BellGab.com Archive

I haven't checked into the BellGab in maybe a year. Saw the commentary yesterday so I decided to "tune in" to MiTD. I was surprised!

I really thought that over time Heather / Redacted would have become listenable. I gave it a solid 45min-1hr. I have no clue how this thing is still rolling along with guests. Has to be that she grapefruits everyone. They never get questioned so it's easy PR for whatever stuff they are hocking.

Boy-o-boy.

Art Bell fan here. Just like a sports team or a techno-fanboi, you can be a fan of someone or something and still have serious issues and disagreements with them / it.

First - GeorgeNoorySucks and MV; I don't give a @hit how MV decides to run this board. All boards have trolls. ALL. Over-moderated boards are the ones that end up crippled. Trolls have power because you give them your attention. Since the beginning of BBS's I've repeated wise words I once heard: DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS.

Second - I used to really enjoy Art Bell. The SXM show was only slightly better than Amateur Night w/ Heather Wade. MiTD w/ Art Bell was much, much better while it lasted. But Art's decision making is obviously flawed. His approach to getting into Internet-based radio was hamfisted and antiquated. And now we are left with YAP (Yet Another Podcast).

I'm a simple guy. Online A/V is simple thing to produce these days. Personal politics, problems and judgement are my issues with Art Bell specifically. He was doomed to fail this go-a-round, perceived personal dangers or not. And unfortunately because of his age and station in life, this is pretty much it.

Say what you want about Art Bell. At one point, he was an excellent radio personality. He also has more personal drama that affects his livelihood than any other media personality I've ever known. Actions speak louder than words. He was lucky to do radio where your words are what people get. Now his actions have finally hit home with some folks. And this is the result... disappointment, anger, bewilderment... and unfortunately that will be a great deal of Art Bell's legacy.

1. I am 100% certain AB lurks... just not often.

2. Back-lash is what it is. If you want to avoid it, deal with your business professionally.

It's an internet message board. "Trolling" is part of it all. I think it is hilarious that people still have a problem with it or even dealing with it.

It's interesting that Art re-opened his Facebook page in the last week to attempt to support MiTD as-is. It's what he should have done.

The problem is:
1. The show isn't getting better.
2. Art posting that the show **requires** paying listeners for support.

#1 being pretty disappointing. I just don't see it continuing in it's current level of mild neglect.

#2 being a falsehood as mostother podcasters do not have paying listeners.

I'm pretty much done with the show. We might turn it on if we are working late, but casual listening is 100% over. I turned off my feed recorder as well because there is no sense in  listening to it the day after. Just not a good show.

At one point everyone seemed to be pretty "Pro-Redacted"...

http://bellgab.com/index.php?topic=8369.0

I listened... again... hoping to hear something better. It sounded like her intros and outros from breaks were MUCH better. But like many have said, her guest was an idiot and she was feeding him rather than asking questions that probed even a little deeper than general agreement. And agreeing with an idiot, by proxy, makes the host an idiot.

I've typed it before; The majority of guests are fakes and misguided. All of them are "guests" on "your" show so YOU need to go after them in a challenging yet respectful manner. Otherwise you are a Snorry clone that isn't taking naps in-between dead air.

Quote from: CRM 114 on December 21, 2015, 05:13:59 PM
I am a public figure in my field , and have been one for nearly 30 years and there are some basic guidelines one must follow to remain sane and not damage your career:

1. Never mix your personal life with your public life. EVER.

2. Craft the public persona and be consistent with it always.

3. Never go negative. Problems can always become solutions ...'spin'

4. Realize that the fans come first whenever you are in the public role. No fans. unhappy fans...no career..no money.

5. leave the public persona at the door when you go home.

Art Bell, while being a true artist and genius has consistently violated these rules. It's unfortunate because he is a unique performer unlikely to be matched again.

The great tragedy is he was on the cusp of being a complete Auteur in his field of artistry. Historical, a role model for future entertainment of this type...something not seen since the days of Chaplin or perhaps Kubrick..Wagner.. an iconoclast that took on the system and created one of his own and beat the Man...to me that is the saddest result.

Probably the best post ever on this BBS regarding Art Bell's self-inflicted drama over time. Major props man.

Causality:

**Art returns because of something. Either his ego, or having a calling, or because he saw a market for his content starting with this site.

** Art leaves because of something. Either his ego is bruised by something, or because he has a legit safety issue, or because it's just too much darn work for the profit he makes.

** Fans get p!ssed because of something. Either Art Bell quitting for the 8th time, or getting an amateur replacement, or the whole thing being handled like a g0d-d@mned circus.

** Revolt on both sides because of something. Either fan's feelings were hurt so they lashed out, or Art's ego couldn't handle a little trolling and he lashed out, or Midnight Amateur Hour was like putting gas on a flame.

These things do not happen in a vacuum. Pointing fingers doesn't matter. It's all very, very "Art Bell-ish" though.

Art Bell has had a number of options. I still can't believe he attempted to do a 5-day a week call in show w/ paid download. Probably the hardest thing to do from his facilities regardless of how much money he dumped into things. And he just copied what C2C was doing. The bottom line is that somewhere a long the line Art Bell quit caring about his audience and started doing things for himself first. That's the real issue... not serving your consumer base.

Thee easiest option, and the cheapest one, would have been to do a freakin' pre-recorded podcast once a week. So simple, and so cost effective, so accessible to so many people.

If a live show was absolutely necessary, do one live show a week on YouTube, just like so many other, more popular casters... WHO DON'T CHARGE FOR ANYTHING.

Quality over quantity. Accessibility over exclusivity.

the entire approach to this was what set off red flags in my brain. No way it was happening more than a couple of months.

Didn't think he'd make it till NYE. I don't think Bell made up hearing gun shots. I think he amplified the drama though.

Killing his Facebook page was telling. It was closed to "Friends" only for a while. He could have continued to block trolls. Frankly after setting it to Friends Only, the trolls were pretty much taken care of. Killing the account = hiding from the audience. By hiding from the audience, he can't publicly support Heather or Keith.

The irony is that conspiracy theories seemed to be his last straw. One of his last comments to fans was something about an Asian sex thing was how Heather got the gig... BIZARRE-O!!! Kind of like the stuff Hoagland says on DMR & C2C. That the place that people celebrate all things anti-Snoory is also slagging Heather (assumed to be in poor taste).

Honestly, how could you write a better ending to Art Bell's dramatic on-air career? You can't.

WTF is up with the throat clearing and the grunting in the background? Is Keith Rowland dumping out?

Taking on a syndicated show from the best known night-time talk host... she's doing as well or better than most others who have no experience and are learning as they go. If people are expected brilliance, I'm sorry... this ain't it and it won't be Art Bell. And 100% honest, Art Bell during his two comebacks wasn't always on the ball either. A booming voice helps, but that's just one thing.

I listened for a while last night. I'm sure legacy radio broadcasters love / hate it.
Love: Heather's amateurish voice, meandering, dead air, and drops in confidence during the show.
Hate: That Heather is showing (like so many other podcasters have) that the level of actual talent needed to run a talk show isn't super high once you get some experience.

Give her time. If broadcast is what she really wants to do and is open to working on a few things, she will be solid. Stuff she could change tonight that would make a radical difference:

1. Voice... listen to yourself and develop a mature sounding voice. Do not continue to be Meagan McCain doing C2C. Speak from your chest, puff your hard letters and be confident. No more Valley Girl "yeaaa" or "alllllriiiight!" type stuff.

2. Energy... be excited. A trick: stand and be demonstrative during the broadcast. No one sees it, but it will come through in your voice. You are giving a monologue with a few thousand listeners... act like it in studio.

3. Inquire... your guests are YOUR GUESTS. It's your show and they are on at your pleasure. Ask tough questions and don't gush over them. They are humans just like you. Most folks on those shows are full of crap anyway.


Love & Luck!

Fact / Truth: A lot of much bigger celebrities do media and some how deal with harassment.



Bottom line though is that the show is over so it doesn't matter "why". I think most of us have a pretty good idea why already.

When did it have more than a coma-esque pulse? Not sure there was any value in being part of DMR for the content providers.

Heather isn't Art Bell. Heather isn't a seasoned broadcaster, or at least doesn't act like one on air. Heather did have a very tough interviewee and bad situation on Friday night. Heather is coming in cold to a hot audience with little idea of what to do.

Now, here is the thing: If you don't like her, don't tune in.

Art Bell was never going to broadcast forever or even more more than 6 months continuously. It was never going to happen. Heather has stepped up and is going to try to do... whatever it is she's going to do... for at least 30 days. Hey, if she can pull it together, maybe she's got a show in her. If she can't at least she gave it what she could and got some experience.

Either way, slagging her isn't cool. And feeding FalkieTrolls will just get you trolled again.

I, like many others, had a good idea that this kind of thing would happen. Pretty sure I posted it on here. In fact this is the reason why no local AM stations picked the show up and it was only a small town AM that did. And I'd bet other station managers felt the same way.

The real issue is more a long the lines of what others are saying:
** Pressure from the wife and kids (hey, do the show earlier or pre-record it like everything on NPR).
** Money... not enough? I have a hard time believing MiTD is a loser, but maybe the "Dark Matter Network" is the boat anchor.
** The grind of having to produce four shows a week. It's not easy and Art was getting back into the swing of things.
** Passion; I doubted he had it to product the show more than a few months.

I can tell you this, my wife and family have never pressured me to not pursue an interest / passion / revenue stream. They have always been supportive even if it meant late nights, time away and going to scary places. We talk and make some agreements, and then go for it. So I can't empathize at all if it is a family thing. Not one bit. Maybe I'm just lucky that way, but I don't think I am. I think people that want to do something figure out a way to do it. People that do not want to do something create a way out.

Many of us, either as hobbyists, or those of us that have worked or do work in broadcasting, know that there is more than one way to skin a cat. That a "studio" and really high end codec's are not required. And that a good show can and regularly is done at remote locations with less than idea equipment and services. Some of the best radio content produced today isn't live. It's the on air talent that makes the show work. It's the "want to do" that gets things accomplished.

Sad part is that Art's fan base really stepped up, more than any other radio personality that I can remember. They offered actual help, bandwidth, editing services, equipment, production assistance (which is where Heather came from). And even with all that ACTION (rather than talk), they couldn't keep Art Bell on the air. I feel bad for all. It's an example of the best and worst of "grass-roots" action. Frequently, and in this case, the fans wanted it far more than the host.

The only race I've been to and continue to go to is the Isle Of Man TT every other year. They did start a battery-only class a few years ago. Not even remotely as fast as gas bikes (140mph vs 210mph), but they are really cool. And I'd love to have one.

A 3hr car race, turning left only. I don't even know how it made it on TV let alone gained a following. Got to be the most boring thing since televised golf and baseball.

Guys, I don't think Leo A$$crack or any other competitor is out in Pahrump going all Cartel on Art Bell. Pahrump and Nye County is a pretty loose place. There are gun ranges and training centers scattered about the area. And Art's compound is on the outer limits of the town. Could have been some yokels jerking around with their new AR. Could have been some kids with M80s.

Heck, Frontsight owns a lot of property considered "Pahrump".

I have a Saitek that is pretty old and lights up blue... one of the very few great typing, membrane keyboards: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41S6X78GDRL.jpg

I have the Razer Blackwidow... lights up green and had IBM / UniComp spring buckles... but the keys are too small and close. Not a great typer, but solid for games b/c it will hold a 20-button mash.

UniComp bought IBM's "M" keyboard tech: http://www.pckeyboard.com/

Best two "typing" keyboards I own are:
1. 1994 Dell QuietWriter full-size: http://www.northgate-keyboard-repair.com/DellQuietWriter.jpg
2. 1993 Apple Design Board: http://www.applerescueofdenver.com/wp-content/uploads/apple-design-kybd-A-1.jpg

I'd just buy a USB-> LED light.

Illuminati is the most probable explanation. They have been watching Art for years. Now the invasion begins...

Oh... wait... we need to re-start the PHP services... oh, that's the ticket.

Yes. Most everyone knows this.

"I'll grant you Scarlett Johansson's ass in a tight pair of black lycra pants was a thing to behold"

You will find no argument here! hahaha. I'm probably in the minority, but as far as "Marvel Movies", I liked the Thor movies the best. Can't put my finger on it, but they were the ones I fully enjoyed.

California flies in the face of my concept actually. California has more agriculture production output than some of the Midwestern states. Just southern Cal alone has a larger material handling market than the entire state of Texas. Manufacturing has been strong in SoCal continuously as the Rust Belt ebbs and flows with the economy. NoCal... tech industry, second to none.

So you take those things into account + the Hollywood factor, and for a small area it is extremely economically diverse. So imposing even a small, regional gov on Cal would not make anything better. Might make things worse. 

Who knows.

I don't have a problem with Serenity or Firefly. I get why they are cult classics. Honest, IMO... meh... don't understand the Joss Whedon hype.

Too much coolness on this thread...

1. Yes, Moon is a great movie.

2. I feel bad for lumping Jurassic World in with SyFy.

I **purchased** the following movies:
Sharktopus - Had its moments.
Mansquito - Otherwise known as "Mosquito Man" on the DVD shelf. Hilarious.
Ice Spiders - Not a terrible movie w/ the guy from Saved By The Bell.
Sharknado - Memories: I was living with my in-laws while waiting to close on a house. This was premiering. They thought I was nuts.
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid - One word: cat-fight

But, I still think Mega Piranha is the best ever for them.

John Keel the UFO guy died years ago. Maybe Art can interview him through a Ouija Board?

I know, random knowledge right? He wrote Mothman Prophesies... which was responsible for a lot of hokum-based tourism in Point Pleasant.

LOL...

You are right though. In a time of what seems to be a lot of SciFi getting made, how much of it is really deep / quality stuff vs popcorn / summer movie fluff? I'm not saying that great, deep SciFi is easy... it sure doesn't seem like it. And I enjoy a random "Independence Day" type movie. Maybe it's just the glut of comic book movies skewing things? Those are just about all popcorn fluff. But, Jurassic World was a different level of bad. I walked out of Borat years ago and at least I got some laughs out of it. Jurassic World... that seriously was SyFy movie of the week fodder.

So, I got Jurassic World off torrent a few nights ago. Wow that was a poor movie.

Can anyone tell me what I am missing here?

Maybe I am just looking to federate the USA... I don't know. Just tossing an idea out there. Top-level fed regulation for a lot of things is ok. But for a lot of other things it's stupid.

The USA is a very large geographical area. Lots of different cultures. Lots of different needs. Might be time to look this from a "regional" perspective rather than "states rights". Keep the overall federal gov out of the picture more.

Art Bell **might** be the worst one.

Recluse
Living in the desert
+70yrs old
Foreign foods
Cats

The smell algebra could be tough on this one.