Episode 260 – RRRants Are Good For The Soul

Rythmical Ravings & Rants Logo (RRRants)What a wild and eventful week for us here in Alfred, Maine (Fred’s hometown).

Fred’s life is a furious pile of boxes bags and wires as he and Amy gear up for a five week trek to one of the most dynamic and intriguing countries of the world, South Africa. While there, Fred hopes to connect with some of South Africa’s varied audio drama lovers and record sounds of curious critters from local baboons to the hippopotamus (from a distant, he assures us).

So what to do with Radio Drama Revival programming for that period?  In hopes to keep the same quality podcast productions flowing. Fred had even come up with an exciting new theme for the first set of 2012 programs, New Year, New Audio, to challenge all of us to try out audio drama genres and troupes not on our personal “short list”, then to share any genuine great new finds in production and talent with others to get them interested in doing the same or in listening for the first time to modern independent audio drama.  But as time grew short for his trek, this mini-series did not seem fit to happen.

Just when he’d reconciled himself to substituting OTR re-runs of Baby Snooks and The Alan Young Show, serendipity struck with sweet vengeance. By insane coincidence, a recent yardsale find (a gorgeous one-of-a-kind hardwood cathedral OTR radio and phonograph) turns out to coince-accidental-and-destructionally be the powerful and noisy secret Auralan Resistance teleportation device. Next thing you know, our own Captain Radio™ was standing before me, dusting himself off, wondering what to do for a whole month while the “radio” recharged.

And you know it, dudes: Fred made him an offer he couldn’t refuse … try as he might!

So, while Fred’s away soaking up sun in South Africa, our own Captain Radio™ will be hosting Radio Drama Revival while shoveling snowed-in driveways and learning the gentle art of milking cantankerous Maine goats twice daily in sub-zero wind chills.  We can’t tell you how much this thrilled the native Texan.  No, seriously, we can’t.

To get our New Year, New Audio series off on appropriately eccentric footing, we open with three clever and satirical sketches cooked up by the fun patchwork of “unusual” poets, songwriters, and storytellers now part of the UK’s Rythmical Ravings & Rants (RRRants) non-profit consortium of modern troubadours. Visit festivals with a curmudgeon’s trained eye, turn a committee meet inside out, and carefully deflect observation while discoursing with talking critters, all this week on one of the most action-packed and fun Radio Drama Revival episodes ever!

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Radio Drama Revival – Episode 260

Episode 234 – Whoever Wishes with Cayenne Chris Conroy

Teknikal Diffikulties Comedy PodcastExperiencing TEKnikal diffikulties? We hope you will after this podcast featuring the marvelous Cayenne Chris Conroy and his 6-year-running comedy podcast (with splashes of sci-fi adventure).

TEKDIFF won the 2010 Gold Ogle for their production of the show we feature today, “Whoever Wishes,” a blissfully surreal comedic romp through the misadventure of a father looking for his son. With cunning pokes at the nature of war and peace, the relentless grind of modern living and into the great beyond… or something like that.

This sound rich production was written, directed, produced and VOICED all by Chris – pretty amazing stuff, and worth a bow for his virtuosity alone.

First up, Captain Radio featuring Electric Vicuna‘s Dead Line Anthology, a modern redux of chilling OTR shows such as Suspense and Inner Sanctum, from the multi-talented Jack Ward in Nova Scotia, Canada.

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Radio Drama Revival – Episode 234

Captain Radio Reviews: Knighttime

Captain Radio Audio Reviews

Graphic - FunGraphix.com | Theme music - Shane Lamb

Title: The Secret of Donotalado (from the Knightime series)
Producer: “William”
Production Company: The Hazardous Players
Type: Comedy
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 15-20 minutes each episode
Rating: AD-G*
Availability: Free to Listen – The Hazardous Players

Greetings, Audionauts! Captain Radio here with a review of KnightTime’s The Secret of Donotalado, from The Hazardous Players, made possible by RØDE Microphones.

Knighttime Series - The Secret of Donotalado

Too seldom do we see natural entertainers emerge from party antics as bonafide stars. When it happens, they tend to be delightful absurdists. Witness Steve Martin’s party shtick, The Great Flydini and Victor Borge’s classical grand piano party gymnastics both placing often among Top 100 Comic Routines.

Educated artist, turned realist carpenter, “William” in like manner delights in excavating his childhood of listening QUI-ET-LY (so his parents wouldn’t hear) to late night radio dramas and finding ways to foist that experience on his son and easily recruited accomplice, Sam.

Sam’s 10th birthday party proved a turning point for “William”, who loved to create “seriously complex” treasure hunts. A series of concealed outdoor audio players, when found, gave young partiers “Where next?” clues embodied in the pre-recorded voices of ancient knights. When family and friends heard the clues afterward, “William” found himself surrounded by instant fans, urging him to unleash these marvelous characters into broader realms.

Once “William” also realized that he shared “a hidden aptitude for odd voices and a secret desire to act” with Comic CON buds “Lewis” and “Justin”, the trio launched, in his words, a quest “to pool our talents, to overcome our insecurities, and to construct a fantasy world both epic and absurd,” major emphasis, of course, on the last.

[SOUND BYTE]

Aimed at “children” young and old, the KnightTime series of audio dramatic chapter books takes Audionauts to medieval Udenland and the farcical exploits of buffoonish but able agéd survivor, Sir Cottington, his more genteel “Sancho Panza” straight man, Sir Bratwurst, and their long-suffering genius curmudgeon guardian dragon, Nigel, who, though perhaps the most “grounded” character in the KnightTime universe, has his moments:

[SOUND BYTE]

In The Secret of Donotalado, scheming young King Theodor, seeks to rid his court for at least a year of the bungling, naturally interfering duo of Cottington and Bratwurst:

[SOUND BYTE]

That’s about it on plot, folks. As it goes in Life, often it’s not the destination but the journey that counts. Recalling situation antics characteristic of creatives Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and Monty Python, the knights’ subsequent harrowing, comical picayune adventures through weird, enchanted landscapes, replete with magical plants and creatures, fills up the score card pleasingly.

[SOUND BYTE]

While online, be sure to enjoy “William’s” warm and very amusing artwork as well as entries in the clever Professor Flannagin Henchwood’s Guide that catalogs and further details magical flora and fauna encountered in KnightTime.

Listen to the KnightTime audio dramatic chapter book, The Secret of Donotalado, at HazardousPlayers.com.

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Captain Radio.com Reviews originate on the Radio Drama Revival podcast. Subscribe to free weekly downloads of more top-notch, independently-produced modern audio drama from around the world at RadioDramaRevival.com.


Until next time, Audionauts, this is Captain Radio™, signing off!

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Captain Radio™ Reviews The Secret of Donotalado from the Hazardous Players

 

* Rating based on the Audio Drama Directory Ratings System.

 

Episode 230 – Firesign Wants to Know… Immortality, or Death?

Firesign Theatre Give Me Immortality or Give Me DeathWe conclude our feature of the legendary Firesign Theatre, the “4 or 5 Krazee Guys” (Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Phil Proctor) whose embellished sterephonic comedy recordings altered the minds of a generation. After a 17 year hiatus they returned in 1998 to warp our minds again with this lampooning of the end of days, Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death.

After 13 years this album is still shockingly relevant, with end of the world fever, crazy used car deals, problems with the internet, celebrities gone haywire, and big budget beer.

In addition to their legendary studio albums (such as Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers!, which we hear today), the troupe had hundreds of hours of live radio experience, and had a particularly special era of a program called “Dear Friends.”

A new boxed set (which we wrote about back in February) contains ALL of this material – a whopping 80+ hours – along with beautiful art and hilarious anecdotes. Listen to the show for samples, or check out the DUKE OF MADNESS MOTORS boxed set and buy it today!

MEGA THANKS for Phil Proctor for giving us permission to broadcast this terrific stuff. We also take time to shout out for the National Audio Theatre Festivals, who are preparing for their annual pilgrimage to West Plains Missouri later this month.

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Radio Drama Revival – Episode 230

Episode 229 – Firesign Theatre’s Don’t Crush That Dwarf, and More Mad Motors

Firesign Theatre Don't Crush That Dwarf Hand Me the PliersAudio comedy was never quite the same thanks to the antics of The Firesign Theatre, the legendary multi-trackin’, sound embellishing, sterephonic surrealistic psychedelic merry band of Phil Austin, Peter Bergmen, David Ossman and Philip Proctor.

In addition to their legendary studio albums (such as Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers!, which we hear today), the troupe had hundreds of hours of live radio experience, and had a particularly special era of a program called “Dear Friends.”

A new boxed set (which we wrote about back in February) contains ALL of this material – a whopping 80+ hours – along with beautiful art and hilarious anecdotes. Listen to the show for samples, or check out the DUKE OF MADNESS MOTORS boxed set and buy it today!

MEGA THANKS for Phil Proctor for giving us permission to broadcast this terrific stuff. We also take time to shout out for the National Audio Theatre Festivals, who are preparing for their annual pilgrimage to West Plains Missouri later this month.

Also, Captain Radio is here to cover Voices in the Wind from Canada, whose latest production is “Every Now and Then.”

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Radio Drama Revival – Episode 229

Episode 228 – Firesign Theatre Goes Mad, While We Wait for the Electrician

Firesign Theatre Audio ComedyAudio comedy was never quite the same thanks to the antics of The Firesign Theatre, the legendary multi-trackin’, sound embellishing, sterephonic surrealistic psychedelic merry band of Phil Austin, Peter Bergmen, David Ossman and Philip Proctor.

While best known for their studio albums (such as Waiting for the Electrician Or Someone Like Him, which we hear today), the troupe had hundreds of hours of live radio experience, and had a particularly special era of a program called “Dear Friends.”

A new boxed set (which we wrote about back in February) contains ALL of this material – a whopping 80+ hours – along with beautiful art and hilarious anecdotes. Listen to the show for samples, or check out the DUKE OF MADNESS MOTORS boxed set and buy it today!

Treasures, and a huge thank to Phil Proctor for giving us license to broadcast this terrific stuff. We also take time to shout out for the National Audio Theatre Festivals, who are preparing for their annual pilgrimage to West Plains Missouri later this month.

Also, Captain Radio is here to cover Headhunters, one of the latest titles from the L Ron Hubbard Tales from the Golden Age collection.

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Radio Drama Revival – Episode 228