Some personalities just transcend the airways; Chris Bolger is one of those. Always a storyteller at heart. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
7:26 – when I say I was a nerd, I mean mathlete, academic decathlon, and all the nerd stuff you could possibly do
10:12 – I never really got into breaking stuff off-road until I got in the army
16:05 – legal drinking age is four foot six, as long as you can see over the top of the bar
21:00 – George was a genius, he figured he couldn’t get enough tires from all the manufacturers, so he would just make his own
31:36 – you had two larger-than-life personalities trying to make something awesome happen
38:33 – the best thing about my time with KOH was the friends I developed
43:50 – I tried to quit the industry, Rich, I really did
49:14 – I’m 20 whatever years old, doing bikini model fittings because I can sew.
54:54 – My daughter is scary, she’s 12 years old, running her own business, and she goes with me to midget wrestling matches
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:01:39.430] – Big Rich Klein
On this episode of Conversations with Big Rich, I’ll be talking with longtime industry insider, Chris Bolger. I met Chris in the early 2000s. He was with ProComp Tire. Chris has worked with many of the early rock crawling teams, including being one of our marketing partners with Calrocs Rock crawling. Chris, it’s really great to have you on board. I know that besides ProComp, you’ve worked for a number of different companies, and we’ll get into all that. Thank you for coming on board and spending some time with us.
[00:02:12.050] – Chris Bolger
That’s great to have a good conversation with you, Rich. It’s been too long.
[00:02:15.950] – Big Rich Klein
Yes, it has. Let’s jump right in, and we’ll do the easiest question of all time for some. Where were you born and raised?
[00:02:26.810] – Chris Bolger
I was born in Fun, Tucky, California. I’m born in California, and raised in Rialto, California, just right in the heart of the Inland Empire.
[00:02:35.650] – Big Rich Klein
Okay, so you meant Fontana?
[00:02:40.400] – Chris Bolger
Yes.
[00:02:43.670] – Big Rich Klein
That’s awesome. So what was it like back then? And let’s see, with your age, that’s probably sometime in the 60s?
[00:02:53.260] – Chris Bolger
I was born in ’71.
[00:02:55.030] – Big Rich Klein
’71, okay.
[00:02:56.670] – Chris Bolger
Yeah. So I can’t remember that far back, but mid-70s.
[00:03:00.570] – Big Rich Klein
Come on, you can’t remember being in diapers?
[00:03:04.940] – Chris Bolger
Thank God, no. I can only remember the more recent shitting myself episodes.
[00:03:12.780] – Big Rich Klein
Perfect.
[00:03:14.350] – Chris Bolger
But back then it was all grape vines and Orange Groves and Kaiser Steel, and that was all that was out there.
[00:03:22.940] – Big Rich Klein
Well, that’s amazing, because it’s not like that now.
[00:03:26.120] – Chris Bolger
Oh, no, it’s all subdivisions and big buildings and Amazon distribution centers.
[00:03:35.450] – Big Rich Klein
Yeah, that’s what I noticed down in that area along the freeways is it just seems like that all there are is warehouses. Just lovely.
[00:03:47.330] – Chris Bolger
Back then the biggest thing out there was Ontario Speedway. That’s long gone. READ MORE
