History of Chicken Fried Radio

From ScribbleWiki: Chicken Fried Wiki!

The history of Chicken Fried Radio is long and varied, but it can best be divided into several eras. The episode numbers given are for the most part approximate, and serve mainly to break up the timeline of the podcast into manageable chunks.

For a timeline of events, see the CFR timeline.

[edit] History

[edit] The Beginning

The podcast initially began as an experiment by T.E. and Ryan into new media. Both were already experienced in the performing arts, as members of the Violet Crown Radio Players. For T.E., that experience went back as far as the musical theater training he received in high school.

Initially, the format of the show was freeform and vague, with far more reliance on the thoughts and opinions of the two hosts rather than personal anecdotes and internet link-based humor. Neither Episode 1 nor Episode 3 had a single unifying theme. Strikingly, Episode 2 did have a theme, but it had a somewhat stifling effect on the discourse, as T.E. and Ryan made much more of an effort to restrict the subject matter to that theme than in later episodes.

A change in the show dynamic began in Episode 3, with the introduction of Christian as a co-host, and that change was completed in Episode 4 with the introduction of Abbie, the final long-term addition to the hosting roster. Many Peckers view Episode 4 as the quintessential CFR episode—a view apparently shared by the Jackasses when it became the first repeat in the history of the show, Episode 25.

Episode 4 introduced the longest lived catchphrase in the history of the show: "You, me, it'll be great!" (This was not the first recurring joke, however. Both "It's all recursive" and "Monkey juice" were drawn from Episode 3.) This joke, based off Pat O'Brien's infamous intoxicated voicemail scandal, established what later became the unique style of CFR: reacting to a story, riffing on it, and calling back to it later on.

As the first few episodes continued, the hosts found themselves gaining an unusual type of popularity. An article was written about them in the LA Daily News. The show was subsequently featured on iTunes, and as a result, listeners outside the immediate circle of the hosts gained access to the show.

New listeners meant additional feedback, including two of the best known contributors in the show's early years, Simon Mind and Hollywood Nick. Listener voicemails added a new dimension to the show. In fact, the original policy of responding to all emails and voicemails had to be abandoned due to the quantity of material coming in.

During this time, the hosts began exploring merchandising opportunities in the form of bumper stickers and T-shirts. They also offered air time on the show for advertising, a deal which came with a totebag included in pure PBS style. These attempts were initially unsuccessful.

It wasn't until the name Pecker was chosen in Episode 10 that the fans were united into a fanbase. The adoption of the title of Pecker to designate fans of the show came at just the right time. The podcast was about to be subject to its first truly negative review.

[edit] Development

Episode 11 marked the first true feedback the podcast had received from non-listeners, in the form of the Vox Monitor review. This review, which was negative in content and insulting in tone, actually served to crystallize the CFR style.

In true form, several catchphrases developed out of the view, including "Four Bringers of Chaos" as an appellation for the Jackasses and "Morning drive-time radio which we strive to emulate". A sound clip from the review, consisting of the word "irritating" as spoken by one of the hosts, became a permanent feature on the sound board.

In reaction to the Vox Monitor review, Christian and Abbie created their first sketch, a review of the Vox Monitor review. Though they were not named at the time, the "characters" the two assumed in that sketch later became Antonin and Micha.

Another major character was created in Episode 11: Crackhead Cosby. Although he was given the crickets upon his first appearance, Crackhead Cosby quickly became one of the most popular CFR characters.

Listener contributions increased during this time as well. The rivalry between Hollywood Nick and Simon Mind which was just starting to develop in Episode 10 reached full potency, resulting in a flame war on the message boards and an impromptu sing-off on the show. Another contributor, Scooter, reached such popularity that he was written into a sketch with Crackhead Cosby. By Episode 17, contributions were so frequent that it was possible to have an "Arts and Crafts Audience" episode, featuring a large proportion of contributed material.

One recurring segment had its origin at this time: People in Your Neighborhood. Although the Lightning Reaction device was not yet in use, the concept of the segment was in place.

During these nine episodes, the CFR format solidified into its future form. Introductions, followed by voicemails, followed by a sketch, followed by the "topic at hand," and concluded by a song. Much more freedom to deviate from the topic was allowed than in the earlier episodes, resulting in a flowing, almost stream-of-consciousness style.

By the end of the teens, all the elements were in place for some of the best received and most popular episodes to be made.

[edit] The Golden Age

This three month period was one of the most fruitful for Chicken Fried Radio, producing some of the most popular episodes within a short space of time. Listener rankings often rate Episodes 20, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, and 32 as among the best.

During this period, the People in Your Neighborhood segment began to feature the Lightning Reaction device. Fireside Theater and Lester Sniffit were introduced as a regular feature. The characters of Antonin and Micha were developed and solidified into a recurring bit.

In Episode 27, circumstances conspired to uncover a project from Christian's past, The Freak Show—in particular, the character of Floofy. The idea of Christian dressed as a female space bird proved immediately popular, as did her signature catchphrase, "Catch you later, flatulator."

The war between Simon Mind and Hollywood Nick drew to a conclusion, while a new group of contributors took the fore, including Swish Nick, Mad Captain Ian, Kentucky Fried Pecker, and Kinoli—the very group that would eventually become "Generals" in the Peckerhead Army.

During this period, the message board and website were both updated to their present form, and listenership grew to a high of about 5,000 regular subscribers.

The show's momentum was halted by a few unavoidable real-life circumstances. First, technical problems with T.E.'s computer and recording equipment delayed the recording and release of Episode 33, which was originally to have been the break-up episode. Second, Ryan's departure from the show, which occurred subsequent to Episode 33, further halted the momentum.

[edit] Transition

In recollection, it is easy to think of Ryan's departure as marking the beginning of the live Skype episodes, but this is not the case. In point of fact, over a month passed between Ryan's last regular episode and the release of the first live broadcast.

With the momentum halted and the dynamic changed, it became necessary to engage in a bit of retooling. Abbie led with another Least Worst episode. The long awaited breakup episode was finally recorded for Episode 35, and although there were some hints to Ryan's departure, it was not discussed. The final on-air announcement was made on Episode 36.

A preview of the Ryan-less dynamic occurred during Episode 29, when illness prevented Ryan from recording. That was not the first time that Ryan had missed an episode—he was also absent from Episode 23, but for that recording, his slot was filled by Mark Finn. (Christian and Abbie were previously absent from both Episode 14 and Episode 17.)

Meanwhile, the push to record episodes live which had been announced as far back as Episode 29 was finally about to bear fruit.

[edit] The Live Episodes

Consisting of a total of 22 separate episodes, including two separate two-part episodes, the live episodes of CFR constitute the largest continuous chunk of CFR history. However, this period consisted of 32 weeks, meaning the average number of episodes had fallen from just over an episode a week (during the first 33 episodes) to about two episodes every three weeks.

Partially, this was the result of logistical issues. It began to be progressively more difficult to find a time when all three hosts could do the show, and also be at a reasonable time for live listeners from several continents to participate. Also, the technical challenge in recording a live episode was far greater, and it was not unusual for such difficulties to delay the beginning of an episode for over an hour.

The first live episode, Episode 37, was broadcast over ShoutCast, but feedback was set up through Skype. This proved too much of a server load, however, and subsequent episodes were broadcast exclusively through SkypeCast.

At least at first, the experiment proved fruitful. The first few broadcasts drew dozens of live listeners across three continents, and the addition of live feedback (in the form of the Skype chatroom) provided an interesting new dynamic between hosts and fans. Recurring segments like the CFR Rundown became popular with fans.

The hosts soon learned that it was difficult to make use of the live audience. Although the CFR Producer nominally had the responsibility of call screening, calls rarely went through the producer before making it onto the air. Audio quality of such calls was also very low, often featuring a lag of nearly a second, so it was difficult to have anything but a very stilted conversation with a call in guest. Finally, the Jackasses learned that the majority of listeners, when put on the spot on the air, had very little to say.

Live episodes continued through the summer of 2006 into the first part of 2007. Episode 58 was recorded in January without a live audience. One further attempt was made to record live for Episode 59, but poor publicity and little advance notice resulted in only a few listeners logging on to the show. Low energy caused the hosts to abandon the recording that night. Instead, they openly discussed the future of the show with the remaining live listeners. It was at that time that the idea for CFR 2.0 was set in motion.

Despite the difficulties with recording, this time period was still marked with continued creativity and popularity, especially with sketches. Randy Tutone, Antonin and Micha, and Crackhead Cosby all featured, and a new recurring sketch, The Lotion Basket, was created.

Perhaps in part to the tightening schedules of the hosts, this time period was marked with increased fan contribution to the production of the show. One episode, Non-canonical Episode A, was produced entirely by a contributor with no involvement of the hosts. Although the project was well received, it was seen as no replacement for the regular episodes. It did, however, open the door for other short, non-traditional episodes to fill in the spaces between normal releases.

[edit] Podfade

The decision was made to return to the old, pre-recorded format for the next few episodes until a complete retooling of the show could be made. The basic plan was to release four more traditional episodes of the show, go on hiatus for a few months, and return with monthly episodes starting in August.

From the start, however, the plan ran into difficulties. The countdown episodes were released about a month apart, and required virtually all of the time that the hosts had allocated to the show. The fans noticed this abrupt drop in episode output and began to attribute the lack to "podfade"—the tendency of a once-prolific podcast to release episodes with less frequency, and then disappear altogether.

These episodes, particularly Episodes 61 and 62, were marked with low energy performances, as if the recording had become something of a chore. By the time Episode 62 was released, no real concrete details had emerged about the later format of the show, and so fans began to wonder whether it was coming back at all.

[edit] The Long Hiatus

This period was the longest hiatus ever taken by the Jackasses, and was interpreted at the time as evidence that the show was gone for good. The initial new episode release estimate of August 1st was pushed back, first to September 1st, then to October 1st.

Meanwhile, personal issues were keeping the hosts from being able to dedicate time to the show. The wedding of Christian and Abbie took place on July 7th, 2007, and therefore occupied the majority of the time of two-thirds of the show's hosts. Only in late August were the Jackasses able to get together and begin to record new material.

Early in the summer of 2007, the Generals were given the opportunity to record a "real" (i.e., main sequence) episode of the show. Mad Captain Ian, Kentucky Fried Pecker, Swish Nick, and BereaSteph (recording as "Mystery Pecker X" recorded Episode 63 in early June, and released the episode to the feed on June 5th.

Unsurprisingly, the episode was poorly regarded by longterm fans. The four substitute hosts were located throughout the world, and recorded via a Skype call. The recording was the first that they had attempted together, and they could do little but copy the traditional CFR format. There was also a perception, incorrectly so, that these four had been nominated to take over on a full time basis, and so they were looked upon as interlopers.

[edit] CFR 2.0

For more information, see the main article on CFR 2.0

Finally, the first episode of CFR 2.0 was released. Contrary to prior expectations, it too was a signed an episode number as Episode 64.

Fan reaction to the new format was mixed. Although some praised the clean post-production, many criticized the slower pace. The interview segment in particular was viewed as a departure for the show, its serious tone not meshing well with the typical iconoclastic flavor of the other segments.

The general attitude from the fan community was "wait and see," but they never got that chance. The advertised video release on October 15th did not occur, and the next episode was not released on November 1st as advertised. By the time December 1st arrived with no new episode and no word from the jackasses, it was generally assumed that the Chicken Fried Radio project had been abandoned.

[edit] The Renaissance

At the beginning of 2008, the Jackasses apparently underwent a renewal of interest in the project. They released Episode 65, an episode in the old traditional style, on January 4th, and committed to a bi-weekly release schedule going forward.

These episodes have been marked with a renewed energy and creativity. Sketches have been focused on the core demographic of the show, incorporating many characters from separate sketches together for the first time. New recurring bits have been introduced, such as the Zobmondo question of the week, and old bits reestablished, like People in Your Neighborhood.

Several other projects have also been released concurrently with new episode. The first installment of Mad Captain Ian's CFR Remix project was released onto the feed. The first video podcast, The Freak Show: Boardroom of Doom, appeared between Episodes 68 and 69, it is anticipated that further video projects will be released in future.

The most recently released episode is Episode 77, which was released on August 14th, 2008. The next anticipated release is Episode 78; the topic is satire. The scheduled release date is August 27th, 2008.

[edit] Current Plans

The current release schedule is for episodes to be released bi-weekly on Wednesdays. On the off weeks, old episodes of the show are being reposted, beginning with Episode 1. Episodes of the video project Livin' the Dream, as well as non-canonical episodes, are occasional posted on the off weeks as well, although there is no specific release schedule for either of these. Ryan has also become more involved with the show again, performing with Christian and Abbie in Episode 75 and with T.E. since Episode 76. As of August 27th, 2008, he announced that he was back on the show full time, at least for the present.

[edit] See Also

• Timeline of events
• CFR 2.0
• Upcoming events and releases