Podcast Summary: The Wayback with Ryan Sickler

Episode: Shannon Patterson | Baltimore Junkyard Series #111
Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Ryan Sickler
Guest: Shannon Patterson

Overview

This nostalgia-forward episode of The Wayback with Ryan Sickler delves into the rowdy memories, formative friendships, and wild stories from Ryan’s and Shannon Patterson's Baltimore childhood—centered around the family junkyard, neighborhood soccer, and all the misadventures that come with growing up in working-class Maryland. Shannon Patterson, a lifelong friend and owner of Auto Recycling of Baltimore, shares the mic as they trade riotous, heartfelt stories about their families, growing up in the 70s and 80s, youth sports, and the unforgettable cast of characters from their junkyard days.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Family Backgrounds and Baltimore Roots

• Multi-Generational Marylanders:

  • Shannon’s family has deep Maryland roots, with grandparents settled in areas like Eldersburg, Owings Mills, and Sykesville. He shares, "My grandparents were German immigrants. Their parents were the German immigrants. My grandparents were born here..." (03:31).
  • Both Shannon's parents grew up locally, with Shannon's mom even ordering muscle cars as a young woman—a rare trait for the era.

• Parental Influence and Childhood Memories:

  • Ryan gives heartfelt props to Shannon’s parents, especially noting, “Your mom was, no doubt, my mom. That lady was my mom, so to speak. And your dad was certainly a stepdad. Your dad took us to see George Carlin...” (01:39).
  • A memorable early event: their dads taking them to a George Carlin show, where a man fainted and was carted off, but Carlin “did all the hits for you. Real quick, real quick.” (02:44)

Neighborhoods, Houses, and Elementary School Days

• Moving Out of the City:

  • Shannon shares his family’s move from a Rolling Road apartment to Eldersburg in 1979, searching for safety and stability amid high interest rates and crime (07:04).

• Early School Years:

  • The duo reminisce about Freedom Elementary, the balloon ascension, and notorious school figures like Mr. Vigilotti, remembered for keeping a gun in his desk and “pissing with no hands” (10:22).

• The Infamous Non-Lookalike Twins:

  • Ryan and his brother were known as “the twins that didn’t look anything alike” due to their mom dressing them identically despite radically different appearances—a running joke among classmates (08:04).

Childhood Mischief and Life Lessons

• Kite Sabotage:
  • Ryan tells the tale of sabotaging a classmate's kite at a school contest:

    “...I loosened that knot, I tapped that sticker back on there... and all of a sudden I see it go and just gently start floating away... I sabotaged that kite! Freedom Elementary, bro.” (09:00)

Youth Soccer: Lifelong Friendships and Coach Bill Hoffman

• Forming Bonds on the Field:

  • Soccer was the glue of Ryan and Shannon’s friend group. They recount starting on "clicky" Freedom Optimist teams and finding belonging when Coach Bill Hoffman, himself a castaway, formed the outsider team South Carroll (12:08).

• Innovative Coaching:

  • Hoffman’s approach—cribbing moves from German soccer and implementing the “triangle offense” akin to Phil Jackson—made their team dominant:

    “[He] taught us the Phil Jackson triangle. Someone always had to run to the open corner... always have two options. Right triangle all the way down the field.” (14:24)

• Team Dynamics:

  • The South Carroll team, initially mid-tier, soon “crushed” their rivals, even attracting cut players from other teams.
  • Shannon: “You could play a team and get beat and he would tell you what a great game that is... or you could beat a team and he would tell you how bad you played.” (14:54)

Introduction to Junkyard Life and Unforgettable Characters

• Junkyard Apprenticeship:

  • Starting at just 12, Ryan, Shannon, and their crew worked in the junkyard—pulling parts, organizing shelves, and getting into trouble.
  • “We all have a yard car. And a yard car is just anything that runs. And your dad and you... eventually you had every part in your head.” (25:13)

• Disaster and Danger:

  • The dangers of the job were ever-present, such as the time Ryan’s brother wrecked the delivery truck as a kid (17:05), or the harrowing story of a gas tank explosion due to reckless welding:

    “You have a gas fire, compressor on fire, the tank is with a set of torches in the back... It looked like the grandest Roman candle you’ve ever seen.” (21:05)
    “It lifted me up and pushed me back... that’s the first time I ever even considered what it must like to be a war.” (21:30)

• Wildlife and Occasional Gunplay:

  • An encounter with a rabid raccoon led to one of the more bizarre moments—a customer stepping up to shoot the raccoon, which briefly rises zombie-like after the first shot (18:28).

• Miscellaneous Mayhem:

  • From cleaning after fire-department-worthy accidents, to antics involving releasing feral junkyard cats into the wild, to encountering sketchy after-hours “pharmaceutical reps” living on premises, every day at the junkyard was a new adventure.

Sketchy Social Dynamics and Laugh-Out-Loud Stories

• Rough Company:

  • Tales of colorful junkyard workers include “Turbo Lips”—“that guy talked faster than an auctioneer”—and various not-so-brilliant older employees (32:43, 32:47).

• Drug Use and Other Shenanigans:

  • Casual references to wild adult behaviors:

    “I would see John Williams come in slow and mopey... then kick that door open and woohoo... that’s what cocaine does!” (24:26)
    “You said he would shoot a syringe of Jack Daniels in his neck.” (24:44)

House Parties, Friendship, and Family Support

• Infamous Ragers and Parental Wisdom:

  • Reminiscences about legendary house parties at Brian Henline’s after soccer games, and subsequent parental interventions (30:36).

• Loss and Community Consolation:

  • After Ryan’s father died, the Henline family gently assured them they were not to blame for any misdeeds:

    “We just want you to know that in no way, shape or form are you or your brother responsible for anything our idiot son did...” (31:51)

Sports Fights and Rough-and-Tumble Recreation

• Soccer Fights and Field Brawls:

  • The group’s intensity got them kicked out of every indoor soccer arena, leading to “February outdoor soccer in Dundalk... just a massive free-for-all.” (27:03)
  • On-the-field scuffles frequently spilled over, including one brawl that ended with parents fighting and cops arriving:

    “I gave my bag to my dad... and we did. We walked right into a trap... just getting the back of my head beat.” (28:47)

• Pickup Games and DIY Leagues:

  • Descriptions of pickup soccer and lacrosse games in Ryan's basement, with makeshift goals and plenty of checking—“It was violent.” (33:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Junkyard Apprenticeship:

  • “Imagine right now, we’re walking in a junk ‘n’ some 8th grader is driving you around the junkyard... we’re tiny little kids. 13 years, no license.” (25:40)

• On Outgrowing Fear:

  • “You used to get so scared you couldn’t spend the night. Mr. Roy had to come over and get you.” (33:04)
  • Shannon, sheepishly: “Dude, I was not a big night spender. Like, I was... I hated scary.” (33:17)

• On Parental Support:

  • “We just want you to know that in no way, shape or form are you or your brother responsible for anything our idiot son did. We don’t want you to carry that burden. We don’t think you’re responsible for this.” (31:51)

• On the Joy of Friendship and Nostalgia:

  • Ryan, closing:

    “Thank you for doing this and again, thank you for letting us use your junkyard. I love you.” (37:12)
    Shannon: “I love you.” (37:16)

Important Timestamps

• [01:39] – Introduction of Shannon Patterson, stories of Ryan and Shannon’s parents
• [03:31] – Family background and Maryland roots
• [07:24] – Move to Eldersburg, Freedom Elementary beginnings
• [10:22] – Mr. Vigilotti and unique elementary school memories
• [12:01] – Coach Bill Hoffman and the founding of South Carroll soccer
• [17:05] – Earliest junkyard jobs and wrecking the delivery truck
• [18:28] – The rabid raccoon incident and customer heroics
• [21:05] – The explosive gas tank accident
• [25:13] – “Yard cars” and knowing the junkyard by heart
• [27:03] – Soccer fight history: ejections, arrests, rink bans
• [30:36] – House party aftermath and parental wisdom
• [33:04] – Admitting to childhood fears and sleepless sleepovers
• [33:44] – Basement soccer, “violent” pickup games
• [37:12] – Emotional closing remarks and gratitude

Tone

Warm, irreverent, filled with Baltimore-isms, and heavy on laughter and crosstalk. The episode swings from sentimental tribute to deadpan sarcasm, all built on a foundation of lifelong camaraderie and shared history.

Summary

The episode feels like a rowdy, hilarious, and sometimes moving reunion. Listeners are treated to a barrage of colorful tales—of unruly soccer games, madcap junkyard adventures, fights and parties, family quirks, and the steadfast friendships that anchor it all. It’s an affectionate time capsule of blue-collar youth in Baltimore, with enough mayhem to be memorable and enough heart to highlight what really matters: found family, loyalty, and the joy of “making it out” with your oldest friends still by your side.