When you think of the most typically ‘Rock-N-Roll’ pursuits in life, podcasting would perhaps rank quite far down the list. We might initially think of podcasts started by celebrities or couples, discussing topics that range from self-help to relationships, for instance.
Podcasts have continued their ascendency in recent years, to the extent that the format has now largely replaced radio altogether. The US has established itself as the global podcast leader, with North America accounting for almost half of all worldwide podcast listeners. One third of Americans listen regularly to podcasts.
Image credits: Ralph Sutton
In a field that has become so quickly ingrained into the modern media landscape, a status quo has quickly been established. This consists of shows covering the safer, less controversial aspects of the human experience.
Ralph Sutton has pursued the exact opposite route, forging a more unique path in the industry. He is one of the founders of the GaS Digital Network, a leading media platform that is also the host of his own SDR Show podcast. His podcast thrives on the wilder side of life, and as part of the show, he interviews a variety of celebrities, comedians, rockstars, and adult film stars.
"The SDR Show really pushes the boundaries of what people think they’re ‘allowed’ to do on podcasts and radio programs. From interviewing Ozzy Osborne guitarist Zakk Wylde to me trying drugs for the first time live on air, it’s safe to say you never really know what you’re going to get with us. Even though we do some crazy things -- we've also had Mark Cuban, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Ray Romano on the show. Which boggles my mind! ", outlines Ralph.
Ralph hosts the show with his long-time podcast partner, comedian Big Jay Oakerson, with "SDR" standing-aptly-for 'Sex, Drugs and Rock-N-Roll’. They built the show from scratch, with a DIY mentality that was born from Sutton’s early years, during which time he worked as a nightclub promoter, strip club DJ and nationally syndicated radio show host.
It was soon after he graduated that Sutton became a nightclub promoter, before specializing in rock club promotion. Around 1992, Sutton recalls the downfall of party rock music, at which point he redirected his career path towards a different kind of entertainment venue.
"I became a DJ at a strip club, and it was a great gig for almost ten years. It was at that club that I met a fellow DJ, who also worked at a radio station. I convinced him to give me a job there, in return for some strip club DJ-ing advice, and I started working one night a week from midnight until 6 am. It was six dollars an hour, and nearly a two-hour drive from my house-but I was passionate about it, so it was a no-brainer for me to keep it up," Sutton muses.
If juggling a radio host job with playing at the strip club wasn’t enough, Sutton also held down a managerial role at a restaurant. Here he developed his passion for food and cuisine, which inspired him to set up a health and food-focused podcast years later, called ‘Good Sugar.’ He cites this experience as being transformational for his own weight loss and health in recent years.
Sutton went from being an overnight DJ to doing his own radio show, where popularity began picking up speed, and eventually syndicated to around a hundred stations, which meant he had to reluctantly leave the restaurant. After the show grew even bigger, he then had to relinquish his strip club position, and he subsequently hosted the radio program for fifteen years. During this period, Sutton also hosted a number of high-profile music festivals, as well as a stint on VH-1 Classic as a VJ.
Sutton recalls that, as he entered his forties, there was a burgeoning realization that podcasts were replacing radio. As a result, in 2015 Sutton started a podcast with his co-host, and Ralph figured out how to build the website, the RSS feed (he didn't know what that was, but knew he needed it), and started learning how to promote a podcast from scratch.
They soon realized that, despite seeing some success with this new podcast, the pathway to growth was through collaboration. They partnered with other podcasts and began selling these bundles to an advertising sales company. After starting off with a few thousand listeners, the platform rapidly grew to have a fanbase of millions.
"That was how the GaS Digital Network got off the ground, and since then we’ve made an active effort to ensure that, no matter how big we grow, we still keep it very DIY, and I would never tell any of the shows on the network what they can say, or who they can book as a guest. What other platform will interview porn-stars and have its hosts experiment with drugs as listeners tune in live?" Sutton highlights
It’s an unconventional, straight-talking approach that Sutton always was a DIY kind of guy-epitomized by the fact that he was previously at one time wanted by the FBI for alleged hacking.
Ralph Sutton divides opinion, but one thing’s for sure-as far as podcasters go, he’s as Rock-N-Roll as it gets.
