[Podcast Review] Tweet Me Harder
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so let’s get to it.
I’ll admit, the first time I listened to an episode of Tweet Me Harder, I didn’t like it. It didn’t make any sense to me. I could not for the life of me figure out what these two guys were talking about. I wanted to give it a chance, though, and I listened to a couple more. Eventually, I started to get it. I then immediately downloaded every episode available and listened to them nonstop. I am always excited to see it in my podcast download queue.
Kris Straub and David Malki are both very talented webcomic artists. They’ve got a twisted sense of humor that serves them well in this podcast. The basic format of the show is just a conversation between two people. The topics generally start out seeming rather mundane, but eventually through some fast talking and making enormous logical leaps get to a place Marcel Duchamp could only have dreamed of. They broadcast live while recording, and listeners can contribute via their twitter accounts and the hashtag #TMH. Kris and David often use this to ask questions of the listeners, such as what they would do in a certain situation, or will use listener comments as a jumping off point.
A few tips to help you get off on the right foot with this quirky piece of auditory artistry.
First of all, it’s not a podcast you can listen to while doing something intensive or walk away from while it still plays. It does require a fair amount of your attention for you to pick up on all the nuance and follow the stream of consciousness that runs throughout. Leaving for even a minute can result in huge gaps in topics and missing out on quiet a bit as a result.
Secondly, this is probably the greatest example of true ridiculousness since Dadaism. It’s hysterical to listen to Kris and David jump from nonsensical conclusion to nonsensical conclusion, spurred on by their devoted Twitter followers. Episodes occasionally have a theme or story, but usually it’s a series of topics that spiral out of control. All of them are hilarious in a surprisingly cerebral way.
I’m sure this podcast isn’t for everyone, but I really do recommend giving it a shot. Download a couple of episodes and see what you think. Follow the official TMH twitter feed (@tweethard) to find out when episodes are being recorded live and join in.