If you’re a veteran player of Star Wars Galaxies, chances are you’ve heard of Yivvits and MrBubble! This dynamic duo hosts a regular podcast called “SWG with Yivvits and MrBubble”. Yivvits and MrBubble took a break from the microphones to let you know a little more about who they are and how a typical podcast comes to life.

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is similar to a radio show, with a speaker or speakers discussing topics related to a particular subject. Podcasts are online, downloadable audio files.

SWG with Yivvits and MrBubble is a long-running podcast that covers the latest news and topics for Star Wars Galaxies, and the hosts often share their thoughts on the Star Wars universe as well.

Behind the Scenes with Yivvits and MrBubble

Who are you guys, anyway?

Brent (Yivvits): My name is Brent and I’m the voice of reason on our show. My character is Yivvits the Wookiee.

John (MrBubble): My name is John and I am the puppet master of the toon MrBubble in the Valcyn galaxy. In real life I live in the same town as my Wookiee co-host, am a small business owner and live in a house with three cats and a clingy dog in a picturesque town.

Why did you want to make a SWG podcast?

John: Why we AT FIRST wanted to make one was just to play with podcasts — we’re both nerds and like to try new stuff. Somewhere for me during the first six episodes we started really having fun and getting positive feedback and I noticed it made the game more fun in the process, so that’s why we still do it.

MrBubble in the recording studio

I can’t speak for Brent, but it’s been just an incredible experience for me and introduced me to many new friends and has even encroached on my real life in a positive way. If I didn’t have this podcast, I’d probably be living in an alley in a large refrigerator cardboard box, eating ketchup packets and saltine crackers. Or something like that.

Brent: I wasn’t too sure about the whole thing and it took some convincing on MrBubble’s part. I had always been the kind of person who hated to hear their own voice. I’ll tell you what, doing a podcast cleared that up pretty quickly. Having just been through the original combat upgrade and seeing most of my friends leave there wasn’t much left in the game for me, yet I wanted to stay connected somehow. The podcast was (and still is) my outlet.

When and how did you get started?

John: We started in July of 2005, and these things were pretty new. The moment that kicked me in the butt was around June of 2005 on a Rush Limbaugh show when he mentioned his listeners could download podcasts of the episode. I figured if El Rushbo was doing it, it had to be big-time. I had microphones and a mixer and was already setup to record audio on a computer, so I figured since Brent and I talked about this anyway in real life, we could put a small outline down on paper and try one.

My influences were Car Talk on NPR, Loveline (Adam Carolla days), endless political talk shows (both sides, I listened to them all), and endless blabbering at work with customers. So that’s what formed the natural banter. It felt really natural talking to Brent and we both had plenty of Star Wars info to pull from in case we didn’t have game information. The first episode worked great and then we agreed to try six more. I could tell when the first ten minutes flew by that having something to fill up the time was NOT going to be a problem.

How do you prepare for each episode of the podcast?

Brent: What is this… “prepare” you speak of?

John:

• Trunk bends
• Laterals
• Trunk rotations
• Jumping jacks
• Leg lifts
• Lunge stretches
• Squats

Brent: OK OK, we do some planning. We have a web site set up for each episode where we (try) to keep track of our ideas and requests from listeners. Oddly enough, our favorite episodes are the ones where we had little or no prep time. Most of our work goes into post-production (and some pre-production such as gathering sound clips to use).

How long does an episode take to put together?

Brent: It mainly depends on whether or not we included any “bits” in the episode. Other factors include how much we ramble, the kind of moods we were in while recording, and how many times MrBubble’s dog barked. Most episodes take between 8 and 10 hours of editing. The comedy bits such as Palpatino’s Pizza can take as much as 40 hours of editing to complete.

Yivvits in the recording studio

John: We really do just sit down and do most of the show in one take, end to end. We don’t record ten segments for example, and splice them together with a musical interlude; we prefer the feeling of a live show. Of COURSE we pause a lot for barking dogs like Yivvits says, or growling Wookiee tummies and weak Sullustan bladders. We start with an outline of the topics to cover, run through the outline before recording, but then it’s out of the gates till the end of the show!

Is there a message you’d like to send to your listeners?

John: Yes, I’d like to say something to the beautiful Iscra on Valcyn. Iscra: I’ve got a loaded Decimator, credits in the bank, beautiful lakefront property on Naboo, and can perform many dance flourishes. Why won’t you answer my holomail?

Brent: (You know, MrBubble, Iscra is really a man.) I have to thank our listeners. They make this whole endeavor even more fun for us.

John: Iscra a man? Have you SEEN her Brent? That’s no man! Oh heck yeah, thanks to the listeners! They are the greatest!!!!

What keeps you recording?

Brent: We ask ourselves that same question each time we sit down to record. Joking aside, we’ve always told people we’ll do the show as long as WE are having fun and one or two people listen to it.

John: Agreed, furry one. Also, it’s pretty simple - one episode at a time. We got to 50 and I really thought just doing one or two more had as much appeal as pulling all my teeth. But then there’s stuff to talk about, and it’s time to hop in front of the mics and record!

Has running the podcast changed your view of the game?

John: The podcast has breathed life in me and inspired me to keep playing through the dark times. During times of greatest despair (I’m guessing for Yivvits it would be the CU), certain listeners or friends have always been there, and it brings home our theme of PEOPLE being most important to a game, the same way a Decimator’s Elite Gauss Cannon brings home crunchy X-Wings to their load point.

Brent: Yeah, it has shown me how great the community of the game is. As MrBubble said, doing the podcast has also allowed me to “deal with” the darker times in SWG… CU… NGE… (although the thrice weekly counseling sessions and heavy sedation probably helped as well).
The Star Wars Galaxies team would like to thank Yivvits and MrBubble for all of the great podcasts!