Episode 164

[RSS]

In this episode, Desmond welcomes fantasy artist Mike Dubisch to the show to talk about his newest project that you can help happen on Kickstarter.com: Black Velvet Cthulhu! Mike is a talented artist who talks openly about his artistic and literary influences, as well as his colorful career. Then Darryll joins Desmond for a discussion on the Soderbergh film Kafka. Tunes include: "Lament for a Toy Factory" by Dr. Steel, "3 Shades of Black" by Hank III, "Paranoid" by Hellsongs, and "LIfe in Black" by Fight. Support Mike here: http://kck.st/avqYU7 [ 1:35:56 || 44.1 MB ]

The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia/episodes/dreadmedia_164.mp3

[D-Man]

OK. I am so stoked that our KAFKA review is up. I have some additional points to share but first let me say that Mr. Dubisch's BLACK VELVET NECRONOMICON looks fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing that in print.

In anticipation of seeing KAFKA with Des, I dipped into my copy of The Trial and found, in the introduction, some biographical details concerning Franz Kafka himself. It turns out he was a true ladies man. Check out these brief exerts from some letters he wrote to Felice, a potential love interest, in 1912. "My life consists, and basically always has consisted, of attempts at writing, mostly unsuccessful. But when I didn't write, I was at once flat on the floor, fit for the dustbin. My energies have always been pitifully weak . . . "

He then goes on to proclaim himself "the thinnest person I know. I consider this a distinction since I am familiar with sanatoriums and so have seen some really thin people"

( as a side note, this is the line that had me in fits of giggles shortly after Des and I recorded our review.)

Further, it turns out Kafka actually did work, as the film portrays, at the Workers' Accident Insurance Institute in Prague. About his job, he had this to say, "Since I am nothing but literature and can want to be nothing else, my job will never take possession of me, it may, however, shatter me completely, and this is by no means a remote possibility."

A few weeks after this Kafka proposed marriage to Felice, who accepted. Kafka followed up his proposal with this pledge, "It certainly was not my intention to make you suffer, yet I have done so; obviously it will never be my intention to make you suffer, yet I shall always do so."

After this promise, Kafka finishes the letter with this, "Felice, beware of thinking of life as commonplace, if by commonplace you mean monotonous, simple, petty. Life is merely terrible; I feel it as few others do. Often - and in my inmost self perhaps all the time - I doubt whether I am a human being."

And if that, my friends, does not make you want to run right out and see KAFKA, nothing will.

[Dread]

The guy was smooth, you have to give him that.