Your Dark Companion Podcast

Local national anthemist Michael Borts joins YDC to discuss his connection with Nolan Ryan and starting the STARS tradition during the national anthem!! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

No better way to kick off the first LIVE show of 2025 than with Texas Rangers' broadcast voice and National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ford C. Frick Award recipient Eric Nadel! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We're not in Dallas anymore y'all! While we're on the road we hang out with one of our favorite cinematographers Fitz, who came to meet us all the way from Denver! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Greggo and Expo join Mike Rhyner and Shoopy for a holly jolly reunion! They unwrap gifts, share laughs, relive the glory days, and sprinkle in a few inside jokes to make your season bright. Tune in for a merry stroll down memory lane with Your Dark Companion this Christmas Day! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Local national comedian Paul Varghese brings his unique stylings to the show and battles Grubes in a Red Hot Chili Peppers quiz! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Max Hartman, actor/singer/voice of Domino's Pizza, suavely sashays into the Sunset Lounge to bring us his unique brand of fun and handsomeness! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Garret Price, director of the awesome Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, joins the Sunset Lounge to discuss everything yacht rock! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Deno Taglioli, founder of beloved band Emerald City, and Adam Palma, guitarist of Emerald City (and a bandmate of Mike's before that!) tell us all about their musical journeys! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Cowboys legend Preston Pearson leaps into the Sunset Lounge to hang with the Shoopies!!! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We are back at the Smoky Rose with The Old Grey Wolf, Grubes, Greggo, and the rest of the gang. Come see us or tune in as things go off the rails per usual but this time burbon (for everyone but The Hammer) is involved! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Revel in the chaos and fun of the Stolen Water Holiday Party, as the entire YDC/Sunset Lounge crew, family friends, and partners bring good tidings and joy to all! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Attorney, author and addiction recovery advocate Brian Cuban, brother of Dallas Mavericks owner and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, joins the Sunset Lounge to discuss his newest book! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Longtime radio man Wally Lynn joins YDC and Greggo to discuss his eventful career, life, and everything in between! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It's time for Doocy's Doozies on YDC! Mike Doocy of FOX 4 grabs a seat at the bar and talks all things sports and toupees! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Kit Sawers, president of Klyde Warren Park, discusses the Tree Lighting Celebration and all the other cool events happening at KWP! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The magical and mystical Tim DeLaughter, leader of Polyphonic Spree and Tripping Daisy, rocks and rolls into the Sunset Lounge! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Here for a nostalgia bender with a side of chaos? Mike welcomes his former exponential intern—now mild-mannered bookkeeper and certified drop doctor—Expo (aka Kevin Fox). In between lightning strikes, monkey breakouts, and Cowboys eye-rolls, they roast the “Tom Laundry” typo, unravel the Great Curtain Conspiracy at AT&T Stadium, pour one out for the Edmund Fitzgerald (29 times? please don’t), and dig through the infamous Ticket “graveyard” of nameplates. We get the untold Brett Hull prank, a dominatrix-says-what?! studio dump, Rush regret, and the gentle art of being “not fired, but also… don’t come back tomorrow.” It’s witty, wheel-off, and weirdly heartwarming—like a three-TV living room where only one is actually hooked up. Chapters 00:00:05 – Cold Open: Lightning, Baseball, & “Gen X Jerk-Off Set” 00:01:10 – Roll Call: Mickey Six, Becca, Shoopy, Ashley… and Expo/Kevin 00:02:20 – Origin Story: From “Exponential Intern” to “Expo” (no, not that kind of exposé) 00:04:40 – Words vs. Numbers: Mike can’t long-divide, Expo can’t five-syllable 00:05:04 – “Last Show?” Barrel: officially scraped 00:06:09 – Time Warp: Wait, Expo’s 53?! 00:07:29 – What He Does Now: Bookkeeper for big-screen wizardry (not an accountant™) 00:10:04 – Mike’s TV Count: “Three.” “It’s four.” “Well, screw me then.” 00:10:48 – Plano Pride & Alan Tudyk Sidebar 00:12:02 – Class Size Flex: 1,186 grads… because of course he remembers 00:14:18 – News Grenade: 43 lab monkeys on the loose (what could go wrong) 00:17:28 – Cowboys Despair: From “why bother?” to kicker-is-MVP energy 00:19:04 – “Tom Laundry” on the Jumbotron: Spellcheck is undefeated 00:20:28 – Curtain Conspiracy: Sun, sound, and Jerry’s evil master plan 00:21:38 – Concerts at AT&T: Sounds like a rumor from far, far away 00:23:09 – Tin-Foil Time: Is Jerry… selling?! (Probably not, but let’s fight about it) 00:26:34 – Franchise Math: $11B x 2.5 = $27.5B (thanks, Expo) 00:28:18 – Edmund Fitzgerald: 29 chimes, zero 29-shot challenges please 00:32:02 – Ticket Tales: The freestyle drop montage that became legend 00:35:22 – The Brett Hull Prank: Two days of glorious chaos 00:38:21 – The Pen Click & The Dominatrix: Dump button, activated 00:41:08 – Insurance Talk: The least fun admin hat 00:43:31 – Charity Challenge, Modano intel, and inside-baseball radio lore 00:46:48 – Cap Life & The Non-Firing Firing 00:49:26 – The Graveyard: Mike’s morbid-but-iconic nameplate wall 00:52:07 – “Three Versions of the Story”: Told, Thought, and Truth 01:00:24 – Doctor of Drops: How live drops became blood sport 01:04:20 – First Live Franken-Drop: “Mighty Mr. Ship” 01:06:01 – The Bra-with-Glue Challenge (yes, really) 01:09:22 – Rush Regret & Final Shows 01:14:00 – Chaperoning a 13th Birthday (security, but make it tipsy) 01:18:03 – Rearview Mirror Rule: Everything’s better back there 01:20:32 – Mike’s Radio Shoutout: The forgotten king-maker 01:24:30 – Credits, Handles, and Pants: Optional Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode: patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/ X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445 The Old Grey Wolf: X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579 To reach out email us at: [email protected] ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Indie Pop musician Paris Heart parties in the Lounge and tells us about his musical life! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The great Kenny Withrow, guitarist of the New Bohemians, strolls into the Lounge to dicuss all things music! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Levi Weaver of the Athletic sultrily discusses base ball, music, and his crazy interesting life!!! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

HAPPY HALLOWEENWe are partying at the Smoky Rose with the YDC crew, Greggo, and Ziggy!!!! And even a guest appearance from the actual most interesting man alive! Good times ahoy!!! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Ric Renner, longtime talent at FOX/Bally Sports Southwest, rolls into the Sunset Lounge to discuss his stint as a weatherman, high school football, and so much more! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

WFAA weatherman Jesse Hawila returns to the Sunset Lounge and we try to figure out how many false falls Dallas can have, then we test Jesse's music knowledge! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Longtime Rangers media relations king John Blake joins the Sunset Lounge to discuss his career, moving into the team's historian role--and all the times he yelled at Rhynes! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Legendary Texas Rangers PA Man Chuck Morgan joins the Shoopies to discuss his roots as a baseball lover, radio star, and innovator of game presentation! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Celena Rae saunters into the Sunset Lounge to talk about her time on American Idol, singing the National Anthem at Stars games, and pissing off Canada! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Meet our new friends in the Sunset Lounge as they join Mike Rhyner and Grubes at the Smoky Rose to eat burnt ends, laugh their burnt end off, and enjoy some great conversation that is all over the map! You genuinely will love this crazy group as much as we do! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Legendary Dallas Stars play by play man, actor, and Press Your Luck contestant Ralph Strangis teleports into the lounge to discuss hockey's arrival in Dallas, learning Tinder from Tyler Seguin, the launching of his Substack and so much more! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The one and only Evan Grant is in the Sunset Lounge bringing us his epic and omnipotent power of knowledge for the Dark Riders of Your Dark Companion. You can bet we are talking Rangers and more on today's episode. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Ben the Jedi wordmaker is in the Sunset Lounge talking with Rhyn's and the gang talking about his journey in the Radio business, how The Old Grey Wolf has imprinted on his life, and dad life. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Voice of the Dallas Sports Scene when in stadium has a face... ANDDD He's a Music Historian that will blow your mind! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Happy OPENING DAY of the State Fair!!! Sarah Blaskovich is in studio to talk all things State Fair Food!!! She's also gonna bless us once again with her foodie knowledge, so come hungry!!! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sept 28 - 7:30 pm - DEVO documentary as a part of the Dallas VideoFest's Ernie Kovacs Award to DEVO's Gerald Casale Texas Theatre w Intro and Q&A to follow (hopefully Gerald will be there at the end) Sept 29 - 6 pm - VIP Meet & Greet at Top Ten Records Followed by event at 7:30 pm - Dallas VideoFest honors DEVO's Gerald Casale with the Ernie Kovacs Award at the Texas Theatre Sept 30 - 7-8 pm - FREE (though we hope people will buy books) - The Wild Detectives bookstore/bar/venue – in person conversation, discussion, Q&A and book signing with Edie Adams son, Josh Mills of Ernie in Kovacsland: Writings, Drawings and Photographs from Television’s Original Genius. Gerald Casale, the founder of DEVO, is being honored with the Ernie Kovacs Award this weekend at the Texas Theater. YDC had the great privilege of getting to interview him before the festivities and talk about the band's journey on the frontier of the punk age. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The sequel to the award-winning Escape from Extinction introduces rewilding, a proven method for sustainable conservation that has the potential to bring back hundreds of thousands of species from the brink of extinction. Producer Matt Brady talks in depth about this project and the impact you can have by doing NOTHING! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We talk about WFAA's 75 years of Greatness with the one and only Jody Dean. As well as his amazing crazy journey through the world of media much different and vast than most. Baseball is talked about with Mike's Sister Pattie too. And we can't help but razz Mike once again about The Beatles. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We welcome in Mike's Sister, Pattie & Gregory Hasty! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Edwin Cabaniss has left The Kessler for a bit to join us in the Sunset Lounge! This entrepreneur has turned his passion for music into a major force in Texas nightlife scene. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

YDC EP 35: Brenden and Miki Butler discuss Brenden's journey with Ewing Sarcoma, a raw pediatric bone cancer, and the Brenden Butler Family Foundation. September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. YDC wants you to hear about this amazing young man and his work with his family foundation, the Adaptive Training Foundation. And PLEASE donate! https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Brenden-Butler-Family-Foundation ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The Voice of the Mavs is in the Sunset Lounge talking sports, the day 1 Ticket stories, and Mavs with Mike and the Gang. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Mike and the Hammer are in the Sunset Lounge, but The Hammer is COMING IN HOT. News of Direct TV making mom and dad ESPN fight and no longer bringing the masses all the things they want like Pete and Jesse Hawila on channel 8 has the guys up in arms. OGW is questioning all things in his life with having to possibly go to streaming and Greggo might climb on his roof to throw the satellite in the coming days. Big things happening here today. Plus you're gonna laugh your ass off! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We have THE BIG MAC in the Sunset Lounge today! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It's a meeting of the Radio Nerd Club in the Sunset Lounge. Where Mike feels he should be King, Pugs isn't sure a Hall of Famer can be in it. We talk all things radio, the direction of radio and even find out some Ticket info we didn't know before as Pugs and Mike remanence on the Glory Days of DFW Sports Talk. Disclaimers 1) We know the audio isn't the best on this episode! This is the backup audio we had to use due to a corruption on our recording card. Things have been put in place to make sure you never have this issue again. We are also trying to get the card fixed, which is why we have waited til now to post. But I will re-upload if the company fixing the card recovers the audio. 2) This episode was shot before the passing of Pugs beloved friend Kelly Ann Mohr. He speaks of her in the episode. So, anyone watching or triggered, please take this as your forewarning. We hope for peace and comfort for her family ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

LIVE From the CBD House of Healing with Jeffery and Shippy joining the guys... We had a really HIGH time and a new club for the "Two Pump Chumps" that includes the motley crew on this show! (Ashlea over here is just laughing away while she writes this copy!) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The great Tim Rogers is in the Sunset Lounge to talk about D Magazine. And the late Zac Crane, his coworker but most importantly friend! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Michael Hogue writes, creates informational graphics, illustrations and animations. His work has received hundreds of national and international awards, including the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, the Associated Press, Print, the Society of News Design and Malofiej. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

It's Hammer Time at the Goose Bar! If you didn't join our gaggle on the scene then check it out here now! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Mike Dobbyn is an American professional long-drive golfer who holds the world record for the farthest drive in history: a recorded drive at 551 yards. In regular professional golf, the hardest hitters average just over 300 yards. Mike started competing in Long Drive in 2004, and he had a good breakout year winning once and finishing high enough in other LDA Tour events to earn him the Rookie of the Year Award. His RE/MAX World Championship title came in 2007, and over the 2011 and 2012 LDA seasons he won two more Tour titles. He's in the sunset Lounge to talk all things Pro Long Drive ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★