{"id":1919,"date":"2015-10-31T14:31:10","date_gmt":"2015-10-31T22:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wou.edu\/westernjournal\/?p=1919"},"modified":"2015-10-31T14:31:10","modified_gmt":"2015-10-31T22:31:10","slug":"your-new-favorite-podcast-its-wet-outside-with-ollie-bergh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/your-new-favorite-podcast-its-wet-outside-with-ollie-bergh\/","title":{"rendered":"Your New Favorite Podcast: \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside with Ollie Bergh\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iwologo(1)\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By:Declan Hertel\r\nEntertainment Editor<\/pre>\n
I sat down with Ollie Bergh, a BFA Acting\/Music major at WOU and creator and host of the podcast \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside,\u201d to talk about his show.<\/p>\n
Declan:<\/strong> So, Ollie Bergh. The man behind the mask. The curtain. The magic. What is \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside?<\/p>\n
Ollie:<\/strong> What is \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside?\u201d Well, it\u2019s a talk podcast, in the simplest terms. Although, if we\u2019re going to get philosophical, and we are, because we\u2019re college students, it\u2019s become more than that. It\u2019s become an extracurricular activity. In the same way that in high school, your extracurriculars were where your group of friends was founded. \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside\u201d has become that, at least for me. And I would venture to say [the same] for many of the folks in it. But it\u2019s a talk podcast, I structured it sort of halfway between the way that American talk shows, late night comedy\u2014think Conan\u2014I structured it halfway between that with\u2026 in the second year we did it I added sort of what the British late night talk shows do, which is have everybody on at once and kind of have a round table discussion about whatever it is. But it served another purpose: I did a lot of stand-up [comedy] in high school, and I didn\u2019t want to lose that part of me. But with the demanding schedule of being a theatre student, I couldn\u2019t go to Salem on Tuesday nights to do the open mic. So I created the podcast, where I could try to be funny; try to keep that going. [Laughs.]<\/p>\n
\"iwologo(1)\"<\/a>D:<\/strong> I\u2019ve got to ask about the name. How did it come about?<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> So my buddy Jackson had a show at [Portland State\u2019s radio station] KPSU; I think they have the radio frequency, they\u2019re big. Huge institution, really great programming there. And he was showing me all the different shows on KPSU, and all of them had these hilarious names. My favorite was \u201cEat Your Children.\u201d Jackson\u2019s was something simple like\u2026 \u201cBig Jack Attack\u201d or something, you know, radio name. But he was like \u201cyou know, just think of something funny, and that\u2019ll be your radio show. So I was like, \u201cRadio Puppy.\u201d To me, that had a nice ring to it, it was funny enough, weird enough. But also friendly enough that people would listen to it. And I was in my dorm, and [I said to my girlfriend], \u201cI\u2019m gonna start a KWOU show called Radio Puppy.\u201d And she was like, \u201cthat\u2019s such a stupid show title.\u201d And it was pouring outside, and I was like, \u201cwell, what else am I gonna call it? Like\u2026 like\u2026 \u2018Bats Eat Mayonnaise?\u2019 Like, \u2018It\u2019s Wet Outside?\u2019\u201d And then\u2026 wait. There it is. That\u2019s the magic.<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> What was the first iteration of \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside?\u201d I know it\u2019s been through a couple.<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> I think the first episode is a great way to tell you how it came about. I was on my way to walk into the KWOU building to do the first episode, I had no idea what I was going to do. And I look at a guy in my dorm, Nick Reeve, and I go, \u201chey Nick! You wanna be on \u2018It\u2019s Wet Outside?\u2019\u201d And he\u2019s like, \u201cyeah I\u2019ll be on \u2018It\u2019s Wet Outside.\u2019\u201d And I think I scheduled some of [my girlfriend] Sheridan\u2019s friends to come on, we were going to do girl talk, and talk about why girls hate me, or whatever. So it started with me and Nick co-hosting and just doing this show, finding anybody to come on. Not a lot has changed. [Laughs.] But it was more news-based in the early days, I remember one time Nick\u2026 Nick loves basketball. And I said, \u201cNick, do a bit on basketball.\u201d And I thought, \u2018this is gonna be so funny,\u2019 right? And he just reported, gave basically a sports column on the air. No jokes. [Laughs.]<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> In that vein, what sort of stuff do you talk about on \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside?\u201d<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> Basically anything. The way that I try to capture it now is\u2026 think of what all your bros<\/p>\n
would be goofing off about. It\u2019s like that plus more. It\u2019s real topics, with that aspect, you know?<\/p>\n
So [with the upcoming episode], there\u2019s going to be some talk about vegetarianism, so picture<\/p>\n
you and your buds just shooting the crap about vegetarians, you know?<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> Have you had a favorite episode?<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> Gosh, there\u2019s been a lot of good episodes. I remember the first episode that really clicked with the whole group was the \u201cLove is Sacrifice\u201d episode. Just because I\u2019d been throwing themes out, and themes had been going off the wire, and finally we had, like, good bits and a cohesive show, and it was like, yeah it was funny but also everything worked, and it was the \u201cLove is Sacrifice\u201d episode. Although, season three, episode one, might also be up there, that was a good show. I had a lot of fun doing that show. Sometimes \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside\u201d can be more work than fun, given the day. And I had a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> Has leaving KWOU to go independent afforded you more freedom in what you do?<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> Yeah. The biggest thing I should say is that \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside\u201d quickly outgrew what KWOU could offer [in terms of tech]. Which was\u2026 I had in my apartment more microphones than KWOU. And when I decided, like, I want more people on the show all the time, instead of just these one on one interviews we were doing the first year. I just had to figure out how to do it in my apartment, because I\u2019ve got all these mics. And that\u2019s been very important to me; that there are more people on the show because if it\u2019s just me, the show would have never made it past episode three. But the fact that there were people, other people that wanted to do it, that were there as like, \u201chey, we doin\u2019 the show,\u201d was able to keep me going. Like, I thrive, \u201cwhen it\u2019s not fun, it\u2019s work,\u201d right? Because that means I\u2019m still doing it. That means I have to find the juices from deep inside rather than just, \u201cah, I feel good let\u2019s do this,\u201d then it\u2019s usually better when I\u2019ve had to kind of get myself out of the corner. You know, work through it. And the fact that I\u2019ve had Jade Rayner, who is effectively the manager, stage manager, we call her the microphone manager. The fact that we have\u2026 Jade has made everything better for me because she took responsibilities, and I could delegate work, and once that happened to me it was like, here\u2019s a real\u2026 we can get a real system. And then I\u2019ve got another guy, who does ads and also helps come up with bits, I call him the producer because he\u2026 \u2018cause it felt right. [Laughs.] Because he\u2019s producing s–t for the show, producing bits at least.<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> Where do you see \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside\u201d progressing to? What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> What\u2019s next\u2026<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> Like when it progresses from \u201cWet\u201d to \u201cFlooding.\u201d<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s Hurricane Patricia Outside.\u201d [Laughs.] Gosh, what I would really love to do is get video recording, and make it, I imagine building a stage in a garage, right, and having a studio audience and s–t. And really go full \u201cLate Night with Jimmy Fallon.\u201d<\/p>\n
D:<\/strong> You wanna go full-on late night talk show?<\/p>\n
O:<\/strong> I would love to do that. But, let\u2019s be real, I don\u2019t think that would be how it would happen. But really truthfully, and my step-dad has mentioned this, that I could maybe sell it, get it on NPR. Right? OPB. Have it be a radio broadcast on the air. That would be really cool. Or, it could be a successful podcast, it could be a \u201cWTF with Marc Maron,\u201d it could be a \u201cComedy Bang Bang.\u201d That would be cool. It might not happen that way, there\u2019s so many options. Maybe it\u2019ll be a stage show. You know what, that\u2019s the next step. That\u2019s truthfully the next step. I want to have a live show this year. On stage. \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside in Concert.\u201d That\u2019s the next step. Honestly, it wouldn\u2019t have to be anything other than, like, let\u2019s rent out a stage, let\u2019s rent out the Rickreall Event Center and just put on the show the way we normally would, you know? Let\u2019s get a stage and do the show. Get some people there. The industrious person in me says \u201csell tickets,\u201d at the end of the day it\u2019s like \u201cjust get people there,\u201d to come watch the show. Have a reason to get a banner made. I almost made a banner last year, but I had no reason to. [Laughs.] [Pause.] The biggest thing for me is that people like the show. The only thing I\u2019ve ever wanted to do is to make people\u2019s days better, you know. The story I always like to tell is when my dad was going through a real abusive relationship and I would stay up late and just listen to my dad and my step-mom fight. And I would stay up late, and this is when Conan was still on Late Night, so he\u2019s on at, like, midnight slot. And I\u2019d watch Conan, and I\u2019d feel better. You know? He made me laugh. And I thought, \u201cthat\u2019s what I want to do.\u201d Make people laugh, make people feel better.<\/p>\n
That was all I wanted to do.<\/p>\n
 <\/p>\n
You can catch \u201cIt\u2019s Wet Outside with Ollie Bergh\u201d on Wednesdays on iTunes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I sat down with Ollie Bergh, a BFA Acting\/Music major at WOU and creator and host of the <\/p>\n
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