Red Mosquito

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

tragabigzanda wrote:

dimejinky99 wrote:I wanna listen to S town again.


I’ve never delved into serial. Should I start from that start?

i'd say do S1. S2 kind of sucks, and S3 is really good but might be less interesting if you're less familiar with the US court system

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

tragabigzanda wrote:S1 presents a very interesting murder case. Lots of stuff to ponder over and debate.

S2 is a snoozer of a story that warranted 1-2 episodes, but not a full season.

S3 is sort of like The Wire in real life. Lots of different cases of varying shapes and sizes, and a great look into the Cleveland justice system.

The host, Sarah Koenig, can be pretty annoying sometimes, and at best she's totally benign. Not a personality i'd call likeable or unlikeable, just sort of there with some occasional annoying tendencies.

tragabigzanda wrote:S1 presents a very interesting murder case. Lots of stuff to ponder over and debate.

S2 is a snoozer of a story that warranted 1-2 episodes, but not a full season.

S3 is sort of like The Wire in real life. Lots of different cases of varying shapes and sizes, and a great look into the Cleveland justice system.

The host, Sarah Koenig, can be pretty annoying sometimes, and at best she's totally benign. Not a personality i'd call likeable or unlikeable, just sort of there with some occasional annoying tendencies.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

tragabigzanda wrote:well to be fair, it seems like the only stuff we disagree on is Koenig and S2

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

tragabigzanda wrote:

durdencommatyler wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:well to be fair, it seems like the only stuff we disagree on is Koenig and S2

YOU DON'T LIKE S1 OR S3 ENOUGH

I LOVE THEM BOTH (just not Koenig)

LetMeSleep wrote:All three seasons are outstanding. Even to a foreigner.

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

tragabigzanda wrote:We just got to the Serial S3 episode about the guy who shoots the younger guy after their confrontation on a bus. Awesome bit of radio, this one.

durdencommatyler wrote:

tragabigzanda wrote:S1 presents a very interesting murder case. Lots of stuff to ponder over and debate.

S2 is a snoozer of a story that warranted 1-2 episodes, but not a full season.

S3 is sort of like The Wire in real life. Lots of different cases of varying shapes and sizes, and a great look into the Cleveland justice system.

The host, Sarah Koenig, can be pretty annoying sometimes, and at best she's totally benign. Not a personality i'd call likeable or unlikeable, just sort of there with some occasional annoying tendencies.

These Serial takes are wonky af.

Sarah Koenig is amazing. Here voice, her writing, her presentation and personal touch are everything. Serial without Sarah Koenig is literally nothing.

S1 is absolutely outstanding. It is a must listen. So much about what makes Podcasting great today belongs to Serial. Whole genres exist and thrive because of what this game-changing podcast gave us in S1. It is the standard-bearer.

S2 is a completely different animal, and I agree that it's far less engaging than either S1 or S3. But there's a ton of value in it, especially as it progresses. Once the pod stops being exclusively about Bergdahl and becomes about the military and government at large, it becomes vastly more interesting and important. It could have been a shorter season, sure but it required it's zoom out/pull back structure and it was all the better for it. No way would this have been anything worthwhile had it been 2 episodes.

S3 is going to (rightly) win them all of the awards again. S3 is probably my personal favorite season and it's a grand slam. Though, I agree, it may not be as interesting to someone outside of the US. But it is captivating, infuriating, heartbreaking, and all around intoxicating storytelling by Sarah Koenig, who I wish could write and record every single pod I listen to.

I adored S Town but it wouldn't even be a thing without Serial. It owes so much to that pod and I wish Sarah had written/told that story. But if you like S-Town, dime, I imagine you'll also really dig Serial S1. Beyond that, it's harder to tell how you might react. I could see you really disliking S2 (like Trag) and not giving a shit about S3 but still finding it entertaining from time to time. But the whole thing, while using the US Criminal Justice System as backdrop, is really about race relations in the US. I'm not sure how tapped in to that you'll be.

tragabigzanda wrote:S1 presents a very interesting murder case. Lots of stuff to ponder over and debate.

S2 is a snoozer of a story that warranted 1-2 episodes, but not a full season.

S3 is sort of like The Wire in real life. Lots of different cases of varying shapes and sizes, and a great look into the Cleveland justice system.

The host, Sarah Koenig, can be pretty annoying sometimes, and at best she's totally benign. Not a personality i'd call likeable or unlikeable, just sort of there with some occasional annoying tendencies.