John B. Wells

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

I heard that story, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who didn't have a clue of what his story actually was. The man might as well be speaking in a foreign language. 

The frightening thing is that transcript of apparent gibberish was accurate enough for you to know exactly what I was talking about.

[NowhereInTime]

Maybe it was his "mothership."  :

Nah.  John B's mother had an "alien encounter".  On night l'il John B awoke and heard strange noises coming from her bedroom. He opened the door to see three aliens doing tequila shots off her flat tummy.  Granted, the "aliens" were named Jorge, Ramon, and Nestor...but I'm sure it scarred him for life.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

That was what I got out of Wells description of his UFO experience.  It didn't make any sense at the time he said it either.

I remember him mentioning it but I was really could not remember any of the details. Thanks for the refresher.

[RedMichael]

Remembering one of Well's incoherent ramblings is like a rorschach test.

[Morgus]

Tonight Wells referred to himself as 'commander' of the c2cam mothership and is referring to different phone lines as 'astro-channels'

[SnapT]

Wells need to replace the "B" in his name with "Dead Air," because that's his true middle name.  He simply can't perform an interview.


When he asked Larry Niven about his non-existent book "1981", apparently confusing it with Orwell's "1984," that was hide-under-the-bed embarrassing.

[PB the Deplorable]

Wells need to replace the "B" in his name with "Dead Air," because that's his true middle name.  He simply can't perform an interview.


When he asked Larry Niven about his non-existent book "1981", apparently confusing it with Orwell's "1984," that was hide-under-the-bed embarrassing.

1981, lol, I wonder how close George 'Old Yellow' Noory could get to the right year.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

I have liked both the guests so far.
Larry Niven: Answers the question and only the question. His terse replies seem to have caught Wells unprepared. Niven has probably been interviewed 250 times. Wells didn't know enough about his works to put together 30 minutes of talking about Niven's works. Thats fine, get Niven's input on coast topics. There were two fascinating topics that could have been worked for an interesting 30 minutes-the asteroid strike (Lucifer's Hammer) and the human body organ harvesting.

Some of the things Niven mentioned I found interesting. Niven does not believe in flying saucers. Niven also mentioned some classic scifi authors that are cheesy fun (Cordwainer Smith) and some of the old greats like Jack Vance (who I actually learned about through detective novels) and Poul Anderson.

Niven also mentioned The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as the greatest scifi novel. This is interesting because this novel is sometimes left on the desks of software managers as a "secret signal" - as in if you walk into someone's office and see it around, you make a comment on it. If you comment on it, you are part of the "secret cabal". The basic idea of the book is the folly of putting genius technical people in charge of managing a very difficult task. You should instead focus on putting good managers in charge of these tasks. Genius physicists should have more time for physics and less time approving expense reports and negotiating waste management contracts.
My pet theory is that this story is just a retelling of the building of the Panama Canal.

Joe Halderman: Another interesting guest. He seemed to approach things very cautiously and expanded more. Fun to listen to. Wells didn't bring up the Forever War nearly enough. Its pretty much his defining work.


JBW um how were the guests nonplussed? They pretty much came across and said what they believe. Maybe nonchalant is a better word there.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

I must say, science fiction authors are much less interesting than their stories.  By Wells' tone, it sounds as if he is discovering this as well.  Maybe they could have been interesting with a better interviewer.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

I must say, science fiction authors are much less interesting than their stories.  By Wells' tone, it sounds as if he is discovering this as well.  Maybe they could have been interesting with a better interviewer.

I like them all actually. I like Lois McMaster Bujold the best so far. These people are all futurists in a way so I like their views on the future. JBWs unpreparedness is actually giving some interesting forks. Wells doesn't expand on these, and that is something he need to work on.


LMB also does not believe in alien visitation (so 3/3 so far).

[Doomed]

I think Wells (or his mom?) had a UFO experience.

Could be he is the result of his mothers UFO experience?

[valdez]

...Larry Niven...Joe Halderman...Lois McMaster Bujold...

     And Paul Di Filippo at the end.  I had never heard of any of these folks, but with the exception of a "must read everything by Arthur C. Clarke" period I went through about a year ago (it wore off after about five books), I don't read much science fiction.  I was intrigued by Niven's recommendation of that "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" book (as well as Flayer Monk's titbit about it...did I just say "as well"?...Noory, you will pay for this!), if it's not a crazy long book I may just check it out.  The "1981" thing was shameful of Wells, and all those uncomfortable pockets of dead air were entirely his fault, but he gets points for trying something different, and for not once trying to sell me a sleep number bed.

[Histronic Fop]

Poor Joe Haldeman...trapped in a room with a natural gas leak during his interview. Zzzzzz. Actually, they were all pretty boring and surely didn't hold much interest for C2C's new target demo of Bible-breathin' fundamentalists, conspiracy theorists and those who despise Obama.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

I was intrigued by Niven's recommendation of that "Moon is a Harsh Mistress" book (as well as Flayer Monk's titbit about it...did I just say "as well"?...Noory, you will pay for this!),

Sorry I jumbled up my Heinlein. I confused The Man Who Sold the Moon with the Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

[UnscreenedCaller]

What I want to know is which one of them is going to do the follow up interviews with Ian's guest that thinks he's a horse trapped in a mans body.

Hard to decide. Which one is better suited by being the bigger horse's ass?

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

How old is John B.?  I've never been able to find this out.  It seems to be a bigger mystery than how he and George were hand selected for Coast to Coast.

[WOTR]

Niven has probably been interviewed 250 times. Wells didn't know enough about his works to put together 30 minutes of talking about Niven's works...

I turned it on while driving and heard a guest talking about steam punk.  I was kind of happy and thought that it could be interesting (stupid me forgetting that it would be Wells or Noory...)  He talked for awhile and suddenly there was a voice out of the blue informing his guest that he was just googling the topic while the guest was talking and discovered that the first movie in the genera was put out in 1927.  I reached for the station knob and called it a night for Coast.


I really would have listened as the topic interests me (I try to understand why it would have such a draw for certain people.)  However, a host informing his guest that he is not paying any attention to the interview but is busy surfing the net reminds me that there is no point in listening to this unprepared clown.

[RedMichael]

If you look at what the job is as a host and try to compare it to other jobs, Wells probably should have been fired a long time ago. I didn't listen to the interview but I don't doubt that he would acknowledge, on air, that he is looking up the subject the guest is CURRENTLY talking about.


If anyone has an idea of what his strengths are as a host, would they be willing to match up his strengths with an average national host's weaknesses objectively? It isn't that he is "raw" or "unpolished". Those terms imply that he would have recognizable talent and that talent could be refined.




But he does have a great radio voice...

[Eddie Coyle]

If you look at what the job is as a host and try to compare it to other jobs, Wells probably should have been fired a long time ago.

But he does have a great radio voice...

          Yes and Yes. And it's literally all he has. He's like a left handed reliever. He'll be around long after he should be merely because of his somewhat specialized quirk.

[Yorkshire pud]

I turned it on while driving and heard a guest talking about steam punk.  I was kind of happy and thought that it could be interesting (stupid me forgetting that it would be Wells or Noory...)  He talked for awhile and suddenly there was a voice out of the blue informing his guest that he was just googling the topic while the guest was talking and discovered that the first movie in the genera was put out in 1927.  I reached for the station knob and called it a night for Coast.


I really would have listened as the topic interests me (I try to understand why it would have such a draw for certain people.)  However, a host informing his guest that he is not paying any attention to the interview but is busy surfing the net reminds me that there is no point in listening to this unprepared clown.

When I read he was on the air yesterday I looked up and found the show online. How on earth do you manage to suffer seemingly 2/3rds of a show being adverts? The one about treatment for erectile dysfunction (I loved the abbreviation of ED--it's a family show people, don't let the kids know what a penis is supposed to do) made me laugh and shake my head (ooooerrr  ) in equal measure. 30 seconds of talk..and ten minutes of ads.. AAARRRRGGHHH..


But back to your point. Yes..If I'd been the interviewee I'd have hung up, after informing Wells that he clearly had no interest in the conversation. It's incredibly unprofessional to invite guests to a show and not do any background research-especially when he hypocritically and ludicrously then says some dumbass thing as "Your work is well known to most"!!! Although he then says something along the lines of "Remind those of use who might not be as familiar with your work.." Clearly the get out of jail card for him, because the guest can now fill him in..The hilarity would ensue if the guest said something like "Thank you John for your obvious interest in my work, why don't you tell the listeners what your favourite book/ paper is"...That would be priceless.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

When I read he was on the air yesterday I looked up and found the show online. How on earth do you manage to suffer seemingly 2/3rds of a show being adverts?

Its roughly 140 minutes of errr "show" and 80 minutes of adverts/local news. I usually just flip to a music station for 3 songs and flip back if I feel like it. Between midnight and 12:20, its all ads/local news.


If you are at home near a tv, you can just flip back and forth between tv and radio. The 80 minutes is enough to squeeze in an episode of Hart to Hart and Starsky and Hutch.


"By the way, my name is Max. I take care of *both* of them, which ain't easy; 'cause when they met... it was *murder*! "[/font][/size]

[Gd5150]

Wells is intriguing and interesting. Doesn't ask the standard set of intern written questions. Most refreshing host since Bell. Plus it's humorous how he turns the whiners screws. It's ok guys just listen to NPR on Saturdays.

Knapp always has interesting guests on and does goo interviews.

Weekends are definitely when C2C shines.

[The Neverender]

if Art Bell hadn't been the original host some people would be whining about how awful that new host from the high desert and the great american southwest is...   

[awake]

Poor Joe Haldeman...trapped in a room with a natural gas leak during his interview. Zzzzzz. Actually, they were all pretty boring and surely didn't hold much interest for C2C's new target demo of Bible-breathin' fundamentalists, conspiracy theorists and those who despise Obama.

That is the demo for the show now, very sad.

[West of the Rockies]

Wells is intriguing and interesting. Doesn't ask the standard set of intern written questions. Most refreshing host since Bell. Plus it's humorous how he turns the whiners screws. It's ok guys just listen to NPR on Saturdays.

Knapp always has interesting guests on and does goo interviews.

Weekends are definitely when C2C shines.

I quite agree... His interviews are goo!

[RedMichael]

if Art Bell hadn't been the original host some people would be whining about how awful that new host from the high desert and the great american southwest is...

I think you mean, if Art Bell wasn't the original host but now hosting. I think you did, you sound like John B Wells during his show then.




I think people invoke Bell too much on here but the show was better when he hosted. But I don't see people being stuck on Bell. They just remember what the show could be and sees how it is.


I don't think anyone is really comparing Noory/Wells to Bell anymore, they don't have to. Wells is just that bad. It is really depressing to remember the show back then anyways. I think people try to forget about how good the how was if anything.

[ItsOver]

I'd think Wells was terrible as a radio host even if I'd never heard of Art Bell.  Being a good radio host takes more than having a good voice. 

[nooryisawesome]

How the fuck is he still on air? Fuckers worse than noory

[Abby Normal]

How old is John B.?  I've never been able to find this out.  It seems to be a bigger mystery than how he and George were hand selected for Coast to Coast.

Dr. Fronkenstein assembled him in his laboratory.  Dr. Fronkenstein does not consider a creation alive until he zaps him with massive volts of electricity and shouts, "It's ALLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!"

Based upon that, I would guess he's about 8 years old.

[NowhereInTime]

if Art Bell hadn't been the original host some people would be whining about how awful that new host from the high desert and the great american southwest is...

SHADDUP!!