Due to literally overwhelming negative feedback and consternation, you will be pleased to hear that we will not be recording any more episodes of The Second Law. We were asked to help Leighton and Chuck out, but it seems our time and effort was anything but helpful.
To those who gave us some encouragement and were willing to give us a go, thank you. To those who used words such as “horrible”, “an abomination”, “shit” and “horrendous” (amongst other words I will not repeat here) to describe our first attempt at putting an episode together, I guess we are sorry you didn’t like it, and fuck you.
Apart from our voices and accents (which we can’t change), no one really specified what made our first show so awful. Please don’t tell us now – we’ve had about as much feedback as we can take! It’s a shame because we had fun recording it and were looking forward to doing more until it became evident that it wasn’t worth it.
Anyway, at least we tried, but it didn’t work out how we hoped. Shit happens.
We’ll see you on the forum.
Emma & Joe
94 Responses to “Episode #2: The Apocalypse”
Aw, man. Don’t let the skunk dicks of the internet nip this in the bud. The bizarre, over-the-top negativity of some people really shouldn’t inform a decision like this.
I enjoyed it 🙁
APRIL FOOLS!!!! right?! RIGHT?!
Awww, I enjoyed it too.
Too bad, I enjoyed it! I don’t get all the negativity … what’s the difference between what you guys did and what Chuck and Leighton do? An excess of inappropriate jokes, general irreverence, and some inside info on what it’s like to actually be part of a crazy cult church. I was certainly entertained.
Fuck. I liked it. It was interesting to have a fancast. I thought the catholic perspective would bring up quite a few good topics.
That was easy.
Not for us Herb, not for us.
“No good deed goes unpunished.” That’s especially true on the internet. People will demand that their right to free stuff be satisfied, on a timely basis, and exactly to their liking. If you want to provide free entertainment, you need to have a very thick skin.
To all those who said Emma and Joe were “horrible” “shits” “etc.”
Fuck you.
It may be useless but I am going to ask you to reconsider. Overall it was the minority who were bitching, a loud ugly minority. Much like the Evangelical Christians. Exactly like evangelical christians. Fuck them.
I had enjoyed it as well. If you two decide to make a completely separate podcast I will follow it.
What do you expect from godless atheists? No morals, I tell you.
Check the old episodes, there’s an ad somewhere for skin thickening creme.
I actually love the voices, but the show was truly awful. Aside from an apparent lack of technical know- how, there were a few other issues. The show was a collection of dead air, bad jokes, awkward pauses, slow build-ups to nothing, and laughing at bad jokes. The main problems were the lack of focus, format, and content. These things can be worked out after a few practice episodes. Don’t let childish interweb twerps steal your passion. Just get your shit organized and rock it!
I didn’t like the first show but I think you could do better instead of just giving up. Why not make episode 2 your favorite irreligiosophy moments and then do something really awesome for episode 3?
I’ll be the jerk: I never much cared for Emma’s interview podcast. The compilations she did were pretty witty and clever, but she had great source material (or fodder, at least).
The 2nd Law fell flat, but has anyone listened to Irreligiosophy #1 lately? It would be a pity if this ended so quickly. Chuck and Leighton seem to have no interest in Catholicism podcasts (except for Choir Boy jokes and the Pope), so I was kind of hoping for the best here.
Please continue making this. I will admit to having some trouble with the first podcast, but then again, it WAS your first proper podcast. Let the forums give you some constructive criticism, then tell them all to fuck off and do your own thing 😉
and here i was hoping for more tales of catholic horror….
to hell with the critics! If Chuck and Leighton want to let you do pod casts, do it! That is, as long as you have fun doing it.
We need a crusade against the people who bitched about Second Law.
I think shelving the Second Law was the right idea. If you want to resurrect it somewhere else, do by all means do it. But my advice to C&L is to encourage E&J to put it elsewhere. Having it on this site erodes the Irreligiosophy brand. (Yeah. I said Irreligiosophy brand, fuckers.)
To those harping about it being E&J’s first episode, and giving Second Law a second chance. I said as much. But even in the very first episode of Irreligiosophy (and the first ANN) you could tell there was something “special” (i.e., homoerotic, masturbatory) about C&L.
It is certainly too early to give up, as others have indicated. I admit that I wasn’t absolutely thrilled with the first podcast, but at the same time I was very glad you two were making one; your backgrounds are interesting and I WAS looking forward to future podcasts. Never judge a program by its first few episodes, when the creators are still feeling out what does and doesn’t work.
If Second Law does make another episode, they will have to change their logo to include Moggie’s forum avatar, you know…the one with the flip-flop.
I didn’t think it was that bad. But I think the NUMBER ONE problem was length. Some podcasts can, and should, be an hour long. Others are better when kept tight and well edited. Look at the Amateur Scientist Podcast, for instance. 30 minutes, max. Every line is well scripted and arranged for humor. I would suggest a rebirth, but in a shorter format, more like the Atheist News Network. I don’t know… but don’t give up right away. Way, WAY shittier shows get thousands of listeners.
If you really enjoyed doing it, why would you not do it? Is the enjoyment based solely on it’s reception by Irreligiosophy fans? I honestly didn’t enjoy the episode, but it wasn’t remotely “horrible”, or “an abomination”. If it was on it’s own feed, the people who liked it would surely follow, and I’d probably also go give it another try, and if I still didn’t like it, I wouldn’t bitch in your forum, I would just unsubscribe. You may only have two fans to start, but that’s already ahead of Irreligiosophy in their first 90 episodes. Every show is going to have it’s Mims Carter, and when you put it on the feeds of a bunch of unsuspecting fans of some atheist smart-asses, you’re gonna get a lot more.
Also, for who referenced the first episode of Irreligiosophy- yeah, I’ve listened to it recently. It’s funny shit.
aw come on…. it was just fine. you should really reconsider continuing it. it is a nice change in scenery between the gaps of podcasts from Chuck and Leighton. Fuck the haters. Do it for your own entertainment and not anyone else’s. that is the only good reason to do anything.
@Geoff: I agree with just about everything you said except the “horrible” part.
If the need arises, I’ can host a separate feed. I might even consider not to route it to /dev/null.
A general rule I’ve heard from podcasters is that it takes about five episodes before the hosts fall into their groove.
Stick around and do a few more episodes! Don’t be so quick to quit. Also, ask C&L to put a donate link up so that we can buy you two a beer.
I think you guys did a great job. Fuck the haters. Come on. You will get better with practice – and as an ex Catholic I really liked hearing about other people that experienced that crazy shit. You guys should interview other ex religionists to talk about their crazy experiences.
Please don’t quit – I really liked it. Fucking haters gotta hate.
bunch of douche canoes… thanks for trying, I know i’m not alone in that I appreciated the effort, keep up the great work, i know it could only get better!
I can respect the time and effort that Emma and Joe put in the podcast. To be truthful, the pacing killed me. On the bright side, it was just a bit more enjoyable to hear than a Ray Comfort podcast.
I know that once Emma and Joe get more podcasts under their belt, it’ll all click. There’s a lot of potential for another great podcast. And as long they are producing the podcast, I’ll listen to every single one (but please put it on another feed).
@Hallie:Chuck and Leighton’s podcast are exceptional not only because of their topics/research but also due to their interaction. Personality and interaction counts. For instance, that horrible Irreligiosophy Hindu podcast made no sense but Chuck and Leighton still made it entertaining. Basically, what makes Irreligiosophy the “One True Podcast” is Chuck and Leighton’s banter, which is probably based on decades of inappropriate racist, blasphemous and sexist jokes.
I think the main difference is that it wasn’t Chuck and Leighton. We’ve gotten used to their grating voices and now are dependent on them. When first giving Irreligiosophy a go, I remember thinking, “Who the fuck are these idiots?” (Something I still think whenever I hear the E4F folk flapping their gums.) Eventually they grew on me though. To suddenly have an episode similar to theirs but without them is sort of like using all the coke you want for years, and then your dealers tells you, “Sorry, no coke this week, just crack rocks.” You guys just have to give the “fans” a chance to get addicted to you too. Try telling lots of penis jokes. If that doesn’t work, tell even more penis jokes. Seems to work for Leighton. Say things to us that you wouldn’t say to anyone you know in real life, try to shock us. We won’t know if you’re serious or joking half the time. That also seems to work for Leighton. And yeah, whatever the fuck the guy above me just said, that also makes sense.
I would also add that maybe you guys should try developing your own unique style. Don’t worry about what C&L do, focus on what is more likely to work for you. I’d give you guys another listen, it wasn’t THAT bad… just amateur. Which is where C&L were in the beginning too. Or still are.
I thought it had a lot of potential. Thanks for putting in the effort, Emma and Joe.
I think Mr Structure Fire is right for the most part. Joe’s voice, especially when he was mock-yelling, was atrocious.
Most of the criticism of the Introlent episode seems to be nothing more than a good-old-fashioned ribbing, but apparently there are still some people here that need a supply of skin thickening cream. With more episodes we’ll get better organization, better timing, better jokes, and (most importantly) better chemistry between the hosts of the show will most certainly get better. I thought there was tremendous potential. I am deeply saddened by the post indicating there would be no more 2nd Law and therefore no improvement on the first abomination, but perhaps that is best if you can’t handle people making mean comments and joking about your show’s shortcomings.
My first reaction about this current post was the same I get when fucking ass-whipes get butt hurt because people don’t like the shit they put on youtube. Anytime you put anything onto the internet for all to view/listen, you need to be able to handle criticism, joking, and general mean spirited comments. If you cannot take the meanness then you really have no business broadcasting podcasts… especially around the fans of Irreligiosophy.
In short:
Your first show sucked dick
Future shows should get better and/or allow you to work out the kinks
Learn to take a mother-fucking joke
Learn how to deliver mother-fucking jokes
And finally, stop being massive Glenn beck vaginas and make another fucking 2nd Law episode.
Typically what I hear all the other podcasters say is “Record you first episode, listen to it, and then set it on fire.”
From what I hear usually every podcast’s first time ends kind of bleh, and that one learns a lot from it which results in the second outing being superior to the first by a wide margin.
FOR REAL!!? I thought the show was a little shaky but its promising. What the hell internet? Don’t kill this abomination before it becomes something truly wicked
lol, awesome!
Firstly, thanks to all of you gave us some civil, reasoned and constructive feedback or criticism in your posts above. I think Joe and I are getting a much clearer picture of your perceptions of our first show now and how we could do better.
I just gotta have a go at a couple of people, then I’ll shut up.
@ Discord.Agent: LOL. Just to clarify, Joe and I didn’t make the decision to stop because you hurt our feelings (sob, sob…..where the fuck is my fainting couch? Oh, there it is, right in the kitchen where I spend most of my time). We made it because the brief was to minimise whinging and whining, take the pressure of C&L, and produce something the fans liked. We didn’t meet that brief (if anything, we just added to the whinging and whining and the work for C&L), so we weren’t really sure what the point of continuing was. The 1st episode took 8 hours out of my week and if all we were creating was an abomination that caused the listeners to start calling each other horrible names and posting totally OTT ad hominems against ourselves, well, I’ve got better things to do.
And, some feedback for you. If you were making a joke, you were doing it wrong. I’d hate to hear what you REALLY thought! Jeez….
@ Herb: sure, we could try putting a thong on our meat. And it’s funny you say you could tell Irreligiosophy was “special” because it was “masturbatory” from the first episode. Weird, when no mention was made of the topic in their 1st ep, but I was happily double clicking my mouse in ours. I’m not quite sure who the wanker is in this situation. And, well, there may be a little less homoeroticism in The Second Law as well, because, see, I’m a girl and Joe’s a boy. If that’s what floats your boat then yeah, you may have to look elsewhere.
If our first show sucked dick, maybe we should re-name the podcast “the fellayshow” or “Abominatio”. Maybe the dick sucking was what made our voices sound funny and created the awkward pauses.
As to our voices, well, I can’t change the configuration of my vocal tract and the linguisitic-phonemic-cultural context in which I was raised. I could bang on about how speech perception develops and how voice is produced etc but I won’t. Myself, I try not to insult or judge people based on their physical charactersitics (unless of course it’s a tiny penis, then it’s a free for all).
So Joe, looks like our plan to get some of these vicious nasty wankers to be a little nicer, pseudo-apologise and beg us for another episode may have worked.
Let’s talk….
Hmm I probably can’t actually comment, seeing as how I heard about five minutes of it and deleted the file.
Fucking irritating American voices do my English head in.
Chuck and Leighton just seem to have that extra sarcasm and wit that I find lacking in american humour usually…sorry if my favoured humour offends but I just did not like. OK? I still wish you well though.
I’m not a total c*nt.
@ PaulGF: accent identification; you’re doing it wrong.
Chuck – Leighton,
The kids are fighting . . . I think it time to unleash Mr. Smiles.
If I could toss out another thought, hopefully positive if it a criticism- don’t try to be Chuck & Leighton. I realize that the point of this was to be filler between their episodes, and was all probably a scheme by Leighton to do less, or to make the Hindu episode look good, but I hate filler. For one thing, one of you is a woman, and so there is no way you could compete with Leighton’s chauvinism. The whole gay-for-each-other-since-they-were-Jebus-freaks gives them a unique thing, too, like has already been stated. And they’re also contrasting to each other. Kinda like that Paula Abdul video with the cartoon cat. Or the Odd Couple, for those less sophisticated.
But you two don’t seem to fit that mold, so it’s not the same, and it shouldn’t be. When I do my own illustration thing I never like the results when I do stuff for others or for $ or whatever. When I do whatever the fuck I want, I’m usually happy. And everyone else thinks it sucks either way, so I might as well do the one that makes me happy.
I don’t really know if you were even consciously trying to be the same format or style as Irreligiosophy; perhaps I just went in with that preconceived notion. More reason to use a separate feed. The one thing I think someone can take from Leighton & Chuck is that they like doing it. They may say otherwise, but I think they do. Even if it’s just because they like ranting with each other, and being able to be douche bags.
I don’t give a shit about audio quality (well, maybe a little) and I don’t want Irreligiosphy filler. Either do it because you love to or just don’t.
Sorry if that sounds like an after school special, but that’s all I got. Good luck. If you do another, I’ll give it another try.
@Moggie
Glad to hear you two weren’t quitting due to hurt feelings (not that I would feel bad if you were). Joking wrong? I threw in almost all the Irreligiosophy long-running jokes (Chuck’s grating voice, Leighton’s shitty Hindu episode, and general fan bitching).
More importantly, I would be your number one fan if the show was changed to the fellayshow! I can see it now; welcome to the fellayshow, sucking dick at podcasting since March 2011. It’s a rule of thumb that more dick jokes = better podcast while vaginas are only slightly funny depending on the time of month.
@Emma: I love your voice and your accent. I really liked the mascot, once someone explained what it was. Also, Thank you for giving us some education on catholicism. I am an ex-mo and appreciated your info.
One thing that stood out was that that the relative volumes were whacked. You can adjust that in post. I assume that you recorded each person on separate tracks. Just bring your track down a bit. (It also sounds like you are too close to the mic and your gain is too high)
What got me was the fact that I had no idea what the episode was for way too long. The intro was long and confusing. I spent the several minutes asking myself “What is this?” “Is this a guest intro, a spinoff, an accidental link? What is going on?” It took 4 minutes just to tell us who was talking. Irellig 1 took about 12 seconds to tell us who they were. Then we get to know them. Your intro is long and incoherent and punctuated with some good jokes (but they “got lost in the mix” of confusion)
Once you got to the topic, it was pretty good. It indicates to me that you guys have the chemistry and charisma to make a good show.
@Moggie: Am I losing something in translation (what with your Australian accent and all) or did you just bash me because I’m gay?
@ Herb: all I’m saying is I don’t think ANYONE can come close to the level of homoeroticism that C&L have on Irreligiosophy. They’re in a league of their own. You can’t disagree with me on that one. As for the bashing, that was just me “returning the favour”. As a Libran, I need the whole balance/equilibrium thing to be right. And, If eye woz gunna start toypun loik an Ozzie then yah wood be in a hole lottah stroif, wooden ya cobbah? ‘kn oath.
Now leave me alone, I’m busy writing scripted jokes and making sure there’s at leat 10 dB difference between our horrible voices for episode #3: The Use of Herbs in Religious Ceremonies. I am incensed.
Tuesday has come and gone…still no word…Sigh…