King Falls AM. Episode 8: Electrolocaust Now

You may not be aware but there has been something rather special happening over the last few months here in Internetland. Unfortunately I'm not talking about the 5D. The Fifth Dimension blog winning an prestigious blogging award. Heck, I would even settle for a not-very-prestigious blogging award - and no, I'm not still bitter about losing out to the 'Fun things to do with bus tickets blog' in the recent AltaVista search engine blog of the year awards (North East Scotland Divisional preliminary round play-off decider). I also thought that a couple of the judges comments about my blogging efforts were a little unfair. I mean, since when have self-indulgent, narcissistic, shallow, childish humour actually been bad qualities?

No, the special thing that in fact has been happening is the increasing public interest in the exploits of a certain radio station located in the secluded mountain town of King Falls U.S.A. The reason that I know for a fact that the late night talk show on King Falls AM has been steadily and inexorably gaining more and more listeners is two-fold. Firstly, and most importantly, they have been named a New & Noteworthy show for three weeks running and have even come close to breaking the top 100 in the comedy section. 

The other indication that Sammy & Ben's show is quickly on the way to gaining worldwide domination is reflected in the ever increasing number of views here on 5D for each King Falls AM article. Now I know it's unusual for me to ......ahem.......talk a little a self-indulgently......."cough"...... , but the simple truth is that the total views so far for Episode 7: Major Tom to Ground Control were a whopping THREE times higher than for any other broadcast so far.

The article can be found RIGHT HERE if you want to have a looksee and also listen to the episode if you have 14 minutes or so. I would love to think that the ever increasing views of my King Falls AM articles were largely due to the articulate, incisive and witty writing of yours truly, but of course once again I would be deluding myself, which strangely enough was another comment that the blogging judges made.

No, I have to acknowledge that the upturn in the radio broadcast articles owe far more to the content within each podcast, so far we have had ghostly sightings, mythical lake monsters, Werewolves and possible extra-terrestrial abductions - to name but a few. Not only that, but Episode 7 saw the temporary re-emergence after a high profile disappearance of local man, Tim Jensen.

Anyhoo.......the much anticipated 8th episode is now available for you good people out there to listen to. In Episode 8: Electrolocaust Now, Sammy & Ben have planned a tribute to King Falls AM's resident jazz legend Chet Sebastian, however an impromptu, and selective power failure, takes out most of the station's broadcast tools, leaving the boys to fend for themselves.

Here is the link for Episode 8:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kingfallsam/KingFalls_s01_ep08_master_v02_mixdown.mp3

This is another excellent podcast episode that once again has an enjoyable mix of comedy and the supernatural and I'm sure that listeners will continue to enjoy the wonderful chemistry between Sammy & Ben. However, I'm not sure if Ben's singing escapades may need to repeated, sorry Ben my friend, but I think Travolta's portrayal of Danny Zuko is still safe for now!

Well done people, great stuff as always!

iTunes:

As I've already mentioned , the people at King Falls AM are continuing to make a BIG push on iTunes in order to further improve on being named a New & Noteworthy show for three weeks running and coming close to breaking the top 100 in the comedy section.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/king-falls-am/id1016760065

In an effort to make the most of us being new to iTunes, they are continuing to push for reviews, ratings & subscriptions. It'd mean a lot if you could send in a review and help them in their climb towards iTunes "New & Noteworthy" charts.

Anyway,  if  any of you good people reading this want to help to promote the show and the King Falls AM station, just send Sammy a message and they'll converse with you and plug and all that happy jazz. Sammy can be reached on Twitter through his handle at @KingFallsSammy

You can also locate the show itself on Twitter via @KingFallsAM

The Facebook page for King Falls AM can be found RIGHT HERE

The Map of Chaos - Felix J. Palma

Welcome, dear reader, as you plunge into the pages of our final melodrama, where fresh adventures await you even more astonishing than the last!

Before embarking on this story, be sure to go onto the end of the book, where you will find the cast of characters who will accompany you.

If time travel and Martian invasions were not enough to quicken your pulse, you are invited to venture into a world inhabited by ghosts and other monsters of the mind.

You may wish to reconsider before reading on. However, it is my duty to warn you that if you lose courage, you will never discover what lies beyond the world you think you know....

........So the welcome section explains in one of the most extraordinary books I have read for some time. However, my reading The Map of Chaos almost never happened.

The reason as to why I almost missed out came initially when I was contacted by Scribe Publications UK telling me that in August Spanish author Félix J. Palma, the New York Times bestselling author of The Map of Time and The Map of the Sky, returns with the final instalment in his bestselling, award-winning trilogy. The good people at Scribe then asked me if I would be interested in reviewing it and well to be perfectly honest, I was reluctant to do so. Quite simply, I hadn't read the first two in the series and being a man whose time is increasingly precious and taken up with any number of important blogging responsibilities. I simply didn't have time to read them before looking at the third one. However, after reading the welcome section above, in particular the last sentence my interest was not only piqued, it well and truly felt challenged. Besides which, it wouldn't be the first time that I would have read books out of chronological order......Lacking courage, Moi???!!!

My reluctance was further diminished when I was assured that I could safely read the book without having any prior knowledge of the previous plots. I decided to take up the authors challenge, though not before doing just a small amount of research (there I go again sounding all professional-like with that 'researching' stuff) and finding just a brief summary of what had gone before.

The first of the series, The Map of Time, is an imaginative multi-structured storyline which brings together a collection of real and fictional characters from the Victorian era. Here we find weaved around murder mystery and time travel, a narrative that links a heartbroken lover of a victim of Jack the Ripper, but also a Victorian feminist who yearns to free herself from her social shackles and live in a time where she can be truer to herself. Finally, we also find the writer, H.G Wells, who is desperately attempting to save both lives and literary classics being wiped from existence. 

If you add to that mix, a haunted house, well blimey, it's hardly brief on varied narrative is it?

The second instalment, The Map of the Sky, is another multi-strand chronicle that blurs any distinction between fiction and history; we have one story involving the writer Edgar Allen Poe as an arctic explorer who encounters something very John Carpenter-esque in the frozen wilderness, our friend H.G. Wells once again appears and who this time is living out his very own literary fight against a Martian invasion. If that wasn't enough, there is also there's a healthy dollop of Ray Bradbury inspired storytelling. Again, it all sounds rather brilliantly insane.

So what, pray tell, is the final book about?.......well......

In The Map of Chaos........... " The world teeters on the brink of disaster, and salvation can only be found in 'The Map of Chaos', an obscure book that the Palma's mysterious protagonist is desperate to find. In his search, he is given invaluable help by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll, and by H.G. Wells, whose Invisible Man seems to have escaped from the pages of his famous novel to sow terror among mankind." 

At well not too far short of 600 pages, as I've already alluded to, there is a huge amount of inter-connecting storyline to fit in. It starts of with a delicious prologue story featuring H.G. Wells and Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) in a battle to save humanity. Then in the first chapter we begin to witness the other main character of the book, Inspector Cornelius Clayton, who is battling with the loss of the woman he loved after solving a series of brutal supernatural killings. However, soon he comes into possession of the fabled novel, The Map of Chaos which will not only see him battle with more nasty and other-worldly forces, but will also see him cross the paths of old H.G, as well as a host of other classic luminaries.

In essence, The Map of Chaos simply has to be read to be believed. Please do not be put off by the prospect of a multi-layered storyline. Yes it is complex in parts but it is quite simply a wonderfully textured and layered piece of writing that not only makes for an ingenious plot but also brings alive the real and imagined characters with at constantly sparkling and witty dialogue.

Palma is clearly a lover of all things Wells and Victorian science fiction (as am I) and he infuses the proceedings with a genuine authentic style and panache to both the language and the feel of this spiritualist era. Add to that a rather delectable slice of Steampunk infusion and you have perhaps the most enjoyable read that I have experience in a long, long time. This is a book, and especially the style of the expansive plot line, that simply shouldn't work - but believe me, it really does. I read this book in three glorious days, it was a shame to have to come back to reality though as soon as I did I immediately ordered the first two books in the series. 

Scribe Publications are publishing this as an e-book only release in August, the novel has already got a heap of favourable reviews since its release in the States. 

So who is this Félix J. Palma fella? 

Well, it seems he has been acclaimed by critics as one of the most brilliant and original storytellers of our time. His devotion to the short story genre has earned him more than a hundred awards. 

The Map of Time, his first book published in the United States, was an instant New York Times bestseller and received the prestigious 2008 Ateneo de Sevila XL Prize. It has been published in more than thirty countries. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed The Map of the Sky. Palma lives in Spain. 

To find our more about to order the ebook and information about this wonderful trilogy then check out the following links;

You can find out how to order the book via the Scribe Publications UK website at https://scribepublications.co.uk

The Facebook page for Felix J. Palma can be found at https://www.facebook.com/FelixJPalma?fref=ts

Tailypo (2015) - A short film from Cameron McCasland

Director: Cameron McCasland

Writer:Cameron McCasland

Stars:David Chattam, Joseph Aguon Drake, Ranger

Score: Thomas Berdinski

Tailypo, Tailypo. Gives me back my Tailypho!

Sometime last year, April 2014 to be precise, I was able to watch and review a remarkable debut slasher film, The Lashman, from Cameron McCasland. He and the rest of his team managed to take a well known formula produced a film that felt like a genuinely sympathetic throwback to the classic era of the slasher movie, an era before the insufferable sequels and trips into space made the genre a pale parody of previous greatness. If you have the time, inclination and keys to escape from your padded cell you can read the review RIGHT HERE.

Cameron must have been okay with my article because soon after he foolishly accepted my Facebook friend request. As you know, this here blogger has an insatiable desire to mask his own failings by hanging on to the coattails of those far more driven and talented than himself, thereby basking in any potential glory that they might achieve. Some may call it shallow and superficial behaviour, I prefer to call it intelligent thinking with the use of smoke and mirrors.

This week during my daily routine of Facebook stalking I noticed that Cameron is currently seeking reviewers, blogs, youtubers, etc. for a sneak peak to review his new short film, Tailypo. It was suggested by him that if anyone was interested, or knew someone who might be, to contact him with their website details and/or tag the person that they think might be of interest.

Well of course I knew of one blogger who would not be able to resist this offer in a month of Sundays and would no doubt do a faultless and entertaining job of a review article. However that person was't available so I thought I would do it myself........ I immediately had two thoughts (which is one more than I usually have each month); the first was that I would be more than happy to watch something else from this new aspiring writer/director and so I promptly requested that he forward on the super secret online screener to watch. The second thought was "Just what the bloody hell is a Tailypo???!!!"

Well, according to the wondrous (and even sometimes correct) fountain of knowledge that is Wikepedia;

"Tailypo is a frightening ravenous cat-like creature of North American folklore particularly in Appalachia. Alternate names include: Taileybones, Tailbones, Taily Po, Tally Po, Taileypo, Tailey Po and Tailipoe(sies). Most often (and especially in older adaptations) the Tailypo legends are simply titled "Tallyho."

The Tailypo is usually described as being the size of a dog, with yellow or red eyes, pointed ears and a long tail. In some versions of the folktale, it has tufted ears like a bobcat, It is covered in black or dark brown fur to camouflage its nocturnal activities. Its claws are its main weapon. The Tailypo can speak like a man, and demands the return of its tail (the actual phrase varies between versions, but is always repeated, usually three times): "Taily-po, Taily-po...who has my Taily-po..."

The story is almost always set at night in a heavily wooded rural area. The events could feasibly occur at any time period, given the isolation and atmosphere of the tale. The main events occur in a dilapidated log cabin deep in the woods where a hermit and his three dogs live."

Well you learn something new everyday........

Cameron on set, doing his director schtick....

As with any local legend there tends to be an almost limitless number of variations of the narrative that evolve over the years. In this latest rendition of the myth Cameron McCasland has produced a version that varies ever so slightly from the ones that I've been researching (I know, its a dirty word for this here blogger), whilst still keeping the core charm and chills of the ghost story.

In this version, Levon is a hermit living alone in a run down cabin deep in the woods with only his dog, Jasper, for company. Sadly, things are not going very well for Levon and Jasper, with decent food being scarce and so one morning they leave the cabin to go looking for something to hunt in order to eat something else besides beans. The problem is that he hasn't actually seen much wildlife in the area for some time, a situation that is unusual to say the least. Nevertheless, things are getting desperate and needs must. Levon thinks his luck is in when he sees a creature in the distance through the trees and shoots at it, though only whinging it in the process. However he has managed to shoot off its tail - and that can be eaten. Though, it is a type of tail of a creature that Levon has never seen.

Later that day, Levon cooks the tail and after a rather enjoyable meal, settles down for what he expects will be a good nights sleep with a unusually full and contented belly. However, things are not quite going to go as planned for Levon and Jasper....because the Tailpo wants his tail back..........

At just under 14 minutes in length, Tailypo is a hugely enjoyable reworking of a folk tale that as been passed down to frighten generation after generation. David Chattam is very good as the unfortunate hermit who only wants to eat something else besides beans but instead incurs the ire of a mythical beast.

Tailypo, Tailypo. Gives me back my Tailypo!

The tension, despite the limitations of the restriction running time of the film, is slowly and nicely increased throughout, with the final few climactic scenes providing a genuinely effective chilling experience. Nicely filmed and nicely played. 

The film is beautifully filmed throughout with the external woodland scenes in particular providing a very effective and evocatively desolate atmosphere with the internal cabin scenes feeling appropriately claustrophobic. I think I'm correct in saying that it was filmed in the same location in Kentucky as The Lashman, at the wonderfully named Copper Canyon Ranch which  is located 15 minutes north of Hopkinsville, KY.  Owners Carole and Tim Emery have built the CCR from the ground up for over three decades. Copper Canyon is a completely built western town replicated to the 1880's era and decorated inside and out with furnishings of the 1880s. 

As well as being open to visitors wanting to experience a little of the old west, Copper Canyon Ranch has been featured in Hollywood style full feature film productions as well as music videos.

The score was written by Thomas Berdinski (as he also did for The Lashman) and once again the music perfectly accompanies and compliments the proceedings. 

The only negative aspect was that the brief appearance of the Tailypo itself isn't quite as effective as it could be and detracts a little from the chilling effect. However this is only as minor quibble as McCasland successfully makes up for this shortfall with the clever filming and lighting of the particular scenes.

All in all Tailypo is a solid and effective take on an a traditional folk tale with enough chills and thrills packed into its short 14 minute running time - very enjoyable.

The Facebook page for Tailypo can be located at https://www.facebook.com/Tailypoterror?fref=ts

The Tailypo IMDB page is at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4523570/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

Writer/director Cameron McCasland can be reached on Twitter via his handle @CamMcCasland

King Falls AM - Episode 7: Major Tom to Ground Control.

In the past couple of months King Falls AM, a local radio station in a sleepy mountain town in the States, has been steadily creeping it's way into the wider online listening consciousness. I not sure whether there is actually such a thing as a 'wider online listening consciousness' but it sounds good to me, and if it's not a thing then I hereby demand patent and copyright ownership right now of the term so that I, and only I can use it - well if that Taylor Swift chap can go ahead and do it (whoever he is) then so can I .....

Anyhoo, the radio station brings us a healthy coverage of the local paranormal activities on the late night show hosted by the redoubtable Sammy Stevens and his erstwhile producer and co-host, Ben Arnold. In some of the podcasts so far we have had ghostly sightings, mythical lake monsters, Werewolves and possible extra-terrestrial abductions - to name but a few. If that wasn't enough to satisfy one's radio podcast appetite, then add the usual mix of comedy that comes from the excellent presenters and also the weird and wonderful local King Falls inhabitants themselves who ring into the show. The result is a 15 minute episode that I simply couldn't do without. Even if I wasn't blogging about the show I would still be listening to them (trust me, I'm a professional), it really is the funniest thing I've listened to in some time. All the episodes produced so far can be found in previous posts within this blog, with my favourite article so far (if I do say so myself.......well nobody else is going to) being the interview that I was immensely lucky to get just a short time ago with the two presenters themselves. The link for that particular article, which also includes the first few episodes, can be found RIGHT HERE.

The latest slice of King Falls AM goodiness is in the form of episode 7 and is called  'Major Tom to Ground Control' and was for released just a day or so ago. I usually have the episodes slightly in advance of the main release but on this occasion I was on a top secret special forces mission for the government this weekend and is simply something that I cannot talk further to you about. So for now I'll just use a mundane cover story that involves me having to decorate the interior of my house which meant no access to my Mac.......and just who would believe that??!!

In this week's podcast, the boys at King Falls AM receive a phone call from a familiar voice that sends the show, as well as the residents of King Falls, into a uproar. 

Here is the link for the show:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kingfallsam/KingFalls_s01_ep07_MASTER_v03b_mixdown.mp3

It's another funny and exciting episode which proceeds to shed a little light upon a recent disappearance of one of the local populace as well as continuing the showdown that the presenters are having with those in the community whose paths they have crossed. 

iTunes:

As I've previously mentioned, King Falls AM are making a BIG push on iTunes - You can tell that it's a BIG push as I used capital letters. The station's show has been named a New & Noteworthy show for three weeks running and have even come close to breaking the top 100 in the comedy section. 

In an effort to make the most of them being new to iTunes, King Falls AM  are continuing to push for reviews, ratings & subscriptions. It'd mean a lot if you could send in a review and help them in their climb towards iTunes "New & Noteworthy" charts......... and eventual world domination.

The link can be found at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/king-falls-am/id1016760065

The team have also informed that they're "super interactive on the Twitter side". I know, I know - I've never in my life used the term 'super anything' but maybe I should get down with the kids more......as they say. Hmmm, maybe I should scratch that idea, I'm not too sure whether the term 'getting down with the kids' could be misconstrued from a legal standpoint.

Anyway,  if  any of you good people reading this want to help to promote the show and the King Falls AM station, just send Sammy a message and they'll converse with you and plug and all that happy jazz. Sammy can be reached on Twitter through his handle at @KingFallsSammy

You can also locate the show itself on Twitter via @KingFallsAM

A new comic from Planet Jimbot: App-1

Well, well, well. Another week and another bold proclamation made in the general direction of 5D Headquarters. The boast came from non-other than comic book writer, Jim Alexander, who told me that; "Planet Jimbot has a new book out; a super-hero comic with a difference. I know you've probably heard this a thousand times before, but ..." Hmmmmmm, well as you know I can never ignore such brave (some would say foolish) claims without regarding them as something of a personal challenge. After all, In my never ending refusal ever to 'grow up' (whatever the hell that actually means) I have read during my life (and will continue to do so) my fare share of comics. As an obvious consequence, I have encountered more superheroes than I could shake a piece of Kryptonite at. 

Jim is indeed correct, In that I have heard the claim a thousand times before and occasionally, just occasionally, the claim can turn out to have some merit. So bearing this in mind I decided to do a little more research and find out for myself. I say 'find out for myself' because the vast complex of 5D headquarters is a little empty at the moment due to my loss of another cheap lacky assistant after her shoddy and unrealistic claims of overwork, no pay and few breaks (she had 15 mins a day for crying out loud). I cannot comment, for legal reasons, on her final reason for leaving being due to my request that she perform her research activities in a specially bought Princess Leia outfit. My legal team is currently working on a response to that totally unfounded claim, just as soon as they finish dealing with the other restraining orders.

Anyhoo, back to this 'super-hero comic with a difference'. Jim A was kind enough to send me an electronic copy of the first edition of App-1. Here's a brief synopsis of the story.....

"In a world overrun by terror,  despair and monsters, three kids cling on to the belief that there once existed a champion of good, a super-hero now gone and all but forgotten. Despite the dangers and sheer hopelessness of the situation, they decide to go in search of the super-hero once known as App-1."

When reading App-1 #1 one can immediately see why this comic is indeed a little different to many others. The book is written by Jim Alexander (Samurai Jack, Penguins of Madagascar) with stunning art by Eva Holder (Bad Tooth), Conor Boyle (Dead Roots) & iella (The Ugly Duckling). Perhaps the most noticeable element of this is the way that the reader is transported along three distinctly different time periods through the course of the first edition; the Present, the Recent and the Past. As one works ones way through the comic the reader begins to discover how all three stories are connected as we ask the question, how can a world protected by a super-hero at the height of his powers end up being taken over by monsters known as Bogeys?!

The present takes place in the first story, Tongue Lasher, which is written by Jim Alexander and contains artwork by Eva Holder. 

The Present is a time when the world has been overrun by monstrous Bogeys, one of whom we are introduced to immediately, the aforementioned 'Tongue Lasher' who is about dish out some of his/her/it's own brand of 'Bogey justice' to one of the poor locals. 

Meanwhile, best pals Erin, Briony and Jonathan risk staying out after curfew and facing the ire of the Bogeys. However Erin in particular dreams of another who could possibly help them in their time of need, but where is he?.......

I have to say that this is a lovely innocent, almost whimsical opening section in which the artwork and dialogue perfectly captures the bleakness and hopelessness of the situation that the world depicted finds itself in. However at the same time there is something of a quaint and traditional feel to it all which perfectly encapsulates the 'Doctor Who' sensibilities that Jim Alexander told me that he was attempting to convey in the story. He does this very well.

The Past comes next (of course it does) in the issue with the story, ‘Above Us Only Sky’ which is written by Jim Alexander, with the artwork this time by Conor Boyle.

In the past we see a glimpse of the hero in action together with an interview with App-1 from back in the olden days when he was at the height of his super powers. There is no hint here of the tortured soul we encounter later in the time line, here we are introduced to a supremely confident and charismatic superhero who is reminiscent of every clean-cut comic book champion of the young and innocent.

Sandwiched between the two parts of the episode from the past is a magazine interview with the celebrity that App-1 has now become, which is a very nice touch in which we learn a little more about the personal ethos of the superhero - in between him trying to plug his latest book, that is. 

In fact we see that while he may well be a well-meaning protector of the world, he is in fact, well very nice, but ever so slightly dim with his touchingly insipid celebrity-speak remarks. I love the part when he attempts to describe the ethos of his book; "It’s my personal vision of how I see the world and all her peoples growing and coming together. 'People synergy’ is what it is."

The artwork for the past by Conor Boyle is vibrant and rich, perfectly mirroring society's optimism and self-confidence in this time period.

The final segment in issue #1 is The Recent past, which is again written by Jim Alexander and with the artwork on this occasion coming from iella.

This Monsters origin story in dealing with how the Bogeys come to be is perhaps my favourite of the three time line sections. We see now how the once mighty hero has by now encountered some hidden inner torment. He is not only questioning the level of goodness within him, but also is terrified by the darkness that seems to be slowly engulfing his soul. Enter a Einstein/Freud scientific figure intent on helping the not-so-now-super hero.

As the section progresses it cleverly reveals the shocking truth as to how the Bogeys came to prominence. I know everybody always says this, but I certainly didn't see the fabulous twist coming at the very end - brilliant!

To put it in straightforward terms, this is a sensational first issue! Apart from the sparkling dialogue from Alexander and the quite beautiful pictorial work by the various artists, the strength of this story is the clever use of the separate time lines. In using this method of the different time periods it means that the reader is neatly steered away from the normal linear method of story telling and so results in a decidedly different kind of satisfying experience.

The use of a different artist for each section is another clever touch which serves to give each time period a distinctive character and feel of its own; the past, in which App-1 is at the height of his powers, is appropriately richly coloured and textured to heighten the optimistic feel of the time line. In contrast, the present takes on an entirely different look in which the look, whilst still vibrant, nicely captures the loss of the hope that once abounded.

I believe I'm correct in saying that App-1 is a three-issue series that takes us through this tri-time sequence in which we will eventually discover how all three stories are connected as we ultimately find answers as to how a world protected by a super-hero at the height of his powers end up being taken over by monsters. I for one cannot wait for Issue 2.......'cough'.........signed copy please, Jim......'cough'.......

Yes, yes, Yes. I admit it. Jim Alexander was indeed spot on with his boast that App-1 is a comic book with a difference.

App-1 is available to buy at the Planet Jimbot shop: 
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/241056959/app-11

Planet Jimbot can be contacted on planetjimbot@gmail.com

You can follow Planet Jimbot on Twitter @Planetjimbot

King Falls AM - Episode 6: King of King Falls.

I'm very pleased to be able to bring you the latest excellent instalment of the very funny, and exceedingly paranormal radio show from my friends in the States, King Falls AM.

You may remember from previous 5D blog articles, such as the one RIGHT HERE where I was lucky enough to chat with the show's presenters, that King Falls AM's late-night AM talk-radio show produces a Podcast twice a month featuring it’s paranormal, peculiar and weird happenings ..... Not to mention some equally weird inhabitants that seem to inhabit the town - sorry, no offence intended there folks!

The station had something of revamp not so long ago in terms of its late-night talk show in the form of new presenter, Sammy Stevens, who took over the 2 a.m time-slot from the local institution that was Diamond Dave Alvarez who had recently retired after his 18 year long stint in the shows hot seat. The first five shows have introduced us not only to ex-big city boy Sammy, his erstwhile local boy producer, Ben Arnold, but also to the little known reputation that the King Falls area has had in regard to paranormal activity

The latest episode is another excellent piece of late-night talk radio where, In an effort to learn more about his new hometown, Sammy books an interview with author and King Falls historian, Howard Ford Beauregard III. However Ben questions Sammy's intentions as well as Beauregard's facts. 

As I've mentioned before, I always aim to remain as spoiler free as possible, all I will say for now is that the exchanges between a clearly cynical Ben Arnold and the 'nocturnal loving' Beauregard are once again gold dust.

Here is the link for the show:

http://kingfallsam.libsyn.com/episode-six-king-of-king-falls

_______________________________________________________________________________________

iTunes:

I would like to remind you wonderful people reading this - firstly to take your medication, the ward nurse will be around shortly to make sure that your straight-jacket is securely fastened. I would also like to remind you that the shows can now also be accessed via iTunes. 

The King Falls AM team are continuing to push for reviews, ratings & subscriptions. It'd mean a lot if any one of you who've listened to the show take a few minutes to send in a review and help them in our climb towards iTunes "New & Noteworthy" charts. 

You can find them at the following link;

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/king-falls-am/id1016760065

A love letter to The Wrath Of Khan

Some years ago I had a conversation with a then work colleague who I rather fancied getting to 'know much better’. The talk was about our mutual love of sci-fi, and even though I knew she was far more of a full-on aficionado than I was at that point, I thought I was nevertheless on pretty safe ground. The chat was going very nicely for a while until she asked THAT question. It’s quite possibly the one question that in my experience seems to obsess many within and outside the sci-fi nerdy community as being important - and so happens to be the one question that probably annoys me more than most. “So"………she asked, in an ultra-serious tone that intimated that she would be rather annoyed if my answer was the ‘wrong one’…… "Star Trek or Star Wars?”

When I answered that I really didn’t think along those lines she was visibly flabbergasted. “You have to be one or the other, you can’t be both!” When I asked why, she paused, it was as if she had been provided with a conundrum that only Solomon had previously encountered in his biblical trials. I wondered for a moment if she was attempting some form of humour, but no, she was being completely serious – and just as insistent for my answer. Becoming very quickly bored with the conversation (and forgetting that I had other hopes for our 'working relationship'), I thought for a moment. “Well, if I had a gun placed to my head and I had to answer that question with a definitive answer, I suppose that I would have to say that on my personal sci-fi love scale (which sounds a lot more interesting and dirtier than it actually is), Star Wars would be a 9.95 out of 10 whilst Star Trek would probably be a 9.99 out of 10"....... She looked horrified, then immediately stood up and departed the room leaving me sitting there alone. She never spoke to me again except in a work capacity. It goes without saying that I never got to know her ‘much better’.

So let me put the record straight right now. The only reason why Star Trek may get a .04 more than that Galaxy far, far away is quite simple. The Trek universe has always been there in some part of my personal universe. It was already there in its original series form when I was a mere baby, it was there as it began its inexorable feature length movie series when I was entering my teens and it was there as it began to morph into its numerous TV spin-off imaginings. It is still here now. There is probably far too much for me to come remotely close to doing it all justice – so I won’t even try.  In fact I’m going to narrow down my love of the Star Trek universe to one single thing – a truly wonderful piece of work, the masterpiece that is The Wrath of Khan.

When Star Wars came a lumbering and thundering into the public consciousness in 1977 one of the side-effects of the worldwide Tsunami that it created was to inspire an invigoration of popular science fiction, both on TV as well as the big screen. Ever since it's demise due to poor ratings in 1969 Star Trek had been the subject, thanks to the world-wide syndication of its three seasons, of much clamouring to revive what by the late 1970's had become part of the public consciousness in its own right. Those of us who had been clamouring for its revival thought that our prayers and please had finally been answered when in 1979, keen to ride the Star Wars Tsunami wave, it was announced that there would be in fact a full length movie version of Trek. 

Hurrah and hip, hip hooray!!??? - well no, not quite. The problem was the the film was a bit of a bore. I can distinctly remember going to see it on it's first week of release, entering the cinema with barely controllable hysteria only to leave the building after it's painful 127 hour running time feeling, well, bored silly. The years of waiting for Star Trek to be finally revived had resulted in an overblown snooze of a movie which lacked the style, humour or excitement of the television series. If memory serves me correctly, it still became something of a box-office hit around the world as the need to experience the return of Kirk et al was irresistible to everyone. It was just a bit rubbish. If there was going to be a follow up then it was going to have to be a whole heap better than the first cinematic attempt if the Trek Universe was going to flourish once again. As it transpired, the 2nd in the series wasn't just better, it was genius.

In the days before the advent of the love of my life (the Internet), we had far less to go on in terms of movie details and spoilers, it was hell I tell you, hell. What I do remember though the distinct whispers of excitement that were permeating from across the pond in mid 1982 was that Trek had re-found it's mojo.....and big time. 

The genius that underpinned Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was initially two-fold. Firstly it immediately tapped into the nostalgic obsession of the TV series by using the inspiration of the story from a 1967 episode, 'Space Seed' in which Kirk and the Enterprise crew had battled with the genetically modified group of humans and their charismatic leader, Khan. The film sees the fight re-engaged when Khan and his group escape from their 15 year banishment to what had become an inhospitable planet. At the start of proceedings we encounter a recently promoted Admiral Kirk who rather than boldly going etc etc is more concerned with his ever-growing age, failing eyesight and boredom. Kirk's fate however is soon intertwined with Khan, obsessed with taking his revenge together with control of the Genesis device, a secret Starfleet technology than can render life from lifeless planets. The second stroke of genius was the inclusion of the death towards the end of the film of perhaps Star Treks most iconic character....but more of that in a moment.

In its infinite wisdom, my local cinema decided to show the newly released Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as part of a double bill with the 326 hour long first movie preceding it. We were going to need a lot of popcorn. At the time I can remember being aware of the feelings of restlessness throughout the packed auditorium as the Star Trek: The relentlessly long Motion Picture took to wind along its inexorable way. In fact I can remember a number of conversations in the audience erupting almost simultaneously during one of the numerous extended camera shots majestically floating around every single centimetre of the Enterprise's exterior.....again. However looking back, this may well have been a stroke of unintended genius on the cinema's part, because what it did was to make the anticipation of the next film almost unbearable. The result was like every Christmas morning rolled into one by the time the credits rolled for 'Khan'.

Oh my god, I can remember that feeling as if it was yesterday. It was immediately apparent from the moment that the stunning soundtrack began that this was the film we Trekkers/Trekkies/whatever had been waiting for. 'Khan' quite simply had everything: strong characterisation, fine special effects, great uniforms, pure excitement, humour, sadness and perhaps the finest bad-guy in all of Trek history. It was visually dazzling, imaginative and emotionally fulfilling on almost every level. It became very quickly the Trek film that, even to this day, every other film in the franchise is measured against. I was mesmerised at that very first showing. I loved the navel-esque red uniforms and immediately wanted one of my very own. The look of the crew and the Enterprise was a million miles away from the insipid quality of the first movie. The sparkling dialogue and chemistry between the crew was back, regardless that some of the cast couldn't stand to be in the same room as each other, it didn't matter.

On a personal level, two things stand our from a whole plethora of stand out elements. The villain of the piece, masterfully and energetically played by the redoubtable Ricardo Montalban, was a textbook case of how to produce a richly layered bad guy complete with numerous textures of vulnerability, pain, hatred, loyalty, love and of course, revenge - all in equal abundance. I can also remember thinking at the time that if I lived to look as physically fit as Montalban did as his age (who was in his 60's at the time of filming) I would be happy. For many years the myth endured that the actor wore a 'fake' muscular chest - nope, it was all him. He himself regarded the time as one of his happiest filming experiences in his long, illustrious career - and it certainly shows. Besides which, if nothing else it gave us this.......(and before any Trekkers/Trekkies/whatever point out that the picture doesn't tie in with the dialogue scene.....I know)

"He tasks me. He TASKS me; and I shall have him.

I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares maelstrom and 'round Perditions flames before I give him up"


........I rest my case.

Of course, as I mentioned before, the real emotional punch came towards the end of the film when a certain Vulcan was killed-off. If you weren't around at the time you will have to imagine just how big a deal it was when word did began to slip out during production of his death. Letters from outraged Trekkers/Trekkies/whatever overflowed on the desks of the Paramount offices in protest and even Nimoy himself didn't escape some of their wrath (sorry) after receiving a number of death threats. I don't suppose those fools were aware of the irony of issuing a death threat to an actor because they were angry about him 'killing' off a character.

I think I'm correct in saying that this was the period in Leonard Nimoy's life when he wasn't particularly comfortable with the level off association his career had with the character of Spock. In fact the only only reason he agreed to play him in 'Khan' was with the proviso that ol' pointy ears was killed off once and for all. And so he was.......well, kind of.......at least until Star Trek III. The problem was that by all accounts Nimoy had such a positive experience during the filming of 'Khan' that someway through he had a change of mind and suggested to the writers that they may want to think of a way that a potential 'resurrection' might be possible in the next film. They must have been pulling their hair out. 

However, at the time we were young and naive (I still have one of those qualities) and so the emotional kick in the stomach that the incredibly well-acted death scene delivered was powerful without ever falling into cheesiness. Indeed, the point where an almost dead Spock stands, but still pauses to straighten his tunic was improvised actually by Nimoy at that moment, adds a genuinely poignant extra.

As I mentioned earlier, I was expecting his death after being forwarned, however I will readily admit to crying my eyes out in the cinema that day. In fact I wasn't alone, most of the men in the audience suddenly developed an annoying little cough at that point. I can still hear the woman behind me trying to console her partner who was barely inconsolable, with the words "It's ok love, It's ok. I'm sure they'll find a way to bring him back". How right she was.