Hello, you lot.
So. I’ve mentioned it. Now I’m going to do it: a new tier. I’ve looked around at friends who also have Patrons, and all of them have an upper tier that’s between £20-30. Some of what’s offered at those levels are one-off or annual rewards, and I’d rather we offer something that’s ongoing. Something really, really exclusive and unique.
C...
2022-04-24 18:24:05 +0000 UTC View PostHappy Saturday, all! I've been locked out of my Patreon account for two days! Hurrah!
BYAMPOD is going to be slightly late... and likely be up Monday afternoon/evening - you can blame Pedanthony, who invited Sanja and I out for a drink yesterday, which prevented us from recording the ep - but we'll have the final part of Marbles, plus a bonus ep for Patrons, with you early next week.
We'll also - finally - get the rest of you the Q&A vid very soon. For the next few weeks...
2022-04-23 07:31:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Here you go, gang. Some outtakes and behind the scenes bits from our jolly little stroll along the canal...
Enjoy!
2022-04-20 14:38:16 +0000 UTC View PostWe're back! Did you miss us? After the month from hell, we're finally on track once more. And we've something rather lovely to return with: a Great British Day Out that turned into a brand new format when we stumbled upon a spooky abandoned shack.
Panic not: we've not done away with the desk or anything. We're just enjoying doing these at the minute. Hopefully you're enjoying them too.
Top Tier: you've some outtakes on the way in the next day or so. We'll also have the...
2022-04-19 14:20:24 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello gang. I thought I'd share with you all some of what I've been working on for Digi Level 2. I may have mentioned already that, given we're going to be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Digitiser, the plan this time is to embrace its teletext aesthetic a bit more. I want it to feel as close to its inspiration as possible.
When the original Digi characters do appear, some will be live action, some will be appearing in animated teletext form (see the animation test for The Sna...
2022-04-16 09:46:27 +0000 UTC View Post
We're taking a week's break from Marbles to for a more laid-back chat about the setlist from the first of this year's Marillion Weekends - and share the experience of our friends who were there in Poland. Here be spoilers, but we do give fair warning. Also, we debate what makes the perfect Marillion Weekend setlist... and can't agree in the slightest.
For the rest of you, we're probably not going to get the planned Q&A to you this week. Sorry. We're normally much better at getting y...
2022-04-15 13:33:27 +0000 UTC View PostWe thought you Top Tier gang were overdue something exclusive... so here's a special Digicast about the rollercoaster week we've had... and current plans for Digi Level 2. It's spoiler-heavy!
Writer's Club: stay tuned for an exclusive episode.
BYAMPOD Patrons: new ep tomorrow.
Aaaaand... breathe.
2022-04-14 14:14:01 +0000 UTC View PostMorning all!
Well, despite our Poland mess-up, we managed to get away to see the baby at the weekend, which was lovely.
Sanja is still a bit battered from the second bout of Covid, so a weekend of gigs and drinking probably would've been a nightmare for her anyway.
Alas, our plans to film yesterday at the National Space Centre didn't happen, because the place was full when we got there. We didn't know it was a pre-book situation, so we had to knock that on the he...
2022-04-12 08:10:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Because we ruined our Poland trip, we're no longer skipping a week of BYAMPOD... We're almost at the end of our trawl through Marbles - dealing here with the first three tracks of Disc 2. Expect plenty of me grumbling about not being at the Marillion Weekend.
The rest of you... sorry there's no Digi this week, but next week should be a stuffed one. We're filming a new day out on Monday... god help us.
Paul
2022-04-07 15:53:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Bonus! Bonus! Bonus! Avoid this episode if you don't want any idea of what Marillion are playing at this year's weekends. Also avoid this episode if you don't want to hear two people heartbreakingly discussing going on holiday to Poland approximately one hour before that all came crashing down.
See you in Leicester. Hopefully...
2022-04-05 12:55:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Well... we've had quite a couple of weeks. First Sanja got Covid... then we screwed up our chances of going to Poland for the first of this year's Marillion Weekends. Those of you in the Top Tier will know why, as I wrote a big, long, blog post about it last night.
Fortunately, that does at least mean we won't be skipping a week of episodes, and so here we wrap up side one of Marbles with Fantastic Place (belatedly) and Ocean Cloud - another double whammy of Marillion classics!
Be...
2022-04-05 12:41:00 +0000 UTC View PostI’ve possibly got ADHD. Or ADD, or whatever you wish to call it.
That may not be a surprise to some of you. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, and a few of you have even asked me… because you’ve recognised the signs in our videos.
All I can say is… for now, it’s merely *probably*.
I’ve never been diagnosed. In fact, I’ve not even tried to get diagnosed. I know how hard it is to get that sort of diagnosis in the UK, and although Sanja managed successfully to...
2022-04-04 20:09:43 +0000 UTC View PostWell... Sanja has managed to get Covid again. Fortunately, the new variant isn't as bad as the previous one. She's had symptoms since Monday, and is already on the mend. Thus far, I've been okay, and I'm very much hoping it stays that way, as we're meant to be going to Poland in 7 days for the Marillion Weekend.
What this means is that although it's more mild, she has basically been in bed all week, so it's doubtful we're going to get a BYAMPOD recorded for next week... If she's b...
2022-03-31 10:55:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Our Great British Days Out series continues with a visit to London's The National Gallery - home of Van Gogh's Sunflowers, and many other famous works. Unfortunately, Sanja and I mostly fail in our attempt to bring culture to the masses, as we were unaware that you're not allowed to film in there.
Or have fun.
Or do anything other than nod reverently.
Enjoy! I bloody love doing these.
2022-03-29 12:59:47 +0000 UTC View PostAs of this morning, we’ve hit 501 Patrons. That’s a mad, mad number. I’ve heard that you can expect 1-5% of your audience to sign up to a Patreon, but there are way more than 1-5% of you on here, even if you do combine Digitiser and BYAMPOD.
I keep saying it, but Digi has a relatively tiny audience compared to many of our YouTube mates. Yet, we seem to have more Patrons than most of them. Why that is, I dunno, but something about what Digitiser has always been – whether in its T...
2022-03-28 10:49:22 +0000 UTC View Post
We thought we were going to finish the first disc of Marbles in this episode, but as it turned out... we only managed to cover another two tracks (and the Marbles interludes). Turns out that covering this album is going to be even bigger job than we anticipated.
We do talk about the stories behind Marbles I-IV, Genie and The Only Unforgivable Thing, and offer our insights and opinions. Plus! What do crabs have to do with it all?
2022-03-24 16:49:10 +0000 UTC View Post
So, there was a lot more of Gannon that didn't make it into this week's Digi, and I thought I'd share the entire thing with you uncut. I filmed after we recorded this week's Cheapshow, which - oddly - has a similar structure to this week's Digi.
Warning: this video might make you seasick. I filmed it on my phone without a gimbal or tripod, and then stabilised it afterwards. Consequently... well, you'll see what I mean. It goes a bit funny in a few places.
Anyhow... hope you ...
2022-03-24 11:47:42 +0000 UTC View Post
New Digi time! Gannon is back to help Sanja rank history's funniest, most stupid deaths - and we even reenact some! Plus, I attempt my own stupid historical death by eating a 65 million year old Jurassic treat! It's probably our darkest, most idiotic, episode to date...
Coming in the next few days... another exclusive bonus ep for everyone, outtakes for Top Tier, new Writer's Room podcast... and more!
As always, the more of you who watch this in its first 12-24 hours, the be...
2022-03-23 15:36:31 +0000 UTC View Post
I was flicking through the channels on the TV (pages of a Web Magazine from 2007) on a Sunday in Milwaukee in the rain (on a Saturday night, on the toilet), and behold: my 34 year-old face loomed out at me! I genuinely recoiled.
I've already recounted the story of how I ended up with VIP passes to that year's Marillion Weekend by visiting Chernobyl, but had completely forgotten writing about it for The Web. With all that's been happening over the past few weeks, I've obviously bee...
2022-03-20 10:46:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Ring the bells! We've started our Marbles coverage proper! With an entire episode dedicated to the epic that is The Invisible Man - a song which I argue might be Marillion's best. Of course, we go off at all sorts of tangents, and I reflect upon why Marbles chimed so well with me back in 2004...
EDIT: I've balanced the sound levels better. New version uploaded.
Here you arrrrrrrre. Also on their way this afternoon: new BYAMPOD, and - for Writer's Club peeps - an exclusive podcast chat! It's all happening.
2022-03-18 13:36:22 +0000 UTC View Post
If you've seen this week's Digi video... here's a bonus mini-ep featuring Sanja. This is the process that led to the boiling water incident...
This is for you lot and you lot alone!
Thanks as ever for all your support.
2022-03-17 12:22:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's this week's vid for you all.
It's yet another that I'm rather pleased with. Lots of stupid cutaways. Actual bodily injury. A snippet from Digi Live 2.0. General utter chaos. You know the drill by now. Make sure you watch to the very end.
Also, there's going to be a bunch of exclusive stuff heading your way imminently. Top Tier already got one exclusive video this week, and will be getting another with all the outtakes from the above vid on there.
BUT....!<...
2022-03-16 16:41:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello gang. Here's a brand new exclusive vid. We've not done one of these updates in a while. It's mostly as rambling as ever, but we do talk about the new thumbnails and Digi The Show plans. Enjoy!
2022-03-15 12:55:37 +0000 UTC View PostIf any of our BYAMPOD patrons are also supporters of Steve Hogarth's Corona Diaries, they're holding a special An Hour Before It's Dark livestream tonight, in which certain select Patrons will get to ask h a question about the album.
For some reason, I've been asked on to put a question to him, so if you want to tune in and watch a bona-fide TCD/BYAMPOD crossover... it kicks off at 8pm (you have to register, so check the TCD Patreon for details). Obviously, it's also being recorded as p...
2022-03-11 12:55:59 +0000 UTC View Post
A rather different episode this week... a real mixed bag, as we dig into the fan reaction to AHBID, the recent drama on the Marillion And Fans Facebook group, a report on Mark Kelly's book launch... plus, thanks to the presence of our TWO very special guests, we discuss growing up in a Marillion household... Please note: this episode features a real baby!
2022-03-10 08:28:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Please watch the British Museum vid if you haven't already. It's one of our favourites, and I'd hate for it to get lost like our visit to Borehamwood/Star Wars locations did! I know we've all got busy lives, but the first few days are crucial for the video to get traction, so if you can find time - even just stick it on in the background maybe - it'd be much appreciated. These are likely to become an ongoing series, alongside the Supernatural Worlds and whatnot that we do.
Anyhow, here ...
2022-03-09 11:55:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Look: it's this week's Digitiser video a whole three days early! Both Sanja and I love this one, and it might be one of our favourite Digi eps ever. We go to the British Museum, and treat it with all the respect you might expect. I hope you love it too (lots of outtakes en route for Top Tier folks).
Also... you might notice that this video doesn't have a title yet, and merely a placeholder thumbnail. This is because I'm admitting defeat: I am AWFUL at video titles and SEO. Just wretched...
2022-03-07 20:53:33 +0000 UTC View PostHello, gang. Just to update you... apologies if things have felt a bit Digi-lite this week. I got hit with a whopper of a migraine on Tuesday, and today has been the first day I've felt sort of back to normal. Basically, the week backed-up on me after losing a day and a half.
At the minute, we're planning to do some location filming tomorrow, depending on the weather, for a Digi ep. If the weather ruins that plan, the next ep might be a more cosy sofa chat, as we've not done one for a w...
2022-03-04 14:58:45 +0000 UTC View Post