The Create Unknown

Post your first job FREE: https://linkedin.com/createRick Beato is ‘Everything Music’ and more. He’s played, taught, and produced music for over four decades, and his unique expertise in analyzing songs and the people who play them has resulted in an extremely popular YouTube channel. But how do you get to the point where you casually and appropriately mention someone like Steve Vai?Rick explains his massive acquisition of stems from 20 years ago, and it turned out to be a fortuitous trade. He also gets songs from the actual source, because why not just ask?A little secret creeps out about the best way to prepare for interviews and videos… and it’s simply spending a lifetime thinking about it already. When Rick talks to a musician, he’s already been thinking about the conversation for years – and maybe even decades. One of his early musical passions was grunge, and now that he’s had over 30 years to ruminate on its songs and its artists, he recognizes it as a unique combination of experiences and people. Kevin thinks this means the notion of the ‘rock star’ is unlikely to happen again, and he’s probably right.Something weird is happening with the kids, though. They just aren’t listening to music. Rick says they’re playing video games, but they’re not sitting down and dedicating time to just listening to songs. It’s a tremendous societal shift that no one else is talking about, and there are serious implications for music and the other creative arts. Combine that with an algorithm-driven, carefully-curated experience and both listening patterns and discovery are completely different than in the past – and not in a good way.There really is something about life experience, and especially a bit of hardship, driving good art, whether it’s songs or movies. It’s not the suffering of a tortured artist, it’s just… life, and that’s changing. You also can’t fake it. It helps to grow up in an area that’s never sunny, but the three of us are biased.Rick answers questions about advice to a 20-something artist – and it’s AMAZING advice – along with whether perfect pitch is a blessing or curse, new music from Jack White and Steve Vai, the past and present of prog rock, and what’s next for music as a whole.Thanks to the many people who came out for the live recording, and a special thanks to the Patrons who make this show happen each and every week. You really are the best. And thanks, of course, to Rick, who brought a lifetime of expertise to a 90-minute show and absolutely blew us away with one of our best episodes ever.You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcastsCREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sniping Soup is pretty much living the dream: video games, a metal band, and hanging out with his friends every day. It’s been a decade since he first uploaded on YouTube, and now he’s got an audience for both streaming and music. And while he’s not much of a fighter, he does like to mosh – even if he has to witness near-deaths from balcony jumps.He does like some tame music, and when you watch a video of Soup ripping on kids in Rust, it’s hard to imagine him listening to Movements. The real question is about streams, though. A 15-minute video might be the result of 6 or 7 hours of streaming, depending on the game. The best part? Just talking to other people.Soup could even weaponize the reputationally-troubled Club Penguin. Roleplaying servers are easy fodder for Soup and his gang – but how does he explain what he does to his grandmother? After a bit of beer discussion, we decide to declare war on Cocomelon. But the war on comedy movies may already be over. For Soup, comedic content begins with the thumbnail. If he can get someone to laugh there, the rest is easy. Uber shenanigans, metal bands, where Soup draws the line at offensive content (he doesn’t), and more – it’s a wild ride with one of the funniest people we’ve ever talked to on TCU.Thanks to the many, many people who came out for the live recording, and a special thanks to the Patrons who make this show happen each and every week. You really are the best.You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Minecraft Server:The Later NetworkIP: play.later.ggPlayers running Minecraft 1.18 or newer are able to joinJoin our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcastsCREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com#TheCreateUnknown #SnipingSoup #GOONS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s no one better at explaining economics in an interesting, non-obnoxious way than Sean Malone and his Out of Frame channel. It’s such an important subject, but very few people are truly interested – and only a portion of those want to learn as opposed to just spreading their own beliefs. In terms of creating compelling YouTube videos, it’s a challenge.And occasionally it goes wrong – like with Sean’s Arcane video. It turns out those commenters were more interested in critiquing what he didn’t talk about, and that’s a common problem with video essays. Why does it feel like we’re slowly turning off a faucet of decency in online discourse?Kevin’s spent some time re-thinking the conclusion of his video about robots and automation, and even though pretty much everything is getting better all the time, it’s something we generally don’t appreciate. Why?! And if it’s all improving, how come Netflix seems to have stagnated?Sean’s got thoughts about the state of the video essay, and he thinks it’s just a bit less popular now than in the past. Maybe that’s due to the rise of Shorts, TikToks, and quick, less-nuanced content. And maybe we’re all just getting tired of thinking.We could talk about movies and comics all day with Sean – he’s shockingly knowledgeable. But Kevin wanted to seize on the grand debate over who Superman should be. Is he a strong, moral character like in the Donner films? Or is it important that he’s darker and feels some of the more insidious emotions? It’s worth noting that Superman is committed to doing good in the world when it just doesn’t benefit him very often. Patrons jump in to ask about the art of persuasion with difficult topics, YouTube’s old mantra of “Broadcast Yourself,” the unique appeal of HGTV, whether streaming is becoming cable, and whether Sean would re-make any of his old videos.This discussion ranged from building houses to why TV sucks, and it’s a fascinating look at a mind that has spent years refining the process of generating compelling content – and we’re already planning topics for the next time we talk to Sean.Thanks to everyone who came out for the live show on Discord, and a special thanks to the Patrons who make this show happen each and every week – including Venture Addicts. Welcome to the orphanage!You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Minecraft Server:The Later NetworkIP: play.later.ggPlayers running Minecraft 1.18 or newer are able to joinJoin our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcastsCREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Post your first job FREE: https://linkedin.com/createThe man who used to make excellent educational videos you could watch as you drank a cup of coffee in the morning has evolved into a stone-cold assassin of all things fraudulent – and Coffeezilla’s massive investigative video on Safemoon might be his most important work yet. It didn’t take him much time to realize that Safemoon’s model just… didn’t make sense. But after 11 months of interviews and research, he’s put out a banger that lays bare the personalities and problems around that particular crypto coin. And it’s an extremely difficult business to analyze since regulators are literally years behind. What’s legal? What’s breaking the law? What *is* the law?Influencers have hopped on to several crypto projects, and they don’t seem to care much about the potential rug pulls. It *seems* obvious that this is dangerous territory for people considering buying into these coins, but Coffee explains that people are in a rough spot. They need solutions, they need options, and crypto gives them hope. There’ll be more on Safemoon in coming days – so we wanted to dive deep into Coffee’s incredible transition from Break to Zilla. It happened by accident, but when he went full force, the result was a unique digital studio and an efficient model that made his old channel largely obsolete. He’s customized every element of the Zilla to make his audience and himself happy, and it’s working.Patrons, many of whom have been waiting months for Coffee’s return, ask about how he’s so good at drawing new info out of people like Mr. Beast, the future of digital sets, and the influence of crypto. We were thrilled to see CoffeeZilla hit 1 million subs the other day, and now he’s got a video on the trending tab – it was just an incredible time to hang out with everyone in the Discord and one of the most creative people we’ve ever encountered in YouTube.Thanks to everyone who showed up for the live show *and* who played Minecraft after (!), and a special thanks to the Patrons who make this show happen each and every week. You really are the best.TCUcoin to the moon!You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcastsCREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com#TheCreateUnknown #CoffeeZilla #Crypto Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It feels like everyone on YouTube is telling long-form stories now. But in the last 2 years, one channel has exploded by mixing intriguing investigations, a commitment to the truth, and a voice like hot butter. Barely Sociable’s latest target is the music industry, and after spending a little time asking him about it, the industry’s perverse incentives lay bare a recipe for crazy.Barely goes over details from the CIA handbook for assassinations (!) as he goes into how musicians can subject to a host of threats, from organized crime to moneygrubbing executives. And the results can be as wild as the bizarre bathtub demise of Whitney Houston and her daughter. Kevin needs to know: was Jimi Hendrix murdered? The answer is compelling.Barely has become a staple of investigative YouTube while still managing to keep most of his anonymity. Sometimes it’s a blessing, but sometimes it limits opportunities. And that’s alright – we’re all more attached to his editing and research than we are to his face. But what he does need is a mascot, and there’s no better fit than the milk-sweating platypus.The origin story of all things Sociable is as mysterious as one of his videos, but it’s clear that a fair amount of prior work and expertise led to the creation of the channel. He can make content about anything – so what won’t he do? It’s dangerous out there.Patrons ask some really excellent questions about the innerworkings of Barely’s mind, conspiracies, and why people even bother to invent things when reality itself is so bizarre. Thanks to everyone who came out for the live recording – there were a lot of you and we had a ball poking and prodding Barely’s neurons with you. And those who stuck around for the aftershow hangout are the salt of the earth. Our Patrons are the best, you really do make this show happen each and every week. You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGoogleP...CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Jared Bauer is one of the few people on YouTube who has built something massive and then moved on, and his journey from Wisecrack to his own total reinvention sounds like it’s just getting started. It doesn’t take long for us to realize that Jared is on another level when it comes to understanding the business of online media and how the dollars actually flow. Is the age of brand-sponsored content nearing an end?!Jared thinks that influencer marketing’s house of cards is ready to collapse, and he’s happy to have moved out. But it’s not all grim: what failed in the past might actually be what succeeds in the future. What he does know is that the grind of Wisecrack wore him down, and as he explains the channel’s freakish pace of content generation it’s easy to understand why. Long-term burnout can happen, like with Freddie Wong, or it can be short-term discomfort – like Kevin’s struggle with performing a script while screaming through racetrack corners. It all adds up.Is it possible to sustain years of hard work without running the risk of burnout? Maybe, if you’re shamelessly authentic. It’s a struggle with parasocial relationships, though.. Or is it?Jared talks about everything from what the Harlem Shake *really* meant to how it’s even possible to offer a unique perspective through the video essay. Thanks to everyone who came out to the live show – that chat participation really helps drive the episode. And a special thanks to our Patrons who make this show happen each and every week. You really are the best.Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcastsCREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com#TheCreateUnknown #JaredBauer #Wisecrack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Post your first job FREE: https://linkedin.com/createYou love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Johnny Millenium isn’t just the HappyConsoleGamer, he’s probably the most genuine old-school nerd on YouTube. In a sea of angry video game guys, Johnny just wanted to talk about the games he loved – obscure titles like Ys and Phantasy Star. 14 years later, he’s still sharing his passion for gaming, anime, and D&D with no plans on retiring. Kevin and Johnny get into growing up in the “quieter” 1990s, and swap Final Fantasy 7 pre-order bonus T-shirt stories. They also fanboy out on late 80s hand-drawn anime, and the soundtrack to Project A-Ko. Johnny calls out Kevin for treating him as his personal gamer therapist and Kevin details his pendulum swing between enjoying objectively terrible and great games. We round out the discussion with some questions from Patrons and a tease about what’s coming next on the HappyConsoleGamer channel. Hint: gaming excitement. Thanks to everyone who showed up to lurk and/or participate in the live event, and a special thanks to our Patrons. You really do make this show happen each and every week.Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGoogleP...CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com#TheCreateUnknown #HappyConsoleGamer #JohnnyMillenium Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/The online journey of Eggy is nearly unrivaled, with arcs that include societal commentary, spitting bars, appearing in documentaries and being a person of interest to the FBI. After one of the longest, strangest trips any online persona has taken, Eggy is at a crossroads – and we’re here to figure out what his next move is (after the Final Fantasy and Dr. Pepper). The problem here is the constant process of spending days upon days building something just to have it ripped away, and Eggy’s not sure how many more times he can do that. It’s not even clear why he was banned, but the prospect of working through a site like Patreon doesn’t seem to appeal. After 5 years of full-time YouTube, maybe it’s even time for a real job. We’re in a technologically-dependent world, and Eggy gives a little human connection to those who need it most. The donations were nice, but the audience desperately tried to pay him to break sobriety – and that’s the sort of thing that makes the allure of YouTube life fade. The solution? Self-betterment, because YouTube or not, the shell, white, and yolk are all going to be there. LSMS Fitness is Eggy’s new venture, and everyone is on board with his fitness journey except his gym’s janitor. Darksydephil, King Cobra, there are a lot of people to keep Eggy busy in the meantime… but is the next Eggy arc a cooking show? Nutrition is actually Eggy’s real background interest, and he’s developed his skills over the last decade. Whatever’s next, we’re here for it.Thanks to Eggy for coming back and spending a couple hours with us, and thanks to everyone who joined in on the live show. And a special thanks to the Patrons who make this show happen each and every week. You really are the best.Next week we’ll be live in the Discord with HappyConsoleGamer, followed by Jared Bauer (formerly of Wisecrack), BarelySociable, Coffeezilla, and Out of Frame’s Sean Malone. If you miss ANY of those live recordings, your mom won’t love you anymore. Why would you even want to risk that?Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGoogleP...CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com#TheCreateUnknown #Eggy #Streaming Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/No one in YouTube’s educational universe is more productive than Brady Haran, with literally thousands of videos that cover math, computer science, chemistry… if it’s interesting, Brady has probably made a video about it – or he’s planning to. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, the roots of all that massive body of work are in journalism. But instead of bazillions of hours of education content, we almost got a single documentary series. The real science in Brady’s videos may be in how he talks to people – or is that art? It’s not easy to sit down with academics and pull out compelling content, and Brady is one of the best at making them feel comfortable enough to spill the interesting information. Sometimes that’s not the topic Brady set out to cover, and sometimes it surprises even the interview subjects themselves. And unfortunately, there may be no substitute for experience.Through it all, Brady has developed a subtle confidence that permeates his attitude toward making content. It’s a lesson every creative listening to TCU needs to hear: it’s ok to take awhile. It’s ok to scrap an idea. It’s ok not to plan meticulously and instead to let the content and the people around it run their natural course. Without letting that happen, Kevin never would’ve discovered the Lieber Conjecture. We decide to jettison the number 8 from the human experience before moving into an epic discussion of collecting, cricket, and the historical supremacy of Don Bradman.We talk to a ton of people who in one way or another are excellent models for how to create on a sustainable scale, but there might not be a better example to follow than Brady Haran. Listen, relisten, and create.We had a great crowd for this live show – and we’ve got Eggy, HappyConsoleGamer, and Jared formerly of Wisecrack on the way. Get in the Discord and follow the Events tab, since occasionally our time accommodates the geographic location of the guest. Eggy’s on Tuesday, March 22 at 6pm ET in the Discord, and we’re looking forward to a new round of Gas Station Stories. Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGoogleP...CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com#TheCreateUnknown #BradyHaran #Numberphile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/Few YouTube creators have had an impact as large as James Rolfe’s, with the Angry Video Game Nerd videos constantly cited by TCU listeners as having inspired their work – including Kevin. James, AVGN, Cinemassacre and the ecosystem they’ve built over the last 15 years paved the way for video game commentary content to flourish, and we’ve finally corralled James into spending some time talking to us about it. But if AVGN never existed and James started fresh today, what would his channel be about?As James continues to refine his book, he knows one thing: it’s not possible to walk into a GameStop. Aside from the occasional public recognition, the AVGN life is fairly tame – unless someone sees him in traffic. It’s not all 8-bit life, though; the origins of the AVGN phenomenon can actually be found deep in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens with a film about the Legend of the Blue Hole.AVGN itself started with a few funny videos and then evolved as its popularity grew. Production values increased along with the complexity of scripts, and a bit of profanity started to flow. But as James’ unique presence exploded and YouTube flourished, so did a legion of copycats. Even the ones who tried to be original tended to get angrier. That’s when it became obvious that AVGN was doing something different with its level of analysis and nuance… and James’ formula hasn’t changed.The shows over the years have, though, for a host of reasons. Some just weren’t popular or worth the effort. Others, like Board James, ran their natural course. But for all the changes and evolutions, the core of the Nerd has remained the same – and James wouldn’t have it any other way. What’s the future hold? Horror, perhaps. The book. Conventions. Nerding and assorted Nerdery. It’s almost as if James is just getting started. We’re sorry that no one could join us live for this one, since Discord went down right when we were recording and our options were to talk to James elsewhere or cancel entirely (and probably not be able to reschedule). Hopefully James can come back to promote his book and be subjected to the Patron Question Gauntlet (PGQ).We’ve got Brady Haran of Numberphile (and 8 other channels!) on Tuesday at 6pm ET in the Discord, so GET INNNNN. We miss you.Patreon: https://patreon.com/thecreateunknownJoin our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcuApple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownAppleSpotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotifyGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGoogleP...CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite  Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com  Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw  » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown  » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown  » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown  » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices