Hoon-In-Chief Jeff Glucker has had enough of hearing himself talk. But we’ve promised a stay of execution instead of an immediate Viking funeral, so Herr Glucker is passing the Hooniverse Podcast baton to Dan Roth and Ross Ballot (that’s me!). We’re chaperoning the show into a new era, aka Hooniverse.2, “Now with water-cooled heads,” Dan said. Pardon the Porsche puns, we promise more fuchs will be given to what we actually say when recording. Now, a little about the hosts…

The Guilty Parties

Dan Roth is a car guy in both hobby and profession. His credentials include (and are very much not limited to) ten years of hosting The Autoblog Podcast and a recent stint inside a large OEM. He might be a new kid in our town, but he’ll fit right in. I trust you will all welcome him with open arms or at least say something snarky in the comments.

Then there’s me, Ross Ballot. I’ve been writing for Hooniverse since 2016 and co-hosted The Off the Road Again Podcast, which is on hiatus after 201 episodes. I work in Marketing by day and also contribute to ATV.com and AutoGuide. In the past, I have written for Everyday Driver, ATVRider, and UTVDriver. In case you can’t tell, I love all things off-roading.

More Than A Mid-Podcast Refresh

It’s time to shake up the Hooniverse Podcast. This is an all-new model under the same nameplate more than a mid-cycle facelift or refresh. Imagine 991 to 992 rather than 991.1 to 991.2. That’s a simile, not a pun, for those reading closely, and for those who aren’t, equate it to 100-Series to 200-Series for us Land Cruiser fanatics, JK to JL Wrangler, SN95 to S197 Mustang, or C6 to C7 Corvette (but not C8, that’s a bridge too far). Hopefully, one of these metaphors has resonated with you, and we can move on from our irregularly scheduled English lesson.

Perhaps most important is that what’s in store for the Hooniverse Podcast 2.0 is the new format we’ve whipped up. Each 30-ish (heavy emphasis on the “ish”) minute installment will blend automotive stories, topical conversations, car reviews, project updates, and more to make this the unique half-hour of power that you won’t find from any other automotive podcast. We’ll still have all the shenanigans you’ve come to expect of us here at Hooniverse, yet with a bit more polish and structure. Guests will return as well, from both the professional and hobby side of the realm and maybe even Glucker himself will stop by to say hi or tell us about why the Wombat still isn’t running all these years later.

Where To Find It

The Hooniverse Podcast will be available in the same places as before, like Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and Spotify, so stay tuned, and please bear with us as we embark on this new journey and get things up and running. Hopefully, it goes without saying: A preemptive thank you to any listeners, both old and new. Now, let’s fire this thing up!

Show Notes

Our intro story was about Ted Pelkey and his middle finger sculpture, Vermont’s ban on billboards, the 1968 State Billboard Act (Title 10, Chapter 21, § 495), and its champion Ted Riehle.

Learn more from our sources:

Burlington Free Press: Westford resident gives town the middle finger—and there’s nothing anyone can do about it by Dan D’Ambrosio

VT Digger: Westford’s middle finger there to stay by Mike Dougherty and Aidan Quigley

Barre Montpeilier Times Argus: A Different View of Vermont’s Billboard Ban Followed a Winding Road to Passage by Mark Bushnell

Seven Days VT: Good Citizen Stories: Passing Vermont’s Billboard Ban by Cathy Resmer

Seven Days VT: The Life of Riehle by Paula Routly

VT Digger: Then Again: Vermont’s Billboard Ban Followed a Winding Road to Passage by Mark Bushnell

Scenic America: The Gift of the Journey: America’s Scenic Roadways (via Youtube)

University of Vermont Center for Research on Vermont: Mark Bushnell | Vermont’s Ban on Billboards (via Youtube)

Are.na: When It Changed Part 1: Before the Billboard Ban by David Reinfurt

Music for this episode is:

Black Out by Beat Mekanic, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license

RF Walking on Air by legacyAlli, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license