I’ve been dreaming about doing a podcast.

It would be called the Hurry up the Cakes Podcast. The show would be based on subject matters I care deeply about. In each episode, I would interview (or at least converse with) people I admire who are representative of these subject matters in my life, and we would discuss these and squeeze out the “juice” from these subjects, developing them into the episode theme. I would learn so much from these people, and the recorded conversations would be produced and condensed so that each listener could learn too. In the process, the audience would be entertained enough to want to keep listening to the podcast while they do their dishes, sweep their floors, or drive to the grocery for their quarantine tribute runs.

I’m aware that the world doesn’t need another podcast. But I have reasons. Good reasons, I think. You tell me. Here’s why I want to do it:

• I want an excuse to talk to people I like, respect, and admire. It seems a bit strange, socially, especially in weird 2020 circumstances, for me to just buzz people online and be all like hey what’s up can we talk for an extended period of time because I like, respect, and admire you? Especially since online contexts can screw up all sorts of social signals¹. But if I have a podcast, I can just be like, hello person I admire, may I please invite you to be a guest on my podcast? And they’d be more likely to be like, why, sure, this is a perfectly acceptable context to have an hour-long conversation with you, person I don’t often have hour-long conversations with.
• I want to create something which encapsulates the value of things that matter to me. In the process, I also want to explore why I care about them so much, and perhaps allow people to see that people should care about them as well. Or, at least, glean value from these things. Things like education or comedy or cultural criticism or parenting. Or even wrestling, despite how supremely stupid it is nowadays².
• I want to use my new recording gear. I put together my audio set up during this crazy-ass quarantine, and I’m excited to use it for more than just Zoom meetings for work. Currently, I’m using an old Audio Technica Digital Reference DR-VX2, a cheap Mvsiicon B1 “The Sound Card V8” USB Audio Interface USB Audio that I bought off Lazada, and my recently resurrected Marshall Monitor headphones. I’ve done some goofy things with this set up, but now I’d like to also do more substantial things—things that are more actively geared towards serving others a little more than myself.
• Howard Thurman says the world needs me to do it: “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” The idea of a podcast feels like embers sparking in my belly, and making it happen seems like it’ll make me come alive. Sorry, world.
• I’m a little scared to do it. This is why I can’t not do it.
  

At this point the only people who read this blog are myself and my perfect wife. But if you are neither of us, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think?

That said, I will do it anyway, even if you don’t want me to. Sorry. My belly is burning.

Subscribe anyway, though?

---

1. I have stories to tell about this very thing. The past three months of quarantine have seen me have the most Twitter fights I’ve ever had. It felt like Tumblr 2007 all over again. ↩
2. On so many levels, too. Don’t get me started. ^↩