Mother Trucker, a musical spoof of 1970s trucker movies.
THIS SHOW RUNS ON NO-NO JUICE
The fall show of the Late Night Theatre troupe in Kansas City was Mother Trucker, a musical spoof of 1970s trucker movies. The title character, a widow named Ruby, agrees to haul an illegal load of Alabama No-No Juice to provide for her wheelchair-bound little boy, named (you guessed it) Teddy Bear. Both mother and son were played by adult men, which gives you an idea of the show.
David Wayne Reed, the show’s writer-director, says that as a child he loved trucker movies and idolized Jerry Reed of Smokey and the Bandit, who he hoped was a distant relative. “He was the original white rapper,” Reed says. “He’s just awesome.”
LET’S DRINK TO CARGO THEFT
Moosehead Breweries has turned a beer-truck robbery into a marketing campaign.
After 50,000 cans of Moosehead disappeared in August from a Toronto-bound truck, folks began finding stashes all over rural New Brunswick: 5,000 cans behind a cemetery, 1,000 cans on a dirt road, 5,000 cans in a trailer. The impromptu scavenger hunt generated so much publicity that the brewery started selling “Beer Heist Tour ’04” T-shirts. “We had an initial order of 500 shirts, which sold out in less than a day,” says Joel Levesque, a Moosehead vice president. To join the rush, visit this site or call (800) 793-0011.
AND YOU THOUGHT FOUR-WHEELERS WERE RECKLESS
The Minnesota State Patrol charged a motorcyclist with going 205 mph on U.S. 61. That’s 140 mph over the limit.
“I’m not entirely sure what would happen if you crashed at 200 mph,” says Kathy Swanson of the state Office of Traffic Safety, “but it wouldn’t be pretty, that’s for sure.”
The speed of the cycle, reportedly a Honda RC51, was computed by an airborne trooper using a stopwatch. Soon after the news broke, online motorcycle enthusiasts began debating whether any Honda RC51, however souped-up, could go that fast.
HE’S WIRED, ALL RIGHT
“What a wonderful opportunity to nail anyone you don’t like. If you see a truck driven by a Hispanic or a black guy or by someone who looks like a hippie, just sic the Gestapo on him. Don’t worry about minor details like courts and evidence.”
– Wired News reader Jerry Greenberg responds to a story about ATA’s Highway Watch program, in which truckers watch for terrorist activity.
NOW, THAT’S A SURCHARGE!
“My mom and dad never made a ton of money, so I know the value of a dollar.”
– Trucker’s son Grant Wistrom, who earned a $14 million bonus for signing with the Seattle Seahawks.
INSTEAD, CHECK ITS LOG BOOK
“Trying to stop a hurricane with bombs or missiles would be like stopping a fully loaded 18-wheel tractor-trailer by throwing a light plastic police barrier in front of it.”
– Meteorologist Joe Murgo of WTAJ-TV in Altoona, Pa.
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