Odd News and Simple Fun with The Crispy Noodle

This interview with the hosts of The Crispy Noodle is part of a series highlighting podcasts participating in Philly Podfest 2019. See the full line-up of live shows on our Schedule page. 

by Melinda Lewis

Rich and Mike are two friends with a weekly podcast that covers a smorgasbord of topics that is reminiscent of old school talk radio with news, hot takes, and a vicious soundboard. Before their Philly Podfest show on July 28, from 2:30 to 3:30 at Tattooed Mom, they answered some questions about their podcast and plans for the festival.  (edited for length)

Q: Your show reminds me of listening to the radio before school. What have been some of your influences and how did you determine the format?

Rich: I listened to Preston & Steve on Y100 almost every morning on the way to school. I loved how their topics were informative and hilarious. When Y100 shut down and they went off the air, I was devastated; there really wasn't anything like them. After interning with their show on WMMR, I knew I wanted to produce my own show that was newsworthy, comedic, and just simply, fun. 

Mike: I trusted Rich’s instincts when it came to the radio-esque nature of the show since he had the experience. But from the start we knew our favorite topics, that we wanted to be fun and informative, and that if we were excited and passionate about a topic, that would come through in the show. After that, it all just fell into place. 

Q: What's the root of Crispy Noodle’s name?

Rich: Naming a podcast is actually one of the most difficult tasks when coming up with a podcast. We didn't want to simply call it The Rich & Mike Show, so we decided to let inspiration come to us in another way – Chinese takeout. My fortune cookie literally read "Be the Crispy Noodle in the vegetarian salad of life." I shouted to Mike "what the hell does this mean?!" We both couldn't stop laughing. We thought maybe this an answer from Fortune's own cookie – The Crispy Noodle Podcast. 

Mike: This is one of the biggest mysteries of the show when we first mention the name to someone. We went with our gut, literally, and it worked out great.

Q: Do you have anything planned for Philly Podfest?

Rich: Mike is actually away on vacation that weekend and it will be the first time I am doing The Crispy Noodle Podcast without him. He will definitely be involved in the show in a special way . . .  that's as much as a tease as I can provide! I won't be flying solo though, because our recurring guest personality, Nenna, will be there to help react to Entertainment and Odd News. 

Mike: It’s a shame I can’t be there this year, but I get to be in the very fun and unique position of experiencing the show as a listener first instead of a co-host. We're already working hard to come up with something fun for the event.  

Q: What are you looking forward to most about Philly Podfest (and what makes you want to come back)?

Rich: There are so many interesting podcasts to discover and learn about. I also enjoy the live audience that comes out for this – people get to react in real time to the topics we provide and the odd news stories I research. I also love that we're at Tattooed Mom, it's such a great venue – punk rock atmosphere, right on South Street. You couldn't ask for a more Philly-centric venue in my opinion.

Mike: It’s great to be part of a community that is so passionate about their shows and topics. Since we don’t normally do live events or shows, it definitely adds a unique twist and change of pace for our show, which is welcome after 300+ episodes! 

Amplifying queer voices with My Gay Agenda

This interview with the hosts of My Gay Agenda is part of a series highlighting podcasts participating in Philly Podfest 2019. See the full line-up of live shows on our Schedule page. 

by Melinda Lewis

From the title, to the intro, to the discussion, there is no haziness when it comes to what My Gay Agenda is about. CJ Higgins and Jenn Adams make a podcast that represents Philadelphia’s queer community, educates, and builds empathic bridges. This year, they’ll be celebrating Queer History with their show at the National Liberty Museum, Sunday, July 21 at 3 pm.  (Edited for length)

From the title, to the intro, to the discussion, there is no haziness when it comes to what My Gay Agenda is about. CJ Higgins and Jenn Adams make a podcast that represents Philadelphia’s queer community, educates, and builds empathic bridges. This year, they’ll be celebrating Queer History with their show at the National Liberty Museum, Sunday, July 21 at 3 pm.  (Edited for length)

From the title, to the intro, to the discussion, there is no haziness when it comes to what My Gay Agenda is about. CJ Higgins and Jenn Adams make a podcast that represents Philadelphia’s queer community, educates, and builds empathic bridges. This year, they’ll be celebrating Queer History with their show at the National Liberty Museum, Sunday, July 21 at 3 pm.  (Edited for length)

From the title, to the intro, to the discussion, there is no haziness when it comes to what My Gay Agenda is about. CJ Higgins and Jenn Adams make a podcast that represents Philadelphia’s queer community, educates, and builds empathic bridges. This year, they’ll be celebrating Queer History with their show at the National Liberty Museum, Sunday, July 21 at 3 pm.  (Edited for length)

From the title, to the intro, to the discussion, there is no haziness when it comes to what My Gay Agenda is about. CJ Higgins and Jenn Adams make a podcast that represents Philadelphia’s queer community, educates, and builds empathic bridges. This year, they’ll be celebrating Queer History with their show at the National Liberty Museum, Sunday, July 21 at 3 pm.  (Edited for length)

Q:  How did y'all meet and at one point did you decide "Hey, let's do this?"

CJ:  After college, throughout 2017, Jenn would bring up the idea of us co-hosting a podcast called My Gay Agenda. After mentioning it several times I realized they weren't trying to make a goof, they were making an actual suggestion. Then we did it!

Jenn: At some point or another, I made a joke to my partner along the lines of something silly being my gay agenda and he said ‘’Oh, that would make a great podcast name!’ I laughed and agreed but then was like...’oh dang, it really would.’ I IMMEDIATELY knew CJ was the perfect person to throw the idea at. 

Q: Between your title and opening credits, it's pretty clear what your podcast is about on the surface, but what is My Gay Agenda’s (your gay agenda’s) agenda/goals?

CJ: Our goal is to educate through exposure and representation. We want to create a space where queer people can feel validated and recognized, and cisgender heterosexual people can learn by listening. It's sort of like a chat among queer folx that cishets can listen in on. Plus, we've had some listeners tell us that the podcast helped them discover their own queer identities! 

Jenn: We've really shifted our focus to lifting up queer voices and letting individuals talk about their experiences and stories. We still consider ourselves both a comedy and education podcast, but the number one goal is to let queer people of all kinds talk about what they want to talk about and send it out into the world where people can learn, empathize, or discover something about themselves through listening.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the process of producing My Gay Agenda?

CJ: I love meeting all our guests! We've had the privilege to talk to over fifty queer people about their unique experiences and identities. I'm constantly grateful people choose to share their stories with us.

Jenn: I’m biased as the self-proclaimed ‘camp counselor’ of the show, but I really enjoy developing the silly mini-games we play with our guests at the end of each episode. Half the time they’re less ‘games’ and more jumping off points for all of us to make more jokes, but they’re always fun to develop and they help us end the show on a lighter, whimsical note, especially when we end up discussing something heavy. 

Q: You've done live shows before - what makes a live show particularly special (and how does it compare to the performances you do outside of these live tapings?

CJ: Live shows are where we go beyond the interview format of our regular episodes! Past ones have included a quiz show and an open forum on how gay the city of Philadelphia is. Plus, at the end of each live show, we ask the audience for suggestions of what to put on the Gay Agenda, and that always gets some fun and interesting responses (like mandatory astrology charts, milkshakes, etc.).

Jenn: Lately, we’ve really been exploring different formats for the live shows and I love mixing it up and bringing in the audience! What’s special about MGA live shows is that they’re always different and always full of camaraderie and laughter. 

Also, sometimes people sing along to the theme song and that’s pretty neat

Q: What are you most excited about Philly PodFest?

CJ: I'm excited about our unique location at the National Liberty Museum! How many times do you get to do a podcast episode in a museum?

Jenn:  Philly Podfest is where we did our first ever live show, so I’m super excited to return! I’m excited to bring our show to new audience members, and, honestly, to see as many other shows as I can!

Getting away from Stress with The Philly Blunt Podcast

This interview with the hosts of The Philly Blunt Podcast is part of a series highlighting podcasts participating in Philly Podfest 2019. See the full line-up of live shows on our Schedule page.

by Melinda Lewis

The Philly Blunt Podcast started like any great project does: Quizzo and chance encounters. Since joining forces Quizmaster Johnny Goodtimes, MC Reef the Lost Cauze, and Jawnville writer Violations Greg have developed a podcast that celebrates Philadelphia through bringing focus to the people who live and work here and the bars that act as second homes. Allowing their guests to choose the bar Johnny, Reef, and Greg bring a down home vibe to the podcast. “Historically, bars are where communities gather to discuss the world around them . . .” says Greg. “We couldn’t think of a better setting to discuss a wide range of topics with amazing people in a relaxing atmosphere away from the stresses of the world.” And their biweekly conversations on The Philly Blunt extends that atmosphere to its listeners. 

Their conversations are the ones you catch yourself eavesdropping on because everybody at the table seems to be bringing the jokes and compelling stories. Part of this feeling is due to the locale, the sense of familiarity we feel at our Philadelphia bar, but it’s also fostered by the hosts who are adept interviewers. Talking with those like author Jennifer Wiener, food critic Craig Laban, and comedian Chip Chantry their ability to make an interview with strangers more like a conversation is just one of the reasons why Philly Mag included the podcast as one of the “Top 5 Best Philly Podcasts to Listen to Right Now” earlier this year. 

When asked about their favorite element about Philadelphia, the hosts responded with the Philadelphia’s interconnectedness, it’s lack of ego, and a city fully of legends without the pretentiousness of other cities. The very things they love about the city are what they embody and celebrate in The Philly Blunt Podcast, which will be live at National Liberty Museum on Sunday, July 21 at 1:00 pm. While they have something planned, they’re not giving anything away. Greg adds, “In reality though, we’ll probably change our minds thirty times, scramble the day before, and pull off something amazing. That’s the plan, at least.”