A live audience was on hand Thursday evening, Feb. 13 for the St. Louis homecoming of Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky. The twosome brought their popular podcast ““How To Destroy Everything,” to STL Style House for a special edition, which will form episode 16 and the season finale.
Jeff and Randy Vines, owners of STL Style House, hosted the event for Jacobs and Grodsky, who they’ve known since elementary school. Jacobs and Grodsky are now based in Los Angeles, where they work as production partners in the entertainment industry. “How To Destroy Everything” was a new experience for the pair.
“Darren and I just had never been in this world before,” Jacobs said. “We didn’t know how to make a podcast. There was that aspect of it, just the basics like where do you upload and how does that work? All of that was so foreign to us. In hindsight, our naivete was a blessing, because we just forged ahead, assuming that we would figure it out. If we had known the amount of work that was going to be necessary, I don’t know if we would have ended up doing it.”
Making the podcast was a cathartic exercise for Jacobs, who grew up in an unusual home with secret compartments inside walls. Each episode delves into his memories of a loving and eccentric father. It’s a story that has resonated with many listeners.
“The feedback, honestly, has been incredible,” Jacobs said. “We have gotten messages from people all over the world. When we started, I thought it was way too specific for anybody to be able to see themselves or their family members in it.
“My dad was such a unique creature that I couldn’t conceive that it was possible that people could think, ‘This is like so-and-so that I know,’ but I was totally wrong. And I’m really happy to be wrong. People have messaged us just pouring their hearts out. It wasn’t our intention to help people heal, but that’s what seems to have happened.”
The episode recorded at STL Stylehouse will be available to stream soon on Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
