Anyone who's ever had a conversation with Diego Castillo would know how gifted he is with both musical knowledge and the ability to tell stories. A former radio DJ, Diego always had a knack for all sorts of pop culture trivia - from film to music to books - and weaving them into the most interesting anecdotes. (Of course, it also helps that Diego has practically met everyone, just check his Instagram - from Dave Grohl to the late, great Anthony Bourdain.)

 

 

 

 

 

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I first got to meet Diego at a music festival in Singapore way back in 2015. It seemed serendipitous especially because I was mostly there to see Real Estate, a band I had discovered through his podcast, Foaming At The Mouth. I came up to say hello and share that I loved his podcast, and since then I've been privileged enough to hear loads more from Diego.

Debuting on Mixcloud in 2014, Foaming At The Mouth was started by Diego "out of boredom". Part music, part talk, the podcast would centre around a certain theme with cuts from Diego's extensive vinyl record collection, accompanied by numerous accounts of his many colourful experiences.

In this email interview, the Sandwich guitarist and 1/2 of DJ duo The Diegos talks to us about Foaming at The Mouth's origin story, finding a new format and audience as part of Spotify's Music + Talk listening experience, and enjoying music with his son, Elvis.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi, Diego! How have you been doing these days?

Hi Camille! I’m good, thank you! Given the crazy circumstances we all are under, I am very thankful that my family and I are healthy and safe.  

Your podcast Foaming at the Mouth has been around for 7 years now, with over 26 episodes. How did you get started with FATM? What’s the origin story?

Hmmm... The truth?  Is boredom too honest an answer?  Hahaha!  I think part of it was just missing having my old show with Myrene [Academia] and Quark [Henares]. Missing geeking out with them about music. Honestly, at that time I didn’t think anyone would actually listen to it. Especially back in 2014. I didn't even know what platform to use. I eventually ended up using Mixcloud because it was free and none of the myriads of artists I've played over the years has ever been flagged.

I was just doing it for myself in the beginning, until I started getting emails and messages from people who told me they enjoyed the show.  It got me thinking that maybe, just maybe I wasn't just making myself happy, but a few other kids in the process. I didn't think anyone outside the people I tagged using the show's Facebook page would actually listen to Foaming at the Mouth.  But I guess deep down I thought it would be cool to not just play and talk about the songs and bands I love, but maybe convert a few new fans in the process.  

How would you describe what Foaming at the Mouth is all about? 

When I started I was just making shows that had songs I loved. No genres in particular just adhering to my personal mantra of “Good tunes”. Which has everything from Monty Python, J. Dilla, Sister Nancy, Kela Futi, The Clash, Stereolab, Dela Soul, Detroit Swindle, Larry Levan, Roy Ayers, Bad Brains, Velvet Underground, and so on.  Punk, Indie Rock, Funk, Rare Grooves, Classic House, Hip-Hop and everything else I like. I’ve also done occasional specials like an all-OPM and all-female ones - the OPM special being the most-listened-to episode on Mixcloud. But what sets it apart I think is that I get to geek out on the music. 

It’s easy enough for anyone to “curate” a playlist but maybe adding my two cents and a bit of trivia makes for a more interesting listen. I also get to tell stories of shows I’ve seen or other music or non-music musings I feel that might be fun or interesting to talk about. But it can be pretty shambolic at times as I do have a tendency to ramble on about many things!  But it's always the music that's important.

I’ve never really had a script or anything, which I think is pretty obvious haha!  My dear friend Erwin Romulo said in those early days that he finds the rambling more spontaneous episodes more entertaining.  So I just try and not to think of it too much and avoid self-editing myself in the process -which for me is easier said than done! I'm afraid that if I hit record I'll never stop talking! Just to have as much fun doing it as well! 

I’ve been a listener since 2017, and I discovered a lot of music that I still listen to today. Since it was on Mixcloud, I would take the time to check out the tracklist and listen to them again individually before deciding to add them to my playlist. It would be frustrating at times, because your cuts were from your vinyl collection, and some of them wouldn’t be available on streaming services. Now that your show is on Spotify's Music + Talk, how does that change your format and song selection?

I’m glad I’ve added to your musical journey! 

This is a very good question! I won’t lie, in the beginning, it threw me for a loop because I was so used to producing the show in its entirety. Meaning I would “mix” some of the songs and even take a lot of time to decide which songs worked better when segued with one another. But with Spotify, the tracks are played in their entirety before the next tracks come in.  But like you said, I did use some artists and songs that unfortunately were not on Spotify, so at least now not only does everyone have access to hearing whatever song you liked on the episode, but you can do your own deep dive into the artists' discography as well.

 

 

 

 

 

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Outside that, my process is still very much the same in terms of song selection. I try to limit it to an hour - so that's  15 minutes worth of music and 45 mins to an hour of talk (yeah, right! haha) So that’s anywhere from 15-20 songs. My list starts out around 30 and I sorta try and group them to what I think sounds good one after the other. Although I feel like I might be ditching that unless my stories have a theme to them tied with a specific “block” of music. Hope that made sense! haha

Aside from the music I get to discover on your show, I love hearing your stories! I think you have a gift with words and having a conversation with yourself in a great way that keeps the listener on their toes. There’s never a dull moment! Your themes and topics have a wide range, what can listeners expect for this “new season” of FATM?

Thank you! In the end, that is the thing that separates the podcast I would think. I wouldn't pretend to be the most articulate or smartest person to talk about anything really, but I know my zeal and enthusiasm for the things I do love comes across. No matter how trivial they may be! 

I don’t really have an actual topic in mind when making it. It’s more inspired with whatever it is I’m feeling the week I’m producing the show. The last few Mixcloud ones had some political overtones, but maybe it was the anxiety, the fear and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. There have however been some changes for the Spotify version.  The last three episodes have been more semi-autobiographical in nature. But with music always underpinning in all. 

This week’s ep is all about New York! No stories of the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty but more bizarre tales like Mott Street’s Tic-Tac-Toe playing Chicken, bartender with shotguns and being accosted in Harlem! + much more crazy tales! https://t.co/6EwzjFLfLX

— Diego Castillo (@dayglocastillo) September 30, 2021

From the story of how my dear friend and Sandwich drummer Mike D and I first met, to my discovering radio at 8 years old and how the medium was responsible for every step in my career, to my most recent one, stories about my favourite city in the world - NYC. 

Maybe in a weird way, since we still can play live and I can’t share in the communion of making music with people yet, I can still use this as a platform to celebrate with music.  Music after all, since the dawn of time has been integral in our world’s culture as a way to celebrate, both the good and the bad. It is still one of the most primal and fundamental aspects of human culture.  With all the shit that has been happening, maybe, just maybe this Podcast helps even a little bit.  I know it helps me.  

Now that you have a very cute baby boy (hi, Elvis!), has that changed the kind of music you listen to now? Will we hear Elvis-influenced tracks on FATM? What tracks do you listen to with Elvis?

Thank you again! Thank God he got his Mom’s genes! Haha. 

You know what? He loves everything we play in the house! He loves music, period. If you happen to follow me on IG you can watch us listen to music together all the time.  In fact we even DJ together! With him strapped to me with his baby seat. He likes music with a nice groove and beat to it.  Once I see his legs moving I know he likes it.  You know what, I will steal that idea and will make an episode of tracks he likes.  

What do you hope your new (and old) listeners will take away from a FATM episode?

Hmmm… I just hope that they have a good time and maybe I can make their day a little better even for just an hr or so.  Whether it's discovering new (old) music, entertaining them with the stories or better yet, inspiring them to make their own podcasts or to make music.  That would make me eternally happy.  

As it is, I can’t thank everyone who’s not only listened but has taken the time to message me all sorts of nice things about the show. Especially with the newish format.  I love reading about their own personal stories about the topics I talk about. Can’t really ask for anything more.  

Listen to Diego Castillo's Foaming At The Mouth on Spotify. Limited Foaming At The Mouth merch is now on sale via The Daily Grind. Get it here.