5+1 Q&A With Denny (@denny_cards)
Denny (@denny_cards) is having a moment. His new podcast, The Card Diary By Hobby S. Thompson, blends introspection with interviews that take the hobby in new, necessary directions, and in many ways feels like the next generation of what a hobby podcast can be. In this 5+1 Q&A we discussed collecting one’s childhood, introducing kids to the hobby, and the distinct smell of certain cards.
Q0: What do you consider to be your PC?
@denny_cards: Quite possibly a cop-out answer, but I PC my childhood, meaning 90's basketball cards. If I had to choose one player, it would have been Michael Jordan, but that's such a cliché. However, the reason I use the past tense in saying MJ is because much as he was so important to me as a child, he is becoming less important to me as an adult, especially as a dad. Of course no athlete (or person) is perfect, but when I was young, did I know about MJ's foibles? Not really, and so it was easy to root for him, but of course all of us are complicated, and hero worship can be complicated too if you're willing to look beyond the surface. That is the same conundrum I grappled with Kobe with his off-the-court issues, but I think like many, his untimely passing really hit me in a way I didn't think it would. I also went to the University of Florida, and so I collected Gator athletes (2007-08 NBA Draft Class that included Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, and Chris Richard to be exact), but I don't own any of their higher-end cards. That draft class also got me collecting Kevin Durant, who I got to meet once, but that will be a story for another day.
Q1: Your new podcast, "The Card Diary by Hobby S. Thompson," pays homage in its title—and sometimes format—to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Why go The Rum Diary route as opposed to, say, Fear and Loathing etc. etc.?
@denny_cards: I looked at a bunch of his titled work, and it was just a creative decision to go with The Rum Diary for ease. I think it's already a difficult buy-in for folks, and I have received some feedback from other creators who thought it would be too arcane or out there, but I went with my gut. Also, I like the diary aspect of it, although that's not what the original work is about. With Fear and Loathing in particular, I was thinking, how could I incorporate that with cards. The only one I could think of was Fear and Loathing in Las Vintage. That will be my spin off like Frasier and Cheers! =)
Q2: In addition to sports cards, you've posted images of Bruce Lee cards, G.I. Joe, and your kids' Pokemon. One thing I love about your wider collection is how it screams nostalgia, and nostalgia doesn't always have to mean sports. In your opinion, what is it about the format of trading cards that lends itself so perfectly to nostalgia? You could collect G.I. Joe action figures or Pokemon cartoon DVDs or autographed athlete sneakers. Instead, it's cards. Why?
@denny_cards: The Bruce Lee card in particular was not mine, that was from CSG celebrating AAPI Heritage Month in May, but I would love to try to go for his cards, but I have so many lanes right now already! To answer your question more specifically though, I really appreciate you saying that, because that's how I answered Q0, PC'ing my childhood, the nostalgia factor. I even mention it in my podcast chat with Brian Pirrip, who travels the US and frequents many card shops. I asked him wouldn’t it be so much easier and cheaper to just turn on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and eat a bowl of Lucky Charms on a Saturday morning, but alas, it's cards. The cards represent my local card shop as a kid, my go-to after school hang out, and quite frankly, they also represent what I could not afford as a kid. They represent a void that I think I am trying to fill as an adult, now with disposable income and not having to wait on my parents to give me allowance. But also, I just didn't collect those other things you mentioned, and if I did, maybe I wouldn't be in the card world? So I'm left wondering: Did I choose the cards, or did the cards choose me?
Q3: Say a little more about the local card shop where you hung out as a kid. What was it like? What do you remember?
@denny_cards: Indelible in my mind was that it was owned and operated by a Korean woman, which I can only now fully appreciate as an adult in the hobby, which is dominated by people who do not look like her or me. I wish I knew her backstory more, but as a kid, especially one from the 90's, you didn't really go around asking adults about their lives. The store was so small, but it didn't feel cramped from what I can remember, because well, when you're a kid, you take up less space. The setup was standard, sealed wax on shelves behind her and the cash register, singles in glass showcases, which I would never buy from because they were just too expensive for me, and so they had a museum quality to them. The smell is also vivid in my memory, again something I can only now appreciate as an adult, where Topps and Upper Deck cards just have a distinct smell of their cards, whereas Panini cards do not. I only knew this when I got back into ripping some ultramodern Topps baseball and there is just some sort of chemical process they use for their ink dye. I would love if this was explored more, because it's one of those situations where IYKYK.
Q4: Correct me if I'm wrong, but somewhere along the line didn't you say that you submitted some of your kids' Pokemon cards and their friend's cards to PSA for grading? What did they think of that experience? And what is it like watching your kids start to collect things that they enjoy?
@denny_cards: You're not wrong at all, good memory! They loved it, and they know the importance of getting a gem mint grade, but they were happy as a clam with just seeing their cards in holders. As a kid in the 90's, best we had were screw-downs, not even one touches yet. In the late 00's and early 10's(?), grading was something I heard of but never did. I literally did not own my first slab until October of 2022. Watching them enjoy The Hobby means everything to me.
Q5: I know you've only had your new podcast for a small handful of episodes, but what are you liking about it so far? Have you learned anything about yourself?
@denny_cards: I cannot believe the caliber of guests I've had and will soon have. It's remarkable that folks are willing to give me a fair chance, and I do not take it for granted at all. The long monologue episodes were needed for me to just get a lot of thoughts I had in well, diary form, out into the world, and those are fun, but I'm just not sure how much people want to hear me talk at great lengths about my experiences, especially because I consider myself a jack of all trades and a master of none. So the guest episodes are where listeners should learn a lot about The Hobby, and also I will be doing a lot of learning too. Also, I learned I do not like audio editing.
+1 Question: If I gave you, someone who went to the U of Florida, the choice of starting a new PC of one of the following athletes, who would you pick and why: Udonis Haslem, Tim Tebow, Pete Alonso.
@denny_cards: That's tough, so many factors to consider - price points, different sports, different eras of my life … and that's what makes this such a good question, just the three perfect Gator athletes you could have chosen, Dave! Haslem represents the ethos of Miami Heat basketball, but I'm not a fan of the Heat, although I lived for part of my life in Fort Lauderdale. Tim Tebow is one of the greatest Gators to play in any sport, but he had such a bottle-rocket professional career, which culminated in him trying out for the Mets. Which brings me to the Polar Bear. I did grow up in Queens, NY, and that's Mets country, but ultimately I think I would have to go with Tebow for what he did for the college and being a champion. He also went right after I finished college, and so that timing is just right. However, my caveat is going to be collecting him only in collegiate uniform cards and forgetting about his professional career, much like I like do not remember Jordan in a Wizards uniform!