RVG Interviews: Andy Godoy.

It’s with pleasure that I can announce our latest interview, this time with a guy I have known for many years, he has always been one of the most approachable guys in the retro scene, Andy was the co-founder of The Retro Asylum podcast and founder of Retro Gaming Discussion Show podcast and like many of you he and these shows have become a huge part of my retro pastime. Andy discusses his time with both shows in a frank and open interview so enjoy.

RVG

Thank you for agreeing to our interview, please take a moment to tell us a little about you?

Andy

I’m a geeky guy who loves talking about geeky stuff , even when I’m at family dinners or out with friends I’ll be the one always talking about games or tv or films,  in real life I can be a bit of introvert behind the mic I can talk non stop about my childhood favourite games or movies.

RVG

Your about to be stranded on an island, you can grab only 10 retro games to take, what are they?

Andy

This will probably change on a daily basis as there’s so many amazing games

Chuckie egg – ZX Spectrum

Bomb Jack – Arcade

Street Fighter 2 – Arcade

Banjo-Tooie – N64

Soul Reaver – PS1

SOTN – PS1

Fallout 3 – Xbox 360

Elite – ZX Spectrum

Majoras Mask – N64

Streets of rage 2 – Megadrive

RVG

Tell us about your most prized retro possession and why?

Andy

It’s probably my Sony Trinitron CRT, it’s huge and when I connect my retro consoles to it via RGB my god does that really improve visually my favourite games from my childhood.

RVG

You was one of the founding members of The Retro Asylum, can you tell us about how that all started?

Andy

It all started about 12 years ago, I got back into retro gaming by watching YouTube, really got hooked on seeing all my childhood favourite games again, so I created a channel called “thereallocomaniac” did a series called the 8-Bit wars where I compared 8-Bit computers games.

Around that time I also started listening to podcasts, shows like Midlife Gamer and also Sanctuary 4 gamers I then ended up creating a podcast and website called “The real retro maniacs“ which lasted a month because the stress in my private life and work life got to me and I quit and deleted it all including the site and podcasts and YouTube channels.

About 3 months later I decided that I would come back to doing a YouTube channel and a podcast but I would take it easier so it wouldn’t affect my private life as I have a habit of getting a tad obsessed, so I came up with my new(er) YouTube channel “locomanaics1hmps” and my new podcast “1HMPS” 1 Hour Monthly Podcast Show.

I then started having guests on the Podcast a few of my friends, but also some other people who watched my channel or listened to my podcast and this is where I first got to know Glenn Atkinson and Dean Swain.

I got on really well with both of the lads and we realised we had loads in common, 1HMPs slowly started to grow but myself and the lads wanted to make it bigger, I then thought that we need something that would appeal to the retro gaming community so I played around with a few ideas, Retro Sanctuary (a tribute to sanctuary for gamers) but that was taken, I wanted something that sounded like sanctuary.. I played with the idea of the name cult and gang but finally I settled on “Asylum” as it was similar to my old YouTube channel And podcast “the retro maniacs”

We now had a name but now we needed a logo, I told Dean I wanted the new podcast to be a magazine type show, much like Crash ,Sinclair User and Your Sinclair mags.

He then came back with that amazing logo and from there we just had fun talking about our childhood memories on loads of classic games.

RVG

Why did you decide to leave?

Andy

The real reason I decided to leave was that I suffer from depression and stress and around this time we (my wife and I) had some financial problems, we lost our house and she had to move up North to Live with her mum and I stayed in London working on the Underground, this was the beginning of commutes to London from Yorkshire, real life was just getting too much for me so I thought there’s no way I can manage so I called it a day with RA.

RVG

After The Retro Asylum you started RGDS Podcast, tell us about this?

Andy

After about 4 months of travelling up and down from Huddersfield to London I started getting some sort of routine in my life, I would spend a week in London working during the day and in the evening I would play games and then on my days off I would travel to see my wife and daughter. I missed podcasting, there’s something amazing about talking about my fave retro games, so one day when I was bored at home I recorded about 20 mini shows talking about different retro gaming topics, I started editing them on the megabus commutes, that was the birth of the “Retro Gaming Daily Show” about 3 months after all my shifts at work changed and I soon realised I couldn’t do daily shows, maybe it was better to go weekly and I believe you came up with Retro Gaming Discussion Show = RGDS, I recruited some of my friends and we had a real blast covering some great topics.

RVG

What was the decision to leave this show?

Andy

Stress started getting to me again with my crazy commutes and I was beginning to think that I would have to leave London and find work up north, also I couldn’t commit to over 1 Hour of my Time on a podcast, having to research stuff, play games so I told the guys I need to leave and they said the door is always open for me return (which I have a few times).

RVG

Now you have started Get to da choppa podcast, tell us about this show?

Andy

Last year I quit my job in London and now live up north with my wife and also work together running our own business. Which means I get to spend time with my wife and daughter everyday, we have family time at the weekends which is something in the last 14 years I struggled with doing shift work on the Underground and commuting back and forth. We my extra free time I wanted to do something still and so Get to da choppa was born and its possibly my favourite show I’ve done, it’s a live internet radio show that’s out Monday-Thursday for 30mins and I get to talk about anything and everything with my co-hosts and guests.

RVG

How do you manage all the changes that have been a part of your podcasts history, the changing of hosts and so on?

Andy

Well before I left Retro Asylum I knew I needed new hosts so I recruited Paul Monaghan (who now hosts Maximum Power up) and Steve Ericsson, both those guys are so passionate about retro gaming but I also knew Dean Swain would do amazingly with RA, which he has and I’m super proud of him for taking the show to where he has. Just a case of passing it on to someone who equally loves retro gaming.

With RGDS I handed the show over to Garron Tungate who’s is one of the most awesome people I’ve met in the retro gaming community, plus I had nothing to worry about as on RGDS I had also recruited The Drisk, Matt Lambourne and all the other guys who are equally amazing, love those guys.

RVG

Whats the process in new hosts joining your team and how do you choose them?

Andy

Quite simple actually I just recruited my friends and guests of the show who had enthusiasm, passion for retro gaming and mostly because they are just lovely lads.

RVG

All the podcasts you have been involved in and always been very popular, why do you think that is?

Andy

We are truly passionate about what we talk about, we love talking and sharing our stories Retro Asylum, RGDS and Get to da choppa hosts are all down to earth and it’s like sitting down with fiends in a pub talking fun geeky stuff.

RVG

How do you keep coming up with the varied content?

Andy

I’m a bit of a dreamer and tend to-day dream a lot, all these things pop into my head which probably is good thing I Podcast.

RVG

How long does each episode take to edit of average and have you now created a special way of doing them?

Andy

Well that’s all changed over the years, when I did Retro Asylum 3-4 hours editing, same with RGDS really, I used to edit on the megabus during my commuting but with Get to da choppa, it’s live and done in one take, which is more fun for me for 2 reasons:-

1) I don’t have to edit.

2) Anything can happen when live.

RVG

Who in the industry from those days and now do you most admire and why?

Andy

I would say Bill Harbison, he did graphics for loads of my fave speccy games and he’s guested a few times on Get to da choppa and he’s such a fun guy to talk to.

RVG

Are you surprised with the resurgence in retro gaming?

Andy

Maybe at the beginning when I first started podcasting but now it’s just really everywhere.

RVG

Which 3 episodes from any of your podcast history the would you recommend to a first time listener and why?

Andy

That’s a toughy, for RA I would say Rose tinted glasses.

For RGDS it would probably be the Midlife Gaming Episode.

And Get to da choppa all of them.

RVG

Whats next for you?

Andy

More podcasting as I get to catch up with friends make new ones and chat to my childhood heroes, I love podcasting as it gets my geeky thoughts out and connecting to like-minded people.

Finally