The Baby-Sitters Club Club

The Baby-Sitters Club Club is a comedy podcast hosted by Jack Shepherd[1] and Tanner Greenring.[2] The co-hosts read and analyze books from Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club series.[3] The trailer's description is "A big dumb idiot and his brilliant, charming friend discuss the classic Baby-Sitters Club novels of Ann M. Martin in chronological order. Get ready to look with new eyes at the timeless adventures of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and I guess Dawn. And probably Mallory too. Fine, and Jessi."[4]

The Baby-Sitters Club Club
Presentation
Hosted byJack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring
StarringJack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring
Genrecomedy
Created byJack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring
Written byJack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring
LanguageEnglish
Updatesactive
Production
Theme music composed byScott Lamb
Audio formatpodcast
No. of episodesAs of July 2020, 238 on main feed and 75 on Patreon
Publication
Original releaseFebruary 29, 2016 – present
Related shows"The Baby Sitters Baby Elite, Elite Baby, Little Sister BIG Episodes" (on Patreon)
Websitehttp://babysittersclubclub.com/

Production

The first episode released in February 2016, and the episodes release weekly.

Background

Shepherd first read the books as a child, borrowing them all from his cousin, shortly after moving from England to the United States.[5][6][7]

Shepherd and Greenring are former colleagues at BuzzFeed and have been friends for many years.[3] In 2018, Greenring told Culture Eater, "We’d just launched a big podcast division [at BuzzFeed] and we were experimenting at the time and we just thought 'ok we’ll just do shows about whatever!' Like the two of us goofing off at work together, sure we’ll do a show. The very first pilot we recorded was recorded at the studio at Buzzfeed and there’s an extra character on it called Producer Julia who was our podcast producer. So, we sat on it for a while and felt like it was more of a personal project, we don’t want Buzzfeed to have to worry about this or spend resources on this producing it. We ended up just taking it away and started doing it ourselves as fun and as an excuse to hang out."[6]

In the same interview, Shepherd added, "It’s funny, we never thought we’d do as many books as we have, and the premise was that I knew the books and Tanner didn’t, but that is long gone because a) we’ve read way further than I ever did as a kid and b) Tanner is probably a world class Baby Sitters Club expert at this point."[6]

Michelle Ruiz of Vogue interviewed both co-hosts in July 2020, ahead of the release of the Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club. Shepherd said, "We’re in an era where people are realizing that it was not a great idea to constantly dismiss fiction aimed at young girls.”[3] He said that rereading the books has been “been incredibly enriching and powerful and a huge part of our lives.”[3]

Format

Episodes are generally one hour long and focusing on one book.

A large part of the show is about conspiracy theories, such as that the characters are bees rather than human.[8][9] In a 2016 interview with JSTOR Daily, Greenring said, "[Stoneybrook, where the books are set] seems like such a place out of time . . . It’s like The Stepford Wives. It doesn’t exist on any maps, and it’s 45 minutes away from anything, and it’s totally safe. And everyone knows everyone else. And there are no outsiders or danger.”[10]

Segments/bits
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Beyond the general format of discussing the book, Shepherd and Greenring host different recurring segments included randomly in episodes. Segments include:

  • Identifying the ghostwriter. Discussing which ghostwriter worked on the book, such as Ellen Miles,[11] Nola Thacker,[12] or Peter Lerangis.[13]
  • "Burn of the week." Pointing out the best insults that characters throw at one another.[14]
  • "Claudia's Closet." Discussing the characters' clothing. Often about Claudia Kishi, but not always.[15]
  • "Tearful moment." Discussing emotional moments in the text.[16]
  • "I'll Soileau You Into the Dark" / "Soileau Me Down." Discussing the books' cover art, usually the work of Hodges Soileau.[17]
  • "Alan Gray Will See You Now." Discussing what the troublemaker character Alan Gray is up to in the book, based on the line "Mr. Gray will see you now" from Fifty Shades of Grey.[18]
  • "Abby's Tight 20." Pointing out funny things said by the character Abby Stevenson.[19]
  • "Great American Novel of the Week." One of the hosts reads a passage from either a great American novel or the book of the episode. The other host must guess which book it's from.[20]
  • "Trackin' Jackie." Discussing the movements of the character Jackie Rodowsky, who the co-hosts believe blips in and out of alternate timelines whenever he has an accident.[21]
  • "Typo Negative." Discussing typos found in the books, and whether they have any secret meaning.[22]
  • "Tanner Googles." Greenring Googles things while Shepherd is talking. Theme song is sung to the tune of "My Sharona".[23]
  • "Jack Googles." Shepherd Googles things while Greenring is talking. Theme song is sung to the tune of "Mad World".[24]

Special episodes
  • "BSCC: Secret Santa - Secret Episode." The 2016 Christmas episode.
    • Description: "Ho Ho Ho! And welcome to a very special holidays episode of the Baby-Sitters Club Club. Ole’ Saint Ann squeezed down the chimney to give Baby Nation the gift of the Baby-Sitters Club Secret Santa book, which Jack and Tanner read and discuss this week, just in time for Christmas. Then the boys find some holiday joy in their hearts and give some Secret Santa gifts to one another as well! In fact, Jack WANDERS right into Tanner’s trap when he gets his very special gift on this bonus episode. Thanks, as always, to original baby boy Scott Lamb for the intro music!"[25]
  • "BSCC Special Christmas." The 2017 Christmas episode.
    • Description: "If you’re caught up with BSCC episodes, it’s a very special Christmas episode, delivered to you hot and fresh on Christmas day! If you’re not caught up, and you’re listening to this at any other time, sorry about the weird Christmas episode randomly thrown into the middle of your feed! We hope it gets you into the Christmas spirit, even if it’s, like, May or whatever. We’re doing something new this week and watching an episode of a TV program instead of reading a book. But not just any TV program, HBO’s The Baby-Sitters Club TV program! And not just any episode of said TV program, but the 'The Baby-Sitters Club's Special Christmas'! Say hello to your friends! Merry Christmas! Whatever!"[26]
  • "SVBB 001: Double Love." A pilot episode about the Sweet Valley High books.
    • Description: "The pilot episode of the Sweet Sweet Valley Boys brings you deep into the heart of Sweet Valley, a mysterious enclave in a dystopian future where America has fractured into warring city-states and sentient machines stalk what remains of the continent. To make matters worse, Elizabeth wants to invite Todd to the dance, but Jessica is getting in her way by spreading lies! Meanwhile, Steve is bringing shame to the whole Wakefield clan by dating someone from the wrong side of the tracks, and Rick Andover is busy being as dangerous as he is handsome. Which is a lot. Also, the school is alive. Listen in as the boys immerse themselves in the confusing and frightening world of Sweet Valley High."[27]
  • "BSCC: On Christmas Eve." The 2018 Christmas episode.
    • Description: "For this bonus Holiday Special episode, the boys delve into a book that Ann has been trying to keep secret from us. A book so dangerous that it may hold the key to the door that forever opens our Snow Globe world to the powerful alien presence that skulks on its periphery, sniffing at the human souls it longs to possess, reaching with its tendriled hands towards all the little girls and boys building snowmen and roasting chestnuts over an open fire – oblivious to the terrors that lurk just a chimney's length away. The book is Ann M. Martin's standalone classic, On Christmas Eve, and the ancient horror is Santa Himself. He's real, and he's coming to get you. Happy Holidays!"[28]
  • "1998: The Podcast 001." A pilot episode of a show about pop culture from 1998.
    • Description: "Welcome to pilot two of three! This week, Jack and Tanner go back to the first good year, the last good year, and possibly the only good year in living history: 1998. Each week on 1998: The Podcast, the boys will select some fondly remembered pieces of media from that fine year to discuss. This week, the selections are:
  • "High Brow/Low Brow 001." A pilot episode of a show about highbrow culture versus lowbrow culture.
    • Description: "It’s pilot three of three! Now that we’re teetering on the edge of uncertainty, with only a couple Super Special books left before we need to find something new to podcast about, we’ve got one last podcast concept for you to check out. This week, Tanner and Bolphunga the Unrelenting are trying something a little different. We’re calling it High Brow/Low Brow and it’s an exercise in drawing suppositional insights from a text or body of work in an effort to elevate that work to a level of discourse fitting the standards of academia. Which is to say that we talk about dumb stuff like comic books in a smart way. Oh, and vice versa. This week, we’ve prepared two selections:
  • "The Baby-Sitters Club Movie." Discussion of The Baby-Sitters Club movie.
    • Description: "The boys originally wanted to buy themselves a week to figure out what they’re going to do now that they’re out of Super Special books, but boy did they have fun watching the Baby-Sitters Club movie, or as Jack repeatedly called it, 'the book.' Ann, Dalene, and Susan DeSanto confirmed so many popular theories this week, and they did so VISUALLY. Economy of Holes! Bread theory! Living Dolls! Bees! Magical Owls! All that and more!"[31]
  • "Daddy Eats Cat Food." Shepherd and Greenring explore ideas after finishing the Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries series.
    • Description: "Daddy and Tanner get some expert help as they navigate the sparse and unforgiving terrain they seem to have navigated themselves into after finishing the Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries. With no birds interested in taking them, and no more guidance from the ethereal voices of Ann M. Martin and Elle Fanning, desperation has set in as the boys wander, naked and bewildered, in the desert. And to make matters worse, they're starting to get hungry ..."[32]
  • "The Lerangismas Episode." The 2019 Christmas episode.
    • Description: "The war on Lerangismas is over! The era of Pete has begun! The boys gather on a snowy night to share some Lerangismas cheer and talk about their very favorite Lerangismas hymns."[33]
  • "BSCCD-ROM: The Baby-Sitters Club Friendship Kit." Shepherd and Greenring play the PC game "The Baby-Sitters Club Friendship Kit."
    • Description: "A wonderfully surreal and slightly scary world awaits all those who are brave enough to crawl through the looking glass, speak their own secret names aloud, and become new initiates of the legendary Baby-Sitters Club. But this is just the beginning of the quest, and danger awaits: Will the boys be confounded by the deadly Puzzle Box, disoriented by the mysterious Map Game, or debilitated by the incessant ringing of Claudia’s terrible telephone? Answers: Yes, yes, and yes. Fortunately, these guys are professional gamers, so there’s probably no need to worry."[34]
  • "Two Men Play With Dolls." Shepherd and Greenring play with dolls they bought on EBay.
    • Description: "Failing to heed their own best advice, the boys bring dolls into the sanctity of their homes and play with them. But these aren’t just any dolls: They’re the short-lived but presumably beloved 1991 line of Remco Baby-Sitters Club Dolls, complete with fun accessories like 'a hot dog' and terrifying, mutated 'halfling' versions of themselves."[35]

Patreon

The show also has a related mini-show on Patreon, called the "The Baby Sitters Baby Elite, Elite Baby, Little Sister BIG Episodes," about the Baby-Sitters Little Sister series.[36]

Reception

The show has received positive reviews.

Katie MacBride, writing for Bookriot, said, "Yes, Jack borders on being the annoying guy in Literary Theory 101 who came to class wearing a fedora and refused to refer to the book as anything other than 'the text.' I know, doesn’t seem worth listening to on its own. But Tanner is the guy who came to that class solely so he can make fun of Jack and that is super worth listening to."[37]

Ann, from the blog and podcast The Modern Mrs. Darcy, wrote, "One of my happier finds this past year has been Jack and Tanner’s delightfully ridiculous podcast The Baby-Sitters Club Club. It turns out I’m not the only thirty-something woman who counts these books as a crucial stepping stone on her road to lifelong booknerdery, and whose love for the works of Ann M. Martin still burns after for all these years."[38]

Tom Greiving, writing for LA Mag, called Shepherd and Greenring "two lovable idiots" who made him "laugh (a lot)."[39]

Writing for The A.V. Club, Jose Noteras pointed out episode #78, Claudia and Crazy Peaches, as a standout, and said that "loyal listeners and newcomers alike will be drawn to comedic insights on the BSC’s most tearful moments."[40]

Tara Gold, from the blog The Librarian Who Doesn't Say Shhh, said, "[Shepherd and Greenring] approach the books with a tongue-in-cheek serious literary analysis, and slowly build a whole world of inside jokes over dozens of episodes. . . Their efforts to 'deconstruct the canon' of the 'Sitter Cycle' authored by 'Princess Annabelle Matthews Martin' are hilarious, but also clearly rooted in a deep love for the books and what they represent of our millennial childhoods. The true heart of the BabySitters [sic] Club Club is how likable and delightful Jack and Tanner are. I really get the sense that they could host a podcast on any topic and have a brilliant following, but I’m happy they picked the BSC to start their journey."[41]

USA Today called the show "a bizarre premise that's wonderfully executed . . . It’s roughly as productive as an actual book club, in that it includes a good amount of alcohol, very little discussion of the novel at hand and a ton of fun."[42]

M.J. Franklin, writing for Mashable in 2018, said of the show, "...what makes the show so hilarious are the many theories that Shepherd and Greenring generate about what's actually going on in the town of Stoneybrook. Is the Baby-Sitters Club marxist? And are the characters secretly in a parallel universe that's actually a beehive? Who knows, but after listening to this podcast, you won't be able to read The Baby-Sitters Club the same way again."[43]

In September 2019, Muck Rack ranked the show 14th based on their number of unique visitors per month, with nearly 7 million.[44]

In November 2019, the show was mentioned as an example in a New York Times article titled "Even Nobodies Have Fans Now (For Better Or Worse.)"[45] Jamie Lauren Keilas describes the phenomenon as:

Listeners may press play for the content, but many of them eventually come to nurture something like a one-way friendship with the hosts. This kind of daydreaming is an in-joke of the form, best articulated by a popular meme: On first glance, it appears to be a picture of a kid eating ice cream with his friends. Upon closer inspection, he’s actually alone; the three laughing women are models printed on a billboard advertising ice cream. The caption: “How it feels to listen to podcasts.”[45]

Lizz Schumer, writing for Good Housekeeping, listed the show among the 25 best comedy podcasts of 2020: "Those who wiled away long hours reading the Ann M. Martin series will also love this podcast, in which hosts Jack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring read the books, delve into the Baby-Sitters Club universe and share what they learn along the way. It's perfect for comedy and BSC fans alike (and no, the name isn't a typo)."[46]

gollark: Æ
gollark: I implemented "recent pages" support in minoteaur. It's not labelled.
gollark: > If someone requests that you stop a NSFW discussion, do so.
gollark: I have 0.1 banano. I think I'm now rich?!?!?!?!?!
gollark: I used to have one, but it broke.

References
  1. Schwedel, Heather (2020-07-04). "How a Certain Clear Phone Became a Cultural Obsession". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  2. "Podcasting". Hi, I'm Tanner. 👋. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  3. Ruiz, Michelle. "What 'The Baby-Sitters Club' (Still) Means to Me". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  4. "Introducing The Baby-Sitters Club Club from The Baby-Sitters Club Club". www.stitcher.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  5. "BSCC 001 - Kristy's Great Idea from The Baby-Sitters Club Club". www.stitcher.com. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  6. Eater, Culture (2018-09-30). "Friends Forever: Jack & Tanner of The Baby Sitters Club Club Podcast". Culture Eater. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  7. Jensen, Kelly (2019-09-04). "What Makes The Baby-Sitters Club Endure?". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  8. "Bee Theory". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  9. "BSCC 006 - Kristy's Big Day". ART19. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  10. Amanda Woytus (2016-11-09). "How The Baby-Sitters Club Reflected Our Dreams of Safety". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  11. "Miles Moment". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  12. "Nola Thacker Moment". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  13. "Lerangis Moment". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  14. "Burn Of The week". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  15. "Claudia's Closet". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  16. "Tearful Moment". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  17. "Soileau You Into the Dark". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  18. "Alan Gray Will See You Now". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  19. "Abby's Tight 20". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  20. "Great American Novel of the Week". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  21. "Trackin' Jackie". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  22. "Typo Negative". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  23. "Tanner Googles". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  24. "Jack Googles". The Baby-Sitters Club Club Wiki. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  25. "The Baby-Sitters Club Club - BSCC: Secret Santa - Secret Episode". Headgum. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  26. "BSCC Special Christmas". ART19. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  27. "SSVB 001 - Double Love". ART19. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  28. BSCC: On Christmas Eve, retrieved 2020-07-11
  29. "1998: The Podcast 001". ART19. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  30. "High Brow/Low Brow 001". ART19. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  31. "The Baby-Sitters Club Movie". ART19. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  32. "The Baby-Sitters Club Club - Daddy Eats Cat Food". Headgum. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  33. "The Baby-Sitters Club Club - The Lerangismas Episode". Headgum. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  34. "The Baby-Sitters Club Club - BSCCD-ROM: The Baby-Sitters Club Friendship Kit". Headgum. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  35. "The Baby-Sitters Club Club - Two Men Play With Dolls". Headgum. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  36. "The Baby-Sitters Club Club is creating podcasts". Patreon. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  37. MacBride, Katie (2016-10-21). "The Baby-Sitters Club Club Podcast: Hi hi!". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  38. "What Should I Read Next #51: Gateway books to lifetime reading with The Baby-Sitters Club Club". Modern Mrs Darcy. 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  39. Stuart, Gwynedd (2020-07-16). "What to Stream This Weekend: Harriet, Brave New World, and More". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  40. "I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats is the audio cherry atop John Darnielle's oeuvre". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  41. Gold, Tara (2019-01-25). "My New Obsession: The BabySitters Club Club Podcast". The Librarian Who Doesn't Say Shhh!. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  42. Yasharoff, Carly Mallenbaum and Hannah. "13 of the best podcasts for a summer road trip". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  43. Franklin, M. J. "11 podcasts to listen to if you want to laugh your ass off". Mashable. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  44. Mercier, Andrew. "The top 50 podcasts, according to UVM". muckrack.com. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  45. Keiles, Jamie Lauren (2019-11-13). "Even Nobodies Have Fans Now. (For Better or Worse.)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  46. Schumer, Lizz (2020-02-19). "These Brilliant Comedy Podcasts Will Keep You Smiling All Day Long". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.