When I told my good buddy in Maine that I was preparing to do a Badass Records Podcast episode with Adam Wilke, he asked me to let him know when it dropped as he'd always considered today's guest as something of an "exotic mystery," and when I heard that, I thought he'd nailed it. Or at least I could see how someone who'd only met him once would say that.

Now, though...things're different.

Now, I've had Adam Wilke in the chair, and -- I gotta tell ya' -- I consider myself a lucky dude for having had this opportunity.

I got to hang out with Josh Dubois and record Episode #32 of Badass Records Podcast at the same time, which -- <checks old-guy chart> -- 100 percent counts as both a privilege and a treat.

Ya' heard?

We chatted Carseat Headrest and Beastie Boys and parenthood and hip-hop and film production and documentaries and how good life is and can be and man...it was fun.

Things like Killer Mike and restored Pontiacs and match.com might've come up, too. As did some serious all-around knowledge from this cat I barely know.

            It's Episode #31, and I couldn't possibly be more stoked to write that the first return guest to Badass Records is none other than the esteemed Josh George, who helped break in the set with Episode #2, which was one helluva conversation if you happened to miss it. In that episode from six months ago, we talked parenting and family roots, and being in the game. We also spent some time looking in to Outkast and Eminem, just to name a couple.

            This go-'round, however, Rage Against the Machine and Run the Jewels were our topics of choice, but we also revisited raising kids and -- somehow -- we leaned a little in the social and political directions, too. Nothing too too scary, but an envelope or two might've been delicately pushed.

Everyone that has sat across the table from me for an episode of Badass Records Podcast is a remarkable human being in his or her own way. Some have been even-keel while others have been hilarious. Some have been creators or artists at points in their lives, and some of them still are. Some have been shy and/or lulling, while others likely had more to say than time would allow. No two guests are alike, though, and Cesar (pronounced SAY-czar) Sanchez might be the most joyous human I've interviewed to date.

The contents of our conversation for Episode #30 tell an amazing (to me) story of love and strength and challenge and fortitude and sated flavor of happiness in life, so I'm excited for you to give it either a listen or a watch.

Long-time good friend Bill Mauch graced my presence for this week's episode, and we had a grand, ol' time talking Metallica, roasting Russell Wilson, and exploring everything from Iowa to family to high-school biology class.

Bill shares his living space with one of the most amazing crews in town, and I can't thank him enough for making the time to come hang on a busy Saturday.

We go back to the late '80s, are in touch via text regularly, and yet somehow I never knew that he had an affinity for country music that's maybe even bigger than his love of the metal kings's self-titled/black album.

And what a badass record it is.

You know that line in The Green Mile? The one in which Eduard Delacroix -- after stepping out of his cell to walk to his impending death -- tells Brutal, Paul, Dean, and Harry that he wishes he "coulda met you guys somewheres else"?

That's kinda how I feel about Kenton Campbell, which is not to say I'm not grateful for knowing him at all; I am. I just think that -- perhaps under different circumstances, perhaps had a couple of zigs been zags instead -- we mighta been good buddies. Who knows. Maybe we'd even occasionally hoop together.

I say all that to say this: Mr. Campbell didn't owe me a shingle's worth o' shit, but he took time out of his busy schedule regardless, and he swung by for Episode #28 of the Badass Records Podcast, and I'm super-stoked that he did.

Dan Gedman might be the smartest dude I've ever had a sit-down conversation with, and he certainly has the deepest voice of any I can recall, which is a batshit combo if you're in to running metrics on how stupid you think you might be.

Whew.

What a chat, though. I've never gone into an interview thinking I'll be less prepared than my guest, but never did I imagine feeling dumber and less knowledgeable than a guest who didn't prepare at all! Yyyikes.

Anyway, Dan is a really awesome dude. He just is. I hate to distill it down to that, but -- if we're being honest -- that's all any guy wants...is to be known and remembered as an awesome dude.

Lisa Hill is one of my favorite human beings.

I really mean that, and because this is true, it pains me to say that technical difficulties occurred during her interview; her camera wound up having its SD card go haywire.

So...the majority of her video was never accessible for upload. Not sure how the opening third of that content made it safely to the other side and the latter portions didn't, but what's done is done.

I'm pleased that we were able to capture her lovely mug whilst discussing family and life, and I also had the wild idea to drop a bunch of pertinent stills into the software where footage of her should be, so who knows. Maybe that's a new thing I try to incorporate for future episodes.

Jason Fetters is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, and a gosh-darn, hard-workin' fellow that's been in some form (or other) of a leadership role for the last 20 years.

My guest for Episode #25 of Badass Records Podcast will be the first to trash you, to Photoshop an eggplant emoji onto a picture of your face, and to blindside check you while you search for your family at Oceans of Fun. He'll do all of those things, but he'll also have your back when you need him to.

I've never known a Northlanders (Editor's Note: For non-Kansas City folks, there's a special breed of humans that -- for one reason or other -- have chosen to make their dwelling place on the wrong side of the Missouri River; it's creepy and backwards up there, and that's just the kindling for that dumpster fire.), to be so stylish, so suave, and so punctual, but Mr. Fetters is all of those things and more.

Eric Barkley is a son, a brother, a father, a lifelong chef, a one-time lover of baseball, and a guy who'd rather be nowhere else than casting his line in the lake.

I was lucky enough to steal some time away from the chef, and he swung by of an evening so that we could talk R.E.M., Metallica, and Tool for Episode #24 of Badass Records Podcast.

Eric was kind enough to walk us through his service-industry education and experience, and if you stick around for the end of our conversation, you'll find a nugget or two regarding gear for trout and bass fishing.

As part of our musically based chat, though, I learned some cool things about Maynard James Keenan and his primary outfit. Fascinating guy. And so is Chef Barkley. I learned some cool things about him, too.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio. They are both samples from a track called, “Marching into the Hate Machines (Into the Sun),” which comes from the 2005 Thievery Corporation release entitled The Cosmic Game (c/o ESL Music, Inc.) and features The Flaming Lips.

George Clarke is a son, a brother, a father, and the General Manager for Charlie Hooper’s Bar & Grille.

I once had the pleasure of cheffing for George at another neighborhood location, and that short-lived stint forged a friendship that has managed to last a decade (and counting).

George -- like many of his service-industry counterparts -- puts in long hours, and so the fact that he went out of his way to not ignore all of my annoying text messages and eventually committed to a date and time (and showed up!) did not go unnoticed in the least.

Christian Joseph dropped by the Badass Records Podcast studio for episode #22, and we discussed his affinity for skin ink, motorcycles, music, and the life of a restaurateur.

The man with more middle names than you have professed his love specifically for Morrison Hotel (1970) by The Doors, Guns 'N' Roses's Appetite for Destruction (1987), and White Pony (2003) by Deftones, but that wasn't all we discussed.

We talked about live music, professional endeavors, and the challenges that being a family member can sometimes present.

Christian is a son, a brother, a father, and the owner of Plate Restaurant Group. He and I go back about eight or nine years, and have seldom passed up an opportunity to crack wise with one another. I couldn't be more grateful than to be gifted the time of such a busy individual who came by my place to bullshit for a couple of hours. It was truly a blast.

Brad Buckner is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a retired kindergarten teacher, and a lifelong musician that fancies -- among many other things -- the kick drum of the late John Bonham, and the cymbal work of the deceased Neil Peart (R.i.P. in peace to both of those unequivocal legends).

            Double 'B' dropped by in a virtual-stranger sense and kicked it with me for episode #21, and we chatted about Led Zeppelin's first record, Rush's Moving Pictures, and Axis: Bold as Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. And, boy was it a good time.

            Mr. Buckner is the foothold of a couple of local KC music outfits, KC Green and Tiki Brawlers. You can keep up with both bands via their respective Facebook pages, and check out the Brawlers' stuff on YouTube.

            Please consider giving this episode of Badass Records a listen or a view, and if you happen to dig it, please tell a friend. Thank you for stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro videos. They are samples from two tracks off of Liquid Soul's 1996 self-titled debut, "Equinox," and "What a Story," respectively (c/o Music from Mars).

Kyle Davis is a son, a brother, a husband, a father to three adorable daughters, and the co-proprietor of Cicada Co., a design-and-build company.

Kyle was kind enough to give of his super-busy schedule and come sit with me for episode #20 of Badass Records Podcast. He chose Radiohead's In Rainbows (2007) as his musical selection, but we didn't limit our conversation to just that record.

The Cicada crew's fine, fine work is visible on the Web (cicadaco.com) and evidence of their fantastic work can be found on the 'Gram at @cicada_co.

A single father of two couldn't ask for better neighbors, and -- were they not corner-lot dwellers -- I'm sure the folks on the other side of their home would say the same thing.

Jordan Gooch is a daughter, a sister, and a dog mom.

We met in the service industry around a decade and change ago back when I was a first-time new dad and she was feeling her way through the post-high-school/early-college years. We would -- on occasion -- cross paths behind the restaurant and swap stories about life and music over cigarettes, so I knew that once I got this project off the ground, she would be a good candidate for an episode.

It took a handful of tries to get Jordan in the room, but from jump street, her selection for what wound up being episode #19 was Circa Survive's On Letting Go.

Shawn Damm is a son, a brother, a husband, a proud father of two, and an all-around righteous dude.

He's written more return addresses in the top-left corners of envelopes than he can literally remember, and unless you wanna be told to go fly a kite, don't tell him what to do.

Mr. Damm was kind enough to join me for a fantastic conversation about life and love and children and music. We had a couple cold ones, cracked a lot o' wise, and tried to burn the place to the ground.

Movies came up, and books were discussed. Cars and jobs were touched on. We examined college failures and discovered our love of Too $hort was mutual.

As a matter of fact, I'm not sure what we didn't cover.

Dave Tschirhart is a son, a brother, a father, a husband, a lover of music and tattoos, and he is also the proprietor of Blue Valley Tree & Outdoors.

He's a friendly, knowledgable dude, that was pretty pumped to come do an episode of Badass Records Podcast with me, and his selections did not disappoint.

Please have a view on YouTube (channel link in bio) or a listen via the Web site -- badassrecordspodcast.com -- and perhaps you'll enjoy us talking AC/DC Back in Black and Def Leppard Pyromania enough to tell a friend.

Thanks for stopping by.

copyright disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the intro/outro audio samples. They are clips from Morcheeba's, "The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre" off of their 2002 release entitled Charango, c/o China Records, LTD.

Joe Strobl joined Badass Records Podcast for episode #16, and I'm not sure what we didn't cover: being engaged, smoking briskets, Anthony Bourdain, pro wrestling, Wakarusa, high school, family, Chiefs season tickets, collecting vinyl, Bruce Springsteen, Swedish visas (or the lack thereof).

You know. The typical Tuesday-evening fodder.

Joe chose My Morning Jacket's Z, The '59 Sound by Gaslight Anthem, and everybody's favorite Wilco record, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as his initial dabbles into records of badassery.

Early in our conversation I called Joe, "something of a unicorn," and later supposed that perhaps he was striped. He said it was a testament to his family going through stuff together and having that bring them close together. That sentiment hasn't left me since and I don't imagine it ever will.

What is there that I could possibly say about this human being?

It's a lengthy list, actually, and I know how we're all doing with attention spans these days. And that's fine. I know that -- if you care -- you'll read it, and if you don't, you won't. No big deal.

I don't, um, mean to shun any of the previous guests of Badass Records Podcast, because they've all been super-fantastic. They really have.

I've had my eye on this particular calendar date, though, and I feel really grateful that this conversation happened and did so with a quote/unquote timeliness as it pertains to the go-live launch date of this project, and that's because the nuts and bolts of this thing involve and require an investment to not only give time, but to be personal and honestish and vulnerable. And when the person you've known longer than most anyone on the planet agrees to sit down with you, you wanna do them right.

Ethan Brown means so many things to both me and the world. Besides the titles of son, brother, father, husband, friend, bartender, boss, and expert, he has earned the right to be called kind, thoughtful, clever, witty, warm, and a bucketful of other things, too. He’s the portal to what’s hip. He’s a vehicle for what’s hilarious. He’s the embodiment of passionate when it comes to the things he loves, and his presence is the elixir you need to right yourself.

Ethan blew my mind with his selection of badass records, except for that he really didn’t.

That is -- right, wrong, or otherwise -- I had a natural expectation that what he would come up with would leave me feeling like a musical novice, and I was not off the mark in unintentionally thinking that that would be the case.

I mean…