Best Podcast Reviews

Where did “Very Bad Words” come from?

March 23, 2018 7:45 am

Ever wondered what makes a swear word a swear word? What makes a word “bad”? You’re not the only one. Matt Fidler, host and producer on Very Bad Words, had the same question, and decided to investigate the relationship between swearing and language that is taboo.

“The idea behind doing this show was to find the roots, the history and etymology of swearing. Learn why certain words and concepts around language are considered bad,” said Fidler. “One of my big original questions was: why have a word, if we’re not supposed to use it?”

The question came while Fidler was working as a radio engineer. It came from a list, coffee stained and wrinkled (the kind of place where the best inspiration comes from, usually), that laid out the words were not appropriate or allowed to be used on the radio.

“[I] would always see those seven words that George Carlin made famous in his bit about the seven words you can never say on television written on the broadcast console,” said Fidler. “If any of those words were ever said on the air, we would have to hit the ‘DUMP’ button so that word wouldn’t be broadcast. The words are: Sh*t, P*ss, F*&k, C^&t, C*cksucker, Motherf*cker and Tits. But nothing else – no a$$hole, no “n-word” no b*tch, etc. I wanted to know why these specific seven words.”

He dug into word origin stories trying to satisfy his curiosity but he wanted to know more. And the desire hasn’t subsided. Fidler has been working on the show consistently for the last three years but has only been releasing episodes for one year.

The production process has been fairly routine for Fidler since he has been working in radio production for more than a decade. However, making the show still presents its own difficulties to conquer.

“The challenge to this show is to take information that is factual and dry and try to turn it into a story that means something to us – while keeping the facts straight,” said Fidler. “I like to use personal stories to augment those expert interviews – and finding the right stories takes a lot of time.”

The audience’s response to the show is indicative of how well he has been able to present that information.

“Overall, audience response has been very positive. I’m proud to say that the listens of the show seem to be very smart and knowledgeable about language,” said Fidler. “So I love engaging with the listeners – they often point me to new subjects or other angles to a subject. They also tell me their own personal stories sometimes, and I’ll play those on special minicast episodes.”

He has had a few complaints from people that were offended by his topic of choice but said that those comments are few and far between.

The podcast community has also been very supportive and engaging according to Fidler. He appreciates the collaborative environment that exists in the podcasting community and said that that has been his favorite part of making a podcast– getting feedback from people that are interested in similar subjects as he is.

And on the subject of swearing, he’s learned quite a lot.

“The big thing I’ve learned about swearing is that swearing is a very efficient way of quickly expressing emotion,” said Fidler. “It is a powerful tool – but use it wisely – just like any other tool – you can hurt people or even yourself if you don’t use it wisely. And, the more you use this tool, the less effective it is (how shocking is it to hear Samuel L. Jackson say motherfucker? – not very because that’s all he does) which is the reason why taboo language is constantly evolving. It’s like when one antibiotic stops working to treat an infection, you better develop a new one to take its place!”

Fidler said that he is going to keep the show going as long as interest remains and he can still find topics that are fascinating. He imagines this means a few more seasons but if he can find funding he said he thinks he may be able to take it farther.