It is hard to believe that we recently recorded the 15th episode of the Loose and Conversational podcast.

We are still a work in progress, but we have learned a lot. I decided to take a couple of weeks off to take a break and plan out the next 15.

When we first started, we didn’t know what the significant challenges would be. We were worried about technical things, we hoped people would listen, and we hoped that we would know what to say once the mic was live.

The technical part of making a podcast isn’t that hard. Ensuring everyone sounds good consistently is more complicated. We still learn a little bit in each podcast, and every episode is a bit better than the last one. We recorded Episode 15 remotely, and I think it sounds great!

We are grateful that people are listening. What is difficult and takes a lot of time is trying to connect with the audience to understand them. We are active on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, plus we have our website. Still, we get very little feedback. The one number that stands out is the total number of listens for each episode.

Our number one episode in terms of listens, Episode 7 with Cletus Van Damme, accounts for 13% of all listens and has 13.5% more listens than number two. The top three episodes account for over 35% of total listens. The top two episodes are also our most explicit episodes, which is interesting.

Our episodes have become tamer as time has passed but not intentionally. Episode 15 could be listened to at work. Part of why the episodes are “cleaner” is that we realized the importance and economy of time. We recorded for over two hours with Marissa, Amanda and Cletus. Because of this, we drank more and, as time went by, we were looser. The increased levels of intoxication led us to talk about more explicit things. We shortened Amanda and Cletus’ episodes quite a lot because I had to edit out a lot. What was left was pretty good.

We did not set out to clean up the content and drink less intentionally. It was subtler. After Episode 7, when I got so drunk I couldn’t function, I decided to rein in my drinking. Also, I decided to stick to a one-hour podcast and avoid two-part episodes. There was no point in recording much past an hour. Unfortunately, we turned the conversation into more of a chat. We also started to be more mindful of time, which led to less time spent drinking and recording. The changes made the podcast production more comfortable, but we lost a bit of the point.

The Loose and Conversational Podcast is primarily about open conversations. We need to have a few drinks to have those conversations. We might stray into some uncomfortable territory after we get tipsy, but that is the point. Safe discussions are boring.

An upcoming guest described our podcast to me recently.

“It sounds like your standard format is to have three podcast hosts (we have two) and one guest with a general topic. There is no planned set of questions or specific objectives. It is (as your title suggests) a “loose” conversation. It also appears like the discussion entertains and “pushes limits.” It is not to inform or motivate people toward a particular actionable goal. Rather, the intent is to create a sense of gathering or “we-ness” (is that a word?). As I listened, I could picture a booth in the back of a darkened pub around midnight with a group who see one another fairly often, and they tug along someone new once in a while. They verbally spar, laugh and mix seriousness with B.S., dry humour with fact.”

Dr. Jan Canty, PHD

Dr. Canty hit it on the head. From now on, we are going to stick close to our original formula. If the podcast is a bit longer or takes more time to edit, so be it. Our guests have been great, but before we book anyone, we will be clear about the role that alcohol plays. It won’t be mandatory for our guests to drink, but my co-host and I will. If a guest doesn’t want to get loose, they need to be interesting. Like, actually interesting, not just to themselves.

Last, I need to be clear about the explicit nature of the podcast. Frankly, if you don’t want to hear foul language or talk about things like sex or adult situations, this isn’t your podcast. If you value political correctness and woke understanding of the world around you, this might not be your podcast. If you get offended easily, this is not your podcast.

I like being a shit disturber. I enjoy dry, sarcastic humour. I am often jaded and a bit cynical. I will often speak on behalf of traditional values that I might not subscribe to so that I can piss people off. I play the role of the middle-aged white guy.

Jenn doesn’t enjoy following rules. She seems to enjoy making fun of people. She sometimes pushes a little too far. Jenn often plays the role of the Millenial that refuses the Millenial label.

We are not just like this when we are drinking; we naturally do this. We usually need to bury this deep in our minds and act normal. When we drink, our regular selves come out like water from a fire hydrant. That is just the way it is, Boo. Enjoy. We aren’t trying to hurt anyone.

If you don’t like it, don’t listen. Here is why I say that. When we aren’t our authentic tipsy selves, the podcast is boring. You might hear the podcast and say, “it’s not boring.” Well, great, but you’re mistaken.

I’m not talking about the podcast being tedious for the listener; I mean, it is boring for me. I assume then that it is boring for the people listening. Why would I want to go to all this effort to put another boring podcast out into the world? I don’t. So I will not even try anymore. I’m going to drink like Hemingway and encourage people to have fun. That seems to be what people want to listen to, and it’s what I want to do.

Enjoy the podcast, friends.

Stay Loose,

J. David