In a moment of idol weakness I googled my own name, an action I immediately regretted since I was introduced to a number of other men who bore my name. Men who were more successful, richer and even better looking than I am faced me down. My insecurity flared up and I headed toward a deep depression. One bright spot to this exercise was the reveal of a podcast that carried my sir name Wilhelm.
The Wilhelm podcast distracted me from my misgivings of the moment and set me off down a rabbit hole to find out more about it. Was this a website spawned by a relative, was it a history of the family name did it unveil an aristocratic lineage that I was unaware of. The answer to all of the above was, no. This was a website that was named after a scream.
The Wilhelm Scream is a scream that was recorded back in 1951 for the movie Distant Drums; it is now an iconic stock sound effect that has been used in countless movies. Why was this podcast carrying that nomenclature? According to podcast creator Ben Beck, “Being a pop culture show I wanted something that could tie everything together. Since the Wilhelm scream has been used in countless TV shows and movies, I felt it appropriate.”
So, I binged the podcast and found it to be a very engaging program with topics like; Favorite Movies you’ll never outgrow, Top Ten Baseball Movies, Top Ten Fictional Presidents, Celebrity Interviews and Tributes, Reviews and Movie Swaps. With ten years of history, starting as a radio program that eventually developed into a podcast, Ben has developed an interview style that is both enthusiastic and respectful. He is also engaged in many Comic and Sci-Fi conventions where he has the inside scoop to up and coming events and is able to reach out to celebrities for interviews. He spends a lot of time promoting other websites as well, often having their creators as guests on his program. Not only that but he hosts a spin off program titled the Revisited Podcast. I just want to know where does he find the time?
I have indulged a lot of time with The Wilhelm Podcast and I will inevitably spend a lot more. It is a fun podcast that gets me hyped about the entertainment industry both past and present.