A little over a year ago, I posted a review of the Off the Air Podcast with Chick McGee. I didn’t do it for recognition, didn’t even do it for website hits to be honest. I did it because I have this tiny corner of the web to myself, and felt like highlighting something I loved. That’s what this whole website and blogging stuff started out being. It wasn’t for the hits, or the products to review, or the random interaction with people, it was for me to have an outlet for things that I loved and that I enjoyed. It was my tiny mark on the universe. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE everything that’s come from doing this site and my other blogs, but it wasn’t the goal I initially set out for. The products I get to review, the notification of new Twitter followers or that there has been a comment made on a post or a Tweet responded to, it all gives me excitement, every time. It’s that passion, and that passion having an outlet and it connecting with other people, however few it may be, I love. It’s that sense that you’re not alone in your likes and your thoughts. That you don’t have to sit in the corner or in the dark, building up the strength to step back out in the world. To be proud of your differences and your struggles in life. To be able to look back on yourself and to be proud and not ashamed or shy away from it.
It’s that sense of passion, pride, and everything else you can feel, good or bad, that you get from the Off the Air podcast. (That’s a poorly worded high praise and compliment to Chick, Jess, and Jason) I’ve been wanting to write about the podcast again, because of how great its been, and because it holds a special place for me, but I decided to hold off until they reached their 100th episode. So yes, after 100 episodes, I could write another review, and refer back to episodes that are full of laughter, episodes that highlight things that the random listener might not know about the Bob and Tom show, or even the more serious and emotional episodes, like their Tim Wilson Tribute (seriously, if you haven’t listed to that yet, stop reading and go listen now!) but that’s not what makes this podcast my favorite of all the ones that I listen to. It’s the human aspects and qualities. It’s the chance to listen to a man, who is out in the public eye (or in the public ear) almost daily. He has to keep up a persona on the air, and he could have easily kept that persona going to his podcast and it would have been just as successful, but he doesn’t. Chick drops those walls, and in doing so has reassured me as to who I am just as much as has entertained others. I mention that and bring that up because in writing this, I’m dropping my walls for a bit….
In the last year and a half, I’ve had many ups and downs. I left a job I had been at for nearly 10 years to start over again, struggling to keep my passion for what I’ve done for over half of my life. I’ve gone through a divorce, my second, and struggled greatly with the separation from my daughter (so much so even now, I tear up just typing that). I carry guilt, for the person I am to other, for what I’ve put my children through, for things like having to sell the house they’ve grown up in because of the divorce, or because their Dad has to miss a game or performance. I could keep on going, but I think you get the picture, the last 18 months, I’ve had some very dark times. I’ve beat myself up internally, and have done my best to hide it from everyone. There have been many times I’ve just felt alone in it all, and that no one in the world would get me or understand, so I kept it to myself. The openness, and admittedly, the bravery of what Chick does on his podcast has made me realize how foolish I was in that mindset. There have been many times, Chick has gone over something, like a thinking process and feeling, and I’m just thought to myself “shit! That’s exactly what I do!” And while that might seem weird to some, there’s a reassurance there. There can be no arguing that as far as podcasts go, Chick is one of the most real and human podcast hosts there are. Especially from celebrities and people that are in the public eye such that he is.
The episodes with people like Dr Will, or Yoga Meg, have been ones that I have listened to over and over, because certain things are said, that just strike a cord with me, and they’ve helped me realize many things (one is that even being the same age as his co-host Jess, she has a hell of a lot better grip on herself than I do myself). I said it before in my previous post and I’m going to say it again, I’ve never had a podcast that I was appreciative of. Yes, I’m always entertained by the podcast, all 100 episodes are worth listening to and revisiting again (even thought I’m sure they would disagree), but never have I come across a podcast that I can listen to, and laugh with, cry with, or simply sit deep in thought over. I’ve been able to say thank you to Chick and Jess, not personally, but through Twitter, and I’ve written the previous post and now this one as a thank you as well, and if I could do more, I would.
Everyone could benefit from listening to a podcast like Off the Air. You’re entertained, you’re informed, and you can gain your own sense of enlightenment, simply from listening to other people talk about themselves and their lives. I’ll even quote myself from my review of the podcast last year; “The Off the Air podcast is one of those rare podcasts, which manages to balance humor, with real human emotion and be a true highlight of the human condition.” It takes a rare and special podcast to do such a thing, and no question they’ve captured lightning in a bottle that no one else has, and as selfish as it is for me to say, I’m thankful for that.
So congratulations to Chick, Jess, and Jason on 100 episodes of Off the Air, and here’s to the next 100 outstanding episodes and beyond.
OTA 100 coming. It’s @bertkreischer @TheJessExpo and @JasonHoffie soon at iTunes and http://t.co/vuJBtfVA2k pic.twitter.com/5BJV0fl2Ke
— Chick McGee (@chickmcgee1) May 20, 2014
