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pokey_valentine

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Posts posted by pokey_valentine

  2. Posted

    I don't think the video is at all detrimental on i4h, but it really changes the experience. I had different favorite scenes and highlights after listening than I did after watching. Video served the football scene really well, because the facial expressions and body language added another layer. Audio served the porno mag scene, because it relied more on audience imagination/suspension of disbelief.

  5. Posted

    I started to say that Andy Daly and Jason Mantzoukas are the Roosevelt and Lincoln of the Mount Rushmore of CBB guests (PFT and Adomian being the Washington and Jefferson), but then I realized that no monument to CBB guests would be complete without Wompler, and then I realized that it's dumb to try to equate CBB guests with faces on Mount Rushmore, then I realized that CBB has had more great guests than USA has had great presidents, and then I started thinking about tyranny and oppression and the futility of even trying to make a difference in this world, and now I'm spiraling deeper into existential crisis. Congrats on 200 episodes!

    • Like 13

  7. Posted

     

    Agreed. I was not saying that the podcast can't be criticized, Jacob and Wendall have good points. I also didn't mean to imply that this guy doesn't have the right to voice his opinion. Simply pointing out that the easiest way to avoid things that you don't like is to just turn it off like all of the entertainment options you listed above.

     

    Registering a forum name just to make one negative comment is a waste of time, especially in this case because Cursesandcran can sense the irony in his own post. "P.S. I realize that I'm doing exactly what the guy did, in that I signed up to complain. To be honest, after hearing that show, I thought you might actually read this. I am probably being a hypocrate, but there are worse things. I am a huge fan of the show. I listen regularly and tell my friends about how its the best podcast of 2013."

     

    I think that this guy wants to get in on some of the cased closed action. That or he just likes to shit on stuff via the internet. Either way he didn't seem like he was nearly as interested in voicing legitimate and constructive criticism as he was calling Matt a bully for controlling a debate with a fan who knew what he was getting himself into.

     

    To be honest I agree CC is a more "non-comedic" segment and when you hold up the bits that come from it compared to the one word suggestions or youtube clips they aren't as strong. But I don't think it should stop, Matt seems to like having people on who have opposite or opposing views and it is his show. Maybe one of the case closed segments will yield an insanely funny bit in the future, or maybe someone will enlighten Matt and be able to defend their ideals more efficiently. I don't know, sorry for the long post. Just wanted to clear up my previous vitriol towards Cursesandcran.

     

    \

     

    Cool. I wasn't trying to pick on you, just taking issue with the argument that podcasts are different because they're free.

     

    As for just not listening, I get the point, but, for me, indifference is the response I give to something I don't like. When I do like and care about something, I'll get excited about it both positively and negatively.

     

    On the other hand, I love the idea of Cursesandcran concocting a way to get on Cased Closed by complaining about Case Closed.

  9. Posted

    The podcast is free.

     

    True, but here's a list of other things that are free:

     

    • Every show and movie on broadcast television.
    • Many shows on cable television, thanks to online streaming.
    • Every show on terrestrial radio.
    • Every song on the radio.
    • Every song on ad-supported streaming sites like Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, etc.
    • Full album streams on NPR, Pitchfork, record label sites, etc.
    • Self-released music on sites like Bandcamp, SoundCloud, DatPiff, etc.
    • Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
    • Millions of other websites.
    • Thousands of competing podcasts.
    • Every book, magazine, newspaper, DVD, or CD available in your local library.

     

    None of these things are exempt from criticism simply because they're free.

  10. Posted

    I usually like Case Closed, but in the most recent segment, when Matt Besser accused the guy of "censorship," it really left a bad taste. Besser knows that the guy didn't and doesn't have any power to censor him. Criticism is not censorship!

     

    I point that out to say that there is definitely a power disparity that makes things dicey. For starters, this is Matt's show, so he already has home field advantage. For another thing, Matt is a legendary professional comedy improviser! For another, he's surrounded by three guests, also improvisers, usually UCB up-and-comers or regulars, themselves. They are almost always going to support Matt in the debate. Yes, the other guy gets to speak and respond, and Matt and his guests are respectful of that, but, then, the guy fades back into obscurity, and his perspective gets served up in a scene, usually a very funny scene.

     

    Someone suggested that keeping it at Star Trek levels is safer, but maybe the opposite is true. The gun control segment was very well done, I thought, in part because Matt and his guests were really careful due to the weight of the topic. The "too soon" segment didn't seem to walk that fine line as well.

     

    Case Closed has the highest risk and highest reward of any recurring segment. I wouldn't want Matt to end it, all together.

  11. Posted

    I wonder how everyone decrying this week's Whooch as the Worst Episode Ever will handle the news that Kulap and Howard enjoyed it so much they created a B-B-B-BONUS-S-S-S Chart on the fly, listing the parallels between Howard and Steve-O.

     

    Compare this with the Tooch following Chris Gore's appearance, where they said literally nothing about him beyond the fact that he appeared on the show.

     

    Thanks for wondering, Dan! I'm personally handling it by partaking in an ancient ritual involving sackcloth and ash. I'd appreciate your prayers, because if this doesn't work, it's on to ice cream and Nora Ephron movies, and, from there, all that's left is heroin.

     

    Honestly, though, I am glad they had a good time. I thought they seemed to like Steve-O, and that's great! As for me, I have a deeper appreciation for why I love Whooch, and I'm looking forward to the next episode.

    • Like 5

  12. Posted

     

    What I love about you is that you admittedly don't know anything about what you are talking about, but are 100% ready to say that there is absolutely no racial bias going on at all. That is amazing to me.

     

    No, when you play pickup basketball, you call "next." While the two other teams are playing, your job is to get together a group to play with. When the losers of the current game walk off the court, you got a few minutes usually to shoot around, set up who will be playing what position, and defensive assignments. You pick your team on the group of guys sitting on the floor watching the current game. Many times you don't even get to see them walk, much less how high they can jump. You make judgments on them based on their appearance.

     

    That's why your statement and Nocando's statements are stupid. You are already admitting the selection is based on superficial means, but apparently the color of someone's skin doesn't factor into this at all! Even though this is the first thing someone sees other than a person's gender. That's why you and him apologize for everything. "You have to have more than race..." why is that? Race dictates what school you're going to, where you live, how long you will live, job opportunities, and everything else in American life, but not pick up basketball.

     

    I think you're amazing, too, Shariq! You seem to have interpreted some absolutist tone in my previous post which I neither intended, nor do I see in review.

     

    With that said, I regret that any ambiguity on my part may have given room for interpretation that I think that racism does not exist in pick up basketball. That is not at all what I meant. I do believe that race is at work, like you say, everywhere in American life, including pick up basketball.

     

    I was forthright with my ignorance of pick up basketball and incredulous that it involves perfect strangers selecting each other without so much as seeing each other walk. I'll take your word for it, but, honestly, even hypothetically stripped of all racial prejudice, it sounds horrible! I was not apologizing for or denying racism, as you have accused, and I don't get the impression that Nocando was, either. I think he was equally incredulous that people are playing basketball with strangers whom they've never seen walk, as you have described. I agree that racism is involved. I also agree that, as Nocando said, there has to be more going on than just that.

     

    Even you are saying that skin is one factor of the superficial means by which teams are selected. So, unless you're going to tell me that a team captain won't consider height, weight, physique, and other things (the way the person is dressed? the look of confidence/anxiety in a person's face?), then you must agree that there is "more than just race."

     

    In the same way, more than race factors into one's life-opportunities. It does factor in heavily, and in a profoundly, painfully unjust way. But there are other factors, obviously, and you know that to be true. Poverty and privilege are also unjust, also heavy factors that limit or increase opportunities.

     

    What about the original topic, Shariq? There's a reason I didn't comment on the pick up basketball episode (I don't know or care anything about pick up basketball). Is there a reason you've chosen to ignore this episode, but to hijack this thread to discuss the other episode?

     

    Do you think that it's racist for white people to use the word "brother"? Do you think, as Andrew suggested, that white people should only call other white people "brother"? Doesn't it follow that if we call men "brother," we might think of them as brothers, and hopefully begin to treat them like brothers? Or is preferable to refer to a man as a "dog"?

     

    Do you think that Nocando's resistance to labeling this episode's caller a racist is something that can be classified as an apology for racism? Or have you simply dismissed Nocando as a racism apologist whose opinions are invalid?

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    I would never expect a guest to listen before coming on as a prerequisite. I would however expect that the guest be respectful to the hosts, and let them drive their own show. What was fascinating about this train wreck was Steve-O's uncanny ability to walk a tight rope where he was being more oblivious than rude. Like a little kid that wouldn't shut up about his new toys. His heart wasn't in the wrong place, but somehow that just made it more tragic because it forced Howard and Kulap to just roll with it.

     

    I get what you're saying, but a person doesn't have to be mean-spirited to be rude. I don't think Steve-O came across as mean-spirited, and I'm not trying to judge his character as a person, but I think his behavior was rude. I think you're right that it put Howard and Kulap in a bind, and, for what it's worth, they seemed to like him.

     

    Also, I want to clarify that I didn't mean that Earwolf or the hosts should ask the guests to listen to the show before coming on. I'm talking more about basic curiosity and preparation on behalf of the guest. Speaking for myself, I would want to know what I was getting myself into!

    • Like 2

  14. Posted

    Jesus, a lot of hate on this episode. I'm not a Steve-O fan or anything, but he was just sharing his opinion and talking about his life. That's not a bad thing.

     

    That's not a bad thing in and of itself, but the way he went about it was rude. He constantly talked over Howard and Kulap, and never seemed to connect with them, even though they had a lot in common. Worse than that, he never seemed interested in connecting with them.

     

    I guarantee he'd never heard the show, hadn't met Kulap or Howard before, and went in like it was just a conversational interview (albeit mainly one sided).

     

    Is that a good excuse? This is a 45-60 minute show that he could listen to literally anywhere. I'm sure he's a busy man, but is it so unreasonable to expect guests to listen to the show once or twice? Even supposing that he didn't have a reasonable chance to do that, isn't it likely that they explained the format before hitting record?

     

    Come on. Do you really think Steve-O listens to or will be on a lot of podcasts? There's not a chance in hell he'd seek out an appearance on WTF or something.

     

    Why not? It seemed obvious to me that he wants to tell his story, promote veganism, and share his opinions. It's not as if podcast appearances are beneath Steve-O. I doubt Mel Brooks listens to a ton of podcasts, but he was the most recent guest on WTF.

  15. Posted

    This would've been a fine episode of WTF or You Made It Weird. But the thing that makes Who Charted great is the dynamic between the hosts and guests. The Jessica St. Clair episode is a perfect example: We got to know Jessica better, which was great, but what made it fun was her chemistry with Kulap and the way she interacted with Howard. The fact that Steve-O had several shared interests and qualities with both Howard and Kulap only amounted to missed opportunities. It felt like he came in with the intention of telling his story. It's worth telling, I'm sure, but this isn't the podcast for that; it doesn't serve the story well, and it doesn't respect what the podcast does.

    • Like 3

  17. Posted

     

     

    But Nocando apologizes for everything. Like with the basketball ep, that was real stupid. When you're playing pickup basketball not everyone is running combine drills where you can accurately reflect their skills. The guy from Richmond was picking black people first because of a common stereotype that says black people are just "naturally" good at basketball. I'm glad Andrew stated the obvious even if Nocando wanted to pussyfoot around the subtext of the caller's actions.

     

    "Maybe that guy saw you working and figured you would be a good worker, and he just wanted to make sure you will be around for a long time. That's not necessarily racist." -- Nocando's views on slavery.

     

    What Nocando actually said was, "Maybe the guy looks more athletic, you know, maybe you saw him run before. You have to have more than just race."

     

    That statement indicates to me that Nocando, like myself and I'm sure others who don't play basketball (with strangers, or otherwise), can't really imagine that the team captains are picking teams without any prior knowledge of the players' abilities, or at least seeing them shoot, dribble, run, warm up, or whatever.

     

    And it seems like pretty insufficient evidence to judge that Nocando "apologizes for everything."

     

    Besides, Andrew was definitely trying to force this one into the racist category when what the caller was doing was using the word "brother" (a name indicating equality and harmony, used in many diverse cultural and religious contexts), using it sincerely and without malice, and treating a black man the way he treats white men.

  20. Posted

    I appreciate Nocando's take on things, even when I disagree. In this case, I agree with him that it's about money, risk, and class. I think there's a decent argument (RIP, Howard Zinn) that American racism is, itself, a construct propped up to serve the financial interests of the wealthy.

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