The waters were thinner back then. It was a little Wild West with the exception of a few staples that still exist today.
"Stuff You Should Know" was probably my favorite, but I enjoyed all of the "How Stuff Works" shows. Ira Glass always had something interesting to listen to with "This American Life," but it was like pulling teeth to find enough interest (for me) in content to continually fill my lengthy windshield time.
One major problem I had back then was a serious lack of quality music podcasts for the fan of Metal. Most of the hosts were huge amateurs, and in the Metal world, that means shitty dudes with bad inside jokes constantly leaning toward whatever band they have followed since the age of 13. I felt like the new guy a lot of the time, even if I knew exactly what they were talking about.
I also believe that the day after Podcasting was invented, 15 Kiss podcasts were on the air hosted by amatures not even remotely interested in taking themselves seriously.
It was hard to get invested, because as soon a promising podcast came along, dead air followed. Lack of interest, or just life in general, probably killed many a podcaster's amateur career from going the distance.
There was an ocean of crap like that. I'm not trying to bash anyone who does what they love, but the pros are pros for a reason.
I did get sucked in to a few music Podcasts back then that were above the rest. Bob Nalbanian did an excellent job with Shockwaves Skull Seasons, and of course, there is now, and always has been, The Rock and Roll Geek Show with Michael Butler.
I lifted the name of this blog from Michael. I've always been honest about that though. I liked the idea of being considered a Music Nerd (not a far stretch from a Rock and Roll Geek).
Michael leans toward a generation before mine, and Bob definitely gears toward thrash, NWOBHM and 70's metal like Rainbow. Both tend to be a history lesson often, but both were on point.
Somewhere along the way, I ended up getting bored and stopped following podcasting. I fell out of it for a few years. It was hard to keep interest when there was no real consistent schedule or post dates. Sometimes weeks or months would go by with no new content.
Fast forward to today.... The game has been upped. Metal is alive and well in the Podcast arena, and I am happy for it. My interest has been peaked once again, but this time, it's a whole different ball game.
Jamie Jasta (Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow, Jasta, Headbangers Ball) has emerged as the Jimmy Fallon of the Metal Genre. His insider take of fellow musicians, along with his well liked personality, propels him to the top of the heap. He lands awesome interviews, and is educational in regards to the business side of surviving in Metal. He is a true hustler, and sets an example on how to stay on top and earn.
He gets a little self serving, and promotes his many bands and projects throughout every interview, but his interviewees don't seem to mind one bit. In the beginning, I started by picking and choosing his Podcasts based on guests, but now I listen to every one.
Eddie Trunk has a podcast also (no surprise there). Eddie was probably the first hustler in the Metal Communications game. His interviews in this format are actually not bad at all. I have criticized him in the past for throwing soft balls on TMS, but I'm over that.
Another surprise for me is Chris Jericho. His podcast (when focused on Music) is very good. He is entertaining and always seems like a fan regardless of who he is talking to (even though he probably is on par monetarily with his guests). His show is geared toward wrestling, which I am not up to speed on, so I definitely pick which downloads I want, but when he is doing music, he is one of the best.
If you want to hear Jericho suck an egg (out of respect) and totally bite his tounge off instead of calling Bullshit, listen to the Jesse Ventura episode. I felt bad for Chris, I know he wanted to be like "aaaaaBULLSHITchoooooo."
I feel like I should give a nod to a few other shows. Heavy Metal Historian is quite good, the Nerdist is an excellent time kill, and I still find myself enjoying a good episode of "Stuff you missed in History Class."
Michael Butler is still pretty rad also. Send him money to his beer fund. He always thanks everyone on air. A while back, I sent him 10 bucks, and he thanked me by pronouncing my name NA-dork-ski. Thanks Michael Butler, I really appreciate it.
Summary: Podcasting is worth exploring. Any topic you want, you will find. It's still Indy enough to be cool, and yet it's becoming business enough to be focused.
Still, as long as it's affordable, anyone can do it. The best will always rise to the top, so if you've got something to say, a voice that needs to be heard, and a face for radio, get in the game! I'll be rooting for you!
Nago
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