AV Club Best Podcast of 2011

[bananagrabbers]

http://www.avclub.com/articles/podmass-best-podcasts-of-2011,67056/

This process makes little sense to me, but hey, I'm always glad to see accolades for The Best Show.

Bee in my bonnet: when has the podcast ever been three hours?

[Omar]

http://www.avclub.com/articles/podmass-best-podcasts-of-2011,67056/

This process makes little sense to me, but hey, I'm always glad to see accolades for The Best Show.

Bee in my bonnet: when has the podcast ever been three hours?

Always?  After removing the music, it usually clocks in around 2:45.

[cteix]

yet he proceeded to throw a twitfit about it.

'@joshmodell Sorry. That list can eat me. Let's move on.'

is 'the AV Club thinks there are 3 podcasts better than mine' a humblebrag?

WTF, Comedy Bang Bang and the Pod F Tompkast were the ones ranked higher, incidentally. also, only a quarter of Best Shows were in 'the rest', including a couple of depravity's rainbows I think. also, only 3 people voted for it, but rated it high enough to put it 4th, which speaks to the cultiness of the show. WTF got 8 votes and placed first.

[CSW]

It's nice the show got some credit in that list but the episode they recommended is far from the years best. There were many better ones.

I also figure it's an insult to Tom to say the show writes itself as it goes as clearly a lot of effort is invested by Tom.

[Eric Fishlegs]

It's nice the show got some credit in that list but the episode they recommended is far from the years best. There were many better ones.

I also figure it's an insult to Tom to say the show writes itself as it goes as clearly a lot of effort is invested by Tom.

The S & W bits alone would be enough to take the best Show out of the "writes itself" category. Yes, it does depend on good callers and it "writes itself" in the sense that either a good or bad call can change the tone of the entire show, but that's like saying WTF? or CBB require good guests. No podcast exists in a vacuum and other than sketch comedy podcasts or radio drama type shows they can be said to "write themselves" in that the host doesn't really know for certain what will happen until they start recording.

[Hugman 3.0]

If the show "writes itself" then so does every other podcast in existence (except the undiscovered project in the tomkast and Mic Detective).  Actually, with the S&W bits, the Best Show writes itself far less than, say, Comedy Bang Bang or WTF or 99.99% of podcasts, which are off the cuff conversations. What a stupid thing to say. "Writes itself".

Also weird that they recommended the single worst episode of Comedy Bang Bang in its entire history. (Of course, now I'll listen to part 2 of the best of 2011, and it'll be voted number 1). 

[Dan of Orange]

I hate to see Tom and Jon's effort disparaged in that butt blurb but even if they don't fully get the show at least it's  in there. On a fun note, Hardwick of The Nerdist fame tweeted congratulations too I think 5 of his 9 list mates, no Best Show mention? Is he envious of Vance? Puppet envy... 

[Crusherkc]

I tend to agree with you, Hugman 2.0., the Carl's Jr. Lumbermen bit is creaky as hell- of course it makes the year's best episode countdown somehow.  I'm not a Harris Wittels fan.

My favorite bit was the 3/28 episode w/James Adomian as Alan Rickman that ends with Scott Aukerman repeating "I want my gold bye bye" and Adam Scott repeating "That was um".  Or just give me any bit w/PFT as Garry Marshall.

[samir]

Also weird that they recommended the single worst episode of Comedy Bang Bang in its entire history. (Of course, now I'll listen to part 2 of the best of 2011, and it'll be voted number 1).

Nailed it!

[Eric Fishlegs]

I tend to agree with you, Hugman 2.0., the Carl's Jr. Lumbermen bit is creaky as hell- of course it makes the year's best episode countdown somehow.  I'm not a Harris Wittels fan.

I hated that episode when I first listened, but people talked about it as though it was the best episode ever so I relistened and it still didn't grab me. I did like Chelsea Peretti's "new characters" bit and the show as a whole did give me a couple laughs (which ain't bad considering it was free) but I still don't see why it's considered so great.

My personal favorite episode was probably Andy Daly as Hot Dog. PFT is great, but no one makes me laugh on CBB like Andy Daly.

[jimswanson]

Definitely agree with any Andy Daly appearance being a highlight. I also have a huge soft spot for Seth Morris' Bob Ducca.

That episode with Harris Wittels and Chelsea Peretti had a pretty high not-funny to funny ratio, Wittels just isn't a great guest for that kind of show. Chelsea Peretti's hilarious though, I'd like to hear her on there again

[JuiceOne]

I think it speaks to Tom's abilities when someone says the show "writes itself", because he keeps the show going at such a natural pace it seems like he's more of a brilliant ad-lib storyteller (which he is) rather than a calculated showman. It's like when a comedian like Louis CK does an hour of stuff and it seems like he's riffing because it sounds so natural, yet every bit has been honed and crafted down to the second. There's a massive difference between podcast dudes telling the same industry stories and laughing at each other's in-jokes and feeding off each other's energy, or some drive time guy killing and filling with entertainment wire stories in between songs and Tom, who can sit alone at a mic with no feedback or backup and tell a twenty minute story about a trip to a record store in a small town or his interaction with some kid at Panera Bread and have me captivated and in stitches at the same time. And do it every week for 12 years? Man.

I feel bad that he's taken offense to this idea that he doesn't work hard on his show. Lots of people know and appreciate the work that goes into it, I wish he could just know that and laugh it off when some dumb kid writes something that ignorant.

[Hugman 3.0]

That episode with Harris Wittels and Chelsea Peretti had a pretty high not-funny to funny ratio, Wittels just isn't a great guest for that kind of show. Chelsea Peretti's hilarious though, I'd like to hear her on there again

That's funny. I feel the opposite. Different strokes, I reckon.

[Austin From Chicago]

Also weird that they recommended the single worst episode of Comedy Bang Bang in its entire history. (Of course, now I'll listen to part 2 of the best of 2011, and it'll be voted number 1).

Nailed it!

I think that particular episode of CBB gets a lot of attention and praise because everyone sounds completely stoned. I liked a few parts, but the whole thing was just too laid-back and meandering for me. The best CBB episode this year, I thought, was the Tim Heidecker/Neil Hamburger episode where Neil Hamburger sung Bernie Taupin's original lyrics in their original arrangements. The original version of "Candle in the Wind" is genuinely haunting.

[chilyte]

The Best Show is like the Grateful Dead in some significant ways (but much better, obviously). Long shows, cult following, improvisation, wading through certain parts (bad calls)... Perhaps that's why it ranks so highly for some people and not at all for others... Live radio for 3 hours. They should have made a bigger point of that.

On a side note, this list made me recall Dan Savage's old KCMU call-in show back in the early 90's. It wasn't a comedy show, but often very funny.