Podcast of the Week: Go Folk Yourself

This week: Go Folk Yourself is a comedic romp exploring strange American folklore state by state.

We’re big fans of podcasts here at We Are Cult, and we’re always looking for more shows to subscribe to. So if you’re looking for ear candy, we’re here to help!

This week: Ethan, Dan, Brett, Victor and Nick tell us all about Go Folk Yourself.

What’s your podcast about? 

Ethan: Folklore.

Dan: Well, that’s the idea but we often just kinda trail off and make a ton of dick jokes while fervently Bing searching folklore and pretending we’re not drunk.

Brett: It’s a good excuse to drink a few beers and tell campfire ghost stories with my friends, and also insult our sound guy.

Victor: Well…

Brett: Shut Up Victor.

Nick: We’re not always drunk! Sometimes we go at it sober to let the real dry sarcasm shine.

If you had to describe your show in 10 words or less, what would you say? 

B: Alcohol fueled fever dream about Sasquatch and ghosts. Very explicit

E: Spooky shit, bruv.

V: Deleted scenes of a late night show on PBS.

N: Old timey sailors telling ghost stories and sex jokes.

D: Straight to home video rip-off of the hit podcast Lore.

Which episode would you recommend for a first-time listener? Do you have a favourite episode? 

D: That’s tough. We definitely had a rocky start with our audio quality, but there was some great stuff in those early episodes.  My favourite story we have ever told was about W. H. Sallie, the “cool guy” Principal who accidentally hung himself in front of a bunch of kids who let him hang for hours, unaware that he had really died. But I think my favourite whole episode was our recent Christmas special, 12 Days of Folkmas. 

V: Me Too! It was so fun to make and it really comes through on the show.

N: I loved the 12 Days Of Folkmas because of the twist on our usual style. But I think my favourite standard episode was Wyoming. It had my favourite guest and some of our best story telling.

B: Definitely New York. I’m pretty sure I scared the whole team and finally made them shut up during my actual researched portion.

E: Massachusetts. I don’t like any of our other episodes. I bet you high and mighty Brits thought that we would say the episode we did on Essex.  Well fuck that, we aren’t pandering to you or your Queen.

D: We’re doing another England episode soon, Ethan…

E: Well then I loved Essex!

What inspired you to create this podcast? 

D: That was definitely Brett. Correct me if I’m wrong Brett, but didn’t you find a US map that inspired the whole thing?

B: Yeah, Dan is right. I found a really cool info graphic on Tumblr that showed a little creature icon showing a cryptid or ghost in each of the 50 states and I immediately thought of an audio road trip through each state.

V: I was asked to help edit the show and managed to sneak on. Now they can’t get rid of me.

B: Don’t get too comfortable.

Which guests have you had on your podcast so far? 

D: Well, we’ve really only had one guest so far. Our friend Dan K, who I still think needs to be a permanent member of the show. But Ethan has a very firm stance around inviting others over.

E: There are no guests in this home.

D: Yep, that one.

N: Dan K was such a natural. He’s both a perfect compliment and foil to us.

B: We have also been trying to get a local Bigfoot hunting group based in Florida to come on and record with us. They’re as elusive as Bigfoot him/herself

Who would be your dream guest? 

E: The ghost of Vincent Price.

D: JK Rowling. As not a ghost. I feel like she has a lot of cryptozoological opinions.

V: Dan Aykroyd! We could talk about aliens while drinking his vodka.

D: If his Vodka is as good as his wine…I’ll pass on that.

B: Professor Ronald Hutton, who is my favorite historian and touches on folklore. If you guys haven’t read anything by him, he is fascinating!

N: Neil DeGrasse Tyson. I know he’d think we’re all idiots, but that’s half the fun, you know?

Which equipment do you use for your podcast set-up? 

B: Whatever Victor bought…?

E: Victor does everything. I just show up and start talking and a mic is already there.

D: Yeah, pass.  This is a Victor question. We just speak and the internet captures us.

V: I’m so glad you asked! We use a 4 channel  Behringer U-Phoria usb interface with three Samson R21s and a Befringer Ultravoice Xm8500. I edit everything in Gargeband and use AudioBlocks for sound effects and Ethan provides the music.

N: We can’t forget Dan’s iPhone for his “Sasc-WATCH” tune.

B: I’d like to forget that, actually.

What would you say is the best length of time for a podcast episode? 

D: It depends on the listener.  I prefer listening to 1.5+hours because I can split it up in to small chunks. Like an audiobook.

B: I’m a marathon podcast listener so I can consume anything from 30 minutes to 4 hours.

V: 50 minutes to one hour for me.

N: I love short podcasts sometimes, but normally I love the ones between 1-2 hours. It’s good for a couple commutes and doing stuff around the house.

Which podcasts (other than yours) would you recommend we listen to? 

D: Secret Transmission, our hated rivals…

N: We definitely can’t leave them out.

E: Old Man and his Two Sons.

D: Isn’t it Oldman and his Tucsons?

B: Yes, that’s the proper spelling. All about Gary Oldman’s Hyundai Tucson collection.

V:  People are going to think that’s a real podcast if they don’t know that joke.  For me, I’d say The Comedy Button, Fatman on Batman, Rebel FM, Nerdist, and anything from the Kinda Funny guys.

B: Hardcore History, The British History Podcast, and The History of Rome are my absolute favorites.

N: The Adventure Zone (really anything with the McElroy boys), Ted Radio Hour

Where is your podcast available to listen to? 

E: RadioShack

V: Patreon!

D: Pretty much everywhere.  We’re still waiting for Spotify to wake up and realize we’re better than Lore, but we got the others.

B: Apple Podcasts! And probably… Instagram…? I’d have to check with our marketing guy. I’m not really a savvy internet user.

N: See, Brett’s stupidity is my job security.  We’re available for our main episodes on gofolkyourself.com and on Apple Podcasts. You can find bonus content and more on Patreon!

What is the future of podcasting as a creative medium? 

B: Oh, it’s a dead medium for sure. Podcasting is too corporate and its basically over. This interview brought to you by Audible.com and Blue Apron.

D: See, I think the opposite. Podcasting is super interesting.  It’s a blend of education, and entertainment…a sort of Edutainment if you will.  But beyond that, podcasting is becoming the new trend in live entertainment. It’s almost like the new vaudeville.  My hope is that we will be able to get a tour done, preferably over there in the UK where oddly enough the majority of our listeners are from. I have a feeling that podcasts are where the big media houses will turn when people are finally fed up with reality shows and reboots.

N: I definitely agree with Dan. I think it’s super interesting to have seen podcasting go from this super niche activity, to hugely popular within their segments. It’s almost analogous to radio where it’s an intensely auditory medium, but this one is so personalized. I can’t wait to see where it’ll go.

E: Probably similar to the printing press. It’s super loud and takes up a lot of room.

V: I would love to see it all live on one Platform that would post it to everything and be site/app that would connect everyone.

E: Nick!  Plug all our stuff here…that type of work is beneath me.

N: I did that last question.

E: I wasn’t listening…plug us again!

N: GoFolkYourself.com. Patreon.com/gofolkyourselfpodcast. @GoFolkPodcast on Twitter.

E: Bored!  Victor!  Play the outro!

❉ Follow Go Folk Yourself on Twitter and Facebook

❉ Download past episodes or subscribe to future episodes of Go Folk Yourself for free: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/go-folk-yourself/id1233359762?mt=2


❉ Have you got a podcast? Email wearecultcontent@gmail.com if you would like it to be featured.

Become a patron at Patreon!