If you’re familiar at all with Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy, you probably know that their careers have been rather eclectic. If you are not, strap in.
The three brothers began a podcast over ten years ago, My Brother, My Brother and Me, which is the cornerstone of their podcasting empire. Their body of work is substantive, with each of the brothers working on multiple podcasts, sometimes including other cohosts, like their father, or their respective spouses. Their success is widely attributed to their brand of comedy, which is somehow both wholesome and incredibly vulgar. The McElroys (or, as my partner and I sometimes refer to them, the McElboys) have a devoted fanbase of listeners, including myself. This is your warning that this review is biased, as I have literally listened to every episode of MBMBaM. Yes, including the first twenty. Yes, even the one with that weird sound thing.
The premise of Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) is fairly straightforward. As the McElroys have a pretty solid expertise in the world of podcasting, this book is intended to advise fledgling podcasters, be they aspiring professionals or hobbyists. While I was skeptical going in, as I do not have a podcast of my own, this book was delightful and amusing. If you are familiar with the particular McElroy flavor of humor, it really shines through in the book. The illustrations are adorable, and the design overall is gorgeous, making the reading experience a true pleasure.
My main worry going into this book was my utter disinterest in technical matters. Because the subject matter is podcasting, there have to be chapters on equipment and sound editing, and that’s just not my area of interest. Fortunately, I found even the chapters I thought would least engage me to be charming and entertaining. I think that any reader interested in McElroy content will be happy reading this book, and it also does provide actual, attainable steps and practical advice for your podcasting pursuits. I think that those interested in creative pursuits outside of podcasting will also find inspiration between these pages.
I think one of the biggest issues a lot of how-to guides face is bogging themselves down in logistics. This excludes the voice of the instructor, and can make these rather dry books. In this case, I found that I learned a lot while enjoying myself, and I definitely think this book is worth a read. I would also be interested in an audiobook version, as audiobooks are like reaaally long podcasts and it would be interesting to see how that would pan out given the collaborative nature of the book. One of the biggest tests of a book written by well-known people is whether or not the book can find an audience outside of die-hard fans. Given the content and quality of this book, I would not be surprised if enterprising podcasters pick it up as a textbook, though admittedly, a very funny one.
Everybody Has a Podcast (Except You) can be purchased wherever books are sold, or borrowed from you local library. This reviewer was provided a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Chamber of Spoilers 