Cromtober 2022 Episode 2: Dickens' 'The Signalman' and Leiber's 'Belsen Express'

Hile, Cromrades! We return for our second spooktacular episode for this October. Our Halloween festivities this year are focused on spectral locomotives! For this episode we read Dicken's 'The Signalman' and Leiber's 'Belsen Express.' Heady talk around the firepit await you!

One Things

Josh: Is absolutely DIGGING some Scott Oden, particularly 'A Gathering of Ravens!' If you are new to Scott's work, this is a great place to start. If you are looking for a shorter, free option to check out this author, be sure to check out his entries in Issues 4 and 5 of Whetstone. You will NOT regret it!

Jonathan: Getting cosmic with some 'Kirby and the Forgotten Land!'

Luke: Lovin' on some Type O Negative, and has been relistening to the Requiem Metal Podcast. Check Episodes 265 and 266 for a great 10-hour effort to work through their oeuvre. Also be sure to check out Radical Research for other heady criticism. These dudes are 1000% legit deep-dives into metal and prog.

Questions? Comments? Curses? 

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Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Outro: "Graveyard Train" by CCR. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Cromtober 2022 Episode 1: Get on the Ghost Train and Head to Willoughby

 

Howdy Cromrades! It's the most wonderful and spooktacular time of the year, around these parts we call it Cromtober. Our 2022 Halloween festivities are focused on spectral locomotives, you know,  ghost trains! Trains have long inspired tales of ghosts and haints and even sometimes serve as means of conveyance to get your soul down to hell. 

For our first episode, we focus most of our discussion on the class Twilight Zone episode "A Stop at Willoughby" where our protagonist "Mr. Gart Williams, an ad agency exec, who in just a moment, will move into the Twilight Zone—in a desperate search for survival."

Beyond our stop in the Twilight Zone, we also discuss why trains are kind of scary and the different things they symbols in folklore and ghost stories. Last but not least, let's learn about President Abraham Lincoln's Ghost Train! Hope aboard, won't you? 

 

One things

Josh: Has been enjoying The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon

Jonathan: Has been dipping his toes into some true crime with the podcast Le Monstre 

Luke: Loves books, especially the Valancourt Books edition of "In a Lonely Place" by Karl Edward Wagner

Show Notes

Check out a deep dive into Railway Ghosts with our podcast pal Blurry Photos

Some other shows that have hit this topic, make sure you check 'em out Bone & Sickle, Haunted Garage, Listen with the Lights on, Unrest Podcast. 

Questions? Comments? Curses? 

Call us at (859) 429-CROM!

You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Did you know that we're on Facebook?
We're posting photos on the Instagrams!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) 

Outro: "This Train" by blues legend Big Bill Broonzy. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Cromtober 2020- Halloween Traditions, Part 2- The Legend of Stingy Jack

Cromtober 2020 continues with our examination of Halloween traditions. Part two features a discussion about that mainstay of the front Halloween front porch, the Jack O'Lantern! Why do we carve these grotesque effigies and leave them in front of our domiciles? What sort of story might inspire us to do so? 

Tune in to find out!

One Things

Luke: Found a new metal band he wants you to check out, Idle Hands

Jon: Think you should read some international folklore in Scandinavian Ghost Stories

Josh: Enjoys the Tim burton aesthetic and watched Beetlejuice and Sleepy Hollow, shout out your fave Burton film!

Next time: We venture north to Yankeeland to visit a charming little dale known as Sleepy Hollow! Join us won't you?

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: 

Intro music: Come Play with Me, By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0!

Outro Music: The Ballad of Stingy Jack by The Brandy Thieves, All music obtained legally and we hope that by using the song you will check out the artists work!

Cromtober 2017, Part III: Spooky Dreams

Welcome, Cromrades! Quick, inside! The moon still shines bright, but is beginning to set low on the horizon... We just have to hold out 'til morning! Until then, how about one more round of stories to pass the time? This time we're keeping it simple, and talking through some of the dreams that still haunt the recesses of our minds...

Van Gogh's Starry Night from 1889... But you knew that, right?

One Things
Jon: Haunted Heartland, by Michael Norman!
Josh: Spookiest Stories Ever... by Roberta Simpson Brown and Lonnie E. Brown!
Luke: Haunted Kentucky, by Alan Brown!

Next time... Where will we be? We'll be starting down the ROAD TO LANKHMAR!

Questions? Comments? Curses?
Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)
You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859) 429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Pop music includes "All I Have to Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers, and "I Love the Night," by the Blue Oyster Cult. All music was obtained legally, and kicks ass. We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Cromtober 2017, Part I: Howard's Werewolf Stories!!!

Hail there, wayfaring stranger! We travel down this darkened road on this crisp Cromtober evening! For this first horror-filled episode we're discussing a couple interrelated werewolf stories by Robert E. Howard, In the Forest of Villefere and Wolfshead. The art included in this blogpost comes from the contributions of Greg Staples to The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard.

One Things
Jon: Batman Beyond!
Luke: The Horror Hall of Fame!
Josh: Kubo and the Two Strings!

After this stint of horror content we'll begin our journey on the Road to Lankhmar!

Questions? Comments? Curses?
Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com), You know you want to follow us on Twitter!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!
Or, check us out on iTunes!
We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play!
Finally.... Call us! (859)429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo
Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Beginning theme: Night Break, then Sudden Defeat by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Closing theme: Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon from Stand in the Fire. All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Cromtober 2016, Part One: A Monstrous Conversation, featuring Justin Stewart and Kentucky Kaiju!

WE PODCAST..... AGAIN!!  Er. Welcome back, Cromrades! It's time for CROMTOBER! We've been accosted by witches, faced down the ghosts of our pulp author heroes, but this year we have GIANT MONSTERS to content with! Our friend Justin Stewart dropped by the show. You might remember him from the excellent first season episode, "Conan vs Sequential Art!" These days, Justin leads an army of monstrous creatures drawn forth from the depths of his and Tressina Bowling's minds. The result of this collaboration is Kentucky Kaiju, a field guide of sorts, featuring depictions and descriptions of giant monsters which can be found across the length and breadth of the Bluegrass State. Descriptions of the beasts were provided by Shawn Pryor, who undoubtedly put himself in great peril by getting close enough to the kaiju to document their natural histories and provide descriptions of their habits. We get into Kentucky Kaiju at about the 15 minute mark.

You can purchase your copy of Kentucky Kaiju from Apex Book Company by following this link! We also get into some One Things: Justin: XII Boar - Beyond The Valley of the Triclops (monstrous, groovy rock!) Jon: Ash vs Evil Dead, Season One (ONE BY ONE THEY WILL TAKE YOUUUU) Josh: The new Ghost B.C. EP, Popestar! (Are you on the square? Are you on the level?) Luke: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery (A "hare raising" horror story, for kids!) We also dig into some talk about monsters! (Not Monster Talk!) Justin: Florida UFO's Josh: (A-oooooOOOOO) Werewolves of Waddy (additional source) Luke: Scary Stories of Mammoth Cave (The Stone Gobbler, the Green River Monster) Jon: The Beast of Churubusco A big thank you to Justin for joining us again! Please check out his work at justin3000.com and Tressina's art page at tressinaart.blogspot.com and treat yourself to some excellent original art! Tell them The Cromcast sent you! Questions? Comments? Curses?

Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com) You know you want to follow us on Twitter! Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes! We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play! Finally.... Call us! (859)429-CROM!

Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Beginning theme: Sudden Defeat by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.

Closing theme: "Triclops" by XII Boar off their album "Beyond the Valley of the Triclops". All music was obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Cromtober, Part III: Robert E. Howard's "The Cairn on the Headland"

Oh, hello there! Good evening. It's such a pleasant night here on the headland, isn't it? I do so much enjoy being here in the evenings. My doctor tells me the ocean air is good for my convalescence, so I try to make it out here before the sun sets. It's so peaceful, an almost timeless quality to the landscape, don't you agree? It's almost unbelievable to think of the barbarous battle that spilt so much blood here nearly a millennium ago...

Hugh Frazer's Battle of Clontarf (1826)

And so our Cromtober 2014 shenanigans draw to a conclusion! In our third episode we tackle Robert E. Howard's The Cairn on the Headland! It was first published in Strange Tales in 1933. If you don't have a copy of the story to read, check it out here for free! While you're at it, make sure you read up a little bit on the Battle of Clontarf! Or listen to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History episode on this era of history. That guy knows his stuff!!!

And we had a plethora of spooky 'One Things' as we head into the homestretch for Halloween....

Jon: the zany Bruce Campbell vehicle, Bubba Ho-Tep!

Josh: the Paul W.S. Anderson cult favorite, Event Horizon!

Luke: Another seasonal text, The Book of Hallowe'en!

Don't forget that you can support The Cromcast by signing up for your free trial of Audible at audibletrial.com/thecromcast. We recommend trying out one of their THOUSANDS of titles!

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The spooky organ intro comes from (we think) the public domain (via the YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2RP1GivOqo). Our epic closer is the tail-end of Agalloch's Ghosts of the Midwinter Fires. Agalloch are AMAZING, and their song absolutely fits into our pagan Norse discussions, don't you think? We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work! All music was obtained legally. And seriously, go pick up some of Agalloch's discography. Check out Marrow of the Spirit or, their newest, The Serpent and the Sphere!

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM! (That's 859-429-2766)

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Cromtober, Part II: "The Music of Erich Zann" by Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Greetings, young scholar. I'm glad you found my advert in the newspaper!

Yes, I still have a room to let. It's up the stairs here. In fact, it's are right below the top floor. One Mr. Zann holds the room above you. Have you heard of him? I'm told he's a viol player of some repute.

Looks like a student of metaphysics to us!

In our second Cromtober episode of 2014 we tackle H.P. Lovecraft's The Music of Erich Zann! It was first published in The National Amateur in 1922. If you haven't read this story, we really recommend it. If you don't have a copy of it, read it here for free! 

Artwork by Andrew Brosnatch used for publication of the story in Weird Tales in 1925

And we had a plethora of spooky 'One Things' as we prep ourselves for Halloween....

Jon: Weird Kentucky (and the larger Weird US series)!

(Note - Check out some of the Kentucky ghosts and monsters we mentioned! The Pope Lick Monster, and Bobby Mackey's Music World.) 

Hail, Goatman!

Josh: The Black Wings of Cthulhu (there's a follow-up, too)!
Luke: The Best Horror of the Year, Volumes Four & Five!

Our Cromrade Whiskey51 shared a link to an audio play version of this story with us. You can find it on archive.org! (Thanks for sending us the link!)

Don't forget that you can support The Cromcast by signing up for your free trial of Audible at audibletrial.com/thecromcast. We recommend trying out one of the The Best Horror of the Year anthologies!

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The spooky organ intro comes from (we think) the public domain (via the YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2RP1GivOqo). The disconcerting violin interludes are Alexey Voytenko's The Music of Erich Zann, composed for violin in 2009. These were accessed via the Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAwSxtaD4II). We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM! (That's 859-429-2766)
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Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes! Don't forget Stitcher!

Cromtober, Part I: "The End of the Story," by Clark Ashton Smith

Hile, traveler! I bid you, please come out of the storm. Here... Have a hot meal and some tasty wine before we retire to the library to discuss 'many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.' What's that, you ask? Pay no mind to that parchment! 

"It is better not to ask.. . There is a curse on the pages that you hold in your hand: an evil spell, a malign power is attached to them, and he who would venture to peruse them is henceforeward in dire peril both of body and soul." 

In our first Cromtober episode of 2014 we tackle a Clark Ashton Smith story! It's The End of the Story, first published in 1930 in Weird Tales. If you don't have a copy of it, read it here for free!

And we had some spooky 'One Things' as we prep ourselves for Halloween....

Jon: Reader's Digest's Mysteries of the Unexplained

Josh: Colin Wilson's The Occult: A History

Luke: Ray Bradbury's The October Country

Don't forget that you can support The Cromcast (we need to eat too) by signing up for your free trial of Audible at audibletrial.com/thecromcast. We recommend trying out the CAS Anthology, "The End of the Story," which includes the eponymous tale.

Finally... Jonesin' for some additional CAS discussion? Don't forget to check out The Double Shadow!

Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The spooky organ intro comes from (we think) the public domain (via the YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2RP1GivOqo). The ending music is a portion of Type O Negative's "Blood and Fire" (Out of the Ashes Remix). Used without permission. RIP Peter Steele! All music was obtained legally (Oh yeah.... Who remembers the Mortal Kombat OST)?!?! We hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase their work.

Questions? Comments? Curses? Email us! (thecromcast at gmail dot com)

Leave us a voice mail! (859) 429-CROM! (That's 859-429-2766)
Follow us on Twitter! Or on Facebook!
Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on iTunes! Don't forget Stitcher!