#walrusyes

I have tried to find the right focus for a podcast for a while now because I keep reading articles that talk about how the narrower the focus your podcast is, the better it will be. One example of this I really enjoy is The Worst Idea Of All Time. You know, the podcast where two guys watch the same terrible movie over and over every two weeks and discuss different aspects of it over the course of a year? That’s dedication. That’s commitment. That’s also a fantastic idea, even if it’s significantly more times than I ever want to be exposed to Sex And The City 2 (note: I have not seen Sex And The City 2, and although I am willing to spend hours listening to these guys talk about this movie, that’s about as close as I believe I will ever get to seeing it).

I feel like a project with that kind of focus wouldn’t keep me as interested in the long run, though, even though they do sound like they have a lot of fun along the way. Maybe I just haven’t found my own Sex And The City 2.

What I have found, though, is that a lot of the podcasts I enjoy listening to do not rely on that kind of focus. Stuff You Should Know dives into the shallow end of a huge variety of topics. An hour isn’t a long enough time to get into too much detail, but they usually go deep enough to give the listener a reasonable understanding of the topic.

SModcast is another one I have been listening to for years (I believe it is semi-retired or on a hiatus at the moment), and they have often gone on for an hour of conversation without ever really finding a point. Conversely, they also came up with the premise of the movie Tusk while recording and began a Twitter campaign to determine if they should make it. #walrusyes received more votes than #walrusno and the movie got made. While anyone who thinks Tusk has a silly premise might be technically correct, it is a fantastic movie, largely because of Michael Parks (R.I.P.). I mean it – I will die on this hill: Tusk was amazing.

The thing these three podcasts, and many of my other favourites, have in common is the conversational tone. I really enjoy the asides and the joking around. I would love to have a podcast that felt like a good conversation over coffee (or something stronger if you like) or a long drive. I haven’t figured out exactly what it will take to get me there, though.

Maybe it will come to me if I just watch Tusk one more time…

I’ll let you know how that works out.