I have kind of a tender affection for old Neil. He really is, in the purest form of the word, what I'd consider an "internet celebrity", straight from the buggering genesis of all internet schlock, the Something Awful forums. So much of the stuff he's made has been so notable and prominent in internet video, and I like everything I've ever seen from him – The Ultimate Showdown, the eBaumsworld song, Potter Puppet Pals, Brodyquest, that Little Mermaid parody video, et cetera. Spirit Phone is a great album, too – I used to listen to Touch-Tone Telephone pretty religiously a few years back, and I have some good memories of enjoying the whole album on afternoon walks.
I listened to a (now, sadly, lost) podcast interview with Neil some time ago, and he seems like a legitimately decent, creative person who just likes making weird, funny stuff for the internet, and I certainly can't fault him for that. I kind of like the "quaintness" of his work, too (and I mean that in a completely non-condescending way) – it's nerdy in a very cute way, which is tough to do without being insufferable, but he does it. And he's been doing it for, gosh, like twenty years at this point? Maybe more? I'm not his biggest fan on the planet, but I've certainly never seen any reason to dislike him. Neil, if you're reading, let's get together and I'll buy you a beer.
