Episode 052 – Our first year of Best Motorcycle Roads

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tom: ​The bottom line, Todd, is after talking about starting a podcast for 10 years, I am so glad we finally started it.

Todd: Absolutely, for sure.

tom: So, yeah, we’re just kind of, this is actually our episode 52, Todd.

~Uh, ~this is our very first year of Best Motorcycle Roads Podcast. Woohoo! ~Um, ~sometimes it seems short and sometimes it seems really long. ~Um, ~I don’t know, it’s been quite interesting. ~Um, ~We’ve kind of wrote down some things that we learned, that we liked,~ um,~ that we, maybe our favorite episode I think we’ll talk through, but, wow,~ um,~ it doesn’t seem like a year sometimes.

tom: ~Um, ~I was going to just start off by saying, Technically, we missed one. I mean, we always had a consistency is one of the things that we talked about from the get go. Right. Yeah. And I think that’s hard. You know, everyone’s busy in their lives and things get going.

And we did a really good job of that. I think we missed one week this year, which, man, I don’t know. I mean, like, I don’t love that idea. I don’t love it. ~Um, ~you know, I always strive to be Transcribed Perfect, I guess you might say, but missing one week out of 52, I think that’s a pretty good job.

Todd: Well, and we had to plan around some vacations.

We did. We each had a couple of long vacations. We did, yes, and we did

tom: a heck of a job, I think. That was our best times, I think, when we maybe got a little lax at other times is when it kind of fell apart on us. But, shoot, I mean, ~um, ~so that was good. I mean, so that’s why you, if you’re really taking notes at home, Technically speaking, we have, it’d be like the 53rd week with the 52nd episode.

~Um, ~think about things, but then just have 10 episodes ready to go. So we call it, they, they call it putting them in the can. There you go. You have a radio term. Yeah.

Todd: Put it, get them ready so that you can start to release them one a week. And that way, if you can’t record one week, at least you’ve got some extra episodes.

So,

tom: and I take it back. That’s an old, It’s a movie, put the movie in the can, right? So, so technically speaking, this is actually our 50 59th episode. We recorded one through seven. ~Um, ~we were, had them already. And then,~ uh,~ we talked. And we said, you know, all the things that we’re talking about is exactly what we want to talk about.

Todd: Yeah. We didn’t have a format. We just turned the camera on. We talked for 20, 25 minutes. We turned the camera off, but you, you had been doing some research on best practices on launching or releasing podcasts. Realize that we need to have an actual format.

Right. An intro, you know, which is funny, right? Because he started this

tom: out as consistency is good. So I think what, it’s pretty typical. I mean, you see this with comedy, you see this with sitcoms, you see it with all things like, okay, now we do this, you know, and then you do this and then you do this. So, so we kind of figured out what the pieces of the puzzle that we wanted to do once a week.

And so, yeah, so it was, that was really, I liked that. It just kind of structures things a little bit more.

Todd: Yeah, so, so we went back and then recorded all seven episodes and then followed that structure. Right, we took kind of our

tom: scripts and we kind of formatted them in that way. And then, yeah, so that was good.

It sounds terrible.

Todd: That happened to us. Of course. ~Uh, ~we, well, you bought some nice DJI mics, wireless mics. They’re, they’re on us here and we plugged them into the camera or into your phone and we’re using your phone to record. And then after two episodes, you started to edit and realize that. Even though we had the microphones turned on and they were picking up They weren’t actually sending their audio signal into right the recording device into your phone the wrong input, right?

tom: and redo. And then I think there was one time in there we had no audio too.

So then there was one with no audio and it was like, Oh yeah. Forgot to

Todd: push some button or set a setting.

tom: Something happened somewhere along the line. But,~ uh,~ so I mean, outside of that though, it’s been good and fun. You know, I think our, our I think we’ve done okay. I mean, I think I’m, I’m happy. You know, it’s, it’s a good check mark, right?

Mm hmm. It’s a good B. Yeah, and then we were just looking back here too, for whatever reason, like on this is kind of one of those video ones again, is we were 36 episodes in, and we were kind of half of a wall that we had in there, and I don’t know, I mean, At first I think I was thinking oh, this is you know, this is cool because it looks like we’re in a garage which we are So like 30 episode 37, I think is when we said, you know, let’s just wear this up and

Yeah with some new lights on them. Yeah. Well, that’s later. Hang on, man Oh, i’m sorry. Geez So that’s for the youtube watch right

tom: now, but I do think ~um ~The structure comes back. So we were talking about consistency and formatting and structure. So Actually in episode 34, we also realized you know The, the world changes in these podcasts.

I mean, people listen and if they don’t like what they hear, they jump out. Right. And so I think we were trying to play what I would say is like the old game of, let me tease you with all these things that we’re going to talk about and say today, and then you’ll stick around and, you know, but I think the world has changed this instant gratification.

Right. And then if you’re still sticking around at the very end, we, you know, we keep chattering so like you can stick around. So I think that’s just kind of the ever evolving world of how things work. So, so we’ve changed that. And then Todd, in episode 51, last episode, that’s when we upgraded the lighting and stuff.

We’ve known we’ve had cruddy lighting for a while and yeah, but ~uh, ~you know, it just takes time. So it’s been great ~Uh, ~it hopefully this this in the last episode look look really good

Todd: Yeah, and you know, we are in a garage and at some point we’ll we’ll swing the camera around and yeah We’ll give it to her show you exactly where we’re sitting.

Sorry for all the light

tom: reflecting off You know certain areas of your body time Foreheads a little shiny today So that’s been good. So ~Um, ~I thought I’d pull out and look at the three,~ uh,~ the top three episodes by most listened to and most watched. ~Um, ~and those are the Tale of the Dragon, which was our fourth episode.

And that’s the best roads, best five roads in Missouri, which is number two. And the top one, and for, I still can’t quite figure out why, is the best roads in Illinois. ~Um, ~which has kind of always surprised us. And it’s probably twice as, twice as many viewers and listeners as Missouri has had.

Todd: Yeah, well, and that might be population.

It could be. I don’t know, but. Yeah. For some reason that one caught on and we got a lot of watches and listens on that one.

tom: And so we and you know, we’ll learn as we go. And you know, it’s some of this all due to algorithms. So, you know, on the podcast part, that’s a little bit more of us just working hard and sharing that with people.

Todd: Yeah, for me, I think episode six was my favorite. That was the one where we talked about the people and experiences we’ve had while riding.

And we, we just kind of listed out all the favorite memories we had, you know, whether it was, excuse me, down in Memphis meeting,~ uh,~ Tommy, Peters, Tommy Peters of the BB King blues club or,~ uh,~ your guy from Canada that was pushing the motorcycle alongside of the road. The one legged motorcycle rider that helped Chris and I when,~ uh,~ his motorcycle wasn’t running.

~Uh, ~just so many great people we’ve met. A lot of the times just being friendly to them, stand outside the gas station when we’re filling up or outside a, you know, a roadside way stop. And,~ uh,~ yeah, just, we’ve had some great people. Amazing experiences, great fun. And we talked about that in episode six. And if you have a chance, go back and listen to that one.

tom: ~Uh, ~for me, it’s a combination of episodes 35 and 36. And that’s kind of the ride report of when Turk and I went out to Seattle and back and mostly because like, I don’t know, like if you’d have asked me before I went out there, are you ready for this?

And this was such a like slap in the face to me. ~Um, ~I don’t know, I’m like, I’m kind of excited to get back on the bike. I’ve rode with the gear at one time. I’m, I’m looking forward to the year. It’s going to be, and I keep saying this is such extremes. I know, like it was a game changer for me. Like it was really like, huh.

Cause you’ve got your armor underneath. I know. So. 35, 36. Well,

Todd: but also I, I think you talked about your motorcycle jacket finally, after all these years, was actually physically breaking down like the rubberized,

tom: yeah, the rubberized piece in the back. And that’s also probably a good lesson, Todd, because that, that coat was a sport bike, more of a sport bike coat.

Because what was really bothering me was like a, a bump. Like a tailbone cover is what I’d say. So I’m not on a bike that has that, but the year before the fricking mice got into my, my, my motorcycle stash and,~ um,~ actually ate the good coat that I had that didn’t have that. So I don’t know if we talked about that.

The one that was brand new for like it didn’t have anything for you. I didn’t know this Yeah, what’s so funny man? Like so I don’t know But anyway, so that that for me was my favorite I think ~um ~Just because I like If you just said that there’s going to be a time this year that you’re going to be shocked at what you were, I was like, whatever, like, you know, overconfidence, ego, whatever the hell you want to call it.

But I didn’t think that that was going to be something that big. So, and then accompanying that, we have that YouTube extra with,~ uh,~ Kristen from Bond. That’s a great one. She’s such a great interview. And, and that whole process was just, It’s cool. I mean, I know you’ve got some gear we’re going to truck. I think you’re really going to like it.

Yeah,

Todd: i’m looking forward to what

Todd: ~Uh, ~I really think the iowa podcast awards. Yeah, it was really really cool.

~Um, ~it was new this past year and ~Um ~As it turned out, there were more than 400 podcasts,~ uh,~ that were,~ um,~ created in Iowa that were continually going. ~Uh, ~who would have guessed, right? But,~ uh,~ I think that’s what they said at the beginning. And then they did some more research when the actual award show happened and there, they found that there was more than 600 podcasts,~ um,~ but we were up for,~ uh,~ an award and I.

It was a culture and Yeah, like it

tom: was like

Todd: culture

tom: and society podcast like yeah, that

Todd: was the category we were yeah We’re

tom: not like an interview. We’re not there was some, you know fiction, you know, like that kind of thing Yeah, there were series there was interview. So that’s the one we kind of focused on Yeah.

tom: Yeah, it was, it was amazing.

Todd: It was amazing. They did such a great job and it was, it was well worth our time to go.

We learned, you know, what other people were doing and it was just a lot of fun.

tom: And I know you were busy that day and I went for the day. They actually had like a. Like a symposium, I guess you might call it for the day. And it was, I learned so much and just met so many people and just learned so much from everyone.

And then I was, I’m completely shocked at how many people were, were at the award.

Yeah.

tom: So this came out of the Iowa music award. So apparently the last few years I’ve been on my Iowa music award and they just had a podcast,~ um,~ Category category. Okay. And then somehow, whatever they decided, you know, we could do our own.

It was cool.

Todd: Yeah.

tom: ~Um, ~and then also I think, you know, Just learning more about how to do what we’re doing I think what we started with and now what we do is very different We were using a tool that was kind of primitive I think at the beginning now we kind of found Descript along the way which is kind of allows us to really edit easier There’s a guy that I met Ross from Descript and mastery.

Todd: and it’s almost like you need an AI tool to go through 36 hours worth of video and find the best of, or, you know, interesting things.

I know.

tom: ~Uh, ~so, so for me, I’m going to try hard. I’m not, I’m not. Feeling confident in this but I read that would be one of the things I think would really Be enjoyable for us to have is just keepsakes to if nothing more and then sharing it. So what about you? What do you think

Todd: it? I I’ve enjoyed the two interviews that you’ve posted so far and I’d like to do one of those myself or a couple of those You know, there’s a lot of interesting people out there that Either have products or have experience or have,~ um,~ you know, books they’ve written or videos they’ve done that I, you know, I think we would benefit definitely from talking with them.

What are the things you want to see? Here’s the, the destinations and just have a great,~ uh,~ conversation about that. So I think helping people understand how, how you can go about this, you know, it’s just one way. It’s probably one of the

tom: most,~ um,~ perplexing parts of planning. I think,~ um,~ you know, And with,~ uh,~ with Descript, they actually have a tool and you wouldn’t, you know, it’s called Squadcast, which allows everyone just to call in and then it kind of records all the channels separately, which is really cool, too.

~Um, ~because a lot of times we’re looking at maps, but then it just allows you a little more freedom in the background to like kind of do that. But I agree. I mean, that’s the most, I mean, the stories that come out of it are the most fun. But like, Some of the, this other stuff is interesting as well. Like, how do we find that out?

Is it not open? Does it look good? So, and again, I mean, I think that just ends up sometimes as most, Those are fun conversations too, and then we can make crap of each other. Right, right. So, yeah. So, outside of that, I think the thing that I would love to get from people is just more feedback too. Like, if you like it, tell us what you like.

If you don’t like it, tell us that. I mean, those are the two bookends. What are we missing? What are we not telling people? Like, do they like the stories of the I mean, I think everyone likes the Ride Reports, but what else could we do to help? ~Um, ~we just want to have people I mean, our goal here, it always has been, is to have People take trips and have fun together.

Todd: is what it is for us. So if you’ve got questions, if you have topics you’d like to hear about,~ uh,~ please just send it to us.

~Uh, ~we’d be happy to, to answer it. I was going to say maybe stop

tom: talking about Illinois, but that was the most, you know, viewed episodes. Sorry about that.

Todd: So yeah, we’re, we’re open for your ideas and suggestions and, and, and ask us questions.

tom: Yeah, anything that we could do to make this better. That’s, I mean, it’s fun.

We love doing it. We want to keep doing it. Yeah, we’re based in

Todd: Iowa, but we like to talk about the states that surround Iowa. Yeah.

tom: Well, not Nebraska. Nobody wants to talk about that. Sorry. I’m not.

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