Dabbleverse Experts On Dabblecon 2, John Melendez & More - "Paltrocast" Exclusive

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The Dabbleverse is hard to explain to anyone not already entrenched in it. But even for those in the know, the Dabbleverse of August 2024 does not resemble the Dabbleverse from almost four years ago when comedian and podcaster Chrissie Mayr first interviewed Stuttering John Melendez about his "dabbling" in stand-up comedy. Back then in September 2020, the Dabbleverse did not have a proper, widely accepted name, nor were many of today's key players active within the Dabbleverse. Four years later, Dabbleverse is now big enough to warrant its second, international, weekend-long gathering -- Dabblecon 2 kicks off in Rochester, New York on Friday, August 16, 2024 -- and some of its related content creators now appear to be earning full-time livings off of the Dabbleverse-related content they produce.

My personal obsession with the Dabbleverse started at some point in 2022. As a long-time follower of The Howard Stern Show, Opie & Anthony and professional wrestling alike, I started to notice personalities related to all of these interests appearing within Dabbleverse-related content. Ultimately, for me, the Dabbleverse would overtake those other interests as I began to watch less wrestling and listen to fewer comedy-oriented podcasts, instead consuming more YouTube and video-based podcasts on a weekly basis. Nowadays, the Dabbleverse recap shows themselves seem to have recap shows and new Dabbleverse characters seem to emerge on a monthly basis. So even if former Howard Stern and Jay Leno staffer Stuttering John Melendez -- still the central figure of the Dabbleverse -- does decide to stop podcasting as he has threatened, the Dabbleverse still appears to be the source of countless entertaining content creators.

But back to that initial thought: What exactly is the Dabbleverse? To help explain exactly that, I reached out to various broadcasters and fans of the Dabbleverse -- some of whom you can see via this weekend's the Dabblecon 2 livestream -- with a few questions, and below are highlights from folks who kindly responded. As a little more background on these individuals:

- Christian Bladt - The long-time producer and co-host of Dennis Miller. Bladt has also hosted and posted over 600 episodes of Bladtcast since 2013. He also provides commentary and content about Marvel for the Geekscape Network and co-hosts Who Are These Broadcasters on the Who Are These Podcasts network.

- Adam Busch - An actor and musician, Adam Busch's credits include Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Chicago P.D., NCIS, CSI, Colony, Law & Order, and Léon: The Professional. Busch recently entered the Dabbleverse as a guest on the Stuttering John Podcast, recapping his late 1990s appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

- Cayley - Cayley hosts the movie-centric Once-Over With Cayley podcast and -- as Lucy Tightbox -- is a regular on the Who Are These Podcasts network's shows.

- DJ Dabblez - The Premiere DJ of the Dabbleverse, DJ Dabblez offers the the hottest dance tracks featuring drops from all your favorite Dabbleverse staples. This is known to include Stuttering John, Joey C, Ray Devito, Uncle Rico, Karl from WATP, Cardiff Electric, and Tookie.

- Cardiff Electric - Last but definitely not least, Cardiff is simultaneously everyone's favorite potato within the Dabbleverse, the recording artist behind the acclaimed "Deadbeat It" music video, the host of the Potato Soup show, and a regular on just about every Dabbleverse program.

How would you explain the Dabbleverse to someone who hasn't watched any of related shows, checked out its threads on Reddit, etc.?

Christian Bladt: Remember Stuttering John from the Stern Show? Or maybe the Tonight Show? Well, now he hosts the worst YouTube stream on the entire Internet. But he’s so delusional, he not only thinks that he’s good at it, he somehow believes he is the BEST. And he gets into huge feuds with anyone who dares to point out just how terrible he is.

Oh, and he also looks like a troll who lives under the bridge, but is convinced he looks good and that he might actually get women to sleep with him despite his absolutely repugnant appearance

Adam Busch: I wouldn’t. Because nobody wants to hear about it or will understand. If they’re meant to get it, they’ll find their way there.

Cayley: I always start out by asking them if they know who Stuttering John is. If they are aware of him, they get it immediately. If they aren’t aware of him, I explain that the Dabbleverse is a community of people who relish in the public ineptitude of talentless “entertainers” who can’t seem to let go of their glory days. Aaaand they get it immediately.

DJ Dabblez: The Dabbleverse follows the misadventures of Stuttering John Melendez, a man with seemingly no shame or morals stuck in a fascinating never-ending cycle of laying rakes in front of himself before immediately jumping on them with both feet.

Cardiff Electric: Sheet Shitterson's doc is perfect starting place.

For someone who hasn't gotten onboard with the Dabbleverse, is there a particular episode, moment, or video that you would show them to get them onboard?

Christian Bladt: Sheet Shitterson’s What Is The Dabbleverse. Or John trying to describe it to Michael Caputo.

Adam Busch: I can’t say for sure which episode would convince someone to squander their time in the Dabbleverse, but most point to John’s appearance on the Anthony & Artie Show -- and I get why. He’s clearly not reacting appropriately or proportionately; it’s monstrous, and he comes off as a bitter, embarrassing figure. He even looks and sounds troll-like. He shows that he’s no friend, no broadcaster, and is consumed with anger, wanting only to destroy anyone who dares direct humor at him, even as he takes pride in attacking his supposed troubled dear friend.

But for me, I often think about the time John interviewed David Feldman. It’s like a drama -- a Chekhov play. It’s a sad, cautionary tale disguised as comedy. We’ve all had moments in life when we’re at our lowest and think, “If only someone had told me, if only I had a mentor like Dylan had Albert Grossman, I’d make the right decisions.”

The truth is, people do tell us. They do advise us. The world is full of warnings we miss or ignore. We are all guilty of not looking closely enough. Even as we fail, we all strive to at least be open to it. Everyone but John. In this interview, David Feldman tells him everything he needs to know. He takes the time, with patience and a big heart, to get John to see gratitude, humility, self-reflection, and becoming the person he should be as an option -- he really gets John to the point of recognition. He makes sure John understands, ensuring it registers and lands. And it does -- John admits guilt, he takes responsibility, something every dabbler takes great joy in witnessing because it’s so rare and elusive.

But John spends about 10 seconds in this state before he retreats and systematically dismantles all the lessons he’s just learned, choosing hate and ignorance over compassion and self-awareness. He actively chooses the dark side in real-time, not only making it clear that Feldman wasted his time but also reminding the audience that there’s no sympathy to be had here. Feldman leaves worse off for having given of himself, receiving only defensive overreactions in return. I should probably stop thinking about it.

Cayley: I don’t know if I would want to force someone to be onboard. I think it has to be natural. We all have a sick love of watching trainwrecks but in order to be a part of the Dabbleverse, you gotta also love making fun of them. I think that watching any moment of John’s “show” and seeing him try to explain away a Peni5Wrinkle comment would offer a good snapshot of why we rule.

DJ Dabblez: I'm likely biased considering it was my own entry point to the Dabbleverse, but the Who Are These Podcasts? episode chronicling SJ's ill-fated D.C. trip remains the perfect encapsulation of what the Dabbleverse is all about.

Cardiff Electric: See above. Sheet.

Is there a fanbase or interest group that reminds you of the Dabbleverse?

Christian Bladt: For obvious reasons, it’s familiar to the Stern Fan Network and Opie & Anthony subreddits because they’re subjects people are obsessed with but don’t really like. At the same time the hacks associated with the Dabbleverse and Hackverse are celebrated the way people celebrate a cult movie like Tommy Wiseau’s The Room or Mystery Science Theater 3000 fare like Plan 9 From Outer Space or even the musical career of William Hung. We love it BECAUSE it sucks.

Adam Busch: Everyone who’s ever been so motivated that they couldn’t just lurk -- they had to post, communicate, and share experiences and create in a like-minded forum because they couldn’t find others who were similarly inspired. Deadheads, politicos, true crime fans, professional wrestling enthusiasts, daytime story followers, but more specifically, lolcow subreddits, the Stern Fan Network, and the O&A chat rooms of the ’90s.

Cayley: There is nothing like the Dabbleverse. This is the best group of weirdos I can imagine!

DJ Dabblez: I can't say I've ever encountered anything quite like the Dabbleverse. John's antics have directly resulted in the rise of an entire ecosystem of creators making hilarious and fascinating content running the gamut from exposés to Clip Compilations to AI Art, and I'm here for all of it.

Cardiff Electric: It feels very much like Stern and O&A days, obviously but it does feel like when Howard used to talk about The Bachelor. Trash TV gossip.

Finally, do you, is there an end point to the Dabbleverse? Or do you see it evolving over time?

Christian Bladt: It’s a fairly dark answer, and while I personally hope that it doesn’t happen for a VERY long time, the fact of the matter is that whenever John passes away, that will absolutely be the end of it all. It will almost instantly take all the fun out of it. We will have a week or three of the celebration of life and all our memories, but goofing on him won’t feel right to most content creators and most viewers. Especially content about the amount of drinking and incredibly poor health.

Adam Busch: Unfortunately, when alcoholism gets the best of John, that will be the test for the Dabbleverse. That will be the moment when it either fades away as a footnote in the history of radio and comedy or it becomes its own story.

The good news is, the Dabbleverse is filled with talent—mostly from the folks in the subReddit and Discord, but also from those who are inspired to monetize their fascination with John. However every dabbler knows that these skills could be used anywhere else, where they’d receive far more followers, understanding and tolerance from peers, friends, and family. There’s money to be made in covering popular celebrities. If the mods of DA chose to moderate for anyone else, they’d be greatly improving their lives in every way. The same goes for Rocco, Cardiff, OJ, DJ Dabblez, Sheet, or pioneers like Gonzo. These people choose to, for lack of a less sentimental term, follow their hearts and cover what interests them. I relate to them because I am them. I choose to dabble.

There are political candidates I believe in deeply that I haven’t done a thing for. But most days, I clip John’s show and post the clips that I feel are accidentally revealing of the human condition on Dabblers Anonymous. Then the shows I listen to will comment on those clips and we all have a laugh. I feel motivated to do so -- like the Catcher In The Rye of dumb s...

Cayley: I don’t think this will ever end. The community that is the Dabbleverse is outstanding, That said, I’ve already f...d a custom talking Stuttering John dildo, so if it evolves any further, I’m terrified of what the future may hold.

DJ Dabblez: Everything has a shelf life, but every time I start to feel like things have peaked and we're on the downslide some new scandal emerges that breathes new life into the community and reinvigorates my interest. I'm sure the Dabbleverse in its current form will end at some point, but I plan on enjoying the ride for as long as it lasts.

Cardiff Electric: I’ve called 3 endings so far, and it keeps going. I think it evolves.