Jack Wagner and Brandon Wardell’s podcast ‘Yeah, But Still’, is difficult to define. As we live through what many consider the golden age of podcasts few if any are doing something as unique as them. One week they’ll bring on an eclectic guest like Finn Wolfhard or Lizzo and spend the entire episode discussing niche internet memes and banal daily activities. The next they might do a hilarious deep dive investigation into something absurd like Jack’s now infamous Calamari Algorithm, in which he figured out a way to take advantage of a Dave & Buster’s game to get free Calamari appetizers. They might dip into the paranormal one episode and bring on a disgraced political operative the next. It’s chaotic, funny and always unpredictable.

Jack, a director, and Brandon, a comedian, met a few years back at SXSW and hit it off. Brandon asked Jack to direct a series he was working on and shortly after they were both involved in the web show ‘Like & Subscribe'. “The podcast started because we were working on a few different projects and it just felt natural,” Jack begins to say before Brandon cuts him off “I was broke and needed money,” he says, laughing. Four years later Jack and Brandon are still hosting an independent podcast that profits almost exclusively from its Patreon revenue. “I remember the most nerve-wracking feeling was posting the first one, it was this feeling of commitment, like oh my god now we have to keep doing this,” says Jack. And keeping it up they have, with over 400 episodes. This consistency has earned them a rabid fanbase, and Patreon’s fan-funded model has allowed them to stay true to their roots. They aren’t beholden to an organization or require viewership numbers to sell ad space, allowing them the freedom few entertainers have. Jack and Brandon are both adamant about making the episodes feel as natural as possible, straying away from the typical interview format and existing closer to a quirky conversation between friends than the overstimulated attempts at attention and controversy of so many other podcasts.

The two of them have a little bit of a thunder and lightning approach about their relationship, with Jack driving the more inquisitive moments on the podcast and Brandon toeing the line between comedic genius and absurdity. Much in the same way, their personal styles seem to simultaneously clash and flow; Jack was quick to confess he wears too much camo and loves a good functional piece of clothing while you get the sense Brandon is a recovering streetwear enthusiast, initially insisting he’s moving towards a more ‘classic man’ aesthetic before hilariously refusing to wear pants with his Balenciaga jacket and knee-high rainboots for what turned out to be one of our favorite looks from the shoot.

There’s an element of contrast between the two of them that seem to refocus both in an even better and more interesting light. Between their loyal fanbase, their unpredictable format and their stellar chemistry there isn’t much that can stand in their way.