This is the last episode of the "Internet Archive" era of Abnormal State Theatre, or what I've dubbed "Season Zero"...I'm putting the show on hiatus for about three months in order to record and edit a mess of episodes that will be the first "season" of the show after switching over to Podbean.  I get into the whys, wherefores, and reasons thereof more at the beginning of the show itself.  Suffice it to say that I'm aiming to make this show a little more legitimate, as in actually airing on at least a monthly basis as opposed to the catch-as-catch-can scheduling that's plagued it from the very start.  Again, all will be revealed and explained in due time.

This episode takes a look at an interesting experiment in fan editing...an intrepid soul known as The Man Behind the Mask has undertaken an odd but intriguing project--to take the original 1977 "Star Wars" (the one that was ultimately given the retconned title "Episode IV - A New Hope") and recut it into a grindhouse-style exploitation film he re-christened "The War of the Stars")  His level of success is open to debate, but it did make for an intriguing watch.  If you want to check it out for yourself, head over to https://vimeo.com/151257979

In the meantime, I'll probably still drop a few Short Takes into the feed here before the official relaunch through Podbean.  To all of you who have taken the time to listen to these first nine episodes over the past couple of years, I owe you a debt of gratitude, and hope you will enjoy the retooled show when the time comes.

Peace,

RDN

Episode #009 - The War of the Stars

Music:

"Star Wars Lounge Act" - Bill Murray

"The Russians Are Coming (Take Five)" - Val Bennett

"Mars, The Bringer of War" - Gustav Holst

"Lost Frontier" - Kevin MacLeod - www.incompetech.com

"Twilight" - Neil Young

"Peace" - Judas Priest

http://archive.org/download/EPISODE009THEWAROFTHESTARS/EPISODE_009_THE_WAR_OF_THE_STARS.mp3

I'm working to get Episode #9 together and out, hopefully by mid-month...in the meantime, please enjoy this belated mini-review of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (SPOILERS!!!), and a brief update on the upcoming MST3K revival...

Short Takes #3 - In the Not-Too-Distant Future, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away, Part Deux

Music:

"Star Wars - Extended Version" - Meco

"MST3K Love Theme (Joel and the Joels Cover)" - Lucca

http://archive.org/download/ASTShortTakes3/AST_Short_Takes_3.mp3

I'm apologizing up-front for this one--it was recorded in my vehicle on my iPhone mic, so it takes a step back in sound quality, at least to my ear, and apart from the opening, there aren't any of the usual assortment of snarky clips.  It's been a crazy couple of months, so I'm (as usual!) behind schedule on Episode 9...I'm hoping to have it ready to drop in January...

Anyway, in this Short Take, I offer my thoughts on the upcoming release of Rogue One in theaters (although I know at this point some have already seen it), some nerdy observations on the vehicles in this film (at least as we understand them at this point) and ruminations about the impact they could have had in the Original Trilogy, then I switch into MSTie mode with thoughts on the Shout! Factory box sets as opposed to the good old days of Circulating The Tapes, and finish with a defense of the original Gamera series.  Enjoy!

Peace,

RDN

Short Takes #2 - In the Not-Too-Distant Future, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

Music:

"Battle of the Heroes/Imperial March" - John Williams, performed by Epica

"Mighty Science Theater 3000 (MST3K End Theme Accordion Cover)" - Charlie Erickson and Joel Hodgson, performed by Jackson Parodi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js8ETMwPTWo)

"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie Main Title" - Billy Barber

"Gamera Theme" - I don't have the foggiest clue...

"Tibby, Oh Tibby" - Written and arranged by Michael J. Nelson

http://archive.org/download/ASTShortTakes2/AST_Short_Takes_2.mp3

This was the second of two podcasts I recorded while on my mountain vacation this past September; it took me a little longer to get around to editing this one.  We take a few moments to mourn the loss of one of the greatest genre cinema podcasters of all time, Vince Rotolo of the B-Movie Cast, who passed away this past April (yeah, I know, but better late than never when it comes to respecting a legend), and I make an announcement about a slight change to the show.  We then take our first steps into the wacky, gimmick-filled world of director William Castle, who never met a gag he didn't like, with a consideration of 1959's The Tingler, featuring the inimitable Vincent Price as a medical examiner obsessed with the nature of fear and its effects on the human body in an almost proto-Cronenbergian fashion.  While not Castle's first or most popular gimmick-based film, it's my personal favorite and gives a good cross-section of what to expect of a movie bearing his name.  So strap in, enjoy, and if you start to feel the tingle of fear, don't forget to SCREAM FOR YOUR LIFE!

Peace,

-RDN

Special thanks to Cort from Cinema PSYOPS for giving me some pointers to help make my show sound a little better.

Episode #008 - The Tingler

Music:

"Pippin the Hunchback" - Kevin MacLeod - www.incompetech.com

"Springtime for Hitler" - Mel Brooks & John Morris - The Producers Original Sountrack

"Tenebrous Brothers Carnival - Act One" - Kevin MacLeod - www.incompetech.com

"Spider Eyes" - Kevin MacLeod - www.incompetech.com

http://archive.org/download/EPISODE008THETINGLER/EPISODE_008_THE_TINGLER.mp3

Finally I'm back with a little something to hold you over until Episode 8:  A new subset of minisodes I've dubbed "Short Takes" which will cover such things as DVD/Blu-Ray releases I've recently acquired or perhaps acquired a while ago and am just now getting to watch, entertainment news I feel the need to put my two cents in about, or just what may be troubling me.  They also serve the secondary purpose of tiding you fine folk over until the next proper episode of Abnormal State Theatre comes around.  Episode 8 has been recorded and is in the process of being edited...hopefully it'll drop a week or so after this does.  But a Short Take could pop up in the feed at any time.

This first Short Take covers a couple of box sets I partook of while on vacation up in the mountains:  The full-series DVD box set of the legendary pseudo-documentary series "In Search Of..." starring the late, equally-legendary Leonard Nimoy, and the full-series box set of the original "Star Trek"...I don't look so much at the series as I do the seven-plus hours of special features included in the set.  Once I started, I took to the extras like a Tribble to quadrotriticale.  Anyway, enjoy!

Peace

-RDG

Short Takes #1 - In Search Of Where No Man Has Gone Before

Music:

"Babylon" - Kevin MacLeod - www.incompetech.com

"Highly Illogical" - Leonard Nimoy - Mr. Spock's Music from Outer Space

"Main Title/Klingon Battle" - Jerry Goldsmith -  Star Trek: The Motion Picture Soundtrack

"Star Trek Theme" - Alexander Courage

"Rocket Man" - Written by Bernie Taupin, performed by William Shatner

http://archive.org/download/ASTShortTakes1/AST_Short_Takes_1.mp3

A few episodes ago, we explored the beginnings of modern science-fiction with a review of Fritz Lang's 1927 epic Metropolis.  This time we hop into the Wayback Machine for a trip to 1920 and Robert Wiene's Expressionist breakthrough film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which did the same thing for the horror genre of film that Metropolis did for sci-fi. We'll also have some fun at the expense of the Nazi party and listen to me rant at length about the bargain-basement silent film DVD racket...

Episode #007 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Music:

"The Mysterious House" - Russ Huddleston & Robert Smith - "Manos" The Soundtrack of Fate

"Into The Trap" - John Williams - Return of the Jedi Original Soundtrack

"The Other Side of the Door" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag" - Felix Powell

"Reeperbahn" - Tom Waits - Alice

"Springtime for Hitler" - Mel Brooks & John Morris - The Producers Original Sountrack

"Aftermath" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

"Living Dead Girl" - Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe

http://archive.org/download/EPISODE007THECABINETOFDRCALIGARI/EPISODE_007_THE_CABINET_OF_DR_CALIGARI.mp3

Just touching base...I think I'm just going to post audio updates to my feed when there's a delay of some sort on the main podcast or if I feel the need to explain or elaborate on my situation.  Makes me feel productive to still sit down and edit something, even if it is just a blurb.

Update - March 21, 2015

Music:

Russ Huddleston & Robert Smith - "Perversion, Ignorance, and Apathy"; Manos, the Soundtrack of Fate

Russ Huddleston & Robert Smith - "Love Inside This Magic Circle"; Manos, the Soundtrack of Fate

http://archive.org/download/ASTUPDATE001/AST_UPDATE_001.mp3

I LIIIIVE!!!!  So sorry for the long hiatus, but between my computer dying, everyone in the house being in a perpetual state of sick, and the three feet of snow dumped on us in January, I haven't been able to drop a decent update for three months.  But I'm back now with a new episode, dissecting one of my favorite 70's Italian space operas, Luigi Cozzi's 1979 cheesefest Starcrash!  Enter a universe where the Empire are the good guys, an ex-child preacher with the greatest white-guy 'fro this side of Bob Ross can see into the future, Caroline Munro picks up an American accent, and David Hassellhoff gets to swing a lightsaber! This film was a relatively late entry in the sci-fi boom touched off by the release of Star Wars in 1977, but it's far more than just another Star Wars ripoff.  Luigi Cozzi was a sci-fi fanboy before the word "fanboy" was even coined, and it shows in the many homages to classic sci-fi cinema that can be found here.  The low budget is painfully obvious in Starcrash, but so is a deep respect for the works that preceded it.  So strap in to your smuggling craft, and go for hyperspace!

Episode #006 - Starcrash

Music:

"Bump in the Night" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

"Space Oddity"(instrumental) - David Bowie

"Jellyfish in Space" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

"Intuit256" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

http://archive.org/download/Episode006STARCRASH/Episode_006_STARCRASH.mp3

Only a day late this time--I'm improving!

This month I head into the screening chamber to tangle with the 1962 caveman musical Eegah, co-written, produced, and directed by Arch Hall, Sr. (under the pseudonym Nicholas Merriwether), and starring Arch Hall, Jr., Richard Kiel (best known for his turn as Jaws in a couple of 007 flicks), Marilyn Manning, and Arch Hall, Sr. (under the pseudonym William Watters).  So get ready for some surf rock, made-up caveman gibberish, actresses portraying characters half their age, dubbing that would make Godzilla himself stop in his tracks, and some really creepy family quality time.  You may have seen this movie with the aid of Joel and the Bots on MST3K (which is coming back!--you'll hear more in the News section), but can you take on Eegah raw, uncut, and unMSTed??

Watch out for snakes!

Episode #005 - Eegah

Music:

"Lost In Space Season 3 theme" - John Williams

"Mystery Science Theater Opening Theme" - Charlie Erickson and Joel Hodgson

"Love Theme from MST3K" - Charlie Erickson and Joel Hodgson

"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie Main Title" - Billy Barber

"Airport Lounge" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

"Riptide" - Kevin Macleod - www.incompetech.com

"Theme from Eegah" - Arch Hall, Jr. and the Archers

"Bruder des Schattens" - Popol Vuh

"Vicki" - Arch Hall, Jr. and the Archers

"Valerie" - Arch Hall, Jr. and the Archers

"I Ran" - A Flock of Seagulls

http://archive.org/download/ASTEPISODE005EEGAH/AST_EPISODE_005_EEGAH.mp3

As promised, here is the bonus episode to make up for my tardiness in posting for the past couple of months.  This time around instead of my normal review, I recorded an audio commentary track for Phil Tucker's best-known film, 1953's Robot Monster.  If you've ever used Rifftrax in the past or listened to other audio commentary podcasts, you know the drill as far as syncing things up goes.  If not, I explain it all at the beginning.  This is my very first time recording an audio commentary track, and doing it solo was quite the challenge, but hopefully the end result doesn't suck too much.  Starting next month, I will be recording a second podcast under the Clockwork Cardiac banner devoted solely to B-movie audio commentary, The Cardiac Yak Track.  If all goes well, Abnormal State Theater will update around the end/beginning of each month, and The Cardiac Yak Track will update in the middle of the month.

Episode #004.5 - Robot Monster Audio Commentary

http://archive.org/download/ASTEPISODE0045ROBOTMONSTERAUDIOCOMMENTARY/AST_EPISODE_004_5_ROBOT_MONSTER_AUDIO_COMMENTARY.mp3