The Raconteur Roundtable: Recent Episodes
The Raconteur Roundtable
FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY - We've taken a chance to revise the schedule, and new episodes will be out every Friday! Ben celebrates in the most appropriate way. Join us this coming Friday to hear from master storyteller William Meikle.
Tina DeLucia steps back into the studio to continue her intimate discussion of early Doctor Who and its universe-building. Come for Susan's lost shoe, and stay for imaginary grandchildren and all the auxiliary grandchild. Where'd the northern accents go? All this, and James' degree is put to use. The stunning final episode of the original Television Crossover Universe Podcast! (Originally presented December 13, 2016.)
Micah S. Harris sticks around just a bit longer to talk Dorian Gray meeting Becky Sharp, Carnacki, and Orson Welles' career. Then Tina DeLucia--classic Doctor Who expert, Time Travel Nexus author, and convention panelist--comes on to talk about the first Doctor Who and the wonders of the Black and White world. All this, and why Victoria Waterfield is a solid contender for best companion. (Originally presented December 6, 2016.)
Micah S. Harris returns to talk about Thongor in the Valley of Demons, a failed move adaption of the sword and sorcery classic, and his new crossover story "The Frequency of Fear." All this, and the dangers of a muted mic. (Originally presented November 29, 2016.)
The crew looks back on the last 50 episodes, picking out particular favorites, before talking about a Doctor Who convention, plans for the future, and other things appropriate for the 50th episode. All this, and more snark than usual. (Originally presented November 22, 2016.)
Everyone welcomes Guy Adams back to talk about his new third Doctor Adventure (The Transcendence of Ephros), his first main range Doctor Who story (Fiesta of the Damned, starring Sylvester McCoy and friends), Sherlock Holmes, Class, the life of an author, how to talk about spoilers without spoilers, signings, and fresh takes on old characters. All this, and James wins a no-prize. (Originally presented November 15, 2016.)
In blissful ignorance of whether Monster A or Monster B won the election, James and Ben sit down with John Linwood Grant to talk about occult detectives, the new magazine Occult Detective Quarterly, The Last Edwardian, and that Carnacki bloke we can't get away from. All this, and the Christmas Wasp. (Originally presented November 8, 2016.)
Six-guns, blazing hooves, and the horrors that stalk the night. J Patrick Allen joins James and Ben to talk Dead West, Carnacki the Ghost-Finder, inspirations, voting based on Onion coverage, The Pulp Ark New Pulp Awards (where he won Best Short Story), and the creepy story you'll never have a chance to hear... All this, and questionable tattoos. (Originally presented November 1, 2016.)
James couldn't sleep. M.H. overslept. Join them and their hot cider for a lazy, bickering chat about Doctor Who news, Class trailer reactions, feelings about the Superman-inspired Christmas Special, and how much they love Big Finish. (Originally presented October 25, 2016.)
Peter Rawlik returns for a squamous symposium on the Cthulhu Mythos and Reanimators, writing for the Mythos, new twists on old stories, editing anthologies, the great detectives, and where to find his recent work. All this, and just what words one should use to describe M.H. (Originally presented October 18. 2016.)
Your official scorecard and crossover notes for the first half of the new Arrowverse season. Check in for all your news, views, crossover check-ins, and shipping notices before the season gets properly underway. Who will be fighting and dating whom? All this, and Gotham too. (Originally presented October 11, 2016.)
Micah S. Harris joins the guys for a chat with the hosts of Miskatonic Musings. H.P. Lovecraft adaptions, crossovers, the weird tale, Promethu--THE PIG-MAN TAKES OVER THE EPISODE--and favorite Lovecraftian crossovers. All this, and just what M.H. Norris was doing the last two weeks. A fond farewell to Chris Nigro in his final regular appearance. (Originally presented (October 4, 2016.)
Micah S. Harris joins James and Chris for a thrillride discussion with award-winning comic author T. Casey Brennan. T. Casey regales the guys with his new story in The Creeps #7, tales of Warren Comics, smoking in comics, and MK Ultra. T. Casey raises the possibility he shot JFK, but that's nowhere near as important as everything MK Ultra was doing to its victims. Buckle in, true believers, this is a wild one. All this and FAMILY FEUD. (Originally presented September 27, 2016.)
The tables have turned! Now Nicole Petit is the guest, and M.H. Norris helps James Bojaciuk grill her with questions. Everyone talks about the Arthurian Legends, After Avalon, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight's sequel, university award shows, Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories, dragons and From the Dragon Lord's Library, a historically accurate Victorian era, black magic radio, and just what you should do if you submit a series to 18thWall Productions. All this, and everyone takes the chance to gang up on James. (Originally presented September 27, 2016.)
James Bojaciuk and Nicole Petit sit down to interview M.H. Norris about her new book The Whole Art of Detection, Sherlock Holmes, "Harry Potter," why killing one person is harder than killing a dozen, All the Petty Myths, writing advice, forgotten crossovers, sarcastic summaries of creepypasta, and The Time Travel Nexus. All this, & everyone grapples with the most pressing question of all: Who Was Phone? This episode features a special tribute to our former host, Robert E. Wronski. Jr. (Originally presented September 13, 2016.)
Matthew Dennion brings his friend Joseph Torrito along to discuss Frankenstein in Oz, and their other recent works. (Originally presented September 6, 2016.)
Throwdown Thursday's Patsy the Angry Nerd appears to discuss Stranger Things. This is an analysis, not a review, and therefore full of spoilers. (Originally presented August 30, 2016.)
David MacDowll Blue talks about his fascination with J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, his annotated edition of Le Fanu's work, and his new play based on the novella. James gets crabbier about historical inaccuracy than usual.
Erik Burnham, author of the acclaimed Ghostbusters comic from IDW, returns to announce the release of Tobin's Spirit Guide and discuss the overall popularity of the Ghostbusters franchise and Ghostbusters (2016).
Horror legend Felissa Rose visits to speak about about her iconic role in Sleepaway Camp, the impact it had on pop culture, her career, and a young Chris Nigro. Then we expand to talk about her new upcoming film, Death House, coming this October, with an all-star horror icon cast, inspired by Dante's Inferno. (Originally presented on August 9, 2016.)
An extra-length classic starting Micah S. Harris, featuring in-depth discussion on Philip Jose Farmer, the Wold Newton Universe, The Eldritch New Adventures of Becky Sharp, Murder in the Miracle Room--and a surprising dive to the depths of the unexpected with a conversation about the Frozen timeline and Disney Channel sitcoms. (Originally presented August 2, 2016.)
Chris Nigro hosts a discussion on the surprisingly complex continuities of Godzilla. (Originally presented July 26, 2016.)
Join us this week as we are joined by author Jim Beard. We dive into his many works, including Monster Aces, and his work on licensed characters such as Spider-Man, X-Files, Kolchak the Night Stalker, and Planet of the Apes. We also spend a considerable amount of time discussing our love of Batman '66. (Originally presented July 19, 2016.)
Join us this week as Guy Adams gives the TVCU Crew a masterclass in writing for audio, as well as discussions about Sherlock Holmes, Carnacki the Ghost-Finder, Doctor Who, Bernice Summerfield, All-Consuming Fire, Andy Lane, Nicholas Briggs, Big Finish Productions, and the strange beast that is writing. (Originally presented, June 12, 2016.)
Join us this week as we talk with John Linwood Grant about the Last Edwardian series, Carnacki, killing Carnacki, trying to make Carnacki stay dead, Sherlock Holmes, broad hints about Wonderland, very obscure books, the Cthulhu Mythos, and, most terrifying of all, longdogs. This is also Ben Kasson's first appearance as co-host! (Originally presented July 5, 2016.)
The TVCU Crew were at Scare-A-Con, at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA. Ivan and Chris were out and about interviewing guests of the Con. Tune in this week, to hear our special on scene interviews with Mystery Science Theater 3000's Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff, Sean Whalen, star of such films as Employee of the Month, and currently featured in Superstore, and James Lorinz himself!! (Originally presented June 28, 2016.)
Join us this week as the TVCU Crew chat with author Derrick Ferguson. We talk in depths about his recurring series character Dillon and his origins. Of course we talk about crossovers, Ferguson's pulp inspirations, the lack of diversity in our heroes, and the difference between super-heroes and super-villains. (Originally presented June 21, 2016.)
Join us this week as we expand on the discussion from last week and dive into what's right and what's wrong with DC and Marvel adaptations to screen, with a focus on the Arrowverse and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (Originally presented June 14, 2016.)
Join us this week as we take on the greatest controversy of our time. That's right. We will be talking about Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War. Chris and Rob quite liked it; James, evidently, did not. (Originally presented June 7, 2016.)
Join us this week as the TVCU Crew discuss filmmakers such as John Hughes, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino, who create shared universes by linking unrelated films with certain recurring elements. (Originally presented May 31, 2016.)
Join us this week as we talk with filmmaker Jesse Thomas Cook about his body of work, including such films as Monster Brawl and Septic Man. (Originally presented May 24, 2016.)
Join us this week as we talk with comics legend Dave Elliot, writer, artist, publisher. We discuss some of his more recent work, including The Weirding Willows and The Odyssey, and our guest makes some amazing surprise announcements regarding some innovative ideas that may change the industry! (Originally presented May 17, 2016.)
Join us this week as the TVCU Crew chat with Sam Gafford, theworld's foremost expert on William Hope Hodgson. We discuss the influences Hodgson has had on the literary world, Lovecraft's own love affair with Hodson's work, how Hodgson's Carnacki may have influenced modern occult detectives, the time Hodgson took on Houdini and how it changed both their lives, the modern resurgence of Hodgson in popular culture, and so much more. (Originally presented May 10, 2016.)
Join us this week as the TVCU Crew chat with award nominated author Hannah Lackoff. We discuss her large body of work, especially her more recent releases, The Speckled Band and After the World Ended. We also chat with her about the elements of her stories and the story writing process. The discussion goes deep into fairy tales, the symbolism of mirrors, what is gothic feminism, twins, the naming of characters, what happens to characters after a story ends, the beauty of confusion, taking a predictable trope and taking it on a wild tangent, and so much more. (Originally presented May 3, 2016.)
Join the TVCU Crew and M.H. Norris, the mystery maven and sci-fi sorceress, as we chat with Phil Hornshaw & Nick Hurwitch of QUAN+UM, authors of the time travel guide, So You Created a Wormhole, and The Space Hero's Guide to Glory: How to Get Off Your Podunk Planet and Master the Final Frontier. We talk to them a lot about the perils and perplexities of time travel using films and television shows to illustrate the theories of time travel. (Originally presented April 19, 2016.)
Join us this week as we chat with author Tim Lebbon. We discuss his body of work, including his licensed work, such as Cabin in the Woods, Hellboy, Star Wars, Alien, and Predator, and his original universe stories, such as Pay the Ghost (now a movie with Nicolas Cage), The Silence, The Hunt, and Borrowed Time.
Join us this week as we chat with author Peter Rawlik. We discuss his body of work, including Reanimators, the Weird Company, and his upcoming Reanimatrix. Peter reveals the origin and evolution of his stories and characters. And we dive into in-depth discussion about Lovecraft, the characters, the stories, the writers who have carried on his work, the television shows that reference his work, the movies that adapt his work, and the crossovers that attempt to combine Lovecraft's world with other series, with varying success. (Originally presented, April 12 2016.)
Join us this week as we chat with author, poet, musician and podcaster Murray Ewing. We talk Alice in Wonderland, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and self-help books for monsters. (Originally presented April 5, 2016.)
Join us this week as the TVCU Crew talks with the one man show, comic writer, artist, and publisher Jerre Winsborrow. We chat with the creator about his interconnected works from Pyramid Graphic Novels, including Natalia Hyde, Azeneth, Night War, and SEAK the bounty hunter, featuring Jekylls, Hydes, Draculas, Frankensteins, monsters, vampires, werewolves, vigilantes, super-villains, women who kick ass, and so much more. (Originally presented March 29, 2016.)
Join us this week as the TVCU Crew talk about shared realities. We cover a wide range of areas, including Universal Horror, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Batman v. Superman, the evolution of the DC and Marvel shared universes, why reboots screw things up, and why monsters can't be heroes. (Originally presented March 22, 2016.)
As Rob would later write, "And then she came in, and took over the Crew..." Not only would this episode go on to be our #2 all-time most listened to episode, this was M.H. Norris' first appearance on the show. Soon she would invite herself on for a time travel discussion, and then, eventually, wind up becoming one of the two co-hosts. Listen in for a preview of her upcoming new forensic mythology mystery series, All the Petty Myths, and all about her novella Badge City: Notches. Notches would win Best Novella in the Pulp Ark New Pulp Awards 2016; in fact, we found out about her place in the contest not two minutes after we stopped recording. (Originally presented March 15, 2016.)
Micah S. Harris speaks about Twin Peaks at length, and its award-winning related novel, Ravenwood: Return of the Dugpa. Micah's novel is another example of the way we predicted the Pulp Ark New Pulp Award winners, as his novel, Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery: Return of the Dugpa (from Airship 27) would walk away with the 2016 award for Best Novel. (Originally presented March 8, 2016.)
Challenging your notions of how the show works and who the guests can be, Robert E Wronski Jr becomes the guest! The TVCU Crew chat with the author and podcast host about Laff-a-Lympics, Happy Days, Leave it to Beaver, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Batman'66, Scooby-Doo Team-Up, Superman, the secret origin of the Television Crossover Universe, the Horror Crossover Encyclopedia, the Cartoon Crossover Encyclopedia, Worlds and Mythology, Bones, and Sleepy Hollow. (Originally presented March 1, 2016.)
With a twich of her nose, one of our most enduring guests arrived. This episode would be our eternal most popular feature, and be shared further than any episode before or since. Nicole Petit visited to talk about The Dragon Lord's Secretary, her dragon-focused anthologies, dragons in general, Coney Island, the real Wild West, the Arthurian Legends, and Bewitched. She also continued our trend toward predicting winners of the Pulp Ark New Pulp Awards, as her dragon anthologies--The Dragon Lord's Library--would go on to win several awards a few months late.
Returning guest host Chris Nigro joins the TVCU Crew to talk with Matthew Dennion about Tales of the Shadowmen, Sherlock Holmes, G-Fan, Judex, Batman, Freddy Krueger, the Invisible Man, Latitude Zero, Kaiju, Polar Yeti, Atomic Rex, French Pulps, Victorian literature, crossovers, and Black Coat Press.
Returning guest host Chris Nigro joins the TVCU Crew to talk with Kevin T. Heim about fictional crossovers, horror, Redux of the Living Dead, Frankenstein, the History of Halloween, Ivan Schablotski, Lycanthropy, MONSTAAH, Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World, Godzilla, the Hour Show Comics Universe, the Monster Hunter Universe, and Ghostbusters!
Join us for this episode as the TVCU Crew talk with Janet. L. Hetherington about Kolchak, Honey West, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls, Elvira, Jesse James, and Superman's special day!
Join us for this episode as the TVCU Crew battle the Snow Miser, suffer technical difficulties, and start talking like Bizarro! We also speak, normally, with William Meikle about Carnacki the Ghost-Finder, the Lovecraft Mythos, The Hole, The Dunfield Terror, and other projects past, present and future. The TVCU Crew then discuss horror crossovers that will be in Horror Crossover Encyclopedia Volume II from the Flesh for the Beast, Friday the 13th, Jake Sampson: Monster Hunter, and the Faculty! All this, and the worst television show ever made!
Micah S. Harris, one of our favorite guests, first appeared in this episode. Take your heart medication first, folks! It's a pulse-defying hour of giant apes, capable women, terrifying monsters from beyond time, super-detectives, trailer park Lara Crofts, brawny barbarians, fairy tales, and, can you believe it, even more puns! (Originally presented January 19th, 2016.)
A mascot was born! With this episode the Television Crossover Universe Podcast's obsession with William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki the Ghost-Finder was born! M.J. Starling had written a remarkable play featuring the occult detective, collected in Carnacki: The New Adventures. This was the point, I believe, where Rob and and I fell in love with the character. Or, at the very least, this is where a combination of craft and accident meant nearly every episode had a Carnacki connection. Mr. Starling was a wonderful guest, telling us all about the role of playwright, music composition, and some of the most unique writing concepts ever brought up on the show.
One of the hosts, James Bojaciuk, is put on the hot seat to talk about his writing (particularly a Sherlock Holmes short story and a old Hollywood-based mystery, "Nice Work If You Can Get It," he co-wrote with Nicole Petit). We also discuss his influences, with the surprise it all came from a stop-motion prospector, an orange cat, and a certain Lord of all Vampires. It's all something of a prequel to our most popular episode, #11, with Nicole Petit. All this, and just how much James hates Casablanca. (Originally presented on January 5th, 2016.)
Chris Nigro was the guest who never left, swiftly becoming our punniest co-host. Listen in to hear about his carrer, his favorite things, and, most importantly, all the puns and dad jokes you can wave a Chris at.
Our second episode, back in those early days. Erik Burnham was gracious enough to come on a new podcast and talk about his experience writing Ghostbusters and Back to the Future, as well as comics and licensed fiction in general.
An intimate interview with Simon R. Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Nightside, Secret Histories, Shadows Fall, and Drinking Midnight Wine.