For example he's over-the-moon for anything Aaron Sorkin has written, anddddd never saw The West Wing. So I showed him.
It was terrifying.
Have you ever shared something that's 'important' to you with a friend and been terrified they may not like as much as you do? Are there any films, shows, books, or albums that you avoid sharing your passion for because you're afraid others won't 'get it'?
In case you haven't gathered from 162 QOTDS (and assorted MeekinOnMovies columns not about movies) The West Wing is more-or-less my Great American Novel. I started watching Junior Year in Highschool and by the time I finished the series I knew 1) I was going to go into a creative career field even if it killed me (so far it's just bankrupted me and 2) The West Wing was the most personally important work of fiction I'd ever seen - a masterclass in everything *I* loved and wanted for entertainment.
Thus, showing it to my friend was intimidating. I didn't want to keep asking if he 'got it', nor did I want to keep telling HOW GOOD IT WAS because I didn't want to over-hype it. We watched the first couple of episodes on a bit of an astral plane, and I wasn't sure if he liked it, or was just saying he liked it. Last night we stayed up until 4am powering through seven episodes in a row - so safe to say I'm good.
It reminded me of this PBS Special I saw with Martin Scorsese about how difficult it can be to explain the importance of a specific director, writer, or movie without sounding like a crazy person.
As an odd side-note I have no problem telling people I like Pro Wrestling, despite the fact you'd assume such fandom would get me more eye-rolls and smirks than a love of The West Wing would. Oddlier The West Wing gets more puzzled looks. Strange.
Be sure to read my article on 10 Games Ruined By Hype
And see what I have to say about the first 4 hours of Watch_Dogs
Also check out my Blog: MeekinOnMovies (On a movie sometime this weekend - I saw Godzilla and Walter Mitty!)
And like me on Facebook:
The West Wing is my favorite television program ever. I've showed it to a couple people with the same fear, but the show has always won people over.
ReplyDeleteDeep Space 9. I've shared it with people to mixed results.
ReplyDeleteWell, I realized a long time ago that wrestling is one of those things you either "get" or you don't, so I don't even bother anymore, unless someone asks first.
ReplyDeleteYeah! I tried to show it to my buddy Todd and picked Taker vs. Shawn from Wrestlemania and just got a "meh"
ReplyDeleteI find the stuff that diehard fans love, such as Taker-Shawn, isn't going to bring in the casuals. Non-fans tend to be brought it more by personalities and storylines, I think. After that, they notice they wrestling. (Because we're telling stories, baby!)
ReplyDeleteNo. I don't care what people enjoy, nor do I care what they think of what I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThis of course doesn't apply to Paul Meekin columns... if someone enjoys them they are bad at life.
I've heard some great things about DS9, but I've never actually tried watching any of it.
ReplyDeleteMake a QOTD asking what non wrestling celebrities would be good in the wrestling industry.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've never seen 5 minutes of the West Wing.
ReplyDeleteIt's excellent. Has much more of a long term story than other Star Trek shows and is much darker (especially "In the Pale Moonlight")
ReplyDeleteI might need to try it. I really don't like the original Star Trek, but I enjoy the Next Generation a lot.
ReplyDeleteNo DS9? No West Wing? Are you opposed to watching great shows?
ReplyDeleteTOS is well written and stuff but it's just too hard to go back and watch 1960's style TV
ReplyDeleteI am. I try to watch only crap, when I can help it. I almost watched a great show once, but then stopped before it was too late.
ReplyDeleteActually, I've never been the type to watch episodic, week-to-week tv, because of my schedule. Obviously, now with DVR, Hulu, and whatever else exists, that isn't a big problem, but old habits and such.
It may have been great for the standards of that time, but I find it very unwatchable. TNG is tremendous; I love Patrick Stewart.
ReplyDeleteThis sucks. You're so up your own ass it's sickening, Meekin. Go watch another ten episodes and don't write another column for awhile. I mean, the subject matter and question ain't bad it's just YOU, your tone, the way you present things, God it's insufferable.
ReplyDeleteIf only there were a way to not click on the post...
ReplyDeleteI'd rather keep letting him know how awful he is.
ReplyDeleteTo each his own, I guess.
ReplyDeleteClearly you are not on an Astral Plane like Paul and the friend he so badly wants approval from
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure he knows that. I mean, we all know it and we only read a couple posts a week. He has to live with himself 24/7, that can't be easy
ReplyDeleteYeah it's weird. I always end up framing it like figure-skating with punching which is maybe the wrong way to go about it, but I HATE the Male Soap Opera moniker that goes around.
ReplyDeleteBeck's album "Mellow Gold" is probably his best. It's just lyrics over raw noise that form something that sounded different from everything else. I played it for some friends, and they thought it was shit.
ReplyDeleteI don't share anything anymore.
Hmm. I don't know what to say really.
ReplyDeleteSo...the question is good.
The subject matter is good.
But it's just me you don't like?
Is it the way I construct a sentence?
is it....the way I write in a first-person / personal style?
Is it....I made about 40 dollars on that WhatCulture article I shamelessly plugged and am playing Watch_Dogs for free right now while you're bitching about some guy on a wrestling blog you've never met?
Is it....that you come to this blog for a very specific thing - wrestling, and then when you see a post not about that specific thing you get uncomfortable and antzy like a kid being confronted with his first shot at the doctor's office?
It's easy to say you hate something and use phrases like "Up your own ass" and "sickening" and "Insufferable" then not really follow them up with substance.
I mean, I get it, it's fun, kinda like giving a guy who cut you off on the highway the finger when you're having a bad day. It's fun to be mean. It's fun to pot-shot over the internet at some guy you'll never meet. And I get that.
Thus I'll leave you with this:
hate / trolling / expressing vitriol for a person's work is probably the best way to motivate them. Think of every song, every writer, every actor, and so on. One constant you'll hear through most of their stories is that they were told at one point or another they were not good. They were insufferable. They were up their own ass. They were sickening. And they used that to build a chip on their shoulder they carried with them to success and fortune and fame.
I don't intend to be famous or rich, and successful is subjective, but if your idea was to tell me how bad I suck and get me to stop, I'm sorry to say reconstructive criticisms like your comment, and comments like it, generally do the exact opposite.
So thanks for the support!
I think Meekin writes WWE's "DID YOU KNOW?" graphics. Those and the QOTD are about equally well-received.
ReplyDelete"Marquee Moon" by Television. One of the greatest albums ever made, but I'm always afraid that people won't "get it," so I don't bother introducing it to anyone that doesn't already know it.
ReplyDeleteYou know, people tell complete failures they're shit too.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor
>>Is it....I made about 40 dollars on that WhatCulture article
ReplyDeleteThat you think that would impress anyone, sorta is it. Besides, what's that? One trip through the drive thru for you?
Also, using the word "thus" isn't helping you any.
These questions are getting too complicated. Wish they were more wrestling related as well.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend giving the West Wing a try. If you aren't hooked by the time Martin Sheen appears in the first episode, it's probably not for you. That's usually what nails everyone when I make them watch.
ReplyDeleteCliffs?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the novel length reply, you blowhard. Your tone is obnoxious, pretentious and know-it-all, like you're the only guy in the room who "gets it" and you need to enlighten everyone else. Go jerk off to "Sports Night"'or something else that is overlooked and brilliant and you feel the need yo force on us.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, just don't click on the link and avoid it. What's the point of the negativity. He knows you don't like him. WE know you don't like him. What good is it to constantly come into a Meekin thread just to bash him?
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I am fine with any thread where I can talk about how awesome the West Wing is. So this one is A-OK in my book.
I had some people over for WM30, including a guy who doesn't watch regularly. By the end of the night, he was absolutely yelling for Daniel Bryan to win the match.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't care so much about Undertaker losing, though.
I'm not a "hater", but this lengthy response is really horrible.
ReplyDeleteSports Night was really good... I liked the first 3/4 of the season of Studio 60, too. Just throwing that out there.
ReplyDeletedon't care that much if my friends and family like the same music etc. that I like (within my group of friends there are certain things all/most of us enjoy, but usually it's more like "this guy also loves XYZ but can't ABC, this girl loves ABC, but doesn't care much about XYZ" etc.)
ReplyDeleteAgain, it's easy to say things like obnoxious, pretentious, and know-it-all and NOT say where in the text those specific things are?
ReplyDeleteI guess I can get the pretentious part, I did bring up Martin Scorsese and PBS. I did say The West Wing was a masterclass in everything *I* wanted in a TV show for me. I wasn't saying it was the BEST show nor was I saying it was perfect.
In FACT I would say this entire post, is about my attempt to NOT be pretentious and obnoxious and know-it-all regarding this thing I WAS pretentious and obnoxious and incredibly passionate about. Ever let a friend borrow your car?
It's like that.
Again, I'm re-reading this thing and I'm seeing...I was worried my friend wouldn't enjoy this thing that's important to me...which I think is a universal thing in all relationships platonic and otherwise. We all have things important to us that we're afraid or shy to share - and when we do it can be a little anxious / terrifying.
My reply is 59659ish words short of a novel, for what it's worth.
Scheduled for tomorrow.
ReplyDeletestill 336 too many
ReplyDeletejoe rogan comes to mind
ReplyDeleteGuys, I know its crazy but this TV show that was nominated and won dozens of awards...I'm afraid other people don't like. Maybe I'm pissing into the wind, but I think people will really like The West Wing. I know, I know, no one has much respect for Martin Sheen but he can really carry a TV show! Its a good thing my friend liked this TV show that millions of others liked and was on TV for years. I needed the validation.
ReplyDeleteTurning it around to sports, there is this sport called "football" that I hear has a small niche following. I'm going to show it to some of my friends and see if they like it!
Jesus Christ Meekin this is such a stupid specific fucking question.
ReplyDeleteThese are supposed to be discussion questions but I feel like you write these specifically for you to proclaim your cute little personal stories that no one gives a fuck about, to show how "cultured" and intellectual you are, and to put over your blog and other columns. This is supposed to be appealing to the blog as whole, but instead your posts are 99% wankfests to put over your own feelings and interests. THATS why you suck.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what is with the fucking randos talking shit on Meekin? You can't just come in here and trash a QOTD, you have to earn that right.
ReplyDeleteIf they bring the goods right away, they're welcome here.
ReplyDeleteI've been a lurker/enigmatic poster from day one. Also lifetime Meekin basher.
ReplyDeleteso brave.
ReplyDeleteAlso...if your friend loves Sorkin, then a) how could he have never seen this show? And b) why would u be so terrified he wouldn't like Sorkin's most successful and critically acclaimed show? The whole thing makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteShitting on Meekin is a privilege.
ReplyDeleteHe's brilliant in American Dad too. It's been on for nearly ten years and I still can't believe the things they get him to say.
ReplyDeleteScientology
ReplyDeleteGranny Porn
Enemas
Enema Granny Porn
My "Small Wonder" erotic fan fiction
That weird thing growing on my left testicle
EVP's
Bigfoot scat
Alfred Jarry
Mark Trail
Frederich Nietzsche's poetry
Nancy & Sluggo
? and the Mysterians bootlegs
Sabrinia the Teenaged Witch COSPLAY
Dig Dug
Captain Beefheart
OTC sleep medications
Drinking Mouthwash
Autopsy photos
Pete Best's solo work
Yeah it's not easy, this internet message board bashing.
ReplyDeletehe doesn't really charge that much...
ReplyDeleteWatch Dogs does look pretty great in the previews, but I'll probably wait a while 'til the price comes down. My money's going on Mario Kart 8 in a few days.
ReplyDeleteCult and I agree on something!
ReplyDeleteI don't like when people I know watch the wire or pt Anderson movies because if they don't like them I can never treat them as a equal human being again.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how many times I've tried to share pro wrestling with a friend only to have them respond with something like "my god, this shit is stupid." I've tried everything from live Raw to classic matches ranging from Flair/Steamboat to Mankind/Taker HIAC to mid-90s Joshi. Every once in a while some people are like "this isn't so bad", and I even helped create a couple of new fans during the Monday Night Wars. But for the most part, people look at this thing I've loved since was a kid as a hillbilly soap opera.
ReplyDeleteThe Fabulous Freebirds are the exact opposite of the badass team that the song makes them out to be.
ReplyDeleteIf Michael "P.S." Hayes and Jimmy "Jam" Garvin walked down an actual "Badstreet, USA," they'd probably get killed.
Watching Clash 12, which kicks off with a mini video for Badstreet.
To tie this into the QOTD, I'm pretty sure showing anyone a Freebirds entrance in WCW would have them questioning your sexuality.
ReplyDeleteYou mean makeup, eyeliner, and perverted dancing isn't badass?
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of roster do you think WCW would have today if it stayed in business and was owner and ran by Bischoff and Hogan? Similar to TNA's a couple years ago? Any current WWE guys there?
ReplyDeleteNot where I come from.
ReplyDeleteAlso, watching this originally in New Jersey in 1990, you had two teams showcasing the Confederate Flag, with the Birds and the Southern Boys. I wasn't sure who I was supposed to be cheering.
If they were paying, plenty of guys would jump. Punk being #1
ReplyDeletePunk and Daniel Bryan would be the top 2 guys in a current-day WCW. We'd probably see a bunch of ROH guys in there, too.
ReplyDeleteTNA people in a modern WCW would probably include Storm, Roode, Aries and Daniels.
I could see that. Probably be like a refuge for people that hit their head on the glass ceiling.
ReplyDelete100,000 question is would they take Zak Ryder AND push him?
How do you think this guy would do?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCmbkHDjuqI
I say no. I really don't see anything special with him.
ReplyDeleteA lot of that seems to change if they ever see it live, though. The live event experience helps people get it--the spectacle, the crowd playing along, the community, and the storytelling. It may not ever be their cup of tea, but they truly seem to "get it" (I really wish I could find a different phrase) and appreciate it for what it is.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to wonder if this "Todd" even exists.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with your contain because they are right http://goo.gl/UTMZb3
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the BoD!
ReplyDeleteMind freak!
ReplyDeleteWhoa just take it easy man.
ReplyDeleteAt least it was his own blend of passion.
ReplyDeleteGeez.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta watch it man, great show,
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with YOUR contain. I think you wrong. www.willanyoneclickthis.com/notachance
ReplyDeleteThe answer is pro wrestling, it was always pro wrestling.
ReplyDeleteMeekin, why can't you just take the Mick road and tell him to hang himself, it's so much faster.
ReplyDeleteSame here.
ReplyDeleteI lremember one day in my high school class a bunch of my friends (who were NFL fan types back when I loved the Rams and didn't despise them for hanging Marc Bulger out to dry.) were discussing old cartoons and they mentioned a fuckton of old anime like Medabots and Digimon and such, something I was completely nerdy about, but this was high school and I wanted to maintain my street cred. Thank god I have a group of degenerates to hang out with every Monday to discuss that now, cause man, it was tough going hiding my anime fandom for years.
ReplyDeleteFelling those feels from an anime convention in Toronto right now
ReplyDeleteWatch dogs looks like dog shit.
ReplyDeleteI watched the live stream that leaked.
Dog shit
Cool it dude, it's a chick! Just agree.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of anything. I'm not too hung up on what other people think about the stuff I like.
ReplyDeleteI did just relate this column to my wife, and she also thinks that you suck. So I guess that we're meant to be together.
Early 20th century porn
ReplyDeleteLet's not lose our composure.
ReplyDeleteTom Hanks.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to wrap it up in a story about your personal life no one asked for, preferably involving an imaginary hot girl that you pretend to fuck. Then maybe end it with a story about how you lost three pounds doing rasslin' yoga. Oh, and be sure to spam us with links to more of your stuff that we have to click on if we don't want you to starve to death,
ReplyDeleteNo doubt. Deputy Director Bullock is the best when he's all coked out crashing through ceilings.
ReplyDeleteOh.....tag.....
ReplyDeleteHaving/ had fun?
ReplyDeleteJust played the demo today, MK looks great.
ReplyDeleteYou should have seen that hidden camera campaign, pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteI know. I can only get off if I know that all the people I'm watching fuck have been dead for decades
ReplyDeleteI did e-wrestling for years with a guy who became my best friend (more like brother) almost instantly. I knew, deep down, that one day something would turn my interest away from the ultimate in wrestling nerd text-based excitement; online wrestling games. When Smackdown vs. RAW hit PS2, I vanished like ninja. You have all the same benefits of e-wrestling, but *you* decide the outcome of your matches, not some asshole with a grudge (I lost to a punch once), what's not to like? He never made the jump, though. We played hockey, SOCOM and the lot, but for some reason he never got into it like I did. I tried, though... we tagged once against two fairly decent players who I would have had no problem with if I had a decent partner... but he just stunk, horrifically. Not one single move landed or reversed.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure he feels the same was about transvestite porn... sigh... if he only knew.