Editor's Note: Andrew's interview series with notable podcasters continues with Aaron Simmer. Not actually a podcaster himself, Simmer is the man who spearheaded the upcoming GFW Radio reunion panel at PAX 2009. -Greg

In only my third installment of interviews with notable podcasters, I managed to find a nonpodcaster. That said, Aaron Simmer has a particularly unique role in the culture of podcasting. While he is the co-founder and writer for armchairempire.com, he hasn't ventured his own hand into podcasting.

Instead, he is the organizer of the much anticipated GFW Radio reunion at PAX 2009, featuring Jeff Green, Shawn Elliott, Ryan Scott, Sean Molloy, and Bitmob's own Voice of God, Robert Ashley.

Certainly, it isn't the first of its kind (see: previous live podcast events by 1UP Yours), but it is fully a fan endeavor, organized simply because it was something he wanted to see. Beginning as a pledge drive, it snowballed into something more than he expected.

A little bit of full disclosure. I was disappointed to hear that former GFW Radio member Anthony Gallegos wasn't going to be involved, so I sent Aaron an e-mail about this. He politely responded and explained himself, and I felt kind of sheepish for sending him a rude e-mail. (To my credit, I didn't call him nasty names). But this did reveal that there was an interesting story behind this event that could provide insight into podcasting, the purpose of these interviews. He kindly agreed to speak to me concerning the event.

Andrew Hiscock: You made waves earlier this year by spearheading a movement to get the old GFW Radio crew together for a live panel at PAX 2009. What was the inspiration for this? What were the guys' reactions to it?

Aaron Simmer: The inspiration really came from a few places. It was a few months after the last Brodeo episode, and 1UP.com had been burned to the ground, when the thought occurred to me that a reunion show at PAX -- which would mark almost a full year since GFW Radio went off the air -- would be something cool to attend.

That's what got me thinking that a reunion is something I could plan but quickly put the idea away as too complicated, fraught with all kinds of variables I didn't want to think about. That is, until I relistened to the final Brodeo. Right near the end of the podcast, Robert Ashley said, "In the Internet Age, having an idea is just bullshit; it's doing it."

After that, every time I thought about how cool it would be to get one last Brodeo, I would hear Robert Ashley say, "Bullshit!" It only took a few days after that for me to conclude that it couldn't hurt to at least e-mail the guys and see if they'd be interested in a reunion at PAX. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.

The reaction of the guys was positive, but there were initially a lot of questions about the format, the venue, employer permission, who would do what, cost, etc., because I hadn't done any research or brainstormed ideas. That's when the real work started (and I stopped hearing, "Bullshit!").

AH: First, you were requesting donations, and then the space was donated free of charge. Why PAX in particular and how did everything come together?

AS: I thought about PAX as a venue in particular for a couple of reasons. The first is that PAX is really a fan event. There's still some media hoopla, but the focus is really on bringing gamers together in a three-day festival, with all sorts of cool stuff for gamers. The second (purely selfish) reason is that PAX is in Seattle, just a few hours away by car (depending how the border lineup is), which makes it easy for me to get to.

My initial number crunching produced a fund-raising goal of $12,000! But after a lot of back and forth, we got that down to $2,250 for the cost of the room at PAX for a couple of hours.

The donation drive got underway just fine -- more than $1,200 was donated in a few days -- but then PAX stepped in and offered the room for nothing. It turns out there are GFW Radio fans in positions of power at Penny Arcade and the company that, as far as I understand, organizes PAX, Reed Exhibitions.

That was like my own personal Field of Dreams moment. Well, minus Kevin Costner. It was that whole feeling of, "If you build it, they will come." Everything was falling into place.

And really it shouldn't have been a surprise. Fans of GFW Radio include people that sent socks to Jeff Green and hooked him up with a Wii or sent copious amounts of candy to Shawn Elliott (a phenomenon I will take credit for initiating).

AH: What has been the fan reaction to this initiative?

AS: On the whole, the fan reaction was very positive. There was a lot of chatter on the gaming forums and some of the major gaming sites, and I got some really positive e-mails. Plus, the donations took off.

Though minor, there was some blowback from the fact I was asking for donations. After 1UP.com axed all those people and eat-sleep-game's Rebel FM and Area 5 received thousands in donated cash from fans, I think there was some resentment, too. I shudder to think what the reaction would have been had the $12,000 figure been put forward.

After PAX offered the room for free, I stopped accepting donations and went through the list of donors asking if they wanted to get their money back or leave it in the pool as a donation to Penny Arcade's charity Child's Play. The vast majority were enthusiastic that the money would do some good.

AH: Two notable members of the podcast are absent from the panel: an early member, Darren Gladstone, and a later member, Anthony Gallegos. There has been plenty of ruckus about the decision. Can you clear the air on why the participants were chosen as they were? Has there been any reaction from those participating about these omissions?

AS: Part of the reason I immediately threw up after sending out the press release making the announcement of a GFW Radio reunion at PAX was the realization that there would definitely be some people "displeased" with my decision to omit Darren Gladstone (who I never contacted anyway) and Anthony Gallegos, who mentioned the GFW Radio reunion plans on Rebel FM very soon after I contacted everyone.

It was a difficult decision to make. As I've explained elsewhere, and I quote, "I have nothing against Anthony or Darren. When it comes right down to it, I made the decision based on numbers for the event and the closing of the magazine as the dividing line between 'old' and 'new' CGW/GFW Radio. Six or seven people at a long table having a discussion is difficult, if not impossible, to pull off. As it is, I think five is pushing it, but when it came down to which five, I kept coming back to the core of Jeff, Shawn, Sean, Ryan, and Robert. Darren's last appearance was December 2007, and Anthony wasn't made a regular until (approx.) May 2008. GFW Magazine closed down April 16, 2008, and the core really consisted of Jeff, Shawn, Sean, Ryan, and Robert.

"Those were the main touchstones that went toward making the decisions -- with the full knowledge there would be people riding against the decision of the panel participants. I don't think anyone can argue that Anthony added lunacy and insight to the Brodeo, which is why it was so hard to break the news to him."

I don't know if that really clears the air for everyone. Actually, I know it doesn't. Even now I'll get e-mails from irritated GFW Radio fans urging me to put Anthony on the panel.

Before the announcement went out, I wrote Anthony an e-mail breaking the news. It was a horrible e-mail to have to write, but I think it was the right decision in regard to the panel. He didn't call me a "fuckwit" like some of the e-mails did, but he seemed down about the decision. He doesn't hold it against me though.

Sean, Shawn, Ryan, Jeff, and Robert were OK with everything, though there were a few dropped e-mails along the way that the final decision on the panel participants came as a surprise to a couple of them.

AH: The crew was notable for tangential conversations and spontaneity. That said, do you have any idea of what to expect?

AS: I'm not sure what to expect. Bizarre, unexpected shit, no doubt, with some game talk in there somewhere. I know there's stuff in the works!

The initial plan was to split the reunion with a "live!" podcast recording and a Q&A session to follow, but I'm sure that will change. Shawn also mentioned a "private" recording without an audience, but we'll see how the live recording turns out.

AH: Of the five members of the panel, three are now on the software side (Jeff, Shawn, and Sean), and one member is with a different videogame outlet. Are you aware of any constraints these members are under, and have they factored them into the planning of the event?

AS: The constraint I'm aware of is that EA will have a "handler" with a big stick in the front row to menace Jeff Green if he starts running off at the mouth.

Honestly, there are some constraints in place, but those constraints are understandable. If there wasn't a willingness to work within those constraints, I doubt the GFW Radio reunion would have come together like it has. Sorry for being so vague, but I don't think it's my place to reveal some of the information that was passed around, in confidence, during the planning stages.

That said, I doubt the audience will notice unless someone asks a sensitive question and gets a "No comment."

AH: Obviously you were a fan of the podcast, and it dealt heavily with issues within games journalist and enthusiast press. What is the podcast's legacy and how (if at all) has it affected the manner in which you run your own website, armchairempire.com?

AS: For me, the legacy goes back even further to the very first interview I ever did for the Armchair Empire, which was with Jeff Green way back in 2000. (The first time I heard the "got drunk at BioWare story.")

I was a "fan" of his going well back to his early years at Computer Gaming World, and I wanted to talk to him about how he got to where he was, how he developed his writing style, who he was as a person, etc. If I had an idol, Jeff Green was it. He was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing: making a living writing and playing games. And he had a wife and kid -- something I could relate to.

I interviewed him annually four more times after that. Oddly enough, I've never actually met him in real life; it has all been via e-mail. Personally, his writing had an influence on my own writing style and the kind of topics I wanted to write about. Shawn also had a strong influence on the kind of writer I want to be.

When it came to the podcast though...I was absolutely terrified when the guys started to bring up examples of horrible writing -- reviews, features...whatever they came across on the Web. Shawn was particularly good for this, but there was one podcast in particular where Sean laments the "this but this, this but this, conclusion" review style that is so prevalent among the enthusiast press.

It was at times like those that I started to really pull apart my own reviews or whatever I was writing. Having the guys on the podcast holding up some of these bad habits and lazy writing to the light and saying, "This is shit; it could be better" was a benefit to me and really encouraged me to not only re-examine my thought process when writing but to read a lot more.

I'd like to thank Aaron for his time and wish him and the GFW Radio crew the best of luck with the reunion.

The GFW Radio reunion will happen at PAX 2009, on September 5 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Raven Theatre. For all those unable to attend, it will be released as a podcast.