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Lee Rayburn, morning host on The Mic 92.1, in his studio after a recent show. - Mike DeVries/The Capital Times

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Last month, Lee Rayburn really wanted to watch Air America radio host Rachel Maddow fill in for MSNBC host Keith Olbermann on "Countdown."

Rayburn couldn't do it, though. He was busy filling in for Maddow on her nationally syndicated Air America show. The morning drive-time host for The Mic 92.1 has expanded his audience from Madison by filling in for Maddow and the recently departed Randi Rhodes. He has also filled in for national hosts Sam Seder and the Young Turks.

That's a far cry from just a year ago, when Rayburn, 34, was temporarily unemployed after The Mic's corporate parent, Clear Channel, announced plans to switch to an all-sports format. Rayburn was cut from the lineup in late 2006 in anticipation of a transition that never happened, but it took six more months for him to get back on the air locally.

Besides also appearing nationally, he has developed a strong online following. In one week last month, Rayburn's show had approximately 150,000 podcast downloads, putting his station No. 2 among Clear Channel's downloads. Those podcasts can be found at www.themic921.com.

If that national success has gone to his head, it doesn't show. In fact, the self-deprecating Rayburn wrote The Mic's promo for his podcasts, saying: "For the two people who want more ..." So, for those two people and anybody else, Rayburn sat down to talk about his radio gig and a little bit more.

You're from the Chicago area. How did you end up here?

I moved here 12 years ago. My first weekend here was the Mifflin Street riots. I had a blast 'til that evening, when it got a little crazy. I loved the city, loved the vibe. I'd come here as a kid because my mom was a UW graduate.

When I dropped out of college and was done following bands around the country, this was the place. It's a welcoming place and I would never leave it.

Although (on the air) you said if the gay marriage ban amendment passed, you would leave.

Yeah, I did, didn't I? That was an idle threat, to say the least. That didn't work as well as I thought it would.

Have you ever thought that that was the reason it passed?

Well, now that you mention it ... it's the only logical explanation I can think of.

Did you get your start in radio in Madison?

I look back at it now, and it's obvious that I was meant for this. I remember in junior high my mom drove me out to the local radio station so I could tell them that their radio station sucked and this is what they should do.

When I went to college, I went to the college radio station and only lasted there about a week. I didn't like the idea of playlists. I liked the idea of bringing my own records and playing them, but that's not how it worked.

When I got to Madison, I went back to school -- went to MATC, then to UW. I got a couple of internships and learned that's the way you get into the business.

How did you end up on the air nationally?

It was a remarkable coincidence because (when the show went off the air in late 2006) I was feeling at my lowest, I felt I was partly responsible, I'd failed to produce. I held myself accountable. And it was within a couple weeks of not being on the air that I got a call from Air America. I don't know where they got me from. I had interviewed Rachel, and it was Rachel's staff that had reached out to me.

Does it feel any different when you're talking to the whole country and not just Madison?

When you are in padded room, all alone with a microphone, I don't know if you would know the difference between one person listening and thousands of people listening.

It's that isolating?

It is, but it works for me because I have the uncomfortable characteristics of being both obnoxious and shy. It's perfect for radio.

Randi Rhodes talks about that, too. Is that really how you are?

What, obnoxious and shy? Yeah, and I think you'd find a lot of people who would say the same. I'm fairly introverted and I try to be polite in mixed company. I don't talk about the things I talk about on the radio with other people -- sex, politics, religion.

Your dad was a high school principal. Who has taken more grief in his career, you or him?

He has. I don't think you can make a move as an administrator in public education without hearing from all sides.

Obviously, it's with the support of my parents -- who recently moved up here from the Chicago suburbs -- that I'm able to do what I do. The weird thing about them being in Waunakee now is that they hear me on the radio. I say things to a microphone that I would never say to a person, and there's certain things you never talk about with your parents like politics, sex, religion, and all of a sudden they say, "Hey, we listened to you this morning." And I think, "Oh." It's a little disconcerting.

My mom was a teacher, I come from a family of public school educators, and I think that probably defines me more than anything else. Up until recently they were trying to get me to become a guidance counselor and I said, "If my advice is to drop out of college and follow your favorite bands around, I don't think they'd give me tenure any time soon."

Who did you follow?

The Grateful Dead, up until the end. I went to their last show in July of '95 and the next day is when I moved out west. That's where I got my political education. I could have worked for J. Crew or I could work for the Peace Action network.

And I'm so glad I worked for Peace Action. For me, being shy and obnoxious, it was good to have to go door to door and talk to people face to face about issues. And there couldn't have been a better place to do it in all the world than Northern California. Talking to maybe 10,000 people in a year helped me find my voice.

What are your thoughts on the Randi Rhodes situation? (Air America dropped Rhodes' show from its lineup when she made rude comments about Hillary Clinton at an off-air event.)

I see it from both sides. I understand where Air America is coming from because it was a station event and you are representing the station. From her perspective, she wanted to be able to say whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. And I understand that as well. But you can go too far, I know that.

Having been out there and actually having been unemployed, does that color how you talk about the issues?

I talk about the social safety net because that's what caught me. I don't know what I would have done without the opportunity for getting unemployment. But there's a freedom in tough times that I really appreciate. After the Grateful Dead I also followed Phish around and whatever hippie band was on the way. Those days are long gone for me and I'm not happy about it.

You were giving away the Sheryl Crow tickets. Did that make you feel like a rock 'n' roll DJ?

No, because I had so much trouble with transitioning from news to "and now you can win Sheryl Crow tickets!" I suck at that. They have a term for it in music radio and I don't even know what it is.

What I did like was taking some of my own Sheryl Crow records out and playing some songs from them.

You finally got to bring your own CDs and play them on the radio.

Exactly. And because of the music feature and because of High Noon Saloon, I still get to bring in what I want to play on Fridays. It's been a rewarding experience and I've gotten a lot of feedback from local artists about it.

Who are some of the bands people should be hearing right now?

Right now? Depends on what your genre is. Tracy Jane Comer is a country artist I'm a huge fan of. Oh now, I'm going to wake up and think there's somebody I've forgotten so you know what? If people are out there and making music, I give all the props in the world to the creators because I was no good at it.

For Christmas last year because I had no money, I made a disco album for all my friends. I was in a disco band in college. A disco band with a gay dancer here in the Midwest and we got chased off of every stage we ever went on. Our dancer would come out and do pirouettes and poses and I was damn proud. I think the only reason I'm a criticizer instead of a creator is because the only music I've ever made was disco.

How do you structure your day?

I don't have a general day, but starting at 5 in the evening is when the next day's show starts for me. I try to watch the local news, listen to Rachel and browse the Internet all at the same time. I'll work until I think I've got enough, and when that happens, I start thinking about sleep.

This isn't work. I mean, it's a job, but it isn't work. I'm excited every night before a show; I can't wait for the morning to come. Although when the alarm goes off in the morning, what I wouldn't give for an extra 15 minutes.

What next? Any plans to try to move on from here?

I was at a seminar for college students and they asked if I thought I was a successful radio personality. I didn't know how to answer them. If I could live and die in radio, I would. If I could do this until the end, I would. And I would love it if I could do it in Madison. I love this city.