by an environmentally aware friend of the show, Leslie Rapp, on the topics of dolphins, Blackfish, free-range whales (did we say that right?), and we were escorted through the serious California politics behind the attacks on Seaworld by Kristine Alessio, vice Mayor of La Mesa. We also figured out that it's the silly names people give killer whales that make them... kill people... What the Hell kind of name is Tillikum? Call the poor things Tyrone or Pete or Emily and they'll be so much happier. There's also a fun bit of shrapnel for the nutjob envirowhackos who are giving granola a bad name. Chill out!

Podcast it up immediately, before Seaworld finds out about it.

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We dish out some real respect on this Memorial Day, with extensive chatter about Americans who've given the ultimate measure in the name of God and country. Like the icing on this Cake of Respect, the Garage Hour goons also discuss San Diego's Freedom Station, American POWs from all conflicts, and a serious heap of war movies.

In this episode, former factory test-driver, road racer and all-around professional Justin Fort also renews his long-standing argument with cohost Dirty Dave regarding the historical relativity of Abraham Lincoln's unfondness of vampires. They also get up to monster trucks, tracks from Metallica, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Soundgarden, Nick Cave, and live shows with Buddy Guy, plus the movie Bullitt (happy birthday, Steve), the Mumford Lane, and pizzas from superfan Tristain.

Don't let the hybridiots get you.

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When one of these unscripted episodes turns out right, it's such a great feeling. Hostus Maximus Justin Fort coupled SuperMeg and the return of Chef Jeff from Eastbound Bar & Grill to do two hours of everything that's wrong with traffic (because we can all relate). You can't go wrong with an endless list of the things that incompetence, ignorance, insomnia and insolence do to the already insufferable dense driving in southern California, and we charged full-steam into all the causes of and answers to. If there's anything you can get on board with, it's SoCal traffic being off its rocker.

Just like the Garage Hour, however, we dive deep into a host of other awesomeness (because gearhead!), including the Silver State Challenge (260mph, anyone?), tactical shotguns, how hipsters are uncool by nature, and more Dude Food.

Grab this one before it's gone (though it won't be - hurry because we care).

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Intriguing or offensive, but never boring: it's your kind of doom on the hoof, and now for two hours! Join us for some adventures in beer (Night Fighter), off-roading, railguns, Beer-Con, and the introduction of the Garage Hour's PSA (unphone, dammit!).

And as was born Night Fighter English Ale, we were joined by Manzanita Brewing so we could get down to naming their newest beer, an English-style brown ale with hints of coffee and stone fruit. We go through the whole list of beer names, including crowd pleasers like Improper Copper Ale, Bob's Your Uncle, Cajon Oval Brown, Bulldog Brown, Monkey Wrench, Cuyamaca Mud and, God help us, Jerry Brown Ale and the totally unnecessary Filner Pilsner.

We also chase Calguns' next Meet & Greet, a little bit about off-road maintenance and good summer trails in San Diego, what was up at that day's Beer-Con, the geek wonderment that are railguns (yay!), a few items from "The Reasons Tony's Pissed" List, courtesy of Tony's Lube & Tune, and a full studio with .45 Phil, Agent Aya, Mr. Dustin (Top Earner), ManzaNina and Larry from Manzanita Brewing.

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The gearhead mavens from the Garage Hour served up everything from nifty new firearms to dusty old war stuff in this show, as well as dabbling in the unfolding Flight 370 mystery (how couldn't we?), and taking a run at the pending recall-liability disaster facing General Motors and its bailout masters in the UAW and big government.

Cohosts suiting up to work on this episode with host Jusin Fort were none other than Duncan Lancaster, lead singer of Skynyrd-tribute band Skynyrd's Innyrds, and long lost adventure junkie, Black Ryan.

Joining Hank Watson's Garage Hour's usual suspects in the studio was special guest Randy Linkmeyer of Springfield Armory (as well as Crimson Trace, TruGlo Sights and Aguila Ammo), who was ready and willing to chat about all things firearms and gun ownership in the state of California and beyond.

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Yummiest episode ever. We focused on our appetitie for Dude Food this show, talking cooking, eating, beer with food, smoking and barbecuing meats of every stripe. Grow your own hot peppers? We discuss how. Want to make killer slaw? We have the ingredients. Enjoy eating more than cooking? Tell your friends to grab the podcast so they'll make it all for you.

Hostus Maximus Justin Fort is joined in the studio by Chefus Maximus Jeff Hall (of Eastbound Bar & Grill, and upcoming "The Hills" in La Mesa), plus radio cohost stalwart .45 Phil (That Which Goes Bump in the Night) and up-and-comer SuperMeg (though her sidekick Husband Guy couldn't make it this time).

Also on-tap for this episode of the best gearhead radio on the AM dial is a studio visit by the Power Team and the Strength Team ministries, who were appearing at Foothills Christian Church the next day, as well as our usual caravan of killer talk topics, including .45 Phil's Tank of the Week, the national tragedy that is Daylight Savings Time, and SuperMeg's taunting of Archfiend Wes Luthor.

It's all good - come get some.

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Proving that gearhead talk radio can mantain its balance when talking about politics, the Garage Hour combined both in this fine Made In the USA episode (now, with the latest technology!). From trucks, Porsche, VW corporate and hybrids to term limits, fighter plane pilots and religious hot dogs, this is a fun episode - you won't need your seat.

Additional chatalogical content includes the Duck Dynasty dustup, the upcoming Superstition off-road Run, conservatives VS centrists VS progressives, the Blues Brothers, eating enough roughage, the Mayor of Furniture, Justin Fort's theory on revenge of the losers (anti-mongers), the Supreme Court, gift buying for the holidays and 2013's holiday trend of ReChristmasification.

Hostus Maximus Justin Fort is joined in-studio by his crack team of political commentators, anchored by La Mesa Vice Mayor Kristene Alessio, .45 Phil (Special Assistant to the Vice Mayor) and Crag Maxwell, general antagonist of all things political.

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With killer Silver State flyby sounds (ever wonder what a big-block sounds like at 217?), this reloaded Garage Hour brings together two of our old-school cohosts, DoubleMint Cameron (now knows as the Scarecrow) and Skynyrd's Inyrds' lead Duncan Lancaster for an hour of serious gearhead talk. Also included is an great chat with Gina from the Coronado Classics, because race car.

This episode has it all - Camaros, Bilsteins, hiking in Iran (or How To Know You're a Grade-A Moron), road racing, computer viruses, glow-in-the-dark cats and, of course, beer. There's also tales of Mexican prison, San Diego ubergearhead J. Bittle, El Sasquatcho, the Bears, Amelia Earhart, and a call in from the Lord of North County (Mr. Dustin, Top Earner).

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From the Ghostbusters to the apocalypse, this is a Halloween Garage Hour that drives every stake home. Admit it, you can hear the Ghostbusters' siren in your head right now... In a rare case of good planning, we even nab calls from Nacho in Wisco and Jaime in Ramona, so our interstate cabal of gearheads and beerheads and cheeseheads and cartoon villians is complete.

On-air with Hostus Maximus Justin Fort is none other than Poison Ivy (and her alter-ego, Tess), The Most Interesting Man in the World, Grizzly Chris and Dirty Dave. They cover the gamut of essential talk-show topics, like sharks eating people, Animal House (Eat Me!), the Blues Brothers, M'night Shlamalamlam's movies about trees and owls, Critical Mass and why it might be insane, Stephen King's natural state of paranoia, and the lunacy that was the Pickle Administration's Cash for Clunkers program.

Podcast up and try this one on. It's a classic.

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