Episode 3 - Riding the VW Wave: Sven Couture's Inspiring Journey

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Music.

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Welcome to Dub Life Diaries, the podcast where passion meets the open road.

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I'm Joe Person, your host and also a lifelong dubber.

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Buckle up because this ride is just beginning.

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This podcast is sponsored by Volksmania Magazine. Good times,

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great cars, awesome Volksmaniacs.

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Visit Volksmania.com to learn more about this class-leading VW magazine.

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Okay, so today's guest is somebody who helped shape the Tampa Bay VW scene,

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a man whose love affair for Volkswagens turned into 18 years of unforgettable

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shows, convoys, camping, and community.

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He's also a talented musician who has a passion for creativity,

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and it did not just stop with VWs.

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So everybody, please help me welcome Sven Couture to the show. Hello, everybody.

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Hello. And thank you so much for taking time and being here with us.

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I know this community has missed you, and they're going to be happy to hear from you.

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Thank you, Joe Persons, for having me, brother.

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Yeah, man. Now, why does your story matter so much to the VW community?

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I'll tell you, in my opinion, why it matters so much.

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Your story is so special because it wasn't just about shows or even convoys that you led.

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It's more about how you built a community around these cars.

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And I can tell anybody can organize an event, anybody, anybody out there, right?

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But it takes passion. It takes a vision. It takes heart to create something

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that people still talk about decades later.

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And that, my friend, is what you do and what you did. So you didn't just promote

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VW shows. You created spaces where friendships were born.

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I know you know that, where stories were shared, where the VW spirit was able to live on.

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And it still does It's very alive today So your journey is a reminder That this

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scene is not just about cars It's about No,

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it's the people who drive them That's it, my brother That's it That was what

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it was always about It wasn't about me It was about the VWs,

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you know Whether it was a bus or a Beetle or You know That's what brought us

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all together You know The love of a vehicle You know,

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shaped connections that lasted for, for, for, you know, long after the engines cooled down.

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To me, that's why your story matters so much to this community.

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I feel like you're a part of the fabric, this VW community locally in this area.

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And I know that's a big scene.

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It's a big scene around here now.

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So yeah, it was huge. It was huge.

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What I've been out of it 12, 15 years now. It was huge back then.

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So, I mean, it's hopefully it's gotten bigger, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

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It's well, you know, so I think so. But I think the energy might have shifted a bit, too.

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It was probably easier to acquire those cars back then. They were cheaper.

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But bottom line, brother, I'm giving you your flowers. I think you deserve them.

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So thank you, man. Thank you. And so I'm going to set the scene for us. All right.

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Take me back to Clearwater, Florida, 1994.

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What was it about the 1970 VW transporter, the bus that you finally found that

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grabbed you and never let go?

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So i brought the bus home april 25th

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1995 i was wrong

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gina broke out some video she actually had some some eight some some video that

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she shot of me showing off the bus for the first time i brought it home i i

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got it saw it in a car wash took off some stickers you know so it was april 25th 1995 95.

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I had always wanted a Volkswagen. And as a kid, the emblem, the V and the W,

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I was always drawing that on papers.

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And the shape of a bus was just something that I had always loved.

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And at the time, Gina was my girlfriend. We'd been married over 20 years, been together 32 years.

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So at the time, we were living together, their first house together.

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And she's like, what's your dream, baby? And I'm like, I want to get a bus.

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You know, I didn't know why. It was just, it called me, you know,

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and, uh, I, I was raised in Tampa and we were living in Clearwater at the time.

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And so I, there was a Volkswagen dealership on.

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Florida avenue called holbrooks holbrooks vw's

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he was just a just a junk a junk dealer really

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you know he flipped him he was a flipper and in

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the 90s yeah like you were saying the bolt wagons were cheaper you know you

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could get a bus for a couple grand yeah under a grand you know yeah that's mine

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they're like big nowadays yes that's true you're right mine was mine was a rust

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bucket i drove it you know it i had it 18 years before we sold it and went to australia,

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that's a whole that's a whole other story yeah we'll get to that we'll get to

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that absolutely absolutely joe joe brennan just shout out to him right now because

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i'm sure he'll be watching this awesome yeah after it's just there's something

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about the shape you know we love the shape.

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It's so i wanted to see your dreams come true

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you know what's your dream babies what she said to you so i

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don't really have to ask how it intertwined with your personal life

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because that's that that's how it intertwined you

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you got it it was your dream and and she was helping the

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dreams come true it's true that's that that's what

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that's what we do so the burger king meetups you said

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something interesting when we when when you sent me that info you

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said there was 50 to 60 cars there on on an

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average yeah yeah on any given saturday night so do me a favor set the scene

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for that burger king where was it the bird king was on us 19 and 110th avenue

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it's now like a shrimp and chicken place with the uh it it was a shopping and

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a strip mall that is now defunct there's a

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weight room gym maizey on there but yeah the burger king was 110th avenue in

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us 19 it was a saturday meetup that's just where people were meeting there before i got my bus and

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And I would drive over 50, 60 cars though. I mean, that's like,

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you know, that's electric, dude.

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You know, people came from Tampa.

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People came from Sarasota. I mean, it was, it was a draw.

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What do you think, what do you think made that, that night or that scene at

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that time? What do you think it made it so special?

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Cause you know, I mean, 50 cars is, that's a decent amount.

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There was, there was a classic car show there with every, every Saturday,

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all the classic cars would meet there.

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And so it'd always be one or two Volkswagens that we'd be in the corner.

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But then week after week, we would start getting, there were more Volkswagens

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than there were American classic cars.

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So we sort of pushed them off to the side.

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And we just took over the whole two main parking rows with Volkswagens.

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It just became the scene that we did on Saturday night.

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There was no other shows happening. That's just where we met and became friends.

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And my father was a silkscreen printer back in the 70s and 80s. He made T-shirts.

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So that's what, you know, I had a buddy.

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I had a buddy who had a shop in downtown St. Petersburg called Goodbyes.

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And he had the iron-on transfer machine, Xerox machine.

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I could just put my artwork on the Xerox machine, hit mirror copy,

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and put in the paper. And he would spit out the prints.

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And he had a T-shirt. So I would buy a dozen shirts and just print them up with

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the old classic Volkswagen ads, you know, from you, when you sent me that,

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those details, you sent me some names of the scene back then.

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And I'm going to, I'll help you refresh your memory, but Jack Flash,

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single cab, Dave, Oval D.

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And I think you were mentioning the Joe before classic camber was even Joe Jr.

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Joe Jr. Piacenza, right. Who was in a classic camber.

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He started at the, at the Burger King with us. And all these other guys too

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Jack Flash So Jack Flash Is Jack Stratton And.

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Single cab Dave is Dave Perry Who is still on the scene You know Dave So yes,

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Oval D was a mechanic who painted my bus Worked for Classic Camber He's in Zephyr

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Hills now He's out of the scene He sold his Oval It's a beautiful car So these

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guys are legendary for the scene Are they still now? Are they really?

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Yeah Some of these names for sure But what were those early connections like?

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Or were they just, were just your friends?

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Just, you know, just other insurgents, you know? Yeah, exactly.

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I was the long haired stoner tie dyer. I mean, when I, when,

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when I got our bus, I was already airbrushing and tie dined with my wife or

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girlfriend. And we were tie dined shirts.

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And so when I showed up on the scene, I had like tie dined shirts already and blankets.

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And, you know, it's just another, I'm not into the Grateful Dead at all.

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I wasn't never a deadhead, although, you know, being associated with a Volkswagen

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bus, you know. You're a deadhead. No, I'm not a deadhead.

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But, you know, long live Jerry. But that's what sort of I was drawn to making

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shirts because it was in my blood with my dad. And the scene didn't have anything like that.

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So Saturday nights, I would grab my couple dozen shirts, my kids.

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We'd go to the Burger King. I'd set up my little stand and sell my shirts.

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And, you know, we would touch and squeeze and talk about everybody else's Volkswagens.

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And, you know, and that's where the show scene sort of was birthed, was from friends.

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You know, Jack Stratton and I were like, you know, we should do a show.

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And he's like, you know, yeah, we should do a show. He's like, we've got this.

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He had the connection with the with the folky club.

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Yeah, the folky fest was was what he he launched. I helped him with the first

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year, maybe the first two years.

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Then I was off doing the bug doing bugs in the pier. So we sort of split after.

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In the timeline, I'm going to bring you back. I'm going to bring you back to,

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because I think it's important to touch on this.

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You're kind of mentioning that you're starting to notice, wow,

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this is pretty cool. You know, maybe even be a promoter to have our own show.

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But something inspired that, right? So you mentioned something about how you

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went to Bug Jam back when it used to be in the Land of Lakes and that it just

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absolutely blew your mind.

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It did. Talk to me, walk me through that. What was it like showing up to an

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event like that when you're such a fan?

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And, you know, we all know what Bug Jam is today. It was massive even back then.

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But, you know, what was that experience like? Take me through it.

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Well, first of all, God bless Al and Jeannie Brumley.

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They were the originators. They had a shop in Land O'Lakes that was right next

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to the fairgrounds where the original Bug Jam started. Right.

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Small world syndrome. I was in a band before I got a Volkswagen and I had played

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there like a year or so before I even got my Volkswagen and drove to land the

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lakes for the first bug jam that I went to as a VW participant.

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I had been there before as a musician. And it was like, I pull up to the place

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and I'm like, this looks familiar.

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And that's right. You were here like two years ago playing country, Western music.

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And so, you know, just seeing that whole culture being, you know,

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pulling into the parking lot in my bus, and parking next to other Volkswagens.

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And then going into the show and going to the swap meet and seeing,

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oh, I need that taillight. Oh, I need that bumper.

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Oh, I had to start the wish list right there. Day one.

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And it just sucked me in. I mean, that whole culture, we know what the bug jam

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is like. You don't go there and not know what you're getting into.

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I mean, people eat shit and breathe Volkswagens. Right. They all still do.

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So now we're, timeline-wise, now we're straightened out.

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So now it's 98 It's like 96 I got my van in 95 So my first bug jam would have

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been I got my van in April of 95 So bug jams are in November So it would have

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been 96 Would have been my first bug jam.

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So tell me this thought then Because by 98 You said you're printing You're printing shirts on.

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Iron on, press on Heat transfer, whatever that's called Off a magazine ads You've

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got the Tampa Bay Volkey Fest going with Jack.

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With Jack, right. First two years with him. And then him and I split,

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and I started to hit Bugs on the Pier.

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So that's what I want to know right there. How did that feel from fan now to promoter?

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How did that shift take place?

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When did you kind of get bit by the bug and say, all right, I'm doing this on my own?

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Well, I'm an entertainer. Not so you haven't figured that out yet,

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whether with the art and the bands.

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And over the years, I remember sitting in bed with my wife, coming up with the

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idea. I'm like, babe, we're just going to do a show on the pier.

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I got permission from the city of St. Pete to do it. And she's like,

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looks me right in the eye and she's like, why would you want to do that?

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You know, why, why, you know, when I say I do these shows, it's me and her. Okay.

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You know, Joe, one person does not put together a Volkswagen shows. It's a community.

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Eventually it's a community. but at first it's, it's a husband and a wife and

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friends are brought in. Yeah.

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And, you know, she was questioning me like, you know, I'm like, baby, it's just,

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I've got to do it. I'm going to have a show.

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And over the years, having Bugs on the Pier, I would bring my,

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I wasn't in a band, organized band, but I'm a drummer and I would bring in a

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guitar player and a bass player.

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And we were like the show entertainment, because I had a show.

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I mean, you know how it is.

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Bugs on the Pier was, you know, that's like my own little bug jam.

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I can make my own trophies I can print

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my own flyers And go out and

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sell my soul To the sponsors And create

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a show So I want to touch on this before Because I know this also Kind of happened

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at the same time Simultaneously Or at least in the timeline Was that shirt back

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there Was the first Skyway Convoy So April of 98 right,

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Was the first one I went to And so I think the year before 97 was the first

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year I'd heard about it. I went to 98.

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The whole Skyway story was 12 people, like four or five Volkswagen buses,

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camping at Lake Manatee campgrounds down in Bradenton.

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They went down to Manatee campgrounds. They camped on Friday and Saturday.

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Sunday, they're going to pack up, have to leave the campgrounds,

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back over the Skyway Bridge, hence the convoy over the Skyway Bridge, to Fort DeSoto.

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That's where they just went because it's, you know, it's like we got to go somewhere

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over the bridge. Let's get for Toto.

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Now, I want to pause for a second because keep in mind, this is a podcast.

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So we know what the Skyway Bridge is, but there may be a lot of listeners.

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I'm getting some in Germany and Switzerland and the Netherlands,

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which is really cool already.

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But I want to talk about what this Skyway Bridge is. So the backdrop for many

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now, 26 years in a row, legendary convoys have come over this Skyway Bridge.

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So we're talking a bridge that stretches over four miles across Tampa Bay.

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The next two major counties.

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Yeah, it's not just a bridge. It's more like a masterpiece, essentially.

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Rises 430 feet at its peak. I feel like the iconic yellow cables,

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you know, they're like big sails that catch the Florida sun. Absolutely.

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Absolutely. You know what I mean? And the entire bridge now is under glow,

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has lights that change colors with different seasons and holidays and sporting

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events. That bridge. It's iconic.

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It is. It's absolutely iconic.

00:16:03.866 --> 00:16:08.606
Opened in 87, replaced the original Skyway, which in 1980.

00:16:09.066 --> 00:16:12.866
I remember. Yeah, got struck. I remember. I was in high school that morning.

00:16:13.126 --> 00:16:18.266
I was very young, but I remember the aftermath. I started to have memories of,

00:16:18.306 --> 00:16:24.206
you know, seeing the new construction and how I actually have memories of going over the one side.

00:16:24.406 --> 00:16:27.586
And you could look over, you know, depending on what direction you're going.

00:16:28.466 --> 00:16:31.926
I remember. And you could look over and see the one that fell.

00:16:32.126 --> 00:16:37.366
Yeah, that was crazy. Those were the days But from tragedy came triumph I feel

00:16:37.366 --> 00:16:43.606
that bridge is so amazing Now today the Skyway is a marvel of engineering In my opinion,

00:16:43.786 --> 00:16:49.346
it's a symbol of resilience And the views are so amazing in each direction That

00:16:49.346 --> 00:16:52.106
it almost makes you even forget that you're on a bridge You look like you're

00:16:52.106 --> 00:16:55.886
just a piece of the sky But for VW Convoys,

00:16:55.986 --> 00:17:00.486
this is like the massive photo opportunity The last year we did it,

00:17:00.586 --> 00:17:04.666
we had that drone you know and it just creates these unbelievable

00:17:04.666 --> 00:17:07.646
backdrops for you know for our our our

00:17:07.646 --> 00:17:10.466
hobby and what we love to do so if you've driven it

00:17:10.466 --> 00:17:14.086
you know if you haven't it's magical

00:17:14.086 --> 00:17:17.226
now you know now you know add it to your must-do magical

00:17:17.226 --> 00:17:19.846
all right now picture this as far as the

00:17:19.846 --> 00:17:23.206
eye can see behind you is bolt wagons you know

00:17:23.206 --> 00:17:25.946
right that's because you've been in

00:17:25.946 --> 00:17:28.826
my shoes you've been up front you know what you know

00:17:28.826 --> 00:17:32.506
there's a lot of stress and a lot of organization goes into that apogee

00:17:32.506 --> 00:17:36.186
peak moment when you're on top of the bridge and you're going down and you look

00:17:36.186 --> 00:17:40.126
in the rearview mirror and you see nothing but volkswagen behind you you get

00:17:40.126 --> 00:17:46.106
goosebumps you do it you do crazy feeling we did the april ride this last year

00:17:46.106 --> 00:17:49.226
in 24 we had a little over 400 cars,

00:17:49.846 --> 00:17:54.446
that was that was something else man that that that was fantastic this isn't about me though.

00:17:55.146 --> 00:18:01.966
No I get it Joe But you picked up The torch and you're running with it And you're

00:18:01.966 --> 00:18:03.326
having success Which I'm not

00:18:03.326 --> 00:18:07.826
surprised because this community Needed a leader You know they really did.

00:18:08.646 --> 00:18:14.226
Thanks man We will get to the history of it Because I handed it off to Alicia,

00:18:14.806 --> 00:18:20.106
And you know And then she handed it off to Stig And it didn't go anywhere And

00:18:20.106 --> 00:18:23.686
then you stepped up and you're like no There's too much history here We just

00:18:23.686 --> 00:18:30.266
need to revive this And bring it back And I think And I think That you're going to grow it You know I've,

00:18:30.810 --> 00:18:36.610
I've warned you, this will consume your life. You have the creativity and the

00:18:36.610 --> 00:18:39.870
foresight to grow this. I know you will.

00:18:40.150 --> 00:18:43.270
Yeah, I definitely got some announcements coming. We'll leave it alone.

00:18:43.850 --> 00:18:46.750
Yeah. And I don't do it alone. You know what I mean?

00:18:47.530 --> 00:18:52.650
Alan's been a blessing. We're both, you know, completely different types of people.

00:18:52.870 --> 00:18:58.250
He handles, you know, certain aspects and I handle certain aspects and it works.

00:18:58.250 --> 00:19:01.290
So you know he's an integral part of

00:19:01.290 --> 00:19:04.370
you know obviously what what what's happening

00:19:04.370 --> 00:19:07.930
with our our success as well so definitely some

00:19:07.930 --> 00:19:10.770
flowers to him as well so just real quick you had

00:19:10.770 --> 00:19:14.190
mentioned i think you touched on ken and and

00:19:14.190 --> 00:19:17.470
peg clements yeah yep and and peg hodges

00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:20.570
just tell me quickly how did they influence your

00:19:20.570 --> 00:19:23.810
journey because we're we're now at you know you're you're

00:19:23.810 --> 00:19:27.170
blown away at boat jam it's time to step up you're doing your own

00:19:27.170 --> 00:19:30.410
thing now so now i get my own show to but meanwhile the skyway

00:19:30.410 --> 00:19:33.650
is still going i'm still supporting it right i live

00:19:33.650 --> 00:19:36.750
i lived in crescent lake woodlawn area 11th avenue north

00:19:36.750 --> 00:19:39.750
right there by the tennis courts the crescent lake tennis courts

00:19:39.750 --> 00:19:42.510
so what i would do is i would have a

00:19:42.510 --> 00:19:45.590
little convoy of my friends would meet up there sunday morning

00:19:45.590 --> 00:19:48.530
and we would convoy down to bradenton over

00:19:48.530 --> 00:19:51.750
the skyway to meet up with the big group so

00:19:51.750 --> 00:19:56.750
I started doing that like the first three or four years my convoy became just

00:19:56.750 --> 00:20:03.150
as much fun to ride down to meet big convoy well Ken Ken and Peg see this they're

00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:09.870
like this Sven guy man he's bringing like a third of the convoy down from Tampa or from from Tampa St.

00:20:09.970 --> 00:20:13.310
Pete because they would drive over and meet us in downtown St.

00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:16.890
Pete at Crescent Lake so eventually after

00:20:16.890 --> 00:20:20.430
about three years of me participating they

00:20:20.430 --> 00:20:23.570
were ready to hand it off okay and and that's

00:20:23.570 --> 00:20:26.430
but but at that point i already had already had bugs on

00:20:26.430 --> 00:20:29.330
the pier going so that's when the wild

00:20:29.330 --> 00:20:32.990
weekend was born and and since

00:20:32.990 --> 00:20:39.290
i already had saturday consumed with with with the pier i'm like well we do

00:20:39.290 --> 00:20:43.870
the skyway on sunday but how about we well that and then and that worked for

00:20:43.870 --> 00:20:47.830
you know a few years but then people wanted to camp because you want to make

00:20:47.830 --> 00:20:49.610
it the whole weekend. And the wild weekend.

00:20:50.462 --> 00:20:54.662
When we outgrew Fort DeSoto because they wouldn't let us bend.

00:20:54.682 --> 00:20:56.962
It was basically the bottom line. You couldn't sew t-shirts.

00:20:57.122 --> 00:21:00.362
Nobody could sew and do anything. It's a park, which I get.

00:21:00.582 --> 00:21:06.602
Sure. So I found Boyd Hill, Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, which we ended up moving

00:21:06.602 --> 00:21:09.802
the wild weekend to. We camped there on a Friday and Saturday.

00:21:10.182 --> 00:21:14.802
It was nirvana. There's a lot of good videos out there, I'm sure,

00:21:14.902 --> 00:21:20.682
still on YouTube that show the convoys of us riding in on Sunday mornings.

00:21:20.902 --> 00:21:29.382
And Saturdays, we had games, van crams and bug pushes and motor blows.

00:21:29.702 --> 00:21:34.082
And as sacred as that sounds, yeah, we would actually try to blow a 1600 single-port

00:21:34.082 --> 00:21:36.202
motor up. I mean, how stupid is that now?

00:21:36.402 --> 00:21:39.242
It's rare. But back then, we had parts.

00:21:40.202 --> 00:21:44.182
But it just grew. I mean, I was in the right place at the right time.

00:21:44.182 --> 00:21:46.422
I was already showing my wings.

00:21:46.682 --> 00:21:49.702
I think there's something behind that, though, because you have to have,

00:21:49.862 --> 00:21:54.302
in order for something like that to grow, there has to be at least either some

00:21:54.302 --> 00:21:57.102
level of passion or some type of a vision for it.

00:21:57.382 --> 00:22:01.402
There's a scene behind it. It started off with the meetups on Saturdays,

00:22:01.402 --> 00:22:03.982
and that scene rolled into car shows.

00:22:04.362 --> 00:22:08.182
In car shows, we found out about the convoy with the Skyway, and we helped.

00:22:08.462 --> 00:22:11.542
Now, it was cool because they would do more than just the Skyway.

00:22:11.542 --> 00:22:14.122
They would do buses at the beach.

00:22:14.242 --> 00:22:18.562
It was like June or July, like every summer they would meet out at,

00:22:18.562 --> 00:22:20.862
out at Fort DeSoto and it was just buses.

00:22:21.042 --> 00:22:24.902
You know, it was so cool, but the Skyway thing, you know,

00:22:25.481 --> 00:22:31.361
has its major bus influences because people just love the buses and sure i you

00:22:31.361 --> 00:22:34.221
know there were certain years where it was buses over the bridge and it was

00:22:34.221 --> 00:22:37.801
bugs over the bridge and yeah yeah i was actually gonna touch on that i was

00:22:37.801 --> 00:22:40.981
gonna say wagons over the skyway you did buses on the pier.

00:22:42.321 --> 00:22:45.201
Type threes on the pier i saw all kinds of names i

00:22:45.201 --> 00:22:48.321
was like damn you had a show for everybody now

00:22:48.321 --> 00:22:51.921
we just all come together as one now you have

00:22:51.921 --> 00:22:54.681
to you have to but i i didn't want

00:22:54.681 --> 00:22:57.461
to be a one-trick pony you know you want to change it up

00:22:57.461 --> 00:23:00.161
it was but it was bugs in the pier last year right next year it'll

00:23:00.161 --> 00:23:03.181
be buses on the pier yeah then we'll do type type threes

00:23:03.181 --> 00:23:07.801
on the pier and then you're a marketing genius it's

00:23:07.801 --> 00:23:10.561
just i didn't want to be a a one-trick pony

00:23:10.561 --> 00:23:13.921
you know you you think outside the box so lots

00:23:13.921 --> 00:23:16.901
of of activity for you

00:23:16.901 --> 00:23:20.081
with the pier the skyway we know it's it's

00:23:20.081 --> 00:23:23.161
element we know it's majesty we know what that equals

00:23:23.161 --> 00:23:26.181
talk to me about the backdrop of the pier what

00:23:26.181 --> 00:23:29.201
what made that something for you to put that much energy and

00:23:29.201 --> 00:23:32.201
invest you know four or five six shows a year at the pier

00:23:32.201 --> 00:23:35.041
you you remember the old

00:23:35.041 --> 00:23:38.321
pier it's so unique out there with the inverted triangle

00:23:38.321 --> 00:23:42.521
and we could drive around it and park it had a little covered parking spots

00:23:42.521 --> 00:23:47.001
so we could put two volkswagens in each spot and you know we could ride our

00:23:47.001 --> 00:23:51.801
skateboards around it and people could fish and you know i had games we would

00:23:51.801 --> 00:23:55.881
do the van cram we had music one year i set up this like a,

00:23:56.381 --> 00:24:00.681
500 foot long hot wheels track and we were racing drag racing on the pier people

00:24:00.681 --> 00:24:04.081
said you know you can't you can't drag race on the pier so then i'm like yeah

00:24:04.081 --> 00:24:08.441
we are and we set up a hot wheels drag track and we were drag racing on the pier.

00:24:09.124 --> 00:24:14.144
We actually set up, I do remember we were doing a push race where we would push

00:24:14.144 --> 00:24:16.504
beetles across the back of the pier.

00:24:16.644 --> 00:24:18.984
We had the little light bar set up, green, green, green, red.

00:24:19.204 --> 00:24:25.204
And we would push. We had teams, local teams would push the cars and try to drag race on the pier.

00:24:25.464 --> 00:24:28.744
So, you know, try to be innovative.

00:24:29.004 --> 00:24:34.324
You know, we actually had a guy come in drag wearing a dress one year, drag racing on the pier.

00:24:34.444 --> 00:24:36.404
And he thought, well, where's the drag race? I'm here to drag race.

00:24:36.484 --> 00:24:37.764
No, dude, not that kind of drag racing.

00:24:37.764 --> 00:24:40.644
To it it was just

00:24:40.644 --> 00:24:43.844
all fun yeah that that is so this legendary

00:24:43.844 --> 00:24:47.084
pier again it's it's another it's a

00:24:47.084 --> 00:24:51.304
thing that you you know it if you're here if you're local if you're not this

00:24:51.304 --> 00:24:56.144
isn't just a pier right this is the no this is the heart location yeah it's

00:24:56.144 --> 00:25:00.044
the heartbeat of downtown the heartbeat of st petersburg stretches 3 000 feet

00:25:00.044 --> 00:25:05.864
into tampa bay i think the most the most recent version of it Is from 2020.

00:25:06.604 --> 00:25:09.484
It's beautiful It is turned into something

00:25:09.484 --> 00:25:12.284
amazing I prefer the older pier

00:25:12.284 --> 00:25:15.324
Just because of history I have history there

00:25:15.324 --> 00:25:23.204
But the new pier is nice I would love to do a show On the pier It's beautiful

00:25:23.204 --> 00:25:30.964
now But the original The OG was what The late 1880s Was the railroad pier That

00:25:30.964 --> 00:25:33.444
was the million dollar pier Yeah, yeah.

00:25:33.624 --> 00:25:38.624
And then several versions of it up to the pyramid design, which dropped in 73.

00:25:39.424 --> 00:25:43.744
Which was truly my favorite, demolished in 2015.

00:25:44.404 --> 00:25:48.064
So the new pier, as you said, it's not just a pier.

00:25:48.284 --> 00:25:54.824
Now it's 26 acres of parks and illustrations and artwork and metal stuff.

00:25:54.824 --> 00:25:58.384
And it's literally like where like the culture of St.

00:25:58.464 --> 00:26:01.344
Pete in the history, it like meets the modern vibes of.

00:26:01.884 --> 00:26:04.104
Absolutely. Yeah, it's absolutely awesome.

00:26:04.744 --> 00:26:08.644
So it's a magical place. I want to I want to say this because I because this

00:26:08.644 --> 00:26:12.164
is happening, you know, with some some influence and some dreaming.

00:26:12.704 --> 00:26:16.784
I got approved to be doing a peer show as well now.

00:26:16.984 --> 00:26:23.964
So this year in May on the 24th, Alan and I, the Salty Dub, we are doing the first peer show.

00:26:23.964 --> 00:26:29.124
Now, check this out, everybody that's listening We are the first car club,

00:26:29.284 --> 00:26:32.344
car show That's been approved on the new construction,

00:26:32.844 --> 00:26:38.024
Which means that V-dubs are making a comeback They're on the scene for sure

00:26:38.024 --> 00:26:42.564
We're making history on top of history On top of history So,

00:26:42.644 --> 00:26:45.224
man, that's just so cool You know, classic VW.

00:26:46.584 --> 00:26:49.284
Skyline backdrop It doesn't get better than the pier, man,

00:26:50.013 --> 00:26:53.453
That's awesome. You don't think the porch people and the Mustang people are

00:26:53.453 --> 00:26:57.693
like biting it a bit to throw a show out there because it's so cool and so special?

00:26:58.093 --> 00:27:02.533
Yeah. Awesome. That you got it, brother. That's good. That's good. Spa Beach.

00:27:02.913 --> 00:27:06.533
Again. That little entranceway going out to the pier. Spa Beach.

00:27:06.833 --> 00:27:11.233
That we would do a show there and out on the pier because the pier got so big.

00:27:11.973 --> 00:27:16.513
We outgrew the pier. We would go out to Spa Beach. It's just food for thought.

00:27:16.753 --> 00:27:21.693
If you got the pier, baby, that's amazing, Joe. So, congrats. It's community.

00:27:21.993 --> 00:27:25.953
You know, I got some bumps from the local scene here.

00:27:26.393 --> 00:27:28.833
Awesome. Hooking me up, putting me in touch with the right people.

00:27:29.053 --> 00:27:30.533
Well, yeah, man, we made it happen.

00:27:31.353 --> 00:27:34.613
You got all these shows popping now. You're making shirts. You got flyers going.

00:27:34.713 --> 00:27:40.933
You got all kinds of stuff. And now national magazines are starting to take some notice.

00:27:41.093 --> 00:27:45.213
Just tell me how it felt real quick to have your effort recognized.

00:27:46.233 --> 00:27:50.633
Just to get the spotlight shined on this area. Feels great.

00:27:51.233 --> 00:27:54.233
This area is so beautiful. I mean, we are truly blessed.

00:27:55.253 --> 00:28:01.173
We live in paradise, period. You know, I've been truly lucky in my life so far to be.

00:28:02.004 --> 00:28:04.784
To be spotlighted and had to had

00:28:04.784 --> 00:28:07.544
a light shine for on me and it's not about

00:28:07.544 --> 00:28:10.284
me it's about people behind me that's the way i see it

00:28:10.284 --> 00:28:13.064
it's not yeah man yes you know i've got

00:28:13.064 --> 00:28:16.384
i got a youtube channel going right now sven's world and it's not

00:28:16.384 --> 00:28:19.244
about sven it's about what's going on around sven it

00:28:19.244 --> 00:28:23.164
just dude we'll get into that later we're gonna that later no it's super cool

00:28:23.164 --> 00:28:28.724
obviously i'm a fan i like all your videos i watch them thank you the music

00:28:28.724 --> 00:28:32.724
you know like you said you're an entertainer You do a good job I'm trying to

00:28:32.724 --> 00:28:37.944
follow in your footsteps Trying to be a good retainer It runs in my blood man,

00:28:38.704 --> 00:28:41.944
So 18 years of shows Success.

00:28:42.844 --> 00:28:50.824
Magazines All kinds of cool shit The whole scene is swaying In Sven's way Now

00:28:50.824 --> 00:28:58.764
music takes over your life Music was always there I got burnt out On the being

00:28:58.764 --> 00:29:02.484
a promoter When I got But when I met Jeannie Brumley,

00:29:02.664 --> 00:29:07.064
and she warned me like I warned you, it's going to take over your life if you

00:29:07.064 --> 00:29:09.084
let it. Be careful what you wish.

00:29:09.764 --> 00:29:13.044
And it's just, you know, it's not that I didn't love the people.

00:29:13.224 --> 00:29:17.484
I didn't love the ability to be able to create shows and bring people together.

00:29:17.484 --> 00:29:21.344
It's just, I got burnt out. I needed to step back.

00:29:21.584 --> 00:29:28.044
And when I took on a band full time after I stopped doing my shows,

00:29:28.044 --> 00:29:29.764
I was using my Volkswagen.

00:29:31.224 --> 00:29:35.224
As my van, I put my drum set in there, the PA gear, the bass rig.

00:29:35.424 --> 00:29:38.424
I mean, I was killing my bus. It just made no sense. I mean,

00:29:38.704 --> 00:29:42.364
I had just restored it a few years before that, and it's just like you need

00:29:42.364 --> 00:29:45.664
a white Ford Econoline van.

00:29:45.884 --> 00:29:48.884
It's just what it boiled down to. I hate to say that.

00:29:49.444 --> 00:29:53.884
So you sold the bus to Joe Brennan. It goes down to, you said,

00:29:53.984 --> 00:29:57.624
the south of Australia. South of Australia, yeah. And it's still making its rounds.

00:29:57.804 --> 00:30:00.504
You're being entered into shows. I saw his face. Beautiful.

00:30:00.684 --> 00:30:05.824
It's like his life So your bus is living a second life Halfway around the world How's that feel?

00:30:06.506 --> 00:30:09.586
He's raising his kid in it, just like I raise my kids in it.

00:30:10.186 --> 00:30:13.106
It's amazing. You know, it's funny because I've never met the cat,

00:30:13.306 --> 00:30:17.906
but we communicate. He sends me, you know, hey, Sven, how you doing?

00:30:18.046 --> 00:30:22.706
I send him, you know, pictures of whenever I find old photographs or something. What do you name?

00:30:23.986 --> 00:30:26.766
Hildegard. That was Hildegard. Hildegard.

00:30:29.346 --> 00:30:34.226
Don't ask me whoever it was, Hildegard, but Hildegard. She was the bus, yeah.

00:30:34.906 --> 00:30:38.306
And it's cool because when Joe got it, he didn't take those stickers off.

00:30:38.386 --> 00:30:40.346
The classic camber tag frame is still on it.

00:30:41.746 --> 00:30:45.946
The VW Freaks stickers are still on it. I mean, it's cool because people see

00:30:45.946 --> 00:30:50.526
it down there like it was here. So they're like, wow, that's like American.

00:30:50.926 --> 00:30:55.306
You know, they don't see Americanized stuff like we do here.

00:30:55.706 --> 00:30:57.706
It's just cool, you know, that he didn't change it.

00:30:58.566 --> 00:31:03.386
Yeah, no, that is cool, man. And I think there's like this level of respect

00:31:03.386 --> 00:31:05.066
over time with these cars.

00:31:05.226 --> 00:31:09.626
I think that's one of the reasons why people get pissed when there's a flip, right?

00:31:09.746 --> 00:31:15.246
Because like if somebody gets a deal or takes the torch or takes a vehicle or

00:31:15.246 --> 00:31:17.106
buys one, very, very public.

00:31:17.326 --> 00:31:21.386
It's, you know, nowadays with social media and stuff. And when it falls into

00:31:21.386 --> 00:31:25.986
the wrong hands and it gets flipped, it's like, you know, there's a lot of opinions mixed around.

00:31:26.226 --> 00:31:29.606
And that just shows you the type of loyalty that this community has.

00:31:29.606 --> 00:31:32.346
I think that speaks volumes, you know, really.

00:31:32.386 --> 00:31:39.166
So similarities between the VW community and music, because that seems to be

00:31:39.166 --> 00:31:41.186
what your life calling is, right?

00:31:41.386 --> 00:31:45.366
It's either the music or kind of being the entertainer.

00:31:45.526 --> 00:31:49.846
Both seem to be driven by passion, by creativity, by connection.

00:31:50.206 --> 00:31:52.186
Talk to me about kind of how they blend.

00:31:53.300 --> 00:31:56.840
Well, being a show promoter, you know, I was promoting Volkswagen because now

00:31:56.840 --> 00:31:58.380
I'm promoting Velvet Sky.

00:31:58.740 --> 00:32:01.820
It's just, you know, whatever band you're in is your love. It's your baby.

00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:06.600
And you want it to grow. I mean, I'm 61 years old. I realize I probably won't

00:32:06.600 --> 00:32:09.380
get the record deal. I won't get famous doing this.

00:32:09.760 --> 00:32:15.220
But it's musical masturbation. It makes me feel good, you know. I'm fucking, man.

00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:20.280
I'm fortunate to be doing it a long time. I'm fun to watch.

00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:25.700
I'm a fun drummer. I've always believed the drummer should be The eyes He should

00:32:25.700 --> 00:32:29.820
make it look fun He should make it look easy Not that it is fun or easy.

00:32:31.180 --> 00:32:36.420
I always got a kick out of watching the drummer And watching their face But

00:32:36.420 --> 00:32:42.400
I always Have taken a liking to drumming I've always felt like I have a rhythm

00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:49.060
And I know what a bass line is And all that I've just always had a very keen

00:32:49.060 --> 00:32:51.020
appreciation For drumming.

00:32:51.880 --> 00:32:56.080
I always end up, you know, linking up with drummers and we always end up kind

00:32:56.080 --> 00:32:57.880
of becoming, you know, decently friends.

00:32:58.060 --> 00:33:02.080
So no surprise there, man. No surprise. That's awesome.

00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:07.260
Yeah, man. So like looking back on the scene, the Tampa Bay scene,

00:33:07.520 --> 00:33:09.100
you know, it's been a while since you've been in it.

00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:13.540
I know you're still respected. Everybody that, you know, I put that post up

00:33:13.540 --> 00:33:17.860
and local books and all these people show up and still want to support you.

00:33:17.860 --> 00:33:20.780
What do you think made the scene kind of so

00:33:20.780 --> 00:33:23.540
unique you know back when you

00:33:23.540 --> 00:33:26.540
were you know at your highlight those 18 years that

00:33:26.540 --> 00:33:29.260
you were putting things together you know there was a

00:33:29.260 --> 00:33:33.560
common thread I would when I would support when I would do my shows I would

00:33:33.560 --> 00:33:39.260
drive to Orlando's shows West Palm Beach shows Miami shows to promote what you're

00:33:39.260 --> 00:33:42.800
doing so you'd be meeting a lot of the same people it's not the same people

00:33:42.800 --> 00:33:45.200
the same mindset you know it

00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:48.600
just seems like when you dealt with the Volkswagen people, they were cool.

00:33:49.160 --> 00:33:52.680
You know, whether they, you know, whether they were in politics or cops or what

00:33:52.680 --> 00:33:54.040
didn't matter what your job was.

00:33:54.200 --> 00:33:57.860
Yeah. It's just, it's just the people that you dealt with were just cool people.

00:33:58.220 --> 00:34:01.260
And, and I see a lot of that in the, in the music world too.

00:34:01.460 --> 00:34:05.880
You know, you get a lot of, you get the egos in the Volkswagen world too.

00:34:06.060 --> 00:34:09.720
You know, people will spend their last dime on, on, and they got it.

00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:12.540
I got a million dollars in this bug and it's the best bug ever.

00:34:12.700 --> 00:34:15.800
And it's a beautiful bug, dude, but you know what? It's no more cooler than

00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:19.860
that rust bucket hood ride right down the street with the radars on it.

00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:23.060
I want to go talk to that because that has much personality.

00:34:24.660 --> 00:34:25.520
It's the people.

00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:31.020
I like the people that I hung out with. I like the people that were in the scene.

00:34:32.324 --> 00:34:38.404
I feel like a lot of us in the scene now, it's like the birds of a feather fight,

00:34:39.184 --> 00:34:42.204
you know, the birds of a feather flock together. It's true.

00:34:42.664 --> 00:34:46.844
It's like these guys, I get to know them a little bit. We hang out a tiny bit,

00:34:46.984 --> 00:34:51.504
whether it's at a meet or it's like, oh, my God, it's like all these things

00:34:51.504 --> 00:34:53.424
you end up having in common with these folks,

00:34:53.724 --> 00:34:58.324
you know, and even if you don't, it's like you still can relate on the Volkswagen.

00:34:58.964 --> 00:35:04.364
Oh, absolutely. That's still the common denominator Even if the rest of it doesn't

00:35:04.364 --> 00:35:09.504
line up You're still going to get along there You have to That's awesome,

00:35:09.824 --> 00:35:12.004
I appreciate that That was a pretty cool statement.

00:35:12.924 --> 00:35:15.524
So, look, let's go back to 94,

00:35:16.264 --> 00:35:19.264
alright Okay You're this younger

00:35:19.264 --> 00:35:23.784
version of yourself You're buying this transporter You know, the whole,

00:35:24.344 --> 00:35:27.424
Scene's about to change for your life And yourself and promoting

00:35:27.424 --> 00:35:30.284
and just all of that what advice do you

00:35:30.284 --> 00:35:33.224
give that young man hang on

00:35:33.224 --> 00:35:36.044
you know don't don't lose

00:35:36.044 --> 00:35:40.784
track of who you are i mean it once people start knowing your name and your

00:35:40.784 --> 00:35:43.864
face and then and they want to be around you and they want to hang out with

00:35:43.864 --> 00:35:50.364
you and and go to your shows it can change you it can you know there were people

00:35:50.364 --> 00:35:53.764
who were big on the scene when i started you know the tom browns who would or,

00:35:54.264 --> 00:35:55.664
mike browns that would do the.

00:35:56.460 --> 00:35:59.580
Split window bus show over in tampa at the you know

00:35:59.580 --> 00:36:02.240
i mean he had his own scene and he got burned out

00:36:02.240 --> 00:36:04.940
on it moved to california it's just you have to want

00:36:04.940 --> 00:36:07.720
to do it man i mean i would tell myself hang in

00:36:07.720 --> 00:36:10.100
there you know there are times you're going to get stressed out same thing with

00:36:10.100 --> 00:36:12.940
you joe you're going to get stressed out you're going to go why did i do this

00:36:12.940 --> 00:36:16.900
baby why why you know i could just drive my volkswagen and be happy with it

00:36:16.900 --> 00:36:21.760
you know i i should i should just drive in to be happy with it no you want to

00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:25.720
share those good times with other people you know you want You want to be around

00:36:25.720 --> 00:36:27.580
other Volkswagens that, you know,

00:36:28.020 --> 00:36:29.940
people see two of them together.

00:36:30.340 --> 00:36:35.840
You got stuff in common with these other folks. Even if it's just the cars, at least there's that.

00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:40.100
And I think that where we're at now in the information age where,

00:36:40.100 --> 00:36:42.800
you know, everybody's locked in on their phones and shit.

00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:47.520
And it's just it's it's that like everywhere you go, not in them cars,

00:36:47.760 --> 00:36:52.820
you know, like it's like the people still matter.

00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:57.960
And I think that's what we all love so much About even if there's not 50 Or

00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:03.520
60 cars on a Saturday night These days you know there's 20 But that's a good

00:37:03.520 --> 00:37:08.560
thing But you knew every 20 probably you know They're all friends.

00:37:09.440 --> 00:37:15.720
Do you ever see yourself Getting back into any type of VW You've seen Of course

00:37:15.720 --> 00:37:24.040
I mean you know It's all money you know I would love a crew cab, 69 crew cab type two.

00:37:24.220 --> 00:37:28.720
I mean, that was my dream. I had a 70 single cab.

00:37:29.140 --> 00:37:34.060
When my bus was being restored and was off the road, I lucked into a wrecked

00:37:34.060 --> 00:37:36.660
70 single cab that I got past the camber.

00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:43.060
It was one of those things people would see in traffic and go, did you cut that down?

00:37:43.860 --> 00:37:47.280
It's just, if I could afford another crew cab or single cab,

00:37:47.480 --> 00:37:49.720
I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. I would.

00:37:50.456 --> 00:37:53.316
I love i love the shapes man i love how they look i just you

00:37:53.316 --> 00:37:56.256
know you see one in traffic it's like your old girlfriend going by

00:37:56.256 --> 00:38:01.636
well you gotta look hey baby oh that's great

00:38:01.636 --> 00:38:04.516
great analogy true that's true man it is

00:38:04.516 --> 00:38:07.296
it is i was i was lucky because when joe bought

00:38:07.296 --> 00:38:10.076
my volkswagen he took it to australia i didn't have

00:38:10.076 --> 00:38:13.216
to see it ever again other than on the web it's not like i

00:38:13.216 --> 00:38:16.156
would go to shows and see people drive drive my old bus

00:38:16.156 --> 00:38:18.856
i mean you know when you sell a volkswagen you see somebody else

00:38:18.856 --> 00:38:21.956
driving you're like oh yeah i've been there done that and i didn't

00:38:21.956 --> 00:38:25.156
have to see it anymore it was gone it was out of my life so you

00:38:25.156 --> 00:38:28.416
know i was living someplace else starting over again so you

00:38:28.416 --> 00:38:31.416
know i was lucky you got some good i am a very lucky man

00:38:31.416 --> 00:38:37.336
that's awesome man you got some great memories over time in in in these buses

00:38:37.336 --> 00:38:41.076
and i'm sure you you probably have amazing stories to tell what's the best road

00:38:41.076 --> 00:38:47.516
trip that you ever took in a in a vw best road trip we took in a vw now we've

00:38:47.516 --> 00:38:50.316
had a couple of facades. We had a cabriolet.

00:38:50.716 --> 00:38:55.676
It wasn't all air-cooled. I mean, I love the air-cooled sound and the feel,

00:38:55.696 --> 00:39:01.496
but we had a really nice four-motion facade that we drove to Jacksonville in

00:39:01.496 --> 00:39:02.956
the back that was very, very memorable.

00:39:04.176 --> 00:39:07.956
It's just something about the all-wheel-drive versions of any car.

00:39:08.156 --> 00:39:15.796
You have to have the power and the control, just being able to family time, memories in the facade.

00:39:16.576 --> 00:39:19.836
Cabriolet was good too i mean we've been lucky gina

00:39:19.836 --> 00:39:22.576
bought up bought a square back we had a 74 square back for about

00:39:22.576 --> 00:39:25.376
six months before it self-destructed on us

00:39:25.376 --> 00:39:29.396
clearly a vw

00:39:29.396 --> 00:39:32.396
family yes yeah we we paid

00:39:32.396 --> 00:39:38.256
our dues i i used to say if you don't own a volkswagen you never did you know

00:39:38.256 --> 00:39:44.856
i was gonna say man i think it's a perfect time to ask you what i ask every

00:39:44.856 --> 00:39:48.356
guest and every guest that i'm gonna have on this Show moving forward has to

00:39:48.356 --> 00:39:50.396
answer this Last question,

00:39:51.156 --> 00:39:55.036
Before we wrap this thing up But everybody I'm sure is going to want to know,

00:39:55.803 --> 00:40:00.523
What's your favorite VW model ever, ever?

00:40:01.643 --> 00:40:06.763
Google wagons are pretty cool. Swim wagons, probably be my second Google wagons.

00:40:06.983 --> 00:40:10.403
I just like the thing. Look, the original type one, 80 ones,

00:40:10.663 --> 00:40:16.703
the coos, the coos were a product of the war, but they're still really cool.

00:40:16.943 --> 00:40:21.563
I mean, they're just, you know, I got a 74 type one, 81.

00:40:22.043 --> 00:40:25.163
And no, you got the illness. i love that

00:40:25.163 --> 00:40:28.043
little thing man it's like i think i didn't

00:40:28.043 --> 00:40:30.763
expect to like it as much as i do it's when you get in it

00:40:30.763 --> 00:40:33.923
start driving it like things grow on you down and

00:40:33.923 --> 00:40:39.963
it's like oh hold on like why does why do we ever drive any other way i get

00:40:39.963 --> 00:40:44.723
it totally totally awesome there's a reason they were so popular i mean things

00:40:44.723 --> 00:40:51.983
they only made them for what four years they made them in the u.s For two years, 73, 72, 74, right.

00:40:53.503 --> 00:40:59.683
And then I think shifted to, to Brazil or Mexico where they, for a lot of poco.

00:41:01.183 --> 00:41:03.983
Yes. Things, things are cool. I just, I like the things, um,

00:41:04.963 --> 00:41:06.503
I like them customized though.

00:41:06.643 --> 00:41:10.363
I see a lot of the enthusiasts. They like them, you know, kind of stock.

00:41:10.583 --> 00:41:14.483
And I see them even maybe a little bit of a lift with some kind of mud tires.

00:41:14.763 --> 00:41:19.163
Cause they're very universal brother. I want to slam mine down on the ground

00:41:19.163 --> 00:41:21.983
and lower it and, you know, take all the suspension out of it.

00:41:23.063 --> 00:41:26.743
I want it to be so low to the ground that it rips off reflectors when I'm,

00:41:26.843 --> 00:41:27.823
when I'm changing lanes.

00:41:28.183 --> 00:41:33.963
Have you ever heard of the Frindling? It was the male vehicle that the Volkswagen actually produced.

00:41:34.143 --> 00:41:38.543
It was a male truck. Oh, it was the small male truck with the back.

00:41:38.803 --> 00:41:42.383
I've seen those. Yeah. Those are so cool, man. It's like a type three meets,

00:41:42.543 --> 00:41:44.703
it meets, I don't know. It's hard. It meets a beetle. I mean,

00:41:44.763 --> 00:41:46.383
it's a, it's a bastardized Volkswagen.

00:41:47.203 --> 00:41:51.963
They're also very, very cool. I mean, there's not too many Volkswagen models I don't like.

00:41:52.323 --> 00:41:55.943
But the Type 181 takes the cake for you, though. They do, man.

00:41:55.943 --> 00:41:57.263
I really like the things. I do.

00:41:57.703 --> 00:42:00.583
Because of the Kubels. I mean, it starts with the Kubels. You know,

00:42:00.623 --> 00:42:02.923
that sort of like went into the swim wagons.

00:42:03.103 --> 00:42:05.963
And, you know, I like utility vehicles, man.

00:42:06.043 --> 00:42:09.383
Being able to use it to, you know, work out of it or just live out of it or

00:42:09.383 --> 00:42:12.063
just, you know, have fun in it, man. Come on. Yeah, man.

00:42:12.443 --> 00:42:15.643
Yeah. That's what Volkswagens are all about. That's what it's all about for

00:42:15.643 --> 00:42:17.143
sure, man. Listen, thank you.

00:42:17.343 --> 00:42:21.263
I appreciate you sharing your journey, all those memories.

00:42:21.743 --> 00:42:26.463
You made an impact on this area. I said at the beginning of the call,

00:42:26.883 --> 00:42:28.203
definitely giving you your flowers.

00:42:28.363 --> 00:42:32.703
There's tons of guys in this area that are still part of the scene that deserve

00:42:32.703 --> 00:42:35.083
the same treatment. They deserve some flowers too.

00:42:35.343 --> 00:42:38.583
So anybody that's listening, I'm coming for you. I'm coming for you.

00:42:38.903 --> 00:42:45.143
But Sven, thank you, man. Thank you for doing this. And tell the audience where

00:42:45.143 --> 00:42:50.183
They can find you if they want to come see your band play or you know, are you on social media?

00:42:50.423 --> 00:42:54.523
Like where if anybody wants to say what's up this fan? How do they come and locate you?

00:42:55.803 --> 00:43:00.863
I'm into the e-bike world now. I'm really into the personal electric vehicles, PEVs.

00:43:01.263 --> 00:43:09.983
My wife and I are into the e-bikes. I report to a TV channel in New York City called FranticTV.com.

00:43:10.123 --> 00:43:12.763
You can find us on YouTube. We're all over the web.

00:43:13.543 --> 00:43:18.203
Sven's World. And your YouTube. Yes, Sven's World. Sven's World is a channel

00:43:18.203 --> 00:43:20.983
on Frantic TV. And it's awesome.

00:43:21.803 --> 00:43:25.443
Oh, man, I appreciate the love. I know that. Yeah, you do a good job of the production of it.

00:43:25.443 --> 00:43:28.243
You know thank you i i don't do any of the editing i

00:43:28.243 --> 00:43:30.783
just shoot the video and and and talk fortunately it all

00:43:30.783 --> 00:43:33.503
goes to new york and he does the editing so oh okay well that

00:43:33.503 --> 00:43:37.063
editing is on time brother it looks that's cool again

00:43:37.063 --> 00:43:43.063
i am so lucky man i just shit shit fucking finds me man i i can't complain if

00:43:43.063 --> 00:43:48.383
you want to check out about velvet sky velvet sky rocks.com you can get pictures

00:43:48.383 --> 00:43:54.703
and videos and see where we're playing next man velvet sky rocks again dot com,

00:43:55.443 --> 00:43:58.563
Thank you for your time. I appreciate you, Joe. I appreciate you, too, man.

00:43:58.823 --> 00:44:04.543
Yeah. This guy's the real, real deal, Volkswagen community, okay? Poor Joe Persons.

00:44:05.423 --> 00:44:09.503
He's my brother by another for a reason. Thank you, man. He's the real deal.

00:44:09.603 --> 00:44:11.883
Hey, you and I got to ride together, man.

00:44:12.203 --> 00:44:13.623
Yeah. Hey, we're going to do that.

00:44:13.763 --> 00:44:17.083
We got a couple electric bikes in our household, too. Exactly. Exactly.

00:44:17.403 --> 00:44:20.683
I got a mock wheel. I'm going to come hang out with you soon.

00:44:20.843 --> 00:44:21.703
Let's let it heat up. Do it.

00:44:22.103 --> 00:44:25.283
All right, brother. Do it, man. Do it. I promise. All right, man. I'll talk to you.

00:44:25.443 --> 00:44:29.983
Love you bro be safe thank you brother love you man talk to you see you see ya.

00:44:30.983 --> 00:44:34.083
And that's a wrap for this episode of

00:44:34.083 --> 00:44:38.683
dub life diaries thanks for sitting shotgun and diving into these incredible

00:44:38.683 --> 00:44:44.123
stories of the people and doves that drive their dreams until next time keep

00:44:44.123 --> 00:44:48.583
the engine humming and the wheels turning and always follow the road that inspires

00:44:48.583 --> 00:44:53.163
you this is joe person signing off i'll catch you on the next ride.

00:44:53.680 --> 00:45:10.018
Music.