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In this week's late St. Patty's Day feature, two American tousirsts become lost in Western Ireland and stop to ask directions of a local shepherd. A hilarious exchange ensues, as each tries to slog through the hidden cultural assumptions of the other- helped along by the comments of several local sheep. Fresh from our mailbag, this addition to the first season of the Sonic Society comes from our friend and member in good standing Kerric Harvey with her play, "Driving in Ireland."

After, we travel to Prescott, Arizona and hear a sketch from Coyote Radio Theater, followed by the realending of the interview with Sam Mowry of Willamette Radio, and finishing up this meeting with some more Wasted Tape.

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Light a candle, stoke the fire, and lean back in your plush chair curled up with a warm blanket as we present Willamette Radio Workshop's "Frankenstein". This week's feature is an adaptation of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's "Modern Prometheus".

Afterwards we'll finish our interview with Sam Mowry.

Have you noticed that recently Westerns are making a bit of a comeback? I'm not speaking directly about the most recent Oscar buzz of "Brokeback Mountain", but rather the successes of shows like Colonial Radio Theatre's "Powder River" which is getting rave reviews and thunderous applause from all quarters. XM Satellite radio can't seem to get enough Powder River, and Jerry Robbins is now working on season three of the hit series. On televsion, even science fiction takes a turn moseying along with the "wagon trains of the stars". Gene Roddenberry claimed to sell Star Trek in the 60's with that phrase, and Joss Whedon's pre-empted triumph "Firefly" along with its followup movie "Serenity" leans heavily on that age of old west. While I'm well aware that genres weave in and out of popularity, I'm more interested in why cycles occur rather than suggesting that they somehow have a regular pattern- if they did, wouldn't it have been time for a big 30's pulp movie like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? How long has it been since we've had a new renaissance in that genre?

I think there's something about the world we live in today, and the values that the Old West represented- simplicity, even a clearer sense of what's right and what's wrong. In today's complex society, there's a real yearning for a tangible way to make a better life.

Later we'll finish our interview with Schlock Audio's Bruce Humphries, and end this meeting with a little... Wasted Tape.

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There are a few genres that work especially well in radio drama- comedy of course is the most popular. Fantasy and Science Fiction are also exciting options because audio cinema really has no limits. It's as easy to identify an alien planet through sound as it is to have your story earthbound. Suspense and horror are some of my favourites as well because the things that scare us and fascinate us are always best left to the imagination. Willamette Radio Workshop produces a number of audio gems that understand the best ways to use radio drama. This week's presentation "Next Year's Girl" offers us a broadstroked look at a gothic fairy tale. The story of "Beauty and the Beast" can titilate the imagination as we ask primal questions... about ourselves, our place in society, our capacity to be loved and to love, and in the case of this week's feature what we're willing to sacrifice.

We'll talk to Sam Mowry from Willamette about his projects and his passion for audio cinema, and finish off this week with a special extended-version of DRE's Robotz of the Company and the Bot War.

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One of the great elements of the Schlock Audio re-mastered masterpieces, is that so many of the "goofs" from the movies can be discarded from distraction or added by the narrator as schlocky flavour. Of all the favoured filmmakers in Schlock audio drama, its hard to find a Director more hallowed than Ed Wood. Ed's amazing "one shot" direction. His economical sets and scripts, and his ineffable humour permeates all his works. It's hard to imagine that Bride of the Monster is considered one of the top 100 worst movies. Compared to Plan 9 it's nearly a masterpiece on celluloid.
We'll talk more about Schlock Audio with one of its founders and producers Bruce Humpries. After, we end this meeting with the 6th and final installment of Biff Straker and Spaceways!