Relistening to the back catalog

[Curt]

I've been working my way through the back catalog for about 10 months starting from show 1. Just got to show 758 and it's really interesting to see the change in the show over time. Anyone else doing this?

Some observations.

-If Keith hates or believes something he eventually goes against that belief in one way or another, ie; having a forums, hating Brother Love, dating a child, long distance relationships, iphones, loves Macs over PCs etc...
-Some show personalities seem to be inadvertantly introduced, Newsy, JessNYC, Rellek. The name shows up and then they evolve into an integral part of the show.
-Best guests to this day are still Patrice, Adam Brown goes to town, Matt B (controversial I know).
-Least favorite Spooky.
-Seems a bit weird but waiting for episode 900 with Lauren. I already know the end game so picking up the little things between here and there will be interesting.
-Keiths Justice, still a fucking retarded idea.

Great reason to get the VIP. I didn't regret it one bit.

Any thoughts?

[Jo_Culprit]

I have a particular fondness for the 700s and 800s. There was more of a bubbly energetic chemistry between Keith and Chemda mixed with them mastering podcast quality.

Around the 900s I enjoyed the show a lot less and felt that Chemda came across very bitter alot of times and the shows wouldn't gather as much positive energy momentum.

Before the break up was announced I think Chemda mistakenly came across as a bad guy a bit when her and Keith were still pretending to be together and she was dating Lauren. All the listener heard was Chemda and Keith say how it was just a side thing and people in relationships should be able to see other people if they discussed it. I think it definately came across that Chemda was very emotionally invested in Lauren and not just physically, which made it seem like she was fooling herself and being insincere with Keith, especially since Keith's dating adventures were never mentioned.

After the break up was announced and the relationship with Lauren was out in the open I think Chemda became a lot more entertaining and less stiffled.

Around the late 1100s, 1200s and early 1300s there seemed to be twenty thousand first time guests appearing on the show and I found myself longing to hear more from regulars.

[poingjam]

It's fun to look at how the show has changed, and how the people involved have changed. Enough time has passed and enough has happened that everyone is at different places in their lives, for better or worse.

When KATG was small it had far less structure, and the lives of the hosts were on full display, because why have rules or boundaries when the show was just a fun side gig and clowning paid the rent? Keith and Chemda were brand new to us. They could fill hundreds of shows just telling stories about themselves. Their friends came on the show and local fans quickly turned into recurring guests. Nobody was losing friends or looking after a business. These were the Blind Justice days.

It got huge quickly, and for a while there was an emphasis on the show's significance in the world of podcasting. Remember when they compared themselves to other shows, when they got into skirmishes with Adam Curry and any Podshow-signed hosts who dared to step on their toes? It was also the era of the celebrity call-in interviews. C.C. DeVille, Greg Giraldo, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Jani Lane, probably more. Patrice and Brother Love held court as Lady and Lord of the guest roster. Keith and Chemda were raising the bar for podcasting, the show started to become their job, and there was hope and promise everywhere you looked. It was Suck A Dick Wednesday and everybody had a shirt.

Then there was Max Darwin and his unsavory brand of magic, and there was Andrea with her broken couch, and Charlie's life stopped being funny and started getting scary. It was implied that Spooky's relationship started falling apart because of his involvement with the show. 20th Century Fox sued Keith. The fanbase got big enough to develop cliques and offshoots, and the weird little hater group of anti-fans emerged. Soccergirl threw down the gauntlet. DJ Quad lost his power animal. Deuce went from fun crazy to uh oh crazy.

Around this time, KATG started to show its first signs as a hub of New York comedy. Local comics and performers such as Jesse Joyce, Ray DeVito, Pat Dixon, Christian Finnegan, Mike Mattera, Bobby Mitchell, F-MOS, and Peyton Clarkson started to become recurring guests. Some were old friends of Keith or Chemda, and some, particularly Victor Varnado and Liam McEneaney, had been coming on the show since the very early days, but it wasn't long until the majority of guests were identified by what they could do rather than a prior association with the hosts.

And then, as the world lost its shit and the economy went on sabbatical, Keith and Chemda broke up. We didn't know, of course. They had just gotten fake married, and they had a relationship book on the way. But something changed. The day-to-day frustrations got bigger. The hosts' personal lives faded from conversation. The optimism of the early hundreds was gone.

Podcasting had changed too. NPR saw a cheap way to distribute content and flooded the market. Ricky Gervais and Kevin Smith were the new big names in podcasting, and they brought their fans with them. Podshow became Mevio in hopes that investors would confuse them for a social networking website. Giants were wading into the waters of podcasting, pouring themselves into it until there was an ocean, and the innovators who created it from nothing were forced to sink or swim. Most sank. Some swam to shore and never returned.

KATG dove. The mainstream surface was too crowded, too loud for KATG to be heard over the cacophony of big-name marketing on the surface. Keith and Chemda didn't try to match their competition with celebrity guests or costly advertising. The focus on New York comedy increased, continuing the trend of bringing attention to the new and the unknown, forming a network of passionate, talented entertainers who all swam just below the surface.

The community grew with new guests: Ben Lerman, John F. O'Donnell, Myka Fox, Micah Sherman, Carmen Lynch, Myq Kaplan, Jessica Delfino, Mike Lawrence, and Diane O'Debra. They shared their lives when Keith and Chemda couldn't speak openly of their own. The careers of guests and hosts alike became interconnected as the fans of each were introduced to the others.

The show even maintained a connection to the surface with bigger names in comedy such as Ted Alexandro, Marc Maron, and Doug Stanhope. And the introduction of Lauren Hennessy saw the first light of happiness in the personal lives of the hosts again. Of course, some listeners reacted badly to Lauren, but they can all go fuck themselves.

With the first appearance of Faceboy and Reverend Jen, listeners caught a glimpse of KATG's origins and the underground entertainment scene of New York. I was especially affected (yep, switching to first person) by the stories of Surf Reality and the right to perform advocated by the two Art Stars, and I credit Faceboy and the legend of his open mic as one of the main reasons I moved to New York.

Keith and The Girl offered a chance for performers to discuss their art and the crap that comes with it. Nowhere else could they offer up their jokes, their views on comedy, and the details of their lives that made them who they were, all in an uncensored, no-bullshit environment. And as the show solidified its appeal to new and returning guests, it kept hold of and continued to expand its fanbase. We were captivated by the growing community of such talented, honest, fascinating people. The chance to learn so much about a person and see them perform was something we hadn't encountered in any other form of entertainment. KATG listeners flocked to live performances of touring comics and musicians who had appeared on the show, and the cycle of interdependence continued.

A year and a half passed. Keith and Chemda announced their breakup. Suicide rates across the world increased by 800%. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. But the storm calmed and the listeners got over themselves, and the show warmed up as the hosts began to share more of their lives again. Internet relationships were officially legitimized as Keith shared the tales of his Skype dates with Cat. A new studio was christened. Even newer guests showed up who I can't be bothered to look up because it's 4 AM. Danny Lobell happened. The KATG Roast ended even more friendships. Chemda started What's My Name so we can all schedule our crying for Wednesdays.

Today, Keith and The Girl is much the same as it was in the last paragraph. Glorious things have happened, are happening, and will happen, and some other really interesting point that ties all of this together to make a riveting conclusion. And you should read this last part slowly because it seems wiser and more important that way. But filler filler need a word: clever last line that makes you think. That makes you think.

[Shooter McGavin]

Originally Posted by Curt

I've been working my way through the back catalog for about 10 months starting from show 1. Just got to show 758 and it's really interesting to see the change in the show over time. Anyone else doing this?


-Seems a bit weird but waiting for episode 900 with Lauren. I already know the end game so picking up the little things between here and there will be interesting.

Great reason to get the VIP. I didn't regret it one bit.

Any thoughts?

I started at show 1 too. I caught up just over 2 years ago.

I don't have the really old shows anymore (will sign up for VIP when I go back to work) but one thing I remember from show 900 is Lauren saying she had a girlfriend called Desiree.
Probably stating the obvious here but Desiree was one of Chemda's pseudonyms.

[poingjam]

Oh wow, that's clever. I never noticed that.

[Shooter McGavin]

Thanks, I did wonder that no one had picked up on it.
It's such an unusual name and all.
Nice summary by the way, really refreshed my memory.
I have a more Karl Pilkington style of information regurgitation unfortunately.

[Tech007]

Originally Posted by poingjam

We were captivated by the growing community of such talented, honest, fascinating people.

Crazy cool post. Brilliant summary of the past five years(!?!) on so many levels. Thanks for sharing. <bows deeply>

[89vision]

Originally Posted by poingjam

It's fun to look at how the show has changed, and how the people involved have changed....

Wow... amazing post. Brought back some awesome show memories that I had completely forgotten about. Is Soccergirl still around? I remember in the early days of podcasting her show was one of the "best" there was, and boy was it fucking awful.

[dannyhatch]

Originally Posted by poingjam

It's fun to look at how the show has changed, and how the people involved have changed. Enough time has passed and enough has happened that everyone is at different places in their lives, for better or worse.

When KATG was small it had far less structure, and the lives of the hosts were on full display, because why have rules or boundaries when the show was just a fun side gig and clowning paid the rent? Keith and Chemda were brand new to us. They could fill hundreds of shows just telling stories about themselves. Their friends came on the show and local fans quickly turned into recurring guests. Nobody was losing friends or looking after a business. These were the Blind Justice days.

It got huge quickly, and for a while there was an emphasis on the show's significance in the world of podcasting. Remember when they compared themselves to other shows, when they got into skirmishes with Adam Curry and any Podshow-signed hosts who dared to step on their toes? It was also the era of the celebrity call-in interviews. C.C. DeVille, Greg Giraldo, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Jani Lane, probably more. Patrice and Brother Love held court as Lady and Lord of the guest roster. Keith and Chemda were raising the bar for podcasting, the show started to become their job, and there was hope and promise everywhere you looked. It was Suck A Dick Wednesday and everybody had a shirt.

Then there was Max Darwin and his unsavory brand of magic, and there was Andrea with her broken couch, and Charlie's life stopped being funny and started getting scary. It was implied that Spooky's relationship started falling apart because of his involvement with the show. 20th Century Fox sued Keith. The fanbase got big enough to develop cliques and offshoots, and the weird little hater group of anti-fans emerged. Soccergirl threw down the gauntlet. DJ Quad lost his power animal. Deuce went from fun crazy to uh oh crazy.

Around this time, KATG started to show its first signs as a hub of New York comedy. Local comics and performers such as Jesse Joyce, Ray DeVito, Pat Dixon, Christian Finnegan, Mike Mattera, Bobby Mitchell, F-MOS, and Peyton Clarkson started to become recurring guests. Some were old friends of Keith or Chemda, and some, particularly Victor Varnado and Liam McEneaney, had been coming on the show since the very early days, but it wasn't long until the majority of guests were identified by what they could do rather than a prior association with the hosts.

And then, as the world lost its shit and the economy went on sabbatical, Keith and Chemda broke up. We didn't know, of course. They had just gotten fake married, and they had a relationship book on the way. But something changed. The day-to-day frustrations got bigger. The hosts' personal lives faded from conversation. The optimism of the early hundreds was gone.

Podcasting had changed too. NPR saw a cheap way to distribute content and flooded the market. Ricky Gervais and Kevin Smith were the new big names in podcasting, and they brought their fans with them. Podshow became Mevio in hopes that investors would confuse them for a social networking website. Giants were wading into the waters of podcasting, pouring themselves into it until there was an ocean, and the innovators who created it from nothing were forced to sink or swim. Most sank. Some swam to shore and never returned.

KATG dove. The mainstream surface was too crowded, too loud for KATG to be heard over the cacophony of big-name marketing on the surface. Keith and Chemda didn't try to match their competition with celebrity guests or costly advertising. The focus on New York comedy increased, continuing the trend of bringing attention to the new and the unknown, forming a network of passionate, talented entertainers who all swam just below the surface.

The community grew with new guests: Ben Lerman, John F. O'Donnell, Myka Fox, Micah Sherman, Carmen Lynch, Myq Kaplan, Jessica Delfino, Mike Lawrence, and Diane O'Debra. They shared their lives when Keith and Chemda couldn't speak openly of their own. The careers of guests and hosts alike became interconnected as the fans of each were introduced to the others.

The show even maintained a connection to the surface with bigger names in comedy such as Ted Alexandro, Marc Maron, and Doug Stanhope. And the introduction of Lauren Hennessy saw the first light of happiness in the personal lives of the hosts again. Of course, some listeners reacted badly to Lauren, but they can all go fuck themselves.

With the first appearance of Faceboy and Reverend Jen, listeners caught a glimpse of KATG's origins and the underground entertainment scene of New York. I was especially affected (yep, switching to first person) by the stories of Surf Reality and the right to perform advocated by the two Art Stars, and I credit Faceboy and the legend of his open mic as one of the main reasons I moved to New York.

Keith and The Girl offered a chance for performers to discuss their art and the crap that comes with it. Nowhere else could they offer up their jokes, their views on comedy, and the details of their lives that made them who they were, all in an uncensored, no-bullshit environment. And as the show solidified its appeal to new and returning guests, it kept hold of and continued to expand its fanbase. We were captivated by the growing community of such talented, honest, fascinating people. The chance to learn so much about a person and see them perform was something we hadn't encountered in any other form of entertainment. KATG listeners flocked to live performances of touring comics and musicians who had appeared on the show, and the cycle of interdependence continued.

A year and a half passed. Keith and Chemda announced their breakup. Suicide rates across the world increased by 800%. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. But the storm calmed and the listeners got over themselves, and the show warmed up as the hosts began to share more of their lives again. Internet relationships were officially legitimized as Keith shared the tales of his Skype dates with Cat. A new studio was christened. Even newer guests showed up who I can't be bothered to look up because it's 4 AM. Danny Lobell happened. The KATG Roast ended even more friendships. Chemda started What's My Name so we can all schedule our crying for Wednesdays.

Today, Keith and The Girl is much the same as it was in the last paragraph. Glorious things have happened, are happening, and will happen, and some other really interesting point that ties all of this together to make a riveting conclusion. And you should read this last part slowly because it seems wiser and more important that way. But filler filler need a word: clever last line that makes you think. That makes you think.

Lucas, that was fucking awesome, so much fun to read and revisit KATG's surprisingly storied history. Refresh my memory, though...what friendships were ended by the Roast?

[bofadeeznizzles]

Originally Posted by poingjam

Today, Keith and The Girl is much the same as it was in the last paragraph. Glorious things have happened, are happening, and will happen, and some other really interesting point that ties all of this together to make a riveting conclusion. And you should read this last part slowly because it seems wiser and more important that way. But filler filler need a word: clever last line that makes you think. That makes you think.

Well fuck me with your step-sister you have a flare for comedy as well as narration, sir! I'm going to actually introduce the phrase "filler filler need a word" into my vernacular.