The trick is to avoid shows that don’t have a clear objective unless they are comedians who are actually funny most of the time. “Three friends just sitting around talking about life, the universe, and everything!” -like descriptions are a major red flag. Extra deductions if their logo shows a glass of whiskey or a beer.
Funny you should say that. I’m already a terrible musician. I’ve got a solo gig and a band gig this weekend. I just wanted the podcast to complete my middle aged white dude punch card because my cargo shorts just got here the other day.
I’ll have everything prepped to start it up drunk at 2am on Sunday morning. This ain’t my first rodeo and my brisket will be ready to slice by dinner Sunday evening.
BG3 occasionally, Elden Ring once a week, and once a month or so I’ll break out a classic NES or SNES game. Plus I play Battle for Wesnoth with dad when he’s not on the road.
if a random comment on the internet is enough to destroy
your dream
then it was a weak and shitty dream. Get a new one.
do it anyway. Who cares. You know what’s the worst that could happen? You try, and it doesn’t work out and then you can look back at it and consider it “gave it a good shot, didn’t work out”. And then you can point to all the people who still sit on their couch and didn’t even try.
This is good advice for people who are serious about their dream. I was not. I’ve had a crazy life and got to at least kind of hit all the high points of my dreams. My only other one is to retire while I’m young enough to get into trouble and I’m doing my damnedest.
It’s not gatekeeping to point out that having no aim or objective for your show usually leads to a boring show people don’t want to listen to because it inevitably devolves into a bunch of inside jokes between the hosts that no one else understands, punctuated with the same jokes every podcast like that makes. insert “well no one listens to our show anyway!” line
It’s like choosing to grab two random people at a bar and just listen to their conversation when commuting. Most of it is nothing you care about. It doesn’t mean you can’t make a good show like that, but it’s like saying “I’m going to make an album” when you don’t know what instruments you plan on using as you walk into the recording studio. Most people are not going to make something folks want to listen to.
If your show is good, your show is good. Most shows like this are not good. Visit any podcast forum and see the hundreds of posts starting with “thinking of shutting it down after 50 episodes because we only have 20 listeners and can’t seem to grow.” If you want to take a crack at that genre then be my guest, I’m not saying you’re forbidden. Just that it’s common, easy, and usually attracts no listeners. But hey, plenty of folks do podcasts just for themselves which is totally valid.
TL;DR: who sits down to write a book without deciding what it’s even broadly about?
Edit: forgot to add, these shows never edit. At all. They don’t mute mics, they don’t have any mic discipline, they tap on tables and cough, then they do no content cuts. They don’t even bother running a basic compressor or leveler. It’s maddening.
I think you did good, I took no offense. I often get insecure about “Are they joking? I’ll give a serious reply in case they’re not, or in case someone else thinks they might be serious” myself, so I’m usually more concerned with the question “Is this clear enough as a joke?” than with blaming other people for not getting that.
I have an irrational aversion to suffixing my posts with tone markers like “(joke)” that I probably should do something about. It would certainly help with that confusion.
Either way, offering a serious take as a safety measure is a good thing, and I appreciate that you took the time.
Yeah, if you’re not a comedian then you can’t just ramble and expect people to enjoy it. Whereas Bill Burr can talk about any old shit and make it interesting.
Everyone overestimates how interesting and funny they are.
Unfortunately I can’t find a good link because someone made a book about Warhol with the same name in 2023, but he wanted to start a show called “Nothing Special.”
The trick is to avoid shows that don’t have a clear objective unless they are comedians who are actually funny most of the time. “Three friends just sitting around talking about life, the universe, and everything!” -like descriptions are a major red flag. Extra deductions if their logo shows a glass of whiskey or a beer.
That was my entire idea for a podcast. Thanks for shitting on my dream. I guess I’ll never start it now.
With that attitude, better become a Musician pronto
Funny you should say that. I’m already a terrible musician. I’ve got a solo gig and a band gig this weekend. I just wanted the podcast to complete my middle aged white dude punch card because my cargo shorts just got here the other day.
Two gigs in the same weekend? Who’s going to keep an eye on the smoker?!
I am an actual cliche. Dang.
I’ll have everything prepped to start it up drunk at 2am on Sunday morning. This ain’t my first rodeo and my brisket will be ready to slice by dinner Sunday evening.
Sounds like you’ve got an awesome weekend in store!
Cliches are often very powerful and hold a lot of potential for talent.
You’d look way cooler in something fast and shiny…
My motorcycle is plenty shiny and fast.
Seriously, my superhero name should be Average Middle Aged White Dude. The only thing I’m not doing is getting more conservative as I get older.
I guess I’m going to have to wear some white tube socks with my slides and saying shit like “Working hard or hardly working?”
Apparently Gen Z is all about long socks now and only old people wear ankle socks lmao
Socks are weird in general for so many reasons and at so many different levels.
How else should I prevent my thongs from chafing?
Where we at with video games?
BG3 occasionally, Elden Ring once a week, and once a month or so I’ll break out a classic NES or SNES game. Plus I play Battle for Wesnoth with dad when he’s not on the road.
your dream
then it was a weak and shitty dream. Get a new one.
do it anyway. Who cares. You know what’s the worst that could happen? You try, and it doesn’t work out and then you can look back at it and consider it “gave it a good shot, didn’t work out”. And then you can point to all the people who still sit on their couch and didn’t even try.
do it.
This is good advice for people who are serious about their dream. I was not. I’ve had a crazy life and got to at least kind of hit all the high points of my dreams. My only other one is to retire while I’m young enough to get into trouble and I’m doing my damnedest.
Well, in that case. Thanks SteveFromSpace for saving us from that one…
Why not make a podcast about gatekeeping and use this as your first example? There, you’ve got an objective.
It’s not gatekeeping to point out that having no aim or objective for your show usually leads to a boring show people don’t want to listen to because it inevitably devolves into a bunch of inside jokes between the hosts that no one else understands, punctuated with the same jokes every podcast like that makes. insert “well no one listens to our show anyway!” line
It’s like choosing to grab two random people at a bar and just listen to their conversation when commuting. Most of it is nothing you care about. It doesn’t mean you can’t make a good show like that, but it’s like saying “I’m going to make an album” when you don’t know what instruments you plan on using as you walk into the recording studio. Most people are not going to make something folks want to listen to.
If your show is good, your show is good. Most shows like this are not good. Visit any podcast forum and see the hundreds of posts starting with “thinking of shutting it down after 50 episodes because we only have 20 listeners and can’t seem to grow.” If you want to take a crack at that genre then be my guest, I’m not saying you’re forbidden. Just that it’s common, easy, and usually attracts no listeners. But hey, plenty of folks do podcasts just for themselves which is totally valid.
TL;DR: who sits down to write a book without deciding what it’s even broadly about?
Edit: forgot to add, these shows never edit. At all. They don’t mute mics, they don’t have any mic discipline, they tap on tables and cough, then they do no content cuts. They don’t even bother running a basic compressor or leveler. It’s maddening.
You are completely right.
I was trying to make a joke, piggybacking off the other guy’s joke, but I can see that was poorly communicated.
All good my dude. There was like 5% of me that wondered if you were joking so I tried to make it a point to not get all shitty or name-calling lol
I think you did good, I took no offense. I often get insecure about “Are they joking? I’ll give a serious reply in case they’re not, or in case someone else thinks they might be serious” myself, so I’m usually more concerned with the question “Is this clear enough as a joke?” than with blaming other people for not getting that.
I have an irrational aversion to suffixing my posts with tone markers like “(joke)” that I probably should do something about. It would certainly help with that confusion.
Either way, offering a serious take as a safety measure is a good thing, and I appreciate that you took the time.
May life be as kind to you as you are to others!
Man I feel that I hate adding “/s” and crap like that lol
Have a good rest of your week!
Was the name gonna be “Three drunk Texans”?
Yeah, if you’re not a comedian then you can’t just ramble and expect people to enjoy it. Whereas Bill Burr can talk about any old shit and make it interesting.
Everyone overestimates how interesting and funny they are.
White dudes and microphones lol the ultimate expression of how self important and insightful we feel all the time 😅
Some people like listening to some of them, though, which is how they get famous in the first place.
Sure, I produced several of them lol but most fizzled out due to lack of interest/“podfade”
I once had this idea for a show about nothing…
Easy there Warhol
ConfusedSeinfeldLook.jpg
Unfortunately I can’t find a good link because someone made a book about Warhol with the same name in 2023, but he wanted to start a show called “Nothing Special.”
This is exactly why I like Bad Friends.
Some shows can pull it off! But it takes focus and a little discipline, even if it doesn’t feel like they have any