Podcast Spotlight: That’s Not How I’d Do It
Last updated on January 10th, 2018
Things need fixin’. Whether they’re real things like a broken sprinkler, or more theoretical fixes like cats. In this sense, don’t think of “fix” as resolving something that’s broken, but more akin to improving something. This is the premise of the podcast, That’s Not How I’d Do It, which tackles some of the more intangible fixes like the aforementioned cats, Apple the company, spas, candy, and NASCAR.
As you can see, they cover a wide range of topics and through what they call “aggressive brainstorming” they work through hypothetical situations in order to fix the given subject. However, sometimes these situations result in a logical, utopia world, but other times they end in an apocalypse. You really never know.
I got a chance to meet one of the hosts of That’s Not How I’d Do It, James, and talk through some of their fixes. We talked about some of their favorite fixes, the challenges they face as indie podcasters, and some of their favorite podcasts out there. See our Q&A below.
Discover Pods: What’s your podcast about?
James: Every week we take a hard look at the world around us, find something we want to improve, and attempt to fix it through aggressive brainstorming and the power of our imaginations.
DP: What’s unique about your podcast?
James: Every episode is a piece of social criticism, but approached from a comedic angle. The “solutions” aren’t real solutions, but they’re a way to question and interact with a very real problem.
DP: Why did you choose to podcast?
James: My co-hosts and I are avid podcast listeners and wanted to make one for years, but wanted to make sure we had a format that kept the podcast focused, but broad enough that it had legs to go on, potentially for a thousand years.
DP: What are some of the more popular topics you’ve covered?
James: Our top three, at the moment, are Cats, Funerals, and Killing Hitler. Cats ended in an unintentional apocalypse (catpocalypse?), Funerals had a segment where rats exploded out of my (James) corpse, and Killing Hitler had a lengthy discussion of how young is too young to kill Hitler.
DP: Do you think any of your “fixes” have real legs to be implemented?
James: Oh jeez. Well, we did an episode on the Eagles’ “Hotel California” where we recorded our own version of it. Personally, I think it’s better because it has more references to the movie Alien, but it’s hard to be subjective. On a more serious note, we recently did an episode on Advertising and tackled everything from making personal data collection a consumer right to the rise of social media influencer advertising and the increasingly blurry line between advertising and entertainment.
DP: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?
James: Our biggest challenge is bots. Bots are everywhere. Downloading our podcast willy-nilly. Screwing up our stats. Following us on Twitter and sending us lewd DM’s. So that, and podcast discovery. Getting the word out about our podcast is a toughie. But mostly bots. It’s like a 90-10 split.
What type of equipment do you record with?
James: We record with Audiotechnica AT2020’s going into a iConnectAudio4+ interface, which then feeds into Logic. Jared has been in Asia for the last 9 months, so we Skype him in and he records his audio on his end, then we sync it all up and edit. When I’m traveling, I take a Shure MV-5 with me to record with into my laptop. It’s a small-ish, affordable USB mic that I’ve gotten good audio out of.
DP: What are your top 5 favorite podcasts?
James: My cohosts, Sam and Jared aren’t here to defend themselves, so I’m going to go ahead speak for the three of us. Our favorites are Radiolab’s More Perfect, Song Exploder, The Social Breakdown, The Big Loop, and U Talkin’ U2 To Me. Sam’s favorite podcast is the 1,001 Ways To Cure Diarrhea podcast.
DP: Anything else you’d like to add?
James: I read that Google’s AI learned Chess in four hours and now can beat any human or bot on the face of the planet. It’s not looking good for us humans. If you’re a human and want more updates on bots, you can listen to our show. And if you’re a bot reading this, then you can go throw yourself in a trashcan. Also, a huge thanks to Discover Pods!
DP: Where can listeners find you?
James: You can find us here on iTunes itun.es/us/kMoMfb.c, on our website thatsnotpod.com, or @thatsnotpod on Twitter.
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