Tim Henson is the voice and the mind behind the hugely successful and long-established Distorted View, the Podcast equivalent of a carnival sideshow. Several times a week, Tim Henson brings stories of the weird and the weirder to his fanbase of hundreds known collectively as “Sideshow Freaks”, which works like a charm. From the moment the Podcast starts, a first-time listener knows they are in for a bumpy ride (“coming up on the programme, shitting in a feeding tube and maggots in open sores...plus your emails!” is a typical opening gambit for the Internet’s resident stomach churner). From there, it’s anything goes as Tim plays depraved audio spanning thousands of trashy topics from bizarre sexual activity to mentally handicapped wannabe-rappers.
If you’re reading this and beginning to feel deeply offended, I advise you to steer well clear of this one, you may not quite “get” where Tim is coming from. The creator will admit himself that it’s not a show for everybody. If you’ve ever found yourself laughing at something that you know, deep down, you shouldn’t be laughing at – then Distorted View is waiting for you. But not just everybody can do a show like this; Tim Henson is perfect for the role. To me, Henson comes across as s creepy Uncle who talks about all sorts of disgusting stuff when your mum isn’t around to hear it. Whilst quite unnerving at first, you learn that he is probably the coolest member of your extended family and you find yourself wanting to hang out with him more and more. I’ve never had a conversation with Tim Henson, but I believe that if he were to read this, he’d see this as the compliment it truly is.
What makes this show so special is the incredible online following that love the show so much that he has turned it into a full-time job for Tim. By selling monthly membership and offering reams of additional content in return, Tim has converted enough listeners into members of his Sideshow to make his daily delve into the disturbed a career option, for which Tim should be applauded (if you have enough hands to do so). Distorted View proves that there IS something out there for everybody, and by tapping into our twisted sense of humor, Henson has a consistently open vein of comedy and income.
So if you are of an open-mind, I recommend a trip to see Uncle Tim…if you’re lucky, he’ll show you his puss-filled scars and dirty photos of a hooker he met on holiday. Just don’t tell mother!
