Episodes
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What’s the Street Value of 5 Gallons of Cocaine ’n’ Cream? Let’s Find Out!
It’s the first Sunday after the time change and darkness is rolling in earlier — can you feel it? Halloween’s over for another year, and Lou thinks candy corn gets way too much analysis in the candy news. There’s even debate over how people eat it. Apparently, 83% of parents help themselves to a...
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Cheesecake Factory Farming with a Presidential Décor Bitch-Slap Spat
Was the Cheesecake Factory fight the October surprise? Former President Barack Obama took a dig at President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, comparing the White House to a Cheesecake Factory run by Saddam Hussein. A lot of Cheesecake Factory fans took that personally and jumped to the chain’s...
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Subway Not Exactly Double Dipping in the Tuna Subway is in trouble — again. An ex-employee leaked how the sandwich chain’s tuna is really made. An independent lab tested 20 SoCal Subways, specifically its tuna, and 19 out of 20 contained no tuna or tuna DNA. How long does food last when it’s left out at a dinner party? According to food experts, two hours is already too long. Open-air buffets might be the filthiest way to eat. The dump dinner is making a comeback thanks to TikTok. Cover the table in foil or plastic, skip the plates and silverware, dump the food right in the middle, and eat with your hands. It’s less about manners and more about having a good time and making memories — plus nobody has to clean up. But with the price of Reynolds Wrap these days, it’s not as cheap as it sounds. It’s cold and flu season — should we really be sharing food like that? The price of OTC cold and flu meds at CVS and Walgreens is through the roof. ? Say It Isn’t So!
Subway is in trouble — again. An ex-employee leaked how the sandwich chain’s tuna is really made. An independent lab tested 20 SoCal Subways, specifically its tuna, and 19 out of 20 contained no tuna or tuna DNA. How long does food last when it’s left out at a dinner party? According to food...
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Stop Whining About Wine? Nuh-Uh, A Little Vino Would Be Keeno!
The California wine industry is in big trouble because nobody is drinking wine. Wine sales are at a 20-year low. It’s been blamed on a generational rift, with fewer young people drinking vino, and on so many people now on a GLP-1 journey. Lou doesn’t understand how wine enthusiasts know what’s...
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Ladies, Are You Experienced? Not If AI Has Anything to Do with It
There’s an incoming artificial intelligence revolution coming to the jobs market. Women face a higher risk of job disruption due to AI because they’re more likely to work in clerical, administrative, retail, and customer service roles that will likely be impacted first. But is that really a bad...
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I Love You, Will You Pay My Rent?
Hour 1 - When do you tell the person you’re dating how much money you make? First date? A few months in? Once it’s exclusive? When you move in? Lou’s rule is simple: Nobody needs to know your salary unless they’re your husband or wife. Then the social-media debate hits the roommate-couple…
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And Justice For All — According to Metallica’s James Hetfield
Lou recounts having to evacuate his South Orange County studio last week while filling in live for Michael Monks as a wildfire closed in. Harrowing. Then the 100-year-old woman in Southern California named Frieda who eats the same meal every night: A hot dog and a Diet Coke. Researchers say the...
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Whether a Hot Dog or a Top Dog, LA Just Relishes Dogs
Heartbreaker for the Chargers in Game 1 — they started ahead of the Broncos and didn’t finish that way. Then the Dodgers, and the sticker shock at Dodger Stadium. Whatever happened to a hot dog and a beer? Now there’s a two-foot Dodger Dog for forty bucks and a $35 taco platter that comes with…
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Soup Plantation: Do You Fit the Low-Rise Legend?
Soup Plantation is coming back, and the all-you-can-eat soup-and-salad cult is losing its mind. Six years after the chain shut all 97 locations, including 44 in California, during COVID. Lou’s perfect salad, which he can make at home: iceberg, cucumber, white onion, garbanzo beans, beets that...
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AI is Deciding Your McDonald's Burger Prices
Hour 1 - McDonald's has been using AI technology to help set prices on their menu items, and new protein Doritos are hitting grocery store shelves. Lou tells you all about it.
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Wendy's Play for Nostalgia and the Outrageous Cost of Making a Nickel
Hour 2 - As the penny is on its way out, the nickel begins to take its place. There's just one problem - the nickel costs over 13 cents to make. Soon, you will be able to get through airport security without a boarding pass to send off your loved ones, but brace for record-breaking holiday travel...
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That Deaf, Dumb and Blind Lou, Sure Plays a Mean Pinball!
Lou Penrose is on after the Chargers game with a grim San Diego story: A man walked into an adult bookstore threatening to burn it down, police sent in K-9 Ryder, the suspect set the dog on fire and then died at the scene. Ryder survived; PETA wants the dog retired and K-9 units phased out.…
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Is Boar’s Head Dead in the Deli? That’s Baloney! Or is it Sour Grapes?
ALDI is slashing prices on about a third of what it sells through November 3 to fight the affordability crunch — even chicken, which is music to thigh-loving Uncle Lou. Boar’s Head vanishing from Ralphs and Food 4 Less isn’t a mystery plague: Kroger pulled it over rising costs. Relax, people…
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McDonald’s is Now Pure Protein While Thailand is Full of Sailors
Remember the USS Lincoln, stuck at sea more than 250 days on that extended Middle East run? Trump sent the sailors and Marines to Pattaya, Thailand, for a break before San Diego — and in a town famous for the sex trade, Lou lets you connect the dots; the whole district’s built on that cash.…
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California Voters Fed Up? Young Voters, Ballot Measures & the Push for Affordability
Hour 1 - We get some extra Lou Penrose this week as he fills in for Monks and Merrill. A new poll finds widespread frustration among Californians as voters head toward the November election. Are voters looking for a change? Plus, two ballot measures are drawing support from younger voters, and…
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California Jobs Tick Up, Starbucks Closes Stores & Napa Valley Cuts Prices
Hour 2 - We get extra Lou Penrose this week as he fills in for Monks and Merrill. California and Los Angeles report August job growth—but what’s driving the gains, and are government and healthcare jobs enough? Plus, Starbucks announces more than 600 store closures nationwide; Napa Valley…
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Financial Literacy Courses in High School - Will They Stick?
Hour 1 - A Los Angeles high school teacher has started a financial literacy course and the students are loving it. Will classes like this be adopted statewide? And a viral trend has couples trying out "sleep divorce." Stevie Nicks tells the story of her first run-in with Janis Joplin, and Lou…
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The Wrath of the Oreo Karen
Hour 2 - The Oreo Karen has struck LA public schools, requesting parents stop packing Oreos in their kids' lunch boxes. This led to an AI-generated song based on the controversy. And a new ABC7 report shows traffic deaths surge 15% on days that popular new albums are released. Lou gets into the...
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The Heat is On — And Fact is It’s Making Us Schizo in SoCal
After one of the hottest weeks on record in Southern California, the heat finally feels like it’s breaking — but not before it made everyone a little nuts in that unseasonably humid high-90s-to-triple-digit stretch Californians just can’t handle. Uncle Luigi runs through who had it worst out…
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It’s Hot For Teacher in Valley Classrooms — Kids Are Sticky, Hot and Gross!
The brutal heat still hanging over Southern California: The back of a UPS truck can hit 140 degrees, AC techs are slamming jobs, one caller admits he garden-naked’d his way through the heatwave, and Valley parents say classrooms are too hot for their sticky, gross kids. Down in OC, a high-school...
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Guns N' Roses Rocked the Rose Bowl
Hour 1 - Nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines on board the USS Abraham Lincoln had a 5-day party in Thailand. Cocktails to-go could be extended in CA. And Guns N' Roses rocked the Rose Bowl this weekend. Eileen Gonzales was there and gives Penrose her glowing review of the concert.
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Panda Express - Inauthentic Chinese Cuisine?
Hour 2 - Funeral costs are skyrocketing and people are debating whether $100,000 is enough to live on in LA. Chili's is back on top among casual dining restaurants. They're responding with a questionable remodeling effort. And Panda Express is being accused of inauthenticity. Lou jumps to their...
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Oreo-Gate - Karen Demands No More Oreos in School
Hour 3 - A local mom is demanding no more Oreos in her daughter's classroom. It's sparking controversy and inspiring catchy AI-created music. The owner of South Point Casino in Las Vegas is losing millions of dollars voluntarily to provide affordable buffets to his customers. Lou wraps up the…
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Let's Teach High Schoolers About Money
Hour 1- A Los Angeles high school teacher has started a financial literacy course and the students are loving it. Will classes like this be adopted statewide? Packing school lunches this year is getting more expensive. Lou reminisces on his childhood bologna sandwich and talks accommodating...
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When Can You Finally Marry AI?
Hour 2- Stevie Nicks recently told the story of her first run-in with Janis Joplin before the creation of Fleetwood Mac. Nicks was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Lou talks about some of his favorite Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks solo songs. Did you…
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Which Sandwich Represents The USA?
Hour 3- What is the best, most ultimate American sandwich? MTV turns 45 years old this year. A new ABC7 report shows traffic deaths surge 15% on days that popular new albums are released. Taylor Swift, Drake, Bad Bunny, and Kendrick Lamar are among the main culprits. Lou gets into the songs he...
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Darth Vader at City Hall: May the Flock Be With You
Hour 1 - Darth Vader made an appearance at San Diego City Hall in support of flock cameras. California is considering a new plan to pay kids for perfect school attendance. And Lou reflects on his guest appearance on Monks & Merrill this week and laments the lack of fast food talk on their show.
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Memorializing In Through the Out Door, Led Zeppelin's Final Record
Hour 2 - Lou Penrose pays tribute to the final Led Zeppelin record, In Through the Out Door, released 47 years ago this weekend. From John Bonham's legendary drumming to the band's new musical direction, there is plenty to unpack. And, a viral trend has people "tanmaxxing," but doctors are…
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New Albums Are Causing Traffic Accidents, and the New Del Burger Taco
Hour 3 - A new report shows traffic incidents go up when new albums are released. Lou Penrose shares the top 3 musicians this rule relates to. A new rule proposes a one drink per 30 minute limit at bars. And, only 35% of teenagers had a summer job in 2026. What is going on? In the final segment,...
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What’s On the School Menu: Financial Literacy or Bologna?
Financial literacy is making a comeback in Southern California classrooms, and the Golden State will soon require high-school students to take personal finance courses to graduate — turns out framing math around money gets kids hooked. Meanwhile, school lunch prices are climbing: Bread up about…
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Hey Snorer, Be Like the Costanza’s and Try Out That Sleep Divorce!
It’s called a “sleep divorce” — when perfectly happy married couples ditch the shared bed and sleep in separate bedrooms over snoring, light sleeping, or one partner running too hot under the covers, and the trend is catching on. Meanwhile, people are begging hotels to slap QR codes on the...
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‘Our Instincts Overpower Our Emotions’ – Shadow the Bald Eagle, 2026. Apparently
Jackie’s remains will head to the National Eagle Repository to be distributed to enrolled members of federally recognized Native American tribes for religious and cultural purposes — but the Big Bear community where she lived gets nothing. Animal communicator Lori Cowen claims she spoke with...
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The Booty Call is Upstairs, And That’s Why Marrieds Pay Less For Car Insurance
Back-to-school shopping is already in full swing in early August, and Lou is not alone in wondering when September stopped being the start of the school year. Some Arizona kids reported back as early as July 15. Meanwhile, LAUSD is rolling out a new lunch menu this year that looks award-worthy on...
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It’s Ice Cream Season! Bad for the GLP-1s, Great for Cannabis Consumers
People are falling in love with their AI companions, and Lou predicts that human-robot marriage is coming — and it’ll eventually land in the Supreme Court. China is already cracking down on AI boyfriends and girlfriends to fight loneliness and emotional dependence on chatbots. Daily cannabis use...
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How Do You Luxuriate, And Why Isn’t It Like Lou with His Beloved Washer and Dryer?
Even when money’s tight, some things are still worth the splurge. Financial expert Rachel Cruze says she’ll always pay for Instacart and Costco runs, airport valet, quality jewelry she can pass down, a solid financial team, and a good face serum. Lou’s personal luxury list? A top-tier washer and...
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I Saw the Sign — And I Still Went Cliff Jumping Just So I Could Aura Farm!
They still can’t keep the kids from cliff-jumping at San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs. One teenager took a running leap this week, cracked his tailbone on the edge in an eyewatering wipeout, and the viral video hasn’t slowed anyone down — is this the new form of aura farming? Over in Santa Cruz,...
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The Ultimate American Sandwich: A Debate, A Fight, A Saga
Best Foods (the folks behind Hellmann’s mayo) is running a summer campaign asking America to name its ultimate sandwich — and the regional opinions are flying. Is it a BLT? A turkey club? Grilled cheese? Bologna and cheese on Wonder Bread? Classic PB&J? Or the legendary leftover Thanksgiving...
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I Want My MTV — But Only If They Bring Back Puck on ‘The Real World’
Happy 45th birthday, MTV! The channel launched August 1, 1981, and Lou was there from the start, calling in requests and soaking up the golden age of music videos. His personal favorite? Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home,” with anything Van Halen running a close second. MTV also served up plenty of...
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Lines to Get in Line?! Say It Ain’t So, Comic-Con Nerds!
Comic-Con is going off in Lou’s hometown of San Diego. This year’s crowd feels different — more kids and families thanks to a new ticketing setup, plus tons of free outdoor events, including Green Day playing on top of an ice-cream van. Pickpocketing is spiking during events like San Diego Pride,...
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Forty and Retired? Hater’s Gonna Hate!
The California governor’s race is turning into a street-taco showdown — Democrat Xavier Becerra is singing the praises of unlicensed sidewalk tacos while Brit-born Steve Hilton seems confused about the difference between street and restaurant versions. First-time homebuyers are getting priced out...
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Think Pink in Finland if You Want to Hook Your Supermarket Sweetie
Forget the dating apps — if you want to meet your soulmate, try the grocery store. A supermarket in Finland is rolling out pink shopping carts for single shoppers open to being approached (only works if both of you grab the pink basket), and the idea could be heading to the US. Meanwhile, a Gen Z...
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First World Problems? Squeezing Your Own Lime at the Pool Bar in Maui
Lou has no hate for LAX — he actually likes that rideshare drivers have to take that long shuttle. With the FIFA World Cup over, Spain beat Argentina 1–0 to take the title. Jennifer Hudson killed the “Star-Spangled Banner,” but the Madonna halftime show was just “meh.” Despite all the…
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It’s the End of an Era for NorCal Nudists!
The FIFA World Cup is over, but US hospitality (and ranch dressing) lives on. The dating scene is getting hit hard by the affordability crisis — nearly 80% of women won’t date a guy without a car or apartment, and Lou agrees: Women should vet for stability and ambition. On “failure to launch,”…
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If Your Clutter Doesn’t Spark Joy, Then Don’t Utter a Mutter, Simply Send it to Target
It’s spring-cleaning season — Lou’s advice is simple: stack ’em deep and sell ’em cheap. Target now has to offer recycling for usable textiles, bedding, towels, and clothes to keep them out of landfills, and Marie Kondo’s “spark joy” rule still reigns. Listeners share their favorite donation…
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🎶And I Need AC Tonight, And I Need It More Than Ever 🎶
Southern California is sweating through a sticky tropical heatwave with no real relief in sight. The big question — should you crank the AC higher to save on that electricity bill and just acclimate to 78 degrees, or does that go against basic AC math? The humid weather is also bringing a surge…
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Children Should Not Be Seen and Not Heard in Restaurants
A California restaurant owner at Chez Xue in the Bay Area is putting parents on blast — the menu now explicitly warns that tables will be charged extra if kids run around, shout, make excessive noise or damage property. Most listeners agree that fine-dining spots aren’t the place for little ones...
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Millennials Are Shamelessly Moving Back in with Mom and Dad
Are you noticing more trash littering the interstates? Caltrans says people are tossing more garbage out their car windows across Southern California, and they just can’t keep up. Some callers blame it on a declining work ethic, while others say some folks were simply raised trashy. Lou asks...
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Fireworks, Fines, FIFA fans, French Fries and Fracas on the Fourth!
In the 4 p.m. of The Lou Penrose Show, both of Lou’s teenage sons were at Newport Beach yesterday during the chaotic 4th of July madness — they said it was completely out of control with fireworks, fights, and rampaging, so they got the hell out of Dodge. Apparently the troublemakers weren’t…
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The Opposite of Love Sure Isn’t Bitterness — It’s Indifference
A California father passed away and left his entire inheritance — the house, business, investments, totaling at least $10 million — solely to his son, cutting out his daughters completely. The daughters, who sided with their mom during her extramarital affair and the bitter divorce, have now…
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The Ultimate List of American Things, According to Lou
The United States Air Force Academy Band absolutely crushed a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” at Mount Rushmore yesterday — it was off the hook! Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe told Joe Rogan about buying a $250,000 Ferrari Testarossa that was missing its stereo, while in San Diego…
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