184 - The Road Ranger—My Business Is Trouble

The Kitchen Sisters Present

The Kitchen Sisters & Radiotopia

Society & Culture

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2022

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We first caught sight of him in a convenience store buying Marlboros and a Coke for the road. He was dressed in a grey jumpsuit, pants tucked into black boots, silver belt buckle and a large black Stetson hat. Out front, his Ford Ranchero pick-up idled in the parking lot, the words “Champion of the Stranded Traveler” emblazoned in gold on the door. We struck up a conversation.

“I go on the road looking for trouble and whenever I find some, I stop.” His voice was deep and resonant, his timing, impeccable. “I suppose that’s why they call me “The Bloodhound of Breakdown. But then, my business is trouble.” He lit a cigarette and handed us his card — “The Road Ranger — Scourge of the Tow Hook and the Long Delay.”

We go out on patrol with The Road Ranger in one of the first stories produced by The Kitchen Sisters.

This bonus episode is part of a special Radiotopia-wide project. This week, shows across the network are releasing episodes on the theme “Making Trouble.” You can learn more and donate to support our work at radiotopia.fm.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Kitchen Sisters Present. I'm Davie Nelson, and I'm Nikki Silva.
0:10.0	Before we get started, this episode is part of a special Radiotopia-wide project.
0:16.0	As you know, the Kitchen Sisters Present is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX,
0:22.0	a network of some of the best independent, artist-owned, story-driven, listener-supported podcasts out there.
0:32.0	Every year we ask our listeners for support, but this year we wanted to do something a little different.
0:38.0	This week shows across the network our releasing episodes on the theme of making trouble.
0:44.0	You can learn more and donate to support our work and all the work of the Radiotopia family
0:50.0	at radiotopia.fm. In the meantime, here's our twist on making trouble.
0:58.0	The Kitchen Sisters Present, the Road Ranger. I go on the road looking for trouble.
1:12.0	The first time we saw him, he was buying marboros and a coke for the road
1:16.0	at a convenience store near my house. There he was, the road ranger,
1:22.0	dressed in a steel-grade jumpsuit with a large black silver-buckled belt and black leather boots.
1:29.0	He wore wraparound shades and a huge black stetson hat. His Ford Ranchero pickup idled out front.
1:37.0	In Blazenden Gold on the Door were the words, the champion of the stranded traveler.
1:43.0	He lit a cigarette and handed us his card, the Road Ranger, Scourge of the tow hook and the long delay.
1:51.0	I go on the road looking for trouble and whenever I find some I stop.
1:56.0	His voice was deep and resonant, his timing impeccable.
2:01.0	I suppose that's why they call me the bloodhound to break down, but then my business is troubling.
2:09.0	The Road Ranger, aka Allen Little, was a Vietnam vet.
2:14.0	Recently back from the war, still on a mission, still wanting to serve his country and fellow countrymen.
2:20.0	Fresh out of his army uniform, unable to quite fit back in, he dawned his own.
2:26.0	Each weekend, asking no remuneration, Sargent Little worked these dangerous 20 miles in long, eight hour shifts.
	...

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