Shot In The Dark: Third Time's the Whammy

May 26, 2004

Third Time's the Whammy

One of the great axioms in my life is, the third time I try anything is always the hardest.

The first time I try something, beginner's luck carries me through. The second - well, the honeymoon's still on.

The third? Well, it's always a "character-building experience".

Let's recap.

Last night's Northern Alliance fill-in for the Hewitt show was probably, all things considered, better than the first two. I know I was less nervous, and better prepared. I didn't toss questions like "So, whaddya make of, er, that speech" to Katherine Jean Lopez. I didn't muff the phone number (that I remember). I actually stayed coherent while interviewing Frank Gaffney, one of my favorite writers out there.

The second hour? Our guest interviews went very well - as always, Scott "Big Trunk" Johnson landed an embarassment of riches in the guest department, with author Steven Rhoads and uberblogger Charles Johnson. Lileks called in. It was a funky hour - Rhoads is a great guest, but he needed more than ten minutes; it went well, though. Charles Johnson was great - we need to have him on again.

Third hour with Saint and Elder? Three segments with MST3k'S Mike Nelson was a total gas.

The last two, winging it without callers and talking about Elder's trip to Mexico? We were about to start talking about the Gay Applebees in Chihuahua when the closing music kicked in.

The whole evening was a learning experience - and not so bad, for a third...anything.

Posted by Mitch at May 26, 2004 08:30 AM

Comments

I agree, this was a great show, I really enjoyed your interview with Charles of LGF

Posted by: Silver at May 26, 2004 09:17 AM

Mitch,

Actually, I enjoyed the other times NA filled in for Hugh just as much. You do a great job of keeping the show moving and focused. You don't give yourself enough credit.

Posted by: James Ph. at May 26, 2004 09:52 AM

I only caught part of your show last night. I was planning on listening to the rebroadcast on the KRLA feed this morning - forgetting that they're revamping the site and the archive is unavailable.

From what I did hear (the Gaffney segment), it sounded much better than your earlier interviews (esp. the first one with K. Lopez which was a bit, um, painful).

I also thought you seemed more relaxed and less like you were trying to do a Lileks impersonation.

One thing's still bugging me though. Your breathing is REALLY audible. Each time you finish a sentence and catch an inhale, it sounds like you're passing around the hooka in the studio.

Looking forward to Saturday's show.

Posted by: mike at May 26, 2004 10:10 AM

I only caught the last two hours, but they were quite good. You are much, much easier to take than some others Hugh has had guest-host his show, and the group dynamic works quite nicely.

Good job, man.

Posted by: ccwbass at May 26, 2004 11:43 AM

The Northern Alliance is quickly becoming a personal favorite

-Great job!

Posted by: Rick at May 26, 2004 01:08 PM

What I heard - before a wicked-bad electrical storm rolled through the tri-state and made listening almost impossible - was top notch!

Can someone please clarify Mike Nelson's faith affiliation? I heard most of his religious history until the end where it sounded like he said he was born again. Unfortunately, the static from the lightning strikes was so bad, I couldn't be sure. Coincidence? Hmmmm.

A born again Mike Nelson? Is it possible to like this guy even more than I already do?

Posted by: CandPeez at May 26, 2004 02:51 PM

My only complaint? Too tight. Too seemless. It just makes it hard to call in. Of course, I really just wanted to squeeze in a plug for my school's upcoming fundraising dinner.

Posted by: Monkey Brad at May 26, 2004 03:54 PM

Interesting "criticism". "Too tight. Too seemless."

Unlike when Hugh is doing the show? Hmmm.

Posted by: James Ph. at May 26, 2004 08:19 PM

Next time we'll try to mispronounce a few more words, play clips of speeches Ted Kennedy made three weeks ago, and abruptly switch topics sans segue so Hugh's regular listeners will feel more comfortable.

Posted by: the elder at May 26, 2004 08:44 PM