Smile . . . because “Every Place is the Same” says actor-podcaster Daniela Vlaskalic

Mid-pandemic, we’re chafing as we pace the rooms of our homes and the sidewalks of our neighbourhoods. And every Facetime chat and Zoom meeting is a portal to yet another lived-in, light-toned home office, bedroom or basement. “Every place is the same” has never seemed more true. But Daniela Vlaskalic, star of the 3-year-old podcast of this name (and 2019 Canadian Podcast Award nominee) is not gloating.

Her podcast boasts over 60 episodes to date, and bills itself as “Part travelogue, Part challenge, Part comedic stint”. It has a startlingly simple premise. Vlaskalic interviews a guest about two widely disparate locations which are significant to the guest: for example, their birthplace and the place where they studied; or the city they live in and the site of their favorite vacation. Regardless of the locations selected, Vlaskalic’s aim is the same: to convince the skeptical guest and listeners alike that the two places are, in fact, the same. Past episodes have deconstructed the differences between Lethbridge and Munich, Cape Breton and Santiago, Reykjavik and Brisbane, Bermuda and Bahrain, and Sedona and Dublin. The more incongruous the pairing, it would seem, the better. 

If this sounds challenging, it is. And that’s why you shouldn’t expect to hear accomplished stage actor and playwright of dark dramas Daniela Vlaskalic doing the interviewing. Instead, to channel vintage SNL, it’s… “Acting!” For the podcast, Vlaskalic adopts the persona of an unpredictable, loud and comically relentless “investigative reporter” who has “the levity to interrupt guests, contradict them, throw facts at them and generally just play and have fun”.  Each interview covers a lot of ground, including the guest’s life story and the history, landmarks and culture of the two locations. So the podcast does yield genuinely useful travel insights and information. It also becomes laugh-out-loud funny when the reporter shifts conversational gears – becoming almost prosecutorial – in order to land her show’s premise: “Because we wanted this to be a ten-minute podcast, the energy and pace of the character keep things moving”.  

And one of the funniest things to ponder is that guests don’t even know which two places Vlaskalic will be discussing with them. She selects the places based on a cagily designed pre-interview, which identifies areas of potential interest and stimulates the guest’s memories. The subsequent recorded interview is always spontaneous. Never rehearsed, it takes a unique shape that is form-fitted to the guest. And it resonates widely – with travel enthusiasts, those unable to travel, and comedy-lovers. Matching wits with great guests and cajoling them to accept similarities and even sameness of two important locations is clearly a joy to Vlaskalic, who has an important confession to make. It might seem as if proving every place is the same means there is no need to go anywhere. But the exact opposite is true: “Learning about the places that my guests talk about, whether it be the other side of the globe or their hometown, in the end I always have the same thought…I want to go there!”

So there’s no need to fear that cynical world-weariness is fueling this podcast. Writer-actor Vlaskalic is a ”big fan of travel both personally and professionally”: “it is one of my passions.” The podcast pre-dates COVID-19 by two years , and was born of a revelation achieved after years of personal and professional travel to “amazing places” all over Canada, the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, China and India. “As exciting as all this sounds, if you are someone that has spent a lot of time on the road, especially for work, you quickly learn that after a while, every hotel room, every airport, every restaurant, elements of every city, all start to become the same.”  This tiny truth, which reverberates in our COVID-19 isolation, led Vlaskalic and producer Marco Timpano to a larger and more life-affirming truth: “We really wanted to explore this idea of the world being smaller than we think, and that no matter where you go in the world, ultimately, we are looking for the same things, and we are more the same than we are different.” 

Given current widespread travel bans, shutdowns of business and lockdowns of people, this may never have been truer. And the empathetic human behind the hectoring investigative reporter has fervent aspirations for all of us who find ourselves housebound: “In this difficult time of the pandemic, what I really hope is that people can listen to the podcast and find a way to escape if they need to. Travel somewhere else for a little while, have a good laugh, learn something new, and at the end realize that they can find a way to enjoy where they are.” 

Here, perhaps, is the most powerful lesson of all: if every place is truly the same, then wherever you are can be wherever you want to be. “Order in or make your favourite curry, sushi or pizza. Make your own cocktail. Work on making that perfect coffee. Play a game, discover a new book, find music from anywhere in the world and listen to it.”

Just channel a tiny fraction of the imagination and persistence that unspool in every episode of Every Place is the Same. “You would be amazed at the travel adventure you can have without ever leaving your neighbourhood.”

If Daniela Vlaskalic had her way…

Asked about her ultimate dream guests, Vlaskalic turns her imagination up to 11 with a Who’s Who of expert travelers: 

• First up is Phil Keoghan – Host of The Amazing Race for 31 seasons (and counting) which has visited 91 different countries: “Phil would have some great stories and I would love to prove to him that Every Place is the Same.”
• Next up is Jessica Nabongo – The first solo black woman to visit all 195 countries in the world! Whose diverse travels revealed to her a powerful underlying sameness: “that most people are good. Truly. In reality, most people are not racists, homophobes, or misogynists”  

Last, but not least, is the late Anthony Bourdain: “Gathering around a table with friends or strangers, finding that amazing restaurant, market or café, it is one of the most wonderful aspects of travel and one I wish I could have talked about with him.”

News You Can Use

What: Every Place Is the Same; Host: Daniela Vlaskalic; Director: Marco Timpano

Info: danielavlaskakic.com

© Scott Sneddon, SesayArts Magazine, 2020