Pop Culturalist Chats with Brett Davern and Marty Shannon

It’s an incredible time to be a listener. There are hundreds upon hundreds of different podcasts you can enjoy while working out, commuting, or unwinding after a long day. And, one podcast that’s caught our ears is The Brett Davern Show. Yes, that Brett Davern! He stars on the hit MTV show Awkward and he’s joined by his good friend and musician, Marty Shannon—who recently released his newest album: Twenty Six Hundred. New to the podcast world, the pair is venturing into uncharted territory. But, that’s one of the reasons why it’s a great listen. And, they’re quickly making a name for themselves, cracking the Top 100 TV & Film podcasts on iTunes. So, what are you waiting for? Subscribe! Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Brett Davern and Marty Shannon.

PC: How did the podcast get started?
Brett: I have always been a big fan of Podcasts like WTF with Marc Maron and The Adam Carrolla Show and always wanted to host one myself. I got a chance to meet and become friendly with Adam at the Long Beach Grand Prix, where we were both competing, and he just said “…stop talking about it, and do it already.” Then offered tons of other advice and encouragement. So I called my good buddy Marty and a producer friend of mine Ben, bought some microphones and started going.

Marty: Brett and I have had so many interesting conversations about everything and nothing, that other people might want to hear. Much like Brett, I’m an avid podcast listener and I’m also an avid lover of the sound of my own voice. I don’t know why I didn’t get into this sooner, to be honest.

PC: How did you guys decide how the podcast would be structured? And, how do you prepare for each week?

Brett: I’ve been fortunate enough to be a working actor for almost 10 years now and through this work have met and kept in contact with some really cool people. I just figured I’d start going through my phone’s contact list, and invite those friends in and chat with them. To put it another way, we always meet up and hang out anyway, why not record it and let other people in on the conversations.

In terms of preparation, to be honest there isn’t much. I want the show to feel like the conversations feel in real time. So we try to do as little editing as possible and I just look at the guest IMDB quickly before we start just to be familiar with it, but the conversations just tend to go where they would go naturally.

Marty: I have to be extremely funny every week. Lots and lots of pressure, you know? Brett and our producer Ben do most of the leg work. We try to keep it casual. We don’t ever get too “60 Minutes” on our guests mostly because our guests are our friends. Like any good live set, I don’t want to over-prepare; it’s way more of a hangout than an interview.

PC: For someone who may not have heard about the podcast, what’s your elevator pitch?

Brett: (Talking to person in elevator) You know that actor/actress you like who’s young and sort of on the way up? You know how you’ve read all those short form bullet point interviews with that person? Well there’s this podcast now, and it gives you a chance to listen to that person just sort of hang with a fellow actor and you get to be the proverbial “fly on the wall” during that hang out! They also play games and call their loyal listeners from around the world!

Marty: Now me talking to the dude in the elevator, “Do you love wit? How about irreverence!? THEN DO I HAVE A PODCAST FOR— … No, I don’t work here. Go ahead, call security! This is my floor anyway!” (I scurry away quickly)

PC: It’s refreshing to hear a podcast where you embrace the fact that you are new and figuring things out. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far? And, has there been anything surprising?

Brett: Don’t forget to hit RECORD! Haha. We are learning a ton in terms of the physical equipment and the limitations of our laptops. My Amazon history is crazy right now. I think with this kind of thing, honesty is the best policy with our audience. We’re new to this and if we mess up that’s ok, just own it, and we’ll try to do better the next time. We’re building this thing from the ground up with our bare hands and I love the idea that the audience is part of that. The listeners are the fourth member of our merry band.

Marty: Our audience has been so incredible thus far. If we mess up, we feel comfortable enough with them to just admit it. I think they get our sarcastic and lighthearted tone, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously so we’re impervious to embarrassment. We take phone calls from listeners almost every episode, and so far, without exception, they’ve all been the sweetest people you could ever talk to. That’s been the biggest surprise for me.

I’m STILL learning and getting better about how to listen for moments to interject or comment while not stepping over anyone. Talking cordially in a room with a bunch of people all trying to get a word in ain’t been easy.

PC: How is it being the interviewers?

Brett: It feels different for sure. I really try to just focus on having a free flowing chat as opposed to having questions prepared. So far it’s been a ton of fun! I also, like hearing from our listeners who have never heard a podcast or didn’t even know they had a podcast app on their phone. It’s cool to introduce something to someone for the first time!

Marty: I love it. It makes me feel powerful. How does asking questions make you feel? See, I can’t stop interviewing! We’ve created a question asking monster over here!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure movie/tv show?

Brett: Movie = Top Gun
TV Show = Naked and Afraid

Marty: Anything on HGTV

PC: Favorite book?

Brett: That’s really hard, right now I’m focusing on reading American classics so currently, I’m re-reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Marty: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. There’s a ton, but that one always comes to mind.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Brett: Musical = RENT
Play = The Odd Couple

Marty: Musical = Avenue Q
Play = A Long Day’s Journey Into Night

PC: An artist or band people would be surprised is on your playlist?

Brett: Simple Plan

Marty: Tupac

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Brett: Twitter still… I know it’s supposed to be snapchat by now but Twitter, I can’t let go!

Marty: Instagram for the public, Facebook for me to yell at people from my hometown.

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Photo Credit: The Brett Davern Show