Radio Free Burrito: Episode Twenty-Six
wil, · Categories: Books, MusicHoly Crap, it’s time for a new episode of Radio Free Burrito!
At long last, the planets align, I have time and ideas, and the GDMF construction next door is quiet.
Show Notes:
- The logo was designed by WWdN:iX reader Marc, who asked that I not link to his “in progress” website. Thanks, Marc!
- Radio Free Burrito doesn’t work as hard to earn its [EXPLICIT] tag as Memories of the Futurecast does, but it still manages to upset mom and get Twitter breakup messages from sensitive people. You have been warned.
- This week’s theme music is from The Legend of Zelda, one of my favorite video games of all time.
- On today’s show, I read two stories from The Happiest Days of Our Lives, currently available from Subterranean Press as a special edition.
- There is also an audio version of The Happiest Days of Our Lives, if you’d like to hear me read even more of it to you.
- Movin’ Right Along was performed by 15-16 Puzzle. If you have some time to check out his musical archives, I believe you will find it worth your while.
- I decided that this episode was brought to you by coffee … specifically the amazing cup of Sumatra that I made using beans that were roasted by my friend Aric. He’s @WayOfCoffee on Twitter, and you can even order your own amazing beans from him at FremontCoffee.net. Did I mention that they’re amazing? They totally are.
- I just realized that I have friends who do awesome things, and I should make them the unofficial “sponsors” of RFB each week, so RFB listeners can discover nifty things. I hope I remember to do that next week.
- When I read Close Your Eyes and Then It’s Past, I played music from Robert Rich as a bed. He has a ton of albums at Magnatune.com; I used music from Calling Down The Sky today.
- Actually, well over 90% of listeners said the audio levels were messed up, and that the music, which I’d hoped would be a nice background bed, was actually way too loud and distracted from my reading. Since this podcast is all about me, I remastered the episode and removed the music.
- Of course, if you didn’t get this episode right when it was released yesterday, you probably won’t notice the difference. Ahhhh … BLISSS!
- This episode is about 69.5MB. Yikes.
- This episode is about 48 minutes long.
- I am aware that the tags are screwed up and the feed doesn’t validate, so unless you’re grabbing RFB from iTunes or getting it directly here, it’s a giant hassle to get it. I am aware of this problem, but it’s a gigantic pain in the ass for me to correct it, given the tools I have available to me. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, and I’m very annoyed by it, but I can make a podcast, or I can be a bug-squashing code monkey. I can’t do both, and I quite frankly prefer making the podcast. Listener Dave K. built a workaround that you can learn all about here. Thanks, Dave!
- Again, no embedded artwork. This distresses me, but it’s Apple’s fault, not mine, and it’s too much of a pain in the ass to get it done. Hopefully, they’ll fix the bug REALLY SOON.
- This is the end of the notes.
Ready? Then put down your kazoo, step away from the punch bowl, and
<
p class=”asset asset-audio at-xid-6a00d8341c59aa53ef0133ecd9bd27970b”>Download Radio Free Burrito Episode 26!
Don’t be a dick Rutger Hauer.
The Sub Press special edition of The Happiest Days of Our Lives is beautiful! I hadn’t read the “non-special” edition before so I don’t have that to compare it to, but I really enjoyed it. My only criticism is I wish it had been a lot longer. Because I read it really fast and didn’t want it to be over. 🙂
So hey, I have a question that has nothing to do with that, and I apologize if it’s been asked before or if you don’t answer this sort of question: what kind of recording equipment/software do you use to record your podcasts?
Because I’m fairly new to listening to RFB, I’ve been going back and listening to them from the beginning. I’ve been burning one or two onto a CD and listening to them in my car. (Yeah, I don’t have an mp3 player yet) I’ve noticed that the sound quality of the current RFBs (like today’s) is much better than the first episodes.
So I was wondering, what kind of microphone do you currently use? How do you record and mix these?
Thanks!
P.S. I hope the GDMF construction ends very, very soon.
“…mud. Mud and silence.” Just immediately made me think of this:
I'm currently using a Snowball Mic from Blue, and Garageband. Back in the early days, I used a USB headset mic that wasn't nearly as good.
No need to worry that your second bit didn’t play right. It worked out just fine.
Also, I appreciate the unintentional parallel between ending on a numbers station track and then immediately launching into a very long list of context-free names.
Excellent RFP, with one tiny exception: the background music during the first Happiest Days story is a little too loud and I had to really concentrate to hear your voice clearly.
I think I need to listen to the Happiest Days audiobook again.
LOL at the thing with Anne. 🙂
The Honda Prelude bit will always make me smile.
You usually put “Share Alike” in your CC license as well.
Who the hell gets a creepy clown doll as a gift… unless you really hate the person you’re giving it too? That clown scares my husband and I to this day!
I don’t know about the silence part, but here’s some info on houses made of mud:
http://tinyurl.com/295qaue
I worried the music wouldn't mix properly. I don't know why, but all the stuff that was supposed to be ducked in Garageband seemed to be coming through a little too loud. I'll try to remaster this episode and see if I can manually pull the level way down on that track.
I agree about book stores/record shops. A few books I’ve “accidently” found have had a profound influence on me. So many cool things would be missing in my life without those happy coincidences.
Thanks for another entertaining WFB! Yay Wil!
While downloading today’s episode in iTunes I checked out Fremont Coffee’s website and I’m thrilled to have a new coffee house to go try a few miles down the road! Thanks for the tip, wading through all the coffee houses in Seattle can be daunting sometimes!
I just wanted to say I absolutely loved this episode of RFB. I’ve been reading your blog and listening to your podcasts for a long time now, and I think this ep is my favorite. The look into your life as a kid and the music you listen to really reminds me of my own childhood. Not necessarily in the things you did, but just the feel of the early 80’s and 90’s. We’re the same age and I know my husband did some of the same kinds of sweetly geeky things. When Tears for Fears came on I was instantly transported back to when I bought my first cassette tape ever (TFF Songs from the Big Chair).
Anyway, enough rambling – I just wanted to thank you for sharing your life again, and for reminding me of my own 80’s memories. You’re a very talented artist and I really emjoy everything you do. 🙂
Oh, and by the way….Poltergeist is one of those movies that never stops being scary as hell!! That one, along with The Shining, I can never watch in the dark. Eeep!
Great show today Wil! I was hypnotized by the Movin’ Right Along song and was surprised to hear you mention a local coffee shop I haven’t heard of (will be making a visit soon). I’m looking forward to future episodes of RFB and your blog posts.
I still go to record stores all the time. I basically refuse to download music, because I’m terrified that it’ll get lost on my computer. So I own all of my music on CD. Its great, but kind of space consuming.
That was only slightly related to anything, so my real comment on your podcast: record stores are still surviving in Seattle and Portland. They’ve had some trouble in recent years (really who hasn’t?) but at least in Seattle remain strong in the belief that they’ll survive. At least, the local, used record stores I frequent. I would hate to see them disappear, same with bookstores, because I’d have no idea how to find new music and books.
Your mental memory wanderings led me to my own as I remember going thru the back gate down to the creek that ran behind our property (in the city). I would occasionally take a fishing pole and catch fish that I never wanted to touch and take off the hook, stand absolutely still as the water moccasins went swimming by and spending oh, so many days of my youth recovering from poison ivy, because I never quite learned to wash up when I came back up to the house…ah, memories. I less than three you, Wil.
Well that just about broke my heart. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you to be thrown in at the deep end at school; I went to public school for my whole childhood and it was horrible enough for me.
This is probably my favourite RFB so far! The stories were wonderful, I loved the music, and I look forward to the next one.
x
Yet another great episode. I enjoyed it a lot as usual. The only nit-pick I might have would be is that, the ambient music behind your reading was too loud and the levels jumped several times. A few too many times it took me out of the story.
Other than that. Good show ol’ chap. Good show.
Am in the middle of RFB. I have stopped in the middle to say Kazoo? WTF?
On a side note.. please ask my 13 week old son to kindly let me eat lunch and listen to RFB.
Thank you.
PS – plleease no background music next time. You voice is melody enough.
Hey, we’re happy you’re doing these things at all and for free so you we have no reason to complain.
However, I don’t seem to be the only one so it might be something to bear in mind in the future (if Garageband lets you).
Thank you again for your RFBs!
After all this time, I still love the “Hipster, Flipsters, and Finger Poppin’ Daddies” intro… please don’t change it!
Also: You forgot “Share-Alike” in your license…
“Houses should be built of mud. Mud and silence.”
You should check these people out: http://www.cobcottage.com/whatis
They wrote a fascinating book on building with cob called “The Hand-Sculpted House” (http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Sculpted-House-Practical-Philosophical-Building/dp/1890132349/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271947368&sr=8-1)
Yes, the audio mixing is off but, IMHO, I’d prefer readings to go without the music. I’m unsure what it is with my musically-inclined brane but I find I’m always context-switching between the text and the harmonies/melodies of the music. That hurts. It’s also hard to focus. If you’re set on musics, maybe little bumpers before and after the readings? I dunno…
Sorry to whinge.
My intent is to not be a dick, but I have to second the comments of @twitter.com/CidMcTab. Your stories were wonderful, but the levels on the Robert Rich background music jumping up and down at pauses during the reading was really distracting. Did you play that music aloud and capture it through your mic or mix it in on a separate track?
I wouldn’t go as far as others who say they don’t want any music accompanying readings, I think the ambient track was interesting and added some value. I just want the music to accompany–not over-power or distract from–your storytelling.
As always, thanks for the free entertainment! Stay awesome 🙂
Ehm.. is it me or do the direct link and iTunes both not work?
Are you cockblocking Europe EWW!? 😉
Thanks for the info–those mics look really nice.
I'm not blocking anything, as far as I know … there are download issues with iTunes, though, but I'm not sure exactly why, or what I can do about them.
Hot damn! New RFB containing a Muppet Movie cover = Happy, happy day for me!
Incidentally, RE: the list of things required for you to do an RFB : #2 (having something interesting to talk about) is not necessary. We’d listen to you talk about whatever shenanigans happen to come to mind at the moment. 🙂
Thanks, Wil. Entertaining as always.
Amy
The updated version is much easier to listen to. Thank you very much!
Smog alerts!! Wow!! I hadn’t thought of those for years. I grew up in Ontario (until I was 10 in 1982)and we would get so mad that we couldn’t go outside and play!! OMG and ON TV!! Thanks Wil, now I feel ancient and decrepit!
As far as Poltergeist, my sister and I had handcrafted clown dolls that someone had made us, they weren’t too menacing, but they were definately scary enough that we buried them in the backyard.
The Anne bumper is indeed full of win. And while I was a little too old to be truly “damaged” by POLTERGEIST, that scene where the guy rips his face off is still pretty cool, as is that extra-creepy under-the-bed monster.
YUP
It is working now. Watched some STNG and that fixed it 😉 Also a restart of iTunes helped. Looking forward to listening it tomorrow on the bike to work. Unlike Cali we don’t have rain here in Europe (except some huges ass ash cloud) but as far as cali is concerned, I hope each monday it will be raining 😛
Oh awesome! I’m expecting a Blue Snowball (or as I like to say “blue ball”) in the mail next week. It will be cool to evaluate your voice recording to see if I made a good choice.
I love that there is a new episode of Radio Free Burrito. It is the best part of my week and I have missed it so much. Although at the same time, I’m very happy that you have been way too busy working to record the Burrito:)
I am never disappointed with the music or the content of your podcasts and this week was no exception. I love that Anne recorded a bumper for you too! That was awesome!
Oh, and I’m glad that you found your recent trip to Canada enjoyable, with the exception of the shopping tag incident. Maybe it will tempt you to come and visit more often…
For your sanity, I hope the constuction ends soon.
Superduperawesome episode, Wil. I highly appreciate it. Especially, the bumper with your wife, very funny…
RE: Poltergeist – My babysitter was watching this movie, and I decided to watch it too, to prove how tough I was. It scared the bejeezus out of me, but I put on a good front… until bedtime. I was sleeping in my brothers’ room at the time, and took the bed near the wall. I didn’t think much about the movie, until the lights were out. See, on the wall near me were *two* closets – and they were both slightly open. If I left them open, something could come out and get me. But if I got up to close them, something could get me as I approached the doors.
In an effort to avoid thinking about the closets, I looked away from the closets towards my corner of the room, where a blanket chest sat. On top of the chest was a plastic coin bank we had gotten for free from a local banking institution. A coin bank that was facing me – IN THE SHAPE OF A CLOWN!
Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night.
On another note, Wil, have you heard of a band called “No More Kings”? On their latest album, “And the Flying Boombox”, they have a track called “Critical Hit”. I thinks it’s a pretty cool song in its own right, but the subject of the song is gaming. For me, it brings back great memories of heading into my friends basement with boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes and 2-liters of store-brand sodas. It made me tear up a little with good memories the first time I heard it – I thought you’d enjoy it.
LOVED the bumper with you & your wife. Next time, preface your arcade request with something equally awesome for her, and you might just get somewhere 😉
Thanks for another Awesome show and reading from your totally Awesome book (which I have read through twice so far) and for being a totally Awesome guy,you know!! Have an Awesome weekend!!
I’ve never had any problems with Itunes and RFB and I’m in the UK. Must have had a wobble.
Hey Wil. Just wanted to leave some feedback to let you know how much I enjoyed this Burrito. Reading the comments above, it seems like I’m not the only one who thinks it’s the best one yet, mainly because of the story about little memories, which really resonated with me. I got the original version of the file with the music up loud and, though I noticed it seemed a little high in the mix, it still massively added to the experience. You should definitely experiment with music in future podcasts. I think it’s worth the extra effort!
Listening to a Radio Free Burrito never fails to cheer me up because you seem like such a genuine guy who loves his life. Thanks for giving me an hour’s distraction, and here’s to number 27.
Sam
xxx
Wil, I could have sworn you included this info in the shownotes but I must be mistaken – what software do you use to record / edit RFB? What mic? I’m getting the itch to make something, and I haven’t done much audio dabbling before.
I use Garageband to mix and edit, and a Snowball mic from Blue.
Will,
Item the first:
Thank you once more for another wonderful RFB. I adored the segment where you reflected on the memories evoked by music. Like many others in these comments, I found it was somewhat difficult to listen to, as I was often overwhelmed by my own connections to those tunes.
Item the second:
Can you take some in the near future to share your thoughts on Monster Slayers (http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4dnd/monsterslayers)? RPGs were a massive part of my childhood and (I’m proud to say) still a part of my adult life. One day I’ll be sharing this love with my children (my daughter is only 8 months so it’ll be awhile) and was curious if you thought this product was a little “early”.
Take care.
w00tstock in Austin? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! I’ve already been bugging Paul & Storm about it.
My friends and I would walk, or ride our bikes, to the canyon near our neighborhood and spend hours indulging in our favorite pastime, throwing rocks. While hiking around, one of us would spot a post, or a tree stump, or anything we thought to be a suitable target for our rock slinging, and would make a competition out of it.
Who can hit it first? Who can hit it the most times? Who can hit it from furthest away?
Thanks for reminding me of this fun memory from my youth.