Interview with Zoo and Me
Tarro:
Hey there! Thank you so much for taking the time to do not only this, but also to write an article for us! For the audience that doesn’t know, Brass here published an amazing piece about his experience coming into his zoosexuality a few weeks back. But he’s not just a writer! He’s also now officially a podcaster too! The first episode of Zoo and Me, his podcast with his cohost Akito just launched on Monday, with the second episode slated to come out the 22nd. You’ll be able to check that out on their Twitter account, @ZooandMe. Are there any other acolades you want to get out of the way before we dive into things?
Brass:
Well, personally I’d say It’s Akito’s podcast. It was her idea, she just invited me to host it with her.
Tarro:
If you’re hosting it with her, does that not make the two of you cohosts? Or is there still some kind of distinction between the two in your eyes?
Brass:
I guess we would both be cohosts, then.
Tarro:
Regardless of the naming conventions, there’s one thing that’s not up for debate and that’s that you’ve got a pretty great first episode out! I know during the episode you talk a little bit about this, but just for the audience who might not have caught it yet, what is the podcast, and what sets it apart from the plethora of other zoo podcasts out there?
Brass:
Well, we wanted to create a more casual tone with the podcast. It’s just a couple of friends talking off the cuff. We choose a few things we want to talk about before hand, but that’s about the extent of the preparation.
Tarro:
It sounds like it’s supposed to be a more conversational, easy to produce easy to listen to kind of thing, right? What do you think some of the advantages are of doing a show like that as opposed to something more skit based and scripted.
Brass:
Well, as you said it’s easier for us to make. It’s just the 2 of us working on it, so writing out a script to follow for each episode would be difficult, not to mention time consuming. We probably wouldn’t be able to keep the schedule we want if we were more scripted.
Tarro:
I do love the fact that you’re planning on releasing a little more often! So with a show like this, the foundation of it is really the relationship that you have with your cohost. How did the two of you meet, and what inspired you to do this together?
Brass:
We first met on the Telegram channel Zany Zoo Memes. I remember that I was telling a bunch of puns at the time and she liked them. Later she followed me on Twitter and I followed her back and we started talking more. As for what inspired us to do this, like I said it was her idea, I just liked it and agreed. Talking to her about it, she said that she’s been listening to podcasts since she was young and after befriending the hosts of her favorite podcast she wanted to make one herself, and now, years later she has. I think I can also say that we both want to help make the community better, and this seems like a good way to do it.
Tarro:
Maybe I’m biased, but I do think that creating helps to grow the community! Podcasting can definitely be a lot of work, what do you think you both bring to the table when it comes to making the show? Is one person on production and the other person content, or is it just a matter of things needing to be done and so people do them? Or something totally different.
Brass:
Well, Akito is the editor of the podcast and is the one working on the website. We both think of topics and other things we want to do on the podcast, though that will become more of my responsibility as we get more established. I’m also the one primarily running the Twitter account.
Tarro:
I know this question is a little generic, but I think that it’s interesting when it comes to projects in a community this small. Scope is really different when you’re building something for such a specific audience. What are some of the long term goals that you have for the show? Are there certain things that you’re thinking about trying in the future, are there certain metrics that you’re hoping to achieve? Or are you just playing it by ear and seeing how it goes?
Brass:
Well, as we mentioned in our first episode, we’re hoping to be able to have some guests on to interview, but beyond that, we’re just kind of seeing how it goes.
Tarro:
I’m not sure if this question necessary makes sense when it comes to specifically your podcast, but I ask this of every project that I get the chance to interview. If someone really resonates with what you’re making and wants to chip in or help out in some way, what’s the best way for them to do that?
Brass:
We’re always happy to hear some feedback about how we’re doing or to receive suggestions for topics, and if someone has some skills they want to put towards helping us out, we welcome it! Just send us a DM on Twitter on either the podcast account or either of our personal accounts. The podcast Twitter is @ZooAndMe, mine is @TheBrassBulldog, and Akito’s is @AkitoTheZoo
Tarro:
Moving away from the podcast for a bit, I wanted to chat a bit about your time as an active part of the zoo community. You and I both came on to the scene at around the same time, and I think in general we’ve been in similar spaces. For you, what would you say the best thing to come out of your time here, and the worst thing?
Brass:
The best thing for me has definitely been the friends I’ve made in the community. There are just so many cool people in this community and it’s great. The worst is probably the drama that occasionally happens, though I try to keep my distance from that.
Tarro:
In terms of the things that you’ve done, do you have a favorite memory or thing that’s occurred?
Brass:
Well, writing my article for this magazine was definitely a big thing for me, and I’m quite proud of it. I’ve also just really liked talking to people. Whether it’s joking with a friend or answering some questions from someone curious about zoos.
Tarro:
Wow, what a perfect unintentional segue! I know you had some personal struggles with accepting your zooeyness. There are a lot of people in that same situation. I’m sure you get DM’s all the time from people asking you for advice, but to anyone that might be reading this that isn’t sure about their sexuality, and is maybe feeling uncomfortable with themselves, what would you say to them?
Brass:
Well, not all the time, though I have gotten a few. I think the biggest thing I have to say is that the stigma around this sexuality doesn’t define who you are. Just because some people say zoos are bad, that doesn’t make it true, not in the slightest. We’re all just people, in the end, and while there are bad people in the world, your sexuality doesn’t make you one. I know from experience how hard it can be to accept yourself, but suppressing yourself hurts a whole lot more.
Tarro:
Alright, great answers! We’re pretty much done! To wrap things up, do you think we could get a bit of a teaser for what you talk about on the episode of Zoo and Me coming out tomorrow?
Surprise Akito answer:
There’s not much to tease really! We kinda just talked about video games a lot and discussed the whole twitter thing haha
Tarro:
hey, that can be good in the right context!
“Make sure you tune in this week to check out their in depth discussion on the controversial twitter bans!”
Akito:
Haha I agree! I mean it was fun to record once again. In depth is a bit much, we only talked about that for about uh 15 minutes max!
Tarro:
Yeah, but you have to sexy it up a little bit for the click bait!
Brass:
Then we need to make it into a dog.
Tarro:
“EXPOSED! Is Twitter DEAD? Listen to find out the SHOCKING TEAR DOWN of Twitter this week on ZOO AND ME!”
Well, thanks again for doing this interview! Any last thoughts to put out there to the readers?
Brass:
Thanks for having me (us)!
Akito:
Yeah, thanks for giving us the opportunity!
Tarro:
Thanks for being here! And remember readers, you can check out the new episode of Zoo and Me this Monday, the 22nd of August either on their youtube channel, their website, or their twitter account. Links below!
Zoo and Me
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZooAndMe
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/
Website: https://zooand.me/
You can find Brass at https://twitter.com/TheBrassBulldog
You can find Akito at https://twitter.com/AkitoTheZoo
You can find Tarro at https://twitter.com/hereforthezoo
Questions, comments or concerns? Check out the discussion thread over on ZooCommunity!
