This people, is Matt Scafidi. I met him in Preschool, and we've been friends ever since. He's what Sarah Palin would call a Real American, in that he works way too hard for too little recognition (so basically, the opposite of how one would describe Palin herself). He and I grew up immersed in music, due in no part to our older brothers; his, a flamboyant goofball destined for the stage. Mine, a talented guitarist and singer whom I followed and competed against incessantly. My old man made sure that Pauly and I got to college, and Matty's dad didn't, so after 12 years of choir and band and all kinda nerdy shit that probably would have gotten us beaten up if we weren't such badasses (don't laugh!), I went off to school to pursue music and broadcasting, and Matty stuck around in the town we grew up in. I worried about him, and then we had a falling out, and I didn't see him for nearly 5 years, which in hindsight were years wasted. When we met up again, we were both very different- he and I used to get into all manner of goofy shit growing up, the usual breaking & entering, getting into trouble type of shit that kids do I guess, but now he was content with living a much more subdued lifestyle. I on the other hand became far more goofy, which my listeners surely already know, and we make for a very odd couple these days.

The biggest surprise to me after all that time away was that Matty found his calling. Growing up, Matty could methodically solve puzzles that would baffle me for hours, and I think he realized that his greatest strength was in taking things apart and putting them back together, which makes him a truly fantastic auto transmission repairman. He still plays the drums, and I'll bet you anything he's not the only mechanic out there that hums tunes from Hello Dolly while restoring a Corvette in a rather manly falsetto. So, average Smoothcast listener, if you're wondering what the areas of Matty's expertise are, you can give this episode a listen and wonder no more. The title has nothing to do with Matty's helpfulness; quite the opposite in fact. NOBODY is more helpful! The problem is, if YOU ask him for help too, he'll never have the time to help the rest of us. 

And please folks, don't hate him for loving DMB. :D

Don't Ask Matty For Help!