PennyArcade Podcast 4/12/06

[Dirty Harry]

From the We Love Penny Arcade Super Fanclub, Penny-arcade has released its latest pod-cast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast).

This podcast discusses the recent studies (http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-04-07T163654Z_01_COL759791_RTRUKOC_0_US-VIDEO-GAMES.xml&archived=False) about Drug use and violent game use.
It also gives a fair bit of history of the creators of Penny-Arcade, quite interesting and very funny.

The total time of the file is 37 minutes
Grab the link here (http://www.penny-arcade.com/docs/Doctor%20Feelgood.mp3)

"Tycho" said that with out the use of drugs, he would never have become a writer - to paraphrase

[Bone]

Tycho actually said that- he's the writer, Gabe is the artist. Tycho was also kidding, and also dancing a mad two-step trying to avoid being outed as a stoner :)

[Dirty Harry]

you know what, you are right and i got my names mixed up. It must be the pot LOL. :P

I still dont agree, for i can read people like cards and he was trying to covertly state that yes he once was a drug user. Its the social stigma that makes him shamed about his often perfectly fine experiences. Its the people who dont use drugs but also dont want other people using drugs that are wrong. Its my body, if i choose to smoke crack (i'd never, double swear on it) Its perfectly fine as long as i dont infringe on other peoples rights. So if i just use the drug and dont steal like most crack users do, then it would be acceptable. This isnt the reality because people are immoral when it comes down to it. The three oldest job in the world are 1. Stealing 2.Prositituing 3. Making deals (merchant?) With two of them being "immoral" by generally Rightwing people. Drug use and all these immoral things will never disappear, and dont try and fool yourself into thinking that you are better than a pot smoker because you can legally drink.

[Rakael]

Huh? Where's the twinkies man?

[Bone]

There's always that question, whether drugs and alcohol really release creativity, or whether it simply relaxes someone enough that they can be creative without fear. Or is that the same thing? Also, what if the drugs and alcohol are actually stifling the output of someone who might be even more creative without it? Perhaps it's like a game of pool (for me at least): one or two beers makes me loose enough to play well, while three or more makes my game go downhill. I guess I'm saying there's a sweet spot you can sometimes hit.

There's also the idea that creative people generally share a demographic with people who like to alter their perceptions, which I tend to agree with. And I suppose that that's the problem with this game survey, as demonstrated so well by PA. The subjects in this survey (single, college-aged males) are probably the most likely group of people to already be permissive towards drug and alcohol use.

But you know, charts prove everything. After all, the decline of pirates clearly coincides with the rise in global warming.

[Soap]

After seeing "real life" pictures of Gabe and Tycho, you can sorta tell who's been hittin' the munchies and who doesn't.

4/20 is NEXT WEEK!

[Dirty Harry]

After seeing "real life" pictures of Gabe and Tycho, you can sorta tell who's been hittin' the munchies and who doesn't.

4/20 is NEXT WEEK!
gonna be listening to some mac dre and hitting the bud booyyee?

[AversionFX]

I hope Tycho reads that headline, goes back to PA, and writes, "Some of the news posters over at EA are fucking stupid."

[Abash Alarmist]

Fo shizzle....

shoot me

[Soap]

Next week, I'll probably be having some of that "blueberry yum yum."

Hell...who am I kidding?

Give me about 4 hours...then I'll be happily listening to some Dido on winamp while gazing at those beautiful Winamp visualization plug-ins.

Is the total time of this podcast 18:19?

[Dirty Harry]

I hope Tycho reads that headline, goes back to PA, and writes, "Some of the news posters over at EA are fucking stupid."
Well arent you just based in reality buttercup, are your ears clogged or do i need to kick the shit out of them?.

The total time of the file is 37 minutes.

[ddbrown30]

Does this really qualify as news? I don't want to see this as a news post constantly. Anyone who cares knows from the news post on the PA website.

[Citizen Philip]

Well arent you just based in reality buttercup, are your ears clogged or do i need to kick the shit out of them?.

The total time of the file is 37 minutes.

I find your potty mouth offensive. Please do the following. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=die+in+a+fire)

[ElectricMonk]

There's always that question, whether drugs and alcohol really release creativity, or whether it simply relaxes someone enough that they can be creative without fear. Or is that the same thing? Also, what if the drugs and alcohol are actually stifling the output of someone who might be even more creative without it? Perhaps it's like a game of pool (for me at least): one or two beers makes me loose enough to play well, while three or more makes my game go downhill. I guess I'm saying there's a sweet spot you can sometimes hit.

There's also the idea that creative people generally share a demographic with people who like to alter their perceptions, which I tend to agree with. And I suppose that that's the problem with this game survey, as demonstrated so well by PA. The subjects in this survey (single, college-aged males) are probably the most likely group of people to already be permissive towards drug and alcohol use.

But you know, charts prove everything. After all, the decline of pirates clearly coincides with the rise in global warming.

whatever works for you, but personally and from observations drugs make people percieve themselves to be more creative, without actually making them so.

ac/dc's carreer was pretty much kneecapped in the 80's because of alcohol

[superherotaco]

Give me about 4 hours...then I'll be happily listening to some Dido on winamp while gazing at those beautiful Winamp visualization plug-ins.

Those Winamp visualizations are a godsend for those situations, expecially if you have some nice digital quality headphones. Oh memmories...

Anywho, when I read that comic you kinda got the feel that he was either a stoner, or spent a lot of time around them. I don't know if "Fucking up the rotation" is a common cliche outside the smoking world. It's kinda like talking to a person who's never smoked about keef, 60's, dank, shwag, KB, steam rollers, greens, cached (maybe?), shooters, or other slang that's popped up since i quit smoking.

[ddbrown30]

Well arent you just based in reality buttercup, are your ears clogged or do i need to kick the shit out of them?.

The total time of the file is 37 minutes.

His problem with your post is that you spelled Penny Arcade without a space. If you'll re-read his post, he directly references the title, not the time.

[Dirty Harry]

man you guys are a bunch of asshats, im serious you noobs can suck my schlong for all i care. Im so sick of all you noobs complaining, omg is this news? crap. you know what, fucking run your own site or submit news here so that you can tell us what are news worthy things and what isnt. Why dont you fucking comment on the actual thread instead of bitching and moaning. If this shit keeps up i dont see me using this site much more.

[ddbrown30]

If this shit keeps up i dont see me using this site much more.

Good. Glad to hear it.

[Bone]

whatever works for you, but personally and from observations drugs make people percieve themselves to be more creative, without actually making them so.

ac/dc's carreer was pretty much kneecapped in the 80's because of alcohol
First of all, AC/DC was never that creative to begin with. And we aren't talking about drug and alcohol abuse, we're talking about recreational use. There is a difference.

I think you can look back and find some pretty prolific writers and musicians who created some of their best work while they happened to be on drugs and alcohol. And like you said, some of them took it too far and ended up stifling their creativity and performance. Again, there can be a sweet spot.

And again, I'm not saying I think alcohol and drugs enhance creativity, but that some of the people who use them are already creative and it's part of their ritual already. Outside of drugs and alcohol, there are lots of rituals that singers, writers, even athletes perform to psych themselves into better performances. All I'm saying is that though these things don't directly lead to creativity, if they act as part of a ritual or a security blanket to enable creativity, does that count?

Also... from experience, I agree that often an idea that was created under the influence is not as good as you think, especially when reviewed while sober. However, I've come up with the seeds of many ideas while under the influence, which when reviewed while sober can be developed further into well-executed projects. I've also had "eureka" moments while under the influence that I may or may not have had while sober.

I think my bottom line is that altered perceptions can take a lot of forms. Sometimes the alteration is for the worst, sometimes for the better, sometimes just the fact that they are altered at all provides a new perspective.

[Bone]

I still dont agree, for i can read people like cards and he was trying to covertly state that yes he once was a drug user.
Of course, he admitted to using them in the past. I meant he was kidding about it making him a better writer. I think most creatives have the same questions I've been asking here, whether it's inherent for certain kinds of people to both create stuff and to seek altered states, and whether those two factors have anything to do with each other.

[Dirty Harry]

Of course, he admitted to using them in the past. I meant he was kidding about it making him a better writer. I think most creatives have the same questions I've been asking here, whether it's inherent for certain kinds of people to both create stuff and to seek altered states, and whether those two factors have anything to do with each other.
Uhhh well, this is purely from my experience but i notice that visual types of artist are the most profoundly affected by drug use and their work. I knew a metal working artist for example and he often used halluncinating style drugs to artistically inspire him. Let me tell you, he bought a large ammount of magic mushrooms and what he created after doing them was this 10 foot tall pterodactyl made from a spot welder and scrap metal. It was quite impressive to say the least, he later sold it for 14 grand and the such.

For music, well it seems that allot of successful talented musicans all smoked pot, most of the new generation of musicans have no soul. It started in the eighties with george micheals for example of a souless hack who is only in it for the money.

Writing, well there is allot of evidence that points to many classic writers who exprimented heavily with drugs such as opium.

[Bone]

Sure. Can you prove it was the mushrooms that made his ideas appear? That's the question I'm asking. Some people can take mushrooms and drool into a cup for the next eight hours, so maybe your friend already had great artistic potential and it took a certain state of mind to get there. But it's not like mushrooms made him an artist.

Do you see the distinction I'm trying to make? Maybe doing mushrooms allowed your friend to think it was "OK" to have the kind of crazy ideas he had, unlocking nothing but his fear of being fully creative.

[Bone]

For music, well it seems that allot of successful talented musicans all smoked pot, most of the new generation of musicans have no soul. It started in the eighties with george micheals for example of a souless hack who is only in it for the money.

Writing, well there is allot of evidence that points to many classic writers who exprimented heavily with drugs such as opium.
There are also a lot of writers who do opium and get absolutely nowhere. And I don't need to mention how many stoned musicians are out there making horrid noises on their instruments. I wish they would stop.

[Dirty Harry]

I never ever claimed that drug use gave people talent, i said it allowed creative expression to flow more easily. I think your trying to corner me into what you personally believe.

[bKangy]

Haha, this is hilarious.

[Taco]

Good. Glad to hear it.

Heathen!!!

I'll shed a tear :(.

[Bone]

DirtyHarry: I'm not cornering you into anything. You're getting paranoid, perhaps you played too much GTA before our conversation ;)

I'm trying to have a dialogue.. notice most of my posts contain the word "question" more than once. But you have responded in a way that tries to corner me into believing your anecdotal story is actually proof that mushrooms helped your friend be creative. My question still remains- where is the link between the drug use and the creativity? For both of us, the evidence is anecdotal and the correlation is more of a coincidence.

[Bone]

To take DirtyHarry's examples further, I posit this: if one thousand musicians smoke pot and only one gets a music contract, could you say his creativity thrived despite his habit? Just a question :)

And no, I'm not attacking your viewpoint, I'm honestly enjoying the conversation.

[Dirty Harry]

DirtyHarry: I'm not cornering you into anything. You're getting paranoid, perhaps you played too much GTA before our conversation ;)

I'm trying to have a dialogue.. notice most of my posts contain the word "question" more than once. But you have responded in a way that tries to corner me into believing your anecdotal story is actually proof that mushrooms helped your friend be creative. My question still remains- where is the link between the drug use and the creativity? For both of us, the evidence is anecdotal and the correlation is more of a coincidence.
hmmm, well i consider certain games art when i play them online, and when im inebriated, ive done some things that were impossible. Can this be of the use of intoxicants? one cant be sure. I think with the use of drugs one can create a certain "mindset" in which they personally feel in "full" controll of their state and actions. Maybe instead of drugs creating the "creativity" it is instead unlocking the persons potential. I live by idea that anyone, anywhere has infinite power to do anything they dream or desiere. I also believe that many people do not truly believe in their self realization. They are very unconfident of their own abilities, this creates the need to constantly self reasure themselves into greatness. Drug use bridges the gap most people have, when people do coke for example they feel immortal or godlike. Is it truly the drug itself that makes you godlike or is it the way the drug alters how you preceive reality? I think it is the latter. This of course is talking about the mental aspects of chemical based drugs and how they cause the brain to react, most drugs also give the user a body buzz which is generally unique to each drug.

[Bone]

See, now we're talking about the same thing. I tend to believe in the altered perception idea more than unlocked creativity.

Ever read the Doors of Perception? The idea is that you can open pathways to new ideas, and later return to those pathways without needing the catalyst, whatever it may be. And more to the point, sometimes abusing the catalyst can close the door again. Back to my point about reaching a sweet spot where you have opened yourself up to new perspectives, but not going so far that you stifle yourself.

[Heretic Machine]

Creative people taking drugs or getting drunk are still creative people. Useless people like myself who get intoxicated are still useless.

The connection between games and drugs? If you are on low-cost drugs, then chances are you are pretty bored/poor. Video games are a relativley inexpensive hobby, that can fill a lot of time. So a lot of the stoners I knew in High School also ended up being part-time gamers.

I personally don't do drugs, never have, but I play games all the time. All types of games. I do have a drink every now and then, rarely get more than a bit tipsy, but I doubt very much that it has anything to do with me playing games.

[Dirty Harry]

number one mistake people make is thinking that drugs and booze are two different things, WRONG. booze is drugs my friend, i know i hate to break your heart. So stop trying to convince yourself that you are not a drug user because you are Peri. To be honest, booze will mess me up way worse than any type of pot ive found.

I can get extremely drunk even with a high tolerance to certain brands of booze. With marijuana for example it highly depends on the potency of the weed and how my bodys resistance to the drug is at the time. With a large use of it over a short period of time, the pot would have slightly diminished effects, compare this to not smoking any for a few days, a small amount of the weed would have mind blowing effects so marijuana is all based on resistance. Now that ive outlined my own observations to these two low level drugs there is a very obvious difference between the two, one can almost always get oneself toasted, while the other one is a variable to how inebriated one becomes(everyone has a level of intoxication that they aim for and want to acheive)

Peri, you say that you think its poor people who buy cheap drugs, what in your opinion is cheap drugs? paint thinner and gassoline?. I really cant understand your logic between finacial status and drug use, there are reasons why people only use light drugs. Many strong pharm. and chemical drugs have very serious reprecussions for their use and include extreme dangers that associate with certain types of drug. So im really having a hard time make any sense of your non-user logic.

[AntB]

Hah, my type of party.

Kids, don't get too involved in drugs, as they have a nasty tendency to take you into a different life, where you end up being so caught up in the altered perceptions that you forget how to live in the unaltered. I had this problem, while I'm young, I hid inside of alternate realities throughout most of highschool, when I finally needed to do something with my self, I forgot how. I'm having a lot of trouble coping with real serious shit now, because I would hide behind drugs before.

Also, I'm with Harry on this one, Alcohol and Ciggarettes, like it or NOT are DRUGS.

Just because it's socially accepted doesn't make it any less true.

How can you fucking hypocrites say you don't do drugs and then say you drink alcohol, coffee and smoke cigarettes at the same time? It's a fucking oxymoron.
It's called intoxication. No matter on what. Your state is altered, pure and simple.

Now onto the fact that some drugs can help you be more creative. It can be true.
But for the most part, using Photoshop while intoxicated is a trivial experience for me, nothing good came out of it. Also, heavy pot use completely clamped down on my creativity 'cortex'.

Tripping on the other hand... well that's another story.

[Heretic Machine]

Peri, you say that you think its poor people who buy cheap drugs, what in your opinion is cheap drugs?

Pot, mostly. That's what 99% of my home town was on, and they were all poor, or lower middle-class. As for the Alcohol = Drugs thing, whatever, doesn't bother me. It's just semantics.

I really cant understand your logic between finacial status and drug use, there are reasons why people only use light drugs.

It's more of a matter of not wanting to get involved in really hard stuff, I think. Because I know when someone does, they usually eventually end up in prison at some point (for one reason or another). Not to mention that they end up spending all their money on their habit.

[rein]

Hah, my type of party.

Kids, don't get too involved in drugs, as they have a nasty tendency to take you into a different life, where you end up being so caught up in the altered perceptions that you forget how to live in the unaltered. I had this problem, while I'm young, I hid inside of alternate realities throughout most of highschool, when I finally needed to do something with my self, I forgot how. I'm having a lot of trouble coping with real serious shit now, because I would hide behind drugs before.



Ditto! I was going to post something while reading through this thread and you pretty much nailed every bit of what I had to say.

[TrackZero]

There's social stigma attached to drug use?

Glad I don't live in the states.

[Dirty Harry]

Pot, mostly. That's what 99% of my home town was on, and they were all poor, or lower middle-class. As for the Alcohol = Drugs thing, whatever, doesn't bother me. It's just semantics.



It's more of a matter of not wanting to get involved in really hard stuff, I think. Because I know when someone does, they usually eventually end up in prison at some point (for one reason or another). Not to mention that they end up spending all their money on their habit.
I think your idea of poor person drugs is misguided but thats alright, hopefully you can learn from your mistakes. I know plently of well to do pot heads, so dont give me that poor person jive shit you're spewing. Some people just enjoy pot, can you not accept that or do you think a drug user is atrash if they arent shooting up millon dollar heroin into their cock while smoking a bowl of crack/hash and pcp?.

[Heretic Machine]

I think your idea of poor person drugs is misguided but thats alright, hopefully you can learn from your mistakes. I know plently of well to do pot heads, so dont give me that poor person jive shit you're spewing. Some people just enjoy pot, can you not accept that or do you think a drug user is atrash if they arent shooting up millon dollar heroin into their cock while smoking a bowl of crack/hash and pcp?.

I'm not saying they DON'T exist. But more than likely, if you smoke pot (all the time, not just socially), you are not making enough money to be considered middle class. Just my opinion of course, and it's completly based off my own experiences and nothing else.

[TrackZero]

I'm not saying they DON'T exist. But more than likely, if you smoke pot (all the time, not just socially), you are not making enough money to be considered middle class. Just my opinion of course, and it's completly based off my own experiences and nothing else.

Perigon, this is some out there shit you're saying. I know tons of people who make lots of cash (if not even middle class, upper middle class) and smoke weed. Everyone I've ever known who's a complete Chronic has made excellent money (unless they're in college).

Poor people don't smoke weed as often, as they can't afford it. (Unless they're growing it themselves, which generally the people at the proverbial bottom rung of society often don't have the motivation to do so.) Of the few "poor" smokers I have known, most generally only have it on weekends and are constantly hanging around other stoners who make more cash so they can leech off them. Just in general the poor aren't regular users, it's just too costly. There's far cheaper methods to get high if you're poor (huffing gas and household inhalants being two big ones).

Hell, I used to go through an easy $300-400 a month in weed, just smoking a bowl or two a day.

God forbid if someone does coke, you need to be raking it in to afford that shit.

If you don't have an experience in drug culture, it's probably not a topic to start speculating on. Different drugs are used by people in all walks of life, for different reasons. People who do one drug don't automatically want to have every other drug out there either (most people never go beyond one or two of the same drugs they enjoy).

Not to mention of course, alchohol, which is what most of the country does to get high (oh, sorry, "drunk", that makes it sound morally proper). From the richest person to the poorest, they're drinkers all around.

[Kefkataran]

Hell. I'd reply to this at length if I wasn't so fucking stoned right now. Know what I'm saying?

No, really, though, I don't do any drugs.

[captainspankypants]

Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

[Kefkataran]

I've never been as impressed with that Trainspotting bit as everyone else seems to be, but maybe it's because I see plastered fucking everywhere.

[TrackZero]

Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

Not a bad quote in relation to HERION. Not drugs as a whole. There's degrees involved, and herion is certainly an extreme.

[destoo]

Reasons Gabe doesn't do drugs is that he's fucking scared of them. His words.
Anxiety attacks. He had to take the plane, I think for E3 2002(2003?), and his doctor prescribed him some relaxants. He was affraid of taking them for the sake of being affraid. His reason was that if he starts taking medication to control his behaviour, he might lose his "creative ability", or the thing that makes US want to see his stuff, that makes him different when drawing, and lose the funny.

So if Gabu-san says he never really did drugs, I beleive him.

[Soap]

I'm not saying they DON'T exist. But more than likely, if you smoke pot (all the time, not just socially), you are not making enough money to be considered middle class. Just my opinion of course, and it's completly based off my own experiences and nothing else.

If we follow this line of thought, then Tycho (who basically admitted on the podcast that he was a stoner until he had a kid) could not be considered middle class.

This makes a lot of sense. Because he doesn't hold a traditional 9-5 job. Yet he owns his own business, can afford the latest computer hardware, video games, and have hi-speed internet access.

He's obviously living that ghetto fabolous lifestyle that we all dream about.

:rolleyes:

Just to let you in on a little secret. Mary Jane (that's Weed for you non-tokers) comes in many many varieties.

At the low-end, you've got that cheap mexican shwag. This is the crap you'll more than likely run into during your Jr. High/High School years. Like all things shwag, it's cheaply produced, super low cost, but the caveat is that you've got to smoke a shit load of this crap to get truly and fully "baked". But before that happens, you've got to deal with all those shitty sticks, stems, and seeds. That's the shit you don't want to smoke. If it's your on your first date with Mary Jane and your not feeling her love, chances are high you are smoking low-end. You'll probably end up with a headache.

Mids. The Honda Civic/Accord of the Marijuana world. When you get tired of smoking low-end, here's that next step up. There is a huge variety of mids, the quality is definitely better. Here is where you start to see more crystals, purple/orange threads on your buds. Mids give you a cleaner high, definitely two steps up from low-end. Any regular Herb smoker probably has mids on him.

High-end. Chronic, Hydro, Blueberry Yum Yum. The names and varieties go on and on. This is the type of herb that all those rappers talk about. Is it good? :D HELLZ YEAH! :D It's honestly not that much expensive compared to Mids. The only really hard part is that it comes and goes really fast due to high demand. High-end is usually a 2-hitter quitter. 2-hits and you are either passed out, baked, or ready for the munchies.

Class is now over. Hope this helps.

[Dirty Harry]

I got some chrony chron right now myself, its soo crystally ;).

[Bone]

Let me just say that most of the stoners I've known are middle to upper class, and all are currently holding white collar jobs with good pay.