Read It Twice Podcast
Many people talk about “doing” a podcast. I did as well; quite a lot. But with the help of my friend Katie Barbato, I took it one step further and actually made one.
The seemingly simple act of choosing the subject matter you want to base your podcast on was and is NOT simple. I’m one of those people that is cursed with an interest in everything. Yes, not even the airspeed velocity of a European unladen Swallow evades my curious nature (11 meters p/sec). I say cursed because multitudes of interest require a multitude of time…the latter of which would probably be better served on less interests. Yet despite this, here I am, finally with my own podcast. Read It Twice
What’s a podcast? A podcast is an audio publication in which you “subscribe”. It is delivered to you through various applications and is generally subject-based on a topic the creator is interested in. Anyone can make a podcast – just like anyone can write a song or be a politician. Of course, this doesn’t mean these endeavors will be worthy of public consumption. There are lots of bad podcasts, songs, and politicians that are better removed from the public sphere...or at least should be labeled for what they are, e.g., poor representations of what could be so much better. I’ve been listening to podcasts since 2006 and I’ve gotten a solid sense of the spectrum that swings between what is professional or amateur, as well as objective or subjective (to name a couple poles people label such things). Listeners – including me – gravitate towards what they like, it's as simple as that. I'm sure you can imagine the magnitude of choices available for various likes and dislikes. With that said, I personally think the success of a podcast has to do with both, “quality of presentation” and “quality of host”. These two defining necessities, and the fact that you need to be able to materialize your ideas into a sharable format, are the reasons that wishful thinking and tipsy pub planning never coalesce into a finished product – as is the case with most podcast ideas.
With all that said, if you do have the means to create a podcast (which I do), have a subject you love (which I have many), and can follow through on your ideas rather than just yammering on about them, you may be able to see this idea through. I say “may” because there are still obstacles you need to contend with. The most arduous is sticking with the model/schedule you create. Being accountable to your plan requires the same inexorably fueled excitement and panache you had when, after your third cocktail, you initially came up with the idea.
Katie and I found a topic we both loved – BOOKS, also known as literature, e.g., poetry, fiction, novellas, non-fiction, manuals, etc. I love reading, been doing it all my life. My mom taught me to read – earlier than most parents and schools do, and I thank her for it. I also thank Dick and Jane...oh, and Spot to.
Here’s my schematic (signal flow) from podcast inception to my first podcast release
1. Listen to lots of podcasts – for years
2. Think to myself, “I could do this and would love to do this” – for years
3. Yammer on about making a podcast, while tipping a few bevies with my friends and brothers – for years
4. Finally, stop thinking and talking about it and instead actually do it!
5. Work for three months:
a. Podcast research
b. Choosing and reading first book
c. Researching book
d. Set up podcast host and all related web related tools
e. Record first podcast
f. Edit and mix first podcast
g. Create visual mediums for podcast
h. Create promotional content for podcast
i. Release podcast
j. Write this blog and use it to promote the debut show
It’s kind of interesting to list and look at the steps it took to get here today. It gives me perspective. The universe is indeed a deterministic one – one event into another, into another, ad infinitum. I think back to the first time I read a Stephen King book. It was his 1978 release, The Stand. This is our first podcast subject. I read it in the early 1980s and was instantly a fan. When the unabridged version came out in 1990, I hungrily read it as well. It had hundreds of extra pages added, which I thought only deepened the story. Now, today, with two, "The Stand" miniseries behind us (1994 and 2020/21) and a very real pandemic still happening as I write, Stephen’s book marks where I am now (some 35 plus years later). All his rich storytelling is an even clearer reflection of human behavior as we react to and create demagogues, scapegoats, in and out groups, fear, and of course a great pestilence that amplifies the best and worst in us. Funny how we get from each point in our life to another. Funny how we correlate art to life.
Read It Twice is the podcast that Katie and I created from scratch. It’s two friends getting into the weeds about a book or other piece of literature. We share facts and opinions that we dig up about our topics, while having fun just riffing on the stories and words we take in. Friends/family (aka "our guinea pigs") have listened to the show and told us how much it makes them want to check out the topical book – whether they had read it or not. Spoilers? Yes, probably, but not at the expense of the story or your enjoyment of it. I promise, from one fan of reading to hopefully another, that the information Katie and I share will not ruin your enjoyment of the topic but will instead elevate it while adding excitement and appreciation. If it does spoil your enjoyment, then you should quietly leave the welcoming, warm room you were invited into. If you want to stay, we’d love for you to be part of our literary journey and joyful reading experiences! We can share a warm cup of tea or an adult beverage together while getting to know the story.
Go check out our debut podcast now. It's good for your drive to and from work, while going for a peaceful walk, having a satisfying meal, or perhaps as you drift off to sleep at the end of your day. We hope you enjoy the show. it's our wish to turn you on to some wonderful words and stories written by the best. Tune in for more episodes as we make them!
Brett William Kull
March 29, 2021
