Rules of The Midwest Junk Drawer #169

Summary

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Bellied Up Podcast Episode 169: Rules of The Midwest Junk Drawer

Hosts: Charlie Berens & Myles, the You Betcha Guy
Date: September 25, 2025

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Overview

This episode of Bellied Up is a classic Midwestern belly-up-at-the-bar banter session, packed with nostalgia, hilarity, and the kind of relatable “junk drawer” wisdom you only find in the Midwest. Hosts Charlie Berens and Myles muse about their musical upbringings, take spirited calls from listeners grappling with household dilemmas (notably, a missing junk drawer), and debate the true Midwest sport—Monster Trucks. With stories spanning from NSYNC concerts to cultural adjustments from the Philippines to Michigan, the episode nails both comedy and heartfelt moments.

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Main Discussion Highlights

1. Musical Nostalgia and Midwest Childhoods

[00:00-14:00]

• The duo dive into their respective musical pasts, poking fun at each other’s embarrassing favorites and first concerts.
  • Myles shares fondness for Blink 182, OAR, and even recalls seeing NSYNC live with his dad and brother—earning some teasing from Charlie about boy bands being for girls.
  • Charlie confesses to loving Everclear and reminisces about the awkwardness of finding out Bow Wow isn’t Snoop Dogg’s nephew.
• The segment brims with self-effacing Midwest humor and some gentle ribbing about generational trends.
• Memorable Quote:

  "You need to blow a tire. It's a lot of friction." – Myles, on slow-dancing in double-stitched jeans [02:47]
  "He bought 10 years of love with that one concert." – Charlie, on dads flexing by taking kids to NSYNC [07:45]
  "I want to let you know, the truth is that I let the bullies run my mind. And for me, it wasn't even an option to listen to NSYNC." – Charlie [12:46]

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2. The Midwest Junk Drawer Dilemma

[15:27-41:00]

Caller: Clyde (from Central Michigan)

• Clyde laments the loss of his household junk drawer after his wife (from the Philippines) cleaned it out, scattering vital items around the house.

• Charlie and Myles riff on the sanctity of the junk drawer—the “ecosystem” and comfort it provides Midwesterners.

  • Discuss what belongs in a proper junk drawer: batteries, tape measures, writing utensils, adhesives, random coupons, napkins, and more.
  • Suggest lining the new drawer with a hand towel for a “high class junk drawer.”
  • Joke about “junk drawer wars” in marriage and compare junk drawers to a terrarium—a self-contained ecosystem.

• Cultural comparison: Clyde notes his wife’s confusion about the American need for a drawer dedicated to random stuff, sparking discussion about abundance, adaptation, and what constitutes “comfort” in different cultures.

• Memorable Quotes:

  "I thought when you just sold your house, you just take the junk drawer drawer out and you just bring that to the next house." – Myles [16:11]
  "The point of the junk drawer is it's where you know where everything is and yet you know where nothing is all at the same time." – Charlie [18:01]
  "If she thinks you're not going to continue to put stuff in there, she's crazy." – Myles [18:38]
  "The thrill you get...the junk drawer gives what you need at that time." – Charlie [21:22]

• Notable Moment:
  Clyde cracks, "There's some jobs Americans aren't willing to do, and doing me is one of those jobs," riffing on meeting his wife online [24:47]

Tangents:

• The comfort junk drawers bring Midwesterners parallels a kid’s security blanket.
• Overflowing junk drawers as a sign of true Midwestern roots (and maybe a little hoarding).

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3. Midwest vs. Philippines: Cultural Notes

[25:52-39:40]

• Clyde expands on his wife’s adjustment to Michigan from the Philippines.
  • Stories of driving in Manila: "It's like a million fish swimming all together and they don't hit each other." [32:03]
  • Contrast in gratitude and work ethic; Filipinas find joy despite 120-hour work weeks, compared to American impatience at Wendy’s drive-thru.
• Myles nearly ruins the moment, and the hosts switch back to gentle ribbing, specifically about Michigan/Wisconsin rivalry.
• Memorable Quotes:

  "Midwesterners' sense of comfort is the junk drawer, you know?" – Myles [26:19]
  "She likes it ... there's lots of Filipinas that moved to the Midwest and live in our area. So she's still got a connection to her homeland." – Clyde [32:05]
  "They just have a curtain. Really, the neighbors come by and the cousins come by and everything." – Clyde [32:14]

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4. Midwest Monster Trucks & Childhood Regrets

[42:00–61:22]

Caller: Travis (Paid Volunteer Firefighter & Monster Truck Insider, Chetek, Wisconsin)

• Monster Trucks nominated as the “official sport of the Midwest.”

  • “Bigfoot” origin story: Born in Missouri; first public car crush at Pontiac Silver Dome, 1983.
  • Explains the anatomy of a monster truck show: pit party, skills competition (wheelies, stunts), bracket-style racing, and freestyle.

• Myles is outed for never having been to Monster Jam, but attends an NSYNC concert as a kid—this return gag draws laughter throughout the show.

• Humorous takes on the role of diesel fumes in child development and the health of future adults.

• Memorable Quotes:

  "The developing lung needs diesel flowing through it in an enclosed area for two hours at least once a year..." – Charlie [45:13]
  "The trucks are paid an appearance fee rather than, you know, getting paid to win in most cases." – Travis [50:50]
  "[Monster trucks] are for absolutely everybody. It's for your rednecks, it's for your rich folk." – Travis [47:40]
  "When the founding fathers started this country...fast forward, and they're like, actually, we used our freedom to put giant wheels on a truck and run over other cars with it." – Myles [49:10]

• Travis shares his own brush with fame: a viral video of him dancing to Taylor Swift at a Monster Jam event, leading to friendly ribbing about white people’s dancing skills and surprise at a child with a BB gun on stage.

  "This is why they say white people can't dance. Right here, this is [the] video." – Myles [56:03]

• Future plans: Hosts plot to attend Monster Jam together with their kids for a true Midwestern rite of passage.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------| | 02:47 | "You need to blow a tire. It's a lot of friction." | Myles | | 07:45 | "He bought 10 years of love with that one concert." | Charlie | | 12:46 | "I let the bullies run my mind. And for me, it wasn't even an option to listen to NSYNC." | Charlie | | 18:01 | "The point of the junk drawer is it's where you know where everything is and yet you know nothing."| Charlie | | 21:22 | "The junk drawer gives what you need at that time." | Charlie | | 24:47 | "There's some jobs that Americans aren't willing to do, and doing me is one of those jobs." | Clyde (caller) | | 26:19 | "Midwesterners' sense of comfort is the junk drawer." | Myles | | 45:13 | "The developing lung needs diesel flowing through it in an enclosed area for two hours..." | Charlie | | 47:40 | "[Monster trucks] are for absolutely everybody." | Travis (caller) | | 49:10 | "We used our freedom to put giant wheels on a truck and run over other cars with it." | Myles | | 56:03 | "This is why they say white people can't dance. Right here, this is video." | Myles |

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Iconic Moments

• NSYNC Confessions and Midwest Masculinity (05:33–13:17):
  Myles stands his ground about loving NSYNC, prompting conversation about masculinity and early 2000s peer pressure.

• The Junk Drawer Starter Kit (20:20–23:00): Listing the sacred items every “real” junk drawer includes—loose nails, random batteries, tape measures of various sizes, and expired coupons.

• Cultural Contrasts & Midwest Comforts (32:05–34:17):
  Heartfelt discussion on gratitude, adaptation, and why junk drawers mean so much in the Midwest but can be perplexing to immigrants.

• Monster Jam as Midwest Heritage (47:40–52:41): Travis enthralls with the history, spectacle, and unifying force of Monster Truck rallies.

• Viral Taylor Swift Dance (55:31–57:52): Hosts watch Travis’s Monster Jam dance on YouTube, marveling at the cultural mashup.

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Episode Structure & Flow

1. Opening Banter: Musical roots, bar setting, poking fun about aging and music tastes.
2. Call-In Segment 1: Clyde’s junk drawer woes, leading to a breakdown of junk drawer essentials and a dive into cultural assimilation and marriage.
3. Mid-Show Tangents: Regional rivalries, a little history, and family stories—kept comedic and light.
4. Call-In Segment 2: Travis introduces Monster Trucks as Midwest staple; deep dive into the sport’s lore, live events, and why everyone (including first-timers) needs to go.
5. Final Reflections & Plots: Myles and Charlie vow to take their kids to Monster Jam, connecting to the show’s opening themes of nostalgia and new traditions.

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Conclusion

This episode of Bellied Up masterfully balances tongue-in-cheek Midwestern self-deprecation, sincere cultural insights, and the nostalgia of youth. Listeners come away not just laughing, but also reflecting on what unites people—whether it’s the contents of a junk drawer or cheering on a giant truck flattening sedans.

Final Thought:
"It's okay if you guys like NSYNC. I was just kidding." – Charlie [64:30]

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Transcript

[A]

Hello, folks. Welcome. Welcome to another episode of the Bellied up podcast. We want you to belly up to the bar with us and take a load off. That's how we would start the show if it was, like, on npr, you know.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

It's kind of hard.

[B]

Grab a seat, grab a drink and share some laughs with us today.

[A]

My guest, of course, is Miles, the you betcha guy. Miles, how are you doing today?

[B]

I am doing splendid.

[A]

Are you what?

[B]

We are here at station number six, and it is just a cozy environment and a lot of character, a lot of fun.

[A]

I'm looking at the back wall. It's made of this beautiful upcycled wood, and I am drinking an Old Fashioned by Baron's Old Fashioned brand.

[B]

You know, I've heard a lot of good things about that brandy.

[A]

It's actually very delicate, delightful. We do have.

[B]

The guy that started it, though, is kind of a piece of.

[A]

But, well, it's funny that you mentioned that because we must disclose that the guy who started it is sitting right next to you, which makes it an awkward conversation.

[B]

I don't know if I like your NPR voice.

[A]

Why not?

[B]

Yeah, I don't know why. It's a little cartoony for me.

[A]

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is that cartoony? Would you like to watch the cartoon? Because just because it's cartoony doesn't mean it's a good cartoon. Yeah, it is a little weird. Anyway, let's. Let's move past it so we don't lose any.

[B]

No, I'm. I'm. I'm completely moved past it.

[A]

Okay, cool.

[B]

So where are we at today, Charlie?

[A]

Well, we're at station number six, Miles.

[B]

Cool. Brick walls.

[A]

Cool. I like brick and wood on walls. And they got both of them here. And they also got a Blink 182 poster. Look at that.

[B]

I know I'm in the right spot. I was kind of a Blink 182 kid growing up, Charlie.

[A]

Were you?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Oh, you kind of strike me as that. That's why you're wearing that black T shirt right now.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, sure. Yeah.

[A]

Some things never die, so. Okay, so you like a little blink one now?

[B]

Blink 182 is less goth, Charlie, if that's the joke you were trying to make.

[A]

I'm just looking at poster.

[B]

They're more punk than they are goth.

[A]

Okay, but they know their way around a black T shirt.

[B]

When they were popular, you had to have been in high school.

[A]

I feel like you're trying to say that like an insult.

[B]

No, I Mean, like what you graduated high school in 2006, 2005. 2005. That's Peak Blink 182.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You had to have been at the. At your prom, just grinding on gals listening to Blink 182.

[A]

Dry denim, dance club, fornication.

[B]

I hope you wore your double stitched jeans for that, Miles. You need to blow a tire.

[A]

I.

[B]

It's a lot of friction. Yeah, there's a lot of rubbing and friction going on.

[A]

I remember eighth grade, we were dancing to Back that ass up. Yeah, you a big fine.

[B]

Shake your tail feather.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Miles, what were your favorite bands growing up?

[B]

I liked flick 182 a lot. I was into oar.

[A]

Oh, I know this about you. What was your favorite OAR song?

[B]

Depends on the mood. Depends on the mood. I really, really. I think my favorite album of theirs is the Live from Madison Square Garden.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

I mean, we're talking about. Hey, girl. We're talking about. There's a song that's got a great riff to start it off called Lay Down.

[A]

How does it start? A wow. Little guitar riff.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Nice. I thought you meant. I was waiting for the vocals to drop, but.

[B]

Lay down Rest here in my arms and lay down Lay down, lay down.

[A]

Nice. Dude, did you. Did you ever go see oar?

[B]

I did. Yeah. That was. They did a smaller show in Moorhead, Minnesota, and I went over there.

[A]

Did you bring a gal with.

[B]

The coolest part about OAR is they. They have a song called Crazy Game of Poker when they say, and everyone brings a deck of cards and throw cards in the air.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

In that song, it's actually quite an out of body experience.

[A]

Did you do that?

[B]

I didn't know about the car, so I just grabbed some on the ground and threw them in the air.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, yeah. Nice. Oh, that's fun, man.

[B]

Yeah. What about you? What was your favorite bands growing up?

[A]

Oh, boy. I liked Everclear.

[B]

Did you?

[A]

That was my first favorite pen. I am still living with your ghost Lonely and weary of the West Coast.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, I could. Yeah, I was big in the Everclear, man. I didn't know what they were talking.

[B]

About, but actually listen to it. I don't know. It must have been like middle school. I had a Bow Wow cd.

[A]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[B]

He wasn't Lil Bow Wow anymore on this album. He was just Bow Wow.

[A]

Okay?

[B]

So put some respect on his name.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Is that really Snoop Dogg's nephew?

[B]

I have no clue.

[A]

I grew up thinking that was Snoop Dogg's nephew. Can we get a fact check on that?

[B]

But the funny thing is, so I had, like, a CD player that also doubled as a alarm clock, and that was the CD that I have in there. And when the alarm would go off, it would just start playing whatever CD you're in there. Yeah, the Bow Wow. And so the first song on that album is just starts with a dog just barking. So for like, two years, I just woke up every day to a dog barking my alarm.

[A]

Can you even listen that song now.

[B]

And not get the anxiety of, like.

[A]

Your alarm going, oh, God, yeah. Be careful what you put in your cd, Alarm Clock man. Yeah, yeah. What's your most embarrassing favorite band?

[B]

Most embarrassing favorite band?

[A]

The group you like the most you're kind of embarrassed about now?

[B]

Well, I went to an In Sync concert at the Fargo when I was, like, in the sixth grade.

[A]

Like, because you wanted to see them or because your mom won free tickets off?

[B]

No, because me and my brother wanted to see him. My dad take us.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Dude, I wish I could, like, go back and just be on a fly on the wall, watch my dad at an insane concert. It would be. My dad is even, like, going to, like, concerts, period.

[A]

I mean, if you.

[B]

It was like, me and my brother and, like, 10,000 screaming girls at this concert. I mean, it was a great concert. We had a great time. Everyone got a glow stick.

[A]

That. That's a great, great visual. Your dad went to an NSync.

[B]

So, dude, like, like, you know, you know, the old Midwest dad. Sometimes you're like, he doesn't show love ever.

[A]

Right?

[B]

That's how you knew my dad loved us as he took us to an insane concert.

[A]

He didn't have to say it, you.

[B]

Know, he just showed us by taking us to the concert.

[A]

I mean, I think he showed you for, like, the next 10 years of your life. He could go 10 year past not showing you any affection.

[B]

He bought 10 years of love with that one concert. You are correct, dude, because that's peak.

[A]

Man, that must have been expensive.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. And that was kind of probably around the time they were real popular. So. Yeah.

[A]

So how did you, as a 5th grader not know that was. Was listening to NSYNC cool? Couldn't have been.

[B]

I mean.

[A]

What do you mean?

[B]

Boy bands were like, peak at that time.

[A]

Yeah, for women. Miles. For women.

[B]

I. I don't know. I would disagree. I think there's a lot of people listening that liked In Sync. Backstreet Boys.

[A]

Really? Yeah, a lot of guys.

[B]

You didn't like their songs. How about you, Jake? He's too young.

[A]

No, he's not too young. Miles.

[B]

You like, 22 years old? Of course he's too young.

[A]

Let's rewind this story. Let's go ahead and rewind.

[B]

That's fine. I don't care if you think that no girly for me to like somebody to think a Backstreet Boy song. I don't. I don't know.

[A]

I just.

[B]

I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight knowing that.

[A]

I know you're going to sleep like a baby, but I'm just fascinated by this because you're the last person I expect. But you even say you're himself. The place was loaded with girls.

[B]

Yeah, there was some guys there, too.

[A]

Dude, that's hilarious. What was your favorite song?

[B]

Because it was the. No, it was when the no Strings Attached album came out, obviously. Music video. You know, Bye Bye Bye was a big deal.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, it was December 3, 1999.

[B]

See, 1999. Oh, so that was even. I was even younger than that. 1999. My dad took me to a concert in 99 in the Fargo Dome. That means that I was 6. There's no way I could look more. It's. It was probably. It had to have been later than that. No way. I was six at a concert.

[A]

I mean, that.

[B]

Yeah, you, like, just gained consciousness at six, right?

[A]

Yeah, I could see that. I could see, like, 6 years old, not knowing any better, going to an NSYNC count, you know, look at me. I'm turning into a middle school bully right now. Yeah, usually you're the middle school bully.

[C]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. I think anybody listening would agree with me that, A, you're usually the bully, and B, yeah, only girls listen to n.

[B]

Whatever, dude.

[A]

No, I think it's cool. I got more respect for you somehow, and yet way less respect. So it's.

[B]

How much works. Do you gain or lose respect for my dad?

[A]

I mean, I. Honest, I'm. I. That's a no point. I'm just like. Your dad didn't know he was getting himself into. I just want the visual. I would pay so much money to get surveillance video from the Fargo Dome and just to find your dad, see how many beers he went to get. Oh, my gosh, no.

[B]

He had to have one point. Been like Bob in his head, don't you think?

[A]

Probably. I mean, there's a few bangers in there. Let me ask you this.

[B]

I can guarantee he didn't do that. He didn't do it. I. I got the Last concert I went to with my dad, he just was pissed that he had to stand the whole time.

[A]

My back.

[B]

It was actually before his knee replacement, so he was down bad. Can we just go home so I can, you know, get. Get horizontal.

[A]

Now?

[B]

Did.

[A]

Did you ever bring this up with your dad?

[B]

Yeah. I feel like we talked about it before. I don't know. He might have. He probably doesn't even remember it because he's blacked it out, you know? Very wise.

[A]

Just seeing these shirtless guys come up oiled up on stage.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Looking at his two boys, he's like, well, I. I guess I'm not going to have any biological grandchildren.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, that helps my cause, right? That I was maybe six or seven when I went, rather than like 13, but my brother is like five years older than me, so he's got, you know, if I was 7, that means he was 12, so.

[A]

Okay. Anyways, well, either way, props, dude. I mean, I like it. I think it's great.

[B]

It's fine if you want to make fun of me for that, you know, it's. You know, you're. Your fragile masculinity is showing, Charlie.

[A]

No. Anyone else I would pretend to not care about it, but you. I'm just surprised. You're just catching me surprised. No, you know what? Here's the truth, Miles. I want to let you know, the truth is that I let the bullies run my mind. And for me, it wasn't even an option to listen to NSync.

[B]

Yeah. See, when you're the bully, when you're the whatever you want, you get to pick and choose what bullying is. You know, you guys always think, wow, dude, that is. Yeah. You listen to Eminem. That is so girly.

[A]

It's true, man. You were. You were the first grade school influencer. Was the bully.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know.

[D]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah, well, I'm. I'm sorry. Listen, it's. And whoever you are out there, it's okay to listen to NSync. And I'm just surprised that what I did is I took a time machine back in time when it was okay to tell someone. It's weird.

[B]

You listen, if social media was around at that time, there would have been a bunch of tick tocks about guys pretending, you know, they remember the trend where they would put their hand in front of their mouth pretending they didn't like a song that was kind of girly, and then they'd be singing it behind it.

[A]

Oh, that like they're yawning.

[B]

NSYNC would have been prime for that.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that's funny.

[B]

So. Yeah, it's fine.

[A]

Well, cool. Cool.

[B]

Strong out there in sync nation. Well, Charlie, should we take some callers?

[A]

Yeah, let's do a Miles. Also no relation to Little Bow Wow and Snoop Dogg.

[B]

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[A]

Bellied up. Yeah.

[B]

Having a good time playing prize picks? I was able. Glad I was able to get you on price picks this end of this last summer.

[A]

Yeah, man, you made me a little bit of scratch dough. Cash money.

[B]

American sock drawer money. A dollar, a little sock drawer money off a prize fix.

[A]

Yeah, it was nice. That's why I'm buying you drinks today here. Oh, yeah.

[B]

And guys, right now, Prize picks. The best place to win cash while watching sports. And you know that Charlie and I do know that. Super easy to play. Just open up the app, create a lineup, and pick more or less on a few player stats. That's it. No complicated spreads, no confusing rules. Just you, the players, and your picks. Charlie loves winning, don't you?

[A]

I like it more than losing, that's for sure.

[B]

Miles. So, guys, whether you're on the couch right now at the bar watching with friends, you can turn your sports knowledge into real cash. Get on prize picks. Download prize picks today. Use code. Bellied up.

[A]

Bellied up.

[B]

Clyde, how you doing?

[C]

I'm doing fine. How about you, gentlemen?

[A]

We're good, man. We hear you got some junk drawer problems.

[C]

Oh, yeah, you know, it's the bane of my existence. No, I got a good life other than and a great wife, but she rearranges everything every couple of weeks. It seems like just a couple weeks ago she got rid of the junk drawer for some odd reason.

[A]

Whoa, whoa.

[C]

The Metro's practically empty.

[A]

Whoa.

[C]

Just sitting there.

[A]

Your wife cleaned out the junk drawer, Clyde.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Put it all in a little box and hid that box under a table. And now I don't know where to find batteries or a little Phillips head screw, but I wrong nothing.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I didn't even know it was possible. I thought when you just sold your house, you just take the junk drawer drawer out and you just bring that to the next house.

[A]

That's exactly what you do.

[B]

Then they just have to deal with finding a new drawer for it.

[A]

And that's why every junk drawer doesn't quite fit right into the thing. It's always been fashioned in there. So you just don't.

[C]

WD40 will make it work.

[B]

Well, no, no, now you don't have WD40. You don't have your junk drawer anymore.

[A]

Yeah. What the hell are you gonna do, man? What are you gonna do when you need a thumbtack? What are you gonna do when you need a D battery?

[B]

What are you doing? You a rubber band, you know, what are you gonna need? What are you doing? You need to write a grocery list and there's no pad of paper.

[A]

What are you gonna do when. When you need a scoopy tokens? What are you gonna do when you need a Sharpie?

[C]

Yeah, I have no idea. Because every one of those things you mentioned is now in its own separate little place. And I think I know where a couple of them are, but I'm sure in a few weeks those are gonna change locations too.

[B]

What do you. Okay, so why do you think she cleaned out the junk drawer? Like, was she. Did she need the space for something else or what?

[C]

I honestly don't know. There's only a cell phone charger in there now, and she. She actually switched the drawer to a different location because we had a drawer just for hand towels, you know, I mean, hand towels can go anywhere.

[A]

They can. They could go in the junk drawer, in fact.

[C]

Yeah, that's true, actually.

[B]

Great. Like, if you want to have a nice junk drawer, like lay one of the hand towel down and then everything goes on top of that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Nice.

[B]

Nice feel in the junk drawer.

[A]

Yeah, that's a high class junk drawer right there. So she's got a drawer.

[C]

Maybe I should make a. I should make a fancy junk drawer for her. Make it look nice and maybe she'll go for it.

[A]

Yeah, but that's not. That's not the point of the junk drawer. The point of the junk drawer is it's so where you know where everything is and yet you know where nothing is all at the same time. That's the point of the junk drawer. And then the thrill you get of also.

[B]

Yeah, Charlie, I think what you need to do is you need to just slowly start putting more. I mean, that's a junk drawer. So like you're just going to, you know, like involuntary things like breathing, your heart pumping, your body does involuntary things. Yeah, Midwesterners, involuntary response to having a piece of junk is putting in the junk drawer.

[A]

Right.

[B]

If she thinks you're not going to continue to put stuff in There, she's. She's crazy. So sorry for calling your wife crazy.

[A]

But we're just stating facts here.

[B]

So, like it's going to fill up again. And I think what you're going to find yourself in is a junk drawer.

[A]

Oh, a junk drawer.

[B]

A junk drawer war. You're going to be in a junk drawer war. And that's no good for a marriage.

[A]

No, it's not.

[C]

You're right.

[A]

But I do wonder though, I do wonder if you know how like when lightning strikes a prairie and it burns, they say it's good because it brings up the better like flowers, the native species. I wonder. And you can run this experiment for us because I've never not had a junk drawer. But what happens when you start a new junk drawer?

[B]

You have an opportunity to do a junk drawer even better now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We're gonna look at glass half full.

[A]

Yeah. You can get rid of all that, that weird stuff and, and then you can really think about like, like how to do this. I mean, you're all. Miles already said you're starting with a. Use one of your wife's good hand towels and line the new drawer with that. See how that changes the dynamic, you know, Keep an open mind here.

[B]

Yeah, it's like the, the people who start like a cute little ecosystem in like a fish thing.

[A]

Yeah. It's like called again.

[B]

I don't know, but aquarium or aquarium of sort. But then they'll like put like moss in there.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Terrarium.

[B]

Terrarium.

[A]

Terrarium.

[B]

Yeah. You rain, you basically are starting a new terrarium of junk in the junk drawer.

[A]

Okay, so Miles, and how does, you.

[B]

Know, try throw some crazy in there, you know.

[A]

Well, what, what is the junk drawer starter kit was every good junk drawer have to have.

[B]

Every good junk drawer has got to have loose nails and screw. Gotta have thumbtacks like you said. It's gotta have an assortment of writing utensils. It's gotta have a tape measure or three probably different size tape measures.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

You know how you get like a little guy that goes in there. But then you do need a good solid 25 footer.

[A]

You need a big guy in there too. You need every battery known to man. And I'm also talking about those little circle batteries, you know. Yeah. The ones that might spontaneously start on fire if there's little water spilled on them. And you need one of those lithium ions in there and dip a little water in there just to see. Because frankly, nothing bad can happen in a junk drawer. And that's what people should realize when you're in the junk drawer. It's a black hole for the things you need in your life. The junk drawer gives what you need at that time.

[B]

So another good one in my junk drawer. I don't know if you have. This checkbook is in my junk drawer.

[A]

Checkbook, yes. Got to have a checkbook. Yeah, I got one. And also the little. The little thing you use to clean your glasses. I've got, like, four of those in my junk drawer.

[B]

Great ones.

[A]

Why my glasses are always dirty.

[B]

Drywall anchors. I got a plethora of drywall anchors in there.

[A]

Let's not forget the drywall screws. Also a screwdriver. Phillips and Allen screwdriver.

[B]

And then, you know, everyone always acquires a tiny little screwdriver with the tiniest head on it. And you're like, I don't know where I got this, but I have it. My. I got one of those in there as well.

[A]

Oh, you got one of those. Oh, yeah. One of those glasses, right?

[B]

Yeah. Like. Yeah, I don't even have glasses, you know? Like, why do I have this?

[A]

It just appears, man it. And frankly, that's how a junk tour is. Once you get the terrarium started, if you will, once you get the juncture, it starts growing things. So just out of nowhere, you will get, like, a gift card to Fleet Farm is going to grow there. There's not going to be any money on it, but it grows there. Assorted business.

[B]

Free. Free dipped cone at the Dairy Queen. Yeah, yeah. Coupon in there. They just appear in there.

[A]

Is that. I haven't even been to a DQ in at least two and a half days, and yet I don't remember getting one of these, but there it appears. Napkins from Culver's. You're going to have them just lined up in there. Ketchup packets, mustard packets, soy sauce packets. They're all going to be in there.

[B]

And actually, in case one of those bursts open, you got the little. Little hand towel down, too.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, sorry.

[B]

Go ahead, Clyde.

[C]

Oh, no problem. You guys are describing almost the perfect ecosystem for the junk drawer. But you think she forgot maybe the most important one, which is duct tape.

[A]

Duct tape, yeah. Oh, God.

[B]

Yeah, you're right.

[A]

You're right. I. And.

[B]

And. And with that, all sorts of adhesives. You know, you got to have Gorilla Glue in there. Super glue.

[A]

Wood glue.

[B]

Yep. Wood glue is great.

[A]

Yeah. And little Allen keys. Do we mention I'm forgetting about the.

[B]

The. What's it called? The putty. Like, to fill holes in the drywall. What's that called?

[A]

All the little liquid nails type stuff like. Like the little spackle. Little spackle. Just a little jar, though. Yeah, a little detail jar of spackle in there. And of course, you got to have yourself a little spatula to do it with, you know, I mean, I just.

[B]

Use a spatula from the kitchen for that, but.

[A]

Oh, that's good. That's good.

[C]

Now, you know, I think.

[A]

Go ahead.

[C]

I was sorry to interrupt, but just wondering, maybe it's a cultural thing because she's not from America and, you know, we've got maybe too much abundance here in this country that we actually have a drawer just for junk.

[B]

Wow, okay.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Where is she from?

[C]

She's from the Philippines.

[B]

Okay, nice. How'd you guys meet?

[C]

Oh, the good old fashioned Internet. And, you know, and then I met with her in person, of course, and whatnot. I tell you, I tried to find an American, but, you know, there's some jobs that Americans aren't willing to do, and doing me is one of those jobs.

[A]

Hang on a second, Carl.

[B]

That was good. That was actually pretty good.

[A]

Clyde. How did you.

[B]

I've never heard that joke before in my life. That is phenomenal.

[A]

Clyde. What went.

[B]

Just some jobs that Americans won't do. And doing me is one of those jobs.

[A]

Clyde. It's not supposed to be a job, you know, it's supposed to be a pleasure.

[C]

It's a passion.

[A]

A passion project.

[B]

Yeah, that's probably a cultural thing, Charlie.

[A]

Probably. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What. What website did you meet on?

[C]

Oh, God. It's actually owned plenty of fish years and years ago.

[B]

Plenty of fish, and that's right. Cool. Are they even still going or are they out of business?

[C]

They're probably. If they're still in business, I'd be shocked. I tell you.

[B]

He's like, the UI was terrible.

[A]

So what did she say about your junk drawer?

[C]

Oh, gosh, she did. I tried to bring it up and she's like, oh, it's just useless. Why we have this. There's. And I said, well, it's where everything goes. It's the one spot where you can find almost anything you need. And you can. It's reliable and it just feels good to have that in your life that you know for sure. If you need something, boom, there it is.

[B]

Yeah, it's like a. Like a. Like a kid. A sense of comfort is their blanket.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Midwesterners sense of comfort is the junk drawer, you know?

[A]

Yeah. We want it close by at all times. We just. Even if it's not biased, we Want to know it's there and it exists. And.

[B]

Yeah, it's like, you know, I got that to look forward to when I get home tonight.

[A]

Right. Right there. There's nothing.

[B]

Yeah, you know, I. I had a few drinks, and I pop open the junk drawer, and there's some ibuprofen in.

[A]

There, you know, And I find sometimes thera. Miles, what I will do because my junk drawers is so overflowing that I'll open it up and junk drops to the shelves underneath. And when it gets to that point, you've got a. You know, it's like doing your lawn.

[B]

Well, no, now you just got two junk drawers.

[A]

Well, I tried.

[B]

Like an overflow.

[A]

Yeah, a little waterfall.

[B]

Charlie's got. Charlie's so Midwestern. His junk drawer is a waterfall into the drawer below. So now he has two junk drawers.

[A]

It's like decorative. You know, you get like one of those waterfalls in your backyard.

[B]

The peaceful sign sounds of screws and. And sharpies falling into the drawer below.

[A]

I just open the bottom drawer, and they just fall onto the floor.

[B]

You know, you just stick a bucket underneath it. Sorry, we got a leak in our drunk drawer. Guys coming over to fix that later.

[C]

Well, you know, that inspired me. Maybe I should just build a bunch of more drawers for. So she has as many drawers as she wants and I can get one or two junk drawers out of.

[B]

Well, here's the thing. Why don't you. If you're in a junk drawer war, why don't you commandeer one of her, you know, if she's got a spice drawer or something, start hiding those around the house and just start throwing junk in her spice drawer, see what happens.

[C]

That's true. Why should the salt and pepper be together? You know, it's the same logic she's using for why. Why the thumb packs and the duct tape need to be together.

[A]

You know, These belong together. That's great. That's great. Yeah. I think now, she said she put it all in a box.

[C]

Yeah. Shock. She fit it all in there, quite frankly.

[A]

Did. Oh, yeah.

[B]

You just got a junk box. Did, you know.

[A]

Did she separate it out?

[C]

Oh, I'm sure she took a few items out that I forgot were even in there.

[A]

You know.

[C]

You know how it goes. Yeah, but she's just sitting there under the table now, and I don't know. Well, granted, I have a garage in a barn, so I have plenty of stuff to put junk. But, you know, it's not in the house. You don't want to go outside.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it doesn't matter what is, how many garages, storage sheds, whatever you have. I mean, you're a Midwesterner, it seems like, and you need that junk drawer. I've had an invasive thought. You guys ever get invasive thoughts?

[B]

Yeah, let's hear it.

[A]

Like, you're driving on the road and you're like, what if I just go hard right. Right now?

[B]

Yeah. Like, yeah, what if I drove off this bridge?

[A]

Yeah. Intrusive thoughts. That's what they're called. And my intrusive thought has been, what if I were to organize my entire junk drawer and, like, put all the markers into one baggie? Put all the tacks into one coffee tin? You know, I. I've thought about that, Miles. I just want to be vulnerable with you and Clyde.

[C]

I want to see. See a specialist about that.

[A]

Yeah, I think I will.

[B]

Next you're gonna tell me you're gonna keep an inventory in a spreadsheet for your junk drawer. Have a sign out sheet for stuff.

[A]

You. You've done it too. Yeah, no, that's.

[B]

I mean, every good junk drawer, you gotta, like, smash down to get the drawer closed. Yeah.

[A]

You need the hing up. You want it to be like every time you pull, like, either the hinges are on or there's a pencil kind of sticking up, preventing you from pulling it farther. And you just got.

[C]

Ah.

[A]

All right, there's that paper clip. Yeah. And it's like there's that mini stapler.

[B]

Is shocking how many things you can put in a junk drawer and still get it closed and open. You know what I mean?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It's. I was just in my junk drawer this morning. I was. And I found two wedding invitations from my. One from my sister's wedding, one from my other sister's wedding. And I was like, isn't this so funny? They were mad I didn't RSVP to the wedding. I said I never got an invitation, and they were both in the junk drawer.

[B]

And I'm sure they would love to know that their wedding is just junk to you.

[A]

Well, Miles, now, that's not.

[B]

You're kind of incriminating yourself here, Charlie.

[A]

No, not at all. All because the junk drawer is just the name of the drawer. It doesn't imply that there's junk in the drawer.

[B]

You know, Charlie, you kind of seem to me like a guy who would be, you know, wanting to throw the invites on the fridge. You seem like a cluttered fridge guy, you know?

[A]

Yeah, I would be.

[B]

Charlie just screams cluttered fridge. You know, he's got, he's got wedding invites there from 2012.

[A]

You know, the only thing preventing me from being a cluttered fridge guy is finding my magnets, which are any magnets. They're. They're somewhere in the junk drawer. I just don't know where. But as soon as I find those, I will be a cluttered fridge guy again.

[B]

So what is. You're from the Midwest then?

[C]

Oh, yeah, born and raised.

[B]

So what is.

[C]

Different states, but mostly Michigan.

[B]

So what is your wife from the Philippines? Think of the Midwest.

[C]

Oh, well, you know, she's. She likes it. It's a different way of living, but there's lots of. Of Filipinas that actually moved to the Midwest and live in our area. So she's still got a connection to her homeland and. But it's a completely different lifestyle. You know, they don't have winter over there. Of course, that's a big adjustment. But hell, she grew up on a house. Didn't have a door on the front of it, you know, just a curtain really. You know, the neighbors come. Neighbors come by and the cousins come by and everything. So, yeah, it's a completely different way of living, but she seems to be adjusting real well.

[A]

Do you ever get over there yourself?

[C]

Oh, yeah, we took a road trip. We rented a 80 horsepower Toyota Go Kart. Basically driving through the mountains. You ever see those Discovery Channel videos of a million fish swimming all together and they don't hit each other? Yeah, you know, that's. That's what it's like driving in Manila.

[A]

Did she let you drive there or was she like, no, I'm handling.

[C]

No, I drove the entire time. Yeah. That's interesting. One time I was at a stoplight and there was an ambulance behind me, and I pull over and her and her sister like, what are you doing? Well, there's an ambulance, but. Oh, don't get, don't worry about that. They'll find a way around.

[B]

So you tell me they don't got four way stops in, in the Philippines?

[C]

Well, they do. They just don't pay attention to them. They don't care about them. It's like a suggestion.

[A]

Wow. Yeah.

[B]

If you'd like to stop, you can. If, if not, don't worry about it. It's like the complete opposite of here.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got. There's no stop channels, so they'll give you a $150 ticket. That's how they fill the potholes.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

What. That's really interesting. What's the other big cultural shock between the Philippines and the Midwest.

[C]

Well, I'll tell you, there's. They got a great sense of humor over there and they are just grateful to be Alive. They work 120 hour work weeks sometimes and they'll still find ways to smile and laugh and be grateful for what they got. Meanwhile here, some people are just mad if the line at Wendy's drive thru is two minutes too long.

[B]

Right, true.

[C]

Yeah, right. There's a lot more gratitude over there and joy.

[B]

But. But in reality, what are they doing back there? I mean, how hard is it to make a, you know, make a cheeseburger?

[C]

That's fair.

[A]

You know, Miles, we just had a nice moment here on the Belly Duck podcast. We don't often get to travel to different parts of the world through the stories of our callers and hear how these cultures have something they can teach us. And you just flipped it on its ass. All right. Sorry about that, Clyde. He saw NSYNC when he was a child and he's trying to act out because of it.

[C]

I mean, that will affect any grown man in strange ways. I can understand that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, it was his first concert was NSync, and it was his idea.

[B]

So I was six.

[C]

Oh. It still says a lot about you, Miles, I'm afraid.

[A]

What's your wife's name?

[B]

All right.

[C]

My wife's name. Cherry.

[A]

Like the fruit Cherry.

[B]

Cherry.

[A]

You gotta tell Cherry we says hi.

[C]

Oh, of course. Yeah.

[A]

And get some suggestions for a bar in Manila for us to do. Bellied up in the Philippines.

[C]

Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, there's a. There's a ton of them. That's for sure.

[A]

Yeah, that would be great. Miles is saying he wants to give me a birthday present.

[B]

No. I had Clyde tell me this. Do you in your marriage, do you guys call the bedroom and ice cream shop?

[C]

No. Free. None. Why?

[B]

Yes, because there's always a cherry on top.

[C]

Wow.

[A]

I want you to know that he held up his hand for a high five. And the only reason I high fived him was because I was bullying him earlier in the show for liking NSync.

[C]

So. Wow. That's a pity.

[D]

High five.

[C]

Okay, sure. No, that's a good one. That's good one.

[A]

So where do you guys live in the Midwest right now?

[C]

Central Michigan. We got a little farm there.

[A]

Oh, nice, dude. Central Michigan. From the Philippines. Central Michigan. I love it. Well, that's great, Clive. We love hearing about the Philippines and we love hearing about you and how you. Your wife doesn't. The reasons she doesn't appreciate the junk drawer and it makes Sense for all of us to think about.

[B]

The best thing that came out of this, Charlie, is let's look at this as a positive. You now have the opportunity to grow a brand new terrarium of a junk drawer.

[A]

That's true. That's true. So before you move.

[C]

That's good, Bonnie, I just want to say one thing about Charlie. Is that the whole Mitten State fiesta between Wisconsin and Michigan.

[A]

Yeah, go ahead.

[C]

I mean, what's with that thumb? Did it lose a battle with a table saw or something?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[C]

It's not really a thumb over there in Wisconsin.

[A]

Yeah, it's not really a thumb, is it, Clyde? No, it's not really thumb. Well, what's that growth above your pinky called the up. Huh? What's that? Did your pinky get locked up at Three Mile island for like five years, huh? Give us the up and you can be the Mitten State. We don't. We're. We don't want to be the Mitten State. It's a bargaining chip for the up. Okay.

[C]

Hey, we won the up fair and split Toledo war. Come on now.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You got the up and Ohio got screwed. We all know how that went down, Charlie.

[B]

How big's Toledo?

[A]

Toledo? Oh, thanks for asking, Miles. It's about. It's about three. Milwaukee.

[B]

How big is Milwaukee?

[A]

Milwaukee, it's about. Oh, and I screwed it up. I screwed it all up.

[B]

It's like a third of Milwaukee.

[A]

It's a third of Milwaukee. Yeah, you know, it's our. It's our age old bit. And the last two times I've screwed it up, I'm Clyde. You know, I'm starting to lose it mentally here, so I took it. Yeah, I think I took the same pill twice this morning, so. I am on a lot of psychedelics, so.

[C]

All right, no hate. I actually was born in Milwaukee myself.

[A]

Were you?

[C]

I have a respect for Mo. Yeah. My dad kept us there for about two weeks. Took a good look around and said, no, we need to move out of here. Let's get out.

[A]

Really? You were only there two weeks.

[C]

Two weeks, Yep. He got transferred for a job to Michigan.

[A]

Okay. Wow. Two weeks after you're born, they. You guys moved. My God. Are your folks still together or did that do it?

[C]

Oh, no. I mean, they got. They put in a few more years after that, had seven kids, like good old Catholics do, you know?

[A]

Sure.

[C]

And. But, you know, they ended up splitting up for probably very good reasons, we'll say.

[A]

All right. Well, all right.

[B]

And we'll leave it at that, that's for another day.

[A]

You be good there, Clyde. Tell Cherry we says hi.

[C]

I will. You guys have a good day there at the bar.

[A]

All right, thank you, Clyde. Bye bye. A great guy, great guy, nice guy.

[B]

I love the name Clyde too.

[A]

Clyde's a great name.

[B]

Maybe I have to name my second kid Clyde.

[A]

Are you having a second kid, Miles?

[B]

We're gonna have a second kid at some point. I don't know when.

[A]

Yeah, there you go. Yeah, just gotta, just gotta.

[B]

Yeah, we didn't get the name Clyde.

[A]

I love Clyde.

[B]

Clyde will be a good male name.

[A]

Owen, Clyde.

[B]

Owen, Clyde. And Montplace.

[A]

Is Clyde short for something? Clydesdale's Clyde Dale.

[B]

Clyde Dale.

[A]

There it is.

[B]

All right. Should we do another caller, Charlie?

[A]

Yeah. Miles. Miles, I'll tell you what falls here, man. And you know, you know what that means? It means everyone's snorting those pumpkin spice.

[B]

Lattes and driving around with one in their hand looking at all the leaves. Bunch of leaf lookers.

[A]

Leaf lookers?

[B]

Yeah, they're just kind of sounds like a slur for. For people like. Get out of the way, you leaf looker.

[A]

Yeah, you know, excuse.

[B]

What the hell? We got another leaf looker on our.

[A]

Just enjoying the colors. Okay. Gosh.

[B]

And you're gonna have that this time of year, Charlie?

[A]

Yeah, cuz it looks like a cran crapped on the landscape. You know, that's what it looks like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's beautiful, the colors. But you know what happens when people are slowing down and others are speeding up the game. An accident can happen. Throw deer on top of that. Accident prone baby. What you want to do though is if you get injured, call Nicolet Law 1-855- Nicolet.

[D]

Travis, what's happening?

[B]

It's Miles and Charlie on the Bellied up podcast. How you doing? What's up, T, man, What's happening?

[D]

I'm just over here at the old fire station organizing some stuff in a truck here and enjoying the beautiful weather.

[A]

Oh, are you a fireman or.

[D]

I am. Paid volunteer fireman.

[B]

All right, Paid volunteer fireman.

[C]

It's a little.

[D]

Little contradictory.

[A]

You get a stipend though.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, we could call it that.

[A]

What city? What town?

[D]

Shattuck, Wisconsin.

[A]

Miles and I landed a boat in Chateauc and we did a few times, right?

[B]

Yeah, we shot our video Cow vs Deer in Chetek, Wisconsin.

[A]

One of my all time favorites.

[D]

See, I don't think I knew about that one.

[A]

Oh, you gotta look it up. It's a classic. Yeah, love some shitak.

[D]

Do that.

[A]

So you guys are not part of the professional firefighters union up there.

[D]

No union. No union.

[B]

Okay, one question from earlier in the podcast we were debating on. So firefighters, are they EMT certified or do they have a certification like an emt?

[A]

Were we debating that on this podcast, Miles?

[B]

Yeah, we were talking about that.

[A]

No, we weren't. Yes, we were. No, we were.

[D]

Well, I guess it depends. Hold on. No fighting. No fighting. Everything's good.

[A]

Okay.

[D]

So, I mean, I think you'll see that a lot with more of your full time guys, especially if they run an ambulance service of some sort. But us being more of a volunteer department, we do have the option for people to be medical first responders, but it's not something that's required. There is an ambulance service that's in the same building, but it's not technically a part of the fire department.

[B]

Got it, Got it. All right.

[A]

Is the ambulance volunteered too?

[D]

The ambulance is not. That is a paid position. Poorly paid, but hey, nonetheless.

[B]

Okay, well, not to transition too much here, but I think you called in because you want to talk monster trucks.

[C]

Oh, absolutely.

[D]

What I think, in my opinion, should be the official sport of the Midwest.

[A]

Really? Monster trucks. Wow.

[B]

Monster Jam. Monster Jam.

[A]

Friday. Friday, Friday.

[B]

Grave Digger. Bigfoot. Kids tickets.

[C]

Only five, but you'll only need the edge.

[B]

Good stick. It's only five bucks. I don't know how they're making any money making kids tickets. Five bucks. Aren't they only. Are those the only people going to Monster Truck Show?

[A]

Dude, they're selling that popcorn for 25 bucks. And it is the saltiest popcorn makes. You want to buy a $5 soda or a $10 soda.

[D]

Back in the day, when we were kids, those five dollar kids, that seats were the. They were the absolute ticket. But yeah, to take a family of four now you got to get a fricking loan.

[A]

Really? It's gone up in price.

[B]

Even Monster Jam is. Is not immune to inflation then. I see.

[A]

Yeah. Wow.

[D]

No, no, no, not at all.

[A]

The thing I know about kids health wise is, is the developing lung needs diesel flowing through it in an enclosed area for two hours at least once a year in order to properly function as an adult.

[D]

And yeah, I mean, I turned out okay.

[A]

I know. I. I went to a couple of them. My nephew just went to one. I was bummed. I was out of town. That. That's.

[B]

You wanna know something really funny, Charlie?

[A]

What's that?

[B]

I've been to an In Sync concert, but I've never been to Monster Jam.

[A]

Oh, really?

[D]

Get the out of here.

[A]

Give me.

[B]

I gotta Have a concert conversation with.

[A]

My parents immediately blames it up.

[B]

I'll be right back. I gotta make a call.

[A]

Dead. I'm sorry.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

How was the insync concert, though?

[B]

I mean, were you an In Sync guy?

[D]

I mean, how was it for you? I mean, I can't say I was, but how was that?

[B]

Yeah, see? Classic. He definitely was. It was great. Got a glow stick. My dad took us.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Totally worth it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm getting the sense that he might kind of be an NSync.

[B]

See, I told you. There's a bunch of people out there that liked In Sync, but they're afraid to say it. And I'm gonna be the voice. It's okay. Yeah, yeah. No, they have another song.

[D]

One or two.

[B]

Yeah, I could tell you. I just don't have time.

[A]

Okay. So what. What is it about the monster truck experience that you think is so Midwest?

[D]

Well, full disclosure, I'm a little biased because I've worked around them for close to 15 years now, really doing several different things. But I mean, I know that Miles has never been. But I think when you go and you experience it up close coast, it's just such a. The best way I can describe it is visceral. But also it was created in the Midwest, it was born in the Midwest, it was bred in the Midwest. And it's for. It's for absolutely everybody. It's for your rednecks, it's for your rich folk that just are looking for some entertainment. I mean, the list goes on and on. There's. There's so many reasons, but the biggest thing is I think it just really appeals to everybody in the Midwest because it is a Midwest activity through and through.

[A]

I didn't know it started in the Midwest, did you? Where did it start?

[D]

It started in Missouri. The first monster truck was Bigfoot, which some people may or may not know. Guy just had a truck with 48 inch tires, went out in the middle of a field, ran over a couple cars. In 1981, it was on video. And then two years later, the first public car crush was in 1983 at the sold out Pontiac Silver Dome.

[A]

Sold out two years later. Dude, this is incred. Miles, I feel like we gotta make a movie about the story of the origin of the monster truck. Except you can't be a producer because you went to an NSYNC concert instead. So.

[D]

Yeah, I might ruin the production a little bit.

[A]

Yeah. Just the backstory, they're like, this doesn't seem as authentic.

[B]

Why keep wanting to put these songs in the soundtrack. It just don't fit the vibe, you know.

[A]

Bye, bye bye. As it's just going over all the cars.

[B]

These feel like they should be in the Barbie movie, not the Monster Jam documentary.

[A]

That's really cool, man.

[B]

Also like, you know, our ancestors are. When the founding fathers started this country, they're like, we're going to set this up and you know, in 300 years, 200 years, we're going to be a peak society. You know, there's going to be all these other things and then you fast forward and they're like, actually we used our freedom to put giant wheels on a truck and run over other cars with it.

[D]

America, baby.

[B]

It's like, I'm sure that's what they had envisioned when they wrote the Constitution, you know.

[A]

Well, I'll tell you what they also didn't envision, Miles. Was your six year old ass going to see a bunch of men dancing around without their shirts on, hard nipples and everything, bud, watching over you want.

[D]

To see monster trucks?

[A]

Yeah, they, they envision girls seeing monster trucks. That's what they envision. No, I think I, I just think it's a great.

[B]

Well, can you bet on it? I feel like it would really become a, a great sport if you could bet on it, you know.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[D]

I mean, I'm sure, I'm sure people, you know, can do some side bets if they really feel the, feel the need. For me, it might be considered a little bit of insider trading, but I don't know how Vegas would, would look at it.

[B]

Oh. So I guess I've never, I've never been. So is it a, is it kind of like the wwe? It's like it's, you know, predetermined who.

[A]

Wins or, or like a Jake Paul boxing match?

[D]

Definitely not predetermined, but I, you know, it is, it is, it is. I guess in a lot of aspects, you know, more of a show, the primary purpose is to, yeah, you know, some family entertainment. The trucks are paid an appearance fee rather than, you know, getting paid to win in most cases.

[B]

So I bet you get a better show if you paid them to win.

[D]

Maybe, maybe. But also like, if you don't put on a good enough show, then maybe that promoter won't call you back either. So I, there's probably a fine line.

[A]

So give us the rundown of. For someone who's never been to a monster truck rally, Monster Jam, what can they expect? Like, what are the different sections? Like when I went, I remember there being kind of like, you know, you Start small and you get big. Kind of a crescendo. But what's the typical. Run a show.

[D]

Well, so I guess you got. I got to start with where you can find them. So, for example, kind of at a smaller scale, you might find one at a small county fair. A lot of times a fair might pay a promoter to come put on a show there, book a few trucks, yada, yada. We just put one on this last weekend in Houghton, Michigan at their county fair. But the general layout of most shows is you show up, you get to access the pit party. And that's one. That's. That's one thing that's cool about monster trucks is the drivers are accessible. It's not like nascar, you know, where you might have to pay a bunch of money to go meet somebody.

[B]

Yeah, that's true.

[D]

A lot of times you can go meet the drivers, take pictures with the trucks, go see them up close and personal. All that jazz. After that's over, usually the trucks will start with a skills competition where they have two or three attempts to do something cool, usually on two wheels like bounce on the front tires or whatever.

[B]

That's sweet.

[D]

Then there is a bracket style racing competition. Then there will be freestyle. That's kind of your crescendo. So it is. It is definitely a build up, you know, from kind of the slowest up to the most exciting. The freestyle is just go hit all the shit you want to, and if you do the cool stuff within whatever amount of time, you win.

[B]

Yeah, I like that. And honestly, you've sold me. I am not going to make the same mistake my dad made. You know, becoming an adult is, you know, trying to write all the wrongs that your parents did to you. And I'm not taking my kid to a Taylor Swift concert, I can tell you that much. Or a chapel roan. I'm gonna take him.

[D]

Hold on, hold on, hold on. I would like to go. I'm not gonna lie. I would like to go to a Taylor Swift concert.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, it'd be. Be fine. You know, it's no in sync, but.

[A]

Are you now backing up on what you just said? See, I told you he was a closeted in sync fan.

[B]

I know, I know. See?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I just need to create a safe space for him.

[D]

But I'm not making up flights right now to go see the Backstreet Boys residency in Vegas at the Sphere.

[B]

I. I would be absolutely lying if I didn't get served at Backstreet Boys at the Sphere. Tick tock. And I Watched like all four minutes of it. I'd be lying.

[A]

Yeah, I don't know. That's cool. You know what?

[D]

All boy bands.

[A]

Yeah. Maybe I just haven't like fully experienced certain parts of myself and I should get an NSync CD, you know, I mean, maybe that's it. I'm just shutting myself off. I'm repressing these parts that I like to dance. I'm not good at it, but I like to do it. I like to sing. I'm not good at it, but I like to do it. Maybe if I didn't shut myself off, I'd be better at it. More exposed, you know, Miles, he just.

[D]

Being closed minded or.

[A]

I think so.

[B]

I think Charlie's just sheltered, you know.

[A]

It might be the case. It might be the case. You know, if there's one thing I've learned on this Bellied up podcast is who are we to judge Miles. But I'll tell you this, to bring it all back, I think what we really need is a Monster Jam Taylor Swift combo. So how do we make that happen? I want Taylor Swift driving. I mean we all know with the NFL that, that just, you know, sent the numbers through the roof. So how do we get Taylor Swift involved? We gotta get.

[B]

Yeah, we.

[A]

Truck driver.

[D]

Because he made a swing at some sort of Taylor Swift Monster Jam crossover at one point. Since, since Taylor Swift was brought up here. Back when I used to work for Monster Jam and this was probably, oh, 2015 or 2016. We were in Syracuse, New York, and every week they would play Shake It Off. At that point it was still popular. Right. They would play it and they'd come up over my headset and they would tell me to dance and they'd put the camera on me. I'd never do it. And then in Syracuse, the last show of the tour, I did it and danced and it ended up on YouTube. Is it.

[A]

Can we watch it? We made a video called.

[D]

I guess if you just search my name and Taylor Swift it probably comes up.

[A]

Yeah. What's your name?

[D]

Travis, obviously. Last name is S E W I L O or Taylor Swift or whatever you being named.

[B]

Here we go. Click on that. Here we go. Wow.

[A]

Damn, dude.

[B]

And this is why they say white people can't dance. Right here, this is video.

[A]

Ah, dude.

[D]

100. That's. That's the only reason it got however many views it got is because of the poor dancing. Not. Not the good dancing.

[A]

There's a lot of views.

[B]

That was 10 years ago. Holy smokes.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Nice job.

[A]

Now I Don't know.

[B]

I bet the crowd went mild for that.

[A]

It didn't look that bad at dancing to from this white guy.

[B]

Thinks that kid got a gun.

[A]

What?

[B]

He's got a gun.

[C]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Right, quickly.

[B]

It's got a gun. Is that a. Is that a BB gun or what is that?

[A]

I don't know, but it looks like a long gun of some sort.

[B]

Yeah, that was ten years ago. That one Monster Jam anymore.

[A]

And he just puts it right down as soon as he sees the camera.

[D]

Camera.

[A]

The kid's also like 4 years old too. It was.

[B]

That's. That's a gun. You guys are putting a kid with a BB gun.

[A]

Go to the comments, see if the comments talk about that kid with the. See if more comments are talking about the dancing or the kid with the gun. Yolo. A lot of YOLO comments.

[D]

I'd like to imagine I didn't do a good enough jock dancing. Maybe that gun would have been used. I don't know.

[B]

The one guy said, well, this wasn't worth watching.

[A]

And then they said.

[B]

And then there was another guy that said, neither dancing nor funny.

[A]

So that's just mean because first of all, that was worth watching. And I thought you danced very good. See, there's bullies. That was probably miles 10 years ago in grade school, bullying you. How old were you? Oh, you were like early 20s. He was still bullying.

[D]

He was listening to NSYN.

[A]

Yeah, it was reactionary. Yeah, that kid's definitely got a gun.

[B]

That is. That's 2015 for you though, Dude. That was anything went back then. Different times, you know. Let's bring back BB guns to Monster Jam.

[D]

That's right. I think. I think you guys need to get out to some sort of monster truck show.

[A]

When's the next one?

[D]

I. I have. Well, for me personally, we're going to St. Ignace, Michigan. Was it September 13th? We got a show there.

[A]

You're doing the show? Yeah.

[D]

Yep. So I work for a company called Monster Truck Throwdown. We do shows in Canada and the Midwest. And so I'll. I'll do. Depending on the show, I'll have different tasks like track building or dealing with ticket sale things or helping coordinate the show or whatever.

[B]

Well, I can tell you this. I'm going to get there, but I need my kid to be a little older so he can really appreciate it, you know.

[A]

And when your kid gets old, let's combine. Let's do a bellied up at Monster Jam.

[B]

Just the whole time.

[A]

You can't hear anything.

[B]

Trucks in the background.

[D]

You know, if you guys ever end up at the right one that, that I. I help put on, maybe we could get you behind the wheel or something.

[A]

Oh, there.

[B]

I want you to. I want you to think about that though. You want.

[A]

I raced.

[D]

We have a truck that's a lot more tame, that is meant for giving rides. You know, people can. During the show before.

[B]

We don't want, you know, the governor on it, you know, Charlie, like, we don't. We don't want to be riding in the grandma truck. We want to feel the horsepower between our legs, you know?

[A]

Yeah, dude. And I got experience.

[B]

I want to be able to open it up.

[A]

I've raced on dirt. Dirt tracks. I've raced my Volkswagen Rabbit against a sport model and I lost. So five on the floor, baby. Yeah. Diesel. 45 miles to the gallon. 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit.

[D]

I tell you what, you might not be as fast, but you can make a lot more laps.

[A]

Oh, you bet, you bet. And you can just inhale that diesel fuel. Dude, I got diseases I don't even know about yet, but yeah, that would be fun. That'd be a great time time. Miles and I are there. It's his chance to recapture the childhood he should have lived.

[C]

Absolutely.

[D]

I mean, some of us never grow up, you know, And I think. I think it's what it is for me for sure. But we did. We did have that ride truck at my wedding last year. And that was. That was a pretty good time.

[B]

Except for. Except for that six year old in the front row with a gun. He's at 6 years old. He was going on 4 40.

[D]

You know, he's on a watch list.

[A]

We should figure out where that kid is today.

[B]

Well, man, we appreciate you calling in today. This is great. Charlie, are gonna have to get to a Monster Jam. We can go to the Fargo Dome. They gotta. They have it all the time in Fargo. I feel like so.

[A]

All right. Yeah.

[D]

I think every February. I think they usually have two or three shows throughout the weekend. I've been there the last two years as a crew guys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, cool, man. Well, let's. Let's schedule it out, Miles. Let's do Bellied up in Fargo in February and we'll go to the Monster Jam. Hell yeah, dude.

[D]

Hell yeah, brother.

[A]

Well, thanks for calling in, man. We appreciate you.

[D]

Hey, thank you guys. And tell your folks I says hi. Don't forget to watch out for those deer now.

[B]

Yeah, you watch out for. You watch out for monster truck and fires.

[D]

Oh, yeah. Head on a swivel, boys.

[A]

Oh, yeah, Good on you. All right, we'll see you soon. Thanks for volunteering.

[D]

All right.

[A]

Not often you talk to a paid volunteer. Monster truck fella, is it, Miles?

[B]

Not very often. Not very often. Yeah, my kid likes like trucks and cars and stuff, so I think he would really love going to Monster.

[A]

He's probably so disappointed in you.

[B]

Who?

[A]

Your kid. If he knew about.

[B]

But honestly, Charlie, this is. I'm gonna spin zone this to your mind. Let's do it.

[A]

Spin the zones. Blow me.

[B]

This is way better. Because what can you think of as a better experience than you and your 4 year old child both experiencing something for the first time like Monster.

[A]

You are right.

[B]

We're both going to be just enamored at what's going on.

[A]

I mean, you guys are getting the same look. I got to be there to film it. I got to be there. Tell Ann that I got to go.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

I gotta. I gotta ruin the family time. I want to sit there and watch.

[B]

Yeah, I doubt Anne's gonna want to go, so we'll have an extra ticket.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, that's gonna be. You're right, though. I mean, maybe you did this. Maybe this was God's plan all along.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And you also should take them to the NSYNC reunion tour. You have to.

[B]

Gonna show you what I did as a kid.

[A]

But wor. You have to wait until he's like 12 years old so he has a chance to be the bully that you were in grade school. And I want to just hear him rip you the whole way home. Or maybe he won't.

[B]

Yeah, I don't. If he's like his mom, he won't be a bully.

[A]

Okay. All right. Well, this was a fun episode. Miles, I had a good time with you today.

[B]

Yeah. We're here at station number six. If you're in West Dallas, you got to get on the strip here. They got a bunch of cool, cool shops and. Yeah, they got the. We got to see the beef jerky vault down the Ray. They got a meat shop.

[A]

Yeah, they got. It's crazy. Like they. There's. They're. The butcher is legit. We saw them back there slicing their own meat. They got a whole dehydrator over there. And then they got a cheese shop with coffee in it. They got a bakery. We walked in back. They make their own stuff and. And Miles and I. I mean, it was getting dangerous. They made their own donuts.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

We've only had the breakfast Sammy so far, but. Yeah. Station number six, West Dallas, Wisconsin. The Beecher street downtown area. Come check it out.

[B]

Well, guys, thanks for tuning in to another episode of the Bellied up podcast. Tip your bartender and we'll see you next one.

[A]

See you next. Next one. And hey, it's okay if you guys like NSync. I was just kidding. Okay, bye.

[C]

Bye. Okay, hope you guys have a good one.

[D]

Goodbye now.