And I couldn’t be happier about it, as it looks like the show is off to a pretty good start. “Ask an Atheist” is a live public access call-in show based in Seattle, Washingon.
Of course it’s easy for me to enjoy since they are so obviously heavily influenced by The Atheist Experience. 
Already from what I’ve heard they’ve covered fictional atheists (one of my favorite topics), drawn from TV tropes, referenced Ken Follett, and constantly joked about technical problems. Nobody does that last one but us, right?…
37 comments
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Guillaume
June 8, 2010 at 8:40 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
We need more shows like yours. We definitely need a show like this here in the UK, and I would love to see a French speaking equivalent in my native Québec.
Omer
June 8, 2010 at 8:45 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Nice! This is good stuff, not as good as TAE though
Guillaume
June 8, 2010 at 8:48 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Oh, and about fictional atheists: of course the French existentialists made a bunch of their heroes existentialists (Meursault, Roquentin, etc.), even their theist heroes were anti-theists (Oreste in Sartre's Les Mouches for instance), but in a more mainstream form, the Tv series Babylon 5 had many atheist characters, whose atheism was depicted in a positive light. Here in the UK we had back in the nineties the crime drama Cracker, with Robbie Coltrane as the atheist lead.
Kazim
June 8, 2010 at 9:26 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Omer:Well, you know, that goes without saying of course.
Raw experience works wonders, though.
Matt D.
June 8, 2010 at 10:23 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Watch the credits all the way to the end…I'm glad to see other shows popping up (and I'm glad to see we're not the only ones with audio problems).
Nice job. Maybe we can pool our resources and buy TBN…
Kazim
June 8, 2010 at 10:40 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
We have resources?!?!?
Steve
June 8, 2010 at 11:13 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Neat. It's about time other people started doing it.
Frits
June 8, 2010 at 12:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
great to see more shows like this! I like them, they are new and so are not as good as the great experience you have of course, but I will be keeping my eye out for that one.
Mojoey
June 8, 2010 at 12:13 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I listened to the whole show and loved it.
Muriel
June 8, 2010 at 12:27 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I like them. You folks are way more handsome, though.
Guillaume
June 8, 2010 at 1:15 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I haven't watch it all, but it is quality stuff, although it is obvious they don't have the same experience as you guys.
anita
June 8, 2010 at 1:20 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
This is my first post here. I've been reading this blog for a while. As a result I feel a lot less lonely in my journey of intellectual exploration, which started after I left a fundamentalist christian religious organization almost seven years ago. The exploration is gaining momentum as a consequence of my graduate studies. Thanks, guys. I really enjoyed this new Ask an Atheist show, particularly the part where the gentleman talks about "full frontal nerdity" . I think that nerds rock. I should also add that I am an avid watcher of the Atheist experience show. Keep up the good work.
Libbie H.
June 8, 2010 at 3:52 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Glad you guys liked it! We had a great time working on it. With time and more experience, we hope to be as rad as you all.As for the theme of the show, I debated for a long time whether I should mention my favorite fictional atheist, Humbert Humbert. I decided he was maybe not the best guy to represent us, though.(This is the same Libbie, obviously…this is my pen name. Don't be confused.)
Mike Gillis
June 8, 2010 at 3:55 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Much thanks for the props, guys!I can't tell you how much the Atheist Experience has inspired our project. The producers, the crew and the hosts are all big fans of your show and we'e thrilled that you guys have been so incredibly cool about us taking up your baton in the Seattle area. If any of you are ever in the Seattle area, consider it an opn invitation to appear as a guest.
grammar king
June 8, 2010 at 4:21 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
There's another one just started called the League of Reason, it's on right before AETV and last week they got over 1500 live viewers at one point. Impressive.http://www.blogtv.com/People/LeagueOfReason
Kyle S
June 8, 2010 at 7:36 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
One thing I noticed from the 1st show is that you got no calls from rabid theists. It would be interesting to see how you handle calls like the one asking how we can take a shower without being electrocuted.Maybe with more exposure you'll start to get those.
Dave from canada
June 8, 2010 at 8:22 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I feel we are missing one of the best examples of atheism in fiction: Jean Luc Picard.This is a guy who runs into MULTIPLE beings that claim godhood and treats them as petty annoyances. Then of course is the episode where an alien cargo cult starts up centring around him and he has to break it up. Awesome.Ben sisko MIGHT count seeing as how he not only met the closest thing in the trek universe to God but punched him right in the face.
George From NY
June 8, 2010 at 11:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Who the hell would ever call a public access or Internet atheist show? I mean, really.
JJR
June 9, 2010 at 12:09 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Will have to check these guys out, thanks for posting the clip.BTW, just finished watching ep 660 of AE and was disappointed that your most interesting caller, liberal Christian John from Austin, only got a few minutes…I do hope he calls back earlier next time so you can have a more deeper discussion…Also, nice smackdown of the ID guy, but seemed like you let him talk in circles a few too many times.
Strangelove
June 9, 2010 at 1:13 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It's great to see another show like the AE and I enjoyed this very much. Dare I hope that with its smaller degree of popularity right now it will get more religious crackpot callers than the AE does these days?If I may add a little constructive criticism, it felt like both moderators were burning through their material a bit too fast. But I'm sure you will get through the teething problems and I'm excited to see more episodes.
Uncle Bob
June 9, 2010 at 2:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
holy cow! A show right in my backyard, and I find out about it via an abscure houston public access channel blog post.*sigh*I'm so bad at engaging in the local atheist groups, but to be fair, the only group I know of gets together on thursday nights which is difficult since I already have social gathering on thursday nights that isn't compatible.I was really disappointed with how little activity I was finding locally, considering how irreligious my area is. I guess I just wasn't looking very hard. It appears I wasn't looking hard enough.I want links, damn it! Because I'm lazy!
Funkyzx
June 9, 2010 at 6:24 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
To all at Ask an Atheist; great first show, looking forward to many more.To all at The Atheist Experience: keep up the good work.
tracieh
June 9, 2010 at 6:40 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Now we need someone on the East Coast to do it as well!
Mark B
June 9, 2010 at 7:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Wait, y'all are Atheists? Y'all don't believe in nuthin?Sarcasm off. The day will come. Good luck and great show!
JT
June 9, 2010 at 7:25 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Bookmarked.They don't seem jaded yet. It won't take long, I think.
Mark B
June 9, 2010 at 8:17 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Matt sez:"Watch the credits all the way to the end…"That's GoatRopers, right?
Guillaume
June 9, 2010 at 8:45 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
About atheists in fiction, I think there are a fair number, although they might not be in mainstream American TV series and movies. Literature certainly gave us many of them (I mentioned some before). Anybody saw Clouzot's Le Corbeau? Dr. Germain, the hero, is an atheist, he is not a very cheerful character but has strong moral ethos, while the believers are pictured as fearful hypocrits, sometimes very cynical (one of the characters says that he goes to Mass not because he is faithful but because he is careful, for instance, basically taking Pascal's Wager).
caribatheist
June 10, 2010 at 1:58 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Good start! Will no doubt get better with time.
Atheas
June 10, 2010 at 9:36 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
"Now we need someone on the East Coast to do it as well!"Yes we do! We have a large group of individuals in the DC area with CFI and Beltway Atheists making up just some of the groups.I would love to assist anyone working on such a project or maybe break out of my shyness and start something.
Mastema
June 10, 2010 at 11:07 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Libbie and Mike, are there any plans on making a podcast of your episodes? That's how I get my Atheist Experience and Non Prophets fix (or at least I did before the hiatus). I looked on iTunes, but didn't see it.Anyways, I live up in Snohomish, so 'hi'. It's great to have a local group doing this.
George From NY
June 10, 2010 at 12:47 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
East Coast atheists? Impossible.
Mike Gillis
June 10, 2010 at 3:14 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
David,Yes, there is an mp3 of the first episode on our official Facebook page. It should be up on our main site, http://www.askanatheist.tv soon as well.
arensb
June 10, 2010 at 4:37 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I, for one, welcome our freethinking, anti-authoritarian overlords.
Kargoneth
June 10, 2010 at 9:18 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Thanks for the link, Russell. I just finished watching the show and enjoyed it."Watch the credits all the way to the end…"- Matt D.Goat ropers from Austin? I'd be afraid of getting gouged by horns or head-butted.Thanks for the show, Libbie H.. Give my regards to Mike. I hope you master the equipment so that future shows don't have audio feedback issues and that the volume on the callers can be raised.
Lurker
June 10, 2010 at 9:36 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Awesome first show. A few volume issues on the callers, but great all around. It's not like AE is glitch-free after having over 600 episodes anyway… I will be looking forward to more episodes.Hey Mike… are you a troper? Aside from the atheists in fiction examples, I'm pretty sure I caught you casually dropping a few Conversational Tropes… TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Vocabulary, you know. ;p
Guillaume
June 11, 2010 at 6:23 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
I liked the mentions of The Wire, as I am a big fan of the show (and Omar is such a great character).And I read Earthly Powers a while ago, I have to admit I didn't like it all that much. I didn't remember there was an atheist character in it. Atheism was as far as we know a very rare thing during the Middle Ages, close to inexistent.
jennlsnooopy
June 16, 2010 at 6:00 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
It's great to see another show like this out there, and also that it's in my state. I love having 2 shows to watch every week!