Author Topic: EP169: How I Mounted Goldie, Saved My Partner Lori, and Sniffed Out The People’s  (Read 71758 times)

Russell Nash

  • Guest
This story was a lot of fun.  The dog kept looking at me wondering why we weren't heading back in.  I kept just walking past our front walk.

Also, I thought I'd point out that the promo for "Crimewav" did not make me want to go listen. In fact, it completely turned me off to the whole idea. It wasn't the content so much as the delivery. The promoter read his lines with a faux-homey flair that fell completely flat.

That is Seth Harwood's way of doing all of his stuff and it's why I deleted everything of his after I heard Jack Wakes up and a couple of his shorts.  It was just far too annoying and the writing wasn't good enough to make up for it. 



wintermute

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1291
  • What Would Batman Do?
I usually think profanity is mis- and over-used in fiction. I think the world could do with far less of it. This is not a popular thing to say on the Internet, as it seems most people believe that "fuck" is a very versatile and satisfying word and feel they should practice using it. Nevertheless, perhaps because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'll say that most profanity could be replaced with grunts and nothing would be lost but unpleasant linguistic connotations. I hate when people who are more than capable of eloquently expressing themselves (as most published writers are) revert instead to callous babbling profanity.
I think that profanity is an important item in our linguistic toolbox (probably a hammer). I'll agree that it gets overused, but when strong emphasis is absolutely required, nothing does the job better. Generally, it should be used when a version using "polite words" would still not be polite (a certain chewing gum advert comes to mind).

But the point is that while a published author might be the most erudite and lettered person around, his characters probably aren't, and having Detroit beat cops talking like they'd just completed a PhD in Thesaurus Studies might lose a certain amount of verité.

Science means that not all dreams can come true


madjo

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 70
Wow, long time no comment. :)

I really liked this story.
Because of the unusual main character (though at first I thought we'd get another 'talking helmet' story, this one really made me laugh a lot, which I needed, because I listened to the last episode of Chasing the Bard before EP, the fact that it was the last of that story made me rather sad.)

I also liked the parallels that can be drawn between People's Court, and most 'news' stations in western civilization. (especially the vilification based on conjecture and lack of or false evidence, where the world is decidedly black and white)

Also kudos for Steve for reading the title of the story in character. :)



stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
I think that profanity is an important item in our linguistic toolbox (probably a hammer). I'll agree that it gets overused, but when strong emphasis is absolutely required, nothing does the job better. Generally, it should be used when a version using "polite words" would still not be polite (a certain chewing gum advert comes to mind).

I think I know the one ... "lint-licker" and "What the French, toast?", yes?   :D  My wife and I love that one.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


alllie

  • Matross
  • ****
  • Posts: 174
    • alllieblog
 
Quote
I agree with everyone that reading definitely is how I imagine an uplifted collie or lab would speak

Now that I disagree with. Since the canine officer's name was Officer Bull I figured it was a pitbull. Or a German Shepard at least. But  a Lab or a Collie? A Lab would lick a perp to death and a Collie would speak with a Scottish Accent. Wouldn't he?

As for the FUCKS! I liked how Steve would read them so FUCK! kinda sounded like a bark. That was cool.

If you want to know where words like Fuck came from here is an essay I wrote on dirty words:
http://newsgarden.org/chatters/homepages/alllie/dirtywords.shtml



Hatton

  • Peltast
  • ***
  • Posts: 88
    • Front Porch Political Talk
I originally stopped this story about half-way through.  Something about the pace of the reading distracted me.

Then I drank two more cups of coffee in quick succession and my mind could comprehend the story line better.

Steve, I have to wonder if you modeled your reading style off the dog from Dexter's Lab: A Story?

http://www.tv.com/dexters-laboratory/dexters-lab-a-story/episode/24605/summary.html
http://www.imeem.com/people/qgwZzl/video/BmFSyb5a/dexters_lab_a_dog_story_tv_video/

On a serious note about the story it reminded me of a blend of RoboCop (Detroit Police?), Lassie, Cops and Law & Order.  Amazing job!

Normal is just a setting on the washing machine.


DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
When the dog called his partner a "stocky bitch,"  I liked that.  I laughed for a really long time.  Although the "FUCK FUCK FUCK" bark probably primed me for it.  Now I understand what that dog across the street is trying to tell me when I take out the trash cans.

This was a great entertaining, fun story.  Good job, EP!

Sully Dog has become one of my favorite writers here. 


Darwinist

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 701
Quote
I agree with everyone that reading definitely is how I imagine an uplifted collie or lab would speak

Now that I disagree with. Since the canine officer's name was Officer Bull I figured it was a pitbull. Or a German Shepard at least. But  a Lab or a Collie? A Lab would lick a perp to death and a Collie would speak with a Scottish Accent. Wouldn't he?


Yes.  I pictured Officer Bull as a tough guy German Shepard, like the ones you see on police shows,  running down and tearing the living crap out of perps.   

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.    -  Carl Sagan


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Yes.  I pictured Officer Bull as a tough guy German Shepard, like the ones you see on police shows,  running down and tearing the living crap out of perps.   

German Shepherd is the first breed that comes to my mind when somebody says "police dog".

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Darwinist

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 701
Yes.  I pictured Officer Bull as a tough guy German Shepard, like the ones you see on police shows,  running down and tearing the living crap out of perps.   

German Shepherd is the first breed that comes to my mind when somebody says "police dog".

Like this police dog:

http://www.ubersite.com/m/53894

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.    -  Carl Sagan


deflective

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1171
Also, I thought I'd point out that the promo for "Crimewav" did not make me want to go listen. In fact, it completely turned me off to the whole idea. It wasn't the content so much as the delivery. The promoter read his lines with a faux-homey flair that fell completely flat.
That is Seth Harwood's way of doing all of his stuff and it's why I deleted everything of his after I heard Jack Wakes up and a couple of his shorts.  It was just far too annoying and the writing wasn't good enough to make up for it. 

i didn't make it past the first six episodes of Jack wakes up. he neither reads or writes the stories in this podcast and it's been about 50-50 hit miss so far.



Kaa

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 620
  • Trusst in me, jusst in me.
    • WriteWright
I can describe this story in one word: Perfect.

It is everything an Escape Pod story should be.  It is fun.  It is engaging.  It is well-read/performed.  The subject was sci-fi, but the story wasn't about the sci-fi, but about the characters.  And above all, it was a good story, told well.

Very seldom does an Escape Pod story leave me driving on the interstate giggling like a kid, but this one definitely did.  "Terry Stringer," indeed.

Sullydog, I would so read a novel written in this universe.  Think about it.  Just...not all told from the POV of a dog, please.  The optimism burnsssss usssssss.... :)

I invent imaginary people and make them have conversations in my head. I also write.

About writing || About Atheism and Skepticism (mostly) || About Everything Else


sayeth

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 53
    • Free Listens
Hilarious story. Thumbs up for Steve's voice, Jonathan's writing and Dr. Bowie's ability not to laugh at Steve. As you might guess from my user icon, I'm a neuroscientist too, as well as an Emory PhD grad, so I'm a bit biased for Jonathan's stories.

While listening to the story, I kept expecting the Creative Commons disclaimer to go something like: "That means you can let us off the leash in your neighborhood, but don't neuter us, and don't try to sell us to sketchy restaurants."

Free Listens Audio Reviews: www.freelistens.blogspot.com


Grayven

  • Palmer
  • **
  • Posts: 35
WOOF WOOF



Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
people who are more than capable of eloquently expressing themselves (as most published writers are) ...

If fuck is good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

I have zero negative reaction to the curses a writer chooses to use in the vocabulary of the characters he or she develops. The language used by the characters is a very important to a writer.


In the book I just finished writing, the main character refers to her sex organ with the c-word almost exclusively.  I personally would never use it, but it just sounded right for her to say it and think it.  So I'm with you, arcsine -- if the author has a good reason for using the words, and it matches the character, then go for it.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
Given everything the author does, I'm impressed that he manages to pull of such a great story.  I loved this story.  I love stories about animals that are more than they are now -- ie, Simak's City and the two-fer "A Dog's Life" (I forget the author).  And I think we all loved the ghost cat in that recent PodCastle.

When Steve said it would be a police procedural, I worried a bit because those are hit-or-miss for me; I don't watch CSI or L&O, but I like Criminal Minds and Without a Trace, so... *shrug* I guess it depends.  But I think I was in the right frame of mind to really like this, having just sat down to start watching "Touching Evil" (US Version) again.

The characterization of the dog was excellent.  The plot twist with Captain Mitchell wasn't terribly unexpected, but Mitchell was one of those pragmatic bad guys -- doing a bad thing but for a perceived good reason -- so it made sense for the character.

What I really liked was the difference between a dog and a Dog (for lack of a comparative term).  Bull kept referring to non-capped dogs as "just a dog", but he himself was a Dog.  It's almost the way many people think celebrities see themselves -- both James Blunt and I are white men, but he's James Blunt and I'm just me.  But Bull has a sense of realism to his character -- he has a purpose; he's not a Dog just to be a Dog, but he's a Dog because it makes him a better police officer.

I wonder what breed Bull was.  I'm guessing German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois because those are the most common used for K-9 partner dogs, but he could've been anything -- probably not a Mastiff, as they're slobbery and I think Bull would've made reference to that more than just the one time, but I am curious.  I also wonder if Bull could talk, or if his barking was just that, and he was interfacing with the judicial computer voice via his skulltop directly -- so when he was yelling "Fuck fuck fuck!" it was really just loud, sharp barking.  I like how the author made that ambiguous, so you could really take it however you wanted.  At first blush, I thought it was speaking, but upon reflection... he was just barking.

Steve's reading was PERFECT.  Absolutely, positively, in my opinion, the absolute best acting I've heard him do since I started listening to EP (and later PP and PC).

I'm afraid that EP170 will be a bit of a letdown after the greatness of this story.

Oh, and by the way, the repetition was great.  It really was totally in character.  And the title -- sex, companionship, purpose -- really is a microcosm of Bull's existence.  Purpose is his baseline -- he would even apprehend Lori if she broke the law in a way he didn't see made sense.  But if she's not breaking the law, she's his entire world (except the law) and he loves and respects her.  But when sex is on the menu?  Well... I'm not a scientist, but the author is, so if he says the pheromones are so overwhelming that Bull's desire to mount Goldie is forefront in his mind even as he's serving the law (his purpose) and Lori (his companion), then I believe it.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
In the book I just finished writing, the main character refers to her sex organ with the c-word almost exclusively. 

It's her "charlie"?  :P

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Darwinist

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 701
I love stories about animals that are more than they are now -- ie, Simak's City and the two-fer "A Dog's Life" (I forget the author). 

I immediately thought of Simak's "City" when the story started.  But once the violence, F-bombs, and talk of mounting started I knew we weren't in Clifford's pastoral future earth.

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.    -  Carl Sagan


eytanz

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 6109
This was a really great story. I found Steve's exhuberance while reading a bit difficult after a while, but I understand completely why he did it that way and think it was the right choice, even if a bit exhausting on the ear.



Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
This was a really great story. I found Steve's exhuberance while reading a bit difficult after a while, but I understand completely why he did it that way and think it was the right choice, even if a bit exhausting on the ear.

I also think Steve did a great job with Bull's need to use the bathroom, and also when he felt like a bad dog.  That was such a great change in the tone; it really reflected the quicksilver nature of a dog's mood.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


DandHRoberts

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 8
  • "Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin."
I loved Steve's energy in this. I thought he did a great job portraying a dog. I had that figured out right away. I could picture my yellow lab telling me this story in the exact same way with vigorous tail wagging, head hanging and all.

I personally stay away from court TV as it aggravates me how silly people are. It almost shames me to know that I have had family on these shows. But at least they won their cases.

I don't know if it was an editing issue or not but... it almost sounded like "Bull" stopped to lick him self during the debriefing and the interviewer was so distracted that she had to start her sentence over. It made me laugh!

I thought the reading would have flowed better if Jennifer had been a little more consistent with her inflection. It seemed flat in some places, fine in others, and just out of place at times. It was somewhat distracting. At first I thought the interviewer was supposed to be a person, then a machine, than I didn't know what.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2008, 03:55:26 PM by DandHRoberts »

"I'm betting on Alice"


DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
I wonder with pieces like this if the two parts are able to listen to the other person's performance at all, or if it's a blind recording. 


Listener

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3187
  • I place things in locations which later elude me.
    • Various and Sundry Items of Interest
I wonder with pieces like this if the two parts are able to listen to the other person's performance at all, or if it's a blind recording. 

Well, I know that the co-reader and Steve both live in the same general area (greater Atlanta), so maybe they recorded in Steve's studio. Plus, I think during the flub at the end I heard Steve giving her direction.

"Farts are a hug you can smell." -Wil Wheaton

Blog || Quote Blog ||  Written and Audio Work || Twitter: @listener42


ScottC

  • Extern
  • *
  • Posts: 14
    • Needcoffee
Also kudos for Steve for reading the title of the story in character. :)

The title itself works because you know that's how Bull would write it.  'Write' as in interfacing with a word processing program.  Even the order makes sense.  The mounting first (I guess Bull likes blondes), then his partner, then the case.

As to loyalty, Bull shows true loyalty by calling out Lori when she is willing to let The People's Justice have Duchamp.  That's a good dog.

Also, it's interesting how the concept of 'pirate radio' usually associated with free expression and opposing the tyranny of the FCC is turned on its head with the 'hang 'em high' version of justice you get from The People's Justice.



MacArthurBug

  • Giddy
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 648
  • I can resist anything except temptation
    • undercaffinated
Best.  Reading.  Ever.

I second that.  I LOVED love love loved this story! The excitement in Steves voice was awesome. The interviewers obvious amusement in parts, awesome. The STORY! AWESOME!  Oh my goodness this one made me giddy.  :)  New favorite Escape pod story- Friction is now moved to second.  Squeeeee! Great stuff!

Oh, great and mighty Alasdair, Orator Maleficent, He of the Silvered Tongue, guide this humble fangirl past jumping up and down and squeeing upon hearing the greatness of Thy voice.
Oh mighty Mur the Magnificent. I am not worthy.