Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Solo show!

Happy June firsteenth!
Maybe now that June is here, it won't rain so fucking much. Dobutful.

This podcast marks the 16th episode of Hitchhiker's Guide and in addition it was a solo show with only Harvey manning the mics. The studio gets a bit creepy this late at night with no one around. DJ Gun Rack is off exploring housing possibilities in a certain southern state called Georgia. I'll let him elaborate upon whence he returns.

View the Archive.org page HERE

Download the .m4a HERE

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Post-rapture podcast

We're still here. We weren't raptured, ruptured, or raptor'd. Macho Man Randy Savage is dead. With that knowledge, we are faced with having to ask if this is a world that we still want to live in.

Anyhoo, this podcast marks the 14th week of our continuing Hitchhiker's Guide radio drama installments.

Download the .m4a



Stay tuned next week for some more crazy shit since we're not dead.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Pre-rapture podcast.

This marks our final Pre-rapture podcast. Thats right folks, get your duct tape and bottled water now! Armageddon it!
But really, we don't put much faith in Harold Camping and his predictions. Just, uhhh, sit back and let the rapture not enfold you.


This show featured the 14th installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide series. Following that was our t-shirt giveaway from Miles To Go Clothing. One of our faithful listeners, Jon From Ann Arbor, called in with the correct answer to our trivia question and won the shirt. Jealous, much?
The music was pretty damn good, as well. Highlights include El Chombo, Steve Mason, and Professor Elemental.


So, here is the 5-18-11 show. Download the m4a.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Look at us networking and stuff like real adults.

If you haven't seen the facebook page update, listen up:

We are doing a giveaway during tomorrow's show. Giving away what exactly? Well, glad you asked!

Greg, the super-awesome dude that runs the clothing company Miles To Go has offered to give a t-shirt to a listener. Miles To Go features designs inspired from literature and the artwork is printed on American Apparel blanks. This means its a quality shirt that won't fade and feels comfortable from day one. I prefer AA-printed shirts because they are long enough to cover my (apparently abnormally tall) torso without exposing my butt-crack and belly button to the random passerby. But thats just me.

So; if you listen to the show tommorow you'll have a chance to win. You can browse the site and pick your design. We will coordinate with Greg and he will send you the shirt. Simple. As. That.

Miles To Go also has a facebook page that Greg updates quite frequently with new designs, limited editions, and sales. Clicking "like" wouldn't be too much to ask since Greg has been gracious enough to offer this, right?

We're looking forward to hooking up one of our fans! You could be the one!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

A surly yankee who hates musicals attends a musical.

As promised; my eagerly anticipated review of Monty Python's Spamalot.

The Monty Python group are renown amongst British-humor aficionados world over. Thick-spectacle-bedecked youths everywhere dedicate themselves to rote line-memorization and awkward referential snark. There are even fossils and stars named after the original cast members, fer chrissake. In addition to the TV series, movies, and books, the group has crossed over into the world of the Broadway theater and do their best to push the theater into their surreal, absurdist world. The musical comedy Spamalot is a rendition of the 1975 classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I don't want to spoil too much for the uninitiated, so suffice it to say that both the movie and stage production are essentially about the Knights of the Round Table on a quest to find the Holy Grail. King Arthur, Sir Robin, Galahad, and Lancelot all make appearances in addition to the movie staples such as the Knights Who Say Ni, the Black Knight, Taunting Frenchmen and the Swamp Castle crew. Genuinely funny things happen, dick-and-fart jokes are made, and everyone has an uproarious time. For what its worth, your humble author thinks that most classic British comedy is far and beyond superior to the current schlock of comedy movies.

This is a musical, so I expected some gay-old-time song-and-dance. I sorely underestimated their dedication to the craft. There are a lot of song and dance numbers. You may not understand me here; there are A. LOT. OF. SONGS. The original movie classics are all included in addition to a plethora new numbers. This may or may not sound enticing.

The stage version is obviously designed to appeal to a current audience; pop-culture references are numerous. Jokes are made at the expense of drug-addled divas, homosexuals, Jews, and Finland. Fear not however; irony is heavy and tongue is firmly planted in cheek. In addition, over the course of act I and throughout act II, the production and cast become aware of themselves and the audience, creating a metafictional theater situation. Many of the song numbers include musical allusions and subsequent mocking of other successful theater productions. Knees were slapped and chortles were uttered. A note for you daring types: sit in an aisle seat on the first floor and you may be subjected to a moment of audience participation.

Now comes the time to get down to the critical brass tacks: choreography and acting quality surpassed my (rather nonexistent) expectations. A standout was Caroline Bowman, the actress portraying The Lady Of The Lake. Her singing abilities were amazing. No hyperbole. Sound quality was excellent but perhaps I am a bit naive to theater sound expectations; my ears have been repeatedly raped by various metal acts. All lyrics were understandable and crystal clear. The stage-sets were faithful to the designs of the movie, all the way down to their intentional flaws. In fact, the only critical grenade I can lob is at Miller Auditorium for their seating. The seats are pretty awful, even for my slender buttocked frame.

Confession time; I am not the world's largest Monty Python fan and I am most definitely NOT a musical theater kind of gentleman. Despite involvement with the high school drama team and my family's well-meaning patronage of the playhouse on several occasions throughout my childhood, the theater just isn't for me. Musicals in particular. Did Spamalot's wily charm convert me into a season ticket holder? Well, no. But thanks to a generous friend with an extra ticket I was able to give it a try. I left Miller after having a genuinely good time due to the quality of the cast and humor. I highly doubt I would have been able to say the same had the show been one of the many interminable musicals that have graced the stage at Miller in the past.

The Kalamazoo dates have all concluded, but Monty Python's Spamalot is playing several nearby dates if you're interested in attending.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Here are those shows I've neglected to upload for so long.

We're sitting here in the WIDR studio podcrafting the shows and watching the excellent Star Wars Episode II review from Red Letter Media. While we're here I took the opportunity to upload those podcasts I've been too lazy to upload earlier.


Here is the .m4a for the 4-13-11 show. Clicky.

Here is the .m4a for the 4-20-11 show. Clicky.

Sorry for the delay.

Beat that guy with a pipe wrench!

Another show completed. We apologize for the new FCC announcements at the start and ending of every show but I suspect it will be necessary for the foreseeable future.

Here is the link to the archive.org page with the playlist: Clicky
Here is the .m4a for the show. Clicky

(If your web browser is advanced enough, it can stream the .m4a through quicktime or some such similar thingamajig)


A friend of the show graciously offered a spare ticket to Monty Python's Spamalot coming to Miller Auditorium later on today. Stay tuned for Harvey's review of Spamalot.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Now you know our flow...

Here is the .m4a for the show on 5-4-11. Enjoy, Y'all.

DOWNLOAD HERE

We discovered an amazing cache of music at the studio stored in one of the computers. We plan on raiding said cache next week. Stay tuned in the future for selections gleaned from this discovery.