The Man Behind the Mic | Episode 265

Summary

VINCE Podcast – Episode 265: “The Man Behind the Mic”

Host: Vince Coglianese
Guest: Producer Jim Verde
Released: April 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this special Friday edition of the VINCE podcast, host Vince Coglianese turns the microphone toward his long-serving producer, Jim Verde. Listeners are treated to a candid and entertaining conversation that pulls back the curtain on two decades of Jim’s radio career— from his early days in Dallas country radio to high-stakes national talk, his battles behind the scenes producing for controversial hosts, and his essential role in the formation and ongoing success of The VINCE Show. Sprinkled throughout are stories of grit, reinvention, humor, and sharp observations on both the radio industry and American politics.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jim Verde’s Radio Origins

• Brooklyn to Dallas: Jim recounts moving from New York to Dallas in 1981 and his entry-level job at a country station— despite having no interest in country music at the time.

  • Training himself out of a New York accent due to Texas listeners’ skepticism.
  • Quote: “My first real job was at a country station in Dallas. Think about how that went over.” (06:25 – Jim)

• Immersion in Country Music: Initial reluctance turned into deep appreciation for the genre and its storytelling power.

  • Quote: “People have a misconception about it, that it’s this hick stuff… These people actually are telling stories, telling life experiences, and that’s why it connects.” (08:18 – Jim)

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2. Transition to National Talk Radio

• Format Flip and Guy Talk: Jim describes the abrupt shift from country to “guy talk” radio and the challenge of improvising talk content before widespread digital prep tools.

  • “There was no AI. There was no Grok. You had to create it.” (10:15 – Jim)

• Early Setbacks and Resilience:

  • Fired from positions multiple times.
  • Brief stint at Radio Disney creating commercials and characters.

• Failed Ventures:

  • Participation in a three-day women’s talk radio network that rapidly shut down, highlighting the volatility of radio (and the necessity of fallback plans).
  • “We get to Friday, we're only on the air three days, it's payday. And the manager comes and tells us we don't have any money in the account to pay you guys.” (12:14 – Jim)

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3. Breakthroughs: From Michael Savage to Bongino

• Landing at a National Show:

  • Entered national syndication with a fill-in producer role for Michael Savage (“He who shall not be Named”), which quickly became permanent in challenging conditions.
  • Quote: “It was the most challenging seven years of my life. I called my wife and said, ‘I'm done. Can't do it anymore.’ And she’s like, ‘No, we have a mortgage, we have kids, we, you know, you really, really need the income.’” (14:50 – Jim)

• Impact on Skills and Toughness:

  • “It did make me a much better producer… It thickened your skin, too, I bet.” (16:12 – Vince, 16:46 – Jim)

• Transition to Working with Dan Bongino:

  • Opportunity with Bongino at Westwood as a result of gained skills and reputation.
  • Shared anecdote about the “Mets fan” hiccup when meeting Dan.

• Creative Partnership:

  • Enjoyment in upending the show’s plans to inject spontaneity and humor, keeping content fresh, especially under daily pressure.
  • Quote: “One of my favorite things to do with Dan… seconds before we were going on the radio, I would just say something, and boom, it takes it off into a completely different direction.” (18:29 – Jim)

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4. Inside the Art of Producing

• The Value of Good Production:

  • Vince and Jim agree that a great producer isn’t just about technical or logistical help, but actively enriching the host’s content and flow.
  • “The value of having good production is…help be kind of an extra limb for you.” (20:10 – Vince)

• Use of Drops and Humor:

  • Carrying on radio traditions— well-timed sound bites, parodies, and mockery (per Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”) to entertain and sharpen the show’s edge.
  • Memorable drops: “That MFer is not real” plane lady (21:18 – Vince), “Saki Bong” parody, and the case for satire as political weaponry.

• Defending Radio Comedy:

  • Vince defends old-school radio parody and comedy bits: “No, it’s that you don’t want to spend the money on it… It has its uses, and, man, you’re good at it.” (23:02 – Vince)

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5. How Vince and Jim’s Team-up Started

• Rush Limbaugh’s Passing and National Radio Shuffle:

  • Vince narrates the radio industry’s scramble post-Limbaugh and how Dan Bongino won a major syndicated slot.
  • Vince’s entry as a guest host for Dan was spontaneous—originating from his social media interactions and Dan’s on-air invitations.
    • “He just got to talking on the air… ‘Jim, put Vince’s name down on the list.’” (27:39 – Vince)

• Immediate Chemistry:

  • Both Vince and Jim recall the instant professional fit and high standard set by Jim and Mike’s production.

• Small but Mighty Team:

  • “It’s just the three of us… the actual act of the radio show is me, you, and Mike.” (30:51 – Vince)
  • Notably, Vince plays his own audio clips, which is unusual for a national host.

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6. Format Innovations and Audience Feedback

• Innovation in Broadcasting:
  • Vince interrupts and analyzes audio clips in real time (“the Vincent replay”)— a style appreciated by listeners for its engagement and immediacy.
    • “They don’t like AOC speaking without interruption. They want somebody to jump in.” (32:19 – Vince)
  • Jim is supportive: “I like the way you do it… it serves the audience better.” (31:58 – Jim)

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7. March Sadness Tournament (Congressional “Dumbest” Bracket)

• Overview:

  • Jim’s annual, satirical “March Sadness Tournament” crowns the dumbest member of Congress, with audience-powered voting.
    • “You are conducting the third annual March Sadness Tournament right now to establish who is the single dumbest member of Congress.” (33:12 – Vince)

• 2026 Feckless Four:

  • AOC vs. SRI Tanadar (surprise Cinderella story)
  • Maisie Hirono vs. Jasmine Crockett
  • Jim on SRI: “He just got there. He came in as a two seed and he’s been banging it out one after another.” (33:24 – Jim)
  • Notable upsets and audience engagement are discussed, with Jim promising to continue the tradition.

• Republican Participation:

  • Clarification that the tournament is bipartisan— GOP included, but “not quite as dumb as the four Democrats you just laid out this year, again all by popular vote.” (35:51 – Vince)

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8. Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On what makes country music special:

  • “These people…are telling stories and telling life experiences, and that's why it connects with so many people…It tells their story and it’s something they can always carry with them.”
    — Jim Verde (08:18)

• On uncomfortable radio jobs:

  • “It was the most challenging seven years of my life. There were several times where I called my wife, I’m like, I’m done.”
    — Jim Verde (14:50)

• On good production:

  • “A great producer…can help be kind of an extra limb for you.”
    — Vince (20:10)

• On using satire in political commentary:

  • “It goes back to the Alinsky rule, where, you know, mockery…really discredits the people that you’re mocking.”
    — Jim Verde (23:03)

• On the team dynamic:

  • “The actual act of the radio show is me, you and Mike. That’s it. It’s just the three of us.”
    — Vince (30:51)
  • “I love every single minute of it. This is the joy of my life.”
    — Jim Verde (36:20)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jim’s early radio career/country music transition: 05:58 – 08:52
• Jump to national/syndicated talk radio: 09:03 – 16:54
• Behind the scenes with Bongino, move toward VINCE: 17:49 – 18:55, 20:29 – 23:15
• Defending radio parody and creative drops: 21:18 – 23:16
• How Vince joined Dan’s show/ formation of team: 27:59 – 31:58
• Innovative audio/host control format: 31:58 – 32:19
• March Sadness Tournament rundown: 33:12 – 35:51
• Closing reflections/producer’s gratitude: 36:20

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Conclusion

This episode offers fans a rare “backstage” view of how one of America’s top conservative talk shows is made, highlighting the vital behind-the-scenes roles that make compelling, must-listen content. It’s a journey through radio’s evolving landscape—equal parts gratitude, candor, grit, and laughter—revealing the “man behind the mic” and the bonds that keep VINCE at the top of its game.

Transcript

[Jim Verde]

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[Vince]

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[Jim Verde]

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[Vince]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to Vince on a Friday. It's a very special episode of Vince. Good to have you with us as always. If you're watching on Rumble, hello there. Good to see you. Rumble.com Vince always. 8:00 clock in the morning, Eastern time each day. Great to have you with us. And while I'm on the subject, please make sure to like and subscribe and comment and leave your, you know, all of your adoring comments in the, in the, in the bottom there. I really appreciate that. It just lifts me up each week. I just can't get enough of it. Thank you. As always, the best audience anywhere. Glad to have you with us today. And a big and very special episode for you today. You guys familiar with producer Jim. Yeah. Producer Jim Verde is with me today. We're going to talk to producer Jim, get his world view of the world. I constantly am, you know, jealously guarding it for myself, but I figured today maybe I can share it with you. So producer Jim will join the show. We've got that coming up. The reason that this show can continue, our great sponsors make it happen. And today I want to tell you all about the great people with Better Wild. Better Wild. You know, we have a lot on the show where we talk about personal wellness, what you can do for the humans, but you should also contemplate what you can do for the dogs. That's what I've been thinking about in my house. I want to take care of my dogs, Major and Raina. And I can do that thanks to Better Wild Allergy Relief Soft shoes. You know, dogs, you know, when they're picking at themselves or scratching or, you know, sneezing, these are addressable problems, you know, and one way to address it is with Better Wild Allergy Relief Soft shoes. It's great. Dog allergies often start in the gut, actually, where their digestion is out of balance. It shows up everywhere, skin, ears, energy, all of it. And what you do with these great shoes is you give them to the dogs, they're delicious. They take them daily. 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So I've got a great idea for you. Go with Gold Belly. It's an amazing site. They celebrate the best of America. They ship our country's most iconic foods from legendary restaurants straight to your door. And they'll ship it anywhere across the country for free. Just in time for Mother's Day, Gold Belly delivers gift worthy cakes, Magnolia Bakery's famous banana pudding, real New York bagels, a New York bagel brunch straight from the city, or even authentic Chicago deep dish pizza. Does that sound good? Yeah, it does. It's because it's great. So whether your mom loves something sweet from one of the country's best bakeries or meals from world famous chefs, Gold Belly has you covered. Now, I've used Gold Belly before and I love it. I've gotten some of that Chicago deep dish pizza. Oh. Just heat it up in the oven. They give you the directions and everything and it's like right out of the Chicago oven into my kitchen. So good. You're going to love it all. So if you're looking to make Mother's Day perfect and you want to impress your friends and your family with an epic meal, something they don't expect the next time you host, go to goldbelly.com, get free shipping, get 20% off your first order. The promo code is Vince. That's goldbelly.com promo code. Vince. Get free shipping and 20% off your first order. You know, the working two shows each day has. Well, it's got its blessings, but it also has its challenges. You've got to figure out a way to not only produce an hour of great podcast content, but then to produce three great hours of radio content. And the only way that I can even manage to do this each day is because I've got this guy called producer Jim who is working so hard to make it all possible. And I'm so grateful to him, and I figured, you know what we should do? We should just let him speak to you. You're joining us now on the program. I'm very proud to say I'm very happy to have with us the great producer Jim Verde, the producer of the Vince show and the producer of Dan Bongino's radio show when he was doing that with so much success over the years. Jim, thanks for doing this today, man.

[Jim Verde]

I am happy to do this with you. Always glad to be on with you. Nobody knows when we do the radio show. So this is the view that you get to see every day? Unfortunately, yes.

[Vince]

This is. If you're watching on Rumble right now, this is precisely the view I get. Except Jim is less courteous. He doesn't look into the camera. He's looking away from the camera. So you're getting an even better view of Jim than I normally get.

[Jim Verde]

Right, Jim, you're off to the side.

[Vince]

So, Jim, just to give people a perspective, they might not know this, we bring this up from time to time about our locations. The reason I do have to stare at you through a camera is we're not in the same place. I think people think of a radio show that two people are going to be the producer and everybody else. We're all together. We're all separated, actually. And thanks to the power of the Internet and just the ability to transmit all this very quickly, I'm based out of Northern Virginia, the Washington, D.C. area. You're in the Dallas, Texas area. And how long have you been there?

[Jim Verde]

I have been in Texas for, let's see, since 1981. I don't want to do the math in my head. It's too early for math. But I've been here since 1981. I've worked in radio here for my entire career, be it locally or on the national level. I've gotten to stay here. And it's. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love it.

[Vince]

So you were working in local radio in Texas for the beginning of your career, at least?

[Jim Verde]

Yes, I moved here from Brooklyn New York. And my first real job was at a country station in Dallas, Texas. Think about how that went over. You want to talk about training yourself to talk differently? I really had to do that. And the other thing about.

[Vince]

Did you get a lot of crap for your accent? Did people like, did. Was that. Was that a problem for you?

[Jim Verde]

Surprisingly, no. I mean, locally, in the neighborhood. Yes. You know, people. This was back in the days when if you came from New York, they. They had bumper stickers on cores, cars that said, love New York, take I30 east. So, I mean, you weren't really welcomed here if you were. If you were from New York. So it was. That was a bit of a challenge. But actually on the radio, great response. I think if you just. If you do what you do and people like what you do, then they're going to respond positively to it.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

And I think that's what happened.

[Vince]

So were you into country music when you were doing that?

[Jim Verde]

And when I took the job, I said, okay, I need a job, so I'm just going to do this temporarily until I find something else. Wound up being the best job I ever had in my life. It was absolutely fantastic. The experience was wonderful. And then I grew to love the music.

[Vince]

Right.

[Jim Verde]

And not only what we were playing, which was basically the hits at the time in the. In the 90s, I grew to love country music, like all forms of it. Sure. Going throughout history. The old stuff, the new stuff. I really. I really liked it a lot and was glad that I could experience that.

[Vince]

Yeah. I think that the people who say they don't like country music, it's just because they're not familiar with it, I think, like, they kind of hear it and they're like, oh, that's different than what I'm used to. So they kind of reject it out of hand. But you spend a little bit of time with it, and then you really start to vibe with it. It's pretty good. And it's a. It's a great genre of music.

[Jim Verde]

People have a misconception about it, that it's this hick stuff, that it's not really well thought out, that it's easy to do and it's not. These people actually are telling stories and telling life experiences, and that's why it connects with so many people in. In this country is because it tells their story and it's something that they can always carry with them regardless. And you and use those songs, know those songs will always be. Put them in a place in their lives that they'll remember forever.

[Vince]

So how do you get to. From. How do you go from country radio to national talk? When do you start getting. When do you start getting connected to national radio and start doing this as a job?

[Jim Verde]

So strange. It. I never entertained talk radio at all. You know, I didn't think we could do it. But right after the country station. The country station flip formats and they went to this guy talk thing, like a Howard Stern type deal.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

The only show the country station kept was our show because we. We were number one in our time slot in the afternoon, in afternoon drive.

[Vince]

Got it.

[Jim Verde]

So they kept us and me and the partner I was working with at the time, a guy named A.W. pantoja, one of the funniest people, one of the most talented, creative people I've ever worked with. They wanted us to do talk. Neither one of us had ever done talk before. So we were flailing. I mean, just trying to make it up on the fly. No idea how to do it, you know, and just think, this is really. This is how long ago this was. This is pre Internet. So show prep was like, you had these services, and then you had news, and you're going through newspapers and.

[Vince]

Yes.

[Jim Verde]

You know, you're trying to really put a show together. You couldn't. You know, there was no AI. There was no Grok you could consult with. Hey, Grok, tell me this. I need this answer.

[Vince]

Yes.

[Jim Verde]

And then, you know, do that. There was nothing. You really had to create it. So it was hard. So we only lasted in that show for a year when we were finally starting to hit our groove, mainly because the station was able to get Howard Stern and replaced us with Howard Stern. So that. That was what it was. So I don't take that as it. I don't. In radio, you get fired a lot. I mean, I lost my job three, four times. Something like that.

[Vince]

Yes.

[Jim Verde]

And then I was at Radio Disney for a while. I worked at radio Disney for 10 years.

[Vince]

As one of the characters.

[Jim Verde]

No, I was not one of the characters, but I did create my own characters. I was writing commercials and imaging and promos and things like that.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

So I was able to create and voice some of my own characters, which was funny, fun to do. Excuse me, I forgot to tell you. And I don't even know if I've discussed this with you before. That little venture. I was working at ESPN Radio. So once we lost the job, I was at ESPN Radio. Sure. I was working locally. And then the management from the country station decided that they were going to be putting together a woman's talk radio network. Have I ever told you this story? I don't think so. So they put together this woman's talk radio network. They make me the assistant program director,

[Vince]

of course, because when I think women's programming, I think Jim Verde, he'd be perfect for this.

[Jim Verde]

Yes, exactly. Well, it's funny you say that because the target audience, the main target audience for the country station was like a 35 year old woman. So. Oh, that was our, that was our focus when we were doing the country station. We're able to get men as well because wherever the women are, the men will follow. You know that.

[Vince]

True.

[Jim Verde]

So I'm working at this, we're getting this whole woman's talk radio network set up. Finally go on the air. We get great news coverage, great press coverage. TV stations come out, everything's positive. We get to Friday, we're only on the air three days, it's payday. And the manager comes and tells us we don't have any money in the account to pay you guys. Yeah. So we were dead, dead in the water right then. And I just quit my job at espn and thankfully to the old boss at espn, I called him, I said, have you filled my position? He's like, yeah, I did. But he brought me back on, gave me as many hours I could. I forever indebted to him for that.

[Vince]

That's great. Yeah. No, you, you have told me this story. I remember this part. I was like, man, what a, what a leap. And they're not even paying you. It's insane. And so thankfully that, that great guy brings you back at espn, but at some point you end up doing the national radio stuff. So how does that happen?

[Jim Verde]

So I worked at radio Disney for 10 years. They decided to move the operation to Burbank. So I was again on the beach looking for something. And I'm in the hall. And as I'm in the hall, somebody that I worked with said, hey, I know it's closing down and everything, but I need somebody to do vacation, fill in for this national talk show. Somebody I refer to as he who shall not be Named. I will not name.

[Vince]

You're not gonna name him?

[Jim Verde]

You can put it together yourself. It's in my book. You can put it together.

[Vince]

Oh, come on, Jim. You can tell people. It's. I. Can I say the name? He's gonna sigh. He doesn't want me to say the name. But this was for, this was fill in work as a producer, right?

[Jim Verde]

Yes.

[Vince]

Not, not as a guest host, but rather as his producer. So he'd do fill in work for one Michael Savage.

[Jim Verde]

Yes.

[Vince]

Okay.

[Jim Verde]

And I get, in three weeks, I think I'm on the job, and the executive producer gets fired. So I'm there every day, and then they ask me if I want the job, and I'm like, I don't know. What. What are you going to pay? And they tell me what they want to pay. And I literally laughed at the guy.

[Vince]

Yeah, it's like a bag of Pop Tarts or something, right?

[Jim Verde]

Yeah. And I'm like, he, what would you. What would you like? And I said, you. You'd have to double that. And they did. I'm like, oh, my.

[Vince]

What did I leave on the table? I know that feel. Yeah, that's exactly right. Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

So it was the most challenging seven years of my life, put it, put it that way. But not if. Not for that. I mean, there were several times where I called my wife, I'm like, I'm done. Can't do it anymore. Yeah, I can't. And she's like, no, we have a mortgage, we have kids, we, you know, you really, really kind of need the income.

[Vince]

Sure.

[Jim Verde]

So I stuck it out.

[Vince]

Those kinds of working conditions, though, do you feel like you derive something from it, though? Because, you know, I, I, you know, I have not. I work with Dan in kind of a. How would I say this? Like a distant way. Like, Dan and I work together insofar as we've got this Silverlock operation together and I'm doing my own show separate from him. But, you know, for the most part, we're just. We just have a cordial relationship. We don't have a, like a quote unquote working relationship where. So I don't, I don't really know what it's like to work with him directly, but my impression is that he's kind of a joy to work with and that. And so you go from working in an environment where you're just being battered and miserable, but it forms you into who you are today, and then you're like, working in these environments with Dan and then with me, hopefully is a good environment where it's just a different experience, but you bring all of these skills that you've developed in a much more trying environment.

[Jim Verde]

Yes. And I will say that it did make me a much, much better producer because we were constantly having to come up with content for this show. Most of the time it wasn't used even, but we still had to produce something, and it helped me do it quickly. It helped me find all kinds of different ways to come up with this content.

[Vince]

Yes.

[Jim Verde]

It helped me to become a better writer because sometimes I would have to write monologues. So it made me a lot better. So when.

[Vince]

And it thickened your skin too, I bet.

[Jim Verde]

Oh, yeah. I like to think that I had a thick skin to begin with, but this was, like, beyond anything.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

I'd ever dealt with in my life before. And you. You would have had to have had a incredibly thick skin to do that job. But because of that. What. That's why Westwood called and offered me the job to work with Dan. And working with Dan, we clicked right off the initial zoom call when. When we had it, when we were introduced to each other. And it was great. But. And the fun. Another funny story is I really thought I was in trouble because I knew he was a Yankees fan. And our mutual friend Teresa told me. Well, the first time she was talking to Dan about. Or. Yeah, she was talking to Dan about me, we could hear the lovely. She could hear the lovely Miss Paula in the background, who's apparently going down my social media, and she goes, he's a Mets fan. I'm gonna be in real, real trouble right now.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

That's funny.

[Vince]

Well, she didn't say Red Sox. She said Mets. It's manageable. You can figure it out.

[Jim Verde]

Right. So we hit it off. And honestly, that four years was just an incredible ride. I like to describe it on. As being on the back of a bull, which. Yeah, I actually have. Not a bull, but I've been on the back of a steer before. And it's a. It's a hell of a ride. And it was a hell of a ride. It was always something. And one of my favorite things to do with Dan is because he. He had everything lined up as to exactly where he wanted to go.

[Vince]

Right.

[Jim Verde]

Same with the podcast. He's got it all written down in his notebooks. You can see it. And he knows where he's going to go, and he plans the whole show, and he does a rundown. One of my favorite things to do was seconds before we were going on the radio, I would just say something, and boom, it takes it off into a completely different direction. Totally derails what he wanted to do.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

And I think it made for some really entertaining stuff because.

[Vince]

Yes.

[Jim Verde]

It's not just about the politics and everything. I mean, you know, this. We. We have to entertain people. We have to keep people's interest. So while you're delivering news.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

You also want to give them a reason, a compelling reason to go to you for that news, you know, besides just the news.

[Vince]

Well, I get it. I mean, I definitely. I definitely get it. And, like, I think about. I. I know why Dan would find that so valuable. Like, I think a lot of professions, people might hear you describing this and go throw you that. That would throw me off my game. Somebody just interjected something before I was getting to what I was planning on doing. And I guarantee you, without even talking to Dan about this, that he loved it. And the reason for that is because he's doing a podcast. Each day, he's doing an hour of content, and then he would go right into the radio show, because he was doing it 11 to noon, then noon to 3. He's right into his radio show. And a lot of the radio show was figuring out new ways to tell the stories that he had already kind of recited on the podcast, but new ways to freshen it up for the radio audience and for you to inject a new handhold, like, almost like he's a mountain climber, that he can grab onto something new and start talking about that. That's a huge advantage. This is why I don't think people really. They should appreciate. Maybe they do. The value of having good production is not merely somebody who can make sure that the audio clips are there for you or something like that, or make sure you get out of the breaks at the right time. It's somebody. Which is why you have this great skill set, Jim. Somebody who can help be kind of an extra limb for you. Just like to be thinking in the ways that you think and injecting concepts at the exact moments that you need them in order to improve the. The quality of the show.

[Jim Verde]

And it's not only that, you know, he encouraged drops. He really enjoyed doing having drops. And, you know, if you just find right at just the right time to put something in there, like, you know, we do. We. We've got Leslie Stahl with her. No. Yes, we've got. And grandma said it with Dan. It was like, I think Dan's favorite. Where is it? I got this up in front of me right here. Come on.

[Vince]

Where is it? I know. Which. I know one that he loved. I know he loved that lady who kept yelling at the back of the plane that MFer is not real. Back there is not real. Yes, exactly. That's that one. I knew. He goes, and there she is. Oh, my gosh, there she is. I didn't know she was here.

[Jim Verde]

And the way he played it up, you know, too, it was great. It was great thing that I really like that he. He drew a lot out of me too.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

As well. I mean, as you do. As well. Because when I hear something and I want to do something with it, and sometimes he'll, like, ask for it. But it. I remember being in the studio one time and he's. He and the ghee. And I think it was just ghee at the time. Yeah, I think it was just ghee. And they were talking about, remember when Jen Psaki had. And the media was going on and said, oh, man, that was a sake bomb. That was a sake bomb. And it was just really stupid. It was stupid name for that. And I'm thinking, and I'm thinking, I'm like, it should be a sake bong, because you have to be high to hear to believe whatever she says.

[Vince]

Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

And he's like, that's funny. So the next day, I had come in and I had produced a bit the Sakiban, and he loved it. He's like, he didn't even know I could do that. And then it just developed into a bunch of stuff. And since he encouraged it, I just did it more. And I. I've enjoyed doing it.

[Vince]

I love. No, it's good. It's. It's an older tradition in radio that I think died an unnecessary death. I. And I'm glad to see you reviving it because I think. I think parody work has its value. I've talked to radio people before who poo poo it. They're like, oh, that's that. Nobody does that anymore. That's like an old thing. No, it's that you don't want to spend the money on it. That's actually what. What the. What the complaint is. You don't want to spend cash on people who know what they're doing and producing great content like that. And it's great and people like it and it has it. It has its uses, and, man, you're good at it. And I'm glad Dan tapped into that.

[Jim Verde]

It does have its uses, and it goes back to the Alinsky rule, where, you know, mockery. What was a rule number five, It. Mockery really discredits the people that you're mocking.

[Vince]

It's a potent weapon. Yeah.

[Jim Verde]

Yes. It's a baron. It's a lethal weapon. You know, it really can do a lot of damage to people.

[Vince]

I want to. I want to continue this here in a moment. I. I want to do more of this because I want to. I want, you know, this. This episode really has turned into. And I'm perfectly happy with this I knew as soon as we bring Jim and I was like, we'll just get to talking the way we always do. I wanted to turn this into something where people could get to know you a little bit better because as you as an engine for content for both what Dan and I are producing through the years. And in a moment wanna talk to Jim a little bit more about how we got connected, how this all started and how we now produce the big national Vince Show. That's ahead on this edition of Vince. Thank you for indulging both of us as we chat about all this. I wanna thank our great sponsors. It includes Beam's Dream powder. Beam helps me rest very well at night after the routine you just heard me describing each day. Beam is a locked in part of my nightly routine. And honestly, it's the reason I'm able to show up fresh and ready to talk about all this stuff every single day day. And I used to have some trouble sleeping and just a little difficulty with that and trying to figure out how would I get a good night's sleep. So I'm just energized the next day. Dream. Dream is perfect. Dream is made of a powerful blend of all natural ingredients. Reishi, magnesium, L theanine, apigenin, melatonin. So if you've been waiting for the right time to try dream, I'm telling you, this is it. Go to shopbeam.com vincehow Use the code vinshow and get my exclusive offer up for up to 40% off of Beam's Dream powder. My discount code VIN show you can get their best selling Dream powder for just $39. Stop pretending like you're still in your 20s and you can survive a whole day without a good night's sleep. Or if you are in your 20s, you know, the truth is you need a good night's sleep. Place your order for Beam and see the difference today. Again that shop beam.com vinshow thank you also to the other great Helix. Other great sleep sponsor for us is Helix Sleep. Love Helix. My Helix mattress has been talk about a missing ingredient to sleep. How about a great mattress? I went for years thinking that crappy mattresses were what I was destined for. I thought it was me. I thought I was like, oh, it just must be me. There must be no mattress that's good for me. And then I discovered Helix. Allison and I took the online sleep [e-mail] Vince. We take the sleep quiz and suddenly this beautiful Helix mattress shows up at our house. The first night we lay down on this thing and then wake up the next morning, I look at her, I go, was that as good for you as it was for me? And she said, oh, yes, it was. It was an amazing night's sleep. And we've just slept so well ever since. Helix mattress is great. It is great. It's supportive enough to help my back. It's very comfortable and, and it's just changed my life. And that's why I talk about it so highly here. I feel it every morning. Helix has over 20 mattress models. You're not stuck guessing our old mattress sucked. It didn't stand a chance. The new one was great. Delivery was free and easy. It showed up right at the door. And you get a 120 night sleep trial. A limited lifetime warranty. The happy with Helix guarantee, totally risk free. Go to helixsleep.com Vince 20% off sitewide helixsleep.com Vince 20 percent off be sure to enter our show's name at checkout so they know we sent you helixsleep.com thank you to Helix for being great. So it was, let's see, how many years ago was it now? It was about two years ago, I would guess that the Dan Bongino show was in full swing. Remember, I just want to remind people about, like, how the dance show gets started in the first place. Rush Limbaugh passes away. There is pandemonium nationwide among the radio stations about what to do. For many months there were just re airings of Rush as the biggest radio companies were just trying to figure out what do we do with this time slot, how do we handle the post Rush world. And then we saw some split in the market. Essentially, fundamentally, there were two gigantic cleaves. One goes in the direction of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. The other half of the market goes in the direction of Dan Bongino. As Cumulus, Westwood One decides, okay, Dan is going to take these hundreds of radio stations across the country. And that's really, those are the big dogs on the block for that time slot nationwide. And then of course, Dan's doing the show. He's doing a great job. And at some point he decides, I'm trying to remember how this all started, Jim, but he decided that he wanted me to come in to be a guest host for him when he was on vacation. And I, I think, I think I'm trying to think what this was. I think I was tweeting things at him because I was listening to a show and I'd be like tweeting random commentary to him just Reacting to something that he had said. And he just got to talking on the air as he, as he want to do. And he's like, jim, Jim, put Vince's name down on the list. We got to have him as a guest host. And I'm pretty sure that's how it all started.

[Jim Verde]

Pretty much that's how it all started because he would just say who he wanted and I'd reach out. And of course, you know, people were thrilled to be able to be on in that time slot. So, yes, I was able to do that with you. You graciously agreed and you, you were really amazing. Because people don't realize this. You would do the three hours, noon to three, and then do three more hours right after that, doing a six hour day. And you'd have to do all that content. And I'm like, I don't know how he does it. I don't, I, I don't know how you can do that for six hours. It was, it was crazy. But you did it. You pulled it off. I'm sure whatever was on the WMAL side was fantastic. I didn't get to hear that part, but you were great with us and that's how we first got to know each other.

[Vince]

Yeah, and I gelled with you guys pretty quickly. I. One of the. So there were two big nice elements. And one of the reasons why this has been so successful, I think for us now, is one, I immediately connected with Dan's audience. So I think, I think it's just because Dan and I consume a lot of the same things and we're of like, mind on a lot of the big topics in the news. And so the connection was pretty quick. And I know Dan personally got a lot of very good feedback on the time that I spent with, on his program. The other piece, just on a personal level, I gelled immediately with you and Mike. Mike who works with you there in Texas. I just felt really good working with you guys. And I was like, man, these guys are legit. It was funny too, because I'm like, I'm thinking, man, this is what it's like to work with a national production team. These guys have their stuff together. And it turns out it's just, I think it's unique to you. I think it's unique to you and Mike, you're just that good. But it was, it was cool. It just, it felt like it fit like a glove right away.

[Jim Verde]

Well, my seven years of beating like I described earlier, it made, made me what I am now and made me want to do a good job. Not only that, you know, I have a responsibility to the audience to be able to give them the content that. That they want. So, yeah, it was important for me to get you information and get you content that I knew would click with our audience. But, I mean, honestly, you did everything. It's like you're. You're just way ahead of me on a lot of stuff. And I feel bad about that sometimes. I don't know when you sleep, actually, or if you sleep.

[Vince]

There's a. Well, one. Something I discovered, the big shift. So people don't realize about the radio industry. The smaller the market, the less likely it is that you have helped to do the show. So if you're in a. If you're in a smaller market, you have to do everything, literally everything for your own show. You have to host the show, you have to operate the board, you have to answer the phones on the brakes, you have to queue up the callers, then you have to cut all of your own audio. There's really. There's just nobody to help you. It's just they. They're not spending the money on it, and you're on your own. And if you screw that up, you're out. They'll replace you with somebody else that they'll give a crappy paycheck to. But the nice thing about working with you is now I've got help. We've got a team. We've got some people doing this. Not a huge team, but small team is really fundamentally the three of us who are doing this. We've got a lot of support from Westwood and other elements, but the actual act of the radio show is me, you and Mike. That's it. It's just the three of us. And I think the thing that surprised everybody, including the executives at Westwood, was that I play my own audio. Yeah, I play my own audio, which is not apparently in any way typical. And I didn't know that. I just was coming into this, like, I'm going to play my own audio. But mostly because I like controlling it and I like interrupting it. I love interrupting it. I love. We've got. It's Fun, which is, by the way, a source of great controversy among some listeners. They're like. Some people do not like that I interrupted. But that's okay. If you don't like it, just go to Twitter and watch the clips. I'm here to tell you about these clips. And. But it's a. It's a. It's a huge. It's. It's it's so fun to do. But I know that, Jim, when you and I started working together, that was different. That was different because you were so accustomed to playing so much of this, right?

[Jim Verde]

And I like the way you do it. Personally, I think it lends something because anytime you can interject in the middle of a clip, if something is just said and you know that there's more on the other side, but you can give an analysis right at that time, I think that's much better and much more important and it serves the audience better. That's my humble opinion on it. But I think it, I think it works and I think it works well.

[Vince]

We've gotten good feedback on it through the years. Actually, the reason I do it is because of the audience feedback. Most of it's been positive. People like it because they don't like AOC speaking, like without interruption. They want somebody to jump in and be like, that was the most idiotic part of this clip and here's why. So we, that's why we do it. We call it the, the Vincent replay. To be very self indulgent now. But it's, it's. But it's good. So, Jim, let's end today with just. I want to get some political analysis from you. 1. First and foremost, we've got the March Sadness Tournament going on. You are conducting the third annual March Sadness Tournament right now to establish who is the single dumbest member of Congress as we speak right now. If you are consuming this on Rumble Rumble.com Vince, if you're consuming it live at the 8 o' clock Eastern hour, this vote for the Final Four. What are you calling the Final Four?

[Jim Verde]

The Feckless Four.

[Vince]

The Feckless Four, yes. If I understand this correctly, that vote is about to close. So people are running out of time. They have to. If they want to get it in, they should get it in right now as they're listening to us.

[Jim Verde]

Yes, you can get, you can get it at. On my X page, it's at JJ Verde at JJ V E R D I. The. I've got a pin to the top. And then if you go in the replies, there's two more. Only two voting categories left. It's. We've got AOC taking on SRI Tandahar and sri. You know, he's a Cinderella story. He just, he just got there. He came in as a two seed and he's been banging it out one after another. And then of course, the other, the other bracket is Maisie Hirono versus Jasmine Crockett.

[Vince]

Wow.

[Jim Verde]

Those are your feckless four.

[Vince]

Wow. What a lightweight bout is playing out right now. Not to be confused with a heavyweight bout, as all these idiots are fighting against each other to become the dumbest member of Congress. I have made my bracket public already. I think Sri Tanadar does go all the way. I think he wins in the championship. But the only thing working against me is perhaps his name id. He's not. He's not as well known, but. But, man, that guy is a dummy. That's.

[Jim Verde]

I can tell you that according to the previous two years, this is the biggest threat that AOC has ever had.

[Vince]

That's. That's amazing. That is absolutely amazing. So you said, just to remind me, it's AOC versus SRI right now.

[Jim Verde]

Yes.

[Vince]

Okay. All right. And then. And then crazy Maisie and Jasmine Crockett. What a. What a battle.

[Jim Verde]

Jasmine Swansong. She was last year's champion.

[Vince]

Who do you think's gonna. Who do you think's gonna be the champion this year? Based on the feedback so far, man, I don't know.

[Jim Verde]

I mean, it could. There were so much. So much dumbness this year, especially by the four of those that it could. It could go any way. I. I really don't know. You know, people definitely have opinions, for sure. I know Bricksuit, if you follow him on X, he was really all in for Hank Johnson until Hank got narrowly defeated by Rashida Tlaib, which was sad, but, you know, you can only live on Guam tipping over for so long.

[Vince]

That's right. Yeah. Yeah. He's been dining on that. He's been dining out on that for years. It's not. It's not going to work for him this time. In the third annual March Sadness Tournament, what's the plan? Are you going to keep this going forever?

[Jim Verde]

As much as I can, sure. Yeah.

[Vince]

Yes.

[Jim Verde]

If we're here and we're doing this, you're going to get it every year for sure. Absolutely. Even if we're not here, I think we still need to do it anyway.

[Vince]

Yes. Yes. And in case anybody's wondering if you haven't been following this tournament, Republicans are definitely a part of it. Jim includes a bunch of Republicans on the list. They just happen to be defeated. Not quite as dumb as the four Democrats you just laid out this year, again, all by popular vote. That's what we do here. We just respect the people, and they do. They vote on it. All right, Jim, we've got to get ready for another big national radio show. Thank you very much. Man, it's always so good to chat with you in every capacity, but I'm glad can do this together in public today.

[Jim Verde]

I love it. I love every single minute of it. This is the joy of my life. And I appreciate you very much for. For wanting me to do this with you. Thank you.

[Vince]

Yeah. Producer Jim. Everybody loves producer Jim. We figured we'd have him stop by. Thank you as always, everybody, for being with me. I hope you have a fantastic American weekend. I'll be back with you Monday for another exciting edition of Events. Great to have you with me today.