#149, #150: The Weekly Driver Podcast celebrates 3 years (Part 1)

#149, #150: The Weekly Driver Podcast celebrates 3 years (Part 1)

Author: Michael Kahn September 9, 2020 Duration: 40:24
The Weekly Driver Podcast debuted in September 2017. Bruce Aldrich and I had already been working together on automotive YouTube videos and attending car shows together for several years. A podcast seemed like an ideal new creative outlet. We're now 3-years-old and 150 episodes into our show. Bruce Aldrich and James Raia interview automotive guests every week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. To celebrate the milestone, Bruce and I independently picked our five favorites episodes. And we discuss them in a double presentation on Episodes #149 and #150. The Weekly Driver Podcast Celebrates 3 Years Bruce actually picked six episodes. And among our combined 11 favorites, only one overlapped. We both selected artist Chris Miller. An article posted in the creative newsletter Atlas Obscura about Miller's first stone truck creation many years ago led to email contact and Chris agreeing to be our guest. Based in Calais, Vermont, Miller has been a traditional sculptor and mason for more than 45 years. Miller's hobby and now a new income source: He creates elaborate life-size trucks from stone. He recently completed his second creation and has contracts for three more. Chris MIller's stone truck creation was among our favorite episodes of the first three years of The Weekly Driver Podcast. During the three years of The Weekly Driver Podcast, we've had diverse guests: authors, CEOs, analysts, vintage car colleges, website owners, race car and motorcycle drivers, a stuntman and a museum curator. We've talked with a city mayor, small business owners, memorabilia collectors, auto show guests, car auction experts, vintage car rental shop owners, an automotive painter, a former cyclist who restores classic junkers and experts who haul junk cars. The audio for episodes #149 and #150 is the same. Listen to episode #149 for the details of my five guests and episode #150 for Bruce's top-five picks: My top guests include: 5. #134, Chris Miller: Stone truck artist (May 22, 2020) 4. #109, Joe Palmer, Sacramento, backyard vintage car owner (Oct. 27, 2019) 3. #105, Stuntman Robert Nagle talks about his work on Ford vs. Ferrari (Oct. 1, 2019) 2. #98, Mary McGee, pioneering female motorcycle racer (Aug. 14, 2019) 1. #22,  Alex Honnold, El Capitan free solo mountain climber, life in a van (Jan. 13, 2018) Visit part 2 in our double episode when Bruce Aldrich reveals his top-5 podcast episodes. We'll be back with new episodes soon. The Weekly Driver Podcast encourages and appreciates feedback from our listeners. Please forward episode links to family, friends and colleagues. And you are welcome to repost links from the podcast to your social media accounts. Support our podcast by shopping on Amazon.com. Please send comments and suggestions for new episodes to James Raia via email: james@jamesraia.com. All podcast episodes are archived on www.theweeklydriver.com/podcast Every episode is also available on your preferred podcast platform: Google Play iTunes Spotify Stitcher iheartradio

Every seven days, The Weekly Driver Podcast pulls off the main road for a conversation that’s about more than just horsepower and torque. With James Raia and Bruce Aldrich behind the wheel, the discussion travels through the entire landscape of car culture, from the latest industry news and in-depth vehicle documentaries to the personal stories and societal shifts that happen on four wheels. This isn't a dry specs sheet or a simple review show. Instead, you’ll hear thoughtful commentary on how automobiles intersect with our leisure, history, and daily lives, uncovering narratives that often go unnoticed. The hosts’ long-running partnership brings a comfortable, informed dynamic to each episode, whether they’re debating a headline, analyzing a classic car’s legacy, or sharing an unexpected find from a local show. Tune in for a ride that treats the automotive world as a living, breathing character full of fascinating detours and destinations. The journey is different each time you listen to this podcast, but it’s always driven by a genuine passion for the stories found in the driver’s seat.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Weekly Driver Podcast
Podcast Episodes
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In the Philippines, it was known as a "country truck" or “Trakbayan." In Indonesia, its name was "Mitra," meaning partner. By any name, the Volkswagen Basis-Transporter was among the carmaker's oddest creations. The two-…
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COLLABORATIVE CONTENT Besides buying a house, purchasing a car is likely the most expensive personal expense. So, it's important to make the right choice. But what's the best way to make the best choice? Questions can va…
#193, Monterey Auto Week: Classic cars, Classic owners [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:50
Donald Osborne is an opera singer, museum CEO, international business owner and one of the voices of the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel, California. He knows cars and people and the gift of gab. Osborne recently return…
#192, Want to drive a stick shift? Hagerty has a ‘manual’ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:24
Learning how to operate a manual transmission car or truck was a rite of automotive passage for drivers of a certain age. It's now a rarity, with a few exceptions including a campaign introduced by Hagerty. The American…
#190, Collector Part Exchange: new global online swap meet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:09
Chris Bright is a vintage car enthusiast with an empathetic ear toward other automotive fanciers who can have difficulty finding parts for their unique vehicles. Or maybe they have a garage full of parts and don't know w…
#187, Cars.com index: Tesla, the most American made [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:08
Tesla innovation has changed the automotive world with a lot of industry firsts. Its latest designation is the top spot on the latest American Made Index (AMI). Introduced 16 years ago by the editors of Cars.com, the AMI…
#186, CEO Tim McGrane embraces M1 Concourse challenge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:06
Tim McGrane has a long, varied career in the automotive industry. It's steered him to his current role as the CEO of M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The 87-acre playground for auto enthusiasts includes the world’s lar…
#185, West Coast Bike Week set for Monterey Peninsula debut [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:20
Motorcycle racing and lots of related activities will add to the always-full calendar of motorsports with the debut of West Coast Bike Week at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The community-focused, 10 days of racing and…
#183, Fun Father’s Day gifts for car fans [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:05
Proud car owners aren't often at a loss for words. It's part of the enjoyment of sharing artwork of wheels. The artists at Respoke Collection offer another way to showcase a favorite machine or a showroom full of automob…
Car collector Scott Gunnari: A Man & His Edsels, #182 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:03
Many cars have failed, but none quite like the Edsel. Scott Gunnari knows all the stories. But the vintage car collector enjoys the car named after Henry Ford's his son as much as any collector of any brand. Gunnari, the…