Airs Thursdays, 1-1:30PM EST on Portland, Maine's community radio station WMPG. Produced by Frederick Greenhalgh of FinalRune Productions.
7 out of 10
Brimming with Gothic atmosphere, Larry Brent’s first audiobook adventure is a nostalgic reminder that as good as dramatic adaptations can be, an author’s original text has a charm all its own.
8 out of 10
A post-apocalyptic audio book / drama packed with steel-jacketed entertainment for your inner libertarian.
8 out of 10
A welcome interlude in the Middle Ages vampire serial for longtime fans and an accessible, self-contained starting point for newcomers.
5 out of 10 stars
Ham-fisted sermons on non-attachment don’t translate into riveting audio drama.
This week Malleus reviewed part one of ZBS’ Jack Flanders adventure, Midnight at the Casa Luna. The Casa Luna is a real (and very good) cafe in Ubud, Bali, a locale it has been my pleasure to visit twice. In honor of ZBS, Bali, the Mekar Sari gamelan orchestra, and my wife, I’m posting a live recording of gamelan music I made on honeymoon in Ubud in 2001. Click below to experience it, then read on to hear the story behind the recording.
If you know Jack and need a respite from faster entertainments, the soothing aroma of spiced coffee beckons you to the Casa Luna.
7 out of 10 stars
Welcome to the final installment of a three-part essay discussing the supernatural in contemporary German hörspiel. Today I’ll recommend three outstanding contemporary German audio dramas (with links to Mp3 samples) and finish up by considering what the thriving German audio drama market might teach the struggling American one. (more…)
Last week Malleus traced a rough history of German supernatural horror serials and considered their defining impact on the contemporary Hörspiel-Boom (audio drama explosion). What are some general characteristics of these new horror serial audios? I’ve made a list below of several trends I’ve noticed over the past 9 years, many of which differ from British and American tendencies. Read on to learn about casting practices, pricing, and for an answer to the strange riddle: Why do German audio horror serials rarely feature German heroes, and why are practically none of them set in Germany?
The inaugural column of Malleus kicks off a three part investigation of the seminal role of supernatural horror in the contemporary German audio drama explosion. Discover the first German radio drama, learn about German pulp novels, and experience the terror of Konga the Man-Frog. (more…)
Introduction to Malleus with Chris Dueker
Welcome to Malleus: Vibrations from the Middle Ear, a weekly review column of English and German language audio drama, audio books, and other spoken word recordings. Malleus came about for two reasons: 1) to provide critical reviews of spoken arts recordings that rarely receive them and 2) to introduce English-speakers to the remarkable German phenomenon colloquially termed the “Hörspiel-Boom”. To that end this English language column will cover both English (U.S.A., Canada, Britain, and Australia) and German productions. Malleus will tend to focus on science fiction, fantasy, and horror, three fantastical genres that have enjoyed considerable success over radio’s phantom airwaves. However, from time to time other genres will be featured. Readers can expect to see reviews of both old and new productions, from Old Time Radio and obscure LPs to cutting edge MP3 downloads. Most recordings discussed will be in print; a few will require scouring ebay or making a trip to your local library.
Aside perhaps from a willingness to bring the hammer down hard on inferior work, what distinguishes Malleus most from other review columns is its bi-lingual emphasis. There are a few decent review sites focusing on English-language audio drama and more devoted to German productions, but as far as I know this is the first Internet column to address both. Why do it? Honestly, audio drama has been my favorite pastime for twenty-five years, and English and German are the languages I know. That said, Germany’s hörspiel (audio play) industry really is something special. You might think every country would have its own vibrant audio drama scene: not so. France for example, whose native tongue is admired the world over, strangely lacks a significant audio drama tradition. Germany not only has one, it bucks the contemporary trend of declining production common to English-speaking countries. On the contrary, Germany has been enjoying a true “audio drama boom” for the past ten years that exceeds anything in the country’s history. That’s right, folks: not only are professional German audio drama companies thriving, new ones are entering the market every year. It’s gotten to the point that German companies are now licensing more major American properties for audio drama than their American counterparts are (Star Wars, Hellboy, TSR’s Forgotten Realms, to name a few). Today Germany is producing work on a scale and level of sophistication that rivals the best of what even the BBC has to offer. This column will open that world up to you.
Malleus will strive for 50 / 50 coverage of English and German language productions, so even if you’re not interested in the German scene there should be something to catch your eye. Variety will be emphasized: upcoming reviews consider English language productions Jack Flanders: Midnight at the Casa Luna by ZBS, The Buoy by Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater, Deathlands #73: Labyrinth by Graphic Audio, and German language productions John Sinclair by Wortart, Drizzt - Die Saga vom Dunkelelf #1 - Der Dritte Sohn by Lausch, and Chronik der Unsterblichen: Blutkrieg by ZYX Music, among others. All reviews will run approximately 2-4 typed pages and feature a 1 to 10 star rating.
So again, welcome. I hope you’ll find Malleus interesting, provocative, and illuminating to the dark passageways of your ears. And I’d like to express my sincere thanks to Fred Greenhalgh of Radio Drama Revival for hosting this column.
Chris Dueker
March 13, 2008
For the curious: The malleus of the column title is one of three ossicles in the middle ear, named for its shape (Latin for “hammer”.) Along with the incus and stapes, the malleus transmits vibrations from the eardrum into waves of fluid in the inner ear.
Legal Nonsense: The title Malleus: Vibrations from the Middle Ear and all reviews posted in this column are copyright 2008 Chris Dueker. Reviews may not be reprinted or otherwise redistributed without permission. All opinions expressed in Malleus are my own, and do not reflect those of Radio Drama Revival.
