Author Topic: While we're waiting on the Best Show's return... let's talk about the archives  (Read 2259 times)

buffcoat

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For those of you who've listened to the archives, what have you learned about the show that you didn't know before? What arcs or calls or bits stand out?

For me, it's that the show evolved as it did. For the first two years, I hadn't realized how much it was a NY/NJ-centric call-in show, with Jon Wurster or Andy Earles or Jon Benjamin calling in to take it to another place. There were some brilliant things even then, like the Billy Joel tribute shows and Tom offering to fight all the other DJs, but also a lot of calls where people wanted him to find them a girlfriend/boyfriend. He weaves things together well from the start.

Starting about 2003, though, you can hear Tom moving more and more from a gifted call-in show DJ to someone who can use the format to do just about anything.

He's underrated as an interviewer, but some of those 2003 book guests, hoo boy.
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

Krokodil_Gena

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The invention of Newbridge is what changed all of it, because it gave the characters some place to exist, and the town itself became a character with all the neighborhoods (Newbridge Mews, Newbridge Flats, Newbridge Commons, "the Docks", etc.) And it wasn't planned out and it grew organically, call after call. The "Best Show" became a different show because of it -- I can't see any of H. Jon Benjamin's brilliant characters (the Smirnoff Ice exec; Rick, the white son of George Benson; the Star Wars informant/disgruntled ex-employee; the guy who can only sing "Captain Jack" for his Billy Joel appreciation act; various others) living in the same town, but Wurster makes it work, and the lore of Newbridge fills out the gaps, makes the town a "real" place. I can't buy Timothy von Trimble by himself, but I could buy him riding past on a mouse that has a tiny opera cape.

buffcoat

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I think that's right - the transition between hilarious characters into world-building was a big moved for the show.

One thing I learned relatively recently - the Star Wars caller was none other than famed director/Scharpling exciser Peyton Reed!

https://www.reddit.com/r/bestshow/comments/3iveyu/best_show_peyton_reeds_star_wars_insider_call/
I really don't appreciate your sarcastic, anti-comedy tone, Bro!

Bull Shannon

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I came to the show very, very late in the FMU run (2013), and I remember the sound collages evolving from Tom playing cicada chirping over Frankie Teardrop. IIRC, the podcast would drop a lot later than we're used to it now (thanks Dudio), and I'd make it my Friday commute tradition to listen to the week's show, pause whenever the show reached the sound collage (if there was one), then save the rest of the episode for when I got home and could enjoy the collage with some herbal refreshment.

hairdryer

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What was the deal with the little kid around 2012 who called in a few times pretending to be a dying old man?

fonpr

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What was the deal with the little kid around 2012 who called in a few times pretending to be a dying old man?

"Tell my wife..."
"Like it or not, Florida seems dedicated to a 'live fast, die' way of doing things."