We're taking a small detour from The Lost Road to visit Howard's hometown of Cross Plains, TX! Josh and Jon made the trek to Robert E. Howard Days this year and brought back some audio entertainment for you all as a souvenir. This year's festival was a special one as it coincided with the 80th anniversary of Howard's death, the 30th anniversary of Howard Days itself, and the 20th anniversary of the release of "The Whole Wide World"!
This episode will be a real treat as you get to hear from luminaries such as Bill Cavalier and Rusty Burke, long time Cromrades "Listener Gary" and EvilEd, and Cromcast stalwarts Mark Finn and Jeffrey Shanks!
So kick back, pour a stiff drink (or ladle out some barbecue) and join us for our Texas adventure! Be sure you mark your calendars for next year and get down to Cross Plains!
And now... the Texas sun bears down and the dust rises as you drive through the four-way stop in Cross Plains, and approach a small white house on the left, with a pavilion off to the side... Welcome to Howard Days!
News article covering the first Howard Day in 1986. |
Left: Treasures in the Cross Plains Library! Right: A Cromcaster holding an original typescript of Sword Woman! |
The Cromcast Was Here! |
Daniel Look: Math Sorcerer |
Dierk Guenther gave an excellent presentation about Howard's use of time. |
"Fighting, horse racing, drinking, and other feats of hyper-masculinity..." You haven't been to an academic symposium like this before! |
Poetry reading on Howard's |
The Pavilion: Where stories are told, friendships are made, and the whiskey flows! |
It's worth the trip, y'all. |
- Evyl Ed (4:35)
- Watch "Hell Comes to Frogtown" and "Yor: The Hunter From The Future".
- Gary Dowell (15:55)
- You really ought to subscribe to Far Fetched Fables!
- Kurt Amacker (28:00)
- Check out Kurt's projects at Dark Notes Press!
- Rob King (35:42)
- Spend some time with the Texas Tech University Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library! They're working to digitize the Cross Plains Review!
- Jeb Boyt (41:52)
- The Google+ Conan RPG Community is a great place to discuss the upcoming Modiphius game!
- Bill "Indy" Cavalier and Rusty Burke (56:13)
- Are you into the idea of fanzines? Hear Bill and Rusty talk about REHUPA and the history of Robert E. Howard Days!
- Arlene Stephenson (01:26:43)
- You really should consider supporting Project Pride. They keep up the Robert E. Howard House and Museum!
- Michael Scott Myers (01:32:07)
- Pick up a copy of The Whole Wide World if you don't already have one!
- Ben Friberg (1:41:57)
- Ben uploads videos from Robert E. Howard Days to his YouTube Channel. Check them out!
- Chris Gruber (1:55:43)
- Get a copy of Robert E. Howard's Boxing Stories! Treat yo'self!
- Mark Finn (2:01:30)
- Delve deep into the mind of Mark Finn at his blog, Finn's Wake. Also, subscribe to The Gentlemen Nerds Podcast! Quality entertainment at a reasonable price (free)!
- Jeffrey Shanks (2:11:38)
- Did you miss the Skelos Kickstarter? Fear not, you can get your copies of Skelos here!
- REH Days Wrap Up (2:30:26)
Up next on The Lost Road, our next Bourbon and Barbarians adventure and a film session featuring the 1965 version of "SHE" from Hammer Films! Join us then won't you?
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Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!
Beginning theme: "Sudden Defeat" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.
Closing theme: "La Grange" by ZZ Top from their 1973 album Tres Hombres.
All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!