Hoytus Interruptus

It's hard to woo a girl when you're driving the most uncool car on campus. Fortunately, the girl I was wooing could not have cared less about the wheels that got us from one place to the next. To kick off Season Two of guaranteed true stories from a life (mine), here's the story of "the one," a summer that couldn't end soon enough and the ugliest car on the planet.

Time to get back on the storytelling horse! Season 2 of Hoytus Interruptus kicks off next week with a portion of the Jeff and Cindy origin story. The weeks that follow will feature: The story about the little girl who asserted herself; planting seeds in New Age brains; a priceless moment with show biz legends; the teacher and the DJ who steered me right; my checkered history with bees; plus tales...

Chris Ballew's new solo record, "I Am Not Me," flies you deep inside an evolving creative arc for one of music's most interesting players. You'll hear elements of Chris' Presidents of the United States of America days coming through along with notes that remind you that he's made nearly 20 records for kids as Caspar Babypants. The totality of it is a groovy, abst...

It's a special LIVE Hoytus Interruption Monday at 1pm Pacific as the former frontman for Presidents of the United States of America drops by to talk about his new solo record "I Am Not Me." Chris Ballew describes the music as "fuzzy and spacey with lyrics that are abstract and cosmic." I've listened and it is ALL OF THAT! I find the record to be a super-fun listen for...

When is an ice cube more than just an ice cube? We found out one day in a grocery store in Tucson.  For the season finale of Hoytus Interruptus, a bit of drunken silliness seems in order. #crystalclassic 

A child's imagination can be fired by just about anything. Mine certainly was. For instance, a few errant drops of paint on a black vinyl baseboard can look like a face when the lights are low. (I'll leave that story for Season Two.) This week's Hoytus is about a painting that hung in my family home most of my life. For me, with no travel budget, that painting became my first experi...

Have you ever had "one of those days" where nothing goes right and everything takes way longer than it should? I've usually found that the next day is almost always awesome by comparison. There's a strange kind of balance in that. Of course, the opposite can sometimes be true. Something wonderful could happen one day, only to be wiped from your memory the next day by the worst...

It's been twenty years since the Nisqually Earthquake shook up Seattle and Western Washington. More than 400 people were injured in the quake, but no one died as a direct result of the temblor. Like any natural disaster, millions of stories were born in an instant. In this episode, I tell two of my favorites. #earthquake #nisquallyquake

I enjoy going to the ballpark to see the Mariners play as much as the next fan, but the $30 parking and $10 beer charges do add up, especially if you bring the family. The minor league experience is more purely enjoyable. You're closer to the action and don't have to take out a second mortgage to afford the evening. You also get to enjoy the wacky promotions that only the minor leagues c...

Did you have the experience of growing up next to a quiet, unassuming kid who later grew up to be a famous world leader? So did I! And if enterprising journalists hadn't dug around and figured it out for me, I never would have known.  #borisjohnson #southnorwalk #brexit

Cindy and I have always had a knack for landing in a place just before a local celebration. But to be in country on the day that Vietnam annually celebrates America's departure?  The very prospect left us a bit anxious and not quite sure what to expect. #vietnam #reunificationday #april30

This week is a good example of what happens when you tell a story and a chain reaction ensues. Someone is reminded of their own story and theirs kicks out yet another one and so on. It happens all the time and I hope that one of my stories might inspire you to send yours along, to possibly be shared (and elevated) in a future Hoytus Interruptus. This podcast is only five minutes long so think in t...

This is a podcast based on true life stories. In this episode, I reach all the way back to the very first one I can remember. Good to get the story down now, before time and distance finish having their way with it. What is your earliest childhood memory?  #southbend #earlychildhoodmemories 

Most days are fairly quiet on my island. The Sheriff's Report in the local paper is usually pretty light reading, and when sirens blare in the distance, we hold our collective breath as there's a decent chance we know whoever is in distress. Last Monday was a distinct exception, starting and ending with different tales of drama, tension and uncertainty. What is your "go-to" tal...

Back around the turn of the century, before there was Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, I turned to comedy in a moment of betrayal. Budding superstar shortstop Alex Rodriguez was walking away in free agency from the Seattle Mariners. The bit that I wrote wound up spreading around the country the old-fashioned way, by email and word-of-mouth. #arod #texasrangers #seattlemariners

Some of the hardest working actors in Hollywood are the ones whose names you don't know. They create memorable characters and leave indelible images while mostly toiling in anonymity. Host Jeff Hoyt remembers the day when Hal Smith came to town. He was famous for one particular character but he brought several dozen extra in his luggage. #andygriffithshow #halsmith #melblanc #otis

Doing something incredibly stupid has only one redeeming quality (assuming you survive your mistake). It can leave you with a pretty good cautionary tale to tell. Here's the story of when host Jeff Hoyt decided to take the path of least resistance. It could have ended really badly.  #stevenspass #skistories 

Jeff Hoyt loves stories. He tells them in a semi-irregular segment on his radio show called "Hoytus Interruptus." Now he's decided to get into more of a routine, publishing a podcast version of Hoytus every Tuesday.  Just five minutes per week is all he asks of the listener, with a goal to eventually tease out and "elevate" the personal stories they send him.