Paul Myers

We Go Way Back...Show Notes

Regular readers of this newsletter know my story with early Twitter. I got to hang around with a lot of carnies and ne’er do wells and fun was had by all and how all of these people happened to be fucking brilliant artists. Well one of those brilliant artists was musician, comedy writer, author, and current host of the Record Store Day podcast, Paul Myers.

Paul was, and continues to be, what we used to refer to as a must-follow. His Tweets are smart, informative, and funny “AF,” as the kids say. And Paul is, a word you’ve heard me use a lot here, genuine.

When I first started podcasting back in 2011, I had a vision for what the show was going to be at that time. It was part chat show, part Colbert Report, part Between Two Ferns, and part Gervais/Pilkington. The plan was to totally script my part, let the guest in on the rib without giving the questions out, and then…well, I didn’t know what would come next.

Paul was the first actual guest on the podcast. I have a script written. It was three pages, I think, and in my mind, this would run about 30 minutes. It ran about five minutes. Paul thought it was going to be a proper interview after the silly open, while I had only prepared the silly open, which involved me asking Paul about Charlie Daniels. Oh what a visionary I was..

As the years went on I got to know Paul better. Rather than just reading his Tweets I started reading like, the actual books he wrote and listened to the actual music that he made. On this podcast episode Paul and I talk about the subtle differences between friends, acquaintances, and those you meet along the way, but I feel pretty confident in calling Paul a friend.

Paul and I also get into what was great about what he refers to as “vintage Twitter,” and how circles of friends would defend each other from trolls, defend other people from trolls, and how it was in many ways a self-policing medium, especially for those of us outside of the verification system.

This particular circle included people who, like Paul, had close relatives who had achieved household-name levels of fame. I’m talking about Rain Pryor, Kelly Carlin, and others. And it would drive me insane, knowing these people and what they offered artistically, get bombarded with the same, tired shit over and over.

I also did several interviews with Paul over the years. Sometimes just to chat. Sometimes about projects like his Todd Rundgren book, his book about Kids In The Hall, and the documentary that followed, his passion for photography, as well as his life as a recording artist.

So, like I said in the subtitle, we go way back.

I was also very excited when Paul became the host of the Record Store Day podcast. He seemed particularly suited for the role. The podcast has really blown up over the past few years, recently breaking 100 episodes, with no sign of slowing down.

We talk about how that came to be, some behind the scenes stuff, and we talk about some of my favorite guests.

Okay not so much those guys, even though they were guests. I mean people like…

And even this up-and-comer who has some real potential in the music biz.

Paul and I also do a deep dive into his writing process. My disdain for rewriting and his love of rewriting. He felt that some may find the talk about process somewhat dull, but I find it very interesting. And I don’t really do this for you readers to hear it is all for me to learn as much as I can under the pretense of promotion.

Okay that’s not completely true. I do it because I want people to find new things in art and to maybe break down the barrier that prevents some people from attempting their own artistic endeavors. But this isn’t really about me.

The episode wraps with a discussion about Paul’s new book that will come out sometime next year. His subject is John Candy. Yes, you heard me, John Candy.

I hope you all enjoy the interview and check out all things Paul. Landing page link is below. Should be on all podcast platforms tomorrow.

And now the Easter egg song with many layers of meaning…