We have talked about this for over a year and the stars have finally aligned for us to link up with our homies in Bacon Is My Podcast! This awesome duo have been taking over the podcast world with interesting segments, creative interviews, and killer personalities. Stroll with BareBones Ent as we take you behind the scenes with the guys of Bacon Is My Podcast!
BBE: We have known each other for over a year now and talk fairly regularly, but for our readers how did Bacon Is My Podcast come around?
Mike: Much like most of the podcasts that are out there, it was a pandemic project. Our’s just happened to be a complete accident. Haha.
Jimmy: It’s the same old story, 2 singer/songwriter friends from separate bands wanna write together, they write a record then get busy with their bands then a pandemic hits and they discover a love of having a few drinks and chatting up creative people. You know, that old chestnut. Ha Ha that’s actually pretty much how it happened.
Mike: Yeah, fans of our bands heard we were working together and started saying “we’d love to be a fly on the wall.” So we literally just threw a camera up and recorded our conversations.
BBE: How has running this podcast changed things for you?
Mike: For me, I’m super happy to finally be in a regular project with Jimmy. We’ve been in separate bands for forever, always saying “we need to do something together.” This is finally THAT something. Being in separate bands puts people on different schedules, which makes it hard to hang out regularly unless you’re actually in a project together. So to finally be able to work with Jimmy and have an excuse to get into a room with my best friend every week, it’s really great. Haha.
Jimmy: Honestly it’s an excuse to hang out with Mike because that was harder before since we’re on different schedules. So it’s forced us to set time aside and hang which I think has been great for both of us. It’s also just been a fun experience to create something new with someone who works hard and has the same kind of drive and ambition to see where it goes. But it’s really been about the first thing haha we get to hang and do something fun that we can include people in on, and entertain which we both love to do.
BBE: If you could pick out one episode to grab a potential new listener, which would it be and why?
Mike: Man, it’s super hard. Bryan, you do interviews…So there definitely are some duds. But on the overall, we vibe pretty well it our guests. So that really makes for some entertaining conversations. You can go back as far as our episode with AJ from We’re Wolves, that’s a great one. The dudes from Felicity come back frequently for some laughs. More recent, Luke from happydaze was a fun one talking about animation and video creation stuff. We spoke with the band From States Away about their recording process and then ended up chatting in depth about comic book movies. We had Chris Towning from Suffocate Faster and Bury Your Dead where we talked about his Transformers collection, even our show with Spencer from Underoath… We talk about his obsession with Oasis, parenthood, cooking and lots more. That was a fun one as well.
Jimmy: I think I’d probably do one of the award shows or probably actually one of our “Discussions & Drinks” shows that are just me and Mike. We’ve done so many interviews but I still think the thing that will either grab or turn off a listener is if they connect with us. If you like us then whoever we interview is a bonus, if you hate us then a cool guest isn’t gonna save it for you. haha
BBE: What do you feel that you guys bring to the podcast world that sets you apart?
Mike: We’re not an “interview” show. We’re a conversation show. I mean, we inevitably speak to people about their newest project, but our “What’s Your Bacon?” in 7 Questions promo pieces tend to set the tone for our shows. We use bacon as a metaphor for that thing in your life that enhances it, makes it better. We want to learn about people’s “bacon.” The thing in life that makes them shut their brains off. We want to talk about the things people wish they can talk about in the press. For a lot of musicians it can be gaming, comics, cooking, etc. So let’s talk about those things you WANT to talk about and not just what you’re talking to every other press outlet about.
Jimmy: I don’t know to be honest, there are lots of great podcasts out there and there are a lot of cool interview shows. I just think we have a somewhat unique perspective when speaking to artists because we’re also artists. I also think that we ask questions that we actually want the answers to vs just kind of doing a standardized interview. Those can be great too but I know Mike and I like getting to actually know our guests and we become friends with them. Filming it and releasing it is kind of secondary to making some kind of connection. The whole “what’s your bacon” thing is genuine because we really do like talking to people about things they’re passionate about. It’s inspiring, and it gets you hyped to work harder on your own passions.
BBE: You guys are both musicians in your own right. Do you feel that helps when interviewing bands?
Jimmy: Yes, I think it immediately inspires trust and a kinship with a musician guest so they are more relaxed and open with us and I also think it helps us create a more interesting conversation for them which becomes a more interesting chat to listen to.
Mike: Sometimes, sure. I think since we are a video podcast, when we pop up on frame with my studio in the background, it helps disarm them. We definitely have more fun in-depth questions about songwriting and gear, which sometimes positions us as peers to them, although I almost never feel that way (the imposter syndrome is real). But I think other shows get concerned about getting too in the weeds with that type of technical stuff. This show started because people told us that they wanted to hear those conversations. So we just love embracing all that.
BBE: Congratulations are in order as Bacon Is My Podcast is in the top 2% of listened to podcasts globally, according to Listen Notes. How did you react to realizing this?
Jimmy: I didn’t believe Mike when he told me haha I am honestly blown away by it, validation is so weird in artistic or creative ventures just because of how hard it is to really understand analytics and get information. So as a musician you get that validation by streams or sales or live show interaction. This is just so different because I honestly don’t know what it means haha I love that people are listening, I love that people dig the show and it’s been a blast to do so let’s get to 1% haha
Mike: Thanks, man! It’s really crazy. Because I don’t think any of my bands have achieved anything like this, especially for only being a “thing” for 2-½ years, you know? We don’t take anything for granted. There were a lot of people who helped make this happen. I consider us super fortunate to have so many people champion for us. We’ve gotten opportunities that we had no business getting, but I think people appreciate our hussle and our work ethic. Seeing that 2% in print is pretty cool to me. It feels like some validation and knowing that this hard work is actually paying off. Haha.
BBE: Do you have a goal to make it to the top of the pyramid or are you more so having fun and taking what comes as it comes?
Mike: We never started this to “be the top podcast.” We started this to have fun. Jimmy and I just have a major problem with relaxing. We never go into a project going “let’s just see how things play out.” We’re driven artists who want to put our best into what we’re working on. It’s just our nature. We’re always going to strive to be the best at what we do. But I also think that if this show isn’t fun anymore for either of us, it loses its purpose and loses everything special about it. It all really goes hand in hand.
Jimmy: I have a goal to keep having as much fun as possible for us and for a listener and do whatever I can to help make the show as good and as big as it can be. The main thing is always “Are we having fun” and “Are we achieving the vision”, now I will also say Mike and I are driven guys and we want to be at the top of whatever were doing so if there’s a pyramid to climb then we’re gonna have a good time figuring out how to get up it. We’re also guys that will push ourselves and each other to always be better and see where we can take things. Plus I love heights so I’d love to see the top of a pyramid haha
BBE: Do you have an absolute dream interview?
Jimmy: Not really, I mean I’d love to talk to Dave Grohl, or Will Ferrell, but not to “interview them” I just appreciate what they do and would like a chance to see if we’d have fun chats. I love talking with artists because I love the inspiration it gives me and feel like that can translate to inspiring a listener. I’m not really here to interview people, I want to learn from and be inspired by people and in turn be able to translate that to a listener. Maybe the dream interview is when someone like Rogan or Segura or like a late show wants to interview us haha that’s the dream 🙂
Mike: Right. There isn’t really a specific interview for me, I want to create “situations.” We’re all about bringing awesome people together. We try to do that as much as we can. I loved our 2 year anniversary show because we had so many friends of the show pop in and interact. Dudes like Rauli V, AJ from We’re Wolves, DJ from Revel 9, the guys from glimmers all hanging out together for some fun conversations. That’s something I love. I also love the idea to maybe do an actual live, in-person BIMPY Awards Show. That’d be a dream. Another thing that would be a fun “dream” situation would be like… so we have had some of the guys from Silverstein on and we know that they’re avid golfers. We tried stirring the pot with them, they wouldn’t really bite. But I would love to host a mini-golf game with them and maybe some other past guests or buddies of theirs like Beartooth or Wage War, who take golf seriously. I think once they’re in that environment, and the competitive juices are flowing, it can make for some fun, smack-talk and shenanigans. We’re pretty good at that stuff.
BBE: What is next for you?
Mike: Like Joe Dirt says, “keep on, keepin’ on.” 2% is awesome, but 1% or .5% would be more awesome. Haha. So we’re just gonna keep doing what we’re doing, keep having fun, keep maintaining those contacts and keep putting out entertaining content. It’s just kind of what we do and what we’ll keep doing because we love to.
Jimmy: Gotta go to work now and teach kids how to play AC DC and Green Day songs haha For the podcast? Keep moving forward, making the show better, and finding out what people’s bacon is, we’re still so new at this and figuring it all out so the journey is still starting. We’ll keep learning, keep sharing, and keep having fun moving it forward.
BBE: What is the best way for fans to keep up with Bacon Is My Podcast?
Jimmy: We’re on all the streaming platforms so whichever one you use you can listen to us there. We’re working hard on growing the youtube network “StrangerhoodTV” so if you want to see how handsome we are or how many dumb faces we make you can check us there (like, subscribe, follow, and all that jazz). Baconismypodcast.com is our hub where you can find anything and also pick up some of our sweet sweet merch and if you really love us then find us on patreon for all kinds of extra content.
Mike: He’s great at that…He really does have that down. Haha.
BBE: Anything else you would like to add?
Mike: First off, big thanks to you and your fine platform, here. Thanks to my wife, Jen and my two kids, Gavin and Lacey who let me go talk to people on camera every Sunday night. I definitely want to thank our fans AKA our BIMP Squad for always having our backs. It’s funny because the PR people specifically tell you not to bring them up…but it’s such a thankless job, I want to give them their flowers. So huge thanks to Tori from WTF Publicity, thanks to Becky from Big Picture Media. Those two have been amazing sounding boards for me. Their advice has helped me navigate this world and their contributions to this show cannot be understated. And a big shout out to some of our amazing past guests who have become literal friends. Like AJ from We’re Wolves, Haunter, Zillion, Josh from Silverstein, Patti Negri, the Felicity boys, man…So many to list. Thanks to anyone who decided to spend their time with some little podcast run by two dudes with the word “bacon” in the title.
Jimmy: Thanks for the interview and for helping us spread the word. Everyone who’s reading this, thank you for the time and don’t forget to ask yourself “What’s Your Bacon?”
