The Garret Schuelke Podcast

A new force for good has appeared on the world wide web, and one man is determined to get as many people to join it as possible: JOHN PAUL ZIGTERMAN. Podcaster and musician JPZ returns to #powerfulGSP to talk about Chillnet--how it came to be, its features, and what separates it from the rest of the social media landscape-- as well as his personal project for the website, DOINKTV. He also gives us...

A new-ish era begins for #powerfulGSP, as Garret returns to Kalamazoo to record an episode with the ever-lovable Zach Elmblad at the multimedia artist's new bachelor pad! They discuss the apartment, Garret's spring trip to Amsterdam, fenty-folding lolcows, their mutual problematic fave, Afroman, and Garret details a news-worthy event that happened at his dayjob within days of coming back f...

It's been six long, GRUELING years since Grand Rapids comedian Gerrit Elzinga has been on #powerfulGSP, but everybody's favorite Dr. Grins house emcee has now returned to the podcast to talk about his new retrospective album, YEARBOOK--how he went about selecting the tracks, the emotions he experienced putting the album together, and how he has changed as a comedian--and a person--througho...

Monsters are real... AND YOU CAN SEE A MOVIE ABOUT THEM EVERY MONTH IN TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN! Horror Sherpa and Blue Jays-hat enthusiast, Christopher Meeuwes, returns to the pod to talk about his latest venture, MONSTERS UNREELED--how the movie night and VHS club came to be, its adherence to analog media, current accomplishments and future goals--as well as update us on what's new at the GEE...

On the verge of Spring, a new season of #powerfulGSP has been uploaded! Garret meets up once again with his editor Zach Elmblad to talk about the horrible winter weather, the greatness of Kurt Vonnegut, reflections on the Iraq War while on the eve of a war on Iran--which leads to rambling proclamations--, and Garret tries his damnedest to pressure Zach into doing drugs. Recorded at Garret's ro...

In an episode that should have definitely been uploaded sooner (apologies Ben, love you dude), Garret welcomes back writer, podcaster, and teacher Ben Tanzer to talk about his latest book, AFTER HOURS; SCORSESE, GRIEF, AND THE GRAMMAR OF CINEMA, Scorsese's best and worst films, the legacy of his father, Michael Tanzer, and Garret and Ben bond over their mutual admiration of THE BASKETBALL DIAR...

Fall is finally here, ending the blistering summer of 2025, so the ever-lovable Zach Elmblad stops by Garret's swinging bachelor pad to talk about attending a musical festival in Kentucky, Garret's summer trip to Paris, whether or not Hunter S. Thompson was secretly a snuff film director, and Garret gives a stirring, heartfelt eulogy for Bobby Powell, his hometown conspiracy theorist that...

There comes a time in every comedians life where they must gather their courage, spread their wings, and record a comedy special--and that time has come for Grand Rapids comedian Adam Degi! Degi chats with Garret late into the night about how his special--which will be recorded at The Pyramid Scheme on Friday, November 14th at 7pm and 9:45pm-- came together, his favorite comedy specials, and they...

Do you like FREE stuff? Do you like sustainable, DIY-inspired movements and communities that offer, among other things, FREE stuff? Garret sure does, which is why he's talking with Mika Reed, one of the organizers of the Grand Rapids Really Really Free Market. They discuss what exactly a Really Really Free Market is, how to best prepare one, and Mika details some of their favorite items they h...

After a nearly two year absence, the ever-lovable Zach Elmblad finally returns to #powerfulGSP to make things right. They go over what's been going on in their lives since their last podcast chat--Zach working in Vicksburg, Garret going to war with his supervisor--, the current state of Kalamazoo, and, in an addendum to season two of THE CHEESEBURGER BLUES: AN EXPLORATION INTO DAD BLUES ROCK,...

Garret gets straight to the HART in this episode of #powerfulGSP, when he interviews activist, punker, and long-time internet friend Gabe Rheaume about his campaign to revive the local Manistee skate park. They then discuss their first fabled meeting at Riot Fest in September 2024, and from there dive into their experiences within the wonderful genre known as Punk Rock. Recorded in Hart, Michigan,...

Braving the wrath of the Copyright Gods, Garret travels to a Biggby located in Michigan's capital to converse with writer and musician Jon James, where they talk about the founding of Incensepunk Magazine--a literary magazine dedicated to speculative fiction that combines religion with high tech--, what aspects make up Incensepunk, their favorite Bizarro writers, and their mutual love of Grego...

Jumping straight into 2025 with a new season of #powerfulGSP, Garret chats with bookseller William Moore about his store BLACK DOG USED BOOKS AND RECORDS--where it got its name, its criteria for purchasing media, and the current state of the store coming up on its one year anniversary--, his experiences selling books in Chicago, favorite comic book series', and the possible effects that A.I. g...

It's time to delve into some Grand Rapids people's history, folks! Garret chats with local author, activist, and historian Jeff Smith about the publication of his latest book, RADICAL GRAND RAPIDS: PLACES, DATES, ACTIONS, AND PEOPLE, what motivated him to document the history of various working class and leftist struggles in Michigan's Furniture City, observations on the DeVos family&#...

In an episode that will make the listener involuntarily say "NICE" aloud for everyone to hear, Garret once again gets the chance to chat with Chicago writer, podcaster, teacher, and non-profit leader Ben Tanzer, about his latest novel, THE MISSING, thoughts on Psychological Fiction, adventures in book touring, and why Garret recommends that writers, when they're feeling particularly de...

Being the master of excitedly talking about events that happened nearly a full month earlier, Garret chats with Grand Rapids comedian and podcaster Stu McCallister about his show, LMNOPodcast, celebrating its 1000 episode (last month)! They also talk about Stu's radio career before the podcast, the blandness of Free Beer and Hot Wings, and why it's worth pursuing your creative interests ev...

This month, Garret heads out the farm--a QUAKER farm, in fact--to meet up with farmer, activist, counselor, and performance artist Scot Miller, to talk about The Sandhill Project--its beginnings, mission, core values, and how it operates--, his coming to the Quaker faith, and his friendship and experiences performing with trashpunk legends LOSER CANDY. On top of all that, Scot shows Garret one of...

2024 IS HERE! And while this year is *inevitably* going to be garbage, #powerfulGSP is here bring you some fun, with the first episode of the new season featuring writer, photographer, and tic-tac-toe champ Barry Graham, where him and Garret discuss his new poetry book, THE END OF PARALYSIS, his approach to photography, why everyone should self-publish their work, the beginnings and possible futur...

It's a beautiful Fall day in Chi-Town, so Garret meets up with writer and poet Dan Denton to talk about his new novel, THE DEAD AND THE DESPERATE, living the camper life, and how he thinks the current autoworker strike will end. Plus, they are joined by Chicago poet and busker Westley Heine! Recorded at the Bourgeois Pig Cafe in Chicago on Saturday, October 28th, 2023. Intro Song: “Summer Nigh...

Spooky season wraps up on #powerfulGSP with an epic interview with one of Garret's favorite comic book creators, JT Molloy! They chat about JT's series, THE SAPPHIRE SPECTRE, how JT got into Punk Rock, and they discuss the ups-and-downs of modern day Spider-Man! Record via phone between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Chicago on Wednesday, October 25th, 2023 Intro Song: “Summer Nights" by A...

Much to Garret's surprise, famous shock jock Anthony Cumia makes a special appearance on #powefulGSP from his *PROBABLE* death bed. Also, since its been eight months since he's been on, Zach Elmblad and Garret do a sort of pseudo-end of the year review, going over their respective trips to the Netherlands and New York, discuss their most recent podcast collaboration, THE CHEESEBURGER BLUES...

Fall is finally here, which means, among other things, it's time to BICYCLE without having to endure the oppressive summer heat! Garret celebrates this occasion by chatting with writer and world traveler Robert Downes about his epic guide to Michigan bikes trails, BIKING NORTHERN MICHIGAN, how he got into long-distance bicycling, the many U.S. states and foreign countries he has biked in, and...

With spooky season less than a month away, #powerfulGSP is proud to bring you this short, but sweet, conversation with Todd LaRosa, owner of the ANATOMY OF DEATH MUSEUM, where him and Garret discuss the origins of the museum, how he goes about procuring his various morbid items, his own personal ethos when it comes to displaying and selling, and the rituals of an ancient fraternal order known as t...

#powerfulGSP is back in the game, as Garret chats with fellow comic book enthusiast and Street Fighter Christopher Meeuwes about his new business venture, THINGS TO ASTONISH, what he looks for in collectables, the art of comic restoration, how they both got into comic books, and Garret frets about his realization that he's developing "old head" tendencies. Recorded at via phone in Gran...

Record Store Day may have officially come and gone, but it's ALWAYS Record Store Day at Dodds Record Shop! Garret chats with its owner, Reverend Charles Preston Smith, about his personal history in music - from his obsession with 80's metal to the founding of the PotatoeBabies -, the various transitions and stages of the shop itself, including it's pre-World War II days to the shop and...