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update on my HH progress, i'm about a 1/3rd of the way through 2014 I think?
i understand the show will change a lot in the years to come, but so far the general theme of my favorite bits are when Sean & Hayes "break" their Hollywood characters and show a real fear at how poorly received their show is and how close they are to getting cancelled.
as an example, coincidentally i'm doing a Friday Night Lights rewatch and was delighted to come upon the episode with Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen). First I was surprised at how well Zach seemed to know the show, he went 100% Hollywood douchebag and it was funny. But back to my point, at one point Sean suddenly brings up that he's an atheist, to which Hayes scolds him and tells him to knock it off. A minute later Sean brings up that "science is my religion" and "religion is the cause for most of the wars in the world" to which Hayes yells "Sean! WE ARE HANGING ON BY A THREAD!" Then there is a silence to which Gilford wisely adds a line about how he thought they were doing well, is the podcast going to get cancelled, then Sean and Hayes cover it up by saying they do comedy and it was a joke.
so while the Hollywoodish stuff is funny, it's when they break from that that the really funny stuff happens, whether that be like the above or into the area where sean and hayes are complete fucking idiots. like the computer stuff or when they had Kumail do voiceovers for their video game and it was clear they didn't really understand how video games work.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jun 16, 2020 18:51:18 GMT -5
Yeah, the way they talk shit about their own show and how bad it is is a running theme. It becomes really good later on when they can reference all the other popular shows that came and went while they're still chugging along. Like the things that were big at certain times only lasted a little while. I think it's been said that it's a favorite among earwolf and its employees/other podcasters. Paul F. Tompkins really seems to love the show and they've been able to handle it between their other TV show jobs so it's kept going.
They're such good idiot characters. They are able to play the dumbest person in the room with the most confidence that they know everything.
Also, I hope you're listening to the ads version if you have stitcher premium. The ad reads are half of the glory of HH. The Santaman chronicles are better than most other podcasts and those are ads for Harry's razor
Yeah, the way they talk shit about their own show and how bad it is is a running theme. It becomes really good later on when they can reference all the other popular shows that came and went while they're still chugging along. Like the things that were big at certain times only lasted a little while. I think it's been said that it's a favorite among earwolf and its employees/other podcasters. Paul F. Tompkins really seems to love the show and they've been able to handle it between their other TV show jobs so it's kept going.
They're such good idiot characters. They are able to play the dumbest person in the room with the most confidence that they know everything.
Also, I hope you're listening to the ads version if you have stitcher premium. The ad reads are half of the glory of HH. The Santaman chronicles are better than most other podcasts and those are ads for Harry's razor
i was NOT listening to the ads but i found the ads version on sticher premium and have switched over moving forward.
i'm on a really good run of episodes this week: b.j. novak > anders holm > david wain > mikal cronin > john cochran > jessica st. clair and lennon parham, and i'm right in the middle of the matt gourley episode, which is brilliant right out of the gate.
i knew david wain would be incredible, his episode of RUTREMRM is my favorite of all time, even more than Staind Glass. he just has a knack for when to follow a joke to the bitter end and when to move on. i didn't even know who john cochran was beforehand, never watched survivor, but goddamn they really ripped into him and he was a good sport. i also assumed jessica st. clair and lennon parham would be great, and they were fantastic, they were into the hollywood "theme" of the show but weren't afraid to get super weird and also push the comedy in ways that almost seemed to make sean and hayes uncomfortable, and sean and hayes rose to the occasion.
so far on the gourley episode sean has gone on a rant about obama taking his guns and robots taking over the world so strong start. gourley is of course is toe to toe with sean and hayes because he's a total pro.
anyway i really feel like the show is hitting it's stride, still somewhat thematically similar to how it was at the start but more and more willing to go off on weird tangents which is the shit i really love. and coming up shortly is Sinbad which is frequently cited on the r/earwolf as one of the great HH episodes, i'm excited to see how that goes.
On the matt gourley episode they just dropped that horrendous popcorn gallery song out of nowhere lol, and Sean and Hayes forgot what the popcorn gallery is lol.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jun 19, 2020 16:17:35 GMT -5
Yeah, I think that's the guy they ripped into on their previous show The Reality Show Show. Now they got a chance to do it to his face lol. That's a great example, though, of where I probably thought "Oh....I don't know this guy. This one probably won't be that good" or I almost skipped it but instead stuck through it and loved it.
Definitely stick with the ads version. Those can be so much more entertaining than most other podcasts. And they've gotten into trouble so much because of their "don't give a shit" attitude and have lost numerous sponsors over the years because they won't just read the copy given to them. They got in trouble with Quip toothbrushes because Sean had talked about a story of a robber breaking into your house and sticking the tooth brush up his butt. They got dropped by Away luggage for a while because Sean complained to them about the free luggage bag that they were giving to them. There was a recent sponsor that dropped them after Sean made some joke about the size of the human penis lol.
The more you get to know them and their dynamic (and when they reference it) the better it gets. Hayes is the sweety, who people and guests tend to like more. Sean is more prickly and suuuuuper sarcastic and dry to the point that he is constantly asked if he's being serious or people are unsure if he likes them or not. But he's also super insecure and always talks about needing Hayes to go to a party together or else he'd be too shy and stuff.
Anyway, you're on your way to some classics soon. The next three after Gourley are solid because they are good guests but the Sinbad episode for #42 is an all timer. One of the best they've done. Sinbad doesn't seem to fully get it but he also just kills the whole time. Alex Borstein and Nick Wiger following those are great, too.
Don't skip any live ones, and eventually if you get to it, seek out the live episodes that aren't listed on the handbook feed. There's a couple listed under PeeCast Blast and maybe some others elsewhere.
And don't forget about the pro version. Sometimes if you can catch up to that it's neat hearing little behind the scenes things. Like they'll talk about an episode or recording on the pro version about something they just did for the regular show or something.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jun 19, 2020 16:23:21 GMT -5
Here's the ad that got them dropped from Away luggage. These kind of stories are great because you can hear how frustrated Sean is about the situation and also how Hayes is just trying to not be roped into it all. The "Can't.....or won't?" part always kills me. Sean is such a stickler for free merch.
This one is hilarious too. The one that they got dropped because Sean threw in a "funky factable" and in this ad the factable was: "The human penis....is almost 2 inches"
Yeah, I think that's the guy they ripped into on their previous show The Reality Show Show. Now they got a chance to do it to his face lol. That's a great example, though, of where I probably thought "Oh....I don't know this guy. This one probably won't be that good" or I almost skipped it but instead stuck through it and loved it.
Definitely stick with the ads version. Those can be so much more entertaining than most other podcasts. And they've gotten into trouble so much because of their "don't give a shit" attitude and have lost numerous sponsors over the years because they won't just read the copy given to them. They got in trouble with Quip toothbrushes because Sean had talked about a story of a robber breaking into your house and sticking the tooth brush up his butt. They got dropped by Away luggage for a while because Sean complained to them about the free luggage bag that they were giving to them. There was a recent sponsor that dropped them after Sean made some joke about the size of the human penis lol.
The more you get to know them and their dynamic (and when they reference it) the better it gets. Hayes is the sweety, who people and guests tend to like more. Sean is more prickly and suuuuuper sarcastic and dry to the point that he is constantly asked if he's being serious or people are unsure if he likes them or not. But he's also super insecure and always talks about needing Hayes to go to a party together or else he'd be too shy and stuff.
Anyway, you're on your way to some classics soon. The next three after Gourley are solid because they are good guests but the Sinbad episode for #42 is an all timer. One of the best they've done. Sinbad doesn't seem to fully get it but he also just kills the whole time. Alex Borstein and Nick Wiger following those are great, too.
Don't skip any live ones, and eventually if you get to it, seek out the live episodes that aren't listed on the handbook feed. There's a couple listed under PeeCast Blast and maybe some others elsewhere.
And don't forget about the pro version. Sometimes if you can catch up to that it's neat hearing little behind the scenes things. Like they'll talk about an episode or recording on the pro version about something they just did for the regular show or something.
It's one of my favorite shows, if you can't tell.
for sure, you talking about it in this thread is what made me want to get into it. especially when i listened to one of the recent episodes and had no idea what was going on. I hate it when there is an inside joke I don't get, and IMO the best humor is born of layers and layers of inside jokes and general obsession. the pandemic, WFH, and starting running has provided a good opportunity to dive in.
i'm in the middle of the Sinbad episode and he is indeed crushing it, I'm actually impressed with how well he seems to understand what the show is.
started in on the ads version, right when they first picked up Cards Against Humanity as a sponsor so I've been enjoying the progression of that. they even reference it during the Sinbad episode which is the first time I've heard them reference an ad in an episode.
random tidbit, i love it when sean says "i don't give a FUCK about status".
i also like trying to develop a picture of sean and hayes's lives based on the little context clues they drop. like sean talks about being super rich, but also he mentions he lives in a basement apartment with his dad? also he's married but has never had sex but also has lots and lots of children? or maybe hayes has lots of children? it's just really freaking funny.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jun 24, 2020 15:33:50 GMT -5
Sean doesn't own a TV but he does sometimes watch television shows. In order to do that he has to go to a restaurant and eat spaghetti and watch the TV there. Or he rents one and brings it himself? I forget but they always joke about him not having a TV and he acts all pretentious but then knows stuff about different TV shows so they came up with the restaurant thing.
Also Sean is married to tennis legend Steffi Graf but doesn't live with her. And Hayes is married to Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) from the Matrix, and she sometimes beats him up.
I love their alternate history/reality lol
If you haven't seen it, here's a good (and serious) explanation of how the podcast came together. It's always strange hearing Sean be so normal and serious and not super sarcastic and jokey. It also gets into what the Hollywood Handbook concept/characters basically are and makes the whole thing make a lot more sense.
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jun 24, 2020 21:15:24 GMT -5
Also, just remembered that later on as you start to catch up on HH you'll see that the fiction and reality blend a bit and we start to hear about/talk to Hayes and Sean's actual wives and their real home lives. Some of the BEST stuff about the show involve Sean's home life with his dog Bosch but also the running joke that when they talk to his wife on the phone he ends the conversations with "I love you" and she just hangs up and it always cracks everyone up.
1. something i always forget about these pods is that while it is primarily a comedy podcast, it really is informative and interesting lol. Like 99% of the population i first became aware of RHCP when Bloodsugarsexmagik came out, and my knowledge of their earlier work was cursory at best. i didn't realize anthony kittens was already into heroin in the 80s, had no idea that George Clinton produced Freaky Styley or that Andy Gill produced their first record.
2. Scott and Scott actually made a really great case for why they chose RHCP: long band history, good albums and bad albums, lots of behind the scenes drama and interesting stories (a la doing boatloads of cocaine with George Clinton). While I'd still love to see them do Radiohead or Talking Heads, neither of those bands really have any bad albums. And while I'm sure Talking Heads have lots of interesting behind the scenes stories, Radiohead probably has very few, cause they just seem like chill smart dudes that make good music.
3. The first episode made me appreciate how remarkable it is that the early REM recordings are really good. Even U2's first records are pretty good. No doubt U2 and REM changed their sound over the years, but right from the beginning they at least had an idea of who they were. RHCP just seemed to like drugs and slappin' the bass with no shirts on.
it was also a genuinely funny and entertaining episode. i love how they've managed to keep this format fresh and exciting all these years. really looking forward to their conversations about post-bloodsugarsexmagik RHCP. also hope they have some interesting and funny friends on to discuss (bring back David Wain).
Post by itrainmonkeys on Jul 13, 2020 12:26:22 GMT -5
SiriusXM bought Stitcher for $325 million. This could end up being a bad thing for Stitcher/Earwolf shows. Some folks on Reddit are hesitant and nervous about what this means for the future.
That is crazy lol. I hope they do all Talking Heads then get back into RHCP. Just to keep the podcast going. Also the podcast cover art for RHCP is sick.
That is crazy lol. I hope they do all Talking Heads then get back into RHCP. Just to keep the podcast going. Also the podcast cover art for RHCP is sick.
Lol yeah they ran an ad for merch with that cover art on it even after agreeing to change focus. I do hope they return to it because that's always been the format to me: corny band that I never really cared about, but learning to appreciate their stuff. They genuinely hated those first two RHCP albums and weren't gonna do it lol and that's worth something too. U2 >>>
i got a big kick out of the whole scott the hammer salesman bit.
and even though the switch to talking heads seems genuine i'm a little suspicious it wasn't preplanned. i'm in the middle of them listening to '77 and scott and scott seem to know a lot about the record. maybe they just knew these facts before but it feels like research.
has anyone bought any of the ru talking rem/u2 shirts? i'm stuck in M or L land. according to the fit chart i'm an M (41" chest) but that is right on the edge. do these fit super slim or more relaxed?