Behind the podcast: Episode 1
Who: Scott Cameron, Percussion Instructor
Location: Dr. Cameron’s Office at Missouri State University
Device: Audio technica universal microphone resting on Vic Firth drumpad on snare stand in between the two of us.
Length of interview: 50 minutes
Analysis: It always helps when friends are willing to help on your projects.
Since it was my first interview, I was quite nervous. I put some questions together. Scott was up for it, though he was also a little unsure about how it was going to go.
Pre-interview: Scott and I talked at dinner after the concert and clinic I did at his school the night before. It helped to loosen both of us up before we did the interview. It also helped to shape the interview and give me some stories to reference for the taping (such as the tidbits regarding his dissertation editing).
We got coffee at the local Panera before the interview. Because you needed to know that.
We set up and did sound check and did the interview (again, pertinent information).
About 15 minutes in, one of his students knocked on the door (you can hear this around the 13-minute). He asked me to stop the recording so he could answer the door, then told the student he couldn’t talk because “he was being interviewed”.
And I WAS THE INTERVIEWER. Ha! I’ve arrived!
Students started practicing just after 9AM and the bleed was in the recording. Not enough to be an issue.
We kept going until I had to leave (because I had to drive back to teach). With about 10 minutes left, I knew that the interview was going to have to be cut short. So I just kept getting more worried and more worried. But we found a decent point to leave on (though I had to skip over all of the great things he’s done with his program since he’s been there). We finished, and I basically ran out of the building (with him, because he picked me up from the hotel since parking is really tough without a pass on his campus). He drove me back to the hotel where my car was at, and I bailed.
After posting my first podcast, it took a long time to figure out exactly how to get the podcast on iTunes. (Lots of me getting mad about figuring what exactly an “RSS feed” is.) Also, I’d been traveling a lot, so focused time was hard to locate.
The one comment I had about my opening podcast episode (from numerous friends who listened) was to add music to the episode. Fair point. It is a “percussion podcast”. Honestly, I just wanted to get the first damn podcast out so that I’d just get started. Wasn’t even concerned about the bells and whistles yet. It did occur to me that I have a recording of a multi-percussion piece called “Triple One” I wrote years ago. It’s not published (at this time), so it’s still mine. It’s the official music of the podcast.
Also, I decided to add “Raves”. Another Round, The Political Gabfest, and Hang Up and Listen podcasts all do this. Thanks folks!
Let’s see where this all goes from here.