One day over the winter I spotted a post on Threads asking the general question as to which social media platform had the most toxic comment section. As a performing musician who posts short videos of myself doing my thing, I quickly retraced the moments that had led me to write the song “Cyber Troll.” I thought of those brave souls who, using garbled usernames, threw their derisive flames at my efforts to entertain.
So, in answering this question posed by The Melting Pat (@themeltingpat), I shared a link to my minute-long performance of an excerpt of “Cyber Troll,” the song inspired by the same toxic comment section he had asked about.
I later got a message from Pat Johnston, the creator and host of The Melting Pat Podcast, asking if I'd permit him to extract audio from that performance to include on his next episode. At that moment, I had the finished album track of “Cyber Troll” ready to go upon the album's release. So I offered Pat the exclusive opportunity to premier the track in a way that was central to a topic of discussion on his show. Pat gave off lots of gratitude for my having sent him this track for his show. This became the first episode of “The Melting Pat” that I had the pleasure of listening to. I've listened to just about every episode of his show since.
▶ Here's the episode that included “Cyber Troll.”
Melting Four Shows Into One
Pat brings radio broadcasting experience and a keen sense of humor to a show that combines several areas of discussion that animate him. When he shares the origin story of his podcast, he mentions having previously had four different shows - one focused on music, one on sports, one on video games and another more observational/ripped from the headlines (not major political stories - smaller stories that challenge notions like “That's the way we've always done it.”). His current show format, and its title, reflect the way he now combines these four shows into one.
The Mouth Riffs You Never Knew You Need to Hear
Each episode, Pat plays one track by an up-and-coming artist and follows it up by humming an instrumental hook from the song in his unique way, really revealing his engagement with the song he just aired and his attention to the nuances of what the artist put into the song, but in a fun and funny way. He calls these hummed lines his “mouth riffs," where he adds an exaggerated wah-wah effect. I like to think of this like when Weird Al does a parody of your song, you've made it. So when I hear Pat do a mouth riff of my tune, I've made it (for an unsigned indie, that is).
Pat's selections of songs generally gravitate toward pop-punk and emo, though if a song is topical to his discussions, he's comfortable using something of a different genre.
That's the Way We've Always Done It
Don't get Pat started on topics like post-pandemic mandates to return to the office. Not only does he frequently share that he personally finds that working from home agrees with him, but you'll often hear him challenging old-school thinking. I enjoy his impersonation of someone arguing - “But that's the way we've always bah-pah-pah…”
That embrace of newer thinking to change with the times extends to some of his other stories he shares, like wedding invitations that involve an unusual outing or a crowdfunding effort to defray the cost of a less traditional celebration. He'll often come down on the side of respecting the new idea, even if he himself might not proceed that way. He'll again ridicule the expected criticisms that this unconventional wedding isn't the way we do bah-pah-pah…" That never fails to get a chuckle out of me in the car.
While Pat is one to support those who buck tradition, he's also clear about sticking to common sense and basic hygiene! He has hilariously criticized a commuter on the bus who took her shoes and socks off on the ride and a guy who posted a video of himself making nachos in the hotel bathroom sink.
And he leads deep discussions of monumental importance that connect his podcast episodes to his online interactions on social media. On an episode he'll pose a question like “Is a hot dog a sandwich?”, which led to lots of fun discussion around the table among my extended family. He and my wife are team “no.” I fall more in the “yes” category myself. We've enjoyed some fun banter about this on Threads.
Philly Sports and Wrestling
Pat manages to entertain with topics that are near and dear to his heart but I'm not too familiar with. When he holds forth about Flyers hockey or Phillies baseball, I'm hearing his passion about these topics and I get my interest piqued a bit. Of course I'm a north Jersey guy, so I'm more partial to the Yankees and the Devils, but his perspective makes the rivalries more interesting to me. I don't believe I've watched even part of a pro wrestling event since the 80s, but I get to appreciate what goes into a wrestling show, the storylines of the wrestlers, and the way these athlete artists inspire their fanbases in Pat's discussion of this.
Five Hundred and Counting
Pat's podcast has reached an impressive milestone. He just taped his 500th episode, which he celebrated with a live recording session in front of an audience in his hometown of Philadelphia.
This 500th episode is set for release in mid-October.
Go Crap Open a Cold One
His go-to sign-off phrase is “go crap open a cold one,” as he sends you off to face whatever the week brings, until his next episode comes around.
If you like humorous observational takes about everyday human interaction, Pat's podcast is for you.