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Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

What is Roderick on the Line?

Roderick on the Line is a weekly podcast starring Merlin Mann and John Roderick. Each episode features a freeform conversation covering anything and everything, but often it comes down to Hitler (and stuff).

Who are these guys?

John Roderick is a Seattle-based singer/songwriter. He's best known for his band, The Long Winters and for his time in Harvey Danger. You can see him here playing bass for the first time ever, live on national TV. He is also one of the most interesting people in the world. He enjoys travelling the globe (mostly on foot), eating meatball subs in the bathtub, and collecting everything from globes to candelabras.

Merlin Mann is best known for his work on 43folders.com, and on his other podcasts, You Look Nice Today and Back to Work (both of which I also enthusiastically recommend listening to).

Where should I start?

A good place would be the beginning, Episode 00: "Suit of Vomit".

Some other picks would be Episode 21: "Dead Rubber Girl in My Closet", Episode 25: "Supertrain" (which will come up a lot in later episodes), and Episode 31: "Uncle Licky".

And if you just want a brief taste of what you're in for, I'd listen to John describe the time his pillows turned into owls, from Episode 26: "Go Practice the Car".

You can subscribe to the show here or on iTunes.

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Song For The Deaf
Aug 10, 2006

I HAVE TO USE MY SOUND SWORD NOW.
This thread is going to help a lot of people.

SHUBNIGGURATHS CLIT
Jan 6, 2005

you're
This is a good god drat podcast. I listened to em for the first time the other day, with their newest episode "Topcoat of Bonkers." I'm familiar with Roderick from his appearances on John Hodgman's audiobook and Judge John Hodgman, but I didn't realize exactly how funny and cool and rad he is till I listened to this podcast!

patricius
Apr 17, 2006

sicut patribus sit deus nobis

SHUBNIGGURATHS CLIT posted:

This is a good god drat podcast. I listened to em for the first time the other day, with their newest episode "Topcoat of Bonkers." I'm familiar with Roderick from his appearances on John Hodgman's audiobook and Judge John Hodgman, but I didn't realize exactly how funny and cool and rad he is till I listened to this podcast!

The most amazing thing about Roderick on the Line is that I can't think of a single bad or even mediocre episode. There are some that really grabbed me and managed to go being being funny and interesting to really poignant, but they're all just great.

AnnoyBot
May 28, 2001
Anyone else wondering what he has to say about the tea party? Because they make a point to avoid it, often.

Roach Warehouse
Nov 1, 2010


This week's episode wasn't the funniest I've heard, but holy poo poo John's stories about his pipebomb making youth make for compelling listening.

patricius
Apr 17, 2006

sicut patribus sit deus nobis

AnnoyBot posted:

Anyone else wondering what he has to say about the tea party? Because they make a point to avoid it, often.

I think this is just because Merlin dislikes talking about politics. He avoids the topic on everything else of his I've ever listened to.

There is an episode where they do get into politics for a bit but I can't remember which one it was. He doesn't have any super unorthodox political views or anything like that; I think he just prefers not to get into it.

Song For The Deaf
Aug 10, 2006

I HAVE TO USE MY SOUND SWORD NOW.
His stance on the Tea Party is that complaining about douchebag pundits is about as useful as complaining about pro wrestling. So, it's not really worth them talking about, especially since Supertrain is coming and we need to take whatever time we can to make trail.

Alastor_the_Stylish
Jul 25, 2006

WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING IN LIFE.

patricius posted:

I think this is just because Merlin dislikes talking about politics. He avoids the topic on everything else of his I've ever listened to.

There is an episode where they do get into politics for a bit but I can't remember which one it was. He doesn't have any super unorthodox political views or anything like that; I think he just prefers not to get into it.

The most compelling stories to me are when John goes back to his young adulthood being the son of David Roderick, and being at the same parties and functions as the world's Bad People and how they really get on around each other.

peter banana
Sep 2, 2008

Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
The time that Supertrain leaves is not a thing that we can know, people.

dancehall
Sep 28, 2001

You say you want a revolution

HipGnosis posted:

The time that Supertrain leaves is not a thing that we can know, people.

EMINENT DOMAIN

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

Most podcasts I get sick of after a month or two, but this one I've listened to at least once all the way through. What it lacks in X it makes up in Y, and even X is really good.

Do they come out at midnight on wednesdays, some random time during thursday, or what exactly?

Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

Mescal posted:

Most podcasts I get sick of after a month or two, but this one I've listened to at least once all the way through. What it lacks in X it makes up in Y, and even X is really good.

Do they come out at midnight on wednesdays, some random time during thursday, or what exactly?

They usually come out on Wednesday afternoons.

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

It's late, but the new episode is up.

http://www.merlinmann.com/roderick/ep-64-sunset-university.html

Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

I was starting to worry that I'd picked the worst possible time to start this thread.

Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

Just finished the episode. Figured I should leave this here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BqNcXz-tsc

Poopy Palpy
Jun 10, 2000

Im da fwiggin Poopy Palpy XD
I think that the truly amazing thing about Roderick on the Line is the way that John can, without fail, have an entertaining conversation for about an hour and then say something that there's no way to follow. You'd think there'd be an episode or two that only lasted ten minutes before he hit an ender, but no. Every episode runs one podcastlength and then ends perfectly.

patricius
Apr 17, 2006

sicut patribus sit deus nobis

Poopy Palpy posted:

I think that the truly amazing thing about Roderick on the Line is the way that John can, without fail, have an entertaining conversation for about an hour and then say something that there's no way to follow. You'd think there'd be an episode or two that only lasted ten minutes before he hit an ender, but no. Every episode runs one podcastlength and then ends perfectly.

Yeah, there was a recent one that was under an hour, but they otherwise fall remarkably close to 1h15-1h30. And there's always that build-up when John is getting ready to say that thing, usually in the last five or ten minutes. I don't know if that's the magic of editing or if it just happens that way every time, but it's impressive either way. Sometimes it's pretty drat profound, too.

patricius
Apr 17, 2006

sicut patribus sit deus nobis
There's a nice interview with John on this episode of CMD+SPACE (those of you who are fans of 5by5 stuff might recognize Myke Hurley from some of Dan Benjamin's shows.) Gave me a lot to think about, as his stuff often does.

Robophile
Apr 20, 2003

We know a remote farm in Lincolnshire, where Mrs. Buckley lives.
So did anyone else catch John Hodgman namedropping Supertrain during his appearance on WTF?

A Wheezy Steampunk
Jul 16, 2006

High School Grads Eligible!
So thanks to this thread I've given RotL another chance and I'm glad I did. The first time around, I saw Marco's recomendation for Dead Rubber Girl in my Closet and We Can All Agree on Cheese, which were two episodes I enjoyed. Then I listened to a few more random ones and maybe I was having a bad day those days but they didn't hook me so I stopped listening. Because of this thread, I listened to Supertrain and saw the light. Now I've started from the beginning and have loved every episode.

It's like my favorite parts of Back to Work (the meandering conversations) without the actual tips that I feel compelled to record when listening to Back to Work. Additionally, John Roderick has lived a much more interesting life than Dan Benjamin, which says a lot about John because Dan's life is pretty solid, but it makes for extremely fascinating conversation.

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

So... no new episode this week?

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

Mescal posted:

So... no new episode this week?

...No episode two weeks in a row? drat, just when I had gotten properly dependent on the show.

Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

John was on JoCo Cruise Crazy, so that probably messed with the schedule for both weeks.

They went a month between episodes at one point last year. Lets hope that doesn't happen again.

A Wheezy Steampunk
Jul 16, 2006

High School Grads Eligible!
Once upon a time there was a cow in a field eating grass.

And then there was pump chili.

Swarthy_Foreskin
Apr 17, 2003

You want to put a knife in me. Look me in the eyes. See what's going on in there while you turn it.
Nap Ghost
I've compiled some extra content while we wait for the next episode:

Two appearances on The Bailey Jay Show
http://baileyjayshow.libsyn.com/episode-68-john-roderick-is-a-beautiful-and-talented-man (John starts at around 13:00)
http://baileyjayshow.libsyn.com/91-john-roderick-and-the-suggestion-of-poo (John starts at around 12:30)

The Air Raid Podcast:
http://www.air-raid.net/?page=podcast&podcast_id=88 (John starts at around 12:30)

The Merlin Show with John Roderick AKA Episode 6 in video:
http://vimeo.com/19041249

Recent performance from the latest JoCo Cruise Crazy with the story of how he stole his dad's plane:
http://youtu.be/hAsNSQLtL4k

John Roderick and John Hodgman - La Vie en Rose (From The Gamechangers in Seattle 10/29/12):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zxu3gKrtXs

The Western State Hurricanes on low budget cable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azYL5FYip14

Merlin’s Awkward Hair Odyssey:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin/sets/1034127/with/283452/

John and his thinking cape:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin/sets/72157627554067370/

Swarthy_Foreskin fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Mar 4, 2013

neurotech
Apr 22, 2004

Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

Swarthy_Foreskin posted:

~ A nice bit of curation ~

Thanks for this. Good stuff.

Does anyone remember what episode John talked about the following?

- Locking eyes with a 'window girl' in the streets of Amsterdam and running away
- Lying on the ground looking up at the stars and being scared of 'falling up' into them

It may have been two different episodes...

Robophile
Apr 20, 2003

We know a remote farm in Lincolnshire, where Mrs. Buckley lives.

neurotech posted:

Thanks for this. Good stuff.

Does anyone remember what episode John talked about the following?

- Locking eyes with a 'window girl' in the streets of Amsterdam and running away
- Lying on the ground looking up at the stars and being scared of 'falling up' into them

It may have been two different episodes...

I can't recall the title of the first one off hand, but the second is definitely "Cement Gravy Boat of Suffering."

Edit: I just listened to it (again), and it's got the Red Light District story too, towards the end.

Robophile fucked around with this message at 16:11 on Mar 6, 2013

Swarthy_Foreskin
Apr 17, 2003

You want to put a knife in me. Look me in the eyes. See what's going on in there while you turn it.
Nap Ghost
Enjoy some frightening local morning television with John Roderick and Kevin Eubanks:

http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/New-Day-Hot-Topics--195272571.html

There's some hard hitting talk about eating placenta among other topics.

neurotech
Apr 22, 2004

Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

Has anyone heard anything about any new episodes coming out at some point? I miss these guys. :(

Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

neurotech posted:

Has anyone heard anything about any new episodes coming out at some point? I miss these guys. :(

Merlin just tweeted this a little while ago:

@hotdogsladies posted:

Team Supertrain: Roderick on the Line is NOT on hiatus. We’ve just had a terrible time finding a chance to record.

We’re on it.

As you do.

That's pretty much what I suspected, but it's definitely good to hear it for sure.

Swarthy_Foreskin
Apr 17, 2003

You want to put a knife in me. Look me in the eyes. See what's going on in there while you turn it.
Nap Ghost
New episode!

http://www.merlinmann.com/roderick/ep-67-all-of-the-small-beer.html

WORLDS BEST BABY
Aug 26, 2006

I made some RotL fanart last night.

neurotech
Apr 22, 2004

Deep in my dreams and I still hear her callin'
If you're alone, I'll come home.

WORLDS BEST BABY posted:

I made some RotL fanart last night.



This is great, really great!

Stutes
Oct 13, 2005

Tonight's the Night
Another new episode is up!

http://i-0.us/rotl-69

peter banana
Sep 2, 2008

Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
This came up on Merlin's tumblr today: http://miasmaofdata.tumblr.com/post/47620803897/the-apocryphal-adventures-of-john-roderick

Mescal
Jul 23, 2005

The last two episodes have been really good after a slump.

At this point I have no idea which of their mispronunciations are for real and which are jokes.

Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

I'm really worried about John having to find a business manager now.

Chocolate Cocaine
Dec 26, 2008

I'm reviving this thread to share this little morsel: http://5by5.tv/b2w/31.

Back in 2011, John was the special guest on Merlin's other show Back To Work. This episode is where they came up with the idea for Roderick on the Line.

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Diabolik900
Mar 28, 2007

Chocolate Cocaine posted:

I'm reviving this thread to share this little morsel: http://5by5.tv/b2w/31.

Back in 2011, John was the special guest on Merlin's other show Back To Work. This episode is where they came up with the idea for Roderick on the Line.

Thanks for posting this. I honestly thought I had put it in the OP.

Along the same lines, here's an interview the two of them did back in 2007. Merlin eventually released this as an episode of the show, but it was originally from way earlier.

http://vimeo.com/19041249

https://vimeo.com/19041249

Diabolik900 fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Jun 8, 2013

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