Speaker 1: Good morning er. How are you doing fantastic?
Speaker 2: How about you?
Speaker 1: I'm doing great, Thanks very much.
Speaker 2: Oh Man, talk about a guy who's been born with
a radio name here, Rolando Pogor.
Speaker 1: Kind of rolls off the tongue.
Speaker 2: Yes, you have a book here that is going to
be a very big talking piece. And the reason why
is because every generation that I spend time with, they're
all addicted to nostalgia, and this book is so in
tune with where we are today.
Speaker 3: Oh I really appreciate that. Yes, it definitely has a
vibe with this kind of moment because wherever you go
on social media and the broader culture, people are finding
inspiration for the present in the future by looking back,
and especially you know, and the younger they are, the
more into it they are, which kind of gives me
hope that folks in their twenties they're desperate to relive
the nineties and early two thousands. I'm like, why would
you want to go back there? But they want to,
so this book can give them a little portal into
a time they didn't get the experience.
Speaker 2: Do you think we're ever going to go through a
visual marketing a thing like this ever?
Speaker 1: Again?
Speaker 2: Because this seems to be just a page in American history.
But we're not so visual anymore, you know.
Speaker 1: That is such a good question. I do think that
there is very quietly a.
Speaker 3: Revival happening right now in terms of this kind of
roadside of visual marketing. Obviously, it was so important once
upon a time because there was really no other way
to reach people directly when you're driving, other than you know,
hit them with a big sign or with a big statue.
But I think the kitsch value and the fact that
does have this power to compel people to pull over
and look and poke around, I think bodes well for
it going forward.
Speaker 2: Putting this book together, what I love is that you
put it in regional areas. In other words, you break
it down so well that that if, Okay, if I'm
going to go into the Southeast this weekend, I'm going
to go see if I can find this right.
Speaker 3: Right, exactly right. That was my idea because it's such
a massive subject. I mean, you're talking about thousands of places.
Speaker 1: Coast to coast.
Speaker 3: So I broke it down by region, ten regions in particular,
and then within those regions, I break it down by
roadside quirks, quirky things along the road, the sweet stops
like ice cream shops and bakery stores, restaurants, movie theaters,
the main phase of main street, which are you know,
barbershops and the kind of things that give a main
street its identity and its feel. So we broke it
down this way to make it much more accessible. So
you can quickly flip through the book and get an
idea of what you're looking for in what part of
the country, or you can just read it through.
Speaker 1: The book can be experienced in different ways.
Speaker 2: I do love what you do with the movie theaters
because a lot of people in today's generation does not
understand that there used to be a standalone movie theater.
I mean, they survived on their own, and you give
it some love and attention.
Speaker 3: Here, Oh absolutely, I mean I think people do forget that.
You know, we live in many people under the age
of thirty thirty five grew up in the era of
the multiplex and so many other small mom and pop
theaters were struggling or going out of business. And what's
great about them is that aday they are most of
them are beautiful.
Speaker 1: The ones that have survived are.
Speaker 3: In great caring hands that are trying to restore them
and are trying to do something special with them. And
I think the more that we can shine a light
on those places, the better, because to me, it's such
a great movie going experience to go to a mom
and pop theeedter, or to go to even a drive
in feeder. It takes the movie, which you can watch anywhere.
Of course, you can stream the movie, but to actually
watch it in a special, beautiful architectural environment with history,
with your fellow with your fellow American. I mean, that's
a very special experience that adds a level to your
what would be just a boring experience of watching the
movie at home.
Speaker 2: The name of the book, The Great American Retro road Trip,
a celebration of roadside Americana. We'll be back with Rolando
poojol coming up next. Hey, thanks for coming back to
my conversation with Rolando Poojole. I would love to be
a fly on the wall listening to everybody who're going
to talk to you today, because everybody has something in
there too that should have been featured in this book.
Like yeah, like I actually went in there looking for
the giant coffee cup from Charlotte, North Carolina, and it's like, oh,
it's not in there.
Speaker 3: Oh no, absolutely, you know, And that's that's that's sort
of the hard thing about this book is that there
it was so much to include that some things that
make it some things I simply didn't get to. But
I think a lot of those places, for example, the
giant coffee cup isn't there from Charlotte, There are very
similar ones in other places of the country, right, And
so did those places sort of speak to what might.
Speaker 1: Not be there?
Speaker 3: And and what I mean, perhaps something that you know
isn't there, but then something that you don't know is there.
Speaker 1: So I think it can be a very interesting experience.
My hope is that universally this gets you excited about
these places.
Speaker 3: You go out there and look for the ones in
the book, but maybe ones that aren't in the book,
and you go further afield.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because I mean even when you travel up to Chicago,
that area where they film the Blues Brothers, Oh my god,
people to this day are still in love with everything
up there.
Speaker 1: Oh absolutely.
Speaker 3: I mean in Chicago is one of my favorite favorite towns.
Every time I go, I find something new. I could
show you this is a radio but I have a
list of places to shoot and photographs in the Chicago
land area, and it's ever growing.
Speaker 1: I'm constantly getting.
Speaker 3: New tips in Chicago is also a great town because
it is the it's to start or to end, depending
on how.
Speaker 1: You look at it of Route sixty six. Yes, so
it's very much tied to the whole country.
Speaker 2: Would you ever do anything with I ninety because it
seems like everybody talks about that and how it goes
across the top of the states, and there's got to
be a lot of history on that road as well.
Speaker 1: Oh.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. In fact, I really like those big interstates. People, No,
it's nothing on the interstate.
Speaker 1: Well that's not true. I mean you got to.
Speaker 3: Sort of pull over, and the culture builds around those
interstates as well. My ninety is fantastic, especially I should
go farther west. Some of my favorite stops in I
ninety are right in are in South Dakota. You know
the Mitchell Corn Palace Walled Rugg, which is one of
the great roadside stops in America. With those billboards that
promise you a free cup of ice water.
Speaker 1: You start seeing them a couple of states away.
Speaker 3: When you finally get the wall drug you're like, give
me that freak cup of ice water please, you know, so, yeah,
I ninety is an absolute treasure.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: I grew up in buildings Montana, so therefore Montana is
still very big in my heart, and I had no
clue that up in Great Falls they have the Sip
and Dip tiki bar. Now that's something that I totally
have missed.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 3: I went to Montana about three years ago, and I
did spend a night actually in buildings and shot a
lot of a knee on and signs around yes every
time I would go to When I from the moment
I arrived at the airport embozement, they.
Speaker 1: Were like, are you going to go to Great Falls
to see the Sip and Dip? And I wasn't. I
didn't know what it was at the time.
Speaker 3: It's always a journey of discovery and they're a little
research and I'm like, Okay, I've got to go. So
I told my friends we're reorganizing our trip. We're going
to get to the Sip and Dip. And I'm so
glad I got there because it is something else, like
a nineteen sixties style kind of kiky bar with leather
and low lights and cozy and lots of good drinks
and yemmy food, but the fact that behind the bar
there is a essentially an aquarium with quote unquote mermaids.
I mean, you cannot make this stuff up. It is
an exceptional experience you owe yourself at least once.
Speaker 2: We won't see things like this in the future unless
somebody really starts investigating or investing in the marketing in
a visual way. But now I have to ask you, though,
will your next book be about what's really going on
on those billboards and all those signs, and that is
misspelled words. They're using misspelled boards to get the attention
of customers.
Speaker 3: You know, it's funny how billboards are just the really
truly it does work. They do work, And yes, and
I do wonder whether that's intentional or whether that is
or frankly, we live in a world where people are
just miss selling things, you know. But seriously, billboards are
a big part of this book, and they're a theme
throughout because they were always so important in marketing, whether
it be wall drug as I mentioned, but then also
other places like BUCkies.
Speaker 1: Which is spreading across the country. Uh. And and your
question earlier.
Speaker 3: About you know, are we seeing a decline or will
we ever see a resurgence in this style of visual marketing.
Speaker 1: I think we're seeing a resurgeon.
Speaker 3: In part because of places like BUCkies that are fairly
new concepts but yet using traditional methods.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: And every time they rep they opened a new place,
they just opened one in Virginia. It's it's major headline news.
And they're using clever marketing billboards, billboards and then creating.
Speaker 1: A real experience for the visitor when they arrive.
Speaker 3: So I'm actually optimistic about these places and the idea
that new h new business people who are smart and
can look at the way it was done in the past,
can create like a new business model going forward based
on these uh.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: Traditions is a travel channel in touch with you to
do documentaries on this, because this book is for that.
Speaker 3: You know, they haven't been but if anybody's listening from
the travel channel, you know, a wee can please if
they call you, please give them my mother.
Speaker 2: Where can people go to find out more about you
and give you some love? Because you obviously love us
look at this book You've shared it with us.
Speaker 1: Oh thank you.
Speaker 3: I really appreciate that easiest way to find me. I'm
right on social media my name Rolando Prujol, which is
on Instagram. I also have a substack that's called a Atrologist.
Speaker 1: Just google it, they'll come right up.
Speaker 3: And then of course I have a whole site dedicated
to my book, Rolando Pujol Book. But all you have
to do is type in my name or the a
Trologist and you'll find all kinds of ways to keep
up with my travels. And I love talking to people.
My dms are active with people looking for tips or
giving me tips, and so definitely give me a shout.
Speaker 2: Please come back to the show anytime in the future.
The door is always going to be open for you.
Speaker 1: I really appreciate that. It was great talking to you.
Speaker 2: Will you be brilliant today?
Speaker 1: Thank you, I appreciate it.