EP231: Solitary as an Oyster

[eytanz]

Great!

I wonder if it's worth someone's time to go update the original EP blog entry for the story, pointing to the new one (and maybe make the original file unavailable).

If I understood Mur's intro correctly (I always listen to intros as soon as I download an episode, even if I don't have time to listen to the story) - and she wasn't that clear - the original file has been updated with the new story audio but retaining the old intro/outro.

[pfischer]

Thank you for the updated file. I couldn't listen to the original file, the audio quality was painful to my ears. It just wasn't Christmas without a Mur Lafferty story. I'll be listening to this one right away!

Whoopie! Christmas in June!

[Unblinking]

Is this still in the queue for re-recording.  I hope it doesn't get forgotten--I'd really like to hear this one.

It seems your wish was granted

The only negative about this coming out now is that my backlog of EA episodes is already too long... This just adds one more to it - I hope I get to it before Christmas comes again.

too funny!  I had no idea it was actually going to be released just now.  I just saw someone asking the same question about The Curandero and the Swede over on Podcastle, and I thought "Maybe I'll go check on Solitary as an Oyster."     Haven't listened to it quite yet, but it's loaded onto my iPod and ready to go.

[Talia]

I wonder if there's really any point in disputing someone's point from six months ago, but now that I've heard the story (and really really liked) I can't resist...

Jenny was a very unsympathetic character who takes WAY too long to be redeemed.

...

I think perhaps the reason I really hated Jenny is because she, as a technical person, is capable of changing her situation.

Edited to just address these two points. 1) I think its more realistic that someone would be a bit of a hard sell about being redeemed. IMHO it makes more sense for it to take longer.

and 2) Sure she is, but the story seemed to imply she had a mental block - depression, perhaps, or something similar. Regardless of what you, as the outsider, might see as her options, she felt looked down upon, overlooked and ignored by the world. In the future she saw, she ended up killing herself, so the implication is she continued to spiral downwards into severe depression. Saying "oh, but you can do this, this and this!" doesn't mean a lot to a person who's depressed, because he or she does not see those as achievable options.

[Maqz]

I'm really looking forward to this one.  Was quite frustrated at first attempt to hear it in December.  Yay Mur.  Can't wait.

[Listener]

and 2) Sure she is, but the story seemed to imply she had a mental block - depression, perhaps, or something similar. Regardless of what you, as the outsider, might see as her options, she felt looked down upon, overlooked and ignored by the world. In the future she saw, she ended up killing herself, so the implication is she continued to spiral downwards into severe depression. Saying "oh, but you can do this, this and this!" doesn't mean a lot to a person who's depressed, because he or she does not see those as achievable options.

I agree. I have some issues going on that I really should be able to change on my own, but I have a mental block about it.

What I meant by "technical person" is that there's always a need for good technical TV people. Even depressed or angry techies I've worked with at TV stations have moved on to other jobs.

[captain0terror]

Audio quality is unlistenable. It is so disappointing when i grab my large popcorn and large drink, cozy up on the couch to listen to the latest episode of escape pod, and the audio is like this...

that said i am always thankful for escape pod, so please don't take this the wrong way, I just don't understand how someone could record something this badly (a), and then think it would be ok for other people to listen to (b).

I try really hard to listen to every episode, but when the audio is like this i can't handle much more than 5 minutes. tbh i would rather imput the story into TTS program with one of my freshly-downloaded AT&T voices--UK Audrey maybe?...
='(

As always i am appreciative to the escape pod producers. Thank You!

[Heradel]

Audio quality is unlistenable. It is so disappointing when i grab my large popcorn and large drink, cozy up on the couch to listen to the latest episode of escape pod, and the audio is like this...

that said i am always thankful for escape pod, so please don't take this the wrong way, I just don't understand how someone could record something this badly (a), and then think it would be ok for other people to listen to (b).

I try really hard to listen to every episode, but when the audio is like this i can't handle much more than 5 minutes. tbh i would rather imput the story into TTS program with one of my freshly-downloaded AT&T voices--UK Audrey maybe?...
='(

As always i am appreciative to the escape pod producers. Thank You!

Er, a version with fixed audio went up on the feed several days ago, were you listening to that one?

[alllie]

I couldn't listen to the original story and I tried but this time I really liked it and, as usual, liked Alasdair Stuart's narration. True, the first part was still a little rough, kinda a growl to some of the sound quality but that went away and I really got into it. It was a great idea to tell Scrooge's story using a ghost hunter crew. My only criticism was that I wanted more. I felt the story was just beginning and Jenny was just beginning to change.

[jenfullmoon]

I didn't listen to the original messed-up podcast (wasn't online to hear it), but is this one a lot better? There's a lot of weird gaps and pops and longish silences that I'm still hearing, and I don't have great hearing.

I have to say that I've always had problems with Alasdair's voice, though. I hate to say it, but there's something about him talking that makes me have issues with distinguishing the words. Kind of mumbly.

[alllie]

I didn't listen to the original messed-up podcast (wasn't online to hear it), but is this one a lot better? There's a lot of weird gaps and pops and longish silences that I'm still hearing, and I don't have great hearing.

In my opinion this version is a thousand percent better. After the beginning I stopped being aware of the sound quality and just got into the story. But different strokes for different folks.

[captain0terror]

I have to say that I've always had problems with Alasdair's voice, though

word. i never cared for his narration either. = (

[Mary]

I found the quality on the new recording to be better... but still so much hissing in places that it was difficult to listen to. Had to concentrate so much to make out that words that listening in the car while driving was a bit of an issue!

[Unblinking]

I'm glad the re-recording came out.  This one was still a bit rough near the beginning, but either it got better as time went on, or I just stopped noticing.  It is orders of magnitude better than the original recording in which I literally could not understand 2 of every 3 words.

It's hard to come up with something original with which to parody A Christmas Carol, since it's been done umpteen million times by every show/movie known to man.  But this one manages it--I've never thought of a Ghost Hunters meets Scrooge scenario.  I liked how the crew of three were each pulled along with the spirits one by one, liked the way the hunters tied in with the plot.  I wasn't really feeling Jenny's angst--it seemed genuine, that's the most important part, but I didn't really feel like I understood her.  Good show!  I wonder what will happen for Christmas 2010?

[Unblinking]

And I really enjoy Alasdair's readings, this one being no exception.
None of his other work quite matches his Pseudopod intros/outros, but that's just because I like hearing Al speaking his own words even better than someone else's.  Also, PP was the first podcast I ever listened to, and so to me, Alasdair is the voice of fiction podcasting.

[Prank Call of Cthulhu]

sarcasm {
 Wow, good thing this got re-recorded so it would be more listenable!
}

I gave up after about the first ten sentences. Seriously, I like Alasdair's voice, but I HATE his recording equipment. It's hissy, staticky, and sounds exactly like a circa-1980s Realistic (the Radio Shack brand) electret mic shoved inside an old soup can. I find everything he does to be practically unlistenable.

I wonder if the story's any good? Guess I'll never know. 

[Talia]

Well thats a shame, because I found this version completely listenable.

[Alasdair5000]

Well this looks like it's about my cue.

that said i am always thankful for escape pod, so please don't take this the wrong way, I just don't understand how someone could record something this badly (a)
   I can help with that.  I took on too much last yer, a year which at one point saw me doing voice work for all three podcasts at the same time as holding my family together as my mother went through treatment for lymphoma.  I volunteered to do this story, did it on a day where I had fourteen other things to do, including helping a close friend through a period of massive depression and I didn't check my equipment properly.  As I under stand it, there was a further error in post production which made a bad situation worse. 

, and then think it would be ok for other people to listen to (b).
   Like I say, it sounded bad but fixable when I finished recording it and, if I had had more than two hours to myself over the course of the next few days I would have re recorded it.  I didn't.  That's on me, as you've just pointed out.

I try really hard to listen to every episode, but when the audio is like this i can't handle much more than 5 minutes. tbh i would rather imput the story into TTS program with one of my freshly-downloaded AT&T voices--UK Audrey maybe?...
='(


I did the best job I could in the time I had, it got away from me.  It happens.  I'm sorry.  For the record, this is a re master more than a re record and I'm still happy to do a re record.  Under the circumstances, I'd be just as happy with anyone else reading it and, I suspect, so would a lot of people.

[Unblinking]

I gave up after about the first ten sentences. Seriously, I like Alasdair's voice, but I HATE his recording equipment. It's hissy, staticky, and sounds exactly like a circa-1980s Realistic (the Radio Shack brand) electret mic shoved inside an old soup can. I find everything he does to be practically unlistenable.

I get the impression you haven't listened to any of Alasdair's other narrations, because none of others have the problem this one had.

[Unblinking]

I did the best job I could in the time I had, it got away from me.  It happens.  I'm sorry.  For the record, this is a re master more than a re record and I'm still happy to do a re record.  Under the circumstances, I'd be just as happy with anyone else reading it and, I suspect, so would a lot of people.

Not me.  If someone else WERE asked to record it (and I'm not saying they should be)--I'd ask that this version be left there also.  Sort of like that one Podcastle episode which had been recorded with 2 narrators.  But I think this recording was completely listenable--I noticed the noise in the first few minutes but could understand every word clearly, and after the first few minutes it either went away or I stopped noticing it.

[Swamp]

<sarcasm>Yay, more bad attitude and disrespect.</sarcasm>

Look, Al and everybody admitted back in December that the original story was a bad recording and editing.  It was done quick to bring an annual traditional Mur Christmas story in time for Christmas.  Basically, it was rushed.  The result was bad. 

Now, as an attempt to make it up to everyone, the recording was remastered to remove some of bad elements, and in my opinion, did a pretty good job.  Of course, it is not perfect.  "Unlistenable" is an exaggerated assessment at best.

I don't think this story should be rerecorded.  I think it is good enough as is.  However, ultimately, it's not up to me.

Personal attacks are not acceptable.  As I've said before, if you have an issue with Al or the ediors, PM them.

ETA: Edited to remove termonology that may have seemed to apply to the listenership at large, rather than the intended targets.

[kibitzer]

FWIW I listened to the cleaned up version this week -- I thought it was fine. Thanks for taking the time to do that and also for the special re-posting because I'd kinda forgotten I hadn't heard this one.

[eytanz]

So, listened to this earlier today. I rather liked it. I especially liked how the narrator was shown to be unreliable - first subtly, then rather more explicitly at the end.

One thing that did bother me was that Lydia's future girlfriend just happened to break down outside the house that day. That seemed a bit unnecessary, a coincidence that didn't add much to the story but made it feel contrived.

[adambravo]

Hmm... Well, to begin with, I found the quality somewhere between 'OK' and 'unlistenable'; the first 25min were touch and go (especially what sounded like fabric rustling near the mike around the 19min mark) but got better after.

Good to hear Alasdair's clarifications on what went wrong; I suspect part of the problem is that many of us saw the words "re-record" instead of "re-master" and came in with higher expectations.

Ah, well, lessons learned all around. Next!

[Fenrix]

Seems like folks need to donate money and see if they can still get the 2011 gift box of Christmas stories. The recording of this story in that set is perfect. I think the female narrator there really added more to this story.

It's hard to come up with something original with which to parody A Christmas Carol, since it's been done umpteen million times by every show/movie known to man.  But this one manages it--I've never thought of a Ghost Hunters meets Scrooge scenario.  I liked how the crew of three were each pulled along with the spirits one by one, liked the way the hunters tied in with the plot.  I wasn't really feeling Jenny's angst--it seemed genuine, that's the most important part, but I didn't really feel like I understood her.  Good show!  I wonder what will happen for Christmas 2010?

Amusingly enough, I thought the same thing about the uniqueness before I listened to this before the Carnacki one over on Podcastle. Both amusing and enjoyable in their own way, but I think I liked this one more.