Show milestones/turning points

[Ason]

I'm relatively new to the show
and just piecing things together as I listen to old eps of the podcast.

Can anyone tell me:

1. the exact show where Spike went from being a crank caller to a personality
I've heard shows, before and after it seems.

2. the show no-smoking joe was exposed

[B_Buster]

Spike became Spike (as opposed to the "Sexy Sadie" guy) shortly after I began call screening. So, yes, I may be partly to blame. Check shortly after March '05 or so. I don't know the exact show. Was it the Marathon show? It's possible.

For No-Smoking check late 05 or 06. I think it's been over a year.
 

[bruce]

the show no-smoking joe was exposed

That one was a classic. Tom just went off the rails on Joe/Owen. I think thats the one where Tom said "Am I the internet!"

[Chris L]

No Smokin' Joe:  Nov 22, 2005 around the 1:25 mark. 

I'd like to know what show it is where he actually starts the ruse.

[Spreekemp]

Thanks a lot for the show info, I hadn't heard Boring Owen's fall from grace yet either.  Maybe fall from grace isn't the right phrase.  He kind of descended from vague unsettling creepiness to whimpering, transparent masochism.  He went from old guy with a tinted-windowed van who hangs out at the YMCA to Buffalo Bill with less dignity.  It makes my skin crawl to hear that undead, withered, husk lukewarmly plead for attention every week for like ten minutes of airtime. Maybe I'd care about his fight against hunger if it wasn't just a way for him to justify his own hunger for Tom's attention. 

Or maybe I'm just jealous. 

[Matt]

I'm a new listener as well. I want to dive into the Archives, but it's too daunting.

Can anyone hip me to the shows that are essential listening?

[Sarah]

Be brave, rover!  Just start at the beginning and work your way through.  Oh, sure, you could listen to a show here, a show there (and I'm surely others will be chiming in soon with suggestions).  But there's nothing like experiencing the show from scratch.  Plus it's fun.  I guarantee you'll be sad when you catch up to the present.

[kenkwan]

Be brave, rover!  Just start at the beginning and work your way through.  Oh, sure, you could listen to a show here, a show there (and I'm surely others will be chiming in soon with suggestions).  But there's nothing like experiencing the show from scratch.  Plus it's fun.  I guarantee you'll be sad when you catch up to the present.

I am moving my way through the archives for the second time. It's great! I would advise starting at Yankee's vs Mets, then work your way up! Listen to Petey grow up! Listen to the ongoing fight between purple shirt and OT!

[Laurie]

Oh man, I love the one where Purple Shirt called from outside OT's house. That one was classic.

[Richard_From_CHI]

The conversion of Petey from troll to super-caller to troll.

The OT-PS fight, a great theme.

The Sathington-bridge-over-troubled-water. God I love that show.

Woodsy

[Ason]

I'm a new listener as well. I want to dive into the Archives, but it's too daunting.

Can anyone hip me to the shows that are essential listening?

These guys all know way more than me
But the shows of Oct, Nov, Dec of 2005 are crazy good and have the roots to alot of themes
brought up in current shows

[Mainiac FOT]

The OT-Purple Shirt thing made for some funny radio, but there were times when it got unnecessarily nasty on the board. Course, it all paled in comparison to the hate-filled all-cap rants that Gargoyla would bring.

[noise.light]

Be brave, rover!  Just start at the beginning and work your way through.  Oh, sure, you could listen to a show here, a show there (and I'm surely others will be chiming in soon with suggestions).  But there's nothing like experiencing the show from scratch.  Plus it's fun.  I guarantee you'll be sad when you catch up to the present.

Wow. 

Good to know.

As a relative newbie to TBSOWFMU, it's nice to know that the archives are filled with good stuff and I have many excellent listening hours ahead of me.

[Ason]

can anyone tell me what the issue is with the shows that are only up in the Realplayer format?

I like being able to take the show around with me and it'd be great to have them

[dave from knoxville]

I believe it's a music copyright issue. I have also heard it has something to do with computer memory savings with ram files.