Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance. Now I'm joined in the studio by the co-host of the Talking Bollocks podcast, Calvin O'Brien for What Made Me. Calvin, you're very welcome. I don't often get to say that word on the radio, so I never get to say that word on the radio, so that's a treat.
Yeah, usually they call it talking B, but I'm glad that you actually said the full title.
Might as well just call it what it is.
Yeah, there's been worse things said on the radio.
How are you anyway? I'm all good. Thanks for having me in. And we wanted to just talk to you about what made you, you know, how you got to where you are. And it's tough to make it in podcasting. Like everyone has one now, don't they?
Yeah, it is. It's a very saturated market, but I don't think that's a bad thing because that means then if you are an avid listener of podcasts, you're guaranteed to find the right one for you.
How did you, where did it like start? What happened?
Yeah, so it happened in COVID, like a lot of ideas. Everyone had a lot of time on their hands and didn't know what to be doing with themselves. I think it was a lot of time for self-reflection and for a lot of people. I'd like to say, oh, this is a dream of mine. It wasn't. I was always very outspoken on topics and I'd burn the ears off anybody.
But it was in November 2020 when you had to be exercising outside, even though it was freezing cold in the winter. A friend of mine set up like a boxing club and we'd go up there. It was in Hardwood Street Flats. We'd go up there, we'd be sparring, we'd be doing drills, we'd be doing anything just to get out of the house. And that's where I met my co-host Terence.
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Chapter 2: What motivated Calvin O'Brien to start podcasting?
No, we didn't.
But as I said, we had a lot of mutual friends. So I knew of him, he knew of me. And just from there, we kind of clicked and we started doing our own thing. And I remember one morning we went out to...
44 for a dip in the sea freezing cold but again you were doing whatever and I dropped him home and I dropped one of the lads home as well and we pulled up outside his ma's house and we were just chatting there for about 40 minutes and a friend of ours was in the back seat me and Terence were in the front and my friend was like this is great listening to you I was asking Terence and I was like ask me what and he was like look I'm thinking about starting a podcast would you be interested
And I was like, yeah, like, why not? Like, I've a lot to say, so why not? I'm one of these people, if I tell you I'm going to do something, I do it. I've no time for people who are like, oh yeah, no problem, I'll see you there and they cancel. So I said to him, look, Monday morning, come down to my house, we'll get this done and we'll bash it out.
And what were you doing? Were you recording it on your phone?
Literally, I had no idea what we were doing, no equipment. I knew somebody that had set up a podcast and I messaged him. And he was like, just use the recorder app on your phone. So like everybody open up your phone now, you will have like a notes recorder, like memo app on your phone. I'd use that to record episode one. I put the phone down on the table, turn it on the other side of the table.
And we recorded episode one. And then from there, I was like, right, I need to edit this now.
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Chapter 3: How did COVID influence Calvin's podcasting journey?
I just downloaded an app and edit an app and that was it.
And did that fit with what you're doing? Was your work related to it? No.
Now, I do work in tech. I have a degree in computer science and I do work in a big tech company. I'm actually an engineer by trade. But no, like sound engineering is not what I specialise in.
It's a brave thing to do. Yeah. And it's fine to do episode one, but then you have to do episode 35. You have to keep going with the thing.
So this was the thing. So we recorded episode one on a Monday and then like I kind of sat on it for a day or two, edited it. And Terrence rang me then on Thursday morning. I was like, this is crap. Like, what are we talking about? Like, who wants to hear this? So I was him and Han, because realistically, you recorded it, you edited it, you should have just put it straight out.
So I was like, oh, and he rang me and he was like, oh, what's the story when you're uploading that episode? I was like, like...
I don't think it's great and he's like look if you want to delete it delete it like it's grand and I was like I felt bad then I was like no like he's had to give me his time the least I could do was upload it so I uploaded episode one on the Thursday Friday morning we were trending number one in the country and I was like bollocks I was like that means we're going to have to do episode two now so that was it then
Then you become a slave to it, don't you?
Well, that's it then. Like, the two paces out of the tube, as you say. Like, there's no going back. And then that was it. It's just, once you're number one in the country, like, you can't just say, oh, look.
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Chapter 4: What challenges did Calvin face when recording his first podcast?
Yeah. Are you? Yeah. Are you loaded? I wouldn't say I'm loaded, no. But like in Ireland, what's loaded? You know what I mean? Like, could I afford to leave the day job? Probably, but I worked very hard to get the day job and I'm very proud of it. And I'm able to do both. So why wouldn't I?
Why not?
Yeah.
We were playing that clip all morning when we were saying you were coming on about someone who said to you... If you want to do well, you'll have to lose that accent or tone down the accent.
Yeah.
That seems wild to me that that would be said to you. But is that something that doesn't surprise you, knowing what you know now?
So, as I said, starting the podcast, I was very outspoken. I went to college and like being where we're from, you're always told like you'll never be on. And yeah. If you look at the newspaper headlines and you look into what the media portrays it as, you're like, oh, they must be right. All these people couldn't be wrong.
But I'm somebody who likes to think I went down the right road and now plenty of people have went down the wrong road. And of course, that was an option coming where I'm from.
But if you're told you're never going to be anything, you're never going to make anything. Like the wrong road seems like the road you should be travelling on. If that's the message you heard your whole life.
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Chapter 5: How did Calvin's podcast reach number one in the country?
It's just they need that bit more ambition and they could go and achieve all their goals, all their dreams. And I think that's what we're trying to do with the podcast.
They need to be given a chance as well though. Do you know what I mean? And we heard about last week on the programme the South Inner City and you know the North Inner City had some investment in it and Kenny put together a plan it seems to have worked to a certain extent.
South Inner City doesn't get that and so you have all of those dropout rates when it comes to second level crime rates are higher all of these things that if someone just put the hand out could be helped an awful lot couldn't they? Rather than people being told you have to rely on yourself.
Hmm.
Well, this is the thing. There's always been a lack of investment in these areas. And then when the statistics come out that you have high dropout rates and higher crime, how are you surprised?
What do you expect?
Because there is a correlation between more investment means more opportunity, means less poverty, means less crime, etc., But it's the correct investment as well. There's no point, like Ballymone's a great example. There's like over a billion quid spent on Ballymone and they still have problems.
So like you can throw money at stuff, but if it's not going down the right avenues and into the right channels, then what's the point?
I could keep going with you, but the time is up, unfortunately. Calvin, it was great to have you in. Thanks for having me in, I really appreciate it. Lovely to chat to you. Let's do it again. Yeah, no problem. The Clare Byrne Show. With Aviva Insurance. Weekday mornings at 9 on Newstalk. Conversation that counts.
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