For those of you who don't know, I listen to a particular podcast on a very regular basis. What podcast is that, you may ask? Starkville House of El or SHoE as it is fondly called. This podcast is dedicated to the television show Smallville that just ended its ten year run on the CW (formerly the WB).
First, I'll tell you about how I came to love Smallville. My brother, Eric, recommended the show to me a few years back. I am thinking it must've been in 2006. He told me that the show was really good and that it was about the origins of Superman. So going into it, that's all I knew. [I have to make a confession right here. Prior to Smallville, I had never even seen a Superman movie. I know. Shocking, isn't it? But I digress.] I went to my local library and got the first two seasons of Smallville on DVD. It all worked out better than I thought because I ended up getting the flue that very day and so I spent close to a week at home in bed. Hmmm what could I do for a week at home, laid up in bed? I know! I'll watch that show I got from the library! :) I think I got through seasons one and two during the time I was sick and I was chomping at the bit for season three! I don't remember exactly how long it took me to get through the seasons. Our library didn't have season five so I ended up borrowing it from a friend. I then got caught up on what was the current season (season six) and ever since then I have kept up with it pretty regularly. So that leaves me at about 2007.
Let's fast forward about two years to 2009. I also need to mention that I am a Lost fan. I had been listening to Damon and Carlton on the Official Lost podcast and I had the thought "Hey, I wonder if there's a good Smallville podcast?" So, I went to iTunes and the first podcast it brought up was SHoE. So, I figured I'd give it a listen and see how I liked it. Well, I didn't like it . . . I LOVED it!!! I started with Episode 117 unedited for the Smallville episode "Hex" Here's what I liked about it:
1. These guys (just Steve and Derek at the time) had Southern accents. My family has roots in the South and I, myself, was born in the mountains of Northern Georgia, so the podcast immediately had a comfortable, familiar feel to it.
2. Steve and Derek were also HILARIOUS!! They had the same sense of humor that I did and I found myself chuckling often and outright laughing at the comments they made and/or observations.
3. These guys had some real insights into Smallville and Superman. They knew about the mythos and they could explain why things worked or didn't work for the show
4. They never once believed that Chloe was Lois. (This probably isn't that pertinent, but I never though Chloe would be Lois, so I was kinda surprised that there were people who did.)
5. (and some people might call this a negative, but I don't.) It was long!! I loved the fact that it was long. I liked listening to podcasts while I was at work. The Lost podcast would sometimes go 25 minutes at its longest, so when I saw that these guys' podcasts ran anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours, I was like "Sweet! This'll keep me entertained at work!"
These are just a few of the things that I enjoyed about the show. I also enjoyed hearing Derek going into Rainman mode and list all the episodes of Smallville in order. I loved Steve randomly bursting into song (mostly because I am always doing that) and I just loved the overall format. I saw some people's reviews on iTunes that were like "oh these guys know their stuff, but they get off topic too much." I'd like to slap those people, I LOVE when they get off topic, because that's usually when the hilarity ensues!! hahah
Listening to SHoE then led to my listening to Geek Out Loud (The official podcast of www.geekoutonline.com). It also led to my getting a Netflix account, which has opened up a whole slough of television shows and movies that I have been able to enjoy. But more than that, it led to a real love for Superman. As I mentioned earlier, I had never really even seen Superman before. I went out after watching Smallville and listening to SHoE and bought Superman: I - IV on DVD ($10 at Target, what a deal!) and watched all of them. I have since grown to love those movies (okay, maybe not IV so much, Mark Pillow at his best) and have acquainted myself more fully with the mythos. SHoE definitely broadened my geek horizons.
For the past two years that I've been listening to SHoE some really big stuff has gone on in my life. My dad had cancer and was then diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. We are grateful to God that his cancer is now gone, but my father's Parkinson's is a reality that we have to deal with every day. It adds a lot of stress to my family and sometimes things get to be more than we can bear. I am a Christian, so I know that God is watching out for me and my family and that He will not give us more than we can bear, but sometimes things can get discouraging. Outside of my faith, this podcast (and Smallville) is one of the things that never fails to bring a smile to my face. For a little while, I can forget about the insanity that makes up my life and get lost in a fantasy world, where a man can fly and super heroes really do exist. The guys over at SHoE asked for video submissions of 30 to 60 seconds where we could just say a quick thanks or tell them what the podcast has meant to us over the years. I'm sorry, but 60 seconds just wasn't enough for me to say what I needed to say, so I decided to blog it. (Besides, I'm not that photogenic anyway lol) So, here's to the guys of SHoE, not just Derek and Steve, but the guys who started it and the ones who stepped in when they were needed, Joe, Robin and Damien (btw, my car's name is Damien lol) I appreciate everything you've all contributed and for making this such an unforgettable experience.
I don't think there's any other way to end this post other than saying ♫ Thank you sooo much ♫ and of course "You ARE great!"
