I heard it this morning in bed. Usually I sit and listen to a piece or two after the alarm goes off, but ack! I couldn’t listen today. Now there’s a talent agency and Paramount TV and kids juggling. I’ve never hated anything on NPR, but this is walking a fine, fine line with me.
I think I’ll come into work early tomorrow.
Please don’t!
I caught episode 3 this morning by accident. It was WAY too shrill–squealing and early morning do not mix well. It actually bothered me enough that I fired off an email to NPR asking them to MAKE IT STOP. It ain’t funny and the sound is just incredibly obnoxious.
Couldn’t they at least start it at some random time, like 7:42, so that it’s not the absolute first thing I hear in the morning? Don’t most people set their alarms for nice round numbers? OTOH, I did rocket right out of bed this morning…maybe I should tape tomorrow’s section and use it when it’s especially urgent I get up on time!
Any more room in there, Cervaise?
Yep, it was hate at first listen. It was a good time to turn the radio off altogether.
Aside from the overtly “comedic” pieces on NPR, many of their human-interest radio essayists just annoy the hell out of me. Stick to the informative stuff, NPR – that’s what you’re good at.
I accidentally listened to today’s episode. Great Goddess, it gets worse each day. It seems like the script was written by chimps. I was making some Christmas cookies, and if I did not have dough-covered fingers, I would have slapped my radio into blessed silence.
I missed yesterday’s awfulness because I needed to sleep in. We had tornado warnings in my area, so I was awake for most of the night (we were lucky here–the storm bearing down on us turned a bit to the north, so we had no serious damage in our town). Our tornado warning siren proved to be somewhat difficult for the city guys to shut off—we listened to them discussing the problem on our scanner, so it shrieked for almost an hour after the danger had passed.<rolls eyes>
After my ears stopped ringing, and I finally got some sleep, the last thing I would have wanted to hear was the raucous squealing and whining of the “Peppersteins”. This morning, I heard the synopsis of yesterday’s show. Oh, the horror…
Does anyone like this show? Anyone? 
Apparently you’re not alone:
USA Today – Listeners have news for NPR: ‘Pants’ program doesn’t fit
[/QUOTE]
What the folks at National Public Radio hoped would be a whimsical break from the routine of Morning Edition has been met with a chorus of boos from some rattled listeners.
[/QUOTE]
Gah–accidentally heard some of it this morning. Surfer wisdom? Breaking into some bad talent agent’s darkened, windowless office and bumping into furniture? What? Why? It ain’t funny!
Turned off the radio, shaved my chin in silence.
They think people are just PO’d because it’s “different” from what they’re used to hearing in the morning. No. That’s not all there is to it–IT’S NOT FUNNY. Hell, if they ran audio from The Simpsons or Seinfeld during that stretch, I probably would not turn off the radio.
When I worked in the hospital, we had post mortem examinations that were funnier than IREP. I can’t imagine what substances I’d need to ingest to render that program even mildly amusing. As an earlier post pointed out-leave the funny to Car Talk. Ira Glass has come up with some funny bits on This American Life, in all fairness to his spot.
Is Cervaise clean yet?
What’s even worse than the radio “comedy” itself is the synopsis before each episode begins, where we’re forced to listening to the previous day’s unfunny jokes and a cast list that seems to go on forever (and I think we can officially declare Ed Begley Jr.'s acting career DOA.)
The episodes themselves only seem to be around ten minutes, but I could swear each synopsis is at least twice that long.
The interesting thing, to me, is that this is a divvied-up recording of a live performance in front of an audience. And with each succeeding installment, you can hear the actors going faster and faster as they realize the audience just isn’t laughing. This morning’s was the worst: “Somebody say something!” - “Knock knock.” Rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat. Even if something might have been funny, the actors’ increasing desperation is killing it.
Just a train wreck. Sad, really.
Yeah. In some ways, the very worst part was the special preview last Friday, where we were introduced to the concept and given a special preview of the highlights. When the highlights make you consider changing the station, you know you’ve got a stinker on your hands.
As others have said, I wouldn’t mind the show if it were remotely funny.
Now, THAT’S a ringing endorsement!!! 
The concept of a radio comedy could have been a good one. Maybe next time–if there is a next time–but what a painful learning curve. It’s a shame, really.
I’ve only been semi-conscious when I’ve heard bits and chunks of this segment but, from what I have, four words come to mind: self consciously forced wackiness.
This thread has something I don’t believe I’ve ever seen in any thread on the Straight Dope before: unanimity. You could post that you like ice cream and some sourpuss would come in and say he ate ice cream once and broke out in hives and that anyone who likes ice cream should be deported to Mongolia.
I’d Rather Eat Pants flat out reeks. I’d rather eat pants than listen to “I’d Rather Eat Pants”.
Another article on the show, this one from The Washington Post. It ran before the serial started, though. I loved this quote from Bob Edwards:
We’re not very tolerant of crap, at any rate…
I love this thread, because up until know I thought IREP couldn’t possibly be as bad as I thought it was. Something’s wrong, I thought. I’ve lost my appreciation for absurd humor. There’s something behind these outdated stereotypes that I’m not getting. There’s a point to all these knock-knock jokes.
Maybe I’ll watch Spinal Tap tonight, or The Holy Grail, or Young Frankenstein. Hell, maybe I’ll watch TV.
The very name sucks! I’m supprised Ed Asner would do something like this.
carnivorousplant: You listen’ to 'Train in the AM? Way to Go!!! 
It does something for you, driving in the dark at 6:30 AM.
Can you reccomend any titles?
Heh, I just heard Morning Edition read from their letters and the vast majority of listeners hated this dreck, so I doubt they’ll be inflicting anything of the like on us anytime soon.