The SFFaudio Podcast #119

Podcast

The SFFaudio PodcastThe SFFaudio Podcast #119 – Scott, Jesse and Tamahome talk to author Paul Malmont about his novel The Astounding, The Amazing, And The Unknown.

Talked about on today’s show:
The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril, Jack London In Paradise, Hawaii, The Iron Heel by Jack London, the rise of the oligarchy, The Washington Post review of The Astounding, The Amazing, And The Unknown, Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, the Philadelphia Experiment, the movie The Philadelphia Experiment, “a psuedo-historical event” vs. “a cultural phenomena”, legend, John W. Campbell, Astounding Science Fiction, Unknown (magazine), Kamikaze pilots vs. the Kamikaze group, L. Sprague de Camp, chemistry, Orange Nehi, the Tunguska event, Nikola Tesla, the Wardenclyffe Tower, historical fiction, meta-science fiction, Walter B. Gibson, Lester Dent, H.P. Lovecraft, the “hero pulps” vs. science fiction pulps, The Shadow, Doc Savage, L. Ron Hubbard as a tragic hero, Dianetics, an atomic age religion, Virginia Heinlein, Janet Asimov, Gertrude Asimov, “The robot felt…”, using social networks to promote a novel, Frank Herbert, Aleutian Islands, the Manhattan Project, Cleve Cartmill and the atomic bomb, The Green Hills Of Earth, Tim Powers, “twenty weird true things”, Murdoch Mysteries, the AC DC wars, remixing modern historical fiction, Iain M. Banks, mash-ups, The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril has zombies, the TVO interview with Walter B. Gibson, magic, In Search Of….

Posted by Jesse Willis

Commentary: Print ads for Radio Drama

SFFaudio Commentary

Meta SFFaudioOne of the goals that I set myself with SFFaudio was to always add a picture to a post. That’s a tough job sometimes. Like right now for instance – I’m working on a post about CBS Radio Workshop. Because it was a radio show, rather than a TV show, there are no screengrabs to be found. I could make something up, of course, and have done so – more often than I’d like – but the ideal would be to find something to ground that art. I want it for whatever logo or typeface they included mostly because there would be more historicity to it than whatever I can slap together. Somebody in the CBS Radio Workshop publicity department, for instance, probably did up some print advertising at some point. That art would be in a magazine or newspaper somewhere – but finding that magazine or newspaper can be pretty tough. This is ever my problem.

These days, when I do a Google Image search for whatever it is I’m looking for, I too often find myself looking at some art that I made. To solve this problem I plan on archiving some of the finds I make – for my own future reference (and for anyone else too). In doing this publicly I am asking for your help.

Does anybody have a scan of an advertisement for the CBS Radio Workshop?

Here’s my fist contribution (from the Spring 1957 issue of Space Science Fiction) three full page advertisements for:

The Fine Art Of Eating” with Vincent Price

Sportopics” with Russ Hodges

The Windup” featuring Private Eye, Ed Noon with Chester Morris

American Agent” with Lee Bowman

Our Heritage” with Westbrook Van Voorhis

Gag Bag” with Peter Donald

The Frightened” with Boris Karloff

Your Economy” with T.H. Mitchell, L.L. B., PH.D.

This Age Of Ours” with Quentin Reynolds

Space Science Fiction Spring 1957 Inside Front Cover

Space Science Fiction Spring 1957 Inside Rear Cover

Space Science Fiction Spring 1957 Outside Rear Cover

X Minus One ad from the April 1956 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction:
X Minus One ad from the April 1956 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction

Here’s an X Minus One advertizement that appeared in Galaxy magazine’s May 1956 issue:

X Minus One AD from Galaxy magazine's May 1956 issue

Here’s an X Minus One advertizement that appeared in Galaxy magazine’s February 1958 issue:

X Minus One AD from Galaxy Science Fiction's February 1958 issue

Here’s an ad, perhaps the very first, for X Minus One that appeared in the September 1955 issue of Astounding:

X Minus One advertizement from Astounding September 1955

Here’s an ad for X Minus One that appeared in the September 1955 issue of Astounding:

X Minus One ad from Astounding October 1955

Here’s an ad for X Minus One that appeared in the November 1955 issue of Astounding:

X Minus One ad from the November 1955 issue of Astounding Science Fiction

An X Minus One advertizement from Astounding’s January 1956 issue:

X Minus One ad from the January 1956 issue of Astounding

X Minus One is “BACK ON THE AIR” – from Galaxy, August 1957:

X Minus One - "BACK ON THE AIR" - an ad from Galaxy, August 1957

Here’s an ad for The Shadow radio show that appeared in the January 1954 issue of Astounding:

Ad for The Shadow radio show (on the Mutual Network) from the January 1954 issue of Astounding

Ad for The Shadow from Astounding August 1952:
Ad for The Shadow from Astounding August 1952

An ad for The Shadow from Astounding January 1952:

The Shadow ad from Astounding January 1952

Ad for The Shadow radio show from Astounding January 1953:

Ad for The Shadow radio show from Astounding January 1953

Here’s a familiar looking ad (it uses art recycled from The Shadow) for Nick Carter, Master Detective on the Mutual Network:

Nick Carter Master Detective ad from Astounding April 1955

Stay Tuned For Terror – illustration by Dolgov from Weird Tales, September 1945:

Stay Tuned For Terror - illustration by Dolgov from Weird Tales, September 1945

Dimension X ad from Astounding Science Fiction’s August 1951 issue:

Dimension X ad from Astounding SF's August 1951 issue

Dimension X ad from from Astounding July 1951:
Ad for Dimension X from Astounding July 1951

Posted by Jesse Willis

Pulp Nocturne: Donovan Pike And The City Of The Gods

SFFaudio Online Audio

Pulp NocturneWhen Paul Bishop, of the Bish’s Beat takes the time to email me about something on his blog, I have to sit up and take notice. Bish directs my attention to THIS post. And when I follow the links there it leads me to a new adventure novel called Donovan Pike And The City Of The Gods that’s being delivered via blog text posts and in the MP3 format.

Its author, Mark Justice, sez:

I grew up with the pulp adventures of Doc Savage, The Shadow and The Avenger. I even published a Doc Savage fanzine with a high school friend, back in the 70s. In that one issue I began a Doc Savage pastiche novel which, thankfully, remains unfinished and forgotten.

I moved on to different forms of fiction, but I always came back to the pulps, having discovered G-8, Operator #5 and The Spider. I also enjoy modern pulp fiction, particularly the works of Clive Cussler and, more recently, James Rollins.

When I started writing for publication, it was initially in the horror field, with an occasional foray into science fiction. As in my reading, though, I came back to the pulps.

I plan to use this blog to serialize new pulp fiction. Some of the stories will have a contemporary setting, like our initial offering. A future project will be set in the blood and thunder 1930s pulp world.

Regardless of the era, my goal is to bring you tales of two-fisted adventure, venomous villains and larger-than-life heroes.

I hope you have fun with the stories. I know I will.

Here is Chapter 1 |MP3| of Donovan Pike And The City Of The Gods by Mark Justice.

Posted by Jesse Willis

Changersurfer Radio: Lecture – Those Who Cannot Remember Doc Savage Are Condemned To Repeat Him by Jess Nevins

SFFaudio Online Audio

Jess Nevins, librarian and author of the forthcoming The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes (2010), gave a scholarly lecture on the earliest origins and strange evolution of the superhuman/superhero meme. Starting in the the early 19th century with a perceived need for better military training, and progressing into the middle of the 20th century, Nevins explains, among other things: Why Doc Savage lost his superpowers (but kept his physique), why The Shadow needed the ability to “cloud men’s minds”, the development of Muscular Christianity and the Physical Culture movements, and even the minor role Sir Arthur Conan Doyle played in all this! There’s lots more in the there too – it’s fascinating!

Changesurfer RadioThose Who Cannot Remember Doc Savage Are Condemned To Repeat Him: The 20th Century Backlash Against Posthuman Bodybuilders
By Jess Nevins
1 |MP3| – Approx. 30 Minutes [LECTURE]
Podcaster: Changesurfer Radio / Institute For Ethics & Emerging Technologies
Podcast: Dec 13, 2009
Recorded: December 4, 2009
Provider: Archive.orgOne bit of local colour that I can add to this fun lecture is a kind of a capper to the story of the Physical Culture and Muscular Christianity movements. Their was a curious practice at the Vancouver YMCA, patrons were encouraged to exercise in the nude. This eventually led a young man named Victor Willis (no relation) to immortalize the results in this song:

[via SFsignal.com]

Posted by Jesse Willis

Five Free Favourites: Halloween Edition

SFFaudio Online Audio

Fred here, and I think Jesse called it: October is audio drama month.

Here’s where people who think The Shadow is just something that shows up at 5 o’clock start paying attention to this art form that’s been kicked back to life by modern recording technology like some Frankenstein zapped with 50 million volts.

I’m featuring horror audio all month long on Radio Drama Revival but I’ve run into the same dilemma I run into every year – how to share ALL of the great horror audio that I can’t fit into my ‘pod?

Well, here’s a list of five entries, all gruesomely awesome, which I hope will help whet your bloodthirsty appetite this Halloween season.
Five Free Favorite Horror Radio Drama

Zombie Podcast1 – We’re Alive: A Story of Survival

Zombies!!! Take Resident Evil and mix it with the marines from Aliens and you wind up with something like the outcome of this zombie podcast.

A group of foul-mouthed marines ends up locked up in an apartment building with a scattered batch of survivors after a zombie holocaust breaks loose with little notice (or explanation).

This one is well-produced, action-packed, and is as much about an odd group of people trying to survive together as it is about the roving droves of hungry undead. Not to be missed.

Wormwood Audio Podcast2 – Wormwood

Wormwood made it into my previous Five Free Favourites and it makes it again. Though not strictly “horror,” this brilliantly twisted thriller serial has ample spooks to make it a priority on any horror fan’s iPod.

If you haven’t been following, you have two full seasons to catch up on, tons of bonus content, and a third season coming up which is sure to send you to an early grave.

God of the Razor Horror story3 – The Grist Mill

Okay, the Grist Mill isn’t free but two episodes of their work are available for free download on Radio Drama Revival, so that sort of counts.

The one you should under no circumstances miss is God of the Razor. AM/FM Theater rightfully won the Ogle Award for this fine adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s classic horror short. There’s a reason you should stay out of basements in the South…

Also, Jeff Adams’ The Estates is an extremely awesome innovation to the spooky story meme – Stepford Wives meets The Shining. Thank you, Jeff.

The Buoy Audio Drama4 – The Buoy (Part 1 and Part 2)
The Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater has been at it for a while, and “The Buoy” is perhaps the crowning gem of their productions.

This is a good classic New England ghost story, which packs an even stronger punch because of its eerie parallels to the classic Poe tale, “The Pit and the Pendulum.” A man “from away” winds up tied to a buoy as the tide comes in, and recounts his terrifying tale.

As the water gets higher, and no escape is in site, the real terror sets in…

dunesteef audio fiction magazine5 – Halloween in July

The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine aired this back in March, but it is much better fitting for Halloween. Breaking the trend from the rest on the list, this is not strictly audio drama, but hosts Rish Outfield and Big Anklevich did a splendid job bringing the text to live. Writer Kevin Anderson also has a script in the mix for my upcoming Halloween Live Radio Drama.

Posted by Fred Greenhalgh

DRT Summer Showcase #3: The Knightmare

SFFaudio News

And here are details from the first of Decoder Ring Summer Showcase #3‘s program…

The Knightmare by Bill Cunningham

The man behind this production, Bill Cunningham, says that “The Knightmare is a hero cut from the same cloth as The Shadow or The Green Hornet.” Not unlike Decoder Ring’s Red Panda himself! In this 2-part episode, The Knightmare is fighting Hollywood gangsters, Hollywood cops and Nazis (probably not from Hollywood). Unlike RP this story is set in Los Angeles.

The KnightmareThe Knightmare (The Murder Legion Strikes at Midnight)
By Bill Cunningham; Performed by a full cast
2 Parts – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Podcaster: Decoder Ring Theatre
Podcast: May 30th, 2009 & June 6th, 2009

Podcast feed:

http://decoderring.libsyn.com/rss

Here’s a downloadable sample from the intro to the show |MP3| and |HERE| is the full press release.

Posted by Jesse Willis