The Best Show You Haven't Heard

Just got in from recording our podcast, The Deucecast, Episode X: On Stranger Podcasts.   Have you heard our show?  Then let me tell you about it, so you'll know...

So not too long ago, maybe March or something like that, Mikey sends me a text that simply says, "I think we should do a podcast.  Call it the deucecast.  what do u think?"

Immediately, I smiled... a podcast?  A real, true life, on iTunes podcast?  I was down with it, completely.  Mikey is one of those guys that, when he is all in, he's all in.  He's totally in.  He's behind it a billion percent.  And this idea had been perculating around his mind for a little while, to the point where he started prepping for it before he even asked me about it.  Probably because... well, he' knew I'd be in.

After doing this website for just shy of six years now, I had been thinking of the next step, the next progression.  Heck, I had decided a year or so ago that a podcast would be a great idea, one of my own where I could talk about what I want, having guests of all calibers to discuss and debate--don't know if it would have been interesting, but at least I would have enjoyed it.

Problem was, I knew nothing of a podcast.  Nor did I have the equipment to even start with it.  But Mikey... he had the equipment, or at least some of it.  He needed me to kind of put a frame work on the show, maybe segments, games and so on.  What we would talk about, do a "rundown" of sorts. 

But how to get the show running, the techie stuff?  Enter Tommy Mac and Shawn Sharp, who both have a great idea of how this stuff works.

Though Mikey was ready to do an hour plus show the first week, I knew we'd have to build.  We met on a Wednesday night about a week or so after our initial conversation, and figured we'd put down some audio, talk about whatever, and that would be that... and after 90 minutes of playing with earphones, wires, sound levels, microphones, filters and so on, Mikey and I finally began to talk with Tommy and Shawn producing.

And it was dreadful.  Part of the show is unintelligible due to a bad buzzing noise, the other part was just that we had no idea what exactly we were doing.  I don't remember exactly what we talked about (I've never made it entirely through that particular episode on playback), but I do remember thinking that, "Well, that sucked... but it didn't suck as bad as it could have."

The next week rolled around, and this time, I actually brought "show notes", and a written "rundown".  The rundown was just the flexible schedule we were going to go by, the show notes were typed out notes for my own use to get my own thoughts out a little easier. 

Mikey's brother-in-law, and hubby to Mikey's sister Snipp, Matty, began listening from the beginning.  Living in Chattanooga, he would email and text us both some thoughts and suggestions on making the show better... so it didn't take long before he became a "guest contributor", and then into a full fledged co-host.

So the three of us, Matty, Mikey and myselfy have hosted The Deucecast now for what was our 10th episode last night... well, thats 10, but we also did 4 "negative" episodes... meaning we took 4 weeks and did shows as a rehearsal of sorts. 

You know how a big attraction at a theme park, or even a big store location has a grand opening, but before that, they do "soft openings" to work out the kinks?  This was us.  We took four weeks to work out the audio problems, to get our style down, to figure out segments that did and didn't work, games that needed redefining... and by Episode -1, we got it down.  In fact, that is one of my personal favorite episodes!

We even called in some "guest contributors" like Hurricane Rhett and The Good Dr. Earl to come in every few weeks and add something different to the show.  Perhaps Rhett's Rhants is one of our more popular segments, I'd say.  We had best selling author Justin Fisher in-studio to discuss his book as well (and if you haven't read it, shame on you.... its great... book review coming soon enough) for our first in-studio interview.

So, you are asking, what's The Deucecast about?  I'll admit, we aren't for everyone.  Not that its bad language or anything, but some people (re: chicks) might find us dorky and boring... we talk about movies and music and celebrities and pop culture stuff for an hour every week.  Mikey does a music segment where he brings up new music from sometimes obscure bands, and Matty and I make fun of him.  Matt does a "smorgasbord" where he discusses whatever, though alot of times it revolves video gaming.



Seagal is all things to all people.  And by "all
people", I mean Matt Rector.



I do a bit called "Buried Treasure" and discuss movies that you may have forgotten, movies like "Boomerang" with Eddie Murphy, and wrestling film "Body Slam", and sometimes music, like Hootie's "Fairweather Johnson" CD.

There several in-studio games we rotate through from week to week, like "Name That Crap", where everyone has to name the song being played, usually something along the caliber of early Michael Bolton or Lisa Lisa & the Cult Jam... we do a game called "Faux or Show", where we discuss horrible television shows from the past... and a great little movie game that keeps us laughing and bewilders us about how much random crap we know.

We also do an homage every week to actor/lawman/activist/humanitarian/musician/jack of all trades/master of all trades Steven Seagal, mostly catering to Matt's possibly unhealthy obsession to the guy. 

And in our "Roundtable", we just talk about whatever.  Star Wars is a popular topic, as is Charlie Sheen and I like to discuss Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with), but we cover everything from topical headlines to books to anything else.  Just a random free for all, almost like we are sitting in the living room just tossing stuff out there... cause thats actually what it is.

Overall, its a fun show.  I think its funny, but again, its not for everyone.  However, if you haven't listened to it at all, take a listen. 

You can find the website at http://www.thedeucecast.com/ and listen there, or go to iTunes and search for "The Deucecast".

So, before you write us off, give it a listen.  When you find out we are actually unfunny hacks who just laugh at our own inanity for an hour a week, then you can write us off.  But you have to listen to a show first.  Heck, even Amarylis by Morning (up from san antone) thinks we are hacks--but thanks anyway to Painted By U for being a sponsor. 

Okay, well, they arent really a sponsor, and legally, our show and her business have nothing to do with each other, and anything we say and do are not representative of the views and opinions of her or her business in any way (and vice versa), but if we DID have a pottery paintin' sponsor, Painted By U would totally be it, and if Painted By U wanted to sponsor a podcast, then... The Deucecast is it!
(summer of blogging, day 10)