The Coach kayaking tale and top 5 lists (not top films or actors)
Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.
Well I have plenty of reviews coming soon as well as more Christopher Walken Appreciation Month, but I thought I'd take this post to take care of some things that have been on my mind.
First is the Coach interview...when I do these Survivor interviews it is usually a pretty long discussion. In the end I usually end up with 8-10 pages of material. Some of it is making sure it's really them security questions, some of it is how are you doing and some of it is for the intro. What I then do is take that material, pick and choose the best, most detailed questions and answers and post it for everyone.
During the Coach interview I was quoted as saying "I've always been a fan of you and your kayaking stories" Do you want to hear one?" "No...anyway." If you notice I put a "..." in there. Usually if I put a "..." in the answers it is because between that and the next sentence...things are said.
My point is that Coach DID tell a kayaking story. The reason I didn't post it is because it's the story he's been telling everybody in all of his exit interviews. Because it wasn't unique or original I didn't think it was necessary to print on this blog. But since I won't stop getting crap for "turning down" a kayaking story...here it is.
"I was down in Mexico and I was kayaking. This guy gave me ice that was actually some kind of poison or something. Probably something that was dipped in diesel fuel, I dunno. The ice sat there and melted in my cooler. I was three days south of the nearest land and it was 95 degrees out. The problem was I couldn't drink the water. So I dumped it all out and was without water. For four days I floated around without water with nothing around me. With the heat baring down on me I tried to push through it. But after those four days I finally passed out. Then out of nowhere Bill Ronstadt, of the famous Ronstadt family, came up to my kayak in a large sailboat. He fished me out of the water and pretty much saved my life. I was dehydrated, unconcious and almost dead. And he saved my life."
There you go....it's not unique but it's still a good story.
Since I'm not one to waste posts though I also decided I'd take this time to create some top 5 lists. Does most of it matter? No. If you listened to the recent Demented Encyclopedia (widget in the doobly doo to the side) you know my top 5 films and actors/actresses, but what about my other top 5s? I won't do like food or extraneous things but I think you all deserve to hear some of my favorites.
First is my top 5 most read blogs:
If you've read my profile then you know that I follow A LOT of blogs. So to pick five favorites is really hard. So instead of just picking, I checked my view counter of all the blogs I've visited and found five blogs that I read the most often. So without further ado:
Rachel over at Rachel's Reel Reviews is not only a big part of the LAMB (she tallies all the LAMBscores), a contributing member of the LAMBcast on occasion and an always welcome co-host of the Demented Encyclopedia but she is also the author of a really great blog. Not only does she do great movie reviews but now she has great weekly features that range from what's on TV to what trailers are out now. She works really hard and considering she is also a mother of a young child, it's a wonder she gets anything done. A great site if you ever get the chance to check it out.
Jason Soto over at Invasion of the B-Movies runs a really great site. He not only does a phenomenal monthly podcast called "Lair of the Unwanted," he also has great features on his site (like Date My Mom, Bad Movie Ultimate Cage Match...which I dominated..., and lists (part of why I'm doing this)) and he has a great sense of humor about it all. He touches films that I would never touch again and he is actually an upcoming guest host on the Demented Encyclopedia. A good friend and a great blogger...here's to you...you lost by single digit numbers to number 3.
Ventilation Shaft and Magnum are a crazy duo. They're funny, they're entertaining, they're friends and supporters of The Movie Encyclopedia and they're a site you should check out. They are great writers, cover movies that I even haven't heard of, they dedicate an entire month to manliness, they're editorials are deep and thoughtful and they proudly show boobs...mostly because they can but hey I don't have the balls to do it. And these guys do. Don't let the content warning scare you away...let it encourage you to click yes. It's a site you shouldn't miss.
What more can be said about Dylan "Fletch" Fields that hasn't already? A stand up guy, a great writer, the creator of LAMB, the creator of the LAMBcast and the person who let me join LAMB and thereby helped me get to know all these other mentioned blogs. His site is great, his features rule, and if you don't read it...shame on you...you are missing out.
I swear the fix isn't in. The numbers did all the talking with this list. But in all serious Nick Jobe of R2D2 is my podcasting partner, my closest blogger friend, a Ben Foster enthusiast, a fellow Shaun of the Dead lover and an all around great guy. This guy has a passion for film I rarely see and I always look forward to working with him on TDE. So congrats on getting number 1 Nick...you deserve it.
Now onto another Top 5 inspired slightly by He Shot Cyrus...my top 5 podcasts:
Oh and don't worry, LAMBcast and The Demented Encyclopedia aren't on there. I can be objective. With this list I just looked at my iTunes view counter and was able to come up with my top 5.
Wow - a jam-packed post filled with lots of goodies!
Ya know, you could've just told us about that story and we (probably) would've left you alone. Still, thanks for sharing it. :D
Woo - #2! I figured your Demented Encyclopedic brother would be #1, so I was thrilled to take the runner-up spot. You guys should get an apartment together or something and write a sitcom.
Four of my favorite podcasts, and probably my most listened to as well (actually, TDE and Big Mike's are about tied, if only because you each have roughly the same number of eps). My top 5 would probably switch out Filmspotting, which I've never listened to, for Destroy All Movies, which can be damn funny. Aside from that, all of the movies podcasts I listen to belong to LAMBs. I guess I just like to keep it "in-house" and leave the big-time podcasts to everyone else.
Some great songs there, too...except for that dreadful number one. The only time I like Phil Collins is when Patrick Bateman is spouting his love for him/Genesis. I, too, am a Muse lover. Hard to pick their best song, though - it'd be about a 15-way tie.
I realize that but any excuse I guess to do a huge post...;p
Yeah it was actually the view numbers that did it. All of my top 5 are pretty close but you were a very close number two...
A Nick and Travis sitcom WOULD be hilarious.
Yeah Filmspotting is certainly something. If nothing else for sheer mass. But I will have to give Destroy All Movies a look
Yeah I figured my number one would get the most crap. Actually my number two and one tend to switch periodically but for some reason that drum fill (solo is a bit much) always gets me. Plus I have some good memories with that song (if ya know what I mean)...and yes Muse was the toughest one for me but Knights has always been the most epic for me.
glad you like it. i know its not a post #400 or anything special but when else was i gonna do it?
Thank you for all the praise, Travis. It means a lot.
As for your lists, I can't comment on the podcasts because mostly I don't find the time to listen to them.
@Top 5 songs You have an interesting taste. I remember being hooked on 7 Nation Army when it came out. But time passed since then, and I have found my "calling" in heavy metal, although I listen to other music like film and video game scores, country and post-rock. My Top 5 varies from time to time, but my #1 doesn't: Blaze Bayley - Smile Back at Death. A great epic song inspired by the film Gladiator.
@Top 5 games Out of the 5 games, I haven't played Heavy Rain (because I don't own a PS3, unfortunately).
- Splinter Cell was a good game, but since I'm a Meta Gear Solid type of guy, I wasn't really blown away by this title. Very playable and very enjoyable, but compared to MGS... Michael Ironsdie rules, though!
- Indigo Prophecy, it's called Fahrenheit in EU. I began playing it once, some years back and can't remember why but I haven't finished it. But I will, I definitely will. I hear the story is great and the gameplay is quite unique.
- Shadow of Destiny, finally someone brings this title up! Amazing, intriguing and very innovative game that slipped under the radar. Such a shame.
- Monkey Island. Tim Schaffer is a genius. A year ago, I had played through Psychonauts, Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle. I can't remember when a game got me laughing so hard. Just brilliant!
Heck yeah! Thanks for the love, brotha. Oh, and thanks for posting that kayak story! And for future reference, typically when you're writing something and you cut out information that is there, you put [...] with the brackets and all. At the very least, if the HTML gets you, I'd use parenthesis (...). It'll help solve confusion. You could then asterisk the information and have some footnotes to explain what was cut in a short summary, if it's worth mentioning.
Thanks for the shoutout in the website portion. You techically listed 6 podcasts (since you mentioned ours) but whatever. I'll take being your 6th favorite podcast.
I only just found this post! Thank you so much for those kind words Travis! I still miss TDE fondly ... my Tuesday morning commute is quieter without it!
I said that the 'shutter island' debaucle was a highlight on the LAMBcast, it was purely fun and games and I meant no harm through it!
Great to see some blog posts resuming again on this fantastic site! and I hope you're still listening to TSAJFS!
Wow - a jam-packed post filled with lots of goodies!
ReplyDeleteYa know, you could've just told us about that story and we (probably) would've left you alone. Still, thanks for sharing it. :D
Woo - #2! I figured your Demented Encyclopedic brother would be #1, so I was thrilled to take the runner-up spot. You guys should get an apartment together or something and write a sitcom.
Four of my favorite podcasts, and probably my most listened to as well (actually, TDE and Big Mike's are about tied, if only because you each have roughly the same number of eps). My top 5 would probably switch out Filmspotting, which I've never listened to, for Destroy All Movies, which can be damn funny. Aside from that, all of the movies podcasts I listen to belong to LAMBs. I guess I just like to keep it "in-house" and leave the big-time podcasts to everyone else.
Some great songs there, too...except for that dreadful number one. The only time I like Phil Collins is when Patrick Bateman is spouting his love for him/Genesis. I, too, am a Muse lover. Hard to pick their best song, though - it'd be about a 15-way tie.
I realize that but any excuse I guess to do a huge post...;p
ReplyDeleteYeah it was actually the view numbers that did it. All of my top 5 are pretty close but you were a very close number two...
A Nick and Travis sitcom WOULD be hilarious.
Yeah Filmspotting is certainly something. If nothing else for sheer mass. But I will have to give Destroy All Movies a look
Yeah I figured my number one would get the most crap. Actually my number two and one tend to switch periodically but for some reason that drum fill (solo is a bit much) always gets me. Plus I have some good memories with that song (if ya know what I mean)...and yes Muse was the toughest one for me but Knights has always been the most epic for me.
glad you like it. i know its not a post #400 or anything special but when else was i gonna do it?
Thank you for all the praise, Travis. It means a lot.
ReplyDeleteAs for your lists, I can't comment on the podcasts because mostly I don't find the time to listen to them.
@Top 5 songs
You have an interesting taste. I remember being hooked on 7 Nation Army when it came out. But time passed since then, and I have found my "calling" in heavy metal, although I listen to other music like film and video game scores, country and post-rock. My Top 5 varies from time to time, but my #1 doesn't:
Blaze Bayley - Smile Back at Death. A great epic song inspired by the film Gladiator.
@Top 5 games
Out of the 5 games, I haven't played Heavy Rain (because I don't own a PS3, unfortunately).
- Splinter Cell was a good game, but since I'm a Meta Gear Solid type of guy, I wasn't really blown away by this title. Very playable and very enjoyable, but compared to MGS... Michael Ironsdie rules, though!
- Indigo Prophecy, it's called Fahrenheit in EU. I began playing it once, some years back and can't remember why but I haven't finished it. But I will, I definitely will. I hear the story is great and the gameplay is quite unique.
- Shadow of Destiny, finally someone brings this title up! Amazing, intriguing and very innovative game that slipped under the radar. Such a shame.
- Monkey Island. Tim Schaffer is a genius. A year ago, I had played through Psychonauts, Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle. I can't remember when a game got me laughing so hard. Just brilliant!
P.S. You didn't make a list of your Top 5 books.
Thanks for the shout out, Travis! Great post with some very interesting song choices. Glad to find a fellow White Stripes lover!
ReplyDeleteHeck yeah! Thanks for the love, brotha. Oh, and thanks for posting that kayak story! And for future reference, typically when you're writing something and you cut out information that is there, you put [...] with the brackets and all. At the very least, if the HTML gets you, I'd use parenthesis (...). It'll help solve confusion. You could then asterisk the information and have some footnotes to explain what was cut in a short summary, if it's worth mentioning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shoutout in the website portion. You techically listed 6 podcasts (since you mentioned ours) but whatever. I'll take being your 6th favorite podcast.
ReplyDeleteAnd jesus that's an old ass screengrab.
-Jason
Great post Travis! Completely agree about Cool Awesome Movies being a great site. I also love the song Losing my Religion :)
ReplyDeleteI only just found this post! Thank you so much for those kind words Travis! I still miss TDE fondly ... my Tuesday morning commute is quieter without it!
ReplyDeleteI said that the 'shutter island' debaucle was a highlight on the LAMBcast, it was purely fun and games and I meant no harm through it!
Great to see some blog posts resuming again on this fantastic site! and I hope you're still listening to TSAJFS!
Simon