How to fund a podcast: Step 1

I wanted this to be a "How did this get made: Podcast Edition but it really very quickly became a really, how did this get made?
There are so very few things that you need to form a podcast, it seems.Mainly it is a microphone, a computer and something to say. Podcasts are the HAM radio of the new milinium.  We all have things to say and whether or not you say them may often depend on the platform you have and your will.  If you can read this, you are almost there.
When we thought up this page and the accompanying twitter account (follow us on @thep_c_d__g on twitter or on facebook at The Podcast Drinking Game,) we looked for a gimmick, but then we settled on just saying what we wanted to say.  These are the things that podcasts are about. Many of them are comprised of the same kind of conversations that you overhear people having in bars and so on, but who do you want to listen and why?
The Wheel of Hate and Vitriol
We did some studies (mainly drunken listening to podcasts, but they were somewhat scientific)  The vast majority of podcasts are critical.  They seek to either reinforce a thought that is out there already or refute it.  A lot of people out there do not feel like they are being heard.  How often have you heard yourself yelling at a podcast through your phone or other listening device.  I tend to stop them, fume over what was said, then continue.  The interesting thing is that what tends to top the charts and get the ratings are just people being mad.
There are some people who should not be allowed on the internet.  Can we say that?  Take Patton Oswalt.  I love him to death and he is a brilliant comedian.  Recently, he got involved in a kerfuffle on Twitter about the new Ghostbusters movie.  I can tell already that I am going to hate it.  He said that it should be given a chance and should not be judged by the trailers.  I think the premise overall is problematic, but so be it.
The problem comes in the fact that there are people out there who want to get noticed.  Coming to Patton (we are in my head, on a first name basis) with a logical, sane, and cordial argument will not get you noticed.  Noooooo.... Some douche had to bring up his recently deceased wife.  Was this a horrible thing to do?  YES.  Did it get written about and shift the conversation from the actual thing to these disgusting morons? YES!  Did said morons get what they wanted? YES!
To pull this all together, there are podcasts out there that I hate!  There area uninformed people with squeaky voices who rant on and on and on and on about anything and everything.  Your first goal is to figure out where you on that Wheel of Hate and Vitriol..

Why Hodor is the best written character almost ever: Game of Thrones Spoiler!

Spoiler Alert!!!
That being said, episode 5 season 6 of Game of Thrones is quite possibly the best example of a well written "thing" ever.  Ok, so that may be a little over the top but it was damn good!

From the first time I ever saw Game of Thrones, I was fascinated by Hodor.  For those of you who do not know, he is the character who says nothing but "Hodor" for the duration of the show.  He is considered a big, simple minded, oaf who is assigned to protect and carry (literally) Bran Stark, the Stark child who was paralyzed after falling from the tower after seeing blah, blah, blah...

Hodor conveyed a lot of emotion, understanding, and gravity just by saying "hodor" over and over again, with no other line.  It was like the Smurf thing taken to its ultimate.  Let's think about it, though.  I am horrible to watch anything with because I am all about slipping in and out of the suspension of disbelief.  I admit it.  I will also admit that with everything else going, I nearly forgot Hodor even existed until a few episodes ago when we see Hodor aka Willis as a child hanging around the stables at Winterfell.  As soon as we see him though, I knew.  I knew that we were going to find out why he is called Hodor and why that is all he can say.

I have to say that six years is a long time to wait for the revelation of a gag, but it was worth it.  You never know how complex these things are until you have to write this stuff out, but long story short but they have to flee a cave and because Bran is a time traveling day dreaming douche, Hodor has to hold the door against the evil white walkers who are chasing them,  We assume he dies, holding the door, so that his friends can get away.

So what does this tell us.  Within the story, it tells us that Bran is a dick, #daydreamingdouche  Outside of the story it gives me hope.  In a meta way, we know that since they knew from the very first episode, that that was how Hodor was going to meet his end.  Six or seven years is a long LONG way to go for a gag (another admission, I have never and will probably never read the book and it probably said the whole thing, but...)

Th idea is that people thought about this and knew.  We know that they the writers know what is going to happen.  I was able to put pause on my suspension of disbelief and really think about the trajectory of the show.  It was a sense that I never got with Lost.  It was a sense that I got the opposite of with most movies.  Someone, somewhere, right now knows who is going to take the Iron Throne and that makes me happy,

The Campaign for Better Writing #drunkenrebuttal

30 years from now will we watch any of our favorite movies and feel like they hold up?  I have to say that I doubt it.  Writing is not very good lately...there I said it.   The average movie now is based on a series of events that are set in motion by someone some where doing something that they wouldn't do.  Thus you have a series of events that tumble into place based on silliness and, I believe this silliness needs to be written out.
For  a lot of action movies the goal is how to get the people to do the thing. Look at a movie like Pacific Rim.  We wanted to see a giant robot fight a giant monster.  Forget the fact there is no compelling reason whatsoever for them to do so.  People pointed out that there were remarkable holes in the plot like if you know when the Kaiju are going to arrive why not just have a giant laser cannon posted at the opening of the chasm that kills them as they come out? Still, we wanted to see two giant things punch each other in the middle of the city so we ignore that there is no real reason for them to do so.  The writers did a poor job of attempting to explain why world governments would forego the cheaper simpler and more effective solution in favor of building giant robots.
We see this with a lot of movies.  In any of the Transformer movies, why are they fighting in the middle of major cities?  Why does Godzilla go to San Francisco?  Who cares?  We want to see something big, hit something bigger.
Goodness forbid we try to add a story or some layering to the conflict.  Look at Dawn of Justice versus Captain America: Civil War.  The essential conflict in each story is the same; how does the world deal with the existence of super beings and villains?  How do the heroes themselves deal with being super?  How does the world deal with the destruction they leave in their wake and the lives they save?
Marvel loves its heroes and apparently hates everyone else whereas DC dives headlong into the inner conflict that its heroes feel.  Batman is tortured and jaded with a deep sense of right and wrong and no compunction about doling out justice after years of dealing with The Joker, Penguin, Bane etc.  Superman is dealing with the weight of being the most powerful being in the universe and essentially being seen as A god or THE God.  These are big questions.
Marvel on the other hand, goes the path that favors one of its biggest properties and just Hulks its way through these stories.  These movies ask you to suspend disbelief to a great extent.  In fact they encourage you to throw disbelief out the window...bury it.  We thought when our heroes were brought to life, they would take on a reality that would blow our minds, but when seen outside of the frame of  a 2D panel, they don't make a lot of sense and that should be addressed in the writing.
Thousands of people died in Man of Steel.  Of course Superman should think about that.  He sees himself as the protector of the world and has to look at the idea the deaths he is a part of matter.  He and Zod nearly destroyed a major metropolitan city.  Jobs are lost.  Lives are lost.  In the DC universe, they think about that.
In the Marvel universe, it s narrowed and anchored by personalizing it with one or two interactions.  In Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark is confronted by a woman who has lost a son, the overall plot is driven by a grieving father's desire for revenge.  Just one.
Soldiers return from war having caused death and destruction on a level that people cannot imagine and that is in real life.  In each of these stories, the stakes are much MUCH higher yet, the thoughts about them are much less.  The Marvel universe focuses you on the action and not its consequences.  Let's be honest, I am not asking people to think about whether or not the henchmen have insurance or anything like that but just think about how in the Marvel universe, the extreme has become mundane.  Take a moment to think about the real life ramifications of the existence of Thor.   Religion, as we know it would collapse with the presence of a living god.
In Capt. America:Civil War, Tony Stark evacuates an airport so they can have a fight on the tarmac. How many people would miss connections?  Or could you imagine trying to get insurance to pay out on your car because Scarlet Witch threw it at someone?
In the Marvel universe, 9/11 sized and larger tragedies are happening every day and people barely give them a second thought.  I like that DC is looking at that and at least glancing off of it.  Overall, we need better writing.  Just take a moment to write a better movie and sew those plot holes shut.  It only takes a moment.

Why Batman v. Superman is better than all things Marvel #drunkenrebuttal

Here is the problem with the Marvel Universe.  It is not real.  (I KNOW...Let me finish.)
The difference is that DC has  at least one foot in the real world and NOTHING in the Marvel Universe.

With the Marvel Universe, we are talking about a giant green man, an ACTUAL NORSE GOD, etc. etc.  The worst part is that when you look at the timeline of the whole movie and television franchise, everyone in the world seems basically ok with everything they know and believe to be true falling apart in one fell swoop.

With the Marvel Universe, we realize that we are not alone in the universe, that there are aliens, gods, gamma powered men, and so on.  No one seems very upset about all of that though.  Think about it,  If you lived in a major city, most of which was destroyed by aliens and gods and super people wouldn't you grab the kids and move to Kansas?  In the Marvel Universe everything goes back to normal pretty quickly.

Also, lets look at that scene where Hydra goes after Nick Fury...In DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON D.C.!  No cops, no Army, no Air Force...all about a mile or so from the freakin' White House.
The TV shows don't even really touch on what has happened in any real way.  There are kids running around with Capt. America and Iron Man action figures and constantly showing up at things where the Avengers are.  If I EVER see Capt. America or Iron Man running through the streets I RUN!  The people in this universe stand around take pictures and then the next day...well, they go on about their business.

The DC Universe at least tackles that.  Yes, it is very emo, but that is how the world would be if there were aliens and psychotic clowns running around blowing things up.  The DC Universe has been criticized for being too death oriented but you can't get into a real life incarnation of these things without examining the real life consequences and reactions.

Also DC starts and I hope, keeps addressing the idea of a cohesive world where the heroes exist from movie to movie.  I hope they create viable excuses for Superman not being around to help when Gotham is on the verge of destruction.

There are plenty of reasons why none of the stuff in either of these worlds could not and would not happen. The DC Universe has at least one more toe in reality.

Haters are indeed going to hate...just not yet.

It did not take us long to go negative... Here goes.  First let's say that Cinemasins and the guys over there are our heroes.  I love the way they are able to skewer movies and videos, etc. etc. and do so with a little respect.  Podcasts (and blogs for that matter) are different.  They are the result of mass amateurization.  Anyone can do it!  Anyone can blog and anyone can say whatever they want to about whatever they want....

The PCDG has some bones to pick.  Petty grievances? Perhaps.  Nitpicking?  Sure.  All in good fun well...ok.

We exist on the idea that those who can do those who can't, sit around and whine about those who are doing.  We are liking this because podcasts can be about anything and this gives us a chance to talk about anything that they talk about.  As well, we can talk about the people who are talking about it.

So, that being said cheers and welcome to the player haters ball!

Let's start with some love...
If you could not tell already, we love
Memory Palace
This American Life
My Brother My Brother & Me
Here's The Thing
Doug Loves Movies
Slate Political Gabfest
Never Not Funny
Fitzdog Radio
Radiotolab
The Joe Rogan Experience
Friday Night Comedy

Then there are those that we do not recommend but we will always ask you to decide for yourself!
What are some of your favorites?
Follow us on twitter at @thep_c_d_g 

If I had a nickel for every line I stole from Nate DiMeo

If I had a nickel for every time I stole one of Nate DiMeo's lines from The Memory Palace.  If I could tell you how many times I managed to pull one of the random facts that so effortlessly weaves into his podcast or how deftly he sets the tone and emotion of what he is talking about.  If I had a nickel for just those things...I would probably have a dollar or two.

Nate does what a lot of podcasts do, impart knowledge.  What makes his different is the poetry that he brings to the internet.  The way he has of transporting the listener to the exotic and sometimes not so exotic places he talks about.  The way he takes you to that time, either recent, or long ago.  Listen to the podcast and you feel like you are in that place, in that time.

Nate DiMeo has a pattern, a rhythm. 

 He has a way of speaking that imprints on your brain, and for a little while after listening, you find yourself speaking like him; 

in hushed tones of recollection and reverie... In sentences that seem to trail off and allow you, the listener to complete the thought.

I listened to Episode 72 over and over again just for the line at 2:29 

and Episode 70  just for the line at 1:46.

For The Memory Palace, a destination podcast for me, that comes out every other week, I recommend you listen without a drink...at first.  Then listen again.  The second time do so with a good idea of what you are going to hear again and how much you liked or disliked it.  Think about the content of the story and what he is saying.  The Memory Palace is never beer and is never Tequila.  Because the stories are so varied, we recommend a nice whiskey, smokey and deep, or a vodka, crisp and clean, or a piney gin.  Either of these will fit any story but they must always be neat. 

My Brother My Brother & Me changed my life!

Well, "changed" is a bit strong.  Griffin, Justin, and Travis just make me giggle.  They are really
every thing I like about some podcasts. I love a good throwback joke #100livesofblackjacksavage and I love a rich history that comes from longevity.  I got in on about episode 100 or so and now they have just passed 300.    That is a good thing.  I was able to go back and try to catch up and pick up on some of the jokes (kiss your dad square on the lips.)

 
Drink of choice is...beer of course but, pref. Guinness.  It is definitely not a cocktail show and one could be tempted to go with PBR, but the jokes are not lowbrow enough.

We also recommend a big pile of pizza rolls.

The official rules come up at 6 pm  Monday May 9th and then we are going to start listening at 7 pm EST  Join the fun!

Take a sip when...

Our ride began with Pop Culture Happy Hour.  My roommate and I had the hangout house.  He was a bartender so we always had booze.  I was/am a chef, so I always had food.  We had the big screen tv and the Play Station 3 and the all too massive stereo.  The tradition became that we would all gather and have a few drinks before going out and I would put on a podcast to listen to.  We were new to podcasts then (ahh to be young again!).

That is when we discovered Linda Holmes... Tino was the first to pick it up so I credit him with the discovery.  I will also direct you to him when we talk about blame.  "Genre"  Linda Holmes used the word "genre" a lot.  

Let's be honest about one thing from the start.  EVERYONE has their "thing".  Everyone in the world has their own speech patterns.  I am sure deep in the wilds of the African continent there is someone who speaks a Khoisan dialect that uses too many clicks and is teased by the other Bantu.

Tino had the brilliant idea to break out the whiskey and do a shot every time she said "genre".  I made the mistake of tweeting to her about it and she has since laid off a bit.

We do a lot of work (most of us work on a farm, make of that what you will) but we spend a lot of hours in the sun planting, picking, pulling, etc. and a lot of time listening to podcasts.  We tend to go about our business with our various podcasts downloaded and start at the same time as we go our separate ways across the farm or where ever.  

We got into a rhythm and we hope to talk about some of our favorite podcasts and get to know some new ones.  

Stay tuned!

Oh and standing rule #1 drink whatever you want but be over 21 and drink in moderation.

Standing rule #2, take a shot whenever Paul F Tompkins appears on a podcast!