39 episodes ago, which was in April of this year, Steve Austin, better known as Stone Cold Steve Austin, decided he wanted to get into the podcast business. For the majority of my podcast listening days, I have been listening to the Art of Wrestling and the Fantasy Underground. The art of wrestling deals with a professional wrestler by the name of Colt Cabana that has ventured off into the wrestling world of, gasp, the independents. It is really interesting to hear Colt Cabana have conversations with his colleagues and friends as everyone has a story to share. On the other hand, the fantasy underground deals with ESPN analyst Christopher Harris and Field Yates discussing the overlooked and great performances of the fantasy football world. Both of these podcasts do wonders for their respective fields as they manage to draw the listener into an immersed world of tights, singlets, and fantasy football enthusiasts nationwide. The Steve Austin Show manages to do several things wonderfully that I caught onto right away. I noticed for the longest time that Austin always tried to provide fun and excitement even when the camera was off. This is duly noted in one of his many DVD releases that detailed how he would get the crowd going in a post TV taping by guzzling beers and cutting up with the crowd. Now, he’s behind the mic interviewing guests and from time to time he might even have as he calls “a one man clusterfuck.” The one thing that Steve brings to the table is sheer entertainment and stories for guys to hang their hat on and say damn glad I didn’t do that. For example, he tells the story of how he nearly killed himself in the shower by almost falling in the shower and splitting his head open. This serves as advice to me that a) guys are dumb and b) if you don’t do something cause you’re lazy, do it right away. I also enjoy the fact that he’s not afraid to ruffle feathers and talk with some of wrestling’s greats from the past and present. The sheer fact that he can have a Jim Ross on his show discussing the psychology of wrestling as well as all the details that went into keeping wrestling as “real” as possible. He can also have someone like a Bret Hart, who is one of my favorites, and them talking about their classic battles gets me going as well. Austin interviews them but he also can give or take a few stories that are relate to life as well. The one story that has me thinking that life is a circus and a drama all rolled into one is when he speaks with his good friend, Kevin Nash, and they speak about staying in the worst hotels/motels possible. This seems kind of strange of me considering that they must make some sort of money that keeps them afloat. The one lesson I take from this is that in life we have to live almost like wrestlers. When we are young, restless, and going on all cylinders we have to save up our money hence you have to treat yourself to a less than stellar time on the road. This may consist of staying in the worst places possible, eating really crappy food, and living within your means. Austin also talks to this guest as if they are regular human beings instead of talking within the wrestling world. We’d like to think they are these larger than life superstars that have no life but the fact is that they have regular lives just like we do. One of the many guests that has been on the show that has shown this is Terry Funk who has been all over the world and who has retired over 5 times. You’d think someone that has been up and down the road would not have enough of it but he’s older now and the way he tells a story almost makes you imagine it. I enjoy how he can deconstruct how a match started, why it happened the way it did, what was done at the right time, and how they came to the finish that they did. This makes me feel as if wrestlers are the perfect actors for the most unique circus in the world. One of the few podcasts that hooked me right from the beginning was the one with Josh Barnett. I am not that big of an MMA fan but if it’s on I will watch it. The way he told his life story had me not really focusing on the task at hand (gym workout and cardio). Barnett gave the listener a clear view as to how he came up as well as the way he views the world around him. We don’t all think differently. He had this natural storyteller ability as he talked about his education being a breeze as well as his struggle to understand religion. There are so many good things to say about the show that it is almost impossible to write down everything humanely possible on one blog post. What I do know is that he’s not afraid to ask and answer questions that relate to anything that is going on in his life. He may talk about an upcoming movie role that he has going on or someone he ran into the other. Heck, he may even start to rant about his trips he takes to Costco and Home Depot. Just like the rest of us, he too rants on about the limps you take walking into a Costco. I understand that Austin strives to give his listeners what they want as well as giving life lessons. If there’s a few things I’ve learned from this show they are this (sort of a top ten)
10. Buy a scrubber on a stick
9. Have a pocket knife
8. Have a flashlight
7. Carry an extra key that is easy to locate
6. Dogs make the best companions on a road trip
5. C.G.F. stands for Cripple Goose Factor or in other words when the drizzling shits are coming they come hard in a 10 for C.G.F.
4. You always want to get back on the road after a couple of days off
3. Guys are stupid
2. Save your money
1. The show is for the working man/woman
For those that haven’t checked out the Steve Austin I highly recommend it as it makes for a great compliment for a workout, a long drive, and a day when you are at the house cleaning up or making dinner. I am excited and hopeful that Austin will continue to bring on tremendous guests for the near future! Here’s a small sample size below
Just Another Day... 