Episode 65 — Computer Strength

[mtbikermike 0]

i always tell everyone how great improv4humans is, but now i'm PUSHING them to subscribe after this week's case closed - even encouraging my gun nut friend. congratulations on a great and respectful conversation, plus the usual side-splitting scenes. it's encouraging to hear people who are funny, smart, informed, and articulate all at the same time.

[mtbikermike 0]

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38,

When 20 beautiful childr

en stormed through heaven's gate.

 

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.

They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "We're spending Christmas at God's house."

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

But Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.

Then He opened His arms and He called them by name,

And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring.

Those children all flew into the arms of their King,

And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

One small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had,

He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of Mom and Dad."

Then He looked down on earth, the world far below,

He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe.

Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"

"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools."

"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

"Come now my children, let me show you around."

Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.

All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

 

Written by Cameo Smith

 

 

right, because the "god" that allowed the kids to be killed and their parents to be ruined for life will most definitely love those children in heaven and make the parents feel better. it's laughably absurd "logic" spewed by people who are afraid to live and want a moral excuse to judge others, but i don't find it to be in poor taste. just dumb.

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

Funny how God always shows up after the tragedy takes place, isn't it? He's pretty much the worst superhero ever created.

[Reuben_Lowe 13]

Another thing I didn't understand and don't agree with on their face value were the statements:

 

• "Why not just say 'Hey, I didn't like the scene' and keep it to yourself?"

• "It's not like you bought a ticket that you were forced to stay in. It was free, you saw the title...I don't know. You don't have much of a leg to stand on."

 

I suppose that these statements would make sense if it was clear that the show is not open to feedback or discussion, but the show literally has a forum for each episode. If you have a forum, I think you should expect people to use it; hopefully in a respectful manner. Although the caller was a bit out of bounds with some of his comments, I don't think he was so crazily unreasonable that he should just shut up and keep it to himself. And the second point seems to suggest that one can only express a contrary opinion when they have paid money for the entertainment, which doesn't make sense to me, since a forum is being provided for feedback.

 

Pretty much what I was going to say.

[Haze 112]

Matt people are going to listen to your show, disagree with stuff you say and post about it on your forums. Its unrealistic to expect otherwise. Thats what forums are, thats the nature of the internet. Just because the show is free doesn't mean people will not or should not have opinions.

[CoolSlacks 3]

I think it's fairly disingenuous to feel indignant about being called out for 'too soon' comedy. When do we get to make fun of 9-11? When do we get to make fun of Newtown? When do we get to make fun of Matt's dead dad? Does the tragedy being in the news make it more acceptable for a random comedian to satirize than someone's private tragedy? Would it be ok if I made a podcast about things in your life? Would it feel different if it happened to you? Would you wonder why someone was riffing on your loss the next day? Honestly, would you wonder why someone was doing that? I think you would.

 

I feel there is an argument against saying there is comedy that's"Too soon", but I don't think the arguement against it is "Well, you can't give the specific amount of time after when it's ok to talk about". That's an insane rebuttal. I'm not with the arguement that there are things comedians can't talk about. I think I'm upset about the set up that it's not OK to disagree with you. I think Gemberling's arguement of "You just like feeling offended" to the caller also applies to Matt's thinking on this.

 

Why does the listener have to keep their mouth shut about scenes they don't like? What are these forums for, to constantly praise you? I can't tell you what you can talk about as a comedian, but you can tell the audience what to say about you?

 

I have no issue with the episode in question. I've liked your work for a long. long time. I "get" what you do and what the mission of the episode was. I just think the complete dismissal of the caller having a real point, not just to you, but to comedians in general, was incredibly close-minded and I can't believe there's no part of you that doesn't slightly (even if juuuuust slightly) agree.

[Corky Kneivel 113]

 

That sounds oddly specific, "all but two." Which 2 episodes are you referring to? Is one of them this one considering you said you hadn't listened to it yet?

 

Sorry. I missed this.

 

Haha, the "all but two" is oddly specific because the only episodes I haven't give a re-listen to were the same two I couldn't finish: both episodes featuring Allen McLeod. I mentioned it once before that i didn't enjoy those episodes and stopped listening. I'm not familiar with him anywhere but on I4H but the episodes featuring him were not funny to me. The 2nd one was better than the 1st but still I found myself turning it off.

 

I guess I was harkening back to that when I replied (as if everyone reading that reply automatically understands which episodes I'm referring to haha). So yeah, odd & specific.

[justinmh05 1968]

Aw man, I enjoy McLeod - CBB's own Ghost Boy!

 

But hey, everybody has their likes and dislikes.

[Isaac Kozell 91]

I applaud the risks that I4H takes and I really enjoy the call-in segments.

 

Most of the post-shooting episode did, for me, what Matt and the gang set out to do: Use comedy as a means to examine the various angles of a subject. But I, like the caller, didn't care much for the gun in the classroom sketch. It was a nice try, but I felt it missed the mark.

 

Personally, I enjoy a good comedic metaphor when it comes to dealing with potentially sensitive subjects, especially those subjects that garner passionate feelings from both sides of the issue.

 

Week after week, we hear the talented host and guests of I4H take a cue, use it to recall a story, and turn the themes found in the story into comedy gold. This is often done, not by taking the obvious route, but rather by doing something more clever with the themes and primers found in the story.

 

So in the case of a disgusting and violent tragedy that involved school children being murdered by an armed gunman, I would have rather heard an improv sketch that addressed the issues surrounding the crime without using a school, children, and guns as recurring props in the bit. That just seems too easy. For me, it cheapened that particular sketch and muddied the more important underlying issues.

 

Again, I love the show and I love what I4H is doing in terms of prompting meaningful dialogue. I also appreciate a lively forum where we can discuss this stuff. A hearty "Thank you!" to Matt and everyone at Earwolf.

[pbnews 93]

Watching a Frasier re-run (yeah, I know how to party), and there's Matt Besser himself as a barista! Any stories about working with noted weirdo Kelsey Grammer?

 

Loving the show (I4H, I mean) - keep up the good work.

[Corky Kneivel 113]

 

Loving the show (I4H, I mean) - keep up the good work.

 

That'd be so weird if he thought you were talking about Frasier.

[DanEngler 5249]

Watching a Frasier re-run (yeah, I know how to party), and there's Matt Besser himself as a barista! Any stories about working with noted weirdo Kelsey Grammer?

Is anyone else watching the latest season of Justified? The first few episodes include a preacher that sounds just like a Comedy Central-era Besser character. It's uncanny.

 

Edit: I've just learned that said character is played by the kid from Jurassic Park. Christ, I feel old…

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

Is anyone else watching the latest season of Justified? The first few episodes include a preacher that sounds just like a Comedy Central-era Besser character. It's uncanny.

 

Little Donny, all grown up and born again, obliviously waving his junk around as he testifies, in what we all of course later realize is a snake handler church. I smell a spinoff.

[DanEngler 5249]

Little Donny, all grown up and born again, obliviously waving his junk around as he testifies, in what we all of course later realize is a snake handler church. I smell a spinoff.

I'm 99% sure the Bucket of Truth will come into play before the season ends.

[Neclord 194]

"I just want rights for everybody."

 

"Oh yeah, that's a biggie."

 

 

I'm interested in staging a performance of Thurgood Marshall's March, who do I get in touch with that has the rest of the play?

[Kickpuncher 5012]

Is anyone else watching the latest season of Justified? The first few episodes include a preacher that sounds just like a Comedy Central-era Besser character. It's uncanny.

 

It didn't occur to me before, but yes, absolutely.

 

Edit: I've just learned that said character is played by the kid from Jurassic Park. Christ, I feel old…

 

Holy crap.

[mattbesser 605]

Watching a Frasier re-run (yeah, I know how to party), and there's Matt Besser himself as a barista! Any stories about working with noted weirdo Kelsey Grammer?

 

Loving the show (I4H, I mean) - keep up the good work.

Yeah, Kelsey wouldn't look at me when the camera wasn't rolling. I tried to introduce myself before he scene started and he just blew me off. However, he was super nice to all the extras working that same scene. Maybe I should have offered him some blow.

[choochoo_the_wonder_slut 740]

Kelsey endorsed Michele Bachmann for the Repub nomination for president in 2012. I wouldn't sweat getting blown off by an insane coked out drunken Grammer nazi.

[MrMoxie 20]

Interesting episode. The pizza thing was hilarious. The case closed I had an issue with, just because it kinda felt like Matt was making fun of the guy to his face, and yet Matt was upset the guy expressed his thoughts on the podcast. Matt holds all the cards, it's his podcast. It felt like he was more upset at the guy for calling it bad taste then the guy was upset who found it in bad taste. If it's your podcast then I think it's more reasonable for you to be able to not take a criticism so personally and get upset, than it is for your to expect a fan who found something in poor taste to keep their mouth shut.

 

The guy wasn't perfect about what he said in his message, but it's the internet, I think the only thing we can really expect somebody to be accountable for on the internet is what they said rather than if they said it perfectly. I just felt bad for the guy when the whole phone call was him getting cut off and what felt like nobody trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, and then immediately transitioning into an improv sketch where the improvisers kinda strawman the guy by taking on the perceived characteristics of the guy and then playing it like idiots. It felt like this case closed the improv was about mocking that guy, who I felt was calm, and while not perfect, putting in more of an effort to keep things friendly than Besser was.