Know Alls/

[Palomar]

5 hours ago, Hecate said:

To venture in to this far more interesting topic: you might enjoy The Lovecraft Investigations podcast, especially the second series (The Whisperer in Darkness), which centres around the Rendlesham Forest incident, linking in Suffolk folklore including Black Shuck, the demon hound that haunts the area.  Very strongly recommend starting with series 1 though, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.  You'll not find anything better on your listening device of choice over the festive season.

Have downloaded Whisperer in Darkness and started listening, but just noticed you strongly recommend staring with Series 1. It appears to be a compendium of things I have at some point being obsessed with, Number Stations being one. I remember late night dial scanning on my Binatone Worldstar Multiband Radio. I read Jarvis Cocker's Good Pop / Bad Pop the other week and there was a picture of his Binatone Worldstar, which brought back fond memories of picking up these distinctive and ephemeral sounds.

 

Number Station example

https://youtu.be/qlPinxknxoI?si=3uVRCDiRqY9xTovl

 

Binatone Worldstar

https://youtu.be/R-wlizPhRtA?feature=shared

 

Any tips for what to do while listening to podcasts, I'm too fidgety to just sit and listen, I listen to an audiobook every night while falling asleep but it has to be non-fiction. I'll try listening while walking, but normally I'm happy just to think and look around.

 

Saying that I've just listened to Altus' Mythical Creatures Black Dog episode while playing computer pinball, and that sunk in alright. I'm stuck indoors with a Xmas cold btw.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Palomar
Pinball!

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Palomar said:

Have downloaded Whisperer in Darkness and started listening, but just noticed you strongly recommend staring with Series 1. It appears to be a compendium of things I have at some point being obsessed with, Number Stations being one. I remember late night dial scanning on my Binatone Worldstar Multiband Radio. I read Jarvis Cocker's Good Pop / Bad Pop the other week and there was a picture of his Binatone Worldstar, which brought back fond memories of picking up these distinctive and ephemeral sounds.

 

Number Station example

https://youtu.be/qlPinxknxoI?si=3uVRCDiRqY9xTovl

 

Binatone Worldstar

https://youtu.be/R-wlizPhRtA?feature=shared

 

Any tips for what to do while listening to podcasts, I'm too fidgety to just sit and listen, I listen to an audiobook every night while falling asleep but it has to be non-fiction. I'll try listening while walking, but normally I'm happy just to think and look around.

Ah yes, numbers stations.  I'm sure I come across those in The Unexplained magazine too.  Our music teacher in junior school had us singing The Lincolnshire Poacher, so that made for some speculations .

 

Definitely start with The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward (The beeb reloaded the episodes a week or so ago after the licence expired and now some of them are in the wrong order so beware of inadvertently skipping an episode).  The four series build on each other like very few other things I've listened to, and you'll certainly be missing out - and perhaps find some references rather confusing - if you don't go in order through all four series.

 

I could rhapsodise about this series for hours, but I started a thread a while back about it here, in which I pretty much do that so I won't repeat myself here as much as I'm tempted.  If you think you'll get into it, have a hunt about the larger Pleasant Green universe and check out Simpson's earlier audiodramas (particularly the Mythos trilogy - which has a tad more comedy than the Lovecraft episodes - and Bad Memories; the latter is essential before series 4, and the former gives background on Parker, who you'll run into in series 2, and of Mary Lairre, who you'll also meet at some point before series 4.  Possibly .  Don't skip the bonus episodes, but don't listen to them first).  

 

I listen to podcasts while I'm on the stepper, or washing up, or knitting, or in the shower, or doing something else that doesn't require me to pay too much attention to anything other than what I'm listening to.  I've always listened to audiodramas, old time radio and whatnot where I might otherwise listen to music.

 

I do hope you enjoy Lovecraft.  I'm somewhat obsessed with it.

 

 

[Guest]

@Palomar I forgot to mention: make sure that for series 1 - 3 (Dexter Ward, Whisperer, Innsmouth) you're not downloading the shorter 15 or so minute versions.  The original, longer versions are 20-40 ish minutes, and went out as the BBC Sounds Podcast episodes.  Radio 4 subsequently edited each episode for a fifteen minute slot for radio broadcast.  I think both versions are/were available on the BBC site.

 

Series 4 was commissioned directly by Radio 4 instead of BBC Sounds, and alas they specified fifteen minute episodes.  Although they're just as interesting and enjoyable, they feel a bit more rushed.