So many people have voraciously consumed Episode 1 of the Wizard of Monadnock Radio Hour that my inbox has been positively FLOODED with fan mail. You might think that sounds like a good thing, but it seems my fans are particularly rabid – and demanding. Almost menacingly so. And what do all of you lovely, if assertive, fans want of your humble wizard? Two things: another episode and helpful link-filled supplementary episode notes to correspond with the topics discussed during the episode. Well, let me tell you – I aim to please. We’ll have another episode cranked out in another week or so, and here I am, right now, cranking out your episode notes, with apologies for taking so long to do so. I’ll be better in the future.
No, okay – none of that is true, although I have received at least two pieces of positive feedback. But I do want to thank all those of you who have listened, whether by accident or on purpose, and I hope to keep you coming back again. So, regardless of whether potentially violent demand actually exists (it doesn’t), here’s your release notes anyway.
Supplemental Reading
- What Have I Grown?
Is it something good or something bad? Either way, it’s harvest time. But is it even a good idea in 2016 to keep using these tired agricultural metaphors? Revisit some key topics from the episode and either love it or hate it. - The Old Forest
Read the full text version of the secret local legend revealed in the episode – it’s much prettier and more detailed in its written form. - Get to Know Me
Whether you’re feeling more acquainted with me after hearing me talk for an hour and ten minutes or whether you still don’t know what the hell I am and if you should be scared, you can read some older About pages here, here, and here. And here.
Works Referenced in the Episode
- “Days Between,” words by Robert Hunter, music by Jerry Garcia. Annotated lyrics found here.
But because I love you, I’m going to include some live performances for you to check out. Here’s the Grateful Dead tearing it up on April 4, 1994:
And because I’m sentimental, here’s a performance by Dead & Company I personally witnessed (the vid is actually the entire show; to skip to the relevant song at 2:38:44, click here:
- Monadnock: More Than a Mountain by Craig Brandon (Surry Cottage Books, 2007). This excellent – pivotal, in fact – modern overview of Monadnock and its (her? his?) significance can be purchased here on Amazon. I also encourage everyone to check out Brandon’s own site, the enviable monadnockmountain.com.
Wizard Stuff
WoM BOOKS! (Yes, I’m a huckster)
Finding Your Way Around
Are you one of the thousands who simply can’t wait until the next episode releases to hear more from the Wizard of Monadnock? Here’s a rough guide to anything you might end up looking for. (You can find all of these sections – and more – at any time from the menu at the top of the page.)
- Meditations – meditations, prayers, weird prose, and more meditations.
- Wizard Notes – things I come up with along the way and decide – for better or worse – to talk about publicly on the internet.
- The Sacred Seasons – four whole years worth of exploring the solar cycle and the four seasons. Great way to nail down the rhythm.
- The I Ching – 30-something posts comprising a never-completed effort to offer amateur interpretations of each of the I Ching’s 64 hexagrams. (It’s actually better than it sounds, no lie.)
- Laughs – the few times I let myself relax enough to even try to be funny. If nothing else, you’ll definitely laugh at me.
- Taking a Stab – a few significant, though humble, attempts at writing down something True.
- Stories – you’ve never heard any of these tales, that much I can promise in advance. Here you’ll find a truly eclectic collection of myths, fables, fairy tales, and legends, all sourced either from hidden local lore or from the less authentic but no less interestic landscape of my mind.
- WoM Radio Hour – Lastly, all podcast episodes and any supplementary posts related to those episodes (like this one!) will be collected here for easy reference.
Episode Music
- “Mr. Trumpet” by Ketsa
- “Own World” by Ketsa
- “Mysterytations” by Cosmic Analog Ensemble
- “Hugo” by Mystic Morrison Visions
Each of these can be found on the Free Music Archive at the links above. They have been used in accordance with the relevant Creative Commons licenses.
Christopher J. DiLoreto 