My Dad Wrote a Porno

The award-winning podcast has provided me with so many laughs. From walking along the street with the dulcet tones of the presenters in my ears, laughing manically to myself to being lost in thought and wonder. It’s been an epic journey and one that I will miss.

I know that everything has its time and everything dies but there are memories that you cannot avoid. During the course of the pandemic, I have continued to listen to episodes, from start to finish and then once again, from start to finish.

Some may consider this obsessive but when you find something that continues to make you smile, even after the fourth listen-through, you have to hold on and I have. Since I heard of the podcast via colleagues at an event in Bournemouth today, when it is over. There will be no new laughs and I need to move on.

The End of an Era

Listening to the last few episodes I had a smile on my face. I was sad but I was also so happy to have been a part of the journey. Listening to every single episode many times over, seeing the live show and sharing that enjoyment with others. It has been a fantastic journey and I’m not really sure how to replace that feeling.

It is difficult to find something unique that makes you laugh so regularly and this is why I have held on for so long, afraid to move on. This is why I have continued to listen, over and over again. There are other podcasts but as you get older, your patience reduces and finding something new takes time.

I have held on and whilst I have had the desire to find something new, I have never committed, much like with love. You can spend years looking and when you finally find someone who completes you, you don’t want to move on when they are gone. You would rather live in the past with those memories than risk hurt.

Podcasts contain a lot of love. They are a creative endeavour and I have spilt so many laughs that it hurts to say goodbye. I want to start again and never stop but I know that after this last run-through, enough is enough.

New Podcasts?

I spent time listening to Shagged, Married, Annoyed or Help My Boss Sexted Me! and others but none had stuck as much as the aforementioned My Dad Wrote a Porno.

In marketing terms, it has universal stickiness and transcends the original brand. It is suitable for the stage, screen and audio. It has created a community across the world in which people flock to social media to share their love. A true purple cow if there ever was one.

I know that I need to seek out new podcasts and in particular, ones that will make me laugh rather than think, I have enough of those. I have marketing, video games and true crime covered but something that will hold my attention and keep me laughing is what I am missing right now.

If anyone has any suggestions on this front, then please do pass on your recommendations.

Music As An Alternative

I have written before about music and how I have moved on from this format. It makes me sad, whereas others find meaning in the noises but maybe this is something which I need to change and revisit.

The last album that I listened to was a Red Hot Chilli Peppers album. One that was flatter than the average trip to the Dentist. Dull and uninteresting, providing me with distraction and nothing else. This is why I am hesitant.

If the established entities in my old repertoire are no longer viable, through deaths, break ups and boredom then am I that invested in listening to ‘new music’?

In the past, I would find new music via recommendations, music video channels or YouTube but today, everything goes through Spotify. To start again I would need to open myself up to disappointment and I’m not sure if that is the route I want to take, or if I want to focus back on podcasts, with recommendations prioritized.

I loved the Foo Fighters and whilst they have continued post-Taylor Hawkins death, I am afraid that the Wembley tribute concert was my last. I will not be listening to them post this concert as that was emotional and the farewell that we all wanted (nothing lasts forever).

The difference between the Foo Fighters and My Dad Wrote a Porno is that the presenters are going out on the correct terms. Not looking to continue with new presenters as that would not be the same. The draw was in the reflection of the fact that we could imagine ourselves at that moment with our friends, laughing along.

A Final Thought

I understand that everything has its time and everything dies but that does not mean that I am happy. I am glad that I was able to tick off all of the appropriate boxes offered by the brand (stage show, podcast, book, quiz and social media), but I still wanted more.

The best way to leave is by leaving your audience wanting more and by this token the decision of the My Dad Wrote a Porno teams makes absolute sense but irrationally, I want more and now need to fill the void. I need to find something to listen to in the background.

Is that a new podcast or do I throw myself back into the music? I have no answers, only questions at this point in my life. There are plenty of options but as a 34-year-old man, where should I focus my time?

Now, I have no final answers and I am, deep down very happy with everything that I have heard from the My Dad Wrote a Porno team but that does not mean that I do not want more. It is the best way to end and I am happy with this but it does create a new challenge, of how to fill this void.