❉ The economy comedy podcast CheapShow.
We’re big fans of podcasts here at We Are Cult, and we’re always looking for new shows to subscribe to. So if you’re looking for ear candy, we’re here to help!
This week: Paul Gannon tells us all about CheapShow, an oddly volatile comedy podcast duo who celebrate Poundlands, Charity Shops & Bargain Basements everywhere!
If you want to talk about it, then make it. You would be surprised by how easy it can be! Kevin Smith describes podcasting as The Wild West of media where there are no censors, no commissioners and the audience finds you, no matter your niche…
What’s your podcast about?
CheapShow is a comedy podcast all about celebrating the cheap and cheerful. We hunt around in thrift stores, yard sales, charity shops, Poundlands/Dollar Trees, second hand shops and car boot sales to find weird and wonderful things to talk about on the show… Or at least we try to. It will always, at some point, collapse into verbal violence and surreal moments. We call it the economy comedy podcast.
If you had to describe your show in 10 words or less, what would you say?
Chaotic, Scatalogical, Enthusiastic, Informative, Revolting, Silly, Inspiring, Funny, Bizarre and “Special”!
Which episode would you recommend for a first-time listener? Do you have a favourite episode?
That’s a tricky one, because we like to play around with the format. The first few shows were all live, recorded in front of a London comedy audience and then we moved to a studio to be able to make more regular episodes… One episode could be live, the next from our studio, one episode could be “investigation” out and about in the UK and the next could be a improvised “play” (like for Halloween & Christmas etc).
If I had to recommend a great studio episode, a lot of our listeners like Episode 18 “Don’t Get Mad” because the last quarter is dedicated to playing a bizarre role play game we found on line.
I personally enjoy the episodes were we play games based on what we have found in charity shops… Like Episode 20 “The Blankety Cards Right Game Show” and its sequel “The Bullseye Family No Deal Game Show” which is episode 40. Those episodes are based around playing board games based on famous TV quiz shows in the UK and US and doing our own unique take on their formats. It reeks of nostalgia at times!
Our best live episode could be Episode 4 “Stuart Ashen Eats Sponch” with UK YouTube celebrity “Ashens” and a really fun “improvised play” is our Halloween Episode 12 “The CheapShow CreepShow”
It’s odd, some of the episodes I have not been all that happy with have been our best loved… So it’s horses for courses!
What inspired you to create this podcast?
Myself and my co-host, Eli Silverman, started out with no plan at all and the original name for it was The Uncliqueables… which was an awful name for a podcast, let alone hard to spell and find online… but as we tested out the show, we began to realise that each episode contained more tat, bric a brac and weird food found in Poundlands in the UK and Charity Shops etc… So we decided to wipe the slate clean, rebrand the show “CheapShow” as it better reflected the content of the show and, frankly, was a damn sight easier to search for online. It worked, as over the past year, we have seen our listenership really grow and we have a truly great and supportive fanbase!
Which guests have you had on your podcast so far?
We have had a mix of You Tube celebrities and UK stand up comedians… From the world of YouTube we had the aforementioned Stuart Ashens, who has well over a million subs on his channel and he deals in very similar content to our podcast… We now work with Stuart on his new YouTube Channel “Barshens” which features Eli and I, and I also produce it…
We have also had Brian Wecht from YouTube’s Game Grumps and the awesome comedy rock band “Ninja Sex Party” who we had a lot of fun with…
Largely, we tend to look for UK stand ups who are happy to go along with our insanity… but usually the focus is on Eli and myself and how quickly we can race to having a meltdown, argument ot falling out… which our audience seems to love, especially Eli’s rants!
Who would be your dream guest?
There are a few names I could think of… None of which would actually want to do it! Like Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds from the podcast “The Dollop” who I am a huge fan of… But we are talking to UK comic actor Nick Helm to finally come along and also, in a perfect world, film director and podcaster, Kevin Smith… because I think it would blow his mind.
Which equipment do you use for your podcast set-up?
We’ve been quite lucky as I am a radio producer, so I usually have access to a nice radio studio to record a bulk of our shows on… But when we don’t have access, I have a nice home studio set up with a combination of Yeti microphones and fancy mics with sound reflector guards. It basically means I am have a portable studio I can carry around with me and set up quite quickly. When we do “outside reporting” I have a Tascam recorder, but usually, a half decent app on a smart phone is usually pretty bloody good for last minute back up plan for recording sessions.
What would you say is the best length of time for a podcast episode?
I think, on average, no more than an hour is about right. Just in terms of pacing and attention span.. but again, there is no hard or fast rule as a lot of our listeners want us to do longer episodes and we tend to creep over the 60 minute mark more often than not. I think it depends on your content really. Myself, I love long pocasts as they see me through long commutes or periods when I just want to chill for an hour or so.
Which podcasts (other than yours) would you recommend we listen to?
I have a taste for the weird, so I love “Last Podcast On The Left” as it tickles my morbid curiosity for monsters, ghosts and serial killers, like our pod, it can be very scatalogical, but its also briliantly researched. And as stated earlier, I am in love with “The Dollop”, its an American history podcast that can be hilarious, dark, informative, depressing or amazing… Often in the space of one episode. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Where is your podcast available to listen to?
You can get it anywhere you can get podcasts… we have a website which has videos, pictures, links etc and most episodes also have dedicated pages where you can see some of the crazy, weird things we buy and eat on the show. But it’s also in the usual places, iTunes, Soundcloud (our host), Google Play Music, TuneIn, Stitcher and any good podcast app for your smart phone. Just search for “CheapShow”.
If you fancy taking a weird, random trip with two British comedians who fight like a married couple and search for the weird and random, come and subscribe to us today. We are aiming to set up a Patreon soon as we have a large enough listenership now and we are at least looking to cover our costs now… CheapShow ain’t always cheap!
What is the future of podcasting as a creative medium?
I hope it thrives without bowing to corporate pressures to compete with TV networks and commercial radio. The UK is still a little wide eyed to Podcasting, unlike in America, where it is established and recognised as a brilliant storytelling medium and art form… which you can make money from, build a fan base upon and you don’t have to worry about pleasing a Network Executive to get your idea commissioned. If you want to talk about it, then make it. You would be surprised by how easy it can be! Kevin Smith describes podcasting as The Wild West of media where there are no censors, no commissioners and the audience finds you, no matter your niche… So I hope that continues.
❉ CheapShow Podcast can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/cheapshowpod
❉ https://www.thecheapshow.co.uk/
❉ The latest Tweets from CheapShow Podcast: @TheCheapShowPod
❉ Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of CheapShow Podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/cheapshow/id1022348979?mt=2
❉ Have you got a podcast? Email wearecultcontent@gmail.com if you would like it to be featured.
