Here's The Thing with Alec Baldwin Review

Heres The Thing with Alec Baldwin Review

[00:00:00] You are listening to find a podcast about.

Thank you for hitting play. I am your host, Timothy Kemo O'Brien, and I bring my experience with podcasting since 2006 as a listener and a podcaster. I'm here to help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next bench worthy podcast. Here's how the show works. I comb the millions of podcasts currently available for free on various platforms, and then I come back to you with what I've found.

Sure you can use the search engines for recommendations from many podcast apps, but I feel that getting a personal recommendation from a real live breathing person is still the best way to find the gems that are out there. The show is [00:01:00] broken up into three halves. I'm a huge fan of the car talk show, so bear with me.

The first half is the stats of the show. It gives you all the details about where to find the show, how many episodes, who's hosting the show. Basically, that part is just for those who want the stats. The second half of the show, I dig deeper into it, let you know how will the host interact, talk about their audio quality.

And let you know what I think the show is about. The last half of the show is where I talk about why the show is binge-worthy, where to start your journey, and I'll be reaching out to the host to see if they would like to discuss their show and talk about their podcast journey. So let's get going.

So I wanna say thank you for Allowing me to take a bit of a break for my [00:02:00] other podcast while I was doing National Poetry Writing month for create Art podcast. But now we are back and I think you're going to appreciate this review. Now, this review might be a bit controversial to, due to the person who is the host of the podcast, I'll be reviewing, here's the thing with Alec Baldwin.

Now he's been in the news lately for the tragic incident on a recent film, and his portrayal of former President Trump on Saturday Night Live. Now this review is about the podcast, nothing else. So if you're thinking that this is going to be an expose on Mr. Baldwin, I'm sorry to disappoint.

However, I think his podcast is definitely binge worthy. Hence, while I'm reviewing it, and for those of you that are already fans of Mr. Baldwin, you are in for a treat. And for those who are ambivalence, I hope to win you over. And for those that can't get past the politics well, there's other episodes that you might enjoy a more than this one.

[00:03:00] Check out my back catalog. Let's knock out the stance for you and a special shout out to good pods. You can. Listen, you can now listen on your desktop with them. And they have a section in some podcast that gives you the stats of the show you might be interested in, and they display the episodes that have the highest rating on their platform.

So if you feel adventurous, go give them some love and listen to your favorite podcasts there. Now here's the thing. Has 377 episodes That clock in at an average of 44 minutes at the time of this recording. The podcast first episode started in October 13th, 2011 and runs about two episodes a month.

The genre is society and culture, and the format is episodic. The description reads, award-winning actor Alec Baldwin takes listeners on into the lives of artists, policy makers, and performers. Alex side, Alec Sidesteps, the predictable by going inside the dressing rooms, apartments and offices of [00:04:00] people we wanna understand better.

Ira Glass Le Lena Durham, David Letterman, Barbara Streisand, Tom York, Chris Rock, and others here. What happens when the Guest becomes a host now links to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, good pods, pod chaser, and listen. Notes will be in the show notes. Listen notes rates. This in the top 0.05% of podcast in that genre.

Listened on their platform. Good pods rates it as number 13 in the top 100 music podcasts number 18 in the top 100 Arts podcasts, number 54 in all time music interview, podcasts, and number 88 in all time arts podcasts. Just as a thing of reference there for you this podcast is rated number 41 in all time technology indie podcasts.

There's no direct email for the show nor is there a support page. It is on iHeartRadio [00:05:00] and there are a number of sponsors for the show that you could support if you felt the need to support this show.

Peanut Butter. Yeah, sounds exciting, doesn't it? Well, actually it is when you're talking about smelly peanut butter and jellies. Oh yeah, that's right. They do their own jellies to pair with their peanut butter, and folks, it just isn't for sandwiches anymore. In fact, my family used Srey to make a birthday cake for the filling for my twins, and it was a.

Delicious Srey produces a line of CHT nut butter spreads and jellies. Each srey spread and srey jelly can mix and match in various ways, creating exponential options that elevate your P B and J experience. All you gotta do is choose your spread and choose your jelly. But wait. Each [00:06:00] individual spellie can also be used on a variety of delicious things.

Include smelly as an ingredient in baking cookies, or as an added boost to your smoothies. Try creating a glaze dressing or marinade for some of your favorite grilled dishes or salads. Or you can do what we do here in my house. Just eat srey right out of the jar as a snack. Where can you get your next fantastic peanut butter and jelly?

Go to srey.com if you're outside of the Fredericksburg area, or you can go right to their store. If you're here in Fredericksburg, Virginia, it's at 1501 Princess Ann Street, Fredericksburg, Virginia, and get some in your belly. Our favorite here is the winter Blend Wonderland, but it's only here for a short time Order.

The Tim Bryan dozen now.[00:07:00]

All right. Love them more. Hate em. Alec Baldwin has had an illustrious career on the big screen and the small screen, and I've seen a great deal of celebrities give podcasting a try to freshen their image or get close with their fans. Now the skill of podcasting is a little bit more refined than what works in live live theater production or movie set.

Yeah, you need to be able to speak to the listener and not at them. And they aren't a thousand feet away or a hundred feet away in the cheap seats. You're right in their ear. Alec Baldwin knows how to draw me in every time, and I've been a fan of his podcast for a few years now. This is an interview show where he brings people.

He has been, he has worked with, is working with, or somebody he admires or his producer says he has to interview for their media junket. Now the last part is just a guess of mine and I haven't heard any of those [00:08:00] episodes. His interview style does take some getting used to. He does interrupt continuously, but he does get good stories from his guests and people can hear things that only are said on his show.

So he is doing something right because people keep coming to his show. So just to clear the elephant out of the room at the time of this recording again, there's controversy over a firearm incident on a set that he was working on. He was tried and was found out guilty. So I'm going to hold off guesses as to what happened or who was at fault because obviously I wasn't there.

This podcast, this episode's not gonna deal about that. And I'm gonna ask that you hold off your assumptions as well in this episode as we dive into, here's the thing with Alec Baldwin now dealing just with the the podcast, the [00:09:00] sound quality is excellent throughout each episode. You know, even when doing remote videos, the quality is top notch.

When I listened in my mind I can see Alec leaning in and talking with his guests. Now, before you say anything, yes, he is an actor and he has a ton of experience creating characters, but translating acting to a medium like podcasting is like learning a whole new language. You know, there has been a slew of pod fitted or failed podcasts that were hosted by a celebrity, and just because you have name recognition doesn't give you a free pass.

People want to feel like they're on the inside of a private conversation. And continuing with that thread of being on the inside take a listen to some of the question Alec asks, his asks and the responses he gets in these two clips. Bachelor of whatever we don't know yet. Mm-hmm. And what do you do after that?

Well, through a friend of mine at a the ABC affiliate in, in Indianapolis [00:10:00] where I lived, which was 60 miles away from where I went to school and still is just about 60 miles. I heard that they were auditioning for, they wanted a summer announcer. So I went down there and auditioned. Never having been in a television studio in my life and got the job, I mean, it was a fixed fight because I had no business getting the job.

I wasn't very good. I didn't know what I was doing. I had no experience. And they gave me the job and suddenly the bulb that was turned on my sophomore year in high school now is, is burning white hot. Cause it's, are you kidding me? I'm 19 and I'm gonna be on tv. I mean, it's. Preposterous. And what kind of job did you have?

I was the booth announcer, so I can't believe you said that. So I I watched David Letterman for years and when he went over to cbs, I kind of dropped watching him. But before that, he was the man to watch every night after Johnny Carson. Now learning about his first job and how he got how we got started Really inspires me to keep pushing this podcasting thing forward.

[00:11:00] My album, I sold 50,000 records and then six months later it was selling a hundred thousand copies a week selling. What do you attribute that to? I, what did people respond to? The only thing people are listening to your music and buying your music in a world that is choked with music. It was, there was so much stuff out there they can listen to and they buy 10 million copies of your album.

Why do you think, you know, I was recently doing an interview with Larry King, and he asked me that question, and he sort of asked me like, if you could replicate it, would you? And I was like, oh, I tried, like the following, like the next three album I, I kept, I was like, how do I recreate that? And I never really could like that one sort of weird lightning in a bottle moment.

Now, as for mobi, I do enjoy his music. And this question is very insight, insightful. But the answer that Alec. God is really worth the price of admission. You know, as an artist, I can tell you some of the things that I create. I don't know why they're [00:12:00] popular. As for my background, I probably shouldn't be enjoying the success that I currently am.

Alec has a way of bringing the intimate out of people and allowing them to be vulnerable. This brings me to my next point the overall feeling I get when listening to Alec interview other celebrities. Usually it's very insightful, enlightening, and inspiring to some extent. His questions seem to be well researched and I don't know if he does all the research or if he has a team.

I'm assuming he has a team. I'm just gonna assume that, but he plays off the question as if he was the one that did all the research. Now, what do I mean by this? Well, some people can read off a script or note cards. And you can tell when they're reading off a script or a note card when you listen to 'em.

Alec doesn't sound like that. It sounds like he is in the moment asking these questions. Again, this is acting one-on-one, [00:13:00] but in a different medium than what he's used to. You know, the whole acting in the moment. Now I will say this, he does interrupt and finish people's sentences, and I'm guilty of that as well in some cases.

You know, when I initially got into this podcast, I didn't like it, but I, I did enjoy the people he interviewed. And it will take a few episodes to train your ear and to expect that he's gonna interrupt and finish a person, a person's sentence. But trust me, you'll get over that quickly. It's just the way he talks and he carries himself.

And the level of guest he gets on his show is proof that people are expecting him to do this, yet they still come on now. Maybe they're, you know, on a book tour or promoting something else, but they know that they need to be on his show. You know, I always feel like this is time well spent and I get an insight into some of the people I enjoy watching that.

I can't get this insight anywhere else. [00:14:00] Now let's look at the format of the show. The introduction has changed over time, which is good because it tells me that he is ever improving and I'm a big fan of improvement. He is currently with iHeartMedia, but he was with another median company when he first started the podcast.

Now you're gonna see the difference in the episode in show Art as you go through his catalog. The newer episodes have about two to three minutes of ads out in the front and, and a mid roll, and then a end roll. Now I look at ads as a necessary evil. It brings in money to make the podcast and you know, that's the way it is.

My fellow travelers podcasting is not free. Skip 'em if you want. I occasionally do when I'm listening while working on my computer. If I'm driving, I just let the ads play. Once you get done with the ads though, he does go straight into the description and the history of the person he's interviewing.

[00:15:00] Once that is done, he goes right into the interview. Now for newcomers, this is rather abrupt. But if you are listening to this podcast, you probably know what you're getting into. I, I don't think anyone that is gonna just type in a search engine in their podcast player of choice Alec Baldwin, or the phrase, here is the thing maybe I'm wrong.

Let me know. You can email me. But if you have an interest in following Alec and his career, I think you know myself. I think he's a good actor. Then, you know, he comes with a lot of baggage and you probably know his views on many of the issues because he makes his opinions known. Now listening to his introductions, I don't think he necessarily needs to welcome newcomers.

He lures you in much like Paul Harvey. And that's the rest of the story. I think many podcasters can take a page outta his playbook including yours truly, and lure listeners in and make them want to hear more. Take a listener to these two clips. [00:16:00] When David Letterman started late night in 1982, the New York Times said he was more of an acquired taste than most comedians.

Now it's time, ladies and gentlemen, for a segment of this program that we like to call. Stupid pets. We grew up on Johnny, a true gentleman who could deliver a smooth setup and punchline occasionally helped by a wink, but suddenly with late night. The ultimate punchline was the fact that some gap toothed, unknown smart ass, even had a show.

His pet tricks were stupid on purpose, and so was he. Tune in and you might catch him lowering himself into a water tank wearing a suit made from 3,400 Al Seltz or tablets and I, we have the oxygen here, and I have been asked about 12 times by various members of the staff to remind you. Don't try this at home.

I know you have the 900 gallon tank. I know you have the oxygen. [00:17:00] I know you have the suit of Oxy Selzer and a staff of a hundred people. Hello. When Kurt Anderson started working on his new podcast, Nixon at War, he thought he knew a fair amount about Richard Nixon's presidency. Including two defining experiences.

His 1968 campaign promised to end the Vietnam War and his 1973 resignation due to Watergate, devastating, but unrelated events or so he thought the surprising connection between those two are at the heart of Nixon at war. Now, be honest with yourself, yourself. Don't you really want to hear more? I know I want to hear more.

I'm totally hooked because I'm a fan of David Letterman and Kurt Anderson. I know the conversation is going to be good, and his introduction brings me in and brings me to the table each and every time before we go into our second break. [00:18:00] I want to mention his interaction with the guests that he interviews.

You know, Alec is not afraid to ask personal questions, and he isn't doing it for the gotcha value, but he is trying to give you an insight into his guest's lives and viewpoints. Now take a listen to this clip from Bernie Sanders interview. Who, who do you think had a greater influence on you? Or did they have an equivalent influence on you in terms of your politics of your parents or your grandparents for that matter?

Well, my politics, I think, developed from the fact that we lived in a rent controlled apartment in Brooklyn. It's a small three and a half room apartment. My father worked very hard and he had a steady job his entire life. He worked for one company, a keystone paint and varnish company, but he never made a lot of money.

And so the fact that we did not have the money to do the things that my mother wanted us to do, rather modest things impacted my life. What's a modest thing your mother wanted you to do? Well, she always [00:19:00] wanted to own her own home. Small home never happened. Now, I'm sure if I read a biography or autobiography of Bernie, I would get this information, but.

Reading a biography is gonna take a considerable amount of time, and I read a bit slow due to my ms. I can listen to this interview, get what I need, and then read the biography if it's, you know, piques my interest. If it doesn't, then I can move on in another interview. Alec did with Kurt Anderson, whose work I, I admire and I've been a fan for, for y with, for years.

Kurt opens up about his early political. Leanings of himself and his family. And for your Republican household, would you say when Nixon is elected in 68, where are you? Well, when Nixon's elected in 68. In 14, I just turned 14. You're 14. And, and, and your parents were pro Nixon? Oh, definitely. I was pro Nixon in when I was 13.

I, I was, I was a little teenage Republican. [00:20:00] Went to teenage Republican camp, had a, had a poster of Nixon on my wall. I wish I had photographs of that whole, you you had a poster of Nixon on your wall. I did indeed. In terms of decorating your room, you were like the Roger Stone of your generation. I I hate to say that, but you can't turn them on the wall a little bit.

Kurt was doing a, a podcast about Nixon when this interview came out. And yes, that's the main reason he's on the podcast, but the podcast that Kurt was doing which is called Nixon at War is a great podcast. You know what I say? The best podcasts are made by recommendations from people that you know.

Definitely take a listen to this interview.

If you like what you heard so far, I'd like to ask you to reach out. You can email me directly, Timothy, find a podcast about.xyz. Or you can leave me a voicemail at the website, find a podcast about [00:21:00] dot x y z. I want to help you find your next binge-worthy podcast. And if you want me to find you a podcast in any category that you're interested in, let me know if you're a podcaster and feel that your podcast would be served by appearing on this show.

I want to talk with you too, use the same methods of reaching out. I'm on Twitter at. Find a podcast and on Facebook at Find a Podcast about. Another thing I'd like to ask if is if you found value in this podcast passing along to a friend. Lastly, doing this podcast is a labor of love, but loving ain't cheap.

Neither is coffee. So consider donating to my buy me a coffee fund right on the website. Or you can go to buy me a coffee.com/find a podcast about [00:22:00] Each episode takes about five to seven hours of research and about two to three hours of production time. That's 10 hours for each episode, and that my friends is a lot of coffee.

If you like your reviews, pep and full of energy, then make my cup overflow. Don't forget to check out my merch section on the website. I've got t-shirts, coffee mugs, and a whole lot of other items with your favorite episode Art on them. Make sure to get the sh I'm listening to shirt or mug, like I said earlier.

The best recommendations come from a real person. So I'm gonna help you outsmart that algorithm and I'm gonna guide you to your next binge-worthy podcast.

Alright, you made it to the third half of the show. Thank you for that. [00:23:00] So here's where I'm gonna turn you from a listener to this show into a binge up. Here's the thing with Alec Baldwin. If you like listening to someone who's having a good time with what they're doing, this is a great podcast to enjoy.

You can just about see the smile on Alex's face in every interview. He is asking intimate questions to his celebrity guests that no one else is asking. He's bringing a generous dose of his life into the show. Now, that may turn you off, but I think this tactic is a great one because it shows the guest that Alec is going to be open, as open as he wants his guests to be, and it's okay to be vulnerable on the show.

You aren't going to hear anyone losing it in an interview and crying their eyes out. But what you will hear is a great interview with people you have been watching, listening to, or admiring for years. Now, you can [00:24:00] start your journey anywhere that you'd like. I think you're gonna be fine wherever you started off at.

I would probably recommend looking through the catalog and see if there are any people that you like that were interviewed, and start there and work your way through with the catalog. You are definitely gonna find somebody you always wanted to hear more about. My favorite episode was one, the one where he interviewed both James Carroll and Sammy the Bull Grano.

Now take a listen as he talks with Sammy the Bull about how he got the agents that were investigating him and how he got along with them. You word a word, a warning. It's got a lot of language in it, so probably not for the kids. And the whole time you're doing this work, there's a whole layer of society that's out to get you.

Was there a part of you that you understood that you didn't begrudge them, that they had a job to do? Did you kind of recognize that and say, Hey, these guys, you know, we're breaking the law and they gotta do what they gotta do? Or did you think all of them were the enemy? No. No. [00:25:00] Yeah. Listen, I, I dealt with a lot of agents on a constant basis.

I got to know their names and who they were. I saw them every day watching and they were legit. In other words, they had a job and I didn't re you know, to catch us. We had a job is to get away. And as long as they told the truth, I don't begrudge them. It's people who lied about people made up lies and did all kinds of bullshit that I hated them.

But after I cooperated, I got to know them. I actually lived with them for years. I was in Quantico, a, a military base for months and months and months. I lived with them every day of the week and I got to know a lot of them. Like this guy Frank and Mattie, they used to call him the twins. You saw one, you saw the other.

I saw them all the time. I. One time, Christmas time, I came to my office and my secretary was there. It was snowing, it was cold. And she said that [00:26:00] Frank and Mattie are out there watching. She even knew their name. We knew their names and everything. So I said, how long were they out there? She said, quite a while.

So I got a box, cardboard box. I got some coffee, I got cookies, all kinds of cannolis, everything. And I put a box full of stuff. I went down, I walked to the car in the snow, knocked down the window. Ed said, bro, you guys don't ever go home. Ed Sammy, this is our job. I said, here's a box of cookies and coffee and stuff like that.

So they said, no, we can't take that. I said, listen, it's not a bribe. It's cookies, bro. See, I know you're not gonna do nothing for, so take the fucking cookies. They took the cookies and when I flipped, those are the guys I actually flipped with. Now that is right out of a movie I the interview. That interview especially is amazing, and you could tell Alec [00:27:00] was really enjoying himself in it.

How many times do you get the opportunity to ask a bomb hitman questions about the crimes they committed or about the secrets they're in? Start with that interview and let me know what you think.

So that's the episode. I want to thank you again for, you know, taking a listen. And if you want to outsmart the algorithm and have me review a podcast, email me Timothy, find a podcast about.xyz or go to the website. Find a podcast about.xyz where you can listen to the other episodes and leave me a voicemail.

I'm here to help you find your next binge-worthy podcast

and find a podcast about is a production of T KB studios. [00:28:00] If you are interested in taming your inner critic and creating more than you consume, then hand over to my other podcast Create Art Podcast. I'll give you three guesses as to what it's about there. I discuss topics for the new artist, for the old artist, and for the artist that is a little too timid to come on out of their shell, and I review topics.

For those who are more seasoned in the arts, many times I'll have on a professional artist to share their story of how they overcame the odds against the world and themselves. The website is create art podcast.com. I'll see you there and I'll see you next episode.