The X-Files

[Jeremy Blackman]

I'm listening to it right now and loving it. Maybe one of my new favorite podcasts. I think I want to have Kumail Nanjiani's babies.

[Reelist]

I think I want to have Kumail Nanjiani's babies.

What kind of x files creature are you?!


New ep was good, it's a fun companion piece to the show. Kumail is setting out to only cover the good episodes and says you can avoid some of them entirely. That's reassuring because even while watching season 1 I got bored around the midway point and thought "there's no way I'm going to be able to follow this beat by beat for 9 SEASONS" and gave up.

As he said in the intro:

"This podcast is for two kinds of people. One, people who have never watched the x files. For them, I'm guiding them through the good episodes of the x files. They don't really want to see the shitty ones, there aren't that many shitty ones, but they are there. There are ones that are underwhelming and you don't want to see those. So for them, I'm helping them skip the ones that aren't that well done. When you're making 25 hours of television a year, some of them are not going to be great."

This makes me excited that I can finally watch the episode "Home" as a stand alone. I always worried that there might be something in the context of it I wouldn't understand, but ever since Stephen King put it on his list of "25 scariest MOVIES" I've been dying to see what it's about.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yeah. I think he's completely right about the X-Files. Particularly this: When the show was airing, you sort of felt like the monster of the week episodes were filler and wanted them to get back to the conspiracy/mythology story already. In retrospect, it's pretty much the opposite. The monster of the week episodes are the ones that really hold up. They certainly comprise most of my favoritest favorites. Folie À Deux, Jose Chung, Triangle, X-Cops, Field Trip, on and on.

The worst X-Files episodes for me were always the serial killer ones. I'm not sure I'd put a single one of them on my list. Serial killer television was tired even back then, and I'm not sure they ever did enough to innovate with it.

The podcast is going quite well so far. I did notice Kumail steering his latest guest back toward the episode a few times. I think the format will get tighter once his regulars get enough of their general X-Files opinions off their chests. They could take a page from HDTGM and try to go through each episode chronologically. I just don't want the podcast to be filled with too much reminiscing and bloviating.

[Sleepless]

X-Philes Talk X-Files

For anyone interested, I have started a new X-Files podcast with rotating guest hosts from xfilesnews.com. The goal is to recap and discuss the entire history of the show and movies before the revival starts in January, at which point we'll discuss each new episode after it airs. Our fourth episode (covering the first third of season two) went live today. I'll freely admit I'm still finding my feet as a podcast host, but I'm certainly enjoying doing it and feel like we're getting better all the time. (We actually have the next two episodes in the can already.)

Would really appreciate some feedback and encouragement. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on iTunes and help spread the word!

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/x-philes-talk-x-files/id993487432#

[Reelist]

Wow, congratulations! I'm glad you found a subject you could discuss at length. With our attempt, we never really found a topic we could geek out on enough to fuel the conversation. It's inspiring to see that you've already put up this many episodes and are hitting your stride. Lets us all know the goal is within reach! I'm really happy for you dude, gonna listen while I make breakfast and I'll let you know what I think!

With new podcasts on Itunes it's always important you SUBSCRIBE and LEAVE A 5 STAR REVIEW to up it's ranking. Do it even if you don't plan on listening for Good Ol' Dave!

[03]

this is GREAT. props sleepy!!!

[Jeremy Blackman]

I've listened to the first two episodes now, and it's quite good! Everyone really knows what they're talking about, so you've got a strong foundation. I also really like the idea of this survey approach leading to the new season.

Highlight from episode 1: One of your guests describing what it meant to her watching Scully as a 13-year-old girl. I hadn't particularly thought about what a powerful role model Scully must have been, especially in the 90s. I had heard that, but I guess it hadn't really sunk in until I heard this story (and I wish she would have elaborated).

Highlight from episode 2: Grilling your guests with that brutal quiz. The spirited defense of Dogget and Reyes... a good counterpoint to Kumail Nanjiani's opinion (which I guess he hasn't fleshed out yet, but still). Not sure how to feel yet myself, since I haven't really rewatched the later seasons. Also in this episode, lots of assorted Scully insight. Plus your guests seem to get a lot more comfortable with the format, so that makes it go quite smoothly.

In case you want suggestions... I think the only way you can improve it as a host is either through editing or being more aggressive about steering your guests, which I can see being awkward. I don't know what your setup is technically, but being able to see each other always makes a podcast sound more like a natural conversation, especially when more than 2 people are involved. Because you get those visual cues that someone is about to start talking or has something to say. So you could try Skype with video. Anyway this is why podcasts or radio shows with guests that are physically in the room with their hosts always have the advantage. I think this is how very dense podcasts where people even actively interrupt each other, like How Did This Get Made or The Flop House, still sound so good, because everyone is friends and in the same room.

[Sleepless]

Thanks all

Like Reelist said - please, rate and review on iTunes!

JB - really appreciate the positive feedback and the suggestions you've made. I feel like I need to be a little more in control of how things go, but at the same time want everything to sound as natural and organic as possible. I think that things are improving incrementally with each episode, but I'll take your advice and try recording the next few with video on to see if it makes a difference. I've also gotten a bit more aggressive with the editing as the show has gone on, so hopefully that will help too.

Again, really appreciate the feedback so far. Now that we know the date of the revival's premier, we've got every episode planned out. They're not going to all be a batch of 6 or 8 episodes. Next one we're recording is the three-part story that closed season two and opened season three, so that'll be a bit of a change of pace for us too.

[Reelist]

I'm really impressed with this, episode one is a great chat with no noticeable technical issues. You found a good niche for yourself by choosing this show because it covers such an expansive range of things to talk about. You're a solid host and I look forward to following along with this as I catch up with the show ( still haven't finished season 1! )

[Jeremy Blackman]

Anyone who is interested in the X-Files should be listening to Sleepless's podcast. Continues to be fun and fascinating. And it's now officially established enough to have a few running jokes.

I do appreciate your sensitivity, but you should be teasing Tiffany more for her out of control shipper tendencies. I think the prison reference revealed just how deep it goes.

I was screaming "Italian translator" at my podcast device, btw. I don't know the answers to many of them, but that was actually a completely fair question.

[Sleepless]

So happy to know that someone is actually listening to it and enjoying. Taking your feedback on board ;)

Honestly, coming up with quiz questions every week is hard work! I promise I'm not trying to make them incredibly difficult.

[Jeremy Blackman]

You should invite people to send in comments or questions, about your podcast or the upcoming series. It could foster some interesting audience participation. Your guests would probably get excited about that too.

Is X-Files News promoting the podcast at all? They should be.

[Sleepless]

I definitely want to get more listener interaction going on as right now, well, there isn't. Hopefully that will improve. We do seem to have a growing listener base. XFN has been promoting the podcast, but it wasn't real frequent in the beginning, but that too is getting better each week.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Not gonna lie, I kind of freaked out a bit hearing you paraphrase my comments at the top of the episode.

Here's a followup, and feel free to use/modify this for the show (or not)...

I think I have to retract my comment about Tiffany's ever-present shipper tendencies, after revisiting Triangle. I had completely forgotten what a shipper episode that is, written and directed by Chris Carter no less. Mulder outright kisses Scully on the deck of the ship, and the episode ends with him saying "I love you" and dreamily pining for her in his hospital bed as she leaves. It's played for laughs, but it's still there.

Wasn't Chris Carter always a bit reluctant to bring them together? It's strange how he brought things to the surface in Triangle, and perhaps telling that he chose to do it through humor.

[Drenk]

Triangle is in season 6? I'm in season 2 and I wonder why they're not having intercourse all the time. They seem in love.