FOT Forum
The Best Show on WFMU => Show Discussion => Topic started by: ryansartor on August 19, 2011, 02:47:45 PM
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I don't think I'm being too cynical in assuming that AV Club put The Best Show in "The Rest" as a way of creating more buzz for their site in the same way that Pitchfork will slam an O.K. album to get more hits.
I don't even understand how it's conceivable that many of these podcasts could be in the same league as Best Show. The only other explanation is that AV Club judges each show against it's previous installments, rather than by their overall quality, but even that doesn't make sense as this week's Best Show was top-notch.
What do you guys think? Did AV Club do this just to get a rise out of us?
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I don't think they're doing it to drive up traffic, I just think the reviewer didn't listen to the whole show. Or, for some reason, thinks the show needs a guest to make it interesting. Or maybe this dude just wouldn't know from funny if it made him tap dance on top of a shopping cart.
Of all the shows that have aired since they added Best Show to PodMass, I can't believe this was the one that got sent to "the rest", it's the best Best Show I've heard since I started listening a few months back.
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I think the "no guest" thing is the biggest factor. I find it hard to believe that last week's show provided less entertainment than Michael Ian Black and Tom Cavanagh talking about Tropical Starbursts, or whatever.
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What do you guys think? Did AV Club do this just to get a rise out of us?
Nah. I disagree with the reviewer's opinion (this is one of the strongest shows in recent memory, especially the "buffet" & "bullying" sections), but they're entitled to it as a reviewer. Some of the fuzzy handling of details in the review makes me think they may not have listened to it too closely, though.
Anyway, it's a review. Great things get reviewed poorly all the time. And this episode was great.
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I find it hard to believe that last week's show provided less entertainment than Michael Ian Black and Tom Cavanagh talking about Tropical Starbursts, or whatever.
You may be on to something. Clearly, Michael Ian Black is doing PodMass reviews for the AV Club.
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i have to agree they are influenced by the "no guests" policy.
with the revolving podcasts of carolla, nerdist, maron - they're basically just recycling the same guests every week while Best Show has guests infrequently. Hardwick even admitted in an interview he calls the other hosts to see who they're having on. The only difference is Maron is a good interviewer.
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I can't believe there's a weekly review for the Culture Gabfest, which is a podcast that reviews other things.
I'm going to write a column that casts a critical eye on the podcast reviewer scene.
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I'm going to write a column that casts a critical eye on the podcast reviewer scene.
Are you TRYING to make the universe implode?
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I think it's safe to say that, in general, everything the A.V. Club does is geared towards getting more hits1. I'm very excited about the forthcoming Kashi Cinnamon Harvest® Organic Promise™-sponsored "DVD Featurettes of the Damned!"
"This week our very own Gregory Horshnagle offers his stray observations on Franka Potente's facial expressions during her on-set Run Lola Run interview! Also: Gregory reports on his attempt to replicate the film's emergency streetside tracheotomy!"
As for this specific case, it's hard to believe the "Podmass" scribe would think that downgrading The Best Show would inspire any sort of hit-bouncing buzz.
The notion of "reviewing" podcasts (or terrestrial radio shows that are available in podcast form) is silly enough, but it's even sillier (perhaps the AVC obtained a government grant) to declare that a single episode of a show with more than 400 total episodes is somehow missing some of the "usual magic." What exactly is the "usual magic"? The perceived magic of the most recent shows? The magic of, say, shows from 2005-2007? The magic of the 2009 show featuring Martin Short? The Mayubernatorial Debate? The time the Gorch was in the studio? The show where AP Mike removed his trousers, drank a case of Victory Hop Devil, and played the entire Drive-By Truckers catalog on a kazoo2? There's an increasing amount of commentary on The Best Show that is completely devoid of any sense of the show's history and scope.
Also: Who cares! The WM3 are free!
1. Edit to add: An increase in readership/"hits" is certainly a perfectly reasonable -- and essential -- goal for any online publication attempting to attract readers. The AVC has been chugging along for quite some time and is now a strong operation that has expanded beyond the confines of the Web to encompass books, companion live events, those erotic trading cards featuring images of Scott Tobias and Noel Murray, etc. They do, of course, sometimes score some wider buzz, but it's usually a happy accident that results from a particularly juicy interview, e.g., B. Pinchot's free-flowing riffage about sickos like T. Cruise and D. Washington.
2. Edit to add: I found AP Mike's wheezing take on "Outfit" to be particularly moving, especially the bizarre interludes in which he quoted dialogue from the between-round Chuck Wepner corner chatter during the 1975 bout with Muhammad Ali.
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I'd say that Omar is correct on everything
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This week's show was great! What the @&$? is this "The Rest" malarkey? Maybe the Podmass reviewer really likes the banned callers.
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I said this elsewhere, but the AV Club frequently is utterly clueless and if anything the Best Show should have a weekly review all on it's own. It's bigger and better than a podcast and shouldn't be judged alongside such paltry entertainments. It's like judging the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel alongside a velvet Elvis portrait.
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Maybe the Podmass reviewer really likes the banned callers.
Or is one?
More seriously though, all of what Omar said.
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See I think the podmass guy is one of the bullies from high school.
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I don't think I'm being too cynical in assuming that AV Club put The Best Show in "The Rest" as a way of creating more buzz for their site in the same way that Pitchfork will slam an O.K. album to get more hits.
This is not how Pitchfork works, incidentally.
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I said this elsewhere, but the AV Club frequently is utterly clueless and if anything the Best Show should have a weekly review all on it's own. It's bigger and better than a podcast and shouldn't be judged alongside such paltry entertainments. It's like judging the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel alongside a velvet Elvis portrait.
I definitely agree that this week is a 'best' by any standard, and that a three hour show deserves a more in-depth write up (preferably by someone who understands the show). The review was particularly frustrating because the 'no guest' remark points to someone either not listening regularly or ever before.
However in general I'm of the opinion that any arena that promotes podcasts is worthwhile. I'm not necessarily happy seeing Carollo getting as much or more ink than Tom, but if the feature leads to more people listening to The Best Show, WTF, How Was Your Week, Comedy Bang Bang and Walking the Room I am all for it.
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Is that avatar still getting faster?
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I'm pretty sure all fans of the show would agree that "the usual magic" is entirely unrelated to the presence/absence of celebrity guests.
To put things into perspective about this whole podmass thing, a quote from this week's "Best", Mike and Tom Eat Snacks: "That’s one of the purposes Mike And Tom Eat Snacks serves well, or can when it wants to: reminding people how weird and chemically baffling some of the most common snack foods really are"
This is what you're up against, Scharpling.
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How does Pitchfork work? Have you read their 0.0 out of 10 reviews?
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How does Pitchfork work? Have you read their 0.0 out of 10 reviews?
You mean the ones from ten years ago?
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If I recall correctly, there certainly was a celebrity in-studio on Tuesday: Julie from Cincinnati.
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If I recall correctly, there certainly was a celebrity in-studio on Tuesday: Julie from Cincinnati.
That was my thought. No dispespect towards anyone, but I'd rather hear from Julie than Jen Kirkman or Paul F Tompkins. If you're a fan of the show she's definitely a celebrity. Yet I think this also explains why it made "the Rest." Whoever wrote the review wasn't a fan and why would a fan care about some woman who's just a regular caller? And the Philly Boy Roy call was fantastic for fans, but I could see it being too meta for a new listener.
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Well said, Eric F. I don't know whether Julie is more fun to listen to than PFT or Jen K, but she is certainly a unique Best Show commodity.
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Sorry I called you all names yesterday.
It was a grave error of judgement, also alcohol was involved.
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Sorry I called you all names yesterday.
It was a grave error of judgement, also alcohol was involved.
And in this environment of apology, I offer mine to cavorting with nudists. No alcohol was involved, but someday I will learn to mind my own eff ucking business.
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I find it aggravating that in reviewing the show they consistently make errors in describing it, so I don't know how carefully they are actually listening, which makes hit increase conspiracy theory plausible. This week they mentioned the surprise guests at the Gathering of the Juggalos, which while mentioned was not where the guests were. They were at the Gathering of the EOT (Enemies of Tom), no?
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I'm sorry for the ten lame posts out of 4300+ that I've made.
Now eleven.
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I'm pretty sure the guy who reviews the Best Show for podmass is Dan Telfer. I'm not sure if it's cool that I outed him but I remember seeing him mention it on the AV Club comments sometime...
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Telfer loves Tom and the show so I doubt that.
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Telfer loves Tom and the show so I doubt that.
He is also on this forum, so I think Telfer could confirm this.
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http://www.avclub.com/articles/week-of-july-1420,59324/ (http://www.avclub.com/articles/week-of-july-1420,59324/)
Read the first thread of comments. People start talking about the Best Show and then Telfer comes in to confirm that he listens to the whole 3 hours.
FYI: I enjoy Mr. Telfer's comedy a whole lot.
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Also, I posted his name not because I want this to turn into a witch hunt or a shaming. I was hoping that by humanizing the faceless reviews on Podmass we can all take a step back and realize: this is just one person's opinion.
Yeah, of course we all thought this week's episode was inspired and it was absolutely. Doesn't mean everyone has to and if they disagree then we jump down their throats.
Isn't Tom always one of the first people to say "like what you like"?
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Telfer is not writing it anymore. (http://twitter.com/#!/dantelfer/status/104569537277599744)
Also, read the list of contributors this week. Telfer is not listed.
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And Dan posted this yesterday in the Best Show thread on AST:
The tales of bullying had some of my favorite Best Show minutes ever. And that final moment of GURK laughs from Julie and Tom over her travel eligibility was perfect. Great one.
So there's that.
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Ok, well I stand corrected.
However, I think my point about this being just one person's opinion is still valid. Because we are all big fans these boards can become an echo chamber sometimes.
I think it's helpful to have some perspective on this.