FOT Forum
The Best Show on WFMU => Show Discussion => Topic started by: VampireWeekday on February 20, 2008, 11:00:09 PM
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I've been thinking about calling in to discuss this but (a) I'm scared of calling in and (b) there's never been an opportune time for this subject when I've listened live. Anyway:
If you're a comedy nerd like me who arrived at the Best Show by way of the AST board, then you're likely a fan of Jimmy Pardo and his podcast Never Not Funny, a weekly program of off-the-cuff, conversational comedy. Tom and Jimmy are the hosts-with-the-most in the comedyverse right now, and as I listen to both shows I find my mind wandering to fanfiction-like scenarios in which these two giants square off in some kind of Thunderdome host-off. In reality, though, it would be thrilling if their paths did cross somehow--like Jimmy calling up the Best Show, or something? I dunno. They've both got such magnetic (and funny) host personas, and I see a lot of parallels in their styles (frequently-used phrases/words, running gags such that you gotta be a listener for a while before you get everything, overlapping emphasis on certain pop-culture ephemera, etc).
Also, they share a friend and a frequent guest on both programs: Paul F. Tompkins. Could he be the key to connecting these two? Maybe it would turn into the awkward outing with two friends from different spheres who don't know each other, and with whom you act in different ways--or maybe it would be awesome. Any thoughts?
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tom wins.
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tom wins.
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Ha, wasn't trying to do a "who's better" thing, I know yall's hearts belong to Tom -- I just think it would be neat if they joined forces.
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I listened to "Never not Funny" for a couple months this past summer. I think Mr. Pardo has a keen, quick wit which is indeed funny much--indeed most-- of the time. His music taste though is horrible, and by horrible I just mean that I don't relate to it at all...(he discussed going to a Police reunion concert and he was sitting far away etc... I was thinking, "you went at all??").. Having listened to his podcast, I bought his cd on itunes. I thought it was great, just amazing. He claims he has no material, but he knows what he's doing. As far as podcasting goes... for me, it's not worth the time. For me, I emphasize... --he's not at all in my hate pit... But after he had the baby it was a few weeks of ewwww boys.... I wish him and his baby the best, but it was a podcast like all the rest, rather than the podcast we've known all along is the best, nnnnnyuk! ew boy indeed.
And I discovered the Best Show as a Sun City Girls(etc) fan who stumbled on WFMU at just the right time a couple years ago, to clarify my "comedy nerd" (nonexistent) credentials.
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I love them both. What they do is similiar but different enough that I can't see them ever joining forces. It'd be great, but I doubt it'll ever happen. Also, don't forget that Paul F. Tompkins is one of the top comics in the country. A lot of people want him on their show and because he is (criminally) less famous than he should be, he does quite a fair amount of them.
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Eric is right. Different worlds! I'm a big fan of NNF.
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... But after he had the baby it was a few weeks of ewwww boys.... I wish him and his baby the best...
not that im against (friends with) babies, BUT...
...bringing it back to comedians, david cross has a bit on it.
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David Cross does have a bit about it, but considering how much having a baby changes your life, there has to be a line. Since that DC's album came out, I feel like the tide has turned enough where the non-babied are now so emboldened about shaming people with babies to not talk about it that it's getting gross.
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NNF is like from some alternate universe where wacky high-energy chatter is funny, instead of annoying. I ought to hate it, but I don't.
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I like NNF a bit, but there was a slump of about 5 shows in a row that just weren't very good at all. I think that David Holmes guy is the pits. The nadir is possibly when they're eating McDonalds together on mic. But at least they admit it! I think Jimmy Pardo is really really funny, but I just wish they had better guests. For awhile I was calling it NEver Not Boring. I still listen to it occasionally, but it's definitely more Dude-Zone than the Best Show. Also, that theme music is really terrible. AND now they have that lingerie sponsorship, and it's sorta funny that they keep talking about how they're not into lingerie, but they spend 10 to 15 minutes shilling for this underwear website every week now and that's lame. Pardo is awesome awesome awesome as host of Match Game.
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David Cross does have a bit about it, but considering how much having a baby changes your life, there has to be a line. Since that DC's album came out, I feel like the tide has turned enough where the non-babied are now so emboldened about shaming people with babies to not talk about it that it's getting gross.
very true. although, i dont feel bold about not having babies, it does get old (quickly) hearing non-stop stories about the baby's comings and goings. i agree there is a line, but considering i DONT have a kid, i have a line about how much i can tolerate.
not to mention i was no-one-i-know-has-babies-yet young when that album came out, and so i had no idea what he was talking about until recent years. its only a newfound commiseration in my life.
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I would agree with John Junk's assessment and it makes sense. I just don't understand the other argument. Pardo doesn't talk about his kid that much. Only passing mentions.
Nobody likes people who constantly talk about their kids, but I think Cross' joke were it written down would have an asterisk saying that the opposite and peoples intolerance of kids is equally annoying. It's become like this weird battleground (a la the ever-awful hipster debates) where the two poles are terrible.
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Nobody likes people who constantly talk about their kids, but I think Cross' joke were it written down would have an asterisk saying that the opposite and peoples intolerance of kids is equally annoying. It's become like this weird battleground (a la the ever-awful hipster debates) where the two poles are terrible.
Well said, sir! I would say I might not be pro-kid, but I'm definitely anti-anti-kid.
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I like NNF a bit, but there was a slump of about 5 shows in a row that just weren't very good at all.
Yeah, there was definitely a slump there for a while. The show's not as good as it used to be, episodes are now a lot more just plain conversation rather than the fast-paced witfests they once were, but there is still occasional greatness -- last week's episode with Graham Elwood, for instance, was fantastic. And anytime Pat Francis is a guest usually means Jimmy will be in top form.
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Yeah, I used to hate Pat Francis, but I'm coming around to him.
A couple of weeks ago I was like "Pat Francis... NOW I get it!"
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Never Not Funny is one of the few comedy podcasts that is worth listening to. It has genuinely funny moments that come more out of real-life than writing, which I love. I also have to commend Matt Belknap, the producer, for the production quality in the sound. That's what kills a lot of other "podcasts", I feel. It's consistent. It's a hard-working program.
I do recall that Tom has name-checked the show once, but I think that might be on AST radio. Jimmy has also name-checked Tom on NNF. As different as they are, it would seem there is a mutual respect.
But yeah, Jimmy's taste in music is fucking awful. It's like listening to my dad talk about music.
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To be fair, Jimmy admits almost every episode that his music taste is abysmal.
I do agree that the theme music is probably the worst song ever recorded. It sounds like a 45-year-old guy trying to relate to his kids by recording a pop punk song. Just awful.
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I'm relatively new to NNF, but not once have I heard Jimmy Pardo say anything to the effect that he knows his taste in music is terrible. Stories about what a Chicago fan he is, how he feels somehow cosmically responsible for a possible Triumph reunion, and frequent plugs of his teenage band Rainbow Bridge and their c-list repertoire... but never have I heard him 'fess up to crappy taste.
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I'm relatively new to NNF, but not once have I heard Jimmy Pardo say anything to the effect that he knows his taste in music is terrible. Stories about what a Chicago fan he is, how he feels somehow cosmically responsible for a possible Triumph reunion, and frequent plugs of his teenage band Rainbow Bridge and their c-list repertoire... but never have I heard him 'fess up to crappy taste.
Yes, indeed he hasn't as far as I can tell. His bad taste in music is, from his own perspective, good taste in music. I disagree with it completely and utterly... ...but it's up to him. It became clear to me after listening to his show for a while that his taste in music is not a joke as far as he's concerned.
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Listen harder, then. He comments on it often, usually something along the lines of "I know I have shit taste in music," or "I like the worst music in the world."
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You guys must not be listening very closely. He admits it CONSTANTLY.
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Yeah you guys don't know what you're talking about -- Pardo is EXTREMELY self-deprecating about his taste in music (as well as many other things) and he is constantly made fun of by the show's guests. He still loves what he loves, but he knows it's ridiculous. It's just part of the delightful character that is Jimmy Pardo.
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wow, everybody said something positive in this post.
So different than other boards around the internet
makes it hard to fit in around here.
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Tom did the AST Radio podcast which teamed him with second chair Matt Belknap, so that's a step in the right direction.
Although, I seem to recall Tom referring to the podcast as "Never Funny" at some point on the show.
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wow, everybody said something positive in this post.
So different than other boards around the internet
makes it hard to fit in around here.
exactly.
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OK, so I added NNF to my over-crowded podcast schedule. I dropped Skepticality.com to make room.
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OK, so I added NNF to my over-crowded podcast schedule. I dropped Skepticality.com to make room.
Hey DFK
I recently dropped Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast due to the annoying banter of the hosts. Is there a skepticism related podcast that doesn't suck?
sorry for the off topic.
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I don't know. The first episode was about a documentary (which I got and viewed and it was very good) called A Flock of Dodos. The well-made point of that documentary is that in the battle between creationists and evolutionists, the creationists win the PR battle, and subsequently, sometimes votes, in large part because the scientific community is so glib and condescending.
The next 6 episodes I heard featured the hosts of Skepticality being glib and condescending. I cancelled Mother Jones and The National Review for one very simple reason; if I know what the mag is going to say before I open the cover, what's the point of reading it?
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I don't know. The first episode was about a documentary (which I got and viewed and it was very good) called A Flock of Dodos. The well-made point of that documentary is that in the battle between creationists and evolutionists, the creationists win the PR battle, and subsequently, sometimes votes, in large part because the scientific community is so glib and condescending.
The next 6 episodes I heard featured the hosts of Skepticality being glib and condescending. I cancelled Mother Jones and The National Review for one very simple reason; if I know what the mag is going to say before I open the cover, what's the point of reading it?
Yep. I used to read all the Skeptic magazines and stuff. But why bother? Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that the latest obviously fake nonsense is ALSO fake?
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To be fair, Jimmy admits almost every episode that his music taste is abysmal.
Listen harder, then. He comments on it often, usually something along the lines of "I know I have shit taste in music," or "I like the worst music in the world."
You guys must not be listening very closely. He admits it CONSTANTLY.
Yeah you guys don't know what you're talking about -- Pardo is EXTREMELY self-deprecating about his taste in music (as well as many other things) and he is constantly made fun of by the show's guests. He still loves what he loves, but he knows it's ridiculous.
I think I'm starting to see a pattern here.
Perhaps I should spend less time paying attention to other cars on the road and more time analyzing the self-awareness of the host of my 4th favorite podcast.
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First off, who cares that his music taste is bad? He doesn't play music and usually when its brought up, it's to service telling a story rather than an advocation of the music. The point is being funny, and its a very funny program.
Secondly, why are you defensive? You said something inaccurate, and others clarified and you use that to take a shot at the podcast. Not very gentlemanly.
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I didn't mean to sound defensive or sarcastic, but I can see how it would. I meant for it to sound overly earnest; a fine line, I know. Gotta make use of the winking emoticon in the future.
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AST thread.
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http://aspecialthing.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=6458
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Well said, sir! I would say I might not be pro-kid, but I'm definitely anti-anti-kid.
I like kids. My kids. Everyone else's? Not so much.
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I am very new to Jimmy Pardo. And so far, he seems really clever and funny.
But that show is missing the thing that made me listen to the Best Show in the first place. Silence.
Tom is like no other DJ I have ever heard when it comes to pacing. He doesn't rush. He doesn't sound like there is a gun to his head or that he is getting paid by the word. The first time I tuned into the Best Show, all I heard for about five seconds was the old background music playing quietly and then this voice speaking like no broadcasting convention applied to him. I was floored. Who IS this? Who does he think he is? Did someone leave the back door of WFMU open and let someone without an FCC license into the studio...and luck out because this guy is funnier than the whole writing team of "Your Show of Shows" combined?
I don't know if I'll stick with Jimmy Pardo. So far, so good. But I am sure I will be listening to the Best Show as long as it is on the air, because even if you don't listen to a word Tom says (although of course, that is not recommended), it sounds like no other show out there.
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I am very new to Jimmy Pardo. And so far, he seems really clever and funny.
But that show is missing the thing that made me listen to the Best Show in the first place. Silence.
Tom is like no other DJ I have ever heard when it comes to pacing. He doesn't rush. He doesn't sound like there is a gun to his head or that he is getting paid by the word. The first time I tuned into the Best Show, all I heard for about five seconds was the old background music playing quietly and then this voice speaking like no broadcasting convention applied to him. I was floored. Who IS this? Who does he think he is? Did someone leave the back door of WFMU open and let someone without an FCC license into the studio...and luck out because this guy is funnier than the whole writing team of "Your Show of Shows" combined?
I don't know if I'll stick with Jimmy Pardo. So far, so good. But I am sure I will be listening to the Best Show as long as it is on the air, because even if you don't listen to a word Tom says (although of course, that is not recommended), it sounds like no other show out there.
i completely agree. ive attempted to get a guy at work to listen to TBS (he currently listens to howard stern and adam carolla...yucgh), but he thinks Tom is boring.
slow, not funny, dead air, boring.
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For me, Tim and Eric are like Howard Stern, and Tom is like Groucho Marx as the Buddha.
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I didn't mean to sound defensive or sarcastic, but I can see how it would. I meant for it to sound overly earnest; a fine line, I know. Gotta make use of the winking emoticon in the future.
I thought your post was funny, but then again I pictured you saying it wearing a dress and eating dog food from a can.
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I am very new to Jimmy Pardo. And so far, he seems really clever and funny.
But that show is missing the thing that made me listen to the Best Show in the first place. Silence.
I think 'Never Not Funny' is an amazing show, but that observation is pretty much the exact reason I never compare the two. The tone/pacing are crazily disparate. I can usually listen to the previous night's Best Show or a selection from the archives while I'm working, but for NNF I need to be in the mood to party, and usually end up lapsing on the weekly update and listening to three - five episodes in one sitting.
I don't really think of the two talents behind them as being all that comparable to each other either, other than both having a podcast and messageboard presence. However, as with every comparison ever made between two things ever, I would like to see them fight.
No weapons (found objects okay).
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NNF is going pay format. Tom's still the hero of the disenfranchised.
He does it all for free!
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Stan wrote:
I thought your post was funny, but then again I pictured you saying it wearing a dress and eating dog food from a can.
Thanks, Stan. I pictured you typing this while playing a 7 string bass with the strap hiked up to your nipples.
And since it's been 4 years and it looks like those wussies won't ever do another show with me, the truth can come out: It was Old El Paso refried beans with an Alpo label taped over it. I may do that again some day just to watch people retch.
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Stan wrote:
I thought your post was funny, but then again I pictured you saying it wearing a dress and eating dog food from a can.
Thanks, Stan. I pictured you typing this while playing a 7 string bass with the strap hiked up to your nipples.
And since it's been 4 years and it looks like those wussies won't ever do another show with me, the truth can come out: It was Old El Paso refried beans with an Alpo label taped over it. I may do that again some day just to watch people retch.
Good times.
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The first three episodes I heard were OK, but I get tired of the potty language. Now that it's changed to Never Not Free, I need another podcast to replace it (as loathe as they were to take donations, I would have been much more likely to stick with it under that arrangement.) Any suggestions?
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tom lifted his pacing style from jim rome.
out.
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OK, so I added NNF to my over-crowded podcast schedule. I dropped Skepticality.com to make room.
Hey DFK
I recently dropped Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast due to the annoying banter of the hosts. Is there a skepticism related podcast that doesn't suck?
sorry for the off topic.
try "Point of Inquiry"
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The first three episodes I heard were OK, but I get tired of the potty language. Now that it's changed to Never Not Free, I need another podcast to replace it (as loathe as they were to take donations, I would have been much more likely to stick with it under that arrangement.) Any suggestions?
The 7 Second Delay podcast if you don't have it already
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I second the 7sd podcast recommendation. I used to be hot/cold on it, but now I look forward to it as mush as the big show.
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Stephen Fry has a new podcast. I saw that his listenership had increased by 300% or so on last.fm and figured something must be afoot.
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The first three episodes I heard were OK, but I get tired of the potty language. Now that it's changed to Never Not Free, I need another podcast to replace it (as loathe as they were to take donations, I would have been much more likely to stick with it under that arrangement.) Any suggestions?
The 7 Second Delay podcast if you don't have it already
Got it! Love it. That was the show that first hooked me, then Tom drew me in. I think it was his eyes.....
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Even though this was a battle I never endorsed in the first place, as I've laughed and loved with them both on a weekly basis, it is uber-clear who the victor is now.
Tom Scharpling is a professional broadcaster who respects and follows FCC practices, while still making The Best Show listenable to even the darkest of humors. Jimmy Pardo is a comedian I had never heard of outside of that eggheaded comedy message board, and NNF follows no standards whatsoever.
Best show = A-list comedian guests being hilarious. NNF = the guy from Dinner and a Movie being creepy and depraved.
The Best Show is tasteful and all encompassing. NNF is often sexist, racist, and homophobic.
Best Show wife = fashion expert Gillian Barberie. NNF wife = the daughter of a washed up scifi actor.
NNF listeners kiss the ass of the show, without missing an inch of ass. Best Show listeners pull no punches and MAKE the show, because of it.
PFT on Best Show - sounds at home, like there is nowhere else in the world he would rather be. PFT on NNF - sounds like he is forced to do it, or paid to.
NNF = babies on the radio, where the only joy you can GET from a baby (cuteness), is left out, while all the horrible parts are left in for the listener, like crying and diaper changes. Best Show = nary a baby to be found.
The long and short of it is, if I wanted to pay 20 bucks to listen to my friends goof around on a microphone like a couple of idiots, I would pay my friends to do it. I WILL NEVER PAY FOR NNF, yet I would gladly pay any day of the week for The Best Show (and I was never even asked. Pledge drives don't count, because even the deadbeats are still welcome).
In summary, Best show 4 lyfe. Pardcast is OVAH.
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NNF listeners kiss the ass of the show, without missing an inch of ass.
Well THIS is more than a little ironic...
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NNF listeners kiss the ass of the show, without missing an inch of ass.
Well THIS is more than a little ironic...
It would only be ironic if we kissed tom's ass like the AST board kisses the ass of NNF. We would only be kissing Tom's ass, if the praise of his talent wasn't true. Since it is, it isn't, and since it isn't, it is not ironic, Alanis.
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NNF listeners kiss the ass of the show, without missing an inch of ass.
Well THIS is more than a little ironic...
It would only be ironic if we kissed tom's ass like the AST board kisses the ass of NNF. We would only be kissing Tom's ass, if the praise of his talent wasn't true. Since it is, it isn't, and since it isn't, it is not ironic, Alanis.
Your post was a 5,000 word thesis on how superior the Best Show is to NNF, and in that 5,000 word thesis, you make fun of NNF fans for sucking up. Just sayin'.
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NNF listeners kiss the ass of the show, without missing an inch of ass.
Well THIS is more than a little ironic...
It would only be ironic if we kissed tom's ass like the AST board kisses the ass of NNF. We would only be kissing Tom's ass, if the praise of his talent wasn't true. Since it is, it isn't, and since it isn't, it is not ironic, Alanis.
Your post was a 5,000 word thesis on how superior the Best Show is to NNF, and in that 5,000 word thesis, you make fun of NNF fans for sucking up. Just sayin'.
I hear you, but I swear it's not sucking up, because I actually believe that stuff, and expect to gain nothing from saying it. The texture of the comments here supporting TBS, and the ones over on AST in favor of the pardcast, particularly the ones after the switch to a pay format, are like night and day. If Tom started being a crappy radio host (as unlikely as that is), I have the strongest feeling that most people here would call him on it. I have said many good things about Pardo and Belknap elsewhere in the past and I was a fan, but since they decided to get all greedy, eff them. Still, sorry for ranting in over 9000 words.
I'll just say it again: NNF, it's OVAH.
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I hear you, but I swear it's not sucking up, because I actually believe that stuff, and expect to gain nothing from saying it. The texture of the comments here supporting TBS, and the ones over on AST in favor of the pardcast, particularly the ones after the switch to a pay format, are like night and day. If Tom started being a crappy radio host (as unlikely as that is), I have the strongest feeling that most people here would call him on it. I have said many good things about Pardo and Belknap elsewhere in the past and I was a fan, but since they decided to get all greedy, eff them. Still, sorry for ranting in over 9000 words.
I'll just say it again: NNF, it's OVAH.
What exactly do AST posters expect to gain from posting about how they like the show on the board? Are you suggesting they are being paid? Or is what they are getting the thrill of praising someone in a forum in which they know the creator will see it and deem them one of the good guys? Well then, yes, that is ironic because that is exactly what you are doing right here and now.
Considering that Tom is probably one of the bigger advocates of paying people for their work and shaming his audience for their propensity for stealing all of their entertainment, your essay is strange.
At a certain point (hopefully soon), a system will have to be put into place where people get paid for their work, even work done on the internet. The longer the system where an entire generation learn that everything that entertains them is worth nothing lasts, the worse off future entertainers and writers will be. Don't forget that all this 'free' and stolen entertainment is stuff that means direct profits for Apple, Microsoft, Dell, cable companies and cell phone companies who aren't evil, but are nonetheless making money off of providing consumers with a way to not pay people for entertainment and news. Also, don't forget that entertainment is now our countries only export.
That is my response to your greedy comment.
If you don't like NNF, then that's fair. Have your opinion and state it. But you write like someone who likes and listens to the show but is now turning into a baby because you are being asked to pay for it. Your appeal to Tom being superior and The Best Show being great is clearly smokescreen for your bitter crying about having to pay for something.
Stealing all of your entertainment isn't but should be OVAH!
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My podcast served 200 years in the Space Marines and can kick your radio show's butt!!
(For shame, board!)
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I think NNF is probably other people's Best Show, so I would totally pony up if the Best Show went pay format, because it's something I've found myself totally obsessed with. Not so much with NNF, but that's just like a matter of taste. NNF probably fills the gaping void in peoples lives that TBSOWFMU filled in mine. You don't have to dis the guy's wife and baby! (although you missed an opportunity to say something like: "Jimmy changes babies' diapers, Tom tells babies to get off his phone!")
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Personally I feel in a world of podcasts that charge nothing, if you don't provide something entirely special at this point in that 'industry' you are only being greedy if you charge for what everyone else is giving for free. I was trying to make the point that in my opinion the Best Show does provide something special and worth paying for (for me, im sure others would disagree), but NNF hasn't yet. That's no smokescreen, or a bid to get brownie points, it is my honest opinion, regardless of what it may seem to you. I mean really, they cant even keep up with the promised daily video podcasts! Yes, I was a fan of NNF, I think Pardo and Belknap are both really funny guys, but when people get ahead of themselves like that, thinking that they are the one groundbreaker that will make this format profitable, it sticks in my craw. Yeah, you can get a few bucks out of it, but what is the point when you lose most of your listeners by doing so? There may indeed someday come an internet format that the vast majority of people can get behind, but at this point, podcasting isn't it. I understand hardcore fans will pay for what they want, as they should, but taking the fan base you have made by doing something charitable, and then trying to turn them into a money machine, seems to be something of a massive con job to me. I don't intend to single out NNF in that either, as I felt the same way about the Gervais podcast, as I had lingered on every word, till they decided to repackage their 'greatest hits' and charge for it. But this thread isn't titled Tom V Gervais.
As to the smooching up, I just think there are way more people on that board that feel the same about it as I, yet there is not a single comment to that fact, and only people begging to throw money at their feet like some Hindu god. There certainly will always be the contingent of people who post to get the celebrity attention on the boards, but I didn't mean to imply them, as that is fair game. Like I said, best show listeners appear to pull WAY fewer punches than NNF listeners, and I can't say i have been proven wrong (thank god). Point in fact, EricLuxury calls me out for smokescreening, which means he isn't kissing ass, and regardless of what it may seem, I am not either.
Granted, I shouldnt have dissed his wife, because Danielle is actually funny as hell. So I do regret that point, seeing as the entire post was taken way more seriously than I intended it. As to dissing his baby, I didn't so much talk against adorable lil Oscliver, as to the fact that who in their right mind brings a baby to a live recording? That's shoddy work, and another reason that it isn't worth paying for in a sea of similar free podcasts.
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(although you missed an opportunity to say something like: "Jimmy changes babies' diapers, Tom tells babies to get off his phone!")
This made me laugh. Oh, what I wouldn't give for the wit of a John Junk!
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so are you gonna subscribe or not regjoe?
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Good point re: the baby. It's kinda like, I'll put up with your baby-watching shenanigans if it's free, because by definition, something that's free is not professional, so whatever.
I see your points and I agree with a lot of them. I listened to "The Bridge" episode, where they explain the process and their motivations... I think it's more along the lines of this: I don't think they want regular sponsors that they will be beholden to (I could be wrong about that) w/r/t content. And it sounds like they're just too busy to keep doing it if it doesn't pay money, because Jimmy's got a kid, Belknap's got a real job and the AST Empire to run, etc. It makes sense. I can relate in that I've come to similar conclusions about being in bands in the past. Like, I like being in this band, but it takes X amount of time out of my week, time I could be spending with loved ones, time I could be making money to pay all my bills, and time I could be working on art, and does the amount of work I put in "pay off" with or without money. I don't think it's greed, but they're in a different situation than Tom. Tom is part of a community, he started doing it a long time ago and he wasn't in it to forward himself professionally. Pardo is a career entertainer and his motivations are entirely different than Tom's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but WFMU is a much bigger entity than AST, there's probably a lot more legwork Matt and Jimmy have to do just to send the thing out into the world, Matt's producing everything himself, etc. Tom is literally not allowed to promote his CD's on-air, nor is he allowed to talk about his work. If he was, I'd suspect he'd promote Stereolaffs more. From the beginning, Stereolaffs has been Tom's solution to the same problem NNF is trying to solve.
But yeah, in Gervais's case that's just fucking greedy. Unless they're giving all the money to the dumb guy they make fun of the whole time.
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so are you gonna subscribe or not regjoe?
Regardless of what I have said here, I am debating it. I'm sort of waiting to see if they pull a Gervais, and to hear if it is worth it from the mouths of someone who isn't an AST regular who wouldn't speak ill of it, even if it sucked.
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PFT on Best Show - sounds at home, like there is nowhere else in the world he would rather be. PFT on NNF - sounds like he is forced to do it, or paid to.
I dunno. I agree about his "at home" sound on The Best Show, but I don't hear the "forced" sound in his appearances on Pardo's show. Again, I think it comes from the very different styles of the two hosts. Pardo has that fill-every-second "showbiz" sound and I think PFT just changes up his game to fit in with this. He's probably a little more in the performer mode on Pardo than when he's on the Best Show, but he's still funny and insightful. PFT told a long break-up with a girlfriend story on Pardo's show (I think last summer) that was as good as the stuff in his act.
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I dunno. I agree about his "at home" sound on The Best Show, but I don't hear the "forced" sound in his appearances on Pardo's show.
It has been a while since I've listened to the NNF PFT eps (ouch), but what I remember thinking was that he sounded a lot more tense and uncomfortable on NNF (and there was even some barbed sparring going on between them, as I recall), while his laughter on TBS is so natural and warm. My theory is that it comes from the difference in Jimmy and Tom's different styles of comedying, Jimmy is just way more aggressive and energetic (jerk), where Tom is easygoing and subtle. The latter seems to suit PFT much much better. Since he is my favorite comedian, it's a big selling point to me.
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Just an FYI about the NNF thread on AST. In the AST chat there tends to be much franker dialogue about the show and others. However, its a thread that is frequented by Belknap and Pardo and a couple of the guests so its not exactly the place to write your minor greviances that are taste-based. I think the people who don't like the show so much tend to stay out of the thread and those who do, post questions and generally positive thoughts, partially because they like the show and partly because they don't want to bum either of them out.
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I don't begrudge them trying it, and I would encourage real fans to subscribe, but they don't grab me that way. Good luck to them, though. I hope they surprise me by being a huge hit. But someone will have to tell me about it.
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RegularJoe did you subscribe?
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I've been listening to the 20 min. version and I think this show is actually worse than before.
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I've been listening to the 20 min. version and I think this show is actually worse than before.
I'm not sure who recommended it (thanks!) in the chat, but that Comedy & Everything Else pudcast is pretty good in the inane banter genre.
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You mean the Todd Glass/Jimmy Dore one, right?
I like it, but not as much as their respective stand-up acts.
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You mean the Todd Glass/Jimmy Dore one, right?
I like it, but not as much as their respective stand-up acts.
Yeah, it's not spectacular. Like all talk radio, though, something about hearing people just blab is either (1) The most annoying and awful thing on earth, or (2) weirdly addictive. This one is more like (2), but nowhere near as much as Best Show or even Seven Second Delay.
But as far as Pardo goes, if you're going to charge for something on the internet you'd better BRING IT. Go a little beyond the regular chat/guest format. He's good, but I don't think he's brung it to justify $20.
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RegularJoe did you subscribe?
Nope, I never did! The decision wasn't so much about the less than stellar reviews I've been hearing, but more about me being being inordinately bad with money and therefore not having any. Also, there are enough decent and free podcasts now that I felt I didn't really need it.
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I've been listening to the 20 min. version and I think this show is actually worse than before.
I keep listening to the free version, too, but I can't tell you why. Dropping the f-bomb with a flourish never gets old! Oh wait, yes it does. Although there was some hilarious banter this week about all the comedy that could be mined from Eric Clapton's child falling from a window. HIGH-larious. To quote Tom, whoo-boy.
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I wasn't sure I was going to drop the $20, but I did and don't regret it. The bonus Running Your Trap episode and video content is great.
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If you don't really like the show and never did, by all means continue giving it what for. That's not tedious.
If you like the show and $20/6 months is too much, you should be either spending your time hustling to get out of the horrible financial situation you are in or ashamed of yourself for your cheapness. Either way, that means not posting stuff on the internet about it.
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If you don't really like the show and never did, by all means continue giving it what for. That's not tedious.
If you like the show and $20/6 months is too much, you should be either spending your time hustling to get out of the horrible financial situation you are in or ashamed of yourself for your cheapness. Either way, that means not posting stuff on the internet about it.
What?
I used to like the show and now I don't. I got a right to post my opinion. How dare you?
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I've been listening to the 20 min. version and I think this show is actually worse than before.
I keep listening to the free version, too, but I can't tell you why. Dropping the f-bomb with a flourish never gets old! Oh wait, yes it does. Although there was some hilarious banter this week about all the comedy that could be mined from Eric Clapton's child falling from a window. HIGH-larious. To quote Tom, whoo-boy.
He's made a career out of it....
The Mr. Show sketch on it was hilarious and biting as hell
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1mzDR3onnI[/youtube]
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If you don't really like the show and never did, by all means continue giving it what for. That's not tedious.
If you like the show and $20/6 months is too much, you should be either spending your time hustling to get out of the horrible financial situation you are in or ashamed of yourself for your cheapness. Either way, that means not posting stuff on the internet about it.
There's plenty of stuff that I like, but am not willing to pay even a dollar for. I like the NY Times website, but if they tried to charge I'd just go to the Washington Post or something. If Pardo was irreplaceably awesome to me, I'd pay. I'd pay for the Best Show. (I actually do, if pledging counts.) But the "roundtable of funny guys" format isn't really that hard to come by.
DESPITE ALL THAT, I hope that they are successful. There's nothing wrong with trying to make a "hobby" actually worth your while, and I'm happy that they have such a dedicated fanbase. I think a lot of us who used to subscribe count as "casual fans," and they knew going in that they would lose the casual fan. Howard Stern probably has 1/50th the audience he did when he was on free radio, but I don't think that moving to a pay format was a bad idea for him by any stretch.
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You mean the Todd Glass/Jimmy Dore one, right?
I like it, but not as much as their respective stand-up acts.
Yeah, it's not spectacular. Like all talk radio, though, something about hearing people just blab is either (1) The most annoying and awful thing on earth, or (2) weirdly addictive. This one is more like (2), but nowhere near as much as Best Show or even Seven Second Delay.
The last episode with Doug Benson is pretty hilarious, especially when Todd Glass forgets that they're doing a show and slams some comedian for being sucky (they actually bleeped the name out).
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If you don't really like the show and never did, by all means continue giving it what for. That's not tedious.
If you like the show and $20/6 months is too much, you should be either spending your time hustling to get out of the horrible financial situation you are in or ashamed of yourself for your cheapness. Either way, that means not posting stuff on the internet about it.
What?
I used to like the show and now I don't. I got a right to post my opinion. How dare you?
My post was more directed towards DfK's post, but yours too I guess. I think there is plenty of slamming and praising of the show in this thread, but it had kind of been put to rest at the right time and everyone pretty much had their say. I've enjoyed my share of internet pile-on's, but there is a tendency of re-beat a dead horse. If Tom ever encouraged this particular one, Jimmy Pardo would have to be traded with Jack Paar in the manner of Benny Hill.
I will take responsibility of adding fuel to the fire by calling it a pile-on before it actually was.
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I will take responsibility of adding fuel to the fire by calling it a pile-on before it actually was.
If they changed the name to Pardos Pile-on Podcast Party, I might actually cough up the scratch for that.
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Hey, did Vampire Weekday quit the board? I was going to ask him to explain what the hell Vampire Weekend are trying to do because I just don't get it.
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If you don't really like the show and never did, by all means continue giving it what for. That's not tedious.
If you like the show and $20/6 months is too much, you should be either spending your time hustling to get out of the horrible financial situation you are in or ashamed of yourself for your cheapness. Either way, that means not posting stuff on the internet about it.
What?
I used to like the show and now I don't. I got a right to post my opinion. How dare you?
My post was more directed towards DfK's post, but yours too I guess. I think there is plenty of slamming and praising of the show in this thread, but it had kind of been put to rest at the right time and everyone pretty much had their say. I've enjoyed my share of internet pile-on's, but there is a tendency of re-beat a dead horse. If Tom ever encouraged this particular one, Jimmy Pardo would have to be traded with Jack Paar in the manner of Benny Hill.
I will take responsibility of adding fuel to the fire by calling it a pile-on before it actually was.
Sorry to have offended you so by sharing my latest opinion. Let the jokes at the expense of Eric Clapton's dead son continue!!!
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My post was more directed towards DfK's post, but yours too I guess. I think there is plenty of slamming and praising of the show in this thread, but Eric Clapton's son had kind of been put to rest at the right time and everyone pretty much had their say. I've enjoyed my share of internet pile-on's, but there is a tendency to re-beat a dead son. If Tom ever encouraged this particular one, Jimmy Pardo would have to be traded with Jack Paar in the manner of Benny Hill.
I will take responsibility of adding fuel to the fire by calling it a pile-on before it actually was.
Sorry to have offended you so by sharing my latest opinion. Let the jokes at the expense of Eric Clapton's dead son continue!!!
But Dave, as far as I can tell, Eric agrees with you!
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From my fairly limited exposure to NNF, here's my base-level take:
BanterBanterBanter Something Funny BanterBanterBanter. Matt is absolutely more funny and interesting than Jimmy. I see Jimmy as a crazy ADD bounce-off wall for Matt's humorous ponderings.
Wheras Tom is just Tom (and Jon and Us, of course!), and when there's silence (admittedly, listening to the archives, sometimes I think my feed has frozen), it's a brain deeply thinking of something super-clever. And he dares the callers to grasp his wavelength.
Always happy for new content, and NNF is never NOT funny, but you can tell which one is a true comedy writer.
Personally, I appreciate a slow burn that pays off wonderfully, way after the chumps have burned out.
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Not that NNF doesn't like us normal folk, but Tom TALKS to us. To make our lame ::) calls funny and interesting is quite the achievement! And if we've got NOTHING...well, you know the protocol...
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This thread is very "my dad could beat up your dad."
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I wasn't approaching it that way. I put some effort into trying to be honest.
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Let It Be Known:
I laughed at the free version of the latest episode, particularly at Matt Bellhop insisting Miss Piggy was supposed to be a hot lady.
But, y'know, PFT was on.
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I was a listener of this podcast because there's usually some good jokes. I got pretty hooked and still listen to the free version, but it is one of my least favorite podcasts that I subscribe to. If any other podcast became a pay podcast I would pretty much sign up, but 20 minutes of Pardo is enough for me a week. Belnap is the best part of his show for me too, AST Radio is greatly missed.
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"one of my least favorite podcasts"
besides the best show, what other podcasts are there?
did that guy "clark" have a podcast? because I would listen to that.
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Since this topic has been bumped again anyway, I should say that the full episode I heard was from Season 3.
I had been listening to a few of the 20 min Season 1 eps, and really liked them. So it's a bit unfair of me to judge by a Season 3 ep. But I wasn't knocking NNF anyway, just stating my preference for 'Best Show.'
Plus, Jimmy took the time to INVITE ME as a MySpace friend--at my request--as he doesn't accept band requests (I sure know why: "We're 'The Scent of Thunder' from Terre Haute...be our friend!" Gets very annoying seeing friend requests and realizing they only care about themselves).
Once I can afford it, I'll be getting Season 1.
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did that guy "clark" have a podcast? because I would listen to that.
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Yep! (http://www.technofrag.net/index.php?categoryid=75)
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Sorry to resuscitate such an old topic, but I finally decided to pony up for a season of NNF. I chose Season 7 just because of the guests. I'd only ever listened to the free version, so I wasn't really sure if I'd be able to handle a full 90 minutes, but I really love it so far. The episode quality varies depending on the guest (I'm pretty much at the point where I never want to hear Jimmy Dore on anything ever again), but Pardo is amazingly fast and funny, and his constant threatening of the intern and cameraman reminds me of the Tom/Mike dynamic. I'll probably buy another season the next time I have to take a long car trip or will be away from home for work.
Also, the bonus live episodes are really good too.
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Sorry to resuscitate such an old topic, but I finally decided to pony up for a season of NNF. I chose Season 7 just because of the guests. I'd only ever listened to the free version, so I wasn't really sure if I'd be able to handle a full 90 minutes, but I really love it so far. The episode quality varies depending on the guest (I'm pretty much at the point where I never want to hear Jimmy Dore on anything ever again), but Pardo is amazingly fast and funny, and his constant threatening of the intern and cameraman reminds me of the Tom/Mike dynamic. I'll probably buy another season the next time I have to take a long car trip or will be away from home for work.
Also, the bonus live episodes are really good too.
I just finished Season 6 and am starting 7. Season six was great. Worth the money for sure.
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Sorry to resuscitate such an old topic, but I finally decided to pony up for a season of NNF. I chose Season 7 just because of the guests. I'd only ever listened to the free version, so I wasn't really sure if I'd be able to handle a full 90 minutes, but I really love it so far. The episode quality varies depending on the guest (I'm pretty much at the point where I never want to hear Jimmy Dore on anything ever again), but Pardo is amazingly fast and funny, and his constant threatening of the intern and cameraman reminds me of the Tom/Mike dynamic. I'll probably buy another season the next time I have to take a long car trip or will be away from home for work.
That Jimmy Dore episode was only ok, but Pardo's story about the obnoxious lady on the plane was comedy gold.
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Sorry to resuscitate such an old topic, but I finally decided to pony up for a season of NNF. I chose Season 7 just because of the guests. I'd only ever listened to the free version, so I wasn't really sure if I'd be able to handle a full 90 minutes, but I really love it so far. The episode quality varies depending on the guest (I'm pretty much at the point where I never want to hear Jimmy Dore on anything ever again), but Pardo is amazingly fast and funny, and his constant threatening of the intern and cameraman reminds me of the Tom/Mike dynamic. I'll probably buy another season the next time I have to take a long car trip or will be away from home for work.
That Jimmy Dore episode was only ok, but Pardo's story about the obnoxious lady on the plane was comedy gold.
Agreed. Ruined only by Dore's seemingly endless detour into language and semantics. Even when the other guys tried to get back to the funny, Dore would not let go of it. Ugh, what a snooze that guy is.
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I think JP is extremely funny, but watching the video podcast is even funnier. His physicality just cracks me up, for some reason.
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I think JP is extremely funny, but watching the video podcast is even funnier. His physicality just cracks me up, for some reason.
Same here. This has been a hardship for me. I purchased the video for season 7 (which I just started). Now, when I am facing a long drive, I don't want to listen to NNF because I don't want to miss the video. Ghaaa! First world problems!
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Nobody likes people who constantly talk about their kids, but I think Cross' joke were it written down would have an asterisk saying that the opposite and peoples intolerance of kids is equally annoying. It's become like this weird battleground (a la the ever-awful hipster debates) where the two poles are terrible.
Well said, sir! I would say I might not be pro-kid, but I'm definitely anti-anti-kid.
I personally love PFT's bit about people saying 'I would take a bullet for my child' or such things. The image of a Dad taking off a Baby Bjorn and telling the infant 'you're on your own!' is chock full of comic goodness.