Another in-studio medicinal visit from Nurse Annabella capped an evening where two radio hosts-- the real thing, in her case --performed ASK DR. HAL! right after just viewing the new Star Wars movie. Approximately 30 (terrestrial?) years after the destruction of the second Death Star, nobody seems to know the current whereabouts of former farm-boy Luke Skywalker, the last remaining Jedi hold-out. The First Order, a crypto-Fascist group reminiscent of the Republican Party, seeks to turn him up again as they eliminate all Progressives in the Galaxy, right around the time Resistance pilot Poe Dameron meets village elder Lor San Tekka on the planet Jakku off to obtain a gas station map to Luke's location. Stormtroopers under Kylo Ren land and destroy the village of Gerlach in order to save it. But terminally cute 'bot BB-8 escapes the "Burn" with the map, and encounters a scavenger, Fay Rey, dumpster diving at a junkyard settlement. At the First Order's Starkiller Base, on a planet-sized superweapon, the old Death Star writ large, Supreme Leader Snoke orders General Hux to use it for the first time, and destroy something, already. As Starkiller Base prepares to fire on D'Qar, the Resistance devises a plan to destroy it by attacking a convenient critical weakness. Apparently they always design these things so that if a rag-tag bunch of barnstormers gets through and destroys one special little component, the whole thing just explodes, with a tremendous noise. With Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and mind-breaking special effects. But, you know, we also spoke of other things on OUR show, especially after deliberately ingesting a "funny" cookie.

We look forward to the Future, and the one thing we unquestionably know there will be more of in the Future is... the Past. Time-tripping is featured in this episode, and the "action" persisted after the 180th minute. For our purposes, we will submit three Terrestrial hours, incorporating a much asked-for PAT NOVAK radioplay chapter and the poetry of Dylan Thomas and Clark Ashton Smith. The temporal vortex shifts us to the late Jurassic Period in a forested swamp. There are controversies between various indigenous Dinosauria. Eventually Michael Peppe, courtesy of Puzzling Evidence, appears, and is induced to wax philosophical. His preoccupation is with Creation. He defends his inspiration with much animation. And, a timely donation pays our dues to the station.

Hey, kids! OK, all you Rocket Rookies and Etherettes-- get set for a late-hour Christmas Ask Dr. Hal! Show Special. That is, we feature two long-ish poems, one being T.S. Eliot's THE JOURNEY OF THE MAGI and later on John Milton's Hymn: ON THE MORNING OF CHRIST'S NATIVITY, which discriminating fans of the soi-dissant Occult may enjoy. All this in between X-Day iterations sent straight from SubGenius headquarters-- thanks, Stang! (the second of these laced with not-suitable-for-airtime profanities, oaths and expostulations), other ADH addenda and a partial selection of quite unlikely Christmas music, whose veritable "Christmas" essence requires some intense concentration to apprehend. The Officer of the Day, Puzzling Evidence was on board. There was no Christmas live show this night, to speak of that, and there will be no live shows in January on Fridays in the latter P.M. But, this you knew, did you not?

Creating the Great Work, one process at a time, we distill a Show Homunculus which works for some, if not all. And the visitors come in; Lord, how they come in. This includes the beauteous Sarah Szczechowicz Goldie and Miss Katy Bell. The latter, though she never really seemed to cotton to the fact that there was an attempt to do an audio performance going on, did speak into the microphone once or twice and, as a bonus, may be heard muttering in the b.g. at other times. Michael Peppe provided the philosophico-scientific underpinnings of this episode for the most part, right up until the official end. But was it the end? After an interval of the music of Raymond Scott, we left the Studio with the indefatigable KrOB in charge. NOTE TO FANS: For reasons best known to himself, Chicken John Rinaldi has cancelled all the live shows we were going to do in the next month.

The over-spill, for ADH completists (you know who you are). NOW with more strippers! Too bad it's audio, because the visuals are, in a word, incendiary...


Chatroom History
December 12, 2015 1:00am - 4:30am

St. Inkfinger: still going?...wow. (2:20am)
vj pussycat: bonus (2:24am)
vj pussycat: are y'all watching a movie? (2:24am)
St. Inkfinger: woot woot! ...and I thought I had missed it, because I nodded off. (2:25am)
vj pussycat: Poseidon adventure (2:37am)
St. Inkfinger: which one? (2:43am)
St. Inkfinger: Lyme sucks (2:56am)
St. Inkfinger: had it.....never froze (2:56am)
mrs: And never will... (3:01am)
St. Inkfinger: Good morning (3:02am)
The Doctors: Please step lively towards the Show. (3:02am)
St. Inkfinger: I am so shown (3:04am)

A tumultuous night on Ask Dr. Hal! with studio visitors of note and conversational value par excellence. TEST your Show Endurance with the following extra-bloated Holiday Podcast... Nota Bene: This show starts just about a quarter of an hour late, and apologies to the Faithful are due-- Dr. Howll had to re-boot the entire Station when he came in out of the cold-- then it runs to (gulp!) 2:35 AM Saturday matin. The Darkling Thrush, by Thomas Hardy - X-Day 2014 echoes - Hurricane Carla: I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You - Enter the Goldies - Enter KrOB - Enter Miss E. Harbaugh - Japanese Pornography - A Money Order for $37.09 from kindly, curious listener, 709Austin - Ignorance vs. Enlightenment - Mutiny aboard the Show - Comforted by beauties - Susuma Yokota: Symbol - The Living Creation - Giant Flat-screen Color TV - Wine is a Mocker; Strong Drink is Raging - Two Comely Shownauts, "wired," effect a penetration into Bruno's - A Fretful Husband - Speculation and Indifferent Radio Reception - Concluding Remarks - Our National Anthem - Oh, no! MORE Show! - Our Relations - Stillmore Show District - What if? - Building For the Future - L'envoi... 180 Minutes.

A SubGenius Klassik from 1983. Guest Helmsman Cmndr. Puzzling Evidence unearths a ripe-smelling old file from the Cellars of the Nameless Mission. (Far) back in the day, on KPFA 94.1 FM in Berkeley, came the genesis of this sprightly li'l contender in the Pantheon, Mimiko. Not to the Sacred Scribe alone is the Act of Creation where the Figures stand in the Hall of the Unspeakable. Listen, and wonder. During this episode Dr. H. Owll was far, far away in distant Arizona, speaking at the Memorial Service of the late Merl Reagle, the greatest Cruciverbalist on the planet-- and collaborator with Dr. Howll on numerous songs and plays, even an Operetta, "Das Lebensflamme." None of the obits for Merl mentioned a thing about the music, even the one in the NY Times. Now that's all over, Dr. H. Owll is back, and Merl is still deceased. We're getting pretty tired of all these deaths over here at Ask Dr. Hal! N.B.: Previous announcements about the upcoming run of the LIVE A.D.H. Show in January are now invalid. The latest is that these shows WILL be on FRIDAYS, not Thursday nights as we have announced in this space. And so we progress.

And so, 58 minutes and change after the conclusion of this podcast, Dr. H. Owll was gobsmacked in the chops, metaphorically speaking, by imminent mortality and the looming arrival of the hour (2:00 AM) of the commencement of his sixty-sixth year. The feeble, tottering old fossil, blasted with eld and freezing old age, managed to dodder along and produce, with palsied hands and wheezing voice, this 181-minute offering, despite icy breaths from the grim and frozen Land of Death. Fun for all, followed by tonight's movie NABONGA (1944), featuring Buster "Flash" Crabbe and the lovely, sarong-clad Julie London, stars of a different gorilla (suit) film showcased on a recent, previous episode. It was a gig, we suppose. Survivor of a plane crash in the dense Equatorial jungle of the Congo Basin, kid Julie grows into sultry adulthood, accompanied by the faithful, devoted ape, whom we learn far too late in the picture (sorry about the confusion) is not, after all, really named "Nabonga" but rather, it seems, the more unimaginative "Sampson." MIGHTY JOE YOUNG this ain't. Along comes Buster, decked out in pith helmet and tropical kit, who, along with the trigger-happy, treasure-seeking, ape-shooting villain (the reliable Barton MacLane), forever disturbs this idyllic Rousseau-esque equilibrium, drags Julie back to Hollywood's vision of the Patriarchal West and puts the ape (most probably played by professional gorilla-suit wearer Charlie Gomorra) six feet under, but not, however, after the big, simian galoot has his way, discreetly off camera but certainly within audio range, with gold-digging Bad Girl Fifi D'Orsay, who fails to survive the too-kinky encounter. Show proper also features Puzzling Evidence (live), Sacred Scribe Ivan Stang, Dr. Philo Drummond, Peter Sellers and the Mutant Mountain Boys, among others. 181 mins.

An addendum to the November 20th Ask Dr. Hal! By the Sacred Rutabaga's forbearance, the hangers-on hung on until, ultimately, even they tired of their torqued and twisted tropes and elaborations. Hear the remainder, perhaps even including elements which persisted after Dr. H. Owll limped home, additionally burdened by two huge bags of coffee beans. But that, as they say, is another story. Featuring (most probably) Puzzling Evidence a the helm, with the indefatigable KrOB Sabrepop.

The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) has an approximate wingspan of 45 to 50 milimeters. In North America, the species characteristically has two broods, which can emerge at any time during a period spanning the month of March through middle-to-late October. Wintering largely in south Texas after migration, this is the very butterfly celebrated by lepidopterist-author Vladimir Nabokov in his novel PALE FIRE. In a special on-the-spot recording, hear entomologist Daria Goldie describe the life-cycle of Vanessa, after Sarah and Pete Goldie visit the Show. Until then, SubGenius Archives release the post-'Bob'tism reflections of Dr. H. Owll, Sacred Scribe Ivan Stang and Dr. Philo Drummond at Caffeina's at Wisteria during 2015's X-Day Week. In the inclusive, ecumenical spirit of intellectual and philosophico-religious tolerance, Mr. Goldie's unpleasant remarks about the Church of the SubGenius pass without comment. Puzzling Evidence and KrOB make their appearance, eventually stretching the podcast to an inordinate length (see extended episode posting, above: AND STILL MORE: AFTERGLOW, AFTER SHOW).

"As the groaning stomach of a growing Nation requires a fulsome feed, to provide a dinner for the population is a mighty task indeed." According to the new Dietary Guidelines endorsed by the National Board of Nutritional Demonology, varying one's caloric intake ensures that it's relatively easy to avoid being entombed forever in the Burial Chamber of the Food Pyramid. This lip-smacking episode of Ask Dr. Hal! is 180 minutes (we exceeded our scheduled time) of gourmandizing, monitored on-site by Studio Guest nurse Annabella, R.N. Also consulting: "Doc" Goldie, KrOB Sabrepop. M.D. and, shadowy and in the velvet background, Puzzling Evidence...

Another "bottle" show wherein Dr. H. Owll attempted to craft varying currents into a Flow of Show. Poetick Recitation included The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by S.T. Coleridge, garbled at the end because of persistent distraction, mainly from the ??!!@#&#%??!! studio phone-- ringing again and again after about 40 minutes into the reciting... Y'know, folks, when one is trying to perform a 45-minute poem from memory and trying to accompany the same with music and sound effects, one thing one CANNOT do is stop and take a phone call. Just sayin'. More from the late Whitman McGowan, too-- first our home-grown recapitulation of his rant, "Bobs," followed by the canonical night club recording of the same prophetic piece. NOTE: ASK DR. HAL! the Night Club Show is coming back, at the famed Chez Poulet Gallery-Cabaret, in January and perhaps beyond! On Thursday nights, not Fridays, though. That didn't work too well last time. Watch this space.

New mysteries have come to light via the exploration of Dwarf Planet Pluto by the New Horizons Ralph/Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera. At the Live Podcast Show at Oakland's XOXO Club, Pete Goldie revealed the albedic nimbus of the unknown and unexpected Plutonian atmosphere, as well as this outward world's mountains, frozen plains and foggy hazes. "Doc" Goldie also put up on the club's Big Screen the so-called "heart" seen on the planet's surface, called Tombaugh Regio (Tombaugh's Region), a curiously flat and smoothly frozen area named for Pluto's discoverer, Clyde William Tombaugh (1906-1997). It lies just north of the Plutonian Equator, northeast of Cthulhu Regio (Cthulhu's Region). Karlyn DeSteno played, sang and was lovely; Rusty Rebar recited and the question-and-answer period, derived from the Ask Dr. Hal! Night Club Show (returning January 2016) was lively. Throughout, Sherilyn Connelly provided computer-derived accompaniment to the audio; a KrOB highlight showcased monsters destroying San Francisco's visible landmarks. All hosted by John Hell. Outside, the peripatetic Doggie Diner Heads loomed on their trailer. Too bad if you couldn't be there, but you do get to listen.

Not Rev. Baby Bear, not officially. No, we invoke the tutelary Spirit of the Air Waves, whose light-speed broadcasts ring the Earth and fly at all times into the depths of Space. A "bubble" show, in which the sole board operator, Dr. Howland Owll, entertains himself with various oddments. Among these, new audio from Church of the SubGenius Headquarters in Ohio (Mars), poetry, pedantry, and commercials from the Dawn of Time. Let's hope She (the Goddess) blesses our enterprise, since, as we must always bring ourselves sadly to admit, it's not really Radio we do here, strictly speaking. No appearance from KrOB or Puzzling Evidence, nor did "Doc" Pete Goldie enter with a vinous libation. NEXT WEEK: our Podcast for XOXO in Oakland, in Jack London Square! The first of many, perhaps, or... a dismally failed one-shot. A paying audience ($5, and food and drink are available) will probably decide the issue decisively.

Friday night, and the Show is in full swing. First KrOB, then Puzzling Evidence and at last Karen Carpenter trickle in, the latter with wine and cheer. Soon it's time for our off-and-on long-running Narrated Movie feature. Up this week: BATTLE OF THE WORLDS, a 1961 programmer directed by "Anthony Dawson" (read Antonio Margarheti) and (mainly) featuring Claude Rains. Also known as IL PLANETA DEGLI UOMINI SPENTI, the story features a rogue planet, or perhaps a runaway asteroid, said to be from another galaxy(!)--which is probably, one must suppose, a translation error for saying another solar system. This wandering world, in the movie dubbed "The Outsider," mysteriously begins orbiting the Earth (uh-oh), and, wouldn't you know, then threatens it with lethal flying saucers. Rains emotes and over-emotes, saucers spin, model rockets on wires smoke in space and explode, and general tedium reigns. We all have a say in the narration. This was because, basically, we couldn't find the far more enjoyable QUEEN OF BLOOD (1966) with Florence Marly, Dennis Hopper, John Saxon and an aged but still living Basil Rathbone, for free online. Where BATTLE is concerned-- well, now recent discoveries have shown that there are indeed rogue worlds, wandering, un-shepherded by any sun, through space. (Gulp!) As for the plot, with sentient machines set in motion by their extinct creators threatening the human race, the relevancy to our oncoming predicament is too oppressively great. Remember our live podcast from OXO, coming Oct. 30th!

ART IS SYNTHESIS wouldn't lie down and go to sleep after the official mandated closure time of 1:00 AM on Saturday, October 10th. No, sir, the palaver kept a-happenin' with in-studio kabitzers KrOB, Karen Carpenter and, on Flugelhorn, Puzzling Evidence. Dr. H. Owll was still there too, riding the wave. Give a listen.

First a tribute to our friend the late Whitman McGowan. Then, after consuming a Whitman Sampler, we turn to our last live Ask Dr. Hal! Show from April of 2015 (our next will be in January 2016). Poetry periodically breaks forth. We thank those who support our enterprise. And we mix new tropes with old favorites-- madness, violence, arcane obsessions, weird learning and ghastly comedy, all laid out in an atmosphere of po-faced, high Neo-Gothick. But you expected that. With Karen Carpenter and KrOB, toward the very, very end. Upcoming Oct. 30th: our LIVE XOXO Podcast from Jack London Square! Admission for audience members: $5.00 [cheap].

This solo effort (by Dr. H. Owll) employs overlayerings of (surprise!) SubGenius Archival Material, from X-Day (2015) and other sources. Although KrOB at one point did stop in, he declined to participate. Among topics: Michael Peppe on Bedbugs, the "Fiend Voices that Rave" and whisper to lonely travelers through the wilderness and the Purity of SubGenius Doctrine (99 & 44/100 %). This is what rushes unceasingly through one cranium. Punctuated by Commercial Announcements from the Lost Past! Coming-- October 30th! Our LIVE Podcast Show at XOXO in Oakland!

Back in action, and we're recording. Eveything's goin' fine. And look, it's KrOB! And Karen Carpenter! Puzzling is far away this time, on a separate expedition. Time to break out the liquor and cigars. Man, oh man-- this is solid living. Yes, sir! A Good Cigar is a Smoke. We take some calls. You know, it's for the fans-- "Bob" bless 'em! --that we do it all. We know they're listening, since that's what keeps us going...

Hobbled, the injured Dr. H. Owll was conveyed to the Studio by Puzzling Evidence. There a new Show was decanted. The usual opening move, SubGenius Historical recordings from 2015's X-Day Drill (as it turned out)introduced Poetick Recitations from Dr. Howll and the incomparable, ravishing Robin Renee, his aquatic companion on Eastern voyages... More currents and eddies whirled and curled the proceedings around visiting Guest Artists Karen Carpenter and KrOB Sabrepop, until it was time for the narrated film, WRESTLING WOMEN VS.THE AZTEC MUMMY. The latter, it seems, can transform at will into a (rubber-ish)
bat, and even into a Mexican Red-Knee tarantula. And so we close. With a climactic musical passage, the drama comes to a conclusion, all passion spent. Through an unfortunate control malfunction, though, Puzzling Evidence then "smears" the "Outro."