Friday, June 15, 2012

OPEN THREAD: Summa Bash 2012

I initially posted this as a comment to the previous thread, but as it did run on a bit, and because comment on Summa Bash by listeners was somewhat unexpected, I thought I'd run this as an open thread.


First:  I hope we will get some comments this weekend from actual attendees. 

Then:  I heard a few of the roundtables and must regrettably echo the comments regarding the broadcast -- not the Bash itself -- that started to appear to the prior post, which were uniformly negative. 

The roundtable that struck me was the Musers/BaD roundtable. Either it was (1) fake-tense because it was a bit, or (2) fake-tense because it was a bit but partly not-fake and not a bit. They were on each other about their respective treatments of Norm during handoffs, which had a bit-like feel to it, but to my ear there was a detectable edge to the colloquy. George was damned near hostile, and Dan was almost silent (tending to support my theory that Dan is not entirely comfortable outside of BaD). At one point, Bob said in a more-or-less jocular tone that he didn't like the way this roundtable was starting off, and I heard someone say "Dan's mad." Really, really interesting to those of us (i.e., Your Plainsman) who tend read too much into the casual Ticket exchange.

I heard a couple more roundtables, and I have to agree with the comments to the prior post, they were pretty deadly. Cat may want to rethink the showgram-blending strategy next time around.

I didn't get to hear the entire 3:30-7 broadcast. Did they broadcast the weenie-eating or cupcake-eating contests live? Was there anything fun during the 3.5 hours? Corby's interviews of the moderately inebriated women was -- well, it was vintage Corby, and not really objectionable in any way, but I found it a little sad somehow.  Can't put my finger on it.

Mike was constantly asking for "more me." (He was right.) 

There was at least one return where communications between HQ and Sneaky Pete's had broken down.

In fairness, it sounded like the sound was set up so that crowd noise was minimized, which meant that (1) it sounded -- possibly misleadingly -- like the thing was not well-attended, and (2)  individuals who hollered out stuff about something or other sucking made it onto the air. Or maybe it was the setup, maybe the hosts were broadcasting apart from where the noisy crowd was.  Or maybe attendees were obeying the ads to "day-drink responsibly."

Like the prior commenters, I also wonder why post-7 PM proceedings are not broadcast. I'm guessing that the Timewasters' and Corby's and other songsters' content might tend toward the unsuitable-for-broadcast with the elevated Woodford Reserve content of the performers. 

So yeah, it was not a great Summa Bash broadcast, but I'm thinking that maybe you had to be there, maybe it was a big hit to attendees. And if you were one of them, please let us hear from you.

One more thing -- early on in the proceedings, before much bashing even took place, I think it was Craig who said it was "the greatest Summa Bash ever," which was loudly repeated by someone else (George?), but to this frequently-wrong observer's ear, it had a distinctly sarcastic ring to it.


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22 comments:

  1. I remember seeing photos of Summer Bash from about 5 years ago that looked pretty bleak. To say that it was sparsely attended would be charitable. I wonder if they had another one of those on their hands? Personally, I think they need to reboot with some of these long time staples. And by reboot, I don't mean move the site (like the mistake of moving Ticketstock to Irving). I mean that it's time to do something else; something new to take the place of something old (e.g., Summer Bash). What that might be, I surely don't know. But I do know stale when I see, or at least hear it. Also, I think today's display by Dan really evinces just how ill fitting of a part he is up there. If the station lost him, I don't think it would miss a beat or a ratings point. He seems to have some deep seated issues that come to the surface far too often and far too publicly.

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  2. It sounded tired, out sounces antagonistic, and honestly, it sounded of a lacking heart. My two cents.

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  3. Man, the little Ticket feels "old". Do they care anymore?

    And Corby with his "open mic in the crowd" is brutal to listen to.

    I've loved this station from Day One, but you can feel the impending doom.

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  4. At one point, Mike and Corby were discussing that there weren't many P'1s there; it was the usual Sneaky Pete's crowd.

    Something along the line of "all of the regulars here wonder just what the hell is going on. Who the hell are these people sitting on the stand." Not an exact quote but close.

    As for the BaD/Musers roundtable: at one point when the Norm bashing was at its highest (Gordo impressions, I think) I heard someone say, almost off-mike, "Norm's here". The bashing and impersonations tapered off; clearly meant to not offend or piss off Norm.

    To repeat from my last post: the audio should have continued in some form, open mic, JV, etc.

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  5. Danny or Dave mentioned the same thing about having the regular crowd at Sneaky Pete's vs P1's during the mix at 12:00 today.

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  6. I wonder how the Time Wasters fared last night? Did the regular Sneaky Pete's crowd look on with furrowed brows, or were the P1s out in force by that time? Like one of the Anons said, maybe it's time to change things up? After all, the Charity Challenge on Ice/Football Field/Ballpark didn't last forever. Why should Summa Bash? It, along with a lot of other things at The Ticket, feel like they've run their course. Having said that, the ratings are as big as ever, and ESPN/The FAIL are doing worse than ever. Dunno, but all of this has a Roman Empire just before barbarians stormed the gate: all doesn't seem right; but at the same time, prima facie, things not only appear to be fine, but better than fine. Or maybe it's just me outgrowing the station? Funny thing is, I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way (perhaps outgrowing the thing). While listening to Danny talk about restaurants and baseball today, I was struck by his tone. He was passionate about these subjects. There was no forced "taboo talk." Nor was there silly talk for the sake of being shocking or seeming to appear not to give a F about nuttin'. I really enjoyed it. It was honest, real. It's what makes The Musers so great--when they're at the top of their game (i.e., when Gordo's insatiable *but I'm really a shy guy* need to be paid attention to doesn't take over). Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I got the distinct feeling, for whatever reason, that Danny would rather be talking about things that are more befitting for a 44 year old middle-aged man. That is, something with teeth, with substance.

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  7. It's really stupid to have it on a Friday night when the Rangers are playing at home. They should move the event to a night where the Rangers are out of town.

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  8. Alvin, many welcomes. Great comment.

    I have had the same feeling myself. It feels like the air is slowly going out of this thing. Our critics constantly remind us that you can't argue with ratings, and there is some truth to that. A lot, actually. But it doesn't change the fact that the listening experience is noticeably changing.

    It's hard to describe. We can note the technical fails, the loss of much of the station's history in the incompetent move to Victory, the switch to IHeart that seems to have utterly baffled the CTO's technical wizards. But there's something more.

    When a station has developed a listenership that listens for hours on end, every day, it can tell the difference between shows that are sparking and shows that are limp. I've been listening for eight years now and I'm not tired of the lineup or the bits or the shows themselves, but there's something amiss, and I think we have more or less put our fingers on it -- CTO bigfoots mismanaging the move to Victory, squashing too many stations into too little space with inappropriate equipment, and closer supervision of the inherently unsupervisable improv that is The Ticket at its best.

    Was Summa Bash an epic fail? I don't know, I wasn't there, but from the tone of the hosts it sure sounded like at least a disappointment. (As was, to my ear, the Campout.) We haven't heard from a single witness other than the hosts on the air, and Danny's remarks today. Anonymous notes a home Ranger game might have gotten in the way and there is probably something to that, but still -- The Little One has many more listeners than attended that Ranger game (many with families who would not be coming to Summa Bash to begin with). I'm also trying to remember if Summa Bashes are always on Friday, when people tend to have other things planned, or are heading out of town -- I have a recollection that they're usually mid-week along with other station events, but that may be way wrong.

    In any case, I still think the relation of the on-air Ticket to the CTO has fundamentally changed, and there's more to come on this story.

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  9. A commenter above mentioned "today's display by Dan." I mentioned in the posting his diminished participation in the Musers/BaD roundtable, but I didn't hear any other Dan displays. Was there a Dan event?

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  11. I was at summer bash. I arrived about 5:30 and it seemed like there were quite a few P1s there. The PA was a little week so it was hard to hear sometimes but it is like that every year. That is why I skipped last year. It might have been more sparely attended this year than what I have seen in the past but I didn't notice it until I saw it mentioned here. Um, the end

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  12. I think the "display by Dan" comment was referring to his overall lack of enthusiasm once the crotch kicking of Norm ceased - and how it seemed that his enjoyment and participation in the crotch kicking was only rivaled by Gordon. It might be all schtick, but sometimes the dude comes across as a guy who had a rough upbringing, poor relationships with the adult males in his life which has resulted in poor relations with most adult males period, and a fear of abandonment. All of which can produce a guy who accuses every intern, producer, you name it, of doing more for others than his show, not being very loyal, and quick to pick on others because for once he's not "it." Yes I know this is bar stool psychology at its worst, but still, I think anon 10:36 pm is on to something where Dan and his place at the station is concerned.

    Same thing for Alvin. I didn't listen to yesterday's Orphanage, but I hear what Al is saying. I too get the sense from time to time that Danny's starting to think about different and maybe more important things in life than E news and baby arms. I also agree that it's a cool thing to witness.

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  13. Danny is one of the major talents at The Ticket, even if not a highly-compensated one.

    When I think about Danny, I ask myself where he might go. However he started out in radio, he's become a performer. But where else -- in DFW, at least -- would his unique persona find a comfortable home in a role more satisfying than the one he has? Can you hear him on any show on ESPN or The Fan?

    Now that Click-and-Clack are retiring their show, NPR has a big gap to fill on Saturdays. I think The Orphanage would sound great on public radio -- current events, sports, music, showbiz, Heloise.

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  14. Man, I bet the Ticket folds up shop on Monday based on these horrible reviews of Summer Bash.

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  15. Summer bash is always an instant punch out for me. Hell, most remotes are an instant punch out for me.

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  16. Shit, Plainsman, with this last comment, combined with the last Anon on the MaSS thread and the way the last couple of threads have gone...you might as well give up the ghost. The ship has sunk. You're now well on your way to building site like the ones that go under the guise of Rowdy Hatin' Can I Get Me A Job Like Danny's Walt and Grubes Was Just An Employee That Will Be Forgotten Just LIke Expo And Psycho Dave Dot Com. Congrats. I told you several times in these here comboxes that you'd better grab hold the reins. You bluffed that you would. Well, you'd better do it now...or let the thing go. Seriously. Cut the leg off or die.

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  17. I was at the Bash also, and even got to meet the great McMung. This is my third Bash in a row, and this was the lowest attendance, with the highest douche quotient of the three. Once the Timewasters started, it seemed like most of the people there knew what was going on, so I guess they were mostly P1s, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the next one to be at Sneaky Pete's.

    Before the Timewasters, you couldn't hear anything going on with the roundtables unless you really paid attention, and nobody was doing that. The Timewasters were solid, as always, with a couple Bee Gees tributes and a Beastie Boys tribute. Corby got Grubes involved in Keep On Rockin' With The Hardline, and of course George grudgingly wrapped it up with Sweet Hardline. It was an enjoyable 1:15 or so, and well worth the price of admission.

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  18. Summer Bash needs to move. Sneaky Pete's is a cool place but they need more space. It's way too crowded for the amount of people they bring in, parking can be irritating and once you're in it's very difficult to walk around. The pool is small and the decks are packed with people for this event. I know they've had it there forever but it'd be nice to see them change it up and try a new venue. I've always thought it was weird that they only do two major events every year. TicketStock in February and SummerBash in June. Then they're done until next year's TicketStock. I suppose they consider the Guys Nights Out a mini TicketStock type event but it's be nice to see them do something in the fall. I wish they'd bring back a sports contest again. Whether it be a Charity on Ice type event or maybe something basketball, those are always entertaining.

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  19. They do a lot more than Ticketstock and Sumemrbash.

    There's Fight Night, Barktoberfest, and yes, they've continued to do a sporting event every year. Last year it was the softball game, before that Baseball/Great Game. There was also the basketball game against the HS girls. Before that was the QB Challenge.

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  20. I like fight night, and the yearly sporting event (Great-game/girls basketball)... They are a good combo of comedy and sports.

    The rest could be thrown out and I'd be happier for it as a listener. But I'm probably in the minority. I just get no entertainment out of a bunch of loud drunk p1's yelling while I'm trying and usually failing to hear what the hosts are saying.

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  21. Once you've been to one of these things, you'll see how pointless they are and vow to never go again.

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