Craft Interview with Tom Scharpling: Bonus Questions

Radio host, podcaster, television writer, and voice actor Tom Scharpling spoke with managing editor Dusty Freund for our latest craft interview, which will appear in the upcoming fall 2021 issue. We spoke at length about his new memoir It Never Ends (in stores now), while also covering his process as a writer and his evolving relationship with The Best Show. While you wait for the issue to hit your mailbox, we thought you might enjoy reading a few bonus questions we posed to Scharpling near the end of our interview.

Boulevard: You read a lot of music books. What are a couple that transcend their genre, to some degree, to become more than just another rock biography?

TS: These two volumes of books Chris Heath put out about the Pet Shop Boys during their initial heyday [Literally (1989) and Pet Shop Boys versus America (1991)]. Those are more than music books. The book Shakey [by Jimmy McDonough] about Neil Young is one of the best books I've ever read. It mines this guy who is a giant question mark, and then at the end of the book, you realize you got some answers, but you end up with more questions than before.

Boulevard: Who is your favorite underdog?

TS: John Starks. He played for the Knicks in the 90s. Because he was not supposed to be there. He ended up playing in in the CBA, which is the NBA's minor league, and clawing his way into the NBA. He just forced his way through the door and, eventually, became an All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year. He's the ultimate underdog. One of the things he's best known for is dunking on Michael Jordan in a playoff game. It was one of the greatest moments ever because it embodies a larger story: He's not even supposed to be on that court, and yet, here he is, and he dunked on Michael Jordan. 

Boulevard: Final question. How tall is Joe Rogan?

TS: Well, according to the skywriting, he's five foot three. We could probably figure out how tall he is by finding out which sensory deprivation tank he uses. I'm sure whatever model it is, we could see how big or small a person it accommodates. That’s like a side door to the answer of this. Look, I don't care how tall he is. That's something he can't control, but the things he can control, he doesn't. He’s bad. Bad for the planet. Just talking like an authority when he really isn't. He's also one of those guys who, when he didn't smoke pot and other people did, he was the guy who screamed in their face about how wrong it is and they’re poisoning themselves. Then suddenly he decides to start smoking pot, and now drugs are okay. Now, drugs can't just be okay with him. It's got to be that he knows more about them than anybody. It's one of those fun things where somebody learned about something two minutes ago, and now they're going to tell you all about it. Everybody loves that character trait, and he does that all the time.

I have good friends who get things from his show, and they say you just have to parse through it. There are good things, and there are not good things. I don't listen enough to figure it out. I listened years ago to a little bit of it and was just like, “Yeah, this is not for me”. I am talking out of turn a little bit, so I don't want to be that guy, either. I don't like the things I do see, though. They are definitely not where I'm coming from with stuff…. I'm trying to be polite.