Listen to Episode 2b

Cuttin’ Topic

Our first batch of episodes almost all had a prepared topic beyond the episode covered. For “Deathwalker” we had planned to talk about JMS’ background right before the show started. With the new minisode plan, you get that talk as its own cast.

The first and last piece of internet feedback I’ll ever read:

This one comes from YouTube…

I have to assume YouTube isn't your main platform,
but I found the previous episode randomly and subscribed
However, unless you include the Babylon 5 name in the
title, you're going to rely on random chance for people
to find it, which I suspect is not what you want.

You’re right… we’re not trying to monetize or rely on random people finding it. I’ve always had this odd relationship to creating. I love doing it for the sake of doing it… and doing it on a schedule to the top of my reasonable ability.

It’s from being in bands my whole life. There’s no point in trying to attain any modicum of success other than the act of creating itself. People appreciate the idea of artists, but we have been so devalued in culture that there is no point in pushing myself further than what I get out of it. Because it’s not the kind of work where you become more successful the more you put into it. The good part is that you get better at it the more you put into it.

Luck is by far the largest factor in an artists’ success. We’ve manufactured marketing systems to trick ourselves into believing a pathway to success through art is possible. “If we can just trick the algorithm into putting us ahead of the pack” seems to be a more prevailing thought than actual talent. Because yes, you need to be talented and put yourself in the right place at the right time to get those opportunities… but in the end, even the best of us are providing a service that has been oversaturated to death.

So Why You Doin’ This?

Finding Dre was really the key that made me want to do this. I could have started a solo cast at any time… but that’s not what I want to do. I’m more interested in keeping this going for a few seasons and finding out what it becomes.

Yes, we’d gather more listeners if we advertised this as a B5 podcast… but that would be a pretty big bait and switch when the series starts talking about comics or music. I want to get 100 episodes in with a few seasons under our belts before I even begin to define it.

Yes, I would love to look back after 100 episodes and see that we’ve gathered a small but loyal following. It’s only going to happen if I focus on making the best show I can with the time and resources that I have.

As a musician I’m obsessed with self-improvement. I am constantly reviewing the shows and trying to improve my speaking. I stutter so much. A big issue is that I have trouble being in the moment. Comes with being a Father, Podcaster, Full-Time Developer, Musician in multiple bands. There’s always something that I should be doing instead of what I’m currently doing and it seeps into my speaking voice. We’ll find out together if this is something I can curb over the course of the next 100 episodes.

What Did We Learn?

Captain Power is not Captain Planet

Next Episode

We cover Babylon 5: Season 1 Episode 13 “Signs & Portents” on the next full episode. Coming to you Sunday, August 24th.

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