Halifax’s weekly comedy/talk podcast, Background Noise, has been fighting like hell for over 200 hours now, sometimes with us, sometimes with themselves, sometimes with their moral compasses. But they don’t let anger get in the way of their dedicated Friday podcast. They push boundaries, but the creators (Luke James, Devin Deuville and Derrek Ord) hope they push them just far enough to provoke thoughts/laughs/sexual responses.
We asked Derrek Ord what was up with stuff. Behold:
Q: What do you guys aim for with each show? Do you have any overarching mandate?
A: The two main goals are to make people think, and make people laugh. We dislike the idea of entertainment pushing anything on people, so we do our show freely and honestly and hope people like it. Also important to us is to have local artists on to promote their adventures, I’d say 50% of what makes it worth it is helping other people out. And I’ve never been on a man-date, but I’m single and open to anything ;).
Q: What’s coming up in the future?
A: Lots of people are starting podcasts now because the internet is one of the few places to be free creatively and the less middlemen the better. We’re looking to band up with other shows, have more well known visiting musicians (We’re Doomed are on the show this Friday), comedians, etc on the show. We’re planning a few live shows with some interesting segments, and just keep reaching new ears. And have fun. Yeah, fun… is… fun.
Q: Has your process changed at all in 200 hours worth of recorded material?
A: More than people know, and more than I ever thought it would. Part of what makes it so fun is the fact that you can tweak small things and listen to feedback. Just like anything, the more you think about it, and the harder you work on it, the better it becomes. And despite the content, we do take pride it having a decent quality show.
Q: What have been some high and low points of the last year, podcast-wise?
A: I think there was ONCE I was bummed out because I felt we weren’t pushing hard enough. But that quickly turned, this has been a 99% fun and amazing experience. The highlights are sharing inspiration with all of the Halifax talent that comes on, and getting to know them. As much as you hear people bitch, this city is REALLY cool and has some talented people in it.
Q: What was your beef with The Coast, you weirdo?
A: Ha! It started with a tweet asking for The Coast to cover us, then me trying to rally people to RT (or Re-Tweet, to non Twits). Then the rally turned a little umm… angry. I was just being my usual odd self, then it got bigger, and I think other people took it more seriously and made it more than that. Regardless, I thought it was hilarious. Overly serious people are hilarious to mess with. Plus beef is just interesting and funny to me, as long as no one is getting hurt… except Putties and Foot Soliders… fuck them. Instigators.
Q: Have you had any moments that you felt crossed the line with your podcasts? How do you address that? (if you do)
A: Nope. We tell people from the gate this is where we freely express ourselves, and we allow other people to do that too. Some people hate us, and I understand, they’re welcome to. But a lot of people like us and they’re who we focus on. We’re still human though, so doing mean things just isn’t that appealing… you know… unless it’s REALLY funny. I saw this woman trip the other day and I nearly lost my mind (If you see this Linda, I’m sorry).
Q: If you had to line up your tweets end to end, how far would they go?
A: Probably into the cosmos. The Micro Machine guy would give up reading them after three days and just go messily shit his pants and die in the lawn dart aisle at Home Hardware. I dunno, I just hope to amuse people. And if not, oh well.
This article appears in Apr 19-25, 2012.
Much respect to my dudes!