2008 NOTY: The Podcast

The NOTY Seeding Committee gathered recently in a saloon in lower Manhattan to enjoy one of the happiest nights of our year. A waitress remembered us, grabbed our master list and critiqued the nominees for the 2008 NOTY Tournament. We feigned interest and returned to the business of selecting the field.

It wasn’t easy. We received close to 300 nominees, many accompanied by absolutely fantastic verification. We considered a 256-name tourney, but that seemed a bit unwieldy. So we settled on the usual 64. The High Commissioner announced the nominees one by one. Two nays from the four-member committee bounced a name from the field. After three trips through the roster, we got down to 64. Then we seeded everyone.

The High Commissioner wore headphones and a microphone attached to a laptop. And talked. For three hours. Then he took a day off to edit the proceedings into a 10-minute podcast. We mocked him, but the final product is strangely compelling, especially once you get used to the High C’s mob-functionary voice, which after three decades of friendship we’ve almost managed to do.

Next week, we’ll post the full ballot and begin online voting for the 2008 Name of the Year. In the meantime, enjoy the show.