...BY RICHARD MATHESON (1926-2013), followed by "The Mindworm" by Cyril M. Kornbluth (1923-1958) together with poetry (some bungled), a Capella singing and layered audio mixes, featuring Kelly Cash, Ivan Stang, Dr. Philo Drummond, Michael Peppe, the late Whitman McGowan and others. A rumination on the Rhedosaurus and THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. No guests were entertained; there were no guests to entertain. A solo show-lo. Some would like these tales to be a continuing feature, and for us to read horror stories AFTER Halloween. Perhaps... perhaps we will, heh, heh, heh... There are those, however, it should be noted, who have taken issue with what they refer to as the "morbid preoccupation" of some of the recent presentations. These objections, and others, will be taken up in a future program.

FROM THE CANON OF HORROR STORIES... "This 1936 WEIRD TALES story has to be one of the best horror tales of the last century, an evil hybrid of Poe's 'Premature Burial' and Lovecraft's 'Pickman's Model', claustrophobic to the Nth degree and not to be read by anyone late at night who fears enclosed spaces or asphyxiation and who wishes to sleep." --Tim Pendry... Yes, read by Dr. H. Owll at the start of the Show, 'tis another exercise in the literature of Grand Guignol-type supernatural horror. Horror Historians take note: a pre-George Romero revenant makes an appearance, never explained, but it adds to the gruesome atmosphere. When Puzzling Evidence and KrOB pay a visit later, though, things take a lighter turn. The last pre-Halloween presentation in this space may be the most ghastly yet, Etherettes and Rocket Rookies... you've been warned... heh, heh, heh...

A SOLITARY SHOW, no guests, a presentation tuned for the Season-- Halloween, which for some lasts vastly longer than the single day accorded it. Poetry of mystery and the supernatural shared the occasion with a literary excerpt, THE OPENER OF THE WAY, by the late Robert Bloch, a solid production from that author's Lovecraft Circle period. Newly received SubGenius archival material rounds it out, but the whole megilla lands after the first hour of Saturday. More such to come! As for the Kisi App, we girded up our loins to wrestle with that demon but, lo! We merely touched the door and it opened. The Opener of the Way is actually a real thing...

...BUT MORE MEAT AND MORE FLAVOR. First we have some of Dylan Thomas's "Key" poems, verses shaped into various forms by adding and subtracting line length. The music of the late, great Loop! Station soars. More fun ensues when Puzzling Evidence rolls in, and eventually KrOB, at which point all control passes from our hands. Just what is "the Sun at the center of the Earth?" Surely more speculation will follow, based on the writings and theoretical suppositions of Burroughs, V. Obruchev and others. As for the Kisi App, it was a very near thing this time as it failed once more, but we made it into the building. Take that, Robo-conspiracy!

IN ETERNIA, where life is too tedious to be borne. Of course they do. They must. Yes, one truly needs, periodically, to step outside the unchanging limits defining existence in a static, un-evolving set-up, to explore alternate relationships and forms of consciousness, to avoid being pigeonholed by mandated role-playing. Ideally, the show allows time for this. Guest star Puzzling Evidence reminisces. Poetry of Clark Ashton Smith and William Butler Yeats. Music of Loop! Station and from other sources. Edits by Phineas Narco. Archival recordings of Jeff Robins and other players no longer on the scene. An attempt to watch a movie fizzles. Are we there yet? 180 irreplaceable minutes.

...AS NOTED in the Podcast. Guest Stars Puzzling Evidence and Michael Peppe enlivened the proceedings after a solo first hour for Dr. H. Owll, who was until then playing Loop! Station and Shake Well with interpolated recitations from Dylan Thomas. But with Puz-Ev came the trope of Movie Night, and it was that curious Independent film of yore THE FLESH EATERS which dominated, though sans sound. WE were the only soundtrack. RED PLANET MARS never got off the ground; perhaps insufficient respect for the career of the late Morris Ankrum from Mr. Peppe had something to do with that. Much was hashed over. Let's say this is six hours.

TOOK PLACE DURING THIS EPISODE OF Ask Dr. Hal! Frustrated with the eternal uncertainties and problems surrounding the Kisi App, and invited to use Reloadio's facilities, to broadcast in real radio as well as transmit our usual podcast, we thought we'd accept the invitation. Results were mixed; those who download will probably have to turn up the volume, according to one technical expert. Reloadio also hosted KrOB, Puzzling Evidence and Michael Peppe. We enjoyed the luxurious facility Reloadio offered, but were less pleased with the lack of control for the show available there. Still, this experiment may be repeated in the not-too-distant future, if the problems associated with the weak podcast signal can be resolved.

WITH TRAVELS NOW AT AN END (as far as can be determined), Dr. H. Owll comes wearily into port. Oh, Dream of Joy! Is this, at last, the Lighthouse Top I see? Is this the Hill, is this the Kirk? Is this mine own Countree? Well, apparently so. No more gadding about. The suitcases and bags are stored away. Home is the sailor, home from sea, And the hunter home from the hill. But, for this iteration, no guests. After being let in (for the Kisi App now works only for those with the most expensive, newest devices) we played NEW Archival Material sent by Stang from SubGenius Headquarters, and not all of that. This includes Dr. H. Owll audio from X-Day "2019" but none, so far, from the Starwood festival, which latter material may be un-retrievable. There will be more! The poetry of Clark Ashton Smith and Dylan Thomas, among others, are fragments that shore up our ruins. The Show's solo effort highlights here and there the Dark Side, the Hidden Side of our usual presentation. Ideally, we were not indiscreet.

THE ONLY LIVE ASK DR. HAL! SHOW FEATURING DR. HAL during the entire month of August. Because-- look at the calendar! --constant journeying to various places for Dr. H. Owll always means that he can't actually be at "RV" to do his show. Oh, yes, he's at last back from the Midwest and East Coast. Whew! But... now, there's something called Burning Man, coming up FAST. At showtime a week after this one he'll be en route over the mountains to a certain well-known alkali Desert Hell. Thank Gobbs for the re-runs and volunteer Substitute Krewe, eh, Etherettes and Rocket Rookies? Well, sometime... in September... we'll do it again. Too bad not one of our expected quondam Guests could bother to come in. Fair thee well, fair-weather friends! So, Marco Polo had to be solo on the show-low. With fresh and vintage archival material, the poetry of William Blake, Dylan Thomas, William Allingham et al and musical selections including Loop! Station's Robin Coomer and Sam Bass... If music be the food of love, play on!

WHILE DR. H. OWLL IS FAR AWAY ON HIS YEARLY JOURNEYS, Puzzling Evidence, along with Michael Peppe, entertains media darling VJ Pussycat. This doesn't happen, though, until around 12:30 AM-- first an older show is re-run. After that, Pussycat and Krewe enter to enjoy psychedelic Communion. This lengthy podcast is one of a kind-- for now... the Cat's Meow, as they say.

WHEN LAWRENCE "LARRY" TALBOT, a.k.a. The Wolfman, made the transatlantic journey to the United States just after the Second World War to stop the Conspiracy of the Monsters-- see ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), he ended up making yet another suicide attempt, dragging Dracula in bat-form down into the ocean with him. Yet once again, he found that death is no option for the Lycanthrope. Larry had relapsed after apparently being cured by Dr. Franz Edlemann (see HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945), and never realized that HE was one of the monsters, always thinking of himself as a victim. This changed when he met Irving Klaw and his best "Peekaboo" model, the famous Bettie Page. Klaw, the notorious "pornographer," ran afoul of the Kefauver Hearings of the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1957-- the same politicians who were attacking comic books. The Senate Hearings marked the beginning of the end of Klaw's mail-order fetish art business in New York. The investigation tried to link pornography to juvenile delinquency. The McCarthy-style hearings branded Klaw as a "degenerate" and ushered in a new wave of media censorship. Bettie Page was also summoned to the hearings but never did get asked to testify. While waiting to be called at her hotel in the District of Columbia, lovely Bettie met Larry, whose rooms were across the hall from hers. Suffice it to say that the vivacious Bettie convinced Talbot to accept his quasi-lupine, animal nature. And... and there aren't any Wolfman movies featuring Larry Talbot after that, are there? We ask that you draw your own conclusions. A six-hour show, ultimately featuring Puzzling Evidence and KrOB, is the last iteration featuring Dr. H. Owll live for awhile, until August. But keep listening, because we promise plenty of surprises, and Puzzling and KrOB will be, as they say, on the job...

NI FUELHS DE FAYA,
Ni chanz d'auzelh ni flors de glaya--
Non es que m·playa
Pros domna glaya
Tro qu'un ysnelh messatgier aya!
Del vostre belh cors, que·m retraya
Plazer novelh qu'amors m'atraya
E jaya
E·m traya
Vas vos, domna veraya;
E chaya
De playa
Ia-l gelos, ans que·m n'estraya!

Ma belh'amia,
Per Dieu no sia,
Que ia·l gelos de mon dan ria;
Que car vendria
Sa gelozia
Si aitals dos amans partia;
Qu'ieu ja joyos mais no seria
No jois ses vos pro no·m tenria;
Tal via
Faria
Qu'om ia mais no·m veiria;
Selh dia
Morria
Donna pros, qu'ieu·s perdria!

We played this popular song from long ago (about 1200 A.D.), written by the Provencal Troubador, Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (1180 – 1207), who later in his life was knighted. Sir Raimbaut left the Italian courts in 1203, when he joined the Fourth Crusade. He was killed in an ambush on September 4th, 1207 Anno Domini, along with his friend Boniface I of Montferrat, with whom he served in battle against the communes of Asti and Alessandria. Raimbaut claimed he earned his knighthood through protecting Boniface with his shield in battle at Messina, when they took part in Emperor Henry VI's invasion of Sicily. He was present at the siege and capture of Constantinople in 1204, and then accompanied Boniface to Thessalonica. This type of song is called an estampida. We also have more of Phineas Narco's classic mixes, and played some of the late Robbie Basho's ultra-rare album Zarthus (as in Zarathustra). The voice of Robin Coomer and the cello playing of Sam Bass, and various poetic recitations of varying fidelity bring us to a later moment when Puzzling Evidence enters. Then... well, then KrOB comes in and the show metamorphoses utterly.

...AND OTHER "AUNT BERTHA" EPISODES from the deep past, courtesy of the great Phineas Narco. "Phinny" appeared at the recent SubGenius Documentary showing at the Roxie Theater, which began the film festival, SF Indiefest. "J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius" turned out to be, contrary to all our fears, quite good, and a splendid time was had by all. As for "Aunt Bertha," a.k.a. Bertha Trover Shooks, the now-deceased Dial-a-Story Xtian Fundamentalist Archon, though now retired to her perch above in Heaven, provides much hilarity with her sniveling, po'bucker juvenile minions. The voice of Dr. H. Owll's late brother, Jeff Robins, may also be heard during this 5-hour episode. WITH the poetry of Dylan Thomas and the music of Loop! Station. The whole thing tapers off after Puzzling Evidence and KrOB enter and gain control. Dr. H. Owll sticks around for a while, as we narrate some priceless Bulldada badfilm, but eventually departs, crying continually with his infected, weeping left eye...

ANOTHER SOLO SHOW, this one with more unhampered music than usual... we began, after our introductory Valediction by Dylan Thomas, with the sounds of Robin Coomer and Sam Bass from their no longer extant (but fondly remembered) exceptional group, Loop! Station, from their album 'Love vs. Love,' followed immediately by "All You Want" from the current band Shake Well, the album being 'Shake Well, the Early Years.' The great Eric McFadden, channeling T.J. MacDonald (Robin channeling Patsy), called Dr. Hal out from the stage at this historic performance-- 7 years after the last one-- at SF Eagle, the legendary Dive Bar, still miraculously un-gentrified. Robin C. has been a friend of the Ask Dr. Hal! live show for lo, these many years, once even hosting at the now extinct venue known as S.P,A.C.E... More poetry and music followed, with a plethora of historic recordings. Prominent among the latter were some cuts supplied by our own beloved Right Reverend Mother Doktor Miller. Though we regretted the absence of KrOB, Peppe and PuzEv, sometimes it's a pleasure to keep it rolling on one's own. Even the Kisi App worked for a change, almost eagerly opening the door before fully called up. Qui per alium facit, per se facit! We'll see some of you this Thursday at the Roxie theater for the debut of the new film, "J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius."

REV. A. STOOT "FISHY NARDO" of Lilburn, Georgia writes to ask if Saltopus, that enigmatic dinosauromorph Archosaur from Triassic stratigraphic horizons wasn't the most edible and indeed toothsome of all the Dinosauria. Rev. Nardo, thanks for your question for Ask Dr. Hal! and your enclosed donation. Well, once again we have another Archosaur under unresolved taxonomic debate. We do know Saltopus was a very small, bipedal dinosauriform from the late Triassic (late Carnian) period. Discovered in the Lossiemouth Sandstone Formation in Scotland, it's a rarity, known from very little fossil material. Indeed, all Science has to go on is a portion of the vertebral column-- the forelimbs, pelvis, and hind limbs-- it cannot be classified as definitely a dinosaur or, definitely, even a really close cousin. The pelvis, what there is of it, does at least suggest dinosaurian affinities. If only we could see the feet and especially the ankles... You see, there were many "sort-of dinosaurs" running around at that time, the so-called Thecodonts and erect, bipedal crocodylians. The ankles would be key, even more so than related skull material, which is rare. So it’s uncertain whether Saltopus is an early Saurischian, perhaps what we would call a Crurotarsal, a more advanced theropod, or a close relative of Herrerasaurus, the noble and primal, basal Ur-dinosaur. The remains found suggests that Saltopus was an agile, probably insectivorous predator, like a modern-day chicken (though as a listener you must know we are not comfortable with the paleontologically dominant view that birds are direct dinosaur ancestors and should be considered "living dinosaurs"). Balderdash! Horseradish! But... how would it taste?
Here's our recipe for Saltopus in Curry Sauce: 1 Saltopus
5 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Curry powder
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, chopped
Leaves from 1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small hot pepper, chopped fine
2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp. bouillon powder
2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper

Cleaning the Saltopus

Hang the little dinosaur (or whatever it is) by the head. Cut off the feet and the crest on the back. Grab the skin with both hands at the back where you cut the crest off, and pull it towards the front until it all comes off. Cut off the tail. Put it aside (you might want to cook it separately). Cut the chest cavity open and remove the entrails! (VERY important.) Take it down and cut off the head. Wash the Saltopus thoroughly. Cut it into pieces and put it in a bowl of water with the lemon juice and 1 tsp. salt. Stir. Let it sit for ½ hour.

Cooking

Take the meat out of the water, pat it dry and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok. Add the garlic and curry powder. Stir for about a minute.

Add the meat, tomatoes and onions. Continue stirring.

Add ½ cup water, the celery leaves, hot pepper and bouillon cubes (crushed) or powder.

Turn the heat down, and let the meat stew for ½ hour, adding more water as necessary. Keep tasting the broth, and you will know when you are done! Also on the Show, we have the usual poetry, Whitman MacGowan, the Original Gentleman, Michael Peppe, KrOB and Puzzling Evidence. The whole thing lasts 6 hours, though Dr. H. Owll fades during the last two, having to get up the next day for a hospital appointment. Too much exotic food, perhaps...

BY BRIAN W. ALDISS, the novella read in its entirety, is mainly featured during this solitary (Guest-free) show. Also with the usual poetry and pedantry. The failure of the Kisi App to function menaced the Show's existence as usual, yet Fate willed that it was still to be. Just three hours, this time...

MATTHEW, 6:24-- "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." In "Poverty," a short story by American writer Nicholas Gentile, this adage is put to the ultimate test. A performance of the tale in its entirety begins the Show. Other highlights include the poetry of T.S. Eliot, X.J. Kennedy, William Blake and Archibald MacLeish. Some voices in passing are those of Ivan Stang, Suzie the Floozie, Zero Boy, Rev. Baby Bear and Philo Drummond. Later Puzzling Evidence visits and joins in. We also remind listeners about the forthcoming May 30th San Francisco screening of the motion picture, "Bob" Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius" at the Roxie theater, part of SF Indiefest, to be followed by an on-stage panel with filmmaker Sandy Boone, Dr. H. Owll, Lies and Puzzling Evidence. Mark your calendars accordingly.

Ein Buch für Alle und Keinen as heard on the Ask Dr. Hal! Podcast. Yes, Michael Peppe. For what constitutes the tremendous historical uniqueness of that San Franciscan Performance Artist is the fight of Good and Evil-- the very Wheel rolling in the machinery of things: the transposition of Morality into the metaphysical realm, as a force, cause, and end in itself. Peppe, or as we shall call him, Peppethustra, created with his freewheeling statements and speculations this most calamitous error, Morality; consequently, Im-ho-Pep must also be the first to recognize it. His doctrine, and his alone, heard on this episode, posits Truthfulness as the highest virtue; this means the opposite of the cowardice of the "Idealist” who flees from reality to preserve his formulated standard. Memory may play us false, but we can succeed in overturning this so-called Morality by means of our preference for Truthfulness, as much as it may be attained through our efforts, above all other competitive considerations-- the self-overcoming of hypothesized Morality, out of Truthfulness; the self-overcoming of the moralist, into his opposite—into Peppe. However, his attempts to dramatize the Chatterbox by reading it aloud is destabilizing and will probably be discouraged in future episodes.

...ARRIVED WITH A THUMP on the Show, after Special Counsel Robert S. Mullock III submitted the massive, phone-book-thick document to Attorney General Will'iam D. Boor on Friday, marking the end of his insiccation into Russky interference in the 2016 erection and possible Obfuscation of Justice by porcine, orange Resident "Don" Drumpf. Thus ends, supposedly, the lengthy, closely watched inquiry — a case that has engulfed the Drumpf Administration since its inception, leading to criminal charges against 34 sort-of people, including six former Drumpf cronies, hangers-on, associates and "advisers." A senior Justice Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the Special Counsel has not recommended any further indictments — a revelation that buoyed and electrically charged Drumpf’s volatile, hayseed, frothing, po'bucker supporters, even as other Drumpf-related investigations continue in other parts of the "Just-is" Department. It is also unclear whether a Mullock report that does not result in additional charges could still hurt the Resident politically, or even, ideally, physically. In addition to political matters, this episode of the hard-hitting Show featured poems by reclusive WEIRD TALES poet and author Clark Ashton Smith. In the Paleontology Report we discussed the newly-discovered prehistoric species Dynamoterror, Invictarx, Acantholipan, Jinyunpelta, Lingwulong and Mansourasaurus shahinae. Puzzling Evidence and KrOB made an appearance, but neither could be induced to say a word. They did, however, attach their equipment to the board, essentially disabling all Ask Dr. Hal! content and taking over the last two hours with their "Nose-Hair Lint-Gland"-type mixes.

...LIVED APPROXIMATELY 76 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period. First discovered in 1889 in the vicinity of Denver, Colorado, it was fully examined a year after its discovery and named by Othniel C. Marsh, who gave it its name-- Ornithomimus, or “bird mimic." The little (for a dinosaur) omnivore probably ate seed ferns, fruits, insects and maybe even some mammals and reptiles. And, wandering like an Ornithomimus, the Show took a circumambient route. Having recently visited Virginia City, Nevada, we reminisced, via Ancestral Memory, about a somewhat similar place, Tombstone, Arizona and the lawmen, cow-boys, owl-hoots and other riff-raff who once lived there. Then in came Michael Peppe(!) and Puzzling Evidence, and even later, KrOB. The former regaled us with tales of his toils in the bowels of the Conspiracy, now over and done with (the j_b and sadly not the Conspiracy). Yes, a splendid time (we hope) was had by all in a show lasting a bit more than 5 hours (though only five are posted here). With the poetry of Coleridge and Clark Ashton Smith among others, and featuring an answer to a question (with a donation, many thanks) from listener Mob Meattie of Washington, DC.