Drabblecast 148 - The Last Great Clown Hunt

[poorturtle]

This one I like a lot.

How about 'Runs with Sissors''? Welcome to the forums poorturtle (I want to say pooturtle - sorry).

That one's good too, and thanks!. Actually, I've been around before, but the few times I posted Norm thought I was a girl, figured I'd update the profile.

[normsherman]

haha I did? When did I call you a chica?

[Lord von Guacanator]

Personally, I think it's a cool concept, and yes, for a story about clowns, it was very emotional. However, I don't know if it has to do with the fact that I was half asleeped, but I had trouble following the story. Personally, I would of actually *preferred* it if the the story went a bit off the deep end, but that may have just been my half asleepedness.

Yah... Also it seemed a bit preachy at times

[poorturtle]

haha I did? When did I call you a chica?

You were reading the forum reviews at the end of an episode in August or so.. I was on a road trip and it definitely cracked me up. No worries though, but had to set the record straight.

[dreamrock]

This one didn't blow me out of the water, but it was still enjoyable.

I kind of felt instead of inspiring the reader/listener to reconsider the place of clowns in our culture by placing them in an odd situation, it ended up inspiring me to think about the situation of the native nations in the light of voluntary clown corps instead.

That's not inherently a bad thing since breaking out of a set paradigm is a good experience even if you end up deciding the old paradigm was better and going back to it. But in the end, I ended up going to back to my old paradigm and feeling vaguely meh.

That said, "It's only South Dakota!"

EDIT: Oh, and they said no one could replace Heath as the Joker, but clearly Norm can. I expect someone to call Chris Nolan pronto so we can have a third awesome Batman movie and break the 3rd Movie curse of superhero movies.

[tbaker2500]

In grade school (in the 80's) I had it hammered into my brain that we were awful people, we destroyed this beautiful Native American culture. (I live local to several major battlegrounds.) Not only did "we" destroy it, "I" was somehow responsible. As a result, the guilt trip turned me off of anything that tried to make me feel even more guilty. I'm not a big fan of "We destroyed the Indians" plots.

This story, this production, was the first to break through my encrusted emotions and see the struggle again without the baggage. It threw aside precedent, and told the story of an embattled people in a meta-fashion. It doesn't matter if it's the Indians, the Armenians, the Jews or the Palestinians. They are all the same, peoples who at some point have fought a losing battle for there land and their life.

That fact that it uses humor so masterfully and absurdity so convincingly is just true art.

The story was good, on it's own. But the production brought it to vivid life! Norm, you really stretched your wings on this one. The music was impeccable. The SFX were perfect. And I noticed that you were trying some new voices. When I first heard Crosswhite (I think that's the name?), I was impressed. His voice lost some of it's distinction the more he talked. Keep developing those voices!

Truly great work!

[uptoparr]

I just started listening to the Drabblecast this last summer. This Drabblecast is one of the best that I have heard. I like the story and the use of clowns. But, to me what made this story was the use of music. The music was perfectly placed, and caused the right emotional response. I think I recognized some music from the "Gettysburg" film mixed in the story?

[treeman]

Uhm wow. What a... weird..memorable story. Yes, agree with uptoparr, masterful use of music here. This was really outstanding all around. Chris Furst needs to be a house writer for this podcast. I almost feel like it's just Norm using a pen name.

[Sternhammer]

This one I like a lot.

How about 'Runs with Sissors''? Welcome to the forums poorturtle (I want to say pooturtle - sorry).

That one's good too, and thanks!. Actually, I've been around before, but the few times I posted Norm thought I was a girl, figured I'd update the profile.

When I heard the name 'Runs With Scissors' I laughed out loud in my motorcycle helmet (I was riding to work at the time). I just had to sign up for the forums to say that… and what a fabulously well crafted experience this episode is. So many memorable moments and great lines. I could really imagine Buster Keaton in the roll. When I got to work I was just dying to share it with someone but everyone just stared at me with a blank, lifeless expression on their faces.

I guess that's one of the downsides of working in a morgue…

[dreamrock]

This one I like a lot.

How about 'Runs with Sissors''? Welcome to the forums poorturtle (I want to say pooturtle - sorry).

That one's good too, and thanks!. Actually, I've been around before, but the few times I posted Norm thought I was a girl, figured I'd update the profile.

When I heard the name 'Runs With Scissors' I laughed out loud in my motorcycle helmet (I was riding to work at the time). I just had to sign up for the forums to say that… and what a fabulously well crafted experience this episode is. So many memorable moments and great lines. I could really imagine Buster Keaton in the roll. When I got to work I was just dying to share it with someone but everyone just stared at me with a blank, lifeless expression on their faces.

I guess that's one of the downsides of working in a morgue…

Welcome to the forum, man!

If you're serious about working in a morgue, I may pester you for research purposes at some point.

[strawman]

Speaking as someone who rides a motorcycle, I propose that Sternhammer's working in a morgue may be for research purposes.
I also <3 "runs with scissors".

[Sternhammer]

If you're serious about working in a morgue, I may pester you for research purposes at some point.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I can seriously, but not truthfully, say that I work in a morgue so sorry to disappoint. I work in academia so it just seems like a morgue at certain times of the year.

But seriously seriously, great episode this week.

[angagaur]

I greatly enjoyed this episode.
I found myself trying to imagine a filmed version of this episode, with Runs with Scissors played by Bruce Spence and Keaton played by Teller (of Penn and Teller).

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

I must confess that the soundtrack sabotaged the podcast a little bit. Norm started with the excellent "Green Leaves of Summer", so I found myself rewinding that section over and over and wishing Norm would shut up so I could hear the music.

I then rushed home and spent 40 minutes listening to various versions of the song, buying a couple and moving "The Alamo" up in my Netflix queue. I suppose it's a good thing I already had versions of the other great tunes. Oh, yeah, I finished listening to the podcast a few days later.

The story started out irritating, but it grew on me. I kept getting bumped out to memories of Louis L'Amour stories and John Wayne movies; the story hit all the tropes, quite well. I suppose the takeaway message is that only clowns would believe the "noble savage" fallacies?

Because of the Ennio Moriconne clip in the story I must link to the barmy Spaghetti Western Orchestra...

Don't forget the excellent versions by The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. EG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFoS9bho2Ww" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
It gets extra fun starting at 2:33

ETA: Fuller, funner version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLgJ7pk0X-s

[strawman]

As I relisten to this story, it climbs my list of DC Classics, the stories I recommend to other people to find out if they are potential Drabblecastians.

It's Only South Dakota is a great sample of Drabblenews.
I agree that Chris Furst sounds like he should be writing specifically for Drabblecast. Keaton, Hairy Eyeball, and Runs with Scissors are great characters.

[tbaker2500]

Ditto. I've relistened a few times, and it is really, really good stuff.

[Kbilly]

I was jones'en for some Drabble, and had to go back and re-listen to this old classic. It defiantly strikes some chords with me, being half Blackfoot, but also having always dreamed of going to the Ringling Bros. Clown College. I think it is an odd statement about who you are, when out of all of these (314 and counting) stories, this is the one you feel you can relate to the most.

And on a side note...

Norm,
You need to do more stories like this and Clown Eggs, just because the voice you use is So Frickin Awesome. I mean, when the voice in my head is telling me to crap in the tank of my best friend’s toilet, instead of in the bowl, it's the voice of Uncle Smarmy!

[strawman]

Norm,
You need to do more stories like this and Clown Eggs, just because the voice you use is So Frickin Awesome. I mean, when the voice in my head is telling me to crap in the tank of my best friend’s toilet, instead of in the bowl, it's the voice of Uncle Smarmy!

Disclaimer:
The voice in your head may sound like Norm, but the voice you hear is a fictional character and is not based on anything that the management of The Drabblecast might be held legally or morally responsible for.