Podcast
Hank Watson's Garage Hour - Cars, Trucks, Beers & Guns
50,000 watts of gearhead terror. We're the talk radio blowtorch you want, chock-full of cars, trucks, beers and guns since 2009. We'll be your go-to for gearhead get-some, full of the sliciest canyon carving, dirtiest off-roading, biggest calibers, hairiest sasquatches, loudest explosions, plus the best epic fails, smoking rubble and blue-collar awesomesauce since Top Gear full of beer.
- Episodes
- 919
- Releases
- Daily
- Typical length
- 1 hr
- On air since
- 2013
- Latest episode
- 3 days ago
Episodes
919 episodes, newest first
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1 hr 6 min
10.06.26 (MP3): Buffalo (Bison?) VS Pickups, B-Size Cars & Carts VS Traffic, Birds VS Auto Glass, Junkyards VS Parts, Automakers VS Politics, BMW VS Driver Satisfaction, Electric Runabouts VS Small…
Season 14, Episode 36
Show notes
Soooooo much going on... We've got a good pile of the gearhead questions that stir your brain: birds that crash into cars, 18650 batteries that power stuff, buffaloes (or is it bisonoes?) that don't like pickemups, why Dad insisted we find parts at the junkyard (Volvos and Cutlasses and Lambda Sond, oh my), why tiny cars and side-by-sides won't survive American traffic, whether Porsche can get its head out of its political a$$, more evidence that Jaguar going woke definitely Bud Lighted its profits, BMW's decision to trade its humans for artificial idiocy, and whether or not auto manufacturers can make small electrics competitive with plain old efficient workabouts (the Courier-versus-Ranger debate).
Paging Mr. Squeaker... There's also a proper Excellent Weirdo R.I.P. for sporting and national monster "Iron" Mike Ditka (a man who was so Chicago that his name became an entire style of speech, and whose realness became an entire way of life), plus where'd we park our SR-71, why used boxcar and semi-trailer hardwood is awesome, using car-care products around the house, and so much Amon Tobin.
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1 hr 6 min
10.06.26: Buffalo (Bison?) VS Pickups, B-Size Cars & Carts VS Traffic, Birds VS Auto Glass, Junkyards VS Parts, Automakers VS Politics, BMW VS Driver Satisfaction, Electric Runabouts VS Small &…
Season 14, Episode 36
Show notes
Soooooo much going on... We've got a good pile of the gearhead questions that stir your brain: birds that crash into cars, 18650 batteries that power stuff, buffaloes (or is it bisonoes?) that don't like pickemups, why Dad insisted we find parts at the junkyard (Volvos and Cutlasses and Lambda Sond, oh my), why tiny cars and side-by-sides won't survive American traffic, whether Porsche can get its head out of its political a$$, more evidence that Jaguar going woke definitely Bud Lighted its profits, BMW's decision to trade its humans for artificial idiocy, and whether or not auto manufacturers can make small electrics competitive with plain old efficient workabouts (the Courier-versus-Ranger debate).
Paging Mr. Squeaker... There's also a proper Excellent Weirdo R.I.P. for sporting and national monster "Iron" Mike Ditka (a man who was so Chicago that his name became an entire style of speech, and whose realness became an entire way of life), plus where'd we park our SR-71, why used boxcar and semi-trailer hardwood is awesome, using car-care products around the house, and so much Amon Tobin.
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1 hr
10.02.26 (MP3): Surveillance & "Flock" Issues - Two Sides of Motorist Monitoring (Necessary, Unconstitutional & Evil), Flock Lashes Out (& Knows It's Wrong), Non-Destructive Protest (Life Gets in…
Season 14, Episode 35
Show notes
This stupid "Flock" blanket-camera issue isn't stupid anymore - the good ol' U.S. Constitution did its job and got in the way of illicit, illegal and immoral tracking of you and interfering with your right to roam sans Big Gov't's intrusion. Loss of trust? Misuse by authorities? Local municipalities fighting with the operators over who gets to sell your data? Warrantless investigations? Companies backpedalling and lashing out over the sudden attention they're getting? It's all in there. To keep your brain moving, though, there's some thoughts from a professional gearhead about the other side of the coin, including the problems poised by masked intentions, malicious motoring and minibike malcontents. ...And when the civil (nondestructive) disobedience begins, blame France (or Canada).
What, more? Stunt carpentry, finance geese, nice owls, bald "rip your truck apart" eagles, fun with Marble, supersauce for your bubbling, and some Fatso Jetson.
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1 hr
10.02.26: Surveillance & "Flock" Issues - Two Sides of Motorist Monitoring (Necessary, Unconstitutional & Evil), Flock Lashes Out (& Knows It's Wrong), Non-Destructive Protest (Life Gets in the…
Season 14, Episode 35
Show notes
This stupid "Flock" blanket-camera issue isn't stupid anymore - the good ol' U.S. Constitution did its job and got in the way of illicit, illegal and immoral tracking of you and interfering with your right to roam sans Big Gov't's intrusion. Loss of trust? Misuse by authorities? Local municipalities fighting with the operators over who gets to sell your data? Warrantless investigations? Companies backpedalling and lashing out over the sudden attention they're getting? It's all in there. To keep your brain moving, though, there's some thoughts from a professional gearhead about the other side of the coin, including the problems poised by masked intentions, malicious motoring and minibike malcontents. ...And when the civil (nondestructive) disobedience begins, blame France (or Canada).
What, more? Stunt carpentry, finance geese, nice owls, bald "rip your truck apart" eagles, fun with Marble, supersauce for your bubbling, and some Fatso Jetson.
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57 min
09.29.26 (MP3): Gearhead Does Guns - 2A News & Views (DOJ vs MN, Ukrainians & Shotguns, POTUS & Suppressors, Good Kids w/ CCWs, Banning Pets VS Prohibiting Trans, Hitting Deer and/or Pedestrians), +…
Season 14, Episode 34
Show notes
The Garage Hour used to do a lot more Second Amendment things, but times are so full of gearhead news (and client to-dos) that we've been remiss. No longer! This 'uns a bit of a catch all catch-up, with tales of the White House standing up for our rights in and out of court, folks doing the right thing even when someone else cries shame, how fighters and citizens in Ukraine have embraced the shotgun like so many doughboys did in WW1, and how some fool banning conservatives from adopting cats calls the question about sensible people banning trannies from adopting firearms.
There's plenty to go around: an Excellent Weirdo R.I.P. for the '85 Bears' silent stalwart, Walter Peyton blocker and all around good guy Matt Suey (weird because he was so normal), Musorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" versus 'froading up your local Bald Mountain at night, long Garands, loaning professional drivers your car, and rock from Snail, Monolord and Led Zeppelin.
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57 min
09.29.26: Gearhead Does Guns - 2A News & Views (DOJ vs MN, Ukrainians & Shotguns, POTUS & Suppressors, Good Kids w/ CCWs, Banning Pets VS Prohibiting Trans, Hitting Deer and/or Pedestrians), + Toys 'R…
Season 14, Episode 34
Show notes
The Garage Hour used to do a lot more Second Amendment things, but times are so full of gearhead news (and client to-dos) that we've been remiss. No longer! This 'uns a bit of a catch all catch-up, with tales of the White House standing up for our rights in and out of court, folks doing the right thing even when someone else cries shame, how fighters and citizens in Ukraine have embraced the shotgun like so many doughboys did in WW1, and how some fool banning conservatives from adopting cats calls the question about sensible people banning trannies from adopting firearms.
There's plenty to go around: an Excellent Weirdo R.I.P. for the '85 Bears' silent stalwart, Walter Peyton blocker and all around good guy Matt Suey (weird because he was so normal), Musorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" versus 'froading up your local Bald Mountain at night, long Garands, loaning professional drivers your car, and rock from Snail, Monolord and Led Zeppelin.
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1 hr 6 min
09.23.26 (MP3): Gearhead Conflagration! Flock Cameras ARE Spying On You (So Are New Cars), K-Cars & Red Sticky, GM Diesels & Allison Trannies, Specialty Parts Matter, Injector Cleaner on Schedule &…
Season 14, Episode 33
Show notes
So much brain, so little bandwidth... Hostus Maximus Justin Fort invaded the Automotive A.D.H.D. studios and rallied Primary Knowledge Unit Matt West for an hour of high-density car-guy madness. Pour the Thai tea and lock the hatch, because the gearhead time-space interruptor is on. From the battle of Toyota versus Subaru to EZ Subies and blown 22REs, and the EJ257 versus the FA24, plus the eternal question of "If I bought 300hp, why can't I use them all?", these two overintuited car geeks went after it. HFS. More? Junkyard versus O.E... Where "red sticky" grease came from... How International and Mercury made better engines than the factory... Why your car is following you... Why the O.E.s put SCCA memberships in the glovebox of new cars... Tach dumps under the overpass, and mechanic-owned cars on the menu...
While we're at it: Roy Scheider, "Final Countdown", cohost nicknames, boba from the Coffee & Tea Zone, and desert metal from Fatso Jetson, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Masters of Reality, Screaming Trees and Yawning Man.
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1 hr 6 min
09.23.26: Gearhead Conflagration! Flock Cameras ARE Spying On You (So Are New Cars), K-Cars & Red Sticky, GM Diesels & Allison Trannies, Specialty Parts Matter, Injector Cleaner on Schedule & ATF in…
Season 14, Episode 33
Show notes
So much brain, so little bandwidth... Hostus Maximus Justin Fort invaded the Automotive A.D.H.D. studios and rallied Primary Knowledge Unit Matt West for an hour of high-density car-guy madness. Pour the Thai tea and lock the hatch, because the gearhead time-space interruptor is on. From the battle of Toyota versus Subaru to EZ Subies and blown 22REs, and the EJ257 versus the FA24, plus the eternal question of "If I bought 300hp, why can't I use them all?", these two overintuited car geeks went after it. HFS. More? Junkyard versus O.E... Where "red sticky" grease came from... How International and Mercury made better engines than the factory... Why your car is following you... Why the O.E.s put SCCA memberships in the glovebox of new cars... Tach dumps under the overpass, and mechanic-owned cars on the menu...
While we're at it: Roy Scheider, "Final Countdown", cohost nicknames, boba from the Coffee & Tea Zone, and desert metal from Fatso Jetson, Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Masters of Reality, Screaming Trees and Yawning Man.
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1 hr
09.11.26 (MP3): Vehicular Enabling of Summer (& 9/11 Not Forgotten), Take the Unbeaten Path/Lost 2-Lane/Route Less Traff*@&ed, & Above the Clouds Show in Woodland Park, Detailing Black Cars (911 &…
Season 14, Episode 32
Show notes
Yeah, we've got a little catch-upping to do - busy happens... On 9/11's 25th anniversary, the Garage Hour goons got a little lost in the moment (find the French documentary from NBC (?), find the Nova special about why the towers fell, and then pour one out for those who won't be coming back), but also honored the importance of living and doing with the tragedy still in mind. With gearheads everywhere still rolling around in the tail end of summer - endless summer - it's time to detail up, cruise out, go where you feel, and enjoy the far end of summer. Additional car guy goodness: gearheadventures with Matt at Automotive A.D.H.D., winged or wingless, Bobcat repair, gas prices, a Miata versus a 600RR, and another win for "32 Hot Rod Hits"
There's more: don't spill your hydration, Regular Bill and Admiral Rickover, Link Wray and Dick Dale, and a very tired Hostus Maximus.
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1 hr
09.11.26: Vehicular Enabling of Summer (& 9/11 Not Forgotten), Take the Unbeaten Path/Lost 2-Lane/Route Less Traff*@&ed, & Above the Clouds Show in Woodland Park, Detailing Black Cars (911 & 5.0)…
Season 14, Episode 32
Show notes
Yeah, we've got a little catch-upping to do - busy happens... On 9/11's 25th anniversary, the Garage Hour goons got a little lost in the moment (find the French documentary from NBC (?), find the Nova special about why the towers fell, and then pour one out for those who won't be coming back), but also honored the importance of living and doing with the tragedy still in mind. With gearheads everywhere still rolling around in the tail end of summer - endless summer - it's time to detail up, cruise out, go where you feel, and enjoy the far end of summer. Additional car guy goodness: gearheadventures with Matt at Automotive A.D.H.D., winged or wingless, Bobcat repair, gas prices, a Miata versus a 600RR, and another win for "32 Hot Rod Hits"
There's more: don't spill your hydration, Regular Bill and Admiral Rickover, Link Wray and Dick Dale, and a very tired Hostus Maximus.
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1 hr 5 min
08.22.26 (MP3): Get Prepped for Four-Wheeling - Equipment, Vehicle, Mechanical, Technique, Knowing Where You're Going, Understanding What You're 'Froading, Modding What You Have, & Secrets of JFS4…
Season 14, Episode 31
Show notes
A look over the shoulder from the Gearhead Consultancy about how to make yourself ready and able to enjoy a week off-roading in the hills... We've got mechanical touchpoints to get after on your buggy (and in it), a basic list of tools and juices, ancillary gear that'll have you pretty damn prepared before you head out, and a few thoughts on sucking info and technique out of your fellow 'froaders rather than just sucking. There's also some trucks worth taking, dude's worth having around, maps worth reading, tech worth ignoring, and ideas worth executing.
There's more to it: marble in Marble, Irish whiskey in Justin, lumberjacks in Russia, and transmissions in LS400s.
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1 hr 5 min
08.22.26: Get Prepped for Four-Wheeling - Equipment, Vehicle, Mechanical, Technique, Knowing Where You're Going, Understanding What You're 'Froading, Modding What You Have, & Secrets of JFS4 (Hit a…
Season 14, Episode 31
Show notes
A look over the shoulder from the Gearhead Consultancy about how to make yourself ready and able to enjoy a week off-roading in the hills... We've got mechanical touchpoints to get after on your buggy (and in it), a basic list of tools and juices, ancillary gear that'll have you pretty damn prepared before you head out, and a few thoughts on sucking info and technique out of your fellow 'froaders rather than just sucking. There's also some trucks worth taking, dude's worth having around, maps worth reading, tech worth ignoring, and ideas worth executing.
There's more to it: marble in Marble, Irish whiskey in Justin, lumberjacks in Russia, and transmissions in LS400s.
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1 hr 18 min
08.12.26 (MP3): JFSummit4 Recap - Marble, Colorado Four-Wheeling in 4Runners, Grenadiers, Side-by-Sides & a Wrangler, w/ Rocks & Bonks, Trails & Towns, Damage & Drop-Offs, + Online Maps (Bad?)…
Season 14, Episode 30
Show notes
The gearhead goons' annual getogether at JFS4 went off relatively hitchless - so much 'froading, so much food and a seriously good hangout at Eagle's Nest in Marble (got to have a driveway that's four-by only). From classic trails like the famously lethal Schofield Road, multipersonalitied Pearl Pass, bottled up Gunsite Road, expansive Montezuma Basin, unappreciated Sheep Mountain, Lead King and Crystal Mill (get in there), we shoved everything from ultra-capable trail buggies to an Ineos Grenadier with the radar signature of the Pentagon through (almost) all of them (and you can too!). ...And because we did everything and then some in trailed-out 4Runners and a Jeep, you probably can too - advocate for your access and your right to roam.
More info in this extended-play look over the shoulder: BushDucks (has details), Admiral Rickover (knows stuff), community Marble (get some), vintage truck self-adjustment (because third-gen 4Runner), geniuses from Hughes to Musk, Ayatollahs from San Diego, plus Fatso Jetson, Kyuss, Earthlings, Truckfighters and Corrosion of Conformity.
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1 hr 18 min
08.12.26: JFSummit4 Recap - Marble, Colorado Four-Wheeling in 4Runners, Grenadiers, Side-by-Sides & a Wrangler, w/ Rocks & Bonks, Trails & Towns, Damage & Drop-Offs, + Online Maps (Bad?), Offshoots…
Season 14, Episode 30
Show notes
The gearhead goons' annual getogether at JFS4 went off relatively hitchless - so much 'froading, so much food and a seriously good hangout at Eagle's Nest in Marble (got to have a driveway that's four-by only). From classic trails like the famously lethal Schofield Road, multipersonalitied Pearl Pass, bottled up Gunsite Road, expansive Montezuma Basin, unappreciated Sheep Mountain, Lead King and Crystal Mill (get in there), we shoved everything from ultra-capable trail buggies to an Ineos Grenadier with the radar signature of the Pentagon through (almost) all of them (and you can too!). ...And because we did everything and then some in trailed-out 4Runners and a Jeep, you probably can too - advocate for your access and your right to roam.
More info in this extended-play look over the shoulder: BushDucks (has details), Admiral Rickover (knows stuff), community Marble (get some), vintage truck self-adjustment (because third-gen 4Runner), geniuses from Hughes to Musk, Ayatollahs from San Diego, plus Fatso Jetson, Kyuss, Earthlings, Truckfighters and Corrosion of Conformity.
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1 hr 3 min
08.08.26 (MP3): Right to Repair & Why You Care, America's 250th Fly-Bys (as 250 Go By), Your Head On a Swivel (Don't Get Dead!), Who's Looking After Warfighters' Cars?, When Road-Rage Goes from…
Season 14, Episode 29
Show notes
Whether you're fixing your John Deere tractor or pulling fasteners out of your MacBook, your right to repair it seems like a no-brainer, but there are those who'd like to lock you out of your access to your own property. No freakin' way, according to the Garage Hour goons (as well as the F.T.C., independent repairmen, Steve Wozniak, and makes and breakers worldwide). While you're in there, have some fly-by stories from America's 250th birthday (and some F-14 Tomcat memories from the Hostus Maximus's childhood), tales of teaching kids to be good at things, what "new" is worth, dudes from Blue Man dodging dummies driving, a few thoughts on road rage, and a little decompression from JFS4.
Also in there: some Rob (and some White) Zombie, a little Fatso Jetson, Die Krupps, and a thought about Holst's Planets and "Mars", plus an Excellent Weirdo R.I.P. for Ben Jones, the "Dukes of Hazzard's" Cooter and a proper two-fisted southern gentleman.
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1 hr 3 min
08.08.26: Right to Repair & Why You Care, America's 250th Fly-Bys (as 250 Go By), Your Head On a Swivel (Don't Get Dead!), Who's Looking After Warfighters' Cars?, When Road-Rage Goes from Performative…
Season 14, Episode 29
Show notes
Whether you're fixing your John Deere tractor or pulling fasteners out of your MacBook, your right to repair it seems like a no-brainer, but there are those who'd like to lock you out of your access to your own property. No freakin' way, according to the Garage Hour goons (as well as the F.T.C., independent repairmen, Steve Wozniak, and makes and breakers worldwide). While you're in there, have some fly-by stories from America's 250th birthday (and some F-14 Tomcat memories from the Hostus Maximus's childhood), tales of teaching kids to be good at things, what "new" is worth, dudes from Blue Man dodging dummies driving, a few thoughts on road rage, and a little decompression from JFS4.
Also in there: some Rob (and some White) Zombie, a little Fatso Jetson, Die Krupps, and a thought about Holst's Planets and "Mars", plus an Excellent Weirdo R.I.P. for Ben Jones, the "Dukes of Hazzard's" Cooter and a proper two-fisted southern gentleman.
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54 min
08.02.26 (MP3): Politicians Drive Like They're "Special", Hyundai Beta Tests on You, Robot Cars Get Cornfused, MN Car Keyers Get Promoted, & a Few Good Things Happen to Americans' 2A, + S.T.P. All…
Season 14, Episode 28
Show notes
How 'bout it? Robots; crashing their cars into you, versus people; crashing their cars into grandma's house. Politicians; bad driving and continuing crashing (and more delusional demands for special treatment). Hyundai; stacking up the recalls (seatbelt for me, seat fire for you). Speed versus traffic. Banana versus tailpipe. Naked chicks. Advertising in your car. Flock in your privacy. ...And a lesson about parking your car in Minnesota - don't, because the state will promote the guy who keys it.
...While we're getting back after it after a week in the rocks (with an episode from JFS4 is coming right up), the gearhead goons (gearhoons?) have whipped up an hour of General Chicanery (sir!) for you with this one.
Also, some 2A goodness: silencers getting legaller, hunting getting more doable, (sort'a) fine chromed Turkish revolvers, and nothing but Stone Temple Pilots rolling background.
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54 min
08.02.26: Politicians Drive Like They're "Special", Hyundai Beta Tests on You, Robot Cars Get Cornfused, MN Car Keyers Get Promoted, & a Few Good Things Happen to Americans' 2A, + S.T.P. All Show Long
Season 14, Episode 28
Show notes
How 'bout it? Robots; crashing their cars into you, versus people; crashing their cars into grandma's house. Politicians; bad driving and continuing crashing (and more delusional demands for special treatment). Hyundai; stacking up the recalls (seatbelt for me, seat fire for you). Speed versus traffic. Banana versus tailpipe. Naked chicks. Advertising in your car. Flock in your privacy. ...And a lesson about parking your car in Minnesota - don't, because the state will promote the guy who keys it.
...While we're getting back after it after a week in the rocks (with an episode from JFS4 is coming right up), the gearhead goons (gearhoons?) have whipped up an hour of General Chicanery (sir!) for you with this one.
Also, some 2A goodness: silencers getting legaller, hunting getting more doable, (sort'a) fine chromed Turkish revolvers, and nothing but Stone Temple Pilots rolling background.
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53 min
07.24.26 (MP3): Distracted Driving VS Uncontrollable Progress, TriState Driving Doom VS Cops Who Are Not, Critical Mass VS Flash-Takeover Hoodlums, Dodge It VS Ditch It, Skeletons in UK VS Cannonballs…
Season 14, Episode 27
Show notes
While Tri-State hoodlums make a mockery of Critical Mass and drivers in New Jersey are too distracted to see the cops, truck tires are attacking attentive freewaygoers and robot cars continue to plan your doom. Whatever will you do? Firstly, consult the experts: the Garage Hour goons are here for you - professional gearheads with geekpower aplenty, we've got da' Motts on your fear of flying tires, flying bears, flailing fat guys and flashmobbing urban slideshowers. There's also car chases (#because), Johnny Cab (the first wave), cops in gillie suits (not a 'squatch, not a bush, and not eucalyptus), the Bodycount Conundrum (because technology is not on your side), and tuning your wheelbarrow (#becausecaveman).
It's in there: hardwood brooms, Richard the Third, our famous Dig Two Holes in England and You'll Find One Skeleton theory, Civil War cannonballs for fun and profit, and just about all of Snail's "Feral".
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53 min
07.24.26: Distracted Driving VS Uncontrollable Progress, TriState Driving Doom VS Cops Who Are Not, Critical Mass VS Flash-Takeover Hoodlums, Dodge It VS Ditch It, Skeletons in UK VS Cannonballs in…
Season 14, Episode 27
Show notes
While Tri-State hoodlums make a mockery of Critical Mass and drivers in New Jersey are too distracted to see the cops, truck tires are attacking attentive freewaygoers and robot cars continue to plan your doom. Whatever will you do? Firstly, consult the experts: the Garage Hour goons are here for you - professional gearheads with geekpower aplenty, we've got da' Motts on your fear of flying tires, flying bears, flailing fat guys and flashmobbing urban slideshowers. There's also car chases (#because), Johnny Cab (the first wave), cops in gillie suits (not a 'squatch, not a bush, and not eucalyptus), the Bodycount Conundrum (because technology is not on your side), and tuning your wheelbarrow (#becausecaveman).
It's in there: hardwood brooms, Richard the Third, our famous Dig Two Holes in England and You'll Find One Skeleton theory, Civil War cannonballs for fun and profit, and just about all of Snail's "Feral".
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