Rainbow Podsquad and Podcastique

Guys, Gab, and Games
By Annette Cinelli

Back in the summer of 2005, local guys Andy and Nick started listening to podcasts online. (For those of you who are terminally un-hip, a podcast is like a radio program you can download and listen to on your computer or MP3 player.) Later in the summer, Andy and Nick decided this was something that they could definitely get into, so they started their own podcast and called it Podcastique. Nick gives Andy full credit for coming up with the idea, but Andy insists it was a combination of the two.

AJ, a listener and fellow Podcaster from Ohio, contacted Nick and the two decided to do a show together called Queespresso. Now there were three podcast shows, Andy and Nick’s show, Podcastique; AJ’s show, Pillow Talk with AJ; and Nick and AJ’s show, Queerspresso. At that point it made sense to combine them all under one website and that’s when Rainbow Podsquad was born. They went on to add a couple of more shows, including a second one from Andy and friend Mike called Bay State Radio and another one called Bubblecast.

Rainbow Podsquad describe themselves as a group of gay and gay friendly podcasters from Columbus, Ohio & Worcester, MA who have joined forces to provide their listeners with one simple-to-use website and RSS Feed.

Andy and Nick use Podcastique as an outlet for their lives. They tell stories, have fun, and joke around. For the most part, it’s a comedy show. Andy describes it as “…a lot like audio and video blogging.” There’s quite a range of topics on Podcastique, from an out-of-the-blue email Nick received from a guy he dated years ago, to the Worcester Hedges, to movie sites, to video games, to sex dreams, to shopping and more.

Nick and Andy only do podcasts when they have the time and “…when we have a good topic. We don’t want to bore people!” In the beginning, they did it more frequently but found that they were getting burnt out and running out of topics. But now that they’re selective about when they do the podcasts, each every one that they have is funny start-to-finish and absolutely worth a listen.

While they do sometimes come up with topics ahead of time, the actual conversation is all spontaneous. According to Andy, the best shows are “…the ones that get thrown together at the last possible second.” The good times they have on the show are the best part about Podcastique for Andy and Nick. Andy talks about how “…some podcasts feel forced. But I don’t want to do it because I feel like I should; we want to have fun doing it so you can have fun listening to it.”

The show has strong appeal to the gay male demographic, its primary audience, but it’s also something anyone with a sense of humor and an interest in real life stories can enjoy.

The listeners give lots of feedback via email and through a feature on the site where you can leave a message for the podcasters. Although the guys don’t get paid for doing the shows, they consider the feedback and thanks they get from listeners, and the fun they have doing the podcasts, pretty good compensation.

Join the fun on Podcastique by visiting www.rainbowpodsquad.com and clicking on their link. Check it out today!