I've Got Nothing To Say (but it's okay)

I didn't feel like doing anything, which (ironically) led me to doing this. One "serious" topic I talk about is my (relatively) new-found sobriety. Aside from that, I talk a whole lot about very little. And that, my friend(s), was the goal. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

Welcome back, stream-of-consciousness. Long time, no see. Actually, that's not totally true. Every episode has a dose of stream-of-consciousness. But this one is all about the stream. Which means it's back to being true to the title of this podcast [i.e., I've Got Nothing To Say (but it's okay)]. I did have one topic in mind before hitting "record", and that topic is "fuck the news". But this epis...

It's probably safe to assume that I'm not going to be the new voice of Jack (in the Box). So, I talk about that... and some other stuff (e.g., using my good microphone [to be professional and shit], the iTunes explicit tag, roaster coasters, pink/purple elephants, green cats, _not_ politics, and reality). Are there any "lessons learned" from the experience of being so close to becoming the spokesp...

Am I still thinking (and talking) about that "voice of Jack (in the Box)" thing? Yes, I am. But (hopefully) not for much longer. Like everything in life, this (too) shall pass. In the meantime, in this episode I'm focusing (somewhat) on the thought that hit me regarding how odd it is (to me) that this "voice of Jack (in the Box)" thing wasn't even a thing two weeks ago. But since it has become a t...

I'm living the old movie trope of the struggling actor waiting impatiently by the phone hanging on the wall in the hallway of his rat-infested tenement building. Every waking hour is spent thinking about receiving the "life-changing news" that I'm the one. The chosen one. The new voice of Jack (in the Box). Luckily for me, I'm not that movie-trope-struggling-actor. Not getting this gig won't mean...

Screw conventional wisdom. I'm excited. I had an audition today (a call-back, actually) to be the new voice of Jack (in the Box). Afterwards, I did the usual thing of keeping a cap on my emotions (because that's what you're "supposed to do"). But fuck that. I'm now allowing myself to be excited. This is a unique moment in my life. Whether or not I get this gig, tonight is the closest I've come to...

Yet another combination of music and talking. Mostly talking. Though the climax and/or focus is on songwriting. But before the climax, there's some foreplay involving stuff about alcohol (see "As Usual"). [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

Another combination of singing and talking. Mostly singing. And unlike the previous talking/singing installments, this one is purely cover tunes. No improvised songwriting. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

Does twice in a row make a habit? Probably not. It's like asking when a hill becomes a mountain. Habitual or not, this episode is much like last week's episode. That is, it contains more singing than talking. Part of the music is my own stuff off the top of my head, and part is covering other people's stuff. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

This episode is a bit different. Even more different than the others. Aside from being the shortest episode, it's also more about singing than talking. I set out to record a very short song fragment (so I wouldn't forget it), and ended up keeping the recorder turned-on for a musical stream of consciousness. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

Topic, anyone? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this episode actually has a topic. No more of that stream-of-consciousness crap. Well, actually, there's plenty of off-the-cuff stuff in between the planned words. But at least this episode has some structure. Whether or not that makes it more interesting is up to you to decide. As for me, it was a lot less pressure talking about something in particular ve...

This was an accidental episode. I was just going to record a note to myself about the fact that I didn't want to do an episode, and that I'm at a point in my life where I generally don't do things that I don't want to do... and (ironically) I ended up recording an episode. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

I'm not happy with this episode. I was not in the mood to do it, and it shows. I still feel it's important to share this because... something about artistic integrity, I suppose. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

Forget about the first two episodes. This is the true first episode. I call BS on myself about the zero expectations thing. Of course I have expectations! And to prove it, the episode closes with me setting the lofty goal of pursuing Chris Hardwick (aka The Nerdist) as a guest -- IF (and ONLY IF) I podcast consistently for a year. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

It's now officially a weekly podcast. Episode #2. Who knew? [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]

This week I get things started by turning on the voice recorder and challenging myself to talk for an hour. Next week, I'm challenging my beard to refrain from making any (annoying) scratching noises against the microphone. [Contact me via email at joe@palen.com]