Things don’t always go as planned during Aaron Roden’s Air-Raid podcast.

For the most part, Roden’s conversations with local movers and shakers in the arts and entertainment world go smashingly. He’s sat down with heavyweight directors like Lynn Shelton, music superstars like Death Cab’s Chris Walla and Macklemore, and Sasquatch organizer Adam Zacks.

But there are still surprises.

“I went to a guy’s hotel room to interview him, and this was a guy I loved as a kid. I was obsessed with what he was doing, and what he is doing now. I get to his hotel room, and on his bed is a ball gag and one of those studded leather face masks that holds your mouth open. He had made no effort to hide it.” Roden says. “I didn’t mind, it didn’t bother me at all—I just wondered if he thought that was going to happen. We had a great conversation, it was an honor to meet him.”

After nearly four years, Roden’s Air-Raid podcast has grown from awkward conversations with friends about their experiences being firefighters, to eye-opening personal conversations with celebrities that succeed at that oh-so-difficult effort to expose the “human side” of a subject.

“Anybody I think is a mad genius—I have a hard time keeping up with them on mic. I’ll be talking to them and get ADD and I’ll think, ‘oh I should have chicken tonight,’ but I’ve gotten a lot better at just knowing how to conduct an interview.”

Roden is rounding the corner on his 200th episode, but tonight he’ll be hosting his first “Live” version of the podcast, which will feature interviews and performances from Shelby Earl and The Young Evils, and stand-up comedy from Derek Sheen.

“The thing I’m most nervous about is making sure the computer works,” Roden says.

Air-Raid Live!, Saturday, March 29, 9 p.m. $4, Naked City Brewery in Greenwood, www.Air-Raid.net