Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for January 26 2024 – Clangy Clangy Phone Rings

In this episode I play a song by The Gentle Readers; I am back on the Eat To Live plan after almost two years away; retirement also leads to engineering what the rest of your life looks like; using the older men in my life as positive and negative examples on how to age; I had a surprisingly rational conversation about assisted living; I have volunteered to help with Reloadio; the first listener who can identify the seam between the two chunks of the show will win a free t-shirt shipped anywhere in the world; I watched the Black Sabbath movie; the change in the social contract about phones in fascinating; capitalism and the short term focus drives me insane; layoffs make me insane; getting laid off changed my entire approach to work;

Here is the direct MP3 download for the Evil Genius Chronicles podcast, January 26 2024.

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Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for January 8 2024 – Sheer Virtuosity High

In this episode I play a song by the Gentle Readers; we adopted an old, sick dog; we loved Slow Horses Season 3; the last season of The Crown sucked; We are watching Endeavour; I am considering abandoning the most recent Cory Doctorow book; I don’t understand if Tupperware can still possibly be a thing; the hardline of punks and Generation X excluding people and hating success loses me; If you get angry it should be about something and not nothing.

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Here is the direct MP3 download for the Evil Genius Chronicles podcast, January 8 2024.

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You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for December 8 2023 – Weird Wads of Money

In this episode I play a song by The Gentle Readers; I want Lee Cuthbert to be my best friend; I retired without a lot of ceremony from the day job; I don’t have a lot of retirement advice other than start young; grampa accidentally bought me a PS 5; Cyberpunk 2077 patch updates kind of sold me the PS 5; I got a nice retirement gift from an old friend; the kid and I went ham on a jigsaw puzzle; there is a pleasure in being out and about on weekdays; I am open to contract jobs but not in the winter holidays nor the summer; my comic shop moved much close to my house and I’m good with that.

Here is the direct MP3 download for the Evil Genius Chronicles podcast, December 8 2023.

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You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for Aug 20 2015 – 11th Anniversary!

In this episode, I play a song by the Gentle Readers and talk a little about my history with the band; I celebrate the 11th anniversary of this show; I talk about Clinton Alvord and his discussion of a new podcasting article; I riff on the podcasts that give me joy and how that metric gets applied; I talk about some big name podcasts that fail to bring me joy and what I want from the medium. We all go home happy.

Here is the direct MP3 download for the Evil Genius Chronicles podcast, August 20 2015

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You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for January 12 2015 – Patreon and Videos

In this episode, I return to the old format! I play a song by the Gentle Readers; I discuss the differences between Flattr and Patreon and why I am thinking hard about going with the latter; I talk about my experience as a fan of Cats Laughing and their current Kickstarter; what the heck, let’s play some Cats Laughing too; I talk about my experiences with doing video interviews; I discuss the late 70s/early 80s Athens GA bands better than REM; I close out with a song from Glass Eye.

Here is the direct MP3 download for the Evil Genius Chronicles podcast, January 12 2015

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You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for August 20, 2014 – DDOP Day 21: 10 Year Anniversary

In this episode, I celebrate my 10 year anniversary! It’s less a celebration and more of a war of attrition. I also return to my format of yore: I play a song by the Gentle Readers; I talk a little about where the last 10 years of podcasting has taken the medium; I play a song by Paul Melancon; I discuss what has really mattered to me and more importantly who; I play a song by Camper Van Beethoven; the end.

Here is the direct MP3 download for the Evil Genius Chronicles podcast, August 20, 2014

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Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for January 9, 2011 – “Doubling Down on Communities”

Here is the direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for January 9, 2011. I play a holiday song from Jill Sobule that is actually almost an anti-holiday song; I talk about the various communities that I’ve been in over my lifetime and how I’m retreating somewhat from the frenzy of social media into some of my oldest surviving online communities; I talk abut getting jealous with my time and withdrawing from projects and sites that aren’t doing it for me; I play a song from Alejandro Escovedo; I talk about loving the new Love and Rockets comic; I talk about my blog post about Colleen Doran vs. digital piracy; I discuss Dave Sim, Cerebus TV and Locus Magazine; I play a song by Jaill and call it good.

You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

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Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for August 20, 2010 – “Six Years and Counting, Monkey Fighters!”

Here is the direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for August 20, 2010. I play a song from the newly reformed Vaselines; I talk about anti-nostalgia, and harken back to the beginning of this podcast; I play a song by the Gentle Readers; I tell the story of how I come to love the music of the Gentle Readers; I talk about my lack of needing to convince anyone much of anything; I play a song by Camper van Beethoven and we begin the seventh year of this thing.

You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

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Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for August 20, 2009 – “Fifth Podiversary”

Here is the direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for August, 2009. I play a brand new song by Rocket City Riot; I talk about the first five years of this podcast, how I got here and where I want to be and where I want to go in the future; I play a special song from the Gentle Readers; I celebrate our medium in my own special way; one more brand new song from Rocket City Riot and it’s on to the second five years of this show.

My MP3s didn’t have an album name in the metadata, but in fact the Rocket City Riot album is titled Saturday Night Angels.

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Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for July 26, 2009 – “The Alan Bean of Podcasting”

Here is the direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for July 26, 2009. I play a song by Wolf Parade; I play a sponsorship announcement from Bob’s Institute of Time Control; I talk about vacationing in the North Carolina mountains and trying to refocus on what is important; about enthusiasm for and history of new media as it waxes and wanes; I talk about conventions I have and will attend; once again I take a dump on podcasting awards and then play some angry lo-fi punk from Pissed Jeans to seal the deal. Take that!

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Evil Genius Chronicles Podcast for December 7, 2008 – “Gentle Readers Fiesta”

Here is the direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for December 7, 2008. I play songs from my friends the Gentle Readers, and then I do it again and again until the clock runs out. Really, that’s enough.

You can subscribe to this podcast feed via RSS. To sponsor the show, contact BackBeat Media. Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5. Bandwidth for this episode is provided by Cachefly.

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The Gentle Readers Rocked

We went to Atlanta last weekend and I got to see the Gentle Readers play. It’s an increasingly rare occurrence that they perform a show and I never know when it will be the last time, so I really wanted to go and catch them one more time. It was great, although I was probably the person most into in the room. Most people were there for the Susi French Connection, who were also great. It’s hard to have a bad time during a bunch of 70s covers. I gamely played along, although when they did “The Hustle” I got the hell out of the way. I didn’t want to cause a 13 disco pileup.

All in all it was a fun weekend, although with a high ratio of ass hauling. We did a little shopping in Atlanta. There was one moment where some sort of reality show came through the TJ Maxx we were in. Reality my ass, there is an unavoidable field of contrivance an unreality that surrounds these affairs and I could not wait to get out of the room with it.

I hope it isn’t five more years before the next Gentle Readers show. Even if it is, I hope I can make it to that one too. I need me some Lee Cuthbert guitars. As the song goes, “When the amplifiers hum, that’s where I belong.”

I’m Going To See the Gentle Readers

It is true, dear friends. This weekend we will be going to Eddie’s Attic in Decatur GA to see the beloved band of the EGC theme song, the Gentle Readers. They’ll be “opening up” for the Susi French Connection. I quote the word because basically almost all of the members of the Gentle Readers are in the Susi French Connection, so where one band ends and the other begins is fuzzy.

Nonetheless, we are looking forward to an evening of wonderful music, both the fantastic Gentle Readers originals composed by my close personal acquaintance Lee Cuthbert, and also the cheezy and rocking 70’s covers of the Susi French Connection. It was at a previous SFC show that I realized that although I hadn’t heard the song in at least a decade, I still remembered every word – chorus and verses – of ABBA’s “Waterloo.”

It is guaranteed to be a good time. We’re going to the late show on Saturday night. If you are around the 404/678/770 area and you need to soft rock out, come hang. There is an early show and a late show. I can’t wait.

EGC Clambake for June 29, 2008 – “Reality Break Lives”

Here is the direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for June 29, 2008. I play a song from Chris Christensen and Mark Schultz; I talk about the Reality Break podcast and tell some tales from the radio show that preceded it; I mention a little bit about the class I taught and what the proceeds are going to buy; I play a song from the incredible Gentle Readers and then gamble into the sunset.

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EGC Clambake for April 21, 2007 – “Sex, Cash and Rock n Roll”

Here is the Bittorrent link and direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for April 21, 2007.

I talk for a moment about the tragic deaths at Virginia Tech; I play a song from Stardeath and White Dwarfs; I talk about getting a neat email from a high profile Subgenius; I mention hearing a Gentle Readers song on No Reservations and then play that song; I talk about Project Wonderful and my sleazy potential side project; I once again cite Hugh Macleod’s Sex and Cash Theory; Why I keep my day job; I play a song by Rocket City Riot and mosey.

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Gentle Readers in the Wild

Here’s one from the “holy crap” file. I was watching the episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations set in his childhood home of New Jersey. At one point, they were in the strip club that you see as the Bada Bing on the Sopranos. While Tony is doing the voiceover and a young lady is grinding on the pole, the music you hear in the background is “How Low” by the Gentle Readers. I shit you not. I rewound it on the DVR, cued up the song in my iTunes and did a head to head comparison. I wasn’t dreaming it, they really used it. Neat, no?

EGC Clambake For August 29, 2006

Here is the Bittorrent link and direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for August 29, 2006.

I decide on the spur of the moment to throw myself a second anniversary bash for this podcast (which began on August 20, 2004 – we start the party early around here, you frigging late-comers). I play the music of friends of the show – Paul Melancon, Rocket City Riot, Jonathan Coulton, the Gentle Readers, Steadman and Michelle Malone. I talk in the interstitial bits about life and love and loss, about why I podcast and why I care and who I care about and why we all need the little bits of joy we can scrape up in this shitty life we are in. Thanks for sticking with me, on to the next two years and beyond.

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EGC Clambake for November 16, 2005

Here is the Bittorrent link and direct MP3 download for the EGC clambake for November 16, 2005.

Let it be known that I am indeed aware that I used the word “fantastic” about 15 times too many. Sorrry.

I talk about the Portable Media Expo, my talk and the vibe of the thing in general; I play a song by the Gentle Readers; the interview with Phil Torrone of Make Magazine; I tell the story of meeting the bomb disposal guy and turning him on to Tiki Bar TV; I play a song by Paul Melancon and toodle.

This episode is sponsored in part by the fine folks at iPod Observer and Reel Reviews! Don’t forget, you can fly your EGC flag by buying the stuff package. For the month of November, $25 of your purchase goes to the Mercy Corps.

This show as a whole is Creative Commons licensed Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0.

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Garrick van Buren on the Gentle Readers

Garrick van Buren ordered a stuff package during the charity drive last month. Being the analytical guy he is, he posted his more or less song by song analysis of the Hi Honey album. I say over and over that this is really a fantastic album, and if the music business were driven by justice and merit that would have been a huge hit. A lot of these songs really hit me deeper than the intellectual, they go straight to my lizard brain. I feel a lot of melancholy and loss and happiness when I hear them, like they have a jack plugged straight into my emotions. Thanks to Garrick for writing this up.