Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos | The Santa Ynez Valley Stories

Episode 48 🎨 LOON — The Most Interesting Man in the World

1 h 7 min ¡ 17 de may de 2026
Portada del episodio Episode 48 🎨 LOON — The Most Interesting Man in the World

DescripciĂłn

There are people who make art… and then there are people who quietly dedicate their lives to observing humanity… pointing out the absurd… and somehow making us love each other a little more because of it. This week on Chopping It Up, Keith sits down with international treasure, artist, humorist, adventurer, former Scots Guards officer, accidental aristocrat, and world-famous illustrator… Alasdair Hilleary — known around the world simply as “Loon.” And honestly… this conversation feels less like an interview and more like sitting around a campfire listening to the most interesting man alive tell stories until the whiskey runs out. Loon’s life sounds fictional: Growing up in a 52-room estate in Scotland. Riding ponies through hallways. Tobogganing down staircases. Serving in the British Army. Guarding Buckingham Palace. Meeting the Queen. Traveling the world with the love of his life. Living in a garage in the Santa Ynez Valley. Creating artwork collected by royalty… while still somehow remaining completely grounded, warm, funny, and deeply human. Keith and Loon talk about: • Why humor should never become cruelty • The disappearing analog world • Art, adventure, and living a meaningful life • Scottish aristocracy and American cowboy culture • Why dogs always seem smarter than humans • Why modern life desperately needs face-to-face connection • The danger of AI replacing humanity • The beauty of friendship, storytelling, patriotism, and shared experience • And why embarrassed humans will always be funny Loon feels like Norman Rockwell crossed with Gary Larson… filtered through mud, military humor, sporting tradition, watercolor, whiskey, and complete human chaos. This episode is funny. It’s heartfelt. It’s philosophical. And by the end of it… you may find yourself wanting to put your phone down, sit around a fire, and actually live a little. Ladies and Gentlemen… Our Friend… LOON.

Comentarios

0

SĂŠ la primera persona en comentar

ÂĄRegĂ­strate ahora y Ăşnete a la comunidad de Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos | The Santa Ynez Valley Stories!

Prueba gratis

Empieza 7 dĂ­as de prueba

$99 / mes despuÊs de la prueba. ¡ Cancela cuando quieras.

  • Podcasts solo en Podimo
  • 20 horas de audiolibros al mes
  • Podcast gratuitos

Todos los episodios

69 episodios

episode 🎙️ Episode 55 | 🎻 A German Banjo Player, 🎼 An Opera Singer & 🍇 The Future of Verjus | Glass Rose artwork

🎙️ Episode 55 | 🎻 A German Banjo Player, 🎼 An Opera Singer & 🍇 The Future of Verjus | Glass Rose

🍇 Can a German banjo player, an American opera singer, and a vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley change the way we think about wine? It sounds like the beginning of a movie... because it almost is. What happens when a German banjo player, classically trained opera singer, and entrepreneur walks into a California winery? You get one of the most unexpected conversations we've ever recorded. Glass Rose has lived a life that's anything but ordinary. From music and performance to creating Verjus, a centuries-old ingredient that's finding new life in modern kitchens and cocktails, this episode is about curiosity, reinvention, and asking better questions. In this episode we discuss: • What Verjus is and why chefs love it • The surprising history of Verjus • Why Verjus may be the future of non-alcoholic beverages • Growing grapes for something completely different than wine • Music, opera, and performance • Moving from Germany to California • Entrepreneurship and starting over • Why curiosity beats certainty Whether you're a wine lover, chef, entrepreneur, musician, or simply enjoy hearing remarkable stories, there's something here for you.

Ayer33 min
episode 🇺🇸 Episode 54 | Dennis Patrick — (Part 3 of 3) The Digital Revolution • AOL • Time Warner • Why Community Still Matters artwork

🇺🇸 Episode 54 | Dennis Patrick — (Part 3 of 3) The Digital Revolution • AOL • Time Warner • Why Community Still Matters

(Part 3 of 3) 📱 Who built the digital world we all live in today? 💻 How did the internet move from dial-up to the smartphone in your pocket? 🌾 And after helping shape the future of communications, why would someone leave it all behind for a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley? In the final chapter of this three-part conversation, Keith Saarloos sits down with former FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick to discuss the digital revolution, the birth of modern media, and why the greatest innovations in life may have nothing to do with technology at all. Dennis shares how his work after the FCC led him to Time Warner, AOL, and the early days of integrating voice, video, and data—the foundation for today's internet, smartphones, streaming services, podcasts, and digital communications. He explains how decisions that once seemed to be about improving television pictures ultimately transformed nearly every aspect of modern life. But this episode isn't really about technology. It's about what comes after. Keith and Dennis discuss why Dennis chose to leave Washington, New York, and the corporate world behind to build a life on a working ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley. Together they explore faith, family, freedom, community, raising children, and why the future may depend less on more technology—and more on meaningful human connection. 📺 The birth of high-definition television 💻 How digital technology changed everything 📡 Voice, video, and data become one 📱 Bringing the internet to mobile phones through AOL Wireless 🎬 Building the future at Time Warner 🚀 The unintended consequences of the digital revolution 🤠 Why Dennis Patrick left Washington for ranch life 🥩 Zaca Creek Ranch, cattle, coffee, and the Santa Ynez Valley 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family, community, and raising children in a digital world 🇺🇸 Why freedom, conversation, and human connection still matter more than technology This episode begins with the future of technology... …but ends with something much older: A handshake. A family dinner. Watching the sunset. And remembering that the greatest innovations in life have always been the people sitting beside us. #ChoppingItUp #KeithSaarloos #DennisPatrick #DigitalRevolution #AOL #TimeWarner #Technology #Internet #Smartphones #SantaYnezValley #Leadership #Community #Freedom #AmericanHistory #Podcast #KrazyCountry1059 🇺🇸 In this episode:

10 de jul de 202633 min
episode 🇺🇸 Episode 53 | Dennis Patrick — (Part 2 of 3) Free Speech • The Fairness Doctrine • The First Amendment artwork

🇺🇸 Episode 53 | Dennis Patrick — (Part 2 of 3) Free Speech • The Fairness Doctrine • The First Amendment

(Part 2 of 3) 🇺🇸 Should the government have a role in deciding what you can hear? 📺 What was the Fairness Doctrine, and why did its repeal permanently change American broadcasting? 🎙️ And why does a decision made nearly 40 years ago still shape the debates we have every day? In Part 2 of Keith Saarloos' conversation with former FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick, the discussion moves beyond telecommunications and into one of the most important—and controversial—questions in American history: Who controls speech? Dennis explains what the Fairness Doctrine actually was, why the Federal Communications Commission believed it was unconstitutional, and how abolishing it became one of the most controversial decisions of his career. Keith and Dennis explore the balance between free speech, government regulation, media ownership, competition, and the responsibilities that come with living in a free society. They also discuss how the explosion of cable television, new media, and thousands of new voices transformed America from a country with just a handful of television channels into the world of unlimited information we live in today. Whether you agree with Dennis or not, this conversation provides a rare firsthand look at the decisions that continue to influence politics, journalism, media, and public debate decades later. 📡 The future of the FCC after the breakup of AT&T 📺 Why the Fairness Doctrine became so controversial ⚖️ The First Amendment and the role of government 🎙️ Can the government regulate speech? 📰 Why more voices create more freedom 📻 The explosion of cable television and broadcast media 🏛️ Congressional hearings and defending the Constitution 💬 Why free speech remains America's foundational freedom 🇺🇸 How decisions made in the 1980s continue to shape today's media landscape This isn't just a conversation about broadcasting. It's a conversation about the First Amendment, free speech, and why the marketplace of ideas matters just as much today as it did when the Constitution was written. #ChoppingItUp #KeithSaarloos #DennisPatrick #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FairnessDoctrine #FCC #RonaldReagan #Media #Broadcasting #Constitution #AmericanHistory #Podcast #KrazyCountry1059 🇺🇸 In this episode:

3 de jul de 202629 min
episode 🇺🇸 Episode 52 Dennis Patrick — (Part 1 of 3) Ronald Reagan • The White House • The Breakup of AT&T artwork

🇺🇸 Episode 52 Dennis Patrick — (Part 1 of 3) Ronald Reagan • The White House • The Breakup of AT&T

🇺🇸 What was Ronald Reagan really like when the cameras weren't rolling? 🏛️ What was it like to work inside the White House during one of the most transformative presidencies in American history? ☎️ And how did the breakup of AT&T change the way every American communicates today? This week on Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos, Keith sits down with former FCC Chairman Dennis Patrick for Part 1 of an unforgettable three-part conversation that spans the Reagan White House, the communications revolution, and the birth of the modern digital world. Dennis shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Eagle Rock and Huntington Beach to receiving the unexpected phone call that brought him to President Ronald Reagan's White House. Along the way, he shares personal stories about President Reagan, life inside the West Wing, Christmas dinners at the White House, and what it was like helping select the leaders who would shape America during the 1980s. Keith and Dennis also begin exploring one of the biggest technological revolutions in history—the breakup of AT&T, the end of the Ma Bell monopoly, the birth of cable television, and the decisions that laid the foundation for today's internet, streaming, podcasts, smartphones, and even Starlink. 🏛️ Growing up in Southern California 📞 The phone call that changed Dennis Patrick's life 🤝 Working alongside President Ronald Reagan 🎄 Christmas inside the White House 📋 Helping select presidential appointments 📡 Becoming Chairman of the FCC ☎️ The breakup of AT&T and the end of Ma Bell 📺 The birth of cable television 💻 How the communications revolution changed America forever 🚀 Why decisions made over 40 years ago still shape our lives today This isn't just a conversation about politics. It's the story of the people, ideas, and decisions that built the connected world we all live in today. #ChoppingItUp #KeithSaarloos #DennisPatrick #RonaldReagan #WhiteHouse #FCC #ATT #MaBell #Telecommunications #CableTelevision #Technology #AmericanHistory #Communications #SantaYnezValley #Podcast 🇺🇸 In this episode:

24 de jun de 202631 min
episode 🤠🐴🇺🇸 Episode 51 — Old Santa Ynez Days - Charlotte Becerra - Jail Wagons • Tortilla Tosses • Rodeo Weekend • The Most Santa Ynez Thing Ever artwork

🤠🐴🇺🇸 Episode 51 — Old Santa Ynez Days - Charlotte Becerra - Jail Wagons • Tortilla Tosses • Rodeo Weekend • The Most Santa Ynez Thing Ever

Some towns have festivals. Santa Ynez has a jail wagon. This week on Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos, Keith sits down with Charlotte Becerra from Old Santa Ynez Days and the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce to talk about one of the most wonderfully unhinged, deeply beloved, and historically perfect weekends in the Santa Ynez Valley. Old Santa Ynez Days started in 1962 as a fundraiser to help build Segundo Park. And somehow, all these years later, it still has everything you could ever want: • A hometown parade • Leather badges • Deputies looking for people without badges • A rolling jail wagon • A tortilla toss • A pie contest • Pony rides • Bounce houses • Face painting • Painted horses • The Santa Ynez Historical Museum • The Carriage Museum • The rodeo • And an entire town showing up for each other We talk about Dutch Wilson. We talk about how a community builds things that last. We talk about the old stagecoach routes, the horseshoe crosswalks that spell “WHOA,” the world’s smallest working library, the history hiding in plain sight, and why Santa Ynez still feels like Santa Ynez. It’s weird. It’s wonderful. It’s cowboy. It’s community. And it might be the most Santa Ynez thing that has ever existed. If you love this valley... If you love old traditions... If you believe towns are built by people who keep showing up... This episode is for you. 🎙️ Choppin’ It Up — Old Santa Ynez Days with Charlotte Becerra Listen. Buy a badge. Don’t get thrown in jail. Or do. It’s for a good cause. OldSantaYnezDays.com

12 de jun de 202632 min