So back in October, I told you about a new project I was working on called Talkadelphia. The premise was simple: Instead of writing about them like I usually do, Gino and I would interview all of the interesting Philadelphians that we knew so that you could hear their stories firsthand. A lot of folks told me podcasting was a stupid idea given the deteriorating attention span of the average American in the Internet age. But I refuse to believe that nobody wants to hear first-hand from the folks we’ve covered. So shove it, haters.
Twenty plus episodes later, I’ve learned a few things. First of all, podcasting is a lot more work than the simple Q&As I usually write. Whereas an average profile would take me roughly 3-4 hours to compile (interview/transcribe/edit /write/re-write), one podcast episode can easily take twice that much time. So if you are planning to seriously commit to a podcast, kiss your social life away. Or just make your social life a part of your podcast, like we do.
Second of all, I really, really hate talking. I seem to have the lowest voice ever. I even have trouble hearing myself. I also get super nervous every time we’re about to record. So it’s probably good we’re doing this project, as it’s forced me to become a better interviewer because I’m more aware of what I’m asking. Third, podcasting is really, really fun. The only reason why Gino and I continue to produce a new episode week after week is because the people we interview are so fascinating, we simply HAVE to share their story. So here my top five favorite episodes. Enjoy!
5) Matthew Smith and the The Spaces Between Your Fingers Project
Who We Interviewed: Matthew Smith
Occupation: Writer/ Jack-of-all-trades
Age: 20ish
Why He’s Interesting: He traveled the country searching for wisdom in all the right places.
Why I Heart This Interview: Matt is a compelling, earnest storyteller whose tale is kinda hypnotizing.
4) Citypaper’s Drew Lazor Tells Us About Food
Who We Interviewed: Drew Lazor
Occupation: Columnist, Online Editor for Citypaper
Age: 20ish
Why He’s Interesting: He makes food fun. For everybody.
Why I Heart This Interview: Because Drew is really, really funny.
3) Ariel Ben-Amos on Goats for Urban Sustainability
Who We Interviewed: Ariel Ben-Amos
Occupation: City Planner
Age: 20ish
Why He’s Interesting: He’s exploring why or why not we should bring goats to farm the city. Amazingness.
Why I Heart This Interview: I had a pet goat as a child and I LOVE the idea of goats in the city.
Who We Interviewed: Raj Haldar aka Lushlife
Occupation: Rapper/Producer/Dilettante
Age: 20ish
Why He’s Interesting: His perfectionism translates to delicious, danceable music.
Why I Heart This Interview: Because Raj is one of the most talented musicians I’ve heard in Philadelphia and more people need to listen to his music.
1) Interviewing the Journalists
Who We Interviewed: Shruti Mathur, Joel Mathis
Occupation: Journalist and Freelance Writer
Age: 20ish, 30ish
Why She/He’s Interesting: They go around interviewing folks for a living. Imagine the stories they could tell.
Why I Heart This Interview: Because I’ve been a journalist and I’ve always secretly wanted to be interviewed, duh.
(Blushes.)
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