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Iain Lee Patreon Podcasts

Started by Satchmo Distel, June 01, 2020, 10:04:00 AM

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Ham Bap

Quote from: Dusty Substance on September 07, 2020, 01:22:12 PM

He did a live thing years ago called "Clip Joint", where participents would contribute short video clips which they thought would amuse Iain and other audience members (a bit like the VHS fest that lead to Winnebago Man). That too died.  Then there was, the actually rather good Iain Lee vs. Radio, which was him talking about various snippets from the radio.

That's certainly part of the problem - Lots of decent ideas but too many different titles and show names.

None of it is actually that good either IMO.
Always feels like a money grab with minimal effort, same as this Patreon sounds now where he's launched it and is asking people for their ideas.
If he worked on one thing, structured it, put some effort into it and built it up then he might find an audience.

People do slag off RHLSTP but at least Richard Herring found his market and I have been entertained along the way.

frajer

Quote from: Ham Bap on September 07, 2020, 02:14:15 PM
None of it is actually that good either IMO.
Always feels like a money grab with minimal effort, same as this Patreon sounds now where he's launched it and is asking people for their ideas.
If he worked on one thing, structured it, put some effort into it and built it up then he might find an audience.

Behind it all there seems to be the (incorrect) assumption that people should support him based on who he is and then the content itself is an afterthought. Definitely not the way to get people to part with their money, at least not for long.

Also I'm not sure why he posted a link on Twitter to support his Patreon the other day, as he hasn't posted there in 3 months. I like Lee's previous output but I don't think he can blame his audience for not turning up.

He sent a Patreon message yesterday. I will at least give him credit for being honest about motive and for being clear that he will have no hard feelings if people drop out. He has also insisted that people should choose Twitch if they can only afford one option.

Dusty Substance

Quote from: thr0b on September 03, 2020, 04:56:55 PM
The 3CR shows were some of the best he's done; the podcasts are all online and well worth a listen. Local radio done in his style; like nothing else on a BBC Local station, and all the better for it. Probably the closest he got to doing a zoo format, without sounding like Iain Lee And The Breakfast Crew.

I'm willing to give them a try. Any particularly good episode or era I should start with? The only thing I know about his stint with 3CR was how it all ended with the religious homophobe.

MrMrs

He's absolutely terrible, inconsistent and whiney. I can't imagine why anyone, company or person, would throw him a quid. Do something that you're good at, or makes you happy. What he does, when he does them, are neither.

Non Stop Dancer

I was tempted to say he just needs to get a real job, but it would be pretty hellish having every Gary in finance and Ian in sales you come across ask what Ricky Gervais and Ali G are like, for the rest of your days. The poor sod's in an impossible situation isn't he.

Big Mclargehuge

Quote from: Non Stop Dancer on September 07, 2020, 07:06:39 PM
I was tempted to say he just needs to get a real job, but it would be pretty hellish having every Gary in finance and Ian in sales you come across ask what Ricky Gervais and Ali G are like, for the rest of your days. The poor sod's in an impossible situation isn't he.


It's a total catch 22 really...which is why I think I get why he wants the councelling gig to work out ultimately. he's a particular level of celebrity where he's recognizable to quite a few people but not mega famous enough to get constant and consistent work. doing a regular desk job would be a pain in the arse (And basically the Limmy sketch where he pretends to work in an office...but forever.) I've come from the freelance industry myself and I can tell you first hand that when the work dries up it can be absolutely devestating. especially if egos are at play. So I totally get that, at the age Iain's at now, he'd want something secure that pays alright to last him the last 20 or so years of his working career before retirement.

Im just not 100% convinced that getting a "Normal" job (Even if it is one where he can set the work rate and hours) is going to satisfy what he's looking for. I think it'll be an "End of 'The Graduate' " moment where he gets the job he wants now but realises that wasnt what he wanted at all. Lord knows what he actually wants. but the least he could have done was keep the "I hate the industry and I dont want to do this anymore/I'll be glad when all this is over and im outta here!" Bollocks on the Down low until he's actually DONE his "Dream Job" for a month or 2. otherwise I think he's going to find himself stuck on an island of his own making with a crap ton of burnt bridges all around him.

thr0b

Quote from: Dusty Substance on September 07, 2020, 04:52:06 PM
I'm willing to give them a try. Any particularly good episode or era I should start with? The only thing I know about his stint with 3CR was how it all ended with the religious homophobe.

I'd say start with the last one. It was a show firing on all cylinders by that point.

There's also one or two in which he interviews someone who runs a fake university. Tina Beloved Powerful, if I recall. She turns up a couple of times, and despite sounding like a character, she is quite, quite real.

Ham Bap

Quote from: Big Mclargehuge on September 07, 2020, 07:26:00 PM

It's a total catch 22 really...which is why I think I get why he wants the councelling gig to work out ultimately. he's a particular level of celebrity where he's recognizable to quite a few people but not mega famous enough to get constant and consistent work. doing a regular desk job would be a pain in the arse (And basically the Limmy sketch where he pretends to work in an office...but forever.) I've come from the freelance industry myself and I can tell you first hand that when the work dries up it can be absolutely devestating. especially if egos are at play. So I totally get that, at the age Iain's at now, he'd want something secure that pays alright to last him the last 20 or so years of his working career before retirement.

Im just not 100% convinced that getting a "Normal" job (Even if it is one where he can set the work rate and hours) is going to satisfy what he's looking for. I think it'll be an "End of 'The Graduate' " moment where he gets the job he wants now but realises that wasnt what he wanted at all. Lord knows what he actually wants. but the least he could have done was keep the "I hate the industry and I dont want to do this anymore/I'll be glad when all this is over and im outta here!" Bollocks on the Down low until he's actually DONE his "Dream Job" for a month or 2. otherwise I think he's going to find himself stuck on an island of his own making with a crap ton of burnt bridges all around him.

I would have played ball and changed the radio show and remained at TalkRadio. Wouldn't be flailing around now at Twitch on a year to year basis and starting up Patreon etc. Couple of years more of radio, save like hell and then coast into retirement.
People might say about the right wing station and Murdoch stuff but it works well for James O'Brien.
He might hate radio and want to get out etc but most office jobs drain the life out you, stay where the money is, grin and bear it and stay financially secure.
That's what works for me anyway.

He wouldn't have been happy playing ball just to earn a crust. Arguing with racists and drug addicts for three hours every night would have made him climb the wall. The departure was inevitable anyway because Talk Radio wanted a safe pair of hands, as they saw it.

Dusty Substance

Quote from: Satchmo Distel on September 08, 2020, 12:09:48 AM
Arguing with racists and drug addicts for three hours every night would have made him climb the wall.

Which is why a counselling gig is probably not a good idea. He'll have to deal with a ton load of clients offloading their problems onto him and he won't be able to fade them down.

thr0b

Well, that's unfair. I'd argue counselling is quite different from the need to make an entertaining radio show. The worst shows were the Anna Raeburn era where people were just phoning him to offload their problems. Three hours of depressing calls before bed. Yikes.

You could hear him get frustrated when the same people would call up with the same problems and never attempt a change, while he was trying to do a funny show.

MrMrs

I don't think it's unfair at all. He bails at the earliest opportunity, he wouldn't be well suited in a job where people rely on him.

thr0b

I'd disagree. He bails at his independent projects, but contracted paid work doesn't seem to have had the same issue. Even the Rabbit Hole shows in their various formats lasted half a decade.


Jake Thingray

Barring the odd report for You and Yours, has he ever tried working for Radio 4, as opposed to phone-in stuff?

thr0b

I think he does linking material on some 4 Extra evening shows.

The show was much better tonight. Really good.

Big Mclargehuge

Quote from: Satchmo Distel on September 10, 2020, 12:19:40 AM
The show was much better tonight. Really good.

yeh tonights has been alright; the same problems are still there but tonight they were pretty minimal, some good callers. a decent enough set of topics and so far (Its still going) its winding up quite poigniantly...probably the best show they've done in this format so far.

Big Mclargehuge

Just want to say; the last 2 or 3 nights have actually been pretty decent. Moanings been down quite considerably (Usually in the opening 15 minutes or so barring serious technical difficulties) they've had some actual planned content which has run for a good chunk of the show and the interviews have been alright. i'd go as far as to say that from wednesday nights show until last night it's actually been pretty decent. Admittedly the last hour of last nights show was kind of derailed by a near hour long chat about child sex abuse (Not out of the unusual, but not the kind of thing you want to end a show on generall) but otherwise? it's been a pretty solid week for them.

thr0b

The shows with guests are always the best. I think it proves that you can do a show about nothing as long as you have a plan. That plan will also help you when you're not in the mood, as you can stick to it rather than trying to spin whimsy from a negative mood.


Dusty Substance

Quote from: Big Mclargehuge on September 12, 2020, 04:33:23 PM
JuAdmittedly the last hour of last nights show was kind of derailed by a near hour long chat about child sex abuse

Sounds hilarious.

Big Mclargehuge

Quote from: Dusty Substance on September 13, 2020, 02:14:58 PM
Sounds hilarious.

Oh it was a total killer, the original plan was for a new weekly segment (That admittedly only started 3 weeks ago and has now been cancelled twice) where they deconstruct and riff episodes of Changing rooms. ( it sounds a bit crap, but in the moment its whimsical enough. )

The show had been building to that all night, the interview went decently enought, there were some decent callers. but then that call happened and just totally destroyed the rest of the show. I sat and listened to 10 minutes of it until I got too depressed to listen to anymore, then Popped back in in 15 minute increments until it became clear that this was the note the show was going to end on. So I bailed and caught up on Star Trek TNG.

I kind of get that they cant really just turn someone like that away once they open up. But at the same time I really dont need that level of brutality on a friday night. I need light comedy, a bit of whimsy and something to help make pint 4-6 go down in a much smoother way.

Hopefully the momentum from last week will carry into this.


Big Mclargehuge


Last night was still good, although his moaning about the driving incident went on too long. I wouldn't say it's 'momentum' just relatively less time spent on technical 'problems' and being aggravated by the chat, and more time on good calls.

Puce Moment

The Tuesday show was middling, but I do love his raids. He went in on a retro gaming guy with practically no followers who was just trying to set up his stream. Iain's going to get him on one of his shows because he's incredibly entertaining and adorable (at least I think so). It's quite lovely:

Raid starts after 5mins of the guy trying to set-up: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/748214206

I think middling is about right but it's an improvement on poor. They are making better use of the people they raid, as you say, and maybe that should be the format going forward rather than calls from the usual people, although Alistair is still good value and a genuine, kind person.

DrGreggles

He's doing a Lost re-watch on Twitch now too.
I was genuinely thinking about doing a re-watch of it myself, so this could be a decent companion.