Hank Watson's Garage Hour Podcast

This one's an educational show: we learn about the gun-banning laws and regulations being pushed by the deliriously nutty progressive freakshow called the state of CA (some in the dead of night), and how those laws are going to make you suffer (if you're lucky) or instantly turn you into a criminal. Eryk from Cal Guns (.net), .45 Phil and host Justin Fort explore everything from the laws, the bad behavior and backroom deals necessary to sneak some of the scarier laws through, and how the groundless (and often feckless) regulatory actions will affect regular Californians - and not just Californians who like the Second Amendment. This is big AM talk, after all, so the gearhead goons of the Garage Hour also take some shots at CA traffic, CA politicians, Marines, shotguns, old actors and old metal artists, and makers VS takers.  There's also a sporty tale of two rugby guys pounding on some muggers, which makes everyone feel good (except the muggers...). jf

This is what happens when you let the guys who usually operate the show take over the mic...  With a 100%-everything list of gearhead topics, from international racing, local politics, the idiots in movies, the idiots in the real world, the shame that is a remake of Mad Max (some movies are too perfect - leave 'em alone), and Mr. Rogers VS the Frugal Gourmet guy, we set every trap and the board ops fall in every one. Hostus Maximus Justin Fort and retrohost Dirty Dave let alllllll of the old Garage Hour board ops into the studio, from Cameron "Scacrow" Bradna, Daniel "Barrister" Hilton, Paul "Snaggletooth" Drivas, Todd "Missing Man" James to Nick "The Trick" Lane, and they proceed to demonstrate to the world why they belong on the other side of the glass.  Grab this podcast and prepare to thank your lucky stars for on-air talent. jf PS>  Special thanks to Missing Man for cooking up this episode's promo poster.

Killer Garage Hour: the Villains Episode.  We collect more than 70 movie villains of every stripe, from Blofeld to Little Bill, Darth to Ming, Jaws to Angel Eyes, plus Cruella DeVille and the horde of nutbars from Fatal Attraction.  Dirty Dave, Crag Maxwell and host Justin Fort put together some rules for villains, too, and in the process discover that Jaws is much more of a uberhenchman than an outright villain, much to Justin's dismay. Credit where credit is due: the genesis of this classic Garage Hour episode was at a brewery in Ouray, Colorado - Mr. Grumpy Pants, to be exact.  Off-Road.com editor Jaime Hernandez asked what had happened to Richard Keil (Jaws), and it all spun out of control from there.  Good times. jf

With the guys from Look Up Here in-studio, SuperMeg, East County Beerlord Jeff Trevaskis and former factory test driver Justin Fort whip up a batch of gearhead-talk radio superiority on Saturday's show.  You can't go wrong (well, you probably could) with a room full of punk rockers, and we pull off a show full of explosions (propane, acetlyne, Sobe and snow), desert toys (LS1, anyone?), gas prices, corporate skulduggery and beer-sipping refinement.  Someone even mentions brisket. The call is also out for Sasquatch Run 3: The 'Squatchening; which is looking likely late in May, so stay tuned. jf

Put a bunch of guitar experts on a gearhead show and you'll get more than you bargained for, including all sorts of stories about the rock and rollists, tales of humbuckers (whatever the Hell they is), pickups and frets, plus cars, trucks, beers and guns (of course). Joining host Justin Fort and irregular cohost/food ninja Chef Jeff on this week's Garage Hour are none other than off-roading buddy Seth Hollander, guitar instructor of some repute (SethMetal.com) and the proud owner of the DeathRunner and lots of guns, and Battleship Dan, pro guitar builder (TopGearGuitar.com), guitar tech to the stars and confirmed Garage Hour superfan. Also, the sincerest of Garage Hour apoligies: due to an ill-timed Kong infestation of KCBQ's 50,000-watt broadcast tower on the east side (of El Cajon), we lost a few minutes of the second hour.  Better luck next time. jf

With everything from electric cars to electric stereo parts, this Garage Hour episode is chock-full of good gearhead talk.  Mike the Mic joined Hostus Maximus Justin Fort, Agent Aya and .45 Phil for what was originally slated to be an episode about stereo equipment (a fondness held by Mike and Justin), but the ship of state quickly veered off course in true Garage Hour fashion.  The topic list expanded to Solzhenitsyn, Batman, Freud, Chuck Norris, ammunition prices, new beer, old bombs, new tanks, and monoliths versus obelisks. We also get a tidy history of the WW2 siege mortar called the Type 98 by the Japanese who lobbed 'em at us, and Screamin' Jesus by GIs who had to watch them tumble, from our very own military historian, .45 Phil. jf

This is the episode that catapulted the Garage Hour to doubled listenership, and the show that put the gearhead goons from San Diego into an expanded time slot.  Download a full hour of everything from Flight 800, the FBI, NSA, DHS, drones, Stingers, the .50-cal ricochet, Sasquatch, Japan's thirst for 5.56 ammo, the populist media's unfortunate contribution to it all, and how the Garage Hour plans to fix it.  Oh yeah, with cars, trucks, beers and guns. Grab a load of this podcast for a big fat conspiratory freakout, with Agent Aya (suspiciously good with a handgun), .45 Phil (27-year Marine storm trooper from back in the Reagan days) and former factory factory test driver and Hostus Maximus Justin Fort, because they'll also take a few shots at Mayor Bob Failner, Manzanita Brewing's Apricot Blonde, Restore the 4th, antique steaem, the patheticness that is Joe Biden, and the value of America's enlisted military in times of crisis. jf

All gearhead, all the time...  Host Justin Fort has Bret Norgaard from Yawsport and Neil Alexander from the Lone Pine Time Trials (coming up in May) to talk their little slice of road-racing heaven, the adventure that is high-speed time-attack on a real airport course, and the parties that go on in tandem with it all.  We also get into everything from Hayabusa-powered Smart cars (why people are tipping them over), to the failed Dodge RamRunner (and why it was no Raptor), hillclimbing for folks on the West Coast, Powerstroke and 502-powered crawlers and a truckload of other awesomeness. Okay, so Han Solo and Greedo get into the mix, and there's some chatter about Rio shotgun shells, the police and English politics, but it's the Garage Hour - we digress. jf

Excellent early Garage Hour - episodes like this are what brought the show to life way back in 2009...  Everything from CanAm to Batman, fake mechanics and poseur Farves, Orwellian education, chicken legs, Grand Prix.com, team orders, TV laws, smog laws, thunderboats and deep-vees, the unfortunately named Dimebag Darrell (RIP) and tales of a mentally insane cannibal who was taken to the fair. And like every Garage Hour, there's a serious moment or two - Dirty Dave, Grizzly Chris and hillclimbin' slicer-dicer Justin Fort chat about the need for conservatives to conserve on their own, before someone with less scruples but a bigger stick up their butt tries to force you to. jf

Killer show! This reloaded Garage Hour features a pile of legendary topics, including the Ferd FTeenthousand (whale house!), Sasquatch, scary celebrities, Beck's Scientology, Gavin Newsbag, Amon Tobin, stoner metal, Israel, the 24 Hours of leMans, Franchi shotguns, busting clay and Kevlar tornado shelters. While we're at it, Black Ryan, Dirty Dave and former factory test driver Justin Fort also beat the Hell out of Glenn Danzig (who hasn't?), Moby (everyone should) and President Pickle (he's asking for it), and talk up the awesomeness that is engineers, shooting trap and the British VS the Argentines. It's gearhead radio: who are you to resist? jf

You can't spell politics without... a "p"... and the Garage Hour can't get this close to the mid-term elections without having some hopeful congressional candidates in the studio.  What can we say?  Gearheads like to vote.  Besides, we all want some more change. This episode featured Dr. Fred Simon, candidate for San Diego's 52nd Congressional District, and before you get bent out of shape that we were talking politics again, don't you want to hear his thoughts on things that matter, like Ford VS Chevy, protections for off-road access, and whether Fred plans to run guns for Islamic terrorists in the Philippines with a Chinese mobster named Shrimp Boy (which we advised him against)? There's also some actual serious questions, such as the good doc's positions on the Second Amendment, getting things done instead of talking about getting things done, equal opportunity VS equal outcomes, and who his favorite Supreme Court justice is.  He had very good answers for everything but his preference for Chevys. Grab the

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. jf

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.  Chil

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. jf

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). jf

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

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. jf

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 Sup

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. jf

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). jf