Why the 'Cam and Strick' podcast does very well

What is the secret ingredient behind a good podcast?

Good podcasts revolve around a certain key element, and it’s not always content or information. If you’re digging into a sode online for hardcore information, google it away. Sometimes, it’s a matter of listening to two people who mix well, roast each other just enough, and provide a diverting path for the souls whose headspace is stuffed.

Case in point: The Cam and Strick Podcast. Hosted by former NHL enforcer and radio personality Cam Janssen and hockey reporter Andy Strickland, the show features plenty of big name guests such as Brett Hull and Colton Parayko for Blues fans. But the episodes can run nearly three hours long, and the guest interview may take up a third of that time. That leaves the rest of the episode for Janssen and Strickland to ramble, rant, spar a bit, and discuss any and everything happening in the world.

The good thing about this pairing is that they get the guests to unwind and follow them off the cuff with each question. Parayko is asked about fans wanting him to be more aggressive and physical, and his answer is a willing batch of words instead of a defensive pry of information. Strickland leads the Q&A part while Janssen filters in humorous barbs and thoughts, leaving the interviewee bouncing between them. There’s never a need to make the guest feel too comfortable, which is the way it should be.

The truth is you don’t tune into a podcast for the guest list; you tune in because you like the host or hosts. That’s either finding them funny or naturally informative, without much effort being visible. You like how they talk to each other, have fun with the content, speak with the guests, and make the podcast feel just enough different to get and hold onto your attention. People come back to Cam and Strick because they get guests to relax and really dish. A conversation with Hull goes from golfing plans to his new cannabis company, onto Donald Trump and Nazem Kadri, and then to his old playing days.

I never found myself bored or needing better answers/questions. It’s like listening to two guys figure out a job on the fly, and that job is making the content listenable. Janssen and Strickland have over 200 episodes under their belt, but that doesn’t mean they’re done gelling or figuring out ways to make each other laugh.

Don’t sleep on that final thing. The hosts have to like each other, or at least find jokes and humor easy to find over those 2-3 hours. If not, the podcast is a complete dumpster fire and no one would listen. Hockey fans can get a lot out of this endeavor, but I also believe casual podcast folks could listen to these two and get a laugh.

Beware, people who like to cancel someone over a comedic reference. Janssen likes to let it fly and has more of the unfiltered voice of the duo, and that could rub people the wrong way if they walk in like an old couple leaving Ponderosa who got into the wrong car. It’s that “what will he say” aspect of Janssen’s appeal that makes people want to listen to him.

Strickland is the parent of the two on the air, trading barbs with Cam and keeping him on his toes while offering the perspective of a sports reporter who has interviewed countless players and seen a lot of different things in his career.

Being a classic procrastinator and usually starting things later than others, I really dug into the podcast this week with two episodes. I plan on listening to more even when I do remedial things like laundry, daydreaming, and generally making the wasting of time more appealing.

The Cam and Strick podcast works because of the hosts: a classic format played out correctly. Get a person or group of people together who sound good and make time fly. Janssen and Strickland do it very well, running the gauntlet from wacky humor to point blank questions without making the listener feel tired.

(I expect my check in the mail by next week, dudes.)