FOTI #22: Online Dating Disasters

February 6, 2013 Leave a comment

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Fortnight on the Internets is down to bang!

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Brian Donovan, author of Not a Match: My True Tales of Online Dating Disasters. He’s survived over a hundred awkward, weird, and downright frightening internet dates and joins us to tell the tale. We also celebrate the extremely funny Youtube comedy series The Most Popular Girls in School, which is basically grown men playing with Barbies. Plus a great Report Card and shoutouts to our devoted Likers!

Four ways to listen:

If you subscribe or become a Liker, you’ll be able to get to new episodes faster than everyone else. You’d also be wise to follow us on our @FOTIpod Twitter account, where we often have fun interactions with the people and sites we talk about on the show…

Super Bowl Blackout Madness

In the open, Alpine talks about some of his favorite tweets of the Super Bowl blackout:

Oreo and its ad agency 360i made a big splash with this social media ad, released minutes after the blackout:

And then there’s the adventures of the LASTMAN competitors — guys who are trying to go as long as possible without finding out who won the Super Bowl — becoming the “last man” in America to possess “the Knowledge” about the Ravens’ victory.

Internet Report Card

We open the report card by talking about Bang With Friends, a new app that promises to connect you with Facebook friends who are “down to bang.” 

The idea is actually pretty brilliant, but the execution is sketchy. The creators seem kinda dumb and/or douchey — do we really want to trust someone with the email address “pimpin@bangwithfriends.com” with personal information about our bang preferences?

Thanks to Liker Per for tipping us off about this app!

Noted Internet genius zefrank created this magical clip about the little-known, highly-freaky creature, the tarsier. 

This animal is 100% real, lives in Asia, and looks like a Star Wars creature. This video is amazing.

Agency Wank is a tumblr that highlights the worst of the worst in ad agency website copy.

You’d think the people who do this stuff for a living would do a great job with their own sites and brands…but you’d be wrong. Unfortunately the blogger looks to have been scared off the internet by his angry peers, but the collection housed on the site is still worth more than a few good laughs.

Our Musical Guest

Brooklyn band Widowspeak has been a favorite of this website since their self-titled debut, with an entry in our Best of 2011 countdown noting, “I’m all in on songs like ‘In the Pines’ and ‘Gun Shy.’ They sound like the music that’d be playing on the soundtrack as our heroes head off to an epic and possibly disastrous showdown in the third act of the film. Put it this way, blood will be spilt.”

Now the band, composed of singer Molly Hamilton and axeman Robert Earl Thomas, have returned with their second album Almanac. It’s righteously awesome, blending gorgeous western-styled country rock with Brooklyn cool and a creepy malevolence that lurks just below the surface.

Check out Widowspeak’s Bandcamp for tunes, Like ‘em on Facebook and follow ‘em on Twitter.

Internet Challenge Surprise

Like half the internet, we just discovered the magic of The Most Popular Girls In School, a webseries that’s been running since 2011 and is currently building up a ton of buzz heading towards its 2nd season. As Know Your Meme points out, this show’s popularity exploded in January through an orgy of reblogging and spinoff humor on Tumblr.

Here’s the masterful first episode, which launches a 13-ep run of absurdity and hyper-quotability:

This amazing show is primarily the creation of Mark Cope, Carlo Moss and Lily Vonnegut, but features a brilliant cast of voice actors and amusingly modified dolls.

What’s more, you can interact with the characters on social media! Follow McKenzie Zales and Deandra the New Girl on Twitter; become friends with Brittnay Matthews on Facebook; or email Belinda the Lunch Lady (LadyTaterTot@gmail.com). And of COURSE the girl everyone hates, Rachel Tice, uses Google Plus!

We applaud the TMPGIS crew and look forward to season 2! Like them on FB for updates.

Not A Match: Brian Donovan

We’re joined by Brian Donovan, creator of itsnotamatch.com and veteran of over 100 internet dates, to talk about his many crazy experiences dating online and the wisdom of his new book, Not A Match. 

You certainly need to hear this conversation to appreciate it, but we hit the following subjects:

  • A “performative reading” of the chapter where Brian describes his attempt to break up with Betty, The Girl Who Drank Too Much
  • The crazy, intense questions that OK Cupid members have to answer to go on dates
  • Alison’s thoughts on the girl who dumped Brian for being unable to dance
  • One very personal story that didn’t make the cut in Brian’s online dating memoirs
  • How Brian ended up turning an anonymous blog into a book
  • The excitement of topping Terry Francona on the Amazon.com sales charts
  • Brian’s terror of the people who live on the other side of his bedroom wall

BUY HIS BOOK TODAY.

It’s a mere three bucks and highly approved by Alpine and Alison, both of whom laughed uproariously all the way through.

Follow Brian on Twitter, read him at Thought Catalog, or follow his site on Facebook and Twitter!

Shoutout to the Likers!

Our Liker of the Fortnight is Liker Brad N “from the Internets” (actually, Austin) — he found our podcast on Stitcher and has been a reliable contributor ever since! Thanks to Brad for being such a loyal Liker and one of the pillars of the “Posts By Others” section on our FB page.

Other Likers we shout out to this episode:

  • Liker Jeff H in LA added clutch commentary to the Bang With Friends discussion.
  • The guys from Kissing Contest found a great tumblr collecting reactions from the baffled young fools who can’t dome why the great Stone Roses would be asked to headline Coachella.
  • Liker Mitchell and his crew from Grey Pop Productions, who sent along their T’eo-themed Catfish parody.

Thanks for listening!

Thanks to Nick Dierl from Life or Death PR for musical assistance.
Theme song by Snowplows: Check out their songs on Bandcamp!
Cover art by Vicious Rumors.

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The Best Music of 2011 [#50-#31]

December 20, 2011 1 Comment

Our official countdown begins with albums 50 through 31. Although I was inclined to present these in groups of 10 with no particular order, that isn’t much fun. What’s the good of a Top 50 List if you can’t be totally outraged that a record ranked 47th instead of 34th?

So let the outrage begin!

As always, you can check out lots of music from this list on our Spotify playlist.

50.  Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx, We’re New Here

I thought Izzie B put it well in nom’ing this remix record of Gil Scott-Heron’s last album, and singling out “I’ll Take Care of U” for special appreciation. “Drake took that remix for Take Care, and while I really, really appreciate Rihanna’s vocals, I have to credit the original because the first time I heard that instrumental, I had chills up and down my spine.”

49. Night Birds, Fresh Kills #1

A great find by DBuu. He explains: “A collection of the first three 7″ releases about B-movies and freaks from this surf-ish punk band. There’s something about the songs and the style that remind me of music I got into when I was 15, sort of in that ‘touched for the very first time’ kind of way.”

48. Shabazz Palaces, Black Up

This is an incredible record that Noish brought to my attention. Did you know that Butterfly from Digable Planets is not only still in the game — he’s dropping records as fresh as anything out there? Black Up is a pretty raw, rhyme-focused record that is way out on the experimental tip. It’s kind of tough to explain what’s going on with this one, so check out ”Swerve… the Reeping of All That is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)” on Spotify.

47. Iceage, New Brigade

Wha-bamm! Punk rock Danes on a mission to slay. DBuu pointed out that Iceage’s hype exceeds their greatness at this juncture, but dubbed this a “solid listen.” Twelve tightly-packed, rapid and intense tracks make this album well worth checking out for fans of noisy rock.

46. Van Hunt, What Were You Hoping For?

Fresh off having his last album buried by the record label — apparently Blue Note dislikes F bombs? — this protege of American Idol’s Randy Jackson (it’s not as bad as it sounds) returned with a fury. This self-released collection of songs dwells on recession-era blues and the misery of modern life — but the tracks are tinged with an upbeat funk that’s tough to deny. Tracks like “A Time Machine is My New Girlfriend” bust out in all directions, making you work your mind and your head-nod all at once.

45. Cass McCombs, Humor Risk

Cass McCombs released two full-lengths this year, and while WIT’S END has gotten more praise, I think Humor Risk is a more enjoyable record. This journeyman troubadour has been touring for a solid decade and his road-weariness translates straight into the music in a great way. Cuts like “The Same Thing” combine a propulsive groove with haunting harmonies. It’s a very impressive outing.

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