...AGAINST MY RUINS. A solo show with no guests-- but we are now back producing programs that are recorded and may be downloaded at last. So the station lurches back to normalcy, or its own version of the same. The equipment is still broken. The head of "RV" suggested that we just ask the fans to bail the show out of the crisis of having, for more than a year, a broken CD deck with only one working tier. The studio telephone actually comes through that assemblage, or rather does not in that junk's inert condition. If anyone does care to help replace the CD player, since the station won't, does not care and has said so-- send Moneeee to this outfit, and SAY it's to replace the equipment we need to do basic sound mixing on our own show. Do mention the name-- the Ask Dr. Hal! Show. There's only one by that name in this podcast factory.

OUR FIRST SHOW after the computer failure that ended Radio Valencia's presence for awhile-- first a reminiscence about unexpected encounters with improbably large spiders, then an effortless segue into "The Curse of Yig" a collaboration as much as a "Lovecraft revision" between Zelia Brown Bishop and H. P. Lovecraft. Although a good Lovecraft-type story, it contains many wonderful and authentic details provided by Bishop which Lovecraft could never have provided on his own. A good presentation for the (still ongoing) Halloween season... We hope Yig himself will not take offense. Heh, heh. heh...

OR, MICHAEL JOINS THE SHOW AGAIN after more than a 3-year interval. Four hours fly by as Michael J. Peppe speculates on many divers topics. No Archival recording, but the Man himself steers the program past perilous shoals of error and into hidden seas of calm intellection. The Cosmos itself has few secrets from us, as our focus finds topics very near and very far. We hope that Mr. Peppe will visit us frequently, suggesting new directions as we enter a later realm of podcast pre-eminence.

...relates the otherwise unnamed speaker’s journey to a mysterious land across the sea, where he tries but fails to make contact with the people who dwell there. He descends into despair and near-madness, after years eventually returning to his own country, to find himself utterly alienated from those he once knew. A wanderer, walking by the shore, he comes across a white bell-like shell in which he hears the sound of distant harbors and seas. It is then that a boat appears-- and he is borne away to a strange country, beyond the deep, a realm glittering, beautiful and mysterious. There, he hears the sound of distant music, voices and footfalls, but when he seeks the source of the sound the mysterious inhabitants of the land only flee from him.

Climbing onto a mound, he presumptuously names himself the King of the place, and challenges its people to come forth. Instead, however, darkness descends upon him, and he falls to the ground, blinded and bent.

Afterward, he wanders in the wood, growing old. And, after a year and a day, broken and weary he seeks out the sea and boards a ship that will take him back to his own land.

When he arrives home, though, the sea-bell is silent, and he is alienated from his own world, misunderstood and forsaken by those he once knew.

In addition to the labor needed to make the intellectual and spiritual journey, such a pilgrim may also suffer aloneness from the resulting separation from those uninspired, the secret treasure of enlightenment a comfort oblique to the vital need a living, social being bears for community and human understanding.

Then, the solitary journey's pangs are appeased by human connection. When KrOB pays a welcome visit, the incident at once deflects all morose wallowing in existential sorrows. An additional hour provides a lighter tone, as we close after five hours. NEXT WEEK: Peppe, or not?

FROM PRIVATION TO SYBARITIC OVER-INDULGENCE, or perhaps A BURNED MAN'S RETURN. A solo effort, the show is a neat three hours. Reminiscences of that Nevada event are inevitable here. Adventures of the Mud-Men. How to walk in the sucking mud. Triops longicaudatus, the creature that lives under the Playa, shown above. As we sunk down, they rose up, as Nature maintained its usual equilibrium.

--OR, TAXONOMIES OF FANTASTIC ZOOLOGY, since a rambling discourse to such a purpose eventually develops and carries the program right up against its conclusion. Yes, we mention the old boy and his confinement within the Moon's Orbit, and that's at the beginning, following an Apostrophe to Necromancy. We know, we know-- we've spent a lot of time preaching against this practice, but here we give it some Equal Time to make its case. It's only fair. That's Clark Ashton Smith and George Meredith respectively. Now, an interesting recent book, LORDS OF THE LEFT-HAND PATH, which we loaned to somebody and never got back, makes the trenchant observation that everything you read about devil and demon worshipers has been written by the Other Side-- that is, those who vehemently oppose them. Some caution should be exercised, then, in approaching this topic. So that's this show, a mere three hours talking about Gryphons. Aramaspians, Dragons, Sea Monsters, Chimaeras, Harpies and even the Fire Salamanders in the works of Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim. And again we revisit battling theories in Vertebrate Paleontology, and stake our position in the burning controversy about just how saintly was "St." George, anyway (not very)... Then there's the entirely incorrect and false current concept of the Unicorn. What caused us to follow this enchanting but deadly creature into a Labyrinth of error? Eh? Heh, heh... Groovy, ain't it? It'll just slay 'em. And we throw in the legend of Cupid and Psyche, which comes to us in late Roman literature courtesy of the Metamorphosis of Apuleius. This show has a reputation to uphold.

OR, JETT, HOWLL, NORMAL AND KrOB could be another title which might sum up this 5-hour episode. This one might be for True Believers only. The entire thing might be viewed as an accelerated slide into irretrievable oblivion, starting with Shelley's "To a Skylark" but descending to earth soon-- and beneath it to cthonic depths. Now, at say, 0:207:05, the experiment begins between Dr. H. Owll, Jett and David Normal-- the presentation of randomly selected paragraphs from randomly selected, crumbling issues of pulp magazines from a former era of popular culture.

BY CLARK ASHTON SMITH: a reading. In this episode we perform Smith's first story of Zothique, the last continent of dying Earth (20:05). Necromancy restores an entire extinct people in that dimly-seen future world. The unlawful raising of the dead exemplifies the most evil extreme of forbidden Black magic and sorcery, a Cosmic affront to the Universe-- with an inevitable Karmic kickback of equivalent retribution-- as we shall see. Your comments are invited. After this, guest Kimmie Joan offers opinions on a multitude of subjects as we share soda-pop-- and memories. Archival material comes next, with a slight overlay, including rare KPFA Puzzling Evidence recordings of the late Dr. Ygrundas Quimby, Dr. H. Owl's younger brother, a.k.a. Jeffrey Hull Robins (obit. 2002). We round off the podcast hosting special guest KrOB, always welcome on the show. This is our first podcast following our Summer tour, itself interrupted by an assault of COVID, now vanquished but then the cause of the derailing of the first stop on the aforementioned tour. Be sure not to miss RELOADIO, circa 10PM on Saturday night. Go t the Facebook Reloadio Page to follow and for download instructions... CAUTION: Do not be cowed by a squirt of Dead Air which unaccountably occurs before the reading begins. We are plagued, as often noted, by the frequent failure of the digital instrumentalities of the underlying System.

OF FRESHWATER bodies-- Nereids are the Oceanic variety. NAIADES (Naiads) were the nymphs of rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, fountains and springs. They were minor goddesses who attended the assemblies of the gods on Mount Olympus. Pegaiai (Pegaeae) were the Nymphs of springs; Krenaiai (Crenaeae) were Naiads of fountains; Potameides presided over rivers and streams; Limnades and Limnatides inhabited lakes and Heleionomai were the nymphs of marshes and wetlands.

Naiades, in conjunction with the goddess Artemis, were nurses of the young and the protectors of girls, overseeing their safe passage from child to adult. Apollon and the River-Gods were the complimentary guardians of boys.

In myth many Naiades were the wives of kings and hold a prominent place in the royal genealogies. Others, such as the beautiful daughters of the River Asopos, were loved by the gods. They often gave their names to towns, cities and islands, and as such were surely regarded as the goddess-protectors of a settlement's main water supply such as a spring, fountain, or well.

SPECIAL ADDED ATTRACTION-- Visit from KrOB1

AND ADDITIONAL DECIPHERING, including a (limited) concluding recitation from Macaulay's LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME, viz., HORATIUS AT THE BRIDGE. Everything comes round again (and again... and again...) --getting enough sleep can lessen this repetitiveness. You know, there are still some copies out there. The book was ahead of its time. Also with Sufism and other Archival Iterations. More than the usual three hours, yet not four. Sometimes less is said to be more. A solo offering-- to the Gods...

--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...