May 25th, 2006
Vox Monitor #85 - Podcast Review of Variant Frequencies
Posted by
admin in
Podcast Reviews
Reviewed in this episode:
Variant Frequencies
Genre:
Science Fiction
Duration of show:
13 minutes and change
Themes discussed in this episode:
- Hello
- Description/intro from variant frequencies
- Monologues - concept of the show
- The writer and the reader
- Short summation of our feelings
- Clip
- What elements can we review?
- The concept’s fine.
- Sci-fi lingo
- Very professional, clean writing
- But heavy handed
- Clip
- Narrator of the audio vs. narrator of the fiction
- Song: Vacation by matt.
- Reasons are hard to explain
- The audio narrator ought not be blamed here.
- Piano Loop music
- Clip thereof follows
- The platonic form of this show is still…
- Professionally done
- Old PGL audio of Eric demonstrated kind of writing he dislikes.
- 6.28 over Pi
- Tags: Podcast, Reviews, Art, Criticism, Podcasting
Numerical Score:
2 out of 5
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on May 27th, 2006 at 2:44 pm
All the subjective comments aside, get a fact checker or actually research the podcast you’re reviewing. Variant Frequencies isn’t strictly a sci-fi podcast, none of the Monologues are written by Anne Stringer, the premise isn’t how you described it, and they’re not written or presented as complete, self-contained stories.
On a much lesser note, Ann Landers is dead, and even if she wasn’t that joke still would’ve bombed.
And for god’s sake, guys, lay off the chiba and Pabst Blue Ribbon before you sit down to record. You sound like you’re at a midnight showing of Eraserhead.
on May 27th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
I can totally understand how difficult it must be to hear such a harsh review. I mean, we’re talking about your art - your baby - and we really we’ren’t pulling any punches.
Believe me when I say we don’t get off at all on doing harsh reviews. We much prefer making friends than enemies.
But ultimately, we have to call them like we honestly see them. And I’d suggest that it’s possible that there were some helpful, albeit uncomfortable, truths contained in there. I mean, every artist can always learn more, so even if you feel convinced that your show is fantastic, it might be worth your time to listen to the review again in a week or two, when you’re feeling less emotionally invested, and see if you can find any criticisms that be helpful to you.
Thanks,
eric
on May 28th, 2006 at 2:51 am
A long time ago, VoxMonitor produced a truly harsh review of the SoccerGirl Podcast. I listened to it at Cohry’s house, and later as Eric I were in the car together I commented on thair review. He was impressed by the objectivity of my comments and he suggested that we record some audio in ombudsman fashion - in which I would repeat those comments for the VM audience. Unfortunately, and as usual, I was incapable of repeating my inspired insights on tape, and so the loyal VoxMonitor audience never heard them. Now, however, I am at home and in a comfortable situation – and I feel that I can take on the ombudsman role for the moment in text form.
To be clear, I am a personal friend of both Eric and Cohry. Nonetheless, I feel that I am in a position to be objective about this matter. If anyone feels that they need to call that assumption into question please do so, but for the moment I will take it as a given. No one encouraged me to write this. I was casually reading the comments on the VM page and felt compelled to act. So…
Regarding “None of the Monologues are written by Anne Stringer.�
Anne Stringer did not write the reviewed episode. Therefore, the fact that she may or may have not written other episodes is largely irrelevant. But, to indulge the point, Eric says, “Most of them were written by Matt Wallace, but at least two of them were written by Anne Stringer.� You say that Anne Stringer wrote none of them. I am inclined to believe you over Eric on this point since you seem to be intimately involved with this show. But again, her alleged authorship is more or less irrelevant.
Regarding “They’re not written or presented as complete, self-contained stories.�
Eric reads a description of the show from the Variant Frequencies home page as follows. “Apparently from what it said at the beginning it consists of a series of complete in themselves, from what I can tell…monologues - that are also part of a larger story…�
To say that individual episodes of Variant Frequencies are not presented as self-contained stories is ridiculous. If they are not self-contained, then what are these self-contained bits of audio that I get every now and then with my Variant Frequencies subscription?
Regarding “The premise isn’t how you described it.�
Eric read the premise from the Variant Frequencies home page. (See above quote) If the premise isn’t how he described it, it is certainly not his fault.
Regarding “Variant Frequencies isn’t strictly a sci-fi podcast.�
The story, which is admittedly a larger one, seems to be a bit Sci-Fi, maybe you could call some of it Fantasy…Horror? Maybe at times. My point is that to argue over genre, especially genres as closely linked as these, is really not a factual debate. Opinion rules here. And where opinion rules, the ombudsman gracefully bows out.
on June 20th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Is Vox Monitor a now defunct podcast?
We’re creeping up on a month here without an update. Hope you guys are just on temporary hiatus. Well at least I’ve got a lot of old podcasts to go through!
on July 12th, 2006 at 2:37 am
Hello Vox Monitor, where are you!!!!?? Are you now a defunct podcast?