Levi & Sherry Peckens- Tie‑Dye - Community - Music - Magic Ep44

0:32 To learn more about this class-leading VW magazine. All right, welcome back to Dub Life Diaries. Today's episode is pure color. As you can see, it's everywhere. It's even on my shirt. Pure love and VW soul. I've got Levi and Sherry from Trippin' Seed Tie-Dye and The Social Mosaic, and they are what I say is the real deal. Musicians, artists, lifelong Volkswagen people whose story runs from a $775 Super Beetle to a now community-built tie-dyed masterpiece called Owsley the Beetle. This story is going to be packed with all of it.

1:14 We're talking about heartbreak, hurricanes, community magic, and the kind of love story that only happens when two VW hearts collide. Levi and Sherry, welcome to Dub Life Diaries. Thank you, Joe. We're happy to be here. You are so welcome. And before we get going, I do want to just give a shout out real quick to my sponsors. First up is you guys. Man, you guys sent me this shirt for this episode. How cool. I kind of had that thought. I'm like, wouldn't it be cool if I had them come on the podcast and I had one of their shirts to record in? So thank you guys for hooking me up. I really appreciate it. First up as the sponsor is Volksmania Magazine. You guys know how I feel.

1:56 I feel these guys are the flyest VW Magazine on the face of the planet. It's the quality. It's the people that make the brand just like it is for our community. Volksmania.com. Use Dublife10 at checkout. That's D-U-B-L-I-F-E, the number one zero at checkout. Gets you 10% off your subscription. Also, shout out to Salty Dub from the beach to the bay. Salty dub is tearing up the coastal vw scene now that's not just here locally that's coastal meaning coastal climates all over the world so pretty cool to see what salty dub is doing especially in some of the events and some of the swag they have check those guys out saltydub.com same discount code applies it's dub life 10 get you 10 off your merch last up right here on my hat If anybody can see it, my buddy Chris White, Riverbank Customs.

2:48 Shout out to Chris and the team over at Riverbank Customs. These guys are all about the VW community. Some really stand-up folks. Go check these guys out on YouTube, Riverbank Customs. All right, guys, back to you guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Back to you. Back to you. I guess let's do this kind of broken up. I'll ask maybe Levi some questions and then I'll have some questions for you, Sherry. But these first couple, let's just kind of hit these off together, maybe more conversational. What's the vibe like today where you guys are joining from? It's chill. It's a beautiful day. We live out in the woods, so we enjoy all the quiet time we get out here, and then we make a lot of noise in our studio.

3:33 So it's a good day. Where exactly are you guys for the listeners? We are in McHenry, Mississippi. We're about 26 miles north of Gulfport. Okay, okay. So now we can envision on the map where you guys are at. So I guess maybe give the listeners a short version of who Levi and Sherry are, what Trippin' Seed tie-dye is, and maybe even what the social mosaic is all about. Levi and I have been together for about, I don't know, 28 years. He was already tie-dying. I was playing music out of college. He was in a rock band. Oh, cool. So when we met— You got the rock star.

4:13 I don't know about all that. You got the rock star. That's cool. Yeah. But, you know, we met, I loved tie-dye, and when I met him, I was like, oh, that's cool. And then we got to talking about Volkswagens, and then, you know, it went from there, and we've been tie-dyeing and playing music ever since. So the Social Mosaic, is that your band? Is that a group? It's the name that we go by musically, but it's also a project that incorporates other musicians and artists and local businesses so that we can all help each other move forward yeah cool you know levi levi can describe that better well creativity happens wherever there's a collaboration and people that are kind of willing to fall down that's what it is that i wanted to create it uh sometimes it goes well sometimes it uh.

5:09 Sometimes he goes, well, I like what you said though. Cause I think the part of the part of success really is, is being willing to jump, being willing to leap. So like, kind of like you said, you know, being willing to fall. Yeah, I agree. That's where creativity comes from. It's from those accidents, from those that are willing to push and try. So good stuff. Good stuff. You guys both kind of radiate this like VW energy. I don't know if it's the giant five foot wide VW logo behind you or, but, but realistically, I want to hear this from both of your perspectives. What does the VW community mean to you guys individually, personally? Well, with me, I've always been kind of like the odd one out, like a black sheep.

5:54 And so whenever I got around people that enjoyed Volkswagens as much as I did, I kind of felt connected. You know, it's almost, it's like a family. Basically, everybody wants to look out for you. You know, people go out of their way to help you. And it's amazing. It's what used to exist in the rock and roll community. All of those people helped each other along because they wanted it to exist, and that was more important than their own well-being. And everything that was great was created because of that, and it's really odd because the music scene really doesn't work like that, but for some reason, Volkswagen people do.

6:37 It's beautiful. It really is. It's a cool thing. If your car is broke, a Volkswagen person will absolutely help you fix it just to see it run. And that's rare in people these days. Yeah, man. No doubt. Okay. I mean, I think that's pretty awesome. So, Levi, let me dig in on you just a little bit. Let me ask you just a couple of questions. I know you grew up around Volkswagens, right? Yeah, all my life. There's always been one somewhere. Oh, look at that. We got a picture of him probably, what, five, six years old, standing on split window bust? Yes. So what was maybe some of your earliest memories, whether it be they're working on them or cruising in one or like what, what was your one at some of your first VW memories, Levi?

7:22 Well, that bus, that was my uncle's bus, and I lived in it with him off and on for forever. Wow. He went to Vietnam, and he came back, and he couldn't do people, so he stayed out in Kasachie in that van, and I spent a lot of time with him. Wow, I don't know, man. There's never been a time when there wasn't one around. Well, I mean, yeah, so since before, you can really remember, right? Because then, obviously, since you can remember, Volkswagens have been there in your life, which is super cool. Was there maybe then a particular car or, like you said, this bus? Was it something that kind of stood out that made you look back at it now and say, damn, yeah, it's always been Volkswagens?

8:07 Is it like since something or is it just because it's just always been there? I think it was that bus, but it's his attitude, generally speaking, because people who own Volkswagens work on the Volkswagens. And because of that, you don't need anything from anybody. You need gas, really, just to kind of get on your way. And I think that's cool. Yeah. And I've always thought that was cool. Yeah. Let me just do it myself and I'll do my thing over here. I feel like that's the Volkswagen attitude. There's a lot of do-it-yourselfers in this culture, for sure. And you're right. There is a lot of that feeling, but there's also a lot of support, I feel. Maybe if somebody has a disability or something and they can't be that mechanical or something, I feel like the community's there anyway.

8:54 So yeah, so Sherry, let me ask you a couple questions. Your first car was a 73 Super Beetle, right? Yes. Tell me just a little bit about that story and what that car maybe represented to you as a teenager just getting their first car. Okay. Well, my entire life, well, since I was about four, my favorite Matchbox car was a Volkswagen Beetle. I loved Beetles, and it was like a dream that I would even own one. So, you know, my parents weren't really big on to me getting a Volkswagen, but I was saving up my money for my part-time job. I took a city bus to the mall and we drove past this Volkswagen that was for sale and he had 800 bucks on it. And I was like, that's going to be my car.

9:45 So I got home. I got my dad and I was like, let's go look at this car. I want it. And it needed floor pans. It needed a lot of stuff. I didn't care. It went home with me. and what was funny though is my dad was he took it for a drive and he said absolutely not we're gonna get rid of this no way so he drove it to this mechanic shop down the street and they were like you don't want to sell it this is a great car and he was like okay so we worked on it together we fixed the floor we painted it so it was kind of a project for me and my dad and man it was just It was a dream. It was just a dream.

10:31 So fast forward a little bit, you know, in your life now, when Levi and you met and he mentioned, you know, 28 years plus, right? He mentioned that he had a VW. What ran through your mind as the same, you know, background in life? I don't know if it had come up in conversation yet, but when it did, were you like, I don't know, like maybe tell me what ran through your mind when you found out he was also a VW guy? Well, to be honest, he didn't have a Volkswagen. What happened was he was walking me out to my car and I had one of those, like it was a 93 honda civic and he he looked at it and he said wow that reminds me of a volkswagen beetle and i was like man i wish it was a volkswagen beetle and that's that's just where it happened and he was he started telling me all his volkswagen stories and i was like yeah tie-dye music volkswagens this is this is it that's it that's it awesome all right so let's go back to both of you now and you know no pressure if if one of you wants to to you know scream out an answer or both of you or you know let's talk about this 66 beetle how'd you guys come across this beetle and maybe talk about what made this beetle special well we we weren't together for very long lily was still a baby so it was probably maybe 99 and, when we bought we we lived in hattiesburg mississippi and we were driving around i don't even know what we were doing it was so long ago and there was this volkswagen beetle and it was.

12:07 In front of this house for sale and they wanted like thirteen hundred dollars for it and we were like wow look how beautiful it was it was all original except for the engine and it was in solid shape of course it wasn't running we had to bring it somewhere and having you know some work and then we worked on it for quite some time but yeah it his aunt helped me buy it and then there i was on the road to working on a volkswagen again and that became our daily driver for for quite some time was it a six volt or you said upgraded the engine so did they upgrade it to a 12 volt too yeah because they didn't do it well and for that reason it had electrical problems but it was stuff that it was easy to figure out at least yeah it's a wonderful little i don't know companion i loved it heck yeah man they're all they're all a vibe i was saying a second ago i've got a 62 six six volt so let's talk about some of this loss that you guys went through because i I feel like, you know.

13:15 Actually connect to this because last year here, we had the two hurricanes that came through the Gulf Coast, you know, and, and, and really wiped us out. The first one was flooding. The second one was wind, but you guys lost two buses, right? Or did you lose one bus, two buses in Katrina, right? Well, yeah, but it wasn't. Yeah, I guess it kind of was. Yeah, it was two buses. We had a transporter bus and Westphalia. Okay. So a camper and then a hard top or a tin top. Yeah. So yeah, you lost them in Katrina. Like maybe describe that for me.

13:56 What'd that feel like emotionally? Well, it's a little devastating because the tin top, you called it, I call it the transporter. It was Levi's bus all the way. It was just, it screamed Levi. And we had some trouble with the engine. It came with dual Webbers and we just couldn't get it right. But then we bought this Westie for $500 out of Gulfport, Mississippi. And y'all, you need to start looking for some deals when I'm ready to buy them. I'm going to come to you guys. This was what, 20 years ago? Yeah.

14:39 And it ran, it was solid, but we had some issues. And then after it was after Katrina, we had to kind of move and sell our house. You know, how everybody had to kind of move around and change their lives. Yeah. That just happened really to our coast, West Coast, Central Florida. Like I said, in those last year hurricanes, even my own family was affected. My brother was displaced. He had a waterfront property in Madeira Beach. They got like almost 60 inches of water in the living room, which is, you know, five feet. I mean, that's like, wow. My father-in-law lost his cars, lost his Harley, you know, because...

15:22 We all did what we normally do, which is weather the storm and batten down the hatches and, you know, essentially stay. But, you know, certainly probably not the best choice in this case. So storm two, we were like, nah, we're out. Right. So everybody leaves then. And then evacuating was crazy. It was like, I'll never forget this. The drive up to we went up to St. Augustine and the drive up, they had opened up the emergency lanes on the sides of the freeway. And they had all these signs everywhere. So cars are, you know, cruising probably 25, maybe 15 to 25 miles an hour. And like, so all five lanes of traffic, then the two emergency lanes all going in one direction.

16:06 It was like, dang, man, this looks like Stephen King's the stand or something. It was just, it was wild, dude, wild for me to go through that. And then to come back after storm two, You guys know this feeling if you come back after a big storm. I couldn't believe the amount of trees that were down all over town. It was like, what? Like, we'd never seen that before. I'm born and raised right here in St. Pete. I've never seen. I'm 48 years old. I've never seen anything like that as far as how many down oak trees. And then, you know, obviously cleanup starts. But, man, what a emotionally charged moment, you know, and then especially to lose a couple buses. So you guys kept the titles to these buses, right?

16:50 Yeah. They just happened to stay in my paperwork and I came across them, you know, not too long ago. I was like, dang, man, you know, it, I don't know why. It's just, you know, you get a Volkswagen. It's kind of part of you, I guess, you know? Yeah, I do. That's probably why I kept them. Yeah, no, that's cool. You know, it's kind of like the proof, you know, like, no, we had these. What years were they? They were both 75s. Yeah, good late year, too. Awesome, you know, bay window. So fast forward a bit then again. Let's touch on tie-dye.

17:31 For both of you, when did it become more than a craft? When did it maybe turn into, whoa, we're on to something here, maybe even a lifestyle? This is more for Levi's seat because he was already tie-dying and doing that before I met him. I don't think he came at me like that. I was playing guitar, and because I was playing guitar, I needed money real bad, and I had this skill, so I pursued it. When we got together and we had kids and that's just as bad when you when you have kids you need money so i'm sure and like a lot of it yeah yeah and it never stops like people people never stop asking you for money we did a stint there like when we first met we tried to make it work but Katrina just kind of made everything goofy.

18:26 So, what, 15 years ago? Maybe 16 years ago? We took it up, and we started taking it serious again. Yeah, we didn't want real jobs, because real jobs were murdering our souls. And then we realized, you know, if we could do something ourselves, let's get back to this tie-dye. And, you know, we did it, and we had a little setup. up and and then we just we just kept doing that was I think we went full-time on tie-dye in 2014 roughly and we were playing music as well through that time, When I was looking at your, at your, at your backstory, you know, just trying to come up with this outline, I had noticed that you had said it took you guys, or maybe it took you, Sherry, I don't know, but it took one of you or both of you about two years to actually learn how to do the VW emblem.

19:19 Can we touch on that? Maybe teach me what, what that process looks like. Overview. Two years is a long time. It is a long time. And it's great because, you know, I was like, well, all of this stuff is converging in life. All this stuff that I love, Volkswagens, tie-dye, you know, music. I would love to make a Volkswagen tie-dye. That would just be the best. And, you know, yes, the best. The best. So we would buy these little, like, towels at Sam's, you know, these little flower sack towels. And we'd have old t-shirts or whatever and I'd sit at a table and I would draw it out I kept thinking like how I make peace signs but I had to think outside that box and it took me a while and one day I'm sitting there and I'm sitting at my desk with this piece of fabric, And Levi said something to me, said something about why don't you think about the empty space? And I was like, oh.

20:28 So then real quick, I folded it up, I ran outside into the tie dye lab, I threw something and this is not our process at all. I ran outside and I threw some dye on it and I sat there for a minute. I was like, I'm just going to open it and see if it worked. And I opened it and it worked. And I was like, ah, ran through the house. I was like, I got it, I got it, I got it. So from then on, you know, that's been like my sole focus. And even now we're more like, you know, Volkswagen shows, you know, making the Volkswagen tie-dye. Yes. So let's touch on that quickly on the shows. How did the Volkswagen community first respond? Because I know when I see the really cool tie-dyes at a show, I'm like, thank God they're here, you know.

21:17 But honestly, you know, and I'm not just saying this, I don't really recall any time in my life, in my past, ever seeing somebody that's got the logo down this good or really just some of the stuff that you guys do. I've, you know, I've kind of been checking you guys out. Man, you guys got the tie-dye game down, Pat, that's for sure. Yeah, that's pretty awesome, though. That was the tipping point after she did it. It's one of those things like well since i can do this i can do anything and after a volkswagen it's like well we can do anything now and that's kind of how it's true yeah people so the community, man i mean volkswagen people are just nothing but nice right and they love us and so i guess we can love them back you know what was such a trip is we went to a new show this year it was in Tannehill.

22:13 Oh my gosh, Volksjam. It was so awesome and it was great because it was a new place that you really know. Go ahead the adam simpson yes yeah super super amazing person yes yes he's super cool but i walked up to him and i was like are you adam he was like yeah and then there were people around him that were like you're tripping seed you came you know it's like i don't even know these guys this is awesome they knew who we were yeah i'd say that's open arms for sure oh yeah beautiful place that they're really super nice people. Yeah. While we're touching on shows, is there one that you've attended, maybe aside from Tannehill, that may have stood out the most over the last couple of years?

23:01 Aside from the one where they gave me a car. Well, we're going to talk about that one. We'll get to that one, but we got to say this other one Levi brought to my attention was in Niceville, Florida. Oh, man, that was awesome. It rained. It rained. And it sucked. And everybody was just like, well, you want a beer? And it just didn't matter. At first, they were like, we're going to cancel, you know. And we were like, oh, okay. So we're just sitting there. And then they were like, we're just going to hang out. And I was like, okay, well, I'm just going to set up our getup and see what happens.

23:43 And, you know, even though they couldn't have a show that day, they were still being so super supportive and helpful. It just, that blew my mind. But, you know. That's the bad day everybody wants to have. Yes. It's like, okay. Yeah. It's like somebody going fishing and saying they're having a bad day. I'm like, you're fishing though. Yes, exactly. Is there such thing as a bad day? right? Now I know you guys, you know, you donate a lot, right? You've donated merch to different VW clubs. I know certainly up in the, in the Gulf coast region, just touch on, on why giving back is important to you guys.

24:24 Well, with me, it's always, it's always just wanting to give a hand to any organization that may need all of our help. You know, the Humane Society being very near and dear to our hearts because we have a kid who's going to vet school and we were going and volunteering and stuff at the Humane Society. That's awesome to hear. My daughter, my 19-year-old, was originally interested in becoming a vet and it was her whole childhood. She worked around horses and all this stuff. and then just had a little bit of a change of heart still loves animals still trains dogs and all that good stuff but she went and got her cosmetology license in in florida so she's a you know cosmetologist but yeah i i resonate with that a little bit you know i kind of love animals big time myself so that's cool that you guys that you guys do that, levi probably has more to say because he's he's like the mastermind of all full and, philanthropy that came to be real simple i used to just give people the shirt off my back because i made them and people would be like hey man that's a cool shirt and i'd take you on it yeah right like wow that's super cool man the reason why i did it is because a long time ago somebody was having a really bad day and i just gave him my shirt 10 years later that girl was like you And she remembered.

25:57 And, you know, it's funny because in the world you see terrible things happen all the time. But if somebody, you know, gives you their shirt, that sticks with you. And I think that's hope in a way. Man that's uh special special to hear that man that's awesome so let's touch on the music side of it how does the music fit in now do they merge does the music and the tie-dye kind of inspire a sound or completely separate it does but see we go in that direction she's the classically trained yeah yeah she's a classically trained uh flute player and you know I'm a blues player, and so we can cater to Sherry, and I don't mind.

26:45 That's all chords, and it's all fancy music, but I feel more like this. Everything's all dirty and distorted, kind of like Jimi Hendrix. It's, you know, raunchy, but, you know, she can go there now. Yeah, we use a lot of tie-dye in our videos and stuff, so we put tie-dyes behind us somewhere. Of course, wear it. We're writing music and then trying to come up with ideas of what kind of art to put on a backdrop. So it kind of feeds the creativity. Very, very cool. Let's touch on the social mosaic as a, I guess, as a bigger picture. What's the mission?

27:26 And I don't know, how do you to maybe create art, music? Is it together? Is it separate? You know, yeah, just kind of help me out. Help me visualize that for Social Mosaic. Okay. Well, we both work together to make the tie-dye fold and he dies. And in music, we're always working together, but he's got a deeper thought. You know what I would like to see is, I would like to see the kind of community that exists with Volkswagen people with music. Oh. And it's people who just wanted to see it stay alive because the industry, it imploded and now there's not anybody who's really putting time into going and living on the mountains so that they can break back the truth, so to speak.

28:17 I think somebody, I mean, it's happening, but you're not hearing it. You know, it's not in the mainstream, and it's because people don't care about it in that way, and they probably should. And that's ironic, because people who drive Volkswagen probably have that attitude. And if people who played music had that attitude, we would be rediscovering a band like Tool or Pink Floyd every two or three years, and that would just sustain. I don't know. I'd like to see that exist. That's all of those projects came out of that kind of a mentality of people just helping each other. Yeah. And I vibe with that too, as a, as a whole for the VW community and just kind of big picture, I guess.

29:01 And I think maybe they, we try, you know, we're, we're like here trying to celebrate, right. The lifestyle, the culture. Here's the thing, and I know it's kind of more of a sad truth than really anything is, you know, the real culture and the real heart and the real soul, it exists through what we're willing to keep around, right? Like the ones that created this and cut this path for us, sadly, they're starting to die off and they're starting to really not have the same level of energy maybe at one point that they did. So it's up to us, I guess, right? It's up to us to keep this, keep this. So I'm going to, I'm going to jump right in there with you and say, let's, let, let, let's hope, let's keep that hope and that dream alive that, you know, that you guys are doing now. We're doing it now.

29:50 You know, I have an analogy for that. And I think it applies to everything. I think a long time ago, there were, there were cowboys and the original cowboys were slaves. That's what they were. And then the next generation of cowboys, well, those people were outlaws. Those people were criminals and they couldn't have anything else to do. So they became cowboys. And that spirit represented freedom. So the next generation of cowboys was actually conservationists. That was, you know, Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok. And the point was to preserve this idea of freedom. Them and somewhere in that it becomes contorted because if you fast forward to like the 70s you get jr ewing and it it distorts the idea of the cowboy they see the the actual cowboy still exists.

30:43 And you kind of want to believe that i want to believe that about like volkswagen owners are like the real musicians and people who are always going to go to bat and they're just going to do it because it needs to be done and i believe in those people i like that on that parallels oddly with what you were saying. It does. I like that analogy. It was good. Biggest pinch me moment. From a show, from maybe either performing, I know you guys do that too, or selling the tie-dye. You know, I think we touched on that a little bit when you were like, oh, somebody saw us and said, hey, it's Trippin' Seed, right? But like, any big pinch me moments in the last maybe couple years, last year? Going to the Gulf Coast show and this car being under wraps.

31:27 I'm wondering, why is there a car with a cover on it? All right, let's talk about it. Let's talk about it. we're here we're at the story so we're at bugging the beach 2025 so tell us the story leading up to this event right you had no idea this surprise was coming to you no no clue none whatsoever i was getting ready for this show like we do every show we make a bunch of tight eyes we make sure that were all stocked up you know get all packed down I had a couple of phone calls from the club you know just asking questions you know about other vendors I mean they they all knew that of course I was going to be a vendor I'm not going to miss the show you know but we got there and it was just like it was just like we've worked it every time because we've worked this show several years since they moved it but yeah i didn't even notice there was a car with a cover on it until later when you know i when we were at the show for a while and things start to calm down i like to go around take pictures and look and i was like there's a car over there that got a cover on it i have to see what's going on so.

32:43 Like a moth yeah and they they they did post something on facebook where they posted a video, of somebody driving a bug and they were like there's gonna be a big surprise and i was like oh man i bet mike built a car for another charity because he he gave away a car the year before for you know colorectal cancer and so i was like you know he's up to something so i wonder what he's doing now so what was the end yeah describe the unveiling moment then well this is okay at the end of the show they were going to be giving away awards so we were listening to the awards and that's usually when we start kind of cleaning up our tent and kind of packing down slowly we're not going to miss the end of the show and so mike who built the car his wife came to my tent She was kind of looking around and I was like, Tammy.

33:41 What's the deal with this car over there? And then she just left. It's like she didn't want to answer the question. I was like, I wonder what's going on. Well, not, I don't know, maybe 10, 15 minutes later, they called my name. Sherry Peckins, will you come up front or come to the tent? And I looked at Levi and I was like, what is this? But the whole time I'm walking up there, they're talking about all the stuff that we did. And I was like, why are they talking about us like this? I mean, because, you know, this is just what we do. It's not... You know, it's not something huge that we celebrate. We just do these things.

34:23 You know, we donate to the clubs because they're raising money for charities. We give our time to organizations that we love, and we want to help the people around us that we love. So, you know, when they started talking about, well, you know, she's done this with the Humane Society. And then I turned around and was like, well, leave her. So they called Levi up there, too. And we're both standing there and all of a sudden, Mike says, well, Sherry, you deserve this. We have a car for you. And at that moment, everything disappeared. I just, I was like, what? You know, and I can go back. They posted a video. I go back and watch the video.

35:07 You know, it's hard to even remember what happened with all the people and all the words. And then we walked over to this thing. All the presidents of the Coast Clubs was Pensacola, New Orleans, and Biloxi. And they all grabbed the corners and they lifted it up. And I just freaked. Totally freaked. I mean, it had the artwork of a tie-dye that I had just sold to Mike. He did that by hand. He put our band logo, which is where we met Mike. Playing music in Ocean Springs and I just, i didn't even know what to say and limo was behind me in the video and his jaw was just dropped.

35:59 Actually actually there's there's like a little story inside of that bigger story and that's that when you were you were just like shocked because somebody gave you a car and this dude walks up and he goes man i know you're all into the car and stuff but can I buy this? He had a tie-dye. He left our tie-dye tip. He's like, let's get back to business. Right. It was great. Levi was like, why don't you just keep the shirt, dude? So you guys talk about Mike. I take it this is Mike Schillinger. Yes. Can you maybe describe the kind of guy that he is? I mean, I think this is pretty awesome, But I remember a quote that you had given me where he had said something really kind of profound to you about how you are a part of this community.

36:49 You know, maybe just tell me what kind of guy he is and maybe what that comment meant to you. Well, it it's a trip because when we met him, it was years ago. We were playing music and he had this purple Volkswagen bus. And I was like, oh, man, and the name of the bus is Purple Haze. And he was driving his cruise. Let's go, buddy. Yes. We saw him at Cruising the Coast and he had his bus and he had a Harry Potter car and we just hit it off because, of course, Volkswagen. So, you know, we just, every time we see each other, it's like we've been friends our whole life.

37:29 I mean, he's just, he's a funny guy. He's hilarious. And he will, he will help anybody. and he he was already working on another Volkswagen but when I met him and so we got to talking about you know Volkswagens and stuff but. The comment happened last year was bugging the beach 2024 and that's when he was giving away the colorectal car and i wanted this car so bad i bought tickets and then for the show we made a bunch of blue ribbon tie-dye t-shirts and we gave them to his wife and we were like sell them all off give the money to this charity you know just let let's make this show about this right so.

38:18 When we got there and we got the tent set up i said levi i gotta go look at this car, because i'm gonna win it of course i didn't win it but anyway i went over to look at it was a 73 like my first car and i was like look at this i love this i was like oh i hope i win it mike because he was he was polishing it you know i was like man mike i hope i win it i'll be part of the community again. And he just stopped and he looked at me and he said, Sherry, you're already part of the community. And you know, it almost brought tears to my eyes. I mean, it's just sometimes people's humanity is what other people need, you know?

39:00 I do. And then to touch on that even more, I know it kind of surprised you as you approach this vehicle and you notice now i say vehicle this beetle and you notice now that there are a lot of small added personal touches right like your band logo paw prints you know all that type of stuff how'd that feel you know just it was almost like the gift that kept giving right yes yes totally and then the the the door panels are tied i the the um sig. The the headliners tie-dye and it's funny because he wanted to use one of our tie-dyes for the headliner and he was like but i couldn't cut up that art i was like oh man i like that's all right because we have some tight eyes that we can put you know put in there so that's probably you know something we're going to do in the future but it it was it blew my mind and he and he just kept telling me things i mean he kept trying so hard he just handed me keys to a car and then he started to tell me the things about it and i i was trying to listen but i was looking at it in the portrait right and the logo and the bear just the bear on the hood of the car you know and then we walked around the back and the tag said tie-dye I have it hanging up here tie-dye on it and I was just like Levi look it's our bear Levi look it's this

40:33 tie-dye you know it's just, It was, it was amazing. And they also put a little vase in there with a yellow flower. And he said, that stands for friendship. And then he put a penny in the ashtray and he said that that was for luck. So, I mean, he did all these little things that were just so cool. For sure for sure like no little things overlooked what an amazing feeling for sure how has owning owsley now changed the day-to-day life or maybe even the way that you connect with people it shows like you said you're you're back you're part of the part of the community again right. Oh yeah oh yeah it's a blast we just went we drove him to volksgiving oh and that was heard about that cool yeah yeah man it's it's totally worth going to there was like over 100 people there this year both wagons and food and we have all these coon asses bringing the good food you know from new orleans yeah amen there's there's that as well oh there's lots to drink and and games to play i mean it was it was really something but driving owsley there that was the first Volkswagen event we drove him to so far, but you guys have any plans for Owsley?

41:56 Are you going to keep him how he is? Or is there any mods or any, any, anything you're going to look to change any show you're looking forward to? We're going to change the headliner and put an actual bear there because we have it. Yeah. Just, you know, some tinkering things, you know, some things don't fit quite. As well or were put together. Pretty quick so you know i mean mike did build this car in a year from you know nothing and it, shout out to paul cave because they did mike schillinger wrote an article about owsley in volksmania yeah and it's you know it really it really came a long way.

42:42 Amazing so cool what a great cool thing to happen yes say that again levi Well, I like it the way that it is. It's all hokey and wrong, but it's the right car. It's that's how it's supposed to be. Exactly right. You know, if it was perfect, I wouldn't be driving it. That's the thing when he gave us the keys and we were looking at it I was like oh my gosh it's perfect and Mike was like Sherry it's not perfect I said it's so perfect to me I mean it was it there's things that don't fit quite right there's you know the door rubber is still not pushing clothes very well, but you know, I, I, every, every day I get in that car and we smile and we laugh and the people that wave and honk their horns at us.

43:33 I mean, it is so cool. It for sure is. That's a feeling that unless you own one, it's almost impossible to describe Because you truly get to see how an automobile creates joy in people, whether it's a story they're telling you about from their childhood or, oh, my girlfriend in college had a car like that or just always something, right? There's always a story with it. So I think that's the amazing part for sure. Levi, I got a question for you. How do you balance art, family, business, and music?

44:14 I don't. I fail. I fail and I just hope that people are cool with that. Okay. That's a good answer. That is a good answer, man. I'll take it because you have to be willing to fail in order to ever succeed, right? How about for Sherry, then? Sherry, what drives your creative energy? Being here, being my home with the nature, with forests, not even using English correctly. Just nature and being home and, and, and having the need to create, you know, I've always needed to create from, you know, my whole life.

45:01 Just it's, it's, it's wellbeing for me. Quality of life. Yes. Yes. Love that. Yes. Levi, you got anything there on quality of life? No, I'm still thinking about something that was kind of left out. See i really like it when this happens i think mike schillinger is obnoxious he just is he's just an obnoxious human being right right what you would expect from a human being like that is for him to be a certain way and then he gives you a car and you're like no that ain't right and it's a thing in a way that i i like it when that happens because it's it it resets your brain so that you don't judge people and you you know people can be obnoxious and kind and people can be, you know.

45:51 Yeah, dude, that's like art, I feel like, you know, and maybe it takes an artist to see the world like that. But yeah, you almost have to take the bad with the good. It can love you and make you feel uncomfortable at the same time. It almost has to. And Mike Schillinger, man, he is that. We love him. And I do. I love the guy. He's awesome. So let's talk about advice maybe. What advice would you guys give to couples who want to build something and maybe even have a business like you guys do, maybe even in the Volkswagen community? Listen, listen, listen. And, you know, don't dismiss anything.

46:34 All the ideas just listen and think and you know communicate that's my best answer that's profound because there's a lot of people like bill that guy knows everything about everything he just does and to not listen to a man like that is absurd you're talking about wild bill yeah man wild bill from pensacola he's the volkswagen guy he knows everything about everything and and and And, you know, he's the man. And it's cool because the Volkswagen community is filled with people like that. And for people to show up and act like they know stuff when you're surrounded by people like that, that's.

47:14 I vibe with that, and I'll tell you that's the reason solely that I started this podcast is because I was at almost just the end of my patience of dealing with how many people I've met that are just as awesome as you can possibly be as a mechanic, as an artist, as a musician, as a whatever, whatever they do. These VW people, man, they're special. And, you know, I'm like, you know, this idea came to me even a couple of years ago. I'm like, somebody needs to celebrate the people of this community, you know, and it just didn't come together yet. We, me and my buddy keep working on, you know, a few events that we do down here and everything.

47:57 But yeah finally about October or November of last year I was like you know what I'm gonna start a podcast that celebrates the artists the people the craftsmen and just the everyday folks of of the Volkswagen community because there's always a story and it's always deep and it's always connected and I feel like there's a lot of soul in this opportunity so that's it man and And again, that's why I did it. It's a very kind of, yeah. Don't you question that, though? It's a car, man. How does that make sense? All of that that you just said is spot on. You're right.

48:37 And it doesn't matter because Volkswagen people can be Nazis or they can be hippies. But either way, it's the same quality human being. And I don't get that. I don't understand why that exists where there's this car, but it can't exist around music or art or politics or Corvette or Corvette. Yeah. So I, so look, man, like we could probably talk about this forever, but I feel like it's like, it's, it's, it's what's a, it's what the community, the community of Volkswagen people are attracted to. And I think it's the lack of judgment. Yeah.

49:18 But overall, I think the big picture is this is a community where it doesn't matter what color or what ethnicity or what country or what it doesn't matter. Any of that matters. It's this togetherness and this acceptance because everybody, you know, they all trick out their cars different ways. You know, there's the purists and there's the low riders and there's the, you know, and everybody has like a different vibe. There's the beachy ones, there's the classy ones, there's the ones that are, you know, rat rods with metal interior and the ones that are all pretty and gushy and, but here's the cool thing at a show or even at, you know, a ride, so to speak, there's no judgment.

50:00 And I feel like for what just to talk on what you guys said, I feel like I've even been to Corvette shows, Mustang shows where it ain't the same. There's a whole lot of judgment. And if you pull up and it's too low or if it's too loud or if your top's down and it should have been up or if it's white and if it's white and it should have been black, like it's like, man, it's crazy to see the type of judgment that exists outside of the Volkswagen community. So that's it, man I'm not going to steal any more thunder But that's why I feel like the community is so attractive to people Because it's the lack of judgment Yes Wow, that's going to set off a whole series of I never arrived at that place But you're right And it's funny because Why can't that exist?

50:52 We're picking on Corvettes And I don't like that Let's pick on something else Let's pick on the Camaro Okay. Why can't they appreciate the genius That you know Some dude needed to fix this And this is what he had Like a Coke bottle and a piece of string And he did that 10 years ago And it's still right dad, Right right right I don't understand why a Volkswagen guy Can look at that and go wow dude That is genius And a Camaro guy just like can't, yeah do they not have a sense of humor or or what is it uh was the initiative to to to to find like original solutions or something i don't know i don't know what it is i think it's i never i've never equated that to judgment but that's uh that's an interesting i'll be thinking about that yeah yeah all right well let's touch here what's next for tripping seat volkswagen shows, trying to really focus we're really trying to change our business model because we're kind of getting a little old.

51:59 We're trying to do more online trying to get more you know, exposure online orders online but hanging on to the volkswagen shows as many as we can make it to my man the ultimate would be to get down there for that you know for bug jam that would be that would be something but um yeah we we just went through it just a couple weeks ago and uh we've got some shows here that you guys one of them for sure that you guys would love and the we would love you too. But V-dubs on the pier is downtown St. Pete, right to the left side of, if you're facing it, the St.

52:41 Petersburg Pier, which is an iconic location. But it's right in the middle of downtown and it's crazy. It's very expensive, the permits and the time and all of that that we have to apply for and qualify for and pay the city, et cetera. It's all worth it when there's 200 cars sitting out there. And, and, and these, by the way, you're, you can't get your car out there unless it's some type of a special event or something. So the pictures and everything are crazy, but we'd love to have you guys. That was the point. That was the point. Oh yeah. And, and bug jam, you got to make bug jam at some point. It's to me, it's just, it's a vibe in itself. It, to me, it's, it's probably one of the biggest, you know, Volkswagen car shows I've ever seen, ever been a part of, ever been to.

53:25 And it's only gotten better over the years. I mean, I go all the way back to the 90s when it was in Zephyr Hills and before it was at the location it's at, long before it was at the Dade City Fairgrounds, it was still a thing, even back into the early 90s. But I used to go the same thing. I'd show up and be like, wow, man, a lot of people have these old Volkswagens. I didn't realize that it was that big of a scene even back then. Man, it's way cool now. Definitely have to make bug jam if you ever can. Yeah, I remember I used to read about it in hot BW's magazine whenever you know in the in the 90s when I was You know tinkering with my my volkswagen And another thing is too that I didn't mention earlier was the 66 that I had.

54:14 We actually entered that in the Biloxi show down here. It was 2004 and We we spray painted it we spray painted the whole car Because it started to get surface rest We wanted to fix it Anyway, I actually placed at that show See? No judgment Yeah, exactly And it was under construction It was awesome though But I don't know If I can get to it If I can get to a Volkswagen show I would really like to maintain. Working Volkswagen shows I think that would be awesome Okay, I just think you'd look at that all wrong, man.

54:55 I'm proud of the paint job that we put on that car because it did it with a spray can. We did. It was magical. It was beautiful. It really was. And obviously it was to some other folks too because it plays. Yes. Alright, I got some rapid fire questions. These are like questions that would demand a fast answer, fast response. If a story evolves, cool, so be it. But if it doesn't, don't feel bad. We don't have to waste a whole lot of time on these. These were supposed to be Straight to the point and fast, all right? All right. All right, are we ready? 42. Lou, 42! All right, favorite VW model of all time?

55:37 Now, this could be one that you haven't owned or even one that you have, but what is your favorite model of all time? All of them. What's yours? Oh, God. I don't know. I don't know if I can do that. I really, I don't know what year it was, but the one that looked like the accordion thing with the top, I think those are so cool. I've seen like a Westie camper. Like a West Valley camper. So it's like mid-70s. I mean, they made, you know, camper style like that even all the way back, you know, into the 60s. But I think for what you're talking about, the accordion looking West Valley at top. Yeah. Well, you get the one where it opens like this and then you got one that opens like this Yeah, and it looks like an accordion thing. Yeah. Yeah.

56:20 I like I sundown. I think that's how you made those Okay. All right. Well sundowns. I really like the sundowns. Okay, but a favorite one man I don't know this stuff. I know I'm really digging the early 70s bugs But the other day I saw fastback and then I saw a square back and then I saw a thing. I'm sorry. I just, that's a hard question. I'm just going to say all of them. I can take all of them. What? Yeah. Sherry, what, what song, what music are we blasting? If we're cruising in the beetle? 46 and two. 46, 46 and two. I was listening to that the other day.

57:01 I just, I love tool. So tool. Yeah. Okay. Tool. I'll, I'll, I'll take it. All right. That wouldn't be Levi's answer, though He was talking about Zeppelin Fall music, man It's a brown tone It's like, you know, dimgy old Like, blues material That vibe, Okay But you know, I'm good with it What's messier? Tie-dye or Acrylics? Easy tie-dye Tie-dye, okay Tie-dye for sure, especially if I'm dying See, because usually I fold And then I go in there and die And Levi's like, oh my god, you made a mess Yes, I make a mess I make a mess, One word for each of you, both of you get to answer it. One word that describes the VW community.

57:55 Kind. Kind. Kind. All right, both of us. Kind. All right. If you could take Owsley anywhere in the world, where's the first stop? Eugene, Oregon or Asheville. Asheville's great. I've been to Eugene as well. Asheville's gorgeous. Different mountains, certainly, different coastal, you know, whole thing, but both pretty awesome locations. Eugene is, oh, it was, Ken Kesey's home. There would be no Owsley without Ken Kesey. Yes. So Owsley originated there. We should drive Owsley to Eugene.

58:36 Drive him home. Yes. How about a dream guest musician, dead or alive, to collaborate with? For me, it would be Dave Grohl. Ooh, cool. I'd be hip to collaborate with him. I mean, he plays everything. So it'd be like, oh, wait, we need a drummer, Dave. Hey, man, we need a bass player, Dave. We need some words here, Dave. Dave. What do you think? Well, it depends. Like, see, I just like to just hang out with Willie Nelson because he's Willie Nelson. But like, you know, in a practical sense, man, I think John Baptiste, because he can do anything, like anything imaginable that God understands it.

59:22 And I think that he would want to hang out with somebody like me that doesn't know anything. Come on. And he's from New Orleans, and I kind of dig that. Yeah. What color best describes life right now for both of you? Green. I'll take it. Green. Green is the best color. Yes, it is. I know. What a beautiful car you've got. I tried to incorporate both of your cars in that shirt. Thank you. My Carmen Ghia is my wife's. My favorite color green is forest green. So that car is my favorite color green. And I've always been just a green's always been one of my favorite colors of all different shades.

1:00:10 And And yeah, still is to this day. So this suits me probably way better than you ever imagined. Even though you just said, hey, what are the color of the cars? It still showed up. And I'm like, come on, man. Spot on. Hit it on the head, man. This is, yeah. All right. Last question I've got for you both. And we've done great, but I've taken enough of your time. All right. I want you to finish this sentence for me. Each of you. All right. The VW community is Where I fit in. I think the VW community Is what's left of the spirit of America Damn man That needs to be a t-shirt baby Hey we're in the business That was awesome Yeah, So you guys, thank you guys so much. I feel like you guys are living proof that passion, that art, that community can build something obviously bigger than cars or even bigger than business. And you both said it, it's family.

1:01:10 So from the heartbreak of Katrina to the surprise of Owsley, the beetle, you guys have turned tie dye into a beautiful lifestyle. You guys go support Trippin' Seed, tie dye, listen to the social mosaic, keep spreading the VW you love, because like, even though the energy might be off with Mike Schillinger, because that's what you said, you're still part of the community. So again, thank you guys. I appreciate your time. And that's a wrap for this episode of Dub Life Diaries. Thanks for riding along with us and diving into these incredible stories of the people in the dubs that drive their dreams. If you loved today's episode, don't forget to subscribe or hit that follow button so you never miss an adventure.

1:01:55 Do you have a story to tell or know somebody else who's living the dove life? Awesome. Reach out to us. You can find us on all socials at Dove Life Diaries or shoot me an email. I'm not hard to find. DoveLifeDiaries at gmail.com. Until next time, keep the engines humming and the wheels turning and always follow the road that inspires you. This is Joe Person. I'm signing off. I'll catch you on the next.