Season Four Conclusion – A Long-expected Goodbye!

PODCAST:

S4 Conclusion – A Long-expected Goodbye!*

SHOW NOTES:

So concludes another season of our podcast “No Deodorant In Outer Space” (NDIOS). This time around was a lot of fun. The inclusion of new guests with fresh perspectives really added to the catalog of thoughts, while at the same time it was comforting to catch up with old favorites as well (including my former co-hosts). For me, the season was a successful adventure that allowed me to pursue more stories with more people. Our discussions were just as eye-opening and maddening as before, and probably four times as enjoyable!

In taking on the helm by myself I was able to avoid most of the burn out and fatigue that was causing some strains in the previous iteration of the podcast. That said, and because of the way I chose to produce this unwieldy ship, I found myself becoming increasingly burdened and buried by the various administrative functions I felt were important to keep things afloat. It was a familiar place and the same one I found myself at by the end of Season Three. However, I had tried to streamline the process by recording an entire season worth of episodes ahead of time and held off the start until that was complete. This allowed me to release the podcast on a clockwork schedule with almost no hiccups along the way. Unfortunately, I did not account for the fact that life would get busier, as it often does, and that the postponed editing and administrative work would soon consume more and more of my free time once things got going. I was determined to keep things dutifully on schedule. For the podcast, I did. Inevitably, my writing aspirations took more and more of a backseat (as before).

I must therefore, again, bid you all farewell. There are no more NDIOS podcasts recorded. This journey has taken me the better part of two years: one spent lining up guests, reading, watching, and reviewing the material and recording the episodes; and the other spent editing and administering the show on a timely schedule. I enjoyed it all immensely! Thank you to everyone for participating and putting up with my neurotic personality while I produced our discussions. My guests were all great and the material was exciting to cover (even when it wasn’t!).

To anyone who listened I would also sincerely thank you for checking us out or continuing to listen to this crazy experiment. I hope it was as funny as it was informative (perhaps, sometimes, neither?!)–at the least I hope it served as a background distraction while you folded your laundry or tended to some yard work or avoided other chores that would have been a much better use of your time. Occasionally, life needs these indulgent distractions!

The future is dark and the stars are infinite. I do not know if the podcast will ever return or in what manner it might. I have had many thoughts on the subject, but nothing definitive. What I do know, is that I still cherish the medium and listen to many other (probably better) podcasts myself. Continue to support these efforts, its wonderful to have so many options to peak our curiosities and entertain us. Keep reading, keep watching, keep discussing, keep learning, and keep laughing!

With that I’ll say… Goodnight!**

-Ryan

**FYI: This episode recording is in small part an inspiration, tribute, and parody of the farewell speech made by the immortal character, Bilbo Baggins, for his 111th birthday party in the opening chapter, “A Long-expected Party,” of The Fellowship of the Ring as written by one of my most favorite authors: J.R.R. Tolkien.

 

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Review: “Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather (2006)” by Vadim Jean (Michelle Dockery)

PODCAST:

S4E12M – Hogfather (BBC miniseries)*

SHOW NOTES:

Wherein we take our final curve around the Disc this holiday with former co-host, Richard Mehl a/ka/ Rick, and his wife, Discworld fan, Heather Mehl! 

Right out from under the flapping fins of the giant space faring sea turtle we were reminded by Rick just how problematic and conspiratorial he feels about BBC adaptations. Heather couldn’t disagree more and this episode got increasingly bonkers as it gained momentum coming to a conclusion as zany as its subject. Ryan rolled with the dips and dives holding steadfast and predictably milquetoast in his appreciation for visual works coming out of Britain.  

Despite any misgivings, there was a general consensus that even with, perhaps, a more limited budget and means, this miniseries managed to squeeze in a generous amount of the plethora of satirical detail typical to a Discworld book (Some even mentioned the possibility of repeat viewings for the future!). So, please, kindly enjoy this rip-roaring discussion that should at least bring as much eye-rolling and smirking as it did derision and malcontent.*

-Ryan

*Note: For podcast context, these episodes were recorded chronologically prior to the “Second Variety” and “Screamers” episodes Rick was on this season which were released before this one.

 

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

“Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather (2006)” by Vadim Jean (Michelle Dockery)

Ryan: 4 Stars “…a lovingly crafted live-action adaptation of an excellent book, which takes the time to incorporate and translate all the nuances of Pratchett’s multi-faceted satire and philosophical humor into a visual medium…”

Rick: -27 Stars “…I thought it was distorted, filtered, sanitized for the capitalist world, sort of paying tribute to the overlords, the producers, the BBC; and I can’t believe Terry Pratchett allowed this version of his story to be broadcast…”

Heather: 4 Stars “…a surprising amount of detail for what they were trying to encompass in the movie…”

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

In this episode we talked about how the author was involved with the production of the miniseries. The screenplay credits him with having it “Mucked About By” him. In addition to that he made an on screen cameo with a character he named “Joshua Isme” who works for a store titled “Toys Is Me.”

The 45 minute documentary about the making of “Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather” entitled “The Whole Hog,” can be seen here”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfkM5Z1ncJ4. As part of promotional efforts for the release of this first live action adaption of a Discworld book the character of Death was enlisted to do a parody video which helped viewers get more familiar with the author’s fantasy world setting. These 13 videos were comprise the “Twelve Days of Hogswatch” which can be viewed at this playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1WfvgLecJE&list=PLs0Ii_i8714OCtpVhB3of-49EIm_Gcorq.

Lastly, the other podcast mentioned by Ryan was an episode of “The Sewers of Paris” with guest Scott Flashheart called “How to be Awesome (Ep. 133-Terry Pratchett)”: http://www.mattbaume.com/sewers-shownotes/2017/9/27/scott.

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Review: “Hogfather” – Terry Pratchett

PODCAST:

S4E12B – Hogfather (book)*

SHOW NOTES:

Wherein we close out the year with a satirical and ponderous fantasy holiday classic! Joining me on this third time round the Disc is former co-host, Richard Mehl a/ka/ Rick, and his witty wife, Heather Mehl, who’s no stranger to this series herself! 

Ryan focused the discussion heavily on the central themes explored by the author concerning myths and beliefs and what they mean to humanity. Heather preferred a lighter more entertaining read of this many-layered work and enjoyed the sharp agency and proactive nature of the female protagonist. While Rick struggled with the protagonist’s motivations, he did enjoy poignant moments of reflection among the lower class members of society on the Disc.  

Overall, Heather, found this novel in keeping with the general high-standard she has experienced while reading other books in the series. Ryan and Rick agreed with their more limited knowledge of Discworld. Like others in the series, no prior read is necessary, and this one is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a way into the famous Discworld books.*

-Ryan

*Note: For podcast context, these episodes were recorded chronologically prior to the “Second Variety” and “Screamers” episodes Rick was on this season which were released before this one.

 

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

“Hogfather (1996)” by Terry Pratchett

Ryan: 5 Stars “…Densely wrapped satire cleverly tucked in around a holiday plot loaf of good cheer, and baked with a robust premise which is both refreshingly poignant and wildly genius—it’s an important Hogswatch on the Disc this season—mind the bells—Glingleglingleglingle!!!…”

Rick: 4 Stars “…like being on a wild and crazy sleigh ride through this sort of kaleidoscopic nether land of Discworld…”

Heather: 5 Stars “…having read more than the both of you put together, of his books, I would say it was very typical…”

(Click the links to read full written reviews on Goodreads.com)

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

In this episode we discussed how the author was reluctant to have his Discworld books adapted for film because he wanted to retain control over the quality and also the merchandising rights. In 2006 Hogfather became the first live action adaptation followed by The Colour of Magic in 2008 and Going Postal in 2010 (both covered previously on this podcast in episodes S2E2 and S1E8 respectively). However, prior to all these there were two animated mini series released in 1997 for Wyrd Sisters and Soul Music preceded by a 1996 short entitled “Welcome to Discworld.” All three feature the voice talent of an actor frequently mentioned on this podcast in the role of Death: Christopher Lee.

Among things that the author did license were a nifty and collectible 3-D “Unseen University Cut-Out Book” in 2006 and “Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather The Illustrated Screenplay” in 2009. Even though he considered his fantasy world un-mapable he did eventually help create some with the “Discworld Map” in 1995, “The Compleat Ankh-Morpork” city guide in 2014, and “The Compleat Discworld Atlas: Of General & Descriptive Geography Which Together With New Maps and Gazetteer Forms a Compleat Guide to Our World & All It Encompasses“ in 2015. As an aside, we’ve mentioned before that there are fan-created reading maps for readers to show various ways into the impressive catalog of stories which encompass this series. If you’re looking to explore, but don’t know where to start here is a an io9 article titled “How To Read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Series, In One Handy Chart” by Risa Mira on that subject: https://io9.gizmodo.com/how-to-read-terry-pratchetts-discworld-series-in-one-h-1567312812 and an updated graphic here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#/media/File:Discworld_Reading_Order_Guide_3.0_(cropped).jpg.

Pratchett himself enjoyed video games and licensed off parts of Discworld over the years for such use. The earliest iteration was a faithful adaptation of “The Colour of Magic” in 1986 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colour_of_Magic_(video_game)) that came in the form of a text adventure computer game (Here’s a YouTube video walk-through: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw54uOykjN4). In 2006 this work was adapted again for mobile play as an isometric action game (Here is a link for a short synopsis and screenshots for Moby games: https://www.mobygames.com/game/discworld-the-colour-of-magic and one for Pocketgammer: https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/001084/discworld-the-colour-of-magic/).

A series of point-and-click adventure games followed with Eric Idle as Rincewind in the 1995 “Discworld (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld_(video_game)) and in 1997 “Discworld II: Missing Presumed…” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld_II:_Missing_Presumed…!%3F). Another adventure game focused on a private investigator from the Disc was released in 1999 called “Discworld Noir” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld_Noir).

That all said, the earliest of earliest Discworld games was a text based multi-user dungeon game designed by fans and released in 1991: Discworld MUD (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld_MUD). This game still exists and you can play it here on its official website: http://discworld.starturtle.net/lpc/. Also, in a random retro shout-out on the show Rick mentioned one of the very earliest text adventure games that existed, the cult classic, “Zork” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zork)!

For more info on Discworld games you can check out an FAQ at the L-Space Web (A Terry Pratchett/Discworld website): http://www.lspace.org/games/discworld/faq.html#part1.2. When interviewed somewhat recently the author’s daughter remarked about the possibility of some of the old games being re-released for retro enjoyment, but the prospects looked murky. Check out that article “The Original Discworld Games Are Stuck In Limbo” by Alex Walker for Kotaku here: https://www.kotaku.com.au/2018/05/the-original-discworld-games-are-stuck-in-ip-limbo/.

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During the episode we mentioned different documentaries that Pratchett was involved with at the end of his life concerning Alzheimer’s and assisted death. Those are as follows:

• “Terry Pratchett: Living With Alzheimer’s” a two-part BBC documentary in 2009: 
  • • Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmejLjxFmCQ; and 
    • Part Two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTgqocgY5Ww;
• “Shaking Hands with Death” his 2010 BBC Richard Dimbleby lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90b1MBwnEHM; and
• “Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die” a 2011 BBC Scotland documentary: https://vimeo.com/229120539.

Lastly, we talked at length about Death’s speech to his adopted granddaughter Susan about the importance of myth and fantasy and believing in “the little lies” to be human, in order “to be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.” A clip of this speech from the television adaptation we will be reviewing in the next episode can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUt6sPXQQus.

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Preview Episode (Hogfather)

PODCAST:

S4E12P – Preview Episode (Hogfather)

SUBJECT MATTER:

“Hogfather (1996)” by Terry Pratchett

“Who would want to harm Discworld’s most beloved icon? Very few things are held sacred in this twisted, corrupt, heartless—and oddly familiar—universe, but the Hogfather is one of them. Yet here it is, Hogswatchnight, that most joyous and acquisitive of times, and the jolly, old, red-suited gift-giver has vanished without a trace. And there’s something shady going on involving an uncommonly psychotic member of the Assassins’ Guild and certain representatives of Ankh-Morpork’s rather extensive criminal element. Suddenly Discworld’s entire myth system is unraveling at an alarming rate. Drastic measures must be taken, which is why Death himself is taking up the reins of the fat man’s vacated sleigh . . . which, in turn, has Death’s level-headed granddaughter, Susan, racing to unravel the nasty, humbuggian mess before the holiday season goes straight to hell and takes everyone along with it.“ (from Goodreads.com)

*** * ***

“Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather (2006)” by Vadim Jean (Michelle Dockery)

“From the mind of Terry Pratchett comes “Hogfather,” a fantastic miniseries set in a parallel universe. It’s the night before Hogswatch on Discworld, and the Hogfather has gone missing, in a plot by the evil Auditors to destroy human belief and make the planet their own. Death takes Hogfather’s place to deliver presents to all the children at the mid-winter festival.” (from Amazon.com)

 

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Review: “2001: A Space Odyssey” – Stanley Kubrick

PODCAST:

S4E11M – 2001: A Space Odyssey (movie)*

SHOW NOTES:

Wherein we ride this cosmic starship past the moon and head straight for the rings of Saturn—rather, Jupiter. Once more round the sun I am accompanied by musician John Doyle a/k/a Dole (I Decline, Theurgy) and sci-fi fan Richard Bacon. We three arrive, at last, to stare in perplexed amazement and wonder at this speculative fiction masterpiece.

It was no surprise that this film received universal praise from all three of us. While Ryan tended to cite examples of contributions by others including the co-creator of the story and the recruitment of clever forerunners in the special effects field, the guests were more focused on the director’s vision. Dole greatly appreciated that in the film everything was not explained for him and much was left to the viewer’s interpretation—though, he admitted the book provided a new perspective. Rich agreed and recounted a screening of the work he attended while in university that was introduced by actor James Earl Jones who provided some historical context.

Like, as before, we closed out this episode with another teaser track from Dole’s “Theurgy” band project (Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Theurgy-233634134183768/) called “Dreamcatcher”. Check out this preview of dark wave music at the end of the episode!

-Ryan

 

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

“2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)” by Stanley Kubrick (movie)

Ryan: 5 Stars “…an ode to space travel and mankind’s cosmic destiny that takes painstaking attention to scientific detail with deft poetic breath and all around general sense of contemplative bewilderment and awe…”

Dole: 5 Stars “…mind-blowing…I mean it’s so influential on any sci-fi film ever since created…”

Rich: 5 Stars “…a cinematic masterpiece—a must see, for anyone who wants to appreciate serious films…”

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

On this episode Ryan mentioned a collection of audio interviews of the director which included a collage of still photos. You can watch “Stanley Kubrick: The Lost Tapes” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/QsSV6yZZIVk.

Some other podcasts about our subject work mentioned (maybe not by name) on our episode were the
Now Playing Podcast (http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/episode.htm?id=1222) and a June 2018 interview of Michael Benson author of “Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece” by Martin Bandyke for Under Covers and the Ann Arbor District Library (https://aadl.org/node/377257).

There were two short documentaries which inspired the special effects for this movie and where the director curated some of his crew. One was “To the Moon and Beyond” which was part of the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair Exhibit and narrated by Rod Serling (Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Moon_and_Beyond). The other film was titled “Universe” and put out by the National Film Board of Canada (Wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe_(1960_film)), and that one can be seen on the film board’s website or YouTube here: https://youtu.be/48gIN4hGOdI.

As noted on the show the author and director sought the help of other noted science fiction writers during the evolution of this unique project. Here is an article by Michael Moorcock for the New Statesman America titled “Close to tears, he left at the intermission: how Stanley Kubrick upset Arthur C. Clarke.” – https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2017/01/close-tears-he-left-intermission-how-stanley-kubrick-upset-arthur-c-clarke. Another article about Carl Sagan by Stefan Andrews for The Vintage News concerns how “Carl Sagan advised Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick on extra-terrestrial life for their masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey”” – https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/03/10/carl-sagan-advised-arthur-c-clarke-and-stanley-kubrick-on-extra-terrestrial-life-for-their-masterpiece-2001-a-space-odyssey/.

Ryan talked about noted special effects guru Douglas Trumbull who was recruited to work on the film. Although Trumbull couldn’t get effects together to make the rings of Saturn to the satisfaction of this director, he did it later for his own directorial effort in the science fiction film “Silent Running,” which starred actor Bruce Dern. Here is a forum discussion related to this topic: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/177/why-is-the-destination-of-the-discovery-in-2001-a-space-odyssey-saturn-in-the-b.

With regard to the final stargate sequence of the movie Rich couldn’t help, but cite the line “They went plaid!” spoken by comedy actor John Candy as Barf the Mog (half man/half dog) from the ultimate science fiction Star Wars parody movie “Space Balls.” Watch that full scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0.

It should also be stated that “Douglas Rain,” who provided the voice for the computer Hal 9000 died after the recording of our podcast episode, but before it’s release so it was not mentioned during the show: https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/douglas-rain-voice-of-hal-in-2001-a-space-odyssey-di-1830379580.

Lastly, Dole mentioned his new band project “Theurgy,” which is a post-punk dark wave band. You can check out rough cuts of their music on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/theurgyband/sets/exit-strategies-rough-mixes?fbclid=IwAR13ja8J6euwpSHXAS05aIFnFuKcbd4z18TGWrMu0JK3c_-4vVW8VDBJlxw. At the end of the podcast episode their is a fully mastered teaser from their forthcoming song “Dreamcatcher.” They hope to have their music available on bandcamp soon: https://theurgytransmissions.bandcamp.com/. Until then follow them on facebook and instagram.

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.