The first episode of Many Cones is, in its own way, the perfect first episode of a podcast. By the end of the 12 minute opening you will, for better or worse, have a firm grasp of the tone. Hobbyist author Steve Lustina’s ripped-from-the-headlines novel opens with the brutal stabbing of Jim Donas, who has been waiting for his wife Sue to finish taking a bath. The audience is then treated to oddly gratuitous mentions of Sue’s breasts, her hopes to continue to have nice breasts (as she shakes them in the mirror), and her decision to “treat” Jim for not complaining about how long her bath took by flashing him. The amount of red flags in Lustina’s writing of Sue are as alarming as her inevitable off-screen murder.

An audiobook cut into 34 chapter-sized uploads, Many Cones is Steve’s son Tom Lustina reciting the novel into a mic with seemingly no edits. Given it was written entirely in ballpoint pen by some dude and rejected by every publishing house, Many Cones is very much a raw feed of uninterrogated tropes and unfortunate -isms (including describing one killer purely by weight and ethnicity) that wouldn’t have survived an editor’s pen.

We were fortunate to talk with Lustina about the podcast, how they differentiate from other podcasts, and their future plans in podcasting. See below for our full Q&A.

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DISCOVER PODS: How’d you get into podcasting?

LUSTINA: My dad, Steve Lustina, was a criminal defense attorney who dreamed of being a published author. He wrote Many Cones based on a famous murder case he worked on in Northwest Indiana. He tried unsuccessfully for years to get his book published. I was able to place a self published version in his hand just before he died in 2012. I really didn’t think about the book again until the end of 2019 when a friend suggested that, given the current true crime podcast sensation, we should turn Many Cones into a podcast. I loved the idea of presenting my dad’s book to a new audience.

DISCOVER PODS: In your own words, why should listeners tune in to Many Cones, Based on True Crime?

LUSTINA: It’s such a bizarre, compelling story, and it actually happened! A delusional man convinced high school kids that he was a mafia boss and that they should kill for him. It’s not a whodunit. It’s a how/whydunit that scratches the true crime itch, told in the voice of a film noir style hard boiled detective.

DISCOVER PODS: What kind of feedback have you heard from your listeners?

LUSTINA: Truly overwhelming and positive feedback. People who lived in Northwest Indiana at the time want to talk about their memories of the actual murders and how they shocked the area. Younger people can’t believe it happened, and want more details. It’s about 8 hours total. Listeners like that it’s broken up into short chapters so they can go at their own pace.

DISCOVER PODS: Describe your recording set up? What equipment are you using?

LUSTINA: I actually record in my closet with a saramonic mic that plugs into my phone, and then I edit with Descript (I love Descript). I send the sound files to Eric Stiener (same friend who suggested doing a podcast), who masters the sound. Final step is uploading to Buzzsprout.

DISCOVER PODS: What’s the biggest challenge you face as an indie podcaster?

LUSTINA: Finding and maximizing silent time to record is my biggest challenge. Being that i’m not in a soundproof studio, the whole house and area surrounding house need to be quiet for me to get consistent, clean sound. My least favorite thing to do is ask my family to be completely and absolutely quiet, so I generally wait for pockets of time where the house is completely empty.

DISCOVER PODS: Where do you want to take your podcast?

LUSTINA: I just want as many listeners as possible for my dad’s book. Knowing that more people every day hear me say “You are listening to Many Cones by Steve Lustina” at the end of each chapter gives me incredible joy.

DISCOVER PODS: What other podcasts are you listening to now?

LUSTINA: I love The Daily, Swindled, How Did This Get Made?, True Crime Garage, and True Crime All The Time

DISCOVER PODS: Anything else you’d like to add?

LUSTINA: Thank you so much for spotlighting Many Cones!  Here’s an article that discusses the original case as well as the podcast:  https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/watch-now-son-channels-late-region-defense-attorney-in-new-true-crime-podcast/article_c5eb6ff7-2314-5bfe-8beb-7918e3f61d8f.html 

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