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I listened to the first episode on the EP. It was okay. A lot of gratuitous swearing that was kind of distracting. Not much "analysis" of the songs per se, and letting the Double Suicide version of Highway Girl run its full length was a lot of filler for a 30-35 minute episode.
I realize that was first show and the EP is kinda a dumpy place to start, but it failed to hook me. Started listening to the Up to Here episode but wandered away about 10 minutes in. Sounds like you think its worth giving it another go though, so I might.
Thanks,
Chris
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Listened to the first episode as well and my reaction was the same. There were no interesting insights or analysis. They spent a good chunk of the podcast placing the Hip's EP within the cultural context of 1987 by listing off dozens of albums that came out that same year. Does it get better in future episodes?
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After reading this thread, I downloaded the latest episode for my drive home today. I got through half of the M@W and thought was pretty darn good! A solid balance of form and content. Some interesting insights on the songs. I'll listen to the rest tomorrow...then likely work my way backwards all the way to the EP.
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Fully aware that the two hosts might be members/lurking here, so kudos first and foremost for taking the time and effort to put together a Tragically Hip podcast when there's certainly a need for one. These two have great chemistry, feed well off of each other's cues and clearly have an incredible amount of love for the band.
That said, I found most of this unlistenable. I started with the Phantom Power podcast as it's a great record and I wanted to see how it sounded once they'd had some time to gel. The podcast was almost entirely void of any critical analysis of Downie's lyrics, any insight into the recording/writing process or any impact of these songs on greater pop culture. Instead, the constant repeating of lyrics, followed up by calls of how "fuckin' great" his lyrics are, ended up just sounding like a conversation you'd hear at 2 AM at the back of the bar. We've all heard the lyrics, and so many Hip fans have studied them. I didn't feel like anything was added to the conversation here.
It took 15 minutes from the start of the podcast for the two of them to actually start discussing the album, and then it was all just gushing about Downie without any mention of the other band members. The Never-Ending Present presented something of a window into the band's career and any other looks at the band's career should do the same. Now is the time to start looking at this band's legacy, and this podcast doesn't do that legacy justice.
Again, good on these guys for going for it though. They put together the podcast when so many others, myself included, have wanted to but never actually done so. Here's hoping they inspire others to dig a little deeper into the band's rich history instead of just (barely) scratching the surface.
Escape Is At Hand-Tales of a Boy and a Band due June 2013 from Eternal Cavalier Press
http://eternalcavalierpress.com
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^ I have only listened to the M@W episode (finished it on the drive to work today) and there is definitely some thoughtful insights into the lyrics and music there. They had a musician as their guest so perhaps that kicked their analysis up a notch. A highly enjoyable listen this one.
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I have just started listening and I started with Coke Machine Glow (about half way through)
I think my biggest criticism is just that they are very big music fans and seem to be knowledgeable but I do not see that they are huge Hip fans, just music fans doing a podcast on The Hip.
I am rather enjoying the CMG episode and they are actually huge fans of this album, understandably.
This is my first episode so maybe they found their way on have gotten better than earlier issues stated above.
And some of the discussion is rather enlightening and I even learned something about Emperor Penguin from them that actually makes total sense now (even though they are probably totally wrong
*Edit
And I just listened to the last half of it and got disappointed......it's like they got bored and just said fu
.ck it
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
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Listened to a few more episodes since I first posted this. The quality seems to be hit and miss with these guys the more you listen. I liked the FC, PP and M@W episodes though, and I appreciate their effort.
Haven't listened to the CMG episode yet.
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I am jumping through these slowly and randomly, but I am really starting to enjoy them.
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
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Another podcast has popped up called The Cast of the Unplucked Gems. I've listened to an episode so far, they seem to follow the album by album approach but each guest focuses on a single song. This podcast seems to be a bit more technical and focus on lyrics and meanings - so it's complimentary to the Fully & Completely podcast.
I find that even when I catch things in either podcast that is slightly incorrect or a different interpretation than mine or the collective hipbase, it is still awesome to be able to throw these on and listen to someone passionately talk about the band for over an hour.
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Hey guys, just came to post about our new podcast project and am really pleased to hear that it has been found! Thanks for the listen Kieffer. Any feedback you have is welcome. Give it a listen and let us know what you think!
It can be found on iTunes, Stitcher or at our website: hipcast.meeterroom.ca
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I did not listen yet, but Paul is interviewed on the latest episode.
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
