Getting to Know Matt Parvis and Matt Brown of the Matt & Matt Show
Every week Almost every week, you are entertained by the songbird-like voices of PokerNews Editor-in-Chief Matthew Parvis and HeavyMMA Editor-in-Chief Matt Brown on the Matt & Matt Show. What we realized is that while you know of them and the show, you may not know them, or how the show began.
Can you give us some background on how the show came to be?
Parvis: Well, the Matt & Matt Show blossomed way back in the summer of 2007. Matt and I were shirking our responsibilities at the World Series of Poker by refusing to stock the Bluff Magazine racks and were drinking beers by the pool at the house, while playing a game (that should likely be turned into an Olympic sport some day) called "Noodling." Get your minds out of the gutter people, this was a game that combined skill, athleticism, smarts and stamina.
Well, we were discussing the slew of video content that Bluff was producing at the time, and thought we were funnier and more entertaining than all of it. That's when we started harassing then Bluff media producer, and current PokerNews hostess Gloria Balding. After saying "no way in hell are we putting you two on the air," about a hundred times, I think some sort of plague came over all the on-air talent, and Balding told us we'd be debuting our show in a few hours. That's when sheer terror took over. We frantically came up with a detailed outline, and practiced. The first show got off without a hitch, and we soon realized we were pretty much naturals and never prepared for another show after that day. Let's just say we "wing it."
Why do you think the show works so well?
Brown: I think the show works well because we're buddies. What happens during the course of the podcast is pretty much a mirror of a typical conversation we'd be having off the air. We don't script any lines and barely know the topics we want to hit during the recording. We just kinda flow. We're like the Lil Wayne of podcast hosts.
What is your favorite moment of all time on the show?
Parvis: From the video days, I think it was when we "Monkey-Caged" Justin Bonomo on air. However, finally getting the show back in November, after talking about it for years, was an awesome feeling also.
Brown: This is a no-brainer. During our first go around with the show back at the WSOP, we had on a just-turned-twenty-one Justin Bonomo. We did some research and found out that he was a pretty serious Magic the Gathering player. Neither I, nor Matt P. had ever rocked a game of Magic in our lifetime, so we began to ask some questions. The mood lightened, we got kinda giggly, and before we knew it, all hell broke loose. Justin was doing a great job explaining Magic, but I just couldn't seem to take it seriously. Something about witches and goblins and wizards — I just lost it, then Matt P. kinda lost it, then the producers and the audience. It went crazy — and it was awesome. One interesting note from that show, we did find out that the most powerful play in all of Magic is playing the "Black Lotus" card. So we nicknamed Patrick Antonius "The Black Lotus" that summer. It stuck for a little while, but I think it's kinda dead now. PokerNews should bring that back. That was an awesome nickname.
OK, we looked everywhere for the old shows, but we can't find them. Are you guys going to bring back the show as a video or is it going to stay a podcast?
Brown: The first run of the show worked out very well and we brightened the lives of literally dozens of viewers that tuned in over the course of the Main Event of the WSOP. While I love our podcast, in all honesty, I have a face for video. I imagine we'll have to figure out a way to get me on camera at some point soon.
We heard once that you guys were only going to have girls on the show as guests, why did you choose to break your "all girl guest" streak by having F-Train on the show?
Parvis: In an ideal world we'd have a hot girl on every show. For me, it's typically the only time I get a chance to talk to girls. But, if we had to break that streak with anyone, Dave "F-Train" Behr was the perfect choice. He's probably the only dude that, if we blindly put him on a scale, looked at the weight, and had to choose "guy or girl" we'd likely have chosen girl.
If you were to get Matt a present, what would you get him?
Brown: Well, you just ruined the surprise, but I am getting Matt a present. It's going to be a masterfully crafted, hand made, gingerbread house made from the finest hand-picked imported ginger root from Southeast Asia. But if I was all-powerful and could get Matt anything in the world, I'd get him a date with Ke$ha. Not only is she the baddest ass recording artist on the planet right now, but I gotta believe that she's easy. You know what they say, if it dresses like a hooker, acts like a hooker and smells like a hooker — it's perfect for Matt. I kid, I kid.
Parvis: Probably some sort of electroshock collar that shocked him every 30 seconds he was late for something.
What do you think the top mixed-martial arts story of the year is?
Parvis: Clearly you are talking to the wrong Matt with this question. Ninja kick maybe?
If you were to pick the top poker story of the year, what do you think it would be?
Brown: I think there's little doubt that the top poker story of the year is the resurgence of Michael Mizrachi, and more specifically, his performance at the WSOP. What he accomplished this year in Vegas may not be duplicated for quite some time, and had he won it all, I'd feel confident in saying that it would never be equaled. And considering the broad scope of events in which he went deep, I think you'd be hard-pressed to argue that he's not one of the top ten overall tournament players in the game today. Furthermore, the cash he won helped him get out of hot water. The only person happier about his success than The Grinder himself is Uncle Sam.
The new year is almost here, so of course everyone is coming up with new year's resolutions. If you had to come up with a New Year's resolution for the show, what would it be?
Parvis: I don't know when it's gonna happen, or how, but the Matt & Matt Show will be back as a video show at some point in 2011. We're just too handsome for people to not see us on air every week.
Brown: My New Year's resolution is to give up ever having another New Year's resolution. All a New Year's resolution really does is set you up to fail. Seriously, how many people ever follow through with their New Year's resolution? In 2003, I swore I'd own a monkey sometime that year. Fail. In 2005, I said I was going to sleep with a new girl every week for the entire year. Fail. In 2008, I said I was going to invest all my life savings in the real estate market. Well, I actually did that one, but still, fail. You get the point. I just want the show to last all of 2011.
So, the catch phrase at the end of the show is "Use it or lose it." Did one of you lose something after not using it and are you now trying to keep that from happening to someone else?
Brown: This is just a good motto to live by. If you're funny, use your humor or you might lose it. If you're athletic, get out and hit the treadmill. If not, you'll lose that six pack and become a porker. If you're a good writer, start a blog or try a writing gig. Bug Matt Parvis for a job. Seriously, tell him how great you are. I suggest emailing several times a week and if you can get his phone number, text messages work wonders. But overall, "use it or lose it" will probably go down in history as an influential a phrase as "do unto others" or "where's the beef?"
We hope this helped you get to know the stars of the show a little more. Stay tuned for another installment of the Matt & Matt Show podcast coming soon, or catch up on past shows on iTunes, and as always, follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
