1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Listener Mail. My name is Robert Land, and I'm Joe McCormick, 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: and this is the inaugural of our recurring series of 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,159 Speaker 1: weekly listener mail episodes. If you've been listening to the 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: show for a while, we have. We've had a tradition 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: for several years now of sort of rounding up listener 8 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: mail every couple of months. But now we're going to 9 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: turn this into a weekly episode. So these will be 10 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: shorter than our normal episodes, but we'll be trying to 11 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: to check in with your your feedback and and reach 12 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: into the mail bag on a on a more regular basis. Yeah, 13 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,599 Speaker 1: so let us know if this is good, if this 14 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: is bad, it's it's new. That's that's that's for sure. 15 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: But yeah, we're gonna you know, I guess the idea 16 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: is that if we do it every week, that the 17 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: the upside is it's more of a continual exchange of 18 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: ideas between uh, you the listener and UH and us 19 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: the host, as opposed to just sort of touching base 20 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: every month or two. Now, in this first one, I'm 21 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: gonna say, we're still going to be playing some catch 22 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: up because there was a bunch of mail that we 23 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: tried to get into in our last full listener Mail episode. 24 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 1: We didn't even come close. So we're still rounding up 25 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: some responses to our Halloween season episodes. This is gonna 26 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: be a sort of Halloween hangover a Listener mail. But 27 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: I would say in the future, we're gonna try to 28 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: be getting into mail that is about more recent episodes, 29 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,120 Speaker 1: so hopefully within the you know, past couple of weeks 30 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: before each episode airs. All right, well, let's go ahead 31 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: and uh and see what the mail boat has for 32 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: us this time. Uh, let's see. Do you want to 33 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: take this one, Joe or shall I sure I can 34 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: read this one here? From James. This is in response 35 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: to our episode about the Leshy, the creature of Slavic 36 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: mythology who's kind of a I think I called him 37 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: a malevolent trickster end. He's a spirit of the woods 38 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: who's somewhat beast of the forest, somewhat tree himself and uh, 39 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: and is generally bad and we'll do bad things to you. 40 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: So this is what James had to say, Hi, Robert 41 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: and Joe, I love the Lessie episode, and I never 42 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: heard of the Lessie prior to listening. I'm glad you 43 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: made the connection to swamp Thing. Since reading Alan Moore's 44 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 1: saga of the swamp Thing on a plane once, it 45 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: is always stuck with me that swamp Thing is a 46 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 1: much deeper character than some of those he had been 47 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 1: paired with over the years. For example, I had a 48 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: Hulk Versus swamp Thing comic as a kid. Uh, Rob, 49 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: do you know that one? I don't. I'm I'm pretty 50 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: much only familiar with the Alan Moore run of the comic, 51 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: as well as some of the other stuff that he 52 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: was up to on you know, various TV and film incarnations. Um. 53 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, I always thought that swamp Thing was was 54 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: pretty deep. I mean, I'm not about to cast out 55 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: on the depth of the Hulk, because I know that 56 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: the Hulk has been around a while, so I'm sure 57 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: there have been some some some deeper treatments of that character. 58 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: But yes, swamp Thing, especially as presented by Alan Moore 59 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: as a is a wonderfully rich character. Okay, James continues, 60 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: the discussion about getting lost reminded me of something that 61 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: happened when I was very young. It was certainly not 62 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: a life threatening moment, but here goes. My cousins and 63 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: I were at a beach with a coastal woodland behind 64 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: the dunes. I was the oldest, about twelve years old, 65 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 1: and we decided we should explore the woodland, being sure 66 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: we would only need to turn around and head straight 67 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: back to the beach when we needed to. After a 68 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: few minutes of crawling under logs and pushing through bushes, 69 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: the adults on the beach called for us to come out. 70 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: We could hear them and headed in what we thought 71 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: was their direction. We seemed to be bashing through the 72 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: bush far longer than we had on the way in. 73 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 1: We realized we weren't going the right way and we're lost. 74 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: Several times we stopped and listened, then changed direction to 75 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: move toward the voices on the beach. It felt as 76 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: though every direction we chose was wrong and we were 77 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: beginning to freak out. I was sure that if we 78 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: looked for open sky, it would signify the edge of 79 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: the woodland. Time after time, this theory was proven wrong. 80 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: After what might have been about thirty minutes, my cousin 81 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: caught a glimpse of something and following her lead. Within 82 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: a few strides, we'd step back onto the dunes. Needless 83 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: to say, the adults were relieved to see us, and 84 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: I was not the favorite nephew that afternoon. I couldn't 85 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: understand how it repeatedly got it so wrong until listening 86 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,119 Speaker 1: to Joe's explanation of the science of being lost. Most 87 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 1: likely I was leading us in circles just meters from 88 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: the edge. More recently, my partner and I were walking 89 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: back from the same beach as a storm was approaching. 90 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: It's a place I still often go for holidays and 91 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: is very familiar to me, less so to her. The 92 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: houses and narrow roads i'll sit amongst a remnant coastal woodland. 93 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 1: I suggested we take a new route back to the house, 94 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 1: just to see what it was like. As we headed 95 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: down the different route, the wind picked up and the 96 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,280 Speaker 1: tall trees lining the street were swaying dramatically under a 97 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: dark gray sky. We were startled by a loud screeching 98 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: sound and looked up to see several yellow tailed black 99 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: cockatoos just above us. They were clinging to the swaying branches, 100 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: screeching while the wind buffeted them to and fro. We 101 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: hadn't spotted any of these birds at all until that moment. 102 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 1: Up close, they're very large, and each of them firmly 103 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 1: held one eye on us, even as they were tossed 104 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,359 Speaker 1: around by the oncoming storm. All we could hear was 105 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,799 Speaker 1: wind in the trees and their sharp screeches cutting deeply 106 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 1: into us. We felt very intimidated by the whole scene, 107 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: and when my partner asked to turn back, I agreed, 108 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: even though it meant doubling back and staying out slightly longer. 109 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 1: I should say that I am not frightened of wild 110 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: life at all, and of experienced handling wild animals, including 111 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 1: large birds. At no time were we in any danger whatsoever, 112 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: and these cockatoos are beautiful birds that I love observing 113 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: when I get the chance. However, there was something profoundly 114 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,280 Speaker 1: wild about the scene that made us feel very unwelcome. 115 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: It felt as though we were being told we had 116 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: stayed out too late, we shouldn't pass that point in 117 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: the road, and the storm, speaking through dark winged messengers, 118 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 1: was commanding us to return to the house. I got 119 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: the feeling that all of nature at that time was 120 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: one conscious force, which is not my usual belief. My 121 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: rational mind recognizes that this is simply a quirk of 122 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 1: being a human and feeling exposed in unfamiliar surroundings. I 123 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: can only imagine that if I was actually lost, like 124 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: I had been years earlier, not far from this encounter, Uh, 125 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:33,359 Speaker 1: this would have been really frightening rather than just a 126 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 1: bit spooky. Listening to the leshy episode connected these memories 127 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: for me, and I can really see how a spirit 128 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: of the forest could manifest in the mind of people 129 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: losing their way in the wild. It almost did for me. 130 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: Thanks for introducing me to a fascinating idea once again, James. Oh, 131 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 1: I love that that especially. I especially love that having 132 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: just returned from a few days with nine with just 133 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: my immediate family. Uh. Tybee Island here in Georgia, because 134 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: they have some very desolate kind of coastlines there that 135 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 1: always Uh not that I ever thought it felt like 136 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: I was getting lost, but you can imagine yourself getting 137 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: lost out there beside the dunes where the ghosts of 138 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: the forest and the ghosts of the waters mingle. Yeah, 139 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: there's a lot of wild country there to consider. Yeah, 140 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: we're really great email, James, Thanks for sharing. All right, 141 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: here's another Leshy email. This one comes to us from Adam. Hi, guys, 142 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: Happy Halloween from Massachusetts. Um. I mean you can look 143 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: at that either way. Either it's a late happy Halloween 144 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,400 Speaker 1: or it's a it's a really early one, depending you know, 145 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,239 Speaker 1: based on when we're reading this anyway, Uh, they continue. 146 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: We we take plenty of pride and scares, thrills and 147 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: traditions of this holiday, and I know you both enjoy 148 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: it as much as anyone. I'm a massive fan of 149 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: the podcast and love all of your content, but this 150 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 1: is the first time I finally willed myself to write 151 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: in on a topic. I just listened to your Leshy 152 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: podcast and found it extremely fascinating and informative on forest 153 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: myths and legends. However, I would like to politely critique 154 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: your description of the green Man and how it pertains 155 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: to European traditions. The podcast discussion encouraged me to do 156 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: some research of my own, and it was very difficult 157 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: to come across a consensus about how related, if it, all, 158 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: the various green Man figures of Europe were. In particular, 159 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: you commented that we find this green man carved into 160 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: Christian churches dating back to at least the sixth century, 161 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: hinting at a clear inspiration from, or even direct reference 162 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: to pre Christian folklore. I've included a link to an 163 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,119 Speaker 1: article by Emily Tesh below. This was a tour article 164 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,359 Speaker 1: toward dot com uh that suggests the green men folklore 165 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: we think of today is actually a product of the 166 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: twentieth century, due to a poorly researched amalgamation of various 167 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,199 Speaker 1: European myths by Lady Raglan in a nineteen thirty nine 168 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: edition of Folklore, a writing that relies more on speculation 169 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:50,559 Speaker 1: than hard facts. While there I was certainly a multitude 170 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: of similar forest spirits in pre Christian folklore, it seems 171 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: to be taken as a fact that this is why 172 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: the Christian architects were carving forest men into the churches, 173 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,959 Speaker 1: without much evidence to support the theory. It could very 174 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,240 Speaker 1: well be true, but it should be pointed out when 175 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: speculating that this idea is by no means conclusive. The 176 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: article below does a nice job of showing that in 177 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: the past few centuries that has become quite common for 178 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: one folklore author to quickly inspire a quote unquote canonical myth. 179 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 1: An idea you touched on in the Minotaur podcast that 180 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: combines and oversimplifies ancient stories, traditions, and legends to make 181 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: them easier for mainstream consumption and pop cultural reference. Thought 182 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: you would find the read interesting as well. Thank you 183 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: for all the entertainment, education, and inspiration you constantly provide. 184 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: All the best. Adam from Boston. Well, Adam, thanks for 185 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: writing in. I think this is this is a fabulous 186 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: point and I'm glad you, uh you you made it here. Um. 187 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: On one hand, I would love to return to The 188 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: Green Man in the future. I've actually wanted to do 189 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,959 Speaker 1: a Green Man episode for a long time. Um. I 190 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: guess it. It probably goes back to finally remembering catching 191 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: catching bits of the movie The Green Man starring Albert 192 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: Finney on on cable back in the day. I think 193 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: they would show it on any like on the middle, 194 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: like the dead middle of a Sunday afternoon, and I 195 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: always found that intriguing, and then of course I would 196 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: occasionally catch that I figured what it was called. But 197 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: there was a movie where Sean Connery played the Green 198 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: Night uh you know, his head gets cut off and everything. Um. 199 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: But yeah, it's it's my understanding that when we talk 200 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: about the green Man, we're really were oversimplifying, and we're 201 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: bringing together a whole bunch of different ideas um and 202 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: it would be it would be fun to research that 203 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: in greater depth in the future. And of course I 204 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 1: totally agree with this point about the dangers of forming 205 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 1: a canonical myth. I've been reading a book about Egyptian mythology, 206 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: and the author of that book makes many of the 207 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,599 Speaker 1: same points, and one of the well one of the 208 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: ways that that she puts it in that book is 209 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: that is that when you consider a myth, you have 210 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,960 Speaker 1: to consider all versions of the myth. The myth is 211 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,320 Speaker 1: all versions of the myth, which I think is a 212 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: wonderful point to make. Like, you can't you can't pick 213 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: an choose, you can't carve it down, you can't limit 214 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: it to just one narrative. It is all of it. 215 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:07,959 Speaker 1: It is all of the uh, you know, the the 216 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: the the weird things that don't line up, the things 217 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: that don't really work together. It is the you know, 218 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,719 Speaker 1: it is the version of the story that has been 219 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: retold recently. It is also the version that was told 220 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: long ago. It is all these things that you you 221 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: have to incorporate or not even incorporate. You just have 222 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: to identify them as the myth and and you should 223 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: you should be hesitant to incorporate them all and try 224 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: and cobble together something that you would call canon. That's 225 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: a very good point, and it also it introduces difficulties 226 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:43,200 Speaker 1: in reconciling how we view a myth as I don't know, 227 00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: like the subject of academic study, versus how we view 228 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: a myth as a story to be retold, Because if 229 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: it's a story to be retold, you have to tell 230 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: it one way, like you have to pick away to 231 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: tell it, even though that's sort of antithetical to the 232 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:01,080 Speaker 1: best way to really study and understand a mythological tradition. Yeah, yeah, 233 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: so this is all important stuff to keep in mind, 234 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: um when because yeah, it's hard to you know, on 235 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: one level, you know, you want to engage with the 236 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: myth um you know, accurately, and talk about where it 237 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: came from and how it changed and how it is 238 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: still changing. But on the other hand, yeah, these are 239 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: these are at the heart. You often have stories that 240 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: stick with us, characters and settings that stick with us, 241 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,040 Speaker 1: and we have that narrative impulse. It's hard to resist anyway, 242 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: if you want to check out that article that I mentioned. 243 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: It is titled The Green Man When a is a 244 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 1: myth not a myth? Uh. This was published in Tour 245 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: back in twenty nineteen. It is by Emily Tesh. All right, 246 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 1: we got a short message from nol in response to 247 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: our episode about melting. You remember the Melt movie episode, 248 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: and Noel says, Hi, first time getting in touch. Listening 249 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:53,679 Speaker 1: to your recent podcast on melting, I was reminded of 250 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: when my daughter Millie was very little and she came 251 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,960 Speaker 1: running to us in horror that she had discovered that 252 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 1: quote the wind does are melting. We then had to 253 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: explain the while while trying to gather some composure while 254 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 1: in fits of laughing, that everything was okay and what 255 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: she found was condensation on the windows. Love the show, knoll. Uh, 256 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: that is great. That's wonderful child logic, you know. Speaking 257 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 1: of the Melt episode, I think at one point in 258 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:22,680 Speaker 1: that we said are there any songs about melting? And 259 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 1: it was subsequently pointed out to us by numerous listeners. 260 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: Uh that, of course we're forgetting the modern English British 261 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: New wave song I Melt with You, which is a 262 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: great track. Um, I don't know why that didn't rattle 263 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: in either of our heads. But but yeah, there's a 264 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: melt song for you, and it is a positive melt song. 265 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: It's about melting with somebody, you know, losing these destructive 266 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,440 Speaker 1: boundaries in our life and just becoming this uh, this 267 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: pure ideal. So it's a great song for some reason. 268 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: For a long time, I think I thought that one 269 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: was by The Cure. I don't know why that's I'll 270 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 1: stop the world and melt with you. I thought it was, like, yeah, 271 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: on that same album with love song and pictures of 272 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: you and stuff. It has a very similar sound as 273 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: being someone who's kind of I love The Cure, but 274 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: I'm very much a The Cure Greatest Hits kind of listener. 275 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: Uh So, I I kind of had it loosely grouped 276 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 1: in there with them. Oh, I kind of like to 277 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: go deep on the weird Cure songs, so you know, 278 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:28,680 Speaker 1: the hanging gardens and all that stuff. Oh cool, All right, 279 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: here's one that comes to us from Aaron responding to 280 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,200 Speaker 1: our anthology of horror episodes. Hi, Robert and Joe. I 281 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: enjoyed the podcast greatly, and I've been working again through 282 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: the back catalog of your shows. I'm currently listening to 283 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: the old episode Anthology of Horror volume three from last year, 284 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: and I want to comment on the whole sixth finger thing, 285 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: the idea of having six fingers. On one hand, um uh, 286 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: polydactually is actually a dominant trait in humans and more animals. Actually, however, 287 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: it is rarely expressed because the recessive gene for five 288 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: digits is the dominant gene in the population. That being said, 289 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: if one of your parents had the dominant gene and 290 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: passed it on to you, it would be expressed. So 291 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: having six digits is not a birth defect as was 292 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: stated in the podcast. So considering that polydactically is the 293 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: dominant trait, it could in theory come into dominance in 294 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: expression if we were to do some selective breeding that 295 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: would produce more people who have this gene as dominant. 296 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: Of course, that would be horrific as you would essentially 297 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: have to perform eugenics to do this. Since the recessive 298 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: gene is is the dominant expressed gene and to increase 299 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 1: the number faster, you would want your breeding stock to 300 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 1: have two copies of the dominant gene. So I feel 301 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: that you you kind of missed out on the horrific 302 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: implications of the evolved form of the character having six fingers. 303 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: A whole lot of bad crap had to happen to 304 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: get there. Uh. There was also another episode where you 305 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 1: talked about somebody who damaged their hearing by something happening 306 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: in their mouth. I'm sorry, but I don't remember the 307 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: name of the episode. I immediately under if the damage 308 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: occurred from a pressure wave passing from the mouth up 309 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: the eustacean tube into the inner ear. Lots of people 310 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: forget about this design in our anatomy and that the 311 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 1: issues that can be caused from this connection to the 312 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: inner ear. I think this was in reference to our 313 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,560 Speaker 1: episode on the eggs. Remember exploding eggs where if you 314 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: that's right, cases where somebody microyve the hard boiled egg 315 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 1: and then bit into it and it exploded like a 316 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 1: bomb in their mouth. Finally, and one of the Anthology 317 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: of Horror episodes who referred to the Simpsons episode with 318 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: Kane and Kodos wanting to cook humans. That was one 319 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: of one of the early of not the first tree 320 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: House of Horror episodes. Kang and Kodos subduct the Simpsons 321 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: when they are in the backyard barbecuing, Lisa becomes suspicious 322 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: of the aliens and ultimately finds the alien cook's cookbook 323 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: that implies that they are fattening up the Simpsons to eat. 324 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: Much hilarity and sues as each side continues to blow 325 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: space dust off the title until they reveal that they 326 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: had no intention attention of eating the Simpsons. It's still 327 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: one of the best King and Kotos stories in my 328 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 1: honest opinion. Anyway, keep up the great work and stay safe. 329 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: Aeron um. Yeah, I recently rewatched the very first tree 330 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: House episode and this is one of them. This is 331 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: back when it's it's Kane and Kodos, but also a 332 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:19,200 Speaker 1: third alien whose name I don't remember, but it's the chef, 333 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: and it's voiced by James Earl Jones. Oh wow, I've 334 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: completely forgotten that that's not in my memory at all. Yeah, 335 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: I think James Earl Jones. Like they started off having 336 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 1: a tradition of James Earl Jones being a voice actor 337 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: in their tree House episodes, but it only lasted like 338 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: the first couple of episodes, maybe three episodes, I'm not sure. 339 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: Because of course he's the voice of of of of 340 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: the Baby of Maggie and Time and in the Time 341 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: of Punishment episode. Yeah, alright, this next message comes to 342 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: us from Robin. I believe it's a paleontologist. Robin says, Hi, 343 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: Joe and Rob and Seth listening to your Saturday Vault 344 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: episode Anthology of Horror volume two. Joe expressed that he 345 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: very much like the Twilight Zone episode that was discussed 346 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 1: shadow play. Remember that was the one about the the 347 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 1: guy who is being sent to the execution and he 348 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: tells everybody around him, you can't execute me because you're 349 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: in my dream right now. If you kill me, you 350 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: will all cease to exist. Um. And Robin goes on 351 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,120 Speaker 1: to say, you went on to discuss some really interesting 352 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: thoughts about theory of mind and the nature of consciousness. Uh, 353 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,160 Speaker 1: and I remember we talked about the possibility of like, 354 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: what if you could have a conscious mind inside your 355 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 1: conscious mind that's separate from your mind. You know, the 356 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,240 Speaker 1: brain is capable of generating consciousness. We that that seems 357 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:43,360 Speaker 1: to be observable. What if it can generate more than 358 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: one consciousness? It's hard to rule something like that out. Um, 359 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 1: So Robin continues, I believe I've written in to recommend 360 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: this book before, but I will happily recommend it again. 361 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 1: I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofsteader. It goes 362 00:18:57,520 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: into quite a bit of exploration into just what you 363 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:02,800 Speaker 1: were discussing in that segment. Joe mentions the idea of 364 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 1: simulating another consciousness within your own while practicing theory of mind, 365 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: and Rob talks about simulating those in our lives that 366 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: we know best. Well, the person that we know best 367 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:18,520 Speaker 1: is ourselves. Yes, we can simulate other consciousnesses in our 368 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: mind to greater or lesser degrees, but the highest fidelity, 369 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: best simulation is your own eye. You are the eponymous 370 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: strange Loop. We are nothing more than the pattern of 371 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 1: our thoughts and actions. And when idiosyncratic characteristics like speech, mannerisms, 372 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: philosophical positions, taste in music, et cetera, are picked up 373 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 1: by other surrounding consciousnesses and continue after the original person 374 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 1: has died, it is very much the case that a small, 375 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: pixelated version of that consciousness continues to live on in 376 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,760 Speaker 1: the remaining person or people. Anyway, I very much think 377 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 1: you folks would enjoy the book, and I would recommend 378 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: picking up a copy over the holiday season to read. 379 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 1: Not too dense, very read bull fairly quick. Cheers Robin. Well, 380 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 1: thanks Robin. Yeah, this is really interesting and yeah, I 381 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,160 Speaker 1: think we've talked about that idea before that in some 382 00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 1: strange sense, your your personality does actually live on in 383 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:14,959 Speaker 1: the memory of of other people. It's like a you know, 384 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: a sort of vhs uh second generation copy of your personality, 385 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: but it can be simulated by other people's brains. Yeah, 386 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: very cool. All right, here's another one. This is another 387 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:35,360 Speaker 1: Anthology of of Horror listener mail from Matt. Good Day, 388 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 1: Robert and Joe very much enjoyed your fourth Horror Anthology 389 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,680 Speaker 1: episode and all October episodes. Of course, I've written you 390 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: a couple of times about farming food production, and this 391 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: time I just wanted to briefly expand on one of 392 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: the things you mentioned regarding pathogen transmission from plants to humans. Specifically, 393 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 1: you mentioned fungal infestations in crops, vomit, toxin, and consequential 394 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 1: health concerns associated with elevated levels. You were absolutely correct 395 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,679 Speaker 1: that we farmers scalt and apply controls fungicides if we 396 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: see fungal pressures in our fields, not all the time. 397 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: The infection has to be serious and widespread enough to 398 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,120 Speaker 1: warrant a control, but it can be a solution. How 399 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: much disease pressure uh one has in their fields is 400 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: usually determined by every farmer's favorite gambling buddy, the weather. 401 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,400 Speaker 1: Generally speaking, corn is the crop in question when discussing 402 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: vomitoxin grain. Elevators and processors also a monitor for volomitoxin 403 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: levels by taking samples when corn shipments are delivered. This 404 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 1: was actually a front page issue in the farm community 405 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: when higher than usual toxin levels were detected across the province. 406 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 1: There were many cases of elevators turning grain shipments away. 407 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:42,239 Speaker 1: There ended up being a lot of false positives due 408 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,000 Speaker 1: to flaws and how grain is tested on site, and 409 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: it brought in some wider business strategy issues on behalf 410 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: of buyers, but certainly prompted by higher than expected vomitoxin. 411 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: One other thing most of the corn in these kinds 412 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: of discussions is seed corn, as opposed to sweet corn 413 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: destined for human consumption. Seed corn gener only goes for 414 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 1: industrial processing of various sorts, animal feeds, etcetera. This makes 415 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: the risk of vomitoxin related sickness and even and even 416 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: fainter possibility. Research on resistant hybrid varieties is ongoing as well. 417 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 1: People not aware of how these systems work and sometimes 418 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 1: get very nervous about farming and food production, often unnecessarily 419 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:22,120 Speaker 1: so thus I thought this might be of interest. Also, 420 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: there's a lot of cool science associated with it. Thanks again, Matt, 421 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,399 Speaker 1: so as Matt says, we've heard from him before about 422 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: stuff like this, and and this is great because a 423 00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 1: lot of this agricultural industrial stuff, it totally underlies our 424 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,200 Speaker 1: our entire society, like, you know, everything that we do, 425 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: all of the products that we consume, you know, you know, 426 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: this is the basis for the modern world. And and 427 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: it's so invisible to us most of the time unless 428 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: you actually work in agriculture. So yeah, I love getting 429 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: stuff like this. All right, let's move on to the 430 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,360 Speaker 1: next LISTR mail looks like you have one. They're concerning 431 00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:05,959 Speaker 1: the Minotaur, Joe. That's right. Uh so this is from Scott. 432 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: Scott says, Hello, Robert and Joe. I've looked forward to 433 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: this year's Monster Extravaganza since last October and you haven't disappointed. 434 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,399 Speaker 1: I was delighted to see the first episode dedicated to 435 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 1: the Minotaur pop up in my podcast feed last night. Coincidentally, 436 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: I've recently read a fair amount of Minotaur and Labyrinth 437 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: related content UH in recent months. Madeline Miller's teen novel 438 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: Cercy features a fantastic depiction of the Minotaur's origins, and 439 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: Susannah Clark's just released pure NeSSI is a wonderful novel 440 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 1: set in a vast, otherworldly labyrinth. To say anything more 441 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: would spoil the book's mystery, although I think it would 442 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:45,199 Speaker 1: make great fodder for a future Stuff to Blow Your 443 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: Mind episode. I also learned the exact method used by 444 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,280 Speaker 1: theseus to navigate the labyrinth is used by scuba divers 445 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: exploring shipwrecks today. They carefully unspool a wreck reel they 446 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: tie off every five feet as they pass us along 447 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 1: a wreck. When it's time to turn the dive, the 448 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: divers simply follow their line back, spooling it up as 449 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: they go. It's not a very easy feat. When I 450 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:11,639 Speaker 1: attempted to do it myself on a training dive this 451 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: past weekend, I didn't get far before my tightly wound 452 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 1: wreck reel bloomed into a rat's nest. All this leads 453 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:21,400 Speaker 1: me to the crux of this email. What are Stuff 454 00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind's favorite Halloween novels. I'm referring to 455 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,879 Speaker 1: any kind of horror, supernatural, or weird fiction that's fitting 456 00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: for October reading. Thank you for all the great episodes 457 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: you deliver weekend and week out. Happy Halloween, Scott. Oh, 458 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: I feel like we're late getting to this one. And 459 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: this is the kind of question I am so bad at, 460 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: because you know, I have lots of things I love, 461 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 1: and I'm really bad at like listing my favorite So 462 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:49,160 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, I'm probably gonna stall out horribly here. Oh, 463 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 1: I mean favorite Halloween novels. I don't know. Um, I 464 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: find that some of my favorite Halloween stuff is probably 465 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: short story based, you know, so I would I would 466 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 1: tend to to think of books of short stories, you know, 467 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:06,960 Speaker 1: pick up some some Clark Ashton Smith or I've always 468 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: been a fan of Brian McNaughton's Throne of Bones, which 469 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: is a collection of dark fantasy short stories. You can't 470 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: go wrong with Jack Vance's The Dying Earth that sort 471 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: of thing, uh, Stephen King's uh Skeleton Crew, and um, 472 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:26,120 Speaker 1: what's the other the other big short story collection he did? Um? 473 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: Um night Shift, night Shift? Yes, those are great collections. 474 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: So yeah, night Shift, because when it's the story and 475 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: that concerns uh like rats and exterminators, and they made 476 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: a fun, a fun movie out of it, as I 477 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: recall that had Brad Dora fin it, So um, yeah, 478 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: I would. I would tend to go towards some of 479 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 1: those short story books. I don't know when it comes 480 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,239 Speaker 1: to hard novels, like full blown novels. Yeah, you know, 481 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 1: King had some some great ones, for sure, but um, 482 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,920 Speaker 1: it's the short stories that really really get me. Also, 483 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: I'd say that since October, it seems like it's always 484 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:01,919 Speaker 1: such a chaotic month. There's always a lot going on, 485 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: and certainly October was was no exception to that. So 486 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: I find that short stories fit a little uh you know, 487 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 1: they fit into your schedule a little easier. You know, 488 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: it's one thing to to devote yourself to that novel, 489 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: but if it's just a short story, you can you 490 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,360 Speaker 1: can kind of sneak it in a little better. I'm 491 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 1: just trying to think actual novels that that come to mind. 492 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,480 Speaker 1: Oh well, one obvious one is Shirley Jackson's The Haunting 493 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: of Hill House, which is just a fabulous, excellent, scary 494 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: e ghost novel. Uh, that's gonna be one of the 495 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: best scary novels I've ever read. Um. Another one that 496 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,880 Speaker 1: would come to mind is actually, uh, William Peter Bladdie's 497 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: the original The Exorcist novel on which the movie is based. 498 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,880 Speaker 1: That's a great read. Huh. I've never read. I don't 499 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: know that I've read anything by him. I should pick 500 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:50,359 Speaker 1: it up and I type that back. I may have 501 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,359 Speaker 1: read a short story or two, but as far as 502 00:26:52,359 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: books of short stories go, UM, I was a big 503 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: fan of a book of short stories I read by 504 00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 1: a horror writer named Laird Baron. Especially there's one sort 505 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: of long short story or almost like novelette in there, 506 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,600 Speaker 1: called Mysterium Tremendum that is just really really scary and good. 507 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:10,640 Speaker 1: And of course I always really love the horror short 508 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 1: stories of Stephen Graham Jones. His book After the People 509 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,879 Speaker 1: Lights Have Gone Off is really good, you know. I 510 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:18,399 Speaker 1: also want to pick up on something else that, uh, 511 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 1: that they mentioned in this email, and that is Madeline 512 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: Miller's two thousand eighteen novel Searcy, which I have not read, 513 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,439 Speaker 1: but as of this recording, my wife is reading it 514 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,800 Speaker 1: right now and and she thinks it's it's it's fabulous, 515 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 1: it's it's sounds really good, you know, retelling of of 516 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:37,920 Speaker 1: the character Searcy from um from from Greek myth and 517 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,920 Speaker 1: her various interactions with the with the gods and other 518 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: figures from Greek mythology. Um so uh so, so it's 519 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 1: it sounds like it's a recommended read. I have to say. 520 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: I was. She has another book that concerns Achilles, which 521 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:55,639 Speaker 1: I was. I looked into and almost picked up a 522 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: few years back when I when I had read The 523 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: Rage of Achilles by Terrence Hawkins, and it is kind 524 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: of an Achilles bend over there for a little bit, 525 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 1: um so that one's probably worth picking up as well. Um. 526 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: And as long as I'm mentioning Terence Terence Hawkins, um, 527 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 1: I believe he's coming out with a revised edition of 528 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,679 Speaker 1: The Age the Rage of Achilles in the near future. 529 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: This is the the Iliad meets the Bicameral Mind novel 530 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: that he did. I know he put out a revised 531 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 1: episode edition of of of the the Caveman book he 532 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 1: did American Neolithic, and he has also that he has 533 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:33,240 Speaker 1: a short story book out as well titled Turings Graveyard. 534 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: So if you're interested in in any of those, go 535 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: check them out. Some more things are coming to mind. 536 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: There are obviously some some really uh scary short stories 537 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,640 Speaker 1: by Peter Watts, one of our favorite science fiction authors. 538 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:47,200 Speaker 1: Um and uh, And I just wanted to say, if 539 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,280 Speaker 1: you want to check out Stephen Graham Jones horror short stories, 540 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: there's one I think you can read online that's really 541 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: good called brush Dogs. That's a good place to start 542 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,720 Speaker 1: if you've never read a story by him. Yeah, Peter 543 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: watts short story collection Beyond the Riff is quite nice 544 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: and has just a couple of real gems in there. 545 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: All right, we're gonna go ahead and close it off there. 546 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: That's right. Then, new listener mail episodes are going to 547 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 1: be shorter. Uh. That way, we'll we'll you know, be 548 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 1: able to cover listener mail more often and perhaps you know, 549 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 1: not add as much to your listening load for the week. 550 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: So let's see. Certainly we want to hear from everybody 551 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: if you have, if you have some additional comments based 552 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: on these listener mails, let us know. And of course 553 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: we want to hear more and more from everyone regarding 554 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,000 Speaker 1: current episodes, so we can sort of keep this conversation 555 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 1: going in the meantime. If you want to check out 556 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:36,520 Speaker 1: other episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. You can 557 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 1: find us wherever you get your podcasts UM and wherever 558 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: that is. We just hope that you rate, review, and subscribe. 559 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: Core episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind will continue 560 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: to come out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then we've 561 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:50,720 Speaker 1: of course filled in UM five of the other days 562 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: with some additional content, or make that four of the 563 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: other days. I think Sunday is still still open, still free, 564 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: huge things, as always to excellent audio producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. 565 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: If you would like to get in touch with us 566 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: with feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest 567 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:08,640 Speaker 1: topic for the future, or just to say hello, you 568 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,640 Speaker 1: can email us at contact AT's Stuff to Blow your 569 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 1: Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is a 570 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my 571 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 572 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:26,680 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.