1436 – Making of Get Besos in the Sky PI
Cozy up with the fuzzy bud of your choice as I go behind the scenes on this mashup series and try to identify the fulcrum point of creative constraint.
Heads up, this series is set in the Big Farm. I've done my best to keep the show as sleepy as possible, but it does touch on different versions of post-Earthly existence. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, it might be best to listen to a different episode.
-
Episode 1436 – Making of Get Besos in the Sky PI
SCOOTER: Alright, friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s…believe it or not, this is my first intro of the year I’m recording. You'll be hearing it a few months from now. So, again, we get connected across the deep, dark night. That’s really what the show is about. But if you're new or you're checking…returning to the show after a break or you're here time after time after time, welcome. I’m so glad you're here. This…I’m here to just keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep. This show is a bit different. Believe it or not, I strive to bring sleepy joy and delight to you. I don't always get there. Usually I don't get there. That’s what I strive to do as a distraction from whatever’s keeping you awake and to keep you company. Ideally then you fall asleep. I’m not actually here to put you to sleep. I’m here to hang out with you, tell you a story, but even telling a story is gonna take me a while to get there, just like a good, boring friend would.
You say, I wouldn't describe my friend, my…he’s not boring but I don't know what other word…but it is…hanging out with him is delightful and joyous but in a very unique way. That’s what I’m here to try to do. So, if you've had trouble sleeping like me or any of the other listeners, there’s a lot…we all want to help. So, I’m glad you're here. What we got coming up is an intro to the podcast that’s to ease you into bedtime, and then tonight will be a kinda making-of bedtime stories-esque podcast talking about the priorities of the show, actually, sleepy, joyous delight in 2026. ‘Cause even though we’re well into 2026 when you're hearing this, I’m just getting started here, and I want to think about how to make the best possible podcast to put you to sleep that I can, if I can, 'cause this show is not for everybody. I’ll talk about that coming up. But before we get to that, we got the support.
If you are new, you only listen occasionally, you can't afford to support the show, you're having a tough time, we’ve got you. But if the podcast changes your life on a nightly basis or nearly-nightly basis, you listen to more than one episode a night, we really could either use you, if you're hearing me, supporting the show, or someone else supporting the show for you. If you say, yeah, I’m the one; I’ll support it for me, I’ll support it for all those other people you mentioned, too. I want to have their back and help them sleep as well as me, here’s the ways you could participate in that. Thanks.
Intro: Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a sleepy…a nice, sleepy place…a nice, sleepy safe place where you could set aside whatever it is that’s keeping you awake, whether that’s thoughts on your mind, things you're thinking about about the past, the present, the future, feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally related to sleep, physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, if you're going through something, you're getting over something, you're in the middle of something, you have…you're traveling, you have guests, maybe you work a different schedule or you have something coming up, it could be physical sensations — I think I forgot that part — feelings…thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, any of that other stuff.
The only reason I bring that stuff up is so you know you're not alone. Or maybe you don't even need to know that, so you get the sense you're not alone. You get the sense that somebody’s here to try to help out by taking your mind off of stuff and keeping you company, but also that somebody’s here to help out who gets it, who’s been there, and maybe you're hearing the laughter in my voice. I’m in the middle of a stretch of having something else happening that’s out of my control impacting my sleep, caring for something, being a caregiver, I guess, and then when I’m not doing that, also I’ve been trying to wind down. I just haven't been able…I’m in a pretty deep stretch here and doing all the other self-care stuff I have…I can, but even then, when I say, hey…I run it by people, they say, huh…like, I don't feel like they…people that can sleep and are sleeping well, that they just don't get it. Actually, this isn't even that bad.
Sometimes…‘cause I…I guess 'cause I know what’s going on, versus a lot of times when I can't sleep, it’s more baffling. Or I try to do everything right and I still can't sleep. So, I guess the only reason I talk about this stuff and that I’m honest about it…one is because this part of the show is more meant for us to hang out and for you to wind down than to put you to sleep, but so you get the sense that maybe you're understood here, where out in the world full of sleepers, you're not. But here’s one better layer, one deeper layer around the show and why I’m so comfortable being vulnerable and talking about…right now, is that there’s other people out there listening right now…whatever it is that brought you to the show, whatever it is that’s standing or…whatever it is between you and getting the sleep you need, there’s enough people listening right now that there are people listening at this moment who really get where you're at.
They really do know exactly or very similar of how you're feeling. Not only that; there’s regular listeners who are so glad you're here. They're wishing you well. They are wishing you a good night's sleep right now, people around the world. That’s the real magic of this show, is that it’s full of people wishing each other well and of understanding those sub-feelings or whatever you want to call them, and the fact that it’s just not easy. The reason I make the show…that is the reason I make the show. I’ve experienced a lot of different sleeplessnesses in my life, and I also don't pronounce words perfectly. But I know this works for the people it works for. It doesn't work for everybody, and I’ll talk about that coming up, too. But I’m glad you're here. Other people, other listeners are glad you're here, and then that’s also circular in a good way. Those listeners are feeling good right now wishing you well.
They say, man, I hope the show not only helps you sleep but you get to experience sending someone comfort across the deep, dark night who…you really understand the struggle they're in. The other thing is you deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need so your life is more manageable without rigmarole or where you could say, well, at least I can look forward to bedtime or feel neutral about it. I got that podcast guy, I got my bedtime routine. It’s better than…Sleep With Me podcast; it’s better than nothing. For some…actually, only for some people it’s better than nothing. I would not put that on a pillow or one of those cross-stitch framed things. I would put it…if I could afford to, I would put it on a billboard, because that would be hilarious. Sleep With Me; in certain cases it’s better…in very select cases…for very few people it’s better than nothing, and for some people it’s actually better than nothing. But you gotta see how it goes.
So, that’s a little bit too much…I’d say, well, you'd need about twelve billboards for that. It doesn't…it wouldn't work on a billboard, son. That’s the same person that tells me, why don't you just not think about it? Why don't you sleep in a different…? You know, all that stuff. So, I really mean it when I say I’m glad you're here, and I really mean it when I say I hope I can help, but that I’m not alone in those messages. There’s other listeners out there sending you well wishes, too. Now, the way I do it is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, I go off topic, I get mixed up, I talk about stuff, not always…you know, a lot of times it’s silly and lighthearted stuff. For example, this is also the first time I’m recording…I still haven't fully settled into a new recording space, but I have a window in front of me, and this is the first time I was able to say, okay, let’s try opening the blinds and the…there’s no shutters but there are…what are those things called?
Curtains and blinds. The interesting thing is I don't know if the blinds have been there since I was a child, 'cause this was multiple children’s rooms over the history of this room. I mean, many children in my family, and also, this house has been rented out before, too. I’ve slept in this room. So, I don't know if you've ever had…at some point there was…I think they call them blinds or mini-blinds. They were one of the things. First…these are certain eras of regular-people home design. I don't know how else to describe it. Track lighting; I think that was in the late eighties, early nineties, then mini-blinds or blinds, which were supposed to solve all the problems with curtains. I say, wait a second, was there any problem…? Curtains, when done right, seem to do just fine on their own. I mean, no offence to mini-blinds. I’m sure there are…I really like the full…I don't know, are those Venetian blinds, the really thick ones that are made from wood? I like those.
But, well, in the hands of a child like me…so, these blinds are…if you've ever…maybe I’ll take a picture of them. They've been experimented on by…'cause they would be right next to somebody’s bed most of the time. So, they’ve been bent, they’ve been adjusted. I’m like, huh, did I do these adjustings or did my siblings do them or some other child who may have been in this house when it was a rental? I don't know. What’s my point? Well, that was a pointless meander or a superfluous tangent, and…oh, from the beautiful view I have of just one tree right now…'cause there’s also boxes of my stuff…but it’s got snow on it and it’s bare, winter branches. It may be that tree that has the fuzzy things, the fuzzy buds. Yeah, fuzzy buds, that sounds like something. Man, maybe that…can somebody else remind me of that? Fuzzy buds. Anybody want…? That could be a Sleep With Me saying. Yeah, we're fuzzy buds. I don't know what kind of tree this is. It’s not a weeping willow. Oh, I almost had the name of it.
I’m sure there’s a lot of people that know the name of it right off the top of your head. It’s in my database some…my data banks somewhere. It’s just not accessible. I almost had it there. It almost…fuzzy willow? Maybe that’s what it is. Fuzzy bud, fuzzy willow. I’m starting to think of fuzzy, Willow-based comedy from the famous…different Willows of the world. But I say, we’ll save that. So, okay, yeah, what do you call when you're listening to Willow Smith and the broadcast isn't coming through on the radio? There’s interference. What do you have a case of? A case of fuzzy Willow. Ba-dum-bump. So, I’ll be here all evening. Okay, so…oh, I send my voice across the deep, dark night, I go off topic, and whatever brought you here, the most important thing for me to tell you is this show is just not for everybody, and that’s okay, but it does take a couple tries to get used to, so give it two or three tries.
That’s what…I think over a million people have e-mailed me in the past twelve, thirteen years saying, hey, the first try I stronger than loathed you and the show, but I was desperate. Then the second try I was like, huh, wait a second, and then the third time I listened I just woke up the next day, because…now I get it. The show is always going nowhere, always never getting…you are a fuzzy bud will…you're a fuzzy bud, you're a fuzzy…you do fuzzy willow comedy and you're a fuzzy bud. So, don't Google that term, by the way, because I have no idea what will come up, but probably…I mean, yeah. Fuzzy willow, if that’s a tree, even then I wouldn't Google…I wouldn't Google either one of those terms. Just don't. I’m not saying it to plant…I’m also telling myself, remember later, don't Google fuzzy bud just in case. So…okay, not…oh, so most people don't like me or the show, though, in the end. Give it a few tries. See how it goes.
If you discover you don't like the show, it doesn't work, it doesn't comfort you, distract you, put you at ease, or you already know…like, you're a arborist and you're like, not only am I an arborist, but I just…there’s something about you. It’s not a fit. Don't worry, we have a website set up, because that’s common. Sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou has other sleepy stuff on there you could check out and help you out. That’s what I hope for you, that you find something to help you fall asleep. Even if you strongly dislike me, you still deserve a good night's sleep. So, it has other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there. Check it out, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. Okay, that’s one thing. The other thing is that this is a podcast you don't really listen to. It’s kinda like background noise that you barely pay attention to like a fuzzy bud or like, if you were listening to fuzzy Willow and it was the right kind of fuzzy, you say, okay, that’s cool background noise.
A TV on in the other room, a show streaming under your pillow, a out-of-focus picture, something you can pay attention to but you don't need to…and particularly right now, my dog Koa really needs some comfort, and she’s been listening to a lot…and kind of watching a lot of Rick Steves and a couple other shows, and it really does…it’s like, she’s not paying…not offence to Rick…I don't think Koa’s planning any trips to Europe, or ever was. As a dog she’s like, Europe? You're up next to take me for a walk. Koa even does humor. But she does like the sound…and Rick Steves is a somewhat new one…new thing in her life. She’s like…last night she was watching a situation comedy, but…yeah. So, it’s something you don't listen to. Also not meant to put you to sleep. This show, there is no pressure to fall asleep with this show, no expectation to fall asleep. I’m not here to put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff. Yes, this is a sleep podcast.
Yes, it’s been around since 2012, and yeah, I kind of was like, hey, how come there’s no bedtime stories for grownups or a podcast to help grownups fall asleep like a goofy friend, like any bedtime podcast like that? It’s still not here to put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company so you could fall asleep, while you could fall asleep, or when you can't sleep at all, 'cause there’s people listening who can't sleep at all or who need a break during the day or need a break during work or they just need something in the background. Or like my dog Koa, she’s had her fill of me throughout her lifetime, so the podcast doesn't help. Also, I’m there saying, it’s okay, I’m here. So, having another thing…and also like a podcast. I’m here so that the people in your life, they can help you out from time to time, but there aren't many friends you could put on call to put you to sleep whenever you want.
So, my job is to be here whether you're awake or asleep, to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your neighbore, your bore-bie, your boreman, your Boris Borelaf, your chairman of the boreds, your best bore-friend f’eva, and just keep you company and hang out with you just like a real friend would if they were…yeah. Can you imagine…? Koa…I think if Koa could speak, she’d say, man, I’d love…but she gets that benefit anyway. I’d love to have Rick Steves talk to me about Europe. I’m not going to Europe, but I’d love to have Rick Steves just talk…I love listening to Rick Steves talk about Europe and travel. Actually, I say, me too, Koa. That’s maybe…I say, me too. Now, that doesn't put me to sleep 'cause I would like to go to Europe or whatever. I like…say, wait a second, are you talking about Baroque again? Okay. So, anyway, what was my point?
Oh, I’m not here to be listened to unless you need to, and I’m not here to put you to sleep, but I may put you to sleep or help you out in the deep, dark night. The only other thing I like to run through is the structure of the show. We have a very specific structure that’s made to benefit the maximum amount of people we can, but there are adjustments you could make. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so everybody feels seen and welcomed in. You say, okay, I could check that show out. Then there’s support for sponsors or requests for super-listeners to support the show so that paying for the show is optional. It really comes down to the people that benefit the most supporting the podcast for them and for everybody else that listens, whether they support the sponsors or support the show directly, and that’s pretty cool, right?
If you prefer something…if you're a super-listener or you say, I prefer something without ads, you could get that on Sleep With Me+, but most people are happy to listen to this version. It just benefits a lot of people. Then after the support, totally separate from the support, is a show within a show, the intro, which I think we're around fifteen to twenty minutes into. That’s about how long they normally are. The intro is meant to introduce the podcast in a familiar way, but we do a new intro every single time so that there’s familiarity and variety, because that’s what I think is important about this show, is you know I’m here in a new way every time to help you out, and whatever it is that keeps you awake can be comforted by that fact. Oh, he’s gonna do the familiar structure but he’s…I don't think I’ve ever talked about fuzzy buds or fuzzy willows before. I tell you what, it’s pretty comforting me imagining petting a fuzzy willow even if that’s not what it is. If you know, you say, okay, don't Google that, either.
But it’s like this fuzzy bud on a tree. It’s a pretty nice thing. It’s arch…I mean, it may be beyond a archetype for me of something comforting and nice. Say, wow, nature is absolutely mind-blowingly beautiful, awe-inspiring, and amazing, even if I don't know the vocabulary. I would like to be a fuzzy bud with nature for sure. So, what was my point in there? The intro goes on and on and on…oh, in a different way every time so it feels new versus something repetitive my brain gets used to and then is like, nope, that’s not gonna work anymore. So, that’s why every intro is different. It’s also long, like fifteen to twenty minutes versus two or three minutes, to ease you into bedtime. The intro, while it puts a tiny percentage of people to sleep…and really, if you're in that percentage, please consider supporting the show if you fall asleep fast. But most people, the intro is meant to ease you into bedtime, to be listened to as you’re getting ready for bed, as you're winding down, getting comfortable, chilling out.
The intro is meant to just be some time to hang out and do a wind-down activity or get comfortable, prep for bed, chill out, and ease into bedtime. That’s what works for me most of the time and what studies show works, is having a nice routine, and this podcast could just be one part of it. So, that’s the intro, then after the intro will be either support and sponsor…or asking the super-listeners to support the show, and then it’ll be a bedtime story. Tonight it’ll be our look-back at the making of Get Besos Big Farm in the Sky PI, and that’s it. I’ll be here over an hour. I’ll be here…there’s plenty of episodes to choose from or play around with or make your own playlists with, 'cause I really want to help you out. I’m really glad you came by. Again, if you're new, you can't afford to support the show, you only listen occasionally, don't worry, we got you. But if you are a regular, regular listener and this podcast has changed your relationship with sleep or made your life better, please consider supporting one of these sponsors or supporting the show. Thanks.
Hey everybody, this is Scoots here, and this is our look-back and maybe a look…prob…more than likely a look forward at the rest…the next series we're gonna do in…the next episodically modular series we’ll do, maybe even the next two and kinda the…this is where we kinda check in of what worked, what didn't work, what were some of the inspirations, things like that. I assess the creative part of…a little behind-the-scenes, I guess, of the making of Get Besos, and…but I think this one may be…we may venture into the podcast itself, and maybe when you're hearing this we already…it’ll be after this recording — if you support the show — kinda doing some check-ins and laying out of stuff. So, yeah, let’s get into it. So, this is the…I mean, it’s not a actual episode of Get Besos Big Farm in the Sky PI, but it is Episode 20 or Episode…yeah, or you could say there was eighteen episodes of Get Besos Big Farm in the Sky, and a recap episode, and then this kinda look-back episode.
The recap episode is always fun 'cause it normally happens organically. This time it kinda almost…I guess I kinda planned it. But in the past it was a question of at some point my recap of the series will reach…I don't know the first time we did it. I think it was with Get Besos. I don't even know what episode that was, 16, 15, 16, 17, so it wasn't even in the middle. So, this was our first series that I’m aware of that was a mash-up of two series or alternating…or two sets of series of characters existing in the same…or kind of trying to accomplish the same thing. If I mentioned this somewhere else, please let me know. But I don't have right now access to an exact time when it came up to me of like, huh, Big Farm in the Sky PI could help out with Get Besos. I’m assuming it happened on a dog walk, 'cause that’s where a lot of the ideas…which is funny; in the California era of the podcast and Koa-going-for-a-long-walk era where ideas came from.
We’ll see in this New York State state of mind Koa going for much shorter walks, a period of the podcast where ideas will come from. But yeah, the idea came up of…huh, I don't know which came first, actually, but my desire to return to Get Besos I think…huh, I’m not even sure about this, but I’m pretty sure…or, yeah, I’m getting more and more positive that what happened was I’ve had this idea for a long time, a desire to tell a story of rescuing people like Inspector Javert from post-earthly…non-positive post-earthly existences. Every once in a while…some people might be…do you ever get tired of writing post-earthly fiction? I say, huh, I mean, not yet. It’s kind of like an endless unknown. It was recently…I don't think I read the article about it, but…'cause I was afraid it would make me overthink things. But there was a recent article about post-earthly realms that I didn't read. I read the headline. I said, better not read that.
Yeah, so, I had this…and it’s like, man, I really am interested in the idea, kind of like a movie, where…and a specific genre of movie which I guess could be termed the Great Escape genre, where you say, hey, it’d be great to escape this post-earthly…this non-positive post-earthly realm, but that usually it involves a team of people either within…that are…say, that’s a great idea; let’s do it together, or, hey, let’s go in there. Kinda similar to what happened. Like, if it didn't take place in the world of Get Besos, it would be like, huh, Inspector Javert…I don't think everybody would agree on it, but it’s like, hey, that kind of non-positive Earth…post-earthly realm that Inspector Javert may or may not be in. But you could kinda see if you're…where the layers of Sleep With Me and Get Besos start to intersect with this. One, well, you're right; we do do a lot of post-earthly fiction. Do we really need to invent a whole ‘nother set of post-earthly characters? Is that even a good idea?
Two, this does sound a bit like RW, particularly with someone like Inspector Javert, who would be desirous of find…of saying, this is so unfair. Then that kind of humorous parts or curious parts of like, wait a second, which Inspector Javert? Wait a second, you mean Inspector Javert from the book? From the musical? From the musical movie? Which musical? Do you know that’s a fictional character that will not be in…? If there’s post-earthly…so, then it gets interesting, right, where it’s like, huh, so you're telling me if there’s post-earthly realms, there’s no fictional…sentient fictional beings in post-earthly realms. Huh, that’s interesting to me. That’s a rule I would…that’s a rule I would like to explore and look into. So, at some point it came…the layers started to…okay, to back up, a lot of the ideas on Sleep With Me, however they appear, whether they appear in one-off episodes or episodically modular series or even on-location episodes or personal essays, they're not fully-formed ideas. They're ideas that keep bubbling up from the story swamp, this one in particular.
Huh, well, I would go to the movies to see that. Not with Inspector Javert, but…and I would actually watch that as a show because it is episodic or…episodic, episodic? You're telling me they're gonna have to go in there like one of those eighties TV shows as a team and do this. Huh, that’s interesting to me. Then there’s another layer of Sleep With Me-specific thing, which is starting to…say, okay, let’s not…let’s also pull some inspiration from myth or story, right? What can we pull and how will that impact how it unfolds or the details or the worlds? I guess in a sense, looking back on it, I say, well, it could have been advantageous to not have…to be serialized only and not episodic, which is kinda the Big Farm in the Sky piece anyway, ‘cause what I like about Big Farm in the Sky PI normally is he’s…a lot of times there’s…I guess in Season 2 there was some sort of overarching…it usually has to be something through…but anyway, so, these ideas, they…oh, okay, well, now we could learn about other post-earthly realms.
That’s something that interests me, and then it starts to add…it just becomes a creative constraint and an addition of randomness. I think the beginning of the series…I guess 'cause it was the…a lot of the seeds were in that idea. It was like, okay, well, where would Inspector Javert be, and what happened, right? So, then you learn more about the character and, okay, what do we know about Inspector Javert’s background? What do we know about his personality? Then it was kind of like thinking about…I don't know exactly how we got there, but what post-earthly realm would most appear to Javert is just really interesting to me. To me; not to everybody. Like, if he had a choice, how would he make it? Then that becomes the mystery. Okay, so…oh, how did he make the choice? Where did he get the information? What does he really want? All that kind of stuff.
I don't know, I guess that’s where the idea came from, was just…I mean, I do really like…even though on the previous series I was like, can we put out another series with Richard Warren in it, RW? Because he’s become such a…I don't know, the character, I didn't realize at the time how archetypal the character was. I mean with…or how it fits a certain archetype, and…but now I kinda love it, and it just makes…just like I love spending time with Richie and James. It is more of Richard Warren’s series 'cause he’s the one that really wants to get kisses or whatever, but…and James is kind of his hapless best friend along for the ride. But it’s always interesting for me to say, okay, not only does he want to Get Besos, but it’s always for the strangest reasons. Or in this case it was that he had already come up with this ridiculous idea. Then it’s like, yeah, I don't know. I don't want to get too much into it or re-overexplain everything.
So…okay, so, let’s do what worked and what is in the middle and, hey, what are we learning and moving forward with? So, what worked? I mean, I really like…I kinda laid out what worked. It’s like, what works with most things with Sleep With Me is getting an idea, letting it percolate, then playing with the idea, and then trying to find…I don't know if it’s a fulcrum point, but something outside of my imagination to kinda counteract or to give me the ability to focus, I guess, and offer a creative constraint that’s outside of the story or my imagination. So, this one, it was like characters in myth or…and sometimes it would just grow out of other things. Like, we’d…something…research something and then it would reveal something else or it would…I have…oh, I think it was…Jay Bruce, I think; was that who it was? I think that…I’m trying to think of the episode that took place on the ship, with Larry Vaughn. I thought it’d be funny to have Larry Vaughn 'cause he’s also a Richard Warren-type character.
He was a mayor of a fictional version of Martha’s vineyard in Nantucket where there was a issue with a kissing beluga. You know that famous film, The Kissing Beluga, and Larry Vaughn was the major of that. But…and Jay Bruce, I believe…was that…? He was in the movie, right? Was that Billy Zane’s character? Maybe not. Maybe I’m imagining things. But that one was kind of gimmicky 'cause I just like the idea of rearranging deck chairs, 'cause that seems like a pretty clear punishment that those two…that would be where…now that one, I don't think Richard Warren…were they on his list? ‘Cause they were too similar to him, and he needed something from Jay Bruce or whoever it was. So, I don't know. Okay, so, what was I trying to talk about? Oh, what worked. You could kinda see how I got confused and went on a meander there. So, those things…the mixing of outside and inside stuff and then recycling it, it adds the ability to make meanders. ‘Cause the creativity is not magic, right?
It is…and this kinda goes into what do we need to change moving forward. It is a bit of focusing, writing, and then reading or researching. So, ideally there’s too much stuff and then I’m trying to refocus it, and then I’m trying to write it enough so I can record it. Then there’s a ideal situation where we have a plot or outline with dialogue and we have more ideas of where things should go, and then it becomes time to record. Now, I did the…here’s a question, is did the mashing-up of series work or not? I would say…I don't know if that’s the right question to ask even though I’m asking. I would say, well, considering the creative constraints and that both these series took place…take place in the same general universe, I guess it was inevitable that these characters…well, maybe not, 'cause it seems like it’s a pretty near-limitless space. But it would seem like they would cross paths at some point, right? Or that’s possible.
If you were gonna hire someone…from Richard Warren’s point it’s like, hey, this person, Simon, he’s the Big Farm in the Sky PI, so if you need help finding people for whatever reason, he would be a good person to help you find people. So, it makes sense, and the only…so, the only thing that gives me pause is that…and it being really a lot of episodes extended over a period of time, which we’ll kinda talk about in a second…and I don't know if that worked, but it’s not for the reason you may be thinking. It is for a behind…a couple behind-the-scenes reasons, which is interesting. ‘Cause we have done series that have hit eighteen episodes, and then you think about…oh, okay, so it was like 9 and 9 — I think I already talked about this on another episode — or, whatever, 10 and 8 or something around there, you know, of the…whether it was Big Farm in the Sky or a Richard-and-James episode.
You say, okay, 9 and 9 is not too bad, and that’s actually what we usually shoot for, is somewhere between eight and twelve episodes for a written series. So, I guess, I don't know, I guess maybe I’m too close to it now, 'cause I’m usually wrong. It’s like, huh, I still feel like…or I guess what I’m saying is I still feel like it was a separate series. So, not so much of a mash-up as parallel play, even though they were…you know what I’m saying? It was more like parallel play than them, even though Simon was working towards the same goal and sometimes helping them. In the end, to reach a resolution, everybody…they need a lot of help, particularly from G and DK, obviously, 'cause they're the real heroines of the whole thing. But I guess, I don't know…yeah, 'cause I guess I was writing each episode as either/or and trying to keep it separate. So, it wasn't…I just don't think…to be honest, I don't know if anybody other than James could work directly with Richie, Richard Warren, RW, for longer than half an episode because he’s just too dominant.
Even people that are very gracious like G, DK, and Simon, at some point you're just gonna choose to not deal with somebody like that and say, hey, I prefer anything but this. Now, of course, part of the writing and the performance part of the podcast is making Richard Warren as delightful as possible because…I mean, well, that’s, I guess…is that irony? He’s almost the center of…him being steadfast in his need to be who he is is what puts delight and joy in there, and the mysteriousness, like something beyond my understanding that he still has a best friend and someone that has…loves him. I think that was a big part of this…maybe it was part of every series with them, is like reiterating that James does love Richard Warren Sears and that Richard Warren Sears loves James, or on the majority of his consciousness, loves the fact that James loves him as a best friend. He definitely loves that. But even beyond ego, he cares…well, maybe he doesn't care about James.
He does care about him on some level because he knows that James finds positive qualities in him. So…but it’s delightful trying to make a character like that. I don't know, you probably hear it in the series or my voice now; it’s like, instead of being…he’s essentially the main character of the story or the…I mean the wheel…he’s the one that makes everything happen and moves everything forward, his choices and his desire and his needs, which are based on him being who he is and what he wants. He never gets necessarily what he needs from the universe, but maybe he does. For him to become self-actualized may take eighty…eight hundred episodes. You never know, because we did set up another series, but again, based on…that wasn't planned as the ending. It just became the obvious ending.
The more and more plotting out as we did, it was like, okay, everything kept circling back to Moriarty, right, and that Moriarty, too, is someone that Richard Warren would not…would become focused on and dismissive of, because Moriarty is known for being generally a genius or extremely capable and successful at what Moriarty wants to do. The fact that it was this drive…and then there could be some ineptitude and that there was a convenient point with the drive, and the red Elasticene and Spandex person…what are we gonna do with this person? Because even though this is one time in fictional history of existence that their presence was actually needed, they're still…Richard Warren’s not gonna let them lead. It’s his story. Who cares what’s best for existence from Richard Warren’s standpoint? But it was also like, what do we do with Jiff? Then it was like, okay, Jiff's not gonna stop, either.
Jiff is similar to these characters, a little bit different 'cause…at least the fictional Jiff is driven by this more calculating…I don't want to say intellectually curious but logistically-curious mind, which you could say is not based on a morality spectrum. He’s maybe not actualized in that way. Well, I’m unaware of what’s moral or whatever. I’m just curious to see if I can make these logistics work. Again, this is just the fictional character, right? I say, okay, so where…? That was kinda what was driving his actions behind the scenes in this series, is, oh, I have access to all these post-earthly realms. Wait a second, I could leverage these with a just a few changes and I could use this logistically and actually…now everybody’s doing stuff, and why would you have someone rolling a rock up a hill when you could have them packing bins or whatever?
So, it’s just seeing things through his eyes, where I guess maybe that’s a spin back to the delight of RW, is seeing things through his eyes but with detachment is delightful, because his actions are so relevant. But his actions are so…I don't know, it’s just delightful to be like, you really do that. You really risk all of existence based on this thing you think. Oh, yeah. What do you mean? You don't even know what you're talking about. Or his best friend and his blanket, right, is a little bit different. ‘Cause I say, man, that’s too bad that you choose…you have a best friend here that really cares about you. So…okay, so, yeah, I guess was it a mash-up? Kind of. Was it a mash-up that worked? I say, well, maybe. Maybe not. So, one takeaway, one change that needs to be made moving forward, right…and…is going back to the old writing schedule. So, I don't know when this started, right?
But over the past couple years there’s been a lot of challenges within the podcast, the sustainability part and my personal life, and at some point it was like, okay, maybe I’ll just put out one episodically modular episode a month, and then I only have to write one a month, and that seems more doable the way my life has looked over the past couple of years. I say, okay, I could still do that, but the deadline, which may not seem…if you don't…you're just gonna have to trust me…at least over the past couple of years that that…recording two of those episodes a month or every other week, it just felt like there wasn’t enough time in the day to accomplish that, and something needed to change. But now, looking back on it, I wouldn't say it was the wrong decision because it was a decision of like, hey, I gotta keep this podcast going the best I possibly can. My job is to make the podcast that puts you to sleep. My job is to make Sleep With Me, right?
So, that’s the main lens I have to run a lot of decisions through when I’m calm. Okay, is this choice gonna help me keep making the podcast that puts people to sleep or not? I guess at the time I said, yeah, this will, because…I don't know. It’s still…when I’m recording this it’s at the end of 2025, between Christmas and New Years. It’s been a challenging year and…with sustainability of the show. It’s something that’s…so, to go back to now, looking forward at our next series we're gonna do and the scheduling and stuff like that…so, I think this will carry us through ‘til March or April, this episode I’m recording now. But will this help me keep making the podcast that puts me to sleep? Writing a episode every two weeks or every three weeks or whatever, every four weeks, which of those will help me…at least am I thinking will help me make the pod…the best podcast that puts you to sleep, the best version of Sleep With Me?
I do think it’s returning to the two-week recording schedule for the episodically modular series episodes, and I think it is because of the challenging…the challenge of that. Now…and by the time recording…I guess two weeks from now or…so, mid-January, we’ll say, my life is becoming more and more settled and routine within my new routine, which is still some challenges or whatever, but…and I think having a goal that’s not overly ambitious but is a challenge…it means you have to write every single day, maybe even Saturday and Sunday. Not even maybe; definitely you should be writing one writing session five days a week and then maybe a split shorter writing session two days a week in order to put out…to write a episode. It takes two weeks of that writing. So, whatever, ten plus…twelve days of writing. Not eight hours of writing, obviously, 'cause there’s a lot of other stuff that’s gotta get done. So, looking forward, we do…I do have the next series.
I have been working on it, so…of the kind of…trying to figure out the narration tone. It’s gonna be a new series, again, a series I’ve been thinking about for a long time. So, we're just in the…getting ready to start writing the first episode. I think I picked it yes…was that yesterday? Yeah, the narration…the type of narration it’s gonna be. But then you gotta see how that plays out in…recording it and stuff. But the goal will be to put that out I guess twice a month, and…or probably twice a month. Or to make…to produce two episodes a month…I don't know, I think they would come out twice a month. Or, at least on Sleep With Me+ it would come out twice a month. That’s another thing of trying to figure out the sustainability of the show long-term. But…and yeah, recording an episode every other week except when I need to take time off for some…something comes up or something or, yeah, we miss…oh boy, we miss our deadline and we put it out a few days later.
But I think creatively that challenge offers the most ups…very little downside other than having to stay a little bit disciplined and focused. It offers the most upside for Sleep With Me as a whole because the writing always impacts every other kind of episode we do in a positive way. It’s never impacted anything in a negative way with the show unless it’s like, well, if I gotta make more mini-sodes to convince people to support the show or more videos or stuff like that or record more in-house ads or whatever, those are the trade-offs. I say, okay, well, I need to get…I don't have unlimited time. It’s like the trade-offs I’ve been having to make over the past couple of years. But it’s like, okay, well, I have to find some other trade-off or something because it affects the TV episodes in a positive way. It affects the personal-essay episodes in a positive way.
It gives me more ideas for stuff that’ll come up in the one-off episodes, and it’s just…it just keeps me…I don't know, it creates more and more creative…it just keeps the tools always…those particular creative tools, like using…noodling out ideas, playing with creative constraints, doing research, saying…practicing dialog between characters, and rewriting impacts everything that we make without a doubt in a positive way, probably one of the biggest things or if not the biggest thing. The second one would be the TV recap, doing that in a disciplined way, which we’ve been doing. So, that, I think, is one change that we need to make, and the next one is kinda similar. It doesn't have to do with the episodically modular series, but it has to do with this question, which goes back to…that’s the question that is every major turning point in the podcast, and it’s been a while since we’ve had any major turning points.
Like, the major turning points in the podcast were, let’s see, going from three episodes to two episodes a week. That was…me trying to do the podcast full-time, that was a pretty big turning point, starting the Patreon and me being afraid and changing up our whole plan and then moving to Sleep With Me+; that was more of a behind-the-scenes thing. But all those were based on is…when the decisions are clear, it’s like, how is this gonna help me keep making the podcast that puts you to sleep? Going from two episodes to three episodes is like, okay, now we have a general idea of how many hours of human labor it takes to make a episode of Sleep With Me. The show will never bring in enough money to make three new episodes a week, so we’ll just go to two episodes a week, and that was that choice. Even paying someone almost nothing just doesn't make sense to make three episodes a week.
If you make two episodes a week, you make two really good episodes a week versus making three episodes a week. Then…actually, and then 2024 or 2025…I guess it was 20…I said, okay, there’s a lot going on in the world now. Now we have this huge archive. Let’s put a third episode out a week to give everybody more to listen to and to take their mind off of stuff. So, I guess it’s ironic that now we put out three episodes a week, but that’s based on listener need and it’s a lot easier to do. It still does take a bit of work. Rusty Biscuit listens to all the episodes, takes notes, we re-edit those episodes. Sometimes we remix them. So, it’s not a matter of just pressing a button or anything, but it’s worth it, right? So, we're at a point where it’s like, that question isn't always…there’s gonna be a new question. So, it’s always like, how does this help me keep making the podcast that puts you to sleep when I’m faced with a choice, right?
But what we're up against is…well, it’s a twofold issue, is the super-listener question, right? We now know how many people listen ten…there’s…most people don't listen like a super-listener. So, if you're a super-listener, you consume much, much more of the podcast resources than a regular listener or new listener, and…at least ten times as much, but probably a lot more than ten times, 'cause that’s only the average, right? That means you listen to multiple…we talked about this…and trying to get more super-listeners to support the show. I thought that would be a easy, easy thing, right? Particularly when I was like, hey, I don't know if this pod…how sustainable this show is anymore…where it’s been over the past couple of years, where it’s just been on the border of like, huh, this is not gonna be sustainable very much longer. But that…so, that created this twofold problem, right?
It’s like, getting more super-listeners to support the show is the answer to the sustainability of the podcast, but that’s also fully out of my control other than asking. It’s become…it’s just become a area that’s become very soft on the inside around, right? Because I say, why do I not have…? I guess because it’s like, one, I have F-E-A-R that I won't be able to keep making the show that puts people to sleep, right, that I like making, that not only do people benefit, but probably…we thought it was 20…it’s probably like 30,000 people in the free, ad-supported podcast listen to hundreds of hours a year. I mean, more than hundreds of hours a year. So…okay, but that is not under my control but I want it to be, right? Then I also fall into this idea of like, if I can find a way to put it under my control, then I’ll feel safe and self-assured and all that. So, the past two years I’ve been bouncing between those things and obviously other things going on and stuff like that, and that’s no longer working.
Or asking the question, how does this help me make the podcast that puts you to sleep? It does not relieve the tension in that, I guess is more the answer, right? Because it’s like, well, obviously getting more people that benefit the most from the show to support it helps me keep making the podcast that puts people to sleep. But S-T-R-E-S-S-I-N-G-I-N-G about it does not, or me getting binary or all-or-nothing feelings or solutions about it, or just, even if it’s only internally it does not solve it. So, the new question, which is a secondary question and it’s an imaginary question in a sense; so, I want to lay that out there, and you could use this. Or, I personally don't just use…this is a new tool I have in my toolbox, I guess I’ll say, and it’s not just in the Sleep With Me toolbox, but it applies; is like, who is leading right now? Or who’s guiding this right now? Or you could parse it out however you wish. That’s just how I parse it. It works best for me.
You could say, what principle or what feelings or what thoughts or whatever is leading the direction or however? But for me it’s like, who’s leading right now? ‘Cause I do…I am one of those people that does have brainbots, and a lot of facets of my personality, especially my internal-life personality, are very distinct. So, it’s a little bit easier for me to…if I pause and ask that question, I say, oh, huh, who is leading right now? So, when the question of how are we gonna keep the show going, is this best or whatever? Yeah, how are we gonna keep Sleep With Me sustainable? If I start to jump into an area, even if it’s been a week or a month and I’ve been working on something, to pause and say, who’s leading right now? Is it…? ‘Cause it doesn't sound like it’s super-chill Scoots or Drew or…Is it someone that’s…? Is it a brainbot? I don't use brainbots as my own personal…my own interior life. Those aren't the…brainbots are just sleep-related for me.
But we could imagine that…I say, is it a brainbot scooting around in there, like run…zooming back and forth? Say, is that person qualified to be leading this right now? It’s okay to be wrong. I guess you're gonna make mistakes and…I guess I’m saying that to myself but I’m saying it to you as a listener or letting you know that I know that, right? Or for some people, breaking the illusion that, yeah, this is a imperfect show made by an imperfect person, and sometimes I’m living in reality and sometimes I’m living in a world of my own creation, and sometimes it’s a bit of both, right? But when I ask that kind of question and get outside of myself, it’s like, oh, okay, then I could even be a little bit more generous and empathetic and compassionate with myself and say, huh, okay, I know it feels like this…you're gonna have to stop the podcast in two or three months. Do you really think that’s the case, or is there any other…? Who’s leading that decision right now? Oh, okay.
Yeah, more of a part of you that W-O-R-R-Y-I-N-G, right? Okay, 'cause you don't actually…you're not positive. You just…you feel that way and you don't want that to be the case, huh? Okay. But yeah, do we have anybody else that could lead this? If someone…you can even ask, well, what if somebody else was leading this? Where would they take things? Sometimes that’s just enough to interrupt all these thoughts and start guiding them to a new place. ‘Cause I do feel like…so, the show, we’ve put out more episodes in the past two years than we have in a long time. We put out more variety of episodes than we have in a long time. We’ve brought back things that I didn't think we could ever have in the public feed like the all-intro episodes and the new styles of all-intro episodes. I thought we would never release those, they’d only be bonus episodes for paid subscribers. But over the past two years it’s like, now we have a steady flow, probably at least twice a month or…we’ll have different styles of on-location episodes.
Again, those are some people’s favorite episodes and those are some people’s least favorites, and that’s why we work so hard of having a variety of stuff all the time, just like…and that goes back to this question of writing these…focusing more on the schedule of the episodically modular series and then saying, okay, yeah, let’s try to keep it to eight to twelve episodes and keep it over…only within four to eight months, because…or four to six months, and then…oh, maybe then we’ll have space…we already…we have a holiday series I’ve been working on. Sleep With Me+ subscribers got a tease of it. But we already have episodes for that done, so it’s like, next fictional holiday series we're working on.
But yeah, that…I don't know, it adds some looseness, and then also…the other thing that I realize is that I definitely…over the past two years…part of it was everything I was going through personally, part of it was just that it feels like the support with the show was stuck, and part of it was just that there’s a lot of people going through a tough time and they choose Scoots to kind of let out…to vent however they're feeling about the world that I’ve taken a step back from kind of being more of the face of Sleep With Me on, whatever, interacting. I do on Sleep With Me+, but as a regular, joyful thing. So, that’s one thing I want to change in 2026, is to be a more joyful part of Sleep With Me. Or, those are the things I want to make time for, right, is more regular, everyday writing the episodes. ‘Cause, again, when it’s a month, what happens is I say, well, if I don't have time…if I gotta do all this fundraising stuff for the podcast, I just can't write today. I’ll write tomorrow.
That’s…it worked, but it doesn't work when you're answering that question; does it help me make the best possible Sleep With Me I can? No. It doesn't work when you ask that question. Who’s leading when you don't write everyday? Someone that believes that…not abundance around the future of the podcast. Okay, maybe somebody else should lead when we're deciding on the writing schedule. The same for the joyful interactions or, I don't know how else to describe it, of like, okay, who’s making the interaction schedule or planning out how we're gonna interact with supporters and listeners? Or, are we ever gonna do that live again? I don't know, because some people, they just can't handle that or be well-behaved enough. But are we gonna try to do more in that realm? Probably, because that’s joyful. Oh, if we lead with joy and fun, then, yeah, I think that we…oh, okay, so who’s leading there, right? How does that…?
Well, the more full of joy the show is, the better it is to putting people to sleep, even if it’s a low-key joy, which is my particular style of joy, anyway. The goal…what works about Sleep With Me other than putting people to sleep is that it should be delightful on some level or strive to being delightful, even if it’s undetectable delight. It’s so low-key it’s not detected. That’s one of the most important things, so…yeah, I guess that’s all…I guess I don't have anything more to say about that part of it, is…yeah. So, I think that’s it. So, I’m really excited about our new series. It really has a lot of fun and sleepy things, and it’s been something, again, that’s kinda come up in different ways over years…and been like, huh, how would we do that? When is gonna be the right time to do that? Then as I said yes, I said, oh, wait a second, I like that idea now that it’s…once it become concrete then it suddenly turns back to clay or Play-Doh or goop where you say, oh no; okay, let’s move that now.
So, I’m excited about it, and I think this one is particularly…will be particularly good at being episodic. Like, each episode should be self-contained, mostly. Yeah, we’ll see how it goes. But I really love making the show, putting you to sleep. I know these…not everybody pays attention to these episodes or is awake for them, but I’m really excited for what 2026 is gonna bring to the show, and I’ll be here doing my best to bring some delight to bedtime, to make the best podcast I can within my control to put you to sleep, and to have someone making the day-to-day decisions that pauses and says, huh, is this…? Who’s…? What part of me is making this decision of how to spend time around the show?
I guess also if some part of me…I’m gonna be honest; say, accept the stakes of the show. If there’s just not enough super-listeners for the show to be sustainable, that’s not under my control, right? Then it’s like, okay, so maybe we do need to re-imagine the show. But I just don't…I also just don't believe that’s the case. So, it’s like, I guess already…we're getting back…I say, okay, well, we just don't know, so that could be the person that leads. Well, we just don't know right now. Right now we don't know, so let’s get back to putting people to sleep. Thanks so much for listening. Couldn't do it without all of you. It really is my pleasure, and talk to you soon. Goodnight.
[End of recording]
Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes
-
Get Besos / Big Farm in the Sky PI
Window Blinds
https://www.hausershade.com/a-brief-history-on-the-origins-of-window-roller-shades/
https://www.windowmagiconline.com/blinds-houston-texas/history-of-blinds
Value of Boredom
https://hbr.org/2025/08/you-need-to-be-bored-heres-why
https://childmind.org/article/the-benefits-of-boredom/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201407/the-surprising-benefits-of-boredom
Podcast Ad Landscape
https://www.adswizz.com/podcast-movement-2025-key-trends-shaping-the-future-of-podcast-advertising/
https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-ad-spending-jumps-26-brands-test-with-discipline
https://slate.com/slatestudios/podcast-ad-trends-from-2025-so-far
How to make a regular artistic practice
https://www.spoonfuloffaith.com/blog/2022/9/11/showing-up-the-art-of-wrestling-with-consistency-nbsp
https://www.creatorsprocess.com/blog/single-step-build-creative-practice
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Believe it or not, this is my first intro of the year that I’m recording
Delightful and joyous in a very unique way
Talking about the priorities of the show
PLUGS
Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline
SPONSORS
Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Coyuchi
INTRO
A nice sleepy safe place
Any of that other stuff
You get the sense that you’re not alone
I’m in the middle of a stretch of stuff being out of my control
Caretaking and winding down
I’m in a pretty deep stretch here
Someone else listening right now does get exactly where you’re at
They’re wishing you well right now
Full of people wishing you well
Understanding Sub-Feelings
The comfort of sending comfort to someone else
Sleep With Me Podcast: It’s Better Than Nothing
I would put that on a billboard
I guess I’d need about 12 billboards to get the fully accurate message across
I digress
I’m settling into a new recording space
I have a window in front of me
This window has blinds but not shutters
Many children in my family have slept in this room over the years
Mini-Blinds
Regular People Home Design
Mini-blinds were supposed to solve all the problems of curtains
These blinds have been experimented on many times
Did I do this experimenting and bending?
A beautiful view of just one tree
Fuzzy Buds, I got to hold onto that
Fuzzy Willow-Based Comedy (FWBC)
You are my fuzzy bud
Don’t google that term just to be safe
Note to self: Don’t google “fuzzy bud”
sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
This show is the right kind of fuzzy
Right now, my dog Koa really needs some comfort
She’s been watching a lot of Rick Steves
No offense to Rick Steves, she’s not planning a trip to Europe
I’m just here to keep you company
If Koa could speak…
She’d probably prefer to hear Rick Steves talk instead of me
I’d prefer that too, honestly
Nature if absolutely, mindblowingly, beautifully, awe-inspiringly amazing
Every intro is different
Easing you into bedtime
Our making of Get Besos in the Sky PI
STORY
A look back and a look forward at our episodically modular series
What worked, what didn’t work, the inspirations, etc
Maybe we’ll venture into the podcast itself
Let’s get into it
This is technically episode 20
It’s always fun when the recap is large enough to become its own episode
Our first series that was a mashup of two series
I don’t exactly know when the mashup idea came to me
In the California era of the podcast
I’ve desired to tell this story for a long time
Rescuing characters like Javert from non-positive post-Earthly existences
I never get tired of writing post-Earthly fiction…yet
I guess it’s like the Escape genre of movies
A team of people trying to escape
At first, it was gonna be with new characters
But then it really sounded like RW…
The layers just began to emerge
A-Team adjacent
Pulling inspiration from myth and story
Learning about other post-Earthly realms
A creative constraint and an addition of randomness
Where would Javert be?
What realm would appeal to Javert?
Then I wondered if Richard Warren could stand to be in another season?
He…fits a certain archetype
But now I love it
It’s more of RW’s series, anyway
James is more of a hapless best friend
He always wants to get Besos for the strangest reasons
What worked?
Letting an idea percolate, then playing with it
Finding a fulcrum point to offer a creative constraint
The episode on the ship with J. Bruce and Larry Vaughn
I just liked the idea of rearranging deck chairs
I can’t quite remember the details of that episode
Opportunities for meanders
Creativity isn’t magic
Did the series mashup work? Hmm…
A lot of episodes extended over a long period of time
We’ve had long seasons before
We normally aim for 8-12 episodes in a season
A series of parallel play
G and DK are the true heroines of this series
Only James could work with RW
Is that irony?
RW’s commitment to himself is joyous and mysterious
And he does have a best friend that loves him
The ending just became obvious the longer it went on
Circling back to Moriarty
RW wouldn’t let Moriarty just be
This was the first time that the red spandex guy needed to be in a story
But RW wasn’t let anyone else going to be the protagonist
Fictional Jiff is more logistically curious
Not based on the morality spectrum
Jiff just wants to see if he can make it work
It kind of worked as a mashup
A change that needs to be made
Going back to the old writing schedule
There’s been a lot of changes lately, in podcasting and in my life
So I switched to just writing one episode a month
I don’t regret the decision, but it does need to change
Deciding through the lens of SWM
2025 has been a challenging year
I think returning to the 2 week recording schedule is what needs to be done
The challenge will be good
My life will become more settled in routine soon
It’ll be good to have a kind of ambitious goal
I’ll definitely need to write on the weekends
Very little downside and the most upside
The writing impacts every other kind of episode that we do
Well find some other kind of tradeoff
It keeps the creative tools sharp
It’s been a while since we’ve had any major turning points in the podcast
Major Turning Points in the Podcast
Going from 3 to 2 episodes
Going full-time
Starting the Patreon
Moving to Sleep With Me Plus
The decisions are always trying to make it easier to make the podcast
Making two really good episodes in a week
Releasing an archive episode each week
There’s going to be a new question
The Super Listener question
Most listeners are not super listeners
Super Listeners consume at least 10x as much as a regular listener
Trying to get more super listeners to support the show
I thought that would be easy
Asking for help is something I feel very soft about on the inside
Probably 30,000 Super Listeners listen to hundreds of hours a year
Obviously, I want that kind of thing to be in my control
How I’ve been trying to address it hasn’t addressed the tension underlying
Trying to avoid binary thinking about it
The new question emerges
A new tool in my work and personal toolbox
Who is leading right now?
Who’s guiding this?
What principle? What feeling?
I do have brainbots
Distinct facets of my personality
It doesn’t sound like Super Chill Scoots or Drew is leading
Maybe it’s a brainbot
It’s okay to be wrong
What if someone else was leading this?
We’ve put out more variety and number of shows in the past year
People will vent about the world to Scoots
I take a step back from interfacing with the public (outside of SWM+)
Making more time for the joyful parts
Striving to be delightful
I think that’s it
I’m really excited about the new series
Now’s the time to do it
As soon as it becomes concrete, it turns back into clay
I think this’ll be good at being modular and episodic
I’m really excited for what 2026 will bring
I accept the state of the show
Right now, we don’t know
It’s my pleasure to make this show for you
SUMMARY:
Episode: 1436
Title: Making of Get Besos in the Sky PI
Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline
Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Coyuchi
Notable Language:
- Understanding Sub-Feelings
- Sleep With Me Podcast: It’s Better Than Nothing
- Mini-Blinds
- Regular People Home Design
- Fuzzy Willow-Based Comedy (FWBC)
- Fuzzy Bud
- California Era
- Morality Spectrum
- F-E-A-R
- S-T-R-E-S-S-I-N-G
- W-O-R-R-Y-I-N-G
Notable Culture:
-
- Willow Smith
- sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
- Rick Steves
- Get Besos in the Sky PI
- Javert / Les Miserables
- The A-Team
- Jaws
- The Kissing Beluga
- Titanic
- Moriarty / Sherlock Holmes
Notable Talking Points:
-
- A nice sleepy safe place
- Any of that other stuff
- You get the sense that you’re not alone
- I’m in the middle of a stretch of stuff being out of my control
- Caretaking and winding down
- I’m in a pretty deep stretch here
- Someone else listening right now does get exactly where you’re at
- They’re wishing you well right now
- Full of people wishing you well
- Understanding Sub-Feelings
- The comfort of sending comfort to someone else
- Sleep With Me Podcast: It’s Better Than Nothing
- I would put that on a billboard
- I guess I’d need about 12 billboards to get the fully accurate message across
- I digress
- I’m settling into a new recording space
- I have a window in front of me
- This window has blinds but not shutters
- Many children in my family have slept in this room over the years
- Mini-Blinds
- Regular People Home Design
- Mini-blinds were supposed to solve all the problems of curtains
- These blinds have been experimented on many times
- Did I do this experimenting and bending?
- A beautiful view of just one tree
- Fuzzy Buds, I got to hold onto that
- Fuzzy Willow-Based Comedy (FWBC)
- You are my fuzzy bud
- Don’t google that term just to be safe
- Note to self: Don’t google “fuzzy bud”
- sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
- This show is the right kind of fuzzy
- Right now, my dog Koa really needs some comfort
- She’s been watching a lot of Rick Steves
- No offense to Rick Steves, she’s not planning a trip to Europe
- I’m just here to keep you company
- If Koa could speak…
- She’d probably prefer to hear Rick Steves talk instead of me
- I’d prefer that too, honestly
- Nature if absolutely, mindblowingly, beautifully, awe-inspiringly amazing
- Every intro is different
- Easing you into bedtime
- Our making of Get Besos in the Sky PI
- A look back and a look forward at our episodically modular series
- What worked, what didn’t work, the inspirations, etc
- Maybe we’ll venture into the podcast itself
- Let’s get into it
- This is technically episode 20
- It’s always fun when the recap is large enough to become its own episode
- Our first series that was a mashup of two series
- I don’t exactly know when the mashup idea came to me
- In the California era of the podcast
- I’ve desired to tell this story for a long time
- Rescuing characters like Javert from non-positive post-Earthly existences
- I never get tired of writing post-Earthly fiction…yet
- I guess it’s like the Escape genre of movies
- A team of people trying to escape
- At first, it was gonna be with new characters
- But then it really sounded like RW…
- The layers just began to emerge
- A-Team adjacent
- Pulling inspiration from myth and story
- Learning about other post-Earthly realms
- A creative constraint and an addition of randomness
- Where would Javert be?
- What realm would appeal to Javert?
- Then I wondered if Richard Warren could stand to be in another season?
- He…fits a certain archetype
- But now I love it
- It’s more of RW’s series, anyway
- James is more of a hapless best friend
- He always wants to get Besos for the strangest reasons
- What worked?
- Letting an idea percolate, then playing with it
- Finding a fulcrum point to offer a creative constraint
- The episode on the ship with J. Bruce and Larry Vaughn
- I just liked the idea of rearranging deck chairs
- I can’t quite remember the details of that episode
- Opportunities for meanders
- Creativity isn’t magic
- Did the series mashup work? Hmm…
- A lot of episodes extended over a long period of time
- We’ve had long seasons before
- We normally aim for 8-12 episodes in a season
- A series of parallel play
- G and DK are the true heroines of this series
- Only James could work with RW
- Is that irony?
- RW’s commitment to himself is joyous and mysterious
- And he does have a best friend that loves him
- The ending just became obvious the longer it went on
- Circling back to Moriarty
- RW wouldn’t let Moriarty just be
- This was the first time that the red spandex guy needed to be in a story
- But RW wasn’t let anyone else going to be the protagonist
- Fictional Jiff is more logistically curious
- Not based on the morality spectrum
- Jiff just wants to see if he can make it work
- It kind of worked as a mashup
- A change that needs to be made
- Going back to the old writing schedule
- There’s been a lot of changes lately, in podcasting and in my life
- So I switched to just writing one episode a month
- I don’t regret the decision, but it does need to change
- Deciding through the lens of SWM
- 2025 has been a challenging year
- I think returning to the 2 week recording schedule is what needs to be done
- The challenge will be good
- My life will become more settled in routine soon
- It’ll be good to have a kind of ambitious goal
- I’ll definitely need to write on the weekends
- Very little downside and the most upside
- The writing impacts every other kind of episode that we do
- Well find some other kind of tradeoff
- It keeps the creative tools sharp
- It’s been a while since we’ve had any major turning points in the podcast
- Major Turning Points in the Podcast
- Going from 3 to 2 episodes
- Going full-time
- Starting the Patreon
- Moving to Sleep With Me Plus
- The decisions are always trying to make it easier to make the podcast
- Making two really good episodes in a week
- Releasing an archive episode each week
- There’s going to be a new question
- The Super Listener question
- Most listeners are not super listeners
- Super Listeners consume at least 10x as much as a regular listener
- Trying to get more super listeners to support the show
- I thought that would be easy
- Asking for help is something I feel very soft about on the inside
- Probably 30,000 Super Listeners listen to hundreds of hours a year
- Obviously, I want that kind of thing to be in my control
- How I’ve been trying to address it hasn’t addressed the tension underlying
- Trying to avoid binary thinking about it
- The new question emerges
- A new tool in my work and personal toolbox
- Who is leading right now?
- Who’s guiding this?
- What principle? What feeling?
- I do have brainbots
- Distinct facets of my personality
- It doesn’t sound like Super Chill Scoots or Drew is leading
- Maybe it’s a brainbot
- It’s okay to be wrong
- What if someone else was leading this?
- We’ve put out more variety and number of shows in the past year
- People will vent about the world to Scoots
- I take a step back from interfacing with the public (outside of SWM+)
- Making more time for the joyful parts
- Striving to be delightful
- I think that’s it
- I’m really excited about the new series
- Now’s the time to do it
- As soon as it becomes concrete, it turns back into clay
- I think this’ll be good at being modular and episodic
- I’m really excited for what 2026 will bring
- I accept the state of the show
- Right now, we don’t know
- It’s my pleasure to make this show for you
Listen on your favorite app
