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“Back in 2003, before this podcasting thing, there was this guy named Mike D and he created this show. It’s the Red Bar Radio show” (artwork by the talented Sven Stoffels) Fresh from graduating Full Sail University, Mike David returned to his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. For whatever reason Mike and friends recorded a pretend radio show, just like any other morning radio show you would hear on the FM dial. They liked it and kept doing it, going from once a week to three or five times a week. Mike never attempted to get people to like what he was doing nor does he try now. Transition into Pre-Takeover Era Red Bar Radio Red Bar Radio started to get some traction. Mike appeared in various Chicago area newspapers. He had a lot of various co-hosts. Some names being James Fritz, Mike Bridenstine, Dean Carlson, Kyle Lane, Drew Michael, I am leaving out many, and my favorite David Angelo. Local Chicago comedians also appeared on the show such as T.J. Miller and Hannibal Buress. It was unique to have this strange “internet radio show” (also being that Mike started pre-”podcast”) as a platform to reach hopeful new fans. However Mike did set one rule up for Comics to abandon any and all “Comedy Routine” talk which led to many awkward hours of listening and some tears. Even though Mike never jived with 99% of comedians, it did not mean he hated comedy. Thus born the Red Bar Comedy Club. The master of burning bridges along with Kyle Lane started a somewhat successful comedy club. Here you can see a strange video from the... craftsman youtube channel... of Mike on Down & Dirty Radio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCNtlolD2ts Mike was really into running the club however fans of the show thought he was putting too much effort into club. But things seemed to be turning up for the show because somehow Mike booked Marc Maron for the show. It was big, for two weeks Marc Maron LIVE in studio on August 5th 2011... August 5th 20111.... August 5th... The Takeover Mike wakes up, ready for the show with Marc Maron. But he can’t log into his email or facebook. The website has turned into a GoDaddy dot com splash page. Confused and befuddled in his apartment, screaming at an intern to pick up Marc Maron, he gets a phone call from his Mother. His mother tells him he has to stop, Kyle has told her everything. Stop with the drugs, the theft, and the hookers, you really need help Mike. Now from the point of view of the fans, Red Bar Radio has disappeared. Mike’s facebook and twitter disappeared. iTunes no longer carries the Red Bar Radio feed. The Red Bar Comedy Club has just become The Comedy Club. Former co-hosts are posting on the internet letters of shredding ties with all former and anything future Mike David and Red Bar. But where is Mike? Where is Red Bar? Fans (Jonathan Berman) create the (still current) facebook group Bring Back Red Bar for any and all hope of finding out what happened to the show. But soon signs of life from Mike came, an announcement to tune in on Halloween 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaVYZfKh2g4 Post Takeover Era - Current Red Bar Era Spooktacular 2011 was the telling of the scariest story in Red Bar, full of many ghosts and snakes. It still can be seen here in it’s five hour entirety https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJ3QlQKuDE Mike has gotten everything back, the website is now dot net not dot com, and with his parents now on his side, continued to do Red Bar by himself. He has not had a “permanent co-host” in a while; more so a huge cast of supporting characters that, as before, have gone and left due to however Mike is feeling towards them at the time. Mike has entered 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and I think currently at 5.0. Mike has gone from endorsing smoking, to quitting smoking, to vaping. From “health food” Mike to “meat endorsed” Mike. From Bullet Proof coffee to Cameron Coffee. Great, wonderful but what is the show about? Where should I start? How? In general Red Bar would be considered a comedy talk podcast, even though you will have people call in all the time and ask “Mike, when will you be funny again?”. Mike is a maniac, hateful, mean and sometimes (ok often) racist. The slogan “Racist and not funny” and “This will be your favorite show after only three episodes. Or you’ll hate it.” are spot on. It took me many attempts to keep listening and strangely enough the week before the takeover is when I really started enjoying Red Bar. However no other podcast provides the strange, offbeat, all over the place comedy that Red Bar provides. Any topic, little or big provides entertainment for Mike. He is extremely open about his life which often becomes show content. As to where a new listener should start I have no idea. Recently Mike posted a lot of “Old Bar’s” on the feed during the DDOS attacks he was getting, which while they are different than the current bar, they are smoother and can introduce you to Mike. Other than them I would just listen to the most recent and try to work back, or wait for the next episodes and move forward. They can be downloaded from the site redbarradio.net and subscribed through iTunes. Mike has also now made the video shows available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/redbarradio The last 100 shows or about the past year is on the feed otherwise you can join the Barmy, costs  but gets you all the stuff going back too 2007 (HOWEVER If you google hard enough you can find some old 07-08 shows on some ancient podcasting sites, including the famous 4-18-07 Virgina Tech episode).Don’t want to listen to a whole show, have some clips Beethoven Lives Upstairs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2D58JsVdfs Mike ruins his relationship with Othy in two minutes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWJKGUtw3CY Mike and Ryan play with saucers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deSN08cT9DQ Mike notices a listener is wearing a baja - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1kSB80esZ0 Space Guthrie (cartoon) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP2IqnpvimM A hail storm inturupts Red Bar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_zedISiBCQ Mike & Sven Bleed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQT0dmnr2as Red Bar Radio London: Where is Sven? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfkx7rvU6IM Mike plays with Donkey Lips - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yNqO6Tgz_0 DONSYTROME trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRNPKd4tMkY That is pretty much it, I guess, I think. I know there was a thread about a year or so ago that died but hopefully/maybe this one can stay barely alive. Mike has been doing this going on 11 years now. I have been a listener for the past 3-4 years and have tried other podcasts but something about Mike always pulls me back and has made any other podcast just unlistenable. As for buying some of Mikes content, I personally had Barmy and it was worth it but after a couple of months canceled. The 124 Bits album/Best of/Best of VolumeTwo are good but Mike’s Boarding School Story, 7 hours about his time in Elan is really worth the five bucks. So yeah, Candyman, Bees, Whatever. TL;DR RBR is a 11 year old show hosted by Mike David. Listen. Love. Hate. FarmerHank fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Oct 25, 2014 |
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Oct 25, 2014 02:52
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Been listening since 2007. I admire his dedication. 8 years and he's at the peak of his career, only to have everything taken out from under him with some Game of Thrones poo poo. Though I must admit the show since then is definitely different and feels much smaller. He has almost no co-hosts anymore, whether that's because everybody's gone or he doesn't trust anyone I don't know. He gets into a lot of meta-Red Bar stuff, particularly with regard to the fans.
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Nov 20, 2014 05:47
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yeah, the show pre-takeover and post are really two different shows. The year after the takeover was my favorite time, when I guess there wasn't "co-hosts" but more regular friends that would come on. But in usual Mike fashion he burned those bridges. Red Bar has become so "meta" that I sometimes wonder if a person could even become a new listener from the cold. I am in the BBG but mostly just ignore it at all times. My most recent favorite episodes though were the ones with Ranee trying out for "News Girl"
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Nov 20, 2014 21:56
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I liked the Donkey Lips stuff recently because it was so batshit. I'm too far removed from Salute your Shorts to get any kind of rise of the nostalgia factor, even if I did enjoy it as a kid. He's got talent, I wouldn't be listening for 7-8 years if he didn't, but at this point I feel like he's spinning his wheels and running out of steam. You can only monologue for so long.
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Nov 22, 2014 07:34
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