John Walker's Electronic House

Rum Doings Episode 11 Christmas Not As Special

by on Dec.23, 2009, under Rum Doings, The Rest

Opening with a terrifying clatter of the microphone, the matter not under discussion this week is: Is it the end of the great British pub? More immediately discussed is the tragedy of the Lost Rum Doings. Inevitably going down in legend, an entire episode of Rum Doings was lost to the cruel twist of Audacity’s crashing, causing us to immediately begin another to replace it.

And you know what – thank goodness. Because the result is the most positive episode of Rum Doings that will likely ever exist. It’s a celebration of things that we like.

John likes the banality and idiocy of Eggheads. While Nick likes well cooked chips. (John rather stupidly refers to Golden Wonder potatoes as “Golden Delicious” – please forgive him this.) Then there’s crazy golf, fontanelles, warm coffee shops, hypno-running, Chicago, Radio 3, how Rum Doings saves lives, chicken, leaves of privet hedges, the Brandenburg Concerto, and others.

Oh, and email us! Tell us why you listen, and whether you’re one of our non-gamer listeners. Or leave a comment below. We need to know. For science. And if you’re a female cellist of course.

To get this episode directly, right click and save here. To subscribe to Rum Doings click here, or you can find it in iTunes here.

As ever, we depend on you to promote this. Please, take the time to retweet it, tell friends, or post about it on forums, that sort of thing. And please actually do that. You, we mean. Yes, you, because you never bother, and it would be so little effort.

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14 Comments for this entry

  • Strabo

    I can’t be bothered to send an email, but I can be bothered to reply here. Normally, I wouldn’t bother at all, but you were so insistent.

    I found out about this podcast via RockPaperShotgun. I’m primarily a gamer.

  • jsut

    As a Chicago denizen, I can assure you that Chicago is pants. The *idea* of Chicago is nice, full of excellent museums and such, but it is dirty and overcrowded. I would rather have the Lake District than Lake Michigan.

  • John Walker

    I’ve spent weeks and weeks in Chicago, and not doing touristy stuff. Staying with friends up in Irving Park, going to see live music, hanging out in Wicker Park, Belmont, Evanston and so on, even spent days in high schools with a teacher friend. I’ve hung out at NU (a decade ago), helped rescue music equipment from a burning building, and generally enjoyed the city at length. So no, I’d disagree with you. Be grateful for what you’ve got, mister!

  • Adam

    Can’t wait to listen to this. RPS listener here to.
    It was when I downloaded the “Electronic Wireless Show” that I got into podcasts but now I find myself seeking other casts like Rum Doings.

  • Dinosaur

    I found out about Rum Doings from Rock, Paper, Shotgun and I am a “gamer”. I listen to Rum Doings because it’s entertaining, British and has John Walker. Unfortently I’m not a female cellist but instead I’m a 15 year old guy from Australia. Also where I live is a ten minute drive to “Ramsay Street, Erinsborough” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbours#Setting) from Neighbours, but I’ve never watched a full episode of it.
    I hope this information helps your science.

  • Bodnotbod

    I got name-checked and it felt like a Christmas present.

    Another good show. And the name-check inspired me to post a link to the podcasts on the Guardian forums (the thread is called ‘what has cheered you today?’), so it’s possible you might gain a couple of listeners.

    Good work chaps. Hope you had a good Christmas and enjoyable new year celebrations.

    Oh, and I can partly join in Nick’s enjoyment of babies; my niece had a daughter a couple of months ago and I saw her for the first time yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve interacted with a newborn in many years and she’s a little treasure.

  • Gassalasca

    I too am a gamer and have found out abour Rum Doings through RPS. Also, I played cello when I was little.
    P.S. You’ve got to redo the bit about Derrida.

  • Quercus

    I would love an RPS.TV and I want to write for it.

  • MrsTrellis

    I’m not a gamer. hth.

  • John Walker

    That’s something of a lie, Ms Trellis.

  • Edgar the Peaceful

    Contrapuntal bass-playing par excellence: The Meters – 1960s/70s New Orleans, country-funk. Check them out.

  • Quercus

    I am a gamer and did come nere via RPS.

    I just want to pick you up on your comments about people in England not considering themselves part of Europe.

    Firstly, while we are (of course) part of continental Europe, we are not (and haven’t been for thousands of years), part of mainland Europe.
    Because we are separate (noth culturally and physically) we don’t think of ourselves as part of Europe and if someone says they are going to Europe it is only natural we assume they mean mainland Europe.

    It would be exactly the same (and equally confusing) if someone announced they were going to America but meant the continent rather than the country, especially if the actual part of America they were visiting was in fact Canada.

  • NM

    Quercus: Not quite. “America” has become a shorthand for “The United States of America”. The name of the continents are North America and South America. If I said “I’m visiting North America”, you would not be surprised that my sojourn included Canada.

  • Quercus

    True I suppose, but my point about mainland Europe versus continental Europe still stands. For Americans (or people from any other continent) to refer to Europe (meaning the continent) is fair enough, but equally it isn’t really fair to mock UK residents for mostly using Europe to refer to mainland Europe, because even today we are almost but not quite part of it.