00:00
DJ Beowvlf
Off the Record is a show from 88.1 WKNC in which DJs talk with artists about everything from their music to upcoming tours to former bandmates birthdays. Make sure to follow WKNC on SoundCloud and Tumblr so you never miss a beat. Enjoy. Splash Jordan, thank you so much for being in studio today. You and I and WKNC are doing an event coming up on Monday, September 9th. We're going to talk a little bit about what we're doing, what we're hoping to draw people in for, and why you do this in general. So first and foremost, if you'd like to describe who you are and what your podcast is, that would be fantastic.
00:35
Splash Jordan
All right, well thank you first of all for having me up here. I appreciate it. I'm a content creator, producer, also music A&R host a podcast in the Raleigh, in the Triangle area. It's called the Verdict Podcast. We discuss matters of, you know, we discuss legal matters, we discuss national local court cases. We also have several legally aimed segments on the show. Trying basically overall, just trying to remove the stigma of going to jail and trying to highlight the actions taken by individuals who haven't let those circumstances hold them back. You know, they've gone on to be moguls, musicians. They are, you know, starting brands and you know, being involved in their community.
01:24
DJ Beowvlf
And how long has this podcast series been running?
01:27
Splash Jordan
Actually, we just crossed the two year mark in June.
01:30
DJ Beowvlf
Congratulations.
01:30
Splash Jordan
Thank you, thank you. I didn't remember myself, I just randomly checked about two weeks ago and I thought, and I saw that were past our anniversary and I thought, oh man, we've been doing it two years now. So two years coming up on just under 80 episodes and about 10,000 downloads.
01:48
DJ Beowvlf
So with what frequency do you release podcasts? Well, I know that face, right.
01:56
Splash Jordan
If you're asking me then I'm gonna say every Friday at noon. Okay, every Friday at noon.
02:01
DJ Beowvlf
But if I'm not asking you.
02:02
Splash Jordan
Well, if I'm being honest, you know, sometimes, you know, it's noon is more like 2:30ish.
02:06
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
02:07
Splash Jordan
And Friday could become Saturday morning. You know, we're, you know, having fun with it. You know, I don't hold myself to that. Although I do like to hold myself to that because I know people are looking and consistency is key. But you know, sometimes, you know, it's.
02:19
DJ Beowvlf
A late night, it be like that sometimes and things come up and two years is what.
02:25
Splash Jordan
So the, it's a total 180 from where it started. It started. A buddy of mine, I moved to Raleigh from Charlotte. A buddy of mine who also moved to Raleigh from Charlotte, were doing a show, it's called the Verdict. But we didn't speak about anything, you know, that was related in the courtroom or police encounters or legal matters at all. And so, you know, went through a number of host changes and a bunch of, you know, breaks and, you know, hey, I might just quit this. And then, you know, eventually I kind of, you know, found a team that, you know, it worked a little bit better. And then I started to, you know, think more, develop the audience more, the target base a little bit more.
03:08
Splash Jordan
And so now, you know, I can say that there are, you know, a number of individuals in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte who do support, do come to our events as well as, you know, engage. So, you know, thank you to everybody who does listen.
03:21
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. And that was actually my follow up question. So, perfect segue, what kind of events do you do regarding the Verdict?
03:28
Splash Jordan
Well, we're doing an event.
03:31
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah, perfect time to promo what we're gonna do.
03:33
Splash Jordan
Right, right. So live episodes is, you know, the easiest way to describe it, but I'm actually doing an event partnering with W KNC on September 9th at NC State. It's a free event, you know, to come out and kind of interact with the podcast. But we also have.
03:52
DJ Beowvlf
Open to the public, not just NC State students.
03:54
Splash Jordan
Right. Open to the public. Anybody can come out. And not only will you get to see premium podcasting experience, as I call it, but, you know, there'll be some treats and prizes and contests as well. And that's one thing that we're known for is the contest that we do, the prizes that we give away. It's not what you would typically, you know, come to expect from listening to a podcast, but I like to reward those people who do listen to my show.
04:17
DJ Beowvlf
Right, right.
04:17
Splash Jordan
You know, I really appreciate that. So maybe you could win this cat, this $50, you know, cash app drunk, or maybe win these concert tickets. So in addition, just got a free meal, right? Yeah, you know, free stuff, you know, for my fans because, you know, that's how I feel about them.
04:33
DJ Beowvlf
Absolutely.
04:34
Splash Jordan
So in addition to that, you know, I do a semiannual variety show, a sight to see. I'm preparing for a second iteration of that where it's, you know, different mediums performing on the same stage, podcasters, musicians, dancers, even magicians in some cases. So just try to keep things, you know, I like this market for the diversity. And so I like to keep, you know, The. The type of content that I'm producing, diverse as well.
05:06
DJ Beowvlf
Fantastic. Could you give an example of the kind of content that you put out? I know that you said that oftentimes you'll have, like, legal oriented but not legally backed, for example, discussions behind the scenes. You and I have talked about the things that you work on the verdict. But for the WKNC audience, what are some examples of like, show ongoing themes?
05:26
Splash Jordan
Well, so particular one, victim or not, is a segment where, you know, we discuss the perceived victimhood of someone who's, you know, publicly stating that they've been wronged. And, you know, in some cases, you want to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the evidence suggests that there may be some foul play or that there may be some ulterior motive. So we're kind of just discussing like, you know, what really happened in certain sensitive, you know, incidents. Not to make light of it by any means, but we're not lawyers also, so, you know, we don't. We have no knowledge legally or anything, but we're just giving our opinion as people who are in the community.
06:07
DJ Beowvlf
Is this limited to just like triangle ongoings?
06:10
Splash Jordan
No, not at all. Not at all. In fact, you know, I do like to localize the content just so that,
06:15
DJ Beowvlf
You know, people relevancy.
06:16
Splash Jordan
Yeah, right. But if there's something that's more relevant as far as discussion wise, then, you know, we would obviously like to go with that. The more bizarre and out there where it's like, okay, you know, recently a young woman, you know, lied about being a trans girl model, you know, but lied about being trans.
06:35
DJ Beowvlf
Did that really happen?
06:36
Splash Jordan
Right, that actually happened. And then she faced a lot of backlash.
06:38
DJ Beowvlf
It wasn't the first Victoria's Secret transmodel, was it?
06:41
Splash Jordan
No, it was. She modeled for. Her name was Carissa Pinkston. She modeled for Fenty.
06:46
DJ Beowvlf
Interesting.
06:47
Splash Jordan
Right. And so there was, you know, some backlash about that, obviously. And so, you know, I can't believe.
06:52
DJ Beowvlf
I didn't catch that on my radar.
06:54
Splash Jordan
Right. And then she, you know, she tried to defend, you know, it was just a lot. So, you know, those are some of the topics that we discuss. And it's like, you know, hey, what's going on here? What led you to, you know, act under these circumstances? And then. And then I would say, man, that's.
07:06
DJ Beowvlf
A whole can of worms. Like, my mind is turning now.
07:09
Splash Jordan
It was pretty wild.
07:10
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
07:11
Splash Jordan
Yeah. And I spent a lot of time digging. In fact, I spent so much time digging through the Internet to find these stories that another Buddy of mine and I collaborate on another podcast that's just about what we find digging through the Internet to find content for our shows. So it's called socially acceptable. But I would say the more famous or popular segments are jail tales, where we're highlighting an individual's true story behind bars. In many cases, some of these people are in jail, you know, making a phone call or I'm making.
07:44
DJ Beowvlf
That was my next question.
07:45
Splash Jordan
Right. Working things out. You know, there's some. I'll just say we're making phone calls.
07:54
DJ Beowvlf
Right.
07:55
Splash Jordan
And so we're communicating with individuals who are in jail right now when they're giving their actual story about how they're there, what lessons they've learned, and then what they want other people to hear. And then, of course, you know, the main, you know, very fun segment, two Truths and a Con, where, you know, three bizarre, you know, legal headlines. And I have my co host try to, you know, guess which one I made up. So I try to trip them up. And, you know, more times than that, I do trip them up sick just because, you know, I've been around them. So I know what, you know, how to kind of, you know, there's a.
08:26
DJ Beowvlf
Learning curve to it. Yeah, yeah. And just circling back to jail tales, that's actually particularly relevant to the WKNC audience, or at the very least our members, simply because we get fan mail from the NC Central Prison, like, all the time. They are big fans of WKNC. They're like, right down the road from us, so they're always listening in. And particularly several of the inmates, or I would say, like a large degree of them are listeners of our chainsaw rock format, which is like our heavy metal punk, like a little like, on the darker side of music spectrum. And they send us mail all the time.
09:01
DJ Beowvlf
We've had this several years ongoing Friday night request rock block, where our DJ Uncle Paul, who used to be an NC State student but is now just an alumni who still works with us, still runs his segment. He gets weekly fan mail from these prisoners and, like, reads their requests on air or their letters and then plays the songs that they want and they tune in, they hear what they want, and it's that little bit of community interaction for people who, like, don't typically get that because they are incarcerated.
09:26
Splash Jordan
Right.
09:26
DJ Beowvlf
Furthermore, we just have a couple heavy metal DJs who don't really do a lot of inmate interaction. However, they still get fan mail and they'll play those songs every now and then. I myself have gotten inmate fan mail Just, I don't do a heavy metal segment, but my. One of my best friends and my co workers does, and she was like, hey, I'm going out of town. Will you cover my shift for me? And I was like, yeah, I will. And I got fan mail from it.
09:50
Splash Jordan
Like.
09:51
DJ Beowvlf
Like, they be listening to us.
09:53
Splash Jordan
That's pretty cool. And, you know, one thing I know is that, you know, a lot. A large number of inmates just want to do their time and just want.
09:59
DJ Beowvlf
To, you know, get it done, get.
10:01
Splash Jordan
It done, reflect, not bother anybody. So they still need things to keep them entertained and grounded and, you know, what's going on and kind of keep their mind off of, you know, other, you know, other things.
10:11
DJ Beowvlf
It's very easy for people to treat inmates with the same, like, out of sight, out of mind concept that you do with, like, your chores, you know, like, if I'm not thinking about it, I don't have to do it. But, like, these people, their lives are still going on.
10:24
Splash Jordan
Right.
10:24
DJ Beowvlf
Despite the fact that they've been uprooted and relocated.
10:27
Splash Jordan
Right. I know that a lot program escapes my mind now that I was involved in was sending books to inmates just, you know, from an improved book list. Many. I was finding that Goodwill or, you know, a used bookstore.
10:41
DJ Beowvlf
Right, right.
10:42
Splash Jordan
And, you know, they appreciate that.
10:43
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
10:44
Splash Jordan
You know, having something different to read. Someone who's in there for a period of years, they might have read all the.
10:50
DJ Beowvlf
All the books in the library.
10:51
Splash Jordan
Books in the library. You know, all 14 of them. Getting a new book in there is like, you know, this is like getting a new TV channel for some people.
10:57
DJ Beowvlf
Absolutely. And your point about saying, like, all 14 of them, like, the prison system in the United States really doesn't have a great. Obviously, like a great rehabilitation program, but like, engagement for the. For the inmates other than, like, manual labor, which many of them aren't, like, accustomed to already. You can't just, like, stereotype inmates to, like, these big, buff, burly dudes who, like, killed someone are in there forever.
11:22
Splash Jordan
Right.
11:22
DJ Beowvlf
It ain't always like that.
11:23
Splash Jordan
Right.
11:24
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
11:25
Splash Jordan
They're in there, though.
11:25
DJ Beowvlf
They're in there. They're in there. But, like, they're not all the same, right? Yeah. Same clothes, but that's about it.
11:30
Splash Jordan
Right, Right. Everybody's got a different story. Everybody's learning a different lesson. And for some people on the outside, hearing that lesson from a person who's there might, you know, mean a little bit more as far as, okay, whatever decisions I have to make or whatever choices I'm facing.
11:46
DJ Beowvlf
Right.
11:47
Splash Jordan
You know, this is. Hopefully influenced me. Yeah. You know, some of these people are. You know, we're accustomed to fast money and a certain lifestyle, but it all came tumbling down due to X, Y and Z. So if you don't want to hear it from your parents or from TV or from police, you know, hear it from someone who did what you were attempting to do, and this is what happened. And almost in all situations, you know, I don't get an excuse or. It wasn't me. It was. Man, I made a terrible decision. I hope nobody does what I did. I hope that people, you know, try a different route. You know, in almost every situation where I have someone that's, you know, that's their stance, you know, they're never passing the blame or, you know, shirking responsibility.
12:29
DJ Beowvlf
So, man, I could ask you, like, 10 million questions, but my next question would be, do you think that those comments that you get from inmates who are saying, like, I made a terrible decision, I hope no one does it. Do you think that's a conclusion that they've come to of their own mind or something that's kind of been drilled into them by the system?
12:46
Splash Jordan
I would say both. It's being drilled into them. But what they're equating, the number one thing is that I don't have access to, you know, I can't go to my boy's house. I can't do all the things I used to love doing because I'm here, right? And I got here because, you know, I got caught doing something I shouldn't have done, and I knew I should have done it. And, you know, if you're about to do something like that, then think twice, because if you get caught, you'll come here and you won't be able to, you know, hang, call your mom. You won't be able to see your friends. You won't be able to go to your.
13:17
DJ Beowvlf
And that's just like the top layer of things you can't do.
13:21
Splash Jordan
Right? Right.
13:21
DJ Beowvlf
You know, not being around, like, your do. I'm not talking about, like, Fred. I mean, like, your family pet, right. Is like, the least of your worries.
13:28
Splash Jordan
Right. So, you know, and then there's, you know, you're not making any money, and then your life is still going on.
13:33
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
13:34
Splash Jordan
So, you know, bills are piling up in your name. If you have kids, right? You have kids, probably. So, you know, that time away from reality, you know, is something that a lot of people, you know, it's like the number one thing that, you know, they Regret. It's like, I don't want to be here. I want to be back in my life. Even struggling was better than being here. Because jails, I mean, it's not a fun place.
13:54
DJ Beowvlf
Absolutely not.
13:55
Splash Jordan
I don't know if you've seen the show 60 days in. It comes on A and E. I don't think so.
13:59
DJ Beowvlf
No. I actually, I recently cut my cable, so.
14:02
Splash Jordan
Okay, okay. Well, it was a show about normal people who went to jail for 60 days and they kind of report it back and the public gets to see what it's like inside the jail. I actually had two people from that show on my podcast and, you know, they gave kind of some behind the scenes. Well, this is what was going on with the producers and stuff. But, yeah, I was in there and I was kind of nervous about, you know, who was around me.
14:25
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. So would you say that the verdict takes a bit of like a scared straight angle or is it more of just a. I guess like just a baseline, non biased report.
14:38
Splash Jordan
We try to be non biased. And I think that, I guess a.
14:43
DJ Beowvlf
Better question would be, is the goal of the verdict to say, this is what jail is like, or is it more so just to share a variety of experiences?
14:54
Splash Jordan
I would say the goal is to entertain.
14:55
DJ Beowvlf
Interesting. Okay.
14:56
Splash Jordan
That our goal is to entertain. And I watch courtroom TV and I watch ID Discovery and, you know, those types of information all day long. So a podcast about that type of stuff. While it wasn't immediately clear to me, later on it became apparent that's what something I, you know, if it was. If I wasn't gonna do a podcast by anime, I should probably be doing a podcast about. Yeah, you know, courtroom, you know, docu series and stuff like that.
15:20
DJ Beowvlf
I mean, why not both? Maybe not in the same podcast, but like, get on that anime podcast.
15:25
Splash Jordan
I should, because I could do, I don't know, I could do a very good anime podcast. Like I'm, you know, that's me all day, every day. So I want to entertain and I want to bring information that you haven't necessarily heard. And I want to bring a viewpoint that you may have not considered. You know, I have my co hosts who typically they're gonna go the route that you would expect the person to go. And I like to argue against that. You know, common thinking a lot of times, just so that people who feel, who don't feel like, you know, however the media says you should feel about it, or feeling like, okay, everybody's getting a voice or at least trying to get, you know, some Representation, you know, in some fashion. So that way it's not just.
16:12
Splash Jordan
What I hate is that when everybody agrees or says the same thing. So I like to be some discourse and some debate.
16:20
DJ Beowvlf
At least this course makes interesting listening.
16:23
Splash Jordan
Right. That's. Yeah. So, you know, I tried, you know, even sometimes I have to, you know, argue against how I'm actually feeling. But just because, you know, my co host feel very strongly in the same way, it's like.
16:33
DJ Beowvlf
Right.
16:34
Splash Jordan
If I don't, then, you know, gotta.
16:35
DJ Beowvlf
Play the devil's advocate, right?
16:36
Splash Jordan
Yeah, you have to. You have to.
16:37
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. Put aside your own biases or your own opinions just for the purpose of the podcast. Yeah. I guess that leads me to the ultimate purpose of this podcast that we're doing, being what type of experience do you hope to bring to the. For lack of a better descriptor, NC.
16:54
Splash Jordan
State audience, I'd like to bring an opportunity to be heard. That's very important to me, being heard. You know, I don't want to get off on tangent, but I don't feel heard a lot of times except in that setting where I know for a fact that people are pressing play to hear what I have to say. It makes me feel empowered.
17:16
DJ Beowvlf
Validated.
17:17
Splash Jordan
Validated for sure. So I want to make other people feel that way. And speaking on things, there's been a lot of headlines in the media, a lot of things going on, and people are. If you go on Facebook and on Twitter and on Instagram, people feel comfortable saying those things behind a phone or a screen. But we could also have this conversation, you know, together. And that may, you know, lead to having more conversations together. And ultimately I feel like that's, you know, we can't stop fighting, you know, if we don't talk, how are we gonna stop fighting each other if we don't try to understand each other? You know, like we can try. You can feel how you feel politically or you're. Whatever, whatever, that's fine, you know, but we can coexist and we can talk about it.
18:00
Splash Jordan
And we can also look at these examples in the media of how our system is failing us and what changes, what areas we need. That's what the segments come from, is these areas that need change and we can. I don't have the answers. So hopefully when I come here, I'll be talking to generation of young minds, people who, much younger than me even, who have plans for the future, who will be future senators, future leaders of America. Hopefully somebody here will say something or will be, you know, Led to react in a different way after the show.
18:39
DJ Beowvlf
So I guess on a more specific line, what do we have planned for this? Okay.
18:44
Splash Jordan
All right, so I'm gonna let you.
18:46
DJ Beowvlf
Take the floor for this one, even though I know the answer.
18:48
Splash Jordan
Okay, so, well, we'll have a abbreviated live episode of the show. We'll bring some. We'll have some audience participation in various ways. We'll actually have some, you know, audience members come up doing two troops in a con. Got some prizes to give away in that capacity. I don't want to give away anything too soon, but I've heard from what I've seen, you want to be in that room.
19:13
DJ Beowvlf
Oh, for sure.
19:13
Splash Jordan
You want to be in that room, and you want to be playing. And then after that, you know, we'll have a community discussion and forum, but for the most part. And I've got a couple of people lined up as guests who have made a name in this area as being socialites, social media, you know, stars.
19:30
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
19:30
Splash Jordan
So, you know, we'll have, you know, a few people come through and kind of give their experiences, but for the most part, I want to entertain the audience, provide them with something fun. I know the classes have just gotten started. The grind is just getting started. A lot of these students.
19:42
DJ Beowvlf
So these cogs are turning yet again.
19:44
Splash Jordan
Right. So hopefully, you know, this will, you know, pump you up and get you excited for, you know, just some way to blow off steam. Will be on a Monday night.
19:51
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
19:51
Splash Jordan
So won't interfere with, you know, your weekend plans, and so just, you know, an opportunity to come out, meet some new. Meet some new people. You just started.
20:00
DJ Beowvlf
And I definitely think this is something that students will be interested in, because as I'm sure you're aware, as a podcast creator yourself, like, people listening to podcasts is, like, really big right now. Maybe. Maybe I was out of the loop for a few years because I was, like, younger or something, but I feel like everyone's into podcasts right now.
20:18
Splash Jordan
They are.
20:19
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. And it could be just, like, the rise of, like, smartphones and just, like, easy access. Anyone can essentially sit in front of a mic and be like, thank you for listening to my podcast. Tune in next week. And.
20:28
Splash Jordan
And then the more. More and more celebrities who have a voice. Excuse me. May not be making movies or music as often. I know that big, you know, person who turned me on the podcast and was Joe Budden.
20:41
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
20:42
Splash Jordan
You know, and before I listened to.
20:44
DJ Beowvlf
His show, picture of Joe Rogan popped in my head first. I'm not gonna lie.
20:48
Splash Jordan
I listened to Joe Rogan as well. But they made it very easy for me. Before I listened to those shows, I thought it was very complicated.
20:54
DJ Beowvlf
Right.
20:55
Splash Jordan
But I saw what they were doing. They were just talking about what they wanted to talk about in a way that they. That they were known for talking. And so it just clicked almost instantly. I maybe listen, like, five of each, and then I was, bam. Doing my own podcast.
21:08
DJ Beowvlf
And people are listening to podcasts in the way that people used to listen to the radio. Like, you think about, like, friends and family gathering around the radio to hear, like, weekly installments of, like, a radio play or something. Now, like, you and your friends can, like, listen to a podcast, come together and be like, did you just hear that new episode? Yeah. So it's a natural transition.
21:26
Splash Jordan
It is. And even more to that point, a aspect of podcasting that's taken off for me per se, is like, audio. Not necessarily audio books, narrative podcasts.
21:39
DJ Beowvlf
That's valid, too, though.
21:40
Splash Jordan
It is. And it's like just that, listening to this, I listened to Marvel's Wolverine's podcast, and, you know, being in love with that character, hearing it in that way was so cool. Cause it's a very visual character. But now I'm listening to these things. I'm listening to him slink around, and he's smelling, and then he makes a sound with his claws. And, like, in my mind, I'm like, I know what's happening, even though I can't see it. It's very cool for me, I think. I love that. Oops, sorry. I love being able to. So even so to the point, it inspired me to do podcasts very similar to that I'm working on as well. So I think that, you know, the easy access, the. The cost of podcasting has dropped tremendously.
22:21
Splash Jordan
And then just, you know, more and more people with a voice taking up the meeting. Before, it was, like, in a very niche.
22:29
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah.
22:29
Splash Jordan
You know, everybody had a science fiction podcast or a whatever.
22:35
DJ Beowvlf
Hell, you can listen to, like, Dungeons and Dragons, like, not like a let's play thing, but, like, you can listen to people, like, going through the game. And, like, that's pretty cool. It is very cool. Like, people will get their, like, guild together or whatever, and they'll, like, podcast them playing the game.
22:48
Splash Jordan
Oh, that is very cool. I've always wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons.
22:53
DJ Beowvlf
Very cool. Highly recommend.
22:54
Splash Jordan
I can't find anyone who would want to play. Well, that's not true. There is some people I do know, but it's very hard for me.
23:01
DJ Beowvlf
It's hard to, like, get over that hump because, like, it's a very dense game. Like, you gotta set up your character. You gotta put yourself into that mode. You have to imagine everything. Like, get the dice right.
23:12
Splash Jordan
I want to give. Yeah, I'd like. I'd love to give it a try. So this. Yeah, it's on the list.
23:17
DJ Beowvlf
So Dungeons and Dragons is on the list. The Verdict live podcast is on the list. So much stuff that people should try out and just check out.
23:23
Splash Jordan
Absolutely. For sure. For sure.
23:24
DJ Beowvlf
Yes. Well, we are very excited to put this event together once again. For anyone who's listening, it is Monday, September 9th. It is going to be from 8pm to 10pm roughly. We're going to have snacks. We're going to have live audience interaction. We're going to have guest speakers, lots of different ways that you can win prizes, and some very cool things that I will not announce at this point. Because you better be there to find out.
23:48
Splash Jordan
You're going to want to be there.
23:49
DJ Beowvlf
Yeah. But we're going to have a lot of things going on. Once again, WKNC and The Verdict, September 9th, Monday night.
23:55
Splash Jordan
All right, see you there.
23:57
DJ Beowvlf
Absolutely. Thank you very much for being on this podcast with me, and we'll see you in a couple of weeks.
24:00
Splash Jordan
All right. Thanks for having me.