Podcasting Adventures 11/03/21

I started recording and posting conversations to The JDO Show about six years ago. I didn’t have any idea what I was doing, and I still don’t. But man…going back and listening to them is rough. I largely don’t do it. I heard a few snippets and that was ENOUGH.

I was talking to Kelby on the phone today and came to the realization that those episodes represent someone who is trying to find their way, and doesn’t really know who they are yet. Fatherhood and the past two years have clarified things for me. I very much know who I am and what’s important to me. I know what I believe.

And because of that, the podcasts that I do now have a person who doesn’t “um” “uh” or “like” his way through every episode, equivocating and waffling the whole way. Anyone with half a brain knows that nothing anyone says is their entire truth, but there’s a narcissistic urge to make sure people see you as a full human being…and I’m not. Not to them at least. Not to you. I’m a voice that says shit. So I’d better make with the interesting/entertaining words or what’s the point?

My mother knows who I am. So does my wife and most of my friends. One day my son might know me. Caring about what anyone else thinks of me is a waste of time. Completely.

This philosophy makes for better shows. AGITATOR is killing it. We’ve had rappers and writers on to discuss weird and gory Japanese movies, and people are naturally listening to that one a lot. Because it’s a subject and vibe people can get with. NO COUNTRY has gone private. It represents the flipside of the coin. If AGITATOR is me and my buddy hanging out and talking shit, NO COUNTRY is my private school, where I learn from a mentor and attempt some degree of formality and respect.

I’m different people on the two shows. I had the thought the other day: should I try to blend those two personalities together? What a ridiculous and solipsistic thought. Who cares?!?!?!

Anyway, subscribe to AGITATOR here. We’ve covered films by Miike, Tsukamoto, and Toyoda. Tomorrow we have an episode going live with a very popular rapper about Ghost in the Shell. After that we have a gay witch on to talk about Miike’s ponderous time-travel epic Izo. And Kelby and I just finished a clásico cast where he and I chat about Ghost in the Shell 2 through the lens of Donna J. Haraway.

NO COUNTRY is now exclusively a Patreon-only show. I think of it as my classroom, and we’re setting it up so that you can learn some stuff, too. We’re starting a book club to delve into the esoteric mysteries of life and creativity. I want to become a fully-realized artistic being, so we’re picking books that vibe with that and extracting/expanding on that. I’d recommend trying it out for a month. It’s $5. Then you can drop it. And maybe come back later! The options are endless…