SHOW NOTES: One of our friends, a native Sicilian is getting some kind of “Italian made good in the US of A” awards and since most of her family can’t make it back to the old country, Marcel and I “said sure why not, we’ll go.” As you might imagine, this is going to be a festival and italian festivals mean three things, food, drink and music. The town is called Ragusa and in about two weeks we will be hobnobbing with Adriana’s old country folk and making our way around to the sights on the island.

Any of you who have been following the show or watching the web know that Alix Bryan has been traveling around the US this summer talking with people about Peace and answering all kinds of questions about her Buddy 125. I am lucky in that I live here in Richmond, where she started and ended her ride, and it ended in style, with a big scooter party at ScootRichmond. Thanks to Chelsea! Over the course of the evening there were probably 50 or so scooterist, many well-wishers and lots of good food and at the end of it all, Alix sat down with me and reflected on the ride. You’ll need to listen to the podcast to get all the details and make sure you revisit Alix’s website and help her out. She is truly one authentic human being, hopefully something that we all aspire to be, even in the scooter world.

Jeff Culter first emailed me back around the first of the year, talking about getting a scooter, complimenting me on the show and generally kissing up to the host. I guess it didn’t hurt that I was giving away an ipod.  But it became evident, after he didn’t go away, that Jeff really did have a budding interest in scooters. What was even more interesting to me was that he had a podcast called Bowl of Cheese with a website to match. Being the usual dolt that I am, I couldn’t imagine how someone could write or talk about cheese all the time, but then again I guess you say that about scooters. It wasn’t until several weeks later, after subscribing to his podcast that I realized that Jeff, unlike me, was a real writer and his show was not about cheese, but about life’s many absurdities. This is my endorsement, suggesting that you visit Jeff’s websites. You’ll find the kind of writing that many of us aspire to and besides, he’s a big fan-boy of one of my favorite tech guys, John C Dvorak.

Music for this show is from the Podsafe music network. Billy Jones is blues and may be one of the most famous ‘unknown’ musicians you will ever hear.

 

 SCOOTERCAST Episode 69 [30:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

SHOW NOTES: I have been getting emails from all over, telling me about your local scooter events. Sorry I don’t have time to cover all of them, but I have plans later this summer or early in the fall to recap with links to some of the better videos. Speaking of rallies, for those of you who have asked, I will not be at Amerivespa this year. I had hoped to make it, but another commitment to attend a friend’s wedding in Denver has changed that plan. (that is were I am posting from today) Although I can’t make it, it sounds like a number of other bloggers and regular scooterist are going to be there. Send me your pictures and videos and I will see about posting them on the website or give me a call (206-888-6174) and I will try to get you on the show.

Some of you have written asking about why I talk so much about Italian scooters. Well, I am Italian, but mostly, it’s like a lot of things, you talk about what you know. Then the other day I noticed that someone had linked to the scootercast website from The Burgman Riders Forum. It a was pleasant surprised to find an active scooter community talking about Suzuki Burgmans. These big machines are made for the open road and I understand that they are very comfortable for touring. The forum has a lot of threads going into modifications and accessories and there are  numerous links to spare parts, technical references and people who can mentor you.

I got an email from Alix last week. You know, PEACE scooter ride. She is planning to be in Washington, DC on August 8th and then will head back to Richmond on the August 9th where we hope to have a big scoot-in at ScootRichmond to welcome her back. If you haven’t checked her blog lately it’s worth a few minutes of your time. If you want a reminder that the whole world doesn’t think alike, and there are some pretty incogitant people out there, it’s post you must read to believe.

To digress from scootering for a minute, while I was about reading this I was keenly aware that in Virginia, a moment in history was being created. On Monday, a Statue and Civil Rights Memorial was unveiled on the state Capital grounds honoring Barbara Johns and other African-Americans who were part of the fight to end segregation of schools in Virginia. It seems a  wry irony that the monument sits on the same ground were the politicians of Virginia actively resisted desegregation into the 1970s. I think Alix would have been proud to see this, it was one kind of PEACE and along some reconciliation, yet acknowledged that we do not have equality, but things are more equal, and somethings are worth fighting for.

Podsafe music for this show came from Ariel Publicity out of New York and the Stilentreatment. Their music can be found at the Podsafe music network or their website.

P.S. Here is a link to the webpage on sidecars.

 

 SCOOTERCAST Episode 66 [21:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Notes: I have notice that every time I turn around there is another scooter on the road here in Richmond and many of them seem to be the Kymcos and Genuine Buddys. Just this past weekend I delivered my own Vespa Sprint to Scoot Richmond for an adjustment and it seems that their once bulging inventory of Genuine Scooters were almost all gone. I looked at Chelsea and said, “so business is good”, my first clue being she had a perpetual grin on her face. Her smile got even bigger.

There have been way too many news stories clogging up my news reader all of them about how popular scooters are becoming. I noticed the onslaught of repetitious reporting once gas hit $4 per gallon. I am not going to talk about them, because most of them are boring, but it is worth mentioning that have been getting more emails from newby scooterist looking to buy their first scooters.

On the forums, like twostrokesmoke questions about buying cheap Chinese scooters are common. These are usually posted by the naive individual who obviously has not been following the forum and he/she is usually taken by surprise at the hostility and flaming that their post elicits. Usually the conversation turns around and is helpful, but just as often these people are ridiculed and disappear from the forum. Personally, I like some of the members who take a more educational approach. given that there is a lot to learn about in scooting.

Alix from the Peace Scooter ride and I have been trying to connect via Skype for about two weeks now and it was just yesterday that I was able to catch up with her. Over the past month she has made her way out to the west coast and I tracked her down in San Fransisco where she was meeting up with friends and attending a local rally. She is heading out for points north, like Eugene, Portland and Seattle so check her website for ways to connect with her as she comes through your town. Given the upset with and derailment of Vespadition, it is nice to see Alix continuing her ride and connecting up with people along the way who have a passion for what she is doing. Make sure you help her out, there are ways to donate to her ride and the charities she has chosen. My sweet PEACE Scooter T-shirt arrived just the other day and you can get one too. Click over from the SCTRCST link or look on the website for how to order.

Blog posts and links

• Orin’s post on the Seattle All city Scooter Community Day
• Honky Tonk Dragon’s observations on the race
• The Sportique Scooter Uproar
• Marco Quaretta and his Vintage Scooter Workshop in Livorno

Music for this show

Some of you who have been listening to the show for a while know that I have been amateur musician for a number of years and even held onto my dream of being a rock star late into my 40s. Just to prove that all hope is not lost, I want to turn you on to a musician that I had the pleasure to play with back in the 90s when I was making the bar band circuit in Boulder, CO. The Hillbilly Hellcats are a rockabilly group fronted by Chuck Hughes, a fellow we all considered a guitar wizard. On on memorable night, Chuck jump on stage and proceeded to play note for note rendition of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Lenny, leaving me wishing I had the opportunity to play with this kind of  talent every night.

 

 Episode 62 [23:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show notes: As usual, this has been a week of playing catch up having spent several days last week and the weekend in New York City. As I mentioned last week, it was well worth it. In addition, this truly is spring time here in Virginia and I have been out riding my scooters every chance I get.

You may have noticed on 2 Stroke Buzz and other blog sites, that Alix left Richmond this past Friday to start her three month odyssey, scooting around the US. I have mentioned Alix Bryant here several times in the past year and even got to interview her a few weeks back about this years plan for the second half of her scooter ride for peace. I have seen plenty of pictures of Alix who is a bundle of energy, but met Alix in person for the first time last Friday at Scoot Richmond. She is a thin, hyper, smiling little waif, hardly the kind of person you would think takes off to ride across the state let along across the country and back. If she cracks the scale at over 90 pounds I would be surprise, but she makes an immediate impression by talking openly about her values, what’s really important in life and taking a stand on environmental issues with no apologies.

Alix pulled out of the Scoot Richmond parking lot alone, on her loaded Genuine Buddy 125 about 2:00 pm on Friday. Make sure you go to Alix’s site and throw some support her way. You can follow her progress and contact her when she approaches your town by leaving her a message on the website. I hope to catch up with her and our other cross country friend, Matua of Vespadition in about a month and if I can, we’ll put together a live show where you can call-in and talk with them. How about that, another new venture in the Scootercast effort to master new technology.

Music for this show is from the Podsafe Music Network

• Open all nite by the The Gentleman Callers
• Dont dont dont The Gentleman Callers

 

 Episode 59 [23:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download