20150719 - Art Bell Open Lines Test Show - Live Chat Thread

[Bodach]

I don't like the co-host idea.

Please understand: It's nothing personal against Redacted. She seemed great, and it seemed like this was a nice way for Art to repay a lot of her effort by letting her be involved in the test show, and that's great, and I'm happy for her, and I'm grateful for her efforts.......

Agree with your entire post.  Luckily, Art Bell posted this on his facebook after the show:

Ok, I get the message, you do not wish me to have a co-host, no problem. It was only a Test show.

[Skunk Ape]

I am surprised the music is cut so much when so much drama was made about it. Seems strange.

They aren't allowed to have the music in the podcast. The cost would be astronomical.
It's a treat for live listeners only.

[Fearlessjay]

Other podcasts don't have this problem. Look again at Caravan to Midnight, plays the entire song. And I remember Art stating that the podcasts was supposed to help with the cost.

I liked Redacted, don't understand the issue. Was obviously been used to help test the service.

[NoMoreNoory]

Extra coffee required this morning to accompany the elongated time required to work through the 58 (!!) pages.
I didn't hear all of the show, tuned into Knapp (Wish List: GK, quit Coast and do MITD at the weekends. Every weekend) and so missed the technical glitches. It sounded perfect to me early on. I'm no expert on the tech stuff, but it sounds like Art will have to get that sorted: the radio stations won't stand for him dropping out if a bit of weather blows through or the bandwidth gets squeezed or whatever. I would have thought they'd have been trialling that for weeks, rather than one night.
I see Redacted has been very much the hot and divisive topic out of last night. IMO, it didn't work. It sounded a bit amateurish, and the very notion of Art having a co-host seems wrong. Maybe that will improve over time if Art persists with the idea.
Great to hear him back though, and looking forward to tonight.

[Gingerwatch]

I am in agreement with all of you who say Art doesn't need a co-host at all.  Why would he even consider that?!  He is the best in the biz, this is his moment to shine, this is his finest hour, dear God please don't ruin it with any co-host.  Look at all those great years he did solo.  Bantering between co-hosts is super amateur in my opinion - I listen to a LOT of podcasts.  The high level pros almost never have co-hosts.  I'm sad that Art thought he might need that, where is his confidence?

I didn't enjoy the woman on the dress rehearsal.  If she helped get the word out I can see why she deserved a moment in the spotlight, kudos to her, I admire and appreciate that she worked to help promote Midnight.  But I just didn't like the conversation with her.  No offense intended.

And finally I personally don't mind the three files but I can see why some don't like it.

[OhGod]

Redacted is a total lightweight.
I think all of her comments but one (the disappearing sofa) were merely rehashes of the statements before hers. 
At one point I really think she thought that George W was running for the presidency - which means she has no knowledge of Jeb.
I don't know what Art was doing with her on the show, maybe he lost a bet.
If he seriously thought she'd be a good fit, he's just as delusional as was John McCain when he chose his running mate.  A thing like that could ruin you.
I don't mind a co-host, but it has to be someone who has an inquiring mind over a variety of subjects and not a high school cheerleader.

Speaking with years of broadcast experience, I'd have to concur that Redacted isn't ready for prime-time and I noticed the same thing when he mentioned "Bush" and she seemed genuinely stumped and tried to verbally cover. That said, she does have pretty good vocal quality when she stops loving the sound of her own voice (which doesn't necessary mean exactly that, but rather a common issue with amateur broadcasters who seem to be listening to what they are saying while they speak -- typically due to trying to sound a certain way and monitoring themselves as they talk).

She has common crutches (the "And uhhh.." and "thee uhhh...") which happens to everyone (even Howard Stern has developed one - "In the sense that..."), but that does clash with Art's crutch-less, smooth style. There's also a curious inflection change that occurs which might be due to her listening to herself. All of these were noticeable on the Bell interview as well. She also likes to repeat what was just said or repeat it in expanded form with a few more adjectives added in. As you noted, she regurgitates it as part of a reply or comment. Whether that is meant to make it sound more like she is knowledgeable of the subject/topic or to buy her more time to think of her own comment, it's another crutch and it defies the K.I.S.S. rule of broadcasting. Given those things and what I'd imagine was a high level of nervousness, she didn't blend very well with a polished pro like Art. But it was also a test and not "the show".

As Zetaspeak points out, it makes complete sense, professionally, for Art to have done that. She was a "safety net" in case technical problems forced Art to be on without any callers and her being there allowed Art to have a dedicated tester for Skype functionality. That is, after all, part of what needed to be tested. And what a cool, unique opportunity to be part of something like that with someone who is a legend. Who could blame her for doing it?

I highly doubt she's a mainstay but she also does have broadcasting potential. There were times toward the end of the show where she chimed in, seemingly instinctively, and it sounded decent and flowed pretty well. She missed a great opportunity for playful banter with the gentleman who thought feral was fertile but those are instincts that develop over time. The issue there is that it's very difficult to do a multi-person show without visual cues letting you know that you can talk without stepping on someone else. In fact, she appeared to try to avoid that which is why we heard Art pulling her into the conversation ("What do you think Redacted?") multiple times. Maybe it's doable with Skype now but even a fraction of a second of video lag would affect the natural flow.

Overall, I think his test did exactly what it was supposed to do and a bit of what it wasn't supposed to do: namely calling into question the reliability of a microwave internet connection. Regardless of that, it was pretty awesome to hear Art once again.

Bantering between co-hosts is super amateur in my opinion - I listen to a LOT of podcasts.

Most podcasts aren't hosted by experienced broadcasters or people who have any broadcast experience. The most successful satellite/radio shows tend to have multiple people and they sound just fine when they banter. It's an issue of experience.

[Skunk Ape]

Other podcasts don't have this problem. Look again at Caravan to Midnight, plays the entire song. And I remember Art stating that the podcasts was supposed to help with the cost.

The last I heard, JBW wasn't playing licensed music. But I've only heard one full episode.

[Roswells, Art]

I'm listening to the Test Show right now. It is so good. The callers are great. I love how to the caller that mentioned Malachi Martin Art spoke a little about him then said something about he thought Malachi got some help down the stairs then hung up. Talk about leaving the caller (and listeners) with something to chew on. It was great.

(Redacted) just came on. Man, (Redacted) what a voice! I can see why Art decided to have you on. At first when I heard (Redacted) was going to be working with Art I was a little disconcerted because Art is perfect as he is, no need to make it perfecter but I figured, he knew what he was doing. He didn't become The Master by accident. He knows good radio. The more I listened to (Redacted) these months the more I realized it was a great idea. So, I think this blow back I've read is just people resistant to new things. If they just gave this change a chance I think they would grow to appreciate it.

[PathoJen]

Why do people have the impression Art now has a co-host? There are two issues here. One is, people registered here and left after Sirius, so they haven't been following the forum discussions with Art. Art never mentioned a permanent co-host. He mentioned trying something new, maybe having Redacted sit in on some open lines nights for lighter open lines. I wish I could find the exact quotes, but you are free to look at Art's posts and find them yourself. The other issue is Redacted is one of our own, she's worked damned hard publicizing Art's show and conducted a very professional interview with him at his ranch. Yes, at his ranch.

Now maybe there's some jealousy present, or maybe people don't like anyone sitting in with Art. I get it, everyone's entitled to their opinions and this might not fly with people. But Redacted is one of our own, and we like her, and she's not one of Art's professional guests who are selling books and are aware they will get negative feedback. Some of the comments last night were downright insulting and unfair to both. Art was fine tuning a lot of potential issues, including problems on his open lines nights when Redacted may or may not sit in, that's all. It's not the Art and Redacted Show. Jesus, get a grip.

And no, not liking a co-host doesn't make a person a Davebot but we've seen Davebots in action here in the past, including Dave himself, and I'm willing to bet there were a few here last night trying to throw the conversation off of the show and into a fight. In other words, the usual crap from the people who are soiling themselves this morning at PremRat.

I think that lady that was insulting everyone for having a negative opinion about Art having a co-host was a davebot. The vast majority of listeners (outside of Bellgab, yes not every Art Bell fan is in this forum) think it's a bad idea., and it could break the show. In which case Dave wants Art to continue down that path.

[Uncle Duke]

Extra coffee required this morning to accompany the elongated time required to work through the 58 (!!) pages.
I didn't hear all of the show, tuned into Knapp (Wish List: GK, quit Coast and do MITD at the weekends. Every weekend) and so missed the technical glitches. It sounded perfect to me early on. I'm no expert on the tech stuff, but it sounds like Art will have to get that sorted: the radio stations won't stand for him dropping out if a bit of weather blows through or the bandwidth gets squeezed or whatever. I would have thought they'd have been trialling that for weeks, rather than one night.
I see Redacted has been very much the hot and divisive topic out of last night. IMO, it didn't work. It sounded a bit amateurish, and the very notion of Art having a co-host seems wrong. Maybe that will improve over time if Art persists with the idea.
Great to hear him back though, and looking forward to tonight.

A point I was going to make.  I know the "test show" was to identity and correct the gremlins in the system, but if I'm the PD at some 5000 watt station in Iowa who signed up to carry MITD, I'm very concerned.   Do I assign an intern to watch the weather radar for Pahrump, and have a couple long forgotten episodes of "The Old Time Gospel Hour" on stand-by to play just in case? 

[PathoJen]

yeah, a hard wired connection is the only way to go on this.

But they can't possibly get that in before tonight, right?

[CornyCrow]

I think that lady that was insulting everyone for having a negative opinion about Art having a co-host was a davebot. The vast majority of listeners (outside of Bellgab, yes not every Art Bell fan is in this forum) think it's a bad idea., and it could break the show. In which case Dave wants Art to continue down that path.

That is a good observation.  We want Art's show to reach glorious heights.  That MUST means telling him the truth, which means we must evaluate things impartially and not just say what we think he would like to hear. 

Frankly, I think that by the end of the show Art understood what had to be done.  He's a professional and a guy who, regardless of some of the topics on his show, deals well with reality.

I think a co-host is not an off the wall idea.  Art is not all that young.  He has a family.  He doesn't need the money.  He might want time off every now and again. 

I just don't understand why he chose such a young and obviously inexperienced girl. 

[K_Dubb]

But they can't possibly get that in before tonight, right?

When we ordered them at work it took months.

[PathoJen]

That is a good observation.  We want Art's show to reach glorious heights.  That MUST means telling him the truth, which means we must evaluate things impartially and not just say what we think he would like to hear. 

Frankly, I think that by the end of the show Art understood what had to be done.  He's a professional and a guy who, regardless of some of the topics on his show, deals well with reality.

I think a co-host is not an off the wall idea.  Art is not all that young.  He has a family.  He doesn't need the money.  He might want time off every now and again. 

I just don't understand why he chose such a young and obviously inexperienced girl.

Maybe he's just trying it to see if it works out. I seriously don't think anyone would work, in my opinion. Not even LMH. There is just something magical about Art, alone, in the desert, broadcasting, just him and the microphone, and all of us listening in.

[PathoJen]

When we ordered them at work it took months.

Oh crap.

[UnscreenedCaller]

I think that lady that was insulting everyone for having a negative opinion about Art having a co-host was a davebot. The vast majority of listeners (outside of Bellgab, yes not every Art Bell fan is in this forum) think it's a bad idea., and it could break the show. In which case Dave wants Art to continue down that path.

She's not the one I was talking about. She's been around for a while but hasn't posted for some time and when she does this is what you get, but that's what the ignore button is for. There were some genuinely uncalled for comments about Redacted and Art last night, that's what I was referring to, borderline vicious in some cases, which is schizoid for the ones who went on to say how much they loved Art after bringing his personal life up in a derogatory way. And some of the comments came from people who just registered here, which also smacks of Davebots, trying to throw a wrench in the works before it even starts. It's a typical move for them, but we've seen it before, it didn't work then and won't now.

[Quick Karl]

Speaking with years of broadcast experience, I'd have to concur that Redacted isn't ready for prime-time and I noticed the same thing when he mentioned "Bush" and she seemed genuinely stumped and tried to verbally cover. That said, she does have pretty good vocal quality when she stops loving the sound of her own voice (which doesn't necessary mean exactly that, but rather a common issue with amateur broadcasters who seem to be listening to what they are saying while they speak -- typically due to trying to sound a certain way and monitoring themselves as they talk).

She has common crutches (the "And uhhh.." and "thee uhhh...") which happens to everyone (even Howard Stern has developed one - "In the sense that..."), but that does clash with Art's crutch-less, smooth style. There's also a curious inflection change that occurs which might be due to her listening to herself. All of these were noticeable on the Bell interview as well. She also likes to repeat what was just said or repeat it in expanded form with a few more adjectives added in. As you noted, she regurgitates it as part of a reply or comment. Whether that is meant to make it sound more like she is knowledgeable of the subject/topic or to buy her more time to think of her own comment, it's another crutch and it defies the K.I.S.S. rule of broadcasting. Given those things and what I'd imagine was a high level of nervousness, she didn't blend very well with a polished pro like Art. But it was also a test and not "the show".

As Zetaspeak points out, it makes complete sense, professionally, for Art to have done that. She was a "safety net" in case technical problems forced Art to be on without any callers and her being there allowed Art to have a dedicated tester for Skype functionality. That is, after all, part of what needed to be tested. And what a cool, unique opportunity to be part of something like that with someone who is a legend. Who could blame her for doing it?

I highly doubt she's a mainstay but she also does have broadcasting potential. There were times toward the end of the show where she chimed in, seemingly instinctively, and it sounded decent and flowed pretty well. She missed a great opportunity for playful banter with the gentleman who thought feral was fertile but those are instincts that develop over time. The issue there is that it's very difficult to do a multi-person show without visual cues letting you know that you can talk without stepping on someone else. In fact, she appeared to try to avoid that which is why we heard Art pulling her into the conversation ("What do you think Redacted?") multiple times. Maybe it's doable with Skype now but even a fraction of a second of video lag would affect the natural flow.

Overall, I think his test did exactly what it was supposed to do and a bit of what it wasn't supposed to do: namely calling into question the reliability of a microwave internet connection. Regardless of that, it was pretty awesome to hear Art once again.


Most podcasts aren't hosted by experienced broadcasters or people who have any broadcast experience. The most successful satellite/radio shows tend to have multiple people and they sound just fine when they banter. It's an issue of experience.

I am going to defer to Art's expertise on this one -- redacted sounded fantastic, and I am sure that Art knows what he is doing. Once she gets past her first-time jitters you will eat your words.

[TurningDownMyRadio]

One of my concerns is heating art cut in and out. I do think he should be recording his line at his pc as opposed to it being recorded by someone else for the podcast (keith I presume )

[b_dubb]

I hope they resolve the technical issues. I thought Redacted did fine especially when you consider Skype kept dropping her out. 

The people who are being wildly critical must have listened to a broadcast from an alternate universe where Art asked Mariah Carey to join him on air. I don't understand why all the butthurt.

[b_dubb]

I am going to defer to Art's expertise on this one -- redacted sounded fantastic, and I am sure that Art knows what he is doing. Once she gets past her first-time jitters you will eat your words.

We agree about something. Mind blown.

[ZomZom]

I thought (Redacted) sounded intelligent and very aware of Art's past guests.  I also think it's a good idea to have a backup host for Art that the audience can become comfortable with.  Perhaps a one-a-week (or so) seat in the Ed McMahon chair wouldn't be such a bad idea?

[PathoJen]

I thought (Redacted) sounded intelligent and very aware of Art's past guests.  I also think it's a good idea to have a backup host for Art that the audience can become comfortable with.  Perhaps a one-a-week (or so) seat in the Ed McMahon chair wouldn't be such a bad idea?

Oh PLEASE don't suggest that Art has a guest host once a week. Noooooooo !!!! My brain cannot even go there.

[kennedymaure]

I hope they resolve the technical issues. I thought Redacted did fine especially when you consider Skype kept dropping her out. 

The people who are being wildly critical must have listened to a broadcast from an alternate universe where Art asked Mariah Carey to join him on air. I don't understand why all the butthurt.

The old bellgabbere's wanteth no change. God forbiddeth for it were to be a woman. The arrogant ones of days of yore believeth a 70 year old broadcasting icon should rolleth over for them liketh a trained orangutang and do their bidding. They hateth George Noory, but want Art to run his show just like George Noory.

[PathoJen]

She's not the one I was talking about. She's been around for a while but hasn't posted for some time and when she does this is what you get, but that's what the ignore button is for. There were some genuinely uncalled for comments about Redacted and Art last night, that's what I was referring to, borderline vicious in some cases, which is schizoid for the ones who went on to say how much they loved Art after bringing his personal life up in a derogatory way. And some of the comments came from people who just registered here, which also smacks of Davebots, trying to throw a wrench in the works before it even starts. It's a typical move for them, but we've seen it before, it didn't work then and won't now.

Oh I see. Well, Bellgab was tame compared to Tune In chat. Having said that, we, of all places, should not attack (R) personally.

[EvB]

The old bellgabbere's wanteth no change. God forbiddeth for it were to be a woman. The arrogant ones of days of yore believeth a 70 year old broadcasting icon should rolleth over for them liketh a trained orangutang and do their bidding. They hateth George Noory, but want Art to run his show just like George Noory.

While I agree there is some truth to the idea that many of us wanted our OLD ART back - the rest of this is hyperbole. I think that even if it were true - we all know that as soon as Art is comfortable with this new tech setup, he'll push back.  He wants to have fun too and his feelings of ownership of his show are well known.

[Sy-Klone]

Personally, I find it a little discouraging that we've had Art back for one night and there's already talk about his age and how he won't be able to keep up with the pace and that he should change the format of his show.

He *just* came back. This is what we wanted. Art Bell, broadcasting live, into the night, with diverse topics and open lines and his own brand of revolutionary radio. Let's rejoice about that. I'm going to try to savor that and put my focus and energy on getting people back for that, rather than selling the man short or championing that he change his format. It's *his* format. The fact that others have misappropriated it doesn't mean that he should be doing something different. Which isn't to say he shouldn't experiment. But let's let the man settle in and get comfortable before we start championing change.

[UnscreenedCaller]

Well, Bellgab was tame compared to Tune In chat.

I could well imagine. Sad, really.

[OhGod]

I am going to defer to Art's expertise on this one -- redacted sounded fantastic, and I am sure that Art knows what he is doing. Once she gets past her first-time jitters you will eat your words.

I think it's great that you enjoyed it. Overall I think most people would say they did enjoy the show. But nobody who has ever worked professionally would say she sounded "fantastic" -- nor would they ever say she was terrible (a label I might use on some of the podcasts prior to Art). It was simply a critique of things she can improve on; crutches she routinely displayed in both the test broadcast and the interview she did. These are things that lowered the overall quality and rhythm even if they went unnoticed by many. Thankfully I've never seen anyone need to eat accurate words

But, in case you misinterpreted, I certainly don't mean to sound overly critical as if I think she sucked. She did not. I have no idea what her background or her experience is but I do know how incredibly awkward and nerve-wracking that position can be even for people who have been on-air for 5 or 10 years. But I didn't critique the jitters. I critiqued the crutches. I noted and stated that she has potential... possibly a ton of it. I wouldn't have kicked into critique mode if she didn't have that. Her voice is great w/o the inflection thing. She could likely sound VERY good with a couple of self-monitored tweaks and lots of practice. Maybe even sound "fantastic" on day? Who knows.

In hopes to better understand what I'm saying, looking at the conversation between Art and the gentlemen who later said he used to work in news. That was a smooth, naturally flowing exchange that was entertaining to listen to even if it had little substance. Those are also two people who have both spent a lot of time working on their "delivery". Talk can definitely be an art form.

[waves]

The old bellgabbere's wanteth no change. God forbiddeth for it were to be a woman. The arrogant ones of days of yore believeth a 70 year old broadcasting icon should rolleth over for them liketh a trained orangutang and do their bidding. They hateth George Noory, but want Art to run his show just like George Noory.

Nooooooo.... we want any change to be change for the BETTER not the worse, and 'redacted' adds absolutely nothing and is just another lame Robin Givens.  A total pointless lightweight in comparison to the host.  I totally disagree with any admiration of the 'sound' of her voice' - not that it should have any weight.  It's slaggy, cooing and clearly gives the message 'ooh ooh ooh... I love hearing myself on the radio'.

PLEASE NO LAME SIDEKICK.

[BellBoy]

After listening (and re-listening) to the test show, I have to say that overall I loved it. The co-hosting bit with (redacted), however, left me with a distinct "NPR Vibe"... not exactly the deliciously taut sense of suspense and possible menace that I've enjoyed from Art since I first found him while surfing "skip" back in 1988. Don't get me wrong, (redacted) has a lovely voice... just maybe not the voice for MITD... I guess we can all be thankful that Pete Schweddy didn't call in.

NPR's Delicious Dish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPpcfH_HHH8