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Remembering Ryan Davis, 1979 - 2013

After an overwhelming number of requests, This Year has produced a memorial best-of for Ryan. It's just over two hours long and contains some of Ryan's best moments on The HotSpot and the Giant Bombcast. You can download the MP3 here (RSS/iTunes also).

Some words from the introduction:

As far as organizations go, Giant Bomb is rare in one important regard: all five of its chief members are incredibly genuine and by all accounts are incredibly good people. Find me any other company or workplace where there is not one unsavory character or rotten apple in the bunch. This is an exceedingly rare entity. And at the forefront of that was Ryan Davis, designated host of much of Giant Bomb’s content, and the man responsible for keeping charge and wrangling together this group on a weekly basis. He was part of a band of five outstanding people, it is a testament to Ryan that he positively shone. In a room full of stars Ryan was a supernova. Through a mono recording alone he radiated joy, goodness and kindheartedness, an effect that was amplified whenever the crew left the audio stage and appeared on screen or in person. He had a sharp wit, and his humor was infectious and delightful. And in our realm of podcasting, he was an excellent host and producer of content.

But there is a remarkable fact about Ryan’s life that ensures he will always live on and never be forgotten. He was part of a very public endeavor—there are hours of recordings of his voice and there are hours of him on video. There are always going to be new people signing up to Giant Bomb, people who have never visited the site before, that will find out about Ryan and will make their way through all the audio and video content he produced. In one or two years there will be new members that knew nothing about Giant Bomb and are only discovering the character of Ryan Davis now. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that ten years from now people will still be listening to Ryan Davis and watching him on the internet. People will still be doing that in twenty years, in fifty, and even, I would wager, in a hundred. The content he produced will travel places and take forms none of the cast could have imagined. Giant Bomb has an enormous and dedicated fanbase. There are Giant Bomb fans everywhere, from all walks of life and in all manner of positions. There will be Giant Bomb fans taking their memories, and even their devices full of Bombcasts into all kinds of new realms. If in fifty years mankind is regularly travelling into space, to the Moon or to Mars, there is a good chance that one of us will be on one of those spaceships—I personally will do my best to make this happen! The charmingly garrulous voice of Ryan Davis will be ringing out in zero gravity and on new frontiers. Ryan Davis the man may be dead, but his character, his comedy, his voice, his ideas, thoughts and stories will live on for many years to come.

To wit, I am glad to present to you today an assembly of some of his most memorable moments selected by his fans and by listeners to our program. What we’ve got for you here is pretty simple: it’s two hours worth of Ryan at his best. Along with the more memorable moments you guys picked out I dug into my vault and selected some deep cuts that tend to go overlooked. You’ll hear stuff from 2006 all the way up to 2013. I’ve done my best to make it as streamlined as possible—I didn’t want this to just be another six-hour Bombcast best-of; this is a celebration of Ryan and all that he gave to us.

Right now it’s relatively bare-bones—just clips played in the way I’ve ordered them—and I say that because I’m working on a second version of this memorial show that will include songs off Ryan’s Summer Jams playlist. I want to produce something that we’ll be able to keep on our MP3 players; something to put on while driving, something to put on when it’s summer time. If you’ve listened to our best-ofs for the program Blue Jam, that should give you an idea of what I’m going for: basically just songs sandwiched between each clip. It’s something that’ll take a while though, because it takes thought and engineering and most crucially time, so while I work on it a little bit each day, here’s a plainer version of that, again, just two hours of clips. Also for old-times sake I’ve included some songs by the Suburban All-Stars. I hope that you enjoy it and I hope that it serves as a good reflection of how important and beloved Ryan was. He will certainly be missed, but he leaves behind a tremendous legacy that ensures he will never be forgotten.
Click to expand...

Playlist:
Introduction / Some of the Real / Uh Uh Uh Uh Uh / Charge Super Shot Healthy Energy / Did You Play Skyward Sword? / You’re Part of the Problem / If I’m Not Playing The Division I’m Not Living / Cake

Stop (The All-Stars) / This Fucking Narc / Ryan vs. Brad 1 / I Love Mongolian Barbeque / Did You Pre-Order? / Best Buy / Gay Sexual Content / Cake vs. Pie / What the Fuck Are You Saying? / The Debate of the Century / Saxophones Are Shit / Muh Balls / The Move / Yeast / Designated Hitter / Never / It’s Right Here / Ryan vs. Brad 2

Girlfriend / Breast Milk / Up on the Hill / Ketchup / The Pearls Caught in Mid-Air / When Men Shriek / Whack It Off / Silky the Fairy & Saucepan Man / David Cage’s Don’t Shit Your Pants / Enjoy Your Massage / Cannot Control the Clown / Shhhhhhhhhh

In the Can In the Can / Ryan vs. Brad 3 / Robots Don’t Have Feelings / Swowrds / You Are All Assholes / David Meatballs / I Bet She Does / Gaming for Me Is a Religion / …Baby One More Time / Fading Out Now
 
ImadKhan said:
I wrote a little blog post about how gamers deal with death.

I think its cool how we immortalized those no longer with us as NPC's in games. No other community really does that except us.

yes, I did get somewhat teary eyed when writing it.
Click to expand...
Awesome post, dude.

I loved the guy Michael in Borderlands 2. He always gave you cool gifts and so every time I saw him I smiled. IT'S MY BRO MICHAEL!
 
Thanks ZanzibarBreeze, this looks awesome. I've been listening to a lot of the This Year collection lately in tribute. Been loving the Arrow Pointing Down and Hotspot throwbacks all over again.

("Haze is the s***!" never gets old. Never.)
 
MikeJAMoran said:
This made me smile.

2512444-ryan_sad_dog4.png
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I had no idea what I was lookin at when I saw it earlier but when Jeff mentioned it on the podcast I just burst into laughter. So damned good lol. Although that dog is neither hot nor legless :P
 
SlipperySlope said:
You can die from sleep apnea? I have a huge snoring problem and I wake up really tired, never got it checked out. Will today.
Click to expand...

I actually started pushing my doctor to refer me to an ENT since I heard Ryan talking about his sleep apnea months ago. Finally got a referral a month ago and have been to him twice since then. Haven't had a sleep study done yet but I'm definitely gonna going to push for it at my next appt in two weeks if the allergy test I'm taking doesn't reveal the root cause of my constant congestion.
 
I haven't talked to anyone in real life about Ryan passing away, but considering it has been on my mind since it happened I needed to tell someone. So today I ate dinner over my mother's house and decided to tell her. I had to start off explaining what a podcast even was, never mind who Ryan was. "It's like a radio show", I said, and continued on about his stature in the video game industry and how I got to know him through years of listening to the podcast.

"So they called you and left a message?" she asked, wondering if I knew them personally, still not quite getting it. lol. My mom sounds old and out of touch here but she really isn't. She is pretty hip, just not internet hip.

Anyway, even though I couldn't really convey to her why Ryan's passing affected me, it was still good to talk about it out loud to someone. The thing is, I found out about Ryan's death the day after attending the wake of my sister's mother-in-law. Heavy couple of days, and that old cliché rears its head: the reminder not to take everything in life so seriously, not sweat the small stuff, and enjoy the moments of the day. Like Ryan. I did that at work the past couple of days, smiling to myself as chaos went on around me.
 
I'm a doctor and saw an obese guy in clinic yesterday, newly diagnosed with sleep apnea. Instantly thought of Ryan Davis, bummed me out. Both of them might have had obesity hypoventilation syndrome also
 
infinityBCRT said:
If you really want closure just connect the dots.

He had Sleep Apnea.
He likely died in his sleep based on the tweet from his wife (about sending her brother to wake him up) and his dad saying he died peacefully at home.
There was also a tweet from his wife which mentioned she slept in their bed for the first time since it happened.

I don't think its too hard to figure out what happened.

edit: oh, and this tweet by Ryan's dad pretty much confirms what I and many others already deduced:
https://twitter.com/mauleace/status/355318614804537344
Click to expand...

my mom suffers from sleep apnea and has to use a CPAP machine whenever she sleeps

from what I know it can be dangerous if not properly treated so really sad to hear Ryan died from something that could have been prevented :(
 
Sometimes I wonder if I have sleep apnea. I'm not overweight, and I don't snore, but I almost never feel refreshed when I wake up. Granted, there are many other factors that could contribute to that such as caffeine intake and my wife getting up next to me throughout the night, and I do a terrible job of maintaining a strict bedtime so I can get the sack time I really need, but I've been thinking of doing a sleep study as well just to check things out.

So in that context, I do feel that knowing the reasons a person died can sometimes be helpful to others. If there's anyone learns something from Ryan's death that could help their health, then I think that's a good thing.
 
Helmholtz said:
You and me both, but I'm pretty sure that's normal. It's why people take showers, drink coffee, or whatever other morning ritual in order to "wake up".
Click to expand...

Hmm, I would say that's normal in the same way obesity in the U.S. is normal. It may be all around us, but that doesn't mean it's how our bodies are supposed to work. If you get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, don't live a high-stress life, etc. then I don't see why you shouldn't be able to wake up refreshed each day.
 
JeTmAn81 said:
Sometimes I wonder if I have sleep apnea. I'm not overweight, and I don't snore, but I almost never feel refreshed when I wake up.
Click to expand...

It never hurts to get a sleep study done if you are concerned about it. One of my mates is 34 as well and he was diagnosed with sleep apnea and now uses a CPAP machine when sleeping. He is in no way overweight and in very good health, it can happen to anyone.

It is actually alot more common that you think and it doesnt take much to find out for sure.
 
ZanzibarBreeze said:
After an overwhelming number of requests, This Year has produced a memorial best-of for Ryan. It's just over two hours long and contains some of Ryan's best moments on The HotSpot and the Giant Bombcast. You can download the MP3 here (RSS/iTunes also).

Some words from the introduction:



Playlist:
Introduction / Some of the Real / Uh Uh Uh Uh Uh / Charge Super Shot Healthy Energy / Did You Play Skyward Sword? / You’re Part of the Problem / If I’m Not Playing The Division I’m Not Living / Cake

Stop (The All-Stars) / This Fucking Narc / Ryan vs. Brad 1 / I Love Mongolian Barbeque / Did You Pre-Order? / Best Buy / Gay Sexual Content / Cake vs. Pie / What the Fuck Are You Saying? / The Debate of the Century / Saxophones Are Shit / Muh Balls / The Move / Yeast / Designated Hitter / Never / It’s Right Here / Ryan vs. Brad 2

Girlfriend / Breast Milk / Up on the Hill / Ketchup / The Pearls Caught in Mid-Air / When Men Shriek / Whack It Off / Silky the Fairy & Saucepan Man / David Cage’s Don’t Shit Your Pants / Enjoy Your Massage / Cannot Control the Clown / Shhhhhhhhhh

In the Can In the Can / Ryan vs. Brad 3 / Robots Don’t Have Feelings / Swowrds / You Are All Assholes / David Meatballs / I Bet She Does / Gaming for Me Is a Religion / …Baby One More Time / Fading Out Now
Click to expand...
God bless This Year. So great.
 
Yerolo said:
It never hurts to get a sleep study done if you are concerned about it. One of my mates is 34 as well and he was diagnosed with sleep apnea and now uses a CPAP machine when sleeping. He is in no way overweight and in very good health, it can happen to anyone.

It is actually alot more common that you think and it doesnt take much to find out for sure.
Click to expand...

Did he find a marked difference in his rest after starting the machine? The greatest thing would be to make a change like that and suddenly be living in a different world where you don't feel like a zombie so much of the time.
 
JeTmAn81 said:
Did he find a marked difference in his rest after starting the machine? The greatest thing would be to make a change like that and suddenly be living in a different world where you don't feel like a zombie so much of the time.
Click to expand...

He had pretty severe symptoms which pointed towards it. He told me he sometimes just felt like dropping to sleep for no reason through the day even when doing things such as driving which requires concentration

He said he definitely feels better now he is using a CPAP. the downside of it though, is that he has to sleep in separate beds to his wife as she cannot stand the noise. So it can mean lifestyle changes.

It sounds like in your case you may just be simply tired for other reasons but like I said, Im no doctor, so get a sleep study done if youre concerned.
 
ZanzibarBreeze said:
After an overwhelming number of requests, This Year has produced a memorial best-of for Ryan. It's just over two hours long and contains some of Ryan's best moments on The HotSpot and the Giant Bombcast. You can download the MP3 here (RSS/iTunes also).

Some words from the introduction:



Playlist:
Introduction / Some of the Real / Uh Uh Uh Uh Uh / Charge Super Shot Healthy Energy / Did You Play Skyward Sword? / You’re Part of the Problem / If I’m Not Playing The Division I’m Not Living / Cake

Stop (The All-Stars) / This Fucking Narc / Ryan vs. Brad 1 / I Love Mongolian Barbeque / Did You Pre-Order? / Best Buy / Gay Sexual Content / Cake vs. Pie / What the Fuck Are You Saying? / The Debate of the Century / Saxophones Are Shit / Muh Balls / The Move / Yeast / Designated Hitter / Never / It’s Right Here / Ryan vs. Brad 2

Girlfriend / Breast Milk / Up on the Hill / Ketchup / The Pearls Caught in Mid-Air / When Men Shriek / Whack It Off / Silky the Fairy & Saucepan Man / David Cage’s Don’t Shit Your Pants / Enjoy Your Massage / Cannot Control the Clown / Shhhhhhhhhh

In the Can In the Can / Ryan vs. Brad 3 / Robots Don’t Have Feelings / Swowrds / You Are All Assholes / David Meatballs / I Bet She Does / Gaming for Me Is a Religion / …Baby One More Time / Fading Out Now
Click to expand...
That was great! Thank you!

Best one was Ryan freaking out over "executable."
 
ZanzibarBreeze said:
After an overwhelming number of requests, This Year has produced a memorial best-of for Ryan. It's just over two hours long and contains some of Ryan's best moments on The HotSpot and the Giant Bombcast. You can download the MP3 here (RSS/iTunes also).

Some words from the introduction:

Playlist:
Introduction / Some of the Real / Uh Uh Uh Uh Uh / Charge Super Shot Healthy Energy / Did You Play Skyward Sword? / You’re Part of the Problem / If I’m Not Playing The Division I’m Not Living / Cake

Stop (The All-Stars) / This Fucking Narc / Ryan vs. Brad 1 / I Love Mongolian Barbeque / Did You Pre-Order? / Best Buy / Gay Sexual Content / Cake vs. Pie / What the Fuck Are You Saying? / The Debate of the Century / Saxophones Are Shit / Muh Balls / The Move / Yeast / Designated Hitter / Never / It’s Right Here / Ryan vs. Brad 2

Girlfriend / Breast Milk / Up on the Hill / Ketchup / The Pearls Caught in Mid-Air / When Men Shriek / Whack It Off / Silky the Fairy & Saucepan Man / David Cage’s Don’t Shit Your Pants / Enjoy Your Massage / Cannot Control the Clown / Shhhhhhhhhh

In the Can In the Can / Ryan vs. Brad 3 / Robots Don’t Have Feelings / Swowrds / You Are All Assholes / David Meatballs / I Bet She Does / Gaming for Me Is a Religion / …Baby One More Time / Fading Out Now
Click to expand...



This Year is great. Started listening to the 2008 best of a couple of days ago. Plan to go through it all again, remembering the good times.
 
Someone has lost his life which affected people that is close to him and you all spout nonsense that supports your stupid agenda. Bloody Hell! Why can't we have good thing in this world once in a while?
 
ZanzibarBreeze said:
After an overwhelming number of requests, This Year has produced a memorial best-of for Ryan. It's just over two hours long and contains some of Ryan's best moments on The HotSpot and the Giant Bombcast. You can download the MP3 here (RSS/iTunes also).

Some words from the introduction:



Playlist:
Introduction / Some of the Real / Uh Uh Uh Uh Uh / Charge Super Shot Healthy Energy / Did You Play Skyward Sword? / You’re Part of the Problem / If I’m Not Playing The Division I’m Not Living / Cake

Stop (The All-Stars) / This Fucking Narc / Ryan vs. Brad 1 / I Love Mongolian Barbeque / Did You Pre-Order? / Best Buy / Gay Sexual Content / Cake vs. Pie / What the Fuck Are You Saying? / The Debate of the Century / Saxophones Are Shit / Muh Balls / The Move / Yeast / Designated Hitter / Never / It’s Right Here / Ryan vs. Brad 2

Girlfriend / Breast Milk / Up on the Hill / Ketchup / The Pearls Caught in Mid-Air / When Men Shriek / Whack It Off / Silky the Fairy & Saucepan Man / David Cage’s Don’t Shit Your Pants / Enjoy Your Massage / Cannot Control the Clown / Shhhhhhhhhh

In the Can In the Can / Ryan vs. Brad 3 / Robots Don’t Have Feelings / Swowrds / You Are All Assholes / David Meatballs / I Bet She Does / Gaming for Me Is a Religion / …Baby One More Time / Fading Out Now
Click to expand...

Ohhhhh my god that rap, so good
 
I really feel like that should not have affected me as much as it did. I know it's not the scene at all, and that it's him waving good bye that really gets me.

But, yeah, I think he would laugh at how dumb that is more than anything, so it's fitting in that way.
 
ImadKhan said:
I wrote a little blog post about how gamers deal with death.

I think its cool how we immortalized those no longer with us as NPC's in games. No other community really does that except us.

yes, I did get somewhat teary eyed when writing it.
Click to expand...
Thanks, man.

It's funny because I wonder how many Ryan Davis's there will be in Saint's Row IV. I know for a fact that mine will be one of many.

Can we petition for a Ryan character to ride third/fourth seat (a la Cheapy D)? I'm convinced anything can happen since the MS reversal did.

Megasoum said:
From Rorie's twitter...god damn..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sH31sg6VMQ
Click to expand...
This is great. This is why I love the Internet and each of everyone of you.
 
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