The Ringer

[Bongorific]

I was referring to the “explosive growth in the mid 90s” portion of the previous post.

I don’t know. There are lots of reasons to be out on Yasi. Concertgoing is an odd disqualifier for me.

REM is arguably my favorite band of all-time. I never saw them perform. I sure listened to Reckoning a lot, though.

I was born in 1982 and had been to a handful of DMB shows in the 90’s.

It was just her general attitude. She tried to come across like the most qualified podcaster to talk about DMB because she’s the coolest person that likes them unironically. And has a picture of Dave on her desk. But she was so shaky on their early music and Rob asked her 3/4 of the way through if she’d seen them live and she admitted no. He was unsurprised. She came across as really unauthentic.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

Just to pile on Yasi, between Dave Matthews Band and Dave & Tim Reynolds acoustic shows, they've played a total of 3,200-ish shows (just looked it up). I mean, if you really want to see Dave Matthews there is literally no excuse not to have done so. I was a big fan of Crash being between HS and college at the time and not so much their albums since, but even I went to see them on a lark at Fenway in 2006.

 

[epraz]

DMB has played California 158 times.

 

[CantKeepmedown]

Yeah I'm not a huge DMB guy but very jealous of their hardcore fans because of how much he tours. You can bank on him touring every summer. And generally seems to hit all 4 corner of the US. Shit I'm in Portland and he played like 6 shows within 3 hours of me a couple summers ago.

 

[Spelunker]

Rob looks back at some major performances that came with pregnancy announcements, before focusing in on M.I.A and her 2008 hit “Paper Planes.” Along the way, Rob also touches upon the controversies that came with M.I.A’s fame. Later, writer and editor Puja Patel joins to discuss dancing on stage with M.I.A, the political and cultural conversation around the artist back in 2008, and much more.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

Nice one. It's too bad she's lost her fucking mind since 2020. Arular was an incredible record. And the song still kills in nightclubs -- it's one of the only songs I can play at an "open format" (meaning all sorts of music) night, a hip-hop only night, a throwback night, AND can even drop it in the right way at an EDM night.

 

[allstonite]

The “Kids” episode was great even if Rob is wrong about Oracular Spectacular. That album is great front to back not just 3 great songs.

But he’s already knocked off The Killers and now MGMT in that scene. He still has to do a LCD Soundsystem and, more importantly, a Strokes episode right? RIGHT?!

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

Rob absolutely has to cover either "Frantic" or "St. Anger" if only so I can hear him wax poetic about the incredible Some Kind of Monster.

This leads me to an interesting question - how many artists will have episodes in BOTH the 90s and 00s iterations of the podcast? Eminem and Jay-Z definitely will. OutKast and Radiohead are also safe bets. U2 might if he covers "Vertigo." I could see him doing "Toxic," so Britney will probably be a two-timer. Beyonce didn't get her OWN episode in the 90s - it was a Destiny's Child song - but she'll absolutely get one from the 00s. Similarly, No Doubt was covered in the 1990s, but Gwen might get an episode covering "Hollaback Girl."

As far as long shots go, Rob might cover something from Daft Punk's aughts output. Maybe something from Beck's Sea Change, too? Like my Metallica suggestion above, I could also see him covering one of Weezer's newer, shittier songs if only to contrast it with their earlier, better work.

Turns out it’s Missy Elliott.

 

[shlincoln]

Holy hell, Ben Fucking Lindbergh got Jason Concepcion to do a Ringer podcast

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

The new website layout sucks.

 

[changer591]

The new website layout sucks.

I just visited it for the first time in a few days and wondered what the fuck happened...it's so bad now.

 

[TaiwanManny]

I just visited it for the first time in a few days and wondered what the fuck happened...it's so bad now.

I thought i clicked on the wrong site. It's more difficult to navigate now. Looks like a big mess.

 

[johnmd20]

Every update is bad. Some grow on you. Most don't.

This is bad and it will not grow on anyone. It's genuinely messy.

 

[Remagellan]

It made me dizzy. Simple design may not be flashy, but I'll take something dull and easy to navigate every time.

 

[sezwho]

Every update is bad. Some grow on you. Most don't.

This is bad and it will not grow on anyone. It's genuinely messy.

This is very wise.

I remember emailing some random tirade to the ESPN webmaster way back in the day (90s?) lamenting what I saw as an awful refresh. I did a lot of digital transformation work at one point and what I learned is no one should take design advice from me.

Side note- little did I known then that @8slim would be running analytics on the site…though maybe not at that time. SOSH is everywhere.

 

[Kliq]

I hate it. Why is everything so big? And the carosuel scrolls through so quickly, I can't even read the entire headline before it is on to the next.

 

[8slim]

This is very wise.

I remember emailing some random tirade to the ESPN webmaster way back in the day (90s?) lamenting what I saw as an awful refresh. I did a lot of digital transformation work at one point and what I learned is no one should take design advice from me.

Side note- little did I known then that @8slim would be running analytics on the site…though maybe not at that time. SOSH is everywhere.

Haha. Not then. 2010-2016. I was there for the still-present everscroll redesign.

*edit* The Ringer redesign is clearly mobile first. Looks much better on my phone. In fairness, I don't think I've visited their website in 3 years.

 

[epraz]

It's very app-y, very Spotify.

 

[Hal Waffid]

*edit* The Ringer redesign is clearly mobile first. Looks much better on my phone. In fairness, I don't think I've visited their website in 3 years.

Oh man, I just looked. This design is definitely not for me.

 

[Spelunker]

Haha. Not then. 2010-2016. I was there for the still-present everscroll redesign.

*edit* The Ringer redesign is clearly mobile first. Looks much better on my phone. In fairness, I don't think I've visited their website in 3 years.

I'd call it practically mobile-only. I'm sure their traffic numbers back that up.

 

[Kliq]

I'd call it practically mobile-only. I'm sure their traffic numbers back that up.

I don't really understand why sites like the Ringer have a mobile and a desktop version? I know most traffic these days comes from mobile, but why must the desktop version be such crap--can't they keep the old layout for desktop?

 

[cheech13]

I just checked the site, preparing to hate it because I don’t care for any redesigns, but was pleasantly surprised. It’s busy but visually appealing. I will note that I was visiting the site from my mobile.

 

[epraz]

I don't really understand why sites like the Ringer have a mobile and a desktop version? I know most traffic these days comes from mobile, but why must the desktop version be such crap--can't they keep the old layout for desktop?

There's a wide range of screen sizes and input methods, so they aim for responsive design. It's not the worst of both worlds, but not the best either.

 

[Spelunker]

There's a wide range of screen sizes and input methods, so they aim for responsive design. It's not the worst of both worlds, but not the best either.

Right. "Mobile Version" and "Desktop Version" is an aughts concept.

Tried it on desktop, and it's....fine. The site basically exists to drive podcast (and now video) content anyway, so it's not shocking they'd design something that looks a lot like the modern YouTube* tile layout (with the addition of oddball dynamic shit for ADHD addled brains).

(*they'd say Spotify, I assume)

 

[The Social Chair]

Mobile-only hasn't been a thing since Google started penalizing websites for not being responsive over ten years ago. I remember ESPN being one of the last hold outs.

The layout is fine. I think The Verge does something similar a bit better.

 

[Silverdude2167]

The layout is trash and clearly shows that the ringer thinks print is dead (at least at the ringer).

I do not go to a website to find a podcast or videos, and I am not sure how many people do, so this seems stupid but maybe the data supports the move.

 

[epraz]

The layout is trash and clearly shows that the ringer thinks print is dead (at least at the ringer).

It's an incremental change, but to me, the Ringer itself was a big move away from Grantland, favoring podcasts over the written word. The sale to Spotify further confirmed that.

 

[Remagellan]

I usually never listen to it, as it has been over fifteen years since I last played a video game, but I enjoyed the most recent Button Mash in which Ben Lindbergh, Steve Ahlman, Matt James, and Rob Mahoney draft their favorite PS1 games in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of the release of the first PlayStation system.

The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Draft - The Ringer

 

[Jungleland]

Struggling to get through this week’s 60 Songs. I’ll never understand how time has been so kind to Linkin Park, one of the most dated sounding bands of my lifetime in my (apparently unpopular) opinion.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

Struggling to get through this week’s 60 Songs. I’ll never understand how time has been so kind to Linkin Park, one of the most dated sounding bands of my lifetime in my (apparently unpopular) opinion.

I'm not a fan either, but I think their current cultural reputation stems from the fact that the kids who were in middle school when that first album came out are in their 30s now and are the ones driving these narratives.

 

[Hardcore Midget]

Struggling to get through this week’s 60 Songs. I’ll never understand how time has been so kind to Linkin Park, one of the most dated sounding bands of my lifetime in my (apparently unpopular) opinion.

Same here. I'm old enough that I was past the nü metal thing by the time Linkin Park came out. The songs can be catchy, but are so processed and manufactured that Rob's old review about them being a boy band with guitars is right on the money.
But of course by 13 year old discovered them this year and loves them so much that we bought tickets for the TD show next summer.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

Same here. I'm old enough that I was past the nü metal thing by the time Linkin Park came out. The songs can be catchy, but are so processed and manufactured that Rob's old review about them being a boy band with guitars is right on the money.
But of course by 13 year old discovered them this year and loves them so much that we bought tickets for the TD show next summer.

Agreed on the bolded, but even as a forty-something damn I love me some old-school Linkin Park with their blatently poppy hooks and all. But I have not even listened to the latest album. It may be great but LP now will always feel like a ghost ship with Chester gone, despite Shinoda's skill as the original brains behind the band.

 

[Bunt4aTriple]

LP is not my thing, but the quality of the band/song has never affected my interest in an episode. I really enjoyed Darnielle's experience as a nurse in the interview.

 

[shlincoln]

View: https://youtu.be/QqV3GjPW7FM


everytime five rolls around I lose it.

 

[Kliq]

That video taught me I know what very little of the Ringer staff actually looks like, I only recognized Mallory Rubin and Chris Ryan.

Who was the guy at five?

 

[Spelunker]

That video taught me I know what very little of the Ringer staff actually looks like, I only recognized Mallory Rubin and Chris Ryan.

Who was the guy at five?

Steve Ahlmen. Producer, and running joke, on the otherwise Black Midnight Boys.

 

[shlincoln]

That video taught me I know what very little of the Ringer staff actually looks like, I only recognized Mallory Rubin and Chris Ryan.

Who was the guy at five?

im always thrown whenever I see Ben Lindbergh (number six), i just never pictured him as a blonde.
Anyway as mentioned five is Steve Ahlman. To explain the joke, on one Midnight Boys pod he was asked to name five civil rights leaders and completely froze.

 

[shlincoln]

60 Songs on Hurt was the good shit.

 

[naclone]

psyched that after 131 episodes Kay Hanley finally got a mention on 60 songs by way of Josie and the Pussycats in the Avril Lavigne episode.

 

[mairish06]

Hopefully Ryen didn't pay with a gift card

https://x.com/ryenarussillo/status/1870200594314477691

 

[shlincoln]

i refuse to believe Harvilla had forgotten about the Weird Al parody of Complicated when he decided to cover that particular Avril song