culture// TINY Friction in the Static
I first met Tiny at our first interview about Pistol Magazine. I'd done my homework, listened to many of his shows and definitely heard the round tables (mentioned below as his favorite)...YES, I was fucking nervous! Fortunately it wasn't just me at the table, Matt Rascoe and Dan "Ren" Habershaw were there and so were strong drinks. After meeting and talking, I realized he wasn't out to make me look like a fool and that he was actually a really nice guy. I was relieved! Despite this guy knowing damn near everyone, he was one of the first I thought of when I decided to do these features. I love to listen to his show, find out about new things, and gain inspiration from him. He really knows what he's doing and is good at it. Heres a little past, present and future for you. AND check out the links below. Give our readers a little of your background:
Well, I started working on cars early. I rebuilt my first engine (a 383 max wedge motor) at the age of 12. I read every car magazine I could get my hands on, cover to cover. It's fair to say I was obsessed at a fairly early age. And, although I've certainly done lots of other things over the years, trying my hand at everything from law enforcement - (yeah, I used to be a cop, back in the 80's) - to being a pilot. Cars and customizing them, has always been a very important part of my life. At this point it's as close to a spiritual connection as anything is in my life.
Tell us about your pod-cast and your other projects:
Friction in the Static started over 3 years ago now, out of the same basic desire that lead to me being involved with getting the magazines (CKD & Rod and Kulture Illustrated) off the ground. Basically, I wanted a podcast to listen too where guys who could talk in complete sentences without drooling on themselves talked about cars, the culture, art, music and everything else that makes our scene (or whatever you want too call it), so cool. The deal was, there just wasn't anyone doing it. So, over the course of a weekend, I pretty much locked myself in my office, and learned everything I could about podcasting. By the next weekend, I had recorded and edited my first audio. So, once the technical intimidation had passed it was just a matter of trying to come up with the most entertaining format possible. At first, I had a dedicated co-host, partly cause I thought it would be impossible for me to carry a whole show by myself, and partly because you know, you want that human interaction. Listening to two guys talking is more interesting than one dude doing an hour long dissertation every week. After about a year, my co-host dropped out, due to personal reasons (he got a HUGE promotion at work) and I was left to fend for myself. Doing interviews just seemed to be the next logical step. So for the past 2 years it's really been an interview show.
The show garners something on the order of 10 thousand hits a week, so it has grown WAY past where I thought it would ever go. That growth though, has encouraged me to form a production company and launch a podcast network. Ultimately I'd like to have 40 or 50 hours a week of streaming video and audio content on the network, all centered on and around all the different aspects of the culture. But for now, the goal is to simply get 5 podcasts up a week. One new show everyday Monday to Friday. At this point I have 4 weekly shows (Friction in the Static on Mondays, Hack with Ambition on Wednesday, Adult Supervision Required on Thursdays, King Rhinos Garage-a-go-go on Fridays, and Patrick Thompson does a monthly music show, called The Hero Co Radio Show that comes out on Saturdays.) In addition to that we are getting ready to kick off our most ambitious project yet and thats a web TV series called "Driven Kustom Culture TV" that will go out on VOD, Netflix, iTunes, etc.
How do you come up with your show topics? You always have great guests.
I spend a LOT of time on the web researching and trying to find people that would be good guests. But, you know, having been around this thing for what seems like forever now, I pretty much know everyone so getting guests isn't as big a problem as you would think. Facebook is a big resource, as are friends and fans of the show. I'm always encouraging people to turn me onto a guy who is working on cars out of his garage or does pin striping on the weekends or whatever. I go out of my way to try to find people that no one has heard of yet. I mean, don't get me wrong, Winfield, Barris, etc. are great guys, but what am I going to offer them in the way of an interview? They have done a million of 'em, some people know Billy Hines' past better than he does. I want to find and help develop the little guy, working in virtual obscurity. We need new, fresh and exciting blood in this thing. And helping those people get the exposure they deserve is a big part of what I try to do.
Which has been your favorite episode?
Oh man! There are so many. But by far and away the "Round table" episodes are my fav. They are my favorite to do, and to listen too. Me, and 4 or 5 people, drinking and talking crap tends to lead to some interesting, if not entertaining, radio. Sometimes it gets us in trouble, but then that leads to more good stuff to talk about. We did one episode, where we went to a car show, went back to the studio and just talked long shit about the event. The organizer heard the episode, and called me up. He was fairly upset, but agreed to come on the show and address what we had been critical of. I got everyone of the fellers that were on the original show to come back and sit down and square off. I was a little nervous that feelings might get hurt, but it turned out to be maybe the best radio I've ever done, and in the end, the show promoter and I became good friends.
Lets be honest, you're a pretty straight forward kinda guy. You aren't shy about voicing your opinions, which most people wouldn't do in fear of pissing people off. Yet, I've never heard a bad word about you, why do you think that is?
I think, if you try to be as honest as you can about what it is you're saying, even if people don't agree with it 100%, your passion comes through, and people can respect that. Or at least that's what I tell myself. It's more likely that people just pity my stupidity and say nice things so that I don't have to go back on my medication. HA!
The other thing, I try to stay away from, is personal attacks. Look, I may not like rat rods, (in fact I pretty much hate them at a molecular level) but I don't think you automatically transfer your hatred to the person who thinks that tin turd- that is likely their particular pride and joy- is a worthwhile car. It's a little like having a fat uncle that insists on dressing in drag for Thanksgiving dinner every year. You roll your eyes, curse softly under your breath...but end of the day, you still hug the dude and wish him Happy Holidays.
What do you have coming up?
One word: GROWTH. Up to now, I've had a very low profile when it comes to attending events in any kind of "official" sense. Meaning I've done almost nothing to try to establish a presence at events, such as Ventura Nationals, the Hot Rod Reunion, Santa Maria, Mooneyes, etc. Well, that's about to change. We used to do all of these shows (and more) when I had Tiny Chop and Kustom Shop up and running wide open. But, that's been a few years ago now. Starting in 2014, we are getting back on the road. To that end, I'm in the process of buying and outfitting a travel trailer with a mobile podcasting studio on board. I want to live cast from events, capture interviews on site, and just generally try to raise awareness of our show. AND get out and meet as many listeners as possible! I love reading emails from these guys. It's gonna be a hoot to finally get to meet them in person!
