When I first heard of the concept of the TV episode recap years ago, back during the internet’s earlier days, I was pretty baffled. “How could a summary of an episode possibly be anywhere near as enjoyable as the episode itself?” I thought. But browsing through televisionwithoutpity — a pioneer of the form — I got my answer. The summaries were full of wit, insight, and trenchant commentary. Occasionally the humor reminded me of the format of the sitcom itself, an endless series of setups and satisfying payoffs.
There’s a certain art form to summarizing TV, film, or any other cultural element, and former TWoP staff members like Tara Ariano, Joe Reid, and David T. Cole have totally mastered it. But is it possible to transfer this hybrid of humor and pop culture appreciation into an audio format? After listening to their podcast, Extra Hot Great, my answer is a resounding “Yes!”
I’d listened to these guys’ previous podcast experiments before, and while the content was good, I found the audio quality sorely lacking. Thus, when I heard they’d be starting up a new project, I was fairly intrigued. After listening to a few episodes this past week, not only did the Extra Hot Great podcast blow away my expectations, but it has become my new podcast love. I am tearing through older episodes in a way I haven’t for any podcast I’ve ever listened to, and I’m deeply sad that I will soon run out. (Note: While the sound quality isn’t perfect, it’s vastly improved from their earlier efforts and definitely listen-able).
So what makes this show compulsive listening? To start with, each of the guests is insanely knowledgeable about pop culture, to an extent that deeply intimidates me. And while I often find myself violently disagreeing with them (especially Tara), they’re able to communicate their love for TV and film in a way that I find insightful, and that sometimes makes me think, “Hm, I never thought about that episode/moment/series that way before…but that’s definitely the way I’m going to think about it from now on!” We should long for these “Aha!” moments in general, but to get them from a podcast is a special sort of gift.
In addition to discussing recent TV shows and films, there are also some great segments such as “The Canon” where one of the hosts tries to present the case to “canonize” a specific episode of a beloved show, as well as “Game Time,” an ultra-nerdy game show segment that will make any TV junkie feel right at home. A plethora of (what I assume are) painstakingly collected sound clips from all the TV shows discussed are interspersed throughout each episode to spice up the proceedings. At its best, the Extra Hot Great podcast is a celebration of the love of pop culture. It’s a wonderful reminder that these TV shows we spend hours watching each week can illustrate truths about ourselves and, hopefully, bring us together in some small way.
If you have any appreciation of pop culture, I’d urge you to give it a listen. I can’t wait to hear more!
[P.S. Tara, if you end up reading this, I’d love to get you on my own podcast at some point. Let me know if you’re interested.]
One of the wonders of our modern age is that it allows for fairly intense, asymmetrical digital relationships. That is, we can all have personalities online that we follow and listen to and read, but these people may have no idea who we are. One of the means by which this takes place is through podcasting, where every week, voices and conversations and personal moments are piped through to our ears from thousands of miles away. These strangers we listen to may not know us, but in some small way, we know them. And maybe knowing them makes us feel slightly less alone.
This week, Matt Singer and Alison Willmore announced that they would no longer be recording the IFC News Podcast (Alison will be moving on to greener pastures from IFC, and I wish her the best. She’s an amazing, thoughtful writer and I can’t wait to see what she does next). I’ve previously named the IFC News Podcast as one of the podcasts I can’t live without. Back then, I wrote that “this podcast is a movie geek’s dream come true, with tons of thoughtful references to movies past and present.” I am really going to miss this show, as it has kept me company on many a car ride and through many a long walk. It was a rare episode that didn’t cause me to rethink a classic movie formula/trope, or inform me of some amazing film gem I had yet to see.
The show’s sudden departure is a reminder that, for the most part, podcasts are total labors of love, and that many of them only stay on the air through fortuitous circumstance and sheer force of will. (The IFC News podcast joins the Spout podcast, the Film.com podcast, and the Scene Unseen podcast as recent film podcasts that have permanently been downloaded to that great iPod in the sky). It sounds weird for me to say this (especially since I’ve had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Matt and Alison since I started listening to the podcast), but in many ways, losing the podcast feels like losing a dependable friend, one who would always be there to regale me with weekly stories of obscure movies and interesting observations. That their voices have left such an indelible impression on me is a testament to their skill, their intellect, and their likability.
A toast to the IFC News Podcast. You will be missed.
Those of you who follow me on Twitter or listen to my audio blogs know that I often try to share snippets of my piano playing with the world. Learning piano can be a tricky proposition. Most people I know (young adults) live in apartments or condos, so even owning a piano or keyboard is a challenge. Then you have to find a teacher who is personable, talented, and skilled at instruction, not to mention easily accessible. The entire process can be extremely daunting.
My mother was a classically trained musician and taught my brother and me when we were little. When high school and college happened, I lost touch with my piano skills. But these past few years, I’ve tried to take it up again, putting in a little bit of practice using various styles every day.
Practicing piano every day is already a challenge, but finding the time to schlep out to piano teacher and fork over $50-100 on a weekly basis made the entire process considerably less appealing to me. I tried using how-to books, but while they can teach you some good blues licks, there’s only so far they can take you before the book simply ends.
I wondered if there was an online solution for this. That’s when I found Willie Myette.
Myette hosts a series of piano lessons at pianowithwillie.com. His lessons appeared to be extensive, and covered both general styles and specific songs. But was his program any good? And was it worth the money that he charged? What follows are my thoughts on learning piano online with Myette.
Interface
You can sign up to have access to a specific lesson or a specific genre’s worth of lessons. With the Gold Complete membership, you are given access to the entire site. Myette’s genres include Jazz, Gospel, Funk, Latin, Blues. Once you’ve chosen a genre, you are given a choice of which lesson you want, sortable by upload date and “type” (e.g. Theory, Improvisation, etc.). Unfortunately, there is no ability to easily sort all lessons by difficulty level.
Once you’ve chosen your first lesson, you’ll probably see something that looks like this:
The video of the lesson appears on the left, while the several “phases” of the lesson appear on the right side in clickable list form. This is an extremely clear and convenient layout to use. You can progress through all the parts of the lessons in one go, or view them one at a time depending on how much time you have. At no point did I feel confused about how Myette was taking me through these lessons.
There are a couple of other benefits that this interface offers. First of all, video is easily navigable, via keyboard shortcuts.
These actually come in handy a lot more than I’d originally suspected, given that Myette can often demonstrate something that you’ll want to look at again more closely. Having keyboard shortcuts greatly aids this process.
In addition, Myette provides downloadable sheet music that supplements the lessons (mostly in PDF format). These can easily be printed out and serve as helpful references in the form of specific licks or lead sheets for whichever song you are learning.
My one complaint with the site’s interface is that occasionally, getting to the actual lesson can be a bit tricky. Overall, the interface feels really busy, with countless options to choose, only a few of which will actually lead to something that I’m actually interested in (i.e. the lessons). It feels like it could be simplified dramatically without impacting the user experience.
For example, the top of the site has a “pianowithwillie” overlay bar, but also a separate menu bar underneath that duplicates some of the features of the top bar.
Another potential issue with the site is that physically viewing these lessons can sometimes be a practical challenge. I found that the optimal situation was using a small netbook/laptop positioned on top or near my piano. The only alternative would be run back and forth between your desktop computer and your piano, which would not make for a great music-learning experience.
These lessons would have been absolutely perfect for something like the iPhone, iPad, or another portable device. Unfortunately, many of the older videos are all in flash, so they don’t work on those devices. [Myette does allow you to download one lesson per day as an FLV, mp3, or even M4v sometimes (these lessons are not banked, so you can’t save them up), so it is theoretically possible to transcode them for iPhone use, but this would be an intensely cumbersome process.] I’m not sure what encoding Myette is using for his newer videos but it’s worth pointing out that most of the lessons created within the past year work on an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. This greatly improves the site’s ease-of-use.
[UPDATE: Myette has informed me that he is currently in the process of updating the site so that ALL of the site’s content will be playable on iOS devices. At this point, it is fair to say that most of the site’s content is playable on iOS devices.]
Overall, though, it’s impressive what Myette has been able to do with the interface. It is easy to use, easy to navigate, and demonstrates that a great deal of thought was put into it.
Content
The first thing I noticed about the site’s content is its volume. Myette has been doing this for years, studiously uploading lessons regularly for most of that time. There are easily enough lessons on this site to last a student for years.
Myette’s lessons across all genres can be divided into two broad categories: individual songs and general skills (including theory). Many of his individual song lessons take you through the entire process necessary to master that song. By necessity, they will occasionally repeat some information, or leave some information out, relegating them to other, more skill-oriented lessons.
It’s worth noting that Myette also offers lessons plans for beginning, intermediate, and advanced users.
The plans offer a fairly detailed track for making the most out of your time on the website, and they can be useful for those who are trying to figure out how to make their way through the vast amounts of content on the site.
The only shortcoming I can see with Myette’s lessons is that I believeyou will get the most out of the lessons if you already possess a basic understanding of piano fundamentals. In other words, I think Myette’s lessons are okay for beginners, great for intermediate learners (which I would describe myself as), and probably even better for advanced learners. Myette goes very quickly and many of his intermediate/advanced lessons (i.e. the bulk of all lessons he’s uploaded) will assume a significant amount of piano knowledge.
That being said, it’s probably still possible to pick things up from a beginner’s starting point; you’ll just need to work much harder on building up the fundamentals.
Style
It is a tricky thing, to teach someone from across the internet who you’ve never met. So much of the modern music lessons requires on that indefinable give-and-take between teacher and student, on adaptability, on the recognition of the idiosyncrasies and nuances of each individual. So how does Myette fare as a music teacher?
Pretty damn well, I’d say. Myette’s teaching style is both likable and easy-to-understand. Having worked with several piano teachers in my life, I found Myette to be just as good as any of them, if not better. Myette seems to implicitly exactly what it is that students might want. His lessons offer a way both to re-create a piece exactly as he’s played it, and to figure out how to make your own voicings and improvisations. It’s difficult to account for the vast range of needs that virtual students might have, but I think Myette does so wonderfully.
In other words, I’d have no problems paying Myette for actual lessons in-person. And that’s a good sign for someone you’re going to take virtual lessons from. If you have any doubts, just take a look at the “mini-lessons” that Myette has already posted up on Youtube. He really wants you to know what you’re getting when you sign up for the site.
Pricing
First of all, many of Myette’s individual lessons are available in DVD form, which can be convenient if all you want is to learn how to play one song. The DVDs are priced at $40 each, which sounds high until you consider that this is the low end of what a normal piano lesson costs.
Myette has divided his site into five categories: Jazz, Gospel, Funk, Latin, Blues. You can subscribe to each one of these sections for $29/each/month, or pay $299 for an entire year’s worth of access. The Gold membership, which strikes me as by far the best deal, provides you with access across all lessons/genres on the site for $399/year.
Again, regular piano lessons in the real world can cost up to $100 per hour. Given these prices, you can either pay for a few real life lessons with a local teacher, or get one full year’s worth of dozens of lessons with Willie Myette. In terms of value, Myette certainly takes the prize here.
My only beef with the pricing is that the different sections offer vastly differing amounts of content. Jazz piano lessons is by far the most rich, while Myette only started the Blues section recently. But what makes it a viable option nonetheless is that Myette is constantly adding lessons to these sections and responding to feedback. Thus, the Jazz membership is probably the best value, but if you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars anyway, I’d go with the Gold.
Miscellaneous
There are a few other site features that are worth pointing out. First of all, Myette used to host a once-a-month 30-minute long show that went over a lot of the concepts he discusses in his lessons. These are all now available in mp3 format on the site, and themselves constitute dozens of hours of potential learning material.
Second of all, Myette is actively involved with the site on an ongoing basis. He solicits feedback, asks for suggestions for lessons, and then acts upon those suggestions. The site offers a forum and while it’s not the most thriving community I’ve seen on a website, Myette is active on it. For a site that you’re forking over hundreds of bucks a year to be a part of, his presence is a reassuring one.
Conclusions
Piano lessons with Willie Myette are an excellent way to either start playing piano and an even better way to rekindle one’s passion for it. Myette’s sites are great to use, their pricing is fair, and Myette himself is an excellent teacher. Most importantly, he appears to be one of the few people on the internet who’ve managed to take their skills, make them easily accessible for learners, and figure out how to make money doing it. If you’re reading this review wondering whether or not this guy is the real deal, I’m putting my answer down as a firm “Yes.”
Pros:
Easy-to-use site with great user interface and options
Site pricing (especially Gold membership) is an excellent value
Well-executed lessons with a very understanding, skilled teacher
Lessons cover a wide variety of genres and styles
New lessons constantly added
Lessons are downloadable (one per day)
Site owner is responsive to feedback
Cons:
Different sections are priced uniformly but can carry differing amounts of content
A few interface elements of the site can be confusing
As a podcast host, I think it’s important to constantly pay attention to the exciting things that other talented people are doing in this space. I listen to dozens of podcasts, so many that it’s impossible to get to an episode of every single podcast I subscribe to on a weekly basis. Usually I save up a bunch of episodes, then take them all in with one fell swoop (i.e. when I’m waiting for a plane, or taking a very long drive).
There are a few podcast out there, however, that I must have a weekly dose of, lest I become moody and unpleasant. These are the conversations I feel I must be privy to, whose hosts I want to get to know more each week. These are the podcasts that I can’t wait to download, load onto my iPhone, and listen to on my way to/from work. These are the podcasts with whom I am most grateful to regularly share my time with.
I wouldn’t necessarily say these are my “favorite” or “the best” on my playlist. For example, you won’t find This American Life, Filmspotting, The Bugle, Weekend Confirmed, Giant Bombcast, or tons of others that I listen to, even though I love these podcasts and find them all superlative. Those will have to wait for a separate post.
But there’s something about the following podcasts…The comforting way their hosts interact. The creativity and gusto with which they execute their premises. The kismet that brought them to the place they are today. Anyway, without further ado, here are the podcasts I can’t live without:
The IFC News Podcast – Matt Singer and Alison Willmore analyze a movie trope and then discuss how it’s been deployed in movies throughout history. In my opinion, this podcast is a movie geek’s dream come true, with tons of thoughtful references to movies past and present. But while the show’s premise is great, I live for the moments when Matt will break into some bizarre, hilarious impression, or Alison will drop some obscure film knowledge that leaves me in awe of her wisdom. Add in some of the best listener feedback I’ve ever heard, plus a clever IMDB keyword game (with weekly prizes!), and this podcast becomes an absolute must-listen. Also, I’m pretty sure I have a crush on Alison Willmore. [iTunes] [Website]
KCRW’s The Business – Kim Masters takes the most important entertainment news and talks to the people involved to get an inside perspective. I don’t think this podcast gets enough credit for creativity with which it addresses its topics. For example, a recent episode was devoted to what behavior is acceptable in the writer’s room, vs. what constitutes sexual harassment. To tackle this issue, Masters invited on a lawyer who has filed lawsuits against studios, and had him duke things out with a lawyer who has defended studios in the past. It was as informative a discussion as you could get on the topic, while still being entertaining.
Other recent episodes have included an inside look at how the Oscars were produced, and how the script for Battlefield Earth went wrong. For those interested in the industry (and for those like myself who cover it), The Business also features a short “Hollywood news banter” at the top of the show, which is a really good way to stay on top of the latest developments. At a scant 30 minutes long, you have to search hard to find a good reason NOT to listen to The Business. [iTunes] [Website]
On The Media – This is less a podcast about the stuff the media covers, and more a podcast about how the media covers it. For a news junkie like me, it’s a goldmine of interesting factoids and fascinating reflections on the nature and the state of journalism in the U.S. and around the world. Recent episodes have included coverage of the history of the term “baby-killer” and how Google plans on creating a universal translator. Fascinating stuff. [iTunes] [Website]
Battleship Pretension – Each week, the Battleship Pretension podcast chooses a theme and tries to explore it to its logical conclusion, often with a fascinating and/or humorous guest. Tyler Smith and David Bax, two film school graduates, aren’t necessarily the most dynamic podcast personalities out there, but what this podcasts lacks in bombast, it makes up for in intelligent discussion. Both hosts are incredibly articulate and careful in their locution, in a way that people who listen to my inane ramblings will probably find refreshing. But more than any of that, sometimes it’s just fun to hear people who are good friends banter back and forth about random topics in a way that is not obnoxious. Also, I find both of their voices incredibly soothing. I think you will too. [iTunes] [Website]
