General

What is Brutally Honest?

Some people think that being Brutally Honest is to be rude, crude, obnoxious, and vulgar. Sorry folks, but that’s not being brutally honest.. that’s just being an ass.

Being Brutally Honest is to simply call it as it is, and to show it as it is, warts and all. It means trying to get past some of the spin and fluff and get to the meat of the issue. That’s not easy, since a lot of laws and crusades are based on nothing but spin and fluff.

Tell us a little about "the brutal one".

Most of who I am can be found at my personal site. I have a somewhat detailed FAQ about myself there. This FAQ is about Brutally Honest.

You’re pretty biased for a journalist.

Unlike guys like Matt Drudge, I’m not a journalist, nor do I pretend to be. I’ve been a reporter, and every so often I might come up with a freelance article for publications, but I make no pretenses here of being a journalist.

On my show, I am a commentator. My role here is to provide commentary on the world, not try to be the news of the world. Being a commentator means I can be biased, and I will not try to deny that.

Political Views

You don’t sound like a conservative.

Because I’m not. I used to think of myself as a conservative, but that was before I realized that conservatives weren’t for less government, simply less liberal government.

So if you aren’t a conservative, and you aren’t a liberal, what are you politically?

I’m a political cynic and Libertarian. I believe that government is a necessary evil, one that we need to maintain some semblance of order but should never rely on except as a last resort.

Likes And Dislikes

Why do you hate Bill Clinton so much?

I don’t. I’ve long since known that Bill Clinton is a career politician who would do, use, and say anything to get elected and to stay elected. I’ve come to expect that in most politicians. (That’s the political cynic in me.) What I get offended at is when he bastardizes the very Constitution he took an oath to uphold and defend, and he does so with not even an apology when he is proven to be in the wrong.

Why do you hate George W. Bush so much?

Again, I don't. This is another career politician. Stop thinking in terms of "love" or "hate".

What DO you hate in Washington?

The presumptive imperialist arrogance. That smug, cock-sure attitude that presumes that they're ALWAYS right in everything that they do. I don't care which political party is in power, that elitist arrogance is still there.

Why do you support Microsoft?

When it comes to having to pick between the two Bills (Bill Gates versus Bill Clinton), I’d pick Gates any day. At least with him I still have choice. Clinton doesn’t think I have the brains to make that kind of a decision.

Don’t get me wrong, MS is far from perfect. I’m somewhat disappointed by Windows 98, and some of the rumors I hear about Windows 2000 aren’t good either.. but you know what? I chose to use Windows, and if I wanted to, I could uninstall it and put in Be or Linux if I wanted to be limited in my software selections. I could’ve even gotten a Macintosh if I wanted to. So it is my choice to deal with Windows.

By the way, I find it absolutely curious that people would be all over Microsoft for its control over the software, which is maybe 50% of the whole personal computer, and yet say absolutely NOTHING about a company like Apple that controls 100% of that kind of computer!

Why are you against the religious activists? Why do you deride them and call them the "Religious Wrong" and the "God Squad?"

I have nothing against most religious people per se. Most religious folks are very reasonable and understanding. It is the leaders who claim to speak for those religious people that I focus much of my attention towards. It is their unmitigated arrogance in their belief that THEY have the exclusive interpretations on God, the hereafter, and the world we live in, that I am offended at.

You know, I don’t claim to have all the answers to life’s questions. And I understand the fear and uncertainty some folks have. Its refreshing for the psyche to know that there would be a place where all the troubles of the world would go away forever. Fine. If you believe that you know a way to that place, have fun! But if you believe in the freedom of your religion, you should let me find my own way as well.

Why do you talk about Playboy a lot? Aren’t you concerned about kids reading your stuff?

True, Playboy isn’t designed for kids. But then again, neither is the real world. And, for that matter, neither is the Internet. No, this site won’t be turned into a porn site, but every so often there will be a serious discussion about mature subject material (i.e. sex and/or violence). To use the movie terminology, Brutally Honest is rated PG-13.

As for Playboy itself, I feel that Playboy is by far one of the few magazines that try to balance between the intellectual and the primal sides. Some of my readers happen to be members of the Playboy Mailing List, an interactive e-mail discussion group. Some of my readers are even Playboy Playmates. I’ve come to know a good group of Playmates through shows like Glamourcon, and from the PML, and I am proud to consider those women good online friends.

What is X-treme Team?

The X-treme Team is also known as Team Playboy. It is a group of Playmates who participate in the grueling triathlon known as the Hi-Tec Adventure Series. One of the founding Playmates - Jennifer Lavoie - is a good friend of mine, and I have enjoyed hearing and seeing the team's progress in both national and international competition. They're more than just pretty faces. They're pretty faces that can kick ass!

Unfortunately there wasn't enough support to keep the hardware going. We actually had a good thing with this. Randy and I had the talent, we just lacked the resources.

The website is back online, but right now it's more of a blog and message board. Someday if we can get the resources again, we can go back to doing live broadcasts. I certainly miss the fun of doing live shows!

Brutally Honest - LIVE

What ever made you decide to do a weekly netcast?

The initial idea was to do a quick RealAudio segment, pick one rant or article, and just put it out for people to download and listen to. But then I got an e-mail from one of my readers who does his own live netcast show and who reads my articles on the air. He offered to let me use his server for my netcasts.

After listening to the Freehold for a few weeks, I decided to go beyond the initial idea of a brief segment and develop a live netcast show.

Why are you on only one hour a week? Guys like Limbaugh and Boortz are on every day for three hours or more!

Part of the reason is that it takes time for me to develop the kind of information that you read in my articles. It’s not like I can simply go on the air and rant my head off.

Guys like Limbaugh and Boortz can go on every day for three hour shows because a lot of that time is spent getting feedback from their listeners. I neither have the means nor the listeners right now to do that.

Liberty Free-For-All

What ever made you decide to do a weekly netcast?

A couple of years ago, there was a huge gap in the Talk Liberty schedule. Randy could not be on the air every weeknight to do his show. That meant I was carrying the whole burdon of Talk Liberty on one one-hour weekly show.

After playing with some impromptu broadcasting, I decided to create a second show called the Liberty Free-For-All. I intended it to be just a filler until Randy came back on the air, but when Randy did come back on, he rather liked the idea of having both of us do these kinds of shows.

What's the difference between this show and Brutally Honest - LIVE?

The biggest difference is preparation. The Liberty Free-For-All is completely impromptu. I don't know what I'm going to say for those two whole hours I'm on the air. That's the magic of doing these kinds of shows.

Also there's the time involved. The Free-For-All is on the air twice a week for two hours each night. That's a lot of time, and quite often I'll just spend it playing music or reading whatever came off the wire services.

Which do you like better - Brutally Honest or the Free-For-All?

If I had to make a choice, I'd have to stick with Brutally Honest - LIVE. I spend a lot of time preparing them, so I often feel they are me at my best.

Technical questions

What sort of equipment do you need to do a netcast?

The essential components are a computer, a microphone, access to the Internet, the right software, and a server that can allow you to netcast to multiple listeners.

I currently use the RealProducer G2 by Real Networks for my netcasts. I also work through a small soundboard plugged into the sound card of my computer. This soundboard consists of a mixer console, microphone, reverb console, tape player, headphones, and a CD player. (You can get all these components at Radio Shack.) You don’t need a soundboard to do netcasts, but I use it because not only do I have the equipment, but because it makes for a better show. I also have expanded the soundboard to include a second computer, which gives me much greater mobility in terms of playing sound files.

How did someone like you get such equipment?

I used to be the audio effects engineer when I was in the theatre in high school and college. I used to work with audio effects, as well as create some recordings of my own. Plus I used to dabble with being a disc jockey in college. That's where the mixer and reverb boards, microphone, and headphones came in.

Why use RealAudio?

RealAudio is the most popular form of streaming media on the Internet. You can download a RealPlayer for free at Real Networks and listen to as many different netcasts as possible. I have also found out that the same RealAudio format can be heard on the more recent versions of America Online's audio player. I'm not really thrilled with AOl, but since there are millions of users out there, that means millions of potential listeners.

What’s with the music in between segments?

Well normally this is where commercials would go in. BUT since I don’t have any sponsors, I need something between segments. Music is the natural choice.

Since the Recording Oligarchy has been cracking down on people playing music, however, I've have to make a few changes. More non-mainstream stuff and random audio clips, including some original music by yours truly. Yes, "DJ" is more than just my first two initials.

Okay, I have the RealPlayer. It’s showtime, and you’re not on. Why?

Your speakers are broken. ... Just kidding.

In all seriousness, one of the downsides to doing a show on the Internet is that sometimes there are complications. Just like power lines and tunnels are a hindrance to radio listeners, so too do lost cache packets and ISP difficulties pose to streaming netcasts. Sometimes the server is down, which means I can’t netcast. Sometimes my ISP is down, which means I can’t get to the server to netcast. Sometimes I just can’t go online. Whatever the reason, those things happen, and I’m sorry if it does.

I can’t listen to your show when you’re on. Is there an archive available?

As a matter of fact, there are archives available for Brutally Honest - LIVE. As long as I don't have any problems with the boadcast... i.e. being disconnected from the server, software hangs up, computer crashes, etcetera... I should have an archive file ready to be uploaded. In the event that happens, there won't be an archive.

The best way to find out is to check my Random Thoughts page. I always have a few words to say about each show I do.

I do offer my transcripts, however, to anyone who asks for one. Just e-mail me and ask to me put you on the mailing list.