Podcast Reviews: The Mediocre Show

I have heard about podcasts for years without ever really thinking about what they were. About six months ago, after receiving my first iPod, I actually looked around for some podcasts to listen to and found it hard to know what I wanted. After meeting Big St3ph3n and getting involved with the guys at Distributed Failure, I started branching out to listen to more shows. Through Twitter and Xbox Live, I have heard people mention other podcasts all the time. The Problem is that no one ever really talks about what a show is focused on, what it features or why it's different from others. That's what I am hoping to provide here; Insight on what each podcast is about and my opinion on how well it works. To start this off, here is my review of The Mediocre Show.

• Pod Cast Name: The Mediocre Show
• Hosts: Eric Tomorrow, Hope (Lady Tomorrow), and Mike Pilot
• Website: http://www.mediocreshow.com - Live Show: www.stickam.com/mediocreshow
• Voicemail: 206-666-5900 - Live Call In: 610-624-1702 - Email: toilet@mediocreshow.com

The Mediocre Show is a long running podcast that started in 2005 and is currently on episode 275. Starting out with Eric, it has gone through a few changes in its line-up over the years with Mike joining in June of 2009. Hope, aka Lady Tomorrow, also joined as a co-host around the same time, though she had been a constant supporter long before that.  The show broadcasts a live show from Philadelphia on Wednesday evenings at 8 pm EST on www.stickam.com/mediocreshow with a live chat. It's also available for download from iTunes/Zune on Thursdays. Live call-ins, voice mails, and e-mails are encouraged and a part of every show.

The one thing that struck me from my first listen is the polish of this podcast; it has a real talk radio feel. It features a weekly call-in from Jeff Vice (the Geek Show, Deseret News Movie Critic) with his movie picks and insights. Hope does the news segment each week with what’s going on weird in the world. They also play artists from Myspace Music from time to time as well.The constant banter between these three is great, funny, and overall entertaining. They also do regular runs of merchandise for their listeners to purchase, from hoodies to koozies. I think it's great when you can buy something tangible to advertise to others a product/show that you support.

Another thing that has constantly impressed me with The Mediocre Show is their listener interaction and appreciation. Mike plays regularly with listeners on XBL and all three hosts make an effort to get to know the people who support them. It's very obvious from the get go that these people enjoy what they are doing and put a lot of work into it. People who call in, whether it's their first time or fifteenth, are treated like old friends. They also encourage listeners to call in with toasts, celebrating good news in their lives. Their listeners refer to themselves as the Mediocre Nation and it's apparent that the love goes both ways.

I asked both Mike and Eric the same question: What's the one thing you would want a new listener to know about the Mediocre Show? Eric said, "I would want the listeners to know that we aren't some 'flash in the pan' shock jock radio show, just trying to say the wildest thing we can to get a response out of people." Mike said, "That even though it's listed as a comedy cast, we take it very seriously. Lots of time and countless amounts of money have gone into the show. We do it all for the nation. It's one of the longest running shows on the net and it's as close to a FM talk show you'll find that's not a paid show."

In my opinion, The Mediocre Show is an excellent, well-rounded mature podcast. Discussions on everything from gaming to movies to science take place. I think it would be hard for anyone not to find it entertaining and worthy of your time. On a scale of 1-5 iPods, I'd give The Mediocre Show a well-deserved five out of five iPods. I hope you enjoyed this review and all future podcast reviews. If you have a show you would like me to check out or run a show you want reviewed, email me at faeriekari@gmail.com or send me a reply at twitter.com/faeriekari.

Kari Phillips