Garage Logic – “Looking for Love on All the Wrong Branches”

Date: March 8, 2025
Host: “The Mayor” Joe Soucheray (with Tommy, Mishke, and Elliot Stein)
Guest: Elliot Stein, journalist and author of Custodians of Wonder

Episode Overview

This episode’s main theme revolves around the disappearance of unique traditions and the individuals who strive to keep them alive, as explored through a witty and insightful conversation with author Elliot Stein about his new book, Custodians of Wonder. The episode interweaves personal anecdotes, musings on mortality, stories about bizarre meeting places for couples, and reflections on what makes communities—and people—special.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Banter: Studios, Conversation, and “Bringing It”

• Mishke riffs on the proliferation of branded studios, contrasting “talk” vs. “conversation” studios. He humorously ponders whether he’s in a “talk” or “conversation” space, poking fun at radio conventions.
  • “Men were okay listening to someone talk to them, but women wanted to be part of a conversation. Interesting, isn’t it?” (Mishke, 01:29)
• Tommy and Mishke exchange a tongue-in-cheek challenge about “bringing it” as hosts.
  • “Well, bring it like you own it, Tommy Boy. You're not bringing it like you own it.” (Mishke, 03:03)

2. Musings on Hospital Language and Mortality (04:00 - 13:12)

• Mishke dissects how we talk about grave illness—terms like “critical condition,” “stable,” and “undetermined,” poking gentle fun at the euphemisms and adult fears wrapped in clinical language.
  • “Critical sounds like the precipice with the ground breaking up beneath you. At least in my overactive imagination, it does.” (Mishke, 04:18)
  • He jokes about a hypothetical “halfway down the tunnel” condition, reflecting on our denial and discomfort around death.
  • “Grave actually sounds way worse than in the tunnel… grave sounds like in the ground. Who on earth picked that word?” (Mishke, 10:00)

3. [Guest Interview] Elliot Stein & "Custodians of Wonder" (14:47 - 50:31)

• Theme of the Book (15:00 - 16:56)

• Stein’s book chronicles the last people preserving vanishing traditions.
  • “So often there’s rarely a whisper for the last person to carry on a tradition.… When these small, beautiful, irrational things that people do vanish, a small part of our humanity vanishes with it.” (Stein, 16:56)

• The Last Night Watchman, Ystad, Sweden (17:40 – 25:07)

• An in-depth look at Roland Borg, possibly the last traditional night watchman.
• The tradition: climbing a bell tower, watching for fires, blowing a horn every 15 minutes.
• Despite modern irrelevance, townsfolk can’t sleep without his horn.
• “One of the women told me, ‘Without the night watchman, Ystad would just be any other old medieval place. This is what makes Ystad, Ystad.’” (Stein, 22:04)
• Unexpectedly, the watchman saves lives in a modern crisis, proving the value of tradition.
  • “Roland…has not only saved lives, but has been relied upon by fire departments that once deemed his lookout tower a fire hazard.” (Stein, 25:07)

• The German Forest’s Letter Tree: The Bridegroom’s Oak (26:00 – 33:09)

• Mishke shares the real mailing address of a tree that receives 1,000 love letters a year—a 100-year tradition that’s led to at least 100 marriages.
• Stein explains the German reverence for forests and their connection to folklore and even Christmas.
  • “Germans are forest people…so many of their fables take place in the forest. It’s essential to the German psyche.” (Stein, 28:08)
• Delightful stories highlighted, like the East German woman and West German farmer who found each other through the tree during the Cold War.

• The Secret Mirror Makers of India (33:09 – 41:46)

• The story of an Indian family that alone preserves the art of making nearly flawless metal mirrors (Aramula Kannadi).
  • “Only 26 people today know the exact metal mirror formula.” (Stein, 36:01)
• Mirrors used in Hindu rites to examine one's soul; the process is physically and spiritually rigorous.
  • “One of the core ideas of Hinduism is to reveal the God within yourself. And so a mirror, as a tool of introspection to examine that, is a really profound thing.” (Stein, 39:30)
• Mishke connects this to Norman Mailer’s observation: “Advancements in technology make life more convenient. That should never be confused with making life more pleasurable." (Mishke quoting Mailer, 37:30)

• The Last Inca Bridge Master, Peru (43:05 – 50:17)

• The last keeper of the Inca grass woven bridge maintains a 500-year-old tradition, risking his life each year to rebuild a bridge of astonishing strength.
• “What is it that compels more than 1,000 people to risk their lives… to do these things that nobody’s dictating…but carry on these rites when they no longer serve a practical purpose?” (Stein, 44:24)
• The Inca wove their entire world out of grass—bridges, armor, boats—reflecting a worldview rooted in tactile connection to the earth.

• Stein’s Conclusion

• “Watching him weave this bridge was one of the most awe-inspiring things I’ve ever seen.” (Stein, 46:45)
• Mishke’s praise: “Wonderful book. I can’t imagine the effort you put in throwing yourself into places wholly foreign… a labor of love, but a labor nonetheless.” (Mishke, 50:17)

4. Dolly Parton’s Reclusive Husband & Serendipity in Meeting Partners (50:50 – 60:35)

• Mishke marvels at never hearing about Dolly Parton’s husband Carl, who remained nearly invisible despite her fame: “That is called laying low. Is there a wider gap between a public and private life than the gap between Dolly Parton and Carl?” (Mishke, 52:22)
• An extended humorous riff on rare and bizarre ways couples meet, poking fun at both serendipity and contemporary dating trends.
• Mishke reads off unusual real-life stories (meeting during a drive-by shooting, while cleaning up a “pool accident,” Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, and Craigslist for "weird stuff"), musing:
  • “I can spend hours thinking about the serendipity of the way people meet and how important that moment is to their lives… Most of the time it almost doesn’t happen.” (Mishke, 59:10)

5. Phones: Listener Jeremy (62:07 – 66:40)

• Jeremy calls in to ask about earliest memories.
• Jeremy shares: His happiest memory is nailing a trumpet part in high school.
  • “In a life of how many years?... And that high school memory of nailing the trumpet in the Messiah… is the happiest moment of your entire existence.” (Tommy, 63:26)
• Discussion on missed opportunities in courtship and reflecting on life after surviving colon cancer.
• Tommy offers hope and connection: “You know, I got a tree in Germany you could write to and magic could happen.… If I sent you the address, would you send a letter there and we could see what happens?” (Tommy, 65:03)
• Jeremy is game to try, says he'll write in German.
  • “This could be the most important moment of your life writing this letter.” (Tommy, 66:27)

6. Names, Culture, and Gender (66:40 – 68:43)

• Mishke notes the rise of “weapon” names for boys (Trigger, Caliber, Cutter) as a reactionary impulse, vs. ultra-delicate names for girls.
  • “Dan? This here is my daughter Pink tissue paper. And that’s my boy there. His name is Total global thermonuclear war.” (Mishke, 68:24)
• Wry, satirical comment on gender roles and parental anxieties.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Critical sounds like the precipice with the ground breaking up beneath you. At least in my overactive imagination, it does." — Mishke (04:18)
• “When these small, beautiful, irrational things that people do vanish, a small part of our humanity vanishes with it.” — Elliot Stein (16:56)
• “One of the women… told me, ‘Without the night watchman, Ystad would just be any other old medieval place. This is what makes Ystad, Ystad.’” — Elliot Stein (22:04)
• “Advancements in technology make life more convenient. That should never be confused with making life more pleasurable.” — Mishke, quoting Norman Mailer (37:30)
• “I can spend hours thinking about the serendipity of the way people meet and how important that moment is to their lives… Most of the time it almost doesn’t happen.” — Mishke (59:10)
• “This could be the most important moment of your life writing this letter.” — Tommy (66:27)
• “Dan? This here is my daughter Pink tissue paper. And that’s my boy there. His name is Total global thermonuclear war.” — Mishke (68:24)

Timestamps of Major Segments

• Opening banter about studios (00:05–02:55)
• Musings on hospital illness language (03:14–13:12)
• Elliot Stein interview (14:47–50:31)
  • Night watchmen: Sweden (17:40–25:07)
  • German “love tree” (26:00–33:09)
  • Indian mirror-makers (33:09–41:46)
  • Inca bridge builder (43:05–50:17)
• Dolly Parton’s husband and where couples meet (50:50–60:35)
• Listener call: Jeremy’s memories and dating experiment (62:07–66:40)
• Humor on names and gender roles (66:40–68:43)
• Closing musings and thanks (68:43–end)

Style & Tone

The episode is marked by a signature blend of wry, affectionate Midwestern gallows humor and sincere wonder at human eccentricity. Mishke’s asides are self-effacing and arch, while Stein brings a gentle, literary awe to his travel stories. Listener interactions are warm, human, sometimes poignant, and always lightly comedic.

For New Listeners

This episode serves as a journey through disappearing worlds—preserved by quirky heroes—woven together with the hosts’ playful banter and a deep appreciation for serendipity, connection, and tradition. Even if you haven’t listened, the stories and reflections offer plenty to chew on about what makes life, places, and people truly memorable.