--ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE IMMINENT ELECTION CYCLE eternally looming. More electoral news from the Archive (but evergreen). Malfunctioning equipment mars our entrance. A Solo endeavor, with the Disco Reptilians right next door. Back from Arizona, about to be gone to New York-- for "real X-Day" (which isn't all that real) for one week exactly. Re-run a-comin' up next week. For now, list to the political infighting among the Radio Subs of yore.

AND OTHER TROPES, between journeys to perform various shows, shall serve as this headstone? Monsters are Abroad in the Night (as always). So, this is a solo effort, bolstered with archival recordings, which reveal here an additionally appended layer. Next week we're hoping to bring in some guests, but we shall see.

OR, SUBGENIUS CURIO TRUNK as Dr. H. Owll unpacks archives from X-Day presences past. No guests, but plenty of ghosts. The Tucson live Ask Dr. Hal! show was well attended, and the brief stay in the desert delightful. We will soon have guests on upcoming shows, by the way. In the meantime, we continue with our esoteric experiments in the realm of the "Occult."

A.K.A. ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE-- At last, as long promised, we narrated this 1962 Japanese Monster Movie, although KrOB never did show up. Jett and Dr. H. Owll experienced the Mushroom mystique both externally and internally, as it were. Artistically, we think it is another fine movie from Inoshiro Honda, the father of the Giant Monster "Kaiju Eiga" genre. In this case, the film is just such a "Kaiju Eiga" (that is, a straight-up Monster Movie) somewhat closer to the horror than to the science-fiction picture, though employing SF elements, including mention of then-contemporary atom research in that part of the dialogue transpiring aboard the ghost boat in which the marooned cast are living on the misty, fungus-shrouded isle. It is closer to BINJO TO EKITAI NINGEN (L'HOMME H-- known in this hemisphere as H-MAN, 1958) than to the far more famed GOJIRA (1954), both directed by Honda. Anyway, MATANGO truly is a most original movie in director-auteur Honda's career. It may be reminiscent, as some have mentioned of William Hope Hodgson's novel preoccupations, and yet we believe it evolved independently as an intriguing narrative. Actually, we have heard that in France, a smart distributor has bought the rights from Toho and distributed MATANGO in a beautiful Cinemascope restoration... We're unsure if the crisp print we viewed and narrated is that version. The English language subtitles tend to make that assumption doubtful.

Before we began that mushroom-saturated journey, we read lyrics from David Normal, his Space Cat Ballad. The Cult of the Cat continues and will be happening soon at Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley. So, despite the Disco Reptilians, next door, we hope we presented a more than ordinarily entertaining episode of our show.

BLASTS of loud contemporary music, Disco singers in irritating falsetto, noise snippets, all at abrasive top volume... it's like that "Slasher" movie cliché: "The call is coming from INSIDE the house!" Yes, it was all on THIS side of the thin wall between the Dance Klub and the studio, this time.... Dr. H. Owll really didn't have anything to do during these four long hours (except get fed artisanal chocolate by KrOB), but was actually inaudibly present and even, a few times, got in a (very) few words. But mighty KrOB interjected playful additions. Words are not really the point of these Reloadio episodes anyway, it seems, though they may at times be heard. Dr. H. Owll will soon be away on various performance-related trips. And the new Reloadio studio gets closer and closer to completion! Any week now we'll be switching (Dr. H. Owll in absentia) to a Podcast from our own place, leaving the inexcusably tangled wiring and still-broken equipment at "RV" behind!

BY CLARK ASHTON SMITH, originally published in a much-altered (essentially censored) form in Hugo Gernsback's WONDER STORIES fiction magazine, Number 10, in March 1933, is featured as a reading by Dr. H. Owll. We have promised this for the past previous episodes. This story, it should be noted, is truly, absolutely horrible, and deliberately so-- a companion piece to Smith's tale THE VAULTS OF YOH-VOMBIS, previously read here (and recorded for Pseudopod). You can argue that for unearthly, Cosmic horror it even exceeds YOH-VOMBIS. Unlike a professional recording where mistakes can be edited out, it should be understood that we present a raw reading. Our version, from an original typescript, is the most perfect one possible to present. We added some emendations suggested by editor Gernsback, which we feel do help the narrative. The action is on Mars, a "subcreated" version of that planet of Smith's own devising. Of course, the listener should expect to be hearing us have all the usual troubles with "RV's" still unrepaired equipment, and then some-- a situation which continues to worsen over time. Poems in this iteration include Blake's "Auguries of Innocence, Poe's "Annabel Lee"" and others. Later, KrOB appears and the following hours take on something of the character of "Reloadio." Five hours.

CRACKLING, REVERBERATING MUSIC boldly announces KrOB's audio/soundscapes. This is the perfect companion for the solitary listener. It leads your mind far from the concerns of daily life. KrOB unimpeded is the best KrOB. Dr. H. Owll's voice is heard during this time, from time to time, but actually was "under the weather" and never made it to the RV Studio, the (temporary) home of Reloadio. KrOB's mastery of all the music from all the downloads entertains all the time, time after time.

THE SECOND HALF and Conclusion, by William Beckford and Clark Ashton Smith. We pass over from Beckford to Smith right after the sentence, "All around were ranged black chests, whose steel padlocks seemed encrusted with blood." As for the show itself, expect uneven gaps and failures of the background music-- outrages and humiliations served up by broken and ill-performing equipment. We hope the whole thing's entertaining anyway.

FIVE HOURS of Reloadio are appearing for download here, while the new Studio is being constructed. This program starts with Dr. H. Owll's late brother Dr. Ygrundas Quimby, Jr. (a.k.a. Jeff Robins) and HIS radio show (actual radio) THE MACHINE SHOP on KXCI 91.3 FM in Tucson, Arizona in a comprehensive mix by Puzzling Evidence. (Radio runs in the family, folks.) Then hear the spontaneous creations of KrOB, Puzzling Evidence and Dr. H. Owll for the rest of the time. Why, it's just like being there... with them...

BY CLARK ASHTON SMITH. Having presented William Beckford's Gothic/Oriental novel VATHEK in its entirety (see our last several programs), we begin Clark Ashton Smith's "The Third Episode of Vathek." Possibly we could have ended it, too, but an unexpected visit from KrOB delayed that pleasure to our own next episode. Lurking in the future beyond that will be our presentation of one of Smith's most horror-filled stories-- in the critical estimation of some, his most horrible. Indeed, in the critical estimation of some, it is the most horrible story EVER. Well, one can only go by what one has encountered; literature is a terra incognita potentially concealing even greater frissons of this type. And even within what we have read-- well, what about H.G. Wells's "The Cone," for example? --there are other contenders. Montague Rhodes James's "The Ash Tree" comes to mind...

NINTH CALIPH of the race of the Abassides, the son of Motassem and the grandson of Haroun-Al-Raschid, who, for the sake of empty Pomp and forbidden Power, sullied Himself with a thousand Crimes, gained Admission as Devotee and Guest to the Subterranean Palace of Fire, the Realm of Eblis, and in so doing became a Prey to Grief without End, and Remorse without Mitigation; whilst the humble and despis'd Gulchenrouz passed whole Ages in undisturb'd Tranquillity, and the pure Happiness of Childhood. Such was, and such should be, the Punishment of unrestrain'd Passions, and atrocious Actions. Such is, and such should be, the Chastisement of blind Ambition, that would Transgress those Bounds which the Creator hath prescribed to human Knowledge, and by aiming at Discoveries reserved for pure Intelligence, acquire that infatuated Pride which perceiveth not that the Condition appointed to Man is-- TO BE HUMBLE AND IGNORANT. Also, various poems and poetic fragments, anecdotes and newly mixed archival material from the era of Puzzling Evidence.

WITH PUZZLING EVIDENCE, KrOB AND DR. H. OWLL. The show followed the St. Stupid's Day Parade, scene of earlier participation. Follow the trains of thought here over trestles and bridges, through tunnels and switch yards. These collaborations will eventually be heard from Reloadio's new Studio, now completing construction.

Oh, the buzzin' of the bees by the cigarette trees--
The soda water fountain,
Where the lemonade springs and the bluebird sings
In that Big Rock Candy Mountain.

IN OUR EXPERIMENTAL PRESENTATION OF BECKFORD'S NOVEL. OPENING Poem by Byron. News of the next day's (April 1st) St. Stupid's Day Parade. Dr. H. Owll's probable travel itinerary to perform in other states. Announcement of live shows with KrOB in May (at the Ocean Room, 350 Ocean Avenue on Saturday nights). No visit from KrOB takes place during this episode, however (Nor did he appear at the Parade the next day, for KrOB is, as we say, an Owl, not a Lark). More of the VATHEK narrative includes Nouronihar's seduction, Carathis's evil plan to make of the guileless Gulchenrouz a human sacrifice to her favorite malignant demonic powers-- and the rather surprising revelation that the fifty children thrown to the fiend known only in our text as the Giaour, or Infidel, in a previous episode, were not slain but instead rescued by a roving benevolent Genius (spirit). The beautiful Nouronihar, daughter of the emir Fakreddin, begins to be corrupted by Vathek and is entertained, not horrified, by the deliberate scourging and mutilation of visiting holy sages by Vathek's eunuchs, at his order. What a story, eh? Next week we descend, literally, into the supernatural realm of Eblis himself. And for all who find this tale less than compelling, take heart-- we are almost through with it. Programming note: don't miss our post-St. Stupid's Day Reloadio show early Sunday morning...

RELOADIO speculates on future projects and prospects. Puzzling Evidence, Dr. H. Owll and KrOB spend some congenial hours. This, like other episodes, can be accessed at https://reloadio.godaddysites.com/ Meanwhile, we speak of the upcoming unofficial and un-Permitted St. Stupid's Day Parade on April 1st. What could possibly go wrong? And we speak of the unfortunate lack of ubiquity of Pie Shops. These shows are sonic creations whipped up in situ by KrOB. They are temporarily hosted here by the Ask Dr. Hal! Show on Radio Valencia. Operations will be transferred soon, before long, to Reloadio's spanking new Studio.

WITH KrOBIAN INTERLUDE FOLLOWING, or, Broken Equipment, but Unbroken Spirit-- or something of the like. VATHEK, our continuing presentation, was originally written in French, of which its style is said to be a model by those who know. The translation presented here, not by the author himself, but by the annotator we refer to, the Very Reverend Samuel Henley, was originally published in 1786. We like it, of course, for its distinctive quality of Supernatural interest and grandeur. It is a matter of interest (to us) that much of the description of Vathek’s palace presented in the novel, and even the renowned Hall of Eblis, described in a part we have not yet reached, was afterwards visibly embodied in the real Fonthill Abbey, of which strange and similar wonders, almost as fabulous, were at one time reported and believed. This Fonthill Abbey, which had been destroyed by fire, and re-built during the lifetime of Wm. Beckford the elder, was, on account of its bad site, demolished, and again rebuilt under our author's superintendence himself, with an assist by James Wyatt, Esq., the architect, with a magnificence that excited the greatest attention and wonder at the time. Now, the distinguishing architectural peculiarity of Fonthill Abbey was a lofty tower, 280 feet tall. This tower was strangely similar to the one described in “VATHEK,” and shows how strong a hold the idea had upon his mind. In this episode we read about how Bababalouk, the chief of his eunuchs, was teased by the beautiful women of the Caliph's harem, who all had gone along with him on his expeditionary search for the realm of the evil Efrit who had offered him the prospect of secret and unholy knowledge. These dazzling women rushed nude from their bath, water streaming from their gleaming bodies, and tossed the portly eunuch on a swing, which then snapped under his weight and precipitated him into the bath, where he became entangled in, and weighed down with, sopping-wet towels. The story continues after this quasi-comedic vignette-- until the sudden appearance of KrOB, who stays with the program to the end. Next week we continue...

BY THE REVEREND Samuel Henley, who translated the novel first into English (from the French), in 1786, with additional Commentaries by the Rev. Abijah Hoadley, Congregational Minister. About the substance of this novel it is well to quote Charles Lamb from his WITCHES AND OTHER NIGHT-FEARS: “Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimaeras—dire stories of Celaeno and the Harpies—may reproduce themselves in the brain of superstition—but they were there before. They are transcripts, types—the archetypes are in us, and eternal. How else should the recital of that which we know in a waking sense to be false come to affect us at all? Is it that we naturally conceive terror from such objects, considered in their capacity of being able to inflict upon us bodily injury? O, least of all! These terrors are of older standing. They date beyond body—or without the body, they would have been the same. . . . That the kind of fear here treated is purely spiritual—that it is strong in proportion as it is objectless on earth, that it predominates in the period of our sinless infancy—are difficulties the solution of which might afford some probable insight into our ante-mundane condition, and a peep at least into the shadowland of pre-existence.” Next week we will continue to follow the protagonist of this novel as he descends into the supernatural horror of irredeemable evil, in our third reading. Hey, Kids! Don't miss the online performance of the first Ask Dr. Hal! show of this year, the night of Sunday, March 19th! The program begins at 6:00 PM. Watch at www.askdrhalshow.com --and then visit our post-show chat room! (Not affiliated with Radio Valencia)

AN ARABIAN TALE, From an Unpublished Manuscript, or, The History of the Caliph Vathek, with Notes Critical & Explanatory, by the Rt. Rev. Samuel Henley-- by William Beckford, published 1786 (in French), 1787 in English. Let's hear from Joe Landsdale: "VATHEK is white-hot crazy... [a] dream that feels like an episode from the ARABIAN NIGHTS with a Gothic nightmare inside of it... The hero... one Caliph Vathek... denounces Islam and... sets out to obtain great supernatural powers and everlasting life. All this, of course, involves a Satanic pact, as well as a travelogue of dark exploration, culminating in what might be described as an examination of the lower regions of Hell... ...[T]his novel... allows us to tour places most of us wouldn't want to go, but don't mind seeing through a kind of literary glass, like visiting an aquarium and observing a shark enjoy chunks of bleeding meat at mealtime. [Vathek]... is humorous for awhile, then less so, and finally so strange it nears running off the rails and tumbling into an abyss... Even its failures are grand and stimulating, like watching a boxer who is knocked down repeatedly, continue to rise from the mat and keep on swinging." Today, a French-criticism inspired, insufferable elite, denounce this book and others for being about a foreign culture yet from a different culture. Such tropes and ideological rigidities will not concern us, so beware! We'll read this book at every show's beginning until it's done. NOTE: I was quite wrong about the date of my own oncoming online show, which is somehow both on Zoom and Twitch. Perhaps on Zoom through Twitch? It's not this coming Sunday-- it's NEXT Sunday, on March 19th! 6:00 PM out here on the Coast; we're starting an hour earlier to appease complaints from our East Coast listeners.

NOPE. That is the opinion of this show, for the record. We get there, after traveling across a spectrum of many variegated subjects and Poetick Recitations. No guests this time. No guests, but much following along, according to the Chatterbox records. We advertise our upcoming Zoom/Twitch show on March 11th. To recap what's often mentioned, these shows are always on the Second Sunday of the month they're in. This year we only do four, and what's coming is the first of these Quarterly episodes. How sad we were to discover that most of our archived shows are no longer available for download-- some sort of "Computer Glitch" has thrown away everything before 2021, and only SOME of these programs are there for that year. Download while U can, folks. But! A certain Rev. Filius asserts that HE recorded them all and can provide them as well as KrOB's similarly Lost Shows. If this is true, it encourages us to continue with this whatever-it-is despite the dispiriting influence of unheard complaints, (still) un-fixed broken equipment and audio pollution from an overwhelming tide of mediocre music. Not "RV's" regular programming-- but un-insulated leakage through the thin wall between our Studio and the rumbustious, next-door Make Out Room... NOTE: The Zoom'Twitch Ask Dr. Hal! shows aren't going away any time soon. THEY are preserved with the best back-up systems-- and back-ups on the back-ups, as Professor Nathaniel P. Wingate would say. These are FREE to download. What's stopping you?

YOU KNOW THE TYPE. Face always trained on the inevitable Distraction Device-- anything to avoid introspective thought --spine permanently curved forward like a backwards question mark... yet Clark Aston Smith's THE HUNTERS FROM BEYOND got to some of 'em, we hear... Yes, poor Zombot, there may be other worlds than ours which lie very close by, alien and malignant. That loosely encapsulates the tenor of this particular episode, which includes Smith's entire story. Everyone seems to have heard of (H.P.) Lovecraft and (R.E.) Howard, but the amazingly poetic and brilliant autodidact Smith doesn’t have the same literary ubiquity. A talented poet, painter, and sculptor, Smith made his biggest impact with his macabre fantasy and science-fiction short stories. But his unique style and themes could never make him widely popular. One of his greatest admirers, Ray Bradbury, said that Smith was “a special writer for special tastes; his fame was lonely... Every writer is special in some way, and those who are more than ordinarily special are either damned or lost along the way.” Thankfully, Clark Ashton Smith has never been fully lost. Many modern fantasy writers list him as an influence, and a handful of publishers keep his stories in print. He is often featured right here via Dr. H. Owll's promotion via the reading of his works. Also, much of secret lore, for those who can take it...

--THE LATEST iteration of the ever-evolving creation of the Puzzling Evidence-KrOB-Dr. H. Owll sensation. It's a somewhat-long presentation which perhaps lacks orientation. We are without Sarah Goldie, our traditional Hostess, while Reloadio's new high-tech Studios are still under construction. However, until the upcoming time we swing into action in our special Redoubt, the Ask Dr. Hal! Show will host these fully downloadable podcasts. For those just experiencing them, we say it's unwise to expect that the offering found here will be in any way organized; it's rather an improvisation session of significant length. Stay with it after it starts, and you may eventually find yourself in somewhat familiar territory. Dip in your toe, and you may stay to swim with us.