Phil

[Phil]

>Danny?s (actually quite good) version of the Dwarf theme tune.

Still very much want to hear this.

[Phil]

http://www.noisetosignal.org/tv/2007/10/spaced-usa.php

? Spaced USA?
Posted by Seb Patrick on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 @ 10:07

[Phil]

>But a place in popular culture doesn?t make something publicly owned.

No, it doesn’t, but it does make it frustrating and disappointing when it’s there during the initial airing and removed in subsequent release.

>If Uwe Boll wants to use a G&T Dwarfcast in the background of his movie as an example of nerds who deserve to be killed, and who are then insulted at length by his characters, should he be able to assume it?s okay because, hey, it?s in the culture, right?

If G+T signs off on the initial usage but then refuses it to be used again for the home release, then yes, it’s frustrating and disappointing.

Spy a pattern here? It’s what I’ve been saying from the start…

If the artist doesn’t want something used, don’t approve it in the first place. I see no benefit to allowing broadcast usage and not home release usage.

>?He allowed it on TV? is likely inaccurate, or at least an over-simplification.

Fair enough, and probably the most important point raised yet. But with post-broadcast-availability in the process of being completely revolutionized, I hope this is something that will be addressed soon.

I’m familiar with the fact that a good deal of clearance issues are really just inabilities to reach a financial agreement. (It’s one of those unanticipated things I learned from being a Muppet fan, oddly enough, and following the tribulations of releasing those old episodes on DVD.) But I’d hope to God that in this age of digital streaming/downloading and very quick (and comprehensive) DVD turnaround, this will be taken into account in the initial stage and become less of a nightmare down the line.

[Phil]

>if your track is playing low behind a violent rape scene, started on the jukebox by the attacker, it?s sure as hell not helping album sales.

Ha. Fair enough. Now name me one example of a song being withheld for that very reason.

Besides, “Stuck in the Middle With You” found popular resurgence for being featured behind the most violent scene in Reservoir Dogs. That sold albums.

Actually, your imaginary violent rape scene kinda sorta did happen in Pulp Fiction, didn’t it? (It’s been years since I’ve seen it though.) And that film helped repopularize (for a time) surf music; one prime example of which was being played over a scene of unwilling sodomy. And yes, the attacker chose the track.

The fact is that the artist (or record company) already licenses the song for it to even appear in the first place. My frustration comes that it’s not entirely uncommon for the licensing not to carry over to home release.

Would it really have killed Phil Collins to allow 30 seconds of “Invisible Touch” to play during the last episode of Saxondale series one? He allowed it on the air…so why did the DVD version have to resort to some awful MIDI (which we’re supposed to believe is coming out of a record player…)?

It was licensed for air, but not for release.

Anyone who was going to buy the show or film on DVD is still going to buy the show or film on DVD. You very rarely can say that the inclusion of a certain song makes the sale in itself. In fact, I’d argue that it never does. The removal of the song is what hurts, because it will always cause the scene to have a different impact than it had originally.

[Phil]

>Think about all the Companies getting their product seen. That should swing it.

It certainly doesn’t seem to work that way for including music on DVD releases. Which frustrates me to no end. It literally can *only* help album sales, and removing it from the film/television show is not infrequently artistically crippling.

[Phil]

They may just be pandering to the pedophile market, which is a wise move. Pedophiles have disposable income up the ass.

Or, just as frequently, up the asses of their nieces and nephews.

[Phil]

Come to the same town in Florida and I’ll be there.

[Phil]

I think John’s specifically said (somewhere…) that he doesn’t mind people posting links/news of their own achievements or projects as long as they’re actually regular posters or contributors to this site.

So unless he pops up to say otherwise, don’t be so shy next time. It looks like you would have had a few G+T visitors if they’d have had notice!

[Phil]

Give me notice, too, so’s I can hide in yer luggage.

[Phil]

Ooh, BURN.

[Phil]

I used that same quote with my ex-ex-girlfriend a few years ago. We were hanging out with a bunch of friends and they all laughed uproariously, which, I think, made her feel as though it was much more of a putdown than it was. (In fact, I actually just said it to be cute…)

I still feel kind of bad about that.

[Phil]

We were talking about Elton John at a party once where I was pretty drunk…specifically we were talking about our least favorite Elton songs.

Mine was “Rockodile Cock.”

[Phil]

Eventually I’ll probably give some thought to what would make the list of my All-Time Favorite Comedy Sketches, but until then, I can guarantee that this would be high in the top 10:

[Phil]

I saw a few clips on Youtube. I didn’t hate it, but neither did I laugh very much. (That said, I don’t laugh very much at Saxondale, but it’s the kind of humor that doesn’t require laughter to be successful, and I love it.) Hyperdrive definitely had a nice, polished feel to it–a bit sleeker than Dwarf. Not to say one is better than the other, but that’s kind of what stood out.

I had no idea who the characters were, which doubtless hindered my enjoyment.

[Phil]

>Are you spoiling for a rumble?

Yes. Come beat me up.

[Phil]

>And??

That’s just James. He was dropped on his head as an infant, and then again, every hour on the hour, for the rest of his life.

[Phil]

Lemon curry?

[Phil]

Also: American Dad inherited some of the writers who were left workless after Futurama. I’m sure that helps give it the edge–but it’s something I didn’t even know until a few weeks ago, so it wasn’t a conscious deciding factor for me.

That said, it does explain a lot.

[Phil]

>I assume those who dislike Family Guy also don?t care for American Dad?

Wrong assumption. American Dad easily and quickly became one of my favorite animated programs, whereas Family Guy has yet to satisfy me.

Does it make me laugh? Sure. But so does American Dad, which also raises very interesting issues and handles them in clever, often unnerving ways. Also: character development, plot, etc.

[Phil]

Who farted?

[Phil]

Ho!

[Phil]

I hate this place.

[Phil]

I’m not meaning to imply that CNN is the Most Reliable of All News Outlets, but it certainly is the most visible and probably the most frequently accessed. So really if it’s front-page CNN there’s no higher you can really go.

[Phil]

>US press seems to not be covering the story much.

Front page of CNN.com yesterday…you can’t get much higher exposure than that in the States.

[Phil]

>People who think The League Of Gentlemen is a sketch show.

In fairness, it DID start off as one (pre-TV, obviously), and I’m sure I’ve heard the League themselves refer to it as a sketch show as well. I understand what you’re saying, but I think it’d be more accurate to describe it as a non-traditional sketch show than “not a sketch show.”

>People who confuse Neil Young with Neil Diamond.

If Neil Young sang Holly Holy, I’d assassinate everybody in the arena. Myself included.

[Phil]

While I disagree with one of the posters, Jimbotfu, about Garfield being one of the worst comics in history, the bulk of that thread is spot on. It’s amazing how much you can say without having to say it, and as a writer myself it’s a fascinating little experiment of trying to balance saying too much and not saying enough. Thanks for the link!

[Phil]

I wish I was handsome like Dagless.

[Phil]

My quote was also a Futurama one, BUT UNIDENTIFIED. Thus I win.

[Phil]

Did everything just taste purple for a minute?

[Phil]

>the Hoareantine period?s nearly up!

boooooooooo

[Phil]

You actually purchase (and wear) a pair of asbestos underpants in Space Quest III, so that you can survive a trip to the magma planet Ortega.

Obviously the Barrie link makes your example much stronger, but it reminded me. Since I played SQIII before seeing Dwarf, Rimmer’s line always reminded me of the game, rather than vice versa.

[Phil]

Larry Vales II: Dead Girls Are Easy has series VIII Rimmer in a prison cell.

[Phil]

>What the hell game is ?Theme Athletic? from, though? Bloody love it.

It’s definitely a Mario tune, but I can’t remember where…SMB 3? I have an image in my mind of a non-controllable Mario running across the screen while this plays…an ending cinematic maybe?

Don’t know for sure…it’s been years since I played the old Mario stuff…but I will once I get my Wii.

Also: I have a copy of the orchestrations for Majora’s Mask. It’s an official (albeit Japan-only) release so I can’t post it here, but it’s swwweeeeeeeeeet. Especially the opening theme. Hot shat.

[Phil]

I love this town.

[Phil]

>why go with him at all?

BECAUSE HE’S BEAUTIFUL.

No, seriously. He’s definitely one of my man crushes. A few others are Steve Coogan, Page McConnell, Chris Barrie and David X. Cohen.

[Phil]

>you didnt list Carol Cleveland.

I didn’t even think to include “honorary” Pythons, though maybe I should have! If we are, then I’d certainly have to go with Neil Innes.

NO WAIT I MEANT CONNIE BOOTH SERIOUSLY I DID OOPS TYPO

[Phil]

It’s more a Python reference than a direct Shakespeare one…there’s a “Hamlet” episode that makes a few nods toward the actual play, and one of the transitions is a title card that reads ACT II – A ROOM IN POLONIUS’ HOUSE. But it turns out to be an introduction to a sport program called A Room in Polonius’ House. Probably the only truly great joke in the episode, sadly.

How long ago did you write your radio play?

[Phil]

I’ll be perfectly honest and say I don’t even know what the US Modern Rock Tracks Chart is…so it may not be the best indicator of what’s actually being played on the radio!

>But yeah, point taken

Oops! I didn’t actually mean to make a point, I was just thanking you for the video!

[Phil]

>if you?ve lived under a rock for the last eighteen years and have never seen it :

Birdhouse never was a big hit here in the states. Neither was it even a minor one, that I’m aware. And so I’m glad you posted the video as I’ve never seen it before.

Funnily enough I watched it as I was getting ready to go out tonight…we went to a karaoke bar for a while and a friend of mine got up and sang, completely coincidentally, Birdhouse in Your Soul. How adorable.

[Phil]

All of my short stories threaten to spill over into novels as it is…I think writing ficlets would be nigh on impossible for me.

A few years ago I started to fence myself into the short-story mindset because I was frustrated that all of my ideas grew naturally so large that I’d never have any time to write them.

I actually have a collection of 11 short pieces out:
http://www.amazon.com/God-Ran-Faces-Phil-Reed/dp/0595334210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203790329&sr=8-1

Which I actually think is very good, and some of the best writing I’ve ever done.

A new short story of mine was purchased by the SNAFU Anthology (based in Montreal) and that issue will be released next month:
http://www.snafuanthology.com/html/issues/pastissues.html

You may recognize the title of my story. Ahem.

Anyway, ficlets interest me (we actually spent some time studying them in my writing workshops, though they were called, alternately, flash-fiction or sudden fiction) but I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything with them. I have difficulty enough getting things down to 20 pages as it is.

[Phil]

>They Might Be Giants? ?Birdhouse in your Soul? is about God when it is, in fact, about a plug-in Night Light

I haven’t done much (or…any) research on the band, but I’d have thought the night-light would have been pretty easy to come by! After all, I managed to arrive at it just in passing.

Though I’m sure the God angle is an interesting–if flawed–one. Next time I listen to the song I’ll keep that in mind and see if anything clicks. So to speak…

[Phil]

I think this show would give me nightmares.

Oh, and the Alan Bennet one looks shockingly like Stephen King.

[Phil]

Stoke has a lot going for it…there’s just something about it that doesn’t QUITE make it gel for me.

The thing is…making the list…yes, it might seem as though something coming in 35 out of 51 means you must not like it much…but that isn’t necessarily true. It’s just that you like 34 things better than that one. There are very, very few Red Dwarf episodes I can really say I don’t enjoy. In fact, it’d be the bottom three from that list, and that’s about it.

I don’t think it’s that I cut VII/VIII any slack, either, nor that I’m easy to please. It’s just that all of the episodes, for the most part, do at least SOMEthing that brings me joy.

You listed Nanarchy, and it seems that a lot of people dislike that one. Whereas I personally think it’s great, and maybe the second best of VII. It’s funny just how widely opinions can vary when we all, basically, love the same show.

[Phil]

When we did the G+T favorites list, we ranked every episode. Here’s my bottom ten from that list:

Pete II
Back in the Red III
Stoke Me a Clipper
Emohawk
Dimension Jump
Timeslides
The End
Duct Soup
Waiting For God
Beyond a Joke

Yes, yes, I know, at least a few of those are going to upset people, but it’s how I honestly feel. Couple that with the fact that I allowed many VII/VIII episodes to escape the bottom 10 may well render me the least popular person here.

[Phil]

>Ooooooh. If that first link wasn?t 102-odd MB, I?d grab it.

Arlene, if you genuinely want to hear it, email me at chickenbrutus at yahoo dot com with your address and I’ll burn it for you. I have a CD I’m sending to someone else this weekend so I’ll already be at the post office. Also, most of the music is effing gorgeous. Seb’s right about the Mario stuff being phenomenal, but if you ask me the best two tracks are Dragon Roost Island (which was also gorgeous in the game) and Epona’s Song, which has Japanese vocals in this version and makes me want to weep openly.

>I love the Mario half of that concert, especially the SMB medley, the song(!) set to the main Mario tune, and the Mario 64 Overworld theme. Although it?s a shame there?s nothing from SMW in it.

Seb: you’ll know better than I would. The final song, Slider…I know it was in Mario 64 during the footrace, and the penguin race, and things like that, right? But I somehow also thought that it was in Super Mario World in some form, and the Mario 64 version was an update of that theme.

Reading your comment made me realize I’m probably dead wrong, and I haven’t played SMW in years. Am I just crazy or was it there after all?

Also, what’s Yoshi on the Beach from?

>Another one of my favourites is the Leisure Suit Larry theme

Sierra had some GORGEOUS video game music in their adventures. Back then I didn’t even have a Soundblaster card…but boy oh boy did some beautiful stuff come out of my PC speaker when I played a Sierra game.

[Phil]

Not worth me uploading this since it’s available from archive.org, but here’s Agent Moosehead, live, performing the entire score to Mega Man 3.

And before anyone asks, yes, everything I’ve posted (and ever would) post here is free and legal. You can thank open-minded taping policies for that.

[Phil]

>which implies there is a future one.

Or it implies that there’s been a past one. Which there has…

[Phil]

>Here?s a picture from before we ate it:

Awesome! I want to do all sorts of things to that cake. Especially with my MOUTH.

[Phil]

>You don?t expect shows to hit the ground running,

Agreed.

>but you should at least be able to see glimmers of potential.

And even moreso.

You know, I’m not sure that I’ve *ever* disagreed with Pete. This is unhealthy.

[Phil]

>Stupid really, as you can?t judge from one episode.

I’ve sometimes wondered if I’d have persevered with Dwarf if The End was the first episode I saw.

It’s not nearly one of my favorites, but I still think the answer is yes…if only because the story really promises to go off into interesting places later (following it with the near-perfect Future Echoes would seal the deal, I’m sure).

[Author]

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