Blogger Interviews: Big Daddy Drew

We're running a segment here at The Big Picture where we'll interview some of the biggest names in the sports blogosphere. What's the point? Well, these guys spend countless, thankless hours writing, so a little recognition from time to time is well warranted. Think of this as the blogger's version of a reach-around or something.

Joining us today is Big Daddy Drew, one of the jiz-mopping geniuses behind Kissing Suzy Kolber. Drew recently signed up to do a weekly NFL column for Deadspin -- which, conveniently, runs today -- titled Thursday Afternoon NFL Dick Joke Jamboroo. With the NFL season just a week old, this seemed like the right time to talk to one of the Web's biggest pro football fans. Let's kick this thing off right. Let him have it in the comments.

1. The rundown:

Name: Drew (Sorry, the last name costs you extra)
Age: 30
Location: DC area
Occupation: Advertising
Favorite team: Vikings
Links to your favorite all-time posts you've written (3-5).
Tuesday Morning Pretentious Douchebaggery
If Super Bowl XLI Were An Episode Of House
KSK Clip Show: The Best of Big Daddy Drew
Time per day spent blogging and perusing the blogosphere: It depends on my workday, and my work and my Internet perusing are tied together. Either way, I’m at the computer roughly 8 hours a day, doing whatever.

2. You juggle work, blogging and taking care of your family. That's a shit ton of responsibility. How do you balance it all? And take us through a typical day of blogging.

There’s more time in a day than most people realize. 24 hours is plenty of time to get shit done. KSK posts don’t take much time to write, and my job involves lots of waiting for approvals, so those can get done during the day. There’s no set routine to it. If I have an open window to do something during the day, and I have a good idea behind it, then I do it and post it. When I’m home, I’m usually away from the computer unless my kid is asleep.

3. One of the many things that impresses us about KSK is that it's a narrow focus, blogging solely about the NFL. Isn't it hard -- especially during the dreadfully long off-season -- to come up with enough material to keep readers entertained? Any secrets you have to finding content on painfully slow news days?

Sometimes it’s a bitch, but then stuff like Michael Vick happens and it makes everything easier. Since our focus is really on humor and NOT the NFL, it means we don’t have to necessarily depend on shit happening for us to write. I wrote about pooping on my towel once. It had nothing to do with football, but I found it funny, so up it went. And, frankly, when something DOES happen, the rest of the blogosphere is already on it in a nanosecond. Much better to just think up shit out of left field. That said, the off-season does fucking suck. That’s why we had to come up with shit like commenter drafts and kill kill kill. They were clearly fillers, but they were fun to do and I still think people enjoyed them.

4. Columns seem like the new trend with blogs, as MJD's The Debriefing, Ufford's The Prelude at FanHouse and your Thursday Afternoon NFL Dick Joke Jamboroo at Deadspin are getting notice. What's up with this new movement towards longer, more thought-out (sometimes) posts? Is this where blogs are going? What's the future of blogging hold?

I said yes to the Deadspin column because A.) I was offered money, which I never turn down, and 2.) I’d be an idiot not to write for that bigger audience. I think it’s a natural progression. It sort of gives you a tentpole to build an audience around. But otherwise, I think the future of blogging is simply that it will grow, and grow very fucking fast.

5. Dream job? Go.

Head writer and bit player for Conan O’Brien or Stephen Colbert. Though I must say I’m quite happy with my life as is right now.

6. There are all sorts of wonderful blogs out there. A few you'd recommend?

I usually stick to the big blogs like Deadspin, With Leather and The Big Lead. If one of them links to something interesting, I go. Otherwise, the only other sports blog I frequent is Nation of Islam Sports. Someone recommended Cajun Boy in the City, and that’s pretty cool.

7. Most rewarding parts of blogging? Most frustrating?

Rewarding: instant reader response. Frustrating: formatting. I fucking hate formatting.

8. Your first-person narratives and 10 yards of awkwardness are unbeatable. Fuck. The Sex Cannon shit. Precious. How do you come up with this crap? Are you ever stuck when you go to write these, or do the ideas just come to you?

I don’t know if anyone likes 10 yards of awkwardness anymore. I think I may have milked that teat dry. Same with the Grossman shit. I really beat that into the ground. If I’m ever stuck writing something, I usually just stop and dump it. But usually a post is fully formed in my head before I write it down. Usually, the idea just pops up in my brain and grows from there. I try not to think too hard about it, as you can plainly tell.

9. What's the ultimate goal of your site/your writing?

Get paid lots of money. My life goal is to own a jet ski.

10. KSK, from the get-go, seemed to get tons of traffic and comments. A piece of advice to some smaller sites how to get a prolific, interactive readership?

I honestly have no idea. Sucking up to Leitch helps. But eventually, your site has to stand on its own. We’ve had the good fortune of being able to write shit people have enjoyed reading. I just try and write stuff I’d like to read. Lots of swearing helps.

11. You're on a deserted island. You have three people with you. Who are they? Your family doesn't count.

I swear this question was on five of the six college applications I filled out. The real answer is I’d probably take my two best friends, plus someone who knows how to build a boat out of driftwood. Apparently, that person is NOT Bear Grylls.

(Past interviews; also found on right sidebar: Dawizofodds; Matt Ufford; The Mighty MJD; Jamie Mottram; The Big Lead; The Cavalier; Will Leitch; Dan Shanoff; Dan Steinberg; Brooks; Unsilent Majority; J.E. Skeets; Henry Abbott; The Dugout; NFL Adam; Bethlehem Shoals; Orson Swindle).