S9 Ep 0: Previously, on Chasing Scratch

Mike Shade (0:08)

Welcome, everybody, to the preview episode for season nine. We're calling it Previously on Chasing Scratch. Eli, are you ready for this?

Eli Strait (0:19)

No, I don't think I am.

Mike Shade (0:21)

You're ready.

Eli Strait (0:22)

This feels mature. It feels like Homeland, previously on Homeland. No, I'm ready for this.

Mike Shade (0:29)

Let's go. First of all, let's say what this is not. This is not an exhaustive recap of all eight seasons. This is not a highlight show. It's not a greatest hits. But we are looking back at the history of the podcast. For some reason, I couldn't quite articulate. I thought we needed to do this and somehow I think this is the best way to explain it, Lenny.

SPEAKER_3 (0:58)

Sometimes, you gotta go back to actually move forward. I don't mean going back to reminisce or chase ghost. We can go back to see where you came from, where you've been, how you got here, and see where you're going.

Mike Shade (1:23)

And it's at this point that we want to officially announce our partnership with Lincoln.

SPEAKER_5 (1:30)

Oh my gosh.

Eli Strait (1:31)

That was not what I was expecting to come through the speakers. I'm not gonna lie to you. Yeah, by the way, for the listeners, I have no idea what's coming here. You've got some stuff queued up throughout this, but I have no idea what's coming.

Mike Shade (1:44)

Yeah, so I went back and I listened to some old episodes. All I could hear was editing mistakes. But specifically what I had down for us to talk about today are key moments that changed the show.

And some of them are clips from the podcast, but some of them are just stories that we haven't told publicly. And there are certainly a lot of big things we won't hit today. But what we are covering, I think, really sets us up for what I think is a defining season for us.

Eli Strait (2:16)

Yeah. Yeah.

Mike Shade (2:17)

After we are done, you can tell me if you agree.

Eli Strait (2:19)

I like it. Let's go. I'm ready.

Mike Shade (2:21)

All right. We are going back all the way to the very beginning, August 20th of 2017 We started the whole show with you saying this.

Eli Strait (2:31)

For those of you who might be listening, if this ends up going to a viewing or listening audience, we have just embarked on a mission that essentially has no positive outcome. Am I wrong? Am I wrong in that?

No, come on now. First of all, I sound like I'm in my mid 30s, just for the record. I sound healthier, younger, more optimistic, less charred by life and bad hips. I want that guy back.

Mike Shade (3:04)

All right. Well, if you had to recap season one, though, very quickly, what would you say?

Eli Strait (3:11)

Clueless would be the word that comes to mind. I mean, literally, I don't mean that I'm not trying to be funny.

Mike Shade (3:16)

No, it's not funny.

Eli Strait (3:17)

Just no idea how to swing a golf club, what makes up a golf swing, course strategy, how to work at something, how to think about something. Clueless in how to produce a show. In every possible category, clueless. What about you?

Mike Shade (3:36)

I wrote down the overwhelming narrative of season one was two guys who had no idea what they were doing.

Eli Strait (3:41)

Yeah, that's fair.

Mike Shade (3:42)

I think we started out, do you remember how many listeners we had when we did episode one? How many listeners we had in the first week?

Eli Strait (3:49)

Maybe 100 I mean, I feel like it was like 75 Oh my gosh.

Mike Shade (3:53)

So like.

Eli Strait (3:53)

And we knew them all. I remember knowing all of them.

Mike Shade (3:57)

It was a couple buddies we told, it was our family, and then we had accumulated like 22 random Twitter followers, I think. So I think that probably made up exactly who listened.

Eli Strait (4:12)

I just remember. I remember when you sent me the draft of episode one. I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I was shocked. It was so much better than I thought it was going to be.

Mike Shade (4:22)

Really?

Eli Strait (4:23)

Yeah, because all I had, the reference for me was the Captain's Podcast, which we've talked about a couple of times on here, but it was that was just our Ryder Cup golf trip buddies. Just me and you being idiots. Bigger idiots than we are in this show, but I remember getting the first, I remember when you sent the draft of the first episode, and I was like, oh man, he actually did, like that sounds really good. Now I hear it now and I'm like, good gosh, that show was like another show.