The Josh Innes Show - Pot Luck

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Do people enjoy pot lucks? We are having one at the office today. I dig it. But, apparently a lot of people do not enjoy this concept. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All right, everybody. Welcome in, all up in us. What's going on? Greetings. So I'm sitting here at the radio station, in about an hour, there's a potluck, which, whatever. I mean, I didn't bring anything, so I'm not going to stick around. Like, I'd feel like a dick if I just hung out and was like, hey, because I sent out multiple emails, like, hey, are you contributing anything to the potluck? And if you're not, I mean, if you're going to let somebody know, you got to let us know, let us know if you're making contributions to the potluck. I'm like, well, I'm not. So, like, I have. no qualms with leaving, but there's something about potlucks that I didn't know. I was totally unaware of this. That, like, there are

people who are weirded out by eating other people's food. That's strange to me. Let's get into that after these words. Yeah, so I'm sitting here and, you know, I leave the studio a little while ago to go get some SOTIP or whatever I'm going to get in the kitchen.

And the big boss walks up and she goes, Josh, we were debating this. Are you the kind of guy that would eat potluck? Like, just eat other people's food. And I was like, all due respect, what vibe do I give off that I would turn down any food? I'd eat shit off the floor. I wear sweats to work. So explain to me what vibe I give off where you're like, you know what, this Josh, I question whether or not he'd be down for potluck. Why wouldn't I be down for potluck? I'll eat other people's food. But apparently, that's like a whole

deal. Like people don't like to eat other people's cooking. Like there's some dudes on these other shows that are like, nope, won't do it. Won't eat other people's food. I'm like, Why? You'll go eat food from the outback. You'll go to McDonald's, but you're not going to eat food that's prepared by somebody at the radio station. Let's talk about that. Maybe we'll get into this more tomorrow. But he's like, I don't know where these people's hands have been when they prepare this. You don't know where anybody's hands have been when they prepare any food. You could be at a five-star restaurant. You can be at some like Michelin rated restaurant or some shit. And a person could very well be in there digging in their ass before they make your flambay.

You don't know. You're like, Jesus Take the Wheels scenario. You have no idea what you're getting into. I remember, this is a random story, but I went to the doctor in Nashville once. And he was like urging me to get some sort of shot. It wasn't a flu shot. I don't think it. It wasn't like tetanus.

It was some sort of shot, like a hepatitis. this vaccine or something? And he had an accent. That was what was interesting about the guy. He had like an accent. He was, I don't know where he was from, but he had an accent. And he was trying to get me to do this. I think it was a hepatitis shot or something, like a vaccine for hepatitis.

And I'm like, no, I'm not really all that interested. I don't want a hepatitis vaccine. Like, I don't recall ever really getting vaccines, blah, blah, blah. So he starts explaining to me why I needed this vaccine. He's like, but put yourself in a scenario. Let's say that you go to a restaurant. You're at the restaurant. You order food.

The man that prepares your food, he goes to the bathroom, he has a poop, and then he gets some on his hands, and he gets on your food, then you get to hepatitis. I'm like, okay, I still don't want to get a shot, but like that chance happens no matter where you go. Think of all the fast food that we as humans consume. Like, I'm in a hurry. I'm going to Keynes. I'm going to McDonald's, whatever. Those aren't five-star Michelin-rated chefs either. We're just trusting that some dude who's, you know, making $15 an hour, $12 an hour, whatever.

it is, is in a good mood that day and doesn't spit in our shit, wipe his ass with our shit. So, like, why would I, like, if I'm putting that kind of faith in people, if I'm like, look, I'm putting my faith in Steve at Burger King to not do something to my food, like, I'll put some level of trust in the people that work at the radio station. Because you would think, like, well, what if they want to fuck with somebody? Well, there has to be at least one or two people they like that they wouldn't want to fuck with. So unless they're in on the bid as well, then I feel pretty comfortable. But on the other hand, like if you really wanted to be an asshole, I guess you could.

Like, you know, hey, put some, you know, X-lax or some sort of, you know, laxative in the food, make everybody poop. And then they wouldn't know who's responsible for it, so you'd have no clue. So I guess there is a situation where it would be a solid crime. But I'm just not one of these people that digs on, like, the communal office thing. Because as we've talked about, I am thoroughly convinced that most of these people dislike me. and it may be completely misguided, and it's in my own head, and it will always be in my head. I wish I didn't feel this way. There was a time when me and Ben used to roam the halls at 610, and I had this vibe that everybody liked us.

We were like these charming guys. We'd walk in. We'd make people laugh. We were gregarious, outgoing personalities, and that was great. Somewhere along the way, and I think it probably turned in Philly, where I'd go to work in Philly, and my boss would just tell me the number of people who disliked. me and like I'm like why what did I do to them and like so they disliked me then I got to 790 and there's a lot of people disliking me and what's happened here friends is it's completely altered my opinion of what I think people think of me my opinion of people's

opinion of me maybe that's the way I'm putting it so like in my mind nobody wants to talk to me like I work in a business where like these salespeople need to sell you to be successful And I see them like fawning over all these other people, like, you know, the morning guys that have the big ratings. I think part of it is because I have a very low self-worth when I have no numbers. And maybe that's the wrong way to go about life. It probably is the wrong way to go about life to sit there and have your whole self-worth wrapped up in whether or not five people with these little meters are listening to your show to get your ratings or not. But that's kind of where my self-worth is.

Not as much as it used to be. It used to really be that way. like it used to eat at me. Now I'm kind of at a point where I'm sort of like, you know, as I sit here today, like, I'm doing the best I can at this shit and I want to win and I want to be successful and I'm doing it all I can. But at some point, you're like, I inherited a thing that's in 20th place. It's an uphill climb.

What do I do? You're like, I got to figure something out. But it's like if I inherited something that was in fifth place and was just a couple of notches from getting to the top and then fell off the face of the earth, then I'd look at it differently. That would hurt a little bit more. and that would be more annoying. As it stands now, I'm just kind of like, what do you want me to do? And I hate that my mind, like, I hate that I've got both of these mindsets, actually.

On one hand, I really hate that I'm sitting here and I'm like, ah, I mean, I'm in 20th place, but what can I do? And on the other hand, I hate that, like, my self-worth is wrapped up in the fact that I'm in 20th place. What do I do? You know, my self-worth at this moment revolves around, like, whether or not these people in this building think the show I'm doing is any good. They don't even listen. These people in this building, the people that sell it, have no idea what I do. I guarantee you they have never turned on the show. And maybe they turned it on once and then I'm going back to the guy that makes me a bunch of money. And I get it. And that's the hard part is you kind of get it. You're

like, eh, I don't blame you. I told, hey, I'm down with it. I understand where you're coming from. I'm like, look, I understand that you don't view me as some sort of commodity. I've been in places where I have been a commodity and I'm on the big shows and people know who I am and people want to be in my orbit and all that. I've been in places where people just think I'm a worthless piece of shit. And I think that's kind of where I am here. Not that they dislike me. They don't have anything against me. I don't think on a personal level. I just offer them nothing. I just offer them no. Like this show that I'm doing, I don't believe offers them, you know, they're not making money off of it. Right. And it's kind of a throwaway. And I haven't done

anything to make it a non-throwaway at this point. That's on me to do that. But as I tell you every day when we do this, this shit is an uphill climb, dude. It is a tough putt. Whenever, like, you know, you used to be able to turn on the phones in St. Louis and 30 people would call the bitch about something. And Philly, turn the radio station on and there's 10 people waiting to talk. And again, phone calls are not the end-all-be-all. Like, that's not how you determine whether or not a show is successful as if you have calls. But it helps to move topics along, get different voices on the air. It sounds engaging, all that. We ain't got shit.

Like today, two people called. One guy called about how he doesn't like bands with new lead singers. And another person called, he's a very nice guy that let us know that he drives a school bus, and the kids on the bus really enjoy the show. So that I appreciate it. Other than that, we had nothing. Like, the phones do not ring around these parts. So that's my uphill climbers.

I have to figure out how to get that vibe and create that. And I think every day we do a solid show. It's a funny show. I'm sure many of you have listened. to it on the podcast, and it's good. Some of you may listen to it live. I think it's a solid show. But unfortunately, it's buried, and it was buried when I got here, and I have to figure out how to get it out of those doldrums. I have to, like, figure out how to have it rise, and that's my job, and I understand that's my job. But there are days you come in, and it is frustrating.

And then what happens is, and this is what happens to me, I go into a shell with these things. So instead of doing what I should be doing more of, I guess, which is going to talk to salespeople, In my mind, they view me as a non-commodity. So if they view me as a non-commodity, then why would I go out there and try to be gregarious with them? Because they're probably just annoyed by my existence because I don't make them any money. And that's our relationship. It is a transactional relationship between media, person that's on the air and salespeople. If you don't make them money, they do not give a fuck that you exist.

If your station is in 20th place, why would they give a shit? How do they go into somebody and go, hey, buy the Josh Innes show. We're in 20th fucking place. that is the issue there and lies the rub how do you remedy that scenario and that's what i've been battling like in a major way and that's what gets into my head about things like i i don't think i'm bad at this like i don't go in any day and leave and go you know what i do i suck at radio like i'm not in that point in my life anymore like when i leave the radio station i don't tell myself you know josh you're in 20th place because you suck at this like i don't do like i don't

believe that i suck at this i know i don't suck at this i when i'm doing it i can tell it's funny The show sounds funny, and James sounds funny, and there's all these elements to it that I think are very good. But what I do leave is I go, like, why would anybody invest in me at this point? Because I'm offering nothing in the way of what can help benefit them. And that's kind of where my mind is at a lot of the time. And my dad will get pissed. He's like, Josh can't think that way. And I'm like, no, I get it, dad.

You're a great salesman. You believe in yourself more than any human on the planet. And if you don't, you sure is shit project that you do. And that's the important thing. Like, you fake it till you make it, all that shit. But you do a great job of all that. I don't, you know? Like, I just feel like kind of like the bum that people view is just kind of a nothing burger on this nothing burger radio station a lot of the time.

And that's what we're trying to remedy. And I understand that that's what we're trying to remedy. But, I mean, it's tough. It is a tough put, man. And that's what we're trying to figure out. But that's just where I am. Like, you go to Philly, no matter what radio station you're on, there's going to be some sort of eye. because it's just a radio town, you know?

You come here and it's like you've like, and what's weird is it didn't feel that way. When I used to voice track this show from Nashville, it felt like it had a vibe. And then somewhere along the way, that vibe died and we're trying to find it again. I think it's a great radio station. I think musically, it's a great radio station. It sounds great. The PD's doing a good job. Like, it's a good station.

It's just, it's tough. How I got to this from, hey, it's potluck. Only I could take a story about how there's potluck. potluck and like, hey, do people like to eat potluck? Nine minutes later, here I am breaking down how basically the potluck is the jumping off point for why I don't believe people like me in the building. Only I could do that. Only me and my mental effed up state could do that.

Only Josh could sit here and be like, so there's a potluck. And do you guys actually like potluck too? Yeah, I don't go to the potluck because I'm fairly certain these people have no interest in being around me. And it truly is one of my biggest downfalls. It was a downfall in Philly because I was just convinced these people didn't want to be around me in reality they do but like like it's just something that's that's it's something that's in my mind and it stays there and if maybe you understand that or get it you can shoot me a message and let me know

but like it's just what's in my mind man my self-worth a lot of the time is not derived from how good the show sounds it's the reaction it's getting from people and i'm at the mercy of a handful of people and have these little devices uh to determine whether or not i have an audience and it's hard it is hard when you wrap yourself worth in that but I do that. I'm fucked up in that way. Anyway, I love you guys. More to come.