I really don't have...

...time for this right now - I'm supposed to be frantically applying for a grant (and have been doing so all morning), but having just briefly nosed by rickygervais.com compels me to write this brief note of ire. As announced in Episode 12 of the really-rather-fun-but-went-downhill-towards-the-end podcast, Ricky, Steven and Karl are going ahead with a pay-per-listen version of the Ricky Gervais show, to be found here at audible.com. Now, I have no issue with them making money for what they do (as an artist, far be that from me). What irks me is that, like other money-grabbing comedians before them, they're now misusing what is supposed to be a free-for-all, true spirit of the internet vehicle, i.e. podcasts. That, to me, is simply missing the point. I doubt the original podcast would have registered even a flicker on the blogosphere radar if it hadn't been for free. And also, sorry folks, but you're not really THAT funny. If Karl is really real, and if he does need a job, then for goodness sake send him out to get one. That in itself is absolutely no excuse for diluting greatness. If you're sick of doing stuff for free (again, something I can relate to), then just pack it in and go back to what you were doing before that, thereby retaining the iconic status of the original 12 'casts. To me, the message now is one of pure, commercialist sell-out and greed. And yes, as I hope has become clear, I am truly pissed off by that. So there!