John Walker's Electronic House

Rum Doings Episode Two

by on Aug.21, 2009, under Rum Doings, The Rest

Episode 2 of Rum Doings is up. This week the topic not under discussion is “Whatever happened to good old fashioned manners?”

What is instead discussed includes puns in other languages, the horrible quality of commercial radio, extensive discussions of the tricks behind homeopathy, and can you be proud of collectives?

To subscribe to the podcast click here, or you can find it in iTunes here. To download it directly, right-click and save as here.

Please let us know your comments below, and if you enjoy it, tell others. The more that listen, the longer it will survive.

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28 Comments for this entry

  • Andy

    Another good podcast. It has even knocked off Mark Kermode’s podcast for listening to when going to sleep (no mean feat I assure you). Although my drift into oblivion was punctuated by questions such as “what’s a homonym?”, “what’s a lexicon?” from my gf.

  • Mike Arthur

    Another funny and entertaining podcast, nice one. I really like the format of this, it works really well.

  • Jambe

    Great work on this. I laughed up tears during this exchange:

    John: Imagine if you got holy wine down the sink… it’d get into the waterways, and then HOMEOPATHIC JESUS would get into everyone!

    Nicholas: Yes… if homeopathy works, then that would be the best way of preaching the gospel: just pour Jesus down the drain and get him into the waterworks. Whatever did happen to good old fashioned…

    John: Good Old Fashioned Jesus?

    Good show.

  • James

    John Walker, you are scaring me with your podcast. It’s not that I don’t find it funny. You have provided me with one hour and forty six minutes of high-grade entertainment, and for that I am grateful. But it is your single minded determination to stay away from anything that might be considered informative or relevant which distresses me. Listening to two men talk about about nothing is weird. I am become Big Brother, and it’s creeping me out.

  • Bod Notbod

    I’ve enjoyed both podcasts. I’ll definitely be in the audience for more. It was good to keep it shorter this time. 40-45 minutes does seem about right. It’s what Melvyn sticks to with In Our Time, and you can’t argue with a man wielding a hairstyle like that.

    Most enjoyable. Keep ’em coming.

  • John Walker

    James – I think quite a lot about that second one was informative. I certainly learned things from Nick while talking, and I think the homeopathy chat was certainly informed.

  • Nick

    The Chinese love their puns! They are often very filthy to.

  • Bod Notbod

    Just for John’s sake: watching Jimmy Carr’s stand-up on telly tonight. I was the man that went to the effort to transcribe one of his earliets appearances and John HATED IT. And, sure enough, I’m hating tonight’s show. Time is passing very slowly whilst viewing.

  • James

    It is true. I am enlightened by your work. I think it’s the fact that I’ve subscribed to a podcast that’s not actually *about* anything that worries me. Normally those are the podcasts I unsubscribe from.

    But, ya know, thanks. And stuff.

  • NM

    James, I’m glad you enjoy our podcast. I agree that doing a podcast that’s not about something could lead to a bleak wasteland. This is something we both worried about in the first recording. However, I hope you agree that it can also lead to some interesting diversions that being a slave to a topic would cut off. Think of it like a Sunday walk through some unknown rambling copse.

  • Graham

    Don’t mean to cause offense, but Nicholas’ accent sounds like it is straight from a Mighty Boosh sketch. Apologies.

  • John Walker

    Graham – I can’t help think that a shorter route to avoiding causing offense, and the subsequent need to apologise, is to have not posted the comment?

  • Andy

    Any chance of a photo of the both of you. It always helps me if I know what who I listen to looks like (was that even English I just burbled out?). I was in shock for a good week after seeing that Ken Bruce was nearly totally without hair and was in fact under the age of 92. And John W’s pic in the latest PC Gamer looks nearly exactly the opposite of what I expected – he has facial hair and everything (although Tim Edwards from the same mag looks like someone I know’s mum).

  • David McBride

    It’s nice listening to smart, interesting, lovely people talk about things. Please carry on!

  • NM

    I tried to watch The Mighty Boosh once but found that it was trying too hard to be what it thinks is surreal, so I fear I know not whom you think I emulate.

  • Byron_black

    Just on the shop puns theres 2 sandwich shops right next to my uni “Roland Butter” and a few shops down “joanna Goodbite”….

  • Ubernutz

    Love it. Will tell everyone to listen ^^

  • Surgeon

    Well, I wasn’t sure what to expect of Rum Doings, but I think it works really well.
    Just two gentleman, who seem to be great friends, on a journey of exploring as many tangents as possible.
    And it’s both informative and funny too.
    Great stuff.

  • Owen

    I would also like to put my hand up, wait patiently and then chirp, “Please sir, I really rather quite enjoyed these Rum Doing’s too”.

    It’s strange though, as I can’t quite put my finger on what I enjoy about them so much. I do think you’ve come across some magical secret in deciding what not to discuss. This is clearly how the best conversations are formed.

    Good stuff chaps and I look forward to more.

    Owen

  • chesh

    I haven’t listened yet as I prefer to let podcasts age like fine wines, but as I was musing on twitter last night while listening to a vintage RPS podcast, you are my favorite of all the podcasters so I predict that I probably do quite like this.

  • Patrick

    Every voice conjures the image of a person, in my mind. Nick has a top hat and monocle. Not in a bad way.

  • Vanagib

    I can’t say I know the reaction to them… but Japanese puns are pretty terrible.

    Some examples:

    futon ga futtonda – sounds like futon is futon (but means futon is flying away)
    Hokkaidô wa dekkaidô – again sounds like Hokkaido is hokkaido… but actually means hokkaido is big.

  • Al Byrne

    Fantastic stuff, just like last time. Throughly entertaining, in a rambling sort of way.

  • Ben

    Really enjoy this podcast. As a Briton living in America I often pine for a bit of British (even if Nick is technically a dirty foreigner). Listening to two guys just talk is oddly voyeuristic. Hopefully they won’t have run out of things to say in a months time!

  • Matt

    Not got much to say other than please make more.

    Holla.

  • Gassalasca

    Even though I disagree on some of the language matters with Nick, it’s been a real pleasure listening to two gentlemen indulging in a proper banter. I do think. however, hat I still prefer the first one – lengthier, less serious, more Flanders & Swann.

  • Youatemycheeto

    Great stuff, keep up the podcasting.

  • NM

    John has put up episode 3 now. See his latest blog post:
    https:https://botherer.org/2009/09/02/rum-doings-episode-three/